Graduation 2020 (At Last!)

Our older daughter finished her undergraduate degree from home last May and got her cap, gown, and diploma in the mail.  She was thrilled that Oglethorpe offered the Class of 2020 a traditional graduation on the Sunday after the Class of 2021 traditional graduation.  Here's the 5"x7" card that I made for her to celebrate this milestone.

For the background, I spread Solar Flare stickles glitter gel across the top and bottom and set aside to dry.  The black polka dot paper is from the current Mix-In collection, with Canary and gold shimmer trim.  The stamp set is retired but worked perfectly for her card.  Here are some close ups:

I used the circle shaker Thin Cuts for the frame and the Canary star confetti, plus I added silver loose sequins and mini gold star confetti to the shaker window.

Four black enamel dots finished it off!  Thanks for letting me share this milestone!

She graduated Magna cum Laude with Honors!

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Outdoor Borders

 Can you believe it's June already?!?  Time for the stamp of the month blog hop featuring Outdoor Borders!  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Miss Carrie's Creations blog.  From here you'll visit Darlys's blog next.)

For my project, I created a 6"x8" title page for a mini album to celebrate our travels in our new (to us) motor home!  We have loved our 5th wheel, but it was time to upgrade for many reasons.  I had always wished that I had a mini album of our camper travels, so I am starting this adventure off right.  I used the Mix-In collection, Outdoor Borders stamp set (in black) to create the three "tags" and the mountain range, plus my CTMH/Cricut You Are Here collection to cut the highway and the license plate.  I embellished the page with strips of Blue Belle glitter paper and pearls.

Here are all of the border stamps in this set (so don't you see so many great possibilities?):

Thanks for letting my share!  I'm looking forward to creating several pages with this set prior to our first trip.  Please leave a comment before continuing on to Darlys's blog next!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

Sending You Hugs Llama Card

 The National Scrapbooking Day specials are ending today, so be sure to get yours if you haven't already!

This cute llama card uses the Sending You Hugs stamp (only available in the bundle) with the Lovely paper collection.  I used markers to color her with a little shimmer brush accents.  This stamp set includes a koala and zebra also.  Wish you a whole llama love and hugs!

Slimline Cards Blog Hop

Hey, crafty friends! Slimeline cardsare such fun cards to make!  (If you're already hopping then you've probably arrived from Miss Carrie's Creations blog.  From here you'll visit Darlys's blog next.)

My slimline cards uses the You Are Enough collection: cardstock, patterned paper, and butterfly Thin Cuts, plus the May stamp of the month.  I used Blue Belle shimmer trim and glitter dots as embellishments.

May/June New Product Blog Hop

Close To My Heart just keeps knocking it out of the park with each new two-month Idea Book, and the May/June Idea Book is no exception!  This blog hop will feature CTMH Makers' favorites from the latest and greatest. (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Maureen's blog.  From here, you'll visit Miss Carrie's Creations next.)

I am showcasing the Hillside Cottage Cardmaking stamp set, coordinating Thin Cuts, and paper collection.  (I can't wait to scrapbook some travel photos with this collection and share with you soon!)  One perk of being a CTMH Maker is early access to new products and Maker-only workshops, which is where these lovely cards came from.  I can only take credit for following directions, so thanks CTMH Corp for these cute cards.

My first card features the adorable fox stamped on its Thin Cut and a wooden heart from the Hillside Cottage (wooden) shapes. 

Who knew that Flamingo and Paprika would be so pretty together?  This card features a mix of stamped images, wooden shapes, and stickers from the Hillside Cottage sticker sheet.  The first two cards both use scissor distressing on the focal image panels.

For this third card, I changed out the patterned paper but still think the card is cute.  I used a journaling pen to doodle the border on the sentiment panel.  The black wooden flowers are also part of the Hillside Cottage wooden shapes.

I am looking forward to scrapbooking with this collection and of course more cardmaking.  Please leave a comment before you visit Miss Carrie's Creations next to continue the May/June 2021 New Product Blog hop!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

H2H Challenges: Sponging

Heart2Heart Challenges is offering up a technique challenge, sponging!  My first card uses a wedge cut from our round sponge and Glacier ink.

This card features the May stamp of the month, Flowers for You, with cardstock and stamping with New England Ivy, a piece of Hillside Cottage patterned paper, and sponging with Glacier ink.  I colored in my stamped image with TriBlend Spectrum Noir markers.  The sentiment was stamped with Flamingo and New England Ivy.

