Thinking of You Today

Now that my friend has received her card, I'm sharing it 

for the soon-to-be-over challenge at The Card Concept.

A couple of my new BotaniCuts Succulents from Betsy Veldman's new company, The Greetery, were cut from light green card stock and tinted with Distress Inks. They adorn a corner on a PTI Scallop Stackers: Medium die cut stamped with Concord & 9th's Marbled Turnabout. The stamp was inked with the same Distress Inks but stamped off once to soften them. A Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You stamp and ink-blended die cut was added in the opposite corner.  The panel was added to a mint green A2 card. 

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

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Cactus Celebration

In late April I was excited to order several items from a new crafting company, The Greetery. Betsy Veldman's first release with BotaniCuts Succulent dies, the Terrarium Small die plus the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You stamps and coordinating dies caught my eye. Her video instruction on the company's blog for coloring and assembling the sections of the cacti is terrific!  Watercolor paper and Distress Oxide inks were used to make several succulents in both sizes. When it came to making the small terrarium, I used a previously stamped panel of Concord & 9th's Marbled Turnabout for my top layer and backed it with a solid kraft die cut.  The terrarium with one small cacti was adhered to a stitched rectangle stamped with the PTI Cover Up: Grid stamp. A phrase from PTI Stylish Sentiments: Birthday was stamped on a green flag from The Greetery's Sentiment Suite die set. The envelope liner was made with the PTI Envelope Envy kit (retired). 

This clean and layered birthday card inspired by 
The Greetery and the photo on The Card Concept 
was mailed to Roger, an Arizona friend.

Linking to SSSW Challenge: Anything Goes, Seize the Birthday, and The Card Concept

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May Birthday cards

Please pardon my tulip cards from mid-May birthdays getting posted now in late June. My insomnia is affecting my blog post writing! It seems that I am on a hamster wheel with early hours at the gym, home to freshen up the house and me, tending my roses, card crafting and noon meal prep for our main meal of the day. Then, because I awoke before 5 a.m.,  a 30-60 minute afternoon nap before more hobby time with evening news, baseball or reading to finish the day.  I have little energy to find card challenges, write and edit a blog post and thus card photos pile up in my computer photos. 

Card #1

                                   Card #2

 Card #3

PTI Card Supplies:

Tulip Time stamp/dies; 

Sentiments from Infinity Frames, Keep It Simple: Thinking of You, and Ruby Rose

Dies: Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal, Tag Sale: Quilted, Scallop Stackers: Large

Linked to Seize the Birthday: Cover the Card

Addicted to Stamps and More: Anything Goes

You're Amazing! Yes, you are Julian!

Between April 29 and May 29 my three grandsons celebrate their birthdays, convenient but also a challenge! The oldest, Julian, shares a birthday on 5/29 with his Uncle George, my childhood friend Juliann, and President JFK. He's a busy pre-teen, plays trumpet and basketball, gracefully rides a snowboard, kindly teases his younger brother, and adores his Portland Trailblazers. Boy, do I love him!! At 12 he inspired a star-themed birthday card!

I stamped a white Bristol panel with distress oxide inks using Concord & 9s Marbled Turnabout stamp. The colors and pattern remind me of the Blazers team logo. The panel was cut with a large star die and also a second star in black for a shadow effect. The sentiment from SSS's Amazing set is white embossed on a black strip. The background stamped in black reinforces the celebration!

Linking this to a new challenge: AAA Birthday Card Challenges

To Infinity and Beyond! HB, Luca

I recently combined the Hero Arts "Sunburst Bold Prints" cling stamp and PTI's "Boy Basics: Out of this World" stamp set for my grandson's 9th birthday card last week. He thought it was spectacular and that I could make millions selling cards!! Bless his heart!

 The blue panel rests on an orange frame created 

with the largest PTI "Pierced Feature Frame". The

rocket was colored with Copics and cut with a PTI 

"Keep It Simple Frames" die.

Linking this card at AAA Birthday Card Challenges with the theme of Anything Goes and the current SSS Monday Challenge: Frame It

May Blossoms

A month goes by quickly when spring arrives with flowers and weeds to admire and eradicate along with many birthday cards to make. The birthday cards will be posted soon but today I'm sharing two cards made with Altenew's Book Club stamps and dies. 

Card #1

The first card's floral image was inked in green, re-inked with VersaMark ink and clear embossed. Using Altenew alcohol markers, I colored the flowers and leaves and then die cut the floral image. The center circle was stamped with a PTI Walk by Faith sentiment. The floral die cut was attached with temporary tape to a lavender panel covered with a strip of Altenew's Gilded Ombre washi tape and then adhered to a white side-folding card. The focal point may be removed and used as a bookmark.

Card #2

This time the focal image was stamped with VersaMark ink, embossed with Ranger Fine Gold EP, and the center removed with a die from the Book Club set. Another floral image was cut from PTI vellum and a Butterfly Blooms sentiment was gold embossed in the center. Once more Altenew's Gilded Ombre washi tape was added to a card stock panel which was trimmed with a SSS Stitched Rectangle die. Gold sequins were added to complete the panel which was directly adhered to a PTI autumn rose card.

Cards linked to Altenew May 2019 Inspiration Challenge and SSW: Bright Colors    My photos from the yard and a bouquet.

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Twofer April Card Challenge

I'm having a craft week it seems! I needed four birthday cards this week, another for our middle grandson who turns 11 next week, and many May birthdays to come. On Sunday I shared Altenew zinnia cards and today found more time in my craft space. 

This month's Twofer Card Challenge: Zoo Animals ends Thursday and nothing was inspiring me among the few animal stamps I own. I finally remembered Hero Arts MMH African Safari set that I purchased two years ago. The elephant stamped in two ink shades made a fun thank you card. Its matching die and other items from the HA kit worked for my grandson's birthday card.

   Card #1

Card #2

See you around the internet and Instagram
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