Technique Tuesday Season of Thanks Sale

Hi all!  I'm sharing a couple cards today created with the Rhododendron Flower stamp set from Technique Tuesday.  This is one of a number of stamps and dies included in the Season of Thanks sale going on now through Thursday October 24th.  All thankful, grateful, and Thanksgiving themed stamps and dies are 20% off using code Thanks19, which means you can pick this set up for $7.99!

I really love the detailed stippling in the image, so wanted to keep things very simple.  For this first card, I stamped the image on a piece of white cardstock using GinaK Black Amalgam ink, and added some very light coloring with Copics.  The sentiment was also stamped with black Amalgam ink.

To finish things off, I just added a bit of white twine, and popped the panel up over a kraft card base.

For this second card, I just wanted to show how lovely this image is all on it's own.

The image was stamped in the corners of a subtle yellow patterned paper panel, and then one of the sentiments from the set was stamped in the center of the panel.

This was literally a five minute card!  You could definitely mass produce this one too, mixing my the colors of the patterned paper or sentiments to create a card set.

Be sure to stop by Technique Tuesday to check out the sale!

Spellbinders Past Club Kits Sale

There's currently a big sale going on at Spellbinders.  Select past Club Kits are 40% off.  Today I'm sharing a couple of cards using the Bonjour Large Die of the Month kit.  

The focal part of the kit is of course these gorgeous butterflies.  There are four layers to the butterfly, and I love how by changing up the layers you can get very different looks.  For these cards I used the exact same colors of cardstock, but changed the order. 

For my butterflies, I adhered each layer together.  You could also adhere just the center portions to get a wonderful dimensional look.

Once I adhered all the layers, I die cut the base layer into a panel of white cardstock.  This was then adhered to the card base and the assembled butterfly was inlaid into it.  I had also previously added a strip of black and white striped paper to the card base.

 

The sentiments on both the cards are from my Typed Sentiments set for Neat & Tangled.

Aren't these butterflies just beautiful?

Be sure to check out the sale at Spellbinders.  Here are a couple of cards I've shared before using kits that are on sale:

Thanks so much for visiting!

Thanks Mate!

I've had the Avery Elle Together We Flourish collaboration set from Ellen Hutson for a while now, and finally got around to using one of the sweet images.

There are several different animals images, and this one and the Koala are my favorites, but I just love the little roo peeking out of his Mama's pouch and thought they should get inked up first.

Really simple card. Stamped with Gina K Black Amalgam ink and colored with Copics (E21, E23, E25, E27).

I created a bit of ground with some speckling and then stamped one of the sentiments from the set.

Sometimes it's just fun to just color a super cute image!

Also, in case you haven't heard, there's a big sale happening over at Ellen Hutson, over eight pages worth.  30% off everything in this section, no code needed, and the sale runs through tomorrow the 17th.  This set is no longer available, but there are several United We Flourish sets you can still pick up as well as a lot of other Essentials By Ellen products and many items from other companies too

Hope you're having a g'day too!

SSS Cheer & Joy Collection

Have you guys seen the Cheer & Joy release from Simon Says Stamp?  You can guess from the title of the collection that it's all about the holidays.  Today I'm featuring three cards using one of the sentiments from the Holiday Greetings Mix 1 set. 

I really love the sentiments in this set and had a hard time choosing which one to use first, but I love the delicate foliage around the merry sentiment, so I decided this was the one.

I decided to show off three different looks for this set, coloring it three ways.  For the first card, just some basic Copic coloring.

The colors used were YG05, G14, G17, R35, and R37.

Next up, colored pencils on kraft.

I started by stamping the sentiment/image with a very light ink, and then colored with my Prismacolor pencils.

Once I was done, I stamped again (I had left the stamp in place on my MISTI) with Versamark and embossed in gold.

Finally, watercoloring. 

This time the image was stamped with Versafine on some watercolor paper.  

Then I added loose watercoloring to the images as well as a very loose wash around the entire sentiment.

Once the panel was dry, it was popped up over my kraft card base.

Thanks so much for visiting, you definitely want to head over to SSS to check out the rest of the release!

Waffle Flower Crafts Arrowhead Set

Hi all!  Did you get to do some creating for World Cardmaking Day?  I actually got to participate this year (often times there's too much running around/chauffeuring for me to do to actually craft on WCMD)!

