Live this life

 I am sharing another card using a sticker that I found at Dollar Tree last year.  I check in there every now and then just to see what they have and sometimes I hit the jackpot.  Here lately our stores haven't had anything all that great, it could be my timing too. This one is a 3D sticker, with lot's of dimension.

I started off using my scraps for the background of my card.  I added the sticker over a tag that had some image or sentiment I didn't care for. Then to mimic the newsprint look in the background of the sticker I added a strip I tore from an old book.  Added a ribbon that I tied with some Jute, a sentiment sticker and a little inking around everything and the card was done.

• Forever in Time - Glitter sticker
• Paula Deen - Tag pad
• My mind's eye - The sweetest thing paper
• Making Memories - Autumn Splendor ribbon
• Jute
• Dictionary page torn and inked
• Tim Holtz - Metallic sticker sentiment 

I would like to share my card with Simon Says Challenge anything goes.

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

Connie

Birthday present

 I picked out this stamp and then went to my papers and found these and decided to use the colors in them for my coloring, but I think my coloring of the dog ended up a bit darker than the colors on the paper. It looked good in person before I sent it out, but looking at it on the post it looks a little dark.

• Inky Antics - Birthday delights, colored w/markers
• PPD - Mini Stitched Square dies
• My Mind's Eye - The sweetest thing
• EK Success - corner punch for sentiment tag

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

Connie

Purple and Gold

 I had seen this washi tape being used in different ways on cards on the Altenew  blog and just loved it but talked myself out of getting it. Well last fall when we went to the stamp store over in Missouri I saw it there in person and I just couldn't resist and hoped I would get some use out of it.  This first time using it I just applied it to my cardstock as my background, added a die cut and a gold die cut sentiment to go with the gold in the Washi tape. I just love the water color look of the flowers and all the gold touches,

• Altenew - Glitter Flurries Washi tape for card background
• Gemini - Opulent Swirls die
• Spellbinders - Happy Birthday die
• Recollections - Iridescent gem

You can see a little more of the shine of the gold in the close up picture above.

We have been getting freezing rain, sleet and snow mix, should be ending by this evening, but I hear that the East Coast is going to get hit hard again, take care and stay safe, there has been pile up accidents here.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by.

Connie

Pop up Congrats

 My friend who I have had since we were babies has been able to finally retire. She is single and has worked hard all her life and has a few medical issues that makes being on her feet all the time very hard so I was so happy for her that she was able to retire in her late 50's.  So I had to make a fun retirement card. Now I know these critters are looking like they are going to a birthday party but who says you can't wear hats and have balloons at a retirement.

Stamped and colored these little guys and cut it out and glued them into the front of the Pop up box, then cut the balloons out of some background paper I had made using colorburst powders.  I attached them with acetate pieces so that they would spring when she opened it.

The Congrats die cut in the front was layered 3 times to give it some dimension and I finished all the sides off with sequins.

• Avery Elle - Critter Crew, colored w/markers and fussy cut
• Spellbinders - Scalloped Pop up box and Sentiments One dies
• Taylored Expressions - Balloons die
• Crate Paper - Party day paper
• Sequins

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

Connie

Glitter Snowflakes

 My cardmaking group is having Christmas challenges every month for Christmas, and this month is snowflakes.  We have a different person think of a challenge using that theme, and I was picked for the last week in February.  I picked us to add sparkle to our snowflakes, either by die cutting out of glitter papers, adding glitter with glue, embossing a snowflake stamp with glitter embossing powder, stickles, H2O's, sparkle pens whatever way they can choose to add some sparkle.

I went with glitter cardstock and glittered fun foam for the white snowflakes.

• Poppystamps - Dancing snowflake Tile die, cut from Paper studio Glitter cardstock
• Gemini - Frosty Christmas, white large snowflake die
• Cuttlebug - Snowflake 2 dies other smaller snowflakes out of Glitter fun foam
• Pink and Main - sentiment strip dies
• Simon Says stamps - tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp

Those of you that make Christmas cards monthly, do you have yours done for this month?  We don't have as many days to make this month... I have one more to share and I will have mine done.

Hope your week is off to a great start, we have had a couple of nice days of weather here before we get back to the winter temps.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Pink Zinnia

 Are you all itching for spring like I am, let's make some pink flowers :) I first backed my water color paper with my Xyron machine, putting tape onto the back to hopefully make putting all those little pieces back into the die easier.  I cut the die out and carefully removed it with all the pieces inside the die cut and then watercolored my flowers and stems.

• Memory Box - Zinnia Bouquet and Distressed Baptisia  Collage dies
• 49 and Market - Coral Mini Collection paper
• Bobunny - Sentiments stamp
• Spellbinders - A2 matting basics B die
• Sparkle Confetti 6mm sequins

I will be sharing my card today with the Memory Box Tickled Pink challenge 

Sisterhood of Crafters Feminine using flowers

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

Enjoy your weekend!

