Tea Time Tuesday - Peter Rabbit/Beatrix Potter & Friendship Spring Card

Happy Tuesday! For today, I thought I would share a charming Tea for One set I have called "The World of Beatrix Potter - Peter Rabbit."   I fell in love with this one years ago and remembered loving the stories of Peter Rabbit as a little girl.  This set has such adorable images all over it, and it never ceases to make me smile.  When I have my nieces over for tea,  this tea set always gets chosen for the table!

I can't help but wish for Spring to arrive soon and this tea pot  really made me long for the return of the bunnies in my garden.  Now, I am always having to shoo them from my garden like farmer McGregor did in the stories, but this year I can't wait for them to come and I will have to treat them to some tasty plants!


Today's card I made using a lot of Spring Distress Ink colors on watercolor paper. I heat embossed a great friendship background stamp in black first.

Do you have Spring Fever like I do?

In Memory of Charlie (Pet Sympathy Card)

Hi, guys! Hope you are having a lovely weekend.  For today, I am sharing a card I made for a fellow blogger (and now friend) Bee.  She needed a card to send to a family member who lost their dog named Charlie.  Bee remembered I made one a few weeks ago for a friend and asked me to tailor a card for her and to somehow incorporate his name.  I decided to use a banner with his name on it, and heat embossed the paw prints to give them a wet (muddy) look.

Supplies:
Stamps:Vap! Scrap, Rubber Stampede
Paper: Desert Storm Enviromental, Gina K Designs
Ink: Versafine Black, Prisma Colored Pencils
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Spellbinders Dies, Lawn Fawn Banner Die

I am sorry for the family's loss, and hope the card brings some bit of comfort to them.

Until next time!!

Congratulations, Mr. Chairman!

Hi, guys! Hope all is well! Today I was asked to make a card by my husband for one of his oldest and dearest friends, Jeff.  Jeff was just elected Chairman of the Board of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It is such an honor, and so we wanted to recognize it with what else?  Yep, a card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, 100 Proof Press
Ink: Archival, Versafine
Paper: Gina K Ivory, Core-dinations
Misc.: Cuttlebug Music Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Exclamation Point, Clear Embossing Powder

Core-dinations Kraft paper is a great paper to use with your embossing folders. Using a sanding block and removing the color reveals the Kraft core underneath.

I decided to heat emboss a cool record image with clear embossing powder on the envelope.  Isn't it a fun way to finish off a card?

Without art and music in our lives I believe our world would be a pretty cold place.  Thank you to Jeff for all you do to keep music alive and well on Long Island.

Until next time!

Shabby Chic Tea Cup Birthday Card

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing a birthday card that was commissioned by a friend for her to give to her husband's aunt.  After thinking about it a bit, I decided to use one of my favorite teacup stamps by Unity Stamps.  It is a large stamp, so I made a large card.  I heat embossed the teacup with white embossing powder on watercolor paper.  I used various antique color Distress Inks to apply color to the image.

Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamps
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor paper, Paper Doily
Inks: Distress Inks, Versamark Ink, Distress Stains
Misc.:  Pearls, Seam Binding, Oval Punches, Computer Generated Name

I was going for a shabby chic/antique look for this card.  I added a doily that I applied Distress Inks to, and added pearls as well.  The ribbon is seam binding that is colored with Distress Stains and crumpled and dried to give it that aged look.

I am submitting this card for the Chic to be Shabby challenge over at:  http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/2013/03/challenge-chic-to-be-shabby.html
Do you have a creation that is Chic to be Shabby?  If so, why not submit yours too and join in the fun!

Hope you have a great day!  Until next time!

Religious Sympathy Card and Sympathy for Loss of a Family Pet

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  I am going to share a few more sympathy cards I made this week. Unfortunately, I have had the need to make quite a few of them this past week.  I am hoping that I won't be needing to make more of them in a long while!

This first one up was made for a friend to give to a pet owner who lost their dog.  I embossed paws for the background on this one.

