Cast All Your Cares

Hi Friends!

Here is another card with some of my older stamp sets- this card includes retired Stampin’ Up! Summer by the Sea, Stipple Shells along with the retired Verve Stamp Set, Faith Medley.

I heat embossed all of the images as well as the sentiment using clear embossing powder and water-colored the images with clean color markers and distress inks.  The shells were fussy-cut, the main image was die cut with a stitched rectangle die and the sentiment with a stitched oval die.

All of the elements were layered onto black cardstock with the main image and seashells mounted onto the card front with dimensional foam.

The card was finished off with a clear glitter pen and rhinestones.

I incorporated the Crazy 4 Challenges C4C496 Sandcastles Challenge, The HouseThat Stamps Built #A1419 Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (top diagonal- By the Sea,Texture, Bright Colors) and the Stinkin’ Inkers August “Some Like It Hot”Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I hope you will find the time to do so- gorgeous galleries and inspiration from all!

Stamp Sets: Summer by the Sea, Stipple Shells (retired Stampin’ Up!), Faith Medley (retired Verve Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Zig® Clean FB Markers- Yellow, Ochre, Blue, Violet, Purple, Brown, Lt. Pink; Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker, Tim Holtz® Ground Espresso Distress Oxide, Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired Stampin’ Up! designer paper- Brilliant Blue, misc. purple dsp (not sure of manufacturer)

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT Dies- Stitched Rectangle STAX A2 Set 1, Stitched Ovals STAX; Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™, Sponge Daubers, Rhinestones

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you will visit again soon!

Betsy the Beekeeper- Near to God

Hi Friends!

I am still working on creating cards with some of my older stamp sets and this card includes the retired Stampin’ Up! sets- Betsy the Beekeeper and Timeless Textures along with the current Words of Encouragement stamp set from Simply Stamps.

I heat embossed the Betsy the Beekeeper image and water-colored the image with clean color markers.  After die-cutting the image with a stitched rectangle die, I used a honeycomb stencil and a texture stamp with oxide inks.  The texture stamps were heat embossed with clear embossing powder and the layers were mounted onto black cardstock. 

The card was finished off with a clear glitter pen, gold cord and rhinestones.

I incorporated the Try Stampin On Tuesday #421 Sketch Challenge along with the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #117 “Anything Goes” Challenge (Betsy the Beekeeper is over ten years old) and The House That Stamps Built #A1419 Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (bottom row across- Bright Colors, Food, Dimension). 

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- fabulous galleries and inspiration from all!

Stamp Sets: Betsy the Beekeeper (retired Stampin’ Up!), Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Zig® Clean FB Markers- Yellow, Ochre, Blue, Violet, Purple, Brown, Lt. Green; Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey; Clear Glitter Pen, Pilot V5 Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired Stampin’ Up! designer paper- Brilliant Blue, Daffodil Delight; misc. purple dsp (not sure of manufacturer)

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT Dies- Stitched Rectangle STAX A2 Set 1, Stitched Circles STAX; Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™ , Honeycomb Stencil, Gold Cord, Rhinestones

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- I will be sharing more cards this weekend.  I hope you will visit again soon!

Beauty is God's Handwriting

Hi Friends!

I am still making an effort to create cards using some of my older stamp sets.

This Clean and Simple card combines three retired Stampin’ Up! sets- Natural Beauty, God’s Beauty and Botanicals.

This card was quick and easy to create- I heat embossed the butterfly image with clear embossing powder onto a white cardstock panel and once cooled, masked the image before stamping the text image and sentiment using water-based markers.  A water brush was used to blend a bit of the color and I used the remaining ink off the silicone mat to create a bit of splatter.

The text image was used on the base and the main image panel was mounted with dimensional foam.

I finished off the card using a clear glitter pen and white gel pen.

I am linking this card to several online challenges- the CAS Colours and Sketches#335 Color Challenge, the Stampin’ Up! Only SUOC230 “Clean and Simple”Challenge and the CAS Watercolour August "Colourful Butterflies" Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- fabulous galleries and inspiration from all!

Stamp Sets: Nature’s Beauty, God’s Beauty and Botanicals (all retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Stampin’ Write Markers- Crushed Curry, Elegant Eggplant and Highland Heather; White Gel Pen, Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Natural Beauty- Dream One Layer Card

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you are having a great week so far!  My hubby, Dave is doing better with each passing day as we are getting used to his new “normal”. 

I have been creating over the summer but have not had a chance to post many of the cards to my blog or other galleries (many of you have blogs and know the time that it takes photograph, edit and write up the blog posts). 

