Monday, March 25, 2024

Mother's Day Cards

Altenew is currently holding a card drive for seniors and is taking donations for Mother's and Father's Day cards that they will distribute to seniors in nursing homes or shelters. If you'd like more details, check out this link: 2024 Card Drive and Blog Hop for Seniors in Nursing Homes (altenew.com)

For my cards, I embossed 2 white panels using Altenew's 3D embossing folder Cupped Blossoms. Then I used Prom Queen lunar paste on the flowers and Lime Green stencil butter on the leaves. I applied the two colors with my finger on one card and with a small foam brush on the other. For the first card, I also added some green splatters using some of the Lime Green stencil butter I watered down and splattered with a paintbrush. The sentiment is from a retired CTMH stamp set. 

I trimmed the panels to 4 by 5/14 and adhered them to yellow card stock I had trimmed 1/8 inch larger. Then I adhered that to a white A2 card base. 







 Challenges I'm entering: 

Inspiration Challenge Archives - Altenew Blog


simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/:Emboss it (1/5; ends 4/3/24)

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (1/3; ends 4/1/24) C10

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (5/5 for the week; 10/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge ...: ATG (1/3; ends 4/6/24)



Friday, March 22, 2024

Bold Bouquet Sympathy Card

I recently purchased Altenew's Craft Your Life: Bold Bouquets kit, and today I put together a card using some of the elements from the kit. I embossed a black panel with the 3D embossing folder from the set and went over the raised embossed parts with gold ink. I also die cut the lily die from the set out of gold metallic card stock, embossed it, and popped it up on foam tape (this set includes a die to cut out the whole floral image and also a die to cut out just the lily that's part of the floral composition). I heat embossed the "heartfelt sympathy" from Altenew's Craft Your Life: Bewitching Rose set using gold embossing powder. I added 3 gold Nuvo drops around the sentiment. Then I used gold ink to cover the four sides of the front of the white card base so the black panel would be edged in gold. I adhered the black panel to the card front to finish the card.  



Close Up:


 Challenges I'm entering:


Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 9/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

Snippets Playground (pixiessnippetsplayground.blogspot.com): ATG with snippets (I used a snippet of gold card stock for the lily die cut on the card. I save every scrap of metallic card stocks and then use the smallest pieces for die cut flower centers and larger ones for word dies or smallish flowers 😂. I also used a larger scrap for the black embossed panel) (1/1; ends 3/29/24) C10

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com):ATG with twist of use an embossing folder (2/3; ends 4/6/24)


Dream Valley Challenges: Dies and/or punches (1/3; ends 4/1/24) C10




Embossed Thank You Card

A good friend recently spent an afternoon with me when we hugged, cried, shared our favorite scriptures of comfort, and prayed together while mourning my nephew's death. Priscilla has been a dear friend of mine for about 30 years now, and I am so grateful for all the times we've spent both celebrating and grieving together and always encouraging each other in the Lord. Christian friends are one of God's best blessings. 

To make this card, I smooshed some Distress ink onto water color cardstock using an acetate sheet to smoosh down the ink where I wanted it. I made an 8 1/2 X 11 inch panel, so I can get 4 backgrounds out of it. For this one background, I trimmed the panel to 4 X 5 1/4 and embossed it with Altenew's Cupped Blossoms 3D embossing folder. Then I stamped "thank you" using Altenew's Build-A-Garden: Grand Carnations stamp set. I adhered the panel to a piece of black card stock that I trimmed to 4 1/8 X 5 3/8. Using foam tape, I added that panel to a top-folding A2 card base I made from matching purple card stock. For a final touch, I added a few purple Nuvo stone drops around the sentiment. 





