The Year of the Rooster

Happy Lunar New Year! Today starts the Year of the Rooster. I know that I am late and the day is almost over. I should have planned this post better but oh well, I am going to show you the card I made for this occasion anyway. It's very CAS.

Stamps: Picture Show (rooster), JudiKins (calligraphy background)
Dies: Spellbinders (circles)

The card is cream colored because I found white too stark.

My blogging friend Izzy who also posted a card for this occasion (check it out here, it is phenomenal) used the same color scheme and described why:
Red is the traditional color for the Lunar New Year. It announces a happy event and is a symbol of prosperity and happiness.
Gold is a symbol of nobility and wealth.
Black is a symbol of strength, nobility, and honesty.

I made my card a week ago and sent it out already so it would arrive by today. I did not copy Izzy's color scheme but used it intuitively. Izzy's card is much more spectacular. Check it out!

This excerpt is from an email my acupuncturist sent out:

Rooster qualities – commitment, loyalty, honesty and outspokenness – can help us all in 2017. The Rooster’s vivacious and charming energy draws people to them and they can be quite influential. In 2017 with Rooster energy abound, we can all be change-makers.

All my best wishes for a happy year of the Rooster!

Be well,

Raindrop Card

So many inspiring challenges, so little time! I wish I could make cards for them all...

This weekend I managed to make this one for the current CAS Mix Up Challenge (one of my famous last minute entries...) We are supposed to use liquid colors and I used a blue spray mist from Prima Flowers to spritz through a raindrop stencil. Once it was dry I positioned the stencil back on top of the raindrops and covered them with Gloss Heavy Gel that I use instead of Clear Embossing Paste (learned that from Loll). After it dried I sponged some Distress Inks over it and splattered it with water. The umbrella top is cut from a snippet made of glossy cardstock and alcohol inks.

Stamp: Art Impressions (sentiment) 
Dies: Memory Box (umbrella), SSS (fish tail)
Other: Stencil (SSS)


Challenge (click on the link for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):


CAS Mix Up January Challenge 

If you would like to see a different card I made using this fun sentiment and umbrella click here.

Be well,

Flowers and Snowflake

A warm hello to all of you stopping by here!

I am certain you all know Darnell ! Kind, generous, creator of acronyms as well as the NBUS challenges, and not only famous for her fabulous cards but of her humorous posts as well. Well, she is celebrating all kinds of milestones on her blog (you better click on over to read about them for yourself) with a new NBUS challenge, where she wants us to use not only Never Before Used Schtuff but, if possible, colored pencils on kraft! I tried it out and am very pleased with the result. My NBUS is the flower bouquet.

Stamps: Stampendous (flowers), SSS (sentiment)
Die: SSS (banner)
Other: Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

NBUS #8

The Flower Challenge #4 "Blue and Yellow"

The half pearls and banner are a light yellow in real life

The snowflake card I originally wanted to enter at the last Time Out Challenge but I completely forgot to post it! I had these blue circles lying on my desk from a different project and thought they would look good with a snowflake on top. This is how this card came about. The background is splattered with two different colors of blues and dry embossed.

Stamp:
Dies: Spellbinders (Circles), SSS (banner)
Other: Snowflake punch (Martha Stewart), embossing folder (Cuttlebug)


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

Retro Rubber Challenge #54 "Let it Snow"
Only the sentiment is stamped (if that is not enough please ignore my entry) but way older than one year)

The Heart Desires #8

Be well,

Masculine Retirement Card

Another masculine card - this time for my newly retired brother-in-law!

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiment), unknown (guy)
Dies: Hills (MFT Die-namics), clouds (Sweet 'n' Sassy, Penny Black


That guy is an unmounted stamp that, I believe, I bought at the first Rubber Stamp Convention I went which was almost 18 years ago. Unfortunately I don't remember who made it. Might have been "Stamp Out Cute" that has since closed. I don't think I have ever used him (he had a nice long nap you could say). 

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

The Male Room Challenge #51 "Anything Goes"







Happy Little Stampers January Anything Goes With Dies







Inkspirational #126 "Flutter"
Hey, a newspaper flutters in the breeze...







Be well,

100 Years

The first card I am showing you in 2017 I made for the the 100th birthday of the father of my sister-in-law! That is quite the milestone! I wonder if any of us will live that long...

Stamps: Stampin' Up (splatters)
Dies: Memory box (sentiment and numbers)
Other: Tim Holtz textured hammer, punch


Since he knows German I used this die from Memory Box that says something like "Best Wishes". The numbers are cut from a scrap of gold and then distressed with this textured hammer from Tim Holtz (not sure if it is still available). The green background I had in my stash. I layered everything on a gold panel and attached it to a 5x7 card that I stamped lightly with golden splatters.


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

The Male Room Challenge #51 "Anything Goes"






Seize the Birthday "Anything Goes"

Happy Little Stampers "Anything Goes With Dies" Challenge 







Your visits and comments always make my day! Thank you!

Be well,

Favorites of 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope you enjoyed the holidays and 2017 started out well for you. I wish you all lots of time to do what brings you joy!
As in previous years I wanted to do a review of some of my favorite cards I made. I didn't post as much in 2016 due to starting a new job after staying at home for over 16 years but it was still difficult to narrow them down. Without further ado here they are (click on the date below the pictures to get to the post):

12/20/16

10/23/16

10/13/16

10/2/16

8/15/16

7/16/16

6/27/16

(I am still upset that this card got lost in the mail!)

6/23/16

5/14/16

4/23/16

3/28/16

3/6/16

2/17/16

1/17/16

If you would like to see my favorites of 2015, click here
If you would like to see my favorites of 2014, click here

Thanks so much for your visits, comments, and patience! I hope to be back soon with a new creation!

Be well,

Merry Christmas and Two Cards

Hello my friends,

I apologize for the long silence on my blog but I was a bit overwhelmed with all the preparation for the holidays. I REALLY have to change a few things next year and have already started a list...

With these two cards I would like to wish you Happy Holidays and an even Happier New Year with lots of time to craft!

Let me know if you have any questions about the products, etc...

Challenge:

Simon Says Stamp "National Christmas Card Day"

I finally finished mailing all my cards! How about you?

Looking very much forward to getting back to crafting soon!

Be well,