Happy Birthday America

For my final card for the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Hop I thought it only fitting to make one with a more patriotic theme in celebration of our nation's birthday on the Fourth of July.

My background was done by foiling some of Gina K. Designs Foiling Mates stars pattern with some of her yellow line of foil. It was so close to a gold that I thought it would work perfectly. I added that to a panel of red card stock before laying it on the white card base. The coffee die cut is from Cottage Cutz and I used stamps from A Jillian Vance Design Cross Stitched Freedom stamp set. Also for the sentiment panel I used some Cottage Cutz double stitched rectangle dies, cutting one each of red, white and blue card stock. On the white rectangle I added the sentiment and placed that over the top of the other two. The cup was also decorated with stamps from the Cross Stitched Freedom set. The cup was originally the Peppermint Latte one with a Christmas theme but it was easily turned into a cup for any time of the year with some stamped images on it. All inks used were from Gina K. Designs which matched her Red Velvet and Blue Denim card stock.

Thanks so very much for all the wonderful comments you have left me. I cannot respond personally back to all of you during this hop due to personal circumstances but I do read and enjoy each and every one of them. I thank you so much for visiting my blog. It is so fun to be able to join in on the coffee hop and I hope many of you had a wonderful time doing it too.

God bless,
Verna

Coffee Popsicle

I recently found a cute popsicle stamp set and die set that I just knew I needed to own. Both sets are called Perfect Popsicles and are made by Sunny Studio. The stamps involve a multi-step stamping but they work so easily together that it was a breeze to do with the help of my MISTI. So this will be my fifth entry in the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.

I computer generated my sentiment except for the Coffee Die which I added to the center of it. That die is from the Cutplorations division of Stamplorations. I used Gina K. Designs Single Stitched and also a Double Stitched Square Die to cut the orange and white sentiment panels and staggered them on my light blue base card. Next I stamped and die cut the popsicle and popped that up over the top area. Also in the stamp set it shows some drips so I thought I would add a couple of them dripping off too.

Yes, maybe this is a stretch of the imagination as I am not even aware if there is such a thing as a coffee popsicle but when you are using stamps you can create any flavor you want. 😎

Well, thanks for stopping in and for the comments. Stay cool and enjoy your day!

God bless,
Verna

Coffee Cup Thanks

This fourth card is a thank you card which I made using a coffee theme for the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. I used stamp images from the Stampendous Coffee Talk set and some pattern paper from Gina K. Designs. The card base was already prefolded and ready to go as it was included in the Yellow Card Kit I won last year from The Cutting Cafe. I tell you that kit has sure come in handy over the months since I got it.

The cup and saucer were stamped onto red card stock and then fussy cut out and added to the yellow card base. I then pieced the cup with some of the pattern paper. Next I added the rest of the stamped elements to complete the card design.

Well, after my whirlwind weekend I am ready to concentrate again on my stamping and try to catch up a bit. But I must say it was a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful for all the wonderful wishes from family and friends. I also am grateful for all who drop by my blog and leave wonderful comments too. God bless all of you.

Hugs,
Verna

#3 Summer Coffee Card

For my third card for the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop I created a CAS type using some pattern paper that I did a copy and paste technique onto a Word doc. using the sun cup from the Verve Rise and Shine digital set.

I colored the cups pattern paper I made with some bright summer type colors using the Zig markers and then layered the paper onto black card stock. I then added a Stamplorations Cutplorations coffee die cut over some black card stock and added that over the top. Next I added this design to the base card of summer shade of orange card stock. The finishing touch was to add a line of rhinestones and black gems which were in sticker form. The rhinestones were originally clear but I colored them in with the same colors I used on the cups. The coffee die was cut from some foiled paper using Deco Foil called Amber Watercolor. I thought that gave it a bit more of an elegant look and reminded me of coffee too.

