ATC's & Tags

 Our Challenge in my stamp group this month is to use ATC's (Artist trading cards) or Tags.  I went with two of each. I went searching through my dies trying to see if I had one that is a trading cards size, which is 2.5 x 3.5.  I finally came across these frame dies and the center portion that falls out of the frame just happened to be that size.  I had put the frames to them aside, but later colored them a little darker with some markers and glued them to the base of the card, I had already popped up the Center bits.

This first one I went with making a little winter scene using some small die cuts, I did a little inking on the deer and then added some white dots to his back because he looked like a fawn to me.

• BasicGrey - Blitzen papers
• Michaels - Rounded Rectangle frame die
• Taylored Expressions - Central Park dies (snow, deer and small trees) Evergreens die(large tree) and Sun and cloud dies ( I only used the clouds)
• Hobby Lobby - Country tags chipboard sentiment
• Spellbinders - A2 matting basics A die

Here is a little closeup of the scene.

Next I just used some snowflake punches and gems to decorate.

• BasicGrey - Blitzen papers
• Michaels - Rounded Rectangle frame die
• Martha Stewart - Snowflake punches and snowflake border punch
• Paper Studio - Gems Border
• Crafter's companion - Little gems center snowflakes
• Hobby Lobby - Country tags Chipboard sentiment

The last two uses some old tags that goes with this paper pack. I added some die cuts to the top of the tag along with a brad and some washi tape at the bottom of the card that says Merry Christmas.

• Daisy D - Papers and tag
• Bazzill - Brad
• Recollections - Washi tape
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies (Branch and flower)

On my last card here I added the washi tape sentiment right to the tag above Santa and added some more die cuts at the top.

• Daisy D - Papers and tag
• Bazzill - Brad
• Recollections - Washi tape 
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies (Leaves and Holly)
• Red Gem to go with the Holly

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

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

Connie

Birthday Tags

 Another die and stamp set that I bought that would be good for cards and in my junk journals. I used quite a bit from the set on this card.  I stamped his name on the tag and they are just sitting in the envelope so he can pull them out and look at them.

• 49 and Market - Tag it stamps and die set, Creative Combo's Stamp and die set
• K& Co. - Paper
• Fiskars - Essential sayings sentiment stamp
• Studio G - Alphabet stamps
• Tim Holtz - Funky Floral #3 dies
• Vellum 
• Corrugated Cardboard, inked

Here are the tags out of the envelope from the die set, you can see the script I stamped on the background behind the tags and the faux stitched stamp that also comes in the set.

Close up of the card

I just love the little paperclips you can die cut from the set too, that is above the corrugated cardboard, I cut that from some silver cardstock. The red stripe at the bottom is also a stamp.  Really neat set.

I would like to share my card with

Simon Says Monday challenge Tag it

NBUS my new stuff is the 49 and Market Tag it stamps and dies

Word Art Wednesday Anything goes

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, my eye is healing well, still a little blurry but I can tell it is almost back to normal, so thankful!

Connie

Masculine Birthday

 I am a little late posting a new card.  I woke up Sunday morning with a ripping feeling when I opened my eyes, the vision in my right eye was very blurry. I called my eye doctor Monday morning and got an appointment and found out I had torn my cornea, she prescribed me antibiotic drops. It is still painful and very light sensitive. She said it would take about 48 hours for it to start improving. 

Thankfully I have a few cards done ahead of time so I have things to post, it is just hard staring at a computer screen for too long, even with the brightness turned down.

When I am not sure what to make for someone I tend to just start looking through all my goodies and I came upon this booklet that I got many years ago at a yard sale and it is full of papers and ephemera that you can put together to make a card, I found one that I thought would work.

I had to cut the window in the front of the card after applying the paper to the front. I then had to figure out what to put in the window and thought the sentiment signs would be neat but it was a bit too stark white, so I took Stencil I had to ink just the background around the window opening, that worked a lot better.

Here is is laying down to best get a sense of what it looks like closed.

• Hot off the press - Clearly Collage All Occasion Card kit
• Penny Black  - Background Basics Stencil (behind signs with Old paper distress ink)

Here is the card standing up, partly open.

Here is what it looks from the inside.

