Kitty and Puppy Valentine

I worked on a few more Valentines and used the cute Gina K. Designs Frisky Felines and the Playful Pups stamp sets which are designed by her daughter Alicia Krupsky.

First up is the card I made with the Frisky Felines set. I also used a punched out pattern paper heart on the card. I wanted my kitty to be a striped one.

Next I used the Playful Pups set along with a heart from the Geo Thanks set from Gina K. Designs which is illustrated by Claire Brennan.

Both cards are similar in design and fairly clean and simple. But I think they are such darling Valentines and I am really pleased with them. Great stamp sets to work with so that helps a great deal.

Well, it is snowing and my hubby is traveling so I hope he has a good trip. It is always a relief to hear he has arrived okay.

Thanks for visiting and I hope your day is going well.

God bless,
Verna

Ombre Geometric Valentine

Since I had that Hero Arts Ombre Spring Brights ink pad out on my crafting surface I decided to use it with a set from Gina K. Designs called Geo Thanks. There are cool geometric designs on this set as well as sentiments. I chose to use the two step heart images to make a CAS Valentine design.

I am not sure if I should have done the black lined area first or the solid area first. But I went with the solid first and then stamped over it with the lined image. Both images have the lines and as you can see I did not exactly align perfectly as some of the white is still showing here and there. But for me I loved it and thought it just added a bit more of interest to the design. I used my MISTI to stamp them onto a white panel and then I die cut it out with the MFT Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Border die set. I then simply added to a panel of yellow and then again onto the white card base. After stamping the sentiment from the set I then added three black rhinestone gems.

Inside I stamped the smaller heart design which is included in the set and then used a sentiment from the Gina K. Designs Fancy Flowers stamp set. I thought that sentiment expressed my wish perfectly for the friend it is being sent to.

Well, it is warming up with lots and lots of wind. But then in a day or so it is once again getting cold. And, with the strong winds today it does not seem as warm as the thermometer says. So it is in fact chilly in this old farm house today. I think part of it is because we  have had very little moisture and the boards are all dried out and don't quite mesh as well and therefore let the wind and cold in a bit more. Oh, well! That is life in South Dakota. One never knows what to expect with the weather. It seems to change daily from one extreme to another.

You all have a great day. Thanks for the visits too.

God bless,
Verna

Animation Butterfly

Early in the weekend I started to make a butterfly animation card using the Stampin' Up! You Move Me set and dies. Well, we found out we were getting company for the weekend so I had to put this aside until today when I managed to finish it. I forgot to use the dies for the little butterflies and just hand cut them out but I still thought they looked okay.

My butterflies were stamped using a Hero Arts rainbow ink pad called Ombre Spring Brights. Even though it is very cold out I felt like I wanted to use more spring like colors. The pattern paper used for the frame which I cut with Spellbinder dies is from Lawn Fawn. By lifting the white card stock panel with the butterfly at the top of it and going up and down you will see the butterfly flutter. My pink panel was die cut with a MFT Die-namics die called Wonky Stitched Rectangles. And the card stock is all from Gina K. Designs. I added black rhinestones to the butterflies for some bling.

I just love that big butterfly and I am planning on using that on cards other then for the animation type. And, I love how it looks in the ombre colors too.

Well, thanks for the visit. I always love to see you stop in and leave your lovely comments. Have a great evening now.

God bless,
Verna

January 2018 Rudolph Days Challenge

I only got in on the tail end of the Rudolph Days Challenges last year so this year I hope I can join in every month. It is a good way to keep a bit ahead of my Christmas card designs.

My choice for the January challenge was to use Gina K. Designs Merry & Bright stamp set. I stamped the images using my MISTI and then hand cut them out leaving a white border. I had a white card base so I added a strip of black and white polka dot paper from My Favorite Things over the top of the card base and then layered my poinsettia design over that. The sentiment was stamped in Versafine black ink and then I finished the design by adding some black rhinestone gems.

And, yes I know it is a CAS design but for some reason I am always inclined to make that type.  And  I am really happy with the way it turned out.

Well, we have enjoyed a warm up in our weather as it was in the mid 40's today but I am told that we are going to cool down again and have a colder February. So much for the January thaw! At any rate, I was able to get out a bit and finally get a haircut. I was looking really shaggy! LOL I hope you are ready for the weekend again. Take care and thanks for the visit.

