Just Saying Hello

Hi everyone ~
A few days ago, Laura Bassen was featured on the Hero Arts Blog  with 2 fabulous cards, and a how-to video. I don’t have the same die she used for her cards (yet), but I did get a 'bee in my bonnet’ to try her technique...so, I pulled out my Lil’ Inkers Border die and got to work:

 I die cut the border die in white, then in 4 colors and carefully glued the pieces into the negative space. Once they were adhered, I removed the white piece, so you can just see the pattern along the across of the card. I added the sentiment, twine and flower, and voila...the card was finished!

I was inspired by the colors in this week’s photo inspiration challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More , and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ‘Anything Goes with Twine or String', so I will be entering this card in both challenges.

Thank you so much for stopping by,  I hope everyone has a great weekend ~ Take care,
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Messages with Flourish
Ink:  Versafine - Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Dies: Lil’ Inker - Fanfare Scalloped Border
Twine: The Twinery - Solid Natural
Flower: Kaisercraft - Dahlia Blossoms
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh - Gold

CASology Week 80 - Purple

Hi Blog friends ~
I created this card for the current challenge at CASology. Our Cue Card for this week is purple, so I inked up my Rounded Diamonds stamp and added some silver thread behind the glossy heart. I smooshed (is that a word?) grape juice ink onto some white cardstock, then die cut the heart. It looks really dark in the photo, but adds a nice contrast to the diamonds IRL. Lastly, I used silver embossing powder on the sentiment and mounted the white panel to a purple card base.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope everyone is having a great day ~ Take care,
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle - Rounded Diamonds, Oh Happy Day (sentiment)
Ink:  Hero Arts - Passion Flower, Grape Juice; Versafine - Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; Bazzill Card Shoppe - Gummy Bear
Dies: Avery Elle - Rounded Diamonds; SSS - Holiday Shapes
Misc: Glossy Accents (on the heart); Coats & Clark - Silver Thread

'Stenciled' on steroids!

Hi Blog friends ~
I have 3 more cards to share that I created after the Online Card Class 'Stenciled’. The first one is made using a handmade stencil with dies (Winterberry Sprig and Wonderful Words - Love and notched hearts banner; Technique taught by Jennifer). I used dye inks and small daubers to create the pattern; I then stamped the sentiment and added some gems:  

My 2nd card was made by using the stencil (Butterfly Drifting) to emboss on to Letterpress Cardstock (technique taught by Julie). It’s difficult to see on screen (and not much easier when I crop it down), but the effect IRL is quite beautiful! I stamped the bird without adding color, added the black and white sentiment strip and washi to ‘hopefully’ keep the focus on the background:

My last card was created using a medium that is new to me called Viva Decor Ferro Texture Color. It comes in several colors, so I thought since I have copper embossing powder, it would be fun to also have the same color paste (Technique taught by Debby Hughes). The sentiment is from a set that is also new to me. 

The texture of Ferro is amazing, so I took a shot of it from the side and cropped it down so you could see it:

I would like to enter this card in 3 challenges:
The Card Concept - Use texture
Addicted to CAS - Code Word: New
Less is More - Sketch Time

I have to say, 'Stenciled’ really was a lot of fun, and chock full of amazing techniques and tips that I will enjoy for a long time to come!
Thank you so much for stopping by, and for scrolling through such a long post! Please don’t feel obligated to comment on every card...I completely understand if you don’t have time. 

I hope everyone is having a great day ~ Take care,
Barb

Supplies:

Card #1:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Wonderful Words: Love
Ink:  Hero Arts - Pale Tomato; Tim Holtz - Mowed Lawn; Stampin 'Up - Real Red, Certainly Celery; Versafine - Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Dies: Memory Box - Winterberry Sprig; Papertrey Ink - Wonderful Words: Love,
Notched Hearts Banner Die; Sequins: SSS - Clear (December Card Kit)

Card #2:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Wise Bird, Remember
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark; Hero Arts - Butter Bar, Pale Tomato, Soft Pool, Orange Soda
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, True Black
Stencil: Memory Box - Butterfly Drifting
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - White
Sequins: Ellen Hutson - Gold

Shape N' Tape: Lifestyle Crafts - Black

Card #3:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Messages with Flourish
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Bazzill - Marshmallow
Texture Paste: Viva Decor Ferro Texture Color - Copper
Embossing Powder: Zing - Copper
Gems: Prima Marketing - Vintage Branch

So Proud of You

Hi everyone ~ I’m back with a card inspired by Debby Hughes at Online Card Class, ‘Stenciled’. Yesterday, she encouraged us to use embossing paste and other mediums to add texture to our cards. Ironically, it’s the theme for this week’s challenge at The Card Concept, and since I used new supplies, I am also going to submit it for the challenge at Addicted To Clean and Simple for the code word 'New’.

