Power Poppy Christmas Challenge!

 I am tenaciously happy to be back here on my little blog corner of the world...fancying myself a real stamper enthusiast but not showing many cards in the past two to three years as I forgot how to blog. It is not my best side...all the technical behind the scenes...but stamping and blogging will have to find a way because Power Poppy is back and began challenges again so I have to figure all this out!

Today's submission is from the Power Poppy set, "Forest Fellas" and this very laidback bear is holding a cup of coffee , so not much chance of him running me up a tree! 

Needs a Name Bear

I enjoyed my hand at water coloring him, using ink from my Stampin' Up inkpads. It seemed a little bit easier than using copics, markers, then added a little bit of penciling for details. Hope you enjoy his very relaxed , yet dashing vibes!! 

Thank you for coming for a visit...please leave me a comment so I know all this learning is not in vain...plus I'd really love to hear from you. 

Free as a Bird~

Happy New Year to my stamping friends!!. I am so grateful for the inspiration and fun that comes from visiting your blogs and only hope that  I can give back a teeny bit of that pleasure. I have been very lax this entire year...I was going to say this past month...but I still plan to upload a card now and then and keep this little area of stamping and every once in awhile a story or thought, alive!
I made this card awhile ago and the design isn't an original. I sent it along with a fun care package to a dear online friend.

I used the Stampin' Up "Free as a Bird" set along with the enclosed die which I think is a very handy size. The birds and branch are colored with copic markers and a little bit of the leaf pattern was stamped in the background with coordinating ink. This made a cute card in fairly quick time which is what I am going for these days.
I think it's an appropriate saying as it is so true of so many online stamping friends...thank you for your visit and wishing you many blessings in the year ahead.

Finders, Keepers!

I don't know if any of you can relate...but I spend a lot of my time looking for one particular stamp, piece of paper, or die when setting out to make a card. So this time, I kept to new acquisitions and a few oldies but rarely used to make what I hope to be a masculine Christmas card!Everything was near my desk and I didn't have to look through drawers or bins so that was nice!
Don't you just love this plaid? It is one of my splurges this year in the Stampin' Up Holiday catalog and I hesitated a minute before ordering it. Immediately I saw a perfect backdrop for a small scene.

My card has a 3 stamped evergreen from "The Greetery," a small deer die cut from Stampin' Up and a"Merry Christmas" die I've had for awhile and wanted to use. The matting and die are done with a mirror gold paper which I save for Christmas. I put this together really late at night and just fiddled with the place of everything and then finally glued it down. The plaid strip on the side helped to anchor the scene. 

If you're wondering the reason for my blog title, this card will most likely go to my brother and his wife. He admitted that he does not keep my cards or any cards, but throws them away. Maybe this will be a keeper at least for a season as it kind of goes with their decor. We will see. Oh well, I enjoyed the challenge and mixing all the sets and dies. 

Take care, have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

A Corgi Trio~Creative Confetti Triple Play!

Hi friends and hope you are having a great week with maybe a little stamping/coloring mixed in! I have had some computer glitches (I couldn't ever find my mouse that allowed me to click on anything...) and finally enlisted some help so I hope I am here more often.
We skipped right over Fall here this year much to my dismay. We had a cold frost move in the last week of October which killed most of the leaves on our Purple Ashes in the yard and then a deep freeze with snow for a few days afterwards.
So that got me in the mood for Christmas cards and I began the hunt for my favorite Christmas stamp from Power Poppy that I only inked once last year. I saw today's new Creative Confetti Challenge and knew what I was going to do. That rarely happens!

I had already colored this cute Corgi up after seeing one of the DT's darling color combos...and just had to make it into a card. I found my little bow die cut and decided to add three of them for the challenge. It is pretty cute, I think!

I found a scrap of designer paper and used those colors to color in my Corgi and gift...a little bit of minty green and bright red which I layered with a dark green plaid and a very old SU! Hunter Green. It was my very last sheet. The rest is just layered and then the bows to play off the bow on the gift in the same bright red and a little wink of stella for the ribbon.
Thanks so very much for dropping by and blessings on your day!

Creative Confetti~Free for All!

So here I am again so soon, but I want to be sure to get this pretty card into this month's Power Poppy challenge...because goodness...it seems like forever since I've been able to play along!
I loved Julie's challenge this month to do whatever your little heart desires.
This was an almost no-line coloring using a retired stamp from Flourishes that I love! It was colored in copics and the humming bird was stamped, colored, and then I went over some of the wings and lines with a metallic pen to add a little bit of silvery shimmer. I used another panel that I had embossed and added little ink droplets only this time in green. I love this technique because it adds a lot of texture and was perfect for the greens in my card today.

