Creating with new goodies

I got some new goodies in the mail last week

and took some time in my craft area last night to play with some of them...

In addition to the new PTI, Wplus9, Mama Elephant and Ellen Hutson stamps I got,

(fabulous happy mail, right?), I also ordered a Journaling Bible &

an Illustrated Faith Created to Create Kit.

Now, while I'm very excited to start Bible Journaling, I'm also a little nervous...

After all, if I mess up on a card, it's just a piece of cardstock I can flip over and start again.

A Bible is a different matter entirely....

So while I wait for some courage, as well as a few more supplies that I ordered 

(some fun pens and gesso to prime my pages), 

I thought I'd play with the stamp set that came in my Created to Create Kit.

I started with a piece of watercolour paper and repeatedly stamped the paint brush along the top.

Then, with nine different colours of ink, one at a time, I pressed the ink onto my acrylic block

and then added water with a paintbrush and painted by lines along the front of my card.

I also painted the handles of the paint brushes to match.

*Note, for the first seven colours, I used Papertrey Ink inks.

For the last two (purples), I used Altenew, which seemed to bleed a little.

I definitely preferred the PTI inks for this technique.

I stamped the "created to create" sentiment

and then repeated my ink painting technique with some Golden Glitz Delicata ink

to paint in the metal part of the paintbrushes, which adds a fun touch of shine.

Thanks for looking!

The Challenge #61

I'm popping in before church to share the card that I made this morning

for a friend of mine.

I was inspired by this photo from The Challenge #61:

Isn't it pretty?

I was inspired by the woodgrain texture, the colours and the flowers.

I decided to use my new Wplus9 Happy Wishes stamp set.

I blended some ink onto my Simon Says Stamp woodgrain cardstock.

I stamped the Happy Wishes flowers and leaves onto white and soft stone diecuts,

where I heat embossed the white flowers onto the soft stone diecuts.

 

I stamped the sentiment (from PTI's KIS: Belated Birthday)

onto a PTI Keep It Simple Frame diecut.

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

Hey there!

I can't believe this is the last Friday in February -- this year is going by crazy fast!

1. Well, we tried to get tickets to San Diego Comic Con last Saturday.

There was a whole process where we got membership IDs ahead of time and then, at 10am, 

we entered a virtual waiting room and waited there, 

in the hopes that we would be selected to enter the registration area. 

Well, we waited an hour and they sold out before we were ever chosen. :(

(I had been praying about it, so I asked God, if He wanted us to go, 

He would make it work out that we'd get tickets. 

I took this as a sign that this wasn't His plan for our summer.

2. After our disappointment in not getting the tickets, we came up with an alternate plan...

I suggested that we could still go to Denver (my SIL lives there and I'd thought we could stay with them on the way to San Diego and back.) 

I asked Austin to check if they have a Comic Con, which they do, on Father's Day weekend. 

Stan Lee is scheduled to be there, as are three actors from Doctor Who, 

so we called my SIL to see if we can come that weekend and stay with them for a few days. 

This works for them, so it looks like we've found a trip for the summer where everyone is happy. :)

And Sage and I have already started planning our costumes... ;)

3. I picked up some new goodies from North Dakota on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I've been working a lot this week (which is good, of course!) but

it means that I haven't had time to play with them yet.

Hopefully this weekend....

4. A weight loss update: I've been counting calories and not eating sugar or deep-fried foods

and on Wednesday, I weighed myself and I've lost a total of 13 lbs.

**Edited to add: I went this morning to weigh myself and I lost another pound.
So my total is now 14. :)

5. Lastly, I have a card to share for this week's Muse Card Club Challenge,

where we are being inspired by this photo by Jenni Murray:

Isn't it sweet?

I love the flower in the boxes, so I decided to pair my PTI Brushstroke Blooms

with a Pretty Pink Posh stitched frame die.

Here's my card:

I stamped the leaves and blooms onto my background, onto which I also blended some 

new Bright Buttercup ink.

I diecut my frame from another piece of white linen cardstock as well as from a coaster, 

which I adhered together to give the frame some dimension.

I stamped the sentiment from PTI's Phrases and Praises.

I'm also linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.

Thanks for looking!

CAS(E) This Sketch #161

*Note: This is my second post for today.
Please scroll down or click here for my Papertrey Ink Blog Hop post.

Today, I have a card to share that I made for

 CAS(E) This Sketch #160 designed by N@ Ali:

Since I don't have any balloons in my stash (crazy, right?),

I decided to add the next best thing to my card -- a flamingo!

I stamped the sentiment from Lots to Say onto my card front.

And then, I stamped my flamingo from Fabulous Flamingo.

It looked a little unfinished to me, so I added a bit of watered-down pink ink

with a paint brush to add a watercolour effect.

I also added some Golden Glitz Delicata ink to some Pretty Pink Posh wooden stars

and added them, to finish off my card.

I'm also linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.

 

Visit CAS(E) this Sketch to see the rest of the DT's takes on the sketch 

and to play along, if you'd like.

You have until Thursday, March 3rd to link up your card.

Thanks for looking!

Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop

Today, I'm participating in the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. 

This month's challenge is this lovely inspirational photo:

It totally had me wishing that I had some pear stamps! LOL!

Instead, I decided to focus on the arrangement and the flowers 

and I created this:

I diecut my tag using Tag Sale #7, which I inked with a blending tool and sweet blush ink.

