do what you love

 I think we need to be reminded every now and then in our busy lives to take out time and do what we love.

I brought out my border embossing folder today, that is where it started, I wanted it embossed on this patterned paper, can you believe I put it in the embossing folder backwards so that the embossed side was on the white, I found just the piece I wanted and trimmed it down to fit in the embossing folder, so I decided to try flipping it over and embossing again and see how it looked and I didn't think it looked bad at all, in the close up picture you can see both embossing but when I added ink to the embossed side I thought it worked ok, now what to put with it. I have been wanting to use my wood slices more and I found the mushroom in an ephemera pack and added one of my stamped wrens to it.

• Recollections - Tall grass embossing folder, inked with gathered twigs distress ink on patterned paper
• The Greetery - Wood Slices die and Wren & Robin stamp and die
• Tim Holtz - Field Notes Ephemera and small talk sentiment
• DCWV - Tattered time papers

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope you have a great weekend!!

Connie

Space and bling

 The Let's Squash it Challenge for this month is Space and bling, use an embossing folder that has open space on it and some bling.  Well when I was going through the goodies that people have sent me I came across this embossed piece and it has open space and she had embossed it from shimmer cardstock, I thought it would be perfect.

The folder had 3 butterflies on it but they just didn't seem to stand out enough for me, so I stamped and die cut the big butterfly and I punched out the two smaller butterflies, and I don't know if pearls are considered bling but I added them to the butterfly bodies.

• Embossing folder - unknown
• Gemini - butterfly stamp and die
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punches
• Pearls

You can see a little better in the close up the shimmer the cardstock had to it.

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

Connie

Plants for you

 I just had to play more with my market basket dies, this time I added the liners that come with the die set using patterned papers.  I used copper and gold metallic papers this time for the wire portion.

Used some ivy's and ferns to fill the baskets, I already had these dies.

• The Greetery - Market Basket dies
• Spellbinders - Ivy and fern dies
• Paper Studio - Kirby Teesdale paper and Gray Gemstones
• Tim Holtz - Metallic collection card stock and Crochet die
• Fiskars - Essential sayings sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punch

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

Connie

Tie dye

 We had our zoom meeting once again through my stamp group and we used coffee filters with inks to make a tie dye look.  We crunched up the filter so it was in a straight line and then added three different inks to it using a baby wipe, you want to use dye ink pads. When you are done adding the inks, you unfold it and it gives you this tie dye look.  We glued that onto cardstock then cut it up and use parts on the strip at the top and the base.

We were to add some stamped images to the top and I had these flowers already stamped and added some punched leaves to go with them. You fold down the top flap and glue it to the base after added your ribbon or floss as I used.

• Coffee Filters, scrunched adding distress inks with baby wipe
• Gemini - Perfect Posy stamps and dies
• Martha Stewart - leaf punch
• Floss
• Hero Arts - Fabulous birthday sentiment stamp
• Hot off the press - Life Happens sentiment for inside

The insert comes out of the pocket to reveal the inside sentiment.

Hope your week is off to a great start, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

March Challenge

 I know you are probably thinking does she know what month it is :)  I started these cards back in March just before I had my foot surgery, well by the time I could get back to making cards I was in a rush to get Birthday cards made and mailed out in time, I am still very close right now in getting them made but I had a couple days before I needed to get  started on my June cards, that is one of my busiest months, I know a lot of people born in June. So I took some time to bring out the goodies and get to putting the cards together.

This set is from a cardmaking magazine. The fireplace is an embossing folder that I embossed, fussy cut out and then colored w/markers. It came with a stocking die which I used on one of them and a stocking stamp that I used on the other two. The candle, wood and fire are other stamps in the set and the sentiment stamp which I used white embossing powder to add to a die to make it look like a framed piece on the wall.

Oh I forgot to mention our challenge for March was to use stockings on our card.

On this last one I used a wreath above the fireplace instead of a frame. The bow stamp was also in this set and I just stamped it on patterned paper.

• Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine issue 174 - Fireplace embossing folder, stamp stockings, wood, fire, candle and bow , colored w/markers
• Taylored Expressions - Door to Door decor (wreath die)

I already have something in mind for our April challenge so hopefully I can get to that soon and get caught up on my Christmas cards.

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

Connie