Fall Flowers

I recently purchased some of the Zig Clean Color Brush Markers. I knew that they were going to be delivered while I was away, so I had them delivered to where I was.  Anticipating that, I had stamped a whole bunch of images to color in and I also brought my colored pencils and blender pens with me.  I colored and colored and colored and had a fabulous time! These flowers were born due to my coloring:

What I Used to Make my Card:
Vanilla Card Base
Various Distress Markers, Zig Clean Color Brush Markers & Various Water Color Pencils
Dove Blender Pen
Watercolor paper
Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Mowed Lawn
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Flower Garden set, # CMS215
Quietfire Designs Ten Tiny Tag Sentiments, #6382
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Wink of Stella in Clear

Like I said, I colored these flowers before I even knew what I wanted to do with them, but once I saw how well the three of them went together, I knew I'd be using them for a card.  I had previously stamped them with the Jet Black ink on watercolor paper.  Once I was done coloring, after I got home, I fussy cut each flower.

I decided I wanted to use the stems that come with the Flower Garden set, so I placed the flowers where I thought they should go and then used them as a guide so I knew where to stamp the stems.  I stamped the stems and then glued the flowers in place.  I kind of curled up some of the petals to give the design a bit of texture.  I also dotted the insides of the flowers with Clear Wink of Stella for a subtle bit of glitz.

Lastly, I stamped the sentiment right on the card.  I truly enjoyed working with this set and I can see so many other colored flowers in my future.  I hope you consider becoming a follower of mine as I am trying to reach 100 new followers in 2015 and I only need about 14 more people and only have about 5 weeks to get them.  If I accomplish my goal there will be goodies, so please, subscribe and tell your friends to as well.  I hope your holiday season is going smoothly ~ Fondly, Christi

Another look :)

I would like to enter my Fall Flowers card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Thanks/Thanksgiving (my colors are "Thanksgivingish" & the Just a Note card could say Thanks inside)
The Crazy Challenge - #211, Anything Goes
Where the HeART is Challenge - (M), #3, Anything Goes
Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog - #291, Cards with Autumn Colors
AAA Cards - #53, Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps - #114, Anything Goes
Aud Sentiments Challenge - #145, Anything Goes w/ a Sentiment

Music ~ Twofers Challenge #8

Twofers Challenge #8 is music ~ can't believe we are on #8 already!! Anyway, I don't have many music stamps but I found this card in my stash that I made a while ago. So without further ado, here is my musically inspired card, lyrics by the phenomenal Mr. John Lennon:

How I Made my Card:
Yellow Card Base
Big Shot
Nellie Snellen Eastern Round Frame #MFD010
Artistic Outpost Chalkboard Wisdom Set #A067H (now at Our Daily Bread Designs)
SU! White Craft Ink
White Sharpie, water based ink, x-tra fine point
White Card
Black Card
DCWV Chalk Art Stack

I had the card base, it was pre-made - I got it in a kit and I was pleased to see the DCWV Chalk Art paper matched it perfectly.  So off I went!

I first cut the panel of the Chalk Art paper and sized it to fit on the card base.  I then stamped the sentiment with the SU! ink on black cardstock.  It didn't come out as bold as I wanted so I went over the sentiment with my white Sharpie pen.  I have issues with white ink and white embossing powder - it never seems to come out as "clean" as I expect it to.

Next, I cut the panels out of the stamped black card and the white card, layered them and pop dotted the black layer onto the white.   I attached the patterned paper to the card base and finished off by gluing the sentiment layers onto the card.

I have to confess, I no longer have this card, so the pictures aren't as good as normal - not that I'm a photographer or anything, but I would have taken some different pics of the card.  Oh well.  Please do stop by my teamies blogs, Zoe & Jane and get inspired by their work! I thank you for popping by and I hope you have some of your dreams come true ~ fondly, Christi

PS: Don't forget when you enter your musically inspired card in the Twofers Challenge you will get the chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamps!!

You can see the pop dotted black panel in this pic.

I would like to enter my Music card in the following challenges:
Brown Sugar Challenge - #173, Anything Goes
Just Add Ink - #289, Just Add Music
Cut it Up - #84, Inspired by a Book, Movie or Song
Glitter 'n Sparkle - #163, Add a Die Cut/Punch Shape
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends - #22, Anything Goes

I wouldn't have missed being your friend. . .

