The Flower Challenge: Embossing & Altenew's Card Challenge

Hi my crafty friends!

I'm playing along with the Flower Challenge, a blog I've fallen in love with, where

the call is to use embossing: heat or dry.

Let's hear it for florals!

I used a stamp and die set from Altenew called Book Club.

Before I embossed my Aqua Mist yardstick, I stamped the leaves from

 Wallpaper Art (Altenew)and inked the leaves loosely.

sentiment PTI Birthday Classics: June.

The flowers were colored on Olive Twist cardstock with Faber-Castel Polychromos pencils 

after embossing in white.

My birthday stash is growing steadily. Don't you just love having birthday cards

ready to give?

The flower Challenge has a prize from Altenew this week, and runs through

the 25th. Plenty of time to play along...

Altenew's photo challenge is pictured here:

Cool photo with so many possibilities!

Inspiration Challenge

Have a blessed week!

Sending You Hugs

Hello friends! The Card Concept's new challenge is this gorgeous

inspiration photo:

Are you as 'wowed' as I am? So many directions and styles you could choose.

Contrast of the red bloom against shimmering white satin drape was my starting point.

I selected Altenew's Build a Flower: Aster and Aster die, and stamped

the red Bold Bloom.

Lots of drama and and a sentiment banner to mimic the photo.

Here's the link to get you started, and to see the rest of the DT's inspiration:

The Card Concept #92 {Bold Bloom}

PTI's Banner and sentiment

Background is a stencil from PTI's Make It Market: Garden Gate

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste (Gold and Silver)

A few sequins from my stash.

I'd say it falls under the category of Classy and Elegant.

Our challenge is for 2 weeks, and you can choose from the styles listed

on the Card Concepts's blog, or combine a few of them.

Happy Crafting! Hope to see your creation in the challenge lineup!

Catherine Pooler Inks

Banner Style Stamp Set

Papertrey Ink - Banner Style Die

MIM #309 with Melissa

Hello! Enjoying some create time today. We've had 2 days of much needed rain here in 

the Central Valley, and it's a perfect excuse to stay home and make cards.

Melissa Phillips is up this week at PTI, and has a wonderful tutorial for us, 

Heat Embossed Stencil Backgrounds.

You can see her video and gorgeous creations using this technique on PTI's blog.

I made 2 cards, the first, have to admit, wasn't a favorite, so came up with one I 

liked better. Sometimes, if you have the time, it's better to keep going until it pleases.

So here's the first.

I created my own stencil using Coverplate: Gemstone Die & vellum, and embossed it with silver

on an Amethyst Allure cardstock.

Beautiful Butterflies & Beautiful Butterflies Additions, with a hint of Wink of Stella.

Sentiment: New Every Morning.

The antenna are wires I shaped and curled at the ends.

But, like I said, wanted to try this technique again, so brought out the Market Street kit,

and did my bg with one of PTI's stencils: Wood Block Prints

Heat embossed in Zing's Rose, with a little inking (Spring Rain & Blueberry Sky.)

Like this better, maybe because the message can be extended.

I love interactive cards right now. Sliders, and hidden messages and pop up boxes. All such fun

for the recipient! Not to mention fun for me who makes them!

Happy crafting everyone!

And want to thank all who sent prayers my way on behalf of my mom.

Quick note on her condition, my sister and I were advised to bring in hospice care at this time, and they've been wonderful! So thankful for their caring kindness!

She continues to hang in there, with so many issues. 

One of the reasons I love you all is our sharing and caring, and especially prayers!

Just wanted to say, 'thanks'.

Peace card

Make It Monday at PTI features the artistry of Melissa Phillips, 

who wowed us with 3 gorgeous samples of wreath building, found here:

Make It Monday #300: Build-a-Wreath

I must be slipping because I only have a couple of wreaths to work with,

one being the die Melissa used. Found this one (Enclosed Wreath), 

and had some fun with building my card around it.

Had to go with pinks, in honor of Melissa, and her incredible talent with pastels!

Embossed my die cut 4 times with Stampendous Shabby Green EP,

and sponge inked and stamped the Doily Tag Base with Beautiful Berries: Winter.

2 colors for the fern: Mint Julep & Green Parakeet.

2 colors for the berries: Berry Sorbet & Pure Poppy.

Background is stenciled with PTI's Polka Dots, Sweet Blush on Sweet Blush cardstock.

A peek on the inside

It's so much easier to finish the inside while the stamps are on my table,

one less step when addressing my cards.

Loved this technique, and plan to do several cards using these stamp sets...

while they're still handy on the table!

Thank you Melissa, and thank you for visiting,

Happy Crafting!

SAF '17 with Yana Smakula and Iron

SAF '17 with Yana Smakula, and Iron.

Yana gives a great tutorial on how to make a die cut look like iron.

