Merry Christmas!

Hello crafty friends,

Christmas is almost here and I wanted to wish you all merry festivities!
If this is a hard time for you, my heart goes out to you and I hope you will look for and find comfort and help!

Stamps: My Favorite Things (woodplank background, knit pattern), WPlus9 (sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (deer trio), WPlus9 (merry)
Other: the star is a good old punch


I was trying out my new Altenew star die and decided to make some star ornaments for my bosses. Afterwards I had patterned paper left over and punched out some circles to not waste it. Suddenly it came to me that I could make matching cards for them...
The "merry" and the star are cut out from silver mirror paper to "mirror" the foiled patterns in the paper.

Stamp: WPlus9 (sentiment)
Dies: WPlus9 (merry), SSS (star)
Other: different punches for the circles

I didn't blog that much this year - life has just gotten so busy, I can barely keep up! Thank you for still visiting and leaving sweet comments!

May the peace of Christmas Eve live in your heart all year long!

Be well and keep in touch!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May the good things in life be yours in abundance!

Just quickly popping in to wish all who celebrate a very Happy Thanksgiving! But even if you don't feast on turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.  it's always a good idea to pause and be thankful for everything in our lives, right? I have many reasons to be grateful and one of them is for all of you who visit my blog and leave kind comments!

Because I had so much fun coloring this basket of apples for my Twofer cards last month I made another version. This one is colored with watercolor pencils and combined with some plaid patterned paper in fall colors.

Stamps: Stampin' Up (apple basket and birds), Hero Arts (sentiment)

Dies: Gina Marie Designs (oval)

Other: Faber Castell Watercolor Pencils

Be well and keep in touch!

Eraser Technique

A few weeks ago my friend Gundi from papierelle showed us this interesting eraser technique and has since produced many inspiring and fabulous examples. On her blog she explains really well how it works, both in German and in English. Basically you rub a pencil on a piece of fine sandpaper, dip a sponge in the resulting powder and rub it over a stencil. Then you stamp an outline image over it and when it's dry you erase the inside of the stamp. You can either leave it white or color the image. At the end you should spray hairspray or another fixative over it so that it doesn't rub off.

I was intrigued and thought the technique would lend itself well for my older son's birthday card. The stencil I used was probably not the best choice as it was very delicate and the thin strips moved a bit. But the effect is still cool! 

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (banner, sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (city scapes)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


Make sure to visit Gundi because she has come up with many variations of this technique. She has even created a challenge where you can win a cute snowman stamp, should you feel inspired to try the technique out!

Be well and keep in touch!

Twofer Card Challenge #11

Welcome to the November Twofer Card Challenge! This month we want to see what you can do with your wreath stamps, dies, or stencils. Yes, you read that right, Darnell added stencils to make it easier.

I don't have many wreaths stamps or dies, and no wreath stencils. I picked this older stamp from Hero Arts that I think I have never used before and made a Christmas card and a birthday card with it. 

Stamps: Hero Arts (wreath), Stamplorations (sentiment)

Dies: Simon Says Stamp (butterfly), Nestabilities (circles)

Other: Cuttlebug (embossing folder strip)

The butterfly and the dark circle are actually purple even though the look almost black on the screen...

Just realized that this card fits the current CAS Mix Up Challenge
My choice is die cutting.

Stamps: Hero Arts (wreath), WPlus9 (sentiment)
Dies: WPlus9 (sentiment), Simon Says Stamp (little star), big star unknown

The pink is sparkle paper. Hard to see on the photo.

Every month it's such a pleasure to see what you do with the prompt word! Have fun playing with your wreaths, be it a stamp, die, or stencil! Can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

Be well and keep in touch!

Spooky Halloween

The current Inspired by... Halloween challenge looks quite spooky as does my Halloween card...

