Study in Ivory

Dear Ones~
I'm getting ready for a visit from the Adored Ones, those Princes of Michigan. They will be here from tomorrow until next Wednesday. Let the games begin!!! This post will be short, but I wanted to make sure and enter a card into the Mod Squad Challenge this week, because it's being hosted by my dear friend, Kathy Krug. Check out her blog, her work is amazing!!! The challenge is to use any die that is sold on the One Happy Cut website.

Here's what I came up with:

I have been wanting to do a monochrome card for awhile, so I thought this would be a good time to try it. It's kinda fun, but challenging to not introduce at least a little color. The card stock I used is pearlized, so it has a pretty sheen.

Here are the Ingredients and Dies I Used:

Core'dinations Pearls Card Stock

Spellbinders Asters and Poppies D-Lites Die

Die-Namics Mini Circle Doilies Die

Die-Namics Happy Hello Die

Paper Studio Embossing Folder

Stash Ribbon and Enamel Dots

So that's it. Back to getting ready for the Wild Thangs. Have a great weekend my friends. Oh, and I adore your comments!!!

My Favorite

Dear Ones~
Boy, it's been a long time since I posted here on my blog. You can just call it summer. And it's retched HOT here, not the usual for Northern Michigan. Today it will get up to 92!!!

Today's offering was made for the Great Impressions July Challenge. My Online BFF, Donna Phelan, has been made a member of the Design Team for this great stamp company, and I'm so happy for her. Go check out her blog, she is over-the-top talented. The challenge this month is to use your favorite stamp. Really??? How can I even pick, I have so many favorites.

But here is the one I chose:

This is a stamp from Designs by Ryn called Water Effects 1, and was a gift from a very dear friend. I love Ryn's beautiful images, they are so unique. The silver swirls in the background are from another stamp by her called Sea Bubbles. I heat embossed the image with silver embossing powder. This card is definitely in the collage style, kind of fun to do once in awhile. The background for the water droplets was done by coloring Zig Clean Color Brush Pens on my craft sheet, spritzing with water and smooshing watercolor paper on the ink. Love that technique.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Ocean Mist Card Stock

Best of Basic Grey Patterned Paper

Zig Clean Color Brush Pens

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Designs by Ryn Water Effects 1 Stamp

Designs by Ryn Sea Bubbles Stamp

 GKD Silver embossing Powder

Paper Wishes Janie's Girls Stamp for Greeting

Martha Stewart Butterfly Punches

Silver Thread, Button and Fuzzy Stuff from my Stash

I am also entering this in the Designs by Ryn July Blog Challenge.

That's it for me. I need to go get a cold drink and sit under the fan. I hope you check out the Great Impressions Stamp Company, their images are awesome! Stay cool, my friends, and thanks for stopping by. I adore your comments!!!

For Josh

Dear Ones~
This is my second post of the day. Also to be entered in the Mod Squad Challenge, to use water or sky on our card. This time I chose water, and I used one of the beautiful water droplet stamps by Designs by Ryn. Her work is amazing, so realistic.

Here's my card:

I made this card for our son, Josh, whose birthday is next week. I thought it would be a good masculine card. The water droplets are one stamp - don't they look real? I used a white gel pen to point out the reflecting light and then covered the drops with Stickles to make them sparkly. The holes on the upper part of the card are made using a Sizzix die from a set called Mixed Media. I created the background by smooshing Dusty Concord Distress Ink onto my craft mat, spritzing with water, and then applying watercolor paper. You do it several times, drying the paper in between. I love the effect.  

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Black Onyx Card Stock

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Silver Foil Card Stock

Dusty Concord Distress Ink

Designs by Ryn Sideways Droplets

Sizzix Mixed Media Die

Paper Wishes Birthday Wishes Stamp Set

GKD Silver Embossing Powder

Silver Thread from my Stash

Stickles

I am also entering this in the Designs by Ryn July Blog Challenge.

So that's it for me today. Still staying inside because of the heat. Thanks for stopping by, as always I adore your comments.

Blus Skies, Smilin' At Me

Dear Ones~
This is, without doubt, the hottest day of the year. 90 degrees with unbearable humidity. Guess where I played today....yep. My Craft Room. We don't have air conditioning, but we close the house up in the morning, and it stays amazingly cool for most of the day.

Today's offering is one of two. I'm entering this card in the Mod Squad Challenge. The challenge this week is to do either water or sky, and the sponsor is Kitchen Sink Stamps.  If you haven't checked out this great company yet, you should. They specialize in multiple stamping, and the effects are amazing!!

Here's my card:

I had no idea how I was going to make this card, I just knew I wanted to use that amazing butterfly. It's a triple stamp image using 3 different ink colors. So, I cut out a cloud shape and just started sponging. Then I saw a circle up there behind one of the clouds, and I thought it looked like a sun. Bingo, I cut a circle stencil and sponged in the sun. Added a little Wink of Stella for glitter, and there ya go.

