I am very blessed to have many talented crafty friends and I am always excited to receive happy mail from each of them.   I hang these cards on a display wall as you walk into my craft room and they bring me great joy as I enter and leave the space.  These cards are a constant reminder of the lifelong friendships that I have made, and how I have inspired others by teaching and sharing my passion.

Today I would like to share with you two ah-mazing Halloween cards created by my friend, Margaret.  I hope she doesn't mind that I am sharing these cards with you, but I know that you will be WOW'ed with her creativity and impressed with her attention to the smallest detail.  

This first card was last year's Halloween card made by Margaret.  Once you open the Velcro gate you see this beautiful alcohol ink background that is covered by spooky trees and an awesome moon.  She used the images from the Witch Way is the Candy" stamp set and dies from My Favorite Things to embellish the card.  

This year's Halloween card from Margaret features products from Honey Bee Stamps.  She used the House Builder Card Base to create the card and then decorated it with stamps and dies from the Haunted House Add-On.  The house is made extra spooky with lots of distress inks and vellum ghosts!

I deeply admire Margaret's attention to detail and the time and patience she devotes to her cards.  She inspires me to slow-down and appreciate that the art is in the making, NOT in the completing.

Please leave Margaret some love in the comments below.  Thank you!

Hello crafty friends and readers!  Today I am sharing these two cards featuring vivid alcohol ink backgrounds and adorable snowmen over on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog.  Creating alcohol ink pieces of art to use on cards has such a WOW effect.  While I love the look of Distress Oxide inks, I still don't feel entirely comfortable using them, so when I want to create eye-catching backgrounds, Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks are my go-to.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of White Yupo paper on which to create my background.  I dropped a couple drops each of Aqua, Pool and Patina inks onto the Yupo paper and blew the ink around with a straw until I achieved a desired look.  No, there is no rhyme or reason to my madness when creating with alcohol! Just keep at it until you have a look that YOU are happy with!  I let this ink dry before splattering some white acrylic paint over the background to resemble snow.  Then I cut two Lawn Fawn Birch Trees from white cardstock.  I handcut a snowbank out of white cardstock for the bottom of the card and adhered a layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter over the top of the snowbank.  I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies. I colored in the images with Copic markers and adhered them to the card with foam adhesive to create a little scene.  Lastly I die cut the "let it snow" sentiment from the Lawn Fawn Big Scripty Words Lawn Cuts in turquoise cardstock and glitter cardstock, layering the two together for a shadowed effect, before adhering these to the bottom of the card with foam adhesive.

Here is the Snow Buddies stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps that I used to create these cards:

Now for the second card:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of White Yupo paper on which to create my background.  I dropped dropped three colored alcohol inks (salmon, raspberry and villainous) on the right side of the paper and "swiped left!" ; )  Haha, did anyone catch that?!  I let this ink dry before splattering some white acrylic paint over the background to resemble snow.  Then I cut three Lawn Fawn Birch Trees from white cardstock.  I handcut a snowbank out of white cardstock for the bottom of the card and adhered a layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter over the top of the snowbank.  I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies. I colored in the images with Copic markers and adhered them to the card to create a little scene. 

I hope you have enjoyed these whimsical snowmen surrounded by an alcohol inked winter wonderland.  Thanks for visiting and happy creating!

Hello friends and happy December!  Today I am sharing this card on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog, but before I get to my card, I wanted to share with you all that I got to visit the Butterfly Reflections, Ink store last weekend when I was nearby traveling for Thanksgiving.  Not only did I get to check out the awesome store, but I got to meet Vanessa in person, and on her birthday!  I was amazed by the amount of inventory in the store and the space is so well organized and clean.  I didn't even get to see nearly everything I wanted and I was there for almost two hours!  I can't wait to go back again (without my husband)!  If you are ever in the Kingston, New Hampshire (or greater Portsmouth/Manchester area) you must stop by,
it's really worth the visit.

Now for today's card. . . I used a stamp set that I purchased when I was at the store last week, although it has been on my list since it was released.  This set is called "Cocoa Stand" by Avery Elle.  I did also combine it with the "Snow Buddies" stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps to create an even larger scene.  Turquoise, red and brown are one of my favorite Christmas color combinations.  It's very fresh and modern feeling.

