More Impression Obsession Fun!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!
I have been having so much fun playing along with the Impression Obsession challenges. With this Shelter-In-Place I really needed something to kick-start my card-making momentum and this has been the answer. I love looking through my IO stamps and coming up with new and fun ways to use them.

The current challenge is "Play With Your Food!". How funny is that? Well, I don't have many food-themed stamps but I decided to stretch it a bit and play along.

I get such a kick out of this stamp set (CL826, "Birthday Wishes"). The flamingo makes my heart happy and the sentiment is hilarious. It looks like it is on sale, too.

I stamped the images and colored them with Copics. I don't mind "fussy cutting", so I did. I decided to make the flamingo look like he is hanging the "is just" sign onto the party banner. I used some fun patterned paper, a glitzy doily, Glossy Accents, Wink of Stella, Sickles and lots of dimension to put this together.

Thanks for the visit! You have until June 2nd to play along.

Loving Coffee

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Well, the heat has hit here and, to tell the truth, the last thing I really want to think about at the moment is a hot beverage! But I sure couldn't start my day without one.

Today I'm playing along with the Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. I decided to go with my second-favorite caffeinated beverage, tea. I made a fun Magic Picture Changer card using supplies from several companies.

Although I don't use much patterned paper these days, this card (and it's colors) was inspired by the few remaining sheets I've been hoarding of a 6" x 6" pad called "Reunion" by My Mind's Eye. I love this paper and it is long retired.

I colored the backgrounds with Distress Oxide Ink and my blending brushes and for the images I used Copic markers.

Supplies used for this card:
Lawn Fawn Picture Window die and add-on
Memory Box Pastry Label dies
My Mind's Eye paper and enamel dots
Picket Fence blending brushes
Pink & Main "Tea-Riffic" stamps and dies
Ranger Distress oxide Ink - Peacock Feathers
Stamp-a-ma-jig

Thanks for the visit and stay cool and well,

Giving Thanks

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!
Early on during this stay-at-home situation I made and delivered TONS of cards of support and appreciation for folks who are alone and frightened, for health care providers and for all types of service providers like delivery folks, grocery workers, take-out servers, etc. To tell you the truth, while doing this filled my heart, it also kind of burned me out. I lost my card-making momentum, or as some call it, "mojo".

So that's why I decided to reactivate my blog and enter some challenges. To get my juices flowing. And, it has worked and been fun! I've enjoyed thinking about ways to make cards a little differently than I normally would - isn't that what I challenge really is?

The challenge I'm doing today is from Paper Smooches. I have loved Kim Huges' designs for many years, even back when she was with Cornish Heritage Farms stamps. She has such a fresh and unique style.

The current paper Smooches challenge is "Thank You". For this card I've used one of my older favorite sets and another that I reach for so very often - even mixing it with critter stamps from other companies - because the hats are so versatile and silly.

I used Distress Oxide Inks in three shades with a heart stencil for the background. I then cut out several stitched hearts and stacked them for dimension. The chick and hat are colored with Copics. The tiny heart is embellished with Glossy Accents. I rarely use pink in my cards and I haven't used stencils in a long time, so it was fun to stretch my style a bit.

The Paper Smooches products I used:

Chubby Chums stamps

Noggin Toppers stamps

Fun and Flirty sentiment stamps

Hearts dies

This card is going out to an amazing RN who has been working so very hard in a hospital during the past months.

Think about saying thanks to those have done so much to keep us all cared for. Thanks for the visit and stay well,

Stay Crafty with Hero Arts, Part 4

Hi, Bloggin Buddies

I have shared with you (in my May 19th post and subsequent posts) my story of being a happy customer and fan of Hero Arts since they started. I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960's, making cards using stamps that I carved myself or that I found in "counter-culture" shops in Berkeley and the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco. I even used old office stamps ("Special Delivery" "Receipt Requested", etc) in some of my card designs. And then Hero Arts happened and I couldn't have been more excited and appreciative.

Just the other day I grabbed a favorite stamp that I often use on envelopes. It is a Hero Arts stamp dated 1984 with the coolest vintage logo. This is probably not my oldest Hero stamp, but it is one that I constantly use to this day.

For today's card, headed again to the "Stay Crafty with Hero Arts Challenge #8", I used some newer "small joy" stamps than I've been using in my previous posts and one of my all-time, well-used "larger joy" stamp.

This fox is truly a party animal!

I colored this party with Copics, did some paper-piecing, cut everything out and made the party happen. I added some Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents.

These are the stamps I used:

CG157 Large Cupcake

CL514 Life of the Party Birthday

CK382 Wonderful Birthday

DC276 Party Fox

MH0219C February 2019 Kit

Thanks for the visit, for your love of Hero Arts, and thanks to Hero Arts for happening at a key time in my card-making life and for being there ever since. You really are some of my heroes.

Stay well and crafting, 

Stay Crafty with Hero Arts, Part 3

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Looking through all of my Hero Arts "small joys" stamps I have accumulated over the decades has brought back so many memories of my early card-making days and my excitement when, 45 years ago, Hero Arts happened!

I have always loved Hero Arts owls - they have such great personalities and are so dang cute - and I have MANY of them. I used some of them for this card, which is headed for the "Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #8".