I've also been have a LOT of fun sponging with distress oxide inks:

Thanks for letting me share.  Now it's your turn to give sponging a try and join us at Heart2Heart Challenges!

May Technique Blog Hop: Just Distress Oxide It!

The May 2021 Technique Blog Hop is featuring distress oxide inks.  They are so much fun to play!  They have a really creamy texture and react to water (hence the oxide in the name).  You are going to love all of the techniques you will learn on this hop.  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrive from Michelle Loncar's blog.  From here, you'll click on her name to visit Darlys Recker's Craft Happy blog next.)

I wanted to create a Mother's Day card featuring pink (or coral), yellow, and green.  Using my mini ink blending tool, I began by sponging Tattered Rose distress oxide ink in the top middle of my White Daisy card panel.  I added Mustard Seed below and then overlapped a little Tattered Rose.  I sponged Mowed Lawn on the bottom and Abandoned Coral on the top, blending the colors together across the cardstock and overlapping each color as best I could.  (While I have seen tutorials recommending a circular sponging application, I think mine looked better brushing ink across the cardstock.)  Here's a peek at the first step:

After sponging the ink on my card front panel, I misted water with a squirt bottle and then dripped random splotches onto the front with water dripping from my fingers.

To finish the background, I flicked Peach, Gold, and Candy Apple shimmer brushes onto the card front panel.

For my focal image, after stamping in Black ink, I used my Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend markers to color in the floral images and foliage.  I rimmed the edge of my circle with my black marker.  The Happy Mother's Day circle is from a retired stamp set (stamped in Black and Smoothie), and the Canary gingham circle was cut from the Lovely collection.

Here's a similar card that I've already featured on my blog that uses the same basic techniques.  (You can learn more HERE.)

Here's a peek at a new card I just made also using the same techniques but with Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, and Sapphire distress oxide inks.

Thanks for letting me share some different versions of the same distress oxide technique.  Please leave a comment before you hop to Darlys's Craft Happy blog next!

Happy Mother's Day

 Now that Mother's Day has passed, I wanted to share the cards that I made.  Today's card was for my mom and features the Layered Butterflies Thin Cuts, which are part of the current You Are Enough special.  It didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned, but I think she appreciated it.

I really wanted to use these huge butterfly Thin Cuts on her card.  The background was one in my stash from experimenting with distress oxide inks.  (I call it distress oxide "smooshing" because you press your inks on your all-purpose mat, spritz with water, and then smoosh you cardstock into the mess.  This was probably the last or next to last pull of color. You can get several backgrounds from one inky mess, and no two are alike.)  I think I used Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, and Mowed Lawn.  I flicked various yellow, green, and gold shimmer brushes onto the panel also.

For the butterfly, I cut the base from a pale Flamingo piece of patterned paper from the new Hillside Cottage collection and then layered both light and actual Lagoon on top.  For the top layer, I also painted Lagoon shimmer brush onto the butterfly.  I added a trail of bitty sparkles to mimic flight.

Even though it didn't turn out like I had envisioned, I still think it's a pretty card.  We were blessed to all get to celebrate together yesterday, so here's a picture of my amazing mom with my siblings and me.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, the angel mothers in heaven, and the special "aunts" who have nurtured a child of any age!

National Scrapbooking Month Blog Hop

 Close To My Heart just keeps cranking out the hits, I mean, kits!!!  In addition to the five National Scrapbooking Day bundles, they are also offering an amazing National Scrapbooking Month collection, You Are Enough, which is the focus of this blog hop.  You will get so many great ideas!  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Maureen's blog.  From here, you'll visit my creative friend Cat's blog next.)

You can get the various pieces of the You Are Enough collection individually or purchase bundles to save.  I ended up getting a bundle because my wish list cost more than the bundle, but the bundle gave me more products for less money!  (SCORE!)  My bundle really came in handy for this hop because due to unforeseen events, I didn't get the crafting time I was expecting this weekend.  (Life, am I right?)  I decided to grab my Picture My Life cards (which I probably wouldn't have purchased outright but were included in my money-saving bundle) and use some of the 3"x4" cards on actual standard-sized greeting cards.

My first card uses a Blue Belle PML 3"x4" card that I layered onto a 4"x6" PML card (cut down to 4"x5.25" to fit my card front).  I added a strip of Sangria cardstock with the pretty rose gold pattern from my You Are Enough bundle and the pretty butterfly You Are Enough sequin.  (They catch the light and change colors in such a pretty way!)

