Paige Evans Patterned Paper Card

While shopping at Joann's I came across this really cool line of paper from a designer named Paige Evans. It's so bright and cheery I just adore all the available sheets, but best of all, it was on sale 3 for $1.00! So for .33 cents, I have enough paper to make at least 3 really cute cards.

This is the first one I made using my new-found stash:

My complete supply list is:

• 

  An up-close look at the glitter paper.

  Paige Evans Patterned Paper
• Stampin' Up! Coastal Cabana Card Stock
• SU! Polished Pink Ink
• Ms. Sparkle & Co. Sequins
• DCWV Glitter Paper
• Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature (sentiment)

There are so many really great pieces of paper and I can't wait to get back in my craft room and create more! Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

Retro Rubber Challenge #209

It certainly is summer now! It's light where I live until almost 8:30 at night and watermelon is abundant! And over at Retro Rubber they're celebrating by having their challenge be a summer themed card. (rrcb209)

There were so many ideas in my head with which way to go with this one. I absolutely love watermelon, but I don't have a real watermelon stamp-only a digital one. Then I thought of the 4th of July. I love that too. Nothing screams summer like some red, white and blue stars on a card. But I dug around in one of my stamp boxes and found this cutie that I haven't used for several years. It was a lot of fun to pull it out and create with it again.

The stamp set is from 2011 or 2012. I Googled Avocado Arts and sadly, their last post was in 2016. Being in business can really be tough. However, I know that my stamp is about 11 or 12 years old and I've had it about 10 years. It's a really fun set with several more images than I used on my card.

Here's my supply list:

• White Card Stock
  
• Black Card Stock
• Doodlebug Designs Petite Prints Paper
• Avocado Arts Grillin' and Chillin' 
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Michaels White Embossing Powder
• Copics Y02, Y38, Y06, BG23, DV29
• Black Enamel Dots

In order to pull off using four colors, I had to make this card 4.25 x 6 inches. It's a little differently sized so I plan on mailing it in a clear slimline envelope which I bought on Amazon.

It was really fun making this card. Thanks so much to Jane and everyone over at Retro Rubber for some summertime inspiration!

Word Art Wednesday #601 & #602

I just fell in love with this verse over at Word Art Wednesday this week. How beautiful to think that the Lord is our dwelling place. It's so easy for me to get stressed about things, often running to and fro, trying to figure things out. But Psalm 90:1 reminds us that He is our dwelling place. 

Curious about all that really means, I consulted my Strong's Concordance and looked up the word "dwelling." As I thought it would, it means tent, covering, tabernacle and/or, my personal favorite, home. Home is what came to my mind when I first read this verse.

I've always had a deep love for houses and homes. As a child I would look at and study the floor plans that were always advertised at the bottom of the comic pages. And that love continues today. Spending time on Zillow and looking around other people's houses all over the country is one of my favorite ways to relax. There's just something comforting about walls that hold love, safety, warmth and comfort.

No wonder the Psalmist compares God to a dwelling place. He's all those things to us. Home, and God, is where we choose to live, both physically and spiritually.

Strong's also said that the dwelling place was a place where God's people met with God through Moses, and He revealed His will to them there. How I would love to get messages from God like they did! But we have His Word. And that really does give me comfort.

And I'm hoping that this card will convey some of that comfort to the person who receives it.

Now, for how I made it! 

I knew I wanted an image of a house, and a more serious one. I have some cute-sy house stamps, but this seemed to call for something sturdy, strong and comforting. Since I don't have time to order something or run to Michaels, I relied on a digital stamp from Pixabay. It's actually just a hand-drawn image, but they work really well for a digital stamp too-and the best part is it's free! Actually all the images over there are, so if you are ever in need of a quick "stamp" be sure to give them a try.

I just downloaded both images onto my desktop then placed them both in a Pages (or Word) document and resized them to look balanced. I wanted the two images to be easily seen, so I made them fit on a 5 x 7 card. I then printed out the page on 60 pound card stock from Michaels and colored the house and sky with Copics. Lastly I trimmed it down and mounted it on card stock and patterned paper.

My complete supply list is:

• Word Art Wednesday Free Image
• Pixabay Free Image
• White Card Stock
• Green and Light Yellow Gingham Paper (probably from Hobby Lobby)
• Stampin' Up! Soft Suede Card Stock
• Copics B00, C3, C5, G82, E35, E55, Y26, R19

Many thanks to Karen and her wonderful team for their beautiful artwork, and for helping me make a card that hopefully will be a blessing to someone very soon!

Playing With Pink Flowers

Last week I made a post about how I was analyzing my yellow inks to see if I really needed a couple new ones. Turns out, for now at least, that I'm good with them.