I have had this Arrowhead set for months now, and decided it was going to get the nod on Saturday.  This set is so me, and I really loved playing with it.

For my first time out with the set, I wanted to keep things easy, so I went with families of Altenew inks:  Sea Shore (which incidentally is my very favorite of all the Altenew ink families), Deep Blue Seas, and Enchanted Garden.

This first set of cards were created using two of the stamps, one of the 'ends' and then the middle piece,  Rather than aligning them so they pointed in the same direction, I stamped them in opposite directions.  Turning the middle piece and stamping it in the opposite direction again created almost a ribbon effect. 

I used my MISTI to stamp all of these cards.  For this first set, I alternated the inks between each layer of the pattern, so stamped all of the first shades, then second shades, etc. 

The sentiments are from my So Many Sentiments set for Neat & Tangled, and I played around a bit with the finish of the cards too.  Using mats for some, so I could have a white card base and a dark card base for the purple version.

For the second set of cards, I used just the middle section of the pattern, repeating it over and over to get an ombre effect.  I again used the MISTI, setting the stamp up in the middle of the device, and this time moved the paper up 1/4" to 1/2" each time I stamped.  This is such a quick and easy way to create a really dynamic pattern.

I used the same ink color families, and sentiments from the So Many Sentiments set again as well as the Simply Hello die from Altenew.

I really could have stamped this pattern all day!  This is such a unique stamp set and I haven't even begun to explore the possibilities!

*Affiliate links in text to Altenew and Neat & Tangled 

Spellbinders October Large Die of the Month

Today I'm showing off a couple cards featuring Spellbinders' just released October Large Die of the Month.  Once again, I feel like I only just scratched the surface of what this kit is capable of.

There are lots of different dies in the kit that can create some gorgeous floral clusters, but I chose to focus on just a few.

For this first card, I created a background using these nested flourished diamond shapes in a dark chocolate and deep purple/pink color.  I really love how these look, and the piercing in the smaller piece gives it a wonderful texture.  It would be perfect for some stitched projects too!

Once my background was created, I used some of the foliage pieces for embellishment.  They were all cut from a green cardstock, and I added some extra dimension with some Copic shading.

The thanks sentiment die is part of the kit and that was cut from gold mirror cardstock and adhered to two layers of the chocolate brown cardstock.  I really love the vintage vibe this card gives.

For my second card, I went very clean and simple.

I started by cutting two pieces of colored cardstock 2 3/4" x 5 1/2" and one strip of kraft cardstock cut 1/2" x 5 1/2".  These were adhered to a scrap piece of printer paper.

I then cut the foliage swag die from the panel, framing the center (being careful to save all the tiny little negative cuts).

The sentiment was stamped, and then I inlaid two foliage swag pieces that were cut from a rustic cream cardstock.  Those bitty little negative pieces were inlaid into the die cut and it was done.

Super easy, but it has a rustic elegance to it.

As I mentioned, I really only scratched the surface of this kit, using less than half of the dies in the kit (there are 17 total and I only used 7).

Definitely hoping to do more creating with this one!  Be sure to head over to Spellbinders to check out some more samples and also see the rest of this month's kits!

September 2019 in Books

Hi all!  I can't believe we are already at the end of another month!  I very wide variety of books this month.  I need to do a better job keeping up with Ellie and her recommendations, so there are a couple of those on this month's list and I have a few set aside for next month too.  Here's the rundown:

Mother-Daughter Book Camp (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #7) - Heather Vogel Frederick - juvenile fiction - four stars - This is the final book in the Mother Daughter Book Club series.  Ellie has now read them all, and I've read most of them.  She found this last one in the library and insisted we both read it, and I'm glad we did.  In this final installment the girls are working as counselors at a camp the summer before they head off to college.  It was a sweet way to end the story as they navigate being nervous about college and being apart from one another all while being in charge of little kids many of whom are also homesick.  As a way to assuage some of the homesickness, they start a book club at camp.  This was a fun end to the series and a great little palate cleanser of a book.

