Wishing you a grateful Thanksgiving

It is so much fun to work with these quality images from Prickley Pear.  No wonder I fell in love with them long ago.  But I just had a couple.  It’s nice to have the variety and all of their images evoke a nostalgic feeling in me.  I’m grateful for them.
Wishing you a grateful Thanksgiving from our home to yours.  Isn't this just a wonderful time to think of all the things that bring us so much joy? Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  All that family fun with laughter and “remember whens”. 
I was inspired by this  red rubber windmill image and the hope of harvest to create this earthy card.  I stamped my image in an olive green color and then used two little playing card size card stock pieces to layer it with.  I used my corner chomper to round the corners on all my pieces.   After distressing my paper with some distress inks in Pumice Stone, Tea Dye and China blue, I used a tooth brush to spatter some green ink around the wind mill image.
Next I took the circle image from  the Fall Circle Set and stamped it twice.  Once in a soft wheat color and then again in the same olive green as the wind mill.  I used the Prickley Pear circle die to cut it out and then fussy cut the inside of the circle out with small scissors to make a wreath like circle.
What I love about the Prickley Pear clear stamps is you can cut the sentiments and straighten them out for an entirely different look.  They are so versatile when you do this.  (it only hurts the first couple of times that you do this) then you get over it and see how much more it gives you.   I’ll show you a picture of what I did for this.  I got two sayings by stretching out the sentiment and using a marker to color the words I wanted.  They are such high quality stamps that they spring right back to their original shape and you can use them that way, also.
Then I used the grateful sentiment with it’s sweet font and embossed it in white on a little tag and added a white brad to it.  I pulled some ribbon through my card and put some dimensionals on the  tag and layered it over the ribbon.

See how easy this is?

Here’s a list of the Prickley Pear Products that I used.
Scallop Circle  Nesting Dies
Circles Set – Fall- Clear Stamp Set  (I got so much use out of this one little set this fall.  It amazed me.)

Thanksgiving

It’s almost here.  Whatever you do, I wish for you, a safe journey to your day.  Enjoy your time with family and friends.  Enjoy the laughter and tears.  Things can change so quickly.  Thanksgiving was my younger brother’s favorite holiday.  We don’t always go South for Thanksgiving but nine years ago we did, and had such a great time.  Then….the following Thanksgiving, he was no longer with us.  He died three weeks before his favorite holiday.  Things don’t always stay the same.  Enjoy the moments.  I am entering this into the Simon Says Challenge for Wednesday.  It’s a wobble card. The pumpkin wobbles.  I used a Crafters Work Shop stencil and sponged lightly.  The Everything else is Gina K Papers.  The die is from Prickley Pear. Thanks for stopping by.  I am grateful for you.

The Prickley Pear Rose

Isn’t this just the prettiest little rose?  This is one of the red rubber images from Prickley Pear.  They stamp so clear, so beautiful.  I had this piece of cardstock left over from a previous project with the bricks on it and thought it would make a great back ground for this pretty rose.
This was pretty straight forward stamping so I only have the one picture.  Wish I would have taken pictures at the time I was using that pretty translucent embossing paste.  I just added a bit of black ink from a distress marker to give it a bit of brick color look.  Since it was a scrap the bricks are only on part of the piece I used which gives it a really nice look, I think.
I colored the image with colored pencils and let the Dove blender pen soften the colored lines.  Then using a punch I made a little frame for the image.  What I learned about corner punches is you need to cut your layering piece (the layer you are going to punch) 1/2 in larger than the piece you are going to put in the frame.  So if you have a two inch square image piece you need to cut your frame piece to  two and half inches and then it will fit perfectly.

I added the greeting from the Hibiscus set, trimmed out a banner for it and added a tiny piece of braided thread I snipped off a clothing tag.  A few spatters of “paint” with a brush and mounting the frame piece with dimensionals made this a really simple card with lots of elegance.  As I looked at it though, if felt it needed a touch of stickles glitter and that just finished it off.  This was a wonderfully simple card to make.
Prickley Pear Products that I used:
Rose Bunch –Red Rubber Stamp
Hibiscus 2 Clear Stamp Set

Sometimes things need to be simple

Do you ever feel rushed when making a card or project?  When you do,  it is time to pull out something like these beautiful images from Penny Pierick called Susan Louise images.  You may want to take the time to click HERE to see the gorgeous hand drawn images that Penny does.  These are printed on Tim Holtz specialty paper and when you use distress inks with them they will be very reactive when water is spritzed or splattered on them and have cool effects. 

