Altenew Spring Cover Cards {A threefer!}

Hi friends! I hope this post finds you well! Since I have three cards to show you why don't you grab a drink and hurry back! I got seriously carried away with the Altenew Spring Shower Cover Die while making cards for the Dies R Us inspiration page; I guess I was inspired!  I hope these cards inspire you a bit as well.  Here we go:  

What I Used to Make my Cards
White Card Bases
Altenew Spring Shower Cover Die
Pink, light yellow, light blue, light purple, light green and white layering card {thinner card}
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
Dimensional Dots

I began my cards only planning on making one but as I cut out all the different colors I wanted to use I realized the negatives were too pretty to throw away so one card became three.  As I mentioned, I cut the die a total of six times using the colors listed above, in a thinner card than I would typically use.  I began working on the "hello" card first as that was the primary card I had in my mind.  I kept some of the white cut outs in the panel I was going to use as the top of my card and filled in other places with the colorful die cuts I'd made.  I also layered some of the die cuts to make different flowers. That's where I got into trouble! I made so many flowers with the leftovers there was no way I could throw them out!  I even used dimensional dots on some of the flowers on the other cards.

I did use a different sentiment for each card as you can see; the "hello" I used is from Hero Arts Stamp & Cut set, #DC151.  The second card, "hello summer" uses a die from Impression Obsession, Hello Summer, #DIE688-B and finally the "miss you" card uses another Altenew die {Dies R Us doesn't have the Hero Arts set or the Altenew word die at the moment, but there are plenty other words dies in stock to choose from}.  I also used a circle of blue paper that I had on my desk for the hello summer card to help me make the wreath.

Here are pictures of each card:

The "Hello" Card

 

"Hello Summer" Card

 

"Miss You" Card

Thanks for reading my little tutorial. I hope my cards inspire you to get some die cuts and start creating! If you don't have the dies you want, or need, to make your vision come to life please take a look at what is available to play with at Dies R Us! Thanks SO much and see you soon! Christi

I am entering my card(s) in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Unstampabelles, #112 - Seasons
Daring Cardmakers - Into the Garden
Love to Craft - Anything Goes
Creative Moments, #217 - Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly Challenge Blog, #141 - Floral
World Wide Open Design Team Challenge - Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges, #251 - All Occasions

The Best Cat Dad

 Hi everyone! 

I had so much fun making my first card with this stamp set and, as usual, I had a bunch of kitties left over, so decided to make another Cat Dad card for the River of Creativity current challenge, Parent and Child.  As you can see by my cards we are looking for your interpretation of the theme; it can be anything you choose that speaks to YOU!

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Slimline Card Base
Simon Says Stamp Happy Meowthers Day Stamps, #SSS202293C
Simon Says Stamp Happy Meowthers Day Dies, #SSSD112342C
Trinity Stamp Slimline Series, Stitched Card Panels & Windows Dies, #TMD-010
Designs by Reminisce Paper,  Love my Cat Paper Kit
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink

The cats I used on this card were left over from my project here, and I thought they were just too cute not to use. I always stamp, color and cut extra images; I think that is a practice left over from the days when I'd ruin more than I'd use! Die cutting was something I struggled with for a very long time until I started using low tack tape to hold the dies in place; I can't tell you how many images I ruined because the die moved when I went to cut it! Anyway, now I make sure I have plenty of images to choose from and I always have extras which is a good thing in case I need to throw a quick card together.  I have been getting a bunch of slimline dies to play with and I am loving the extra room they allow!  For this card all I did was cut out the window panel, using the patterned paper, then the matching background paper from one of the panels, stamped the word balloon with the heart inside and sentiment, attached the panels together and lastly, placed the cats on the card and I was done.  I really like this card; the kitty peeking around the corner is so cute!!

I hope you can take some time to join us at River of Creativity; we welcome any type of craft and you have until the end of the month to join in and being the new challenge on the block we'd love the support!  In addition to being on Blogger, we are also on Instagram {tag your projects with #riverofcreativity and/or #rocparentandchild02} and you can also join us on  Twitter at River of Creativity (RiverCreativity), why not subscribe to all three? I hope to see you there {or somewhere on social media}! 

Fondly, 

Christi

I am entering my card the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge - F is for Furry Friends {entry #2}
TGIF Challenge, #321 - Peek-a-boo Window
Scrapping 4 Fun, #194 - Anything Goes with an Animal
Stinkin' Inkers - You're the Man
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Animal Antics {entry #2}
The Male Room, #151 - For Dads & Grads
Try it on Tuesday - For the Man in your Life
Crafty Animals, #51 - Anything Goes with an Animal
Shopping Our Stash, #447 - Fur Babies {entry #2}

I miss Mew

Hey everyone!

I love the look of white & brown together, especially kraft brown! This was an easy card to make and I think, while it is simple, it is also impactful. Hope you like it!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Pre-made Kraft Card Base
My Favorite Things Mini Mews Stamp Set, #CS-533
Simon Says Stamp Ultra Fine White Embossing Powder
Embossing Powder
Red Shimmer Paper
Small Heart Die

To make this simple card all I did was stamp the cats and sentiment onto the kraft base, using embossing ink, and then heat embossed them with embossing powder. After finding a heart die that matched the cats, I cut out 6 hearts from shimmery red paper.  Once the hearts were cut out, I attached them to the card and I was done!

