August 4

My middle brother Don lives near the beach and with his birthday coming up soon, I decided to go with a coastal theme . . .

. . . I collected a few beachy phrases and stamped them on a sand-colored background in a rainbow range of colors.   Then came a few brass charms and some decorative sand  mixed with mother of pearl for some glisten and texture. 

 Crossed fingers it survives the mail . . . meanwhile, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO!

 

Cardstock:   American Crafts Neutrals Collection: Kraft, Fox River

                     Crushed Leaf Cream

Stamps:       Impression Obsession Summer Collection: “At the beach,

                     August, Sun, Surf’s Up”, Joy Summer Lovin’ Collection:

                     Sun, flip flops, ”Stay cool, splish splash”, Tim Holtz

                     Alphanumeric: 4

Inks:             VersaMark, Ancient Page Cardinal, Encore Purple,

                     Hero Soft Sand

Emb Pwdr:  BMuse Deep Forest Green, Ruby Red, Adirondack Denim,

                     Embossing Arts Breezy Blue, Stampin Up Crushed Curry,

                      Whispers Purple, Seth Apter Sedona

Dies:            Alexander de Grote Comic Frame          

Doo Dads:    Nicole Designer Accents Sand, various metal charms 

Cheers!

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 . . .

A trio of openwork leaves . . .

To give the delicate veining something on the same plane to cling to, I backed the leaves with some sheer vellum which gave the open areas a slightly misty look.  To attach, I used spray glue on the backs of the veining.  This always leaves some slightly sticky areas along a few edges and that means it's time to bring some glitter to the rescue.  This covers up the sticky stuff and adds a very subtle sparkle to the project.

 

 Cardstock:   Scrap Sage Green, Strathmore Pastelle Cover White,

                     Vellum         

Stamps:       Papertrey Ink Infinity Frames Sentiments: “Cheers”,

                     “Cake for Breakfast”

Inks:             VersaMagic Oasis Green

Emb Pwdr:  Seth Apter Dusk

Dies:            Altenew Leaf Mix, Tropical Leaf Mix, Lil Inker Stitched

                     Mats Rectangles     

Doo Dads:   Sparkle N Sprinkle Fantasy Gold glitter, Viva Paper

                     Pen Gold  

Cheers

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 . . .

More fun with the Concertina zig zag card shape . . .

 

My solution for the inside greeting doesn't show up very well:  I die cut a scalloped small rectangle, folded it in half, and stamped my greeting on the inside.  A little embellishment of a die cut button shape and some colored jute fiber helps set it off.

Recipients will have fun displaying this style of card as it stands up so nicely on its own.  More happy news:  this card fits easily into a check-sized envelope!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Dark Butter, various printed papers        

Dies:            The Stamp Doctor #6 Concertina, AlteNew Leaf Mix,

                     Tropical Leaf Mix, Tim Holtz Large Stems #2,

                     Spellbinders Ribbon Buckles, DieNamics Stitched

                     Mini Scallop Rectangle             

Doo Dads:    Jute   

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