Envelope/Tag card

 I broke down in one of Spellbinders sells and bought some more of the dies that go with their Essential Envelope dies, I used it for one of my cardmaking friends that also has the set :) The new dies are the front cover, the scallop, tab tag and flowers.

• Spellbinders - Essential Envelope and Every day Add-ons dies
• Basic Grey - Porcelain Paper
• Hero Arts - Your day sentiment stamp
• Crafter's Square - Gel dots
• Inside tag has stickers from Amazon

I wrote my message to her on the back of the tag.

I would like to share my card with Beautiful Blossom Challenge 

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

Connie

Magnolia Bloom

 I just love these magnolia dies, they layer up so pretty, just add a touch of inking and some coloring on the leaves and they are so lovely.  The paper I used in the background had these gold foiling to it which gave it a bit of a dress up to the flower I think, as well as the die I used to frame it :)

• Memory Box - Magnolia Blooming Bud and Magnolia Bud trio dies
• Momenta - Pattern cardstock
• Spellbinders - Decorative Labels Eight die
• Open Studio - Greeting tabs

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

Seize the Birthday Challenge anything goes or Blue Pink and Yellow

Just us girls Challenge Die week   2023 

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

Connie

Happy 250th Anniversary

 I bought these kits before we went on vacation and they came yesterday, so I have been a busy girl working to get them done today, I will keep them up for a few months but still wanted them done today, and thought I would share with you all.  They came from Amazon but I didn't really realize until after that they were actually coming from China, that is why they took so long to get here. 

They are on Canvas Squares so I just propped them up on a picture holder and the other is leaning up against other things.

I really love them both it is hard to pick which one I like more.

I have put them on the mantel really quick to see how they would look, not sure if I will keep it this way or not.  I made the doll in the middle years ago, and the banner a few years back also.  The truck is a lego one that hubby bought and I told him that was one I didn't mind if we kept out in the living room :)

I would like to share my canvas diamond dots with the Colorful Options Challenge red, white and blue

It is dark and gloomy here right now, that may be why my pictures aren't turning out well, the parade over in St. Louis was cancelled due to bad weather. Hopefully it will blow over so they can do the fireworks tonight.  It has cooled down into the high 80's so it might not be as bad as it has been.

Hope everyone stays safe celebrating today and tonight.

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

Connie

Get well

 I was in need of a get well card and I had just saw these images on Graphics Fairy web site and thought they were so pretty, I used one of them for my card. I inked around the edge of the card first and then added some pattern papers to go with it. To tie in the gold foiling on the arch die I added a gold sticker along the border die. There were little dot gold stickers on the sheet so I added them to the background.

• Graphics Fairy - Dome flower image, fussy cut
• Memory Box paper
• Sizzix - Tags Rounded die
• Basic Gray - Periphery paper
• Pinkfresh Studio - Classic Edger die
• Hot off the press - 63 Thin line border stickers
• Chloe's creative cards - Sentiment stamp

I am still trying to catch up on everyone's blogs, it's been a bit busy since we got back from vacation.

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

Connie

Butterflies

 I made this card with my group on Teams meeting back in May, I loved it so much I saved it for my sisters birthday and she has received the card so I can share it now :)  I hope I remember what we did, I think inked the background and stamped our image and then embossed the piece and did anymore inking over top to highlight the embossing. I did write down that the card base is 10.5 x 5.5 inches, but didn't write down where we scored it. 

• Inkadinkado - Patterned Bugs stamp set
• Distress inks - Wild Honey, Dried Marigold and Fossilized Amber
• Elizabeth Craft Designs - Happy Birthday die cut

This next picture shows the fold we did on the inside, I totally can't remember how we did it, but I did have written down that the square sentiments and the pattern paper are 1.25 inches square. As you can see it was like a z-fold card.

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

Alphabet Challenge E for Embossing

Can you handle the pressure anything goes with a twist of purple

Word Art Wednesday 

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

Connie

Christmas in June

 We have been on vacation the past week, we went down to Alabama were some of our family moved from Michigan.  It was very HOT and HUMID about what it is like here now this week so we didn't get much relief coming back home to Illinois like we were hoping. I am trying my best to get caught up on everyone's blogs, but it may take me a few days.

I managed to get all my cards done before I left but didn't get pictures.  Our Challenge this month in my stamping group was to use any animal other than birds in our card.  I just so happen to have quite a few I could choose from these are the ones I did choose.

• Penny Black - Jolly Follies stamp set, colored w/markers
• Stickles - Crystal for snow
• Spectrum Clear Sparkle pen on the light
• Kat Scrappiness - Mini Slimline Double stitched dies
• Paper Pizazz - Red Plaid paper
• DCWV - Green Star paper
• Spellbinders - Ribbon Trio die
• Burlap strip

I would like to share this card with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge Use Pattern papers

I colored the cat and dog like one of our cats we have now and our dog that passed away.

