Christmas Blues

Tomorrow I will be leaving on a much needed vacation,

so my friends I will not be leaving comments on your fabulous creations

until I return, but will certainly play 'catch up' when I am back.

We are to get extensive heat while I am gone and what better way to 'cool off'

then with a Christmas card, 

plus I had wanted to join in the end of the month challenge

at Rudolph Days.

It happens once a month on the 25th and ends last day of the month.

This is only the second time I have played as it seems I am always 

either too busy or too forgetful lol.

I wish my 'picture taking' could capture the pure beauty of this

as IRL it really is a beautiful card.

A bit deeper blue and the scrap of paper (snippet) behind has a bit more sparkle.
It was just a small piece, but so pretty I couldn't toss it out,
now I am glad I didn't 
(truthfully, I keep ALL my paper scraps).

My camera died and I have been relying on my phone for pictures for now

(that's a whole other story)!

I do have a some scheduled posts for next week...

so hope you will 'visit' me while I am gone!

Entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days .... ATG Christmas
Pixie's Snippets Playground .... Snippets

Skyline

Today is a new challenge at

The Sisterhood of Crafters and our hostess is Darlene.

she has chosen the theme of 

Something you might see in the sky.

Well, there are a ton of possibilities there.

I went a little outside of the box and used a fabulous skyscraper die

my friend Ros sent me quite a long while ago.

I had commented on a card she had made using this die

and  how much I liked it and next thing you know I received the die

in the mail...all the way from England...now how cool is that??

I think when in big cities and you look into the sky

what you see mostly is skyscrapers!

It was a pretty simple card to make using TH Distress Inks

on glossy card stock.

I then stenciled random stars using Dreamweavers Gold Embossing Paste

and a Memory Box stencil Star Dust.

Before the paste dried I quickly sprinkled it with 

Sparkle N Sprinkle Aztec Gold Glitter

which led me to hear all evening from the hubby

'You have glitter on your face'...oh well lol.

I am using this for a grad card for a friends daughter.

Make sure to visit The Sisterhood of Crafters

to see all the lovely creations my 'sistahs' have created!

Spotlight Technique

Today on the challenge blog

Back To Basics and Beyond

our challenge is

the Spotlight Technique.

If you are unsure of what this technique is

you can find samples on Pinterest HERE

and a tutorial on You Tube HERE.

But basically, you stamp your image,

then stamp it again, coloring only the small section you

want to 'spotlight'.

You then use a circle die or whatever you prefer

to cut it out.   You can die cut a bit larger to circle from

black card stock to go under if you wish.

I didn't do that as my next size circle die was just too big,

so I just ran my black Copic around the circle edge

to highlight it a bit more.

Then simply line it up with your uncolored image...easy!!

To finish I added a scrap of pink card stock underneath, a few sequins

and a small twine bow.

I also added a bit of shimmer to the flower centers.

To see more of this technique done by the Design Team,

please visit our blog

Back To Basics and Beyond

and

we would LOVE to have you join us!

Stamp Set:  Sparkle N Sprinkle Thinking of You

Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Glitter Gloss

Birdhouse Stained Glass

These are my cards on the Tutti Designs blog today
 using a beautiful 

Birdhouse Stained Glass die cut.

I have 3 very different cards using this die

showing 3 fabulous ways this die can be used.

First is the glitter card, I die cut , then adhered down on a sticker paper,

then sprinkled with a fine white glitter, then colored it in with Copics...easy

Second card was die cut then adhered to a piece of vellum,

flipped over and colored on the back once again with Copics.

The third card, I used Ken Oliver color Burst and water,

then adhered (and trimmed) my die cut to fit.

Stained glass dies

Dies also used in the making of these 3 cards were:

Nesting Stitched Squares

Nesting Stitched Circles

Nesting Stitched Rectangles

Visit here daily for fabulous inspiration on how to use your Tutti dies!!

And here are some Tutti Designs quick links:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

Thank you for visiting with me today.

My Wild Rose

This is my post on the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog today using

the new and beautiful stamp set

'My Wild Rose'.

I did a simple and easy fun fold card

(sorry I forgot to jot down the measurements...sigh).

I used my much loved Tonic 12" Guillotine  to cut to size.

 Sticker Paper was added to both top and bottom flap pieces over designer paper.

After adding the Sticker Paper I adhered a Marianne Lace
die cut, then sprinkled with  Cloud Nine glitter
and using a SNS Glitter Brush to brush away the excess glitter.  I did the same for the smaller piece at the top,
but just used a smaller Marianne Lace die.

