Sending hugs

 A friend lost her mom, and now she has to deal with all that comes with that. I thought this paper was perfect and I didn't want to cover it up too much but also wanted the sentiment to stand out a bit so added the vellum behind.

• Crafter's companion - Distressed Florals paper
• Poppystamps - Sending hugs Poe Script die
• Spellbinders - Blossom die
• Vellum

I would like to share today's card with Word Power Challenge 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope you enjoy a nice weekend.

Connie

February Christmas challenge

 In our stamp group this month the challenge is to make grid cards, she shared with us examples of them. The first thing that came to mind is stamps that have come in card making magazines from the UK that I purchase at Barnes and Nobels. 

First I grabbed some dies that I thought would work with the stamps, I did a grid of 4 first and I laid out the dies on my A2 size cardstock, and one by one I lined them up, added the stamp inside them and stamped the images, then using the die I cut them all out and colored them. Adding some spectrum sparkle pen on the snowflakes.

• American Crafts - Festive Merry Days stamps, colored w/markers and spectrum sparkle pen
• Spellbinders - Large Deckled rectangle die
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp set

Next I decided to do a 6 grid card, with another stamp set. This time using squares as my grid and adding some pattern paper behind. I measured out to try and get them all lined up well.

• American Crafts - Personalized Advent Calendar stamps, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Classic scalloped square small dies
• K&Co. - paper

Lastly I used the template made from the card above to just do simple stamping on the card, this is hard for me because I love to add more things, but I went with stamping them all in the same color, and making it very clean and simple. The sentiment didn't really fill the area much so I added a little berry branch with it.

• Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine - Scandi Christmas stamps

I wasn't sure if I could explain how I got the grids very well so I took a picture of them, I will be saving them just incase I decided to make more of these grid cards.  All I had to do was lay the frames back over the front of my card bases, glue each piece and set it back inside the grid.

Next I have two more cards to share,  Papierelle was so sweet to send me these sweet images, I just loved them so much I had to use them this month for the rest of my Christmas cards.

The first one I added a sentiment to the image.

• Scrap and Me images
• Crafter's companion - My special papers
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Christmas sentiment stamp

• Scrap and Me image
• Embossing and scoring
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words Chrsitmas sentiment stamp

Thanks for sticking with me through a long post. 

I would like to share my card today with Peace on Earth Challenge and Four Seasons winter challenge

Connie

So cute

First I want to say that I read hubby all you comments on his card and he said to say thank you :)

 I went with my card kit again for my great niece this time, even the sentiment was in the kit so it went pretty fast, I just cut the sentiment out with a die and put it all together :)

 

• Stamps by Me - Create a card kit
• Dienamics - cross stitch die

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

Connie

Happy Valentine's Day

 I had to wait to post my hubby's valentine because he occasionally looks at my blog. He ended up surprising me with a hand made card, he has been buying my cards lately.

I will start with the one I made for him, I used more of the ephemera from Birgit that I shared in my earlier post.

So hubby told me that he had every intention on buying me a card, but he said he was looking at his empty tissue box at work and thought he could possibly make one from it.  Now all I have to say is that only an artist could look at this Puff's box and say yep I see a bird there, LOL.  He made this for me on his breaks :)

He was trying to describe the pieces he used for the box and then he googled Puff's and found the actual picture off the box that he used to make the purple ground and the bird. That is her eye for the bird's eye and  her hair is the feathers. That little cloud he cut out from the package also and the tree is just the inside of the box and he drew out the tree, cut it out and added the texture to the tree.  Isn't that clever, and get this, he had some glue stick but it had dried up so he only had one sided tape to use to put it together, so he had to roll it to make it double sided to stick everything down. The tree is located in just the right spot to hide the words that were on the box.

Here is a picture of the side of the box he used for the ground, bird and cloud.

Here is close up, I just really can't imagine looking at that girl and thinking I could cut out a bird from it and seeing that arch and thinking that would make a good base for the card.

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

Connie

Amazing

 This was for a fellow card maker whose birthday was close to Christmas, I forgot to post it earlier, But thought I would still share it.

