Birthday Bouquet

 I am pretty impressed with most of the stickers you can buy at Dollar Tree store, they are so pretty and for the price it can't be beat, yes I now have a full basket of their stickers, rub ons and such, I need to stay away so I don't buy more, LOL! Thought it was time to get some used. I smooshed some blue ink on my mat and made my background behind the flowers that way and then cut a border and did a little inking around the edges.

• Crafter's Square - Pop up stickers onto a smooshed ink background
• Raspberry Road Designs - Love lives here paper
• Martha Stewart - Border punch

I have only taken one picture of my wildflowers that I have been bringing into the house from my garden this year, I have enjoyed bringing flowers into the house so I can enjoy them inside too.

This was from my very first picking :)

Hope you have a great week, thanks for stopping by,

Connie

Masculine Birthday

 I love having a stamp positioner like the Misti, you can ink up part of the stamp and then stamp it on your paper and then ink up the rest and stamp again and you don't have to worry about it being lined up, it looks good all in one color but I like the option of using multiple inks, I stamped directly on the pattern paper.

• Inkadinkado - Utopiary stamp
• WeRmemory keepers - For The Record Paper
• Martha Stewart - Border punch
• Hero Arts - Birthday messages sentiment stamp
• Spellbinders -  Grommet tags die (with inking in the center before removing die)
• Brads

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

Connie

Live your best

 I hadn't used these dies that cut into the corner of the paper in so long I thought it was high time :) When I am having a hard time thinking of an idea of what to make someone for their birthday card, instead of going for a sketch I have been going through my goodies and finding something I haven't used in awhile and the card usually comes together after that.

• Wendy Vecchi - Bravo stamp and die set, colored w/markers
• Memory Box - Distressed Baptisia Collage die
• Carta Bella - Metropolitan Girl paper

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

Connie

We have today

 Using some more of that cool paper I bought for guy cards, my husband loves this paper so hoping my nephews and other guys in my life do too :) I chose this piece of paper because it has my nephews birthday number on it, when I showed it to my hubby he says yeah that's cool but you need to try and cover the 7, so I added a T and H stickers.

• Cia bella - Engine of the future paper, torn a strip and inked it on the left, added the screw piece at the top and the sentiment tag
• Distress ink - Black soot
• Nuvo Crystal Glaze on the screws in the sentiment tag
• David Walker - Creative imagination Basic ABC stickers (th)

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

Connie

Lavender

 For a friend who loves purple :) For the lavender I used a piece I made on my gelli plate so that it wouldn't be all one color. The stems was from a background I did with Brusho shimmer powders.

• Memory Box - Long stem Lavender and Leavenworth Butterfly dies
• P13- Secret Garden Papers and sentiment tag
• Hot off the press- 31 white Jewel borders sticker
• Brusho Shimmer powders for stem and Gelli plate background for Lavender

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

Connie

Sketch

 The challenge in my cardmaking group is to use this sketch where you take 3 different papers all the same size, stack them on top of one another and make 3 cuts into them, then take one from each paper to make a card base.  

• Fancy Pants Designs - Saint Nick paper
• Paper Studio - La Petites dimensional snowman sticker
• Library card from friend Esther, already had the tree and Merry Christmas on it

• Fancy Pants Designs - Saint Nick paper
• Holiday time - Holiday snowman charm
• Making Memories - Holly berries
• Stampendous - Chainletter Merry Christmas sticker

• Fancy Pants Designs papers
• Making Memories - Sleigh charm
• StarForm - Merry Christmas sticker
• Polka dots unknown

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

Connie

Christmas houses

 In my stamp group the challenge is to use Houses on our cards.  When I was looking through my books of watercolor images for a different card I came across this one of a Church, now our churches are God's house, am I not right, so I tore it out and have had it on my desk to remember to use it, I colored with Aqua markers. Adding a bit of snow to make it more Christmas and stamped in the bulletin board Joy and a heart.

• Spectrum Noir - Serene Scenes Watercolor paper, colored w/ Aqua markers
• Simon says stamps - Tiny words Christmas (in bulletin board)
• Flower soft - White (snow)

• Taylored Expressions - Neighborhood border and Central Park dies
• Gemini - Torn Edge Circles die
• Stickles - Crystal (snow)
• StarForm - Merry Christmas sticker

Now looking at this next one on the computer I am thinking I may need to add a little more to this to make it look like a Christmas scene. Sponged the background, colored the rest with inks.

• Hero Arts - Wood Frame die
• House and tree dies were a gift from a blog win, no name on them, colored w/inks, background sponged on inks
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Connie

Framed Bouquet

 I am trying to think if I have ever used these embossing folder before, I know when it was given to me I thought it would make a nice fancy frame for flowers but don't know if I had ever tried it before, I thought this bouquet fit perfectly inside. It isn't often I make a card and am totally happy with the results but this one is one of my favorites.

• Spellbinders - Flower Bouquet Stamp and Die set, colored w/markers
• Stampin up - Embossing folder
• Stamps of Life - Minis 4 circles sentiment stamp set
• Martha Stewart - Tag punch
• Gem

I am sharing today's card with the following challenges:

Can you handle the Pressure?

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge 

The Flower Challenge Use a stamped image

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

Connie

Last One

 Last month a lady in our group had a birthday and this is the card I made for her, I hadn't gotten around to posting yet, but just had to post today because I found out this morning that she has passed away suddenly.  She was so funny, caring and sweet, she will be very much missed in our group, we are all just in shock and can't imagine the shock it was to her family. We never know when it will be our time to leave.

I had made this card HERE earlier and had stamped and cut all the flowers out thinking I was going to use them all on the card but ended up leaving these off, they had been on my desk for a couple days when I had to make her card and decided to use them on hers.

• Spellbinders - Moon flower stamp & dies
• Special Birthday sentiment stamp from magazine
• Spellbinders - Decorative Labels eight die
• Martha Stewart - Pearls

I really need to work on blending my ink colors with those pinks and red Spectrum markers.

We always think about having time to say goodbye, but that doesn't always happen.   I want to thank all of you who take time to come to my blog and the friendships I have made along the way, it means so much to me, hugs to you all!

Connie

Wriggley

 My niece lost her dog of I believe she said 18 years.  I tried to color the dog like hers.

• Newtons Nook designs - Fetching Friendship stamp set
• Sizzix - Embossing folder, sanded the raised areas
• Spellbinders - Lg. Deckled Rectangles die

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

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