First the inspiration

then my card

Stamps: Recollection (sentiments), Stampin' Up (distressed background), Inkadinkado (little spider)
Dies: Sizzix (skull)

Stamped the sentiment set as it was as a background, added the distressed background, and sponged around the edges. Cut out the skull from watercolor paper for the texture. Mounted it on black, sponged a little around the edges, and added green sequins in the eye sockets.


Also sending this to

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Halloween/Spooky"




Hope I didn't scare you too much, hehe...

Be well and keep in touch!

Twofer Card Challenge #10

Happy October! Hope it started out well for you and that you are ready for this month's  Twofer Card Challenge #10 ! The word prompt is

Remember it's about making two cards for two different occasions using the same stamp or die and taking a picture of both cards together!

I gathered a basket full of crisp apples for you! The stamp is from a very old Stampin' Up set that I have never used but I felt it was perfect for the theme. I had lots of fun coloring it in using colored pencils on kraft and brush markers on white.

Here I added a little bird from the same set to the scene. The oval die cuts are from Gina Marie Designs.

The sentiment on this card is a gift from a dear bloggie friend. It's German and means something like "Best Wishes". It went to her for her recent birthday. I had admired the stamp one day on her blog but unfortunately it was no longer available. Months later she discovered it on eBay, ordered it, and sent it to me! Crafty friends are the best!
By the way the green strip is more Washi tape! If I continue like that I will soon run out, hehehe!

If you haven't checked out my teamies fabulous creations hop on over to the Twofer Card Challenge. This months guest designers are Crafty Linby and Liz ! Please be so kind to leave them all some love!

I can't wait to see what you will be harvesting and sharing in our gallery! Happy crafting!

Be well and keep in touch!

Hello Friend Tree

As soon as I saw the current prompt at the CAS Watercolor Challenge I knew I just had to play along. It's trees!!!! If you have followed my blog for a while you know that I love trees!

Stamps: Hero Arts (tree)
Other: Simon Says Stamp (stencil), Schmincke watercolors, Washi tape

I knew exactly which tree I wanted to use. I received this wonderful stamp a while ago from a dear friend (crafty friends are the best!) and finally made time to play with it. I created an evening sky and a hill for it with watercolors, added a strip of Washi tape (yes, again, I must be on a roll... soon I will run out of it, hehe), and some stenciled hearts using embossing paste.
I have to admit that I am absolutely in love with this card! Probably will have a hard time parting with it. Good thing that I made two... Might make more, I had so much fun!

CAS Watercolor September Challenge

Be well and keep in touch!

Twofer Card Challenge #9

The months continue to whizz by at top speed and here we are already almost in mid-September which means it's time for the new Twofer Card Challenge word prompt:

Very appropriate for the season and I am sure we all have several leaf stamps and dies. I chose a gingko leave from Impression Obsession that not only cuts but also embosses the veins.

Stamps: PTI (sentiment), A Stamp In The Hand (background
Dies: Impression Obsession (leaf), Nestablilities (circles)

Stamped the background in silver ink, cut the circle and the leaf from matte silver cardstock, backed it with a scrap piece made with Brushos, stamped the sentiment in black.
I prefer CAS sympathy cards, how about you?

Stamps: Stampabilities (sentiment)
Dies: Impression Obsession (leaf)

Made a background with Brushos and Watercolor. Cut out several leaves, then cut the same amount from yellow cardstock and inlaid them in the green background. Embossed the sentiment in copper on vellum. Tore the strip and attached it to panel. Mounted panel to a kraft card and used a piece of Washi tape (yay me!) which prompted me to buy four more rolls today on sale at Michaels. Sheesh!

 I just love the golden yellow gingko leaves turn in the fall. Have you seen a picture of this 1,400 year old tree in a monastery in China? Isn't it spectacular? No wonder it attracts many visitors in the fall...

Did you know that gingko trees have remained unchanged for more than 200 million years which means it coexisted with dinosaurs?
(source: Bored Panda)

Well, I hope I have inspired you to play along. To check out what our fantastic Design Team and the two talented Guest Designers have created please click HERE.