Because my original card photo looks a little washed out...here is a close up of the humming  bird and flowers!

My card is over sized to accommodate all the panels and ribbon. It will be a special card for someone special as it took me quite awhile to color and figure out how to put it together. :)  Since the ribbon is a very sheer coral; it was a good choice to add to that corner panel.
Whew...well, once again, thanks so much for visiting and I hope you enjoyed my card today! I loved making it!

Creative Confetti~Make it Shimmer!

Today I am sharing a card for this month's Power Poppy Creative Confetti "Make it Shimmer" challenge! I had spent an afternoon just experimenting with some shimmer embossing paste that I had used with a new Altenew stencil on water color paper. The process went something like this....after you apply your paste you gently spritz the panel and then drop ink refill into the recesses and watch it spread out over the paper. This creates a lot of texture and color. The sparkle came from the SU! Shimmer Embossing Paste.

 I loved the shimmer but thought it would only do for an occasion that required some real sparkle...so I saved the panel for another day...
And then I saw the challenge over on the Power Poppy blog and knew this was the occasion! As you can see, I only used a part of my panel on  the lower portion and used the set, "A Wreath for All Seasons" from Power Poppy to stamp, coloring in shades to match my panel. I did borrow some inspiration from the Power Poppy blog to make my card...adding a vellum scalloped circle and a few tiny rhinestones. The "Joy" is silver embossed!
This card is one of those that evolved over time , but I was really happy with the outcome and to be able to use my embossed panel while it was still fairly fresh in my mind.
Thanks so much for your visit...and wishing you a blessed day!

Special Friends

Gosh, it's been awhile I know! I have a few cards in the lineup but haven't been near my computer for awhile. So for today's menu...*I think I have food on my mind, it is almost lunchtime*..I have a new item to show before I send. This is a recent purchase from Penny Black called "Special Friends." I love so many Penny Black stamps and just finally purchased a few from a recent release. The sweet animals in this set appealed to me!

I also had purchased this embossing folder-looking trellis (Stampin' Up!) and was trying to find a creative way to put it to use. I just embossed the white card front and then brushed green ink lightly over the raised portions. The tiny pink Prima roses were added to maybe resemble flowers growing on a vine...though with these types of images you can't be too literal. I colored the bunny and squirrel with copics and cut them out by hand...then added a tiny banner with the words, "just because" and a tiny green pearl accent. The card is popped up on green which is popped up on white...making for a dimensional card.

I have to say...my yard is a veritable Bambi scene most days with all kinds of woodland creatures...but I have yet to see a bunny and a squirrel coming near each other. Though they often fight for the same food sources and I can see them scampering in the same general area...I have yet to see them hug. Which is why I like stamps, I guess. It feeds my imagination that all creatures are filled with love and goodwill given to them from their Creator! 

As always I appreciate your visit and kind comments! I am so happy to be able to sit down and share a new card! Wishing you a blessed day, friends!

Pardon My Purple!

Well, it's finally Spring here in Northern Colorado...it has been a very long winter and I am enjoying the past two days of Spring like weather. The Pear trees are bursting forth in bloom and I need to go get a photo of those quick before the wind blows them away! We have Lilacs right under our deck where we have our morning coffee and they are so heavenly when they bloom. I saw Power Poppy had a sale on this set "Lilac Time"  last weekend...and it just reminded me to pull mine out and use it.

It may be hard to see any detail on those blooms as they were gold embossed which left little space for shading, etc...but I used a variety of lilacs and purples using my Zig Markers to watercolor these and also the tiny ladybug on that leaf...so fun! I also used a new to me embossing folder from Stampin" Up on the purple layer...it gives the base a tufted look which is very feminine. The panel was given a gold liquid pen treatment along the edges and then an organza ribbon and matte colored gems were added. The sentiment is from Power Poppy's set, "Potted Primroses."  The entire image was splattered with some of the watercolor and it gave a nice little splattering of color without overwhelming the main image. I had initially created this card for the April challenge but I ran out of time posting it...so here it is. I am sure I will have an occasion to use this!
For some reason a lot of people comment on my purple cards by prefacing that they don't really like purple..but they like my card...which always makes me laugh and hence the title of this post.
I love purple...but lilac is even better in my book!
I am so happy you stopped by and hope you enjoyed your visit. Thank you!
Have a beautiful day and hope you get to be out and enjoying Spring in your part of the world!

Joyful Birthday Wishes!