I created my own stencil buy die cutting the Falling Stars die on a clear acetate sheet for the background, and after mixing in a little silver paint to white embossing paste, I sprinkled on some clear glitter while the paste was still wet. I colored the image (also brand new) with Copics, added Enamel Accents to the eyes and stamped the sentiment on a SSS banner. 

Here is a close-up of the sparkly stars:

 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is doing well! Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Lil Hoot
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, Clear Acetate
Ink:  Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Simon Says Stamp - Tilted Banners, Falling Stars; Papertrey Ink - Mat Stack #3
Embossing Paste: Wendy Vecchi - White
Paint: Making Memories - Steel
Twine: The Twinery - Caribbean Stripe
Markers: Copic - W0, W1, W3

Merci

Hello there blog friends! Just a quick post with 2 cards...the first is my take on Debby Hughes card from the Online Card Class, 'Stenciled'. I love her light and airy cards and her teaching style...not to mention her beautiful British accent!

I used my Tim Holtz Honeycomb Stencil and inked it in Hero Arts Soft Pool, and Tide Pool. The vellum tag is from PTI and the twine is Hemptique Aquamarine Collection. It appears dark brown on my screen, but it's actually a deep turquoise. I finished the card off with 2 enamel dots and one silver sequin, just as Debby did, since I thought it would be fun to mix them.

My next card was for our Hero Arts Flickr Group Scramble, and I would like to enter it into this week's challenge at Addicted To Stamps and More. Our challenge is to create a CAS card, so I thought this would fit nicely.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts, and I love that it's so elegant, and wanted to make it the focus of this card. The card base and heart are SSS woodgrain cardstock and the gems are from Pretty Pink Posh.

Well, that's all from me. I'm really enjoying 'Stenciled' Card Class, and can't wait to see what they have in store for us next!

Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by,

Barb

Online Card Class - Day 1

Hello everyone,
Online Card Class started today, and I created my first card CASEing the 'Amazing' Laura Bassen! The one thing I was unable to incorporate in my card was her use of white tissue paper (brilliant idea)...it seems that all the tissue paper in my house right now is either a loud color or a print...geez! So, anyway, here is my card:

I used my new Hero Arts Large Lotus Pattern stencil for the background, and sentiments from the Forever set. The ampersand is from Paper Smooches. I added some white thread behind the frame and trimmed off a little of the front panel before mounting it to a white card base.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by! If you haven't signed up for this class yet, there's still plenty of time, and of course, lifetime access! 

Take care,

Barb

Supplies: 

Stamps: Hero Arts - Remember; Paper Smooches - We Connect

Ink: Versamark; Versafine - Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Soft Granite, Soft Pool, Butter Bar

Cardstock: Neenah - Solar White

Stencil: Hero Arts - Large Lotus
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - Clear

Die: Papertrey Ink - Fillable Frames #1

Enamel Dots: My Minds Eye

Misc: Thread

Welcome Baby

Hi everyone ~ I’m back with a card inspired by this week’s challenge at Less is More. Our theme for this challenge is ‘New Baby’, and I had to do some hunting to find this really old Stampin’ Up set...but it has some cute images, so it works!

I masked the image of the diaper pins (does anyone even use them anymore? ~ LOL), colored the ducks with Copic markers, and gave them a healthy coat of Glossy Accents. The sentiment is from one of my all-time favorite sets, so I inked it up, matted everything and added the striped patterned paper.