For the base of this slimline card, I cut a piece of turquoise cardstock measuring 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" long. I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock to ink blend the background.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink in Peacock Feathers and covered the cardstock with the ink before adhering this distressed background to the card base.  I cut a 8 1/4" x 1 1/4" piece of white cardstock and created a snowbank along the bottom edge of the cards to ground all of my images.  Along this border, I added Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter for added sparkle.  I stamped all of the images from the Cocoa Stand stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them with Copic markers.  I then used the coordinating Cocoa Stand Elle-ment dies to cut all the images. also stamped all of the images from the Honey Bee Stamps Snow Buddies stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and colored these images with Copic markers.  I also die cut these using the Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies.  Then I began to form a scene just by placing the different images onto the card to where I was happy with the layout.  I adhered most of the images to the card with foam adhesive.  Lastly, I used a white gel pen and added little dots all over the card to resemble snow. 

I hope you have enjoyed today's card.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hola, mis amigos!  Today we're taking a break from the fall themed cards, just so I can try to appease the readers who maybe aren't yet ready to embrace the fall season.  I'm all about keeping everyone happy, which is virtually impossible I know, yet still I try!  : )  The next few weeks and months will be a creative blend of fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and, (dare I say?) Christmas, with lots of randomness in between.  I like the simplicity of today's card, but I'm bummed that I used the best sentiment on the inside of the card and failed to take a picture of it!  So, just pretend you're the recipient of this card and when you open it, you read "Another birthday?  No probllama!"  And then we laugh and laugh!  LOL.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut the first layer from Old Olive cardstock.  Next I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" sheet of white cardstock and adhered it directly to the Old Olive scalloped cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment at the top of the card in Tuxedo Memento Black ink.  I stamped the llama, cactus, sombrero and blanket on a separate sheet of white cardstock in Tuxedo Memento Black ink and colored the images with Spectrum Noir markers.  I die cut the images using the coordinating Honey Bee diecuts and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the cactus, blanket and sombrero for some subtle sparkle. 

Here is the No Probllama stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps that I used to create today's card:

Adios amigos!  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello!  Today I am sharing a beautiful floral card featuring a monochromatic color palette.  Purple is a color that has grown on me through the years and is still not one I use frequently, but, I love how this card turned out and I think it will inspire me to create with purples more often.   This is also one of those cards that I say will look good in every color!  Keep reading to learn how I made this card and the products I used.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  Using the Honey Bee Stamps Watercolor Lines Cover Plate die, I cut the first layer from Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  Underneath the frame I used a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper.  On a separate sheet of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock, I stamped the color layering iris bulbs in Sweet Sugarplum (retired), Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather inks.  I stamped the color layering leaves in Old Olive and Garden Green ink.  Using the coordinating dies, I die cut both the flowers and leaves.  I adhered the flowers to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added height.  Lastly I stamped the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink on a sheet of white cardstock and die cut it using an oval framelit. 

Here is the Color Layering Iris set from Hero Arts that I used to create this card:

I hope you have enjoyed today's card.  Thanks for visiting!

Hello readers and Happy Wednesday!  Today I'm sharing the first two cards I created using the July Bee Yourself card kit from Simon Says Stamp.  I have really enjoying receiving these card kits once per month, because I feel like it's forcing me to use them, instead of just letting the cute oversized boxes pile up in my craft room!  Don't get me wrong, the boxes (albeit, empty) are still piling up in my craft room because I re-use them for storing other kits!  Unfortunately, this particular kit is now currently sold out, but if you love it, keep checking the SSS website, because it should be restocked after the initial rush.  Yup, we stampers sure are crazy buying things up overnight as though there will ever be a stamp drought in the foreseeable future!

Let's take a closer look at the Bee Yourself card kit:

This kit includes a wide variety of hand selected coordinating supplies, enough to keep you creating for hours! Included in the box is an inspiration sheet with 6 ideas using the kit. You'll also receive inspiration via email newsletter with even more project ideas and video links using the kit. 

