Tuesday, April 28, 2015

CAS Mother's Day

I get so much enjoyment working with dies of late that when the challenge this week at the Cherry Lynn Designs Blog had the theme Anything Goes, I decided it was a good opportunity to make another Mother's Day card. After all, I have two daughters and a daughter-in-law who are mothers to my lovely grandchildren. So I like to remember them with a card made especially for them.


For this card I used the Japanese Lace & Flourish Frame. I cut it out twice. Once in the green so the leafy flourishes would be that color and again in the blue so I had that pretty frame. The flowers I used on the card are from the Manon's Wedding Garland. I only used the flowers and kept the garland frame for another project.

With the frame, the flowers and the leaves I also sponged on extra color to give the die cuts more dimension. Then I inked them up with Versamark ink and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. This not only made them shimmer but also gave more body to the die cuts.

All were adhered to the white card front with glue and the card was finished by stamping the sentiment in black ink. The sentiment is an old one which is quite small but worked perfectly to place on the card front. It is from Oglund's Gingerbread House which was a former South Dakota company which is now out of business. My final embellishment was the tiny bow which I made with my Craft-Dee BowZ bow making tool.

Cherry Lynn Dies Used:
DL 218 Manon's Wedding Garland
DL137 Japanese Lace & Flourish Frame

We have a sunny day now after a few sprinkles overnight. We had hoped for more moisture but I guess when the time is right the Lord will provide. Meanwhile, we are enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Thanks for stopping by and hope your day is going well too!

God bless,
Verna

Monday, April 27, 2015

One Layer Birthday

I had so much fun making the one layer sympathy card that I decided to do a birthday one as well as there are so many birthdays lined up for June and July so I best get a head start.


This is another clean and simple design but I think with the bright colors on the gift packages it still brings a celebration look to the card. I stamped the packages from the Gina K. Designs Happy Birthday to You set. Since I used heavy weight card stock to stamp the images with Gina K. Designs black ink I was able to color the packages with my Spectrum Noir alcohol pens. That card stock is so heavy that the color does not soak through like it would with a lighter weight. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

I think this is a card that would work for any gender or any age. That is a good kind to have on hand for birthday card giving.

Well, time to actually do some housework here. My dishes and laundry are still waiting on me. But I sure had fun.

Take care and God bless,
Verna

One Layer Sympathy

The  challenge for the Mix It Up Monday at Stamp TV this week is to make a one layer card. I chose to make a sympathy card using the Gina K. Designs Dogwood and Butterfly set illustrated by Theresa Momber. I just love the images on that set and it is one of my "go tos" especially for sympathy cards.


The oval image on the set has the dogwood flowers already included so it is just a matter of stamping and coloring it in. I used Distress markers to color this. I used black dye ink to stamp it so I wanted to use a water based marker to color it. I also stamped the foliage around the edges in the black ink too. I selected the With Sympathy sentiment from the set and stamped that also in black inside the oval frame. After I had the center portion colored in I took a sponge dauber and sponged around the edge of the card with a light blue.  I finished the card by adding a little white gel pen to the inside of each bloom.

That is my clean and simple one layer card I designed and I tried to get the feel of layers without actually making any.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday.

God bless,
Verna

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Bargello Graduation

At the Mix It Up Monday challenge at Stamp TV is to make a Bargello design for a background. I chose to use mine to create a graduation card.


I used the giant sentiment from the Gina K. Designs Lots of Lines set illustrated by Beth Silaika. I love those big sentiments as they look so neat on a card I think. I then rolled up some paper to look like a diploma and added a gold fiber bow and placed it on the card front. Oh, and I added a strip of my papers inside to match with the outer panel.

The Bargello technique is a great way to use up lots of little scraps and create a cool background. I had sticker paper and placed the strips on that but you can just glue them on a piece of card stock too! After they were added to the sticker paper I again cut them into strips again before I placed them on the card front. I spent more time looking for scraps then it took to make the card.

I hope you are having a good day. Thanks for stopping by too!

God bless,
Verna

Friday, April 24, 2015

Encouragement card.

This week at the Mod Squad Blog Challenge we are to make a card of encouragement. I chose to make a card that will encourage someone who is going through a rough patch in life and I think the sentiment really encourages them that their friends are still backing them up.


This is a simple card design and for my base panel I first took the Die'Sire Embossilicious Florabunda embossing folder and inked the inside of it with pink and yellow. I then placed the white panel over this and captured the inked images of the embossing folder design.

Next I took the fence image and the sentiment from Stampinback which is available at I Brake for Stamps and simply stamped them in black ink over the floral design. One of the fences I purposely put crooked so it would work with the sentiment and look like a broken fence.

The card was finished by layering it onto black card stock and then onto the yellow card base and further embellished with the addition of some pearls in the center of the upper blossoms.

How time flies! Here it is the weekend again. I seem to be so far behind of late but hopefully, I will catch up soon. I am still recuperating and orders are to still elevate the leg at least a few times during the day so guess it is time to do just that.

Have a great weekend!
God bless,
Verna

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Daisy Mother's Day

Today I made use of a negative of the Daisy Strip from Cherry Lynn Designs and decided to make a Mother's Day card and enter it into the Cherry Lynn Designs Challenge.




I had previously made daisies with that die cut strip on the yellow card stock which I had added red Bisters watercolors to make a background. I happened to see the negatives in my crafting area and by putting a yellow and white pattern paper behind I created some nice looking daisies. This strip I later layered onto deep brown card stock.

Next I took a base card of Prickly Pear card stock from Gina K. Designs and over the top I added the French Lattice Small Frame FRM 132 which was die cut from Gina K. Designs Faded Brick card stock. Then the daisy designed strip was added to the top of this card.

I also love those little corner embellishments from Cheery Lynn Designs and I picked one of them from the B161 Lace Corner Deco A set. They then showcased the sentiment from Sparkle N Sprinkle which was stamped in brown ink onto Sweet Corn card stock. I layered the stamped sentiment with the dark brown card stock so that it went with the other layers on my card.

To finish off the card I added brown rhinestones to the center of each daisy.

Cherry Lynn Dies used:
B259 Daisy Strip
FRM 132 French Lattice Small Frame
B161 Lace Corner Deco A

Well, it has been another fun crafty day. And, although it is sunny it is not a very warm day. In fact, we had lows in the 20's this morning. Brrrrr! And, the never failing wind!

Thanks again everyone for all your sweet comments.

God bless,
Verna

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Yellow Jasmine

I said in the last few posts that I was playing with my Color Bursts. They are watercolor granules and when spritzed with water blend and create fabulous backgrounds. Also one can just moisten up a few granules and use them like you would any other watercolor using either a brush or a water brush.

Well, when I had most of my backgrounds done, I took water and spritzed my craft mat and then took this card stock and picked up the colors here and there to make a pretty background. I hate to waste any of those fantastic colors which are so bright and vibrant.



I used another flower from Melanie Muenchinger's Stately Flowers 8 set from Gina K. Designs called the Yellow Jasmine. I stamped it on the background in black ink and with my Tim Holtz Distress markers colored the flower. Then I took a black die cut frame from Top Dog Dies called Thanks A2 Mat and placed that over the top of the panel I had created, My simple card was then finished when I added this panel to a white card base.

Well, another fun day of doing a few crafty things and I am so grateful that I am feeling much better. I hope all of you are having a wonderful day as well.

God bless,
Verna

Iris on Color Burst Background

One day last week I did several Color Burst backgrounds and today I decided that this particular one was perfect for the Iris image and the sentiments from the Gina K. Designs Stately Flowers 8 stamp set illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger.


I only used the colors of purple and green but a little blue tinge appeared as well but I like that look myself. I stamped the images and sentiment in Gina K. Designs black dye ink and colored the Iris in with my Tim Holtz Distress Markers. I fussy cut the Iris and placed it on the background. I finished the card by placing it on a mint green card stock base.

I think all the colors of Iris flowers are so gorgeous but I was always drawn to the purple ones more than the yellow ones.

And, see I got my new Crossover and have been giving it a workout. Love it and today got the special plate to put on it which says it was made especially for me. I had to include that in the photo as I am pleased as punch with it.

