Granny Squares

I wish I knew how to crochet -- I really want to be able to make granny squares. I've tried to learn a few times, and I've even successfully completed a couple of crochet kits. But I've never gotten very far; it doesn't seem to "stick," and I have to start at the beginning every time I try again. (I know it's because I don't keep practicing so I don't really have a good excuse.) So when I found the Granny Squares stamp and die set from Altenew, I had to get it. Here are the first two cards I've made using the set.

The granny square image is a layering stamp set so it's really easy to use different colors -- and the possible color combinations are endless. As I did with the Plants and Vases set, for my first card I used the product packaging as the inspiration for my first card. I stamped four granny squares together on a white panel as well as a fifth square on a separate piece of white card stock. I die cut the extra square and used foam tape to add it, at an angle, to the middle of the other stamped images. I added the sentiment below the granny squares, attached the panel to a card base, and finished with a few sequins.

For the second card, I stamped and die cut three granny squares. I struggled to arrange them in a layout I liked, so I tried a mini slim card (3-1/2" x 6") instead of an A2 size. I created a simple border by scoring a line 1/4" away from each edge. I adhered one square at an angle on each side of the card and then used foam tape to add the third square overlapping the first two. I kept the embellishment simple and just added a white bow to the middle of the center square.

Maybe this winter I'll try crocheting again. Until then, this is a fun substitute. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Plants and Vases

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last blog post. It seems like I get on a roll for a little while but I can't quite stick with it. Oh, well. I'll just try to pick it back up again. Today I have a quick post to share a couple of cards made with the Plants and Vases stamp and die set from Altenew.

The stamps in the set include several different branches and sentiments, and the dies are two vases with embossed designs. For the first card I made with this set (the card on the right), I used the product packaging for inspiration. I stamped the branches in four different colors on a white panel. I added a strip of kraft card stock along the bottom to ground the vases, which I die cut from two different colors of card stock. I stamped "happy birthday" in the upper right corner, cut out the panel with a deckle-edge die, and added it to a dark brown card base. The finishing touch was a few sequins.

For the second card, I inked just one of the branches with a berry-colored ink. I stamped the image on a panel of white card stock and then stamped it a couple of more times -- once on either side of the first image -- without reinking the stamp. I added a kraft vase and matted the panel with kraft card stock. I used a berry card base to coordinate with the branches and added a piece of ribbon. Using foam tape, I adhered the panel a bit to the right of the center of the card base. I finished the card with a few enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by!

June Christmas cards: Forest flora mixed media

Once the summer solstice hit, Mother Nature took her job seriously. It's been horribly humid, and last weekend we had excessive heat warnings. But that gave me the perfect excuse to stay inside and work on my Christmas cards for June. I used the Forest Floor 2 stamp set from Tim Holtz as the starting point for a group of mixed-media cards.

I used a lot of different products for these cards, so I'm including a supply list for my reference. I know I won't remember everything I used, and I hope it helps you, too!

Supplies

Stamps: Forest Floor 2 CMS497 (Stampers Anonymous - Tim Holtz), Feathers & Frost (Stampin' Up!), Vicki Boutin Art Layers (American Crafts)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Handsome Hunter card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Handsome Hunter, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories: Pattern Party Decorative Masks (Stampin' Up!), Fern Green Paper Glaze (Picket Fence Studios), Gilded Shimmer Splash (Brutus Monroe), confetti sequins (unknown), hemp twine (May Arts), foam tape (A Cherry on Top)

To make the front panels, I followed these steps:

1. Stamp two pieces of 8-1/2" x 11" card stock with the main images. I used a different ink color for each image and worked from largest to smallest. Remember to change the orientation of the images and allow some of them to go off the edge of the card stock.

2. Trim the card stock into panels. I cut mine to 4-1/8" x 5-3/8" so there is just a narrow border of the card base around the panel.

3. Check the balance of the main images on each panel and fill in any open space along the edges with more stamped images.

4. Stamp filler images in a light color. I used a stamp with handwritten text and a stamp with a cluster of plus signs.

5. Add splatter. I used gold because I wanted some sparkle.

6. Distress the edges of the panels. I ran the blade of an open scissors along the edges, curled the corners, and added a few little tears on each panel.

7. Use paste/glaze and a stencil to add texture in a few places on each panel. (The top left card in the first photo has a different color Paper Glaze. I tried a cream colored paste first but wasn't crazy about it, so I switched to the green.)