Just after that I did the same thing with my pinks. I stamped a bunch of flowers to see the different shades I have available. I was really surprised at the variations. I used inks from several companies, and although they're so different, they look so good together.

I had enough to make three different cards with these. In addition to the inks, I also used rhinestones from Michaels, patterned paper from Louise Tiller and the Sentiment and Stamp Set (Pretty Perennials) are both from Stampin' Up!

It's nice to be able to make several cards at once!

Colorful Hearts Card

While playing around with my heart dies and some colorful paper, I came up with this cute (and maybe a little too bright) card. Since I often send cards through The Angel Card Project, I never know who will need a card and for what purpose, so it's nice to have these generic cards on hand. Who wouldn't love a colorful heart card telling them that they're wonderful!?

My supply list for this one is:

• White Card Stock
• Big Box Single Sheet Yellow Dot Paper
• Spellbinders Heart Dies
• Stampin' Up! Rooted In Nature (saying)
• SU! Real Red Card Stock
• SU! Pumpkin Pie Card Stock
• SU! Pineapple Punch Card Stock
• SU! Granny Apple Green Card Stock
• SU! Pacific Point Card Stock
• SU! Real Red Ink

This one was really fun and easy to make and I look forward to sending it to just the right person sometime soon!

Playing With Yellow Inks

As I'm thinking about buying some of the new Stampin' Up! Inks, I wanted to go back and take a good look at some of the ones that I currently have and analyze if I really need anything new.

I started with the yellows in my collection and came up with the colors on the right.

I feel like some of the Stampin' Up! inks are a little darker than I remember them. I don't know if they get darker over time or if it's just me.

But right now I feel like I'm doing really well with the yellows, and as much as I would love to buy the new Lemon Lolly, I think I'm going to wait a little and force myself to use my Memento Dandelion, which too often I end up ignoring.

After this analysis, I used the flowers and came up with this card:

I used one of my favorite Stampin' Up! sets called Pretty Perennials. I just love flowers, and images that are a little muted, that is, not perfectly solid. I appreciate not only how natural they seem, but how forgiving they are if your image isn't stamped perfectly.

In addition to that set and the mentioned colors above, the middle of each flower is stamped with SU! Early Espresso. The smaller flowers are SU! Cinnamon Cider. The leaves are SU! Pear Tart and Memento's Olive Grove.

As much as I love to shop and get new things, there's always something that gives me a reality check to see if I really need the products. As soon as the Memento Dandelion runs out, I'll definitely replace it with the Stampin' Up! new light yellow, Lemon Lolly. Their stamp pads are the best I've ever used, but for now, I'll use what I have. After all, I can still make some great cards, and that's what it's all about anyway!

NBUS #51 Challenge Entry

Have you ever bought a stamp set and been disappointed with it? Now I know it's not the set's fault, it's mine. And I think I have a solution, but first, it's my entry over at NBUS, Challenge #51.

Recently I bought a bunch of stuff from Stampin' Up! when they had their end of year catalog sale. One set I bought was the Cup of Tea Bundle that included a stamp set, dies, paper pack and envelope and cards. I fell in love with the patterned envelopes and matching card bases.

I had visions of using this set and putting an individually wrapped bag of tea inside. What an easy way to send some love through the mail!

So last night I got out all the supplies and made four cards. Although I love the finished product, I found the some of the small stamps and dies tedious to work with. 

Solutions 1: Make just one card. Sometimes when I make several cards at once, I get frustrated in the process, especially if something doesn't go as planned.

Solution 2: I don't have to use every component in the set. That would make for a fabulous looking card, but sometimes simple is good too.

All 4 Cards!

Solution 3: Go to Pinterest for inspiration. I thought about selling this set, but after visiting Pinterest, I found some really cute ideas using this set that are a lot more simple than what I started out doing.

So I'm keeping the set and trying to bring it down a notch or two with my next cards. Since it's still on my desk, I think I'll do that today. 

For these cards, my supply list is:

• Stampin' Up! Cup of Tea Stamps & Dies
• SU! Cup of Tea Printed Cards & Envelopes
• SU! Cup of Tea DSP
• SU! Poppy Parade Ink
• SU! Parakeet Party Ink
• SU! Garden Green Ink
• SU! Soft Suede Ink
• Speckletone Oatmeal Card Stock
• Thin Gold Washi Tape
• Misc. Paper Doilies

How cute are these envelopes? Offered in 4 colors and pattern
I think they are what sold me on this whole set!

Well that's it for today's post. Now it's back to my craft desk to shake off my intimidation of this semi-complicated set and create something a bit simpler-and to make just one card this time. I'm determined to make this new set one of my favorites!

