Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I am going to share two cards I received for the holiday---they have been "decorating" my piano since I received them and now am going to share them with YOU!

This one is from my friend Karen; the "s" is sparkly, too! :D

And this one is from my friend Wendy! I love how she used that SAB embossing folder--perfect!

Thanks, ladies, for making me feel special!  I hope everyone has a blessed and safe holiday!

Vintage Birthday Wishes

 Happy Wednesday, peeps! Trying to squeeze in some stamping time before our holiday celebrations!  I needed several masculine cards (aren't they the most challenging?) and saw a fun sketch from Just Add Ink as well as the birthday challenge from Retro Rubber!  

I went WAY back in the archives for some of these products, LOL!  Here's one of the cards I created:

The papers are from an old Basic Gray pad (remember them), and the "birthday" banner is from Time of Year (2016) and the "wishes" is from Holly Jolly Greetings (2015).  The vehicle is from Unity's Consider Yourself Vintage, and I know I've had that for several years:

I didn't want to put a bow on a masculine card, so I diecut a wee little wrench from some copper foil using a die from My Favorite Things....Tool Charms.  It's an oldie too!  The banners and mat are both Basic Black.  I made a few more similar to this for my stash for this month!  Now to get them ready to go out in the mail!  And I just realized this will fit the Krafty Chicks birthday challenge this week too!

Thanks so much for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Time of Year (2016, ret), Holly Jolly Greetings (2015, ret), Consider Yourself Vintage (Unity, at least 6 years old)
Card stock & Papers	Basic Beige, Basic Black, Copper Foil, Basic Gray DSP (unknown name)
Ink	Pecan Pie, Versafine Black
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes Dies, Tool Charms Dies (My Favorite Things)

Tractor Fun

Happy Wednesday, peeps! I have a "just for fun" card today using a new Online Exclusive set that came out yesterday called Tractor & Company!  I usually steer clear of bundles with lots of fussy little pieces because inevitably, I find them too time-consuming, but since I grew up on a farm and have lots of farm-y people in my circle of acquaintances, I thought I'd go for it!  The first card definitely took a while to create, but it was fun:

My dad had Massey-Harris tractors when I was young, so I chose to make my tractor red!  I diecut and stamped all the images and created a little cloud for the sentiment using the retired Basic Borders die.  I also used the diecut edges to sponge some other clouds in the sky:

Cute sentiment, too!  My second one was much simpler; no diecutting, just stamping.  I really messed up my snowflakes, but this one was easy enough that I may just do another one:

I have a couple more ideas for this set, so you'll probably see it again soon!  Thanks for popping in today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

"Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.  Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

First Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Tractor & Co
Card stock & Papers	Balmy Blue, Basic White, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Garden Green
Ink	Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Versafine Black, Craft White
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Tractor & Co Dies, Basic Border Dies (ret), Grass Die (Impression Obsession), Sponge Dauber

Second Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Tractor & Co, Greetings of the Season, Spruced Up (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White
Ink	Shaded Spruce, Real Red, Balmy Blue, Smoky Slate, Versafine Black
Accessories
Tools

CAS C&S563 You're On My Mind

Happy Tuesday, peeps! Happy July! Hope you're staying cool!  We had quite a busy weekend--2-day yard sale, church, boat ride, recuperation, LOL, so my stamping time was a bit limited! The Clean and Simple Colours & Sketches challenge this week is a sweet little color challenge to get my mojo started again:

I haven't used the set Encircled With Love very much, so I did some stamping in each of the colors, then fussy-cut some of the images and popped them up on an embossed panel for an uber-CAS card:

I did add a tiny scallop mat behind the image, as well as some Wink of Stella to the pink heart and a rhinestone gem to the purple one:

Simple, easy and sweet!  Thanks for popping in today!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Encircled With Love
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Bubble Bath
Ink	Bubble Bath, Azure Afternoon, Highland Heather
Accessories	Dimensionals, Peacock Rhinestone (ret), Wink of Stella
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes Dies, Layering Circles Dies (ret), Mini Corrugated Embossing Folder

AHSC636 Merry Washi

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! Time for another Atlantic Hearts sketch challenge:

Those little horizontal elements reminded me of washi tape, so I went to my little (old) stash and here's what I came up with:

I think because it's been so dang hot, I am longing for cooler temps, and Christmas comes to mind!  This was a fun one to make; I used a double layer of vellum for the circular element so you still see a wee bit of the washi through it, then added a red glimmer diecut sentiment, all on a woven patterned mat and a Crumb Cake card:

And on the inside, another sentiment from the same set I used on yesterday's card!

