Hydrangea

 I do not have one of these trees but the person that received this card does and I didn't realize I hadn't made her a card using my stamp yet, I have had this stamp for awhile now so it is always nice to get an oldie out and let it shine again :) Before I took the cardstock out of the die I did a little inking in the open spots of the frame.

• Rubber Stampede - Hydrangea stamp, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - A2 Divine Eloquence die, inking through die cut
• Stamps of Life - Postmarks2stamp sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - tag punch
• Recollections - Gem

 I am sharing my card today with Sisterhood of Crafters Birthday

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

Connie

Pop out card

 I don't know if that is the name for this card that is just what I named it for the blog post, we did this card together in our Teams meeting with my stamp group.  I was a little late getting my supplies around and couldn't think of what stamp or dies to use so I just got out one of my Ephemera packs from Hobby Lobby and used that for all my images.

Now I got this wrong the first time around so had to do mine again real quick, so hopefully I have this straight and you can understand my instructions :)  You take two 4 x 5.25 inch pieces of white cardstock, you cut a rectangle frame from the center of one of them and lay that aside.  Put your frame you made and add it to the top of the other piece of cardstock, then add your ink (we used Oxide inks) to the frame and inside the opening. Then add the pieces to your embossing folder,  run both pieces together through your machine (we added a little washi tape to keep them together) and then separate them after embossing and you now have a frame that is embossed (which I used later) and a piece that is white framing your colored area.

We added a Belly band, I didn't have a big enough piece of the colored cardstock that I used for the card back and front left to make mine so I used white cardstock and added some washi tape to it.

• Cuttlebug - Victoria embossing folder, w/Oxide inks, Cracked Pistachio, Vintage Photo and Jaded Jeans
• My Favorite things - Cross - stitch rectangle die
• Belly Band - White cardstock with Ieebee washi tape on top
• Paper Studio - Ephemera pack

With Belly band off

When Opened, we took a 3 x12 inch strip of white cardstock, scored every 3 inches and then added the 2 3/4 inch squares to each panel before adding the sentiment and ephemera. Both inside panels were embossed with same embossing folder before gluing in the scored piece.

So we had the left over frame from earlier so I made another birthday card with it. This time I did do some stamping, Hubby and I had recently went to Barnes and Nobles and I picked up this cardmaking magazine with  tons of stamps inside, I went with the Dragonfly that I fussy cut after coloring and stamped the leaves, directly onto the piece I cut from the first card to make the frame :)

• Creative Stamping Magazine Issue 149 - Summer Florals stamps, colored w/markers
• Spectrum Noir - Clear sparkle pen on wings
• Cuttlebug - Victoria embossing folder
• My Favorite things - Cross - stitch Rectangle die
• Stamps of Life - minis3circles sentiment stamp

You can see a little of the sparkle on the wings there :)

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

Connie

Sparkle

 Our Christmas challenge in my stamp group was to have sparkle.  I had already done a bit of that last month but I did come up with a little sparkle on some of these :) I finally got around to watching THIS VIDEO from Simon says stamps with Tim Holtz, using his Christmas goodies, I already had a few things in my stash so I thought I would check it out and see if I could make some cards, although they don't look anything like what he came up with I did use some hints and tips he had to come up with my own.

On this first card, this was a piece that I had sponged white paint around the edges of my pattern paper for another card but hadn't used it. 

• Pattern paper sponge with white ink
• Tim Holtz - Pocket cards and cello tape
• 49 and Market - Christmas spectacular Ephemera bits (star, tab) and Ticket Essentials, Grove

I added a little sparkle to the next one with glitter, Tim did mention that if you use glossy accent to add your glitter that it will leave a bit of shine too. I added it too the snowy bits in the bird image.

