Brutus Monroe - Salt & Pepper Dynamic Duo

 Hello!  Welcome to my very first official post as an Inspiration Team member for Brutus Monroe.  I am so thrilled to be on this team.  The aesthetic of Brutus Monroe is very different from my own and this is such a great opportunity for me to learn and grow my art.

This sweet little project features the Salt & Pepper Dynamic Due which is the stamp of the month.  It's a super cute little stamp that comes with a sentiment and some sprinkles.  If you know me, you know I'm not into Valentine's Day but I did mention learning and growing and my monthly card traders group presented a challenge for twisted ribbon technique.

The challenge was to make a a double twisted ribbon but I couldn't grasp the concept no matter what I did!  So I went with the single ribbon and this turned out really cute.  

And here's what the inside looks like.  

I hope you like what I made and that it inspires you to create with these items.  They are part of the Subscription of the Month.  I don't have an affiliate link but I did link the items above.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #742

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your visit.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this revisited sketch was Patti's pick.  It's another great sketch by Debbie.

So I have some news!  I've been picked to be on the Brutus Monroe Inspiration Team.  Never in a million years did I think I'd be chosen for this team.  So, of course, I have to play right away...

This card features a stamp from Safari set and Super Sentimental.  The papers are digital papers that I found on Etsy.  These made a quick card that I was able to make two and get them in the mail the same day.  

Cute, right?  I'm not much for animal prints but this is just too cute!  I love the vintage look of these papers.

I do hope you'll join us at the TMS blog and leave some love for the team.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #741

 Hello! Thank you for stopping by.  The latest revisited sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this one is my favorite pick.  It's a sketch by Debbie and it's just such a classic sketch that you can do so much with it.

My card features the Creative Pastimes Collection die set.  You can find here.  I love this set, I haven't played with it as much as I want to yet.  I have so many ideas and so little time.

Knitting isn't my thing but it's my sister's fiber hobby!  Next card will have a crochet hook - that'll be more me!  Anyway, I absolutely love the yarn balls in this die set.  I started the card with a Kraft card base.  Then I used a piece of decorative paper, also from Tonic Studios called Spring Meadows which matches the highly coveted Sea Salt Green Craft Perfect card stock (it's been sold out for months!).  I did use Sea Salt Green for the matting layer and for the yarn.  The knitting needles are cut from Brushed Black card stock from Spellbinders, the tag and sentiment are from Tonic Studio kit Delicate Decor gift box.  The little stitched border piece is from Stitched Borders Piercing Dies set from Brutus Monroe.

I am so pleased with how this notecard turned out.  I want to make more!  Did you know it's almost easier to make two cards at once than just one at a time?  Try it sometime!

I think one of my next projects with this set is a mini album.  I thought it would be a great way to catalog projects either my sister or I made that we give as gifts.  If it happens to be a favorite pattern, maybe adding a pocket to store the pattern in.  Hmm....

Well, I hope to see you over at the TMS blog joining in.  Leave the team some love!

Color My Heart Color Dare #584

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  Color My Heart Color Dare #584 is up and ready for your fun and creativity!

This week is a Six Pack - I am featuring Candy Apple, Ballerina and Jade.

My card features the Tonic Studios Tonic Craft Kit Clocks & Cogs.  I remember back in 80's to early 90's there were these watch bands that were reminiscent of jelly shoes.  They were plastic and really fun!  No one cared that in the summer you sweated like crazy in those shoes and under that wrist band!

This card was a lot of fun to make.  I die cut some of the cogs dies in white times 2 and layered those up and then added to the card base.  I then used an ivory piece of cardstock to cut the watch band pieces.  I used a metallic card stock to cut the watch pieces.  The face is stamped.  I die cut the flowers from a die set called Bouquets and Buttermilk.  Then added some Nuvo Drops as close to Sundance as I can get. 