 Challenges I'm entering:

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (3/5 for the week; 8/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Easter or Spring (3/5; ends 3/27/24)


613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of diamonds or pearls (ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of embossing (1/5; ends 3/21/24)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with option of square cards (ends at the end of the month)

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (2/3; ends 3/24/24) C10


Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Easter Lily Cards

For this year's Easter cards, I made a cut file in Silhouette Design Studio software with a circle cut out for the card base and then made a circle frame cut file to add to the front of the card. I then chose a lily graphic from CreativeFabrica.com and imported it into my Silhouette Design Studio software to size it up and make a print and cut file of it. I chose "He has risen just as He said" word art from the Silhouette Design Store, and I changed the colors to match the lilies and the circle frame I wanted to use on the cards. I stamped "Happy Easter" on the inside of the cards using a retired CTMH stamp. I made nearly 200 of these cards for my mom and me to send out this year, so I needed a design that was easy to create on a large scale. The original idea for this card design came from Tami White here: ðŸ”´ Unleashing Creativity: Crafting Circle Wreath Cards with Stampin' Up Easter Lilies (youtube.com). I changed up the sizing to suit my needs (I wanted to be able to make two card bases out of a sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 card stock), but I got the idea for a circle card from her.





Here's a look at the inside:


The card and envelope:


Close up of the envelope:


Challenges I'm entering:

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 3/26/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 7/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Easter or Spring (2/5; ends 3/27/24)


Double Trouble Paper Crafting (doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com): Thing 1: Florals  Thing 3: entered in Beautiful Blossoms (4/4; ends 3/28/24)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of diamonds or pearls (ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of monochrome (4/5; ends 3/21/24)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with option of square cards (ends at the end of the month)

Doodle Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): Easter (or ATG I think?) (4/5; ends at the end of the month)


No more challenges

 

Cupped Blossoms Birthday Card

I've been playing around with my 3D embossing folders a lot lately after attending the Card Maker Success Summit, and I've tried a variety of techniques with them with mixed success. This time around, I used Altenew's Cupped Blossoms EF and added some gold ink to the raised edges and the sides of the panel. Then I stamped the sentiment (from Altenew's Nature's Magic set) in the same gold ink. I added some gold Nuvo drops and mounted the panel to a pink top-folding A2 card base using foam tape. I think next time I want to try mounting the panel to some gold metallic card stock to create a more noticeable gold edge around the panel. I may try some gold splatters next time, too. This is a lovely embossing folder, but it doesn't come with a coloring stencil like many other Altenew EFs I own, so I'm working on some different ways to make the embossed flowers stand out. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments! 




Close up:



Challenges I'm entering: 

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (1/2; ends 3/26/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 6/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Easter or Spring (1/5; ends 3/27/24)


Double Trouble Paper Crafting (doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com): Thing 1: Florals Thing 3: entered in Beautiful Blossoms (3/4; ends 3/28/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: Feathers or Fur or ATG (3/3; ends 3/22/24)

Creative Moments: #256 *Flora and Fauna* (carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com): ATG or optional twist of floral or fauna (3/3; ends 4/4/24)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of diamonds or pearls (ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of monochrome (ends 3/21/24)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends 3/21/24)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday (simplyellibelle.com): ATG (ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with option of square cards (ends at the end of the month)

Doodle Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): ATG (3/5; ends at the end of the month)



Monday, March 18, 2024

Prickly Pear Mixed Media Card

I recently attended the Card Maker Success Summit and have been inspired to try some mixed media cards. I broke out my gouache, gold paint, sprays, and Pearl Ex powders and went to work painting, splattering, and spritzing on water color papers. After they dried, I die cut Altenew's Craft-A-Flower Prickly Pear die set out of some of them and used another one as a background for my flowers and leaves. These flowers are so easy to assemble with the keyhole system Altenew uses on their Craft-A-Flower die sets. 

I adhered the background to a pink A2 card base using foam tape. Then I arranged the flowers and leaves how I wanted them and used Press 'n Seal to keep them in place while I glued them down by layers. The final layer (the flower on the left) was adhered using more foam tape. This one is definitely going to need a non-machinable stamp, but it's worth it! 



