Happy birthday {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a fun card to share today featuring the adorable Animal Balloons image from Rachelle Anne Miller. I actually turned this into a full card shaker, which I’ve never done before, but I’ve wanted to for so long. It was easy too, and I really feel like making more.

I colored the scene in using my Copics, before using Iceberg ink from Altenew with the Slimline Cloud Edges stencil from My Favorite Things to create soft clouds in the background. I then sacrificed one of my stamp storage pockets from Avery Elle, using about half of it for this card to create the pocket for the colored panel to slip into. I know there are full shaker covers on the market, but I don’t have any, and the storage pocket was easy enough to alter.

I filled my shaker pocket with sequins and gems from the Candy Corn mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. This is a great Halloween mix with clear, yellow and orange sequins, as well as some little gems and even acetate ghosts. I loooove the ghosts, but of course I removed them from the part of the mix I used for this birthday card.

I die cut the word Gratulerer twice from white cardstock and once from Pure Poppy cardstock from Papertrey Ink using the Gratulerer 8 die from Papirdesign, stacked them and used liquid glue to add the die cut to the front of the window.

I stamped a sub sentiment from the Go’klem stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS onto a separate piece of Pure Poppy cardstock using VersaMark. I heat embossed it using super fine detail embossing powder from Ranger in white, cut the sub sentiment down to a strip and added a couple of additional cardstock layers behind it, before adhering it to the front of the shaker using score tape.

Simple, but fun color palette for this one.

You’re getting better and better {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m sharing with you a super simple birthday card today, featuring this dragon eating ice cream from Lili of the Valley. This was the card we gave my nephew for his birthday this week. The first birthday card I ever made was for him for his first birthday. It featured a green dragon which I actually drew myself and colored in using Pantone markers. This week he turned 14, and even though this dragon is a bit childlike, it still feels like a nod back to that first one. Plus, he’s eating ice cream, you can’t go wrong with ice cream, and my nephew loves ice cream, so it was kind of perfect.

I printed the dragon on a piece of X-Press It blending card and colored him with my Copics, before using the largest die in the A2 Stitched Rectangles STAX 1 die set from My Favorite Things. I covered my card base with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2″ piece of patterned paper from Kaisercraft (Charmed from the Key to my Heart collection) to match the green. I cut the panel with the dragon at funky angles at the top and left side to create a convex quadrilateral that I mounted on foam tape in the top left corner of the card.

Using a scrap of patterned paper from the Fremtidsdrømmer collection from Papirdesign, I die cut Gratulerer using the Gratulerer med dagen 3 die set, also from Papirdesign. I die cut an additional 3 layers of white cardstock to glue behind it, but decided that even that wasn’t enough dimension, so I cut tiny slivers of clear foam tape from Rabbit Hole Designs to add to the back of the letters. That did the trick, and it looks like the die cut is floating. I stamped a sub sentiment from the A06 stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS onto another piece of the same patterned paper using Jalapeño Popper ink from My Favorite Things, cut it down to a strip, added a couple of white cardstock strips behind it and more of the clear foam tape to make it float, before finishing off the card with a few enamel dots from the Pocketful of Sunshine pack from Altenew.

Fairly simple color palette, but I went through too many teal colors before I decided on the right one for the straws and the sprinkles.

Hello friend {Streamside Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m back today with a super simple card featuring this Kite image from the Lucky Bunnies collection from Streamside Studios.

This image is sooo sweet, I just had to create a card using it. There’s also a butterfly in the image, which I erased before printing, I just wanted the bunny with the kite for this card. I created a very simple grassy hill below her feet and used the Rolling Clouds stencil from My Favorite Things along with Eastern Sky ink from Altenew to create the clouds behind her.

From Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, I die cut three white frames using a die from the Madison Avenue die set from Mama Elephant and stacked them for a dimensional look. I adhered my colored piece to the back of the frame, before adhering everything to a card base I created from Poppin’ Pink cardstock from My Favorite Things. I white heat embossed a sentiment from the Mini Messages stamp set from Mama Elephant onto a separate piece of pink cardstock and used a 1″ circle punch from EK Success to create a quick circle from it. I popped it up on clear foam tape near the top right of the card, and decided not to add any embellishments to this.

Not a lot of colors for this one, though I probably went overboard with the yellows.

Easter fun {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. There’s a new release out right now from Rachelle Anne Miller. It’s all about Easter Friends. There are eggs, guinea pigs, a cute woodland scene and a scene creator set, but I just had to choose Koala’s Easter for my card. With my ties to Australia there was really no other choice.

Isn’t this image the cutest? The koala with the bunny ears painting the egg with the little bunny watching, it’s sooo sweet. I colored this image using a lot more colors than I normally would, but they’re colors that scream spring to me, so I’m all for it, I definitely long for warmer days.

