Congrats times two

 My daughter has had a very busy spring and summer.  She graduated from Yale University with her PhD in Theology and has gotten married.

She didn't attend her graduation in person but opted to have it sent to her in the mail.  Since we were not able to attend her graduation I asked if she would take a picture of her and the diploma once she received it.

Here is the card I made for her.  The colors for her area are blue and white, and I had just bought this ephemera pack with the image of this stack of books so I thought that was fitting.

• Bobunny - Sentiment stamps, white embossing powder
• Paper Studio - Ephemera pack (books)
• Taylored Expressions - Confetti die
• White Gel pen to add a frame around the card

Here she is holding her diploma, she was really shocked because she said her undergraduate diplomas were a lot more impressive then this one.

I don't think I have mentioned it on my blog before or not but she had to divorce her first husband, for her privacy I will not go into the reasons but she has found love again and we are happy for her. He has 3 kids and wants to stay near his kids so she will have less job opportunities than she would have but she picked being with him, and we are so glad she has found happiness once again. Since they both have been married before they didn't want a big to do.

• Hot off the press - Mystic Garden Papers, stamps, foiled Fancies and Card base

This was a kit that I bought awhile back and although I have used the papers, stamps and foiled images before I have never tried them with this pre fold card base.

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

Connie

Just a note

 One of the ladies in our cardmaking group has a daughter that went through some major surgery, and she asked if we would like to send her a card.

I went with a Graphic Fairy digital image. A lot of inking around the edges of the die cuts.

• Graphics Fairy - Digital image
• PPD - Distressed Edge Rectangle die
• Pink fresh - Classic Edger die
• DCWV - Timeless Texture paper
• Hero Arts - Everyday Sayings sentiment stamp
• Spellbinders - Labels Trio die
• Hot off the press - 63 Thin line Border stickers

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend, we are supposed to have Fall like temps for today and tomorrow before we head back into the 80's, so a beautiful weekend here.

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

Connie

Hummingbird

 I recently purchased this cute little hummingbird.  I have a hummingbird feeder right outside the window, so whenever I am on my computer half the time I am distracted by the antics these little guys have outside my window.  When I saw this die I just had to have it. Of course you have to have a pretty blossom to got with it :)

• Memory Box - Layered Hummingbird die, colored w/inks
• Gemini - Double sided Dahlia die
• Park Lane - Old world Paper
• Hot off the press - 63 Thin line border stickers
• Starform - Happy Birthday silver sticker, colored w/ gold marker

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

Beautiful Blossom Challenge

NBUS Never before Used Schtuff ( Hummingbird die)

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

Connie

Among the leaves

 I have only used one little guy out of this stamp set so it was high time to use another one, this time holding a mushroom.  

There is a challenge over at Can you handle the pressure using leaves, I think this is my favorite Leaf embossing folder and it was one I bought early on.  

• Cuttlebug - Leafy Branch Embossing folder w/Lunar Paste- Slippery when wet
• Inkadinkado - Garden Gnome stamp, colored w/markers
• The Greetery - Wood Slices die
• Corrugated Cardboard off packaging w/inking
• Honbay - Sentiment stamp
• Gemini - Torn edge circle die

I added some lunar paste to the embossing by placing dabs of the paste on my mat and running a brayer through to pick it up and apply to the embossing. I still had some that hit the background but seems to be the easiest way to apply it for me, I did have to wash my brayer with soap and water afterwards to get the paste off.

It gives such a nice shine and unlike some products I use the shine stays well after drying.

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

Connie

September Challenge Poppystamps

 I am so excited that Birgit asked me to be a guest designer for the September Poppystamps Challenge. The Challenge is clean and simple, this card came together quickly.

I started out by doing a smooshed background by adding my Distress ink of Tumbled glass onto my work surface and spritzing with water and then taking my watercolor paper and laying it in the mixture, lifting it up and drying between layers.

I loved these cute little birds and  there are 3 different types of them in the set of dies, I used two of the styles today.  I made them using memory box pattern papers, that makes it even more simple to put together.

I have them perching on these pretty circle frames that have the greatest details to them, you can see real well in the close up picture.  Who doesn't need a hug, I thought these sentiment dies will be used often.

Poppystamps Products used :

Nordic Pattern Rings

Nordic Bird Bunch

Sending Hugs Poe Script

Now it is your turn to give clean and simple a try, head over to Poppystamps blog and enter your card.