God bless,
Verna

Masculine Valentine

Normally I might not have used roses on a card for a man but today I decided I wanted to do just that. I have had this delightful multi-step heart stamp from Kitchen Sink Stamps called Sweet Heart Roses and was trying to find a way to use it for a more masculine look. Well, by using more reddish orange colors along with black and gray I think I accomplished this. And, while the cat's away the mouse will play. (Translated to mean while hubby is ice fishing I am stamping his card.) LOL

The colors of choice for the stamping of the rose were to use orange and various shades of reds. I stayed away from the more pinkish hues. Once I had the rose stamped I cut it out by hand leaving a white border around it and then adding this to another layer of black and hand cutting a black border too. The pattern papers I used are from My Favorite Things. And, the dies used for this card are Memory Box Cross Stitched  Border dies. All was added to a white card base and the final addition to the front of the card was the black rhinestones.

I also added a bit of design inside the card using stamps from the same set.

I am entering this card in the Mod Squad Blog Challenge for this week. The theme is Valentine-Love.

Well, either the internet or blogger is not functioning right. We do have fog so that might be affecting both. But finally I think I have my post ready to upload. It has been a struggle. I hope all of you have no issues with your comments now. I love to see that you have visited and to read the posts you leave me. Take care everyone.

God bless,
Verna

Wreath Valentine

One of the new sets I got from Gina K. Designs is called You Are and it features a wreath and different elements you can add to it as well as fabulous sentiments. Lisa Hetrick is the illustrator. One of the smaller images is a heart so I decided I would make a few Valentines with this set to give to the shut-ins who are house bound or in nursing homes.

I had a partial 12 x 12 gingham pattern paper left from another project so I decided to use that as part of my design. The wreath was stamped with Mementos and then I added various shades of green to the open areas using Tombow pens. I also stamped the heart and berries with red ink and then colored them in with Tombows. A little dot of white gel pen was added to the berries.

I die cut this design out with a Gina Marie Designs Stitched Circle Die. I had to use the largest die in that set in order to get the whole wreath in. I felt that it needed a bit of a layer beneath it so I found a MFT Die-namics Single Stitch Line Circle Frame set which when placed beneath the circle  gave just a hint of a black layer. I liked that much better. I could have placed the frame over the top of the wreath as well but then it cut off too much of the wreath design so I opted for this instead.

Inside I added a Stampendous Bible verse. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not be lost but should have eternal life." John 3:16. Now there is no greater love then that so I thought it appropriate.

Well, that will do me for today. At least I have four Valentines made now. I hope your day is going well too. Tomorrow I won't be stamping as I have errands to run in town for quite a bit of the day. So until next time take care and thanks for the visit and comments.

God bless,
Verna

Hummingbird Animation

I saw the animation You Move Me stamp and die set bundle from Stampin' Up! and so I had to order it. It arrived this weekend so yesterday afternoon I started to make an animation card using those products. I finished it up this morning. Well, I am so pleased with the animation grid die especially as it cut with only two passes compared to several tries and botches with the Uchi one. Both times I  used my extra metal shim which is to be used with intricate die cuts. So I think this SU set is a winner in my book. But it might be the die cutting machine that I use that makes a difference.

Here is my first attempt with this set and I am so pleased with the look. If you think you are interested in this type of card I urge you to check this set out.

I had to make my own frame for the grid so I used Gina K. Designs Small Square die set and it was a perfect fit for my frame. The pattern paper used was from My Favorite Things.  I used the largest square and the middle square dies from the set. And, I did a direct to stamp inking with my ink pads for all the images and sentiment. I just happened to have some Memento ones out so I went with them. The card stock used is from Gina K. Designs.

I don't do videos but trust me when you take the tab at the top and move the inner design you would swear that hummingbird was flitting around in there. And, I love that there are sentiments with the set. I have not added a sentiment inside as I am not sure for what particular occasion I will be using this card.

Well, I hope you are enjoying my adventure into making animation cards. I no doubt will be doing one of these again soon but I have lots of other goodies that I want to play with as well. I hope everyone's week is off to a good start.

