Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It's not time for July 4th celebrations, but it is time for The Card Concept's 

new inspiration and challenge.

All the symbols and colors of Independence Day. 

Red White and Blue, starts and stripes and our flag inspired

my layered shaker card.

I had the flag paper in my stash. All the rest is PapertreyInk. Even those

sweet little stars in the star shaker. 

Hope you can play along... our challenge lasts 2 weeks, plenty of time for

a card, or 2! 

Have fun! 

The Flower Challenge: Monochrome

Hi! How are you faring with being sheltered? Confession time... I actually made a trip

to my local nursery and almost went bizerk in their floral wonderland! I really needed 

that outing!

Surrounding myself with flowering plants is as essential as breathing.

My house's front and back, each patio, inside and outside are plants.

I love them all! 

I also love flower stamps and dies. And oh, how I love any challenge

that is flower related! The Flower Challenge is at the top of my list.

Their latest challenge is to use one color... a monochrome card.

The Greetery's Fresh Floral Background stamp was my starting point.

Together with Blueprint Sketch Distress ink, (Ranger), and a few more

of the Greetery's stamps and dies, I created my monochrome floral card.

I clear embossed my background panel, before inking it, lighter on top,

progressively darker on the bottom.

The light was just perfect outside... couldn't resist shooting the card in the fairy garden.

I used the background stamp again for 2 more cards, not monochrome.

For this one, the background is inked first, blending the Sunray to Snapdragon

(Altenew), with the panel in my Misti. Stamped again over the inking with

embossing ink, and clear powder. That seals the color while I Inked over the

stamped flowers.

the sentiment medallion is PTI's Tagsale 12. Alphabuds Slim and 

Sentiment Starters, with a fussy cut flower from Print Shop: Fresh Floral.

(The Greetery) I didn't have the matching die set at the time. But it came

the other day, in time to make my monochrome card.

My last card was my first made, a simple stamped background, with gradient inking.

Nordic Frames and Budding Beauties Spring (the Greetery).

I'm not ready to put the Fresh Floral Background stamp away just yet...

I have a few more ideas for colors...

Take care my friends, and keep creating! It's a great way to stay safe... and sane!

The Card Concept Challenge: Easter Blessings

Easter time greetings everyone!

I have some inspiration for the new challenge at the Card Concept:

Easter Blessings

My eye went immediately to the cross hung on the mirror.

My card features the cross and greens from the Greetery's Caring Cross.

I painted on some Shimmery Goodness (actual name) from TCW (Amazon)

I tried so hard to get it to show in the photo, it's really pearly irl!

I stamped the sentiment in Pirate's Gold on vellum, and fussy cut it so the Nuvo

drops could show.

Clean and Layered for this challenge!

Play along for 2 weeks,

we love to see your creations!

Poppystamps Challenge: From the Heart

We're thinking love on the Poppystamps blog, with our challenge: From the Heart.

I used the new Floral Lace Heart Split Border Craft die to create my heart card.

A big lacy heart heart has extra drama with the glitter paper. Wish you could see it irl!

Added punch with the 'Love Flourish' die cut from red glitter paper!

Come play along  all month on the Poppystamps blog here:

A Challenge Reminder: Use a Heart By Nancy Penir

Poppystamps Holiday Blog Blitz

Friends, I have some exciting news... Poppystamps is having their holiday blog blitz! 

It's a time on the blog where you can not only find inspiration, but win a die on each post.

I'm featuring this gorgeous flourish called Merry Christmas Flourish, and I have

2 cards to show you. This one p aired with Poppystamps new 2 sided holiday paper.

And this one, on a striking dark paper with greens and berries. 

Come take a look on the blog to see how I made them, and don't 

forget to leave a comment. You might win the new Merry Christmas Flourish!

And there's one more way to win, Instagram. Tag a friend, like us and you both 

could win!

Happy Crafting everyone!

Card Concept Challenge: Bountiful Blessings

There's a new challenge at the Card Concept: Bountiful Blessings.

Hello, and welcome to my post celebrating all things beautiful about

this season; Thankfulness, our wonderful country's abundance and

family! And don't forget the best friends through this passion called 

papercrafting!

