Hoppy days are here again

Hoppy Days Ahead is the name of the Simon Says Stamp set I used for the bunny and flower. I colored them both with Copic markers, although the flower didn’t dry to the shade I wanted. I used Newton’s Nook Oval Frames to cut Lawn Fawn’s Spiffy Speckled paper and inked the edges of the rectangle with their Sugarplum ink. Couldn’t find room for a sentiment, but I think the sweet bunny speaks for himself.

Egg-stra special card

 Newton and his friends want you to have a happy Easter on this card. I used the Newton’s Nook Springtime paper pad cut into banners and their Newton’s Easter Basket stamp. The image was colored with colored pencils and Stage Lights sequins from Trinity Stamps were added for accents. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

Sweets for the sweet

 

On this card, I stamped candy hearts using Newton’s Nook Candy Heart stamp and Gina K. inks in Bubblegum Pink, Peach Bellini, Lemon Drop, Applemint, Sea Glass, and Lovely Lavender. The messages are stamped in Red Hot. I cut the hugs sentiment from the CZ Designs Basic Trio set out of white cardstock three times and stacked them up, then cut the sentiment and a background panel from Simon Says Stamp Matte Silver cardstock. I glued the silver sentiment on top of the stacked white sentiments and attached them to the trimmed out candy heart panel. I then glued the silver backer panel to an A2 card base and attached the candy heart panel on top with foam tape. I enjoy making my own custom patterned papers using stamps.

Quatrefoil fun

 I combined a stencil and stamp set to make this card, and used another set for the sentiment. The inks used were Gina K. Passionate Pink, Wild Lilac, and Red Velvet, and the stamp/stencil set was from Scrapbook and Cards Today. The sentiment is by Hero Arts. A somewhat unconventional Valentine!

Birthday Background

 This card uses Taylored Expressions Party Vibes Background, stamped and heat embossed with Ranger Fine Detail White embossing powder. I then blended Bubblegum, Lemonade, Mermaid, and Grape Soda Lawn Fawn inks across it. I cut it down using a Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangles die. I used a CZ Design by Simon Says Stamp happy birthday die. I colored the letters with the same Bubblegum ink I used for the blending. I mounted it on a 4.25x5.5 top folding notecard. I then finished it off with a few iridescent sequins.

Shiny!

 This is an entry into Simon Says Stamps Wednesday challenge. The theme this week was Anything Goes, so I pulled out some products I've been wanting to play with: Lindy's Magical Powders! You can't really tell from the picture, but the background is very shimmery. I first embossed the SSS Arches background stamp in white on watercolor paper. Then I wet the paper thoroughly and flicked on the powders. I combined Beach Ball Blue and Dip a Toe Teal. The sentiment is CZ Designs for Simon Says Stamp, and I used SSS Matte Silver Cardstock for the mat and sentiment. Both panels are cut with Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles. I then added a few silver sequins just for fun. 

Birthday Balloon!

 This happy birthday balloon is an entry in the current Inky Paws Challenge: Birthdays. I used paper from the Newton's Nook Birthday Party pad for the balloon and the background. I used the Frames and Flags die set from Newton's Nook to cut the background, and the balloon shaker is one of their dies as well. The shaker is filled with silver sequins and clear seed beads. I like to use seed beads in my shaker fill-I think it helps the pieces move around. the string of the balloon is cut from matte silver cardstock and the sentiment was silver heat embossed, then stacked up on several layers of cardstock. I backed the panel with Altenew foam tape and mounted it on some yellow paper from my stash, cut to A2 size.

Hooray! This card won an Inky Paws Birthday Challenge Designer's Favorite award!

More organizing

 

I've been busy organizing my craft storage. The shelves to the left are new. I had outgrown my old shelves, below, and needed more space to stay organized, which is important because these shelves are actually in a corner of my living room, because my craft table is in a corner of my dining room and the living room and dining room flow into each other in such a way that there are no other corners in the dining room. I wanted to sort through everything and see what I still needed and what I was hanging onto out of guilt or misplaced feelings. The things I don't need are going to an organization that helps teachers, either by sharing the things I'm donating, or selling the things they can't use. The area that still needs help is the top of the original shelves. That's mostly stuff I use very occasionally, but has survived the purge because I just can't bear to get rid of it yet. Maybe someday. Everything on the shelves themselves is stuff I use on a regular basis and is 

labeled so I not only know where to look for things, I know where to put them back. I also have a database I use for my stamps and dies. All of my dies are in (170 sets so far) and most of my stamps (only my largest sets and backgrounds to go). I also intend to inventory my punches and stencils. I might do my embossing folders as well. I thought about putting my inks into the database, but I have them swatched on a ring above my desk and decided that was good enough. Now I just need to create something!

Congratulations Grandmother!

 A dear friend of mine welcomed a new granddaughter a few days ago and I made her this card to celebrate. The baby girl paper is from my stash, the letters were cut using Lawn Fawn's Henry's ABCs, the vellum heart was cut with Newton's Nook Heart Frames, and the bunnies are from Simon Says Stamp Hoppy Days Ahead collection. They were colored with Copic markers. I hope she likes it!

Yeti, set, shake!