Because I wanted to highlight their individuality, I selected several of my owls and decided that the slim-line card design would best accommodate them. This is my first card of this style (although it has become very popular lately) and I've decided that it is not something I will probably make very often.

I had fun coloring these guys with Copics, hand-cutting them out (these pre-date matching dies!) and embellished them with some Goggly eyes and Glossy Accents. I selected a neutral cardstock to allow the fun birds to stand out. I used 2 Hero alphabet sets for the sentiment.

The stamps I used (many retired) are:

LP 167 Owl Trio

D5217 Big Hoot

D5562 Newspaper Owl

CL332 Friendship

CL415 Sweet Owls

CL141 Fanciful Swirl Alphabet

CL260 Curly Alphabet

Thanks for joining me on my trip down memory lane. 

Stay well,

Staying Crafty with Hero Arts, Part 2

Hi, bloggin' buddies!

On my last post I shared a bit about my long history with Hero Arts. Today's card is another in the "Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #8". When I realized that this lamb reminded me of a puffy cloud. I paired it with a water-colored rainbow and several other little stamp "joys", using Zigs and Copics, to create a scene of hope and joy

The stamps I used (many are retired) I used are:

Magical Background CG211

Silly Scape (just a portion) K5425

Happy Days Animals CL153

Shoot for the Moon CL773

I'm having so much fun pulling out older and treasured "joys" that I may continue to play with this challenge. My heart is always big for Hero Arts.

Thanks for the visit and stay well and crafty,

Staying Crafty with Hero Arts

Hi, blogging buddies!
I was probably one of Hero Arts' first customers. I was with them from the start and will always be. I have been stamping cards since the late 1960's and was so happy when Hero Arts was born.

Years ago I did lots of challenges and now I've decided to return to a few to get my mojo moving. Today I am joining my dear Hero Arts in their "Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #8".

The challenge is to use some of the small joys in your stash. In preparation for this I pulled out "a few" of my Hero Arts stamps (and these are just the clear & cling ones) to consider. Remember, I've been using Hero stamps for 45 years.

My first creation uses lots of fun animal stamps to celebrate one of the many "drive-by" birthdays that have been happening with the stay-at-home orders. They just make my heart happy.

The stamps (many are retired) I used are:
February 2019 Kit MH0219C
Playful Animals CL1555
Wonderful birthday CL382
Life of the Party Birthday CL514
Happy Days Animals CL153


I had so much fun with this challenge that, time permitting, I may return for more.
Thanks for being there for me for so many decades, Hero Arts!

Thanks for the visit and stay crafty,

Mothers

Just a quick post today to share a simple, but heartfelt, card. Since I no longer have my dear Mom and I've never been one, I really don't have any "Mother's Day" themed stamps. But I have always loved this sentiment stamp ("Near to My Heart" C13453 by Dina Kowal) from Impression Obsession. I paired it up with some old Graphic 45 "Domestic Goddess" paper that I have been holding for years to create a sort of homage to Mom.

Although my Mom was a hard-working Registered Nurse, when I was young I loved the smell of my bed sheets if they were hung on the line to dry. So, even when she was probably too tired to do it, she almost always did that - and so much more - for me. I still miss her everyday even though she has been gone now for 30 years.

I am submitting this to the "Moms Rule" challenge at the Impression Obsession Blog. Check it out!

Thanks for the visit - and call your Mom and tell her you love her if you are lucky enough to be able to.

Quarantine Quack

Hi, folks!
So, as we complete week 5 of our self-quarantine, I find myself getting more creative in many aspects of my life. I was recently inspired by the Lawn Fawn Fawnatics current challenge (#76) - Anything But A Card.

I used several Lawn Fawn goodies to create this Quarantine Quack, something I made for some neighbor ladies. Since we all need to wash our hands frequently and that often dries them out, I thought it would be fun to put together a cute little gift of an anti-bacterial wipe and a small bottle of hand lotion. The "Spring Critter Huggers" and "Stitched Gift Card Pocket" dies were just the thing. I made the Duckie and, before attaching the pocket, I added some small extender pieces to the sides to accommodate the bottle of hand lotion. Perfect!

Then I got to thinking how we are all wearing masks when we go out, right? So I used the "Say What Gift Tags" dies to fashion the sweetest little mask. I cut the tag on both ends with the die and then trimmed the width of the tag to be proportional to Duckie's face. I added some twine to attach it. I also used the heart die to embellish the pocket.

I just love how he turned out!

You have until May 17th to join in the fun. Thanks for the visit and stay well,

TICKLED (but not pink!)!

Good Morning!

As we begin our 8th week of "Shelter In Place" here in California, I have been busy making lots of cards of appreciation and support.

Today I needed a little extra happy and I see that one of my favorite stamp companies, Impression Obsession, is offering a challenge called "Tickled". So, even though I'm coming to the party late, I had to jump in.

I can't believe that I made this wack-o card! So many weird colors and patterns with no continuity. I'm glad that none of my old design professors will see it. But it was fun and it made my heart happy to be a little silly.

For this card I went very crazy with the "Baby Giraffe" stamp set (#WP771) by Dina Kowal. I have used this beloved set for so many special cards, but (sorry, Dina!) I took some serious liberties with it today. The neck scarf became a crazy hat and I added some google eyes and a fun sentiment (#D17212) by Yvonne Blair.

Thanks for the visit and for indulging my crazy (this sure isn't genius - ha!),