Chocolate Bunny

Greetings friends,  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.  I only made a few cards for Easter this year, and I used a few new supplies I have never used before.  One being the Clear Card Stock from Heartfelt Creations.  I received a package of it as a gift, and had to go online to see how to use it.  It is similar to clear acetate, yet folds nicely and holds the fold like card stock. I made my base card from the clear stock.

I then cut three printed stock pieces to decorate.  The front piece was decorated with the Thicket 

Wreath die by Poppystamps, and the Chocolate Bunny die.  A small flower peg stamp was stamped around the wreath to add a little contrasting color.  I also stamped a few of the tiny flowers on a separate scrap of card stock for later use.  After adding a few dots of Pearl Stickles for flower centers, I set the panel aside to dry.

The second sheet of printed stock papers was used to back the first, and the last piece was used to write my message on.  I adhered the message sheet to the back of the card base, then centered the image panel on top of the message one, and glue doted it to the under side of the clear card base.

To cover the Zot dots that showed through the clear card, I adhered the separate tiny flowers with a few leaves on the outside of the card.  It also helped to give dimension to the card design.

This card was really a fun design to do, and I can't wait to try a few more designs using the clear card stock.

I also wanted to showcase a Spring/Easter card I received in the mail from one of my talented card making friends, Joan C.

 

Her stamped image was nicely colored on a beautiful oval die cut, then mounted on several layers of beautiful spring colored patterned papers. She added some ribbon and lace along with pearls, rhinestones, and a cute butterfly die cut to complete the card. The beautiful solid green layer was even embossed with a favorite greenery embossing folder she has used before.  

I was so delighted in receiving this card, I almost cried.  It really means a lot to me when I receive handmade cards from my friends and family.  I hope you will all try to make handmade cards when you can, I know they make me feel so much better!  Have a wonderful day!

Sending You Love

Hello Friends!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I wanted to share a card that I made recently using one of the easy-to-use Heart Swing Card templates from Paper Wishes/Hot Off the Press.

All you need with this template is some printed card stock paper and a few embellishments to make this beautiful swing card.  I used a sheet of white 12 X 12 card stock, and following the instructions on the template, cut all the basic card elements. Then using a Valentine printed paper pad from Martha Stewart Crafts and cut the decorative pieces and adhered them to the background card. I then began the decorating.

I stamped and cut several balloon shapes using the Heart Balloons stamp set from My Favorite Things and a few words from the Lots of Love Words die also from My Favorite Things Die-namics.
After adhering them to the card, I also stamped a few sayings and postmark from the You've Got Love Mail stamp set from Winnie & Walter LLC.  To add a little bling, I adhered heart shaped pearls from Hero Arts to several of the balloons and glitter to others.

These "Swing" type cards are very popular right now, yet if you use one of the templates from Hot Off the Press they make it so easy to create a beautiful card in no time. Have a wonderful Stampin' Day, with Lots of Love sent your way!

Mindy

Merry Christmas

Hello friends! I have been playing with my Gelli Plate that I purchased recently. I have been learning how to apply the paint and inks, how much pressure to apply to the paper when pulling prints, and ways to use the prints on cards and projects once they are done. Here is a card I printed and pulled recently.

This was the first pull of a design I did on my 3"X 5" gelli plate.  I laid down 3 shades of pink and red paint on the gelli plate.  I then laid the 6" Bloom plastic stencil from Color Box on top of the plate.

I scored my 5.5" X 8.5" piece of white card stock at the center (4.25") then laid the card down on the stencil so that the floral design would be on the front right corner.  I then applied light pressure to the card so that it would pick up the paint through the flower stencil.  That is what you call the "first pull."

While the print dried I die cut the words Merry Christmas using the Holiday Compliments die from Die-versions, and glued it to the card front with white craft glue.

I also have two cards that will show "first and second pull" on one plate, that I will share on Sunday.  

Please come back for a visit then.  See you soon.