Supplies:
Stamps: Vap Scrap, Papertrey Iink, Rubber Stampede
Ink: Versafine Black, Stampin' Up , Distress Ink
Paper: Desert Storm, Gina K Designs (White)
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Ribbon, Spellbinders Hearts Dies, Oval Punch

This next card was made for a friend who requested a religious sympathy card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Close To My Heart, Greenbrier International
Ink: Versamark, Archival Black, Distress Ink
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Ranger Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Cord

I heat embossed the Praying Hands image using Ranger Gold Embossing Powder.   I thought this was a simple design, but dramatic.

I hope the next round of cards I make and share are for some fun occasions!

Until next time!

1 year Blog Anniversary and Giveaway

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today my blog is turning 1!  I can't believe how the time has flown.  I have been having such a blast sharing my creations and daily life with you.  I thought I would share a card celebrating a "Happy Birthday" I made for my husband to give to his boss.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamp Camp, Verve
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Versamark, Black Archival, Distress Stains
Misc.: White Embossing Powder,  Scallop Punch

I really love using my Distress Stains. I love the way they blend with water. The fun backgrounds always surprise me and make me smile.

I've decided to give away some cards I've made to a reader to celebrate the blog's anniversary. Just leave a comment on this post between now and Sunday, March 3rd at noon EST and I will randomly draw a winner.  Simple as that!

I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who have shared this year with me.  I have been blessed with a lot of wonderful readers and kind new blog friends. Each one of you has touched my life in a special way. The blogging community is truly wonderful and I am so happy to call myself a blogger!

Until next time!

WOYWW 195 (Messy Distress Fun)

Hi, guys! Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing with you what is on my work desk. Thank you to Julia for this fun!  I am working on a birthday card for my husband's boss.  I decided to use Distress Stains and white embossing powder. I had some white fabric flowers in my stash and I decided to stain one to match.  It is a lot of fun, and my hands got plenty inky!

I look forward to visiting with you each Wednesday and sharing in the fun.   If you want to share what you are working on, please join in the fun at:http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Hope you have a fun, creative day ahead!

No Face Like Holmes

Hi, guys! Hope you had a great weekend.  It was a very busy one here.  Friday evening was fun as I got to celebrate a friend's birthday with a great group of ladies.  We spend the time laughing, telling stories and eating yummy food.  We celebrate together for each of our birthdays, and the birthday gal picks the restaurant.  This time it was a lovely French restaurant.  I thought I would share the birthday card I made the birthday gal.  My friends and I love Jane Austen, the BBC, British movies, etc.  My friend got me enjoying the BBC Sherlock Holmes series (Benedict Cumberbatch, oh my! I never thought I would love a modern-day Sherlock, but this one is just fabulous), so I thought I would make her a Sherlock card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Versamark, Distress Ink
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder


I heat embossed the focal image and all the various background images as well.  I made text boxes on the computer for the sentiment.

Hope you have a great day!

Valentine Using Distress Paints

Hi, guys! Today I wanted to share a card I made for a coworker to give her husband for Valentine's Day. I was lucky enough to pick up all the new Distress Paints this weekend (Merry Christmas to me!).  I decided to use them to make this Valentine.  The paints are super fun and I love that they are reactive with water.  I used Picked Raspberry, Victorian Velvet, Spun Sugar, Barn Door, and Picket Fence.  I used watercolor paper as I made this very wet with the paints and it laid completely flat when I was finished (Yay!).

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, CC Rubber Stamps
Inks: Black Archival Ink, Versamark Ink, Distress Paints, Black Soot Distress Ink
Misc.: Ranger Gold Embossing Powder, Gems

It was a hit when I brought it in today.  One of my favorite qualities of the paints is the feel of them on paper.  They are so smooth and soft, not like the usual acrylics, and made for very easy stamping on top of them.

I am submitting this card to the SOMETHING MESSY challenge at: http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/

It was a lot of fun to make and when I was finished with the paints and embossing, I had an "artful" mess to clean up.  The paints are great as they were easy to get off my hands with my Craft Scrubbie.

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Two Hearts Entwined

Hi, guys! Hope your weekend was a good one.  I can't believe it is over so fast! I am looking forward to next weekend as I made it a three-day weekend.  Next Saturday is my husband's monthly show, and Sunday is the Super Bowl.  I will need an extra day off for sure.

