Happy Birthday

Melissa Phillips is up at PTI's MIM this week.

She is challenging us to use our colored pencils on kraft,

or some other darker card stock.

Melissa always wows. She's a master with every technique,

and her cards this week were filled with subtle layers and stamping textures.

So, of course, I had to try stamping layers with my colored 

cupcake from Bakers Dozen.

Once I embossed the frame and cupcake in white, I masked it, and stamped 

BB: Gingham all around it.

It was so much fun coloring it in! Lots of blending, all one layer.

Background card stock stamped with BB: Venice and Fine Linen ink.

I've done this technique before, and love the richness

 it gives the images, once colored.

I used Prisma Watercolor Pencils

Play along on Nichole's blog, here:

Make It Monday #276: Kraft & Colored Pencils 

Happy Little Stampers March Watercolor Challenge

Welcome back for Happy Little Stampers March Watercolor Challenge!

March's Challenge is anything goes, with an optional twist - SMOOSH!

You don't need watercolor paper to smoosh, but I knew I wanted to 

do some further watercoloring on my daises (Especially For You).

Hope you play along this month.

You could win $15. to shop at HLS!

February '17, Garden Party

Good Morning! It's the last day of the month and time for 

12 Kits of Occasions.

This month we're featuring a bright and happy kit from Michelle Leone

called Garden Party. And what a party of spring colors and treats!

Some treats to color, like this cake,

Sweet bunnies and blooms,

Birds and die cuts,

rainy day papers and an umbrella,

tags, and more birds and cages,

and a favorite scalloped and curved set of die cuts I just couldn't separate!

Hope you enjoyed what I did with this month's kit. I loved every bit, and

have some left over.

Thank you, Michelle!

There's a kit waiting for some lucky commentor on the 12 kits blog,

February 2017- 'Garden Party', and please visit our Special guest this month,

Karen Walker from Random Reflections

Coffee & Friends

Inspired by All the Little Things has a coffee themed challenge

this week.

Their special guest is Marybeth Lopez, and she and my love for 

all things coffee inspired me to play along!

Altenew's Coffee Love provided the sweet vintage carafe, cup and spoon.

The set also has the coffee bean images that I embossed in copper, on

PTI's Dark Chocolate card stock.

Sentiment copper embossed also from Coffee Love.

Tree Ring Background Stamp from Concord & 9th.

The sequins were a leftover from a 12 kits post.

Hope your week is off to a crafty start! 

Inspired By Al lthe Little Things #45 featuring Marybeth Lopez

February 2017 PapertreyInk Blog Hop

Good Saturday Morning blogging friends! Perfect day for a blog hop.

Just look at the photo Nichole has given us.

After all the events of last week's celebration,

I was afraid there wouldn't be a blog hop,

but Nichole never disappoints!

Dark, rich colors, and velvety gray inspiration everywhere.

I love the shapes of the frames from 

Make It Market's Don't Forget to Write.

Embossed in gold, they're even more elegant.

Aside from the jewels, there's no white in sight in the inspiration, 

so I went with the smoky richness,

pinks, purples and golds. 

The card base is cut from Raspberry Fizz, and the frame embellished with

layers of sprigs and blooms from Gathered Garden.

'Note' die cut from gold foil.

'Gift' also cut from gold foil.

It's going to be fun to see what you all do with this month's 

challenge. 

Play along on Nichole's blog:

February 2017 Blog Hop

Tag You're It #66

It's time for a new challenge on the Tag You're It blog,

and we have Maureen Merritt as our featured artist,

with this beautiful Spring tag!

This put a smile on my face with it's colors

and happy everything sentiment!

As if Maureen's tag isn't enough to have you longing for spring,

here's my tag for more inspiration

PTI's Petite Pots

Tag Sale #1 die

You have 2 weeks to play along,

can't wait to see how you were inspired!

SaveSave

PTI's 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2016

2016's stamps, dies and card stock colors were glorious! 

More of their signature style, and release after release of 

irresistible sets!

Looking back at the Christmas release, I think it was their best ever!

Back to the challenge. 

One of the sets featured was this one I chose to ink up, Just Desserts.

Strawberry season in the Central Valley is celebrated like a holiday! 

There are local stands everywhere, and strawberry shortcakes, pies, pizzas,

desserts and jam is commonplace in homes and restaurants.

So this card is an ode to the strawberry! 

Doubled the strawberry dies and piled them high on my cake!