Connie

Birthday Dreams

 Our niece on my hubby's side loves the tropical places, she goes there on her trips when she can and since Michigan is having a hard winter this year I thought for her birthday I would send a scene to remind her it will be nice again :) I stamped in a gray color on Cream cardstock and then colored it in and did a little sponge inking for the sky.  I didn't care for how the grass turned out on the side so I added a die cut piece of grass over top.

• Our Daily Bread designs - The Mighty Sea, colored w/markers
• PPD - Stitched Postage Stamp die
• October Afternoon - Seaside paper
• Die Versions - Celebrate die
• Impression Obsession - small grass die
• Spectrum Sparkle clear pen

You can see a little bit of the sparkle in the water in this picture.

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

Connie

Masculine sympathies

 I was in need of two sympathy cards for two guys in our church, so I used some images from a daily calendar I had last year.

• Bob Ross - Day to Day 2021 calendar image
• DCWV - Rustic Cardstock
• Fiskars - Corner punch
• Taylored Expressions - Care & Comfort II sentiment stamp

Bob Ross - Day to Day 2021 calendar image

Spellbinders - A2 Distressed Edges and classic square dies

DCWV - Once upon a time paper

Taylored Expressions - Care & Comfort II sentiment stamp

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

Connie

The World

 Last month when I did that Christmas tree card and my hubby liked how I did the shading of the moon on it, well I decided to do something like that since he liked it so much, but what to do with it and then I remembered this set from Crafters companion, it has stamps and the die cut globe stand, perfect.  

I first started out by inking a background and masking for the moon, I added a few drops of water after to give it a starry look to the background.  Couldn't find a paper that looked good behind it so I just splashed on some white paint I slightly watered down with water direct to the card base.  Added a little enamel heart and I was done.

• Crafters Companion - Stamp and die globe
• Inked background with distress inks after masking for the moon, splashed a little water
• Stampin up - enamel shapes (heart)
• Black card base has been splattered with watered down white paint

Some of you may be wondering where is the card from my hubby, well he didn't have time to make one but he did get me a lovely bouquet of flowers and encouraged me to get some dies I had been wanting :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Connie

Red & White

 My stamp group Christmas challenge for this month was to use Red and White, I ended up adding a bit of silver in there too on my first card.

I first made a background sheet using my Alcohol inks and a bit of silver mixative, then I cut the flowers out.

• Poppystamps - Blooming Poinsettia die cut from Alcohol inked background and silver mixative
• Sizzix - Woven embossing folder
• Tim Holtz - Metallic cardstock
• Simon says stamps - Tiny words Christmas

The Flower Challenge Blog  

Colorful Options blog

                                      

My last card I stamped onto the Alcohol ink background with my Versamark ink and embossed with Black embossing powder and fussy cut the ornament.  I punched the snowflakes from the background too. The top embossing is from a plate and not a folder that I got in a cardmaking magazine, so I used vellum so I could see through to the plate to know where to push my stylus to make the indents, lets say it is a lot faster with an embossing folder.

• Impression Obsession - Leaf Ornament, stamped and embossed w/black embossing powder onto an Alcohol ink background
• Quick Cards magazine - Snowflake embossing board, using vellum and stylus
• Diamond Press - Stamp sentiment
• Hot off the press - Dazzles, 31 white Jewel border stickers
• Martha Stewart - Snowflake punch from alcohol ink background

Thanks so much to those of you that had answered my questions about Vertigo, I appreciate you taking out the time.

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

Connie

Paper Napkin

 A few of the girls from my cardmaking group sent me napkins last year and I am just now getting around to using them, I loved this flowery napkin and I thought I will need something bold with no pattern to go against it with no real color, so I thought of my wood pieces and brought out this bird and made a frame using my dies.

• Paper Napkin, applied to cardstock base with glue
• Spellbinders - Picot Edge circle and Standard Circle large dies to make frame
• Recollections - Wood Bird
• Stamps of Life - Minis4circles sentiment stamp
• Circle punch
• Clear gems around frame

I have a question for anyone that suffers with Vertigo, is there medication you take for it, or exercises you do that helps, I had a very bad episode again yesterday, took me totally out for several hours yesterday and now I am much better at least able to sit here but not great yet.  I went to a doctor a couple years ago when all this started and he has since retired, he gave me exercises to do that made it all worse and I wasn't able to function, after 3 days I quit. Just curious if anyone else has had luck with anything.

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

Connie

Sweet Pea

 A few years ago, I believe I won these little die cuts off of Birgit's blog, I know they came from her. I still have quite a few of these cute critters and hearts left, I don't make a lot of Valentine cards, my daughter got her package in plenty of time so I can share :)

I went around the cardstock that I mounted this little girl on along with the hearts with a silver pen to give it a bit more framing.

