Bee in the moment...

I haven't felt like "playing" with my "toys" lately...but thankfully I seem to be getting stronger!   I also have been playing around my blog site and uploaded a digital paper "vines" from Etsy to reinforce John 15.5 which is in the blog header.  I've started using some digital papers and images in my artwork.  For me, it's about having fun and continuing to have a measure of success as I age and with my side effects of Myeloma treatment.  When I do challenges I especially enjoy "sketches."  It gives me a starting point!     This one from Try Stampin on Tuesday grabbed my attention because of the all the shapes!  I met both of the challenge goals since I used a die cut as well as followed the sketch.     Simple and sendable were my main goals for today.   For the Can you Handle the Pressure challenge (anything goes with a flower twist), I used one of my favorite folders from a company that no longer exists.  I think since this folder has a couple of flowers on it I met the challenge twist!   It created a serene place for my bees to play.  I didn't have a "Bee" sentiment, but I think Enjoy the simple moments works well.  I love going out and piddling with my flower beds and raised bed garden (squash, tomatoes, and pepper plants.)   Right now they are beautiful plants and I'm excited to think in about one month I will start harvesting vegetables.   Of course, bees are pollinators so while I don't get close to them, they are very helpful!      I always appreciate comments and thanks to all of you who design at these two challenge blogs...Your cards help "jumpstart" my creative thinking!    Stay well,   Kathy

Supplies include:   Dandy Garden Paper (retired SU), Bumble CS (retired SU),  Enamels 2020 Incolor collection, Honey Bee Buzzworthy stamp die set.
 

Inspired by you card...

The challenge over at Inspired By... for this week involved looking through the list of Inspired by winners for 2021 and picking one.    I was inspired by Steph Perry's card #816 at  Perry Papercrafts..   She created a beautiful bouquet slimline card .   For the centerpiece on my card I used a digital swag by Glaciellie Designs is from the Faith Bundle.    I loved the light and airy bouquet that Stef created and I'm really into slimline cards these days.    I created the card base from digital paper from the Shabby Chic Garden collection I bought from a designer on Etsy.   It seems that I'm really into wood and lace combos as well.  For the base I used Gray Granite and for coloring I used Stampin Up Water Color Pencils, Daffodil, Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie.  I topped it off with Rich Razzleberry sequins that are in the current yearly catalog.  I'm excited to get back to making cards...this is my first one of the New Year.   Thanks for dropping in and stay safe and healthy~ Kathy  

Linked to the following Blogs

613 Castle Avenue - Anything Goes

 Arty Divas - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge - Anything Goes

Classic Design - Anything Goes

  A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes

The Corrosive Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Yellow Daisies Card...

I ran across this card (the card is below the stamp set) earlier today at Glacielle Designs that inspired me to make my card,  and it is loosely based on this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I had planned to use some flowers that I downloaded a couple of weeks ago, but the colors just didn't work out--I don't think I let the print out sit long enough before I watercolored the images one of the flowers was bigger than the other.  The leaves are digital printouts.  Anyway I decided to use a stamp from the retired SU set Bloom With Hope and the sentiment is from the retired SU Autumn Blessings set.   It was in last years fall Occasions catalog (I think).  The DSP is SU retired and I used an embossing folder to give it more texture.   Thanks for looking,  Kathy

 

Digital Peony,,,

 There is a lot of round going on over at Tuesday Morning Sketches, so I grabbed a doily and downloaded this Peony from Glacielle Design.    I've included a tutorial from Power Poppy on how to watercolor computer generated images.     The tutorial recommends watercolor paper,  I did not do this method, but I will someday try it!  I used watercolor pencils and a brush and dabbed the brush on the part I cut away.   I printed on a 4x5 piece of cs in photo, using photo helps limit waste.   Using smoky slate as the base I added new enamels from the SU 2021 fall occasions.    They are having a sale through today at glacielle Design if you use the code FLASH60.    Their papers and images are gorgeous.  I'm loading all it on a flash drive so as to avoid crashing my computer.   More and more I see the need to move toward hybrid...I still love to die cut, fussy cut paste, and glue but I have developed a slight tremor so it can be challenging when stamping!     Thanks for stopping by,   Have a safe awesome week!    Kathy

 

Dog Hair-Who Knew?

With all that's going on in the world around me, I decided I needed to concentrate on "fun" for awhile.

