Paris in the Spring

I'm the hostess this week at Tic Tac Toe Challenge. I hope I created a fun board for you. It can be challenging sometimes to think of themes, techniques, etc. and put them in an order that makes sense from each direction!

 

 

I chose the diagonal down from the left - travel, die cut, antique. I've often thought that it would be easier to create the board if I just made a card and THEN came up with the elements but I'm afraid I'm not that organized! I did however, have a vague notion of making a card like this when I thought about the board elements.

My background was made using a wash of two colors of pink on mixed media paper.  The Eiffel Tower is cut from a brushed brass cardstock. Although it should be silver I liked the antique look of the brass. I think I have every element on the board here except for stencil!

I hope you will join us this week!

Products used: (most are retired)

• Stamps: Stampin' Up! Parisian Beauty and Very Versailles
• Dies: Stampin' Up! Deckle Edge Rectangles, Parisian
  
• Ink: Blushing Bride, Blush Blossom, Pecan Pie, Soft Suede
• Cardstock: Strathmore Mixed Media, Merry Merlot, Soft Suede, Brushed Brass, Vellum
• Accessories: Brass butterflies, Linen Thread, gold embossing powder.

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My Pink Parrot

I'm the hostess at Splitcoaststampers Color Challenge this week and I chose some tropical colors. I originally intended to make a flower fold-it but when getting that out I saw the parrot and just knew. For dessert I had chosen "anything goes" which of course gives a lot of latitude - I added Granny Apple Green! Mossy Meadow is a SU neutral and allowed by the challenge.

I've made this fold-it before - she (or he) is so adorable! I went full on tropical this time and added some flowers and leaves to her.  By adding the leaves, if I put her in an envelope I would have to size up as they make it wider than an A2 card. Postage would remain the same so that's really not a big deal.

I die cut all the pieces and used matching ink to add depth to the die cuts. I added a few gems for flower centers and to also add some sparkle. I've decided to keep this card to sit on my desk and I even named her Lola!

I hope you've enjoyed my card and will join us at the challenge this week!

Products used:

• Dies: The Stamps of Life Bird Fold-it, newportflowers2stamp dies, tropical2stampdies
• Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Pale Papaya, Polished Pink, Mossy Meadow

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Father's Day Cards

Happy Thursday! I have a Father's Day card for the Team O challenge at Tic Tac Toe Challenge. I chose the middle row - texture, free, stripes or plaid.

 

I have several Father's Day cards to make so this will be the first of a total of six. This one goes to my husband, a golfer.  I went through my stash of masculine stamp sets and I'm attempting to make each one in a theme of that dad's interest. For the next five I think I have arrived at a layout where I can just sub the background paper and the main theme to make each card unique. I'll be working on these this weekend and will post the results soon!

This card uses the Stampin' Up! retired set Clubhouse and the matching dies. I rarely get rid of masculine themed sets and every time I have I've regretted it.  They are just too few and far between! My advice for today - hold on to those man-themed sets!

Products used:

• Stamps / Dies: Stampin' Up! Clubhouse
• Accessories: SU Argyle Embossing Folder

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Mother's Day Handbag

Happy Thursday! We have another Team O challenge at Tic Tac Toe Challenge and another wonderful board.  My "card" today actually fits several squares but I chose the middle column down. To sign this and write a message I inserted the signature card that is peeking out the top of the bag.

This is the first in a series of (up to) six bags I'm making for Mother's Day.  I say "up to" because I'm having brunch with the extended family including my mother-in-law, two sister-in-laws and niece who are all moms.  But I'd also like to make this for one of my SIL's mother because she is such a sweetheart (and another one for me!) So I'm shooting for six - five definitely before Mother's Day. (And don't think I'm being exclusionary, the other SIL's mother is my MIL so I'm not leaving anyone out.)

This uses the Luxury Purse die set from Anna Griffin. I have other purse dies but this one is so detailed - the die also embosses things like the stitching and dimension on the clasp and handles. It's part of a series of dies and I'm signed up to receive the others. At first I thought I'd back out but these are SO darn adorable! I can't wait for June.

While I love Anna's products they are deceptive. Watching her videos you feel like "that's so easy" until you get the embellishments and papers out and start trying to coordinate. Suddenly it's a bit more difficult. SOOO many choices.....

 

Since this was my first attempt at this die I knew it would take awhile to create. However with some organization the others could go faster. So while everything was out, I picked papers and embellishments for the other purses. I took pictures and bagged the embellishments with the name of the cardstock I thought would coordinate. I put it all in a 12 x 12 clear scrapbook envelope and should be ready to cut and assemble between now and Mother's Day. I'm pretty sure the next ones will be easier and quicker to assemble!

Products used:

• All Anna Griffin except solid cardstock by Stampin' Up!
• Dies: Luxury Purse
• Embellishments:  Favorite Florals IV

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This Little Piggy Says Happy Birthday

Happy Thursday! It's time for a Team O challenge at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge! We have a fun board with some of my favorite elements - coloring and critters!

 

I chose the right column down and used this cut pig to create a fun birthday scene. I said a few weeks ago that I was cleaning out my stash. This adorable stamp set is on the retiring list at Stampin' Up! and somehow I haven't used it before. So before it's gone I thought I'd give it a whirl. My favorite image in the set is the piggy with flowers, but I needed a birthday card and the Vespa riding pig did it for me!

I chose my colors based on the shaker bits I have flying from the Vespa. I had thought about different colors but when I found these retired bits in my stash I thought they would be perfect. Shaker bits are things that I buy and always have leftovers; you just don't use that many in a card. These were not difficult to adhere - I sprinkled some on my desk, added tiny dots of glue to the card front and used my Take Your Pick tool to pick up the pieces and put them down. Super easy and fast.

This retiring stamp set and the matching dies are on sale right now through the end of the month at a real bargain price. Get yours today!

Products used - Stampin' Up!

If you choose to place an order with me please use Host Code XWBM2UPA. Some of these products go away May 1 so act soon! (If your order is $150 or more do not use the code so YOU get the host benefits.)

• Stamps: This Birthday Piggy
• Dies: Playful Piggy
• Stampin' Blends: Petal Pink (for the piggy), other colors to preference 
• Shaker Elements: your preference
• Accessories: Take Your Pick Tool

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