Hi! Have a Lovely Birthday!

Happy Sunday!  I am popping in with a quick card that I made and just now getting a chance to post!  I have a card for this week's MFT Weekly Sketch Challenge!  

I also celebrating with The Color Throwdown on 300 Color Combo Challenges!  WOW!  300!  That is a big deal!  I combined some MFT Card stocks to get these same colors.  I started with the MFT Card stock sampler.  I am working my way to owning more of these colors, but the sampler pack is a fantastic way to start.   I used nightshift blue, orange fizz, berrylicious, and sweet tooth.  

I used the following MFT stamps and dies to complete my card....LJD Birthday Greetings, Woodgrain Background, Typewriter Text Background stamp sets along with Blueprints 12, Blueprints 15, Modern Morocco Cover Up, Pierced Square Stax, Fishtail Flags Stax, Happy Hellos, and Sequin die namics.   

I am also playing along with this week's Just Us Girls Challenge.  It is trend week!  This week's is all about WOODGRAIN!     Moxie Fab has a "Wonderful Words Challenge" going on now, too!

I am also using these other products on my card.   Scor-Tape, TomBow Mono Aqua Liquid glue, and Watermark/Resist Ink Pad & re-inker from Ranger. 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty 

Hello! PTI MIM and MORE!

 I finally had a chance to play along with this week's Papertrey Make It Monday Challenge.  The kids and I along with friends spent all day at Paramount's Kings Dominion on Wednesday!   I spent the better part of Thursday washing clothes and equalizing my equilibrium!  Bahahaha!   Can you believe Kings Dominion is Celebrating 40 years?  I actually remember going when it was new.   Took in a show that was a walk down memory lane.  Do you remember the singing mushrooms?  I am not sure which concerns me more....the fact that I went to a show(I keep telling myself it was because it was hot and the theater had air conditioning), the fact I enjoyed the show, or the fact it has been 40 years and I remembered it all!  Good grief! 

Anyway, for this week's Papertrey MIM Challenge we are to do pop up die cuts!  After looking at this week's Retro Sketch, I thought why not just use the whole hexagon cover plate!  Once it came together I actually like the look of portions cut out and portions popped up.  I did do it with pop ups from the bottom to the top, but liked the vertical look better.  I am playing along with this week's Colour Me Challenge as well.  Just love these colors!  I stamped the eggplant/purple color using the PTI large houndstooth print background in Ranger Watermark ink.  I then used the the mini hexagon set and stamped the pieces using watermark ink onto the aqua mist die cut card stock.  I assembled the in laid portions to mimic the sketch with solids at the bottom.  

I added the "hello" die cut which I cut three times and glued on top of each other for added thickness.  I added some loose thread to behind sentiment and literally just hung it on the cut out hexagon shapes.  I did add a few drops of glue. The little bow was cut out using the hydrangea die set in vellum twice.    I rolled the edges a bit and fastened to  card with glue dot and added some sequins throughout for some sparkle, of course.  I love the way it turned out.  I am playing along with this week's Simon Wednesday Challenge:  Let's Be Clear!  Acetate or vellum as well as The Catered Crop:  For a Friend,Virginia's die cut Challenge and Simons Monday Challenge to start from scratch! 
Moxie Fab has a "Wonderful Words Challenge"

I am also using these other products on my card.    TomBow Mono Aqua Liquid glue, and Watermark/Resist Ink Pad & re-inker from Ranger. 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Have A Happy Birthday! VLV Sketch

 

Happy Friday!   It is time for week 2 of Viva La Verve Weekly Sketch Challenge.   Anya Schrier is our host this week!   Check out the VLV Blog for more details and inspiration!

I decided to turn the sketch for my card.   I am using Verve's  Be Blessed, Wonderful Marvelous, Button Best, and On Occasion stamp sets along with Verve's Occasions Frame Cut Above dies.   I accented the card with Verve's Pastel Sequin Mix. 

I started with some fun pattern papers from Fancy Pants Beloved collection.  I die cut the Occasions frame twice with some white card stock.  I stamped the coordinating frame on one and the "have a happy"  from Be Blessed set on the other. I  masked a portion of this stamp so the word DAY did not stamp.  Next, I stamped the word "Birthday" from Wonderful Marvelous in black. The contrast of the two sentiment colors makes the Birthday look like it is jumping from the page.  Cool effect.  To create the three circle sketch trio, I took out a half inch circle punch and made my button accenting using Button Best stamp set.   I used some pink and aqua inks.   To add some more accenting to the focal sentiment I used the smaller flower center image in Be Blessed to create some colorful accents around my sentiment.  For the inspiration picture, I focused on the solid pink panel going down the side in the curtains, the aqua, pink, and kiwi green colors, as well as what looks like a loopy pattern in the rug.  I finished with some thread I looped behind the sentiment frames and sequins!  I am  playing along with Cure for the Monday Blues #23 Inspiration Challenge, Virginia's View Die Cut Challenge, and Stampin' Royalty Anything Goes Challenge!As always thanks so much for stopping by!Betty

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May Your Day Be Filled With SUNSHINE!

