Easter Greetings!

This card was embossed in white using Stampin' Up's  "Breathtaking Bouquet" on Smokey Slate cardstock. I colored the image with dye inks from re-inks after brushing on some white craft ink into areas that I painted with the inks. The verse "He is Risen" is from Stampin' Up's "His Grace," which I white heat embossed on basic grey cardstock.

I cut the word "celebrate," twice from white cardstock and once from silver glitter cardstock and glued them together and then cut the background from white cardstock. This die is from
Neat & Tangled and includes the word and outline.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter!

Happy Good Friday Stamping

This card uses a background technique that I've forgotten to  use for years, but is easy to do and adds interest behind the focal image. Find a small-shaped simple stamp - for this I used an old Stampin' Up swirly circle. I don't even remember which set it came in as I store my wood mounted stamps in drawers by category. Anyway, a solid image like a circle or star would work well. Emboss the image in several spots onto the background cardstock. I used gold embossing on white cardstock.

The flower is from Avery Elle's "Magnolia" set and I used the matching dies to cut it out. I colored it with Copic markers and stamped the "Hello" from Stampin' Up's "Good Morning Magnolia" set. I added a clear Wink of Stela to the flower and leaf petals. Thanks for looking!

Cards to Encourage

Since I've been "sewing" masks for days and shipping them all over I thought I would post my recent card creations. This past week was Altenew's 6th anniversary and I pulled out one of my favorite stamp sets that remind me of Spring. This is the Enchanted Iris set, and the "Hello" is from Stampin' Up's Good Morning Magnolia.

When I saw Jennifer McGuire's video on quick coloring technique using craft foam cut into the shape of the flowers I had to try this, especially since I was making a whole stack of them. Here's a link to the video: Fast Coloring

One thing I would caution about this technique is to choose images that are solid enough that you don't have to cut tiny background details out. (Ask me how I know this!!) I cut a tiny background out of one of the irises with a craft knife. Also, remember to use TEMPORARY adhesive on the stamp positioned door. It makes a mess and removing the craft foam warps them so that you can't use them again! (Did this too!!)

Anyway, I used Altenew's Crisp Dye ink on the flowers and then to get the yellow on the petals, I used a marker right over the ink on the foam. I liked the way it blended. I used Stampin' Up's Granny Apple Green for the leaves and then used some copies to add shadows. Thanks for looking!

Covid19 Quarntine

Usually I come to you with handmade card videos but lately I've been trying to help out where I can from home. I've made about 80 face masks for friends and local hospitals and I've been asked how I make them. There are many videos out there for making these and some are better than others. Mine is slightly different as I'm working with what I have on hand.
When my children were little I made garments for them but now that they're grown I have been spending more sewing time making quilts and wall hangings. Hence, when I started making these masks I found very little ¼" elastic in my stash, and store supplies were depleted. I found that the flat headbands worked well, but they are all gone now, too. Today as I was trying to decide what to do I found that I did have a little ½" elastic left. I wondered if it could be cut in half and found that, YES, it could. So I was able to make a few more.
I added wire in the top edge of my masks so they could be form-fitted over the nose. Here's a video on what I did and I hope it helps!

Blogger Errors?!?

I don't know why I sometimes get an "invalid URL" error when I try to update the project photo we will be doing this month, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Maybe it will work tomorrow, who knows?! Anyway, I've decided to put the picture in a post just so you have it. So, here's the projects we will be doing on March 18th so don't forget to sign up if you are coming (Link is down at the bottom right of this page!)

Christmas Week!

This past week I finally did something we all need to do but dread doing... cleaning and organizing files on the computer! Normally, I try to keep things cleaned up as I go, but as you know "good intentions" and all that!
Also, if you're like me (not like Jennifer McGuire!) keeping track of stamps you own and inks you own and which inks you need to purchase, etc. takes too much time and you'd rather be stamping. And how many of us purchase the same stamp set because we forgot we already own it?! (Ashamed to say, I've done it more than once!)
So while I was organizing I decided to make myself an "Ink Inventory Chart" so I could keep track of what I own and especially ink refills I need to buy. So, my gift to you is an Ink Inventory Chart that you can keep track of all your Distress inks, Distress Oxide inks, Stampin' Up inks with places for all the ink refills and markers. (Click on that link and if you have a problem, email me and I'll send you the file.) I hope this is helpful for someone besides me! You can download the PDF file and print it out on cardstock and as I did, I marked with the actual color the inks, refills, and markers I have and don't need to "repurchase!" There's a "key" at the top of the tables showing a symbol for each item and a box below that you can check off if you have it. Here's what mine looks like so far:

Lovely Lily Pad Background

It's been awhile since posting and I've been trying to get my right hand back in shape. As you can see in this video, I am wearing a brace on my right thumb, which makes using scissors very difficult. I actually cut the lily pad with my pointer and middle finger, so I am sure you can understand why I didn't repeat the process here!!
Anyway, we will be making this background (and card) at my January 2020 stamp camp and I thought I'd post a video on the technique. I realize the background does not look exactly like the double-sided paper I am showing, but it gives a good impression of a pond surface.
The "Lovely Lily Pad" set is one you can earn free for a $50 purchase from either the annual catalog or the Spring Occasions catalog. There is also a matching die set to go with it!
Before I forget, this stamp set is one of the sets that Stampin' Up is making that you are supposed to stamp the back of the stamp and the front of the stamp. Because this is not a symmetrical image, it is not supposed to "fill in" the outline image fully, and it will not match the outline. (I called demonstrator support on this to clarify!) So if you're expecting the solid image to "match" the outline when you flip over the stamp, it will not.
Also, you will notice that I have not included showing the ENTIRE process as I don't like to waste your time. You know how to emboss, stamp, color, die cut, so I have not shown that in this video, mainly how I did the background and also how I made the flowers. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have questions, please post them and I will answer them. If you'd like to watch it on Youtube, you can click here.