Hi friends...it's getting to be that time...the end of the month and I have two more cards to squeeze in to this month's Power Poppy Creative Confetti Challenges.  My card is for the "Think Spring Challenge." I needed a birthday sentiment to fit into this pretty gold frame and searched my stash high and low...and then came upon this little sentiment with the sweet and cheerful font by Power Poppy by Marcella...I had to use it! It fit just right and added a bit of whimsy to the somewhat serious and sophisticated Peonies. :)

This is from one of my favorite Power Poppy stamps, "Potted Primroses." The sentiment was gold embossed in rose gold powder on vellum and then attached to the back of the gold frame. The frame was then framed with a larger Spellbinders die. The peonies, from Altenew, were stamped and then gold embossed and added to each corner. The entire card was mounted on a linen white card stock from PaperTrey Ink. A few pearls and sequins added for a bit of sparkle!

Here is a little close up:

I made this card a little oversized for our daughter's 32nd birthday! I was so happy that it turned out so well...and that was in huge part to finding the perfect sentiment!
I always appreciate you popping in and wish you a creative day! Blessings!

Creative Confetti Challenge~Two in One!

Hi there! Today I am combining two of the Creative Confetti Challenges over on the Power Poppy Blog for the month of April: On the Grid, and Think Spring!

After making my previous Columbine Card into a grid by trimming the image into little squares...this time I was inspired by Julie's "Think Spring" challenge and so turned to the gorgeous Power Poppy set, "Azaleas." I have used a lot of these images...but the larger branch had not been colored up. I had just received this sweet ruffled ribbon from Stampin' Up and so I decided to use the ribbon as my grid markers (still had the grid on the brain so I combined those two challenges)...rather than white space. So I cut the image into three equal lengths and then used the ribbon in between each layer.  I have a lot of that ribbon...and it was fairly easy to match that pink with my Copic markers. The card was kept simple with just a few scattered small and tiny pearls. I also added a bit of shimmer with my Wink of Stella pen and a few white highlights on the flowers with my white Signo gel pen.
 I wish, I wish, I wish...we could grow those Azaleas here in Colorado. When we lived near Portland, Oregon many years ago...we had lots of these bushes and they added so much bright color in early Spring.
And...here we have the last of the snow melting and my tulips just beginning to emerge ...I feel like a Mama Chick waiting for her babies to hatch hovering over these bulbs...they are almost 2 weeks behind schedule. I just hope Summer doesn't make its entrance early as now I believe Spring is my favorite season. It just doesn't last nearly long enough here.
Blessings on your day and hope wherever you are...the promise of Spring has come!

Creative Confetti Challenge "On the Grid"

Hi friends. I am going to quickly share a card creation today for Power Poppy's Creative Confetti Challenge~"On the Grid."
I decided to use a copy of an original copic colored Columbines from the oh so cute "Cup of Columbine" by Power Poppy just in case I messed up the colored copy in the cutting process. (Because...yes, I do and I did.) Anyway, after I made a copy of my colored image...I then added highlights and shading to the copy and then used a sliver of paper as Julie explained in her excellent tutorial as spacers. I decided to back the image in blue because I had a lot of blue in the Columbines.

It was hard to capture this in the photo...but I made doubly sure to line up the bird's beak and top of his head so it wouldn't look too wonky and that helped the whole image. Since there was quite a bit of white space in both corners...I had the idea to add sentiment banners on both ends taken from the set, "Folk Heart." Oh my heart...I decided to color pearls to match the blue in the Columbines using a blue copic marker also and it is so cute in person! A twine bow along the side to add to the natural look and there you have it.
This was fun and I may try it again before this month's challenge is over!
And here is a picture I took while walking in our Botanical Gardens of some Columbines...I definitely need to try this image again in these lighter shades of  lavender blue.

Thanks for your visit and always enjoy reading your comments and what you're up to!  Blessings on your day, friends!

An Attempt at Masculine with Altenew Stamps~

Hi visiting friends...I admit I wasn't sure about adding this card to my blog...like any card I make...at first I am smitten with just the joy of seeing ink on paper...but after awhile I felt it might be a little too drab or plain...but I am going to use this as a masculine card and think it works well if I leave well enough alone...and I'm sure you know what I mean.
This is an Altenew image with outline and solid leaf prints. I fell in love with it when I saw the DT samples...however...the reason I finally made the plunge to hit that purchase button  is one single entry on the website that was so unique and beautifully embossed with a triage of powders...but do you think I can find that saved anywhere at all?

So...this is just a plain ole card...stamped and embossed in Copper metallic and colored in with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in three shades. I saw this "blessings" set sitting out and decided at the end to add that along the leaf border and it worked!  Then I dared myself to splatter the ink...and I did...just holding my breath that it didn't make a huge mess and so I went very lightly. I used the rough side of the watercolor paper for more texture. After I was finished, I trimmed the panel on both sides and popped it up on a Kraft card base.
This is an understated card, but the metallic embossing and the bold colors look very masculine to me.
Thanks for visiting me today!! I hope your day is full of blessings!