I am SO excited to have been chosen as a Guest Designer for Quietfire Designs! I have been buying Suzanne's beautiful calligraphy stamps for years and now they offer dies and cutting files - could they get ANY better?

Fall is so colorful and I thought the colors would work well with the Silhouette cut file I used.  What do you think?  While this card is larger than I normally make, the 5" x 7" format is needed so all the crafty qualities can be properly embodied.

Please click here to see how I made my creation and visit the inspiring blog of Quietfire Designs. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you get some fall inspiration ~ Fondly, Christi

I would like to enter my "I wouldn't have missed being your friend" card in the following challenges:
Path of Positivity - #32, Gratefulness
Not Just Cards (M) - Anything Goes
The Cat's Pajama's - #303, Anything Goes
The House That Stamps Built - #1111, Focus on Sentiment
Create & Inspire - #33, Anything Goes
Paper Sweeties (M) - #37 Picture Inspiration
Stamping Sensations (M) - Festive Flowers & Foliage
Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes

Thinking of you

~*~ Before I get into this next post, why not take some time and enter a creation for the current Twofers challenge, Things with Wings? You could win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamps!~*~

I was playing with some older Tim Holtz stamps when this card came to life.  Nothing makes me happier than using the stuff I already have, well, except buying more stuff.  Anyway, I've had this set for quite a while now and this is the card I made with it:

What I Used to Make my Card:
Vanilla Card Base
Vanilla Cardstock
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous "Flights of Fancy" set, #CSS25856*
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous "Crazy Talk" set, #CMS236
Kaleidacolor Pad in Cappuccino Delight, #KA-000-019 
Die-Namics Pierced Oval Stax, #MFT-521
Memories Ink in Artprint Brown
Pop Dots

The first step to making this card was stamping the floral sprays in the corners of a vanilla cardstock panel. I inked the stamp using the Cappuccino ink, using a different portion of the ink pad each time to get different colors for each image.  After I stamped the panel I trimmed it down to fit on the card base.

Then, using the Artprint Brown (which is a very cool color and was popular back in the heyday of stamping) I stamped Thinking of You from the Crazy Talk set.  I centered the Oval Stax over the sentiment and cut it out.  I pop dotted the stamped panel onto the card base and then pop dotted the sentiment in the center of the card.

I like the simplicity of this card and how easily it came together.  I love working with the colors of fall! I hope my little tutorial inspired you to dig out some older stamps and inks - some things never go out of style ~ Fondly, Christi

* You can still get the original Flight of Fancy set from many places online,  I also found that the flowers flourish I used is available in a set called Nature's Discovery (Stampers Anonymous #CMS049)

Another look at the card.

 I also want to enter my Thinking of You card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Thinking of You
Fab 'n Funky Challenges - Clean & Simple
Everybody Art Challenge - Shades of Brown
Retro Rubber - #27, Fall Colors
Eureka Stamps - #166, The Colors of Fall
The Paper Girls Challenge (M) - #91, Stamps (2nd Entry)
Stampinback Challenge (M) - Autumn

Golden Butterflies, Twofers Challenge #7

I have quite the collection of decorative papers from back in the day when I first started paper crafting.  It's not easy to take the stash from its hiding space, so when I do, I typically take pieces of a few different patterns I think I may like to work with. When I saw that my next challenge on Twofers was Things with Wings (yes, I try to work ahead, but, you know what making plans means) I decided to remake a card I had already designed. When I spied this stunning green & gold paper I knew exactly how I wanted to use it. So introducing my Golden Butterfly card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
Vanilla Card Base
Vanilla Scrap
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Crazy Talk Set, SCMS236
Die-Namites Butterfly Wreath, #DN-1005
Quickutz Butterfly Die, KS-0799 (2 part die) (do a Google search for the part number)
Gold Cardstock
Green Cardstock
Green & Gold Designer Paper
Distress Ink in Forest Moss
SU! Corner Rounder Punch

I had actually had another card made with similar elements that I wasn't too thrilled with so I sort of CASE'd (CASE stands for Copy & Share Everything) myself.  I tore the other card apart, hoping to save some of the pieces, but no such luck. However, here is a picture of the first card:

First Card

As you can see I changed a bit, but the overall design is similar. The designer gold & green paper isn't as large, but that is because I didn't have a larger piece hanging around and I didn't want to pull the whole stash out to get more, and I actually like the vanilla card base showing through a bit more.  I cut the Butterfly Wreath and the butterfly wings out of gold card.  I set the gold wings aside and glued my wreath on a scrap of complimentary green cardstock; one of the things I didn't like about the old card was the green panel appeared so severe to me, so this time I rounded the corners of it.