God bless,
Verna

Strawberry Circle

I ran across a digital image I had gotten from Sparkle N Sprinkle a long time ago of a strawberry design. So today I colored up that image and made a quick card with it. I think it can be found on the Sweet Strawberries digital set or if preferred a rubber set as well.

I used a NBUS die called Lg. Flourish Background by Impression Obsession. I was so happy as it cut out perfectly. And, the strawberries were die cut with a circle die from Gina Marie Designs. My strawberries design was colored with Copics. I also used a little white paint pen to add the seeds to the strawberries. Inside the card I added a panel of white card stock so that I could stamp or write a message. LOL Now I am hungry for a strawberry.

Thanks for the visit. I enjoyed this little bit of card making and I hope your afternoon is going well too.

God bless,
Verna

Rainbow Hearts

My last order with Gina K. Designs entitled me to the free incentive stamp set and today I used it for a quick note card of encouragement and kindness for a friend who is searching for her biological family. I wanted her to know I wished her luck and was supportive of her journey. The Gina K. Designs stamp set is called You Got Me.

I colored directly onto the solid hearts image with my Tombows and did a rainbow of colors. The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Black ink. Once I had my design stamped I simply die cut it with a Cottage Cutz double stitched rectangle die and then mounted it to a black layer of card stock. I on purpose added this panel in a wonky position onto the Gina K. Designs Dusty Rose card stock.

I cannot imagine how frustrating it might be to know that perhaps you might have extended family out there somewhere. I thought this sentiment was one that would be awesome for someone who is searching for answers of that type. Also for someone who is doing a genealogy search.

I am entering this in the Mod Squad Blog Challenge where the theme is Rainbows.

Thanks for your visits and I love all the wonderful comments you leave too.

God bless,
Verna

Kitchen Is The Heart of the Home

The title for this blog post is what the Double D Challenge is all about and so I had to find something to depict that. How lucky I was that for my 70th birthday I was given a few die cuts all ready for me to use and one of them was this very pretty heart patterned apron design. What could be better! I am also making it a birthday card for my oldest sister who was born the day after Valentine's Day and who is a real sweetheart. She had a long career as a cook for various homes for children who had a troubled life. She not only fed them great food but she also gave them lots of great advice and love. I had already made  up my mind to use this die for her card and so I was glad it fit in the challenge at Double D's too.

The apron and mitten die are from the Sue Wilson Designs-Necessities Collection. I don't know who made the heart filled pattern paper but the polka dotted green paper is from My Favorite Things. I also used a rectangle die from My Favorite Things Di-namics using the Blueprints 29 set. The Dusty Rose card base is from Gina K. Designs. I added some button brads from Eyelet Outlet and also some white ribbon from an unknown source for the neck area and for the ties. The sentiment was from Gina K. Designs and after stamping it I hand cut out a tag to place behind the bib of the apron.

I am so happy as to how this turned out and I hope my big sister will love it too when I send it to her in February. I just love that rainbow of hearts on that paper too and hopefully, I will find some similar or just like it for more great card making.

I am also adding this to the Mod Squad Blog Challenge in which the theme is rainbows. That meant we could make a rainbow or use a rainbow of colors and I think this qualifies for that too.

Thanks so much for visiting. It has been a fun week and I am happy I got to spread my wings a bit doing some unfamiliar things. Tomorrow is a checkup day at the foot doctor so no doubt I won't be crafting that much. So I hope you have a great rest of today and in the upcoming weekend.

God bless,
Verna

Animation Card

I told myself that this year I hoped to move out of my comfort zone a bit and try some new things. Well one thing I wanted to try was making an animation card. I got very enthused when I saw  Karen Hasheck's video she posted on her You Tube Channel.  So I ordered myself one set of the Uchi Designs stamp sets and one of their grid dies. Well, after much trial and error I finally got a card made that I thought turned out quite well. But for some reason I had issues with the grid die and so I am glad the one grid I got made successfully was able to be used in this card. One can buy the grids all done too and if I continue to have issues die cutting them I may just resort to buying ones already made. Anyway, here is what my first attempt (nope second or third) looks like.