For today, I thought I would share a wedding card I made.  My friend Christine asked me to make a personalized wedding card for her to give.  I embossed the card and then heat embossed the focal image.  I wanted to tie polka dots in throughout the card.

Supplies:
Paper: Stampin' Up
Ink: Versamark, Distress Ink (Peeled Paint)
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Misc.:Ranger Gold Embossing Powder, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Gold Cord, Mini Rectangle Scallop Punch, Pop Dots

I wish the happy couple many years of happiness!

Until next time!

Peace And Love

Hi, guys!  For today, I am sharing two cards I made using an old set by Stampin' Up.  On both of these cards I heat embossed the focal image.

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Papertrey Ink, Tim Holtz

Ink: Versamark

Misc.: Joy Button, White Embossing Powder, Star Punch, White Ribbon

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock, Gina K (White), Core-dinations

Misc.: Gold Embossing Powder, Martha Stewart Heart Punch, Ribbon

I thought that the messages of Peace and Love were really needed this holiday season. Wishing both to you and yours!

Until next time!

Some Flurry Fun

Hi, guys!  I love snow and the thought of snow just speaks Christmas to me.  I thought I would make a card using a fun stamp by Impression-Obsession called Snowflakes.

Supplies:
Stamps: Impression-Obsession, A Muse
Ink: Stampin' Up, Versamark
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Misc.: Winter Wonderland Embossing Powder, Snowflake Buttons, Spellbinders Die, Silver Cord,Gems

Winter Wonderland embossing powder is a combo of white and silver.  I don't use it often, but when winter comes around,  I get a lot of use out of it. It really gave it a frosty look, I believe.

Hope you have a great day, and hope you find a few moments of the day to do something you love!

Merry Christmas, Victoria!

Hi, guys! Hope your weekend was a fun one!  Mine was filled with theatre, crafting and cooking.  I have a bunch of cards and projects that I will be working on these next couple of weeks for the holidays.  For today I thought I would share a card I made for my friend Christine's daughter for Christmas.  I wanted to make a religious card for her and she wanted the card to use the colors silver, white and blue.  I thought: what better image to use than Madonna and Child?

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Paper: Papertrey Ink (Silver and Navy), Mulberry Paper, Gina K Designs (White)

Ink: Versamark, Stampin' Up

Misc.: Silver Embossing Powder, Spellbinders Dies, Ribbon, Silver Cord, Snowflake Ribbon

This card was fun to make.  I felt it captured the meaning of Christmas to me.  What a special love there is between mother and child.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

November Tag for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012

Hi, guys!  As many of you know, I am participating in the 12 Tags of 2012 by Tim Holtz.  Each month Tim demonstrates a new tag using various techniques and products meant to inspire you to create your own.  I can't believe it is November already!  Here is my submission:

I love that I get to use so many of my supplies when I make a tag.  For this tag, distress stains were used in various colors as well as distress inks.  The image was heat embossed onto the tag.  One of my favorite parts of this tag was making the leaves by using Core-dinations kraft paper, then sanding and inking them.  Love how they came out.  I never thought to pull apart my twine before, and then inked it as Tim showed.  It was a fun touch and am so glad he shared that idea.

I hope you like this tag, and if you are interested in making one for yourself, I would suggest you check out Tim's blog at www.timholtz.com and I am sure he will inspire you.

Have a great day!  Until next time!

True Friends

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  I was asked to make a special card for a friend to give to one of her best buddies.  I was asked to make it shabby chic in feel and to incorporate shades of pink and greens.  This is the card I came up with for Sheryl.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: Stampin' Up, Watercolor Paper
Inks: Versafine Black, Distress Inks
Misc.: Perfect Pearl Mists, Ribbon Colored To Match, Distress Tool, Stick Pin, Heart Punch, Embossing Powder

I love using Versafine Ink for embossing with clear powder.  The image comes out very crisp and clean of any stray powders.  One of my least favorite things to do is use black embossing powder as I seem to get stray powders on my image.  They can be knocked off, or wiped off with a paint brush, but using clear powder just makes it so easy.

Making this card made my fingers very inky, so you know I had fun!

Have a great day!

