Bloom

 Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

 

Now it's on to today's card . . .

The Stamp Doctor just introduced a new and very clever die set that is easy to use and contains everything you need to cut out various papers and put together a terrific zig zag folding card!  This first picture shows the card folded and ready for mailing . . . .

The next two pictures show the opened-out front and back views.  The die set includes the card base and six different dies to cut out the stitched panels to cover the six surfaces.  I thought it was a great way to use up some of my large stash of designer papers!

 

A large format machine is needed to cut the card base.  Happily, you can get two cards out of one 8.5x11" piece of cardstock.  There are myriad ways of decorating these panels and I plan to explore as many of them as possible . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pear, various printed papers       

Inks:             Distress Mowed Lawn

Dies:            The Stamp Doctor #6 Concertina,

                     AlteNew Leaf Mix, Tropical Leaf Mix,

                     Papertrey Ink Bitty Button Stacks, Frantic Stamper

                     "Bloom”, DieNamics Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle

Doo Dads:    Jute, Green pearls  

Celebrate

Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

Now it's on to today's card . . .

My romp through all things leafy continues!  For this card, I thought a row of leaves in autumn colors would look neat against a brick background . . .

I think it may need something else . . . it's for an Autumn birthday so at least I've got time to figure out just what I might want to add to it.  Or I could just quit obsessing and move right along to the next card.   

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Fox River Confetti Red, Scraps Yellow,

                     Orange, Green, Purple, Hanko Echizen Gold    

Stamps:       Printworks “Celebrate”, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             VersaFine Imperial Purple, Hero Soft Brown

Emb Pwdr:  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Altenew Leaf Mix, Tropical Leaf Mix, W+9 Banner Trio,

                     Spellbinder Tags Trio                  

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Brick

Doo Dads:    May Arts Jute, My Mind’s Eye Wood Dots

It's Your Day

 Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

Now it's on to today's card . . .

When I started with this layout, I had in mind a leafy window cut into the card front.  But that's not at all how it turned out . . .

 It wound up looking like a framed portrait of a leaf.  Funny how things get re-designed along the way . . .

The original background behind the leaf started out as a dull gold which I thought would contrast nicely with the vibrant colors in the leaves.  Didn't work.  So I painted over it with some shimmery gold watercolor.  Happily, it went from flat to fabulous!  Well, at least it improved things a great deal . . .

 

 Cardstock:   Strathmore #90 Mixed Media, Two Cool Colors Dull

                     Gold, Red/Gold embossed papers from my Scrap Stash       

Stamps:       Stampin Up It’s your day!

Inks:             VersaMark

Waterclrs:    The Art Spirits - Twinkle Glitter Paint Gold          

Emb Pwdr:  BMuse Metallic Marmalade

Dies:            Altenew Leaf Mix, Tropical Leaf Mix, Arich “Rounded

                     Corners Stitched Rectangles”      

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Weathered

Bloom

Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

Now it's on to today's card . . .

 Again with the leaves - and lots more to come.  I'm having too much fun with two new leafy die sets to quit now!

After backing the openwork leaves with my favorite gleamy-gold paper ("gleamy" as opposed to shiny - big difference), I  pop-dotted them onto a deckled rectangle and set them on a brick embossed background.  But the bricks didn't show up at all.  So I ran an ink pad over the raised side of the folder - the side that defines the grout - and boy, what a difference!

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Bazzill Velvet, Scrap Green, Hanko

                     Echizen Gold

Stamps:       Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             Hero Soft Brown

Dies:            Altenew Leaf Mix, Tropical Leaf Mix, Spellbinders Small

                     Deckled Mega Rectangles, Frantic Stamper Bloom 

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Brick

Doo Dads:    Viva Paper Pen Gold        

Celebrate

Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

Now back to today's card . . .

 I think this one works well for a guy card . . .

 

To avoid having ends that would lift and fray, I cut a small slit in the fold, threaded the ribbon through and fastened the ends on the inside.

The wildflowers were stamped in three colors . . . after the first two colors dried completely, I stamped the third color and dusted with clear embossing powder.  The final result is just a random glisten instead of an entire shiny field.  I love the look IRL and wish the camera would show it . . .

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Neenah #110 Solar White 

Stamps:       Hero Friend Definition, Stacy Stamps Wildflower Trio,

                     DRS Silhouette Branch, Posh Impressions Ideal Ivy,

                     Printworks “Celebrate”

Inks:             Hero Soft Brown, Cup o’ Joe, VersaFine Imperial Purple

Emb Pwdr:  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Time Holtz Labels             

Doo Dads:    Silver buckle, Brown grosgrain ribbon     

America

 As our beautiful country is under siege from all angles as never before, the 4th of July is even more important to me this year . . .

I stamped the six flag fragments twice:  first in red and then the star portions in blue.  Then I used deckle-edged scissors to cut out each of the blue fields of stars and glued them over their original positions on the red images.  Deckling the edges made them softer and almost invisible while providing a small bit of dimension.  Adding the sentiments via three different banners of red, white, and blue kept the theme going.

 May our country survive those who wish to destroy her, and may we work together to hold our Congressional representatives accountable so that we never have to face this onslaught again.

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore Ultimate White, Scraps Navy , Carnival Red

Stamps:       Technique Junkies Patriotic Fragments

Inks:             Brilliance Rocket Red, VersaFine Majestic Blue, ColorBox

                     Frost White, VersaMark

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White, Adirondack Denim

Dies:            Frantic Stamper “America”, Tim Holtz Tattered Banners,

                     Papertrey Ink Sketched Shapes, Reverse Confetti

                     Greetings Frame (banner)                 

Doo Dads:    EK punch Heart, Woolworth’s glitter Red

It's Your Day

As I don't have a collection of birthday images that work for an 11 year old boy, I figured a background of a bazillion birthday wishes would do the job . . .

 

I popped up some colorful candles to echo the same colors in the background and added a sparkly flourish.  This should entitle me to a slice of his birthday cake - yes?

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Classic Red, Classic Yellow, Strathmore Ultimate

                     White, Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle   

Stamps:       Inkadinkado Happy Birthday Background, Too Much

                     Fun It’s Your Day

Inks:             Distress Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard

                     Seed, Mowed Lawn, Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord,

                     ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Impress Candle,

                     Fyore “Stitched Stamp-Edged Rectangles”, Papertrey Ink

                     Angled Labels, Marianne Swirl Circles               

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear, Jones Tones Glitter Lazer Silver