Alexa

My very dear and lifelong friend Sandy gifted me with an Alexa+ recently and for her Thank You note, I had fun replicating this amazing machine in cardstock . . .

 . . . right on down to the plus and minus signs it uses for volume control.  My Alexa has a textured surface so I used a spatter dot image to suggest that.  My card is very close to square, so I’ll mail it in a slightly larger rectangular envelope.  Postal sorting machines go bonkers trying to figure out which way is up on a square envelope.  This is why they charge extra postage in order to cover the labor of hand cancelling.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Strathmore Mixed Media #184 

Stamps:       Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:            Distress Candied Apple, Chipped Sapphire, Faded

Jeans, Peeled Paint

Dies:            TEMU Love, Honey Bee Blanket Set: “my”, Hero 

Alphabet Uppercase “Alexa”, Cheery Lynn Lace Corner Deco B           

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear

Thanks So Much

My wonderful neighbor kindly gifted me with a fruit basket, so naturally I have a delightful reason to make a Thank You card . . .

I decided to make a mini slimline version using my favorite new products from The Greetery . . . there are so many creative options in their Rosemal collection that you’ll be seeing plenty more samples in my upcoming blog posts.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Lilac, Hyacinth, Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle

Stamps:       Patelai Words: “Thank you”

Inks:             VersaMark, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White, Stampamania Silver Dollar

Dies:            The Greetery Mini Frame, Capsule Basics                  

Emb Fldr:     The Greetery Rosemal Reflections

Thank You

Due to the ever-lurking time crunch, I pulled this one from my stash . . .

 

I still like it, even though I would do things a little differently today.  And isn’t that how it should be?

 

Cardstock:   Unknown Cocoa, Handmade paper        

Stamps:       All Night Media Fern

Inks:             Vivid Taupe, Green, Aqua, Distress Mowed Lawn,

Peeled Paint

Dies:            Bottone Stitched Ovals, Spellbinders Four Petal Thank

You Floral, Unknown Leafy Sprig

Doo Dads:    Green fibers, Copper Dragonfly charm   

Thank You

Every year at tax time, my accountant returns my papers to me in a navy blue linen-textured folder.  It’s beautiful stuff, a very good weight, and I’ve had fun using it on many cards . . .

 

When the receptionist Tina handed me my folder a few days ago, I told her I was glad the company was still using such nice folders because I enjoy using them for my card-making hobby.  Tina told me to wait a minute and went into a storeroom and gifted me with a whole stack of folders!  Hence, the Thank you card . . .

This year, paying my taxes was actually fun!

Cardstock:   Tax Folder Navy Linen, Bazzill Limeade, watercolor 

                        paper scraps

Stamps:       KaiserCraft Marble

Inks:             ColorBox Silver

Emb Pwdr:  All Night Media Silver Sparkle

Dies:            Amazon Nested Rectangle Frame, Elizabeth Craft

Frames & Elements, Impression Obsession Vases Set,

Spellbinders Four Petal Thank You Floral: “Thank You”

Doo Dads:    Wired pearl spray

Thank You

My stash of Washi tapes is, in a word, excessive.  So it’s time to start mowing down the pile . . .

Over the years, I’ve hesitated to use Washi tapes because of their flimsy glue.  I was always afraid they’d come loose over time.  But the simple solution is to wrap the Washi ends behind the layer I’ve taped them to, which is what I’ve done here.  Or I could always just dab on some extra glue. 

My tape collection has some real beauties in it so I’ve decided to put them to work on a regular basis . . . prepare yourselves for a Washi Workout!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Scraps Beige, Red  

Stamps:       Hero Frames with Sprigs set, Purple Onion “Thank You”

Inks:             Gina K Charcoal Brown

Dies:            Hero Frames with Sprigs set, Cheery Lynn Tiny

  Flower Kit                

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Rosy Posy

Doo Dads:   Washi tapes, May Arts Jute         

The Best

I don’t often use patterned paper but when I do, I’m usually rather pleased with the results . . .

On this one, I tinkered with the panel to jazz it up a little:

After putting the patterned paper panel in a 3D embossing folder and running it through my die cutting machine, I used a flat stamp (no image) to lightly apply white ink to the raised areas.  Then I added white embossing powder and heated the panel.  This toned down the rather enthusiastic background and added a fresh, clean look.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Light Rosy, Dark Rosy, Patterned Paper

Stamps:       KaiserCraft “You’re simply the best”

Inks:            Hero Unicorn

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:             Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Scrap Man 

  Rosebud, Impression Obsession Flags set                  

Emb Fldr:     Memory Box Chrysanthemum Field

Doo Dads:    American Crafts Pink Jute fiber, Queen & Co Pearls 

  Grass Green

Thank You

Another happy experiment with Dragonfly tissue . . .

