just a note...

 Hello!  Popping in with a quick share today of a card that I made for the September Pinkfresh Studio challenge to use a wreath and for the Paper Players challenge of a clean and simple design with either plants or animals.  I went with plants.  Have a look.

I don't know about you, but I like getting a deal and getting something free.  Scrapbook.com has deals and freebies on a weekly basis.  This card was made with several different freebies from Scrapbook.com that are also Pinkfresh Studio products.    With the theme of wreath at Pinkfresh Studio I decided to use a set of PFS circle dies that I had recently purchased.  I think they are the Folk Circle dies set.  Anyway I used several of the dies to cut the circle as the base to layer on the floral vellum pieces that were one of the PFS/Scrapbook.com freebies.   The other freebie is the sentiment.  I layered up all the vellum elements on my wreath base and then added it to a white cardstock panel that I die cut with the PFS Sparkling Diamonds cover die.  I finished with the sentiment.  Clean, simple and super quick to make!

That's it for me!  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

two cards...

 Hello, hello!  I'm popping in to share two cards that I made recently.  First up is a card for Freshly Made Sketches and Color Throwdown.  Let's have a look.

I used the pretty CTD combo of light blue, kraft and cream with the Greetery Bittersweet Bouquet stamp set.  I thought it would look pretty stamped in the light blue with a light brown and I was right.  Once stamped I die cut the panel with a rectangle die and then trimmed the panel into three pieces.  They were adhered to my card front using foam squares.  I die cut the Greetery bow from the same cardstock used for the panel (PTI rustic white) and then blended some of the light blue ink in the center.  I finished with a sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp set and a few light blue and clear sequins.

This card is for the Pinkfresh Studio August challenge to use washi tape and for the JUGs challenge of anything goes with stencils.  Now, you might ask where is the washi tape?  Well, the entire background is washi tape!  I adhered it to thin white cardstock and then die cut it with a rectangle die. You can't see it in my photo, but I added some glossy accents to the fur on Santa's hat and sleeve, to the tree he is holding and some of the leaves on the left side and then added Rock Candy glitter.  I stenciled the Pinkfresh Studio Berry Branch image, stamped over the stenciling with the coordinating stamp and then added Rock Candy glitter to the berries.  The sentiment is from the PFS Folk Snowflake (I think that is the name) that I stamped in the same light green I used to stencil the berry branch and die cut it with the matching die.  I added the panel to my card base and then adhered the stamped image with glue.  Another Christmas card to add to my stash!

Well, that's it for me!  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

wishing you the best day...

 Hello!  Hope all is well in your world.  I have a card to share with you for a few challenges.  Namely, Pinkfresh Studio June challenge, Color Hues color challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge to emboss.   Let's have a look at what I made.

The June Pinkfresh Studio challenge is to use ombre or color gradient.  When I started this card Color Hues hadn't announce their new color combo, but I had decided to do ombre inkblending using distress oxide ink in Spun Sugar.  I got as far as inking up the cardstock and then die cutting it with the Pinkfresh Studio Artistic Blossoms die set before being distracted with other projects.  When I got back to trying to finish the card Color Hues had post the new combo and it was pink and sage!   A few days later I was finally able to ink up some cardstock with Bundled Sage distress oxide ink.  I tried to get a decent ombre look with Bundled Sage distress oxide ink.  It is subtle, but there is that ombre look.  I die cut the piece with the smallest rectangle in the Folk edge rectangles die set and then matted that piece with some white cardstock that I had embossed with an embossing folder.   That was die cut with a large Fold edge rectangle and adhered to my card base.  I adhered three of the Artistic Blossoms in the center with liquid adhesive, added the bow, the sentiment from the PFS Amazing Things stamp set and then added some tiny gems to finish it off.   

That's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

two simple cards...

 Hello and happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone here in the US.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and Memorial Day.  Our weather isn't so great this weekend (unfortunately typical for the Pacific Northwest!), but we will still have a good time!   I'm popping in to share two pretty simple cards that I made for a couple of challenges.   Let's have a look at card #1.

This card is for Color Hues (use coral and teal) and the Pinkfresh Studio May challenge of flowers.  I don't often make two cards for challenges hosted by papercrafting companies, but I had just gotten the pretty Pinkfresh Studio Amazing Things stamp, die and stencil set.  I'm on a mission to use products at least once right after I get them and so here we are, lol!  I stamped the image and then stenciled the flowers with Pinkfresh Studio inks in Coral Reef and Passionfruit and distress ink ink Abandoned Coral.  The leaves were stenciled with Pinkfresh Aquamarine and Teal Cave inks.  I used a PFS scalloped rectangle die to cut light gray cardstock and then adhered the stem to the frame before adhering it to the white cardstock base.  I finished with a sentiment from the Amazing Things stamp set that I die cut with the matching die and popped up.