A Teacup of Spring~

Most of my stamping is for no particular reason...sometimes I come across a stamp that brings a sense of sweetness or nostalgia. This one from Stampavie by artist Tina Wenke does just that!! I see they no longer make the stamps...but there is a spot to find lots of digital which I may try soon! I made a 3x3 note card and added just a bit of designer paper (because that is all I had of this scrap )so it served as a border...and some twine across the top of the card. I practiced my water coloring with this image...using my Zig Markers. Except this time I scribbled my markers on a clear block and then used a brush to add to my panel rather than applying directly. I loved the way it turned out and found it much easier than the times I've attempted with copics. I may try a larger card but for today this is perfect for my needs...just the right size to add a gift card in the mail.
The note card die is from Papertrey Ink. I can tell I will be using this often.
Wishing you a warm and wonderful day filled with a bit of beauty! Thanks so much for your visit today!

Nobody Hugs like a Mother!

Hi there and hope everyone is having a beautiful day! Thank you for dropping in...I have been attempting to use some of my older stamps, especially if  I've only tried them once or twice! This one from Stampin' Up is SO cute and I liked that it had images for different themes. Today I decided to use my Zig Brush Watercolors and loosely color up the Mama Bear and hearts.

The water brush markers made it quick and easy to color in...and provided some texture using the smoother side of my paper. I wanted to feminize it by adding the scalloped border. After I had hand cut the two large hearts above...I thought the paws looked a little bare; so I used some little heart die negatives leftover from another project and colored each one in and just glued it to my panel. I am really enjoying the new glue, Gina K Connect because it doesn't leave a sticky residue and is so easy to get into fine places...and it opens and pours easily. Little things like that mean a lot to a stamper. 

This sentiment was part of the set so I added it, last minute to the bottom and then a row of hearts.

Of course, this will be going to one of our daughters. I don't think my husband would appreciate it as much. 

Wonderful to have you here...thanks so much for your visit!

Laurie's Fabulous Favorites Challenge~

Hi friends! Thanks so much for dropping in...Papertrey Ink is changing up it's challenges this month. One I've decided to enter is called:
Laurie's Wednesday Favorites.
We are to post a card using one of our favorite stamps from their company. I have many favorites...some oldies and some that came in the mail just in time for Valentine's Day! So in honor of this favorite holiday of mine  I chose to enter this card which I've been using for so many Valentine creations...all different color combos and a few styles to choose from...sharing later.

                                                               Love in Bloom

I love this set because all of those florals can be customized into so many pretty ink colors...this one uses a combination of corals, pinks, and reds...*I can recall a time when it used to be bad taste to combine these colors...but I have to say, they look pretty on a card!
I also used a square scalloped die set that I just ordered from PTI ...doubling up the background scallops to overlap so you have some white peeking through on the bottom border. The pink layer was embossed with a Linen embossing folder, ( PTI), and some rhinestones added to a few of the fun flower centers.
Thanks so much for stopping by...I have a few Valentines on my desk right now so will try to make it back to share.
Meanwhile...thank you as always for your visit and taking the time to leave a kind comment. Blessings on your day! 

Sharing a Memory~and where to go from here in 2019?

