Tuesday Morning Sketches #717

 Hello!  Thank you for visiting me today!  I appreciate and would love for you to leave me a comment so that I know you were here.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's another nice and easy sketch.

My card features the Bouquets & Buttermilk stamp and die set from Tonic Studios.  This set is quickly becoming a favorite.  I realize it's a lot of small dies but it's very therapeutic for me and I love this process.

This card also features dies from a former Stamp/Die club called Patterns & Prints.  This set is right up my alley!  Well, actually, all of it is right up my alley!  This card is so me!!  Me, now that I'm getting into art journaling and I couldn't see why I wasn't bringing this to card making.  I love this card.

I hope this inspires you to join our challenge.  See you there!

Color My Heart Color Dare #558

 Hello!  Thank you for your visit.  This week's Color My Heart Color Dare #558 is up and ready to go!

It's another TicTacToe Challenge!

For my card I used Sage, Glacier and Raspberry...

I used the Essential Stylish Ovals dies and the Stylish Hello You Florals.  This card was pretty easy to put together.  I just love die cutting, it's very therapeutic for me.

I hope to see you over at the CTHM Color Dare challenge blog! 

Tuesday Morning Sketches #716

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's super easy.

My card features supplies from Crafty Meraki.  I recently found this company when I watched a video by Ardyth Percy-Robb.  She was showing off the newest release for Crafty Meraki and I thought this was the coolest thing.  More on that in a bit.  First my card for TMS...

This card features the Crafty Meraki Damask layering stencils, Green Garland Stencil, Dazzling Diamonds hot foil plate and Green Pear Stencil Butter.  I'm hoping it's my laptop that is making this card look so dark to me.  The card stock is Elegant Eggplant from SU! so it is a rather dark (and my favorite) purple.  I used purple hot foil for the diamond plate.  The focal image only shows a portion of this large layering stencil.  And let me say something about the stencil butter..... oooh so soft and so smooth, it spreads like butta!  So nice. 

Now, I haven't stopped there with some of these products.  When I first found Crafty Meraki, as I mentioned, was from Ardyth's video.  Bindu, owner of Crafty Meraki, released this amazing product called Effortless Artistry Paper (EAP).  This is already colored images that have coordinating dies that make card making so easy!  Even if you don't have the dies and enjoy fussy cutting, you can do this!

Each sheet has these colored images and lots of sentiments.  I made this card in just a few minutes.  But it doesn't have to be just cards either....

It can be art journal pages, too!  This page was made with the Whimsical Magnolia EAP, a brick stencil and some silver gray embellishment mousse and few pieces of ephemera from Spellbinders.  I did also use some Stone Drops from Nuvo.

One last share.  I made these cards, two of them, they are pretty much identical - different sentiment using the same layering stencil and hot foil plate. 

Well, I do hope this inspires you to try new companies and to join us at Tuesday Morning Sketches.  We'd love to have you craft along with us.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #715

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's a nice one.  Pretty easy going.

My card features a technique I found on Jennifer McGuire's YouTube channel.  After I made this, I've decided this is not my favorite but I gave it a try.  I used a 3D folder from Spellbinders and card stock from Tonic Studios.

What are your thoughts?

I hope to see you over at the TMS blog and join the fun.

Color My Heart Color Dare #556

 Hello!  Thank you for your visit.  This week's Color My Heart Color Dare #556 is up and ready to go!

Choose at least 3 - I am using Avocado, Glacier and Ballerina...

Recently I posed a challenge to my card traders group, punch art.  Well, I don't own many punches but no one said I couldn't use dies! 

I do admit that I was inspired by Pinterest.  But as I said, I don't own many punches so I didn't do it like the picture... I pulled out my dies and went bigger!  Is this not the cutest dragonfly you've ever seen?!  Oh my goodness, I am in love!

I used circle, oval and elongated oval dies to make him.  I die cut a frame using the Essential Arches dies from Spellbinders and then I "filled" the inside of the frame using a die from Tonic Studios.  I finished the card with Bold Blooms die set and a sentiment made from a label maker.

I hope to see you over at the CTMH Color Dare challenge!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #714

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's a fun one.  I had a lot a of ideas and just wasn't really sure what I wanted to do.  I hope you like what I came up with.

My card features dies from Spellbinders, a sentiment die from Tonic Studios and an old Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I inked up the embossing folder using Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide ink but didn't run it through the die cut machine.  Instead I put as much hand pressure that I could just to get the image to transfer.  I liked the soft and subtle background this created.  I then die cut Hello You floral base piece from green card stock.  I did change the die a little by cutting off top small leaves cluster and moved it down a bit.  This shrank up the overall piece.  I also glued the flower blooms lower on the stems.  The colors I used were scraps so I really couldn't say what they are!

I'm pretty pleased with this card and I hope it inspires you to change up what you have, even in it's smallest measure.

I'll see you over at the TMS blog - please join us and leave the team some love!

Birthstone Challenge July-August

 Hello! The newest challenge is up at Birthstone Challenges.  This next 6 weeks is July to August, Ruby and Peridot.

August is my birth month so I made this art journal page to be more peridot forward.

I absolutely love how this page turned out.  First off, it features the Clocks & Cogs die set from Tonic Studios, Mica Mist in green by Tonic Studios and both the background and the leaves.  It's amazing how rich it is on black and vibrant it is on white.  The contrast is just beautiful.

The time on the clock is about the time I was born.  The clock face is die cut from Spring Silver Mirror card from Tonic Studios - this is the most gorgeous mirror card ever.  It's greenish silverish gorgeousness!  The hands are also from Mirror Card called Black Velvet which isn't shiny at all.  Just a rich black that is stunning.  I then cut some flowers from white vellum and gave them a touch of Ruby Red centers using Crystal Drops.  The words I used a label maker and define what peridot means.  I had wanted a bit more of "me" in this page but figured it would come off unfavorably.  

Anyway, sure hope to see you over at the Birthstone Challenge blog.  These are great colors - peridot and ruby - could be Christmas colors, too.  See you there!