I finished up my Valentine cards for Winter’s Card Drive, so I’ll be getting them mailed off in the morning to meet the deadline. Onward and forward...the Online Card Class ‘Stenciled’ starts tomorrow, and I’m really excited! I bought several new stencils and die cuts, and I can’t wait to get started! If you’re also taking the class...I’ll see you there ~  

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is doing well! Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin’ Up - Cuddles and Tickles; Waltzingmouse - Say it Loud
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink - Lemon Tart
Ink:  Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
Die: Lil’ Inker - Stitched Rectangles
Gems: Hero Arts - Sunshine Mixed Accents
Misc: Glossy Accents

A Holiday Wreath

Hello everyone! Just before Christmas, I won some blog candy on Jen McGuire’s blog from the November Oh Deer Me Embellishment Kit, and when it arrived, I was delightfully surprised at all the beautiful goodies that were included...in fact, everything is inside a pretty square tin!
I am entering this card in this week’s challenge at Festive Friday. The inspiration photo is a snowy winter scene with a wreath on the side of a red barn, so I inked up a stamp from the kit, and colored it with Copics to create a Christmas wreath.
And, since this card is CAS, I would also like to enter into this week's challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More where we are being asked to create a Clean & Simple Card.
 

 

I wanted to keep it CAS, so after coloring the leaves and flowers, I added a small silver bow and a sentiment, and mounted it on a red 4 1/4 square cardstock card base. 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is doing well! 

Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Barb

 

Supplies:
Stamps: Freckled Fawb - Oh Deer Me Embellishment Kit; Avery Elle - Laurels (bow); MFT - Cheerful Christmas Greetings (sentiment)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; MFT - Wild Cherry
Ink:  Memento - London Fog; Versafine - Onyx Black
Gems: Hero Arts - Small Clear 

Sending Smiles

Hello everyone! I’ve been having so much fun with my new Mama Elephant stamps and dies, that I decided to enter a card into their current Photo Inspiration Challenge. The photo is gorgeous (see below), filled with elegant pinks, and burgundy as well as crystals and pearls!

Even though there are 3 really cute images in this set, I used the monkey again, and this time I placed them so that they are floating up toward the clouds. I didn’t have the right colors in my Copic collection, so I used watercolor pencils, and I added clear mini sequins and my WOS glitter pen to mimic the gems.



I thought this would be a great card for a child, so I stamped a Happy Valentine message and some hearts on the inside, and I'll be sending it off to the Cards from the Heart Card Drive. 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is doing well! Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by! 
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Up and Away
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, Vellum, Soft Stone
Ink:  Ranger - Archival Jet Black
Dies: Mama Elephant - Up and Away, Landscape Trio
Sequins: Simon Says Stamp - Mini Clear Sequins (December Card Kit)
Watercolor Pencils: Inktense; Stampin ‘ Up

Misc: Wink of Stella - Clear Glitter Pen

It's a Good Day To Be Happy!

Hello everyone! I love this week’s sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch by Sam Simpson, and thought it would be fun to take out my new Mama Elephant stamps and dies and create this card.

I love the shapes and stitching on the Landscape Trio dies, so I placed them so that the monkey is floating above the clouds carrying helium balloons. I also wanted some texture on this card, so I embossed my card base with my PTI Impression Plate and added a few silver stars to the sky. 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone has a great week ahead! Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Up and Away
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, Vellum; Bazzill - Icy Mint
Ink:  Versafine - Onyx Black
Impression Plate: Papertrey Ink - Linen/Canvas
Dies: Mama Elephant - Up and Away, Landscape Trio
Sequins: Simon Says Stamp - Silver Stars
Markers: Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear

You're Tops in My Book

Hello everyone! I have 2 cards to share with you today. Firstly, I thought it would be fun to create another card for the Cards from the Hearts Card Drive using my new stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn.

I decided to make this card with a chalkboard technique and although it's hard to see, I used the Tim Holtz embossing folder that has the texture of a brick wall on the red card base. I punched the notebook edge and drew lines with a white pencil, then embossed the sentiment in white. I also added glossy accents to the glasses and heart and used an old glitter pen on the book binding just to jazz it up a little.

JJ Bolton created a gorgeous card with Avery Elle’s ‘Embellish It Flower Die’ using vellum and Texture Tiles (Be Cute stamp set),  and inspired me so much, that I decided to CASE her card (I sure hope she doesn’t mind)! 

I die cut each petal 3 times, then arranged them. If you’re interested, Nina Yang has a video tutorial on You Tube creating a flower with this die Here and on This Blog Post she shows how to make 6 different flowers with this die.
I love pink and gray, so I cut 1/4“ strips in steel gray, used soft stone for the leaves and smokey gray for the sentiment. I wanted the flower to be super feminine, so I used a bright pink ink for the polka dots and finished it off with metallic gray sequins. 
I thought this card was perfect to send off in a 'care package' to my step-granddaughter, Erica, who is a freshman in college and the sweetest girl on earth...she made the Dean's List after her first semester, and we're all so proud of her!