Hi friends! There are times I don't know whether to keep my blog updated as I know many have skipped blogging for the speedier Instagram feed. But this is my space to share memorable moments and milestones. And honestly, just a time of reflection for me as I look back and also ahead.
So before I go further into my story, I need to say how grateful I am for God’s provision and care. He has given me a very caring and capable and strong husband. Our Beulah is a constant source of joy and laughter and love. Our daughters are close by and it is a real comfort to know I can hop in a car on a weekend for a visit!
To be honest, though, I began 2019 a little discouraged.  The health issues that began in 2017 are still no closer to being resolved...and surprising to me...new ones have developed. I know aging is inevitable but mine began with a tooth that broke in December 2017 right before Christmas. Following that was a root canal, crown, and after that so much pain ensued over about 6 months I was ready to have my tooth extracted. The plan at the time was to prepare my gums for a dental implant. I saw several oral surgeons and confirmed that this was the right course of action. Unfortunately, the pain was never resolved. I had electric like pain in my face which was diagnosed as Trigeminal Neuralgia. Over the course of a year or more I saw two neurologists and had MRI's to rule out a brain tumor and M.S. I began the treatment course of pharmaceutical regimen for T.N. During my research I realized that my T.N. was atypical. I began seeing Pain Specialists as well as Orthodontists to determine if it was related to my dental work and if so if there was any way to reverse the damage or minimize it.
 That is the short of it. The time has been long and lots of waiting, searching, and trying to trust and rest. What I have learned in this journey is that you will get a different answer to an illness depending on the type of doctor you see. None of my doctors agreed to the best course of treatment and none of them had much encouragement to share. Dental treatment is not insured and thus very expensive. And ultimately the decision as to what treatment to pursue and how to move forward feels a bit lonely and unsure.
So here I am again...a year later and looking at more surgeries. I am entering a new year with a birthday tomorrow and the need for foot surgery looming ahead. So, my husband asked me what I wanted to do...and I thought to myself...I really just want to be free of pain. Because of having Rheumatoid Arthritis I have been taking a drug that has slowed the progress of that immune disease for about 25 years. Having that drug treatment has been a lifesaver and enabled me to do all the normal activities and reduce pain and disease progression. I have been very grateful for it. But, in the past year  I have been told now by my oral surgeon and also the foot doctor...that the drug will slow my ability to heal. That information precipitated a talk with my rheumatologist who did not believe the medication had that large an effect on healing. But my plan is to go back and double check this information...because I definitely want to give my body the advantage of healing as much as possible if I elect to proceed with the foot surgery. And my oral surgeon had suggested to do exploratory surgery where my tooth was extracted to remove the bone graft, clean the area, and do bone biopsies. The hope there was to facilitate healing in the jaw and to allow me to have the implant. Because right now I don't have any way to proceed with an implant because no one will do it until the nerve pain is resolved. So I am stuck. And boy...do I feel it. I am afraid of having another surgery because the neurologist thinks that could worsen the nerve pain...and that is the last thing I want. So the question is...what started the nerve pain? Is it related to the extraction site being infected or never properly healing? Is it because of the bone graft? Is it due to nerve damage when I was given an injection of anesthetic? Was it caused by a faulty root canal? At this point...I want to know only to know if having surgery will help or make things worse.
I didn't start this post expecting to write this...and I doubt if anyone else sees and that is alright. Because this is my beginning of 2019 and as of tomorrow I am another year older. After the past year I am honestly not looking forward to aging. But I do believe that typical aging is not as difficult as having a major illness and surgeries that abruptly disrupt your life.
My plan is to "forge ahead." I need a big dose of courage and trust to round this next bend. If you read this I would be so appreciative of your prayer.
Which brings me to a photo I wanted to share. Last year my family took me on a trip for my 60th birthday. It was a surprise as to where we were going and I wasn't convinced I would be up for much travel so our daughter planned a short plane trip to the California coast. It was just a weekend...but so special!! I found a photo of the last night we were there and we had taken a small boat off the coast with a Captain in charge. The sun was just beginning to set when this was taken.

When I was looking back over the year and something memorable...I shared with my husband that this was it. Just as we were heading back to shore, a group of dolphins playfully swam along our little boat. It was magical.
Well...thank you for reading along. I will be back to stamping soon.

Corgi Christmas Cuteness!

Hi there! Just doing a quick post today...we just returned from our mountain condo in the hopes of getting a little bit of Christmas decorating done. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive...more like 4 for me as I drive slower than I used to. Tom and I spent 3 days and decorated our tall and skinny mantle tree and the mantle also...and wrapped gifts. Now I am wondering if we should have not left the gifts there because there is always the possibility that we won't make it for Christmas. I had told our grown daughters that we could have the holiday there this year as for them it would be a 4 day break and everyone skis but me.

Well, either way...I had fun making this adorable Corgi stamp into a small Christmas card!! I envisioned a dark sky with the galaxy of stars behind it...well let's face it...all this is on the far side of pretend. But I couldn't resist a Corgi with antlers!! This is a Power Poppy set called, "Christmas Corgis." We had a Corgi dog named Copper for many years...and he was a handful to put it mildly. But they are cute as can be~

The gold against the black is a new product for me...Nuvo Embellishment Mousse. I used a Tim Holtz stencil and just added a bit of the mousse over it. The gold mirror card stock was cut from a Papertrey Ink die. The bow was fussy cut and is from a set from their corner rounder series: October.
The funnest part was coloring in the Corgi with Copics and I added a few eyelashes with a black micron pen. No sentiment on the front...but the inside reads "Merry and Bright" in the same hot pink as the outside gingham card stock.

And here is a picture of our Beulah and oldest daughter's dog, Daisy in front of the tree we decorated. This sweet scene only happened because Tom was dangling treats above their heads to encourage them both to look in the same direction while I scrambled to get a photo on my camera phone. And this is the only one that didn't have his leg in or one of their faces chopped out of the photo.
That is it for today! I am not sending a bunch of  hand stamped cards this year. I have had a painful condition on my right hand, "trigger finger" which seems to be more irritated than normal and so trying to give it a bit of rest. I am just grateful to be able to continue to do this hobby that I love.
Thanks for your visit. Wishing you lots of merry moments in your days!