With my limited creative time due to taking care of the household chores that my hubby normally handles, etc. :-) I am going to post the cards in the future without the detailed step by step instructions but an overview of how they were created.  If you have any questions on a particular card, and/or technique, please feel free to ask.

I am linking this card to several online challenges- AAA #142 “Along the Edge” with optional twist of “Inspired by a Song” ( I think of the song that has the lyrics “Dream, Dream, Dream” when I see this image), the Simon Says Wednesday “Clean and Simple” Challenge , the Addicted to CAS #166 "One Layer Card" Challenge and the 2 Crafty Critters Crazies  “Anything Goes with Critters”Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

This card is a one-layer card designed with an older Stampin’ Up! stamp set, Natural  Beauty.  

The white cardstock card base was folded in half and I used a scrap piece of paper to create a mask for the border along the right side.  I repeatedly stamped the word image along the edge with Versamark™ Onyx Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.   

The little bird was also heat embossed with clear embossing powder and I used several Distress Oxide inks to blend color over the edge (see colors below)  

I finished off the card using a black marker to create a thick line along the border edge (this covered up a bit of the uneven ink and straighten up the edge).

Stamp Sets: Natural Beauty (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Broken China, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Faber-Castell™ Black Pitt Pen Marker

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you can stop by again soon!

God Is Our Refuge

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week and are looking forward to the weekend.

I have been working on organizing my craft room over the summer and creating in-between with images and/or stamp sets that I have discovered and not used in a while. 

This card was designed with one of the images that I had previously colored and fussy-cut (and found in my stash).

I am linking this card to several online challenges- Cardz 4 Galz #103 Wings and Word Art Wednesday #400-#401 “Anything Goes”.

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- fabulous inspiration from all!

Since I found this image in my craft room ready to go, this card was easy to create.

I used water-based markers to color the butterfly, fussy-cut, added clear glitter before applying ModPodge® to strengthen the butterfly image.  

I used Distress Oxide ink to stencil onto the white card base, spritzed a bit of water before heat embossing the sentiment with clear embossing powder.

I mounted the butterfly with dimensional foam and added a few sequins to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Swallowtail (digital image- retired Stampin’ Up!), Fear Not (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Zig© FB Clean Color Markers- Lt Pink, Turquoise, Purple, Pink; Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire; Faber-Castelle™ Black Pitt Pen Marker, Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: ModPodge®, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber, ARTplorations™ Stained Glass Stencil, AquaPainter™, Sequins

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you have a great weekend!

Seaside Sketches- So Very Thankful

Hi Friends!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!  This morning, I am sharing yet another card that I created recently using two of my retired stamp sets from Stampin’ Up! (Seaside Sketches and Stipple Shells) along with a sentiment from WPlus9 Design Studio, LLC).

I wanted to play along with several online challenges and am linking to:

Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #116 “Tic-Tac-Toe” Challenge (Diagonal- Designer Paper, Texture and Color Pens, Pencils, Ink) Seaside Sketches and Stipple Shells are both over ten years old

PINSpirational #244 Inspiration Challenge- I was inspired by the pinks, the pillows, the sand and seashore theme

Try Stampin’ On Tuesday #419 Sketch Challenge

Cardsz4Galz#102 Summer Fun Challenge (this is the first time I had a chance to play along with this challenge site)

WatercoolerWednesday #233 “Karen’s Feminine Anything Goes” Challenge

 If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- incredible inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the Seaside Sketches image using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink onto white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor using ink from water-based markers (see colors used below).

2). Die cut the image with a stitched square die and mount onto black cardstock, trim close to the edge.

3). Die cut a piece of bright raspberry pink designer paper with the same square stitched die, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.  Use a few scrap strips of the designer paper and mount onto the edges of a piece of black cardstock (to use for the card front). 

4). Emboss a piece of white cardstock with the retired Square Lattice embossing folder (SU!) , mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.  Adhere the embossed/layered background to black card front. Mount the entire card front to the white card base.

5).  Mount the layered designer paper square on an angle onto the card front (per the TSOT Sketch).  Add a bit of looped silver cord and adhere the main focal image using dimensional foam (or scrap chipboard).

6). Using black India ink, stamp the shell images from Stipple Shells onto white cardstock, heat set the ink with a heat tool and watercolor the images using water-based markers.  Fussy-cut each of the shells, use a black marker to finish off the cut edges of the images and a sponge dauber with distress oxide ink to add a bit of color.  Mount the shells onto the focal image (using dimensional foam as needed).

7). De-static a piece of black cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from Pretty Patches: Apple (WPlus9 Studio, LLC), apply white embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, trim close to the edge of the sentiment.  Mount the sentiment onto the card front and add a few seashells with dimensional foam.

7). Finish off the card using a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the shells and water along with a few rhinestones in the corner of the focal image and sentiment.