I can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge! If you don't have washi tape, I am sure you have some little strips of DSP that would work perfectly!  Share it with us at the Atlantic Hearts challenge blog!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	To You & Yours (ret), Christmas Words (Impression Obsession)
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Basic White, Adhesive Sheets, Vellum (ret), Christmas Blessings (Mintay), Cherry Cobbler Glimmer (ret)
Ink	Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	Washi Tape (unknown sources)
Tools	Cut and Emboss Machine, Spotlight on Nature Dies, Banner Dies (Pink & Main)

PP744 Layers of Peace

Happy Sunday, peeps! Since it's the fifth Sunday, the Paper Players challenge this week, courtesy of the crafty Jaydee, is a tic-tac-toe board!  Here we go:

I chose the middle column down, since I was perusing some Christmas stamps to use for my "Christmas in July" stamp camp, and I came across an old set that featured a dove:

I recently got some pretty papers from Mintay, so after choosing which pattern to use, I stamped my dove in some matching Boho Blue ink, added a few layers and a strip of glimmer paper, then a layered sentiment (got lots of layers here!):

I even added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter on my dove, as well as a few tiny sequins. It looked a little plain, so I added a little diecut bow.  The inside used sentiments from Iconic Imagery:

I probably won't use this particular layout for my class, but I think the dove is very pretty, so I may keep it in the lineup!

I hope you'll play with our fun tic-tac-toe grid this week and be sure to pop over to the Paper Players blog to see how our talented designers used it as well!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Iconic Imagery (ret), To You & Yours (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Boho Blue, White Glimmer (ret), Christmas Blessings (Mintay)
Ink	Boho Blue, Craft White, Cloud Cover
Accessories	Dimensionals, Sequins (unknown), Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (ret)
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Sponge Daubers, Mini Treat Bag Dies (ret), Layering Scalloped Dies (ret), Oval & Scalloped Oval Dies (Nestabilities)

AYSI351 Hello Sunshine

Happy Friday, everyone!  The weekend is upon us, yay!  It's time for a new As You See It challenge, too, and we have some fun, summery colors for you:

My original idea for this card featured something totally different, but it just wasn't doing it for me, so I decided to go in a different direction altogether:

I made a big juicy slice of watermelon with my colors, doesn't it look yummy?  I used the ice cream drip from Sweet Ice Cream for the "seeds", and a few tendrils from the Patterned Pumpkins dies.  I added some Peach Pie flowers and mounted it all on a Basic White mat that was embossed with the Eyelet embossing folder:

My sentiment is from the retired Sunny Splash:

And for the life of me, I couldn't get my photo program to capture the Peach Pie base, so you'll just have to use your imagination!  The sentiment is from Sunny Sentiments, also retired:

Just looking at this watermelon almost makes me feel a bit cooler!  I hope you'll play along with our fun colors...check out what the DT created at the As You See It blog!  Thanks for visiting! Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Sweet Ice Cream (ret), Sunny Sentiments (ret), Sunny Splash (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Peach Pie, Garden Green, Melon Mambo
Ink	Versafine Black, Melon Mambo
Accessories	Genial Gems, Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Eyelet Embossing Folder, Patterned Pumpkins Dies (ret), Triple Flower Punch (ret), Banner Die (Pink & Main), Layering Oval Dies (ret)

Patriotic Shadow Box

Happy Wednesday, peeps! I had a little class yesterday where we made an 8"x8" patriotic shadow box.  It was a lot of fun and I got a chance to use an old Waltzingmouse stamp set that I got many, many years ago, along with some Honey Bee papers and stamps!  Here we go:

 

Each Basic Beige square was 2" with a 2 1/8" mat of Cherry Cobbler.  All the printed paper came from Honey Bee's Americana pad. Besides the WM stamp set called USA 1776, we also used the retired Star Spangled Banner from SU and a background stamp from Honey Bee called Land of the Free. Our colors were Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red and Misty Moonlight.  We used some glimmer paper and various star punches and dies as well as the Alphabet Ala Mode for the letters.  I like to use patriotic decor throughout my house during the summer, so this will fit in nicely!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Star Spangled Banner (ret), USA1776 (Waltzingmouse), Land of the Free (Honey Bee)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Night of Navy, Misty Moonlight, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Beige, Americana (Honey Bee), White Glimmer Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper, Adhesive Sheets, Foam Adhesive Sheets
Ink	Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Misty Moonlight, Night of Navy
Accessories	Metallic Gems, Rhinestones
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Alphabet Ala Mode, Stitched Star Die (Paper Rose), Small Star Punch (ret), Banner Die (Pink & Main), Sports Event Dies (ret)

