The Card Concept: Summer Swirls

Summer's here (if you haven't noticed!), and The Card Concept is challenging

us to choose a style and do a card for our latest inspiration photo:

The first thing that hit me (should say, SLAMMED me), were those

bright primary colors! 

And from there I did what I love to do most... Quilt!

A SAHM, I had a cottage company sewing baby quilts for cribs. The 

combining of patterns and colors was something I loved. And you know what

they say... 'do something you love, and you'll never work a day in your life.'

At least I think that's how it goes...

Haven't visited PTI's Quilted: Summer in ages, and just knew that's where I wanted

to start. From there, and with 3 ink colors, CP: Rockin' Red, Altenew: Ultramarine,

and CP: Tiara, I assembled my quilt.

PTI's Tag Sale: Quilted, popped up on a Country Fair double cut die cut.

(Betsy Veldman's Make It Market: Country Fair).

You know how some cards just bring you so much joy to construct? 

This is one that was darn fun! Was it the colors? The summery feel?

The pinwheel pattern play? 

~Don't think I'll put this set away just yet~

Hope your summer's off to a great start.

Don't forget to get your fingers inky, and

while you're at it, play along with us at The Card Concept!

The Card Concept #117 {Summer Swirls}

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Make It Monday this week is revisiting one of my favorites, Laurie Schmidlin's

'Love of Layers'. 

Laurie shares several ways to add to a cards rich layering.

I played with Betsy's new 'Fairy Tale Christmas', and the stencils that match

the set.

Betsy thought of so many details. From the stencils to popping up the die cuts, layering

is easy. The layer of snowy stencil was done with Nuvo Glimmer Paste. 

Just may mass produce this one, it's so much fun to play with all the layers!

Hope you're doing well with your Christmas card stash. Enjoy your week!

Christmas Tags

During PTI's last month's release, I purchased Betsy's Poinsettia & Pine tag making kit

and decided to make a bunch for a dear friend celebrating a birthday. 

What started out as half a dozen, seemed to grow as I played with colored cardstock 

and stash of Christmas sets.

I hadn't seen for awhile.

When done, I piled them inside the sweet little sleigh, complete with mini

wreath on it's front, boxed, wrapped and my gift was ready to give.

Hope my post gives you lots of inspiration. The sweet mini kit

 comes with decorator paper and dies for easy creating. I just enjoy

stamping, so these are all stamped with PTI holiday stamps.

Here's a look at the tags

I can't wait to do more. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon... crafting!

Make It Market Mini Kit: Poinsettia & Pine

Pink Mailbox

Happy New Year!

And just so happy to be back in my craft room.

Had a houseful over the holidays, and enjoyed a trip to Tahoe, 

only to come home to my mom very very ill. 

So the craft cave was eerily quiet for a while.

Just means I LOVE being back, well, doing what I love!

PTI has been going through some changes lately, but one thing that is the same

is their yearly 'A La Carte', where we can choose from the many wonderful MIM tutorials

and play again with a favorite.

I choose a few to combine, Melissa's Background Stamping, and Laurie's Love of Layers.

Now, truthfully, I'm all about layering, and combining my sets, which just seem to all

play well together.

Hope you enjoy a little crafting too. It just starts the year off great!

Make It Market: Post & Parcel,

Make It Market Mini Kit: Bloom & Grow

To Have and to Hold

Love You to Pieces: Additions

PTI inks & cardstocks. 

Off to visit the craft room.

Valentines will be here before we know!

           Make it Monday #308 – 2017 A La Carte           

Playing with Holiday Tag Along

Hi there!

Had some time this weekend and played around with Betsy's new Holiday Tag Along set.

All but one are preprinted, with die cuts from other PTI sets.

I loved Melissa's release post featuring what could be done with this sweet set,

and followed her example of decorating the pre printed tags with some images

from the umpteen other PTI Christmas sets I have.

Want to see more?

Honestly? So simple! Most of these were die cuts I saved from other  projects. I usually 

cut several at a time, just in case I flub, I don't have to stop what I'm doing to cut another image.

Spruce & Sprigs, Tinsel & Tags.

Ah, red and white, how I love you!

Quilted Winter & Fancy Snowflakes

Christmas Critters, and that holly bling in the corner, and that's it!

More fun with Christmas Crtitters, and a few greens from Spruce & Sprigs 

Christmas Faith doves and berries

Fancy Flakes and Fab Flakes.

And I think there's a few snowflakes from Quilted Winter too.

The beautiful snowflake sprig is from Quilted Winter, and I just cut an end off and 

added it to the top corner. 

The last tag is cut with the set's included dies, and a few Tinsel & Tags gold embossed die cuts.

If you look closely you can see the gold edging I added with my Deco Color gold pen.

All of these came together so easily, I can't wait to do more!

If I forgot anything please ask, I'll be happy to tell you where or how!

Thanks for visiting, and happy crafting!

Mother

Made a card for my mom, following the tutorial at Papertrey's MIM,

with Laurie Schmidlin, and her very first video.

Laurie did a fabulous job showing us

 2 ways to do a watercolor background for our cards.

Confession time, I've done watercolors for years, even

taught watercolors to elementary students, so this is not

new to me, but always learn something playing along with MIM.

Loved doing this card, as it's for a very special mom!

Starting with Ranger Watercolor Cardstock, I taped down my card,

then applied a wash of clear water. Using the Kuretake Pan colors, I

mixed blues, yellows and greens to get the color wash I wanted.

The trick to watercolors, as Laurie said, is to apply lights first,

then layer after or during drying.

I cut the die cover plate from Make It Market: Garden Gild,

and held it over the watercolor card to determine where color should be.

The word, 'Mother' is from an old PTI set, Mother, and sorry to say

it's now in the vault.

Flowers and leaves from Delightful Dahlia Additions.

PTI Inks:

Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, Green Parakeet.

I colored the rhinestones with copic YG23.

I haven't used rhinestones in so long, lately using sequins, which mail better,

but this card will be hand delivered.

Play along on Nichole's blog, here:

Make It Monday #283: Watercolor Wash Backgrounds

A Gift for You

Happy Friday!

It's time for a new challenge at Tag You're It, 

and our inspiration comes from Diane Jaquay, 

with this gorgeous tag.

Diane gives us a lot to work with; leaves and branches, object sentiment, 

framed tag, ombre bg...

I did a Christmas tag from PTI's Make It Market: Post & Parcel.

I backed my tag like Diane's,

and ombred the bottom.

Loved her branches, and added some Christmas flora on the corner.

Would love to see your take on Diane's tag!

Birch Bress designs is offering a gift certificate to our winner!

Tag You're It #60

SaveSave

Enjoy

Playing along with Just Us Girls, 

where it's 'trend' week.

Sponging is definitely a trend sweeping the paper craft world.

I see it everywhere done by the savviest designers.

I used PTI's Make It Market County Fair, and it's bandana die to sponge on 

3 shades of PTI blue ink.

The dies in this fun summery set, include the sentiment 'Enjoy', the cherries, and the flowers.

The muslin ribbon was also from the set.

Cardstock: PTI

Play along through Thursday

Just Us Girls #351 - Trend Week