Included in this kit:
Simon Says Stamp Bee Yourself 6 x 8 clear stamp set
Honey Bee The Bee's Knees exclusive 6 x 6 paper pad
Simon Says Stamp custom foilable cards
Rainbow Shattered Glass 5 Foil Transfer Sheets
Simon Says Stamp White envelope
Simon Says Stamp Small Hexagon Cluster wafer thin die
Black and Yellow custom sequin pack
Simon Says Stamp Sunshine cardstock
Simon Says Stamp White 120# cardstock
Simon Says Stamp Black cardstock
Simon Says Stamp Seaglass cardstock
1 new Glue Sponge

$34.99/kit

Here is a video created by Simon Says Stamp showcasing the July Bee Yourself card kit:

Here are the first two cards I created using this kit:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I adhered a piece of the yellow hexagon paper directly to the card base.  I stamped two of the bee hive trails on this paper using Early Espresso ink.  I created a honeycomb shaker component using the Stitched Hexagon Dies from Gina Marie Designs.  I stamped "Just Because" on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock in Early Espresso ink to place behind the shaker frame.  I stamped the bees on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them using Spectrum Noir alcohol ink markers.  I added some highlights to my coloring with the Sigma Uniball white gel pen.  I added Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter to the bee's wings using a Sakura Quickie glue pen.  I adhered the bees to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

The second A2 card is made from Basic Black cardstock.  I adhered the patterned hexagon paper directly to the card base.  I stamped the sentiment in the lower right corner using Early Espresso ink.  I stamped the bee trails also in Early Espresso ink. I stamped the beehive in Tuxedo Memento Black ink on one of the patterned pieces of paper included in the kit.  The beehive is from HoneyBee Stamps  - called Bee Hive.  It has a coordinating die too. I stamped the bees in Tuxedo Memento Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them with Spectrum Noir alcohol ink markers.  I added extra details to the coloring using a Uniball White Gel pen.  I added Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter to the bee's wings.  Lastly, I adhered the bees to the card front using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

I hope you have enjoyed today's cards.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello friends and happy Monday!  Welcome back from the weekend!  I hope all you mother's out there spent a day being celebrated, thanked and cherished for the special women that you are.  My mom is my best friend and I am so grateful for her every single day. 

On Friday I mentioned that I was going to take a break from painting over the weekend and spend it in my craft room, but, unfortunately that didn't happen.  You see, I only had one bedroom left to paint and I just wanted to be done with this whole $#@#$*& project, so, instead of spending the weekend crafting as I had hoped, I painted.  And primed.  And taped.  And cleaned.  And then, I finally put my house back together again.  But, I am happy to say that that project is finally done!  In four weeks and one day I have painted our entire house - bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms, stairwells, hallways, baseboards and ceilings!  I N-E-V-E-R want to see a paintbrush again!  While I am utterly exhausted, I couldn't feel more proud and accomplished for completing this massive project.  I am also beyond ready to return to a "normal routine" where my evenings are spent in my craft room and NOT at Home Depot! 

Today's card will be the last of my "I made this month's ago" cards because I hope to be back in my craft room  very soon sharing fresh new ideas and products with you.  I have recently purchased some of the latest spring release stamp sets from Altenew and I can't wait to try them! 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Rectangle Nesting dies, I cut the first layer from Blueberry Bushel cardstock.  I cut a 5 " x 3 3/4" piece of Kirkland Signature Glossy Photo paper to create the alcohol ink background on.  *Note  - to say yourself some money, purchase a ream of this glossy paper (found on Amazon!) in lieu of the uber expensive Yupo polysynthetic paper.  I promise you will see the same results!  Using the Tim Holtz ink blower and isopropyl rubbing alcohol, I created the background using Ranger Alcohol Ink in Celestial and Patina.  I die cut the outline of the "thinking of you" in Blueberry Bushel cardstock and the words in white cardstock.  I heat embossed the "sharing in your sorrow" sentiment in white embossing powder on Blueberry Bushel cardstock and added it to the middle of the sentiment using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I placed some clear rhinestones randomly on the card for added sparkle.

*For more information on creating alcohol ink backgrounds, please refer to YouTube, specifically any of the amazing videos produced by Jennifer McGuire. 

For more details on creating beautiful backgrounds with alcohol inks, please check out the abundant videos on YouTube, specifically any of those created by the amazing Jennifer McGuire!

Here are the layering "Thinking of You" dies from Honey Bee stamps that I used to create this card:

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!