POLKA DOTS

Ashwini has a fun board for us this week at Tic Tac Toe Challenge #100.

I went down the left side with yellow, polka dots and thanks.

I first stamped some yellow flowers and green leaves with black polka dots using an retired MFT set, Flashy Florals.  Sponged some darker yellow ink around the edges of the flowers so they would stand out a bit more.  Also embossed the card base with polka dots.  Assembled it all with a little thanks sentiment.  Added some black Nuvo dots in the center of the flowers for a bit more interest and done!

The winner of our challenge has a chance to be a future guest designer so be sure to enter. 

 

SENDING MY LOVE

It's a new year of challenges at A Blog Named Hero and making it easy the theme is "Anything Goes".  Since it's so close to Valentine's Day,  I made a pretty floral card for you.

 

I first heat embossed the gorgeous HA/GinaK bouquet in gold and then spattered with some pinkish/red watercolor.  Next I used the HA rectangle dies to cut out the center section and then put it back together on a dark pink card base (looks rather red but really is a dark hot pink).  Added the little sentiment and few gold sequins and done.  The sentiment is from the January 2020 MMH kit but will be available in the new 2021 release from Hero Arts on 17 February.

Since I used a Gina K. stamp, I am entering my card at the Gina K. Challenge, ModSquad Challenge and Happy Little Stampers CAS all of which have the theme of "Love".

 

Join the ABNH fun and enter your card here for a chance to win one of two gift certificates from Hero Arts.  Note that the new dates for the challenge are from the 1st - 26th of the month.

 

 

LOVE

I discovered a fun fold card design yesterday that ramped up my mojo - you can find all the instructions on Bibi's blog. 

 

For my first card I colored the flower and leaves with colored pencils on gray cardstock.  Stamped the background with a retired HA flourish stamp in light gray.  On the second card I stamped the floral bouquet on wc paper, die cut the heart and used wc pencils to color - added a little more definition to the flower and leaves with regular colored pencils. 

 

I'm entering the second card at the ModSquad Challenge and Happy Little Stampers CAS where the theme is "Love".  My first card is being entered at Freshly Made Sketches and at Die Cut Divas where they're asking for a fun fold card.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

VALENTINE HEARTS

Just a quick post today with a card for the current SSS Flickr challenge - "lots of love" is the theme.  Trying to make a bunch of valentines this weekend for some friends and family

 

I used SSS tumbling hearts stencil with DO inks in various shades of pinks and reds.  This stencil is 6x6 so did the top part first and then moved it down for the bottom section.  Then I cut out the heart where the two parts came together.  Made it into a shaker with some little heart die cuts and red sequin mix, added the sentiment and done.

Thanks for stopping by.

LOVE YOU

The Tic Tac Toe Challenge has some more fun inspiration for you this week with a board designed by Felicita which is perfect for your Valentine cards.

I chose the left column - red, free and sentiment.

I began by stamping the large heart wreath in red ink.  Using some large letter dies, I die cut the word "love" and made an eclipse card.  I backed the letters with some black fun foam so that they would stand out a bit more.  Added the little "you" and some red Nuvo drops and done.

The winner of our challenge has a chance to be a guest designer so be sure to have a go!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

EMBOSSED FLOWERS

The Flower Challenge wants embossing on the entries for this month.  I made a fairly simple CAS Valentine this afternoon while listening to the Nebraska women's basketball game vs. Minnesota.  In a normal season, I'd be there in person watching them.  

 

After embossing the flower background, I swiped it with white pigment ink.  Put the heart die cut back in the embossing folder to match it up with the background.  Added the sentiment and some sequins to finish it off.
 

Thanks for stopping by.

ACETATE CARDS

Quick post this morning with two Valentine cards with acetate fronts.  

 

Both cards were created using some backgrounds from my stash.  The first one was on watercolor paper smooshed with  pink inks.  The second used an alcohol ink background in reds and a bit of gold.  Glued each of the die cuts on a piece of heavy acetate (4.5 x 6).  Scored the acetate so there was a .5 piece to fold over and glued to back of card.  There is an additional heart on the inside of the card on which to write a short note that won't be seen from the front. 