Happy Tuesday!  I have spent the better part of three days rearranging my craft room.  What started out as a spring clean ended up with an entire room redo.  I am still working on where everything goes.  I also changed the location where I take my pictures.  I am going to see if this works with the lighting.  Not sure how I feel about it yet since this is the first card posted.


 
For my card I am playing along with a few challenges.  I am just getting in under the wire on this  week's MFT Weekly Sketch. I realize I took some liberties with the sketch.  I just wanted to create a little beach scene and the striped sentiment did not work with the sand  look I was trying to achieve so I just did a whole sentiment strip.    I am also playing along with Fusion Challenge this week.    

Instead of going with the obvious and use flowers (anyone who knows me knows I struggle NOT to use a flower on every card I make), I picked elements from the inspiration.  I used stripes just in a neutral color like the sandal straps.  My umbrella is red and the focal point!  I also used blue!  Also, when I think of poppies, I think of SUNSHINE!

I started with MFT Card Stock Sampler.  Next, I cut the red card stock, white using Blueprints 13 stitched panel.  I stamped that panel with MFT BG Striped Background stamp inked with Gray Grout.   Next, I wanted a panel that would nestle inside so I decided to use the wonky panel from Blueprints 15.  I also used the large circle die in this set which leaves a stitched outer and inner ring.  I stenciled a few fluffy clouds using Cloudy Day Stencil and white snow pigment ink.  

For the sentiment panel I used the wavy panel die in Blueprints 11 and then cut it with the wonky panel from Blueprints 15 to even the sides.   I could have left it extended over the blue like the sentiment strip, bit it looked too busy.  I inked up my sunshine with some summer sun ink to add definition.  I also added some watermark ink to the kraft card stock to add definition to this panel before stamping the sentiment from Blue Skies Ahead stamp set.  The blue used on this card is SU ballet blue?  Not sure, but the color worked with the inspiration blue.   I struggled not to add other embellishment to the card.  I thought Sequins!  Really?  I axed that.  I just thought they did not work with my scene.  I do not have a bucket and shovel die cut or I so would have used those.  Another wishlist item.   In the end, I left it just like this!  It was HARD for me!

I am also playing along with Simon Monday Challenge:  Start From Scratch!  I created a scene from scratch!  I am also playing along with Time Out Challenges:  Fun in the Sun and Virginia's View Challenge:  Die Cut!   Pretty much my whole card used die cuts except the card base. 

I am also using these other products on my card.   Scor-Tape, TomBow Mono Aqua Liquid glue, and Watermark/Resist Ink Pad & re-inker from Ranger. 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Verve's July Diva Inspirations Hop!

Welcome to Verve's July Diva Inspirations Hop. It's the 5th of the month and that means it's time for the Divas to serve up some fresh inspiration with their Verve stamps! Leave some comment love along the hop spots for a chance to win a prize, then grab some stamps and play along with our July inspiration challenge for another chance to win!

Our July challenge is Red, White and You:

 

Red and white are always classic, pair this gorgeous color combo with a color of YOUR choice! Make a statement or keep it muted, it's all up to you! Feel free to use the graphic as inspiration or not, we just want to see you flash a little red, white and "up to you" color on your creation!

I chose Red, White, and Expresso!

I decided to revisit my K-Cup gift holders that I made a couple of years ago. Details in this post.    I have had many interested in these little holders.  

These little K-Cup holders are quick and easy to assemble and require very minimal product, but pack a punch in more ways than one.  They are also a perfect quick gift that works not only for women, but for men, too!   

  

 

This project is fun because I got to get really inky!  I stamped everything inside and out!   

The K-cups were not harmed in the making of these containers.  The design is done in such a way that the tension of the cups in the holder is what gives it stability as well as keeps the cup from slipping out easily so no adhesive is needed to secure the cup inside. 