This next card for the current Color Throwdown challenge is super simple.  I don't think I have made a card this simple in a very long time, lol!

  The colors for this week's CTD challenge are olive, grey and white.  Perfect for a masculine card.  I make birthday cards for my mom to give to her grand and great-grand children so this one will be going to her to give to my son who is turning 18 in just a couple of weeks.   I can't believe he will be 18!  Seems like it wasn't that long ago he was heading off to kindergarten!  Time sure does fly.  Anyway, I did direct to paper inking with Crushed Olive and Weathered Wood distress inks to get my colors.  I have been going thru my craft supplies, again, to determine what I need to purge and came across this little circular die with the trees in it from Simon Says Stamp.  Don't know the name of it, but it sure is cute.  I die cut the trees from the Crushed Olive panel and then die cut that with a square die.   I used the same square die to cut the Weathered Wood panel and then adhered the two together using thin foam squares.   I added it to a white die cut panel and then added the Memory Box birthday sentiment tab.  Like I said, super simple!

That's it for me!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

two cards...

 Hello!  Popping in to share two cards that I made for several challenges.  First up is a card I made for Color Throwdown and the May Pinkfresh Studio challenge of flowers.  Take a look.

I have had the Pinkfresh Studio Charming Floral Border set of products for along time and I think have only used it once.  Shame on me because how sweet is it?  I stamped the image twice and then used the stencils to color the flowers using Pinkfresh Studio inks.  When I initially did the stenciling of the purples the second shade was too close in color to the first one use so I had to re-stencil the image using a darker purple.   Didn't have to do that with the oranges and the aquas.  Once the stenciling was done I die cut the borders with the matching die.  I die cut additional borders from scrap cardstock to adhere behind the stenciled ones to give them more substance.  There were adhered to my favorite PFS Sparkling Diamonds cover plate die.  I decided that I didn't want to cover up any of the pretty stenciling I did so I used a sentiment from the Charming Borders set that I embossed in black on vellum and then trimmed down with a sentiment strip die.  I finished with these little clear droplets that I have.  I don't know where they came from, but I sure do like them!

This next card is for Freshly Made Sketches and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  Take a look.

I found the FMS sketch to be a bit of a challenge for me.  I wanted to use patterned paper for the card and used some green and blue plaid paper from a Memory Box 6x6 pad.  I die cut the center rectangle and then flipped the paper over to cut the strips from the other side.  I think I got my strips too close to the center rectangle, but no going back now, lol!  The center rectangle was popped up with foam squares and the strips around the rectangle with thin foam squares.  I had previously inked up some white cardstock with brown and blue distress oxide inks (vintage photos, gathered twigs and blueprint sketch) so I used those to die cut my little Birch Press Design Budding Twigs from those.  Some of the pieces have alot of inking and some only a little.  I liked the variation it provided.  I adhered the twigs together and then attached them to the center rectangle.  I finished with the twine bow and an Open Studio "happy birthday" sentiment tab.  

That's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

i'm smiling...

 Hey there!  A quick post to share a card that I made for the April Pinkfresh Studio challenge.  I will also be posting this to the Paper Players and the Simon Say Stamp Wednesday challenge.  Here is what I made.

The Pinkfresh Studio challenge closes soon so I went with a very simple design that uses a sweet little Pinkfresh Studio wreath die for the circle element called for in the challenge.  I also used one of the colors choices:  pink.   The layout is from the Paper Players.   I also used the PFS Curvy Foliage die.  Along with all the white I threw in a bit of gold metallic cardstock.  For the little squares in the back I die cut the PFS Sparkling Diamond cover plate from white cardstock and then die cut individual squares using a small square die.  The sentiment is from a PFS stamp set called Charming Floral Border.  

That's it for me!  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

He is Risen!

 Hello!  Posting agin, lol!  This time I'm sharing a card for the Pinkfresh Studio March challenge to frame it up.  I will also be posting this to the Color Throwdown gallery and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.   Let's take a look at what I made.

I recently purchased the new Pinkfresh Studio Cherry Blossom stencil and die set.  The concept of having a stencil to work with a die is pretty neat.  I used Pinkfresh Studio inks for the cherry blossoms, leaves and stem.  The die cut super close so you don't have any white outlines left behind after diecutting.  I really like that!  You can also just die cut all the pieces from colored cardstock to layer.  For the frame it up part of the challenge I used the PFS Fancy Oval frame and the Stitched Scallop Rectangle die set.  I die cut the Fancy Oval frame from yellow cardstock several times and adhered them together for more stability.  I die cut the Stitched Scallop rectangle from a very light pink glitter cardstock and adhered that directly to my card front.  I then adhered the oval frame with thin foam strips.  The drop out ovals from the Fancy Oval frame set were also adhered together with a white one on top and then inserted back inside the frame.  I then added the cherry blossom stem to the frame using a combination of glue and foam squares.  I finished with the sentiment from a very old Simon Says Stamp Easter stamp set.  