In case you can't tell, I am a cat lover.  Actually, I love all animals, but cats hold a special place in my heart. I promise if you follow me on this blog or any other social media you will see at least two cat cards a month.  Thanks SO much for stopping by!

Hugs, 

Christi

I am happily entering my card in the following challenges:
SUYP, #67 - Anything with Cats Goes
Ally's Angels, #47 - Anything Goes
Bastel-Traum, #102 - Animals
Incy- Wincy - For the Men and/or Use Kraft {I used a Kraft card}
Alphabet Challenge - F is for Furry Friends
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Animal Antics
Paperminutes, #696 - Keep it Simple
Shopping our Stash, #447 - Fur Babies
Lift Challenge, #162 - One Layer Cards
Creative Knockouts, #406 - Furry Friends

How to Follow Blogs with Follow.It {getting posts emailed to you}

 Yes, I am terrified of changes when it comes to my blog and technology so I have been putting this off for far too long - BUT I found this lovely "How To" on the Mix It Up Challenge Blog and asked if I could copy it and they said yes, so here it is.  I am only doing this because feedburner is being discontinued but, I am very pleased with how easily I installed the Follow.it app. 

If you want to be a new email subscriber: Click the green arrow button over on the right sidebar, type in your email address and click the Subscribe button to get our posts via Follow.It. 

You should receive an email requesting that you confirm your subscription with the new service. Once you have confirmed your subscription for this challenge blog, click Edit over on the right side to change your delivery setting and scroll down to Output Channels. Note that Newspaper (email) and News Page are set by default and you will need to change this to Single Emails in order to get our individual posts. This is what the screen looks like after the change has been made:

I hope this helps you with the new email format :) and I HOPE you will consider subscribing to my blog via email.  But don't forget, I am all over social media and appreciate any and all follows; if you follow me, please invite me to follow you back! All of us who craft need all the support we can get! And a HUGE thank you to Leslie, who tried to help me with figuring this out <3

Fondly,
Christi

Dies Two Ways with Birch Press Designs

Hello everyone!

I hope this post finds you well! I've made these two cards using Birch Press Design dies that can be found at Dies R Us to show how different two cards can be using the same dies, just different colors. I love the simplicity of Birch Press dies and Dies R Us has a wonderful selection; please take a look when you have a chance!

What I Used to Make Both my Cards:
White Card Base
Birch Press Designs Grandiose Dies, Bundle of 3, #56102

After making both the purple and grey layered piece I just customized each card using the items linked below. In addition to showing how colors can change a card completely, I was also going for one feminine card and one masculine card. Here is the information on each card:

Missing You {grey card}
Simon Says Stamp Floral Garden, #SSS202304 {sentiment}
Tutti Designs Stitched Nested Rectangles, #TUTTI-217 {out of stock, but other options are TUTTI-414 and TUTTI-410}
Distress Ink in Hickory Smoke
Shades of Grey Card

Once the panel was made for this card, I made a frame using the rectangle dies, to go around it. As you can see from the picture, it's very easy to do as long as you have some low tack tape to hold the dies in place. I attached the frame to the panel, the panel to the card base and then adhered the sentiment, which was stamped and trimmed.

 Just for You {purple card}
Creative Expressions by Sue Wilson, Just for You, #CEDME028
Shades of Purple Card

All I needed to make this super easy card was a sentiment, which I cut out of the darkest purple I used in the panel. I attached that to the card and it's ready to send off!

Thank you so much for stopping by to see my cards! Remember, the challenge at Dies R Us is always anything goes using a die that they stock; that leaves you with plenty of options to play! I hope that you are inspired by our creations and join the challenge!

Fondly, 

Christi

I am entering my card in the challenges below:
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Everybody Art Challenge, #492 - Dies
Always Fun Challenges, #217 - Layers
Dream Valley Challenges, #249 - Dies and/or Punches {entry #2}
Happy Little Stampers - Dies
Crafts Galore Encore Challenge, #88 - Anything Goes

Happy Father's Day!

Hey everyone!

I am SO glad you are visiting me as it is time to get your flow on and join us in the River of Creativity with any project depicting parent(s) and child(ren). My cats, who, whether they like it or not, are my children, were truly kind to me this Mother's Day and gifted me with some Harry & David dark chocolate truffles, my favorite in the world {so far, feel free to send me your favorite dark chocolate truffles and I will compare them for you.  I'm nice like that!} my roommate does have children but he sees the cats more than his human kids {especially since they live in another state} and Simon Says Stamp made THE perfect set for me to make him a Father's Day Card! So, here is my card!

