You Are Pretty Amazing

I am SO sorry this is late - I thought I had scheduled it correctly! I am off to lunch with my mom, sister & cousin :) 

Hi all! Today is the last day to enter the Die Cut Diva's August Challenge, Silhouettes.  If you get a chance to enter, you will be in the running for a gift certificate from our sponsor, Cheapo Dies.

I had to make at least one cat card when I start crafting for my Design Teams, and this one is made with some new goodies I just got.

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Kraft Card
Black Card
Penny Black, FeLINE die, #51-145
Simon Says Stamp You Matter Stamps, #SSS101645
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Stitched Rectangle {actual die cut was a gift}
Tim Holtz/Tonic Stamp Platform

I love the way this card came out; I am always surprised when a project actually looks the way I envision it!  And it's a super easy card to make.  To begin, I took the FELine die and cut it out three times - once from white card, once from black card and once from Kraft card.  I pieced together the white cats, using the black cut as the background.  Then I trimmed one of the Kraft cats and just glued it on right over the corresponding white cat.

The cats were then layered onto a white stitched rectangle that a dear friend sent me; I inched the cats closer to the top so I had plenty of room for my sentiment.  This was the first card I'd made with my brand new Tim Holtz Stamp Platform.  I'd been using my MISTI until my sweet friend offered me a Stamp Platform at near cost; how could I resist such a great deal!?!  I have to be honest, as much as I adore my MISTI, the Platform is easier for me to use.  The big game changer for me is the ability to switch from clear stamps to red rubber stamps by just flipping the top around.  So much easier!  Anyway, I lined up my sentiment and stamped it directly onto the stitched rectangle.  I just have to say how amazing it is to be able to get a clear, semi-straight {straight is NOT one of my many talents - I still struggle and I imagine I always will} image, and not

Another Peek

worry if you don't since you can ink it up again!  I shudder when I think of the "old days," using wood mounted stamps and not being able to see exactly where you are putting the image, and how much cardstock I wasted because the stamp didn't give me a good impression {mostly due to my error, but still}.  I would have NEVER stamped directly onto a card as one of the last steps; it had to be done first, just in case I flubbed it and had to begin again.  

Anyway, once the sentiment was stamped onto the rectangle, I adhered that to a trimmed piece of Kraft card that was then glued onto my card base.  There you go!  An easy card, ready to be popped in the mail.  

I hope you have been inspired this month to get inky with silhouettes, and if not, never fear, as tomorrow the new month begins and a new challenge starts at Die Cut Diva's.  Thanks so much - Christi

I am entering my You Are Pretty Amazing card in the following challenges:
CARDZTV - #63, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Sunny Day Crafting - Anything Goes including an Animal
Papercraft Challenges - #19, Animal
That's Crafty! - Animal Magic
4 Crafty Chicks - #418, Anything Goes

Lawn Fawn Coffee, Tea and Treats

Hi everyone! When I saw the current Lawn Fawnatics Challenge, Coffee, Tea & Treats, I knew I had to play along.  See, the very first Lawn Fawn stamp and die set I purchased was Love You a Latte; I bought it solely due to the coffee cups and truly didn't give it another thought.  I've since become totally addicted to the adorable little critters and the amazingly creative interactive cards that they produce.  In fact, I think I have more Lawn Fawn product than any other company!  

What I Used to Make my Card:
Kraft Card Base
Lawn Fawn Love You a Latte Stamps, #LF704
Lawn Fawn Love You a Latte Dies, #LF705
VersaMark Ink
Light and Dark Brown Card
Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Circle STAX
Zig Clean Color Markers
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

The purchasing of the Lawn Fawn products shows my growth as a stamper to me.  In the beginning I was very artsy, nothing but Acey Duecy {now owned by StampDiva.com}, A Stamp in the Hand, MadRat Rubber, Zettiology, Magenta and so many other small companies {you can find many of the type of eclectic stamps I played with, and quite a few of the smaller, out of business companies at Stampfrancisco}.  I remember {and still have} Tim Holtz' first stamp release through a Big Box store {can't recall if it was Joanne's or Michael's}, long before he was designing for Ranger and Stamper's Anonymous.  I was a non-cute stamper.  Slowly, these companies began to pop up and the images weren't as weird.  I know that Tim Holtz'  Bird Crazy, Crazy Cats, and Crazy Dogs enabled me to spread my wings and actually work on some really

Another Look

cute images.  Now, here I am - waiting with bated breath for each new release from so many cute companies.  If I didn't have the wood mounted stamps to prove how eclectic I was, you'd never believe me.  Which brings me back to my card.  As I said, this was the very first Lawn Fawn set I ever owned; I mixed old with the new to construct this card.

