Scented Message

It doesn't happen often, but I love it when a card comes together just as I imagined it, right down to the embellishments. After I bought Scented Message, a new stamp from Penny Black, I knew that I wanted to pair it with Tim Holtz' vintage cabinet die. 

I've seen Hero Arts' Shari Carroll use it several times and I just loved the unique shape for a card. Move over, Reverse Wonky Rectangle.  

                              

After coloring the image with Copics, I cut out some of the flowers and mounted them on dimensional adhesive. I love how they pop off the card. And I had the perfect shade of ribbon scrap that was dyed with distress inks.

I'm planning to enter this card in Lily Pad's latest challenge with flowers. Go here to see all the details.

I hope you all have a great week. Thanks for visiting today!

SUPPLIES:

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Peppermint Polly

I was so excited when Peppermint Polly arrived in my mailbox last week. I've wanted her for so long and saw so many cute cards made with her--I couldn't wait to ink her up!

I paper pieced her dress with some papers from Basic Grey's Kissing Booth collection, and colored the flower and her scarf with Copics. To ground her, I drew in some grass with Copics and cut the image out with Reverse Wonky Rectangles.

The sentiment is a sticker from SRM Stickers and yes, I trimmed away the oval that was around the sentiment. I drew white dots on her dress and added some dots on her flower (alá my friend Kathy Racoosin) with a Signo pigment pen.

Polly is so adorable and just seeing her face makes me smile. I know I'll be using her on cards for different occasions, so you will probably be seeing her again.

I hope you're all off to a great week. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

SUPPLIES:

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Most wonderful time

Just a quick post to share something "other than a card"--a stamped candle! My creative friend and Penny Black designer, Elizabeth Allan, inspired me to try this after seeing her samples and following her great tutorial on her blog.

I stamped and trimmed out  Mademoiselle Noel but she was a tad too tall for my candle, so I performed some minor surgery. I trimmed off less than 1/4" off from her legs, and she became a perfect fit! Can you tell? Probably not, because this technique is very forgiving.

I was equally surprised that when I heated the white tissue paper with my heat gun, it magically "dissolved" into the green candle and there wasn't a hint of any paper. It's truly magical!

I added some gemstones and was quite pleased with how the candle turned out. I was even commissioned (by my daughter) to make some for her friends for Christmas. Stamped candles make for a quick, festive, "last minute" gift, with endless possibilities using all your holiday and non holiday stamps.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you're all off to a great week!

Stamps: All Penny Black
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Other: tissue paper, candle, waxed paper, gemstones, heat tool

Mimi in pink

Hello, friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got some great Black Friday deals. I can't believe how quickly Thanksgiving came and now we're in Christmas mode!

Here's a card I made with Ornamental Mimi from Penny Black, in a non traditional color--pink! She was colored with Copics and I used Frosted Lace Stickles on the stars and the furry parts of her hat.

I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles and the faux letterpress technique on the frame. I swiped some Victorian Velvet distress ink on the inside of a Sizzix dots embossing folder and ran it through the Cuttlebug.

I've got to send this, and a few other Christmas cards to Vera and her card drive. I hope Mimi will bring a smile to someone this holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm hoping to share a new release from Sweet Stamp Shop this week, along with some exciting news from Purple Onion Designs. Have a wonderful week!

Stamps: Penny Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Spellbinders die, Sizzix embossing folder, Frosted Lace Stickles, dimensional adhesive

Winter Wonderland tags

The current challenge at the Penny Black blog is to create gift tags. For my tags I used some Spellbinder ornament dies and the adorable birds from the Winter Wonderland set.

I sponged the background before I removed it from the die and I stamped each of the birds from the set. They were all colored with Copics and I dotted some falling "faux snow" with White Opal Liquid Pearls. Liquid Pearls were also dabbed on the furry parts of the Santa caps.

The sentiments are from the Winter Wonderland and Winter Wonders stamps sets.

I knotted some red grosgrain ribbon and added a bit of twine and the tags were done.

Hope you're having a great week so far. Thanks, always, for stopping by!

Stamps: All Penny Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Ranger distress inks, Memento
Other: Spellbinder Heirloom Ornament dies, Copics, Liquid Pearls, twine, ribbon, hole punch

Scary without you

Hello, hello! Today I'd like to share a Halloween card made with a new Penny Black stamp set--Scary Halloween. I was planning to make a Polaroid, but the image went way beyond the frame, so it became a regular sized card. I hope it still looks like a Polaroid.

 

I ink distressed a square piece of cardstock with Black Soot, Pumice Stone, and Orange Marmalade distress inks and water splotched it for a spooky sky.

