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!!

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Hi Friends!

I am so excited to be the Guest Designer for the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #113 “Anything Goes” Challenge! 

 What an honor- I love their challenge to use older stamps (they have to be at least one year old)- right in line with my desire to try to give all of my stamps some “love” this year (although, who am I kidding? It will take years for me to ink all of my stamps for sure, lol!).  

I decided to use a stamp set from Anna Griffin named Perfect Patterns Coloring Cards and Stamps (that I purchased from HSN a year or more ago- no longer in stock, sorry…). I paired the Anna Griffin floral image with a sentiment from Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply Clear Stamps).

I am also linking this card to the Inkspirational #189 Garden Challenge .

If you have not had a chance to drop by the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog or the other challenge sites yet, I hope you do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1).  De-static a piece of vanilla cardstock with an embossing powder tool, ink the floral image from Perfect Patterns with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink and stamp onto the prepared panel.  Apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

2).  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the image with water-based markers and use a sponge dauber to add Tim Holtz™ Vintage Tea Distress Ink to “antique” the background.

3). Trim the panel, mount onto black cardstock and lightly distress the edges with your fingernail.

4). Die cut another piece of vanilla cardstock with a stitched rectangle die, mount onto a piece of black cardstock, trim close to the edge and add a strip of crochet lace and 7/8” black satin ribbon (wrapping the ends of the ribbon behind the panel).  Mount the entire panel onto a white (or vanilla) card base.

5).  Repeat step 1 to stamp and emboss the sentiment from Words of Encouragement onto a piece of scrap vanilla cardstock.  Add the distress ink to “age” the paper, die cut with a stitched rectangle die, mount onto black cardstock and lightly distress the edges (I used my fingernail vs. a tool). 

6). Mount the floral image along with the sentiment using dimensional foam to the card front.

7). Add a few pearls to the opposite corners of the sentiment. 

8).  Finish off the card by using a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the flower petals and a white paint pen to add highlights to the stamens. 

Stamp Sets: Perfect Patterns (Anna Griffin), Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz™ Vintage Tea Distress; Stampin’ Write Markers- Sweet Sugarplum, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot™,  MFT Stitched Rectangle A1 & A2 STAX, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Ivory Crochet Lace, 7/8” Black Satin Ribbon, Pearls

2014- Angel, my sweet "girl"

Right after surgery- on my lap

Also, on a personal note, this week has been a tough one for us.  Last Thursday June 13th , we had to put our sweet kitty “Angel” to sleep.  

She was 14 ½ years old and had major surgery in March to remove a large fatty tumor from her side (tests revealed it could be cancerous). 

Surgical staples out- yea!

She healed marvelously from that surgery and was acting like her “normal” self again. A few weeks ago, she starting to act a bit like she did before her tumor was removed, plus it seemed as though her back was very sensitive near her tail bone.  We thought it may have been scar tissue causing problems so we made an appointment for Fri., the 14th. 

On this past Wed. eve,the 13th, when she came up the stairs from the kitty litter area, she limped into my craft room with a “club” paw on her right front foot. Her little foot was curled and she could not put any weight on her leg.  I called the vet immediately to try to get her in, but they were about to close and we made an appointment for Thurs. am. 

 She looked at me so confused, like “Mom, what’s wrong with my foot?” I carried her everywhere the rest of the evening and she slept on my lap the entire night. 

Angel on my lap- RIP, sweet baby

She would not eat anything at all before the vet visit, so we knew that she was in pain plus she hardly ate Wed. pm (normally she had a voracious appetite and would eat all her food plus her sister’s).  

 The vet was a bit stumped as well but suspected nerve damage. We did not want to put her through a battery of tests  to try to determine the cause (plus the stress on her) and still possibly have to put her to sleep, so we decided the most loving thing we could do for her was to let her go. We are totally heartbroken and miss her so, but know that we made the right decision.   

She was the most intelligent, loving, affectionate "fur-baby" - my little buddy who followed me everywhere, was a “lap” kitty since she was a kitten, was always either on my lap, craft table or by my side (she always slept on my lap all night).  Her presence in our home is greatly missed and her sweet spirit will be in our hearts forever. She was truly beloved. 

Angel and Queenie- very rare to be
 this close to each other :-)

Her sister, “Queenie”  may miss Angel, but it a bit hard to tell since she is more like the normal “cat”- lovable, likes to be petted but “don’t pick me up, please”, nibbles her food,very playful, stays in the room with us, more independent and not a lap cat at all. 

Queenie, like her sister, has a very sweet dispostion (unless she is at the vet). She looks like a Maine Coon (or Norwegian Forest Cat) mixed with a Ragdoll- we can even hold like a baby to trim her nails (for a short time:-).   Looking at the two, it is hard to believe that they are from the same litter but we understand that the female cat can mate with several males.  While they have been together for 14 1/2 years, Queenie seems to be taking it all in stride.

As sad as we are that Angel is gone, we are thankful that we had the chance to love Angel, be loved by her, have her in our lives and that we still have her sister, Queenie.

In addition to my Angel's passing,  my darling hubby will be having surgery to remove his bladder and prostate this week (he finished chemo for the bladder cancer at the end of April).

We understand that this is a considered a major operation, so we are praying that there will be no complications, that the cancer is contained in his bladder and has not metastasized, that he will be able to come home quickly as well as get used to his new “normal” . 

 Thank you for all of you who have been praying- we know that the Lord has the perfect plan for us and are resting in His Promises for sure!!  This verse, Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" has definitely been a comfort for me during this time. 

Thanks again for taking the time to visit, for all your prayers and your friendship!  I know that I have not met most of you in person, but feel that through our love of stamping and creating, we have become friends!  