I just love the little sparkle on the bow, rose and heart.  The sayings were already on these hearts.

I would like to add my card to the following challenges:

Double D Challenge blog Hearts

Colorful Options Challenge color Red

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

Connie

Guy Birthday

 It is so hard for me to do the boys that are turning 18, they aren't kids they aren't men just yet, well in my eyes anyway.  I got this present die in my Crafters companion advent calendar and thought it would work great for this birthday card when combined with the sentiment .

• Hot off the press - Cardmakers, Birthday Card Quotes, inking
• Spellbinders - A2 Distressed Edges die
• Crafter's Companion- Gift die from Advent calendar
• Crate Paper - DIY shop paper
• Die Versions - Stitched Nesting stars die

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

Connie

Spring Bird

 Ok I know that it isn't spring yet, so I cut this cute bird out of some darker colors so that it would look more like a winter bird :)  I won a gift certificate from the Impression Obsession blog when doing one of their challenges and this bird is one of the things I picked up :)  I used some cardstock and some pieces of a background I had made with colorbursts.

• Impression Obsession - Spring bird die
• Hero Arts - Oval Woodgrain Frames die
• Tim Holtz - tiny tattered florals dies
• Ivy cut on my Silhouette machine
• Leisure Arts - Savor this moment papers

I am enjoying these layered bird dies, I may have a new Obsession :)

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

Connie

It's Party Time

 One of the girls in my cardmaking group loves foxes and has a winter birthday, so when I came across this in my coloring calendar, I had to use it for her birthday.

• Cheerful Journey - 2018 coloring calendar image, colored w/markers
• Flora Craft - Diamond Dust for snow
• Cardmaking and papercraft magazine - Sweet sentiments

Well we went for a long drive yesterday, everywhere we stopped hubby would get out and let me know that it was a bit slippery so be careful, yep not worth it to me, I just stayed in the Van the whole time. We had a day of freezing rain/sleet before the snow, so when they plowed the parking lots and such well you can imagine what was left.  But it was nice getting out and seeing it and the excitement my hubby had getting pictures.  I spotted an Eagle and some Turkeys, that is what I enjoy trying to see things I don't normally see :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Connie

Bouncing Brayer

 We recently had our zoom meeting with my stamp group and we did a new technique to me called Bouncing brayer.  We took glossy cardstock and dye inks and inked up the brayer and then bounced it on the cardstock, moving it around as we bounced.  We cut the center out with a die and added our own stamps to the center.

When you open the inside this is what I added there, these stamps are all from the same set.

When it is fully open this is what the inside looks like.  A fun fold card plus fun technique.  We did more samples but I haven't had time to make those into cards yet.

• Hero Arts - Birthday wishes stamp set, colored w/markers
• Glossy cardstock for the bouncing brayer technique and die inks

We got about 6 inches of snow so we are going to get out today and take some pictures, hoping the roads are clean our road hasn't been touched yet and it is usually one of the first ones, so we will see how far we get.

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

Connie

Masculine gift cards

 Today I am sharing a couple cards I made for my daughter to give out using a more masculine theme, didn't know if she would need many cards for guys or not. I have had this book of tags that you cut out for quite some time, felt good to be using them.

• Hot off the press - Tag Art #2 book
• Cosmo Cricket - Fleuritse paper

• Hot off the press - Sarabooks Ivory tags and papers
• Reminisce - wedded bliss Thank you Rub on
• Crafters Companion - leaf stamp
• Bazzill Brad
• Fiskars border punch

We are getting our snow today, yesterday was all ice/snow mix and today is all snow, they say so far we have 3 inches and it is supposed to snow until the evening so we may just get close to our top of 8 inches.

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

Connie

Gift of Cards

 I decided to make some cards for my daughter at Christmas time that she can give to others when she needs one and can't get to the store.  She walks everywhere she goes (doesn't own a car) and so I thought it would be nice to have some on hand. Today I will share some ones I made more Feminine and next time I will share some for the guys in her life.

• Inkadinkado - Garden Greetings, colored w/markers
• DCWV - Garden party papers
• Spellbinders - Classic Rectangle and A2 distressed edges dies

• Hot off the press - Life Happens Greetings stamp
• Craft Smith - Chelsea Lane papers and tag
• Impression Obsession - Classsic Corners dies with DCWV - foiled cardstock

• Craft Smith - Chelsea Lane apers and tag
• Fiskars - Corner punch

Tim Holtz - Wildflowers stem dies, colored w/markers
Craft Smith - Chelsea Lane papers and tag

Tim Holtz - Wildflowers stem dies, colored w/markers

Craft Smith - Chelsea Lane papers and tag

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

Connie