Happy Birthday

Earlier this month I made a card for a three-day-younger-than-me friend. I stamped 

the focal cake image and found the square die to frame it tightly. To contrast with the 

square and also repeat the cake 'sprinkles', I die cut the Mix & Mat: Confetti rectangle with its confetti bubbles. These two layers were mounted with foam on a panel of pattern paper covering an A2 white card front. Entering this to Addicted to CAS: Cake and Time Out challenges.

Papertrey Ink Supplies: 

Hooray! pattern paper, Mix & Mat: Confetti die,

Noted: Scalloped Square die

Your Beautiful Birthday (free end-of-year stamp)

Love 3X - XO

February requires one to gather hearts and love stamps/dies for at least one post, right? If you didn't know, Jim and I moved 180 miles north of our longtime residence in southern Oregon beginning Jan. 14 and finishing Feb. 4. During that period we spent half of each week in one city packing and the next half unpacking or piling another box in the new garage. It took nearly 3 months of decluttering our home of 40 years with endless closets, built-in drawers, and shelves to begin packing after Christmas. When you can store something out of sight for many years (30 years of school projects etc) it is a task of memories going out the door but where? Many items went to the landfill, Salvation Army and willing sons and friends. Now that we can almost park one car in the new garage, I've been able to find the energy and space to make a card or three, just in time for Valentine's Day.

I'm not going to mess around with a lot of details. They aren't fancy but I did have fun making them with new items bought on a short stop at Seattle's Impress Store Feb. 2.

Card #1 for Jim was almost a tag which adorned his ❤️ gift.

I used two pattern papers in this tiny card which lets me tag

it to this week's SSS Wednesday Challenge.

Card Supplies: PTI Noted: Scalloped Square dies,

a new Flora & Fauna "Love Love Love" die

PTI and My Mind's Eye "Filled with Love" cardstock

Card #2 for our oldest grandson, Julian, age 12, not 

too mushy with a hand-written note inside.

Card Supplies: Flora & Fauna's Solid Love Texture stamps,

PTI Mix & Mat: Postal die, Altenew and DI inks

Card #3 for 9 year old Luca who rules the world with 

his preciseness and logical pronouncements. 

Same materials as above but different colors

All delivered yesterday with the best hugs and kisses!

The Card Concept: Favorite Card of 2019

How do you pick your favorite card? I tease my two sons with you are  "my favorite oldest son" or "my favorite youngest son." 😍 Cards are different. I haven't crafted as much this past year due to travels and moving plans. The past three months we've looked for a smaller home in a city 3 hours away near our oldest son's family and closed on one in December. We've been busy decluttering cupboards, closets, and the basement in our home of 40 years. We plan to move before month's end while also readying the old for sale. This first 2020 post may be all for January!

But back to cards and The Card Concept challenge for favorite 2019 card or a photo of our Christmas tree. No big tree this Christmas due to the move. I chose a card from last January that is packed with colors, texture and a special sentiment for a dear friend. I often use spray adhesive for this intricate set of Birch Press dies but now prefer the ease of maneuvering the layers with liquid glue. This is a Clean and Layered card design.

Merry & Bright

 PTI Card Supplies: 

Make It Market Mini Kit: Holiday Folk (bird)

Rustic Wreath stamps & die

Scallop Stackers: Large die

My last card featured an ink-smooshed and spattered background. I had enough of the panel to die cut a wreath. I stamped a second wreath in black on a green scalloped panel before the die cut wreath was attached. Red glitter Stickles berries jazz up the wreath and coordinate with the red pre-printed bird. The sentiment was gold embossed. A simple but fun layered design. Linking this to Time Out #150.

What to do with the wreath's discarded center? I have a few piles of die cut negative parts in my remnant pile, don't you? Well, I dry embossed the wreath die on a white card front and carefully lined up the inked center to match the appropriate leaves. After making a mask to cover the wreath I splattered distress inks over the card front. This thank you card will go to the recipient of the Merry & Bright card above. Last week we exchanged Christmas gifts and cards and now I need a ty card for her. I wonder if she'll notice.

PTI Rustic Wreath die
PTI Penned Elegance II stamp

MERRY Christmas

How to create a funky holiday card: play with a smooshed ink background by adding splatters and Nuvo Gold Mouse smudges before die cutting the panel. Add a pair of gold bells stacked on aqua to balance the opposite corners' skinny aqua "MERRY".  I wonder who will receive this one?

Card Supplies: Altenew Fine Alphabet dies

PTI Bells & Boughs and Scallop Stackers: Medium dies

Distress Inks, Golden Glitz Delicata

Linked to: Time Out: #150 

Peace on Earth

Isn't Christmas wonderful?

My latest Christmas card combines stamps and dies from several

 companies and is linked to Simon Says: Let's Sparkle

 Supplies List: SS Waves cling stamp

PTI Mix & Mat: Plaid die (center removed with stitched rectangle)

PTI Dash Away All sentiment & die

Thanks for your visit. Have a wonderful week!

happy birthday

Yesterday I brought out my Altenew Polish Papercuts 3D dies for their inaugural cutting and had so much fun. They are a kick! Having several relatives with December birthdays I've been aware that they sometimes feel cheated sharing their special day with all the Christmas stuff. A far-away blogging friend's birthday is next week so I cut yellow and green pattern papers and a bit of red glitter paper for my totally die cut flower. A light DI blending over the Altenew Feathered Leaves stencil adds a bit of depth to the scene. Other than the red glitter hearts, not a hint of Christmas for this December birthday celebration.

The current Seize the Birthday with an additional topping, a touch of red, ends tomorrow morning so this is a late entry for sure!

Linking also to

SS: Anything Goes and Time Out: #149 

Thank you for stopping by today. I'll be in and out over the next month as we begin packing for a move to Portland, a 150 miles away, to live near our oldest son. We're downsizing by more than half which means lots of dumping and donations before we can fill boxes. All of the paper crafting stuff is going (so far).