I hope you have a fabulous week and come join us at for the Retro Rubber ChallengeBlog #113 “Anything Goes” Challenge!  The challenge is open until June 28!

TCC117 Sunny Days Ahead

Hi Friends!

Welcome to The Card Concept #117 {Summer Swirls} Challenge!  I was inspired by the bright primary colors of the hot air balloon along with the swirls to create a Clean and Layered/Mixed Media card!

I pulled out a few STAMPlorations™ stamp sets for this card- New Beginnings and Bloom Happy.  I have owned both of these sets for a while and this is the first time I have had a chance to ink them up (still working on giving all of my stamps some “love”).

I will also be linking this card to the Simon Says Work It Wednesday “Summer Vibes” Challenge along with the STAMPlorations  CAS “Anything Goes” Challenge and STAMPlorations “The Never Ending 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- fabulous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). On a piece of white cardstock, score two lines approx. ¼” apart on both sides of the panel, trim and mount onto a piece of black cardstock.  Ink the sentiment from Bloom Happy with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink and stamp onto the front of the panel.   Add the strips of silver cord and mount onto the white card base.

2).  De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sunset scene from New Beginnings with Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, color the scene with distress inks and alcohol markers.  Trim around the image, mount onto black cardstock, trim close to the edge and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam.

3). Use a clear shimmer pen to add shimmer to the sun’s rays to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  New Beginnings, Bloom Happy (STAMPlorations™)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz™ Distress Inks- Festive Berries, Chipped Sapphire and Scattered Straw; Stampin’ Write Markers-Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Blueberry Bushel; Spectrum Noir™ Alcohol Markers (GB4, GB6, TB5), Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools/Accessories: AquaPainter™, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Silver Cord

Thanks again for taking the time to visit!  I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Summer Swirls} photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!! The challenge is open until Monday, June 24th at noon (EDT).

Trust in the Lord

Hi Friends!

Today I am sharing a quick Clean and Simple (CAS) card using a retired image from Best of SAB (Stampin’ Up!) and a current sentiment from Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply.)

I love this dogwood blossom image from the Best of Sale-A-Bration set (SU!) as well as the sentiment, so I first stamped both onto separate white cardstock panels with Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink then heat embossed  each with clear embossing powder.   

Once the embossing has cooled, I used water-based markers to watercolor the floral image, fussy cut and mounted onto black cardstock.

The white panel with the sentiment was die cut with a stitched rectangle die, mounted onto black cardstock before adhering to the main white card base.

The floral image was mounted with dimensional foam and very faint blue stenciling was added here and there (so faint, you can barely see it).

The card was finished with a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the petals and an extra fine white paint pen to add a few highlights to the floral center.

I enjoy participating with online challenges and will be linking this card to the Less Is More Recipe #396 “CAS Embossing (Less than 1/3 of the card)” Challenge along with the CASOLOGY #345 “Calm”Challenge (this verse is very calming to me) and the Word Art Wednesday #390-#391 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

 

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge galleries yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

Stamp Sets: Best of Sale-A-Bration (retired Stampin’ Up!), Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply)

Ink: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Stampin’ Write Markers-Pool Party, Island Indigo, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi; Tim Holtz® Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen; Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool , AquaPainter™, My Favorite Things™ Stitched Rectangles A2 Set 1 Dies, Memory Box™ Flourish stencil

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

Trust An Unknown Future to A Known God

Hi Friends!

This card was designed for a sweet young lady who graduated this year and I was able to use up quite a few pieces from my stash.

The sentiment is from the As You Graduate stamp set (retired Our Daily Bread Designs now Divinity Designs LLC) and the rest of the card was from my “stash” of unfinished projects using retired Stampin' Up! images- lol!

I love participating with online challenges and will be linking to the Global Design Project #191 Theme Challenge along with the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Time Out #136 Inspiration Challenge (I was inspired by all the bright summery colors).

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge galleries yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing tool, stamp the sentiment from As You Graduate with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the sentiment has cooled, die cut with a stitched rectangle die, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.

2). Repeat the stamping/embossing steps above with the small butterflies from Papillon Potpourri and large butterfly from Wonderful Wings (both retired Stampin’ Up!).  Once the embossing has cooled, color the butterflies using water-based markers.  Fussy-cut the large butterfly image and use the matching butterfly punch (also retired) to punch out the two small butterflies (I already had all three of these butterflies in my stash ready to go :-)).

3). Using an acetate envelope (or you could cut open a ziploc bag), press the oxide inks onto the acetate, lightly spritz with water, fold the envelope or bag over the ink and smoosh around with your finger a bit, re-open the envelope or bag and press a piece of white cardstock into the ink.  Repeat the process with another piece of white cardstock to use up the remaining ink (this is how I had this panel in my stash).

4). Stamp the distressing image from Timeless Textures with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink to add additional texture and die cut with a rectangle stitched die.  Mount onto a piece of black cardstock, trim close to the edge and mount onto a piece of 4 ¼” x 11” piece of white cardstock in half for the card base. 

5). Mount the sentiment using dimensional foam.

6).  Add the butterflies to the card front and use a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to their wings.

Stamp Sets: Wonderful Wings, Papillon Potpourri, Timeless Textures (retired Stampin’ Up!), As You Graduate (retired Our Daily Bread Designs)

Ink: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Stampin’ Write Markers- Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango; Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Tumbled Glass; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool , AquaPainter™, Elegant Butterfly Punch (retired SU!), My Favorite Things™ Dies- Stitched Rectangles A2 Set 1 & 2

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