Fairy wishes

I hate to jinx it, but I'm pretty sure that spring has actually arrived. We still have some lingering patches of ice and snow, but I know it won't be long before the grass is green, the trees are budding, and the flowers are poking through the dirt. Spring is a magical season and, I think, the perfect time for fairies.

Supplies:
Stamps: December 2018 My Monthly Hero Kit stamps and dies (Hero Arts)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!); Coldpress watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Tuxedo Black (Memento), watercolor paints (Close to My Heart), Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Frame in Frame 2 Cutting Plate (Taylored Expressions), Moonshine confetti (Hero Arts), clear embossing powder (Stampamania), water brush (Close to My Heart), Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

I started these cards by stamping, embossing and die cutting various images so I had a good pile of fairies, flowers, and accent elements to play with. Then I chose a few of those pieces for each card, and added color with watercolor paints.

I love this little fairy sitting with her legs crossed, and this mushroom is a perfect little perch for her. I also painted two dandelions and a little ladybug, and then worked on creating a layout.

I decided to stick with neutral colors for the background so the images would really stand out. I die cut a Basic Black scalloped frame and adhered it to a Crumb Cake card base. I arranged the dandelions and mushrooms so they overlapped the frame a bit, glued them to the card base and then added the fairy and ladybug with Dimensionals.

You can't have a fairy card without some sparkle, so I colored the white parts of the images -- the fairy wings, mushroom spots, and bit of dandelion fluff -- with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen. I also sprinkled a few bits of Moonshine confetti around the card front. I love it!

Supplies:
Stamps: December 2018 My Monthly Hero Kit stamps and dies (Hero Arts)
Paper: Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!), Coldpress watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), watercolor paints (Close to My Heart)
Accessories: Woodland embossing folder (Stampin' Up!), Moonshine confetti (Hero Arts), clear embossing powder (Stampamania), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (ZIG), water brush (Close to My Heart), Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)
For my next card I wanted to create the look of a forest at night. So I embossed a Basic Black card base with the Woodland embossing folder. It works, but in hindsight, I think the black is almost too stark. Maybe I should have used a dark gray or navy instead.

At any rate, I painted two fairies, a daisy and a couple of leaves for this card. The sleeping fairy is curled up on the daisy, and of course the other fairy is fluttering over her, sprinkling her with fairy dust to create sweet dreams. It's hard to tell in this photo, but I also painted Wink of Stella glitter on the fairies' wings.

Supplies:
Stamps: December 2018 My Monthly Hero Kit stamps and dies (Hero Arts)
Paper: Balmy Blue, Garden Green card stock (Stampin' Up!), Coldpress watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Tuxedo Black (Memento); Marina Mist (Stampin' Up!); ZIG Clean Color Real Brush pens: 091, 901, 099, 095, 021, 024, 020, 044; Signo white gel pen (Uni-Ball)
Accessories: Grassy Border die (Lawn Fawn), clear embossing powder (Stampamania), mini jewels (Doodlebug Design Inc.), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (ZIG), water brush (Close to My Heart), Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!), adhesive dots (Glue Dots)

For my third card, I had to focus on this adorable little mouse blowing dandelion seeds. How cute is he?

I started with a Balmy Blue card base and used Marina Mist ink to stamp a few tone-on-tone dandelions in the background. I die cut a grassy border to add along the bottom of the card and added a mushroom for the mouse to sit on. To finish the scene I added a few stamped and die-cut dandelion seeds blowing away. What do you think this little mouse is wishing for? Maybe a big pile of crackers with cheese and peanut butter.

Thanks for stopping today. May your day be filled with fairy wishes and dandelion dreams!

March Christmas card: Winter songbird

After all the birthday cards, I thought I'd share my March Christmas card for a little change of pace.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Songbird (Concord & 9th), Sincere Salutations
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, gold paint pen (Sharpie)
Accessories: Gold pearls (Paper Pumpkin leftover), sponge

I love the Songbird stamp set from Concord & 9th. The main image is just the bird on the branch, but you can customize it for any season by adding leaves, flowers, pinecones, etc. So fun!