This is a cute card to send to a friend.  Hope to see you over at Color Dare!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #740

 Hello! Thank you for stopping by - I do appreciate your visit.  The latest revisited sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this one is Donna's choice.

My card features Designer's Choice #23 - Floral Sentiments Frame.  If you like this set, go grab it now!  It's on sale for $4.99.  

I used Dove card stock from Concord & 9th for the base of my card.  Then I cut the dies from White and Buttermilk Yellow Craft Perfect card stock from Tonic Studios.  I did spritz the little white flowers with Shimmer Mist and Mica Spray to give them some color and glitz.  The sentiment is from Bouquets & Buttermilk in gray ink.

I made a second card to look a little more like the sketch.

I finished off these cards with Buttermilk Nuvo Drops and Gray Stone Drops.

I also made this card to play along with Cupcake Inspirations color challenge - yellow, gray and white.

Please join us at Tuesday Morning Sketches - leave some love for the team, too!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #739

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by!  This week's revisited sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this one is Debi's pick.  I still didn't do the bokeh technique that I had in mind when I created this sketch, but I do love my card!

This card features the Creative Pastimes Die set from Tonic Studios.  I cannot wait to share more cards made with this set!  It's wonderful!!  Balls of yarn, knitting needles, crochet hook, baking things - I love it.

I made the donuts using a small circle die, a decorative die that is a flower center for the icing.  The chocolate chip cookies are made using circle die and stamp of dots from a stamp set from Tonic Studios that I couldn't find on the site so I'm guessing no longer available.  The cupcake and sentiment is from the Creative Pastimes.  The paper is from Sew Crafty kit which I've featured before.

I hope this inspires you and you'll join the team and I for this challenge.

Color My Heart Color Dare #582

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  Color My Heart Color Dare #582 is up and ready for your fun and creativity!

These are very bright, beautiful and happy colors!  My card features lots of white space but so much pop!

I started off with a white panel that I embossed using this nice leafy embossing folder from Pink & Main.  Then I pulled out the Stitched Hello die set (which I see is on sale on Spellbinders site for $5), die cut the hello from brushed silver metallic card stock and the flowers/leaves from white.  I stitched the flowers using floss to match our color palette and made this very nice CAS card.  I love it!  I hope you do, too.

Please join us!  Thank you for stopping by.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #738

 Hello!  And we're back!  Break is over, holidays and vacations are winding down.  Our first revisited sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and this one is Debbie's pick.

I took advantage of the stars and went literal with this sketch.  I used star dies from Pink & Main, patterned paper and gold mirror card from Tonic Studios.  The "cheers" sentiment is a die from Spellbinders.  This was such a quick and easy card to put together.

It's so hard to photograph mirror card, but I guess this came out okay!

I thought this angle was going to be needed, but it wasn't afterall.  

I hope you'll join us this week.  See you over at TMS.

Birthstone Challenge January-February

 It's a new year and time for a new Birthstone Challenge - with a new twist!  So birthstones don't change, our leader decided we needed to add an optional theme.  This takes the challenge up a notch!

I know I usually make art journal pages, but with this theme, I couldn't think of what to do with Garnet and/or Amethyst.  I tried and tried and my brain just wouldn't open up to that kind of creativity.  But I did need a new home card, so I went that route.

I am featuring an older Tonic Craft Kit that you have seen me use before.  This time I die cut the window and then stamped the bricks using Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide ink (perfect shade of garnet).  Then I cut the same size card in black and lined up the window detail.  This made it is so easy to have this go together well.  Using some metallic card I die cut/debossed the "welcome" and "home" signs.  The made the window box by cutting a strip of card stock and then angling the edges.  I filled it with little purple (amethyst) flowers.  This is a really easy card and I think perfect to welcome someone to their new home.

I wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that your 2024 is off to a great start!  My great-grandmother always used to say that how you spend the 1st day of the new year says how you'll spend the rest of the year.  So I plan to eat well, craft a lot and just love my family and friends.  And take a walk!