 

Instead of double-sided tape, I used Mod Podge this time to attach the tissue to the background.  The leafy background was applied with stencil paste.  I thought a creamy glue would make it easier to mold the Dragonfly tissue around the dimensional leaves.

That turned out to be true.  The result had a little more sheen to it than did the tape, even though I used matte finish Mod Podge.  But the sheen is subtle and not harsh.  I’m quite happy with the results . . .

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth, Paper Arts Dragonfly

Tissue, Scrap Dark Brown 

Stamps:       Stampin Up Thank You

Inks:             Ancient Page Leaf Green, Pine, Distress Twisted Citron,

Mowed Lawn, ColorBox Sepia Black, Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp-n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Gina Marie Stitched

Rounded Squares, Hero Palm Fancy, TEMU Lovely

Tree Leaves              

Stencil:        TEMU Large Leaf

Doo Dads:    Golden Light Molding Paste         

Thanks

 I recently spent a productive weekend clearing out a ton of paperwork on stamping ideas along with clippings I’ve collected over my twenty four years of stamping.  Most of these tips and tricks I’d either already put to use, or they no longer appealed, or I had lost interest in favor of other ideas.  The rest I kept, organized by type, and put into a very handy binder.  These ideas are loaded with terrific inspiration and I am hot to try all of them out . . .

This one started with a Background Box rescue.  My B Box contains disasters that I’d love to convert into usable backgrounds if for no other reason than I hate to waste perfectly good cardstock.  It’s not its fault that it’s covered with ghastly experiments that went south.

The fix on this one was simple:  overstamp with a loose and open background image and heat emboss in white.  Then rub an ink pad over the entire image.  In this case, I used Distress Wild Honey.  After toweling off the excess ink over the white embossing, I had a piece I could actually use.

This simple technique will probably rescue every item in my B Box and it shouldn’t be long before I can toss the box!  That’s a good thing because I can always use the space.

Cardstock:      Bazzill Cutie, Beckett Iceberg, Scrap from Background 

                         Box   

Stamps:           Technique Junkies Watercolor Flowers

Inks:                VersaMark, Distress Wild Honey

Emb Pwdr:      Hero White

Dies:                Frantic Stamper Modern Thanks, Scrapbook Bow                            Toppers, Marianne Butterflies                

Doo Dads:      Wink of Stella Black

Thank You

When my wonderful neighbor Trish gifted me with a container full of her delicious pasta salad, I thought it would be fun to enclose a little Thank You in the container when I returned it . . .

One of Elizabeth Crafts’ marvelous tags, a scrap of patterned paper, and a sparkly vellum-covered butterfly will likely do the trick!

Cardstock:   Strathmore #140 Watercolor, Scraps Patterned Paper,

  Vellum, Green cardstock   

Stamps:       Kaiser Marble

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Wink of Stella Clear

Dies:             Elizabeth Crafts Tags & More 3 – Leaves, 

  Spellbinders Flutters, Celebration (“Thank you”), 

  Bottone Stitched Ovals 

 Doo Dads:    American Crafts grosgrain ribbon

Sending You Love

When our former neighbor Irina came from California to North Jersey for a visit, she came bearing gifts.  She always does – her generosity is legendary and it springs from an incredibly loving nature that endears her to everyone she meets.  Irina is a master gardener, so for her Thank You note, I used the same floral layering stencil set as on my previous post.  But this time with a different color scheme . . .

I used Pixie Spray on the stencil backs this time and got crisper results because of it.  I love this cheerful stencil set and I think it’ll be useful for a great variety of occasions!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rainforest, Strathmore Bristol Smooth

Stamps:       Hero Sending You Love, Unknown Spatter

Inks:            Distress Peeled Paint, Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon,

Barn Door , Stampin Up Always Artichoke

Pwdr:           Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Mama Elephant Peek A Frame, Hero Sending you 

                     love                    

Stencil:        Pinkfresh Floral Ornate Print

Doo Dads:    Judikins Micro Glaze, Green Brads, Studio Katia 

Clear Drops

Thank You So Much

When my dear friend Allan gifted me with a layering stencil set, I immediately put it to work for the background on his Thank You card . . .