For my second card, I followed the "be you" motto and embraced the crookedness (although if I had realized it was crooked, I would have added a bit more slant to make the crookedness work).

The top of this image shows one side of the 3"x4" PML card, and the bottom left shows the other.  I trimmed off 3/4" off of each end and turned them over to build my card sentiment.  I added strips of Blue Belle shimmer trim (not included in the You Are Enough bundle) AND I die cut the smaller butterfly from the You Are Enough collection from Blue Belle glitter paper (also not included).

For my third card, I cut down the "You Sparkle" card and then layered it onto a Glacier 3"x4" card, also trimmed down.  I adhered it to a piece of the Sangria rose gold cardstock (4"x5.25") and then added another butterfly sequin.  It didn't sparkle as much as I would have liked, so I swiped my clear shimmer brush across the sentiment.  (Unfortunately, my picture doesn't do the sparkle justice.)

Hopefully your takeaway is that you don't have to use products exactly as they are intended (and that you can create something pleasing even when you're short on time).  I'd love for you to leave a comment before you hop on to Cat's blog next.  Thank you!  Remember, YOU ARE ENOUGH!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop: Flowers for You

Welcome to the May 2021 stamp of the month blog hop!  (How can it be May already?!?)  This month's stamp of the month is an extremely versatile, beautiful flower set with lots of applicable sentiments.  (If you're already hopping, then you've probably arrived from Krista's blog.  From here, you'll click on her name to visit Michelle L.'s blog next.)  I decided to create two very different cards for you to kick off this month.

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My first card was supposed to have a circle shaker window, but then I didn't like how the black frame covered the original circle!

To begin, I sponged Tattered Rose, Abandoned Coral, and Candied Apple distress oxide inks onto a 4"x5.25" panel of White Daisy card stock.  The next photo shows how it looked spritzed with water (and with Peach shimmer brush flicked onto the front).

Here are the shimmer brushes that I flicked onto the panel.  I also ended up using the direct-to-paper technique to add Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple to the edges.

After cutting out the White Daisy circle with my circle shaker window dies, I colored my images with my two Coral Tri-Blend markers, plus added a little Peach and Red shimmer brush.

Hopefully this close up shows off some of the shimmer!  I adhered the floral circle to my card front with 3D foam tape and added black velvet ribbon.

For my second card, I stamped the long floral image with New England Ivy ink and then colored it in to match the new Hillside Cottage collection.

Here are the materials that I used (plus gold embellishing thread and glitter gems):

I cut out the floral panel with my Fancy Borders Thin Cuts and then added a strip of New England Ivy cardstock to ground it on my card front, along with the pretty Flamingo and Canary pieces from the new Hillside Cottage collections.

Thanks for letting me share both cards with you.  You're sure to see lots of great ideas as always along this stamp of the month blog hop.  Please leave a comment before hopping on over to Michelle's blog next!  Thanks!

{Click HERE for all the hop participants and their blogs.}

National Scrapbooking Day Bundle: More Than You'll Ever Know

Here's my take on the National Scrapbooking Day bundle/workshop More Than You'll Ever Know layout #2, complete with photos! My daughter will have to add her own journaling of defending her thesis from the comfort of my bed after being sent home her senior year of college due to COVID 19.

At first I stamped the far left image in Blue Belle and Black but realized that Smoothie and Black complemented my layout better. Those fun banners are part of the May/June Mix In paper pack and/or the NSD bundle, More Than You'll Ever Know (available while supplies last until the end of the month).

I'm also sharing this on the Heart2Heart Challenges May 2 challenge, Celebrate Connections.

More Than You'll Ever Know, Daisy Meadows, and You Are Enough Wall Hanging

The More Than You'll Ever Know stamp set meets Daisy Meadows and You're Enough collections in a 8"x10" wall hanging for my girls' apartment that they'll begin sharing in August!

I used 3D foam tape to push up the sentiments.  I stamped the image first in Cinnamon and then stamped the pieces in Mint, Fern, Peacock, and Peach respectively.

Don't you love the rose gold foil on the You Are Enough collection?  The rose gold foil tape is retired but a perfect match.

Can you see the shimmer I added with Peach, Gold, and Clear shimmer brushes?  They add a nice touch in real life.

Don't be afraid to mix collections, especially when they share common colors!  Daisy Meadows is going tonight, so get yours before it's gone!  The other two are available through the end of May, while supplies last.