Fluttering Birthday Wishes

Hi, guys! My love of butterflies is probably becoming apparent to some.  I am sharing a card I made for a friend's mom.  I was asked to personalize it with the name her children call their grandma.  They call her "Wella."  She was very touched to have a special card for her birthday.  It made my day to hear how much pleasure it brought her.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamp Camp
Paper: The Ink Pad Husk, Stampin' Up, Echo Park
Ink: Distress Ink, Archival Black
Misc.: Embossing Powder, Paper Flower, Gems, Martha Stewart Punch

I am so happy I found the line of stamps by Stamp Camp.  I found them at a stamp convention in Massachusetts.  The ones I picked up are perfect for fun backgrounds.

Hope you have a great day!

Nature Inspired Sympathy Card

Hi, guys!  Today I am sharing a sympathy card I made for a gentleman who lost his mom.  I wanted to make it masculine and with a nature theme.  What better set for me to use that my trusty "Lovely As A Tree" set by Stampin' Up.   I used neutral colors, twine, and a wooden button to relay the natural feel.  The image was heat embossed with a light champagne colored embossing powder for a subtle feel.

Supplies:
Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Brown, Distress Ink
Stamps: Stampin' Up, Rubber Stampede
Paper: Gina K Designs, The Ink Pad NYC Husk
Misc.: Embossing Powder, Wooden Button, Twine

Have a lovely day!  Until next time!

Happy Birthday Titi Pilar (Distress Inked Poppies)

Hi, guys!  Today I made a card for a friend's aunt.  She needed it to be written in Spanish and gave me the sentiment for both the outside and inside.  I, unfortunately only speak English, so this was a joint effort.  For this card, I white embossed the image and inked it with various shades of blue and green distress inks.  I then sprayed it with Perfect Pearls mist to blend and give it a pearlized look.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamp Camp
Ink: Versamark, Distress Inks
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Ribbon, Oval Punches, Gems, White Embossing Powder, Perfect Pearls


I understand the aunt was extremely happy with the card and especially that it had had her name on it and that it was written in Spanish in the inside.  It sure made my day to hear it!

Hope you find some time today to do something you love!

Chalkboard Love and Birthday Card For A Babysitter

Hi, guys! Hope your weekend was a good one.  Mine was very productive and very INKY!  I had a bunch of cards to work on for various people.  As I worked, the cards needed started to multiply.  Isn't it funny how that seems to happen?


First list:

List as it stands now:

So, as you can see, I still have a few cards to work on during the week. Can you tell I just love my new chalkboard?  I am sad they are phasing them out of schools. There is something about writing in chalk that I love!

How about I share one of the cards I completed with you? This card I made for a friend to give to celebrate her babysitter's birthday. It was great hearing how wonderful a person and sitter Merla is. Knowing you have a caring and special person caring for your daughter when you are working outside the home must give you such peace of mind.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamp Camp
Paper: Grape Note Card The Ink Pad NYC, Gina K (Black)
Ink: Versafine Black, Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls Spray (Sunflower)
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Gems, Oval Punches, Computer Generated Name

I love heat embossing cards. It gives such shine and texture to any piece you work on. Perfect Pearl sprays are great to use. I normally find myself just reaching for the Pearl color, but decided to use Sunflower as I thought the vibrant gold/yellow would go great with the shades of purple distress inks.

Wishing Tita Merla a very blessed birthday!  Hope your day is a great one too!

A Note of Cheer

Hi, guys!  For today, I thought I would share a card I made for my brother.  He needed a card for a friend who is undergoing treatments for an illness.  I wanted to keep it light in feel, and for it to have a masculine look.  After going through my sentiments, I found one that I thought would work.  It reads inside "Feel Better Soon".  I sure hope getting a surprise card in the mail will bring a smile to his friend.   As I was digging through my piles of stamps, I found this old typewriter image from Hero Arts.  I remember being a young girl learning how to type on one of these, and thought maybe this fellow would appreciate this image from the past.  I can't believe I used to type papers on one of these machines!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Kaiser, Gina K Designs (Black)
Ink: Versafine Black, Distress Ink
Misc: Clear Embossing Powder

Hope your day is filled with fond memories of the past, and dreams of great things for the future!