I made a card as well!  I used the following Verve products to create the K-Cup Holders and card.  Better With You, Remember This, Love Notes, Cup of Life,  Holiday Treats, Tag Time, Wonderful Marvelous, Better Together, and Sip and Savor stamp sets.  I also used Verve's Cup of Cheer Cut Above Dies, Scalloped Flowers die, Tiny Sweet Scallop dies, and Classy Label die.  I used Verve's Truly Madly Deeply Ribbon Collection to top off one of the K-Cup holders.  I am playing along with this week's Mojo Monday Tall and Skinny Sketch Challenge.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

	1. Julee	8. Sony
	2. Amy	9. Susan
	3. Anya	11. Maureen
	4. Betty	11. Stacey
	5. Karen	12. Chaitali
	6. Sankari	13. Amber
	7. Sarah	14. Marisa

It's a Red, White and Blue SALE!
Everything in the Verve store is marked down 15% (or more) through Thursday, July 10!

Next on the hop is the fabulously talented Karen!  Check to see which color she chose to go with Red and White!

As always thanks so much for hopping by!

Betty

Create In Me!...Viva La Verve Sketch + Color Challenge!

 

Happy Friday and Happy 4th of July in the USA!    It is time to kick off another month of weekly Viva La Verve Sketches.   Julee Tilman is kicking off the first week of July with a sketch and a color challenge!   Check out the VLV Blog for more details and inspiration!

At the time I am  writing this post, those of us living on North Carolina's eastern coast were battening down the hatches for Hurricane Arthur.  Hopefully, we will not have it too bad where I am.  We have had some tornado watches and rain with thunderstorms  and lightening already.  We have tornado watches til 8 am.  

Praying the winds are not upwards of 105 miles per hour this far inland.  I live about 2 hours from the ocean so if the eye touches shore we will see some high winds for sure.    Anyway, keep us in your prayers!

 

For my card I am using Verve's Scripture Medley 1,  More than Love, and Small Phrases stamp sets along with Verve's Cut Above Flag It dies and Verve's Stormy Skies Ribbon Collection.  I finished my card with some Verve's Shine Bright Sequin Mix.      I combined some Heidi Swap Favorite Things designer papers.  I just love these colors and patterns! 

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Enjoy Your Special Day!

What day is it?  LOL!   I am on my summer schedule so I lose track.  Not really, but I could!   For some reason this summer I have had a lot of appointments and places to be so I do not feel like I have had just a day of "nothingness" yet where forgetting which day it is could actually happen.  It has only been two weeks, though.  I should give it time.  

Anyway, today is the closest I have come to a "nothingness"  kind of day.  I have stuff scheduled the rest of the week, but today is a crafty day.  Yay!  (Of course, by "nothingness" and "crafty day" I mean laundry, craft, prepare lunch, craft, clean bathrooms, craft..etc. you get the picture).   The first thing I did was head to my craft room and make this card!    

I am playing along with a few challenges today.  This card is for Papertrey's Make It Monday Challenge.  We are to use dies with coordinating stamps as masks.  I am also playing along with this week's Just Us Girls Photo Challenge as well as Simon Monday Challenge - W is for White.

Masking?  Really?  When I first saw this challenge posted I must admit I had some reservations.   I literally just thought about it for a couple of days.  I finally just decided to go for it.  It really helped to use the JUGS photo inspiration.  Gave me a jumping off point for my design and what to mask.  I started with the Front and Center Cover Plate and the Ruby Rose dies cut with just white printer paper to create a mask.  I needed wide lines so I had to adhere two chevrons side by side to create the look from photo.  I used my Ruby Rose dies and created a flower arrangement.  Just so you know this was my third attempt.  The other masks I had the flowers first then the chevrons which makes more sense for masking, but I could not visualize what the arrangment looked like with all those chevrons on top so I did it this way.  Worked for me.  I used some retired Stampin Up going gray ink.  I have several gray inks, but this one looked the most like light gray.

When I removed the mask which was plain paper with some old and not too sticky adhesive, I had to erase the adhesive residue.   In some cases this worked and in others it did not come off which accounts for some blotchy spots in the stamping since ink does not stick to adhesive.  I decided I liked it and kept going.  I also was okay with little imperfections in the gray masked background where seams did not meet and gray ink seeped through.   I did add two die cut flowers and leaves to the center of the arrangement to give the mask some definition.  Other than that  the whole card is masked.   I finished the card with the Think Big Favorites #24.  I thought the big sentiment looked like the black chandelier.  I finished with some clear sequins.

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

You Are My Favorite Reason to SMILE!

Happy Saturday!  Popping in with a quick (for me) card to share. 

I am playing along with a couple of challenges today.  I just love this week's MFT Weekly Sketch Challenge.  Of course, I just had to flip it around in some way.  I  am also using this week's Colour Me.....Playful Challenge.   

