A Rose is a Rose

A Rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. Hello friends, I love roses, any style and any color. I love to grow them in my garden, and share their beauty with family and friends.  When I saw this stamp in the Classy Cards 'n Such Online Store , I knew I had to purchase it for using on tags and cards.

It is being featured today on the Classy Cards 'n Such Blog. If you would like to see the step-by-step instructions, click on the link above and check it out!

I also wanted to draw your attention to all of the New Items in the Classy Cards Online store, and to remind you of the 10% discount you can receive every time you shop there.  By typing the code: MINDY-10 in the coupon box, you can get the discount on each and every purchase.

Thanks for stopping by, see you again soon.
Mindy

Sweet Memories

The scent of Sweet Memories . . . Lavender and Rose. Greetings, friends, Mindy here to share with you a card that reminds me of days gone by.  Our challenge this week at Classy Cards 'n Such- # 45 - 1, 2, 3.
My 1,2,and 3 are = one stamp, two layers, and three die-cuts used. I hope you will be inspired to create with me!

To follow along with the step-by-step instructions for this card,  check out the Classy Cards post on Blogger or Facebook.

Like the Jackson 5 used to sing, A-B-C, as easy as 1-2-3, so is this card!  I hope you enjoy making one and submitting it to our challenge. We would love to see your work!

Summer in the Park

Summer in the Park, is what I have titled this scenic view entered in the weekly challenge at the Classy Cards 'N Such Challenge #33- Scenic View. I have used another of the "Try" Folds series from Art Impressions Stamps as the base stamp for this card.  "Garden" set contains the park bench and trees image, along with the light post with hanging basket, planter and single bunny stamp.  Although, Beverly, at the Classy Cards 'N Such Online Store does not carry this one set, she does carry others to choose from, and would probably order this one for you if you asked nicely.

I started this card on a white X-press Blending card, suitable for Copic coloring, by stamping the garden bench stamp with trees and flower pot at the top center of the card in tuxedo black Memento ink. Then as per the instructions enclosed with the stamps, stamped the light post cluster at the left edge of the card near the bottom.  To fill in between the two images, I freehand drew more rocks for the path, along with stamping the other bunnies and ducks on a pond, along with more grass, leaves, and lastly added a cattails stamp at the bottom to finish the design. I then attached it to an A2 card base, and applied a little glitz from my Wink of Stella Glitter pens on several of the images.

The stamps I used for this scene are:

Art Impressions:  Garden "Try" Fold set, park bench, trees, flower pot, light post, single bunny with 2 flower pots.

Art Impressions: "Try" Folds Add-Ons- "Furries-2 bunnies, "Feathers"- ducks on pond.

Hero Arts: Delicate Leaves stamp

Stampscapes: small Cattails stamp

Memorial Day weekend is just about upon us, so along with your long weekend, remember the Veterans and Military personnel that gave their lives and work daily to preserve our safety and freedom.  Thank a soldier, and have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

Lilac Festival

Happy Monday Friends! My card today is another one of the Art Impressions 'Try'folds stamp sets, "Gazebo". This stamp set is currently available from the Classy Cards 'N Such online store.

You start out by cutting a piece of card stock 51/2" X 11" and scoring it in thirds.  On the center panel you stamp the Gazebo section. You then turn the card over and stamp the Archway with table on one side, next to the fold line, and on the other side stamp the Sign, gifts, and hat box next to the fold line.  Then using your favorite coloring agent (I used my Copics) color in the designs with the suggested colors or some of your own choice.  I colored mine today in various shades of purple and lilac.  When you complete the coloring you then fussy cut around the images on each side, from the outside edge of the card towards the folds. When you reach the fold, turn your scissors and cut straight up along the fold to the top of the card.  You can then fold the side flaps in to make your "tri-fold" card. I then mounted mine onto a 41/4" X 51/2"  A2 size piece of Stardream Punch Metallic card stock, just to give it a little more strength on the backing.

I am entering this card in the Classy Cards 'N Such Weekly Challenge #32- Lilac Festival.

To add a little more sparkle to this beautiful card, I highlighted some of the elements with my clear Wink of Stella glitter pen. Purple is one of my favorite colors, so don't be surprised if you see more cards with this color scheme during the week.