I shall remain eternally grateful to the creative genius who came up with the idea of layering stencils.  Along with the Life Changing Blending Brushes, these stencils give us the opportunity to easily convince the world that we have far better artististic skills than might actually be the truth.  I’ll always be up for that!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Purple Pizzazz, Strathmore Bristol Smooth

Stamps:       DieNamics Banner Greetings 

Inks:            Distress Peeled Paint, Dusty Concord, Weathered

Wood, Faded Jeans

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            Mama Elephant Peek A Frame, DieNamics Banner   

                     Greetings                    

Stencil:        Pinkfresh Floral Ornate Print

Doo Dads:    Judikins Micro Glaze, Purple Brads, TEMU Raindrops, 

Gelly Roll Clear Star         

Memories

My friendship with Sandy dates back to the 7^th grade and I thank God we’ve stayed in close touch for lo these many decades.  She surprised me with a lovely gift card recently, hence the following Thank You note . . .

As she lives near the ocean in Southern California, I thought a beachy theme would work well.  The seashell background layer has been languishing in my scrap box for awhile, just waiting for the right use.  I think I found it . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Scraps Light and Dark Brown  

Inks:             Distress Ground Espresso, Gina K Charcoal Brown

Dies:            Taylored Expressions Stitched Frame Stacklets, 

Love Nicole Shells Scalloped, Nautilus, Elizabeth

Designs Words 4 Remember: “Memories”               

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Nautilus

Doo Dads:    Metalix Glitter Moondust   

Thank You

Thankfully, I was born into a wonderfully warm and loving family.  When my Favorite Nephew (I have only one nephew) blessed me with a surprise gift this Christmas, a Thank You card was certainly in order . . .

  . . . the fun thing about this layout is that the adorable terrarium image was a Christmas gift to me from his sister, my Favorite Niece – of which I also have only one.  Between the two of them, I had a marvelous Christmas indeed!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Rain Forest,          

Stamps:       Savvy Floral Terrarium, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             ColorBox Black, Superior India Ink Black

Waterclrs:    Zig Clean Color Geranium Red, Olive Green

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Frantic Stamper Striped Frame & Insert, Marianne

Butterflies, TK Online Celebration Set: Thank you                 

Thank You

There were two couples who attended the wedding I wrote about in the previous post. This second couple also brought lovely food for the celebration feast so I wanted to send them a Thank You note as well . . .

Kathy initiated a conversation about art at the luncheon table so my intent was to provide a card that was artsy in feeling.  The background seemed a little heavy to me so I added some framed vellum to lighten things up a bit.  It’s amazing what vellum can do to quietly subdue an overly ambitious color scheme . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Vanilla, Canson Aquarelle #90, Scrap Blue,

collaged layer from my Scrap Box

Colorants:    Deco Art Acrylic Paint Colonial Blue, Pinecone Brown

Dies:            Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Trimmings, Savvy

“Thank You”           

Emb Fldr:     Tim Holtz Intertwine

Doo Dads:    Nuvo glitter Ivory Sands    

Thank You

When my neighbors recently got married, the wedding was held in the beautiful living room of a lovely old home owned by the couple’s friends.  The host’s father was a German craftsman who was highly skilled in woodworking and masonry.  Hence the elements I used on this layout . . .

The house sits on a wooded property and the phenomenal brickwork was both exterior and interior.  So I included both elements here.  The champagne lunch was a delight and so was the entire afternoon of this very happy event . . .

Congratulations Bob and Trish!

 

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Bazzill Rain Forest, Scrap

Deep Orange        

Inks:             Distress Vintage Photo

Colorants:    Derwent Inktense Sienna Gold, Sicilian Yellow,

Iris Blue, Red Violet

Waterclrs:    Zig Clean Color Orange, Yellow, Light Blue, Lilac

Dies:            Tim Holtz Woodlands, Scastoe Door/Window set,

Cheery Lynn Tiny Flower Kit, Spellbinders Four Petal

Thank You Floral Set, Simon Says Thank You Ticket               

Emb Fldr:     Tim Holtz Brickwork, Taylored Expressions Weathered

Thank You

Having received two unexpected gifts at Christmas, I needed to make a couple more Thank You cards than I’d originally planned on.  Happily, a new arrival of dies provided the perfect leafy background I wanted to use for this one . . .

Unfortunately, the “Thank You” banner is hard to read in the photo but in real life, it’s a lot more obvious.  I probably should have backed it with a contrasting color.  Sigh . . .

As Irina is a gardener extraordinaire, plant-ly layouts are just right for her.  Happily, I’m a gardener myself (although nowhere near her skill set), so I’ve got lots of plant life in my die collection.  I should be able to keep Irina and all of my gardening friends happy for years to come!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Brillanca Pearl-Effects:

Champagne Floral Pattern         

Dies:            TEMU Leaf Cut, Creative Expressions Chantilly Lace

Edger, Memory Box Butterflies: Kaleidoscope, Moonlight,

Savvy Thank You Banner, Scrapbook Bow Toppers            

Doo Dads:    Sparkle & Sprinkle Glitter Fantasy Gold, Class Appeals

Ribbons & Bows Gold