I would like to share the card today with Neglected Stuff Challenge 

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

Connie

Healing thoughts

 The Lady who owns the Stamp store in Missouri that I go to had emergency surgery, kidney stones had tore her insides up and she had really bad infection, she was in the hospital for quite a few days and even had to go back a week after for more things. She had to close down her store during that time because her only other worker was on vacation at the time.  I felt so bad for her and just had to make her a get well card. You know I had to use some papers that I bought from her store :) The flower ephemera was popped up with foam tape.

• Prima - Aquarelle 6x6 papers, Journaling note cards and Ephemera pack, inking around all the edges with Distress ink in Dusty Concord
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny Words Encouragement stamp set

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

Love those pretty papers optional fun fold

Triple B Challenge Birds, Blooms or butterflies

Simon Says Monday Challenge Things with wings

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and hope you have a wonderful weekend,

Connie

Watercolor wreath

 When I saw the watercolor challenge over at Double D Challenge Blog I just had to join in.  I won this wreath die from one of their challenges last year and I have wanted to use it ever since getting it but it never fit with any of the challenges in my group. So I decided to use it today.

I used my spectrum noir Aqua pens by applying the pen to my work surface and then adding a little water and painting it onto the watercolor card stock. I used a very light pattern paper behind so that the coloring would stand out and added a stamped sentiment to the inside circle.

• Scrapbook.com - Cozy wreath die, watercolored w/Spectrum Aqua markers
• Plaid - Snowflake Red papers
• Diamond Press - Vintage Christmas sentiment stamp

For my next card I decided to cut it twice using a pattern paper for the back and gold cardstock for the front.

• Scrapbook.com - Cozy Wreath die cut from pattern paper and gold cardstock
• BoBunny - Father Christmas papers for bottom wreath
• Tim Holtz - gold cardstock for top wreath
• Honeybee - Holiday Cheer paper for background
• ODBD - Poinsettia wreath stamp set for sentiment

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Birthday Time

 I saw these epoxy stickers I had bought from the dollar store many years ago and I thought I could use them all on a card so I went about figuring out how I could mat them and what sizes I would need, then went to use them and the sticky part was still sticky but I was worried that it might not be enough so I added more glue, got it all made, came back the next day to take pictures and the stickers had warped a bit. I was so discouraged after all that work. Told hubby about it later that day and he wanted to see it.  He thought it was a cool card and that he didn't see anything wrong with giving it to his brother in law, so off in the mail it went. I did inking of the sentiment tag before taking it out of the die.

• Clock Epoxy stickers
• Ms. Sparkle $ co. - Wood paper
• Crafter's Square - Birthday sentiment stamp
• Spellbinders - Inverted Scallop squares and Back to Basics tag die
• Recollections - Brads

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

Connie

Happy Mother's Day

 To all those that will be celebrating tomorrow, I wish you a very Happy Mother's day!  My cardmaking group had a Mother's day card exchange, this is the card I made for the lady who I had to send to.

Since my Mother or Mother in law are no longer with us and this card was part of the Diamond dots kit I got, I thought I might as well join the exchange.

I am sharing today's card with Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Make it colorful.

• Craft Buddy - Crystal Art Card kits

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

Connie

bright hopes

 Today I am using more stickers that I bought for my junk journals that I thought would work nicely with this film strip die, trying to come up with more ideas for the guy cards I need for birthdays :) I thought the tickets looked a little bare so I stamped the dragonfly and cut with a matching die and colored him adding a little sparkle pen to the wings, adding the sentiment across the filmstrip.

• Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Filmstrip dies
• Amazon sticker pack
• Crafter's companion - Dragon fly stamp and die set , colored w/markers and Sparkle pen for wings
• 49 and Market - Ticket Essentials
• Tim Holtz - Clippings sticker book (sentiment)

I would like to share with the Alphabet Challenge Air

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

Connie

Sending warm thoughts

 I was in need of another sympathy card, I went with my vintage roses papers and ephemera that come in the paper pack, adding a stamped sentiment to the postcard, and a doily from my stash. I popped up some of the items with foam tape

• Studio Light - DIY Block Vintage Roses papers and ephemera pack
• The Greetery - Thinking of you sentiment stamp (on postcard)
• Doily

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

Connie

Cherish Happy Memories

 I went with a mixed media/collage type card for our son in law. I need to use more of the pastes I have bought before they dry up, I used it through a script stencil, I like how this has a shimmer to it, you will be able to see it on the close up picture better.  The sentiment is from a vellum pack of sentiments, I tore it and then inked around the edges. Used another of my wooden pieces, this time a clock. Some washi tape and one of Tim's labels that I stamped on.