Stamp Sets: Seaside Sketches and Stipple Shells (retired Stampin’ Up!), Pretty Patches: Apple (retired Wplus9 Studio LLC)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Ken Oliver Black India Ink, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Ground Espresso; Zig® Clean Color™ FB Markers-  Pale Pink, Yellow, Ochre, Bright Pink, Blue, Turquoise; Stampin’ Write Markers- Pacific Point, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired Raspberry Lemonade DSP (all Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories: Big Shot™,  Square Lattice Embossing Folder (retired SU!), My Favorite Things™ (MFT) Dies Stitched Squares STAX, Embossing Buddy®, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber, AquaPainter™, Rhinestones, Silver Cord

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you have a great weekend!

Nothing Is Worth More Than This Day

Hi Friends!

I am sharing another card today that I created recently using several retired Stampin’ Up! (SU!) stamp sets- Summer by the Sea, Stipple Shells and Summer Afternoon. 

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am still trying to focus on using stamps that I already own and have not used in a while.  Once I pull out a retired set(s), I am trying to create a few cards in order to give all of the images some "love" :-)  

For this card, I decided to incorporate the Fab Friday #169 Sketch Challenge along with the Time-Out#141 “Relaxation” Challenge and the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes”Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- fabulous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the Summer by the Sea image using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink onto white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor using ink from water-based markers and distress oxide ink (see colors used below).

2). Die cut the image with a stitched dome die and die cut another dome (the same size) from black cardstock.  Split the black dome die-cut at the bottom, layer the focal image over the split die allowing just a bit of the black frame to show.

3). Emboss a piece of white cardstock with a woodgrain embossing folder, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.  Adhere the layered background to a white card base.

4). De-static a piece of black cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from Summer Afternoon (retired SU!), apply white embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, trim close to the edge of the sentiment (sizing to fit under the dome shape of the focal image).

5). Mount the layered focal image and sentiment onto the card front with dimensional foam.

6). Using black India ink, stamp the shell images from Stipple Shells onto white cardstock, heat set the ink with a heat tool and watercolor the images using water-based markers.  Fussy-cut each of the shells, use a black marker to finish off the cut edges of the images and a sponge dauber with distress oxide ink to add a bit of color.

7). Mount each of the shells onto the card front using dimensional foam.

8). Finish off the card using a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the shells.

Stamp Sets: Summer by the Sea, Stipple Shells, Summer Afternoon (all retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Ken Oliver Black India Ink, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Ground Espresso, Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide Ink; Zig® Clean Color™ FB Markers-  Olive Green, Pale Pink, Yellow, Violet, Brown, Pink Flamingo; Stampin’ Write Markers- Pacific Point, Sahara Sand; Faber Castell® Bold Black Pitt Pen, Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot™, My Favorite Things™ (MFT) Dies- Stitched Rectangles A2 STAX Set 1 and Stitched Dome STAX,  Embossing Buddy®, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber, AquaPainter™

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you can stop by again soon!

Summer by the Sea- Praise the Lord!

Hi Friends!

I hope your summer is going well!  My hubby is continuing to recover from his bladder and prostate removal surgery (cystoprostatectomy)- it was a rough few weeks after the initial surgery, but we are praising the Lord that he is getting stronger with each passing day!  I am learning how to be an ostomy nurse :-)  and we are getting used to the "new normal" with the bag changes, etc. 

In the meantime, I have had a chance to create a few cards, scrapbooks and journals as well as work on organizing my craft room, but have not had time to post to my blog or galleries.  I find that posting to my blog, etc. can take more time than creating, lol! I am thankful to have a moment to post a few cards this week. 

As I mentioned in my previous posts, while I am still buying stamps and supplies, I am trying to focus on limiting my purchases and using what I already own.  This card was was designed using two retired stamp sets- the focal image from the Stampin’ Up! Summer by the Sea set and the sentiment is from the Verve Stamp set, Scripture Medley 5.  

I also wanted to participate with a few online challenges and incorporated the Color Throwdown #554 Challenge and am also linking to the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Just Add Ink #468 “Just Add “C” “ Challenge (“C”= Circle, Celery-color).

If you have not had a chance to stop by the above challenge sites, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Stamp the image using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink onto white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor using ink from water-based markers, watercolor pencils and distress oxide ink (see the list of colors used below).

2). Die cut the image with a stitched circle die, mount onto another die cut from black cardstock (die cut with the same circle, split in half before layering).  Repeat the process with the sentiment using a rectangle stitched die, layer onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.