First thing I did was choose a dark brown card and stamped the coffee beans all over it with VersaMark ink for my background paper.  I mounted that onto a lighter brown card and finally onto a kraft card.  All of the stamping is done in black ink; I cut the sentiment out using Wonky Stitched Circle die.  The cup is colored red, leaning toward the winter holidays; the hot cocoa is brown so the little marshmallows peek out.  The plate is just white card.

I adhered the plate and the cup first, then the sentiment, and I was done.  It seems like such a beautifully simple card considering the stamps history!  I hope my post encourages you to spread your creative wings a bit; in fact, I just might get out some of those old funky images and play around a bit! Thanks for popping in, Christi
PS: I think this just might count as my first holiday card of 2018!


I am entering my Warm Wishes card in the following challenges:
LawnFawnatics - #35, Coffee, Tea & Treats

Everybody Art Challenge - #430, Stamp
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Food and/or Drink 
Addicted to Stamps & More - #306, Anything Goes
Through the Purple Haze - #147, Make it CAS
Cardz for Galz - #78, Use Dies and/or Punches
Alphabet Challenge Blog - K is for Kraft card
Jo's Scrap Shack - #248, Anything Goes

Bear Hug

I went on bit of a shopping spree and picked up a bunch of stamp sets that I've had on my wish list forever.  This adorable set from My Favorite Things is one of the sets I got; after all, I can't just use cats in everything, can I? {Just don't tell the cats that I had a choice and used bears, deal?}

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
My Favorite Things BB Bitty Bear Stamps
Die-Namics BB Bitty Bear Dies
Watercolor Paper
Clean Color Markers
Frame Die {unbranded}
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Kraft Paper Background
White Card
Detail Water Brush {my new favorite is this one from Pentel}
MISTI

First step for making this card was to cut the frame die, which I did out of white card, and make sure the little bears fit into the squares.  Once I knew they would, I chose a bunch of the different bears I knew I wanted to use in my card and stamped them onto watercolor paper.  I colored them using the Clean Color Markers and a detail watercolor brush, trying to give each bear his {or her} unique color, which isn't as easy as it sounds given there are only 4 true brown markers in my set.  I am lucky enough to have the Clean Color set of 36 but I am asking for the 90 color set for my birthday {I'll settle for the 80 color set, but I figure I might as well go large.  I've been watching too many "American Pickers" episodes!} *I did get the 90 Marker Set - Woo Hoo! Getting old has its perks! 

I digress.  I colored my bears and any extras they may have been holding, let them dry, and cut them out.  The frame die I used is an unbranded die that has

Another Peek

the 9 squares and a larger square at the bottom.  I just cut off that bottom piece.  Then I decided I needed a background color so that my frame wouldn't blend into the white card base.  I just happened to have a piece of Kraft brown on the desk so I trimmed it and attached it to the card base, dotting each corner with glue so I could tuck the little bears into the frame if they were a bit too large to sit in the square.  I proceeded to fiddle with the bears to find the right design, and tucked and glued them into place.  Using my MISTI, I stamped the middle square with the sentiment, and that was that.

I have a feeling these little critters are going to find their way into many more creations.  I already have a holiday card rolling about in my head.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and perhaps this will inspire you to use some of your new goodies that you haven't used yet.  Thanks for reading and stopping by! Christi 

I am entering my Bear Hug card in the following challenges:
Dream Valley Challenges -#184, Animals
Quick Quotes - #90, Add Any Animal
Little Red Wagon - Lions, Tigers and Bears!!
That's Crafty! - Animals
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - M, Anything Goes with a Critter (or 8)
Sunny Day Crafting - M, Anything Goes with an Animal
Cute N Crafty Challenge - M, #7, Animals

Mom's Birthday Card

This month for Not Just Cards Anything Goes theme, I decided to use my Happy Birthday card for my mother. I can't sleep so I figure maybe I will write up some long overdue posts.  If you are a regular reader, you know my mother is essentially blind; she can see shadows and a bit more on a good day.  In case you aren't familiar with my mom's sight issues, here is a quick rundown: she has advanced glaucoma and macular degeneration.  She stopped using her glaucoma medicine after she retired thinking Medicare wouldn't pay for the drops. By the time she let me know there was a problem, she had already lost a good bit of sight in her left eye.  For her birthday this year I made her a card she can touch and actually feel the layers of the flowers and leaves and, if it's a good day, hopefully see.  By the time you read this she will already have the card since her birthday is June 27th. I'm sure she loves it!   

