My Amazing Uncle

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Well, yesterday was Father's Day so I can post the card I made for my wonderful Uncle. Although not really related by blood, this man has known me, understood me, teased me and helped me ever since I was five years old. He truly has my heart and I can't wait until the virus settles down so we can go an visit him.

Since he is good with tools I knew he would enjoy a card made with the Lawn Fawn Magic Iris Die. I have had such fun with this inter-active design and it isn't as difficult as it looks once you get the hang of it.

Here is the card with the Iris closed and open:

Iris closed 

Iris open

I used the Lawn Fawn "Super Star" stamp and die sets with a Distress oxide Ink galaxy sky. I added some silver star and moon die-cuts. This card was fun to make and it was a big hit.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and thanks for the visit!

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,

Anything but Tags!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Well, tag-mania is finally over! Can't believe how many I produced. It was a good challenge, but a real time-stealer during a busy month.

Today I am sharing some gift card holders I made with Lawn Fawn Woodland Critters, Winter Add-Ons and the Stitched Gift Card Pocket. I love these dies, but using them is pretty time consuming with all the cutting and gluing the numerous pieces. To tell the truth, I elected to do penguins because I didn't have to worry about ears or tails! Plus, they are too dang cute!!

I pretty much followed the advice on the video done by one of my crafty mentors, Nichol Spohr. I did make some adjustments and changes, but my guys are very much related to hers!

I had to laugh because I avoid glitter at all costs and Nichol used 2 different types on her critters. I thought about it for awhile and remembered an old product in my stash that I hadn't used in many years (but thank goodness I saved!), Flower Soft. It is perfect for the fury trim on the mittens and earmuffs! My other short cut is using a hold punch for the eyes, rather die cutting them - it goes much faster!

These guys will deliver my gift cards in great style. Thanks to Lawn Fawn and to Nichol and to you for the visit!

Sparkle and Shine

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

I continue to create along with Ellen Hutson for her "12 Days of Christmas Tags with a Feminine Twist". This tag was inspired by Day 3 and the amazing Kelly Marie Alvarez's tag, which is "Sparkle and Shine". While I rarely use glitter (because I wear it for days!), I do love glittery things so I used glitter cardstock (DCWV) and wash tape from my stash to add the sparkle. And always a touch of Stickles!

I love this little line-up of snowfolks from Lawn Fawn's "Simply Celebrate Winter" set. I paired it with a tiny little sentiment from Hero Arts "Christmas Messages" set.

Another day of sweet tag-spiration! Thanks to Ellen and thanks to you for the visit,

Time for Tags (again!)

But, thanks to Ellen Hutson's wonderful skills, it is with a feminine twist!!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies:

More tags, you say??? Never too many!

This is my first post for Ellen Hutson's annual "12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist"! I always look forward to this because the designers do a terrific job of inspiring us to think outside the box.

This tag was inspired by Day One and Carloyn Peeler's tag, for which she used alcohol inks. Since I love this soft (and feminine!) turquoise blue ink, I used it for my background. A touch of sparkle was added with the glittery reinforcer and some Stickles along the snow bank. The sweet critter is from Lawn Fawn's "Winter Skies" set and the sentiment is from Hero Arts "Christmas Messages" set. For a finishing touch I added a piece of special iridescent  twine that I've been hoarding.

The sun wasn't cooperating, but this does have a ton of shimmer, sparkle and shine.

Thanks to Ellen and thanks to you for the visit!

Fighting the Squirrels

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

These little fall treats were inspired by a favorite exercise instructor who has been fighting the squirrels out of her backyard garden for months!

I like to make something special for the folks this special class, so I used Lawn Fawn's "Woodland Critters" set and the add-ons to make these adorable little squirrels showing off their cute neck scarves which are made with some Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid paper. I added some delicious Dove chocolate squares which I bet they like better than our instructor's squash!

These little guys just make me smile and I hope they do you, too. Thanks for the visit,

A Unicorn for Christmas?

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Today's tag is a sweet one. I'm not such a fan of unicorns, but there are lots of little girls who go nuts for them, so they do make appropriate Christmas tags (as long as you're sure they are sparklin' sweet).

Once again, thank goodness for Tracey McNeely's "25 Days of Christmas Tags"! Today I am back again with lawn Fawn's Day 21. I'm inspired by the tags made by Samantha Mann. She used a unicorn and lots of color and sparkle.

I also used a Lawn Fawn ("Say What?" set) unicorn and added lots of pinks and purples, some silvery flakes and gems, a glittery star reinforcer and some amazing sparkle yarns from my stash.

My tag collection is growing - soon to be depleted. Thanks, Tracey!

I appreciate your visit,

Fa-la-la

Hi, Blogging Buddies!

Yep, yet another tag - can't get enough of them! These are again inspired by Tracey McNeely's "25 Days of Christmas Tags" and again I was inspired by Day 21, this time by Samatha Casey. She used a Lawn Fawn llama image and some silver snowflakes. While hers has a sweet frame, I kept mine simple to allow for mass production. I used the llama from the Lawn Fawn "Says Who?" set, colored it with Copics and added some small snowflake embellishments.