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is getting in some crafty time this weekend! Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Barb

Supplies:
You're Tops in My Book
Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Science of Love
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, True Black, Pure Poppy
Ink: Hero Arts Memories - Unicorn; Versamark
Dies: Lawn Fawn - Science of Love
Embossing Folder: Sizzix/Tim Holtz - Alterations
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - White
Misc: Glossy Accents; Wink of Stella - Clear; Prismacolor White Pencil; EK Success - Binder Edge Punch
 
You Are The Best 
Stamps: Avery Elle - Texture Tiles Be Cute (polka dots), Laurels (sentiment)
Cardstock: MFT - Steel Gray; PTI - Select White, Soft Stone, Vellum
Ink: Memento Luxe - Rose Bud; Versafine - Smokey Gray
Dies: Embellish It - Flower
Gem: My Mind’s Eye - Pearl
Sequins: SSS/Kelly Purkey - Metallic Gray

My 50th Blog Post!

Hello everyone! I started my blog in October, and I honestly can’t believe it, but this is my 50th blog post! Yikes!!! I’m really enjoying blogging, and I am so grateful to each and every one of you for visiting, and leaving such sweet comments...Thank You!!!

I created this card for this week’s challenge at CASology ~ It’s week 78, and our Cue Card is ‘Dot’.

 

 I used some of the circles from Neat & Tangled Party Dots and the centers of the flowers from PTI’s Beautiful Blooms II, in 3 colors, and decreasing in size as I stamped upward on the card panel. I added enamel dots for interest, stamped my sentiment, and placed a small strip of patterned paper along the side.

I hope everyone is having a great week! Thanks again for stopping by ~
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Neat & Tangled - Party Dots; Papertrey Ink - Beautiful Blooms II, Signature Greetings
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine - Sketchbook
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Pale Tomato, Mint Julep, Soft Pool
Enamel Dots: My Minds Eye 

Valentine Card

Hello everyone!
I guess it’s no secret that I’m a complete and total ‘Challenge Junkie’, so of course I  created this card for a few challenges:
Less is More  ~ Our challenge is to create a one layer card and the theme is ‘Hearts’.
The Muse Challenge  ~ This week our Muse is the incredibly talented Therese Calvird , who inspired the design for my card.
Addicted to Stamps and More  ~ This week we are being asked to create a card for a holiday, and I chose Valentine’s Day.

I find one layer cards to be very tricky, because I always want to add a few gems or enamel dots, so this really was a challenge for me. I die cut, then masked the angled hearts die cuts (my fave) from Clearly Besotted on to an Eclipse masking sheet and inked them in various colors. Then, I stamped the tiny hearts with Versamark and embossed them with clear embossing powder. I stamped the sentiment in black ink, and the arrow is embossed with Zing Glitter EP. And, that’s it for my one layer card! 

I hope everyone is having a great week! 
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle - Oh Happy Day; Lawn Fawn - Love You Tons (mini hearts)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark; Hero Arts - Pale Tomato, Butter Bar, Soft Sky, Soft Pool; Stampin’ Up - Pretty In Pink
Die: Clearly Besotted - Love Hearts
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - Clear; Zing - Black Glitter EP

CAS(E) This Sketch #59

Hello everyone! I created this card for this week’s challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch. Instead of using my feather stamps and dies, I decided to go with this cute set which was a freebie (with purchase) at Papertrey Ink, and place the flowers and leaves on an angle to mimic the sketch. I also tried to channel my inner ‘Laura Bassen’ by adding some silver thread behind my focal point :-) I think I may have been a little shy about it, though...but, it is there!

I used Hero Arts Mint Julep for the leaves and paired it with 3 other colors for the flowers. To make the white panel pop, I used my MFT Blu Raspberry cardstock for the card base. 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start! 
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Ruby Reprise
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; MFT - Blu Raspberry
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Mint Julep; PTI - Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores
Sequins: SSS - December Card Kit

Bee Mine...Valentine!

