So Very Grateful - IAS #82

So Very Grateful

Hello my friends, and happy Sunday! It's a beautiful sunny day here in H Town. It is so weird that it is Sunday and no church meetings. It is no wonder that I forget what day it is. Online classes started this week, but mine are always online, so there is no issue with that. It was mostly an easy week and I was able to get my classwork done early and got started on week 2 since there is a lot more going on starting tomorrow. This semester I am taking British Isles research which focuses on Britain and Wales. My other class is Writing and Reasoning Foundations. Ugh! I do not like writing classes. It's required so I'm taking it.

Let's get on to something fun. Here is my card for the International Art & Soul challenge this fortnight. The theme is "anything BUT a square or rectangle."  It might be easy for you, but it was kind of tough for me. I don't really get outside my "box" much so I had to really think for this one.

 I started out with my die cut. Sorry, it does not have a name; it's one I purchased on Amazon that came from China. I know there is a Nesabilities one that is very similar, but a little bit smaller. I have that one also. I wanted it big though so I could make something with it. I did not have a large oval die to make the actual card. I folded a piece of which cardstock lengthwise and then laid the large die on top of it. Then I sketched an oval shape around it and it just fit leaving a little bit at the top for the fold and a little a the bottom where it could stand up. The designer paper I used for the die cut and to frame the image is My Mind's Eye Be Happy collection. I found this great stamp set from Stampin Up - So Very Grateful and also used it for the sentiment.  I stamped it on XPress It Blending card and the cut it out with the next smaller die in the nest and colored with my Copic markers - B0000, G03, G05; G21, G24; R81, R83, R85; V01, V04; and Y15. Then I just popped on a few pieces of bling for added interest and sparkle.


The lilac background is just a piece of cardstock I put behind the card to photograph it. After I got done, I thought it would have made a nice Easter card. It kind of reminds me of the Easter eggs my parents got us that were hollow and had a little scene inside.

That's all I have for today. I hope that you will hop on over to the IAS challenge webpage and take a look at what the rest of the Design Team has created to inspire you and then you will add your creation to the page. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

CCC April - Time For Tea

Hello, my friends. I hope that things are going well wherever you are. Still on lockdown here, but it is looking like things are improving and we may be seeing the light at the end of the very dark tunnel. I will be happy to be able to get back out to visit with friends again. I'm again busy with classes. School started again on Monday. We've always been online so there hasn't really been much of a difference for me. This first week is pretty easy with only one short paper to write.

I do have a card to share with you today. This one is for our monthly swap group on Splitcoast Stampers - Creative Card Chicks. This month our hostess was Kelly H (ScrappinCEO on SCS). She sent us this lovely kit with stamps from Time For Tea. The photo did not come out so well. The ribbon is a shimmery light pink although it looks taupe here in the photo.

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Materials used:

• Image and Sentiment - Time For Tea - Cardmaking & Papercrafting
• Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
• Cardstock - GP White; SU Berry Burst; Whisper White; PTI - Sweet Blush
• Designer Paper - Stampin Up Fresh Florals
• Accessories - Ribbon SU Shimmer Powder Pink; Martha Stewart Lace Border; doily? Classic Circle Die
• Copic Markers - E0000; G12, G14; R11, R12; RV19

I had fun playing with this kit. I used the Berry Blast to add a pop of color to the card since I was using that on the teapot. See you all soon.

Jolly - IAS #81

Good morning. HAPPY EASTER! I hope you are all able to celebrate in your own way with those you love. I am in my own home alone. Each of my daughters are in their homes with most of their family. One granddaughter is in her own home with her husband. So, we are in 4 different locations but plan to get together later today through virtual technology. How blessed we are to have such technology available to us.

So out of the holiday today, but I did not realize that I would be posting this card on Easter. This is for this fortnight's challenge on International Art & Soul. The theme is Use a One Word Sentiment  Multiple Times. This is really not my forte, but I was able to come up with this design for a Christmas card.

As you can see, this was very simple to put together.

Materials Used:

• Images - Stampin Up - Oh What Fun!
• Ink - Stampin Up - Real Red, Sage Shadow
• Cardstock - Stampin Up - Real Red; XPress It Blending Card
• Designer Paper - Allison Kraft 0 It's Christmas
• Bling - Dovecraft Gemstones

That's it for today. Enjoy your Sunday. If you have a minute, stop on over at International Art & Soul and see what the rest of the Design Team has created for your inspiration. Join in the fun and you could be the winner or one of the Top 3.

I am submitting this card for the following challenges:

 Christmas Card Throwdown - Red and White
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes with Christmas
Daring Cardmakers - Clean and Simple - dash of Sparkle
Crimbo Crackers - Christmas Sentiment
Krafty Chicks - Christmas

Christmas Love

Hello, my friends. So good to be with you today. It's been a busy week. Monday I was able to turn in all my final assignments for the current semester. Still waiting for grade for one of them. The other, I ended up with an A, so I'm happy about that. Since then I have been working out in my yard and got my flower beds weeded. These are the kind that you have to dig out, not just pulling so it took a while to finish that up. Today I spent time planting flowers and shrubs and, of course, tending to caterpillars. Would you believe I have released almost 200 Monarchs and 6 Gulf Frittalaries? It is my first year to have the Frittalaries make their chrysalis where I can see them - like on and around my Monarch hutch.