Thanks for stopping by.

TWOFER FLOWERS

The Twofer Challenge for this month certainly had my name on it - two cards using the same stamp but with a different design for each and for two different occasions plus using FLOWERS!

I first stamped flowers and leaves from the Wallpaper Art stamp set and copic colored.  Had to fussy cut as I don't have the dies to match.  Arranged the flowers and leaves on a black card base, added the little sentiment and some clear drops and done with that one!  For my second card, I first die cut a lattice background and adhered to the slimline card base.  Fussy cut some more flowers and leaves, made the floral arrangement and added the sentiment and a few enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

BE MY VALENTINE

It's time to start creating some Valentines and The Tic Tac Toe Challenge has just the starting point for you this week with this fun board designed by LeAnne.

For my card, I chose the diagonal from left to right - heart, dry embossing and kraft.
 

 

I dry embossed the background and also the red heart with the Altenew beautiful begenia folder.  Brushed some white pigment ink over the raised areas of the embossing.  Embossed the die cut heart by putting it in the ef at the place where I wanted it on the card.  Used a bit of red ink to give it some definition and matched it up with the background.  Put it all together with the little sentiment and done.

The winner of our challenge has a chance to be a future guest designer so be sure to enter. 

Thanks for dropping by.

SNOWDROPS AND HEARTS

 My card was started last week for the Color Hues Challenge (red & gray) and was all finished except for the "putting together".  Decided to do a different post first before this one and on Sunday morning saw the Twofer Challenge DT's card and there was one with almost the same design and flowers.  Good minds run on the same track ???? Couldn't decide whether to use my card lest people would think I copied the idea - but then figured I'd just go ahead with it.

 

I did some stamping on the gray wrap and die cut multiple snowdrops and little hearts.  Snipped off some of the snowdrop blooms and added the red hearts to the stems.  Gave all the flowers some shading with a gray copic marker and added some sparkle to the heart "blooms".  After all was arranged, I adhered it to an embossed heart background.  Tied a little twine bow and tucked on the sentiment tag.

Thank for visiting today.

 

WINTER SCENE

For my first Christmas card of 2021, I designed a serene winter scene for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme is "deer".  Since the deer and the tree are silhouetted against the sky, I am also entering my card at CAS Christmas as the theme is "silhouette".

Wanted to have a sort of gray/blue sky so blended several inks to achieve that effect.  Embossed the tree in white and added two layers of "snow" with some Spectrum Noir for sparkle.  Added my stag and put it all together into a slimline card.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

 

CASEing JENNIFER

Our current challenge at A Blog Named Hero is to CASE an a favorite card of the year.  I chose a card by Jennifer Kotas by using her design, dark blue background, shaker element and the white embossed feature.

 

My Hero Arts snowflakes are all very old stamps as is the sentiment - one of my all time favorites.  I began by first cutting the rectangle window, arranging the various snowflake stamps and the sentiment using my MISTI, stamping in Versamark and white embossing.  Next I mixed up some white gouache with a little water and spattered all over the background.  I dry embossed a piece of lighter blue cs with a snow ef and put the shaker part together using some HA snowflakes and sequins.  Added a glittery die cut snowflake and mounted all on a white card base.

I'm sure you have a favorite card that will inspire you to CASE it using Hero Arts products and enter here.  You'll have a chance to win one of two gift cards from Hero Arts.

EDIT:  Cat pointed out that my card would work for Challenge Up Your Life Challenge (snowflakes theme) so will enter it there also. 

Thanks for visiting today.

 

FAVES OF 2020

HAPPY 2021 my friends!  Creating cards has been my happy place this past year as I know it probably has been for you also.  It was fun to choose favorites from this past year - just picked a few that I especially like.  Click on the title beneath the photo to link to the blogpost.

Celebrate

Bloom

Lilies

Peonies

Best Fishes

Poinsettia

Thanks for visiting me this past year and hope you will continue to do so in 2021!