The Redeemed ( The West Country Trilogy, #3) - Tim Pears - historical fiction - five stars - Another last in a series, this book finds Leo in the Navy as WWI is just beginning.  Lottie, meanwhile, is covertly studying/apprenticing as a veterinarian.  As the war ends, they both find a way to make a living and eventually are reunited.  The pace of this is a bit more slow and languid, like the first book, but not necessarily in a bad way.  I love the detail and process that is described, from loading cannon, to salvaging ships, to performing veterinary procedures.  A fitting conclusion to the series, one I highly recommend.

Evvie Drake Starts Over - Linda Holmes - fiction - five stars - I really liked this one.  It's about a recent young widow who is trying to sort out what to do with her life now that she is newly single.  While most people think she's grieving, she's actually feeling guilt about the fact that she was in the process of leaving her husband the morning he was killed in an accident.  Enter a former professional baseball player, friend of her best friend, who is looking for a place to lie low and find his own way after flaming out and losing his arm.  I really enjoyed the banter and the personalities of the characters, and that while it was a little predictable, there was unpredictability too.  For those of you who are up-lit fans, you'll enjoy this one for sure.

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth - Sarah Smarsh - memoir - three stars - This one was a disappointment.  It's kind of a mid-western version of Hillbilly Elegy, but not nearly as good.  It was hard to follow, partly because her grandparents had so many different marriages/spouses, and because she sometimes called people by their actual names and sometimes referred to them as her grandmother, mother, father, etc.  There are some really strong characters in her family and it is a really fascinating look at those who are just on the fringe of lower class, but the continual skipping around as well as the overt political messaging made it a bit of a slog for me.

Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens - fiction - five stars - I think when I put a hold on this at the library originally I was 500-something on the wait list and it finally came in.  I wasn't disappointed.  It's the story of Kya Clark who lives whose mother leaves when she is a child (after being abused by her father for many years), slower the rest of the children leave also, until only Kya remains.  She lives with her father for some time until he also drifts away and she needs to survive on her own.  She does so with the help of some kind locals and a friend of her brother's who teachers her to read.  Kya is actually incredibly intelligent and a born naturalist.  She studies her surroundings, recording what she sees/learns of the flora and fauna and wildlife of the area.  To those in town she is called the 'Marsh Girl' and something to be avoided.  Years later, when the former high school quarterback and golden boy of the town is found murdered, Kya is suspected and taken to trial.  It's a wonderful story of survival, friendship, and love.  I will say that I feel like the ending was too abrupt, things were wrapped up a little too quickly at the end after the pace of the book itself, but I really enjoyed this one overall.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (The Vanderbeekers #1) - Karina Yan Glaser - juvenile fiction - four stars - This book reminded me a bit of the Penderwicks.  The Vanderbeekers are a boisterous and friendly family who live in Harlem.  They learn that their grumpy landlord will not be renewing their lease and they will have to move just after Christmas.  At this point the Vanderbeeker children initiate a campaign to save their home, which of course involves numerous failed schemes.  This one had actually been on my Amazon list for Ellie, but she beat me to the punch and found it herself at the library earlier this year.  There are now two more in the series, so she insisted that I get started and catch up.

The Second Worst Restaurant in France - Alexander McCall Smith - fiction - three stars - This books follows My Italian Bulldozer which I really enjoyed.  Three stars is pretty low for an Alexander McCall Smith book for me.  I'll say that I did like this book, but it got a bit circuitous in the middle with a lot of chatter that really didn't move the plot along or develop the characters much.  All the action seemed to occur in the first and last few chapters.  That said, I did enjoy the story as well as a couple little plot twists.  I liked how things ended, but wish that there had been a bit more editing.
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The Perfect Nanny - Leila Slimani - fiction - four stars - A quick and compelling read.  You find out right away about the terrible consequences of the story, and then rewind to how it occurred.  Myriam decides to return to work and needs to find a nanny to care for her children.  Louise seems like a godsend, she does it all, soon the family can't function without her, but as the family and Louise grow more dependent on one another, things take an unhealthy turn.  It really like how the story delved into Louise's back story, so you could see what shaped her.  Engrossing but very disturbing.

My favorites this month were Evvie Drake and Where the Crawdad's Sing.  I'm currently finishing up Small Fry (the biography of Steve Job's eldest daughter), and after that I have Indian Horse and Where I End on tap.  Would love if you shared what you are reading!