Healing Hugs

 

I made this card for a female relative who is quite ill.  I used 4 dies to create this card.  The dotted pattern on the background is made with a Simon Says Stamp die called Detail Bohemian Plate.  I glued this to a white card base.  The border was cut with a Simon Says Stamp Thin Frame die.  The flowers were cut with a Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies die.  The sentiment was cut with another Simon Says Stamp die.

Winter snowflake cards

 When I felt that I wouldn't get Christmas cards finished in time, I started making winter cards.  I bought a new 3D embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp called Snowflake Oval Frame.  I brayered Brilliance Sky Blue Pearlescent Ink on the background portion of the embossing folder, then placed white cardstock inside the folder and rolled it through my Big Shot.

I stamped sentiments inside the oval portion and mounted this on a white card base.

Christmas cards 2020

This has been a difficult year for many of us.  I was late getting started making Christmas cards.   I found some motivation from Jennifer McGuire's blog:   Sparkle Alcohol Ink Backgrounds + LOTS of Cards - Jennifer McGuire Ink

This technique involves putting alcohol ink onto glitter paper for very colorful backgrounds.  I added a die cut made with a String Art Frame die from Birch Press Design.  Next, I added a metallic 'star' made with a Tim Holtz 3D die.  Finally, I added a sentiment made with a Memory Box die.  I mounted the sentiment on an oval made of vellum.

I made quite a few of these cards, but I'm only showing a few to show you the finished product.

Birthday Wishes

I made this card for my brother's 99th birthday.  The background is made with alcohol inks.  The balloon sentiment die is by Simon Says Stamp.  The double stitched rectangle frame die is from Art Impressions and the silver thin rectangle die is from Simon Says Stamp.  I added the silver thread to the balloon.
 

Special order masks

With this pandemic going on, I've been making masks for family members and friends.  I'm grateful that I learned to sew many years ago, but it's more difficult now with poor eyesight and numb fingers.  I've learned to make the masks to order for special people.  I've made them in different sizes and colors.  I received a request for orange masks.  This is the fabric I found and made masks.

 I made a card to accompany the masks with some fun House Mouse stamps.

Happy Thanksgiving

 I had problems getting motivated to make Thanksgiving cards this year, so I bought a new 3D embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp.  These cards used something new with somethin very old.

 

With these cards, , I brayered ink onto the background before embossing.  This created the background for the leaves.  Then, I patted Versamark ink onto the raised leaves and brushed on Perfect Pearls, which is a very old pigment powder by Ranger.  I've had them many years.  Each card turned out different, with colors and amounts of the Perfect Pearls.  I then added a die cut sentiment (Karen Burniston) and some die cut frames and mounted on cream cardstock base.

I also made a few cards with embossing folders of trees and added some leaves that I made in the previous post.

Autumn cards

 I've been in a rut lately & asked for some inspiration.  Another card maker suggest working with fall colors and leaves.  My first step was to create some leaves.  I used watercolor paper and dabbed watercolors and water all over it.  When dry, I used dies and punched to cut leaves from this paper.

Next, I had to find cards to mount the leaves on.  I used some embossing folders to create them.

Now, I need to work on a few more.

Alcohol ink backgrounds

 I've been in a bit of a rut and haven't made many cards.  I decided to pull out my alcohol inks and yupo paper.  I didn't have a plan, just see what happened.  Here is a couple of my backgrounds.

After making a few more backgrounds, I pulled out some dies to create some cards.

This shadow box card was made with 1/2 of the top background.   I used 2 Memory Box dies to create window in both the front and inside panels to show the background.  A few stamps added to the design.

This card was made with the other half of the previous background.  The forest collage die is from Simon Says Stamp.  I added some punched leaves cut from watercolored paper and a die cut sentiment.

This is another alcohol ink backgound showing through the opening cut with a die by Hero Arts.   I added a thin frame cut with a Simon Says Stamp die and corner dies from Poppy Stamps.

Pine frame birthday card

 I just got an address for an adult grandson, just in time for his birthday.  I made a quick card with a couple of dies I bought recently and hadn't used yet.

This Pine Frame die is by Wplus9.  It also has 2 pine sprig dies.  I used them inside the card, but forgot to take a photo.  The script birthday die is from Simon Says Stamp.  They go great together and I just put them on a yellow background and cut the sentiment die from the same cardstock.  Quick to make and good for a man who loves hiking.

Another balloon birthday card

 This is a simple one layer card.  I stamped a Penny Black hedgehog stamp in black ink and colored with colored pencil.  The sentiment could have been stamped, but I used a Memory Box die.

Anniversary card

 I made this card for a family member who is having difficult health issues.  The background is made with alcohol ink.  The circle diecut with the birds is by Hero Arts and the sentiment die is from Memory Box.