What I Used to Make My Card:
Vanilla Card Base
Altenew Layered Rose Die, #ALT1787
Coordinating Shades of Red Card
Coordinating Shades of Green Card
Memory Box Happy Birthday, Upright Script, #99684
Dimensional Dots

I also wanted to share the versatility of this rose set - so I am going to show you some different combinations you can make with the dies.  Here is a little "cheat sheet" I made.  The dies are in this order; the outline, the detail, and the base die.  Don't forget, if you want to make the picture bigger, just click on it!

For example, this sample uses the base die and the detail die.

This rose uses the base and the outline die.

This leaf uses the outline die layered over the detail die.

The base die and the outline die were used to make this leaf.

And, finally, this leaf uses the base and the detail dies.

I'd say you get a good value with this set!  When I made the card, I used different shades of red for the roses and green for the leaves.  I began by cutting my lightest shade with of the base die, the middle color is a bit darker and I used the detail dies, and finally the darkest shade was used for the outline.  I glued all the pieces together and let them sit overnight under my

Another Peek

drying tile just to ensure they'd be nice and sturdy.  I layered the roses on a vanilla card blank, moving them to the left hand corner so I'd have room for my sentiment.  Also, I used dimensional dots to mount the last rose {it's the one closest to you} just to give the card a little pop.  Then I attached the leaves around the flowers.  Lastly, I cut out the sentiment from the same card I used for the outline of the roses.  The computer seems to have dulled the two darkest reds a bit and it's difficult to see the difference in them.  You'll just have to trust me on that!  I hope to see you at Not Just Cards; it's an easy Anything Goes theme and you have all month to play :) 

Hope you are having a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by. ~ Christi

I am entering Mom's Birthday Card in the following challenges:
Always Happy Birthday - M, Anything Goes
Happy Little Stampers - M, Anything Goes with Dies
Let's Craft & Create - #140, M, Anything Goes, option: Lots of Layers
Cardz TV - #60, Anything Goes
The Cat's Pajamas - #349, M, Birthday

Die Cut Diva's August Challenge

This month,  the Die Cut Diva's challenge is sponsored by the wonderful Cheapo Dies

and the theme for August is Silhouettes!  If you enter you'll be in the running for a $15 gift certificate!!  Now, in my world it is NEVER too early for Halloween; in fact, I think we should celebrate Halloween all year long! 

I am trying something a bit different for this post; instead of giving you a list of the items I used in making my card, I am going to incorporate them into the post.  I'm hoping this will accomplish two things; one, that you, my dear readers will enjoy it and, two, it won't take me so long to write a post.  So I would appreciate it immensely if you'd leave me a comment letting me know what format you prefer. 

So, onto the Halloween card! I used an A7 sized card {5" x 7"} which is much larger than I typically make.  I just could not fit all of the action on an A2 {4 1/4" x 5 1/2"} sized card!  All of the dies I used on this card are unbranded; the Haunted House came with the bats, moon, and a Happy Halloween sentiment.  You could easily use this die for the Haunted House and any of these dies for the moon.  While I am in LOVE with the alphabet dies I used too spell out "spooky,"
you could certainly use any alphabet dies you have on hand.  I used a vanilla {off white} card base, black card for the house and bats, some scrap yellow card for behind the windows, a piece of gray card for the background, a thin, sparkle silver for the moon and, finally, shiny mirror orange for the letters.  All of the card stock came from my stash, except the mirror orange, which I purchased at my local Dollar Tree.

Once I had cut all the elements, the first thing I did was back the windows with the yellow card to make it appear as if there were lights on in the house {I am currently working on making cards that light up. I think having actual light come from the windows would be awesome! I am struggling with getting all 
the connections and wires to work but, hopefully, soon I will have one to share with you}.  I attached the gray card to my card base, then assembled the card as shown in the picture.  I personally cannot wait for the cooler, crisper air of fall. It's easily my favorite season!

I hope my little tutorial has inspired you to get some of your Halloween cards done; everyone is always so concerned with Christmas - send me a Halloween card anytime!  Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think of the format!  Hope to see you at the challenge! Christi

I am entering my Spooky Halloween Card in the following challenges:
Craft Rocket Challenges - #51, M, Anything Goes {entry 2}
Crafting with an Attitude - #42, M, Anything Goes
Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies - August Challenge
Crafty Creations - #372, Anything Goes
Shopping our Stash - #366, Silhouettes

Steamed Heat at Stinkin' Inkers

Just in time for the hottest month of the year {it is here at least}, Stinkin' Inkers August theme is "Steamed Heat."  If there is one thing I can blog about endlessly is the summer heat!  We have broken many records this summer due to the high temperatures in the Denver area; thank goodness we have a swamp cooler to help keep things cool.  Now, I'd never even heard of such a thing when I first moved here, and I still can't really wrap my brain around how it works, but it does work and that's all that matters!  I made this card to help all of us experiencing steamed heat visualize being a little cooler!  I hope to see you this month at Stinkin' Inkers "Steamed Heat" August challenge!

