Cutness Quotient

Happy Friday, Bloggin' Buddies!

Yep, I've been playing with my Fuse Tool again!

I was inspired by the February Paper Smooches Challenge, "Fun & Cute". And cute is the perfect word for so many of the paper Smooches stamps - I love 'em!

Today I colored up (Copic pens) a double dose using the "Party Pals" set. It is an older set, but a favorite and perfect to pair with my balloon die and some colorful sequins for a real party in a card.

The stars in the background are from some unmarked stamps I got at a used stamp sale. I tried adding some white dots like I have seen so many doing on various blogs - I still struggle with those darn gell pens, but I like the look. A dash of Wink of Stella adds some glimmer.

It is a beautiful sunny day (which is why I got the reflection on my acetate balloon) and I plan to get out an enjoy it!

Thanks for the visit!

Bowl of Cherries

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Today I have a card I made with the cutest ever stamp set from Stampin' Up called "Giggle Greetings" I got this from my friend and SU Demonstrator, Dottie Macken. There are four different images in the set and they are just ripe for watercoloring - I used my Zig Clean Color Markers and an aqua brush.

To add to the "homespun" look I used a stitched die from Simon Says Stamp, some vintage patterned papers, a doily and some twine (all from my stash).


For quite awhile I resisted getting these markers because I had several different watercoloring mediums, but I must say that I totally love them. The brushes are good quality and the colors are so vibrant. I also like that they are so portable. You can purchase them individually to see if they are something you like.

Hope you are having a great week - thanks for the visit!

Party in a Card!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

I have been so excited about the new designs by Julie Ebersole in the latest Essentials by Ellen release. I received my order and have been itching to play, so earlier this week I decided to play along with Ellen's Mix It Up Challenge featuring Penny Black products.

I broke out my We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool for this totally fun shaker card. I am trying to remember to think about the color wheel when deciding on colors and I think it really helped with this card.

I love the results! The sentiments (outside and inside of the card) are from Penny Black's "Kind Words" set. My Essentials by Ellen products are the sweet envelopes, "Bitty Envelope" die set (so many possibilities!!!), and the tiny hearts on the envelopes, "Home and Hearth" dies."

I used Distress Inks (Cracked Pistachio and Squeezed Lemonade) on my back panel and drizzled it with some Perfect Pearls solution. I heat embossed the sentiment, loaded the shaker up with the heart-studded envelopes, sequins and tiny beads from my stash and there was plenty of shakin' goin' on!

It isn't easy to still photograph shaker cards!

Thanks for the visit and keep shakin' it!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Day, Bloggin' Buddies!

Just a quick post this morning to show you the little Valentine's Day treats that I made for our Zumba class, family, neighbors and friends (I made 30 - I'm not a fan of mass production, so I kept them simple).

I often reach for my Die-Namics Lollipop Treat die when I need a cute wrap for a treat, in this case they are See's Candies lollipops.

The stamp is one from Rubber Stampede, Inc. that I got for $0.25 at a used stamp sale. It worked perfectly!

Hope your day is perfectly happy. We treasure every day we share and enjoy every minute of each other. Hope you have some love in your heart today!

Happy New Year!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Yes, it is the Year of the Monkey! I have a couple of wonderful friends for whom I like to make Chinese New Year cards and this year is extra fun because it is the year of the monkey. I always try to incorporate red and gold in my cards, as those colors have special significance.

This card has a rich texture from a Sizzix embossing folder. The happy fella is "Funky Monkey" from Rubber Soul (I picked this up at a sued stamp sale a couple of years ago!) and I also used Die-namics ("Mini Pennant", "Zig Zag Stitched Oval"), Hero Arts "Alphabet with Label" stamps, and Simon Says Stamps "Hello You" stamps.

Inside

Wishing you a happy new year filled with posterity and good luck. No monkeying around!

Thanks for the visit and have a great week.