• Tim Holtz - Pocket cards and Christmas botanical layers 
• Crafter's Companion - Iridescent glitter from advent calendar
• 49 and Market - Christmas Spectacular Postage washi tape

Glitter was added to the tree through the window on this next card

• Graphics Fairy - Tree image, added Crafter's companion glitter to the tree
• Poppystamps - small madison window die
• 49 and Market - Christmas specatacular ephemera bits (Santa & sentiments)
• Tim Holtz - Vintage Labels die that I stamped on

I picked this next ephemera piece for this card because of the sentiment that was already on the wreath, and added some stickles to the candle.

• Sparkle on the paper
• Simple Stories - Simple Vintage, Tis the Season Chipboard Cluster
• Stickles - Yellow on candle flame

These sleds take a long time to put together so I have decided to make two a year, and start by giving them out to family members first.

• Tim Holtz - Vintage Sled die
• Penny Black - wood floor die
• Craft Consortium - Wood Texture paper
• Brown Cardstock for floor
• Spellbinders - Lacy squares die
• Newtons Nook - Holiday Posh (sentiment stamp)

• Tim Holtz - Vintage sled die
• Penny Black - wood floor die
• Paper Studio - Distressed Floral paper
• Elizabeth Craft designs - Starform black Text stickers (Merry Christmas)

That's it for the month of September, wow we are getting close to Christmas, so glad I make them throughout the year now and not try to do them all in November and December anymore, much less stress :)

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

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

Connie

Wish

 I am using another bird I cut from pieces of washi tape, if you missed my other card all the info is HERE about how I went about making them.  I used an old goodie that I had with this die for the background, it reminds me of an old garden gate. An embossing folder was used for the very background. I inked the raised areas.

• Tim Holtz - Feathered Friends  die cut from a torn washi tape background
• Spellbinders - Swirl Lattice Panel die and Delicious Decorations dies (flowers) Foliage die
• Darice - Crackle embossing folder inked
• Stamps of life - Minis 4 circles sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - tag punch
• Pearl

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

Can you handle the Pressure Twist of Layers

Seize the Birthday embossing

Triple B Challenge Birds Blooms Butterflies

We have finally received rain, I think people and animals a like are enjoying having rain!

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

Connie

Happy Thoughts

 Another card I hand delivered so I was able to get as bulky as I wanted, so I made a bouquet for my friend. I tried making another frame for the sentiment and added it all on a die cut shelf.

• The Greetery - Market Basic Dies
• Spellbinders - Be Bold Blooms dies
• Penny Black - Autumn Decor dies (shelf)
• Spellbinders - Labels 23 dies (frame)
• Taylored Expressions - Many Minis Occasions sentiment stamp

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

Beautiful Blossom Challenge

A Cut Above

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

Connie

75th

 My Oldest Brother turned 75, I was able to hand deliver this card when we went back to Michigan. He likes to play poker with a group of guys every week so I asked hubby if he could make some playing cards on the computer with a 7 & 5 and this is what he came up with for me.  Then I took 3 little circle dies and cut them out, embossed them to give them the look of poker chips.  He said it was neat, so I think he liked it :)

• Playing cards done with AI
• Carta Bella - Metropolitan Girl paper
• Spellbinders - Circle die, embossed to make it look like Poker chips
• Crafter's Companion - Sentiment Die 

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

Happy Moments

 Another bird card today this one is a stamp. Another one of those sets that I thought would work nicely for my junk journals, but also would be nice to use for cards :) I tore the background paper to reveal some darker paper behind.

•  49 and Market - Bird Song stamps and dies (Bird and Top Corner piece)
• 49 and Market - Serenity Rub ons, (inside frame and sentiment below)
• Paper Studio - Distressed Florals papers
• Impression Obsession - 6 in 1 Frames

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

Connie

80th Birthday

 When Connie from Crafty Home Cottage mentioned she was turning 80, I just had to make her a special card. I had her address because years ago she sent me a box of stamps she wanted to get rid of and thought I could use them, isn't that sweet of her :)

• PoppyStamps - Nordic Rings and Nordic Bird bunch dies
• Memory Box - Fabulous Phlox dies
• Taylored Expressions - Whimsy #s from gold cardstock
• Pink and Main - Sentiment Strip dies
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Birthday sentiment stamp

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

Connie

With Love

 My niece which is also my goddaughter is always texting me positive quotes and so I decided to send her an uplifting card to show my love for her.