I so appreciate your comments and thanks for stopping by.

God bless,
Verna.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Die-Namites Thanks

Every month there is a Die-Namites Challenge and since I am feeling some better I decided to try and make a card with the sketch and dare for April. Click on the link to see the challenge which I found to be super lovely and fun to do.



And once again I pulled out that beautiful die from Die-Namites and cut it out in black card stock. I made a background of Color Bursts with the colors of Orange, Alizarin Crimson, Lemon Yellow and Pthalo Green onto Gina K. Designs heavy weight card stock, spritzed with water and once it was dry I added this die onto the front of the panel and fussy cut around it.


I used a pattern paper from the Gina K. Designs Journey of the Heart paper pack for a background. I also added the burlap behind the die cut. My sentiment is from the Gina K. Designs duo set called Thanks a Bunch. The panel and the sentiment were layered onto the deep pink paper and then placed on the ivory card base.

Well, this was fun and I am happy I am more enthusiastic and energetic about getting crafty. I am on the mend I am sure. Thanks for looking and I always love your comments.

God bless,
Verna

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Singin' In The Rain

One of my all time favorite movies was the original Singin' In The Rain with Gene Kelly. I just loved to see him dance. I always wished I could dance like that but alas, with two left feet it does not seem to be the thing for me. LOL Anyway today I made a Color Burst background and decided to do a similar scene as I remembered it from the movie.


As you can see the Color Bursts are very similar to the Bisters for making backgrounds as they too are water color granules. You sprinkle them on and give a little spurt of water to them. I used glossy card stock and only the blue color was used on this background.

I then took an open framed umbrella image from the Warm Spring Wishes set and the dancing couple from the Because of You set which are all from Gina K. Designs and stamped them with black dye ink. The umbrella was an open design so I had to take a black Tombo marker and color it solid to match with the couple. I doodled on some rain drops and used a white gel pen to accent them a bit.

And, in my last order from Gina K. Designs I purchased a few of these beautiful bows all ready to pop onto a card. I thought this dressed the card up nicely too.

Well, hopefully, by making this card it will generate some moisture our way so we can go out and sing and dance in the rain too! Any rain the Lord can provide will be so appreciated. Have a good weekend everyone.

God bless,
Verna

Friday, April 17, 2015

The Color Purple

I created a sympathy card using mostly purples in it. I used a combination of die cutting and stamping to create this card.


The sentiment and the foliage stamps are from Gina K. Designs Dogwood and Butterfly set illustrated by Theresa Momber. It is one of my favorites in the Gina K. Designs line.

I also used dies from Cheery Lynn Designs. Below is the list of dies:
B 181 Build a Flower #1
DL 177 French Flair Doily Stacker
XL-12 French Flair Classic Stacker

After assembling my card together I then added a shades of purple ribbon to dress it up more.

Thanks for looking. This card will be entered into the Cheery Lynn Challenge for this week in which purple was to be used on the projects.

God bless,
Verna

Confirmation Time Soon!

Just got the invites to a couple of young lady's confirmations so I made two cards like this for them. I used the Dee Gruenig Marvy rainbow pads to make them bright and colorful.  All stamp images are from Sparkle N Sprinkle.



I fussy cut the cross and added it to the layered card panel I had stamped earlier, With Wink of Stella I went all over the cross and finished the card by adding some clear rhinestone gems to the cross for a bit of bling.

A very clean and simple design and using the rainbow ink pads helped to create a colorful background for the simple but elegant looking cross.

I am entering this in the Mod Squad Blog Challenge for this week.

I am starting to feel more like myself each day so I am happy for that. Still I have a long way to go with the healing of my leg wounds but I am more optimistic now.

Hugs to all and God bless,
Verna

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Daisy Graduation Card

Since the time for graduations is nearing I decided to get a head start on some cards for that occasion. And, yes, feeling a bit better today and felt more like doing some crafting. Yay!

This card uses all Cheery Lynn Dies and also uses a sentiment from the Gina K. Designs Inspiration Mosaic set illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger. I am entering this in the Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 179 - Flowers.