I made my card using the Hero Art's My Monthly Hero kit for the month of

June.  The entire card is made using the items in the kit, except for the white card base.  I first used the mini ink-blending tool and Soft Sky ink to make the sky.  I then flipped the card over and used the Deep Ocean and Summer Sky inks to make the ocean.  The kit includes all the stamps you need to make the ocean seem full of waves and texture.  You just layer the stamps with ink colors going from light to dark and BAM! you have an 
ocean!  Once the sky and ocean were finished, I
embossed the beach by dabbing Versamark ink on the lower half of the card and embossed the beach directly onto the card with the Sand embossing powder. 

The embossing powder is SO pretty in real life - it has notes of various browns and sparkly copper in it.  Next, I stamped the Adirondack chairs on light brown card and embossed them with Simon Says Stamp white detail embossing powder and die cut them. I cut the clouds out of white, coated, shiny card {from my stash - I'm sure it's as old as the hills} and the cute starfish out of some pink scrap card.  I put a few white accents on the starfish so he wouldn't get lost in the scene, then stamped my sentiment and cut it out with Tutti Designs Cross Stitched Rectangles.  I attached the sentiment, then the chairs and the starfish, and then I used dimensional dots to adhere the clouds to the sky.  It looks like a beautiful day in my scene! Hopefully, your sky is as pretty as this one is.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your creations at Stinkin' Inkers August Challenge "Steamed Heat!" Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Beach Scene Card in the following challenges:
{Where do I find all these FABULOUS challenges?? At Challenges for Days - and easy to read blog that helps you easily find challenges to enter - check us out!}
Lost Coast Portal - #58, Anything Goes
Unicorn Challenge - #35, At The Beach
CardsInEnvy - Something New {First time I've used the MMH Kit}
Just Us Girls - #452, Word Week: Beach
a2z Scrapbooking - Anything Goes {August}
The Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes {August}
Emerald Creek - The Great Outdoors {August}
Papercraft Business Challenge - #9, Anything Goes, TWIST: Summer
Craft Rocket Challenge - #51, Anything Goes

Swinging Under the Trees

When I received the May My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts it brought back SO many fond memories of my best friend.  She and I lived next door to each other and it is because of her that my childhood was as amazing as it was.

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Black Card
My Monthly Hero Kit, May 2018 {Hero Arts}
Watercolor Paper
Distress Oxide Inks
Versafine Ink in Onyx Black
MISTI

As I created the background for this card I forgot to write down which Oxide Inks I used; I apologize!  But I do recall thinking I wanted the background to look like a summer sky as the sun was setting and I think I achieved that look, don't you?

Another Look

Once the background was dry, I cut the overlay out of black card using a die that was included with the kit.  I'm so glad I got this kit because this stamp, along with the die, reminds me of swinging at my best friend's house, using a swing attached to her old oak tree.  I can still feel the sense of being free as the wind flowed all around me and I can still hear us laughing as we took turns pushing each other as high as we could.  We let our imaginations run wild with that oak tree; we played acorn hospital under the tree, the tree was "home base" in many games, many times.  Unfortunately, her house {not the one where the oak tree is, that is where her parents still live} was one of the many which were damaged when a tornado hit a few towns in Connecticut.  My plan is to send her this card {along with some other goodies} and I hope it brightens her day a bit.

Having the die cut in place, I stamped the image directly onto the background paper, using my MISTI to help with placement.  Isn't that a fabulous stamp? There are ALL kinds of beautiful silhouettes in this kit; I got so many ideas from it I had to write them down so I could get them out of my head and make room for other creative ideas to take form!

I hope you like this card as much as I do and I truly hope you have some fond childhood memories of swinging on a swing with your loved ones.  Have a wonderful day.  Christi

I am entering my Swinging Under the Trees Card in the following challenges {all found using Challenges for Days}:
Lost Coast Portal to Creativity - #58, Anything Goes
a2z Scrapbooking - M, August, Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper - M, August, Anything Goes
Carlin's Cards Challenge - #1, M, July/August, Anything Goes
Papercraft Business Challenge #9, August, Anything Goes
Eclectic Ellapu - M, August, Friends from Afar {in fact her package was mailed today!}
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make Your Own Background
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - #182, Feminine Anything Goes
Scrapy Land - #95, Anything Goes
The Sisterhood of Craft - Summer Vacation {make a card relating to summer activities}
Die Cuttin' Diva's - #380, Anything Goes
Pammies Inky Pinkies - #1830, Sunny Days
A Vintage Journey -M, July, Get Sentimental
A Gem of a Challenge - M, July, Summertime/Holidays