It's hard to see on this image, but there are little crystal butterflies scattered on the white diecut.  There is also a thin silver rectangle die cut around the edge.  These closeups show a couple of them.

This is the sentiment on the inside with and enamel heart to accent it.

Balloon birthday

This card made use of a couple of die sets.  The balloon sentiment die is by Pretty Pink Posh and the smaller balloon dies are from a set by Poppystamps.  The hedgehog stamp is from Penny Black.  I colored the stamped image with colored pencils and added twine to hold the balloons.

Another rainbow card

 I'm still playing with my rainbow dies.  This time, I cut the rainbow from a watercolor pad by Colorbok.  This is patterned paper with watercolor type patterns.  I also inset the rainbow into the negative space from the die.  The clouds are cut from felt.

Look for the Rainbow

I have purchased quite a few new dies and wanted to use them to create a card.  The rainbow dies are by Lawn Fawn.

I used an alcohol ink background and cut it out with a stitched rectangle die, since the rainbow and clouds have stitching.  The sentiment is stamped, but I didn't have a stitched die the right size, so I used a Sizzix die with piercing around the edge.  I then added a frame and mounted all on a white card base.

For the inside and back of card, I used a new set of House Mouse stamps.

 

Sparkly hugs

This is another background made with alcohol ink on silver sparkle alcohol ink paper.  The circle hugs is a combination of 2 dies.  The hugs part is cut out of an open circle.  I had to use another circle die to create the border.  This circle hugs is cut from holographic silver paper. 

I added a silver layer, cut with a Sissix rectangle die that cuts dots around the edge.  I then mounted this on a lavender card base.  I stamped a cut little house mouse stamp and message to back of card.

These stamps are from a darling stamp set I just got.  These cute mice are all wearing masks, along with the rest of us.

Sparkly birthday

I've had some problems being creative this month.  It's been a sad month with the death of my precious dog and the dog of my best friend.  It's always hard to lose them when they've been a part of out lives for so long.

I had to pull myself out to make a birthday card for a special female relative.  This background is made with alcohol inks on silver sparkle alcohol ink paper.  It leaves a very vibrant sparkly color.  I added several dies to finish this card, then mounted it on a yellow card base.

It's hard to capture the true color and sparkle of this card.  Another photo shows the color better, but not all the sparkle.

Stay healthy

I've been very distracted lately and haven't been very creative.  I lost my good friend and faithful dog recently.  He lived a good life, but had a difficult time this spring.  Cancer strikes again and he crossed the Rainbow Bridge the end of June.  I miss him a lot.

I did find myself making a belated birthday card recently.  This was for a man trying to stay healthy while this pandemic is keeping him at home.

Independence Day

Tomorrow is the day that we celebrate freedom in the USA.  I made a couple of cards to celebrate.

Flowers and bees

I've been playing with more new dies and created a couple more cards.  When I made this background die-cut with a new Studio Katia die, it looked like a honeycomb, so I searched for some bee dies and found this one by Memory Box, called Sweet Honeybees.  Next, i needed some flowers, so I found some I had for some time and cut them out of bright colored cardstock.  The bees wings are cut from some new holographic cardstock from Simon Says Stamp.

I have more dies to play with, so I'll keep trying to use them.

Playing with new dies

I created a few more cards from new dies.  This first one was for a female relative with many problems right now.

The 2nd card was just to try out some fun new dies.

The background is done with alcohol inks.  The leaves are by Poppy Stamps and the daffodil from Simon Says Stamp.

New dies

I have quite a few new dies that I'm beginning to play with.  There will be more to come, but here are a couple of cards.

Masks and die cut card

I've been spending a lot of time making masks for friends.  I ordered some great elastic cord from Simon Says Stamp.  My friends liked the elastic so much that I'm been making lots of masks.  This elastic cord is so soft that it doesn't hurt their ears.  I also learned to add wire twistem to the nose portion to shape it around the nose.  This keeps your glasses from steaming up.  The masks are 2 layers of fabric, with the twistem inside the top seam. I don't know how long we will need to wear masks, but they are required at some places here in town.

My neighbor had a lot of fabric from her mother, who was a quilter, so I've been making masks from many of these fabrics.  You can't really tell from these photos, but it's a simple rectangle with pleats on both sides.  There are many different fabrics.

I did take some time to make a card from one of my new dies.

This die is from Waffle Flower and called Herringbone Panel Die.  It has a diamond shaped solid area in the center.  I used a very old Martha Stewart punch for the center, the cut it out with a Spellbinder scalloped square.  I added some gems on the center piece.

Now I just got a shipment of more new dies to play with.  Hope to make some cards with them soon, between making masks.