Anyone that knows me knows that I am a cat person.  However, with that being said, I know not everyone is so cat crazy and prefers. . . Ugh. . Dogs.  Just kidding!  I love those crazy energetic, drooling, barking, fire hydrant peeing creatures too (when they are at YOUR house)!  Unfortunately, no matter what side of the pet fence you are on, we are all bound to love and lose our dear four legged friends one day.  The new Puppy Paws dies and the Paws and Bones border dies from Whimsy Stamps will allow me to send my sympathies to those mourning the loss of their sweet pooches, since we all know I've got enough cat themed stamps to be considered a crazy cat lady! 

*A full list of supplies (including clickable links) is located at the end of this post. 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardtsock.  I used a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of kraft patterned paper to mat the card with.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut a piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment in the lower right corner using brown ink.  I made a shaker frame from the Puppy Paws die, out of brown cardstock.  I lined the frame with an acrylic sheet.  I used the Paws and Bones border die to cut a whole bunch of bones out of white cardstock to put inside the shaker.  Lastly, I punched a small heart out of red cardstock to adhere on the outside of the paw.  

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut a sheet of black cardstock to line the card base with.  Using the Puppy Paws and Bones border die, I cut multiple lines of bones from a piece of white cardstock.  I then lined the back of each row of bones with red, orange, yellow, green and blue cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment at the bottom using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I tied a black ribbon around the card before adhering the entire card to the card base.  I cut the paw from white and black cardstock using the Puppy Paws dies.  I adhered the paw to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  

The new Puppy Paws dies could actually be used for cat (or a variety of another animals as well), so please don't let the name "Puppy Paws" limit your creativity!  I think bear paws will be up next!

​Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

I have been sharing a lot of this beautiful Sunflower background stamp by Whimsy Stamps lately, but I promise today's sympathy card is the last of my creations for a while.  I think I have even exhausted myself of it's beauty!  Today's card also incorporates the beautiful new Fabulous Florals paper pack which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine for all things floral this spring. 

*A full supply list is located at the end of this post. 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut the frame from Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock and stamped the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink.  I put a 2" x 5" piece of purple floral paper from the Fabulous Florals paper pack just below the sentiment and tied a piece of thin purple ribbon before adhering it to the card.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the large Sunflower background stamp in Gorgeous Grape ink.  I fussy cut the sunflower out and adhere it to the card, trimming off a portion of the left side.  Lastly, I added a couple randomly placed purple rhinestones to the card for added sparkle.  

I hope you have enjoyed today's card.  Thank you for visiting and happy crafting!

Hello friends and happy Friday!  I hope you are looking forward to the weekend ahead.  Forward to what exactly, I'm not sure?!  Forward to being home?  Forward to yet another Netflix movie?  Forward to a change of pajamas!?  Today starts my next shift week "off" from work, so if you're not happy, I'm happy enough for all of us!  

Continuing on with the theme of sunflowers, today I have two more ways to use this beautiful large Sunflower Background stamp from Whimsy Stamps.  If you missed yesterday's post, please click here to see that rainbow card.  Or, last month's post when I created vibrant alcohol ink backgrounds and vellum sunflowers, pleaseclick here.  There are just so many ways you can use this beautiful stamp. 

*A full supply list is located at the end of this post. 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White cardstock. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting rectangle dies, I cut a piece of bluecardstock. On top of the scalloped frame, I mounted a pre-made piece of an alcohol ink background in blues and greens.  Using Versamark ink, I stamped the sentiment (from the "So Deeply Sorry" stamp set by Whimsy Stamps) in the lower left corner and heat embossed it with silver embossing powder.   I stamped the large sunflower on a piece of Neenah Solar White cardstock in blue ink and then fussy cut the sunflower out.  I adhered the sunflower to the card (cutting off a portion of the right side) using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I die cut two leaves from a blue glitter cardstock and adhered them to the card for added sparkle. 

Here is the second card I created for today still using the Sunflower Background stamp:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar Crest cardstock.  I used a pre-made alcohol ink background for the base of this card in yellows, oranges and golds.  I stamped the large sunflower in amber ink on a separate piece of white cardstock and fussy cut the entire sunflower out.  I adhered the sunflower to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  I die cut two leaves from gold glitter paper and adhered those to each corner for added sparkle.  Lastly, on a thin strip of white cardstock, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.  I notched both ends before adhering it over the lower portion of the sunflower. 

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!

Hello readers and happy Wednesday to you! Today I am beginning to share the first of many cards I created during our annual craft retreat on the Cape two weeks ago.  I finally was able to find the time to unpack my bags from vacation, reorganize my craft room, and photograph the 55+ cards I made throughout that week.  Yes, that IS a lot of cards!  But, considering I made many of them in multiples of varying colors, like those I'm sharing here with you today, there actually weren't that many different cards. 

*All A2 cards were made in the same manner, I simply changed out the color combinations.  A full supply list is located at the end of this post. 

The base of each card is made from Whisper White cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut the scalloped piece of cardstock from a bold color.  I lined that bold color with a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock.  In the center of the cardstock, I stamped my sympathy sentiment.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped two of the floral bouquets (one for the top and one for the bottom) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I used the coordinating dies to cut the bouquets out.  I then colored each bouquet with Copic markers.  I adhered the bouquet to the card above and below the sentiment using foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a couple randomly placed clear rhinestones for added sparkle.  ​

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this very colorful assortment of sympathy cards.  Do YOU have a favorite color or one card that really catches your eye? 

​Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello friends and happy Thursday!  It is release week at Whimsy Stamps and today I'm sharing two cards featuring the new Layering Peruvian Lilies stamp set.  I have always particularly loved layering stamp sets because they add such depth and dimension to an image and all you need are a few different colored inks to achieve the desired look.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut the largest rectangle from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using Versafine Clair Purple Delight ink, I stamped the sentiment in the upper right hand corner.  I stamped the first outline layer of the leaves directly onto the white cardstock in Versamark Clair Green Oasis ink.   I stamped the second layer, or the filler, of the leaves in Versafine Spanish Moss ink.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the layering lilies in three inks:  Purple Delight, Charming Pink and Blushing Bride. I then fussy cut each of the lilies by hand. I adhered the handcut lilies over the leaves using foam adhesive for added height and dimension.  Lastly I added a couple of randomly placed pink rhinestones for added sparkle.

I have created a second card to share with you today because I love seeing all the different ways you can use one single stamp set:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I cut the branch frame die from Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink in the upper right corner and heat embossed it using white embossing powder.  Again, on a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the layering lilies in the same ink colors used previously.  I also stamped the leaves on a separate sheet of white cardstock.  I fussy cut both the leaves and the lilies and adhered them to the card using foam adhesive. I added a few randomly placed clear rhinestones for added sparkle.

Here is the Layered Peruvian Lilies stamp set:

Thanks for visiting and happy creating!

I don't know if I'm more excited to share today's card with you because it's a beautiful new stamp set that I'm loving, or because of the surprisingly beautiful color combination!  You might recall that last Friday I shared this Fall Foliage wreath card with you that was inspired by Davina's September Mood Board.  I was very skeptical about the crushed curry, blush pink, mint and teal colors, but pleasantly surprised with the end result!  So much so, in fact that I wanted to create another card using these same colors.

Here is the Butterfly Reflections, Ink Mood Board that inspired me:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut the largest die from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I heat embossed the sentiment in gold embossing powder on the lower left corner of this white cardstock.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the butterflies twice in Versamark ink and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.  I colored in the butterflies using my Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink markers and then die cut them using the coordinating Confetti Cuts dies.  Lastly, I added the butterflies to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. 

Here is the Butterfly Blossoms stamp set and coordinating Confetti Cuts dies from Reverse Confetti (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink):

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

Hi friends and happy Fri-YAY!  I hope you have fun (and cool) plans for the weekend ahead considering it will be 10,000 degrees outside here in Massachusetts!  Okay, maybe I added two extra zero's on that temperature, but you get it, it's gonna be H-O-T hot!  I have a craft room with central air calling my name! 
Yesterday I shared with you how to create a beach scene with two different color layering stamp sets from Hero Arts.  Today we are going to focus on just those beautiful color layering clouds from the Color Layering Sea and Sky stamp set that I used to create a sympathy card.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Basic Gray cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitches Nesting Rectangles, I cut the largest rectangle from Balmy Blue cardstock.  I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Neenah Solar White cardstock and stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray ink.  I stamped the raindrops in Balmy Blue ink using the Sunny Studio Stamp called rain showers.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the layering clouds in Balmy Blue ink and Basic Gray ink.  I die cut the clouds and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the clouds for added sparkle.

Here is the Color Layering Sea and Sky stamp set and coordinating dies from Hero Arts that I used for today's cards:

Here is the second card I created using the color layering clouds:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  On a 5 " x 3 3/4" sheet of Basic Black cardstock. I stamped the sentiment and burst of stars in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.  I mounted this stamped image onto a piece of Goil Foil paper before adhering it to the card front.  On a separate sheet of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock, I stamped the layering clouds in both Smoky Slate ink and Basic Gray ink.  I die cut the clouds and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the clouds for added sparkle. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing different ways to use this stamp set, both to create a serene beach scene and a peaceful sympathy card.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

If you were to ask me what was the most profound card or paper creation I have ever designed was, I would tell you without a doubt, my wedding invitations.  Yes, I handmade my OWN wedding invitations.  All 150 of them.  Plus, all the save the date cards, RSVP cards, table seating cards, etc.  It was no easy task considering I was the bride, but it made the momentous occasion even more special to me. 

Today I am sharing another very special card I designed to thank friends and family for the support we received following the recent passing of my mother-in-law.  Honestly, I had debated about ordering funeral acknowledgement cards versus creating them myself because I was feeling significantly overwhelmed with
the idea of having to make so many cards.  And, would I be able to finish without flooding my paper in monsoons of tears?  But, in the end, I am so pleased that I spent the time creating these cards because I
added something to them that no commercial printer could ever reproduce 
- and that is love.

I drafted the wording of these cards on a simple Microsoft Word document.  I printed them on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and cut the stitched rectangle using the Gina Marie Designs Stitched Rectangle die.  I heat embossed the cherry blossoms in gold embossing powder and then ran the entire sheet of cardstock through my Big Shot using the Stampin' UP! Subtle texturized embossing folder to give the cardstock a slightly textured look.  I die cut the mat from Berry Burst cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using the Gina Marie Designs Stitched Scalloped Rectangle dies. 

Barbara's favorite color was pink and this raspberry pink color (Stampin' UP's! Berry Burst) reminds me of one of the velour track suits she loved to wear so often.

This close-up photo details the gold embossing on the cherry blossoms:

Thanks for visiting and sharing in this very sentimental creation with me today.

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!