And I am no Karen Hasheck by any means but I am so thrilled I got at least one of the tries at making an animation card end up looking half way decent. I had to make my own frame and I used the Memory Box Cross Stitched Border dies for that. I also used some heart dies which were included in the Gina K. Designs oval set. I cut the hearts from Stampin' Up! glitter paper and the frame was cut from an older set of Gina K. Designs pattern paper of which I have no idea the name of that pack was. I think it is discontinued too. And, the card stock is from Gina K. Designs as well.  To each heart I added a little yellow rhinestone. And, the pull tab was made with a circle punch. I folded a piece of the pattern paper in two and then punched the circle leaving a bit of the folded edge intact so that I could just add the front and back of the folded tab over the end of the stamped panel inside the grid.

Here is a different view of the card and I think you can see how the picture changes. I don't know how to do a video so this is as close as I can get to letting you see the animation.

I also added a sheet of yellow card stock inside the card for my message. This is technically images from the Uchi's Design Birthday set but I think it could be used for a valentine as well with all those hearts. The only thing indicating it is a birthday is that the bear is wearing a party hat. I am sure this card will be going to a grandchild some time during the year as it will work for a boy or girl.

Well, that is my offering for today. I am going to try this again soon but I put so much into making this one that I am going to put it aside for now. I think I got more of the hang of it now so that is good. Perseverance sometimes pays off.

I am entering this in the Dies R Us Challenge #89-Kid's Kards. I used my favorite Memory Box Cross Stitched Border Die, Gina K. Designs heart dies and the Uchi's Design grid die.

I hope your week is a wonderful one so far and that you are managing to have some creative fun too. Thanks for the visits and comments. I love them.

God bless,
Verna

Twofer-Feathers

I sure don't care for Mondays that have no mail. It is such a let down not to get at least something in the mail and especially when I know some stamping goodies are on the way. But I guess that still means I can play anyway and so today I made two more cards using feathers. This is for Darnell's new Twofer Card Challenge #1-Feathers which I think is such a fun challenge. I try to at least make one of my cards a bit outside of the box and I think I accomplished that this time too.

And I am proud to say I used some NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) which is a phrase that Darnell coined. I know I have quite a supply of unused goodies so this time I used the Tim Holtz Bird Crazy and Dies sets and also the Tim Holtz Crazy Talk stamp set. That has wonderful sentiments and they work for all year around too.

The first card is just using the tail feathers of the bird image. I used some Tombow markers to add color directly to the stamp by just coloring the tail feathers in various shades and stamped them onto a white card stock strip for the flowers. I then took the Tombow markers and hand drew the stems and leaves. This was then added to a black panel in which I used a Fiskers decorative scissors to cut the scalloped edges. I added a gingham ribbon and then placed it on the A2 size white card base The last step was to add the sentiment in Versafine black ink.

This card used a leftover piece of Color Burst paper that I had done quite some time ago. It was cut in a circle using the Cottage Cutz double stitched circle die and then I also cut another larger circle from the same set in black. These were layered together and since I already had the gingham ribbon handy I added some of that. My bird was stamped on white card stock and then I colored it in with Tombow markers before die cutting it. This bird was then popped up over the edge of the circle. The last step was to add the sentiments.

Well, now that was fun! I thank Darnell so much for coming up with a challenge that makes us look twice at our stamps and maybe find a way to get more mileage out of them. I hope you look your stamps over and see if you can find fun ways of using them in a different way too.

Thanks for all the visits and comments. Stamping hugs to all of you.

God bless,
Verna

Blogger Commenting

I have noticed lately that trying to leave a blogger comment on blogs that have their comment section embedded is taking quite a long time. They work but I have to sit and wait. However, when there is a pop up window they go through just as fast as before. I was wondering if anyone else was having issues?

I checked my settings and saw on my blog that I have a pop up window used so I am hoping no one has the same issues with commenting on my blog. I like to comment on a lot of people's blogs so this is frustrating to me when it takes so long.

Well, just thought I would ask and see what you were experiencing. Thanks in advance for your answers. Other than that I hope all have a great week.

God bless,
Verna

Laying It Out Both Ways

I played with the Boho Flowers from Gina K. Designs again today and had fun using the stamps and dies from that set to make three cards for different occasions but which have a similar design. I also went with different colors for each.