Fawn and Flora

Hi and Happy Monday to my stamping friends! Usually over the weekend I attempt to stamp a card...sometimes I actually have one to share; other times I am stumped for ideas.

Isn't this the sweetest fawn's face? I am assuming this is a doe which is how I dressed the wreath on her head and the colors. This was a fast and fun card to make.

Our daughter was here with a friend to visit and her friend loved my stamp room and it was my pleasure to show her around and share some of my cards. They both chose a few to take home which made me very happy, too! Having "new" eyes to see my craft room and appreciate all my "stuff" gave me new enthusiasm for stamping. I sometimes feel like my family gives me the "eye roll" when it comes to my love for this little hobby. I mean...I've been doing it for so long and they just don't get excited as I do...but I don't blame them. I can't get that excited about my husband's hobbies, especially watching football or our daughter's obsession with hiking. :)

After they left I had the idea to make her friend a card with one of my new sets this year. I wanted to make it cute and fun but not spend a lot of time...the hardest part of this card was choosing the colors and aligning the 3 step stamps for the face. But even that wasn't too difficult using my MISTI. 

.

This is a set from Papertrey Ink, "Fawn and Flora" using PTI's colors, Mint Julep, Vintage Jadite, and Hibiscus Burst for the wreath and Stampin' Up's Brown Sugar for the body, Altenew's black (which I adore), and some gold glittered embossing powder.
I am so glad you stopped by and wish you a blessed day! 

Creative Confetti~Sparkle in the Shade!

Hi there! I decided to submit a card for Julie's challenge on Power Poppy to "Sparkle in the Shade," using one color on a card and adding a bit of sparkle.
So...for this card I decided to do a little square card using this adorable border from the set, "Snow Kissed."

I stamped the border three times on the top and bottom portion of my card with Stampin' Up's Cherry CobblerThen I added a few tiny rhinestones in the center of each large star. The "Merry Christmas" is from Papertrey Ink as it was the best fit

!

The square was then mounted to a fun square die to add the scallops around the perimeter! I am having so much fun with these Creative Confetti Challenges!
I so appreciate your dropping in and appreciate your kind comments.

You Say It's Your Birthday!

Hi there! We have our Fall back for just a few more days...after the first snow at the beginning of the month and then everything froze in the garden and the leaves on the trees dropped from the trees...then the last few days we went back up into the 70's!
But while the snow was making it's appearance...I became in a dreamy sort of winter frame of mind and reached for this set from Power Poppy, "O Holy Night." I attempted to water color the image with light blues and lavenders and pinks and then die cut it from this Spellbinders die. I used some real German glass glitter and icy stickles for the roof tops and tree branches.
This is my entry into this month's  Power Poppy challenge by one of the amazing designers, Tosh, to enter a card that has something to do with your birthday. My birthday is in January so it's usually snowy and wintry so that's where my card went. I love this set and decided I needed to give it more attention.
Thanks for your visit today. Wishing you many blessings!

Creative Confetti with Power Poppy~Background Check

Happy Fall Y'all! Well, around here...Fall has fled and winter came in with a vengeance...outside my window is a bit of a sloppy mess with leaves all over the ground in a wet, snowy, puddle. Which is why I'm not featuring pumpkins today! :) I actually do love creating Christmas cards year round; and I'm determined to use up paper, stamps, and die cuts that I have collected before purchasing (too much) in the way of new supplies!

Julie from Power Poppy gave us a fun challenge earlier this month called"Background Check." 

My card today uses two stamps from Power Poppy to bring you this little Cardinal and a Tree in a Teacup surrounded by a wintry branch scene:

I used some beautiful paper purchased at the end of the season last year: Wild Rose Studio: Birds and Berries. I stamped the Tree in the Teacup and the Cardinal holding branch from Power Poppy's "Cozy Cupfuls" and colored them up with copic markers.  This is the sweetest set and I've used it for several cards. I had planned on making two different cards but after cutting out the background die (Papertrey Ink,) I decided to perch one of the cardinals nesting in the "branches." The sentiment is from "O Holy Night." The die was centered over some pretty sky blue paper; and both the images were glued down to the paper afterwards. The sentiment is popped up on some dimensionals and a bit of glittery stickles added to the ornaments and berries. 

I made another Christmas card and if all goes according to plan...I hope to share soon! Wishing you a 

day of blessings! Thanks so much for dropping by for a visit!

Christmas Traditional Red and White!