Bake Mom a Cake!

Mother's Day is coming this Sunday, May 11, 2014. You still have time to make your Mother a card, and when paired with some flowers or a gift bag of crafty items you can be sure Mom will have a happy day! I stamped and colored this wonderful Cupcake decorated cake, and to me it looks "good enough to eat!"

I stamped this wonderful rubber stamp from Impression Obsession called "Cupcakes".  It is available in the Classy Cards 'N Such online store along with other media to color in the details of this stamp. I stamped my image with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and colored it in with various alcohol based markers, such as Copic's, Spectrum Noir, or Touch markers from ShinHanArt.  The sentiment used is from the "Parentville" clear set from Winnie& Walter, llc. After coloring, I mounted the image on a red A2 card front and edged around the card with a red Copic marker and bright pink Wink of Stella glitter pen.

I am entering this card in the Classy Cards 'N Such Weekly Challenge # 31, Mother's Day.  Be sure to check out all of the wonderful ideas by other stampers and the talented design team at Classy Cards.

See you again soon.

Celebrate Fiesta !

Celebrate Fiesta, San Antonio!  Our city wide celebration is drawing to climax, with the two BIG parades, The Battle of Flowers Day parade on Friday, and the Fiesta Flambeau night parade on Saturday!

Today's card "Celebrate" with the Chili Ristra strand stamp from Deadbeat Designs reminds me so of Fiesta days gone by.  Since the Chili Queens of Texas had so much to do with the original celebration years ago, I thought it would be symbolic to use this stamp to show the "HOT times in the BIG city!"  I stamped the chili pepper strand on Xpress Blending stock and on white card stock and colored both with my Copic markers.

I cut out the peppers from one set and used foam tape to pop up the peppers on the card front.  I then stamped the "Celebrate" from a Hot Off the Press Birthday Sentiment set and added "Yipee" and the background "Moon and Stars" from two other stamp sets, to complete the background.  Using my Wink of  Stella dark blue glitter marker, I then touched the letters and some of the moons to give it a spot of bling. I also inked the edges of the card stock with chestnut roan chalk ink before attaching it to the card front with double-sided tape.

Enjoy the weekend, Saturday is just around the bend.

My Price is. . . Chocolate!

Happy Tuesday one and All!  Today's card celebrates my favorite . . . . . CHOCOLATE!

Of course, this stamp came out at Valentine's Day, but in my opinion, chocolate can be celebrated everyday!

The stamp is the "Love Chocolate Set" from Art Impressions. I stamped it on the blending card stock especially made for Copic markers with tuxedo black Memento ink. After coloring in the image with my Copic markers, I fussy cut around the image with a small white border around it.  I then cut the  image,"Turkish Lace Doily" from Cheery Lynn Designs from magenta colored card stock. I cut it in half, and adhered half to the front and half inside the card. I also took two pieces of the fall-out and attached them to opposite corners. Using my Posca paint pen in brown, I doodled a dot border around the card, and then stamped the saying from AMuse Artstamps on the side. My Wink of Stella Brush pen in dark pink highlighted the saying and the lady's earrings.

I am entering this in the Classy Cards N' Such Weekly Challenge , Die-Cuts.  The Lace doily is one of the many Cheery Lynn Design Die Cuts sold in the Classy Cards "N Such store . Plus, there is a coupon available on the web site for a discount on the Cheery Lynn Dies.

Thanks for joining me today, and enjoy a little chocolate, too!

Gifts For You!

Greetings one and all! Welcome to another wonderful week of cards and projects from my studio.

Today's card is a new stamp I just received from Classy Cards 'N Such; an Impression Obsession cling stamp called Flower Gift Boxes. I fell in love with this stamp, and knew I had to order it.

I had so many decisions to make before stamping it, what media I wanted to use to color it, and then what type of paper to stamp it on.  I decided to used my Inktense Watercolor pencils from Derwent and so I stamped it on watercolor paper with Ranger Archival Jet Black waterproof ink.