3). Emboss a piece of kraft cardstock using a 3-D basketweave folder, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.  Layer the red and celery designer paper  (mounted onto strips of black cardstock), adhere to the basketweave background, add the seam binding strips and mount onto a white card base.

4). Mount the layered circle focal image with the sentiment onto the card front with dimensional foam and add the seam binding bow.

5). Finish off the card by using a white gel pen and add a button to the center of the bow.

Stamp Sets: Summer by the Sea  (retired Stampin’ Up!), Scripture Medley 5 (retired Verve Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide Ink, Zig® Clean Color™ FB Markers-  Carmine Red, Olive Green, Pale Green, Pale Pink, Yellow, Ochre, Light Gray; Derwent® Crimson Red Watercolor Pencil, White Gel Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Kraft ; Certainly Celery and Poppy Parade Designer Series Paper (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories: Big Shot™, Basket Weave 3-D Embossing Folder (SU!), MFT™ Dies- Stitched Rectangles A2 STAX-Set 1 and Stitched Circles STAX,  Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™, 3/8” Black Seam Binding (Zipperstop), retired SU! Button

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by!!   Hugs and I hope you can visit again soon!

TCC118 When I Need A Friend

Hi Friends!

Welcome to The Card Concept #118 {Cacti Clusters}Challenge!  I was inspired by the colors of the succulents as well as the images to pull out the Sweet Succulents Stamp Set (Technique Tuesday) and create a Classy and Elegant/Mixed Media card!

This will be the last challenge at The Card Concept until September.  We take a break over the summer to give our Designers time to spend with their families as well as take a vacation or two :-).  We will be back in the beginning of September with another round of inspiration photos for sure!

I paired the Sweet Succulents Stamp Set (Technique Tuesday) with a sentiment from Choose Happiness (Stampin’ Up!).    I have owned the Sweet Succulents set for a while and this is the first time I have had a chance to ink it up (still working on goal of giving all of my stamps some “love”).

I will also be linking this card to the Try Stamping On Tuesday #413 Sketch Challenge along with the Word Art Wednesday #392-#393 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit us at The Card Concept or the other challenge sites yet, I hope you will find time to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the succulent images from Sweet Succulents with Versafine™ Onyx Black, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, color the images with water-based markers, colored pencils and distress oxide inks.  Once you are satisfied with the coloring, fussy-cut the images and set aside.

2). Using a stitched rectangle die, die cut another piece of white cardstock for the middle frame, use the next smaller stitched rectangle die to die cut a piece of green designer paper, a stitched circle die to die cut a piece of white cardstock and the same size circle die to die cut two pieces of blackberry cardstock.

3). Layer the white and green die cut rectangles together, add the lace strip along with the wide blackberry satin grosgrain ribbon (wrap the ends of the ribbon behind the back of the panel).  Mount the panel onto a piece of blackberry cardstock and adhere to the white card base.

4). Overlap the two blackberry stitched circle dies to create a small border for the white stitched circle die cut.  Layer together and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam.

5).  Mount the fussy cut image onto the die cut circle using dimensional foam and use a clear shimmer pen to add shimmer to the succulent images.

6). Using the same steps as in Step #1, stamp the sentiment from the retired Stampin’ Up! Set, Choose Happiness using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, emboss with clear embossing powder, trim and mount onto blackberry cardstock and adhere to the card front.

7). Add a few pearls to the upper right hand corner to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Sweet Succulents (Technique Tuesday), Choose Happiness (Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz™ Distress Oxide Inks-Bundled Sage, Seedless Preserves; Stampin’ Write Markers (all retired)-Sage Shadow, Orchid Opulence, Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss; Zig® Clean Color Real Brush Markers- Violet, Pale Green, Olive Green; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss (Stampin’ Up!); misc. designer paper- from my stash, not sure of manufacturer

Tools/Accessories: Big Shot™;  My Favorite Things™ Dies- Stitched A2 Rectangle Sets 1 & 2, Stitched Circles; AquaPainter™, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, White Lace and 1 ¼” Wine Grosgrain Satin Ribbon (from my stash), Pearls

Thanks again for taking the time to visit! I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Cacti Clusters}  photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!! The challenge is open until Monday, July 8^th at noon (EDT).

Update: My hubby, Dave is still recovering in the hospital and after a few very rough days, but he seems to be doing so much better!  We found out that he did have Stage 1 prostate cancer as well, so we are so blessed that he no longer has to worry about bladder cancer or prostate cancer :-)  

He still has the rare Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (Waldenstroms or WM for  short).  He had several years of chemo/immunotherapy from 2014-2018, so while there is no cure for WM, he had a positive response to the treatment and his numbers for the WM look good so far! 

Hugs and thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes!  Praise the Lord, He is answering the prayers!!