I bought "Kinda Pawsome" from the bin project (big sale) and it has the cutest little dogs with dies and adorable sayings. I ussd a sketch from Try Stampin on Tuesday  I would send this to the dog lovers in my life just to say hi and encourage them.   Have a great weekend.    Thanks for dropping by,   Kathy

Just Because floral...

 

A "just because" card is so versatile and when I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches for this week, I immediately knew how I would interpret it.   It didn't take me long to get it made.   Embossing the card panel made it roly poly--so I had to really coat the backside with adhesive so it would be flat on the base.   Cutting the base to open at the bottom felt like a nice touch for this sketch also.    My SU "friend" supplier and I are making a Mother's Day basket for an older friend who no longer stamps with us because of her health.   We are each making cards to put in, so this is going in there.   I also swap with 3 other card makers each month.  We swap a completely made card and a kit that only needs assembly,   this may be my kit---since adhering it to the panel was a challenge for me!

Thanks for stopping in,  comments are so appreciated.           Kathy

Current product used:     SU Whimsey dies (current Occasions),  Flowers for every Season 6x6 DSP (current SU year catalog--retiring soon) and Blue Belle ink CTMH (yearly color)

 

Psa.29.2

Using the verse for this week over at WORDart Wednesday I made a card with the sketch for this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches.   Thank you for looking!       kathy

 

Psa.29.11 encouragement card

 

Today's card is stamp free.   I used Dandy Garden a new DSP from SU and downloaded a WordArt Wednesday Bible Verse Psalm 29.11.  Using the butterfly punch that is part of the Dandy Garden Suite I punched out a butterfly from one of the papers!     The design is this week's sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches.      

Happy to my day...

One of the most challenging sketches for me is a color challenge.   But Sunday Stamps challenge for this week caught my attention and I decided to give it a go.   I had already decided to make the FMS challenge because making the occasional square card is fun!    When I woke up this morning I thought of my cone flower set and how user friendly it is and came up with this card.       Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping in--comments are welcome--have a good week,   Kathy

I'll post a list of supplies later today! 

Digi Cherry Blossoms...

Sketches are definitely my favorite challenge cut I really like the Monochromatic challenge at Global Design Project so I decided to combine it with the FabFri sketch for this week.  I started out making an A2 card, but since things happen--it is a little closer to a square than a rectrangle.   The frame was created using the SU rectangles and what I think to be a piece of SU from awhile back that my SU friend gave me for my card ministry.  I downloaded the cherry blossoms with 3 sentiments from Power Poppy.  I printed the base and then colored with multiple shades of pink...I finished the look by fussy cutting some extra flowers and poppy them.  I used Wink of Stella, but you can't see it very well in the picture...Using my stamparatus I stamped the SU sentiment from Color Me Happy (retired).    I guess I should have titled this post,  A whole lot of pink going on...   Thanks for looking and comments are welcome!    Kathy

Diagonal a flutter...

My "butterfly" card could be used for many occasions and for many different folks in our lives.  It's not a "wow" I can't believe my eyes card...but is fun!  It was easy and the CASE challenge at Global Project Design provided frame work for me to do something with this cute paper (from who knows where-a friend was cleaning out her stash and I inherited it).   When I first looked at the challenge card I noticed  the diagonal sweep of the colors that comprise the circles and  that the circles seemed to be floating.  I think that the Stampin Up Sell-A-Bration Botanical Butterfly DSP would be perfect for this CASE (but I don't have any yet)....Who knows there is always March!   I'm in love with the new "Rectangle" thin cuts from SU so I cut the sentiment panel using one of them, and the sentiment is from SU Dragonfly Dreams.  Not a lot to say, but time spent posting this gave me a break from the laundry, but now it's back to the grind.  Thanks for stopping by, and happy Paper Trails to you!         Kathy

You are the happy to my day...

I haven't made a card in quite a few weeks....I had a wonderful time with family, some coming to our annual reunion and then going to see other family members unable to come to the reunion.   It was tiring but so worth it!   To each of my sisters and my brother I could definitely send this card!     I decided to basically "copy" the sketch.  When I make a card with a large space to work with I enjoy showcasing DSP.  I chose a smaller print from Nature's Poem.    Everything is SU except the "silk" whip cream splatter on the crumb cake base.  Thanks for stopping by!


FabFridaystampinchallenge

love you to the moon and back...