Phew! Once that was done and the paste was dry, I glued each panel to a Handsome Hunter card base. I stamped "Season's Greetings" on 3/4" wide strips of Very Vanilla card stock and distressed the long edges of each strip. I wrapped twine around each strip to the right of the sentiment and tore off the left edge. Using foam tape I attached a sentiment near the bottom of each card and trimmed it even with the right edge of the card.

I tried a few different embellishments and settled on some confetti sequins because they're neutral and subtle but still add a little more sparkle.

These cards were more involved than what I usually do for holiday cards, but I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Thanks for stopping by!

CAS First Communion card

I know I've mentioned before that I don't often make religious cards. I can't always avoid it, though, when there are religious celebrations in my extended family. Last month my cousin's son celebrated his First Communion, so I created this clean and simple (CAS) card to send him.

Using Misty Moonlight ink, I stamped a brushstroke-style image four times near the upper right corner of the card base. I started with the first (darkest) impression about halfway up the card and then stamped three more times (without re-inking the stamp) continuing up toward the top of the card. 

I created the chalice with the Vases Builder punch -- just turn the vase upside down -- and Marina Mist card stock. The communion wafer was made with Naturals Ivory card stock and a 1/2" circle punch. I glued the two pieces together and used foam tape to attach them over the stamped brushstrokes.

I stamped the two-part sentiment "celebrate your day" below the focal point and toward the right side of the card. I love the mixed fonts and sizes used together. I finished the card with two score lines near the bottom edge to provide a little balance and fill some of the white space.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gel print collage cards

Sometime this summer I want to have another all-day gel printing session. I've been saving various household items to make interesting patterns, and I've got new stencils to try. But before I do that I'm trying to use more of the prints I've already made. So for a start, last weekend I made two gel print collage cards.

For the flower card, I cut circles out of three different gel prints and then went around each circle and snipped out triangles to create the petals. I added smaller circles for the flower centers and leaves behind the flowers. (I also added clear Wink of Stella glitter on the flower centers, but it doesn't show up in this picture.) I used a heavyweight white card base, added a white die-cut frame for a little texture, and glued on the flowers. I wanted to fill a little white space, so I added a couple of flying bugs and drew little dashed lines for their "flight paths." I stamped a birthday sentiment in the lower right corner to finish the card.

For the golf card, I started with a few online searches to get some inspiration. Once I had an idea, I used various gel prints to cut out the background, putting green, hole, pole, flag, and golf ball. The golf ball is supposed to look like it's sailing right into the hole; I thought about drawing a line to show the path, but I decided I liked it better without. I used white pigment ink and white embossing powder to add the sentiment and drew a border around the edges. Inside the card I wrote "Hope your day is a hole-in-one."

Neither one of these cards has any sequins or other embellishments. What?! I considered it, but with the colors and textures of the gel prints, I don't really think they needed anything else. Shocking, I know.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Secret Garden: Part II

As I mentioned in my last post, here are the rest of the cards I made with products from the Secret Garden collection (Carta Bella). Well, it's not all the cards; I didn't take pictures of all forty-something cards. But I did take pictures of a reasonable sample. I think you'll get the idea. :)

I'm not going to include details since this will already be a long post. So if you have questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer.

There you have it! I still have a few bits and pieces left of these beautiful papers, along with lots of the stickers, so I'll make a few more cards some time. After making more than sixty cards with these products, I needed a little break. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Secret Garden: Part I

In March I ordered a subscription box from A Cherry on Top that was packed full of spring-themed products, including several items from the Secret Garden collection by Carta Bella. There was the collection pack (which included twelve double-sided 12" x 12" textured papers and a sheet of card stock sticker elements), chipboard stickers, die-cut tags and frames, and a package of embellishments. I absolutely loved the prints and the texture of the papers, but I didn't want to hoard them. So I decided to use as much of the coordinating items as I could to make cards.

Over the course of several weeks I ended up making more than sixty cards. (I found coordinating card stock in my stash and also added in some different embellishments.) I had wanted to use some of the cards to send spring/Easter greetings to family and friends, but I missed that boat. So instead I created four card sets to give as gifts and forty individual cards that I brought in to work to share with the teachers and other school staff.