I wasn't in the mood to color multiples of the same card (partly because I'm still intimidated about coloring realistic image), so I went with a very clean and simple monochrome design for my Christmas card. I stamped the bird on a Very Vanilla card base and then added a few pine branchlets, two pinecones, and two berry clusters, all in Early Espresso ink.

I did want to have a little glitz on my card, so I used a gold paint pen to color the berries and add a frame. To make the frame I cut a piece of card stock about 3-3/4" x 5" and placed it on top of the stamped card front. I held it in place while I traced around the edge, lifting my pen to skip over any stamped images.

I sponged Crumb Cake ink around the edges of the card front and finished it off with a simple gold pearl in the upper left corner. What do you think: clean and elegant or too plain and simple?

Thanks for stopping by!

Card collection: this and that

Whew! I think this is the last card collection I'll need to post for awhile. Thanks for bearing with me while I cleared out those older projects. I couldn't think of a common factor among this group of cards -- other than the fact that they're all birthday cards -- so they're the catch-all "this and that" category.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Basket Full of Wishes (Unity Stamp Co.)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock; Studio G paper pack (Hampton Art)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko); markers: Riding Hood Red, Sweet Sugarplum, Peach Parfait, Smoky Slate; Blends markers: Crumb Cake, Pineapple Punch
Accessories: Riding Hood Red ribbon, Tutti-Frutti sequins, Stitched Rectangles Thinlits dies (Sizzix), clear embossing powder (Stampamania), foam tape (3M)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes, Butterfly Basics
Paper: Pistachio Pudding card stock
Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Basic Gray; Blends: Highland Heather, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Vellum butterfly shapes (Jolee's Boutique), rhinestones, Subtle embossing folder, foam strips, foam tape (3M), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), sponge

Quick tip: I've had these vellum butterflies forever, so when I pulled them out I discovered that the color had almost completely faded from the vellum. To give them a little boost, I colored the back of each butterfly with a coordinating alcohol marker. Good as new!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Bugs & Kisses
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Starburst punch; ladybug, grasshopper, dragonfly shapes (Jolee's Boutique); Action Wobble Spring (Raisin Boat); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

The sentiment and grasshopper in the middle of the card are mounted on an Action Wobble Spring to add a fun bit of movement to this card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happy Wishes (WPlus9 Design Studio)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake; Raspberry, Blossom, Willow (Close to My Heart)
Accessories: Happy Wishes and Happy Wishes Words dies (WPlus9 Design Studio), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Iced Americano Nuvo Glitter Marker (Tonic Studios), Dimensionals

The little dots on the card base are made with a glitter marker, so they add a fun little sparkle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: P.S. You're the Best
Paper: Ruby Red, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Ruby Red, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Alphabet Press embossing folder, Beachfront Ribbon Originals, Delicate White Doilies, Aquapainter, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), mini jewels (Doodlebug Design), Dimensionals



Thanks for stopping by!

Card collection: cute critters

If you've followed my blog at all, you know that I love cute animal stamps. (Well, they're all cute, but you know what I mean.) So today's card collection features cute critters.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Critter Crew (Avery Elle)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Early Espresso card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bermuda Bay; Blends/Blendabilities markers: Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Smoky Slate, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Pineapple Punch, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Mocha, Bronze; Copic markers: R81, R83, R85, C1, W3
Accessories: Large Stitched Rectangles Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), white crochet thread (DMC), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Fiesta, On Your Birthday
Paper: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock; Fiesta Forever Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Watermelon Wonder, VersaMark
Accessories: Fiesta Time Framelits dies, Party Punch Pack, Balloon Bouquet punch, white embossing powder, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Stinkin' Cute (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White card stock; white opaque cover card stock (Cougar); Brights 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Basic Gray; Blends/
Blendabilities markers: Flirty Flamingo, Basic Gray
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Small Stitched Rectangles Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), white crochet thread (DMC), sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Animal Outing, Birthday Backgrounds, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Paper: Whisper White, Call Me Clover, Lemon Lime Twist card stock
Ink: Call Me Clover, Lemon Lime Twist, Chocolate Chip, Cucumber Crush, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Layered Leaves embossing folder, Glitter Enamel Dots, Stitched Rectangles Thinlits dies (Sizzix), Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happy Chick Birthday (Unity Stamp Co.), Remembering Your Birthday
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock; Studio G paper pad (Hampton Art)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; markers: Marina Mist, Peach Parfait, Yoyo Yellow, Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories: Wonky Stitched Circles dies (My Favorite Things), Morning Dew Nuvo Drops (Tonic Studios), orange rhinestones (Me & My Big Ideas), Lemon Lime Twist ribbon, iridescent shreds (unknown), foam tape (3M)