Be well and keep in touch!

Monoprinting with a Stencil

The current challenge at CAS Mix Up is monoprinting with a stencil. I was inspired by all the fabulous cards of the DT and by the videos they provided that I wanted to have a play. Looking through my stencils I came across this flower one from Plaid Folk Art which worked really well. I made three cards to use every scrap of the panel! (I thought I had plenty of time to enter them but then time ran away from me and now I am entering almost at the last minute...)

I recently ordered the German label sentiment set from Altenew! I send a lot of cards to my German relatives and friends and even though they all understand "Happy Birthday" I thought it would be nice to make some cards with German sentiments for them.

This German sentiment is a wood mounted stamp by an unknown company that a friend gave me. The flower is a punch. Not sure I have ever used it before...

On the first two cards I used the Avery Elle Rose Gold embossing powder. My blogging friend Greta was kind enough to send me some of her sequins that match the EP perfectly and I used some on the second card! Thanks again, Greta!

CAS Mix Up August Challenge "Stencil Monoprint"







AAA Cards Clean and Simple "Use a Stencil"

Be well and keep in touch!

Sunflower Cards

Hello creative friends,

The current CAS Watercolor Challenge asks for sunflowers and since I love them and had some time this weekend I decided to see what I could come up with. I picked a very old stamp featuring a framed mosaic sunflower that I hadn't used in a very long time. And then I couldn't stop playing with it!

On the first card I colored it with markers and spritzed it with water to create a watercolor look. Because I used watercolor paper that wasn't bright white I used a kraft card base, added a little stenciling, a little spritzing, and a small sentiment.

When I used this stamp in the past I always colored the frame in blue because this color combo makes me so happy. I thought I was done but then I began wondering how it would look like with a green frame... So I pulled everything out again and had to try it. I have to say I really like the fresh look. It's almost as if it is surrounded by leaves... Since I liked the stencil (doesn't it mimic the mosaic style of the stamp?), I kept the layout, etc. the same, just changing the sentiment. 

Stamps: Rubber Stampede (sunflower frame), Hero Arts (both sentiments)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


After all the spritzing I was curious how it would look when I colored it with markers and huffed on it (anybody remember that "technique"?). The colors are not as vibrant as when you spritz them with water but I still liked it. Since I used regular card stock I was able to use a white card base using the same stencil with some embossing paste.

Stamps and Stencil see above. The sentiment is from Print Works.


I had so much fun inking and spritzing this stamp that I ended up making three simple bookmarks with it! Sorry, forgot to take a picture but it's basically the image on a strip of watercolor and some ribbon on top.

CAS Watercolor August Challenge "Sunflowers"





Addicted to Stamps and More #304 "CAS"





Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

Be well and keep in touch!

Twofer Card Challenge #8

Another month went by and it's time for a new Twofer Challenge! Visiting the gallery last month really made me thirsty! Thanks to all who played along!

This month we would like to see you using geometric shapes. As always you have to use the same die or stamp to make two different cards for two different occasions.

I chose to play with my new (to me) Altenew triangle stamps and dies. I made a birthday card for my younger son who just turned 15! He loved the cool geometric design.

The second card is an encouragement card. I used the same tiny triangle die for the sun that I used for the silver accents on the birthday card. I also used some of the same stamps to make clouds. What do you say? There are no triangle shaped clouds in your neck of the woods? That's strange...

Stamps: Altenew (triangles), PTI (sentiment)
Dies: Altenew (triangles)

Stamps: Altenew (triangles), Hero Arts (sentiment), PSX (swirl in the sun)
Dies: Altenew (triangles)


If you haven't checked out what the amazing Design Team has come up with and our Guest Designers, Cheryl from Paper Panacea and Brenda from Inkspired to Stamp please click here and then get creative and play along! Hope to see you in the gallery!

Be well and keep in touch!