Trains and planes

 Today's card is for a friend of my hubby's who likes all things history so this is what I came up with for him. The images and sentiments are from the same stamp set, I stamped them onto my pattern paper. Our stamp group is doing a challenge to use up our old paper pads, I think I was able to use up quite a few papers from this pack.

• Technique Tuesday - All Aboard stamps
• Cosmo Cricket - Fleuriste paper
• Spellbinders - Large Deckled Rectangles and Labels trio dies

Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend, we had a little bit of everything yesterday, sun, hot temps then rain and cooler temps.  Today looks like it will be a lot of the same.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Pink

 I know I shouldn't have but I bought more 49 and market goodies, I just love their stuff, so you know I had to use it for my friends birthday card :)  The little tab was made using the fabric washi tape, and I just put all the papers and ephemera together, such pretty things to create with.

• 49 and Market - Artoptions Avesta collections 6x8 papers, and laser cut elements, Fabric Washi tape, and Ephemera bits

I am sharing todays card with Sisterhood of Crafters Pink Challenge.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Comforted

 A guy from church and a lady in one of my card groups both lost their mothers just days apart, I decided to use my rose die for both their cards.  I googled the best color for sympathy and it said white, so I did them in shades of cream and white.

• Elizabeth Craft Designs - Rose die
• Basic Grey - Periphery paper
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words faith stamp set

I just changed the way I positioned them on the second card.

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Rose die

• Basic Grey - Periphery paper
• The Greetery - Thinking of you sentiment stamp

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, 

Connie

Thinking of you

 My brother in law has had a rough time of it lately and ended up having to have surgery, and we wanted to let him know we were praying for him.  I decided to use another of the new birds I bought, this time framing him with a wood frame.

• Tim Holtz - Bird & Egg, colorize die
• Hero Arts - Wood Frame infinity die
• Cosmo Cricket - Fleuriste paper
• Spellbinders - Large Deckled Rectangle die
• My sentiments exactly - Thinking of you stamp

I am sharing today's card with Double D Challenge which is Birds ect.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Baby Boy

 Friends from church just had a baby boy.  Using an old stamp set that is my go to for baby cards :)

• Cornish Heritage Farms - Baby Dear, colored w/markers
• Echo Park - Find and Dandy paper
• Spellbinders - Labels 20, lacey ovals and inverted scalloped circles
• PPD - Stitched Banner die

Is anyone else having problems with Bloglovin?  I have not been able to get on and the email updates I get the links say sorry they are down.  Hoping I am not missing out on too many posts.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, especially to those Mother's celebrating Mothers day tomorrow!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Woodland Friends

 Needed another masculine card, and I remembered my Graphic 45 goodies I had bought last year and thought they needed more time to play, I ended up using even more than I had planned to, so many great tags and frames in this set. I couldn't quite find the paper I wanted to use with them until my scraps in this pack fell out onto the desk and said here you go :)

My stamped sentiment fit perfectly inside the banner :)

• Graphic 45 - Woodland Friends collection (die cuts, banners and tags)
• Crate Paper - DIY Shop paper
• Whimsy Stamps - Simple Sentiments
• Recollection - Brad
• Making Memories - Autumn Splendor Ribbon

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and letting me know you have,

Connie

Chickadee

 Can you tell I am on a bird kick :)  This time I added a flower with it.  I love this new layered bird die and I have also done a few that were not traditional chickadee colors, we will see if I end up using them. I cut him out with all white cardstock and then used markers to color the different layers. I tore the corner piece off and inked it to reveal some paper behind.

• Simon Says stamps - Layered Chickadee die, colored w/markers
• The Greetery - Wood slice die
• Inkssentials - Enamel accents black for eye
• Teresa Collins - Tell your story paper
• Elizabeth Craft designs - Happy Birthday die
• Gem to dot the i
• Flower given to me from friend and I colored it with markers

I am adding todays card to the Simon Says Challenge which is anything goes, 

and Sisterhood of crafters Challenge April showers bring may flowers.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Bird birthday

 Using some more of my bird stickers for another Masculine card.

• Anna Griffin - Avian Collection bird sticker
• 49 and Market - 6x8 Vintage Artistry Essentials Paper, Banner and leaves
• Hero Arts - It's your day sentiment stamp
• Ki - Metal Accents

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope you have a blessed Sunday,

Connie

Wooden tag

 One of my stamping friends sent me some wooden tags that had already been inked a bit to me a few years back, when I came upon them the other day I decided to challenge myself to use it for our Sunday school teacher. I added a bit darker ink to the bottom half and instead of stamping on the wood I decided to see if I had any rubons I thought would work and I found some that another friend gave me even more years ago.  I came across the corner rub ons too so I used them as  well. When tying on the sentiment tag with the ribbon I tacked it in place so that it wouldn't fall and cover up the bird.