I hope your Sunday is going great. Yesterday afternoon my family threw a surprise party for me and it was so much fun. We had over 51 guests who attended so we had some good fellowship and great lunch too. I sure am feeling blessed for all the neat things turning 70 brought. Sort of takes the pain away of feeling so old. 😊 Also thanks for all the wonderful visits and comments you make. 

God bless,

Verna

Coffee Friends

Here is my second card for the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. I used an older Rubber Romance stamp I had purchased several years ago from I Brake For Stamps but I guess that the Rubber Romance company is out of business now. On the bench I added a couple of cups of coffee which I got from the digital set from Verve called Rise and Shine. The sentiment is from the Stampendous set called Coffee Talk. By combining all of these elements together I thought I had a nice card design.

I used my Zig markers to color in the image and then die cut it with a Cottage Cutz double stitched rectangle die. I also die cut the sentiment panel. The coffee cups were downsized a lot by me and colored and then I did a slit by each of the ladies' knees and added the cups onto the bench between them. My finishing touch was to add all to a pink card base and also a rhinestone flower to the sentiment panel.

Well, thanks again for your comments and visits. I hope your weekend is off to a great start.

God bless,
Verna

Gopher A Coffee?

I am so excited as today is the first day of the 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. And, it is also my birthday as I have been knocking on the door for a couple years now and today I got to enter into the 70's Club. Yup! I am now officially 70 years old and to tell the truth I don't feel any different from yesterday. And birthday cards began coming already in May and in the last few days I have gotten so many and so therefore, I feel very blessed indeed. Thanks to all who sent me greetings.

I just love this little guy and this is from a stamp set by Gerda Steiner Designs called Gopher It. The little guy comes without the glasses but there is the option to add them so I chose to do so. I also used some Glossy Accents on the lenses to make them look more realistic. My design was colored with Zig Clear Color pens.Then I die cut the design out with Gina K. Designs Double Stitched Rectangle Die and placed it on another  black layer die cut with a Gina K. Designs Single Stitched Rectangle Die before adding it to the card base.

I will not be making quite as many cards this time around for the hop but I still wanted to participate a little bit. I hope many of you will find time to enter a few to the hop too.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.  Some of my family will be spending time with me to help me celebrate so I might be pretty occupied. But that's okay too! Thanks for visiting and for all your wonderful comments.

God bless,
Verna

Just Stamp and Color

That was pretty much the way this card went together. I used my MISTI to stamp my images with Onyx Black Versafine ink onto the card stock and then when done I simply colored the image in with my Zig markers. The stamp set I used was Gina K. Designs Bold & Blooming set.

The card stock I used was some base cards already folded along with matching envelopes and lots of different colored yellow card stock. This was from a kit that I won in the last Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and was put out by The Cutting Cafe Shop. Not only did the kit include card stock and pattern and plain papers in it but almost everything one would need to make cards from CAS like I do to more elaborate types.

So after I had stamped and colored the design and added the sentiment I then die cut it with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border Rectangle die. Next I added a black and white gingham ribbon instead of one of the many yellow ribbons in the yellow kit as I wanted more of a contrast. Now the panel was ready so I finished the card by placing it on the yellow card base.

This card will be entered into the Mix It Up Monday challenge-Be Flowerful and the Mod Squad Blog Challenge-Colorful Creations

Well, thanks for looking and for always leaving such wonderful comments. Have a fabulous day.

God bless,
Verna

Reminder Of Cards For Little Hearts Drive

Just a reminder that soon the Cards for Little Hearts Drive will be held. For all the information about it please check HERE for the ins and outs of the drive. These handmade cards are given out by the staff at the Heart Center to patients while they are awaiting treatment or surgery. Hopefully, these cards will lift their spirits. Please be sure you read all the rules. And, there are lots of fantastic prizes to be given out too.

These are samples of some I have made so far for the drive. I worked ahead on them so as not to be pressured at the last minute to come up with some ideas. I searched for free digis and also used a few stamps I already had in my stash. And these are winter themed designs that are needed and stick to non-holiday winter sentiments.

On the side of my blog is a badge showing the dates and other information. But please go to the website to read all the rules. That is very important as these cards are given out from little tiny babies up to patients of 19 years of age.