Mindy

A Bunch of Daisies

Hello Friends, I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  I have a lovely card to share today that I hope will inspire you to make a few cards of your own for the upcoming holidays.

I started this card with a lovely piece of red and gold Christmas paper from the Teresa Collins "Noel" Christmas paper pad.  I used the A 2 Card Creator- Tranquil Moments Die Set from Spellbinder's to cut the details in the background. I then held a piece of Neenah white card stock under the opening and traced in pencil around the opening.  I took the Daisy Bouquet stamp from Sweet Stamps and stamped it within the pencil lines, and colored the image with my Pitt Artist Pens by Faber Castell.

I then cut around the image leaving a small border around it which I then colored in with a #R27 red Copic marker.  I then put the marker in my Perfect Airbrush and spritzed over the image with tiny red dots.  I then mounted the colored image on top of the die-cut and centered  my sentiment banner with my "hello" die from The Crafters' Workshop on top.  The banner was made from the center portion of the background die that was removed.  I trimmed the detailed flourished ends from the tag and used them inside the card for decoration. 

I hope you have enjoyed this card, and that you enjoy your weekend wherever you may be. Please visit again soon.

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!

Baking Gingerbread

The holidays will soon be upon us!  Hello friends, Mindy here with my card for this week's challenge, titled Baking Gingerbread. The image for this week's challenge was a basket of gingham ribbons, and when I think of gingham I think of home made goodness!  Whether it is crafting from gingham, or baking treats and packaging them tied with gingham strips.

Most of the items on this card are cut from dies that I have purchased from the Classy Cards 'N Such Online Store.  I started by taking out my pad of Graphic 45 -Twelve Days of Christmas papers, and cut the ever useful Twig Wreath with pine needles for the base. The next die used, was the bow die from the Bow and Bell die set. I cut it from the orange gingham printed paper from Graphic 45's By The Sea collection, and the solid outline of the bow from a scrap of orange card stock. I then adhered the solid outline of the bow to a wide strip of double stick tape and filled in the bow with the printed paper parts. I then attached it to the top of the wreath and adhered the wreath to the card front with Joy! Foam Squares-small.

Then the cutting of the tiny Batch of Gingerbread men began. I die cut them in two colors, and cut bunches of them, enough to trim the wreath and fill the cookie jar. The Tall Canning Jar die was then used to cut two jars from the vellum paper. I glued the two jar pieces together using a clear white glue, and then decorated the lid with scraps of the orange gingham paper, some twine and a pine sprig from the wreath. I also cut a small tag for the jar, and then filled the jar with all of the leftover gingerbread men.  

To finish the card I attached two scraps of the gingham papers to the card front and then using adhesive dots, attached the cookie jar to the front atop the gingham layers. I hope you enjoy the card, and have a great week!

Before you leave my blog, please stop by the Classy Cards 'n Such online store and check out all of the new products available there. Be sure to use my discount code= MINDY-10 on the check-out page to get your 10% discount on all items purchased. Happy Stamping!
Mindy

Hooray for the Red, White & Blue!

Greetings Friends!  Hope this patriotic card finds you well, and in the mood for a little 4th of July celebrating!

As I mentioned yesterday, I love Americana crafts and patriotic symbols. Every year I try to make a new patriotic wreath for my front door, but this year made this card instead.

I started with an A2 size card base, made from Neenah white card stock.  I then cut an A2 size watercolor paper background and inked up my Darice Stripes Embossing Folder with Tim Holtz Fired Brick Distress Ink. I then spritzed the ink covered embossing folder with water, and ran my sheet of watercolor paper through the Cuttlebug machine.  I let the watercolor paper set until it air-dried, then ran the ink pad over the top to accentuate the stripes.

The image itself is four layers of paper dies.  The background using the Ankara Lace Doily from Cheery Lynn Designs, the Grapevine Wreath (blue), Tiny Bunnies (white), and Lg. Loopy Bow (navy) from Impression Obsession Dies, all carried in the Classy Cards 'N Such Online store.  For a touch of sparkle, I cut the Sm. Hearts die from Impression Obsession in Red Sparkle Metallic paper. I stamped tiny red stars on each bunny and shaded the edges of the die with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress ink pad. I hand lettered the banner with the words, "hooray for the red, white, and blue".