• Newton's Nook - Holiday Post stamp set, colored w/Aqua pens on watercolor paper
• My Favorite things - Cross- stitch Rectangle die
• Graphic 45 - Christmas past papers
• Poppystamps - Eyelet Stitches die
• Stickles - Crystal for snow

This next stamp set came from a cardmaking magazine.

• Quick Cards Magazine - Rabbit stamp set, colored w/markers
• Wink of stella - Cl White and Spectrum Clear marker
• Crafter's Companion - Shimmering Snowflakes die
• Paper Pizazz - Christmas plaid paper
• ornament brad on tag

This last one is a 3D Decoupage sheet I bought at my stamp store.

• Katy Sue - 3D Decoupage Reindeer Kisses Bauble
• Tim Holtz - Shabby Paper

Sharing a side view so you can see the dimension.

This last card I did before she shared the challenge of the month with us.

I forgot to write down the name but it is those scratch off cards I had bought at Michaels store that I shared in earlier Christmas posts.

Take care and all those in the line of this HOT weather I pray you all stay well.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Connie

Digital card kit

 Alicia McNamara gave away a digital kit a few months ago and I finally printed it out a couple weeks ago and made a card from it, I think the coloring looked a little better on the screen then how my computer printed it out but I think it still make a nice card. Another one I am hand delivering so I used my bigger pearls on it :)

• Alicia McNamara - Digital Download Cardmaking kit, background paper, butterfly and sentiment
• Recollection Pearls

as you can see I fussy cut the butterfly piece out and popped it up with foam tape.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Sticker bouquet

 I am trying to use as many older items as I do newer ones in my cards, this is one of those older ones, these are stickers I bought from the dollar store many years ago.  I have gone to a couple of our stores around here and they just don't have good craft sections at them, I have read that some are good and others are not stocking craft stuff very much, so I need to visit more stores and see if I can find one that has a good craft section.

The card stock that I applied the sticker to and stamped the sentiment came out more yellow than the cream color it actually is, the close up picture below is more accurate. I fussy cut around the sticker,  The flowers in the corners and the strip on the center of the card are also stickers.

• Miss Elizabeth - Petite Stickers (image, strip and flowers in corners)
• XERE - Green scrapbook papers
• Chloes Creative cards - Sentiment stamp
• Spellbinders - Ribbon tag Trio die
• Ribbon
• Brads

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

Connie

Diamond Dots bouquet

 Made another diamond dots card for my girl friend, she always has pretty flowers in a vase from her garden whenever we go over there, so had to give her one for her birthday :)

• Craft Buddy - Crystal Art card Kits (HSN)

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

Connie

Watercolor Floral

 I feel terrible I bought this set of papers and ephemera a very long time ago and finally broke into it, They are so pretty together.

• Gina K - Watercolor Floral paper and Ephemera pack
• Spellbinders - Romantic Rectangle and A2 Matting Basics A dies
• DCWV - Bright Cardstock
• Digital sentiment
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip die

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

Connie

Seasonal birds

 This is a card we made together in our teams meeting. We first did the technique that was taking a stencil and sprays to fill it in, then we embossed our pieces and did the scoring to make the fold on the left side like a box, it folds flat to mail, and we write the sentiment on the back.

I stamped the bird and used that for my focal. I added some inking around the edges after die cutting the frame before taking the die out of the cardstock.  Adding a few pearls for embellishing. 

• Fun Stampers Journey - Starburst Stencil with sprays
• Paper Studio - Silkscreen embossing folder
• Stampin up - Seasonal Birds stamp set, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Decorative Labels One die w/ distressed ink Antique Linen
• Chloes Creative Cards - Sentiment stamp
• Diamond Press - Pearls

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

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Things with wings

Stencil Fun Challenge

Can you handle the Pressure Challenge

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

Connie

Magical day

 For my next card I looked at all the goodies I got from my Spellbinders Advent Calendar to see if it one of them might work for our little great nephews birthday and I thought this little die cut bunny coming out of his hat and sentiment would work well!

• Spellbinders 2025 Advent Calendar - Bunny, hat, stars and wand dies and sentiment stamp
• Sizzix - Tags Rounded dies
• Glitter cardstock for the stars
• Paper unknown from friend

My first time using these dies so I will be joining the NBUS Challenge 

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

Connie

For you

 When I saw this sheet of tags in my stamp store I just had to get it, enough to make quite a few cards, it also has flowers and butterflies on the sheet. I added some inking around the edges and some twine. On this one I paired it with some Daisy die cuts I layered up.

• Stamperia - Daisy Art tags ephemera sheet
• Spellbinders - Layered Daises and A2 Matting Basics A dies, sequins
• Scrap paper
• Twine

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

Seize the birthday Challenge Anything goes 

A Cut above Challenge 

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

Connie

Summer time

 A cardmaking friend sent this stamped image to me many years ago, sorry I don't know the name of it but she wrote on the back no line coloring image. I have never been happy with any of my no line coloring I have done in the past and I thought I really need to give this a try, if it doesn't work out I will just throw it away. Well I ended up being very happy with the way it turned out, so off it went to my great niece who is turning 2.