Happy Shell Birthday

Happy Tuesday, peeps! I have a summery, seashell-filled card today for two challenges! The Sunday Stamps challenge has a pretty color palette and the Time Out challenge wants seashells:

This is really clean and simple, as I let the shells do most of the work!  Here we go:

My seashells are from a retired Close To My Heart set and they were stamped  in Secret Sea and Versamark inks, then heat-embossed with clear embossing powder.  I colored them with reinkers and an aquapainter, using Petal Pink, Peach Pie, Timid Tiger, and Balmy Blue inks.  I stamped a  few speckles from You Are Remarkable, and a retired sentiment from Circle Sayings in Mossy Meadow, to match my Mossy Meadow arch:

I did add a few sequins from my stash for some sparkle! Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	You Are Remarkable, Circle Sayings (ret), Swirly Seashells (CTMH)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Thick Basic White, Mossy Meadow, Balmy Blue
Ink	Secret Sea, Balmy Blue, Petal Pink, Peach Pie, Timid Tiger, Versamark
Accessories	Clear Embossing Powder, Dimensionals, Sequins from my stash
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Everyday Arches Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies (ret), Aquapainter, Heat Tool

AHSC635 Land of the Free

Happy HOT Monday, everyone! Phew, what a scorcher of a weekend! Hope you are all staying cool here in the US!  It's time for a new Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, and here's the sketch:

My card deviates a wee bit from the sketch but hopefully you can see it!  Here we go:

I have had these patriotic stamps from Waltzingmouse, which has sadly closed, for years and I think this might be the second time I've used them!  (I did do a shadow box recently with them, so stay tuned!)  I stamped the Statue of Liberty on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, isolated the torch, then diecut the remaining image with the Everyday Arches dies.  I used my Sanded background stamp again to give it some "aging" like the Honey Bee paper I used for the background:

I stamped and diecut the sentiment on another piece of the Honey Bee paper, then added this on the inside of my Misty Moonlight card:

This is a lovely sketch and I hope you'll hop over to the AHSC blog to play along!

On a personal note, I don't normally send out July 4th cards, but I might just send this one to my second cousin's son  (I always jokingly tell my cousin, if I ever had a son, I would want him to be just like his son Jonathan)!  Jonathan is a godly young man who loves the Lord and is also a Civil War reenactor, along with his dad Steve, (my second cousin). Jonathan found out we have a relative who fought in the Pennsylvania 56st Regiment, so he asked several of our family members if we wanted to take a trip to Gettysburg, which is only a couple of hours from our home, so we finally made the trip on Saturday.  It was HOT, let me tell you! We had a tour guide who was extremely knowledgeable, and we visited various sites around the battlefield, most importantly the Pennsylvania Memorial where we found our relative's name listed under the 56th! Coincidentally, John found one of his relatives listed under the 121st!  Here's Jonathan with the flag he made (or maybe his mom made it), replicating the original flag of the 56th:

Here's my cousin Steve, his grandson Oliver, and Dana, listening to the tour guide:

Some of the info went over Jameson & Sawyer's heads, but they will grow to learn more about it as they get older.  I believe they've been to Gettysburg before, so I am sure they'll be back!

Maven was interested in the cannons!

She was also fascinated by my water bottle and the cookies I brought! Jameson was being funny, wearing her hat:

Cassidy was a great help with the kids too!

Thanks for indulging me!!  Although it was a hot day, it was great to get together with our family, even though the solemnity of the battlefield was constantly on my mind. To have a country divided is a sad thing.  And I cannot imagine how hot those soldiers were in those woolen uniforms!  God bless America and those who fight for our freedoms!

Thanks for visiting today, enjoy it and be blessed.

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Sanded (ret), USA1776 (Waltzingmouse, ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic Beige, Real Red, Misty Moonlight, Americana (Honey Bee)
Ink	Night of Navy, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Everyday Arches Dies, Banner Dies (Pink & Main), Iconic Imagery Dies, 1" Circle Punch (ret)