I am entering this card in the Weekly Challenge #39 at the Classy Cards 'N Such Blog 

and the Red, White & Blue Linky Party at Craftin Desert Diva's.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and Keep On Stampin'!

Fourth of July Week

Are you getting ready for the Independence Day weekend beginning Friday this week? Since the fourth is on Friday, I'm sure folks will be celebrating all weekend long, with family and friends. I decided to make a few patriotic decorations and cards to share with you this week!

The first item is an A2 sized card that celebrates the 4th with a flag patterned heart.  I started by cutting a top opening A2 size card from Neenah white card stock and a background for it with some shimmer sparkle Star Metallic Holographic paper I had.  I then cut a frame and title strip from the Spellbinder's Valiant Honor Card Creator die set.

The heart was cut from the Patriotic Flag Heart die from Frantic Stamper. I cut it in white, then colored it in with Copic Markers, then adhered it to another sheet of Neenah White stock for backing, and then fussy cut around the edges.  The letters were cut from a Sizzlets Alphabet set from Navy Blue card stock, and the number "4" from a Die-Namics Number Die and Glittered foil paper. The layers were attached with foam tape for dimension, and then Baby Pearls applied for a little bling. The Baby Pearls were from Want2Scrap, sold at the Classy Cards 'N Such Online Store . Classy Cards also sells Spellbinders Dies, but if Beverly doesn't have the set you are looking for, she will happily special order it for you!

I am entering this card in the Classy Cards 'N Such Weekly Challenge #39- Red, White, & Blue.

I hope you will join me in participating in this challenge, they are so much fun, and if you win, you get 

FREE goodies to boot!  Stop by and check out the requirements, and then create some beautiful cards!  Most of all, Have a lot of FUN while doing so!  See you again soon,

Mindy

Wedding Arch

June is the month a lot of couples get married. I found this birdcage die in my stash, and it looked like a Wedding Archway.  It had lots of details at the top, although I covered some of them with flowers, greenery, a ribbon, and butterfly. The birdcage die also came with the die for the tiny bird, which I punched twice to make a pair of lovebirds.

The card itself is made from the Neenah metallic white/gold card stock cut to an A2 size greeting card.  The background paper I used was the Silver Metallic card stock embossed with a  Swirl Frame embossing folder from Mpress and Nellie Snellen.  These items were all available from the Classy Cards 'N Such Online Store.  Their card challenge for this week is Wedding- Challenge #35.

After embossing the swirl frame on the silver stock, I used a rub-on from Autumn Leaves.  For the embellishment I cut the large birdcage from Xpress Blending stock, and trimmed of the bottom of the cage to leave just the legs. I then applied Silver Stickles glitter glue on the die.  While the Stickles was drying, I tied the white satin bow, die cut several sets of Distinctively Dies leaf set, and made 3 tiny folded roses from crinkle white paper ribbon.  The clear acetate butterfly was a die cut from Hot Off the Press.  When the glitter was dry, I mounted the birdcage to the silver background with Joy! tiny foam squares to give it dimension, then glued the bow to the cage and added the leaves and flowers. The final step was to glue the butterfly to the arrangement, and add the two "lovebirds" to the bottom of the card with foam tape.

I am adding this card to the Weekly Challenge #35 at Classy Cards 'N Such.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and the warm summer weather. Until next week, take care.
Mindy

Mindy's Wedding

Probably the only way I will ever be seen in a wedding gown, is through this Julie Nutting Prima Doll Stamp named Mindy! So here is my version of Mindy's Wedding!

The theme this week at the Classy Cards 'N Such Weekly Challenge #35 is Wedding.  Last year when the Prima Doll stamps came out, I did a card with a full length bridal gown on one of the dolls, and it has shown up on Pintrest so many times, I cannot count.  This year when one of the Prima Dolls came out with my name, and this challenge came up, I knew I had to put her in a wedding dress.