• K& Company - Classic K paper and tag pad
• Tim Holtz - Funky Florals #3 dies
• Hot off the press - Life Happens Greetings stamp set
• Sheer ribbon

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

Connie

Shine Brightly

 I just love that sentiment, this card went to a new fellow card maker, so fun to meet others from around the world through our blogs! She sent me a couple of images that I will be sharing later when I get all my Christmas cards made :)

• Memory Box - Sylvan Corner die
• Crafter's companion - Paper from advent calendar
• Twilight - Yellow butterfly washi tape from amazon
• 49 and Market - Curators Meadow laser cut elements and Vintage artistry essentials  rub on transfers
• Tim Holtz - tiny text remnant rub ons

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

Connie

Just a note

 My first card is mini slimline card, just had to send a note to let a friend know she was in my thoughts. I went with this lovely paper that has sparkle on it so I had to use some sparkle flowers with it.

• DCWV - The Primrose paper
• Crafter's Square - Thinking of you stamps
• EK Success - Flower punch
• Pearls

This second one was for a guy at church that just lost his younger sister. I took the pictures with my phone instead of my camera and I don't like the way they turned out so I won't be doing that again but I hope you can see all right.

• Tim Holtz - Flower Jar stamp and die set, colored w/markers
• Crafter's Square - Thinking of you stamp set
• Tumbled glass distress ink, smooshed onto watercolor paper for background
• String

I would like to share my card today with Simply Clean & Simple Challenge Greenery

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

Connie

Valentines

 I went searching through my goodies to see what I could use for the couple Valentines I made this year, and I found some stickers that I have had for a very long time, and then I remembered that many years ago Birgit had sent me these ephemera pieces they already had glitter on them, I have used them many years in the past and still have a couple left over for next year :)

• images from friend
• paper from scrap pile

This next one is stickers I had.

• Provocraft - Sweetheart kids stickers
• Susan Branch - quotes sticker on tag and the little hearts
• Spellbinders - Decorative Labels eight  and Back to Basics tag dies
• Brad

I would like to share my card with the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Hearts

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

Connie

Healing Presence

 I started following Marta on you tube after I started making my junk journals, you can find her HERE . She has some really interesting things she makes and is fun to watch her mind at work. She also sells books here in America on Amazon, and I loved her art work so I bought one.  The artwork did not disappoint, a lot of it is very big, but some can be used on an A2 size card like the one I am sharing today for my friend who had knee surgery recently.  The paper is very thin so fussy cutting this image out was a bit harder for me but I am thinking she goes with the thinner paper because that works better in journals, so that it doesn't take up as much room.

• Marem's Collectanea ephemera book, by Marta Lapkoswka, bought from Amazon, fussy cut
• Tim Holtz - Crochet die
• ODBD - All Occassions sentiment stamp set

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

Connie

Teams meeting cards

 Our group got together again this month for another card making session. This time we were supposed to pick out colored cardstock, and a pattern paper piece that wasn't too busy, we tore that piece and added it to the middle of the cardstock piece. Then we gathered our small stamps, I am thinking I used at least 3 or 4 stamps on each one. We stamped all around the edge, over lapping onto the pattern paper.  Then it was up to us what else we wanted to add to the card.  I made 4 backgrounds but only made two of them into cards, both for birthdays I have coming up.

• 49 and Market - Bird song stamps for stamping around the edges and bird sitting on
• Simon says stamps - Songbird die
• Fiskars scissors - to cut out definition
• Poppystamps - Lovely sprig tendril die

• Stamperia - Secret Diary stamps
• Paper Studio - Ephemera 
• Fiskars - Essential Sayings sentiment stamp

The tag on the ephemera piece was blank so I could add my own sentiment, I used two from the set.

I thought this was a neat way to use some of those smaller stamps we have in our stash, and some of the scraps of pattern paper too :)

Yesterday was above freezing and today also, tomorrow below again but I will take these couple of warmer days :)

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

Connie

Awesome

 Using my 49 and market goodies again for this one, another card that was actually given last year for a autumn birthday. I love how delicate the laser cuts are, although it is hard to get any dimension from them.  I cut a little banner out of one of the papers and inked around it.

• 49 and Market - In the leaves 6x8 collection papers, laser cut elements and wishing bubbles and trinkets

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today. Prayers for those that are still without power after this storm.  Looking forward to the above freezing temps we should get this week.

Connie