Birthday Geraniums

 

Greetings from Central CA, where our temps are just perfect for ripening fruit.

Not so perfect for long walks, outdoor picnics and much needed gardening.

So I'm indoors, crafting, playing with the new Greetery Summer release!

Botanicuts: Geraniums... LOVE! 

Trying the die cuts with watercolors, and kept a loose, let it happen touch.

Here's my technique: Die cut from watercolor cardstock, light spray with water, touch

with paint, it happens!

Once the pieces are dry, you can add deeper color to accentuate the veins, or not,

your choice.

I love to make envelopes special too. And find Betsy's stamps ideal to compliment the

cards. Her style coordinates throughout each release. They work so  well with each

other. Also love having a birthday stash ready to go!

Watercolor tips?

Don't overwork, keep it loose, above all enjoy the process. And, toss what you

don't like! Remember what colors work well together and what create mud, and

you're good to go!

Have a great weekend!

Supplies:

The Greetery: Botanicuts: Geraniums, Postal Frame, Window Pane Plaid BG, 

Pretty Postmarks, Birthday Blooms, Let's Have a Word: Birthday

Memory Box: Garden Folly designer paper, Fairy Jewels

Altenew: Inks

A Jar of Sunshine

 

Hi and hope you're enjoying The Greetery's newest as much as I am.

I had some fun with the Jumbo Jar. It features 3 dies, just perfect for

creating a shaker.

I love how the Container Garden stamps fit perfectly within the Jumbo Jar,

and I paired an older set, Oopsie Daisy with the card.

It's easy to make a card from the jar by positioning the top of the die sandwich so it 

isn't cut. The folded card is then cut twice. You do have to run it through a couple 

of times. The inside dp is from Papertrey, an older linen stripe.

I had the hardest time photographing this set. Couldn't capture the colors, might have

 been the acetate.The matching envelope was first lightly inked with Distress 

Speckled Egg (the background of the card too), and then stamped. 

Betsy includes a color stamping guide, so helpful!

The sweet little bee was cut from yellow cardstock, and filled in with a black 

sharpie. The wings are blue vellum.

Fun card to make, and I hope receive!

A Poppystamps Hello

 

Hi there! If you love creating summer cards, I have a sweet 'Hello Summer' greeting

on the Poppystamps blog. Check it out!

Hello Summer by Nancy Penir

Sitting Pretty Get Well

Summers in my valley. hot. hot. hot. Great for growing summer fruit...

A greater reason to stay indoors, and craft!

The Greetery's Summer Release flew across the country and into my mailbox in 2 days!

A reason to celebrate, and another happy reason to stay in the craft room.

Thankfully I have no one in mind for this Get Well card, but the serene scene seemed

perfect for someone on the mend, don't you think?

I'm off to play with some more of the Greetery's treasures from this order. 

Did I mention it's hot outside? Like I said, great excuse to spend the day crafting!

Stay cool, my friends!

 

Peony Dreams

 

Summertime, and the living is hot! We're at 106 today, and the only sensible place to be

in indoors. 

Greetings to you! I have a post today sharing 3 cards created with The Stamp Markets's

 new Peony Dreams.

I've added dies from other companies, and hope it inspires you to do the same. So many

possibilites!

Take a look...

C9's Peony Dreams is a 4 step stamp for the bloom, 3 step for the center of the flower, and 3

step stencil for the leaves. Sounds like a lot of work? It is, but...

so worth it! It's a large bloom (see below), with graceful leaves that cascade off an A2 card.

See the leaf tips and how they hang off the edges?

The card I made is 4 3/4"x 6", and I made a matching envelope from 12 x 12" dp. 

The lacy edging and black strip are also from C9, a die set called Lace Border.

Birthday sentiment from the Greetery.

Another card 4 3/4 x 6", with a window.

This time I trimmed the overhang so the card would fit another hand made envelope.

The sentiment is from Poppystamps, a new one called Art Deco, embossed with a deep

green embossing powder.

I 'borrowed' a design from Kelly Lunceford, which used the Greetery's Crimped Circle

and Crimped Slimline dies for the next card.

Although the long leaves are off the card's border, it still fits in a slimline envelope.

The small grey blue posies are also included in the stampset. 

If it sounds like I'm a fan, I am! This gorgeous bloom was created over and over

in an air conditioned craft room, while the heat outside was just too hot to enjoy the 

outdoors. All in all, a perfect day!

Thanks for visiting, and hope you got some inspiration with multiple stamping,

along with stencils. Stay cool my friends!

The Card Concept: Long Summer Days

 

Card Concept's newest challenge is: Long Summer Days. 

Welcome, and just have a look at the inspiration photo... so many ways to be challenged!

Here's my card, hope it inspires too.

It also has a greeting for you, 'Happy Summer.' The Card Concept Challenge will

be on summer break, so this is the last challenge for a while. 

By the way...

 I was inspired by the beach theme, the colors, and the sea horses for my  

Mixed Media Shaker card.

See you all in the fall!

The Card Concept #158 {Long Summer Days}

Adventure at the Lake

 

With the outside hovering around 109, the inside is the place to be, and my craft room 

with every possible 'craft aid' imaginable just begs to be played with. (Did I just start and

end a sentence with the word, with'?)

Friday's Greetery blog featured Norine and a timely post using the Destinations set. 

TGIF – Destination: Welcome to the Neighborhood with Norine

Norine's card had me lake dreaming, with picturesque mountains and cool breezes.

Destinations together with Destination Rectangle Die is what I used.

I sneaked in a few items from Destination Summer, as well, and the tag

is from Speed Tagging.

I used a pencil to add a bit of shading to the windows.

The Destination map die cuts the sections, which I inked and paint spattered.

Seriously folks, if I wasn't so comfy in my air conditioned craft cave, I'd be heading up 

to the lake right now! 

Are you busy? Wanna come?

Cards for Guys

 

It's been a while since I've posted for the fun of it, and I needed to do a handful of 'guy'

cards, so.... hope you enjoy. There's a lot to see! The Greetery's newest release has sets

with masculine vibes, just what I was looking for!

Dad Jokes: High Steaks... together with the new stencil set, Tartan Plaid.

Don't know about yours, but the guys in my family love their steaks rare, so this 

set of cards is double whammy!

The fork through the steak, how cute is that?!

And matching Steak Knife too!

June is full of birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries for this family. 

I have fallen in love with the Reflections set. 

This one for a grandson turning 21.

FYI: I added tree branches through the trees, and then onto the water's reflection

with copics. The numbers were treated with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moon Shadow Mist.

The thank you card and matching envelope are for a dear friend.

Seriously, how does she do it! The Big Plans Background stamp is brilliant! Betsy's 

brilliant mind thinks of everything. We have 4 builders in our family, and this stamp

sets the stage for a man builder's card!

Nailed It says it all. 

One last photo of a card done for the Card Concept Challenge.

OK, finally done, although there's more to do. Fortunately have lots left over to

do them! 

A new challenge at the Card Concept,  Vacation Time. This rustic, cabin-esque photo

has a painting of a lake, which inspired my Clean and Layered card below

We'd love to see your take on the inspiration photo. Come, play along!

Stamps, dies and Stencils: the Greetery

The Card Concept #157 {Vacation Time}

A P.S. to this post:

I wanted to add reflection  to the water, of the tree trunks, and a bit darker around the shoreline, 

did so with copics. The results were just what this card needed!

A closer look at the changes. 

Liking the additions! 

Hope your week is full of crafty goodness