I added color and sparkle to this little Rose accent by

misting it with the beautiful Nuvo Mica Mist Turkish Rose

This is the finished misted Rose, adding it to a ribbon bow.

I stamped the image My Wild Rose onto a 
Spellbinders Die Circle Delight die cut on the 
Tim Holtz Stamp Platform
using Versamark and embossing with Key Lime
embossing powder.
The image was then colored in with
Aqua Flow 2 pack water brush and
Brilliantly Vibrant Watercolor Pencils.

I added little dots of Nuvo CrystalDrops Bubblegum Blush.

This is how the card opens,
I added a small velcro dot to hold the top down in position,
simply pull up the flap to open.

This is the inside of the card, using Tim Holtz Stamp Platform

I stamped the sentiment with Panama Rose from the

Nuvo Diamonds Hybrid Ink Tropical Fruits ink set.

Supplies used to create my card:

Stamps:  MyWild Rose 898

Glitter: Cloud Nine GM2000

Embossing Powder: Key Lime EP219

Nuvo:  CrystalDrops Bubblegum Blush 672N

Brilliantly Vibrant Watercolor Pencils 502N

Nuvo Diamonds Hybrid Ink Tropical Fruits 80N (Panama Rose)

Mica Mist Turkish Rose 873N (Rose)

Aqua Flow 2 pack water brush 889N

Other:  VersamarkVM001

Sticker Paper 99558

Glitter Brush  SG1400

Tim Holtz Stamp Platform 1711E

Tonic 12" Guillotine 454E

Misc.:  Spellbinders Die Circle Delight,

Marianne Lace dies.

Ribbon, Rose

Make sure to join our Facebook Monthly Creative Challenge.

Thank you for visiting with me today!

Take Flight

A new challenge mood board at
Double D Challenges starts today.
How could it get any easier with the theme of 
Butterflies
and the beautiful mood board below

I have to admit that most of the design of this card I cased from Pinterest.
The card can be found on this blog HERE .
You should take a visit as she has the most beautiful and amazing creations....
a VERY talented lady.
when I saw the butterfly and the sentiment, I knew I had to case it
as I had the same set.

This card was made for a dear friend of mine's daughter
that graduated  from college with a bachelors degree.

I changed it up a bit to make it 'my own' by adding a panel of black linen
paper for a more layered look,
used a different flower with a green stem instead of black
and cut from white linen paper a stitched rectangle to place my flower and butterfly on.
I wish I had taken a picture of the inside as it is just as pretty!
The stamp set is from Technique Tuesday and the flower is
a newer die (to me) from Poppystamps Ragged Daisy.

Take a peek at the Double D and see all the wonderful
creations from the Design Teams, I am telling you it will amaze you!!

Swirly Butterflies

This is my post on the Tutti Designs blog today.

Hi, Diane with you today using one of my favorite dies

 'Swirly Butterfly Circles'.

I actually have two cards using these dies in very different ways.

The first card is simple yet elegant,

created on an embossed background.

I simple die cut first in a gold and white metallic patterned paper,

then cut once again in a solid gold metallic.

I hand cut the solid gold butterflies off, then popped them

up on the first die cut.

Three gold 'candi's were added to the card to finish.

I sure wish you could see this IRL, as it is much more 'gold' then it shows!

For the second card, I die cut from a colorful metallic paper,

added it to a solid white metallic paper,

this time turning it a slight different way from the card above.

I used an edge punch for the top and a pretty ribbon bow for the bottom!

Swirly Butterfly Circles

Make sure to visit the Tutti blog everyday for even more inspiration.

I will see you next Tuesday!

And here are some Tutti Designs quick links:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

Thank you for visiting with me today.

Beach Flip Flop

Hello all!!

As always, every month at The Cutting Cafe Blog on

the 7th and the 21st the design teams come together

with our projects all to be seen in one place.

So make sure and visit The Cutting Cafe Blog on the 21st

to see ALL the fun designs...mark your calendars!!

For my project I chose one of my favorite cut files

the 'Flip Flop Shaped card'.

Do you like it?

Would you like this file?

Well, it just so happens that each designer will be giving away

the file they used for their 21st project to a lucky

random winner by just leaving a comment here on my blog,

so be sure to leave me a comment HERE

and on the other blogs as well for your chance to win.

(You will find a list of the design team HERE on the 21st.)