 This adorable yeti from Yeti, Set, Go by Lawn Fawn just wants to know if he can hug you! I stenciled the backgrounds with Broken China Distress Oxide and the Lawn Fawn Snow Flurries stencil, then went over the whole paper with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and added some silver splatters. I use the largest Large Stitched Rectangle to cut out the top and bottom of the shaker, and also cut a scrap of Pixie Dust cardstock with the rectangle and then with the Slimline Stitched Hillside border die. The trees are also from Yeti, Set, Go, and they and the yeti were colored with Copic markers after stamping with Lawn Fawn's Jet Black ink. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the yeti shimmers with a coat of Wink of Stella clear. The shaker bits are from Trinity Stamps and the sentiment from Yeti, Set, Go was stamped on an Everyday Sentiment Banner made from a scrap from cutting out the card itself.

Hoping that if you don't have a yeti, you have someone to hug you and keep you warm during this cold weather.

3-dimensional card!

 Here's a card I made for the Inky Paws Color Challenge. The colors were cherry red, daffodil yellow, pewter gray, and white. The card is kind of a shadow box with Newton floating on a piece of acetate. I made the plaid and the paw print papers using Newton's Nook stencils. Little red and yellow twine bows finish off the card. I wanted to repurpose a Valentine's stamp set, so this one uses the sentiment from another Newton set to wish you a happy PURR-thday!

This card was selected by Amy as an Inky Paws Favorite! Thank you Amy!

Thankful, grateful, blessed

 

I am thankful, grateful, and blessed this year. I had almost stopped crafting due to the shaking in my hands, but I decided this time last year to give it another chance. I really missed being creative. I was able to find tools to minimize my physical limits, and now I'm enjoying myself again. This card was done with the Gina K. Wreath Builder System, Autumn Wreath Builder stamp set, and her Autumn ink selection as well as Master Layouts 2. I did use cream and dark brown instead of white and black as she often does.

Harvest blessings

 Another Newton card! I can't help it-he's a favorite. Colored with Copics, the papers are from Hobby Lobby, and the embellishments are from Trinity Stamps. The oval was cut with Newton's Nook oval set. I promise to provide some non-cat cards and projects soon! No posts until Monday, due to family obligations.

Be Thankful

 This card was made for an Inky Paws color challenge a while back. I believe the colors were black, cream, orange, and green. Not sure if the bundle in the center is supposed to be corn or wheat, but it looks sufficiently fallish either way. I got the kitties a lot darker than I intended, but live and learn. I colored the scene with Copic markers and then used the Newton's Nook Frames and Flags die set to cut out the pieces of the card. The gingham paper is from the Newton's Nook Autumn paper pad, and the solids I had in my stash.

A Sweet Fall Card

 There seem to be only two opinions on candy corn-you either love it or you hate it-there is no in between. I happen to love it and to love this Lawn Fawn stamp set that coordinates with their How You Bean jar. The background is ink blended with Distress Oxides in  Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade and then I made a shaker using fill from Trinity Stamps. I colored the inside of the jar with Copic markers and finished it off with a twine bow. As candy corn season draws to an end I wanted to share this card with you.

Fall Fun!

 Using Lawn Fawn's platform pop-up and add-on, I created this fall scene. The hedgehog is going to undo all the cat's hard work when he lands in that leaf pile! And the fox is just peeking out to watch the aftermath. Other stamp sets used were Purrfectly Wicked, Jump for Joy, and Into the Woods. The images were colored with Copic markers.

Fall Breeze, Autumn Leaves

 This card incorporates the Newton's Nook Autumn paper pad, their Frames and Flags die set, and the Autumn Newton stamp set. The image was colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. I love the colorful leaves in the fall, and where I live we really don't get much in the way of changing leaves, so this card represents my wish. I had to make Newton a Siamese this time to honor the cat I had growing up.

I'm back!

 

I certainly didn't mean to go nearly a month without posting, but being out of town and sick messed up my posting schedule. Here's a family of bears to make up for it. They're making the best of a grey day in their colorful coats, boots, and umbrella, and the little one is certainly enjoying her puddle jumping. The raindrops were created using Lawn Fawn's Fairy Dust stencil paste and their Rainy Sky stencil. I also used Lawn Fawn's Grass stencil and their Freshly Cut Grass ink for the grass, and their Manatee ink for the sky. The Beary Rainy Day stamp set is also Lawn Fawn's and was colored with Copic markers. Finally, I stamped the sentiment on a Simple Wavy Banner, also from Lawn Fawn, bending the Make a Splash sentiment to fit the banner.

Hoppy Easter!

 This card is for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. The theme is Easter/Spring, and this card is one of my favorites so far. I love tone on tone designs, and so I fell in love with the bunny paper from Doodlebug Designs. I paired it with some aqua cardstock and cut both backgrounds and the banner using the Newton's Nook Frames and Flags set. I stamped out the Lawn Fawn bunnies and colored them in various shades of brown using Copic markers, and then cut them out with the coordinating dies. I stamped the sentiment using Lawn Fawn's Peacock ink. I popped the bunnies and sentiment up on some thin foam squares.

Hoppy Days Ahead

 More bunnies from the Hoppy Days Ahead set by Simon Says Stamp. I used the papers from the March 2022 Card Kit of the Month, which is also where the stamps came from. The bunnies, flowers, and sentiment are all in the set. I cut them out with the coordinating dies and colored them with Copic markers. The background dies are from Newton's Nook Slimline Frames and Windows set. I popped the bunnies, flowers, and sentiment  up on some foam squares to give the card some dimension.