Coffee Shaker

If you’ve ever made a shaker card or worked with sequins, you understand how static can make the task much more difficult by making the sequins stick to everything (including fingers, clothes, supplies, etc.) EXCEPT your project. Add the polar arctic chill that has set over the Midwest USA where I live and the static is even worse. I got my shaker pieces all cut out using Honey Bee Stamps Coffee Cup Card Honey Cut. The sentiment is also from a set from Honey Bee called Bee-You-Tiful. I have to just say as a side note, I’m very worried about the worlds diminishing bee population. Without them, we may see decreases in our plants/food supply. 🥺 Anyway, I got the shaker window made, used an anti static pad on the plastic window and it was ready to fill. I picked some different color shaker collections from Lucy’s Things (no, this is not my business-we just share the name!) and, not thinking things through, filled my shaker window upside down. Now sometimes, that may work, but with a shaped card, it made things much trickier. I tried putting the backing over the window and quickly flipped it over to try to make sure it was all straight, but of course some of the beads and sequins started escaping and getting stuck on my adhesive foam tape. After picking the bling off of the foam tape and putting most of the “escapees” back into the card through a corner of the shaker, I pressed the adhesive down to seal the shaker. Hopefully, it will stay sealed until the recipient gets it-LOL! A gold heart sequin (Pretty Pink Posh) was added by the bee.

I'm linking this to the following challenges:

Repeat Impressions Anything Goes Challenge-J2319

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes-Weeks #372-373

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes

STAMPlorations Hey, Love Linky Party

I also linked this up to the Honey Bee Stamps Facebook Group Buzzworthy Challenge 

Hoppy Birthday

I have quite a few masculine cards to make in the next couple of weeks. Time to get busy! I bought this O Hoppy Day Stamp set over at the Power Poppy Store a while ago and had not used it yet. Marcella sure knows how to draw!
I made a couple of ombré ink blended backgrounds with Distress Oxide inks. I cut one of them in half so that I could make 2 of the same cards (except for the color of the beer). It does help to make 2 or 3 of the same card, while figuring out the layout, colors, sentiments, etc. I used Versafine Vintage Sepia to Stamp the image and sentiment. After heat setting the ink, I colored the image using Copic markers. I added a thin strip of brown card stock along the edge of the ombré panel for some color balance and stopped! No bling, no ribbons, no frills for these masculine cards! 😉

I’m linking this to the following challenges:

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #421

Time Out Challenge #127

Simon Says Stamp Monday-Alcohol Drinks or Inks

The Male Room Challenge #103-Nature (hopefully the hops and barley count for nature!)

Power Poppy Creative Confetti-Old or New? (I’m honoring Father Time with a masculine card)

Kat Scrappiness January Challenge-Anything Goes

Edit to add: Yes Virginia Show and Share

More Bokeh

Recently, I made a couple of ink smooshed/ink blended/white ink stencilled bokeh background panels using several blue tones of Distress Oxide inks, plus some Wilted Violet and Wild Honey. I cut the bokeh circle with a Spellbinders Nestabilities die and the scalloped blue border rim with a die from MFT Stitched Mini Scallop Circle Stax die set. The pine branches were cut using a die from Spellbinders Shapabilities Fall Foliage. The bird was cut from one of the birds in a new-to-me Impression Obsession Bird die set. The sentiment is from STAMPlorations For the Birds Stamp set, stamped using Memento Paris Dusk ink and some Wow Clear embossing powder over it, which was heat embossed. The snowflake sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

In addition to the Twofer Challenge entry post Here

I’m linking this to the following challenges:

CAS Mix Up January Challenge-Bokeh

CAS Watercolor January Challenge-Winter

Work It Wednesday-Try Something New

Dies R Us Challenge #113-Anything New

Repeat Impressions January Anything Goes-J2319

Word Art Wednesday #370-371 Anything Goes

Edit to add: Yes Virginia Show and Share

Pink Poppy

This is 1 of my 2 cards for the Twofer Challenge #12. I used one of the birds from Impression Obsession Bird die set, (which was new to me) to cut “flower petals” for my poppy, since most of us can’t wait for Spring to arrive! I used Spellbinders Shapabilities Foliage die set for the leaves. The sentiment is from STAMPlorations For the Birds, Stamp with Ranger Archival ink in Fern Green. I drew the stem with a Copic marker. I cut a circle of yellow felt from Benzie Design for the flower center. I added a thin strip of the same green card stock that I used for the leaves just a bit to the right of the folded edge for some balance of color.

In addition to the Twofer Challenge entry post Here,

I’m linking this to the following challenges:

Repeat Impressions January Anything Goes-J2319

Dies R Us #113-Anything New

Word Art Wednesday #370-371-Anything Goes

STAMPlorations January CUTplorations Challenge

Dare2BArtzy January Challenge-Your Favorite Season

Kat Scrappiness January Anything Goes

Twofer for the Birds

The challenge over on The Twofer Challenge Blog is birds. I decided to use one of the bird dies from a NBUS (new to me) Impression Obsession Bird dies for my non-conventional Twofer focus. Please see individual blog posts for products and details about each card using the following links:
More Bokeh
Pink Poppy

I’m linking this to:

Twofer Card Challenge #12-Birds

(See individual blog posts for other challenges each card is linked to)