And that's it for this card collection. I think my favorite might be the first card -- with the animals popping out of the box on the Bermuda Bay card base -- because I love the sentiment inside. If there's cake around, I'm probably not far away! :)

I have one or two more card collections to post (depending on how I categorize the cards), and then I'll be able to move on to more recent projects. Yay!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Card collection: bright birthdays

I'm back today with another collection of birthday cards (that seems to be all that I make lately!) with plenty of confetti, balloons and bright colors. I hope you find something to inspire you. Leave me a comment if you have questions about any of the cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Picture Perfect Birthday
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay card stock
Ink: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Real Red
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Dimensionals, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen

It doesn't show in the picture, but I used my clear Wink of Stella pen to add glitter to the Bermuda Bay stripes and the Daffodil Delight fringe on the party blower.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Stacks (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock; Oh My Stars Collection Kit (Bella Blvd)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Tangelo Twist; Blends/Blendabilities markers: Pumpkin Pie, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Birthday Stacks dies (Concord & 9th), Go Green sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Picture Perfect Birthday, Birthday Stacks (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy, Tangelo Twist, Crushed Curry, Pool Party, Whisper White card stock; 6" x 6" paper pack (Studio G)
Ink: Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, white gel pen
Accessories: Balloons dies (Simon Says Stamp), Layering Squares Framelits dies, white crochet thread (DMC), rhinestones, Dimensionals

For this group of cards, I started with a pack of 6" x 6" paper with different patterns in the same color combination. I die cut a bunch of balloons from coordinating solid-color card stock and then mixed and matched different patterns and balloons to create a few fun layouts.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Party Pals stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions), Birthday Backgrounds
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock; Happy Day paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Blends/Blendabilites markers: Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight; Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: Frost White Shimmer paint, Pewter Deco Foil (therm-o-web), 3/8" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), Rhythm 'n Blues sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Party Pals stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, vellum  card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight; Blends/Blendabilites markers: Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Aqua Dots (Close to My Heart), Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happy Balloons (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Blueberry Bushel, Pineapple Punch, Lovely Lipstick
Accessories: Happy Balloons dies (Concord & 9th), silver cord, Confetti embossing folder (Taylored Expressions), silver sequins (unknown), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Happy Balloons (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick card stock
Ink: Blueberry Bushel, Pineapple Punch, Lovely Lipstick, Call Me Clover, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Happy Balloons dies (Concord & 9th), Sequins Confetti die (Taylored Expressions), Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

Card collection: cake and candles

Before I get to my cards today, I have two fun things to share:

• One of the cards I made for the floral cards challenge on the Art Impressions blog was a winner! I was chosen for the Top Spot, and I received a package of three watercolor stamp sets. They arrived today, and I'm looking forward to playing with them!
• I started an Instagram account (@snippetsbyandrea)! It's been a bit of a trial trying to figure out how to post pictures from my laptop, but I think I've got it now. I'm not sure yet exactly what my feed will look like, but I know there will be lots of crafty stuff. :)

And now onto the cards. I have a major backlog of cards that I need to post. Seriously, some of them are cards I made months ago. I want to share more recent cards, but I feel like I need to get through the old ones first. So I have a plan: I'm going to do two or three "card collection" posts, with each post featuring several cards that fit a common theme. I'll post supplies for each card, but I'll keep the other details to a minimum. Now let's get to today's collection: birthday cards featuring cake and/or candles.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Piece of Cake, Birthday Backgrounds
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo card stock
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Momento Tuxedo Black; Blends/Blendabilities markers: Smoky Slate, Mocha, Soft Suede, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Neutrals Candy Dots, crochet thread (DMC), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Piece of Cake
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green, Rich Razzleberry card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Blends markers: Crumb Cake, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Small and Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry card stock; Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Blends/Blendabilities markers: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb cake, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Delicate white doilies, Rich Razzleberry velvet ribbon, Iced Americano glitter marker (Nuvo), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), gold sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals



I wanted to add a little sparkle to the DSP on the background, so I used my Iced Americano glitter marker to color some of the polka dots (see below) as well as the sprinkles on the cupcake.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Hip Hip Hooray (Echo Park)
Paper: 80-lb white card stock (Cougar), Basic Black card stock
Ink: Watermelon Wonder, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Pool Party, Pacific Point
Accessories: Black-and-white baker's twine, rhinestones, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, Basic Black card stock; gold foil sheets
Ink: Stampin' Write Journaler
Accessories: Washi tape (Recollections), Bird Builder punch, gold enamel shapes, Dimensionals, foam tape (3M)

There you have it! I apologize that some of the photos are dark; I need to find a spot where I have (or can create) good, consistent lighting for pictures. If you have any questions about the materials, techniques or anything else, just leave me a comment. Thanks for stopping by!

Watercolor floral backgrounds

As promised in my last post, here is the second flowery card I created for the Floral Cards challenge on the Art Impressions blog and the "Build your birthday card stash" theme for the Hero Arts National Craft Month Challenge.

Supplies:
Stamps: 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, 5008 - WC Flower Set 3, 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 (Art Impressions)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Concord Crush card stock (Stampin' Up!), gold foil sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Ink (markers): 86 African Violet, 13 Ochre, 5 Yellow (Marvy LePlume II); 158 (Tombow)
Accessories: Gold Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (Kuretake), Scribble Happy Birthday dies (Poppy Stamps), gold sequins (The Makery), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

The inspiration for this card came from an Art Impressions video about making patterned paper with watercolor stamps. Genius! Why hadn't I thought of that before? I've certainly done that with other stamps many times. So I had to give it a try.

I did modify the technique a little bit. Rather than making a pencil grid on the paper so all my images were evenly spaced, I just stamped them randomly. I love purple and yellow together, and I love the way the background turned out. I wanted a little sparkle, too, so I added flecks of gold with a Wink of Stella glitter brush pen.

I adhered the background to a Concord Crush card base with a strip of gold foil. For the sentiment I die cut "happy birthday" twice -- once from Concord Crush card stock and once from gold foil -- and layered them together. Three gold sequins finish off the card.

I had fun making this background, so I wanted to try one more card. This one isn't for the challenges; it's kind of a bonus card:

Supplies:
Stamps: 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set, 5008 - WC Flower Set 3, 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 (Art Impressions)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Concord Crush card stock (Stampin' Up!), gold foil sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Ink (markers): 86 African Violet, 13 Ochre, 5 Yellow (Marvy LePlume II), 46 Crimson Lake; 158 (Tombow)
Accessories: "Thanks" die (Taylored Expressions), gold sequins (The Makery), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), foam tape (3M)

I actually made this background first, but I wasn't crazy about it at first. I set it aside, but after awhile I decided I liked it after all and made it into a card.

I kept this one pretty simple. I rounded the corners of the background and adhered it to a Concord Crush card base. I die cut "thanks" and placed it near the bottom of the card with a narrow gold strip on either side. And, of course, it wouldn't be complete without three sequins.

I had a lot of fun trying this technique, and it's definitely going to be one I use again. Thanks for stopping by!

Trio of containers and flowers

I am so ready for spring. Mother Nature seems determined to hang onto winter, however, as we are getting yet another heavy snowfall tonight. It was actually rain most of the day, but it's just turned over to snow. Wet, heavy, messy snow. Sigh.

