Festive Friday #0083

Wow - the last day of April. My mama's birthday. She would have been 92 todayand got to celebrate 84 of those! I am happy to share a card on her birthday, because she loved to stamp and create, and got me started on my crafting journey way back 40+ years ago, when she taught me to crochet. Happy Birthday, Moot!

Today there is a new challenge up at Festive Friday! If you are new to the FF Challenges, you can choose any three items (or more!) from our list to inspire your creativity. For my card this week, I chose red, blue, and stitching. While I have used my sewing machine on cards before (and LOVE the look), today's stitching is around the circle - made by a die - faux stitching!

On white cardstock I stamped the snail from Mr. Snailman (Trinity Stamps) and colored with Copic markers. I die cut using a stitched circle. Next I chose some fun Doodlebug patterned paper and a doily, and created the main panel. I stamped the sentiment on a cloud die from my stash and popped it up with foam tape.

Isn't he cute?

I hope you will join us for this challenge and link up on the Festive Friday blog. Remember, you can choose any three from the list below, for any occasion or theme! The challenge is open until Monday, May 10.  

Thank a nurse today! International Nurses Day is May 12, 2021. Following on from previous years, the overarching theme for IND is Nurses: A Voice to Lead. The sub-theme for 2021 is A Vision for Future Healthcare.

“This global COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the important role that nurses play in keeping people healthy across the lifespan,” said Annette Kennedy, ICN President. “While there has been significant disruption to healthcare, there has also been significant innovation that has improved access to care. In 2021, we will focus on the changes to and innovations in nursing and how this will ultimately shape the future of healthcare.”

Thank a nurse today (and on May 12!)

For more inspiration, visit the rest of the FF Team:

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema<-----you are here!

 

It's Spring! Time to Blossom with Stamplorations!

Today I am excited to be sharing a card I made using the Stamplorations Blossoming Mini stencil, along with a sentiment from A Cupful of Blooms. Both came in the AMAZING Coffee Spring | Summer Kit. SO much goodness in that kit, which you can see HERE.

I started by using my favorite Kitsch Flamingo DOX, and used a blender brush through the stencil to color the large flower. I added Picked Raspberry toward the center for some shading. I don't use tape for my stencils - I work on the Wendy Vecchi Make Art Stay-tion with magnets. Saves a TON of time, and the tape doesn't tear the paper if I am in a hurry!

I added the darker pink on the smaller flowers, and blended in Scattered Straw DOX for the areas outside of the flower. I love how some of the pink is carried down into that area for a nice blend, and a little glow! The leaves were blended with Bundled Sage DOX, and some of the Scattered Straw. Finally, I added the sentiment in black with VersaFine Clair Nocturne, a few matching sequins, and a little decor down the side to offset and complete the card. I love how it turned out!

I am entering this in the Stamplorations April Stencil Challenge as well as the Never Ending Anything Goes Challenge!

Freshly Made Sketches #483

Happy Wednesday! It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! This week's host is the amazing and talented Narelle!

I decided to use some new dies I recently got - Funky Foliage from TH/Sizzix. I cut my mushrooms and foliage out of some retired Stampin' Up colors that I love: Kraft (not Crumb Cake - but the original), Ruby Red, and Not Quite Navy (one of my all time fave colors). I used a sponge dauber to shade parts of the mushrooms.

I used a circle mask and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink for my circle, and added some splatters with a retired Stampin' Up background stamp. My sentiment is from Don't Worry (Create A Smile), stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturne (my fave black!), and cut with a flag banner die.

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! This challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, May 3.  

Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see the beautiful cards they have created this week! 

Freshly Made Sketches #482

Happy Wednesday! It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! And my friend from around the world in New Zealand, Karren, is the hostess!

I have to admit, I am not a slim line card fan - except for the mini! So that's what I worked on for today's sketch. It still had me stumped for awhile, until I was putting away dies and saw the Memory Box Co. Tulip Bouquet die! I went through my stash of "backgrounds that didn't turn out the way I expected" and found this now glorious orange using Carved Pumpkin Distress Ink Spray.

I cut a small section off and flipped it upside down for contrast for the smaller vertical panel of the sketch, and used enamel dots (MME) for the lower. I stamped "so kind" from Whimsy Stamps' YOU ARE clear stamp set, and added some gold metallic thread (Kreinik) at the bottom. The tulip die is adhered with Bearly Arts Precision Craft Glue.

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! This challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, April 26. Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see the lovely cards they have created this week! 

 I am also entering this into Shopping Our Stash #443 - Plant Life! 

Festive Friday #0082 World Laughter Day

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a good week! We are supposed to have a spring snow this afternoon. I hope the weather forecasters are wrong! I would take rain and a pink rainbow instead!