After looking at the colors and the sketch, I thought I could make some yellow legal paper.   I started with MFT  Card Stock Sampler pack (lemon drop, blu raspberry, jellybean green, primitive white).  I then used the following...   MFT Blueprints 1, Blueprints 12, Blueprints 13, and Blueprints 15.  I also used Office Supplies die-namics, Vertical Stitched Strips, CS Smile, MPD Distressed Hearts (splotches image) stamp sets, BG Notebook Paper Background, BG Typewriter Text Background, and Premium Dye Ink in Gray Grout.  I am working on getting more inks. 

I recently started heat embossing more.  I decided I needed some fun colors. I purchased some colorful Zing Embossing powders the other day.  Since I could not get them all, I had to make some decisions.  I laugh because I could not decide between green or turquoise.  I thought I would use the green more.  When I decided to emboss the SMILE I thought the turquoise would have looked better, but did not have it.  I guess I need to get that one now, too.  I love the spotchy image to make it look like I spilled something on the paper.  I also used a Copic C1 to create some definition around the embossed SMILE.  Makes the letters pop even more.  I am also playing along with Simon Monday Challenge:  I Ought to Use it More!  and Simon Wednesday Challenge:  Anything Goes!



As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty

Wishing You the Most Fabulous Birthday EVER!

Happy Friday!   It is time for Week 4 of the Viva La Verve Weekly Sketch Challenge!  This week we have a sketch by Christyne.   Check out the VLV blog for more details.  

For my card I am using Verve's  Better Together and Sunny Days stamps sets along with Verve's Cut Above Goodness Flower and Banner Bundle die sets.  I finished the card with a few buttons with coordinated hemp cording.  I accented the card with Verve's Pastel and Shine Bright Sequin Mix. 

"Neat" Distressing?   I got this really cool paper pad in the mail full of bold colors and geometric patterns.  I just knew I had to create some distress, but did not want to tear or ink distress the edges on these pretty papers.   I wanted a clean distressed feel, but not too distressed.  I wanted neat and clean edges...no torn or jagged edges, or vintage inky edges for that matter.  I wanted the slight distressing to come through in the loose tension stitched border,  zigzag stitching, and flyaway threading.  

To add even more neat distressing, I stamped the green panel with the background image from Better Together several times overlapping to create some dimension and less than a perfect look.  I also left the extra stray black embossing pieces that I normally brush off prior to heat embossing stay.  I decided it would add a cool and "neat" effect.   If you click on the pic, you can see all the little black pieces...so cool!   I liked that the paper sort of warped on me, too, during the heat embossing part.   I chose not to try and flatten it with something weighty or adhesive, but use it like it was.  So, did I accomplish some neat distressing? 


I am also using these other products on my card.  Glitz Finnley paper pad,  Scor-Tape, TomBow Mono Aqua Liquid glue, and Watermark/Resist Ink Pad & re-inker from Ranger.  

Playing along with Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge:  Anything Goes,  Simon Says Monday Challenge: I Ought to use this more! (heat embossing I rarely gravitate to heat embossing til recently.  I actually went out this week and purchased some fun colors), and  Seize the Birthday:  Anything Goes.

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty 

PTI June 2014 Blog Hop!

 Happy Wednesday!  Today I am playing along with PTI June Blog Hop Challenge.  This month is an inspiration piece with optional color combo and/or sketches to choose from.  I opted to play with the colors and parts of the inspiration piece for inspiration for my card.

I guess it is no surprise I reached  for my Shakers and Sprinkles kit.  I just love figuring out new ways to use the dies and stamp set.  I had a lot of fun with the dies on this card.   I used all the colors listed to create my stitched frame die cut background onto rustic white card stock.  I added some of the die sprinkles, too.  I must remember to use these little pieces just to add some accenting to cards. They are not just for sprinkles.

I decided to add a piece of vellum die cut with the larger of the Basic Banners die to mimic one of the slices in the colorful pie circles on the rug.  I added the largest of the Circle Scribbles die that I die cut with gold foil card stock.  I just loved the touch of gold on the lamp in the inspiration piece and just knew I had to add a few splashes of some gold on my card. I added the gold foil scribble in front of and behind the vellum, I embossed the sentiment, then added some stitching to adhere it to the card.  Since this week's PTI Make It Monday Challenge is vellum overlays, it worked perfectly for that challenge, too.  I finished my card with the slightly skewed layered Sprinkles.  I love how it turned out!  I used Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue on this card.  The dual end application makes it a breeze on the tiny pieces as well as the larger pieces.  Plus, it works!  I am also adding this card to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is Anything Goes!

As always thanks so much for stopping by!

Betty