I then started coloring in the image, and used a water brush to blend the various colors.  When dry, I fussy cut around the image, leaving a thin white border. This helps the image POP from the background.  I used a very pale aqua print music paper for the background, and used foam tape to attached the stack of boxes. Using my Winnie & Walter, The Big, The Bold, and You clear stamp set, I stamped the large word "You" and the smaller word "for" in Danube Blue Memento Ink.  I then punched four hearts with my Fiskars heart punch, and glued one to each corner and highlighting them with the clear Wink of Stella glitter pen.

With no specific gift giving holiday stamped on the front, it can be used any time a gift is given. For a birthday, anniversary, get-well, or "just because"!  I hope you will all have a wonderful week, filled with many happy, crafty days. See you again soon.

Mindy  

Hang in There!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends. It is feeling so much like spring here in Texas, I am just so enjoying making these beautiful  "springy" cards.  The challenge this week at the Classy Cards 'N Such blog, is all about Flutterbys-butterflies and birds. This butterfly card fits the bill, and showcases some of the wonderful products available at the Classy Cards online store.

I started this card with a sheet of Stardream Rose Quartz metallic paper, cut in half to form two A2 size card bases. I then used one of the Darice Stripe Background embossing folders and my Cuttlebug machine to emboss the front of the A2 card. With the fold of the card on the left side, I highlighted the left and right of the card base with Dark Bark chalk ink from Prima.

I then stamped the Coneflower cling stamp from Impression Obsession on some Neehnah white card stock and colored it in with my copic markers. I then trimmed around the image leaving a very small white border, and used 3-D Zot Dots to adhere it to the front of the card.  I cut one of the Ecstasy Crafts Sm. Faerie Queen Butterflies from some Stardream Fuse Azalea metallic paper and backed it with a sheet of Heavyweight Velllum. When the glue was dry I trimmed around the die-cut with my scissors, and highlighted several of the openings with my Wink of Stella Brush Pens with Clear & Gold glitter.

To finish off the card front, I stamped a sentiment from My Craft Spot's "Feeling Better Soon" clear set on a banner tag, and tied it to the front of the card with Maya Road Twine Cording in the Sweet Candy color.

The following products used, are from the Classy Cards "N Such Online Store:

Stardream Rose Quartz metallic paper TPC-120:403

Stardream Fuse Azalea metallic paper XP-730177976

Heavyweight Vellum paper TPC-189

Darice Stripe Background Embossing Folder DA-1217-64

Coneflowers cling stamp from Impression Obsession IO-H16010

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and will visit with me again soon.

Mindy

Friend, you are Amazing!

Hello, friends! It is a New week, and Spring is just one day away. I am so happy that the weather has been sunny and warm for the last few days, it makes me want to get outdoors and work in the yard, planting flowers that will draw butterflies and birds into "my space"! But, according to the weatherman this evening, there is more cold weather and rain ahead in the forecast.

The Classy Cards N' Such Challenge of the Week this week is "Flutterbys", and I just love butterflies! I started this card with a piece of printed paper from the Spring Market Collection from Websters Pages, that has small butterflies on it. I cut two larger butterfly dies from Mandarin Curious Metallic and Onyx Stardream Metallic card stock, available in the Classy Cards N' Such Online Store.  I used my Copic markers and Wink of Stella glitter pens to color in various areas of the dies to make them seem more realistic.  I then cut the word "Friend" die from a scrap of the Mandarin Metallic paper and stamped "you are amazing" below it.  I tied a length of twine three times around the card spine before tying a square knot, which finished off the card front. 

The supplies used from the Classy Cards online store were:

WP-WPK-31 Webster Pages Spring Market Collection Combo Pack,

TPC-577 Pluto-Onyx Stardream Metallic,

TPC-772 Mandarin Curious Metallic Card Stock

I hope you enjoy the final days of Winter, it has been such a long, cold, and devastating time, the hot, dry, 100 degree days of drought cannot be far behind.  

Mindy

Mindy, Run Mad . . . .

Here is my namesake, one of the New Julie Nutting Doll stamps from Prima, may I introduce "Mindy". And although I am not as physically proportioned as she, I bonded with her immediately, and felt a connection like no other.