The image only had the little girl on the towel so I added in the sand, coloring with markers and then adding small brown dots with a fine line sharpie. Added a sun die with a stamped sentiment and some die cut grass to finish it off.

• stamped image from cardmaking friend, no line coloring, using markers
• Spellbinders - Wavy rectangles die
• My mind's eye - Summer papers
• Impression Obsession - small grass die
• Diamond Press, Advent calendar - sun die
• Taylored Expressions - Many Mini's Occasions sentiment stamp

I would like to share my card with Just us Girls Challenge  Summer

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

Connie

Best Birthday

 I am loving this set of papers and die cuts, they make such wonderful masculine cards. I added a lighter piece of paper to the right to brighten the card up a bit, seemed a little to dark with all the wood. I added a strip of extra paper I had from the kit between the two papers and that still looked like something was missing so I added a sticker strip down the side between them. I had this extra piece of wood paper left too and thought it would give a little extra something to let the sentiment stand out a little more as well as the gems.

• Paper Rose Studio - Lakeside Memories 6x6 papers and Embossed die cuts
• Hot off the press - Sarabooks Ivory Papers (paper on the right side)
• Spellbinders - Lg. Deckled Rectangle die
• Hot off the press - 63 Thin line borders stickers
• Simon Says Stamps - Tiny words Birthday sentiment stamp
• Ki - Black gems

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

Simon Says Monday challenge Masculine

The Paper Players Challenge Masculine

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

Connie

One for the books

 My great niece turned 18 and I didn't know what to do for her so I went looking through my advent calendar goodies to see if anyone of them would work and when I read this sentiment that came with the layered stamp set from Diamond press I thought it would be perfect for an 18th birthday.

This stamp set comes with 6 different layering stamps and I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to layer them straight all together very well but it worked pretty good. Then when I was looking through papers to use with it I came upon this piece that had another great sentiment so I used that and felt it needed an extra something so to make it look a little more girly I went with some flowers.

• Diamond Press - Advent Calendar, Layered stamp set (Book)
• We R Memory Keepers - For the Record Paper
• Tim Holtz - Funky Nature die (Flowers)

Sharing today with the NBUS Challenge (Book stamp)

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

Connie

Water color bouquet

 It had been some time since I used my flower die cuts so I had to break out this pretty bouquet and cut it out with water color cardstock and using my Aqua pens  to color it by adding the colors to my glass mat and picking them up with a wet brush to paint. Both papers used from same set and I added the crochet lace die between, more of my bigger pearls since it was another hand delivered card :)

• Memory Box - Verona Bouquet die, water colored with Spectrum Aqua and Zig color brush markers
• White glue pen for flower centers
• Graphic 45 - Botanical Tea papers
• Tim Holtz - crochet die
• Crafter's Companion - sentiment die
• Recollections - Pearls

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

A Cut Above Challenge Use a die cut

Word Art Wednesday Anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms challenge Florals

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

Connie

Enchanted Forest

 Using another background we made in one of our teams meetings a couple months ago, where we tore a piece of paper and glued it to the center of our card and then took small stamps and stamped all around. These Tin Tiles are from Making memories and I can remember buying them at Archiver's scrapbook store so you know how old they are.  Using more of the little stickers bought from Amazon that I shared in a couple post ago.  

I used some floss and stitched around the tiles before adding the stickers. Finished it off with sentiment from one of Tim Holtz collections that I cut apart.

• CRS Tapestry - Grass Blade & Trellis peg stamps on background
• Wintertime - Art Journal stamps on background
• Park Lane - Text stamp on background
• Making Memories - Stitched Tin tiles, stitched with DMC floss
• Peter Pauper Press - Enchanted Forest Stickers
• Tim Holtz - Small Talk sentiment

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

Neglected Stuff Challenge (tin tiles)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Masculine card using Tim's products

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

Connie

Mixed Media card

 One of my cardmaking friends is really into mixed media and so I thought I would try and do a card for her that has mixed media in it.

I started the base with an Alcohol inked background I had made awhile ago. Then I got out a stencil and added some solar paste to the top left corner of the die cut for my main image.  Her daughter has a lavender farm so I thought that the die cut would be a neat touch to add and go with the alcohol inked background. Finished it off with a stamped sentiment and some sequins.

• Alcohol inked background
• Memory Box - Long Stem Lavender die
• Lawn Fawn - Outside stitched scalloped rectangles die
• Crafter's Companion - Advent Calendar stencil
• Solar Paste - Crocodile Tears
• Honbay - Sentiment stamp
• Spellbinders - Sequins

I would like to share my card today with:

Stencil Fun Challenge

Just us girls Challenge Stencil

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

Connie