I used a cute summer/beachy paper I have had forever.

The card base and flip flop strap are cut from a 110# orange card stock.

I added some faux stitching, ribbon, flower, and the cutest

little fish button.

I just love these cute flip flop cards and just sit and make dozens of them...so FUN!!

Discover Beauty

This is my card today on the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog

using the gorgeous stamp set 

Colorful Cosmos Blooms.

I had a lot of fun with this card.

I used the new Nuvo Shimmer Powders in the colors of

Solar Flare, Green Parade, and Cherry Bomb.

You basically mist your paper with water

(I used watercolor paper)

then lightly and I mean lightly tap the colors on

until you are satisfied with the results.

You can add more water if needed/wanted.

Set it aside to dry of heat dry it.

Once it was dry I used my Tim Holtz Stamp Platform,

 Colorful Cosmos Blooms, Versamark,

and White Detail  embossing powder and stamped onto

my finished Shimmer piece. 

Then I die cut it with Tutti Designs Stitched Scalloped Circles Die.

I wanted to add a bit of sparkle (or a lot of sparkle_

so I die cut a larger 

Tutti Designs Stitched Scalloped Circles Die

and using a Nuvo Glue Pen Large, I ran it around the out edge of the circle.

Then Sprinkled with  Lator Gator glitter.

This was then added to the bottom panel of my stamped shimmer image.

Wanting even more sparkle, I coated the front side of an embossing folder folder

with  Versamark, added my white card stock and ran it thru my Big Shot,

then embossed it with Tequila Sunrise embossing powder.

Using Tonic 12” Guillotine cutter (I LOVE this thing)

I trimmed it to fit my card front.

Once again using Versamark, I embossed the sentiment using Flashy Flamingo.

(don't you just love the names)

Supplies I used to create this card are:

Stamps: Colorful Cosmos Blooms 899

Glitter:  Lator Gator GM2008

Embossing Powder:  White Detail EP166

Tequila Sunrise EP239,

Flashy Flamingo EP452

Nuvo Shimmer Powder: Solar Flare 1210N,

Green Parade 1214N ,

Cherry Bomb 1209N

Nuvo Glue Pen Large 204N

Other:  Versamark VM001

Misc.:  EB Folder

Tim Holtz Stamp Platform 1711E

Tonic 12” Guillotine 454E

Tutti Designs Stitched Scalloped Circles Dies

Technique:  EB Folder~Versa~Glitter

Make sure to join our Facebook Monthly Creative Challenge.

Thank you for visiting with me today!

Summertime Fun

Hello All, today a new challenge theme is

up and running at the Dies R Us challenge blog

and the theme is 'Summertime Fun'!

Well, that is a pretty wide open choice, making this challenge a super easy one!

I went with 'bird watching', 

a bit different then the usual.

I don't know about you, but I just love when all the birdies

return back in the Spring/Summer and love to just sit and watch all their antics,

let alone their chit chat and song!

A perfect die for my card I thought was 

Tutti Designs Morning Chat.

I colored the die in with Copics, 

added a bit of blush to her cheeks, 

gems to her dress and pearls to the flowers.

I backed the die cut using

Tutti Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Ovals

which almost fit perfectly behind it.

Tucked behind, I added

Impression Obsession Birdhouse Set

and a few flying birds from the 

Impression Obsession Bird Bath die set.

Make sure and head on over to the

Dies R Us Challenge blog and see what

the Design Team has to inspire you

and why not join in with us, after all

YOU could win a gift certificate to the DRU store!

Just a Bit of This and That

I don't have a card today but a few fun photos of life around here

in 'my neck of the woods'.

I have huge flower gardens and they are a MESS!

It has rained here for over a week not allowing me to work in them, prior to that we had a huge heat wave, too hot and sticky to work outside

and guess what, rain is gone, finally some sunlight and here comes the heat wave again.

But I do have a few garden pictures to share from a few weeks ago before all the rain.

My Nine Bark bush

Painted Daisies...funny story, years ago I had several of these and my Mom

would come and help me clean up my gardens and once said

"I got all those wild carrots pulled out for you"...except thing is,

they WERE'NT wild carrots, they were painted daisies...LOL!

Mock Orange

False Indigo, in yellow

One of my many Peonies

Knock Out Roses

Mack, will be 8 months on the 27th, we were visiting a friends

Doodle.  This is his 'summer' haircut.

Mack meeting another Goldendoodle "Smokey" for the first time.

Okay gotta run..enjoy!