• 49 and Market - 6x8 Vintage Artistry Essential paper pack, Vintage Artistry Foliage plastic die cuts
• Wood disk, inked
• Scrapworks - Vinyl Appliques (bird)
• Melissa Frances - Rubon corners
• Stamps of life - Minis 4 circles
• ODBD - tag die
• Ribbon

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

In the woods

 I think by the time I am done with this paper pack every guy in my family will have had a card from this pack, it is a go to for a great masculine card and I have the stamps to go with them so I can add things to the scene like the trees and the squirrel :)

• Heartfelt Creations - Woodsy wonderland paper pad and Woodsy Critters and Woodsy Treescape  stamps and dies for trees and squirrel, colored w/markers

As you can see I popped up the trees and squirrel to give a little more dimension to the scene!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Christmas Music

 Today I am combining a couple music papers with cardinals and flowers and then I have a last card using a background I had made recently.

First I made this card using a cardinal stamp, cut it out with this die and thought it looked a bit bare so I added a few more branches to it. I did a bit of inking around the edges too.

• Diamond Press - Happy Holidays stamp set colored w/markers
• Crate Paper - DIY shop paper
• PPD - Distressed Edges Rectangle die
• PoppyStamps - Leafy Sprig die

Next I had the strip of Music paper left over on my table and there were all kinds of scraps that had fallen out of this paper pack and I decided to make a card using all the scraps and it ended up being my favorite of all of them.

• Poppystamps - Blooming Poinsettia die
• Crate Paper - DIY shop papers
• EK success - flower punch
• Stickles - Scattered Straw
• ODBD - Mini tag sentiment  stamp
• Martha Stewart - tag punch

I am sharing this card with the Peace on Earth Christmas challenge 

If you remember THIS POST where our group made backgrounds using stencils and stamps, I had another background I hadn't used yet, and Em suggested in the comments I use a white flower against it, I thought that was a great idea but when I was doing my Christmas cards for the month I looked over and thought that looks like a Christmas background, so I used this white border with it.  You know me I couldn't leave it at just that I found a sentiment I liked and then thought it still needed more so I brought out another bird to add to it.

• Background made with Hero Arts - Graphic Patterns 2 stencil with Rubberstamp Tapestry - Butterfly Blooms stamp through the openings, then around stencil with black pen
• Distress inks - Worn lipstick, candied apple and cracked Pistachio
• Gemini - Christmas Noel die
• Hobby Lobby - Country tags chipboard
• Tim Holtz - Feathered Friends die

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and hang with me through a long post.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Connie

Awesome Birthday

 In my stamp group on our challenge week we all host a challenge and then at the end all who participate names go into a bowl and we randomly draw a name and send some goodies to that person.  One of my goodies in the latest challenge was this flower, I couldn't quite figure out how to put it together for dimension so I just layered the two on top of each other and giving the top one a little dimension and added some pearls.

I looked and the challenge over at The Flower Challenge blog was to add a heart.  That is when I remembered these two hearts that Esther had gifted me a few years back and I brought it out and thought it went nicely with my flower.  I added a rub on butterfly and a sentiment and I was done.

• Momenta - 3D Flower Lot 6747 die
• Hearts gifted to me and layered
• Kaisercraft - pearls
• Simon Says - Tiny words Birthday
• 49 and Market - 6x8 Vintage artistry Essential paper

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Connie

Christmas Critters

 My cardmaking group has a challenge of using animals on our Christmas cards, I have these images that came from a cardmaking magazine and they are too cute I just had to get them out for this challenge.  I colored them with pencils this time. I cut the globe that also came with the stamps 3 times to give it some more dimension.

• Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine - Margaret Sherry, Christmas cuties, colored w/pencils and die cut globe
• Bo Bunny - Father Christmas paper
• Impression Obsession - 6 in 1 Rectangle Frames die
• Stickles - Diamond (snow)
• 

I am sharing this card with Peace on Earth Christmas challenge their mood board has a lot of silver and gold, mine is only on the heart and star in the globe.

There are 4 animal stamps in this set I only used two, this is the second card I made.  The die I cut for the framing I had problem with it ripping as I took it out of the die, I keep forgetting to use wax paper when cutting this one. I ended up cutting away the part that tore.

• Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine - Margaret Sherry, Christmas cuties, colored w/pencils
• My Mind's eye - O Christmas tree paper
• Spellbinders - Marvelous Squares die
• PPD - Mini Stitched Square die
• Nuvo Crystal glaze on berries

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, we are warming up today here, not much sun but will be nice to be a bit warmer :)

Connie

Joy in Ordinary

 Can you believe I made a card just because!!!  I had bought the bird die and the background die and I wanted to use them so I didn't have anyone in mind I just made a card, since I have had it done for a little while I know now who it will be going to :)  Cards don't hang around this house for long, LOL!

He took a little bit of work figuring out how he went together and I need a little more practice on what colors to use for each of the layers that I have to put together but for my first one I didn't think it was too bad.  For a nest I just used some of that very thin paper they use in packaging the boxes and cut random size strips.

• Tim Holtz - Simple Plaid die, Bird & Egg colorize die and Small Talk for sentiment
• Spellbinders - Mosaic Vine die
• Inked background
• Shredded paper for a nest

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, 

Connie

He is Risen

 He is Risen INDEED!!

I am sharing todays card with Can you handle the pressure blog where the twist  Easter, I have embossed this frame and then sanded it, I wanted it to be clean and simple but then I noticed I had sanded a hole in the cardstock when sanding, so gems to the rescue to cover up, I only had one hole but one gem looked kind of funny. The image is from a full sheet of images, I lightly colored the cross with a gray marker.

• Stampin up - Framed Tulips embossing folder, sanded
• Photoplay paper - Colorplay Easter, colored w/marker
• Paper Studio Gems

I have a second card to share again using the same sheet of images, this one made me think of a Church window.

Photoplay paper - Colorplay Easter, colored w/markers

DCWV - Linen closet paper, torn and inked

Impression Obsession - Sentiments II stamp

Prima flowers, layered and brad centers

May you all have a blessed Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!!

Connie

Deerly

 I am playing along today with the Inky Paws Challenge which is a sketch.  I have not had a chance to use these adorable fawns yet so I thought it was time to use them with this sketch.  I have also used their music stencil. I stamped the two types of leaves that are in the set to frame him, the ones at the bottom have been stamped and then fussy cut, adding stickles across the top leaves.

• Newtons Nook designs - Deer Friends, colored w/markers and Music stencil using inks
• Gemini - Torn edges circle die
• Memory Box - Stitched Rectangle layers die
• Spellbinders - A2 Distressed Edges die (for sentiment)

 

There are more adorable deer in this set, so you will be seeing more :)

Here is the sketch to use in this challenge.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Anniversary

 My Brother and his wife recently celebrated their 50th Anniversary and their wedding colors were yellow and green, so I tried to tie that in with their card.  After cutting out the flowers I did a little scoring of them to give them some dimension and didn't like how that looked so I took a fine line sharpie in yellow and went over them.

• Simon Says stamps - Freestyle Flowers stencil w/Distress ink - Cracked Pistachio
• Elizabeth crafts Designs - Bundle of flowers 4 dies, doodling on them
• Spellbinders - Exquisite Labels 11
• Taylored Expressions - Whimsy #s die w/Tim Holtz gold metallic cardstock
• Queen & Co. Yellow sunshine gems
• Crafters Square - Metallic stickers
• David Tutera - Celebrate sentiment

I am sharing my card today with Colorful Options blog which is using Yellow.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Double Z fold

 Last of the challenges, my first card is a Double z fold, one of the examples showed using a fence die on the 2nd strip fold and I loved that idea so I went looking through my stamps that would be a nice garden scene and found this one.

• Inkadinkado - For the birds stamp set, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Classic Ovals die
• Poppystamps - Picket fence die
• Raspberry Road designs - Love Lives Here paper
• Queen & co. - Yellow Sunshine gems
• Fiskars - Essential sayings stamp
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip die

How it looks on the inside, I have not written my inside sentiment yet. I realized I probably should have took a picture of the card fully open, but the fence folds out straight when open

The next card we were to use at least 2 items from around the home.  We had a list to pick from and I chose napkin and book page.  I tried to ink the book page to look dirty so it could be the ground the bike is riding on, I mounted the napkin onto cardstock with some glue and then when dry cut around the tires portion of the napkin.

• Napkin
• Book page has been inked with brown
• Tim Holtz - Clippings sticker book sentiment

Hope you enjoyed you weekend and the week ahead is a good one, we started off our morning with some thunderstorms that our cats didn't appreciate but right now we are in a calm of the storm before we get more rain.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and letting me know!

Connie