I started out by cutting an A2 size card base from Stardream Punch metallic card stock. I then used the Heartwood plastic stencil from Memory Box and applied a layer of Translucent Embossing paste from Dreamweaver Stencils on the pink card stock.  Before it was completely dry, I used my gold Perfect Pearls and brushed on a layer of the gold powder for the background. I also attached an embossed border around the edge, and some antique and white lace down one side of the card.

For the doll, I stamped the Prima stamp on a light colored printed paper and cut out the doll along with an extra layer of the short dress.  Between the layers of the dress, I gathered a length of the heavy antique lace and glued it down to the card base.  I colored her hair and skin with Copic markers, and then added tiny adhesive pearls to the headband, necklace and earrings.  I completed the doll with some leaves and rose tiny bouquet from Distinctively Dies and adhered them to her waist, where her hands would be.  I also attached a satin bow to the top of the card to cover where the embossed frame met the lace edging.

The Stardream Punch Metallic Card Stock and Heartwood Stencil are both available in the Classy Cards 'N Such Online Store, and I am submitting this card in their weekly challenge.

I hope you have enjoyed this card as much as I enjoyed making it.  Have a wonderful week, and I will visit with you again soon.

Mindy

Hummingbird For You Mom!

Another Mother's Day card that is fun and easy to make, that any Mother would be happy to receive this Sunday. I started with a natural card stock base folded to an A2 size card.  I then took a handwriting stamp from Oriental Trading Co.and stamped it twice on the card front with London Fog grey Memento ink.  I then took three colors of Gelatos, (Lemon, Tangerine, and Buttercream) and smeared them on in vertical stripes. I then took a baby wipe and gently blended the colors, rubbing in a circular motion. (lightest color to darkest) Let the card dry completely. 

While the card is drying, I got my papers and flower die, leaves, and hummingbird die together with my Cuttlebug machine. The dies are from Dee's Distinctively- A Cut Above, and I used Stardream Metallic Papers from the Classy Cards 'N Such online store. For the hummingbird, I used Neenah Metallic White Gold card stock and Stardream Fuse Azalea. The Bell Flowers and Leaves were cut from Stardream Azalea and Stardream Emerald. The Stardream papers are so beautiful with a lovely metallic sheen that doesn't show up well on film. But the cards, in person, are stunning! The flowers and birds feathers are shaped with a ball stylus so that they appear 3D on the card. The sentiment words came from the Parentville stamp set from Winnie & Walter, llc. 

I am submitting this card to the Classy Cards 'N Such Weekly Challenge #31, Mother's Day

I hope you have enjoyed this card, you still have time to make your Mother a beautiful handmade card and gift, if you so wish. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to celebrate Mother's Day with your Mother!

Mindy

The Caged Bird Sings

Greetings, and Happy Friday to one and all!  Today's post is a mixed-media canvas celebrating Spring and the Weekly Challenge at Classy Cards N' Such blog.  

The topic this week is "Flutterbys" celebrating birds or butterflies, or both!  

I started with my Bird Sanctuary die set from Spellbinders SB-S5-033, also available in the Classy Cards N' Such Online shop.  I have had this die set for quite awhile, but haven't had the chance to try it out yet. After cutting it all out with my Cuttlebug machine, I started arranging pieces to fit my 8" X 8" canvas.  I dug through some of my "scraps" of die cut images I keep from when I try out my dies, and found a frame from the Romantic Rectangles Spellbinders die. So after smearing out some of my favorite colors of Golden Acrylic paints on my canvas, I stamped my Music All Over Background Stamp from Impression Obsession, on the canvas in brown Memento ink. I then attached my rectangular frame in the top left corner with a little adhesive and two turquoise brads. I then adhered a strip of the Spring Market printed paper from Websters Pages to the rectangle with foam tape to give a little more dimension.