Well, hey there! I decided to join in this month's October Christmas Challenge using two colors for our card...that was a pretty easy choice for me as I love red and green at Christmas!

I turned to one of my favorite sets from Papertrey Ink, A Cup of Cheer! 

I have begun the habit of die cutting multiples and using my Misti to stamp as I can get more saturated ink. I also used a new to me Holly embossing folder for the background!
I can't believe I was able to combine three stamp sets...but decided the sentiment in the oval works with the other two sets when stamped in the green and the red rhinestones added. What do you think?
I'm also entering my card on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: PTI: A Thrill of Hope, PTI A Cup of Cheer, PTI Spruce and Sprigs

Paper: PTI white, PTI Green dot

Ink, SU! Real Red, SU! Hunter Green

Other:  Holly Embossing Folder, Oval Dies, and German Glass Glitter for the Red Berries,

Red Rhinestones

Snow Kissed Snowman!

Hi friends! This is my second post today...I finally uploaded a card for the Dare to Get Dirty forum for monthly Christmas Card challenge and realized I should put it here also. I do love making Christmas cards...although I also send out some really cute boxed cards...for special friends and family I do hand deliver or mail out a hand stamped Christmas card!
This is the snowman featured in Power Poppy's set, "Snow Kissed." I adore this set and have made a few cards from it...but this is my first snowman. I actually water colored this up and then added a few prisma pencils for shading. I also used a bit of shimmery white for the highlights of the snowman in water colors. I am really enjoying water coloring right now.

I just ran out of this red ribbon...it is my very favorite from Stampin' Up and I've had it awhile in the Cherry Cobbler red. My snowman looks a little small here...I think it's the angle. I added some filigree die cut snowflakes sprinkled in glitter and a rhinestone that I colored up bright red with a copic marker!
Thanks so much for your visit...I always enjoy reading your kind comments. Blessings on your day!

Ode to Aspens

One of my favorite things about Fall in Colorado is the changing of the Aspens. And I realize I haven't any aspen stamps...but I decided not to let that stop me when I was watercoloring up this set from Papertrey Ink, "Mighty Oak." There needs to be a set called, "Awesome Aspen," or "Amazing Aspen," or "Artistic Aspen..." or something like that.
So, I decided to diecut the trunk in white, since Aspens do have a white trunk with those knotty
"eyes" on them.

I used Peerless Watercolors for these after I had die cut the leaves. I painted them one by one in various shades of golden Amber, green and golds, fiery red and orange hues. I stamped the sentiment from the set in a black ink to give contrast to the  card stock. I also added Nuvo gold drops (maybe I got a little carried away?) But I love the little bit of shimmer and that's one thing that is difficult to capture in water color.

This past weekend I was so excited to go to a place in the mountains with a friend I had never been to before. It was the perfect weekend to go Aspen viewing for the color change. I was able to get a pretty good photo to share here. 

Aspens near Boreas Pass, Colorado

Thanks so much for your visit today...I always appreciate your visit and hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Serendipitous Sympathy

So...this may seem like a strange title for stamping...but I have to tell a little story with my cards today. It all began when I decided to try my hand at water coloring a stamp that I had acquired through a personal sale on a stamping blog so I don't have the name of it other than Poppies. I do love Poppies and so I wanted to color this with a vibrant ink. I used some smooshed on acetate distress oxide inks and ended up with this as my final result:

I am still a novice in this water coloring venture...and I ended up adding layers of color over time. I also decided to add blues and browns and teals to my leaves so it had almost a tropical feel by the time I was done. The perfect paper for framing is a newer one to me from Stampin' Up that I just ordered, "Tranquil Tide." 
Anyways...I was pretty happy with the outcome and decided to make a copy of it to use on a future card due as : 1. I am a very slow stamper and water coloring isn't second nature to me. 2. I have had too many other health issues to spend hours on my craft. 3. I wanted to keep a copy as a color referencee. 4. Well, you get the drift...
Anyway, I made a copy. And the colors came out completely different...like my colored inks were missing the green although the printer didn't show any colors as low.

Hopefully your monitor looks a little more  clearer than mine, and if not, if you click on the photo it will enlarge. When this came out of the printer I actually liked the bleached out leaves and decided it would be a good sympathy card for this time of year (Brownish yellows and oranges and golds.) Unfortunately, I had to cancel plans for hosting a weekend at our place due once again to health...and at the same time the friends I was hoping to host also had a death in the family and we realized it was not a good time to meet up and yet it saddened me that we couldn't due to so many difficult circumstances. For me...working on cards is cathartic while I am creating.
I used some gold Nuvo  drops randomly to add a bit  more color. Now I have two cards from one water coloring and one was a complete surprise in a good way!
Thanks so much for your visit today!