Today there is a new challenge up at Festive Friday! If you are new to the FF Challenges, you can choose any three items (or more!) from our list to inspire your creativity. For my card this week, I chose red, rainbow, and sequins. All of my images and dies are from Taylored Expressions.

On Desert Storm cardstock I stamped the mini rainbow from my kit from the Stamp Joy Retreat (Taylored Expressions) last month. I used Sugar Cube pigment ink and heat set. Next I die cut five different rainbows in five different pinks (and the heart in Rose Red) and arranged them on top popped up with foam tape. I added a sentiment strip and for interest, a bit of one of the pinks at the bottom with some metallic thread.

I hope you will join us for this challenge and link up on the Festive Friday blog. Remember, you can choose any three from the list below, for any occasion or theme! The challenge is open until Monday, April 26.  

World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May every year to spread happiness in the whole world. This year the World Laughter Day will be observed on May 2, 2021.

 For more inspiration, visit the rest of the FF Team:

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema <-----you are here!

 

Freshly Made Sketches #481 - Let's Play Tic Tac Toe!

Happy Wednesday! It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! The oh-so-talented Cécile is our hostess this week!

Like last week, I kind of went on a crazy turn and changed the sketch up a bit -- and this week is the same. But it still follows all the directions, so I don't think I will have the challenge police after me just yet! :)

I have a lot of wonderful stamps from Stephanie Barnard (I used to be on her Design Team) and this week's sketch reminded me of a fun set I hadn't used in a very long time. These are the stamps and dies from tictactoe2play.

I die cut the grid three times (Lemon Lime Twist - SU!) and stacked it up for dimension. The Xs are cut out of shimmery cardstock from my stash and stacked twice. The sentiment is stamped with VersaFine Clair Nocturne, and then cut with the sentiment banner die from the set. I used the Dotted Squares Die Set for my white panel. I added Doodlebug sequins around the sentiment for fun and all is adhered to a dark gray card base.

As you can see, it's the sketch....but with a different shape for the circles!

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! This challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, April 19th. Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see the lovely cards they have created this week! 

Reach For Your Dreams with Freshly Made Sketches #480

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday and that means a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! The incredibly sweet Jen B is our hostess this week!

I will admit, this sketch had me stumped for a bit. I had all sorts of ideas for a horizontal take, but wanted to stay true to her sketch and keep the curvy lines in a vertical position. So I got a little creative. What better way to do that than use one of my many giraffes? And her neck follows the flow of the sketch!

This cutie is from Stamping Bella. I decided to watercolor today, so I stamped my giraffe in VersaFine Clair Nocturne, and then embossed with Clear Embossing Powder from WOW! Embossing. I watercolored using Karin markers. I loosely painted a sky, and then added some cute clouds from the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month for March. I added my sentiment, also embossed in Clear EP, with a banner die cut (Spellbinders). I think she is so cute!

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! This challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, April 12th. Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see the lovely cards they have created this week! 

Visible Image Favorites - and Another Year on the Team!

I am so excited to be continuing with Visible Image Stamps for another year. I absolutely love the owners, Helen and Mark, and am inspired by their kindness and art! Today I am sharing several makes I have done lately, and haven't posted yet!

First up is the amazing SAX IT UP stencil. My background is made with acrylic paint, from a brayer “cleaning sheet” and I used Blueprint Sketch and Black Soot DOX inks for the foreground. The sentiment (LOST FOR WORDS) and some of the surrounding area is embossed with clear embossing powder. Perfect for a musician! 

Next up are two tags I made that I absolutely love. The funny thing is, the panel started as a card - which wasn't working out. So I just kept adding things until I was pleased with the result -- and that included cutting into tags!

I started with my favorite Kitsch Flamingo DOX and made a splattered background. I added Picked Raspberry and stenciled on the TEA PARTY STENCIL. You can see it faintly in the background. I still loved it as a card, but then once I added the flowers from IMPERFECTION IS BEAUTY they became beautiful tags! I embossed the flowers with Punch and Ebony Embossing Powder (WOW!), and punched the top for some cute pink twine. A word die (Spellbinders) in gray completed them!

Finally, for today, is this gorgeous new tiger image from the new FEARLESS TIGER set. This realistic image is so majestic and looks great on a background in black, or colored in too! I made a blended and splattered background with DOX inks, embossed the tiger in black, and embossed the sentiment with a fun textured gold powder called Decadent Ruby. I added a background stamp from the new GRUNGE TONES at the bottom in gray ink.

Thanks for stopping by today! You will see many more of my Visible Image creations here and on my Instagram account: @joy_in_a_jar. I would love you to follow me there!