You're The Bees Knees

I made this layout for a challenge- SSQ35- with Soul Scrappers, it's a private online chat community. Most of the embellishments were mailed in an envelope from one of the design team members- the stamped jar image, the chipboard flower, the 5 blue enamel dots, the colored swirly paper pieces, the tissue paper, the washi tape, the floral image was black and white, the paint swatch, the foil paper, and the arrow paper clip. We were told to use all of the items and alter the chipboard flower, the black and white floral image, the tissue paper, and the jar. The background paper is Cocoa Vanilla Bohemian Dream Abstract and the title piece is from Pink Paislee Wild Child 12 x 12 Cut Aparts Paper 1- both from Paper Issues. I added the bug stickers in the jar from a RAK from a Facebook group. I colored the jar with Gelly Roll Metallic pen. For the tissue paper I used a Spellbinders cactus die that I cut on my Cuttlebug and then colored it with 2 shades of green Sharpies. I colored the chipboard flower with Sharpies and then glued the enamel dots and swirly paper pieces on each petal. They remind me of quilling. I colored the black and white floral image with Sharpies and used the Gelly Roll Metallic pen on the bee's wings. The picture is of my friend, Laura, sitting on the side of a man made tunnel at Grand Canyon. I decided to make this layout for her since she has challenged me to overcome my fears and has taught me a lot. I'm slowly overcoming my fears. I decided to put the foil paper and the paint swatch behind the picture as a photo mat. We were to alter to the paint swatch, too, so I cut it in half. I used a black Sharpie to write the title- You're The Bees Knees.

Merry Christmas

I used the sketch above from Paper Craft Crew to make the following card.

The card base is Recollections Value Pack 4" x 5.5". The washi tape down the spine is American Crafts Christmas. I used a circle die from a Chinese circle die set and Recollections Bright and Jolly  Paper Pad that I cut using my Cricut Cuttlebug. The green strip is from my stash. The sentiment- Merry Christmas stamp I borrowed from a friend and stamped it with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink on typing paper. The candy cane sticker is from Recollections Christmas Noel sticker set. I decided to add the poinsettia instead of trying the swirl design.  I fussy cut the poinsettia out of Pebbles Home For Christmas Paper Pad. This is probably one of the most CAS (Clean And Simple) cards I have made! You have until Tuesday, November 21 to play along with the sketch! I must say I messed up on my first card, but as you can see I didn't give up! :) TFL!

A Year of Card Techniques November Masking Magic Blog Hop

Welcome to

Welcome to A Year of Card Techniques Blog Hop where each month we feature a different card technique. We’ve assembled a team of card makers who range from new to advanced, so you’ll see a great variety of cards and ideas.

This month we’re going to explore masking techniques.  There are so many variations of masking, it would be difficult to list them all here.  But, since pictures speak louder than words, we’ll let our team show you the masking techniques they opted to try.  Hopefully, we’ll inspire you to try one yourself.  If you would like to check out our past technique hops, you can do that here:

• January-Shaving Cream Marbleizing
• February-So Sketchy
• March-no hop this month
• April-Stamp Set Showdown
• May-World of Watercolor
• June-Basic Card Folds
• July-Bleaching Your Card
• August-World of Watercolor
• September-Inlaid & Lifted Die Cuts
• October-Waterfall Cards

Our amazing sponsor this month is Jodie Park of Close to My Heart

Please take a moment to check out her store here.

And the awesome prize this month is:

We really appreciate feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop today.  The winner will be announced on Sunday, November 26, 2017, on A Piece of (my) Heart’s blog, so be sure to check her blog on Sunday. The winner will have until December 14, 2017, to claim their prize.

You should have arrived here from Wilma-- https://stampintotheoldies.blogspot.ca/2017/11/masking.html  .  If you're visiting here first, you might want to start at the beginning so you don't miss a thing and increase your chances of winning by commenting on each blog.
Before I tell you the details of my card, I must share the tutorial I followed- Splitcoaststampers.

My card base is Recollections Value Pack 4"x 5.5". I used Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Twisted Citron, I was given the round dauber from the Expo I attended in Mesa shown in the pic, and here's the kicker as to what I used as my sponge- 1 Equate Cotton Round that's supposed to be used for first aid and beauty. I won the ink at the Expo and learned that we could use make-up sponges on the daubers, because the dauber has Velcro at the bottom. The only sponges I could find had Vitamin E in them and I wasn't sure if that would mess up my ink. I did order some daubers this week from Heartfelt Creations and was hoping I would get them in the mail on time for the hop, but as I type this they are on the way and are due to arrive Friday, today, the day of the hop. :( I'm glad my back-up plan worked! The only difference I did with my card than the tutorial is I didn't put the negative paper that I used to cut the die with back on the paper. I used the third largest (the third to largest) of the Chinese circle die set to make the circle that I cut using my Cricut Cuttlebug. The Christmas tree stamp is from Hampton Art Happy Holidays Stamp and Die Set. I stamped it with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink and colored it in with Staedtler Colored Pencils. The tag and bling are from a Christmas in July pocket letter swap. I was looking for ribbon, but found this pocket letter. It's a good thing, because I also made some Christmas tags with some ornament dies from the same pocket letter. The twine is Trendy Twine Candy Cane. I cut a slit just beyond the spine of the card and inserted it twice around the card and tied it on the inside. Oh, I almost forgot my sentiment- Merry Christmas. It is from Hero Arts Christmas Clear Stamp set and I used Ranger ink to stamp it.  I will be mailing this card out to someone this Christmas. I'm trying to make a few at a time and then will mail them. I need to start making a list so I know when to stop! :)
Now you’re off to visit with Jodie-- https://stampin-jodie.blogspot.ca/2017/11/a-year-of-card-techniques-november-2017.html . Hope you had fun and thanks for stopping by.  See you next month with another great technique!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Here’s the full line-up in case you get lost along the way:

Sharon
Kim
Wilma
Amanda
Jodie
Debbie
Claudia

Growing In Unity Winners

Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog last week! The winners that I chose that will each receive 25 random stamps from Unity are:

Lisa Marie

Carol Mclendon



Please e-mail your home mailing information to me at nclights7 at gmail dot com and I will then send your information on to Unity. Congrats ladies and thanks again!

A Day of Thanks Blog Hop

Welcome to

A Day of Thanks
Blog Hop...
 

As we approach the busy Holiday seasons, let us take a few minutes this weekend to stop and reflect on the things in our life that we are thankful for. We bring you this hop as a way to encourage you and inspire you to reach out and say thank you to those who surround you. This simple gesture can go along way!
You should have arrived from (Shannon's blog- http://shannonhdesigns.blogspot.com/ ) but if you need to start at the beginning, head on over to Connie Can Crop.
This is a one day blog hop, but you have until Sunday to finish hopping and leaving your love for all of these talented crafters.
We have an awesome sponsor for this month!

One lucky winner will win a gift certificate
Be sure to check out the shop online HERE

What do you need to do to win? Easy... become a follower of each of the fabulous blogs in this hop and leave each of them a comment letting them know what you like best about their projects.
You will have until 10 pm Sunday to finish the hop and leave your comments.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday 11/22/17 at Connie Can Crop.
Be sure to follow everyone and leave a comment along the way!

I decided to use Unity Stamp Company Panda bundle pack- well 2 of the pack for this card. I stamped them both with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink on typing paper. The card base is Recollections White 4" x 5.5" Value Pack Cards and Envelopes. The background paper reminds me of bamboo and is from Basic Grey Saturday Morning 6" x 6 " paper pad. I colored in the panda's eyes, bird, and the bird's beak with NPW 50/50 Two Tones Colored Pencils. You can barely tell the beak is yellow because of the ink, but it is faintly colored in. The silver washi tape strip is from Recollections Craft It washi tape. The twine on the spine of the card is Watermelon Sorbet from Timeless Twine, but the shop is closed, but I think Annie's Paper Boutique Pink Limeade is very similar to it. Now for the inside.

I used Gina K Designs My Anchor- well at least one stamp from the set- for the sentiment inside. I stamped it with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink as well. I won a 50% off gift certificate when I attended Stamp and Scrapbook Expo at Mesa, AZ this past September. This is the first stamp I have used of the set, shocking I know, I usually have new stamps inked up and used by now. I'm saving this set for the right moment to make cards or layouts with it. If you ever get to go to a Stamp and Scrapbook Expo, go! I learned a lot and met a lot of new friends plus you win prizes depending on the workshops you take. I got to see the Grand Canyon the day afterwards and can't wait to go back to Arizona!

 I'm the last stop on the hop so I hope you enjoyed the hop!

Here's our line up in case you get lost along the way.
Connie- http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com
Kim- http://katydidcards.com
Holli- http://sunflowerholli.blogspot.com
Angela- mermaidsnmonograms.blogspot.com
Rebecca- http://rebeccaanndesigns.com/
Sue- http://suek86401.blogspot.com/
Veronica- http://vickyscrappingpassion.blogspot.com
Ashley- http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com/
Alicia- http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/
Miranda- http://www.nanasscrapspot.com
Shannon H- http://shannonhdesigns.blogspot.com/
Amanda- https://salnclts76.blogspot.com/



Don't forget to join our current challenge
Connie Can Crop Challenge #64
Color Challenge
due 11:59 P.M. Thursday, November 30th, 2017
Pacific Time

GIU Day 5 Become the Woman You Dream of Being

Welcome back to Day 5 of my GIU week. I have enjoyed all the comments on my blog this week and will be choosing 2 winners tomorrow. Now on to my project.

I decided to use this stamp set- Dream of Being by Angie Blom from Unity Stamp Company for this page in my SMASH book that my friend, Laura, made for me for our Arizona trip this past September. The picture is of me standing at the overlook at Grand Canyon just before we went on the trail down the canyon. She added the colored pencils/Joy stickers and the papers. I decided to leave the green paper area blank in case I decide to write something there one day. I stamped all 3 images on typing paper with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. I colored in the woman image with American Crafts colored pencils and NPW 50/50  Two Tones colored pencils.