All of the products used on this tag, are New releases. The tag is from the Prima Hancock Park Tag Pad, the large fabric flower from the Prima La Tela Collection, and the tiny sparkly Dazzles flowers from the Tiny Flower Stickers pack from Hot Off the Press.

I colored Mindy's dress and hair with my copic markers, and added sparkle with corresponding Wink of Stella markers. The washi tape was added at the bottom of the tag, with the Dazzles flowers attached in various empty spots on the tag.  I colored the Prima fabric flower with Lindy's Stamp Gang Desert Moon Purple Sage Glitz Spritz before attaching to the tag with Fabri-Tac adhesive. The doll stamped image and framed verse were popped up with foam tape to give dimension, and the sage colored bow was attached with a pop dot.

I love how this doll image has "attitude" and a certain shyness, just like ME! The framed sentiment I used on this tag says, "Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint!" I don't know who Julie had in mind when she named this doll stamp, but I will always "imagine it was me" as long as I live, and will enjoy stamping with her for years to come.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy your time with family and friends.Spring is almost here, and very soon we will be complaining of the heat of Summer.  At least we can dream, can't we?

Texas Independence Day!

Hi Everybody! This weekend we celebrate Texas Independence here in our fair state! I usually don't mail out too many cards for this day, but a friend, Mark Jetton, who owns Deadbeat Designs Stamps celebrates by having an Independence Day card challenge on his blog . Most of the stamps Mark makes are Texas themed stamps, although he does have many others that may be used for multiple occasions

If you are interested in "good, old fashioned, wood mounted, top quality rubber stamps", then check out Mark's web site Deadbeat Designs.and do some serious shopping. 

I submitted two cards to his challenge, but am waiting for his posting of the contest before I describe my cards. You can visit his blog to vote on which cards you like best, beginning this weekend. Using scraps left over from my submissions, I put together this card to send to a friend who used to live here in San Antonio.

I took an A2 size card base and added two strips of brightly colored washi tape to the top. I then popped up the Texas banner from Deadbeat Designs on foam tape and centered it on top of the tape. I then stamped the large "happy" stamp from Winnie & Walter, along with a little handwriting for the sentiment on the front. The Texas shape stamp with the swirl filigree is also from Deadbeat Designs, and it was popped up on foam tape to cover a tiny doily stamping I didn't like after stamping it. To finish off the card, I used my clear Wink of Stella marker to add a bit of twinkle to the images.

Periodically, I enjoy using my "scraps" to make a few cards, thus using up some of my spare stampings and scraps of papers. (they stack up so quickly)  I hope you all have a great week, and visit with me again soon.  

Mindy

Love You!

Greetings, it's Friday! The weekend is here!  Another fun Valentine's Day card filled with hearts, lace, and lacy butterflies. Enjoy!

I began this card with a delightful dimensional background paper. The white areas of the paper are flocked, and very fuzzy. I accented the background paper with a strip of chevron stripe washi tape across the card.  I then got out my Cuttlebug die cut machine and cut out the lace heart die from Paper Artsy- Hot Off the Press from metallic white card stock. Then using the Paper Artsy Butterfly dies, cut out two butterflies and colored them with my pink Wink of Stella Glitter pen. Since the metallic stock has a glossy finish, I brushed on a layer of the glitter, and then dabbed it with a paper towel, giving it a mottled finish.  I used the same technique on the chipboard words from Maya Road. These chipboard letters are porous though, and after the first layer of Wink of Stella marker, I decided to add another layer of color on top of the chipboard. All of the elements were glued down with Ranger Glossy Accents. When adhering the butterflies, I only glued down the bodies of them, that way the wings are loose, and could be curled and crimped to give dimension.  I also added a tiny bow die cut, again colored with the Wink of Stella marker.

I hope you have enjoyed my Valentine's Day cards this year. They will be sent out to my Valentines next week. I love you all, and hope you will send and receive handmade cards this year.

Mindy

Sending You My Love

Happy Hump Day, bloggie friends!  Today, I am "Sending All My Love to You!" (and I am singing at the same time!)  I love that song!  