Quick Llama Thank You Cards

I only needed a few Thank you Cards to send after Christmas, but I wanted to make CAS cards. I had bought and downloaded a digital set that I wanted to try from Gerda Steiner Designs called fa-la-la-la Llamas in December. I arranged the male and female next to each other in my computer Word program so that I could print 2 CAS cards per 8 1/2 X 11 inch sheet of Neenah Solar White card stock. I love the expression on the femle’s face-she looks like the male just said or did something foolish and she’s slightly irritated or a bit bewildered! Anyway, I cut and folded the cards and then colored the images using Copic Markers. The sentiment is from STAMPlorations For the Birds.
Edit to add link to the digital stamp: Fa-la-la-la-llamas

I’m linking this to the following challenges:
Gerda Steiner Designs Share your Designs January Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Clean and Simple
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday-Try Something New
STAMPlorations January Theme and Sketch Challenge
STAMPlorations January CAS Card Challenge
Kat Scrappiness January Challenge-Anything Goes 
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge-Alcoholl, Drinks or Inks

CAS Bokeh

I wanted to try making a bokeh background again. I used various shades of blue Distress Oxide Inks (and a touch of Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet and Wild Honey) and did some ink smooshing on watercolor paper. I wanted a softer background so after heat setting the panel, I did some ink blending with Stormy Sky Distress Oxide Ink over the ink smooshing. I then made my own “stencil” from a piece of white card stock and some of my circle dies and punches. I used some white pigment ink and sponged the different sized circles onto the panel, trying to vary the amount of ink applied. I used MFT Mod Squares STAX Die-Namics (I love this shape!) to cut the bokeh panel and also larger cuts from both navy and a medium blue card stock. The snowflakes were cut with Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes dies using some Simon Says Stamp white glitter paper. The sentiment is from Dare2BArtzy’s Poinsettia Tangle set, stamped with Memento Paris Dusk ink, with some Clear embossing powder added for a deeper color. Snowflake sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

   

I’m linking this to the following challenges:
CAS Mix Up January Challenge-Bokeh (Water coloring, heat embossing, sponging and stenciling and die cutting)
CAS January Stencil Challenge-Sponging
CAS Watercolor January Challenge-Winter 
Dies R Us Challenge #113-Anything New (new to me dies from MFT)
Cut It Up Challenge #165-How’s the Weather?
STAMPlorations January CAS Card Challenge-Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Clean and Simple
STAMPlorations January Mixed Media Challenge-Anything Goes

Baby Shaker

I made a baby quilt for my daughter, who’s due with her first baby next month. One of the materials that I used had these cute zoo animals on it. I decided to cut a few of them out, along with a few leaves and some green material (for the grass) so that I could try (new to me!) using them on my card. I added some Fray Check to the edges to prevent fraying. I ink blended some Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey Oxide Inks on a piece of Neenah Solar White card stock. I cut a circle out on the panel and also made a rim from some pale blue card stock, using some older Spellbinders circle dies. I used the largest die from the Pretty Pink Posh Scallop Circle Dies to cut a decorative outer rim for the shaker window. I cut a circle from some clear acetate to make the shaker window. Before filling the shaker with some sequins & beads from 2 different sets of Little Things from Lucy’s Cards, I stamped a sentiment from My Creative Time Hello Baby on the card base. I added the animals and the leaves using Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue, which I love because it is thicker and really does grab fast AND it comes in a bottle that is made to sit upside down in its cap so it comes out quickly, even though it’s thicker (see photo below).

I’m linking this to the following challenges:

MFT The Birthday Project-Time to Shine

Your Next Stamp Challenge #105

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday-Try Something New

Kat Scrappiness January Anything Goes Challenge

STAMPlorations January Theme and Sketch Challenge

Power Poppy Creative Confetti-Old or New?

Edit to add: Yes Virginia Show and Share

Shades of Ombré

I saw the colors for the Winnie and Walter December Color Challenge and I was determined to play along. I stamped the tree from Winter Woodland with Distress Embossing Ink and heat embossed using WOW Clear embossing powder. I used various shades of Distress Oxide inks to get as close as I could to the colors and just went with the order from the palette graphic. It was too pretty to try to rethink the color order. The sentiment is from The Big, the Bold and the Extras set, which is New to me. I stamped it with Memento Cottage Ivy Ink on a vellum banner and used more Clear embossing powder to heat emboss. The Sparkling Clear sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

I’m linking to the following challenges:
Winnie and Walter December Color Challenge
MFT The Birthday Project-Time to Shine
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge-Use Something New
STAMPlorations January CAS Challenge
Edit to add: Yes Virginia Show and Share

See Winnie and Walter
Link For image credit

No matter...

I used a basket weave embossing folder to dry emboss some Neenah Desert Storm Card stock. Next, I used one of the dies in the CAS-ual Fridays Lovely Links die set to cut a white border. I used the medium sized tag from Tag Buddies Fri-dies set to cut the sentiment tag and tied some May Arts jute Twine on it. The sentiment is from Frankly’isms. The printed paper was a freebie with a stamp order from Verve Stamps (closed now). The sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

I’m linking this to the following challenges:

CAS-usl Fridays CFC #215 Dry Embossing  (the Final Challenge)

Repeat Impressions Anything Goes D2618

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes

Mojo Monday Sketch #506

Word Art Wednesday #366-367 Anything Goes

YNS Challenge #104 Anything Goes

Edit to Add-I’m also linking this to MFT Stamps-The Birthday Challenge: Time to Shine