Please feel free to join me later tonight in A Day of Thanks Blog Hop. I used another Unity stamp set on that project. Thanks again for stopping by!

GIU Day 4 Too Beautiful For Earth

Welcome back to Day 4 of GIU! Thank you all for the comments this week.

I used Too Beautiful for Earth by Phyllis Harris stamp set on this card and stamped all 4 images on typing paper with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink. The card base is Recollections 4" x 5.5" White Value Pack. The yellow background paper is from Basic Grey Saturday Morning 6" x 6" pad. I don't usually use yellow paper since it's not a color I like, but I thought it fits with this stamp set. I used NPW Two Tones 50/50 Colored Pencils to color in the angel image. The gold trim/washi tape at the bottom is from a recent Halloween swap. I'm actually thinking about sending this card to First Baptist Church in Sutherland, TX after all those children and parents were killed this past Sunday. This world is becoming worse and worse. The more I look at the front of this card and the verse stamped inside it looks appropriate for them. If anyone would like to mail a card to them here is the address: First Baptist Church

P.O. Box 115

Sutherland Springs, TX 78161.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back tomorrow to see what I have in store for my last GIU post for this week and possibly the year. I've enjoyed this week! I'm actually participating in a blog hop tomorrow night- A Day of Thanks Blog Hop. Be sure to come back for both posts and hop along. I used a Unity stamp on my card for that hop, too! ;)

GIU Day 3 The Wild Adventures of An Authentic Woman

Welcome back to Day 3 of Growing In Unity with Unity Stamp Company!

I'm sharing a layout of some pictures of me at the Grand Canyon this past September. I believe you may see the top right picture with my bio on Growing In Unity today. Anyway, back to my layout. I used patterned paper from Craft Smith Watercolor 12" x 12" Paper Pad for the background. The Unity stamp set I used is A Girl & Her Adventures. I used The Wild Adventures of An Authentic Woman and the camera stamps from the set. I stamped the title stamp with Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink and Versa Fine Onyx Black ink on the camera stamp. Versa Fine brings out fine details in stamps. I stamped the camera on a piece of Basic Grey Saturday Morning 6" x 6" paper. All 3 pictures of me are taken at Grand Canyon. The 2 with me in a sweater were taken at the lookout view and then with my sweater off is right before the trail on the South Rim of the canyon. It was cool that morning at sunrise and warmed up a little by the time we walked on the trail. Grand Canyon is beautiful and I can't wait to go back again one day!

Please come back tomorrow to see what I have to share. As always, leave me a comment and become a follower if you aren't already. Have a great day!

GIU Day 2 Hello Love

Welcome back to Day 2 of Growing in Unity with Unity Stamp Company!

I'm sharing a card today. The card base is Recollections 4" x 5.5" White. I added a piece of Basic Grey Saturday Morning 6" x 6" Paper that I trimmed to fit the front of the card. The Unity stamp set I chose for this card is Hello Love. I stamped all 3 stamps with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink on typing paper. I used NPW Two-Two Colored Pencils again and maybe a few American Crafts Colored Pencils. The ribbon is Offray from a swap and I just wrapped it around the card and tied it in a loose bow.

      This is a close-up of the inside.

              Please make sure to come back tomorrow to see what I have to share.

 As always, please leave me a comment and become a follower

if you aren't already. Have a great day!

GIU Day 1 All Because Two People Fell in Love

I'm the Growing in Unity Gal for this week with Unity Stamp Company and will be sharing a different project with you each day here on my blog. I will pick 2 winners on Friday that will have a chance to win some stamps from Unity. 

Here's my project for today:

I'm making a wedding scrapbook album for my sister and her husband. This is one of the pages I'm including in the album. First off the album is 8.5" x 11" so if I use 12" x 12" scrapbook paper I'm having to cut it down. This was 12" x 12" paper and I cut it down to 8.5" x 11". The patterned paper is from Craft Smith Love Story 12" x 12" Paper Pad. The photo mats are from DCWV Gilded Paper 12" x 12" Stack. The Unity stamp collection I used is Cherished Moments. I decided to mat the stamped images as well as the photo since I stamped the images on typing paper with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink and if I didn't you would see through the paper and not see the image/sentiments as well. I used NPW 50/50 Two-Tone Colored Pencils and a Gelly Roll Silver Metallic Pen to highlight the accents on the bride's dress and veil/crown. As you can tell in the picture of my sister- bride and brother-in-law- groom, the wedding had a beach theme. This was their table and I wish I could include the decorations on the other side of the table, but it's in another picture. I thought this stamp set fit well with this picture and the paper.

 That's all I have today, please leave me a comment and if you're not a follower I would love for you to become a follower. I always welcome new followers! Please make sure you come back tomorrow to see what I will be sharing. I plan to make this a fun week! :) Thanks for stopping by!