The main image was stamped and colored with Copics. A few bats from this set were stamped flying off in the distance as well as the perfect sentiment to the owl's expression.

Gray cardstock was embossed with Cracked, a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder and the spooky cute owl and Polaroid frame were attached. My first Halloween card for the year is done!

* * *

Our kitchen renovations are well under way and you're welcome to go here to see pics of an almost completed project. I'll be sharing a photo of the finished kitchen here on my blog when it's all done and pretty.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great, crafty week!

Stamps: All Penny Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Sizzix embossing folder, dimensional adhesive

hello

Oh my, I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted! Today I'll share another card made with Penny Black's Winter Swing slapstick stamp. This time, I stamped the image with brown ink, and colored it with Copics which gives it a softer look than colored pencils.

I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles--AGAIN??--and embossed the frame with a Sizzix folder to add a bit of texture. The frame was distressed lightly with Antique Linen distress ink. The sentiment is by Kim Hughes for Cornish Heritage Farms.

Stamps: Penny Black, Cornish Heritage Farms
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Nestabillities, Sizzix embossing folder, dimensional adhesive

And if you ♥ Penny Black, visit my blogging friend Elizabeth Allan. She's having a giveaway of an adorable woodblock stamp together with a handmade card to a lucky commenter on this post. The only requirement? That you love rubber stamping and you'll give the stamp a good home with lots of inky love.

I'm proud to say that I've received a card from Elizabeth, and just owning her card would be such a treat!

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be sharing more Penny Black cards soon. I hope whatever you do, you'll have a wonderful weekend!

Love to you

Hi there! Happy Friday! I'm proud to say I've finished another Christmas card. I used Penny Black's Winter Swing slapstick stamp and colored the image with Prismacolor pencils.

I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles and framed the image, and used an SRM sticker for the sentiment. It was my first time using stickers and they won me over. They're easy to apply and there are a lot of sentiments in different sizes.

I chose a circular design and affixed a little bow. I also added some Glossy Accents to the little stars.

I forgot how fun it is to use Prismas again although I don't have them in as many colors as I do Copics--hence, the bright colors. It was nice to give my Copics a rest and the pencils were great for coloring in small areas on the image.

I hope you have some fun plans for the weekend. Thanks, always, for stopping by!

Stamps: Penny Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Papers: Bo Bunny dots
Other: SRM stickers, Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils, Glossy Accents, dimensional adhesive, ribbon

Penny Black goodness

Hello, friends! Happy September! Honestly, where did the month of August go? This month will be super busy for me. Our kitchen renovation will begin and I'm trying to imagine what the demolition process will be like and wondering how much crafting time I'll have with construction going on. Wish me luck!

For the recent Penny Black ATC swap, I was partnered with Jie Ying in Singapore. Here are her ATCs that she sent me using her Penny Black stamps. Aren't they adorable? Little works of art. I just love that hedgie!

And she even included a birthday card for me--I love the little peephole! Thank you so much, Jie Ying!

Lastly, here's a card that I made with Penny Black's Magical Mimi. I used pastels for a different look and colored the image with Copics. Her dress and the mushrooms were popped up with dimensional adhesive.

Reverse Wonky Rectangles were used for the card base, and I embossed the frame with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder.

I applied some Glossy Accents to the bee, butterfly, and ladybug, and some Diamond Stickles to Mimi's wings. The sentiment is from Nina Brackett's Heartily Yours Additions.


Thanks, always, for stopping by! See you soon!

Penny Black ATC swap

I joined Penny Black's recent ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap and my partner was Jie Ying who lives in Singapore. We decided to create three ATCs using whatever Penny Black stamps we owned.

Here's what I sent to Jie Ying.

The first uses some houses from Air Mail, a fun, whimsical set that I won on the Penny Black blog. I ink distressed the sky and ground with distress inks and colored all the images with Copics. The sentiment is by Hero Arts, and I finished it off with a bit of twine and some gemstones.

The second ATC uses an older stamp called Brush Tulips. I ink distressed the ATC with Victorian Velvet and Scattered Straw distress inks, and stamped the image with Vintage Photo.

I water splotched the surface and stamped the manuscript from Hero Arts. I inked the word "Dream" from a Hero Arts stamp, and added a few pearls to complete the ATC.

The last ATC is my fave. I used the dog from Mimi in Paris, colored him with Copics and drew in some grass to ground him. I stamped the sentiment and added some punched butterflies for dimension. See the one on his nose?

I love creating ATCs and the challenge to fit a design on a small space. I'll be sharing Jie Ying's ATCs later this week, along with a Penny Black card.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're off to a great week!