Even though it will be quite a while until I can see flowers out my window, I can always pull out my flower stamps in my craft room. And that's just what I did yesterday, creating two cards for the Floral Cards challenge on the Art Impressions blog. (Bonus: I made birthday cards, so they also fit in the "Build your birthday card stash" theme for the Hero Arts National Craft Month Challenge!) Here is the first card:

Supplies:
Stamps: 4869 - WC Small Container Set, 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set (Art Impressions); Sentimental Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore); Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink (markers): 27 Olive Brown, 13 Ochre, 46 Crimson Lake, 5 Yellow, 86 African Violet (Marvy LePlume II); 158 (Tombow)
Accessories: Wonky Stitched Circles dies (My Favorite Things), thick Night of Navy baker's twine (Stampin' Up!), Garden Trellis embossing folder (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I really enjoy watercoloring with Art Impressions stamps, but I need to practice more often. These little containers with flowers are the perfect size for that because they're not as intimidating as a full scene and I don't feel so bad if I "mess up" and decide not to keep it. (Although I do try not to be too critical of my work.)

I die cut my three tiny paintings with stitched circle dies and used foam tape to add them to an embossed panel. Then I wrapped twine around the embossed panel, tied it off in a bow, and adhered it to a Crumb Cake card base. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Very Vanilla card stock, trimmed the end and added it below the twine.

I'll share my second flowery card (another watercolor design) in my next post. Thanks for stopping by!

That kind of day

Did you ever have a day where one thing after another seems to go wrong? I had one of those afternoons. It wasn't anything horrible or life-changing or even really all that important, but just a series of things that resulted from me being scatterbrained, which I'm normally not and which makes it all the more aggravating.

I am really hard on myself when I make mistakes, so I'm trying to push aside the negative thoughts and focus on happier things, like this card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: To Thine Own Shelf (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock, Wood Textures Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pool Party
Accessories: Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), stamp platform (Tonic Studios - Tim Holtz)

Now I know I'm not perfect (today was definitely a reminder of that!), but I kind of think this card is. It's nothing fancy, but just looking at this little scene makes me happy and relaxed.

I did use a stamp platform when I made this card because I intended to make a few cards all with the same design. But I've also used this stamp set several times with just clear blocks, and it's fairly easy to line up the images. With the stamp platform, though, I was able to re-stamp images when needed, so the colors are nice and bold.

For the background I used a piece of Wood Textures DSP as a nod to the wooden shelves. I didn't even add any embellishments because it seemed perfect without them. (But if I had added anything, it probably would have been a few clear sequins, because sequins are everything.)

Thanks for stopping by today. Here's to a better evening for me -- and for you, too, if you've had that kind of day. I will be having pizza and dessert, so it can't be all that bad!

Nature studies

Happy March! In case you're wondering, it's still snowing. Well, not at this exact moment -- at least it wasn't the last time I looked out the window, but with the way this winter is going, anything is possible -- but we had another good snowstorm yesterday. It's just snow piled on snow piled on snow. I can't wait until everything is green and growing again. Until then, I'll have to make do with these cards:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: 80-lb natural card stock (Cougar); Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Hello Honey, Peach Parfait, Lavender Lace, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Petal Pink, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Funky Foliage Thinlits dies (Sizzix - Tim Holtz), Stitched Rectangles Thinlits dies (Sizzix), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Artist-tac adhesive sheets (Grafix), foam tape (3M)

I bought the Funky Foliage dies way back in October during my birthday crafting weekend. I loved them as soon as I saw them, but with all the craziness of holiday preparations, I didn't have a chance to play with them until January.

When I did sit down to create, I didn't have an end project in mind. I just pulled out a bunch of scrap card stock and started cutting shapes. I love all the detail and texture created by the layering shapes (although some of those tiny pieces were hard to keep track of!). I glued them together as I went until I had a pile of leaves, flowers, mushrooms, and acorns.

From there I decided to make a few simple "nature study" cards. I die-cut stitched rectangles out of cream card stock and started adding and arranging pieces until I was happy with the layout. Then I glued down all the shapes.

When I was done with the three panels, I chose colors for the card bases and attached the panels with foam tape. I stamped sentiments inside the cards, but you also could leave an open space to add a sentiment on the front of the card. Or you could skip the sentiment altogether and have a great all-occasion card. I think a set of these cards would make a great little gift.

I hope it's not too long before we start seeing leaves and flowers around here. Come on, spring!

Thanks for stopping by!