Thanks for the visit and wishing you a fa-la-la-lovey day,

Sweet little tags

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Every year I look forward to the "Twenty-five Days of Christmas" hosted by Tracey McNeely. I make quite a few Christmas tags every year because I give packages of them as little gifts (to folks who still give gifts!) and we use them when we wrap gifts that we provide to needy families (to make it extra special). And I love to do it - each one is a tiny little creation filled with joy!

These tags, which use Lawn Fawn's "Say What?" stamps and dies, was inspired by Day 21 and the cute tags by Karin Åkesdotter  using this same image. I have used this set for numerous tags this year and I know I'll reach for it in years to come. The critters are so darn cute! I embellished the ages with some greens from Tim Holtz's Sizzix holiday greenery dies and some Stickles for sparkle.

Thanks for the visit and happy Thanksgiving,

Critters in Yosemite

Hi, blogging Buddies!

We have just returned from several days in Yosemite with our Hiking Group. With all the rain we have had this year the falls were extra-spectacular. We also had amazing weather, so the trip was simply terrific.

When we go on these excursions with the Hikers I like to make a little something for everyone.

Normally I do not do mass-production, but these folks are special so I cranked up my die-cutting machine, grabbed my Lawn Fawn "Woodland Critter Huggers" die set and went to town! They turned out so cute that I keep smiling every time I see them. I had a bit of a problem cutting out the eyes so I tried making a stencil from cardstock with the dies and using it with a Sharpie Pen to draw the eyes onto the faces. It worked like a charm and it saved me some time. I made a total of 30 of these critters and tucked some Dove dark chocolate pieces into them.

Everyone loved them and had a great time hiking. It was such a memorable time.

Thanks for the visit and happy hiking,

Cinco De Mayo

Hola, Bloggin' Budies!

Well, as you can imagine, there are lots of celebrations here in California today. What a colorful culture! We are heading to a fun neighborhood dinner.

I made this card for the hostess. Lots of fun. I used the Lawn Fawn Everyday Pop-Up Dies for the card base and the new Hero Arts "It's Fiesta Time" stamp and dies set for the cute pop-ups. These were so much fun to color with Copics. I added some colorful banners and some small flowers from my stash.

I've been having such fun with these Lawn Fawn pop-up dies. They add such a fun dimension to cards. It does add some extra time to the process because you have more surfaces to decorate, but for a big impact it is so perfect.

Have a colorful day and thanks for the visit,

Fawn-tastic!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Lawn Fawn makes so many super-cool dies to add lots of pop to our creations - they are unique and such fun. Today I have a card I made using the "Everyday Pop-Up" dies and the "Toadally Awesome" stamp and die set. This is only the third card I've made using this Pop-Up set and I almost have it mastered - ha! Kelly Marie's video makes it look so easy - I just thought I could do it this time without watching the video. No way! Soon it will become second nature (I hope).

I love this "Toad" set - the faces on the little guys are just too cute! I colored them with Copics and added some embellishments with some Wink of Stella and Signo white gel pen. Die cuts from splash background and flower dies (from my stash) complete the "hoppy" scene.

It isn't easy properly photographing a 3-D card! I did my best. This is headed to the Lawnfawnatics current challenge, "3-D cards."

Thanks for the visit!

Aloha!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Yes, Aloha is the word. I have just returned from a couple of weeks in my happy place, Kauai. We try to go there every year and it just seems to get better. Here is a photo of part of the beauty that I saw on my morning walks. Paradise!

Today's card is a reminder of our trip. I used Avery Elle's
"Stay Fresh" stamp and die set. I ink-blended a partial circle onto some wonderful woodgrain paper, using a mask. The pineapple is heat-embossed on vellum and colored from the back with Copics. Some gold card stock was used as a mat and for the greeting, which is from Lawn Fawn. Gold Gansai Tambi watercolor splatters, sequins and twine complete the embellishments. The woodgrain and gold papers are from my LSS, the Paper Garden Boutique in Sacramento.

Thanks for the visit and carry the aloha spirit in your hearts,

Let's Put Out the Fire!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

It has been awhile since I colored up an image from one of my favorite companies, Art Impression. They have so many great characters, especially for us seniors (and I don't mean high school!). I made this card for a friend who, thankfully, has a sense of humor. I used Copic markers and made some die-cut star embellishments. The patterned paper is from Lawn Fawn.


















The inside is simple and to the point.

Sure hope you are having a good week so far. Lots of sunshine here for a change.

Thanks for the visit,

Glamping

Hi, bloggin' buddies!
I have a thing for vintage trailers. I love to see how owners decorate them and set up for show.

When I saw this Fusion Challenge (I am new to this site/challenge) I knew that I had to join in and have some fun.



While I love the colors and the sketch, I elected to go with the photo as my inspiration. I watercolored this sweet camper from Stamping' Up and added lots of accessories. The banner is from Simon Says Stamp ("Folded Banner") and the sentiment is from Lawn Fawn. The perfect patterned paper is from an Authentique pad called "Adventure".