It could be a birthday card, or a celebration of an anniversary,

if I need it to be. But truthfully, my mouth is watering for the day

the local strawberries are ripe enough to pick and enjoy!

Just Desserts

Paper Clippings: Happy Day

White Embossing Powder

Cardstocks: Dark Chocolate, Mint Julep, 

Mint Julep + White Basics,

Vintage Linens

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2016

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PTI 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2015

2015's stamp sets featured from PTI, included this set,

2015 Birthday Tags.

PTI 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2014

Thought I'd practice my ombre stamping, and did

a bunch of these tags to have on hand.

(You can't have too many ready made tags for birthdays!)

The tag stamps coordinate with Limitless Layers: Oval dies,

 Ruby Rose and Leave It Be stamps and dies.

I made a bg wallpaper, before adding my tag and blooms.

Here's a shot of the extra tags.

Don't they look like Easter eggs? 

All set for adding to a card or gift.

Staying indoors today, more rain and flooding!

PTI 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2014

Feather Finery is one the 5 featured Stamp Sets at PTI today.

I've used the lovely feathers so many times over the past years,

in so many ways, with so many techniques. 

Time for a fresh look? 

With fresh Spring colors, and a beautiful Bible verse, I think 

it feels brand new!

1st the feather stamped onto Bookmark Die #2, with Aqua Mist & Vintage Jadeite.

Feather dots: Lilac Grace

Then, the Beautiful verse from New Every Morning in Amethyst Allure.

Next, the sweet flower bouquet included in New Every Morning.

And the bird popped up stamped with Aqua Mist and Amethyst Allure.

I splattered a bit of Aqua Mist ink on the tag, and attached it to 

my card, cut with Noted A2 Scallop and stitched dies.

For more ideas with Feather Finery, visit Nichole's blog, here:

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2014

Are you playing along?

There are prizes for creating cards, and for commenting.

Hope your weekend is bright and sunny.

We got a break in the rain, and the sky is incredibly blue!

A reason to smile for sure!

PTI's 10th Anniversary Celebration 2013

2013 was an outstanding year for PTI.

So many unforgettable stamps and dies.

Among them, Hands of Time.

This set takes on a life of it's own every time I use it.

Stamped, embossed, or die cut with Clock Face, anything works.

A real favorite in 2013, and now, combined with the newer

Hope die, and Inspired: Hope Stamp set, again a favorite.

Do you have a favorite from 2013?

So many PTI greats to choose from!

« Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2012

PTI's 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2012

PTI is working it's way to present day, celebrating each year, and each

year's releases, with the Celebration of it's 10th Anniversary.

Embroidered Blooms is one of the 5 featured sets released

in 2012. Multi stamping allows for infused color and depth for an image.

Paired my card with Embroidered Frames: Dots. 

I stamped white ink onto Spring Rain Cardstock, very subtle, 

and a bit hard to see in the photo.

Sentiment: Hello is from Embroidered Blooms, Lovely, from

Make It Market: Nostalgic Notions.

Copic colored pearls.

Play along on Nichole's Blog Here:

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2012

PTI's 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2011

2011 was an outstanding year for me and stamping...

I found PapertreyInk!

I can trace back my first timid order online to Sept. of that year.

I don't think I've missed a release since then!

All the images in Garden Variety are favorites,

especially this sweet watering can!

Garden Variety, Background Basics: Newsprint

What's new? Gathered Garden,

Sentiment: To Have and to Hold

Come join the fun on Nichole's blog here:

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2011

PTI's 10th Anniversary Celebration: 2010

It's 2010 at PTI, and we're celebrating that year's release.

Among the sets is one of the Year of the Flowers Series, Sweet Peas.

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2010

I've used this set many times. Love the graceful lines of 

it's flower images, and that it lends itself to endless forms of coloring.

Here's one of the cards done for a challenge.

And here's the new version, using the single sweet pea.

I went to internet and found this photo of real sweet peas, in their natural glorious color.

I used my tube watercolors to try and capture the sweet pea's brilliance.

Truthfully, nothing comes close to God's handiwork!

Each bloom is climbing the trellis on Betsy's wonderful card stock

from Make It Market: Garden: Gate.

Sentiment from: Wreath for all Seasons.

Are you playing along this week? It's been such fun visiting the older sets.

Not to mention, Nichole is offering prizes if you enter each day!

See you in the lineup!