Retirement

 My girlfriend retired recently so I had to make her a card to Congratulate her.  This paper pack had some neat ephemera pieces to stamp and write on, I made a list of things she will enjoy now that she doesn't have to drive over to St. Louis everyday!

• We R Memory keepers - For the record papers
• Gina k designs - Tag lines sentiment stamps
• Wintertime crafts - Sticker book ( Faux stamp)
• Paper clip

I would like to share my card today with Simon Says Monday Challenge Add a sentiment

and Word Art Wednesday 

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

Connie

New Baby

 My nephew and his girl friend just had a baby. I saw these stickers just before they had the baby so I kept them in mind for when she had it to use them. I just placed it on a die cut layered onto another one and had this cute baby paper to put it on and added a few little sticker gems. Stamped sentiment.

• Susan Branch - Baby stickers
• Paper Trey Ink - Hodge Podge papers
• Spellbinders - All Occasions sentiment stamp
• Starform - Transparent Glitter gold stickers

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

Connie

Special day

 I hadn't used my coloring calendar images in quite sometime so I pulled this spray out of my collection for the next birthday card I needed.  I fussy cut it out and paired it with a doily and more of the ribbon my sister gave me :)

• Coloring for Calm 2018 calendar image - fussy cut and colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Delicate Doilies die
• My minds eye - Quite Contrary paper
• Stickles - Vintage Photo for flower centers
• Gem and Ribbon

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

Connie

Daisy

 I usually cut these type dies out completely and then put them on the front of my cards but this time I cut into my front panel, and added a yellow piece of paper on the inside of the card so that the flowers would stand out better, I think you can see it better on my close up picture.

• Gemini - OX Eye Daisy die, cut directly into the front of the card, colored with both inks  through the die and then markers for the stem
• Penny Black - Sprinkles and smiles sentiment stamp

I would like to share my card with The Flower Challenge Blog Birthday

Thanks for all the kind thoughts with our flooding situation.  I can't imagine what people go through that have their whole house flooded.  We are very close to having our crawl space pumped out and most of the garage is done. Prayers for all those going through floods, fires and anything else unexpected.

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

Connie

Tag in a card

 I think this card came from working on my Junk Journal this month, I make all kinds of tags and pockets and such for that so when I went to make my friends birthday card that was on my mind :) I used quite a few different pattern papers, and stamped my tag, adding more pattern paper at the top.  It is hard to see but I also used some die cut flowers on the front of the pocket I made to insert the tag into. I used more of the pretty trim my sister gifted me on the pocket.

• Raspberry Road designs - Love lives here papers
• Trim from my sister
• Hero Arts - Nested tag shapes die
• Crafters companion advent calendar - Flower and leaves die cuts
• Impression Obsession - Birthday stamp set (birthday)
• Dollar store stamps - Flowers, leaves and Happy

I would like to share my card with the following challenges:

Love those Pretty Papers Challenge Triangle

Simon Says Monday Challenge Layers

I am a little late posting because we had severe flooding in our area, the shopping center we always go too was under water and the animal shelter had to be evacuated, they were wading in waist deep water trying to get them all out.  Through Facebook we are seeing many others that were impacted too.  I am so thankful that the rain finally stopped just before our 4 foot crawl space was up to the floor boards.  Our garage got a couple inches of water, so we have been working on pumping out water and cleaning up everything in the garage.  A damn in a city about an hour away burst and many people in the path of it had to be evacuated too.  

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

Connie

Wish Big

 There has been a new Challenge called Word Power and when I came across his dimensional sticker I have had from the dollar store for years I thought I would give the challenge a try for my great nephews card.  I decided to break out some of my alphabet stickers and add the word BIG to the sentiment. The stars on the bottom half were in my cup of unused bits from other cards. Added a strip of Washi tape across the center.

• Dollar store - Dimensional Wish sticker
• Echo park - Fine and Dandy papers
• Washi tape
• Creative Imagination - Basic ABC stickers
• Spellbinders - Large deckled Rectangle die

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

Connie

For you

 I had seen a few cards on Pinterest of people rolling papers back to make an opening, I am sorry I have tried to go back and look for them but can't find where I saw them, I took an oval die and just laid it on top to give me an idea on how much paper to roll back.  I stamped on a separate piece of cardstock and colored with markers.  There is a little sentiment on the tag in the stamped image so I didn't add another.