Our inspiration photo is full of warm reminders of this season of 

blessings. My card tried to capture some of this feeling of warmth.

I'm calling it's style a mixture of layers and mixed media.

1st off, a layer of colored gel medium through a stencil of leaves by PTI. 

When dry, some sponged inking on the edges. 

Next a die cut of PTI's Mix & Mat: Flourishes, also edge inked, and stamped 

with Year of the Psalms: August.

The ink used for the sentiment is Altenew's Lava Rock. 

Final layers are the pumpkins and gourds from PTI's Simply Gourdeous, and leaves from

Poppystamps' Autumn Leaf set, and Maple Trio. The one red leaf on the bottom of the 

trio is also from Poppystamps and is a 'Whittle Leaf'.

Come join the fun, you have 2 weeks to play along, and we love to see

how you're inspired. 

Hope your season is full of crafty goodness!

Merry Christmas to You & Yours

I finally had some time to play with my Greetery order, and this set called,

With Love at Christmas.

Such a beautiful bouquet of Christmas florals, and Muti-stamped for super wow impact.

And a greeting from Sentiment Suite: Christmas Stamp Set.

Tucked in perfectly on the card.

I fit the bouquet die into my Misti and stamped several for quick and easy assembly.

Each card will have it's matching envelope with stenciled flap.

It'll be Christmas before you know it! Time to get moving on the cards!

You Are a Masterpiece

Hello Crafty Friends!

Don't you love making a card for no other reason but that you want to?

Going through my ever growing Greetery collection of stamps and dies,

the Macra Made made me smile, so out came the dies. 

Pot-Pourri plants and pot, with a background I made a while back. 

Nuvo dots

Our church knows I make cards, and has asked if I'd supply cards when needed for 

births, get well, encouragement, etc. I had to laugh when they offered to pay me

for them. "No", I said, "I'd love to give you whatever the occasion calls for". With

that purpose on my agenda, I've begun to do a stash of cards that are ready and on hand.

Ah... a purpose to be creative... life is good!

Happy Crafting, my friends!

The Card Concept: Cozy Cottage

Hi Card Concept fans! 

We have a new challenge on the blog today: Cozy Cottage

I love the warmth of the country nook in the photo and tried to reproduce 

that feel on my card. So many ways to go with design.

Lots of layers and textures with PTI's BG Basics: Super Gingham, picking up the 

blue check curtains.

And then there's the stamps and coordinating dies from the Greetery.

The images almost stamp themselves! 1st time using so many of the

stamps on my card. Oopsie Daisy, Bountiful Wreath, Robin & Wren.

Because I love layering, these 3, 4 & 5 step stamping are what makes 

depth and realistic form so successful. 

Sentiment: Greetery's Comforting Commands.

Greetery's Crimped Frame Die

Play along on the Card Concept Blog. Our challenges are 2 weeks long.

We'd love to see how you're inspired!

The Card Concept #120 {Cozy Cottage}

Dear Friend

One of the challenges at PTI is an Instagram Giveaway. Michelle Leone 

gives us this beautiful love card as inspiration. We are to use any of the

stamps or dies she used.

Simple Stems & Vogue Vases over Mix & Mat: Pretty Brackets.

The oval is cut from Limitless Layers: Oval and Kind of Corny.

Just getting this one under the wire! 

The Card Concept Challenge: Cottage Florals

It's Cottage Florals at the Card Concept Challenge, and we have this beautiful

rustic photo for inspiration.

Lots of fussy cutting for my Clean and Layered card, using

PTI's SAF 2018 Community Garden.

Mix & Mat Postal gave me the rustic background I was looking for, tied with a bit of

twine.

Play along for 2 weeks. At the Card Concept, you can choose one of our styles, or use

one of your own. Can't wait to see what inspired you!

Enjoy your week!

The Card Concept #112 {Cottage Florals}

Hello Sweet Friend

Hello, sweet friends! I'm up on the Poppystamps blog today, with a 

 watercolor card full of spring blooms! Pop on by to see how I used my

new Arteza pens to create my scene.

Can't wait for the real thing, (blooms that is) in my neck of the woods!

Have a blessed weekend!

Hello Sweet Friend by Nancy Penir