I didn't take pictures of all the cards, but I do have quite a few photos, so I'm sharing the card sets in this post and some of the individual cards in the next post. For the first group of photos each picture includes two cards with the same layout/papers but different focal images. These cards I split into two card sets (one card from each photo went in the first set, and the other card went in the second set).

These are obviously a pretty simple layout, but I really wanted the pretty papers to stand out. 

For the last photos, each picture is one card set. I used stamped quotes and gold die-cut foliage for the focal points on these cards, but again, the two sets use the same layout.

That's it for the first batch of Secret Garden cards. If you have questions about any details, please leave me a comment. I didn't want to include too much info and make the post even longer. And stay tuned for part two!

Thanks for stopping by!

Deco Florals

Today I'm sharing a few cards made with the Deco Florals stamp set (Pink & Main). I made these cards last autumn and never posted them, partly because I wasn't crazy about them. They're not bad, just not favorites. But I decided I should post them anyway, so here goes.

With these two cards my goal was to make masculine and feminine cards with the same layout and using the same images. I chose a neutral leaf to stamp on the focal panels and a graphic-style image for the backgrounds. For the feminine card I added a scalloped square behind the focal image as well as some metallic watercolor paint splatter. I embellished both cards with clear droplets.

For the third card I tried to stay kind of neutral, but I think these flower images lean a little to the feminine side. I used a Toffee card base and a large white die-cut stitched rectangle. I stamped the images at the top of the white panel in red, yellow, and blue, and added a dark brown die-cut sentiment at the bottom. I embellished with a linen thread bow and clear droplets.

Thanks for stopping by!

A few last retreat cards

Today I'm sharing the last few cards that I made at my craft retreat. It's kind of a miscellaneous grouping.

These two cards both used the patterned paper we received in our goodie bags from the retreat organizer. They also happen to be cards that helped me mark off squares on my craft retreat BINGO card. The card on the left used at least four patterned papers -- I used strips of different widths and added a die-cut sentiment in the widest strip. And the card on the right was made using a layout from an idea book. The focal layer seemed a little plain, so I added a doodled border around the sentiment. I really like that extra detail.

The baby card in this group was another BINGO square. I chose a mystery grab bag of die-cut pieces and embellishments and had to make them into a card or scrapbook layout. My grab bag included the letters, card stock buttons, sequins, and heart banners (there are three banners glued together to give it depth), as well as a few other things. I don't make a lot of baby cards, so this was a little challenge, but I think it turned out pretty well.

The card in the middle was one I made when I was tired of coloring. (I learned that if/when I go on another craft retreat or weekend I won't plan on doing so much coloring.) I borrowed a stamp set and inks from my friend so I could just do some good ol' stamping. It was a much-needed break -- and I love the finished card.

Finally, the card on the right was made with the Ice Cream Day Mini stamp set (Colorado Craft Company). The Anita Jeram animal characters are so cute, and I'd had this stamp for a very long time without using it. It was perfect for an easy birthday card.

And that's it for the cards I made at the craft retreat. It wasn't as many as I'd hoped to make, but all-in-all it was still a productive weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Backyard Party

Today I'm sharing two birthday cards from my craft retreat a few weeks ago. I made these cards with the Backyard Party stamp set (Essentials by Ellen). 

I started by stamping the images on white card stock, coloring them with pencils, and then cutting them out with the coordinating dies. I originally wanted to make an interactive card with a lift-the-flap feature, but after playing around with it for quite awhile, I got frustrated and decided to make two "regular" cards instead. So I divided the images up to make scenes for two cards.

I used die-cut circles to ground the scene on each card, as well as to add the sentiments. For the card backgrounds, on the red card base I added some shimmery splatter, and on the other I used die-cut wood planks to cover a white card base for some texture. I embellished both cards with several clear droplets.

Even though these cards weren't what I had in mind when I started, I think they turned out okay. The one detail that really bugs me, though, is that on the right-hand card, I didn't glue the balloon in quite the right place -- the string is next to the raccoon's hand instead of in it. Oops!

Thanks for stopping by!

May Christmas cards: Shaker stickers

I wasn't sure if I was going to make any May Christmas cards while I was on my craft retreat. I brought a stamp set with me that I wanted to try, but it ended up not working with the other supplies I had. But then on the last morning, I picked up a pack of Christmas shaker stickers my friend had given me and thought they would look really cute with some patterned paper. So I got to work and finished these six cards before it was time to pack up.