A sparkly green Christmas

With Christmas about four months away, I made my first Christmas card using a Penny Black stamp from last year--Mademoiselle Noel. I love these "fashion girls". They're quick to color and appear to have a sassy chic personality.

I seem to be on a green kick lately. I've grown fond of Papertrey Ink's Spring Moss cardstock, which feels like a green version of kraft. The background was stamped with Hero Arts' Magical Background in Peeled Paint distress ink.

The image was colored with Copics and I added a bit of Diamond Stickles to the fur trim and her bouquet. I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles--again!--and tied a bit of self dyed seam binding. Some clear gemstones were added for a touch of bling.

Done! One card down and many more to go...But it's a start!

I hope you're having a fun weekend! There's still time to enter my birthday giveaway here. The Magical Background that I used on this card is one of the stamps up for grabs. I'll announce the winners on Tuesday, August 23rd.

Stamps: Penny Black, Hero Arts
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress inks
Other: Copics, Nestabilities, rayon seam binding, dimensional adhesive, Diamond Stickles, gemstones

wish you were here

Hello! Did you have a crafty weekend? I'm sharing a card that I entered in Penny Black's summer challenge. A sweet friend gave me Penny Black's transparent set called Fun in the Sun and it features several images of Mimi having some summery fun.

I colored the image with Copics and ink distressed around the edges then water splotched the background. To ground the image, I drew in some grass with several shades of green Copics.

The original sentiment was cut apart to form a one line sentiment. The piece was then embossed with Cuttlebug's Seeing Spots folder. I cut some pennants from some My Mind's Eye papers and used some Glossy Accents on her snorkel mask.

I have to admit that I made the pennants as an excuse to use some Twinery twine! I love the different colors and chose Honeydew for my card.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great week...


Stamps: Penny Black
Cardstock: Stampin Up, Paper Accents
Paper: My Mind's Eye
Ink: Ranger distress ink, Versafine
Other: Copics, Nestabilities, Glossy Accents, twine

Make a wish

Hello friends! Hope you're having a drier weekend than me. It was raining so hard, I was ready to build an ark.

There was thunder and lightning for hours, and at one point, it sounded like the disturbance was right over our house! There were reports of hail, and a home in a nearby town was actually hit by lightning. Ah, Mother Nature...

While it was storming, I played with the Touch of Whimsy stamps again, and made another framed card. I colored all the images with Prismacolor pencils and used a white pigment pen for the faux stitching and dotty sky.

And how about that blue bunny? I made his umbrella fly beyond the frame, and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

I'm having too much fun with these whimsical bunnies and what better way to spend a stormy day than with some happy stamps. Hope you're having a happy weekend, too!


Stamps: Penny Black, Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Ink: Versafine, Papertrey Ink
Other: Prismacolor pencils, dimensional adhesive, Signo pigment pen

Just because

Hello friends! Can you believe it's already June? It sure snuck up pretty fast!

Today I'll be sharing a mini card for Penny Black's latest challenge--Borders and Frames. I couldn't resist the new Touch of Whimsy stamp set. Those bunnies stole my heart!

After stamping the images, I colored them with Prismacolor pencils and used the Reverse Wonky Rectangles dies (again!) to cut out the card and frame. Since this card is only about 3" by 4", I looked for the tiniest set of sentiments that I owned and chose Mixed Messages by Papertrey Ink.

Some faux stitches with a white pigment pen and a drop of Liquid Pearls in the center of the flower and the card was done.

The whole set of stamps is whimsical and fun and I think I'll be stamping more bunnies this weekend.




Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamps: Penny Black, Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Ink: Versafine
Other: Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils, dimensional adhesive, Signo pigment pen, Liquid Pearls

Envelope art

Hello, friends! I want to share a matching envelope and card that I created for the latest Penny Black challenge.

First, the card. I stamped Amongst the Stars and colored the images with Copics. I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles to cut the card and the frame, which was stamped with Hero Arts Graph Background. The sentiment is from this Hero Arts set.

I added some Stickles to the largest star and  a few drops on the background. 

For the envelope, I stamped Mimi partially on the corner and colored her in the same colors as the card. 

I cut a cloud template and sponged the sky, then ink distressed the edges. I'm not sure how the postal system feels about glitter, so I just dabbed a few stars with some Stickles and my matching envelope was done.

I'm going to test the postal system and mail this out to a little friend. I hope it reaches her....wish me luck!

Stamps: Penny Black, Hero Arts
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress inks
Other: Copics, Nestabilities, Stickles, pop dots