I  used Gina K. Designs Small and Large Rectangle Dies and a rectangle die that goes well with them from Cottage Cutz. The sentiments used on these cards are also from the Boho Flowers stamp set. I really like those flowers and they work great to just stamp with a colorful ink and then die cut and assemble them. These are easy and fun to do. I popped the flowers up on each of them.

I used Memento inks for the leaves and flowers and for the sentiments I went with Versafine black ink. The card stock is all from Gina K. Designs.

Well, this was the way I spent my afternoon. I am so glad I am finally using that stamp set. I love the designs.

Thanks for your visit and for saying such lovely things always. And have a great weekend. It seems that Friday rolls around so fast every week. But after a slow start I guess I did accomplish some card making after all.

God bless,
Verna

Twofer Using One Feather Image

A new challenge is ongoing and so I had to join in this time and see if I could use one feather image and make two different designs with it. Here is what I came up with.

I used the feather image from the Fine Feathers set from Gina K. Designs. On the first card I made a wreath with it and then added a sentiment from the Stampin' Up! Christmas Pines set and also pattern paper from Stampin' Up!

And the second card I made used colorful feathers floating across the card front and also the sentiment from the Fine Feathers set.

I am entering this if the Twofer Card Challenge. I am so glad I found a set of feathers to work with too. And, I hope I achieved the objective of the challenge as well.

Well, my mojo must be back. I made four cards today and two are going in my Christmas supply stash for next season. At least I am off to a start now.

Thanks for visiting and I am always so happy to see your wonderful comments. Have a great night everyone.

God bless,
Verna

Peaceful Winter

Well, I finally got back to stamping. There was plenty of time since my hubby was gone for a few days but instead of stamping I took down some of the Christmas decorations, did laundry since the wash machine was fixed again and then just watched some more movies. For some reason, my mojo went along with hubby so card making was not to be done. But hubby is back again and so I did a couple cards up using the same set. Originally, I had planned on making Christmas cards with this set but time ran out so I decided that it was a set that could work for other occasions as well. I hope you enjoy what I did with it. Oh, and I found another piece of kraft card stock so this first one is using kraft along with black and white again.

I used the Misti and marked on the grid sheet where I had placed the card stock before I even started any stamping. Once I had it stamped as dark as I wanted this simple scene I then took a white paint pen and added snow on the trees and the snow line areas.  Then I put the panel back into the Misti and re-stamped over this again with black ink. I also stamped the sentiment and birds in black ink.

I die cut the kraft panel with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border die and then added that to a layer of black card stock before placing it on the white card base. The stamp set used on this card is called Peaceful Winter by Penny Black but the sentiment is from another Penny Black set called Special Wishes.

This card will be entered into the Mod Squad Blog Challenge-Color Throwdown-Kraft, Black and White.

Since I had the scene stamp out and has so much fun creating this card I decided to do another one with the same stamps except for the sentiment. This more than likely would have been the way I would have done my card for a Christmas design but I think it works for any time during the winter months.

I went with more pastel colors for this scene by using sponges to add color. I also used the white paint pen to add a little more white to areas where I had sponged on too much color and caused it to fade out. I put this panel back into the Misti and re-stamped it in black again to make it more vibrant.  The sentiment for this is from the same set the tree/snow line image is and it is called Peaceful Winter.

Well, thanks for the visit and I am so glad you leave such wonderful comments. We have a blanket of snow again. It had nearly all melted the few days before and then last night a cold front moved in and brought the snow and frigid temps again. These up and down weather changes sure do make me ache. Oh, well! Such is life! Take care everyone and if it is cold where you are please stay nice and cozy warm.

God bless,
Verna

Doodle Flowers Birthday

Another birthday card but this time I think it is more of a feminine one. I used an Inkadinkadoo stamp set called Doodle Flowers. I placed all the floral stamps on to my MISTI and then stamped the design all at once with Momento Black Ink. The sentiment I added is from the Birthday Balloons set by Gina Marie Designs. I stamped that sentiment with black ink and did it randomly so that the patterned  design could be used vertically or horizontally. I opted to do mine horizontally.