I saw this Try Stamping on Tuesday and decided to try it.   As I kept mulling over what to do, I kept thinking earth/moon, of which I do not own any stamps.   I decided to use SU twinkle paper and downloaded and die cut the images.   They are not to scale, since I'm not sure what scale would be!     I used a white pen to draw a broken line path to and from the moon from earth.  The sentiment is from To The Moon set (Verve).  My embossing powder is extremely old.  So my image is far from crisp...It would make a good card for an astronomy buff or expert provided you love them!       Thanks for stopping by!       kathy

floral and flutter just a note...

Inspired by the Design Team and other participants I decided to make a card for this weeks Inspire.Create. challenge blog.   I enjoy "paper" art so this one was right up my alley!  Such a simple card, the only stamping is the sentiment which is from FSJ.  I bought the paper pad at Hobby Lobby (on sale always).  I love the muted colors.  Comments are so welcome and thanks for visiting  my blog!   kathy

SSS May 2018 Kit #4 card

This is the 4th card that I have made using the items in my SSS May kit.  I thought of this green paper that is the base would be perfect for the SundayStamps sketch.  The card is up against an unused orange piece that is just like the green piece before I embossed it with the 3D Tim Holz embossing folder.  In additions to items from the kit I used SU tranquil Tide Ink...retired CTMH aqua enamels and Versa Fine Black Pigment Ink.

It came together fairly quickly and I am always tickled when I use retired items!

Thanks for stopping by,   Kathy

dog-gone good day...

I don't make many square cards...but this sketch works well for my doggies...Back in April 2018 I subscribed to "digital" Making Cards Magazine and then downloaded "Men are From Mars" images and papers.   The "dog" and polka dot paper is from that collection.  I printed up a few to make for some gals I swap with.  They have free downloadables with every issue and some great ideas in the magazine also.The gray planking behind the image is downloaded, I can print some whenever I need it.  The hardest thing about downloads is organizing them so you know where it all is.  The sentiment is CTMH way back.  I'm so happy to have an SU Stamparatus, I could have never hit that premade circle without it...and it is so crisp and clean!  I used SU Real Red CS and Ink...so simple and only took a few minutes. The card measures 4 1/4 and  it can sent be sent to gal or guy!   I mean look at that face wouldn't you like to get this card in the mail?   Thanks for stopping by,   Kathy

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Daisies..just because

I enjoyed using this week's Freshly Made Sketch.    At first I thought what am I ever gonna do with that?  I decided to use the Love Life stamp set from the FSJ April Bloom Box.   I stamped the top flowers directly on the card, planning to pop just the flower part, but I didn't like the way it turned out.  So I stamped again and fussy cut.  The mint macaroon above the leaves in the back, is not smudge it's actually part of the stamp  I also used Berry Burst (a color I don't think I have ever stamped before).  Anyway,  what's so good about challenges is that they help me be a little more creative than I might otherwise be. Thanks for stopping in and if you have any questions about other products I used...just leave it as a comment!

To the moon...

Today I received 4 new packs of DSP from SU.   They are so beautiful, and for this card I used Twinkle Twinkle.  The stamp set is "To the Moon" from Verve.  I followed the sketch from Fab Friday Challenge.
I think I'm really going to enjoy using gray granite one of SU's new colors.   Thanks for stopping by,  Kathy

hello dahlia...

Wanting to tackle the Tuesday Morning Sketch for this week,  I rummaged through my stash box and found a dahlia and leaf I hadn't colored and a "hello" that a friend gave me when she cleaned out her stash...I took a doily that I had used for a bridal shower and scallop-circle cut the center of it.  I backed it with a plain white scallop the same size out of cs so that it wouldn't show the dots on the panel.   I printed a free downloadable paper that was a purple grey with cream dots on it, it matched the hello.   I decided to color the dahlia and leaf with colored pencils in pinks and greens..  I then took a purple grey sharpie and colored 3 Su pearls.   With the beautiful DSP out there I probably won't fool with downloading paper too much...it was a bit of hassle, I probably just don't know what I'm doing!    I also linked to Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.   Thanks for stopping by,   Kathy

wonderful friend...

Combining two challenges I made my card, using Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Mint Macaroon.  Both Challenges were tough for me, but definitely taught me much...like "what not to do."   I used my stamparatus to get crisp images and a crisp sentiment.   I am loving this new toy.  But I stamped the dots using a block for the most part.  The stamp sets were Color Me Happy (Su last year when blender pens came out) and Dragon Fly Dreams (SU current) Thanks for  topping by.    Kathy

Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch
Sundaystamps.blogspot.com