I put a strip of pink patterned paper from My Favorite Things above and below the image, and added a few more patterned paper pieces (from Lawn Fawn and My Favorite Things) angled behind my colored piece, before die cutting all of them using the A2 Stitched Rectangles STAX 1 die set from My Favorite Things to create that faux stitch look that I love to add to my cards. I used the same die to die cut from yellow patterned paper from Lawn Fawn, adhered that to my card base, then mounted my colored piece on top using foam tape.

Onto a piece of vellum, I stamped a sentiment from an Easter stamp set from Papirdesign (PD18390 Påske) using VersaFine Onyx Black ink and clear heat embossed it, before die cutting it using one of the dies in the Fishtail Flag Frames die set from My Favorite Things.

I tied a bow around my sentiment banner using twine from Whisker Graphics in the color Lemon, and then I finished off the card with a few yellow enamel dots from the Pocketful of Sunshine enamel dot collection from Altenew.

Lots of colors for this one.

Sweet hello {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. Today I’m sharing a card featuring the sweet Junie image from Purple Onion Designs. I love this little bunny with her bouquet of flowers.

I stamped the image using Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things, before coloring with my Copics. I love love love the way rubber stamps stamp even the thinnest lines. It’s great for details, and Stacey Yacula’s illustration style gets to shine. Her line work is very delicate, which pairs so well with rubber stamping, because you’re able to easily stamp all the little details.

I used a die in the Slim Card Basics die set from Mama Elephant to create a cloud border above my stamped and colored image, and used the same die on a separate piece of cardstock. I found a scrap piece of patterned paper from Scenic Route that I added to my card base, then added my cloud pieces on top using foam tape.

I used two sentiments from the Sunshiny Sentiment set to create my staggered sentiment. I didn’t have the right color purple ink I wanted, so I stamped once with Grapesicle ink from My Favorite Things and then right on top with Iceberg ink from Altenew to create a new color for my sentiment.

Using the lower case Parker alphabet die set from Memory Box, I die cut each letter three times from Harvest Gold cardstock from Papertrey Ink to spell the word hello. I stacked my die cuts and adhered them to the right of Junie using liquid glue.

To finish the card I added a few yellow sequins from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. These are actually from the Candy Corn mix; a Halloween mix with orange, yellow and clear sequins and gems which even has a few tiny ghosts made from acetate thrown in. It’s a fun mix.

Simple color palette for this one.

Celebrate {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. There’s a brand new release out today from Rachelle Anne Miller, and this adorable Party Girl is among the new images. She’s got a couple of cards spread out on the floor and some colored pencils floating in the air around her, this is the perfect image to use for a crafty friend’s birthday.

I colored my image with Copics and put it aside while I worked on the rest of the card, which I kept fairly simple. I used the largest die in the A2 Stitched Rectangles STAX 1 set from My Favorite Things in combination with the Watercolor Wash Free Form die, also from MFT, to die cut a window from Bright Buttercup cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I adhered the image to the back of this window and adhered it to my card base, which I made from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

I die cut the Celebrate die from My Favorite Things twice from white cardstock and once from a silver sparkle cardstock and adhered them together for dimension. I also stamped a sub sentiment from the Itty Bitty Birthday stamp set from My Favorite Things onto Hibiscus Burst cardstock from Papertrey Ink and heat embossed it, before using a banner die from the Everyday Gift Box die set from My Favorite Things. I put a couple of additional layers of pink cardstock behind it, adhered it on top of the stacked Celebrate die cut and embellished the card very simply by putting two star enamel dots in spots that have stars in the stamp. Simple, right?

Quick and easy coloring with a fun, summery color palette (it’s been snowing and sleeting and freezing here, which makes me long for summer even more than usual).

Hello friend {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a simple card to share today, featuring this I like you image from Mo Manning. It’s an image that is quick and easy to color. I wasn’t sure what colors to use for her clothing, I thought about teal, but then I googled the image and remembered I’d already used a teal(ish) color on a previous card I made with the same image (blog post here), so I was kind of stuck for color ideas. My color buddy Lisabeth came to my rescue, suggesting green and white, so that’s what I wound up with. Thanks, Liz!!

I printed the image near the bottom left corner of a panel of X-Press It blending card, before coloring it with Copics and using the largest die in the A2 Double Stitched Rectangle STAX die set from My Favorite Things to create a finished look with the nice faux stitching details that I love to add to my cards. I adhered it to a cardbase I created from Jalapeño Popper cardstock, also from MFT, and I had my base ready for some play with scraps.

I love creating these clusters of die cut scraps on my cards, and I have stamp storage pockets with little die cut patterned paper scraps sorted by color. That way I can rummage through these when I create my cards instead of having to find lots of patterned paper to match my card, then die cut it. It usually takes several different patterned papers of one color to create the dynamic look I want for my cards, but for this one, I actually kept it simple with one yellow (P13), one white and gray (Sunny Studio) and only two green ones (Basic Grey and Karen Foster Design). They’re all different shapes, which still keeps it interesting. Some are glued directly to the card, some with foam tape for a little bit of dimension. Using VersaMark ink, I stamped a sentiment from the Mini Messages stamp set from Mama Elephant onto one of these die cut pieces (it happened to be a tag) and heat embossed it using Super Fine Detail embossing powder from Ranger. I used part of a mini paper doily from Doodlebug Design behind my main cluster, and added a few enamel dots (green from Papirdesign, yellow from Altenew) to embellish.