I stamped the Songbirds leaves onto the tag and onto my background,

first in a lighter shade of green and then again, with a darker green that I sponged onto 

the ends of the leaves with my blending tool.

I stamped the Bloomers flowers onto their coordinating diecuts in sweet blush,

with gold centres.

I stamped the sentiment (from KIS: Belated Birthday) and heat embossed it

in white on a strip of black cardstock.

I'm also linking this up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.

Thanks for looking!

Card Concept #49

Today, I have a card to share for the Card Concept #49 -- Floral Radiance Challenge:

Isn't it fabulous?

Here's my card:

I started by stamping my jar (from Lawn Fawn's Summertime Charm)

and then using a blending tool to ink the inside of the jar in hawaiian shores.

I stamped the sentiment (from Papertrey Ink's Phrases and Praises) in hawaiian shores

and aqua mist.

The flowers are from Altenew's Vintage Florals stamp set,

which I stamped onto coordinating dies.

Thanks for looking!

MFT Wednesday Sketch 268 & Colour Challenge 39

Today, I have a card to share for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 268:

As well as for the MFT Colour Challenge 39:

Here's my card:

I used the MFT Easter Bunny stamp set and coordinating dies to

 stamp my bunny, eggs and sentiment.

I heat embossed the sentiment in white on my aqua mist panel.

Thanks for looking!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge -- All Boy -- Take Two

 I have another card to share that I made using the current

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge -- All Boy:

I was really drawn to the rocket in the middle of the photo

and wanted to make a card with a rocket on it....

but I didn't have any in my stash.

Well, here was an opportunity to get creative with my dies!

I started by layering some Heidi Swapp patterned paper as my background

over some white cardstock.

I diecut the largest scalloped circle from Circles 'n Scallops Confetti Cuts

from white cardstock and layered it over top.

I diecut my rocket using the triangle from Branch Out Confetti Cuts, which I cut in half.

The top half became the top of the rocket, and the bottom half went to the bottom.

I trimmed another piece of Heidi Swapp patterned paper into a rectangle for the body of the rocket

(onto which I blended some classic kraft ink) and added the tiny strips of red for detail.

I finished it off with an October Afternoon badge.

I stamped the sentiment (from My World) in versamark and heat embossed it in red.

I diecut thee ënd  of the strip of kraft cardstock with the end of the smallest tag from Tag Me Confetti Cuts.

 

'

 

Remember, there's still time to play along with this
 Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.

Thanks for looking!

Make It Monday #239 & Fusion {Pretty in Pink}

Today, I have a card to share that I made for the current Fusion Challenge {Pretty in Pink}:

I was inspired by the beautiful pillows in the photo to make my card.

I started by stamping with a PTI Brushed Off stamp set onto a piece of My Mind's Eye

patterned paper for this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Customizing Patterned Paper.

I stamped the leaves from PTI's Songbirds onto their coordinating diecuts

and the flowers from the freebie set that PTI sent out in December.

The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp's Big Scripty Sentiments.

Thanks for looking!

Muse Card Challenge #153

Today, I have a card to share that I made for the Muse Challenge #153,

which was to be inspired by this card by Tracey McNeely:

I love the colours that Tracey used, as well as how she placed her pretty flowers.

I decided to use Altenew's Beautiful stamp set to make my card.

I started off by stamping my flowers as a one-layer card, masking the peonies.

But I wasn't happy with how it turned out, so I cut out the pink and yellow flowers

from my original card, separately.

Then, I stamped the blue flower and leaves on a new card base

and adhered the other two flowers over top.

The sentiment is from Reverse Confetti's Peacock Pretties.

Thanks for looking!

CAS(E) This Sketch #160

Today, I have a card to share that I made for

 CAS(E) This Sketch #160 designed by Chrissy Larson:

I used some PTI patterned paper as my background:

I stamped the sentiment using 

Simon Says Stamp's Congratulations stamp set.

I then added some flowers from PTI's Graceful Greetings stamp set.

Visit CAS(E) this Sketch to see the rest of the DT's takes on the sketch 

and to play along, if you'd like.

You have until Thursday, February 25th to link up your card.

Thanks for looking!

Altenew February Challenge: From Places Abroad: Cyprus

Today, I have a card to share for the 

Altenew February Challenge: From Places Abroad: Cyprus:

Isn't that photo gorgeous?

I decided to use my Altenew Beautiful stamp set to make my card.

I started by stamping the peony in black, stormy seas and soft stone.

Then, I masked it and stamped the jar in royal blue,

and then again in veramark, where I heat embossed it in clear.

I masked the peony and the jar and stamped the leaves.

I coloured in the jar with my Zig Markers and a paint brush dipped in water.

I added some grey with a paint brush around the base of the jar to ground it.

I stamped the sentiment (from Reverse Confetti's Lots to Say)

in versamark and heat embossed it in white.

Thanks for looking!

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 267 & Colour Challenge 39

Today, I have a card to share for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 267:

As well as for the MFT Colour Challenge 39:

Here's my card:

I started with a Crate Paper tag, over which I adhered a soft stone rectangle die.

I stamped a bunch of MFT Fall Florals onto their coordinating diecuts -- I just love this set!

For my sentiment, I heat embossed the stamp from PTI's KIS: Birthday

onto a strip of black cardstock.

Thanks for looking!