Close up of the flowers:


 Challenges I'm entering:


Double Trouble Paper Crafting (doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com): Thing 1: Florals Thing 3: Entered Beautiful Blossoms Challenge (2/4; ends 3/28/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: Feathers or Fur or ATG (2/3; ends 3/22/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 4/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with twist of use dies (6/6; ends at the end of the month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): ATG (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

Creative Moments: #256 *Flora and Fauna* (carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com): ATG or optional twist of floral or fauna (2/3; ends 4/4/24)

Gem of A Craft Challenge (pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com): ATG (2/2; ends 3/22/24)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of diamonds or pearls (ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of monochrome (ends 3/21/24)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (ends 3/21/24)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday (simplyellibelle.com): ATG (ends at the end of the month)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 3/19/24)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with option of square cards (ends at the end of the month)

Doodle Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): ATG (2/5; ends at the end of the month)





Saturday, March 16, 2024

When You Go Through Deep Waters Card

One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 43:2. The entire verse is so beautiful as it promises God's presence and protection when we "go through deep waters" and "walk through fire." We won't be overwhelmed by the waters or consumed by the flames because our loving heavenly Father is beside us through it all.

I created this card for my sister and brother-in-law who recently lost their 18-year-old son. My nephew was a bright, funny, hard-working young man, and this loss is as devastating as it is unexpected. Yet we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13) because we know he is with the Lord in heaven, and we will see him again one day. Still, there is the separation that death brings while we are still here on earth, and it's very painful. We are clinging to Jesus and trusting Him to strengthen and uphold us in this time of mourning. He is faithful!

The word art on the card is from the Silhouette Design Store, and I did an offset of it and made it into a print and cut in the Silhouette Design Studio software.

For the background panel, I used a few shades of blue Pearl Ex powders on water color paper and sprayed water on them. Then I sprayed some blue ink and blotted that a bit. I also added some touches of Stormy Skies distress ink onto the panel and a few big water droplets. I used my heat tool to dry the panel and then ran it through Altenew's From Land to See 3D embossing folder. I ran it through three times in total so that I could have the waves over the entire panel and have some of them seem closer than those in the background. 

The boat was created using Altenew's Wooden Rowboat die set. I die cut the pieces out of a few different colors of brown and black and then did a little ink blending on the wooden planks. I added the boat and the sentiment with foam tape. 





I find Altenew's grip mat is helpful for holding things in place while I'm blending die cuts or assembling pieces. I used it here to hold the base of the card down while I adhered the front panel. 


Challenges I'm entering: 


 Word Art Wednesday: ATG (3/5 for the week; 3/10 for the challenge; ends 3/27/24)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with twist of use dies (5/6; ends at the end of the month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): ATG (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

Creative Moments: #256 *Flora and Fauna* (carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com): ATG or optional twist of floral or fauna (1/3; ends 4/4/24)

Gem of A Craft Challenge (pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com): ATG (1/2; ends 3/22/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: Feathers or fur or ATG (1/3; ends 3/21/24)

Can You Handle The Pressure? (cyhtp.blogspot.com): ATG with optioinal twist of bling (1/3; ends 3/19/24)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (1/2; ends 3/29/24)

We Love to Create mixed media Challenge Blog...sponsored by Polkadoodles (welove2create.blogspot.com): ATG with mixed media (I used Pearl EX powders, sprays, and water coloring with distress ink) (2/2; ends at the end of the month)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of diamonds or pearls (ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz (craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with optional twist of monochrome (ends 3/21/24)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (ends 3/21/24)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday (simplyellibelle.com): ATG (ends at the end of the month)

Ellibelle's Corner: I spy with my little eye (simplyellibelle.com): B (Boat) (ends 3/18/24)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (1/2; ends 3/19/24)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with option of square cards (ends at the end of the month)

Doodle Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): ATG (1/5; ends at the end of the month)