I would like to share my card with Sisterhood of Crafters Blog Hugs challenge

Thanks again Birgit and Poppystamps for having me this month.

Connie

Great Outdoors

 Our Pastors husband loves the great outdoors so I thought creating a scene would be perfect for his card.

Retro Rubber Challenge has a Great Outdoor challenge, this stamp set is from 2016.

• Gina K designs- Life is Good stamp set, 2016, colored w/markers
• My Favorite things - Cloud stencil
• Spellbinders - A2 matting basics A dies
• Spectrum Sparkle pen clear on water

You still have time to play along.

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

Connie

Get well soon

 A couple of the ladies in our cardmaking group are going through some health troubles.  I used some paper pads that have ephemera right in the pack you just need to cut them out, and I used some dies.

• DCWV - Primrose paper pack, paper and label
• Basic Grey - Rub ons
• Spellbinders - Baby Buntings die
• Ribbon from my sister

This next card I did not realize I forgot to add the dot on the exclamation point until resizing the pictures to post, and the card has already made it to it's destination :(

• DCWV - The Primrose paper pack, Papers and Label
• Spellbinders - Labels 4 die
• ODBD - Hello Die
• 49 and Market -  Avesta Rub on (butterfly)
• Distress inks - Antique Linen and Scorched Timber for shading

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

Connie

Stripes

 In my stamping group the Christmas challenge for this month was stripes, I went through all my things and I had two stamp sets with stripes so I made two cards of each.

• Impression Obsession - Leaf ornament stamp, colored w/markers and fussy cut and Pine Branch dies
• Anna Griffin - Christmas scrapbook cardstock
• Brad
• Starform - Merry Christmas sticker

I added a little bit of dimension behind the ornament and pine branches with foam adhesive

This second one is pretty much the same just colored differently and different sentiment sticker

• Impression Obsession - Leaf ornament stamp, colored w/markers and fussy cut and Pine Branch dies
• Anna Griffin - Christmas scrapbook cardstock
• Brad
• Elizabeth Craft Designs - Merry Christmas sticker

When I do the same stamps on several cards I always want to change something about them so this one I changed up the paper and the dies I cut the stamp image from. The first I used several strips of scrap paper I had left in the paper pack. There is only dimension from popping up the image panel on these.

• PowerPoppy - Candy Cane classic Digital stamp, colored w/markers
• Lilybee designs - Jingle papers
• Pink & Main - sentiment strip dies
• Simon says - Tiny Christmas words

With this one I used some papers that had stripes too

• PowerPoppy - Candy Cane classic Digital stamp, colored w/markers
• Graphic 45 - Christmas Emporium papers
• PPD - Distressed Edge Rectangle set
• Simon Says - Tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp
• Pink & main - sentiment strip dies

This last card I did for my cardmaking groups challenge which was to make a special fold card. Since I try to keep things really simple for my Christmas cards I only made one for this challenge.

• PowerPoppy - Wreath: Boxwood & Cranberry digital stamp, colored w/markers
• Honeybee - Holiday Cheer paper
• Spellbinders - Labels One die
• Starform - Glitter gold stickers
• Hot off the press - Inside - Acetate border to hold up easel

I realize now that I only made 5 cards instead of the 6 I wanted to, oh well only one behind isn't bad ;)

I am sharing my card today with Peace on earth challenge 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, hopefully the thoughts of Christmas will help to cool down us all that are going through this HOT streak today, our temps are getting up to 97 with a feels like in the 100's.

Connie

Moon Flower

 I think they named it that because this cluster of flowers is in the shape of a Crescent moon. I thought they would look best with a wreath.

•  Spellbinders - Moon Flower stamp and die set, colored w/markers and Wreath and Back to Basics Tags dies
• Tim Holtz - Crochet die
• Papercraft inspiration - sentiment stamp
• Brad

Hope you all are staying cool, we are back in the heat wave, so thankful for last week when we had cool mornings so I could get out and enjoy the outside.

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

Connie

Congrats

 Our worship team leader has recently graduated and now has her pastoral license. We had a little reception for her after the church service.  The background was very busy so I did a little inking around the edges of the die cut and also inked through the cross die before taking out the craft cardstock from the die.