• Studio Light - DIY Block, Vintage Roses, Papers and Ephemera
• Spellbinders - Classic Heart die, cut from Vellum
• DoodleBug Designs - Sequin Hearts

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Washi Birds

 One of the girls in my stamp group and I were exchanging ideas of things we have found on you tube to try and this washi technique is one of them that my friend found, I had to give it a go. I will share the video HERE. I used washi tape I had boughten instead of making my own so if you want to start where she is actually using the washi tape fast forward to the 18:41 mark. I used a piece of real busy pattern paper for my base.  I will have to say that I used some shiny washi tape and when I went to die cut it didn't work so well, so just keep that in mind, some of mine ended up peeling right off, the pieces on this bird actually stayed.

• Cheery Lynn Designs - Feather Friends die, using washi tape background to cut from
• Provocraft - Fabric Textures paper
• PPD - Leafy Circle die
• Stickles - Worn lipstick
• Spellbinders - Lacey Circles die
• 49 and Market  - Artoptions Rouge, Washi tape stickers (Rose and Clip) Ticket Essentials, color swatch grove, 
• Impression Obessions- Sentiments II Birthday stamp on ticket, hand wrote the 2025 on ticket

Here is the many birds and butterflies I cut from my backgrounds I made with torn washi tapes.

As you see I have many I can use in the future all ready to go :)  This was fun project.

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

Connie

Celebrate Owl

 Using more of those old Michaels stamps for another masculine card today :) Feels good to get use out of the old things we have bought in the past. I bought the other stamps with the owl for my Junk Journals. I combined my square die inside my rectangle to get the frame for the Owl.

• Studio G stamps - Owl and sentiment, colored w/markers
• Memory Box - Stitched Rectangle Layers die
• PPD - Mini Stitched Square die
• Park Lane - Script Stamp(on background of Owl)
• Basic Grey - Basics White paper
• Tim Holtz - Vintage Labels dies, Field Notes stamps and THMM112 stamp
• Cardboard

I would like to share my card with Neglected Stuff challenge 

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

Connie

Birthday Roses

 I am once again using an image from the Graphics Fairy. I think I shared the link a long time ago so for those that are new to my blog since then I will share the link again HERE. If you sign up for their email every Friday they send you links to free images and give you an extra free one at the bottom of the email that is new to their free images. A lot of them are very old and vintage but I do love that :)

• Graphics Fairy - images
• Martha Stewart - Border punch
• Ecstasy Crafts - Peel off sticker sentiment
• Pearls

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, Hope you have a great weekend, I know we are enjoying our cooler weather :)

Connie

Wishing you well

 I went with using some ephemera pieces for a man at church who recently had heart by pass surgery.

• Tim Holtz - Organic Layers Ephemera
• Basic Grey - Basics white paper
• My Favorite things - Label Maker sentiment stamp
• Faux Vintage tape

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

Connie

Hello Friend

 Every week I have been printing off some images from Graphics Fairy.com so I will have them on hand when I want to use them, well my envelope I was putting them in is getting a big full so time to use some more :) This image had a blank spot on it so I stamped the sentiment there, it worked out perfectly.

• BasicGrey - Porcelain Paper
• Graphics Fairy - Digital image
• Gina K -  sentiment stamp
• Recollections - Gems

I have a second card that came together pretty quickly using Instant card art, and a punch.

• Hot off the press - Instant Card Art (Pretty Colors)
• Martha Stewart - Border punch
• Paper studio - Enamel dot (flower center)
• Brads
• Raspberry Road Designs - Love Lives Here paper

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by, hope those in the U.S. are enjoying there Labor day!

Connie