I used heavyweight white card bases and two different paper prints. The main pattern (cut to 4" x 4") has words and scenes of winter in the city, and the accent pattern (4" x 1-1/2") is a diagonal red stripe. I rounded the top corners of the larger pieces and adhered them near the top the card bases, leaving a 1/8" border on each side. I rounded the bottom corners of the accent pieces and glued them near the bottom of the card bases, overlapping the top piece and leaving a 1/8" border.

I wrapped twine around each card base where the two patterned papers meet and tied it off in a knot. For the focal layers I cut stitched, scalloped rectangles from white card stock. I stamped a sentiment at the bottom of each rectangle and then added one of the shaker stickers. I attached each focal piece to a card base, overlapping and securing the twine. I finished each card with a few white sequins.

These aren't fancy cards, but I love the colors, and I think they turned out really cute. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchbook flowers

I'm back with more cards from my craft retreat, and this time it's a group of cards made with the Sketchbook Bouquet and Sketchbook Florals stamp sets from Taylored Expressions. I stamped the images on white and Toffee card stock and colored them with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I also used the coordinating dies to cut out some of the images.

There are several pictures, so I won't add too many details. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them.

I think these two are my favorite cards out of the bunch; I love the bright colors with the touch of black.

I used white craft ink to add splatters to the card on the right. Unfortunately it took a long time to dry, and I accidentally smeared it. I didn't want to toss the panel so I just left it. Maybe I'll add some kind of embellishment over it later.

The layout for the card on the left was inspired by a card I found online. During the retreat, everyone had a BINGO card with various crafty tasks to complete. One of them was to "scraplift" a scrapbook layout, but since I was making cards, I found a card design to copy instead.

I used more white splatter on the card on the left (as well as one of the cards below), but this time I was more careful to avoid smearing it.

Since I made so many cards with these sets, I tried to use different layouts and focus on different occasions (although I still made sure to create a few birthday cards). Do you have a favorite of the group?

Thanks for stopping by!

Field and countryside

I had a hard time deciding what craft supplies to bring on the retreat; every time I decided on something, I changed my mind. I ended up packing a few hours before we left and settled on colored pencils, gamsol, and a variety of line art stamp sets to do some coloring (along with the necessities like card stock, adhesive, etc.). For the first group of cards I made during the weekend I tried out a couple of stamp sets that I've had for years and never used: Field Journal and French Countryside (both retired, Stampin' Up!). 

I love the images in the Field Journal set, but I've never been really sure how to use them. So I settled on stamping and coloring two of the images on Naturals Ivory card stock and die cutting them to use as focal points for two cards. For the chipmunk card I used Bordering Blue card base splattered with Shimmer Splash. I stamped a couple of the other Field Journal images on the background in Early Espresso ink and added a piece of neutral ribbon trim and a few die-cut sprigs.

For the mallard card, I used an Early Espresso card base embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. I stapled a bit of trim to the corner of the focal panel and embellished the card with a few clear droplets.

With the French Countryside stamp set, I tried coloring one of the images and didn't love how it turned out. So instead I made a couple of monochromatic cards. I splattered both card bases with Shimmer Splash and embellished with gold sequins and a hemp twine bow. I also added a touch of blue on each image on the kraft card for a hint of color.

As usual, I am in need of replenishing my birthday card stash, so that's how I used these cards. But they would be good for a variety of occasions by changing or omitting the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring 2025 craft retreat

Last weekend I took a couple days off work and went on a craft retreat. It’s my third time at this particular retreat, and as always, I had a great time. 

Here is the outside of the cabin. I’m not sure how old the cabin is, but it was built by Amish craftsmen, and it’s beautiful. One of my favorite things is that the logs used for the banisters and railings still have the knots and curves from the trees.

We had gorgeous weather during the four days of the retreat. Every morning I spent at least a little time on the deck having tea, reading a book, or just relaxing.

There were five of us on the retreat: me, my aunt, one of my friends, the organizer, and one of her friends. It’s the perfect size group for me because everyone has plenty of space to work, we can spread out in the bedrooms, and preparing meals isn’t overwhelming.

I had a great time, ate lots of yummy snacks, and had some good laughs. I wasn’t quite as productive as I had hoped; I brought outline stamp sets and colored pencils to focus on coloring, but I got tired of that and struggled with my mojo. I still made 27 cards, though, so I’ll be sharing over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!