Thanks and I hope you had a great Father's Day weekend. Hubby enjoyed his outing and was back to spend Sunday with me.

God bless,
Verna

Cool Popsicle Birthday

Wow! It is amazing what one can get done for card making when you don't have to cook meals and do so many dishes. My hubby got a Father's Day gift of an outing to a rodeo and also the next day to our state capitol in Pierre where he was going to see the Vietnam Memorial and also a museum. Since it involved a lot of walking to go these places I opted to stay home and make cards. I got ten cards done for future projects so I was happy with that. I will share one I made today with some new stamps and dies I got in the mail today. I could not wait to try using them. And, I love how they look too.

I love popsicles and I went with Mango, Pineapple and Strawberry! And, I was so glad I remembered I had some ribbon with popsicles all over it in a row that was a great asset for this card design. I think this is perfect for a summer birthday.

I used the Sunny Studios Perfect Popsicles Stamps and Dies sets. My base card is similar to a lime green and the center panel is like a lemon yellow which was die cut with a Cottage Cutz Double Stitched Rectangle die.

I think this is a cool, cool fruity delight for a card and I am so glad I purchased those multi-step popsicle stamps and dies. The inks I used were those from Gina K. Designs but I am sure there are many brands that would work great too!

I am entering this in the Dies R Us Challenge#75 where we are to make a card or project for a celebration.

Thanks for stopping in and I hope all the Dads out there have a wonderful Father's Day.

God bless,
Verna

Blue and White with Sparkle

I go through so many sympathy cards it seems these days that I thought I best make another one to have on hand. I went with the Gina K. Designs Heartfelt Hydrangea stamp set for the flower and butterfly and for the sentiment I used the Gina K. Designs Vintage Rose set.

I used the little Gina K. Designs stamp cubes and did a direct to stamp inking on the images with the use of my MISTI. That way I could repeat the process as often as I liked. Once I had my outlines done I then took the same colors of ink and mixed them with water on a plastic lid. A small fine paint brush was used to color the images in. The Gina K. Designs ink cubes used were Wild Wisteria, Powder Blue, Grass Green, Warm Cocoa, Sweet Mango and Wild Dandelion. Then I added the sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I flicked on some splats of Grass Green and Powder Blue inks which were mixed with water using the paint brush.  The last step was to add some shimmer using a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Double D's Blog Challenge-Blue and White
The Mod Squad Blog Challenge-Sparkle It Up

Well, if I am missing a lot it is because the internet is not functioning like it should and many times we have to shut down due to T-storms now. Also we were without electricity for a couple hours and I imagine that may happen again if we get strong winds with these storms. But thanks for stopping in and for the wonderful comments.

God bless,
Verna

Sparked It Up!

I recently got this freebie stamp as an incentive from Gina K. Designs and today I decided to use it along with some Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens to make a card.

I also added the sparkle with the pens to the butterfly and on the top layer of the sentiment. However, they don't show the sparkle as much in this photo but I think you get the idea. All the stamps used are from the Gina K. Designs Heartfelt Hydrangea set. For areas on the design where I wanted a lighter shade I took the pen and added some of the color to a plastic lid and then diluted it with some water. So therefore it has a sort of water colored look to it. You still see the sparkle.

The background die is one I got quite some time ago called Modern Mosaic and is from Top Dog Dies which I am sad to say is no longer in business. I think this is one of my favorite backgrounds for cards and it always cuts perfectly so I am happy for that too.

Card stock colors used were Gina K. Designs White and Lovely Lavender. And, I used a Zig 2-way Glue Pen to add the images which I fussy cut.

My card design was finished by adding some rhinestone gems around the sentiment. By the way, I die cut the sentiment with a Cottage Cutz double stitched die and wanted to have a thin outer layer of the Lovely Lavender, so I cut the outer stitched line off the White layer and then glued it to the Lovely Lavender one. That gave me a nice little border. 

