Faith

I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone what this season is about. Yes, the spring brings new life for creatures in nature, but it brought new life for man-kind too. I made these cards to remember Good Friday and to give to a few special people Easter morning.

I never create cards using just dies and today I did just that. The rectangle die and the mountain with the 3 crosses are from Gina Marie dies and the Faith is painted Faith by Simon Says Stamp.

The paper pack is Bo Bunny. Simple and gorgeous, in my opinion.

Faith

With Easter approaching and with most Christians celebrating Good Friday today, I thought a few Easter cards would be appropriate. I started out with this blue version of this card and it morphed into the pink-purple version. Let me explain what happened and how I love them both.

I started with two pieces of Strathmore ready cut watercolor paper and my Ganzi Tambi Watercolor pallet. I put a wash of blue on one piece and a wash of pink with a touch of purple on the other and allowed them to dry.

While those were drying I stamped the Cross image on some Smooth white card stock from MFT in Lawn Fawn Jet Black ink. I colored one using my Copic markers and the other using my Prisma Color pencils. I fussy cut the images and set them aside.

I heat embossed the MFT flourish background stamp in clear on the pink-purple piece and stenciled the SSS morrocan stencil over the blue in stormy sky distress ink, then die cut the panels as well as two additional from MFT's Blueberry cardstock using the Park Ave frame by Mama Elephant.  I also die cut the SSS Painted Faith die 6 times, 3 black and 3 from MFT blueberry cardstock.

The first card went together just as I had envisioned, stacked the frames on top of each other, adhered the center panel directly to the card base. I stacked the blue die cuts on top of each other, stamped the cross and paper pieced the colored image onto the center panel and adhered the Faith die cut over the top. Three SU enamel dots around the cross and some Spectrum Noir Clear Glitter Overlay pen on the sentiment finished it up.

I really like the subtle dimension created by stacking the dies.

I finished the inside of the card with a sentiment and re-stamped the focal image in the stormy sky ink.

For the second card I used the same three main pieces, the Park Ave frame, the same sentiment and the same focal image. Look how different this turned out.

Instead of stacking dies for the frame, I mounted it on two layers of foam tape. Instead of layering the sentiment over the cross image, I used the cross to replace the t in faith. I added a layer of clear glitter overlay pen and a generous layer of glossy accents to the die cut and cross. A scattering of Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins and some drying time and this card was complete.

I finished the inside the same as the first but used spun sugar distress ink for the cross.

These were fun to create and it was a challenge to use these same pieces two ways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Teachers Gonna Teach

I was blessed with the opportunity to create Teacher Appreciation cards for a school in Ohio where my best friend's son attends. Being tasked with 67 cards was sort of a challenge but I didn't want to bow out. 

I found this adorable paper pad by Doodlebug and decided I'd make the cards from that single pad of paper. That way they coordinate but wouldn't be the same. 

I also used several coordinating images from several companies, Simon Says Stamp, Tim Holtz, Lawn Fawn and a few others. Each card has the same basic sketch used and the same sentiment on the outside and inside (we can always count on you). 

I took a few photos so I could represent the multiple images and papers used. 

Tim Holtz Image

 Whipper Snapper Design Image








Tim Holtz Image









Whipper Snapper

 Tim Holtz

Tim Holtz

Lawn Fawn

Happy Easter from Bunny Boy

I had the opportunity to color a few images and create some cards during nap time and this happens to be my favorite of the day. I used this "new to me" image from C.C. Designs called Bunny Boy and isn't he adorable?

And I used the new Doodlebug Design paper pad Easter Express that everyone is raving about. I thought these papers worked well with this whimsical image.

I wanted to create a scene with the card but didn't want to fussy cut the image out. I was being completely lazy and I guess I'm in love with what lazy did for me today.

I picked up the Avery Elle picket fence die set a few weeks back because I wanted the fence die but I used the grass and cloud dies from it for this card.

I added clouds to the background but overlapped the main image panel using foam tape. The sentiment is from a Gerda Steiner Design stamp set called Nerdy Easter Bunny. I stamped that in Versafine Onyx Black Ink so it would show up on the hand cut banner. 

I finished the inside with a little scene similar to the one on the front of the card using left over scraps and left the inside blank. 

The card base is a piece of MFT's Lemon Chiffon 100# Prestige card stock.  And I finally opened the pack of Nina 80# white that I wanted to try for Copic coloring. I do like it so far. It might be my new go-to for Copic coloring, we will see. 

Here is a sneak peek at two other cards I made when I had my paper and markers out. 

Peek-A-Boo Easter

I had a few minutes to create today and I wanted to focus on an Easter card. I received this adorable set in the mail a few days ago and needed to get it inky!

The Peek-A-Boo Easter set from Taylored Expressions has a few sentiments that work throughout the year so I can see myself using it more than just at Easter.

I played with a new die from Gina Marie Dies as well. Cute edging on that circle, am I right?

Anyway, here is my card for the day.

A close up of the main image panel with this cute bunny on it. I used Copics to color him in and added glossy accents to the eyes and nose. The card base is Steel Grey from Simon Says Stamp. And that cute embellishment is from My Mind's Eye. 

I finished the inside of the card by stamping the images in black and a sentiment.  Two tiny banners tie the papers from the outside of the card to the inside. 

Unity Stamp Company GIU Stamp Winners

I had the pleasure of being one of Unity Stamp Company's Growing In Unity Girls last week and was able to publish 5 blog posts, Monday through Friday, with a card or project featuring their stamps in each.

This also comes with the opportunity to draw two name and give away a package of 25 stamps to two lucky readers who commented on my blog posts.


So to recap, these were the cards featured last week...

These 5 blog posts left me with an astonishing number of comments (all of which I appreciated)....

I used Random.org to pick winners............

Victoria WrightMarch 29, 2017 at 1:33 PM  with this comment: 

I love that little fox....they turned out sweet

Michelle GolzMarch 31, 2017 at 7:13 AM  with this comment:

I love this card! Haven't been a huge fan of this stamp set but you might be changing my mind!

Thanks Ladies! Please contact me via email with your mailing addresses: reneedyanne@gmail.com Please put Unity Winner in the subject line

Hey Cancer

I decided to give it my best shot at a blog schedule because I realize I miss blogging and sharing my cards and projects. I also miss having a reason to really craft on a regular basis, excluding what I've already committed to (cancer cards, orders, craft fairs and personal use cards). I figured, why not give it a try.  So today I offer this Hey Cancer card.

All the stamps used are from Unity Stamp Company. I heat embossed the heart with the cancer ribbon in clear on a Strathmore Bristol Smooth Cardstock then ink blended distress inks over to reveal the emboss resist pattern. I love how these inks move and blend on this cardstock. They also seem to be softer than on other cardstocks too.



A sentiment heat embossed on some black card stock and cut into a banner with a Simon Says Stamp die popped up on foam tape and a few Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling clear sequins finish this card.