The card, features another stamp set from My Favorite Things; Pure Innocence "Will You Be Mine?"

I started with an A2 size card, and stamped the Zebra animal print background stamp from Anna Griffin, twice across the top in ColorBox Orchid ink.  I then adhered a half sheet of paper from  Martha Stewart's Valentine paper pad set.  I stamped the girl's image with mailbox on white smooth card stock with Memento black ink, and colored her in with my Copic markers.  The sentiment is also from the same stamp set, and I stamped it on white also, cut around it in a banner shape and highlighted the edges of the banner with the Orchid Colorbox ink. The sentiment banner and image were attached to the card front with foam tape, to give it some depth and dimension.

The remaining sentiment included in this stamp set, "Special Delivery" was stamped inside the card along with the remaining heart stamp. The tiny hearts inside were colored in with the pink Wink of Stella glitter marker.

This is such a cute card, and would be suitable to send to someone far away!  Remember a family member or friend this Valentine's Day, by sending them a handmade Valentine card. You will be so glad you did!  See you again, soon.

I Love You . . . This Much!

There are so many phrases connected to Valentines Day, and this one happens to be one of my favorites.

"I love you, this much" and then a figure with out-stretched arms is well known throughout the states. When I saw this Pure Innocence stamp set, I thought of that phrase, and knew I had to have it. 

I took the red card base and attached a sheet of printed paper to the front of the card.  I then attached a strip of loop braid across the bottom of the card with red line double stick tape. The little girl was stamped on white card stock with black ink, and then her features colored in with my Copic markers. I paper pieced her dress with a scrap of the reverse side of the background paper. (I love double-sided papers!)  The tag was punched from a Magnolia die, and was then accented and colored with Distressed Inks and Wink of Stella glitter pens. The " I love you stamp" was stamped on the tag and then a piece of red ribbon and "XOXO" die cut was added before popping the entire tag on foam tape and adhering to the front of the card. 

The supplies used for this card were as follows:

card stock:  wild cherry, primitive white, and smooth white from My Favorite Things

background paper:  Valentine mat pad by Martha Stewart Crafts

stamps: Pure Innocence "Love is in the Air" from My Favorite Things, and sentiment from clupScrap, Inc.

dies:  Romantic Tag Doohickeys from Magnolia Stamps, and Love Words from MFT

I hope you enjoy making Valentines cards as much as I do. Sending handmade cards to family and friends is one of my favorite things to do, so enjoy creating and sending cards to those YOU love! See you again soon.

Loads of Love

I have a Special Delivery of Hugs for you today from Stampendous and House Mouse Stamps. One of my favorite New stamps from Stampendous Stamps is this stamp called "Gifts Galore". I have a special kind of love for the little House Mouse stamps, and usually add one or more to my collection every year. I purchased this one before Christmas, but didn't get around to using it until after the holidays. I thought it would make a wonderful Valentine's Day stamp in beautiful pinks and reds. 

I started off by stamping it on a white card stock base with tuxedo black Memento Ink. I then colored it in with Copic markers, and some Smooch Inks. The Smooch inks are pearlized, and give a soft and shiny look to the boxes and bows.  I also punched out several red card stock hearts with my Fiskars small heart punch, and then highlighted them with my clear Wink of Stella glitter marker.  The sentiment, "Special Delivery" comes from one of the Pure Innocence stamp sets from My Favorite Things.

A very quick and simple card to stamp, color,  and send, if you need a quick card for someone you love. And as I always say, "Keep On Stampin"!  Until we visit again,

Mindy

With All My Heart

Happy Friday, one and all! My first Valentine of the season, I love you "With All My Heart" which is the name of this Pure Innocence stamp set from My Favorite Things.  The little girl is so cute hugging the giant heart, especially when colored with my Copic markers. 

This card is an A6, a little larger than I am used to making.(4 1/2" X 6 1/2") The white card base with red front background has a pre-cut window in which I have to find a certain size design to fit the window. Luckily, the Pure Innocence Girl fits just fine. I have a few more designs coming up before the Rodeo here in San Antonio.The other card color combinations fit better with the Pure Innocence Cowboy and Cowgirl images I purchased. They will be featured soon, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo begins February 6.