I then started attaching my Bird Sanctuary die-cuts on top of the frame.  There was a beautiful bird cage, some greenery leaves, two small birds - one with dimensional wings, and a decorative greenery border.  I also added a 3-D Mini Daisy from Sizzix and Susan Tierney-Cockburn, left on my desk from the "Flower Garden Challenge" a few weeks ago. A decorative button topped off the bird cage after attaching the leaves and bird.  After my "arrangement" was complete, the lyrics from a poem by Maya Angelou kept repeating over and over in my mind; "I know why the Caged Bird Sings."

After adding the phrase, I still needed something decorative in the top right, and bottom left corners of the canvas.  I dug out one of my Prima Stencils and applied a little molding paste to the corners. I let everything dry overnight, and when dry, I colored the molding paste with Dark Bark chalk ink to antique it just a bit and tone down the "whiteness".

I hope you enjoy my canvas as much as I enjoyed making it. I love all types of winged creatures, from butterflies and birds to dragonflies, ladybugs, and bee's.  I guess that is another reason I enjoy Spring so much. It is an awakening of sorts, a new beginning of life, both in plants and creatures, after the cold bleakness of winter.

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

To Be Fond of Dancing. . .

Happy Saturday! Today's post is another entry in the Classy Cards n' Such challenge #21- Vintage Hues, using three colors from their posted image, and the 6X6 Elementals Doily stencil available in their shop.

I started out by spritzing the doily stencil on a sheet of silver gray card stock using the Tattered Angels- Patina spritz.  I then fussy cut around the doily shape and adhered it to the card front using a permanent adhesive. I then attached a strip of sheer pink two-toned ribbon and a strip of lace ribbon vertically on the card front.  The sentiment label was pre-printed on a sheet of  12X12 scrapbook paper from the Dear Jane collection from Die Cuts With a View.

I popped up the sentiment label with foam tape to give the card dimension, then attached a piece of silk ribbon tied in a bow to the top of the label. A butterfly die from Hot Off the Press was then cut from metallic white Neenah card stock and a background of pink.  It was then attached to the sentiment label with pop dots.  I left the wings loose so they would wiggle in the breeze.

 I hope you all had a wonderful day. The weather was wonderful here in So. Texas. Spring is on it's way, but at least one more shot of winter is expected tomorrow.  Stay happy!
Mindy

Saying Hello, with Love!

I thought I was finished making Valentine's Day cards this year, but I was wrong!  Some friends of mine started their own stamp company, Winnie & Walter, LLC.. As of the first of the year, 2014, they kicked off their opening with four beautiful clear stamp sets with coordinating downloadable Cut Files.  One of the sets I fell in love with,  The Big, The Bold, and The Happy was sold out almost immediately.  I patiently waited for it to come back in stock, and then placed my order.  While waiting for the stamp sets to ship, I received the coordinating downloadable Cut Files, and immediately made these lovely cards. 

I printed out the "love" and "hello" files with the black backgrounds in the 3"X5" size, and then trimmed around them to leave a small white border.  I then mounted them on colored card bases and used some dies from Impression Obsession and Hot Off the Press to decorate each one.  For the Love Card, I used the decorative Hearts die from HOTP/ Paper Artsy to cut the filigree heart, added a strip of hearts washi tape across the top, and tied a bow with a white ribbon.

For the Hello Card, I used the IO Grapevine Wreath die, and decorated it with the Memory Box tiny Flock of Birds die. Again I used a strip of polka dot washi tape across the top of the card to tie in the black board look color.

Today, (Friday) I received my stamp sets in the mail, and cannot wait to start stamping with them.  I hope you will go by their web site at www.WinnieWalter.com, and see what they have to offer. Also, check their blog, because they have the most wonderful design team assembled, who have shared sample cards using their beautiful stamp sets. I hope you all have a wonderful Super Bowl weekend, and if you aren't into football that much, maybe you can make some beautiful cards to send for Valentine's Day!