This card will be an entry in the current Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which we are to get some sparkle on our projects. I hope you like what I did and I look forward to seeing all your comments too! 

God bless,

Verna

How Much?

As a child one of my favorite songs was How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? And, I sang it a lot and especially sang it louder when it came to the "arf arf" part. I still like that song and sang it to my children when little and also to my grandchildren now. So this card was made with that song in mind. The Monday challenge at Stamp TV was to make a card representing a song.

I think this would be a great card for a little boy but I also know little girls like puppies too! But I had a little boy in mind when I made it.

I used the puppies and label from the Gina K. Designs Basket Buddies stamp set and stamped them with Versafine Onyx Black ink. And, the window was created using a Gina K. Designs Royal Frame Die. I colored the puppies in with Zig Clean Color markers and also hand wrote the For Sale onto the label which was fussy cut, I used some silver brads to represent nails. These were all mounted onto some unknown brick pattern paper which was die cut with a Cottage Cutz Double Stitched Rectangle Die. After gluing all the things in place I adhered it onto a layer of light brown card stock before adding it to the white card base.

Other supplies used:
Crafters Companion Glue Tape
Scor Board
Tiny hand punch for holes for the brads

I am also entering this in the following challenges:
Penny  Black and More June Challenge-Anything Goes
Simon Says Monday Challenge-Masculine
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Anything Goes
Dies R Us Challenge #74-Masculine
Crop Stop Link Party #28

Well, happy Monday to you. I hope it is a great one and thanks for the wonderful comments.

God bless,
Verna

Quick CAS Sympathy

A couple weeks ago I was in need of a sympathy card ASAP (as soon as possible) and so I worked up a quick single layer design on a white card base using a stamp I just love from Penny Black. It is called Dreamy. In fact, I made two cards so that I had a spare on hand for future use. And, I added the sentiment from A Jillian Vance Design stamp set called Simply Said: Sympathy. That is another favorite set of mine.

I used my Tombow markers to add color directly to the stamp which was placed in my MISTI. That way I could keep adding more color until I got the look I was achieving. I worked with green for the stem and on the bloom I used blue and purple. After I added the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink I then took some of the blue marker and scribbled onto a plastic lid and diluted it with water. Then with a brush I flicked some splats onto the card to add more design factors.

I am entering this in the Penny Black and More Challenge-Anything Goes. 

Thanks for your wonderful visits and comments.

God bless,
Verna

Black, White and a Pop of Color

This card is an all around type of card that with a different sentiment added inside could be used for many occasions. I chose black, white and a pop of turquoise for my card using stamps from the Gina K. Designs Sending Love stamp set.

I stamped the images and sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink and when they were dry I mixed Zig Clean Color waterbased markers of black, dark gray and light gray with water and used a brush to add color to the images. The splatters on the background were also added with these colors.

I die cut the top panel out with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border die and then added the turquoise ribbon. This was then layered onto some black card stock before adding it to the base card of white card stock. The finishing touch was to add some turquoise rhinestones to the flowers and to the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping in and I hope your Saturday is going well. Take care and I look forward to your next visit. Oh, and thanks for the wonderful comments you always leave me too.

God bless,
Verna

Bluejay

Taking a break from the foiling for a bit and worked up a CAS masculine design which also features masculine colors. I am entering this in the Stamplortions June CAS Card Challenge in which the theme is Anything CAS Goes with the twist being masculine colors.

I used the cardinal stamp from The Birds and The Blooms stamp set from Stamplorations but colored him so that he looked like a bluejay instead. I colored the image with Zig Clean Color Markers and added some of them to a clear plastic lid and watered them out to fill in the lighter areas. Afterwards I added some white using a white paint pen.  My final step was to take some of the same Zig colors I had used and diluted them with water and then added some splats with a paintbrush to the background,. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

This took longer to photograph I think then it actually did to make the card design. And, I like it. This can be a very versatile card which will work for many occasions.

Thanks for stopping in and for your sweet comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

God bless,
Verna