Anyway, back to the Valentine card.  I stamped the image with Memento black ink on a scrap of white card, then colored it in with Copic markers. I also used the Wink of Stella glitter pen on the heart to really make it sparkle. I fit the image in the pre-cut window, and taped it down with double stick tape. I cut a piece of hearts printed paper and attached to the inside front of the card to hide the layers of stock.  To finish off the card front, I attached a flourish of pearls along with a tiny shaped heart button.

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and wonderful weekend. If the weather has warmed where you are, enjoy the outdoors!

Taking Time for Thank You's

Happy Saturday Everyone! Christmas festivities are past, and the New Year 2014 is just around the corner, so it is time to send Thank You's to those who thought of me this year.

I have a list of notes to send, and of course each must have their own "special" note, so off I stamp!

Today's card is stamped on a white card stock base using the starburst dot background stamp from Paper Wings Productions. I stamped it in Versamark embossing ink and then sprinkled on Geranium Coral Blush two-toned embossing powder from Lindy's Stamp Gang, and then heat embossed.  Next, I took red striped washi tape and mapped out a grid on my card base.  I then stamped the image from Pure Innocence Crafty Friends clear set and colored with my copic markers. The flowers were

 stamped from the Hero Arts Printed Flower clear set. I then fussy cut out the oval and flowers and adhered them to the front of the card with dimensional foam tape.  

The inside sentiment was stamped with a wood mounted red rubber stamp from Club Scrap, Inc. and accented with another strip of the washi tape.

I also took one of the "thank you" stamped images and highlighted it with a few die cut corners and adhered it to the front of the card.  To complete the card, I added some twinkle to the girl's blouse with my pink Wink of Stella glitter pen, and some acrylic stones to the centers of the flowers.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and take the time to send out a few "Thank You's" of your own today.  See you again soon,
Mindy

Merry Christmas - Santa's Elves

Merry Christmas to one and All!

Today's card is a heartfelt wish for a Merry Christmas to one and all! It is stamped on a natural card stock base in black Memento ink, using the Christmas Elves stamp set from Art Impressions Stamps. It is colored in with Copic markers, and each elf is a separate stamp, so you can place them anywhere you please. The set also comes with the large greeting, "Merry Christmas", and also a festive poem along with the various elves.  I used a sheet of Graphics 45 printed card stock from the 12 Days of Christmas paper pack inside the card to cover the bleed through of the copic markers. I also stamped the little poem and another of the elves inside. To complete the card, I added a strip of Santa washi tape along the bottom of the inside, and used my Wink of Stella glitter pens to add some sparkle to the entire card.

The little poem inside says it all: "Lots of busy going on, Fruitcakes all are baked & gone. Just one more task still left to do, Send a Merry Christmas wish to you!" Best wishes to you all.
Mindy

Seasons Greetings Snowman

 Here is one more Christmas themed card to wish you all Season's Greetings this Christmas.

This cute little snowman is from My Favorite Things Stamps, and is from the Pure Innocence Collection: Trim the Branches Snowman. I stamped it on Neenah white card stock and then through the Cuttlebug Die Cut machine with the Romantic Rectangles Die set.  It is then backed in a beautiful plaid print from the Graphics 45 "12 Days of Christmas" paper pad.  I then mounted it onto a rectangle of Wild Cherry MFT stock, trimmed it, and mounted onto a white card stock base card.

The image is colored and shaded with Copic markers, and twinkle added with Wink of Stella Glitter markers. (clear on the snow covered ground, and silver on the brim of his hat)


The "Season's Greetings" is a die from Elizabeth Crafts, and the verse on the inside of the card is from Paper Wings Productions.  I also added another piece of the plaid stock inside the front cover to spice the inside up a bit.

Today has been a dreary cold day, so has been a wonderful day for crafting and card making.  I have enjoyed so many cups of hot tea, coffee, and hot chocolate I think I swish when I walk. They have done the trick in keeping me warm, so I guess it is all for the best.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of last minute shopping and preparing for the Christmas feast.  Until I check in again,

Merry, Merry, and Ho Ho Ho!

Mindy