So, on to my card for this challenge. It is for the Splitcoast Stampers Fan Club Monthly Christmas card challenge. This year it is all about the color and March is green. The main color needs to be green. I love how this one turned out.

Materials Used:

• Image - Power Poppy - Under Glass Christmas
• Cardstock - Stampin Up Garden Green, XPress It Blending Card
• Designer Paper - Allison Kraft - It's Christmas
• Accessories - Classic Oval Nestabilities
• Copic Markers - BG01; E23, E25; G0000, G03, G05; R17; Y18 

That is it for now. It was pretty easy to put together. I think it may be one of my main cards for 2020 Christmas.

Easter Blessings - Challenge Your Stash

Hello again. Here is my second post of the day. I'm playing catch up, but I'm only one day late for this card to be posted. This one is for Challenge Your Stash on Splitcoast Stampers. Each month the hostess posts a theme for us to use for that month's card. We each make a card using our own images and supplies. The trick is that we can only use items that are already in our stash - nothing new is supposed to be used.

This month our hostess was Barbara (bjoyce) and her theme was "In like a lion, out like a lamb." We could use anything that represented Spring, Easter, Lions, Lambs, etc. As I was looking through my stash of stamps, I came across this one that was perfect for the challenge.

Materials Used:

• Image - Lili of the Valley  - Little Lamb
• Sentiment - Gina K Designs - Baskets of Happiness
• Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
• Cardstock - Xpresss It Blending Card; Stampin Up
• Designer Paper - Wild Rose Studio - Poet's Kitchen collectioin
• Accessories - Petaloo Flowers; Stampin Up window punch; Netabilities Die
• Copic Markers - B0000, B12; E21, E23; E50, E51, E53; R14, R30; RV14; T7; V01, V04, V05; W0; Y11, Y15, Y21

The label on the Stampin Up cardstock broke off the folder, so I'm not sure what the color is. I could probably figure it out by going back and looking at all their colors, but right now, no time. See you later!

She Loves Me - March CCC Monthly Challenge

Hello, my friends. Happy Sunday. I hope you are all doing well during this COVID-19 global outbreak. I am doing fine. My children are constantly after me about staying at home. So I'm doing that. I will be happy to be able to get back out to see friends again.

It's been a busy month with school and raising Monarch butterflies. Normally the Monarchs are gone between November and March, but this past winter was very mild and it seems that they didn't all travel down to Mexico. Many of them stayed around here in H Town and I started seeing small caterpillars in January on my milkweed that I had cut back in the Fall. It's been crazy ever since. Every morning when I go out to check on them, I find over a dozen more. So far I have released 39 Monarchs and 4 Gulf Frittalaries have hatched. It takes a lot of time and work to keep those Monarchs fed with milkweed.

So, on to my card for today. This one was for the Creative Card Chicks Monthly Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. Each month each of the group receive a kit from the hostess and we each make at least one card from the kit and post it between the 21st and 23rd. As you can see, I'm a little late this month. Our hostess this month was Sue (stampinspooky). Here is the card that I created.

Materials Used:

• Image - House Mouse - She Loves Me
• Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black and Stampin Up Garden Green
• Cardstock - Stampin Up Mossy Meadow
• Designer Paper - Stampin Up Garden Lane
• Accessories - Stampin Up Enamel Dots - Regals; scalloped oval punch; Nestabilities, classic circle die.
• Copic Markers - E30, E31; B0000, B000; G21, G24; Y02, Y15, Y18

A fun kit and I still have more goodies in it to play with.  Wishing you all good health.

Meowy Christmas - IAS #78

Hello my friends, and Happy Sunday. Well, it's not SONday here. It's kind of gray and gloomy although the temps are up to 70 degrees. Nice day to stay in and read or craft, whichever or whatever you like to do with your leisure time.

Today I have a card to share with you. This is for the International Art & Soul challenge. This fortnight the theme is to use a photo for your project which can be anything. You do not need to make a card. It can be any kind of project as long as you include a photograph. Once I picked out the photo that I wanted to use, it turned out to be pretty easy.

 

Materials Used:

• Image - Photograph of my kitty Chancey was taken when he was about a year old. He and his sister Paisley were rescues that were found in a metal dumpster in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison back in 2000. I adopted them both from the lady who rescued them. Sadly, they have both passed over the Rainbow Bridge, Paisley, just last year shy of her 20th birthday. You can see photos of both of them down on the left side of my blog, It was fun to look back at the photos from when they were little.
• Sentiment - Stampin Up Santa Paws 
• Cardstock - Stampin Up Real Red
• Designer Paper - Authentique - Joyous collection
• Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
• Accessories - Bling - Recollections

See, easy peasy. I hope you will pop on over to the IAS challenge and see what the rest of the Design Team has created to inspire you. Go check out your photos and play along with us. You could be the winner or one of the Top 3. 

I am submitting this for the following challenges:

Gem of a Craft Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends Challenge - Animals/Birds

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Christmas

The Outlawz Festive Friday ala Mode - Occasions - Christmas

Brown Sugar - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles -Anything Goes

QKR Stampede - Anything Goes

Winter Wonderland - Christmas