Lighthouse

 I needed another masculine card and I wasn't sure which way to go, so I just started looking through all my old stamps, and this one jumped out at me. I did a bit of water coloring with my Spectrum Aqua markers this time. I did a lot of inking on the edges of the card, image and border strip.

• Art Impression - Lighthouse window stamp, water color w/Spectrum Aqua markers
• Basic Grey - Porcelain paper
• Spellbinders - A2 Curved borders one die
• Hero Arts - All Occasion messages sentiment stamp

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

Connie

For the love of Birds

 I was following a girl on youtube as she opened the Advent Calendar from Diamond Press last year and I had gotten a die that I had already opened in a previous door, she had a cute bird on a branch die, and you know how I love my birds, so I was quite bummed when I didn't get that.  I mentioned it on the Diamond Press facebook group, and a few mentioned I needed to contact Diamond Press and see if there was anything they could do. I told them I would do that and I did. 

Meanwhile another girl mentioned a few days later that she didn't really care about that die and she would be willing to give it to me, I thought that was so sweet of her but I told her how I had contacted Diamond Press and wasn't sure what was going to happen there, she said she would send it anyway and if I get one from them I can pass it along to someone else.  Meanwhile on my post another girl mentioned the same thing happened to her.

I did hear back from Diamond Press and they said they had one left in the warehouse and they were sending it.  I ended up getting two of them now, so I sent the other one to the girl in my post that mentioned she didn't get one either, and I made the first girl a Thank you note for sending me her die and sent along some goodies to her, along with this card using the bird die :)

• Diamond Press Advent Calendar - Bird and Branch dies
• My Favorite Things - Cross stitch Rectangle die
• Basic Grey - Wholy Cow rub ons (sentiment)
• Paper from a friend

I am sharing today's card with Double D Challenge Birds

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

Connie

Card Fold

 In our online group meeting this month April showed us how to make this fold, and also We did a technique were we stamped a background using Distress Oxide inks and then added gold powder on top, before heat embossing we took a small brush and brushed off some of the embossing powder, giving it a bit of distress look to it.

• Hero Arts - Wallpaper stamped background with Crushed Olive Distress Oxide ink, embossed with gold embossing powder, brushing some away before embossing
• Spellbinders - Textured Flowers dies, smoosh ink technique then shaped
• Recollections - Rhinestone gems
• Crafter's Companion - Sentiment die

Inside panel 

• Memo card from Amazon
• Fabric Washi

There is a double panel inside, this is the first panel you see when opening it.

That Washi tape panel shows onto the front when it is closed but I couldn't get a good picture of that.

The next picture is the second panel were I will write my sentiment to the person getting this card.

This last picture gives you an idea of what it looks like from the top.

Sorry I don't have any of the measurements and I had a hard time getting it all folded right myself, I couldn't even begin to try and tell you how we did it, sorry.

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

Connie

February

 Yep that is right I made this card in February, I am just now getting around to sharing it, This flower came from the Diamond Press Advent Calendar,  I would like to try it again with different colors, I just wasn't sure I liked how this one turned out.

• Diamond Press - Advent Calendar 2024, Flower and leaves die cuts
• PoppyStamps - Eyelet stitches die
• Spellbinders - Advent Calendar 2024 Banner sentiment die
• Martha Stewart - Pearls

You can see a little better in the close up that i used a border die on that strip.

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

Connie

Day 3 flowers

 Using some more of the goodies from my Spellbinders advent Calendar. These flowers were so cute, I thought I would use them with a decorative die, using scraps from this paper pack.  Gotta save those little scraps you never know when you can use them right :) I used scrap green cardstock for the leaves.

• Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2024 - Flower dies, and Majestic Labels 25 die
• Teresa Collins - Tell your story papers
• Fiskars - Essential Sayings sentiment stamp

I am loving this set of flowers!

I am sharing my card today with A Cut Above blog anything goes

Hope you have a good weekend, we have rain coming Saturday night into Sunday but hopefully we will get out and get some yard work done Saturday, getting excited for spring weather that is here!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Masculine

 I got out another of my coloring calendar images for my brother in law's birthday.  I also used another die from my Advent calendar.

• Coloring for Calm Calendar image - colored w/pencils
• Hero Arts - Birthday messages stamp
• Spellbinders Advent Calendar 2024 - Nested die (sentiment tag) inked

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Up and Away

 Sharing another die set from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar of 2024.  The balloon was fairly easy to put together. I paired it with an embossing folder that I embossed from blue cardstock and then went over the clouds with a white ink pad. I fussy cut around the sentiment so it would fit better on the card.