• Power Poppy - Short Stacks stamp set, colored w/markers
• Crate Paper - DIY Shop paper
• Tearing back of paper and inked with Old paper distress ink
• Sequins

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

Connie

Hello

 Using some new things on my card today.  I bought this Impresslit folder that die cuts and embossing all in one run through the die cut machine, well just like my 3D folders from them I don't seem to get a good cut for some reason in my Gemini machine, I have tried all kinds of plate configurations trying to get it to work but this was my best try so I went with it for a border on the top of my card.  I also bought these flower stickers through Amazon for my Junk journaling but thought this one would be pretty for the main image on my card.

• Sizzix - Lace Border Impresslit die w/ Lunar Paste - Gold Rush on raised areas
• Spellbinders - Labels One dies 
• Amazon butterfly and flower sticker
• Crafters companion - sentiment die
• Basic Grey - Picadilly papers

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

Connie

Christmas part 2

 I forgot after my last post to finish with the rest of the cards I made for June challenge, using a base plate die for our background.  Like I said I don't have any Christmas theme ones so here are more using my everyday ones.

For the first two cards I cut it out of two different papers and then switched up how they are used.

• Spellbinders - Infinity Punch & Pierce plate
• Paper studio and paper from magazine
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies (Pinecone & Bow) Large Funky Festive dies (Flower and Branch)
• Simon Says Stamps - Tiny words Christmas

• Spellbinders - Infinity punch & Pierce plate
• Crafter's companion - Sentiment die (cut twice)

This last one I used ephemera pack for the images and some stickles for the center of the background piece.

• ODBD - Quarterfoil die (cut from vellum)
• Simple Stories - Bits & Pieces - Simple Vintage Dear Santa 
• Stampendous - Star Chain Brite sticker
• Distress Stickles - Shabby Shutters ( on Vellum background)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today

Connie

Lighthouse

 We grew up in Michigan and as long as we have been away we still feel like that is home :)  Whenever we go back we like to get to the water at least once, it doesn't always happen but we do like to go see the lighthouses and Michigan has many of them to visit.  My friend loves them too so this was her birthday card.

• Gray Wolf Graphics - Point Bestie Lighthouse stamp, colored w/ markers
• PPD - Stitched Postage Stamp rectangle die
• Impression Obsession - Small grass die
• Raspberry Road design - Love lives here papers
• Stamps of Life - Postmarks2stamps, sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - circle punch

I would like to share my card today with the following challenges:

Four Season Challenge Summer

Double D Challenge Nautical

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by today,

Connie

Plant Love

 A friend moved out into the country side a couple years ago and she has done an amazing job with her planting of flowers around her home and has a lovely garden too, so I thought a garden theme birthday card would be great for her this year.  I had all these stickers for a very long time and thought they might make a nice wreath and went with oval to be a little different.

• Hero Arts - Oval Woodgrain Frame die
• Joy Marie - Garden stickers
• Martha Stewart - Flower border punch
• Cloud 9 designs - Christy & Friends papers

I would like to share my card today with Sisterhood of Crafters In the garden challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you all in American had a safe 4th.  It was too HOT and humid for us so we stayed at home and once again so many in the neighborhood were setting off big fireworks so it was like we went to see them :)

Connie

Sis Birthday

 I always try to find a new technique, fold, or use a new product for my sisters birthday card.  This time I went with a fold I hadn't tried, It was one Esther had done.  I used my Graphic 45 goodies on this one.

The first picture is of it laying down.

• Graphic 45 - Bird watcher 8x8 paper pack and Bird watcher Ephemera Assortment

The second picture is of it standing up.

 This last picture is of the inside before I wrote my message, sorry the picture is blurry but if you go to Esther's blog she shows how she finished hers off, I either write too much or too big because I usually fill up the inside with my writing :)

I am sharing my card today with the Triple B challenge  

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

Connie

Christmas in June

 I was supposed to have these posted by yesterday but we had the most beautiful weather yesterday, a break in the heat and humidity, so it was very much enjoyed instead of posting cards.  We are so happy to have another beautiful day today!

Our challenge in the stamp group was to use our Die cut base plates for our backgrounds, at first I was thinking I don't have any Christmas ones but I found some that would work even though they aren't Christmas themed :)

I just recently found these ephemera pieces at Hobby Lobby so I had to pick them up and the deer worked great, I just added a little wreath to his neck :)

• Taylored Expressions - Birch Tree cutting plate and Door to door Decor (wreath) dies
• My Favorite things - Cloud stencil
• Poppystamps - Stitched Landscape die
• Floracraft - Diamond Dust (snow)
• Stampendous - Geo shapes sparkler stickers (berries on wreath)
• Paper Studio - Ephemera (deer)

After finishing this one I knew I had another die cut deer so made a second card.

• Taylored Expressions - Birch Tree Cutting plate and Birch tree accents (sign & deer) dies
• Poppy Stamps - Stitched landscape die
• Flower soft - Polar white
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Christmas

• Tim Holtz - Simple Plaid Cutting die 
• 49 and market - Christmas Spectacular Ephemera (wreath and sentiment)
• Nuvo Crystals Glaze on berries on wreath

This next one I kept getting reflection of the pink shirt I was wearing when I did a straight on picture so I am just sharing the side view.

• Memory Box - Starry Night Background die
• Taylored Expressions - Bethlehem Border die
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip die

Last for today because I have a few more but have a lot to do today so need to finish.

This one ended up not being as big as I thought when I was pulling all my dies out that I thought would work so I ended up making it into a mini slimline card but a little shorter because the die wasn't quite long enough to fill the card.

• Spellbinders - Symmetry in Space die
• Tim Holtz - Christmas Botanicals Layers ephemers (flowers) 
• DCWV - Foiled Cardstock
• Echo park - Christmas magic ephemera (sentiment)

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

Connie

You are so special

 It is hard to write this one, I try to make all my cards ahead of time, like a month ahead of time if I can, because I never know if things are going to get busy and I won't make it into my craft room, or other things come up that I want to make a card for get well, thinking of you ect.  Well I had just finished making this card for my brother when I got the news that he was going into Hospice care.  I thought about sending it very early but then I told myself hang on wait you never know what God's plans are.  Then as time got closer to his passing my mind was on that and not on his card.

After I got home from his funeral and was getting around cards to send out, I realized that I still had his birthday card. I finally decided that I could not send this to anyone else and as I hadn't written inside it yet I decided to send it to my Sister in law and wrote a note inside to her.

• Hot off the press - Instant Card Art (pretty colors)
• Ms. Sparkle & co. - Wood paper pad
• Starform - Silver text stickers sentiment
• Brads - Copper and silver screw 

Do I wish now that I would have sent the card early, yes I do, but I know he knows how much I loved him, and that is the main thing.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Stay cool!

Connie

Bloomin Birthday

 My great niece is turning 15, I was stumped for what to do for her so I just started going through all my goodies and came across these watercolor birthday panels and thought that would be cute. I went with coloring them with my sparkle markers to add a bit of shimmer to the flowers and sentiment. I also used some Aqua tint markers.

• Taylored Expressions - Birthday Watercolor Panel, colored w/ Spectrum noir Sparkle markers and Aqua Tint markers
• PPD - Postage stamp Rectangle die
• Papers from friend

Thanks so much for stopping by today, 

Connie

Get well

 My brother in law has been going through some terrible health troubles ever since February of this year, just before he went in for yet another surgery I sent this card to him.  I didn't put a sentiment on the front it just already seemed quite busy to me.

• Hampton Art - SC1029 Fern & Specimen stamps
• 49 and Market - Pascale's 3x4 Grammar Stamp on striped pattern paper
• Memory Box - Stitched rectangle layer die
• Wintertime Crafts - Old Papers (Background) Mini decorative (dots stamp)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, hope you are able to keep cool for those in the extreme heat areas.