That's it for me!  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Jewel Snowflake

 Hello!  Popping in with a card for a few challenges, Freshly Made Sketches, Color Throwdown and Pinkfresh Studio monthly challenge.    For the PFS challenge I went with the theme of a Christmas/holiday card. Take a look at what I made:

A few months ago Pinkfresh Studio had a Christmas/holiday release and they introduced the beautiful Folk Snowflake stamp, stencil and die set of products.  I love a good snowflake and had to get this one.  I had been waiting for the right situation to come along to make something with this set and the color combo from CTD is what set everything in motion.  I just love the beautiful jewel tone colors in the combo and it worked out perfectly that there were three colors (plus gold) and three layers to the snowflake.  I just love the snowflake in those bold colors.  I stenciled the snowflake first using PFS inks in Royal Kiss, Olive and Sapphire, stamped it with the outline stamp and then die cut it.   I had previously die cut the gold rectangle using the PFS Folk Rectangle dies set.  I layered that on a white panel and then used the smaller scalloped rectangle die for the piece I layered the snowflake on.  To make the scalloped rectangle and the snowflake substantial I adhered several layers behind each before adhering them to the panel.  I finished with one gold glitter embellishment to the center of the snowflake and the greeting that I had hot foiled in black a long time ago! 

That's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

fall berries...

 Hello!  I'm popping in today with a card for this month's Pinkfresh Studio challenge, as well as the Sunday Stamp challenge.  The Pinkfresh Studio challenge this month is to use ombre and/or tone on tone.  I actually used both on my card with the gorgeous color way from Sunday Stamps.  Take a look at what I made.

I have mentioned this before, but Scrapbook.com often has a "gift with purchase" or freebie offer.  During the summer one of their offers featured a product from Pinkfresh Studio.  It has been a while, but I believe it was the stamp set called Berry Branch.  I couldn't resist so I bought the coordinating stencils and die.  That is what I am using on my card today.  The stamp set is actually a Christmas set, but as you can see, the berry branch looks amazing in fall colors.  I used distress inks in Scattered Straw and Rusty Hinge for the leaves and Festive Berries and Fired Brick for the berries.  That created my tone on tone look.  I did ombre ink blending on white cardstock using Weather Wood and then die cut the panel with the Pinkfresh Fancy Oval Frame die.  I die cut multiples of the frame from scrap cardstock, adhered them together and then adhered it to my white cardstock panel.  With the Fance Oval Frame die the oval is a "fall out" piece.  I adhered all of the ones made when I die cut the frame together with the ink blended on on top and then added thin foam squares to the back to pop it up even more.  I then adhered the berry branch on top.  Originally, I had wanted the white portion of the oval frame to be at the top, but I could find a good place to put the sentiment (from the Pinkfresh Studio Thanks for Being There stamp set).  I flipped the panel upside down and there was the perfect spot, lol!  I adhered the sentiment with a combo of liquid adhesive and foam squares cut into thin strips.   I finished with some Pinkfresh Studio ombre jewels in gold.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Freshly Made Sketches 600 Sketch Celebration!

 Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating their 600th sketch and they asked me and other past "Queen of Clean" winners to participate in the celebration!   Take a look at the sketch and then the card I made. 

Isn't that a great sketch?  Of course it is because all the FMS sketches are great, lol!  Here is how I interpreted the sketch:

For the circular element in the sketch I used the super pretty Thanks for Being There stamp and die set from Pinkfresh Studio.  I stamped the image with VersaFine CLAIR Nocturne ink on watercolor paper and then colored it with my Jane Davenport watercolors.  Once it was dry I die cut it with the matching die.  I'm also going to add this card to the August Pinkfresh Studio challenge (sparkle & shine) so I added some sparkle to my card with leaves die cut from gold glitter cardstock using the Leafy Branch die.  For the background and the strip element I used the Pinkfresh Studio Sparkling Diamonds cover plate die.  I used the gold glitter cardstock for the strip element, as well.  I finished off the card with the sentiment and lots of sparkling gems in the centers of the flowers.   Adding this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, as well. 

I hope you will play along with the FMS challenge this week.  They have some fun things in store for you.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

two very different cards...

 Hello!  Today I have two very different cards to share.  One is light and bright and the other is rather dramatic.  Let's take a look at the first one.