• Crafter's square - Wooden Clock
• Ciabella - Engine of the Future 12x12 paper
• Crafter's workshop - Mini Believe Script Stencil
• Solar Paste - Crocodile Tears (through the stencil)
• JoAnns - Vellum Quotes & Sentiments (torn and inked)
• Tim Holtz - French Design tape and Vintage Label
• Wintertime - Art Journal Stamps

I would like to share my card today with Simon Says Wednesday challenge

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

Connie

Sending you hugs

 We have a new young family that started attending our church this past year and her little girl had to have surgery. Our Pastor asked if I could make her a card. I had no idea what to do, so I just started looking through all my stamp sets and I came across this stamp that I thought would work for her. I was a bit intimidated since I have not colored anything but white people and had no idea if I even had colors that would work for her but I ended up being happy with how it turned out. The sentiments in the stamp set with her didn't work well so I found a stamp sentiment from another set to use. 

I stamped her out twice the second time with some post it note so I could mask her off to add in the grass and sky. The tree, cat and bird are all die cuts.

• Hot off the press - Janie's Girls stamp set, masked to add background, colored w/markers
• Simon Says stamps - You got this sentiment stamp
• My Favorite things - Cloud stencil W/tumble glass ink
• CRS Tapestry - Grass blades stamp
• Memory Bos - Bare Sapling, Grove leaves and Flying bird dies
• Impression Obsession - Cat die from pattern paper

I would like to share my card with Simon Says Monday Challenge 4 legged Friends

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

Connie

Hello You!

 When I opened this die set from my advent calendar I just new it would be going to a fellow stamper, I haven't seen anything like this kind of faux stamp die, so it was pretty cool. I did use my Wood veneer cardstock I bought from Amazon for the handle, it came with a few different messages you can use with it, I picked the hello you. Stamped a flower image on one of Tim Holtz's Vintage Label dies. Had to have some paper so I stamped off this piece and then took my hole punch and added holes along the side and finish it off with some florals.

•  Spellbinders Advent calendar- Hand stamp dies (wood veneer card stock for handle)
• Creative Worship - Your story stamp set (Paper, which I used my hole punch on the side)
• American Crafts - Art Journal stamp on paper
• Tim Holtz - Vintage Label die
• Wintertime - Art Journal stamp (flower on label)
• 49 and Market - Nostalgic Memories Laser cut florals

We made it through the storms, there were a few people throughout the city that lost trees that fell on cars and houses. The tornado touched down ten miles past us.

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

Connie

Happy Days

 I used all kinds of things from stash for the next birthday card for my hubby's coworker.  I tore a page from a Botany Book with a tear ruler I found on Amazon. I love the pet tape from Arden, I thought it would work well on my cards and the big eyelet I have had for many years.

• Botany book page, torn with a tear ruler and inked
• Arden - Hidden Creek, Filmstrip pet tape
• Mushroom label sticker
• Eyelet
• Tim Holtz - Clippings sticker book (sentiment)

We have some severe weather heading our way this afternoon and evening, hope everyone in the line of the storms stay safe.

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

Connie

Pink Birthday

 It was about time that I used another of my goodies from my Advent calendar. This time it is a stencil from Diamond Press. I cut my background piece of pattern paper and I used the stencil on the top and then flipped the paper and did it on the bottom also to frame the sentiment. I felt it needed a little something more and found these flowers I had bought years ago that went with it perfectly!

• Diamond Press 2025 Advent calendar - Stencil, used on the top and bottom of pattern paper
• Colorbok - Layered Flowers
• Hero Arts - It's your day sentiment stamp

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

Just us girls Challenge Stencil

Seize the Birthday Pink

Word Art Wednesday anything goes

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

Connie

Prayers are with you

 We have a husband and wife team now heading up our worship team at Church. Just after taking this on the husband ended up having eye trouble and had to have two surgeries to try and correct it, he ended up losing partial eye sight in that eye. 

I went with a collage of sorts to let him know he is in our prayers. I fussy cut the sentiment and kept it natural with the burlap and wooden leaf.