Dies used are as follows:
Olive Branches B147
Oval - Inverted Scallop XM-9
Silver Stacker Layers M-7
Ribbon Eyelet Border B122
Daisy Strip B259

My flowers were die cut from yellow card stock which had red Bister water color granules on it. So I got shades of orange, red and yellow. My ribbon does not show as well as I would want but it does show the orange and yellow as well as ivory which is the color of the card stock I used for the inverted scallop for the sentiment and for the base card.

Well, now that was really fun! But it is back to the recliner again to rest my leg. But it sure feels good to get back to some normalcy again!

Thanks for stopping by.
God bless,
Verna

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Bister Card Published

I am sharing a little news about a card I made with the Bisters that was published in the May/June 2015 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts as it was included by Karen Hasheck in her article about Bisters. I also have a background on the next page that I had made which was similar to the one used on the Gorgeous Grapes card. I used the grapes image from Gina K. Designs. Thanks Karen for including my work in your wonderful article.


Below is the Bister background that was included on the next page.


I really enjoyed making that card and hope to be soon back to getting cards done within the next week or so. I miss it.

Have a great week!

God bless,
Verna

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Surgery Over and I am Back!

Well, it is nice to have the surgery behind me and according to the doctor it seems that it looked to be very successful. Follow up appointments will tell for sure though but I am glad to have it behind me and now am more optimistic about a healthier future. The surgery was put off for about five hours while they were working with someone else's procedure which turned out to be more extensive then originally planned so that was frustrating having to wait. But once I finally got in to the operating room it went fairly fast. Then I had to remain for another hour to make sure I was not dizzy, nauseous and that I could walk. I am glad mine went so well. God is good!

I can tell you I scarfed down that sandwich and fruit they brought me for a snack as I had been fasting since 10 o'clock the night before. I even fell asleep and dreamed that they had tiny little cinnamon rolls being served and no one would let me eat one. LOL  I guess I was hungry and I do know my stomach started growling as it was feeling the need for food too.

I got some lovely flowers while there and also had my daughter and two grandsons visit with me for a few minutes so that was nice. And, of course, my hubby was there too and gave me lots of kisses and reassurance that all would be okay. Such a nice man I married.


I am limited on the activities I can do yet, so I guess I am to still elevate the leg often and in between now and then do some walking. But definitely not to overdo. This morning I was very stiff and sore still but then that could be due to the wet and damp weather and the fact, I could not take any medicine for the arthritis until today. Also since it was a longer wait then anticipated I had to hop on and off the bed to use the bathroom which was quite high and not made for short fat people. It was a toughie trying to get on it especially. LOL Hopefully, I will be back on track soon and that will be just a memory too.

Anyway, I want to thank all for the good wishes and uplifting prayers you gave on my behalf. I also love the cards people sent and the beautiful flowers and family visitors. You all helped to ease my mind and for that I am so very grateful!

God bless all of you!
Verna

Monday, April 6, 2015

Checking in and showing some older artwork!

First of all I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I know we sure did with our family together to help celebrate the wonderful gift that Jesus gave us all. And, since I was busy with family I did not get time to be creative at all. I hope later in the week or next week I will have time and the incentive to play with my new things.

I have new Color Bursts waiting for me to play with them, I also have some new dies too. So hopefully, I will be feeling up to getting crafty later on. But if I am missing in action for a bit longer, do not be surprised. I will get back to you as soon as I am able.

I am going to share a card I made several years ago using stamps from Stampitcrazy.com. They are the characters of The Wizard of Oz. It was always a favorite TV show of our kids and so while I was doing design work for this company I got the privilege of owning and using the great images featured. I had to hand draw the yellow brick road though. LOL This was colored in with colored pencils too.




I don't know if this movie is featured on TV anymore or not but it used to be a regular each year and it was always enjoyed by everyone, young and old alike. I can see since the time I did this card that  I have improved a bit in technique. But I still love this card and can remember having a great time doing it too.

Well, that is my post for today. Have a great week!

God bless,
Verna

Fluttering By

 First of all I want to wish all my Canadian friends a Happy Canada Day! I hope your day is extra special. This card I am showing uses an Al...