I then die cut the butterfly body out of the same green card as the green square & set them aside.  I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of vanilla card using Forest Moss Distress Ink, and then edged the panel with it as well.  I positioned the sentiment panel behind some of the elements of the Butterfly Wreath and glued it on.

Lastly,  I attached the green and gold designer paper onto the card base,  centered the green square on the designer paper strip, glued it, then attached the green butterfly body to the gold wings and "fluffed" the wings up a bit to add some dimension.  Attached the butterflies onto the card and there you have it!

I would love to know which design you prefer, so if you could, just leave me a comment.  Thanks so much for popping by and I do hope you will consider playing with us at Twofers. You have 2 whole weeks to add a creation to our linky and that gives you a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to our wonderful sponsor, Alleystamps.  I would also be grateful if you'd consider becoming a follower. I am about 20 shy of reaching my goal of 100 new followers for 2015.  Fondly, Christi

I would like to enter my Golden Butterflies Card into the following challenges:

Lawnscaping Challenges - #117, Thinking of You 
Use Your Stuff - #198, Use Your Old Stash (the background paper is over 10 years old)
The Paper Girls - November - #91, Stamps
Addicted to Stamps - #112, Things with Wings
Left of Centre Challenges - #103, Things with Wings
Incy Wincy - Anything Goes

October Card Chain Challenge Reveal! Christmas Cat

This month I am writing this post on October 15th so that while I am away I'll just be able to click a button and it will post for me - the internet is a wonderful thing (as long as it works the way I want it to <grin>) - And I am still late posting this LOL!  I was given the opportunity to send to the lovely Dawn, who I had sent to in August, but said she really didn't mind and would love to get another card by me ~ she's so sweet! My sending partner is Helen; unfortunately I won't be getting the card in time to post here, but, please feel free to check out her inspirational blog!

Now Deborah gives us plenty of themes to choose from - 

One of the following themes: – Thanksgiving  or  Cats  or  Friendship

So, of course I chose CATS! Now I had sent a cat card out last month and I was tempted for a hot second to do something else, but, I just so happened to become the new owner to a stamp/die set that I HAD to use. So, here is my card: 

What I Used to Make my Card:

Red Cardstock Base

Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Crazy Things Stamp Set, #CMS237

Newton's Nook "Newton's Antics" stamp set and die set

Derwent Inktense Pencils, 12 pack 

Inkadinkadoo Sentiment, #9726-LL (discontinued but available)

Star Sequins (gold, green & red)

White Cardstock

Red Cardstock

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

140lb Watercolor Paper

SU! Blender Pen

Pop Dots

Pity the Hat covers most of him!

First thing I did was stamp the kitty from Newton's Nook a few times on watercolor paper and I sat and colored in all the cats using different colors - expect to see them popping up soon.  I choose one for this card and decided he needed a Santa Hat.  So I stamped the Santa Hat from the Crazy Things stamp set, once on red card and once on white card.  I fussy cut the red hat out, and then the ball at the end of the hat and the fur trim out of white card.  I attached the trims to the hat and set it aside.

  

I colored my kitty using Derwent Inktense Pencils, my absolute FAVORITE 

pencils (I have to get the 24 pack - on my wishlist!) used an SU! Blender Pen to

color him in, and then die cut him out using the coordinating set, he was ready to go.  I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock using the Jet Black ink and trimmed it down. I think it's cute that he looks like he is holding the sentiment (or stalking it).  Next, I took the Santa hat and used pop dots to attach it to the cat's head.  For the finale, I had taken some old sequin stars from the stash and interspersed them through out the card.  I hope Dawn likes it!

Now, if this sounds like fun, getting a card in the mail every month, then please consider signing up for the Card Chain Challenge - you can do so here - November is the last one of 2015, but they will return January of 2016.  Thank you so much for stopping by and please consider becoming a follower of mine - I am trying to get 100 followers in 2015 and I am only a few shy - thank you! Christi

I am entering my Christmas Cat card in the following challenges:
Her Peaceful Garden - Cat Lover's Blog Hop
Winter Wonderland Challenge Blog - Anything Goes as Long as it's Christmas
Fab 'n Funky Challenge - #279, Anything Goes as Long as it's Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (#2)
ABC Christmas Challenge - V for Very Cute
Allsorts - #335, Christmas