Here's a close-up of the butterfly:

Lots of detail, what fun to use!!

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Ocean Mist, White and Peach Bellini Card Stock

Distress Ink in:

*Tumbled Glass

*Dried Marigold

*Worn Lipstick

Memento Ink in:

*Summer Sky

Potter's Clay 

GKD Peach Bellini Ink

Butterfly Kitchen Sink Stamp Set

GKD By the Sea 2 Stamp Set for Greeting

Copper Stickles

Clear Wink of Stella

Hope you check out Kitchen Sink Stamps! I think you will be amazed. Oh, and thanks for stopping by, I adore your comments!

Golden Posies

Dear Ones~
What a beautiful day! Love it when the sun is shining, the temp is not too hot or too cold, and there is a gentle breeze. Michigan is a fickle lady, so when she gives us a day like this I am beyond happy.

Today's card was created for the Just Us Girls Challenge, to use gold in your card, and the STV Monday Challenge, to do some masking.

Here's my card:

I kinda threw this one together last night. Sometimes the ones you don't think about so much come together better than those that you ruminate over. I tend to want to micro-manage things, and often the project gets lost in the creation of it....know what I mean? Anyway, I love the look of gold embossing with watercolor. I have been using my new Zig Clean Color Brush Pens, and I absolutely LOVE them. If you are on the fence about them. I highly recommend. But I digress.......

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Wild Wisteria and Wild Dandelion
Strathmore Watercolor Paper
Paper House Artist Patterned Paper
GKD Natures Greetings Stamp Set
GKD Birthday Blessings Stamp Set
GKD Gold Embossing Powder
Zig Clean Color Brush Pens
MFT Die-namics Happy Hello Die
Gold Foil Card Stock
Stash Enamel Dots and Ribbon

So glad you stopped by, hope you are having a fabulous day! And I adore your comments!!

Purple Tulips

Dear Ones~
This will be a short post. I just wanted to get this card into the Mod Squad Challenge. This week we're talkin' FAST AND EASY. And Melanie Muenchinger is our sponsor. LOVE her designs. Check out her blog HERE.

Here's my card:

I pulled out an older stamp set by Melanie called A Beautiful Life. The whole image is one big stamp, and then you just color it in.....easy peasy. And I love coloring. Here I used watercolors.

Here are the Ingredients:

Strathmore 140 lb Watercolor Paper

GKD A Beautiful Life Stamp Set by Melanie Muenchinger

Zig Clean Color Brush Pens

Gems from my Stash

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry this is short, life is busy!!! I adore your comments, enjoy your week my friends.

Gold Inlay

Dear Ones~
This will be short, I have been busy today. But I wanted to get this card entered into the Mod Squad Challenge, hosted this week by my dear friend Joyce Erb. We have been asked to used patterned paper - easy peasy.

Here's my card:

I got a new die set from Ellen Hudson called Wild Garden. All the dies are just outlines. Here I cut a few shapes from gold foil paper, and then cut them again with patterned paper and used the inlay technique. Love how those flowers came out.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Moonlit Fog and White Card Stock

Recollections Painted Fancy Patterned Paper

Gold Foil Card Stock from my Stash

Ellen Hudson Wild Garden Die Set

GKD Fabulous Frame Stamp Set for Greeting

Woven Embossing Folder by Lifestyle Crafts

Judy Dots

Thanks for stopping by, I adore your comments. Hope you had a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend!

Just Us Girls Celebrates 300th Challenge

Dear Ones~
Happy 4th of July!!! And welcome to the 300th challenge on the Just Us Girls Challenge blog!!! I, along with some over-the-top talented gals, have been invited to be guest designers for this super fun event. What an honor! And the challenge is CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Just make a card that sends congratulations to some deserving recipient. My card will be going to a dear online friend, Sylvia, who just retired.

 Here it is:

I have been wanting to try the partial die cutting technique, so I thought this would be a good time to jump in. I used the beautiful butterfly die from Stampin' Up. HERE is a video showing the technique.

These are the Ingredients:

GKD Passionate Pink, Innocent Pink and White Card Stock

Stampin' Up Butterflies Thinlits Die

PTI Daydreamer Stamp Set

GKD Fabulous Frame Stamp Set for Greeting

GKD Inks,Stickles, and Gems from my Stash

I hope you will play along with us this week and help us celebrate our 300th challenge. And there are PRIZES too. The kind folks at Verve, STAMPlorations, Inspired By Stamping and Add a Little Dazzle have all generously agreed to sponsor us. Go on over to the JUGS blog site for details.

Thanks for stopping by. I can't wait to see all your beautiful creations!! Have a safe holiday my friends!

Oh, and I adore your comments!!!