Her graphic bg is gorgeous, and I just had to try her technique.

Large leaf is die cut into the bg.

Leaf Silhouettes dies,

Banner Sentiments

My mix to look like iron: Silver, Skyline Grey WOW Puff ep, Stampendous: Peridot

Floral Dancer

Good Saturday Morning! 

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

I'm up today on the PoppyStamps blog

with a new die called 'Floral Dancer'.

She's a window die perfect for embellishing!

Pop on by the Poppystamps blog to see how I created this card!

Floral Dancer by Nancy Penir

Happy Little Stampers June 2017 Watercolor Challenge

HLS' June Watercolor Challenge!

Adding watercolors to your cards is so hot right now.

Beautiful background washes, wet on wet, bright bold colors, or

soft muted pastels. All give our cards that little something extra.

The challenge is Anything Goes, with an optional twist, to mask.

I usually love to incorporate the twist, but I tried a new 

technique, (to me) and didn't do the twist.

My background is done with Marvy Brush Markers, but you can use 

any markers that are water base.

I started with a 4 x 5 1/4" watercolor card stock, and 4 pen colors.

The colors are applied to  an acrylic block, and spritzed with water.

The block is then pressed onto the card stock, to form a washed bg.

I found the technique here:

Tutorial Tuesday Watercolor Series Part I -Creating Designer Papers with Distress Inks and Distress Markers with Heidi Blankenship

Once my bg was dry, I splattered with the darker blue, purple and white paint.

My butterflies are from PTI's Life is Beautiful, 

and Bitty Butterflies Coverplate.

I painted and spritzed my butterflies with various colors and iridescent sprays.

The large butterfly is die cut with vellum, and edged in silver embossing powder.

Sentiment from HLS's 'Especially For You'.

Hope you get a chance to try this technique, so much 'whammy'

for very little effort. Can't wait to try it with other colors!

Don't forget, there's a 20. GC for the winner of this challenge!

Bride & Groom

Hello Card Concept fans! It's time for a new challenge,

and we have this inspiration photo as inspiration:

So much to choose from, right?

I focused on the pink & gold, together with the ampersand symbol

for my Classy Elegant card.

I started with Betsy Veldman's Luxe Letterpress set from PTI,

and combined the blooms from PTI's Gran's Garden.

Can't wait to see what inspires you. 

Play for 2 weeks on the Card Concept Blog.

The Card Concept #74-{Freshly Elegant}

Fabulous

Hi Card Concept fans! Welcome to a new inspiration.

I'm all about the gorgeous intense blooms in this photo.

Added a bit of blue from the boots, and the green grass,

but my 'Classy Elegant' card is filled with bright Spring flowers.

I love the intensity of watercolors with Kuretake pan colors.

First step was to ink The Ton's Peony Crush Cling Background, with

Versamark onto watercolor card stock, and sprinkle the whole card with

Adirondack Lettuce Embossing Powder.

Watercoloring came next. I started with the lighter, paler pink, and when

dry, worked on adding darker, deeper shades, finally ending with the purple.

This technique works as long as you let each layer dry before

adding the next.

'Fabulous' die cut 3 times, with white and Pure Poppy in the middle,

also from the Ton.

A sprinkling of Pink Diamond sequins, also from the Ton,

to add a bit of sparkle.

Framed with PTI's Royal Velvet, and Sweet Blush card stocks.

So excited to see what you create!

And don't forget to check out more beautiful inspiration 

by the Card Concept Design Team!

PTI's MIM #195: A la Carte

50 Make It Mondays, this year, with the last challenge to pick 

one you might not have tried.

Happily I participated in all 50!

It's been wonderful every Monday as I look forward to joining with Papertrey's 

talented designers and bloggers and share in design, execution and comment

with so many!

Make It Monday #184: Gold Dipped Die-cuts, with Danielle Flanders 

is the one I chose to do over,

and it was not easy to choose from so many great videos!

I used Feather Finery the first time around as well, but this time mounted my gold 

dipped feathers on a Cover Plate, over an inked background (Winter Wisteria & Spring Rain).

Sentiment is from the set, and embossed onto vellum.

All cardstock, PTI.

Happy New Year, my blogging friends!

Make It Monday #195: 2014 A la Carte

Merry Monday #123 Use a Wreath

Bonnie says, 'Use a Wreath', in the latest Merry Monday challenge.

I found an old rubber stamp, (Hero Arts, I think) and 

heat embossed it with 3 iridescent powders from Lindy's Stamp Gang.

I then stamped Distressed Stripes from PTI with Versamark and 

brushed on Perfect Pearls.

The festive wreath in the photo is decorated with Christmas ornaments,

and I couldn't resist doing the same to my wreath,

using lots of fun bling from my stash.

Waltzingmouse sentiment

Merry Monday #123 {Use a Wreath!}...Reminder!