I started out with pink card stock and after I had the flowers stamped onto it I colored them in with some new Sharpie Permanent Marker Pens my daughter and family gave me for Christmas. I really like how they showed up on the pink card stock too. It was a great way to try out a lot of the various markers and see their colors. Once I had the design colored in I die cut it with a Memory Box Cross Stitched Border Frame die. I also cut another pink plain layer to put inside the card. All was then added to a black card base.

I think this will be a design that will work for all ages. It has a bright and cheery look with all those fun colors I think.

This card I will be entering into the Double D's Blog Challenge for their 2nd Blog Birthday/Anniversary. They have a mood board and one section had a lot of colorful flowers on it.

Well, I again had a great time and my sore toe is not near so stressed as I am wearing slippers. It needs time to heal up without a lot of pressure on it. It was a good reason to get inky again too as I could sit and stamp! But now I need to get the evening meal ready. I hope your day went well. Thanks for visiting and for the wonderful comments.

God bless,
Verna

Boo Boo Birthday!

Well, sometimes the best designed plan for a card does not always turn out like what one had anticipated. While stamping the sentiment on my birthday card using my MISTI I found it needed a re-stamping and I did not realize that the card stock had slipped so I got a shadow affect. But I decided to keep it that way regardless. So here is the boo boo card I made today.

I tried to add a bit of yellow pencil to the shadow so that it sort of tied in with the rest of the color scheme. The layered balloons and the sentiment are all from a stamp set by Gina Marie Designs. And, the die I used to cut out my focal layer left a nice edging and that is also from Gina Marie Designs. The final touch to my card was to add a few rhinestone gems which closely matched the colors.

I am entering this card in the Double D's Blog Challenge which by the way is celebrating their 2-year birthday/anniversary. So of course, they are calling for birthday or anniversary cards. They have a special mood board which will most certainly inspire you. I was inspired by the balloons and this stamp set was a recent purchase so now it has a first outing too. I think it will get lots of use in the future as well.

Well, now I have a sore toe. I got a blister from a shoe and then last night I went and stubbed it again. So I am walking with even more of a limp. It seems there is always something to cramp my style. LOL

Thanks for visiting and I am so glad to be back in action making cards. Your comments mean the world to me. Have a great evening!

God bless,
Verna

Kraft, Black and White

Well, I am back after taking a brief recess from card making and blogging. I caught a nasty head cold so I took a few extra days more to just try and get over that. I am quite well on the road to recovery now though so that makes me happy. Anyway, today I made my first card in over two weeks using some new to me products and I wanted to share it with you. I thought this would work as a nice thank you card.

I used the Boho Flowers set from Gina K. Designs and stamped the images in with Versafine black ink. Then I took a white Prismacolor pencil and colored in portions of the leaves and flower with it and also around the edge of the die embossed design which is from Gina Marie Designs. The flower was die cut and popped up over the leafy flourish design. I added this kraft stamped panel to a black A2 size card base and then placed a sheet of white inside to write a personal message.

Really quite an easy card to make and this was the first time I used the Boho Flowers set which I had purchased some time ago and a new glue from Gina K. Designs which I used to add the panel to the base. It is called Connect Glue. Also new to me is the Gina Marie Designs die.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Something New-Gina K. Designs Boho Flowers, Gina Marie Die and Connect Glue
Mod Squad Blog Challenge-Color Throw Down

Well, I hope 2018 is off to a great start for you. Except for the head cold business so far mine is going quite well. And, the only resolution if you can call it that, is to try and keep ahead of Christmas card making again this year. It worked great for 2017 and therefore it was a lot less stressful. I even have a few extras that I can carry over to the 2018 season.

Thanks also to all who come by so faithfully to view and comment. And I thank any new comers who visit too.  I love to hear from each and every one of you. Have a good day now.

God bless,
Verna

2018 Cards for Little Hearts

Just a reminder that the 2018 Cards for Little Hearts "Heart Themed" Card Drive is now started. I hope you can join in by making cards appropriate for the children who have genital heart disease. For more information check this blog post of Christina Hor's who started this whole thing going originally.

These cards will be distributed to the children by the heart hospital staff to help brighten their day. Be sure you read all the guidelines first though. Most of the information concerning this is on Christina's blog and on the Facebook page and Cards for Little Hearts blog too.

Happy New Year!
God bless,
Verna