First up is the rather dramatic looking card.  This one is for the current Sunday Stamps challenge as well as the April Pinkfresh Studio challenge.  The Sunday Stamps challenge is a color challenge and I just fell in love with the bold, dramatic color combo.   Pinkfresh is asking for floral themed cards and I did use at least one color from their color palette:  olive.  I started by foiling the Daisy Wreath with black foil.  Once that was done I stenciled image using the majority of the Sunday Stamps colors.  My greens aren't as dark, but I think that is okay.  All inks used are from Pinkfresh Studio.   The wreath was then die cut with the matching die.  I cut an additional wreath from scrap white cardstock and adhered it to the back of the stenciled one to give it more stability.  The sentiment is a collaboration between Pinkfresh Studio and Scrapbook.com.  I don't know if it is available now.  I have had it for a long time, but I think this is the first time I have used it.  I foiled it using blue foil and die cut it with the matching die.  Additional cuts were made and adhered to the foiled sentiment.  I decided to continue the dramatic look by die cutting dark blue cardstock with the Sparkling Diamond cover plate die.  I then die cut it down further so I would have the white border.  I adhered the wreath and the sentiment and then added some Pinkfresh Studio jewels in Stargazer and Pink to finish the card.  Here is a close up of the foiled sentiment.

Now for my light and bright card!

Even though it doesn't feel like spring in my part of the world the Color Throwdown combo helps remind we that it is in fact spring!  I pulled out my Reverse Confetti Poppies stamp and die set to do some simple stamping.  I'm still sad that Reverse Confetti is no more, but I'm determined to use my stash of RC products.  The hello is from the RC Hello Daisy stamp and die set.   After stamping and die cutting all the elements I arranged them on a simple white cardstock panel and then added some yellow Nuvo drops to the centers of the smaller flowers.   Clean, simple and very different from the first card!

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

two cards...

 Hello!  Popping in with two cards today.  One card is for the Altenew monthly challenge and the other is for the Pinkfresh Studio monthly challenge.  First up is the card for Altenew, take a look. 

The color combo this month for the Altenew challenge was definitely a challenge for me.  But I wanted to take up that challenge because isn't that what challenges are for, lol?   The colors are green and two shades of brown, but there is also a lovely old brick castle featured in the photo so I decided to take some inspiration from that and create a "brick" background for my green leaves.  I created my own stencil using a die that I have that creates a brick background.  I applied light brown ink first through my stencil and then blended on some light gray ink.  The inks I used are Pinkfresh Doe and Altenew Linestone.  I went back and forth between the two colors to get the look I was going for.  I stamped the leaves from the Leaf Canopy stamp set on watercolor cardstock using VersaFine Clair Acorn ink and then watercolored them with two shades of green from my Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor set.  Once everything was dry I die cut them with the matching dies.  I die cut down my background panel, stamped it with the sentiment from Mega Succulent stamp set with the Acorn ink.  The panel was adhered to the kraft card base with foam strips and then I added the leaf branches.  Now I have a nice masculine birthday card and I'm really happy with how it turned out. 

Now let's have a look at my card for the Pinkfresh Studio monthly challenge.

The last time I ordered from Scrapbook.com they had a free gift opportunity that I couldn't pass up.  I pretty 6x6 pad of paper from Dress My Craft called Hydrangea Lawns.   I decided to use that along with many different Pinkfresh Studio dies for my card.  The Pinkfresh challenge is layers and boy do I have layeres, lol!  I started by die cutting the Modern Mosaic coverplate die from some of the patterned paper.  Using a rectangle die that I have that is the exact same sizes as the cover plate die I die cut a piece of patterned paper with a script design on it and adhered it behind the mosaic panel.  I then die cut another piece of patterned paper with the Fancy Oval frame.  I die cut a second frame and adhered it to the main oval.  I die cut a scalloped rectangle using the Essentials Scalloped rectangle die, adhered that and then added the oval frame.  I added foam squares to the back of the fall out oval and set it back inside the frame.   I had previously foiled some of the Pinkfresh butterflies on acetate and then adhered them to some patterned paper I used two of those on the card along with a sentiment that I foiled in gold on acetate, as well.  Nice to be able to use up some of those bits and pieces we all seem to have!

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

you are amazing...

 Hello!  Hope all is well in your world.  I have a clean and simple card to share for a few challenges.  Clean and simple seems to be my mode these days, but that is okay.  I love clean and simple cards!  This one is for Freshly Made Sketches, Color Throwdown and Pinkfresh Studio February challenge.   Take a look.

The February challenge at Pinkfresh Studio is to use stripes on your project.  The FMS sketch was the perfect vehicle for that challenge.   And who doesn't love a pretty pastel color combo?  Things are very gray here in my corner of the world (we even got snow the other day!) so I was keen to create with a palette that makes me think of spring.  Bonus that the colors in the PFS challenge and the CTD challenge are very similar!  I cut stripes of pink and yellow cardstock and adhered them to a panel of scrap cardstock.   I used the Pinkfresh Studio Leafy Branch die to the green cardstock.  I then trimmed it down to fit the card front and added it to the striped panel along with the foiled sentiment.   I used two of the trimmed off pieces and added them to the card front to fill things out a bit.