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Square Card Base
Simon Says Stamp Happy Meowthers Day Stamps, #SSS202293C
Simon Says Stamp Happy Meowthers Day Dies, #SSSD112342C
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Simon Says Stamp Black Embossing Powder
Red Glitter Card
Simon Says Stamp Chunky Hearts Panel, #SSSD112288
Gel Pens

What I did first for this card was stamp, cut and color all of the kitties.  Between the two of us, my roommate and I,  we have eight {yes, 8!} and I wanted them all on this card.  Granted these eight cats don't exactly look like our eight, I haven't figured out how to color a black cat without making it look like a black blob, but I am working on it! So, consider these cats as stand ins for the real ones. I wasn't planning on making a square card, but I couldn't fit all the cats on any other way. Once I got the placement of the cats down, I embossed the sentiment using black embossing powder. Then, I glued the cats in their positions.  I felt like the card needed a bit of color, so I die cut a heart using glitter red card and popped that, using dimensional dots between the second and third sentiment.  As per usual, I had enough cats left over that I actually made 2 cards, but I will be posting that one later. Now would be a purrfect time to subscribe to the River of Creativity blog so you don't miss a post; we are on Instagram {tag your projects with #riverofcreativity and/or #rocparentandchild02} AND Twitter at River of Creativity (RiverCreativity)!

I hope you consider joining us at the River of Creativity - we encourage any and all crafts and would love to see your interpretation of this months theme, Parent & Child.  There are a million ideas in my head on how to express this theme; maybe I will get crafty and make some more for the challenge! You have until the end of the month to join us so I hope to see you there! 

Fondly, 

Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
SUYP Cat Challenge, #67 - Furrything Goes
CARDZ TV, #142 - Anything Goes
Scrapping 4 Fun, #193 - Male/FathersDay/Masculine
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge, #600 - Masculine
Little Red Wagon, #604 - Make it Masculine
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Masculine
Watercooler Wednesday, #317 - All Things Masculine
The Male Room, #151 - Dads & Granddads
Happy Little Stampers - June Watercolor Challenge

Sparkle and Shine with The Paper Funday Challenge!

 Hello everyone!

Happy June! This month at the Paper Funday Challenge the optional theme is "Sparkle and Shine" so I decided to make a rainbow card! I figure everyone loves rainbows and, after a wet spring, we can all use a bit more color. I hope you enjoy my creation!

 

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Hello Bluebird Rainbow Sky Die
EK Success Hearts, #54-80012 {Retired, I used the small heart}
Pinkfresh Studios Kelly Alpha Lower Case Dies, #PFSA1719
Black, Pink, Red and Purple Glitter Card
Rainbow Colors in Regular Card
Gold Card
Gems

When I found out the optional choice for this month's challenge was Sparkle and Shine I knew I wanted to make a rainbow card.  My first step was to cut out the rainbow, then I assembled it and studded it with the gems.  I found a great deal on these gems, they are actually marketed for fingernails, but a flat backed gem that works just fine on cardstock too!  Once my rainbow was dry, I cut the word "shine" out of black glitter card, then the word "on" from muted gold and glued those onto the card base.  At this point I wasn't sure what else I wanted to put on the card, more gems or something else and, as you can see, I chose to make a bunch of hearts from scraps of glitter card.  I attached them onto the card and I was finished. I have to say I am in love with the new alphabet dies and I imagine you will be seeing more creations featuring it.  Another card done with no stamping, but the message is clear - Shine On!

I hope we see you at the challenge, you have the entire month to play at Paper Funday! So get out all your bling and Sparkle and Shine along with us! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to see you very soon! 

Fondly, 

Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Rainbow Card Challenge, #30 - Radically Rainbow
A Place to Start, #5 - Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges, #249 - Dies and/or Punches
TTCRD - Anything Goes

You Donut Even Know. . .

Hi Dies R Us Fans!

Today I am sharing a cute birthday card made with darling Mama Elephant products that are available in the Dies R Us store.  Here is my card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Zig Clean Color Brush Markers
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Hero Arts Ultra Fine White Embossing Powder
Light Purple Card
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Beaded Garland Embossing Folder, #660041 {retired, but available}
Mama Elephant Donut Treats Stamps
Mama Elephant Donut Treats Dies
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
Half Pearls {stash}
Dimensional Dots

I began this card by stamping, coloring and cutting out the mice and the donuts.  Setting them aside, I embossed a piece of light purple card {there are SO many embossing folders available in the Dies R Us store; I have some on order but haven't gotten them yet} using an embossing folder and then embossed the sentiment using ultra fine white embossing powder. 

I used some pastel colored half pearls I had in my stash to add some interest and to act as some sprinkles on the donuts, gluing them down with adhesive. Lastly, I used dimensional dots to attach the elements and then glued the the entire piece onto a white card base.  Between the embossing folder, the half pearls and the dimensional dots this card has a lot of character, but it was difficult to get a good picture of both the front and of the dimension so I have included a view that shows it all off.  Just click on the picture and it should open up in another screen big enough to see.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope the world is opening up a bit where you are but please, stay safe! See you soon! Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Always Fun Challenges, #216 - Food
Three Room Studio, #38 - Birthday
Crafty Animals, #51 - Anything Goes w/ an Animal
Die Cut Divas - Birthday
MIUCB, #50 - Anything Goes w/ Stamping
Friendship Challenge, #66 - Happy Birthday