• Spellbinders - Cross collection and Curvy rectangles die
• Quick cards magazine - Floral papers
• Basic Grey - Sentiment rub on

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

Connie

You go Girl

 My great niece and a girl from church our both starting their year in a new high school, and I know what a hard thing that was for our daughter when we moved here when she was in high school, so I sent them both a card of encouragement.

• Susan Branch - Exercise Stickers
• Frame, corners and heart stickers are from 20 years ago when I started cardmaking, unknown

There are all kinds of things that I have almost given away thinking I will never use them but I hung on to them anyway, and all the stickers I used in these cards were some of those things, you just never know what will come up that you can use something, that is why my craft room is bursting at the seams.

• Susan Branch - Exercise Stickers
• Frame, corners and flower stickers are from 20 years ago when I started cardmaking, unknown
• Tim Holtz - Tiny Text Remnant rubs for sentiment

I would like to share my cards today with the Sisterhood of Crafters Kards for kids challenge

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

Connie

Adventure begins

 My nephew and his family have moved from Michigan to Alabama, had to send them a new home card. I thought the sentiment is perfect for a whole new place they are making their home.

I stencil the card base to look like a brick wall of a home and then added the pretty paper that gave me a feeling of a arched opening and ephemera to it (Fence, bird, cat, and rose).

• Stamperia - House of Roses 12x12 paper & die cuts (Fence, bird, cat, and rose)
• Tim Holtz - Bricked Layering stencil and Small talk sentiment sticker

I would like to share my card with Stencil Fun Challenge 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Birthday Tea

 This was a piece of ephemera from a pack, wasn't sure if I would use it but then a cardmaking friend was talking about how much she loves coffee and tea and I thought it would make a nice card for her birthday.

• Paper Studio - Ephemera (teapot)
• Spellbinders - Floral Doily Motifs dies
• Crafter's companion - Paper
• Stamps of life - Minis4circles sentiments stamp
• Pearls

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

Connie

Tic Tac Toe

 Retro Rubber Challenge this time is a tic tac toe challenge and I used the right side column going down. Pattern paper, ribbon and my choice which was embossed piece.  I added ink to it by using my brayer and some ink, I find it is the best way not to get ink on the background of your embossed image and only on the raised portions. The cute stamps are from the 2020 Crafter's companion advent calendar.

• Crafter's Companion Advent calendar 2020 - Stamps House and Bird w/die and embossed folder panel from 2022 advent calendar
• Teresa Collins - Tell your story paper
• Fiskars - Essential sayings sentiment stamp
• Pink & Main - sentiment strip dies
• Ribbon

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

Connie

Fairy Garden

 I just love the colors and scenes in this paper set, I am not one that is big on fairy's necessarily but they are very pretty. I thought it would make a pretty card for my friend.

• Graphic 45 - Once upon a springtime papers and images
• Martha Stewart - Border punch
• PPD - Stitched Postage stamp rectangle die
• Star Form - Silver text sticker sentiment and outline stickers

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

Connie

Sparkle and shine

 Simon Says Stamps Monday challenge is sparkle and shine.  Now I have had this bold and colorful book plate I think you call it on my desk for quite some time, if I remember correctly it came in a kit a long time ago.  Since I am mostly one that uses warm colors this did not reach out to me to get used all this time.  I was thinking I could find a place for it in my junk journal but still hadn't used it but this challenge came up and my great nieces birthday and I though you know she might like a card with a lot of color and shine!

The sparkle is from stickles and the shine from nuvo glaze that I applied to the dots that came out of the double sided paper I used to cut the background to the cupcake.

• Carta Bella - Alphabet Junction papers
• Gina K - Sentiment stamp
• Crafter's companion advent calendar stamps and dies, colored w/markers (cupcake & candle)
• Spellbinders - Eyelet Circles die
• Stickles - Eucalyptus on cupcake, Scattered Straw on candle flame
• Nuvo Crystal Glaze on dots from circle die cut
• Brads

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

Connie

Floral Wreath

 This sweet wreath was part of an ephemera pack, I did not buy the matching papers I just picked up the ephemera because I liked what was inside. It was a little small so I found a die that I thought would work nice with it. It is hard to see but I added pink washi and a border of white butterflies washi tape and then added the faux postage stamp on top of them.

• Carta Bella - Flora Ephemera (wreath)
• Die Versions - Lucky Scallop whisper die
• Recollections - Transparent craft tape w/butterflies
• Pink Washi tape
• 49 and Market - Artoptions Rouge Postage stamp washi tape

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

Connie