Thanks to Darnell for hosting another great challenge, and thanks so much for stopping by my blog (and listening to my little rant) today! :)

Retro Rubber Challenge 208 - Sweet Summer

The timing on today's card is so perfect! I used this set called Hello Cupcake (from 2019) on a couple of other cards a year ago. I just mailed one out this morning and, having only one left, thought that I need to make some more because they're so cute. An hour later I went over to Retro Rubber's Challenge #208 (RRCB208) and saw that the theme this time is Sweet Summer! So perfect! 

I pulled out my set and managed to coordinate inks, Copics and papers to come up with this cute card. I love the theme of Challenge 208 because it really screams "summer!" Unfortunately, I didn't use ice cream stamps, and their whole team did, so I broke that mold. But all their cards are truly adorable and so very summery.

Here's my supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Hello Cupcake (2019)
• Orange & Red Card Stock (Joann)
• Doodlebug Designs Petite Prints Patterned Paper
• Misc. Yellow Gingham Paper
• Memento Toffee Crunch
• Memento Ladybug Ink
• Memento Rose Bud Ink
• Memento Catelope Ink
• Memento Dandelion Ink
• Memento Tangelo Ink
• Stampin' Up! Parakeet Party Ink
• Copics E30, RV00, R20, Y23, Y11, YR02, RV52 and YG11

It was fun to get this set out again and make a happy rainbow card with it. On the left I've included a picture of the last card I made using this too. It made a perfect slimline card with all those piles of icing! Today's card wasn't quite as tall, but I still needed it to be bigger than the standard A2 size. I was able to get all 6 scoops on a 4.25 x 6.25 size which is an A-4 size. I had some extra A4 envelopes so that worked out well.

It's a really fun set and you can probably pick it up for not a lot of money if you stumble upon in on eBay or such. I actually picked mine up at a yard sale, not sure if I would really like it or not. I'm so glad I did!

Thanks so much to Jane and everyone over at Retro Rubber for another fun challenge! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today, and have a sweet summer!

Freshly Made Sketches #588

Here's a last minute entry into Freshly Made Sketches #588. I've been looking at the sketch for several days, and it's just amazing how quickly time goes by. I finally sat down and created this one especially for their sketch.

 I started with white card stock, and then used:

• Stampin' Up! True Love DSP
• SU! Gorgeous Posies Stamp Set
• SU! Parakeet Party Ink
• SU! Garden Green Ink
• SU! Polished Pink Ink
• Hampton Arts Light & Dark Yellow Embossing Powders
• Tuxedo Black Ink

This was a really fun sketch to do, and there are some really creative entries in this challenge. Thanks to Jen M. for designing this sketch and to everyone over at Freshly Made Sketches for helping all of us create really nice cards!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and have a wonderful day!

Making A Vintage Yardstick Table

While looking for antiques and vintage items for our booth, I occasionally come across old yardsticks. They are intriguing because it's obvious where they came from. And often, we may remember these places.

I picked up a few along the way. They're pretty inexpensive, running about $2.00 each. But what I really wanted was enough of them to cover the top of a table. 

So I started looking at lots for sale on eBay and Etsy. That's when I hit the jackpot. I lived in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown Area) of Pennsylvania for 17 years. Both. my kids were born and raised there. The place is really special to me, even though it really wasn't home.

One day I stumbled upon a listing for a lot of about 30 yardsticks from the Lehigh Valley area! I bought it and my dream of making a yardstick table was turning into a reality.

Below is a video of how I made it. It's not a perfect table, but I think it turned out really well. And it's especially nice because I know many of the places listed on these yardsticks. In fact, the one that hits closest to home is from Dries Hardware in Macungie. We lived in Macungie for 10 years and I bought things from Dries many times. Sadly, it's not there anymore.

Retro Rubber Challenge 207

Today's card is made especially for Retro Rubber's 207th Challenge. (RRCB207) Even though it's an "Anything Goes" Challenge, I still like to make cards especially for that challenge alone. 

My Retro Rubber on this card is from the stamp set Cherished Memories by Altenew. The set is still on their website and the reviews go back to 2019, which sound like when I bought it.

The rest of my supplies are:

• Stampin' Up! Mango Medley Ink
• Copics Y21, YR02, RY15, E55 YG11, YG13
• Lawn Fawn's Spiffy Speckles Paper
• SU! Flowering Vine Dies
• Pink & Main Adhesive Sheets
• SU! Granny Apple Green Ink and Card Stock
• Hemptique Twine

Even though the sentiment "Holding You In My Heart" sounds a little trite, I really like it. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say to someone who's going through a tough time, and I'm hoping this card will cheer someone real soon.

Thanks to everyone over at Retro Rubber, and thanks for stopping by my blog today!