Creative Confetti~Birthstones

Hey there friends...today's blog post has to do with some fun challenges on Power Poppy! One of the challenges for the month of August was to create a card using your birthstone. I have always loved birth stone rings and the first ring I received was from my parents along the age of 11 or 12...and it was a simple gold band with a garnet. What is so amazing to me is I still have it though it is way too small for my fingers now. 

So I actually made a couple of cards but had a difficult time finding the right color for garnet. Then I looked up the stone's symbolism and read that garnets aren't just the deep crimson; but can range to a rosy red which is the color I used for my card today. And just for good measure...I also colored in my clear stone with a deeper rose for the garnet.

The set is from Power Poppy, "Orchid's Rock." I colored the image with a variety of copic markers and stamped the sentiment and the upper border in a light colored memento ink. I decided to go with one of my curved border dies to give interest. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and always enjoy reading your comments! Have a blessed day!

Cheerful Columbines~Creative Confetti!

Hi friends! I can't believe we are in the middle of August...I have been a little on the slow end to get things here on my blog lately! It must be those lazy days of summer kicking in!
This month Power Poppy's Challenge is a new "Creative Confetti" and my Cheerful Columbines card is an attempt to add a little glow to my flowers and the entire image...with yellow added in.  You can find Allison Cope's video tutorial here.
Although I am enamored by this Columbine image I will readily admit it's posed a coloring challenge for me! It is a bit more to color on and shade and highlight...and when I went to trim it for the life of me the image seemed tilted and still does. So here's my tilt a whirl card...I added a sentiment set a bit more straight on top to hopefully ground it.

I added a bit of yellow copic marker on the columbines and also for highlighting. I also found a perfect green designer paper to mimic the speckling in the egg and some earthy twine to add a bit of rustic charm. I have a lot of practice to get it right...but if I don't stare with a critical eye this card is for certain cheerful and will go to someone that needs a bit of encouragement!
Thanks for stopping in...I would so appreciate your comments!

Power Poppy~Inspire Me! July Challenge

Hi friends! I had to make an appearance for this month's July Power Poppy Challenge-Inspire Me! There is always so much inspiration; but this time I found a retired Bloomie, Leslie Miller, to follow as my inspiration! She showed us how to make envelopes to match our cards...and I must say that even I, the measuring challenged person that I am...was able to do this one! Such easy and clear to follow instructions! The tutorial is here on the Power Poppy "Make it Monday" post.
I used a retired Flourishes stamp for the sweet teacup with some designer paper for the envelope. I have a pretty Prima daisy that I may add as an envelope closure if I decide to hand deliver this card.
Oh, I guess I should show a photo and stop jabbering...

I water colored the cup and saucer...and added just a bit of colored pencil shading. The sentiment is from Power Poppy's "Potted Primroses" stamp set. So cute together! I outlined the word "hello" in a pink copic marker.

The strip of paper is the same I used for the envelope, then I added a wee bit of pink designer paper along the border.
I am a bit rusty in stamping...but so very thankful for being able to revisit my pretty stamps and papers...it is such a relaxing and fun hobby!
And that is it for today! We just visited the Oregon coast last week so I hope to post some photos from our trip here in a couple of days!
Thanks so much for popping in and wishing you a blessed day!!

All About Bees

Hi friends! I have been a little remiss about posting my cards here on my blog...so will try to remedy that this week!

I received my Power Poppy stamps a couple of weeks ago and have had fun playing with this set, "Bee Kind Toile." I actually posted this on Instagram already. Oops!

I really am smitten with the Bee Skep on the pretty cake stand! 

I found some old Stampin' Up designer paper in this pretty blue color...so I stamped the tiny sentiment on the top in that banner "Happy-Bee-Day" to match. The border around the bee skep is made by a repeat single bloom stamped in a circular border. I added some Wink of Stella to the honey dripping over the sides and used a fine black tip micron pen to add some detail to the bees antennae and stripes.

The oval border cut out is from Papertrey Ink. 

I think that's all the detail...I worked awhile on my card and was pretty happy how it turned out. 

I hope you enjoy and thanks so much for stopping by!

Get Well in Chintz!

I kind of love chintz fabric...it is so pretty and cozy and full of color! I don't decorate with it though; because it is so very feminine. But when I needed a little get well send off recently; I dug through my stamps and found this oldie from Art Impressions.

This was easy to watercolor up; although the pink did a bit of smearing outside the lines...It turned out pretty well. I kind of adore those bunny slippers and just now realize I should have probably drawn a shadow line. Oh well...it's cheerful and in one of my favorite color combos; yellow, pink, and green!
Happy Stamping and wishing you a blessed day!