Connie

Butterflies

 I saw this set of stamps at JoAnn's I believe and thought they were so cute with their different patterns.  I paired it with some 49 and market papers and ephemera. That is faux lace that was in the paper pack, I used it between the two papers I chose to use as my background.

• Park Lane - Butterflies stamp set (stamped with a gray color ink)
• 49 and market - Coral Mini 6x6 collection (paper and lace)
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words birthday sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - Pastel mini pearls

I am sharing today with the Triple B Challenge 

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

Connie

Snowflakes

 Maybe the thoughts of snowflakes will cool us down with most of the country dealing with HOT temps.

Once again I am using some lovely laces my sister gifted me, there were two kinds of laces with snowflakes and that just happened to be the challenge in my Cardmaking group, so I made two cards with each of the laces and just changed up the way I used my snowflake dies.

• Wrights - Keepsake Snowflake lace 
• Memory Box - Winsome snowflake die
• Sara Davies - Frosty Christmas snowflake die
• Dieverson - Joyeux Noel sentiment die

I used all papers from my bin that I had cut down my scraps to card front sizes.

• Wrights - Keepsake Snowflake lace 
• Memory Box - Winsome snowflake die
• Sara Davies - Frosty Christmas snowflake die
• Stampendous - Chainletter Christmas sticker

These last two cards used a piece of ribbon that had wire in it but I was having a hard time adding it to my card, so I just removed the wire on the ends and it wrapped around to the back much easier. Now I have my mind thinking what to do with the wire I pulled out :)  If you have any ideas let me know.

Tis the Season - Laced with Frost Ribbon

Spellbinders - Holiday Sentiment  dies

Taylored Expressions - Snowflakes dies

• Tis the Season - Laced with Frost Ribbon
• Memory Box - Winsome snowflake die
• Stampendous - Chainletter Christmas sentiment sticker

I would like to share my card with Peace on Earth Challenge blog

Well I am caught up with my May Christmas cards so now I need to get busy on June to catch up, that will have to be the challenge in my other group.

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

Connie

Teen guy

 Using more of this paper I got for another masculine card, this time for a my great nephew in his teens.

• Cia Bella - Engine of the Future papers, Creative pad double sided 12x12
• Memory Box - Deluxe Gear set

I love all the tags and ephemera bits in these packages, makes for putting together a card so easy!

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

Connie

With Sympathy

 Our friend lost his Mother just a day after we lost my brother. I went with a simple card using a stencil to ink inside to frame my flower and sentiment.

• Penny Black - Stencil Background Basics
• Distress inks - Faded Jeans
• Honbay - Stamps

Sharing with the following Challenges

CAS on Sunday Challenge 

Simply Clean & Simple

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

Connie

Grad!

 My great nephew is graduating from high school. In the pack of lace, ribbons and trims my sister gave me there was this ric rac and it just happened to be the school colors for my great nephew so I decided I had to figure out how to use them in his card.  I have had these image stickers for many years, I would say 10 or more, I came upon them a couple months ago and left it out on my desk just for this time so I would remember to use them on his card.  The stars and sentiment are from a sticker pack I had bought last year for graduation cards.

I forgot to get a side view of the card, and it is already on it's way to him.

• Dimple Street Gang - image sticker
• The Greetery - Crimped Frame die
• Ric Rac in blue and yellow, added using fabric tac
• Paper Studio - Graduation stickers (stars and sentiment)

I would like to share this with the Double D Challenge 

Something old - Image sticker from 2000

Something new - Ric Rac

Something blue - Background paper, ric rac and stickers

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

Connie

Thank you

 Last time I shared a card for my friend that sent flowers, she sent them with her sister, our family grew up next door to their family and the one this card is going to is the girl that was my sisters age.  When I was back in Michigan for the funeral my sister gave me a bag with a bunch of ribbons and lace, when I saw these I thought they were so pretty and just had to use them, so I used all 3 that I thought matched pretty as borders for this card. This way there is a little of each of us on this card :)

The "You" was first cut then I stamped on top of it, instead of trying to stamp and line up the stamp, it is so much easier I think.

• Simon Says Stamps- You matter stamp and die set
• Laces from my sister
• Sequins

I would like to share my card with the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday

Word Power Challenge 

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

Connie