Lots of green for this color palette.

A kookaburra and koala for Christmas {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a Christmas card to share today, featuring this adorable kookaburra and koala image from Rachelle Anne Miller. Yes, it’s February, and I’m creating holiday cards. This will be very handy in November, and I won’t have to scramble last minute to get my cards finished in time. Also, it’s definitely still winter here, slippery as an ice rink and no fun outside, so card making is a safer option.

I colored the cute little scene with Copics and put it aside while I worked on the rest of my card. On a separate piece of X-Press It blending card I blended the same three blueish teal colors that I used for the kookaburra and the ornaments to create an ombré effect, and used the Merry Script die from Mama Elephant to create part of a sentiment that would match my coloring. I added three white die cuts behind it for dimension to make it stand out on my card.

I used the largest die in the A2 Stitched Rectangles STAX 2 set from My Favorite Things along with the Selfie Square die, also from MFT, and die cut both from a piece of Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I then used the Watercolor Stripes stencil from Altenew and ink blended Jalapeño Popper ink from MFT very softly onto the white cardstock for a subtle background.

For the word christmas I used part of a sentiment from the Itty Bitty Holiday stamp set from MFT and stamped that using Jalapeño Popper ink. It’s hard to believe it’s the same color that I used for the ink blending, right?

I put foam tape behind my ink blended background and adhered everything to a cardbase I created from Jalapeño Popper cardstock from MFT, before scattering a few sequins from the White Orchid Sequin Mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards to finish my card. I used the stencil from Altenew to add a little interest to the envelope, as well.

Simple color palette. A little unusual for a Christmas card, but I really wanted those blues from the kookaburra to stand out.

January

Hi, there!!! Happy new year! I hope your 2022 is off to a good start. I’ve decided to try to send out more cards this year than in previous years. I make so many during the year that I feel the need to at least try to put smiles on people’s faces by giving them a handmade card. I’ve also decided to start a birthday calendar, and I’ll be sharing a new calendar page at the beginning of each month throughout the year. A calendar will help me keep track of birthdays and where and when to send cards.

My page for the January calendar features this cute owl from Haven Hill Crafts, from the Snowed Inn stamp set, which also includes a sweet fox and the coolest moose! The owner, Hanna, contacted me in the fall, asking if I would like to play with some of her stamps. Of course I had to say yes. This owl is so cute, and there’s also an awesome washi tape stamp in the stamp set.

I stamped the snowflake in the stamp set repeatedly across my background using Iceberg ink from Altenew. I did second generation stamping on some of the snowflakes, especially where they overlap the lines where I intend to write. From Cornflower cardstock from My Favorite Things, I die cut the letters to spell januar using the In Stitches Lowercase Alphabet die set, also from My Favorite Things. I adhered the letters using liquid glue, centering them above the dates for the month.

I used lots of colors for this little owl. Isn’t he just the cutest, sitting there on his branch wrapped in a scarf?

Easy peasy criss cross card {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. Today I’m sharing a card that’s a little bit different. It’s a criss cross card. I’ve made a few of them in the past, but it’s been a while, and they’re kind of fun to make.

This card was created for a little girl whose christening was this past Sunday. I think the Baby and Bunny image from Mo Manning is super adorable, and it’s an easy one to color up fairly quickly too. I chose some purplish patterned papers from Papirdesign and Maja Design and colored the image with Copics that matched.

I die cut the image using a circle die from Lifestyle Crafts and matted it with kraft cardstock. I also printed the name and date on a piece of white cardstock that I also matted with kraft. I put a doily from Helz Cuppelditch behind my image and added flowers using a hot glue gun. I took out the yellow centers of two of the flowers and replaced them with Lavender pearls from Kaisercraft.

On the inside tag I added a circle diecut made from white cardstock for a space to write a personal message. I used the Labels Trio die set from Spellbinders to create two “handles” from kraft cardstock. I tied a bow and attached a charm to one of them for a little added interest.

On the back of the card I stamped a sentiment from North Star Design using Amethyst ink from Altenew.

The card isn’t very big, it only measures 5×5″, but it’s quite dimensional and doesn’t fit in a regular envelope, so I decided it was best to create a box envelope.

I rummaged through my 12×12″ cardstock and found a color that matched pretty well, and used my Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers to create the box. I added another Helz Cuppelditch doily for cohesion, as well as more of the patterned paper that I die cut using the Impact alphabet die set from My Favorite Things.

Not a whole lot of Copics used for this.