Although it has been an unusually hot one, I always hate to see the end of summer, with its long days and cooler nights, coming to an end. A trip in this baby would cap it all off with style!

Thanks for the visit and happy trails,

Back to School

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

School starts today for the young ones around here.

I had been eyeing the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Pop-Up die for quite awhile and finally decided that I had to have it. I used it on this card I made to celebrate the new school year for a sweet young gal who often crafts with me.

Let me just say that it all looked so much easier on all the videos! I know I should have done a "test drive" to shake out all the bugs, but once I decided to do it, I jumped right on in. There are little idiosyncrasies that one must figure out and allow for - the next one will be easier. It must be- ha!

I thought a "wise owl" theme would be fun, not just because I get a real kick out of owls, but because I have quite a collection of owl stamps (many are quite old - can't seem to let them go!). These are all from Hero Arts. I made a neutral colored box and each owl has sparkly & bold color.  I used a couple of computer-generated sentiments for two of the box flaps.

This folds so perfectly into a regular A3 envelope and I adore the sweet tiny star and heart dies that are included in the set.

Now that I have walked through the construction of this, I believe that future ones will go together much less effortlessly and that I will be able to make them even more complex and fun. I knew all those years of studying architecture would come in handy some day!

Thanks for the visit and grab your pee-chees and your lunch boxes (now you know how old I really am!) and be wise in school!

Don't go, summertime!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Although this summer has been incredibly hot, I sure don't like seeing it getting ready to say "good-bye".  The days are already getting shorter and my happy summertime mode is being threatened. My hubby loves fall, but I always dread it, so there you go!

For some reason my card making summer has been influenced heavily by the amazing Tim Holtz. I've always appreciated Tim's products and designs, but for whatever reason, I've been immersed this summer. It seems I'm always reaching for his "Crazy Birds", his hilarious "Hipsters", the amazing new Distress Oxide Inks, and I even have a new interest in his alcohol inks. My Pinterest boards are full of Tim-related products and ideas!

Today I have a card featuring a Crazy Bird. I have a friend who is into altered art and volunteers with a local charter school, teaching art. She is amazing! I wanted to show my support and wish her a good school year, so I made this "Z-fold" card using Distress Inks, some matching flowers from my stash and a cute speech bubble stamp from Lawn Fawn's "Chit Chat" set. I used some Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Collection cardstock to coordinate with the ink colors.

I had actually never made a Z-fold card until I took a class from my friend Sandy earlier this summer. It adds a little interest, especially for an artsy card and an ever more artsy recipient.

Thanks for the visit, and continue to enjoy your summer while you may.......

Crabby Goodness

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

We just returned from a trip east visiting with beloved friends and family. One stop included visits with wonderful folks in Maryland. I got to check off a "Bucket List" item, eating Maryland crabs! Here in California we eat Dungeness crabs, so I wanted to try them. Here we are at a fun place in Baltimore, cracking and grinnin'!

I made a couple of crab-themed cards to show our appreciation for the great hospitality we were shown.

For this first one I used this super-cool "Rocky the Crab" die from Elizabeth Crafts. I put Rocky on a wobbler so he could really rock and roll! How can ya
not smile with this guy?!

The background is Distress Inks on watercolor paper embossed with Impression Obsession's "Shells" background stamp. The "Scripty Thanks" die, is a real favorite of mine from Lawn Fawn. I added a little twine to reflect my "knot-ical" skills!

A fun trip with lots of great memories! Have a "smile like Rocky" day! Thanks for the visit!

More Foxy Friends!

Happy weekend, Bloggin' Buddies!

Last month I posted a card I had made with Stamping' Up's "Foxy Friends" set and punch.

Do think foxes are the only possibility here?! No way! There are lots of ways to make all kinds of critters with this set.

Here is a set of cards I made for a dear friend showing the versatility of this set. I love them all!

Speech bubbles are from Lawn Fawn; tree branch is Paper Smooches.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend - it really feels like summer is on the way.

Thanks for the visit,

Feeling Foxy

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Happy Memorial Day weekend. Let's not forget what it's all about and take a few moments to honor those who gave their lives and fought to keep this country free and great.

This critter card was a fun one - lots of layers and dimension! I don't use a great deal of Stampin Up products, but some of their designs are just so dang cute and it is great the way their papers and inks (and ribbon, pens, etc) are all color-coordinated.

This happy fellow is from the "Foxy Friends" set and matching punch which I bought from my friend Dottie. There are so many possibilities for different critters with this set - I will share more soon. I also used Stampin Up paper, designer paper, and Calypso Coral ink.

I get this amazing woodgrain paper from my LSS, the Paper Garden Boutique in Sacramento.

The speech bubble and matching die is from Lawn Fawn.

I made this card to thank the couple who put together our hiking group's getaway trip to Cannon Beach, OR. We just returned (we added some side trips) and it was simply amazing! We love Oregon.

Have a great day and thanks for the visit!