• Tim Holtz - Document collage papers
• Burlap
• Recollections - wooden leaf
• Mama Elephant - Blessed stamp set, fussy cut and inked

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

Connie

Hexagons

 The ladies in my stamp group were talking about making cards with hexagons and one of their birthdays was coming up so I thought that would make a great idea to use for her card.

I first embossed the card stock with a hexagon embossing folder and ran my ink pad on the raised surface, then I searched through my yellow scraps and found some pieces to cut out with my smallest hexagon die that just so happened to fit perfectly inside the embossing folder spaces. I was going to fill them all up but thought that would be too busy so I just filled in a few spaces.  Then went about making my bees and flowers!

• Paper Studio - Honeycomb Embossing folder, inked raise parts 
• Diamond Press - Hexagon dies, using scraps 
• Spellbinders - Be Bold Blooms dies
• Bee die

 I would like to share my card today with the

 Triple B Challenge 

Can you handle the pressure Challenge

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

Connie

Healing

 There were a couple of Knee surgeries for a couple ladies at out church and a guy in our life group had a serious accident.

These verses on these coloring cards were just right for the healing of their knees.

• Christian Art gifts - Psalm in color, coloring card, colored w/markers
• Sassafras - Mix and Mend paper
• EK Success - Sparkle gems

I thought adding this butterfly punch to this card would go with the image a bit.

• Christian Art Gifts - Psalm in color, coloring card, colored w/markers
• BasicGrey - Periphery Paper
• Martha Stewart butterfly border punch
• Gems

My last card I wasn't sure what to use for our friend. He was helping a neighbor clean up some brush and wood from a tree in his yard. The neighbor turned with the Chain saw and cut into our friends arm. He was able to get him to the hospital and he had to have 10 stitches put into his arm, we were so thankful to hear he still had use of his arm.  I had this Calendar image laying on my desk to use in my junk journal but when I saw it reminded me of how Thankful we were that he didn't have a worse injury, so I thought it would be perfect for a get well card for him.

• Katie Daisy - Just Bloom daily calendar image
• PPD - Stitched Rectangle die

Wishing you a happy Sunday!!

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

Connie

100 Birthday

 My good friends mom just turned 100 on Easter Sunday.  The family had a lot of plans on Easter Sunday and all couldn't get together so they had her birthday celebration this past weekend. I just had to make her a card, her name is Bonnie :) 

I used all patterned papers on this card as well as gold cardstock.

• 49 and Market - Krafty Garden 6 x8 paper pack for base of card
• Momento - Pattern cardstock for the flowers
• DCWV - Sew Crafty paper for the labels
• Tim Holtz - Metallic cardstock #'s
• Spellbinders - Delicate Asters and Decorative Labels Eight dies
• Taylored Expressions - Whimsy #s dies
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip dies
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words birthday sentiment stamp
• Gems

I would like to share my card with Love those pretty papers Spring flowers challenge

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

Connie

Christmas embossing

 I actually got my Christmas cards done early this month.  Our challenge with my stamp group was to use embossing folders. My first card also works for the Just us girls Spotlight challenge

• Darice - Mosaic Candle embossing folder, colored with markers
• Spellbinders - A2 matting basics A die
• Hobby Lobby - Country tags

• Fun Stampers Journey - Cozy knit embossing folder, inking around edges
• Paper Studio - 3D Snowman sticker
• Spellbinders - Big Scalloped oval small die
• Diamond Press - Vintage Christmas sentiment stamp, fussy cut and inked

This last one was inspired by the last two cards I will show that I had done before the challenge was posted.

• Darice - Hanging Ornament embossing folder, colored w/ Spectrum Metallic markers
• Hobby Lobby - Country tags

This is a scratch art card kit. I bought it at Michaels on sale before Christmas. It comes black with white outline and you have a wooden stick with a point that you scratch off the white part and what is inside.  I think I like the diamond dotz better.

Brea Reese - Scratch art cards

Sharing my scratch card with the Peace on Earth Challenge

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Sealed

 Using my sealed dies and stamps for another sympathy card I needed.  After stamping the seal I added some Nuvo crystal glaze to give it that seal look. I cut all the flowers and faux string from scraps and inked them.

• LDRS - Sealed with Good wishes Stamps and dies, flowers cut from scraps and inked
• Nuvo - Crystal Glaze on the seal after stamping
• Graphic 45 - Botanical Tea paper

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

Connie