I didn’t use water for mine.  All I did was die cut the image with a Spellbinders oval.  Leaving the die in place, I sponged lightly with Pumice Stone distress ink in the middles fading to the outside edge and then sponged Tea Dye from the outside edges in, leaving it lightest in the middle. I used a Spellbinders shapeabilities tag to add a sentiment from Stampin Up.

I found a piece of Paper Studio DP to match the holly on the sled and used that as a thin border.  I knew I wanted to use this very elegant red velvet like paper that I picked up at Michaels and it made the perfect back drop for this beautiful sled.  A piece of Gold ribbon and that’s how simple it was.  Thanks for looking, you will do yourself a favor to check out the Susan Louise Arts images.   They are so beautiful and something in lots of different venues.

#390 Season’s Greetings

I have had this stamp set for about four years.  It was given to me by a friend that didn’t want to stamp anymore.  Every year I forget about using this cute sentiment stamp.  I have some more of those “givens” to me stamps that need using also.  but for now, let’s go with this one.

And this paper, isn’t it adorable.  I think I got that a couple of years ago too.  I had this one sheet left.  The stamp is from an old Stampin Up set.

MFT 5 Blueprints Scallop die

Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

The image is stamped on a Prickley Pear Scalloped circle die.

a fun card for simon

Simons Wednesday challenge is all about Stars.  This is a sweet Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps image and I used a star designed embossing folder.  It’s never been used before and I like the look of it.  Thanks Simon for all the fun challenges that help me use my “schtuffs”   

Technorati Tags: PPRS,Simon Wednesday Challenge

PPRS Stamp #379 & 380

isn’t it just so fun when you begin and you have no clue what you are going to end up with?  I had this left over piece of die cut from a previous project and it was just too perfect not to use.  I stamped it with the snow flake stamp in Peacock Feather distress ink,  It looked so plain I decided to give it a spritz of spray adhesive and then sprinkled lightly with Art Impressions crystal glitter.  Then I inked up the snowflake and stamped again over the first impression.

Next step, stamp that beautiful little ornament at various heights.  I had drew the cords they are hanging from and then colored them with copics and added a bit of silver to the cords and Wink of Stella to the inner parts of the ornaments.   Added a bit of spritzing via a stamp and it turned into a beautifully soft vintage card.  I am entering this into Simon’s Monday Challenge to use an ornament.

Technorati Tags: PPRS,Christmas

Stamp 378 Sweet N Sassy

I loved this sentiment from Sweet N Sassy stamps.  They have leaves and dies to go with the leaves.  Another of my favorite companies to purchase form.  For this I did that masking technique again.  I made a mask by cutting this shape out of a piece of paper.  Then I used two inch Frog Tape and taped all around the hole. Now I have a reusable mask.  I lay that on the card stock and use distress inks to sponge with.  Add a stamped image and sentiment and there you have a card that takes about seven minutes to make including cutting the card stock and folding it.  It gives a beautifully soft look for sympathy cards.

Clean Up Time

It’s that time….can’t stand the little pile of left overs anymore.  Let’s make something or toss them, WHAT??? Toss Them?? I can’t do that.  Let’s make something!!

 

 

 

Okay now that was a job well done and I had so much fun cleaning that pile up.  It was even more fun because ohmypaper (SCS name) Angie Bode and I did Face Time and we stamped together but each of us in our own stamping rooms.  She lives in Georgia.  Check out her blog HERE for some really spectacular inspiration.  I shake my head in awe at her work.

Happy Birthday MFT stamp 377

It’s our daughter-in-love’s birthday.  I thought this MFT image with the pretty flower would be a perfect birthday smile for her.
I used MFT sketch # 194 for this.  I do so love that sketch.  I think it is my favorite of all.

Technorati Tags: Birthday,Girl,MFT,MFT SKETCH

More Sympathy

For these pretty cards I used the same dies from Memory Box .  I love these birch trees and birds.  Another treat I gave myself after looking at them for many many months.  I purchased these while at the stamping retreat. I know I will get a lot of use out of them.  And I get a lot of use out of my MFT curved dies for snow banks.

Different sentiments on each card make each one just a little different.  The “Thinking of you” is a stacked sentiment from SU.  Many many times I use my stamp a ma jig and separate the sentiment and make it horizontal by using a marker on only  part of the sentiment and then lining it up with the stamp-a-ma-jig to give a new look.  Does that make any sense to anyone besides me? 

Technorati Tags: Sympathy,MFT,Memory Box,Winter

Sympathy Cards Stamps stamps #372, 373, 374, 375, 376

Sad to say, I needed to make a lot of sympathy cards this past week.  I know I am going to need more.  I put on some hymns to listen to and stamped away.  it was very therapeutic for me.  I do feel so for those who lost loved ones.  Especially when they are not so very old.  It makes my heart so very sad.  I’m glad I can make a bit of beauty to share with them and hope it gives them just a bit of comfort.  Since these are all the same style I will group them rather than making separate posts.

For all of these I used the masking technique.  I have long enjoyed the work of Kim O’Connell and she used this technique.  I have done this before but kind of forgot about it and was glad for the reminder.  So you mask off your piece of card stock, I used wide frog tape to cover my card stock.  Next, I start blending in the white space with distress inks and a sponge or blending tool.  Leaving the tape in place I stamped the silhouettes.  I use a punched circle to create the illusion of sun/moon after I have already laid down a bit of color and then sponge more color onto the card stock.

These come together quickly and have such a lovely feel to them.  For the third one in, I removed the tape and then tamped my images as I wanted the leaves to be a bit outside the box. 

The last two cards are Prickley Pear images, the other two are Stampin Up and then the geese are from Stampscapes.

Technorati Tags: Sympathy,Prickley Pear,Masking

Stamp 370 & 371

These stamps don’t see enough use either.  I love the silhouette look of them .  The two stems of flowers are one stamp and the little fly aways are another.  I thought they would look pretty paired with my Edgeblities from Spellbinders.  I have long wanted these curved sentiment banners and I was so happy to find them that day I went and stamped with Joann at The Stamp Shoppe.  They carry a lot of nice things.  oh my, it’s dangerous for me in there.  But since I have wanted these for SO long, I went ahead and treated myself.

GREAT NEWS!! Prickley Pear News

You all know how much I have enjoyed playing with my oh so cute, softly vintage like, Prickley Pear Stamps.  Oh my word.  I have had a hard time keeping this under my hat.  It was so exciting to be chosen as a Guest Designer for them.  I was so excited to receive my box of stamping goodness from them.  Dies, stamps, clear stamps, red rubber, sentiments…..what to make first???

Since Thanksgiving is upon us I chose this beautiful harvest pumpkin.  Using my distress markers scribbled onto my craft mat I picked up the color with a water brush.  This is done on regular card stock and  I tried to use a light hand at coloring in the image.  This image was a bonus because it has the dies to go with it. So easy, so much more fun than fussy cutting everything, eh? I was able to cut the leaves and the pumpkin at the same time and then stamp the image onto the already cut die. For the leaves, I spritzed my colors on the craft mat so they ran together and then pressed the leaves into that color. 
For the main panel I used the Scalloped Circle die in two sizes and embossed them instead of cutting them for a nice classic look that wouldn’t detract from that beautiful harvest pumpkin.  I then curved the sentiment from the clear stamps and placed that inside the scallops.  I mounted the sentiment onto a see through stamp press with grids.
Before mounting the pumpkin to the Kraft piece I turned it over and used my stylus to rub on it and give it some dimension.  It really added a nice touch of realism to it.
Thanks for taking the time to visit and I do hope you’ll visit the Prickley Pear store.  I will link the products I used down below; in case you might want a closer look.    This ends up being Stamp #372 in my stash. 
PRODUCTS USED:
Scalloped Circle Nesting Dies
Pumpkin Set 2 Clear Stamp Set

It’s holiday card time

I bought this beautiful Dream Weaver Holly stencil and I’m so glad I did.  When I first got it out of the package though I had a moment of panic.  What to do with it?   I taped it down onto some cream card stock and stippled with different colored inks then used some translucent embossing paste over it.  Because we used so much glitter this past weekend I was in glitter mode still and I lightly sprinkled the wet image with Art Glitter.  After it dried I could hardly take in that that was my creation.  I love companies that make quality products that make my work look good.   

When I picked the image up today I could see a lot of ink smudges on this piece.  I got out my handy dandy little scissors and fussy cut all around the holly.  Using an embossing folder and layering the panel with some shiny red made a wonderful card to add to my stack. Did you start on yours yet?

Technorati Tags: Dream Weaver,Christmas,Holiday

playing, just playing Stamp #369

This stamp for some reason never jumps out at me during Autumn season.  I think I am so busy trying to hold onto summer that my Autumn stamps get over looked all of September and October and then BOOM it’s time to make Holiday cards.

After I made the tag, I kind of wondered what to do with it.  I wanted it on Kraft but it looked so bare all alone like that.  The solution was to dig in my scrap bin and cut apart a wonderful scrap piece that was just wanting to be used up.  And in the end, I like the result.

Stamps 367 &368 Prickley Pear again! (smiling)

A quick little thank you card that’s going into an order that I put in the mail today.  It was fun to use my ink pads as back grounds.  The ribbon is an embossed paper strip that I had lying on my desk and those fabulous Viva Pearl Pen drops are always a favorite.

Stamp 365 & 366 High Hopes Monkey and Peanuts

Isn’t he adorable, this sweet little monkey from High Hopes?  and he comes with his own peanuts.  It was so much fun to pull this together quickly.  It only took a few minutes.  I had that tag with the heart punched out and decided it would be a nice add on to this monkey’s charm.

Technorati Tags: High Hopes,Children,Monkey

Stamps 363 & 364 Prickley Pear Autumn

I really am enjoying the learning curve of Prickley Pear stamps.  You see, I LOVE the images.  What’s different though, is that many of the images are quite small.  And I fall in love with small stamps but then, how to use them?  The ones from Prickley Pear are so well matched it does make the process a bit easier.  Like this…isn’t that acorn and those rounded wheat stalks just so much fun?

Here’s how this stamp set came.  And then I have the  Prickley Pear die  that matches it perfectly.   You will recognize some of these images I’ve had fun with, I’m sure. 

Technorati Tags: PPRS

Stamp # 361 & 362

Some how this one got got over looked for posting.  meow.  These are the fabulous Prickley Pear.  I love this company.

Stamp #359 & 360

okay, so I seem to keep collecting more and more stamps.  I will never get through them at this rate.  This was a free stamp given to us by Northwoods Rubber Stamp company for taking their class.  I actually have another too because I took two classes from them.  hmmmm…wonder what I did with the other?  I thought I put everything away where it belonged.  there was so much free stuff though, I think I got confused.  Anyway!  I was happy to find out that with the North Woods water color paper I can use my Stampin Up markers and get the same effect as what we got in class with Tombow markers.  I really did not want to purchase another marker set.

I also used this technique on a stamp that I had from PSX and it turned out beautiful too.  Lots of color and a bit of glitter and WOWSERS. 

North Woods Rubber Stamps

 

 

 

 

 

 

PSX stamp

#358 Door County Rubber Stamps

Isn’t she a cutie?  I love the Door County Rubber Stamps images.  In talking with Oscar, the owner , she says the images are all based on Door County happenings.  It’s always breezy over there by the lake and didn’t the artist just capture this so perfectly.  Her images are all so sweet and cute.

We were asked to make our own name tags for the card making retreat we were just at and this was what I used on my name tag.  I just cut my name off and repurposed it into a Thank You card that I made and sent to Oscar. 

This fits the Simon Challenge, after all, do you ever see much fiber strands on cards anymore? Does that count as a blast from the past?   Do you remember when that was the trend?  So I dug into my small stash of fibers I have left and found this it use.  Kind of reminds me of an Alpaca sweater that one would wear on these cool breezy days in northern Wisconsin. I also dug into my scraps and found this piece of DP that a friend gave me about four years ago.  Thanks for looking. 

Sentiment:  Mark’s Finest Papers

Die: MFT Blue Prints 6

Image: Door County Rubber Stamps

 

 

Technorati Tags: Door County Rubber Stamps,MFT,MFP