Hello everyone! Just a quick post today. I’m getting in just under the wire for this week’s CASology Challenge. Our Cue Card is ‘Bubbly’, so I decided to use speech bubbles for my card, and since I used this sweet little bumble bee, I think I’ll add this to my collection for the Caring Hearts Card Drive. 

I finally broke out my Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil, which I won in Barb Engler’s challenge...thanks, Barb! I stamped the Lawn Fawn ‘Bee Mine’ sentiment and bee, and with selective inking, I added the word 'Valentine’ from Hero Arts ‘Celebrate Everyday’ set. 

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone is having a fun and crafty weekend! 
Barb

Supplies:

Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Bee Mine; Hero Arts - Everyday Sayings
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; Hero Arts - Daffodil
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Hero Arts - Butter Bar
Markers: Copic Sketch - Y02
Dies: Mama Elephant - Femme Frames; Simon Says Stamp - Speech Bubbles

Cards From the Heart Card Drive

Hello everyone! I have another card to share for the Cards From the Heart Card Drive, and of course, I’ll be entering my card into a few challenges.

This week marks the first ever challenge at The Card Concept, and we were given an inspiration photo as well as a color palette to choose from. Also, since the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More is a ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge, I thought I would combine the two! I found this cute little Valentine image from Digistamps Boutique, and thought this sweet little puppy was perfect.

 

For the Card Concept Challenge, I was inspired by the challenge colors: Kraft, Pink, Vanilla and Espresso. I colored my puppy with 2 shades of brown and used marshmallow cardstock for the front panel, and of course pink for the heart and butterflies. This challenge is also unique, in that we have several styles to choose from among the DT, and I’m guessing my card is considered ‘Clean & Layered’.

For the Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge, we are being asked to color an image using our favorite medium (markers, inks, pencils), so I chose to use my trusty Copic markers!

Well, that’s it for me ~ I hope everyone has a fun and crafty weekend! 
Barb

Supplies:
Digital Stamp: Digistamp Boutique
Cardstock: Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; Copic X-Press It - Blending Cardstock; Bazzill - Marshmallow
Markers: Copic Sketch Markers - E50, E53, E55, E57, R81, R83, R85
Impression Plate: Papertrey Ink - Rustic Burlap
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Mega Mat Stack 3
Misc: Glossy Accents (small heart); Wink of Stella Pen (large heart and butterflies)

Home...Where Your Story Begins

Hello everyone!

I have 2 more cards to share today. My first card is for the challenge at Less is More, and it’s a color challenge. We have been asked to use ‘Winter Blues’ and since I recently bought this stamp and die set from PTI, I thought I would try my hand again at JJ Bolton’s Technique using some blue inks.

I have to say that this technique is a lot harder than it looks! Lining everything up is only part of it...for some reason, I had trouble with the stamp, then smearing the Memento Luxe ink, and on and on it went ~ LOL ~ I went through a lot of cardstock to get it right,  and that infuriates me! In the end, I’m happy with how it turned out, so all is well...and of course I LOVE this sentiment!

My next card is for 2 challenges: For this week’s challenge at Addicted to Clean & Simple, our code word is ‘Die Cuts’. This is my 2nd submission for this challenge, and I used die cuts almost exclusively on this card. I would also like to enter this card for this week’s challenge at Muse. Our inspiration this week was provided by Laurie Willison, who created a beautiful card with a sunburst. It’s Laurie’s last challenge as a DT member, and I’m sure going to miss her!

I die cut the 'Power Rays’ with white cardstock, and inked it up with Hero Arts Butter Bar. Then, I inked a background panel also with Butter Bar and Orange Soda to create depth. I added all of my die cuts, stamped my sentiment, and voila!

Well, that’s it for me! Tonight was the finale on Project Runway All Stars, and I can't wait to see who won :-)

I hope everyone is having a great week! 
Barb

1st Card:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Polka Dot Parade #10
Ink: Hero Arts - Mid-tone Navy; Memento Luxe - Teal Zeal; Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White; Bazzill - Icy Mint
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Modern Alphabet
Glitter Pen: Wink of Stella - Clear
Sequins: Kelly Purkey - Turquoise Blue

2nd Card:
Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps - Everyday Expressions
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Butter Bar, Orange Soda
Cardstock: Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White
Dies: Paper Smooches - Power Rays; Mama Elephant - Landscape Trio; Impression Obsession - Deer Trio