• Spellbinders - 2024 Advent calendar, Balloon die
• Parklane - Embossing folder, inked with white ink
• Cardmaking magic - Birthday verses stamp, fussy cut

I really like al the details like in the basket and on the bow :)

I would like to share my card today with Simon Says Monday Challenge Transportation.

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

Connie

Spring flowers

 These flowers are from the Spellbinders advent calendar for last year, I colored them with some new markers I had bought for Christmas from Altenew and the gold pen around the sentiment tag was from the Diamond Press advent calendar, so all new goodies used on this except the die cut to frame it is an oldie.

• Spellbinders - Stamp from Advent Calendar2024, colored w/markers and fussy cut
• Spellbinders - Labels 11 for sentiment die, outlined with Gold pen and Noble Rectangle die
• Sequins

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

Connie

Pastor Calling

 I mentioned before that our Praise team leader at church had received her Pastoral degree last year, well the end of last year she was called by a church not to far from here to be their Pastor, she went and met with them and decided to take the calling so we had a going away dinner for her, and we wanted to shower her with cards, especially this being her first calling.

• ODBD - Scripture Collection 1 stamp 
• Spellbinders - Labels 50 Decorative Accents
• Crafter's Companion - Pearls
• Dusty Concord and Rustic Wilderness distress inks on the leaves and grapes, as well as markers on the grapes

I would like to share my card today with

Simon Says Monday Challenge Bit O' Green

Double D Challenge Going Green

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

Connie

Faux Silk Technique

 Last month when our group of Ladies got together over Skype we did the faux Silk Technique. You use bold papers for your base then you crumble up some Tissue paper and smooth it out again but not all the way, add your glue stick to the paper and adhere your tissue paper over top.

April also shared a card fold with us cutting one piece of paper at 5 3/4 x 5 1/2, score on the 53/4 side at 3/4 and 1 1/2 inches, another piece cut at 5 3/4 x 2 3/4 and score the same as the other one on the 5 3/4 side, then glue them together as shown.  Sorry I am not good at writing directions.

• Spellbinders Advent Calendar - Flower, leaf , sentiment, corner and border dies
• Butterfly die 
• Starform - Out line border sticker silver

It folds flat so you can fit it into an envelope.

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

Connie

Wonderful Birthday

 I was in need of another masculine card and I had missed playing with my birds so that is where this started with my bird, and it just grew from there. So fun when you don't have an idea what you want to do but you just start with one thing and let your imagination go from there.

• Tim Holtz - Feathered Friends and Funky Nature dies
• Picket Fence Studio - Slice of wood stamp, fussy cut
• XERE - Green Ephemera paper
• Papercraft Inspiration magazine - Greetings tag die and sentiment stamp

I would like to share my card today with Triple B Challenge and A cut above Blog Challenge

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

Connie

Best Day

 Last year on HSN craft day they had this set from a new to me company from England and it was a card kit with these cut animals, scenes and tags, along with stamps.  It was a really good price so I ordered them and they just make me smile they are so cute.

I stamped the sentiment from a different set onto one of their tags, the flowers and grass are also a stamp, I wanted it to go all the way across the bottom of the card so the grass on the right has been drawn in with marker.

• Stamps by me - Create a Card kit, Best day ever collection- (racoon, tag and stamp flowers and grass)
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Birthday sentiment stamp
• Basic Grey - Brad

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

Connie

at the beach

 My nephew moved down to Alabama last year and his kids are enjoying being at the beach more often, they have gone all winter long, and my great nephew has especially loved going, they have shared pictures of his big smile when he is at the beach. So when I went to make his card I remembered this stamp image a fellow card maker stamped out for me years ago and thought it would be perfect.  I later found out that that is where they celebrated his birthday this year too, so it was perfect.

I inked the sand and water and using a stencil the sky, colored him with markers.

• Stamp from friend, colored w/markers
• Inked sand, water and using my homemade cloud stencil did the sky, drew in the birds
• Memory box - Stitched Rectangle layers die
• Spectrum noir clear sparkle pen on water
• Tim Holtz - Clippings sticker book for sentiment

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

Connie

Masculine get well

 We have another guy in our church going through cancer treatments, and surgery, I wanted to let him know we are praying for him.

• Crafter's Companion - Advent Calendar, Embossing folder and dragonfly stamp and die cut
• ODBD - All Occasion sentiments stamp

I would like to share my card today with the Can you handle the pressure? Blog

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie