May simple joys fill your day… {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. Today, I’m sharing with you a super simple card, featuring Dandelions from Mo Manning. The fact that spring never seems to arrive this year is making me want to color florals like never before, and I’ve never colored up this cutie from Mo before, so I thought it was about time.

I printed the image fairly large on a quarter panel of X-Press It blending card, colored it up and then put it back in the printer to add the sentiment below, hoping it would turn out okay. I was initially planning on stamping a sentiment, but I couldn’t find one in my stash that felt right, and I knew printing it would work well unless my printer decided to misbehave. It didn’t 🙂

I used the largest die in the A2 Double Stitched Rectangle STAX die set from My Favorite Things to give the edges of the panel a little bit of detail. Onto a white top fold card base, I adhered a quarter panel of Blueberry cardstock from My Favorite Things. I put foam tape on the back of my colored, die cut panel, tied some Blueberry divine twine from Whisker Graphics around the panel and adhered it to the center of the blue card front, before finishing off with a few enamel dots from Papirdesign.

Simple color palette for this one.

December 24th – finally! {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I know the heading on this blog post is a little misleading, but I’ve made a cute gift tag for Christmas, featuring Joyce from Purple Onion Designs.

I stamped the cute mouse using Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Classic Kraft cardstock from Papertrey Ink, before covering the image with a mask and running the cardstock through my printer to add the lyrics to a Norwegian Christmas song all about mice. I thought it was a fitting background. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils (not Copics, I know, it’s rare), heat embossed a sentiment from the B04 stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS above the cutie and used a die from the Stitched Traditional Tag STAX die set from My Favorite Things to turn it into a tag. I then die cut a label from the Everyday Gift Box die set (also MFT) from Wild Cherry cardstock from My Favorite Things, and used the tag die again to turn it into the top piece of my tag. I also used a reinforcer die from the Fold-Up Tags die set (also from MFT) and die cut that from Dark Chocolate cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I added a ribbon, a couple of bells and some Cherry twine from Whisker Graphics to the top of the tag, before adhering a few snowdrift sprinkles from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards to finish.

Get Cracking on Christmas – October

Can you believe it’s the third Thursday of the month already? The weeks fly by, and Christmas will be here before we know it. I have a slightly different project to share for Get Cracking on Christmas today, because I haven’t made a card this time. Every year, I keep getting better at getting Christmas cards done in time (yay me), but I always scramble last minute to make gift tags (not so much yay me). I have two to share today, featuring the Playful Penguins from Amanda Jayne Designs. I actually had two more colored, but they got lost on my desk last week and I can’t find them. Four would have been great, but two are better than none.

I had my penguins colored, fussy cut and ready to go. I rummaged through my Christmas themed patterned paper scraps and found a piece from Papirdesign and one from Maja Design that were just big enough to die cut a snowflake from. This snowflake is the Stitched Snowflake Frame from Lawn Fawn that came out last year. I added a white die cut circle to the back of the opening that the die creates and stamped a to/from stamp on the back.

I added the penguin using foam squares and also a white heat embossed sentiment strip. The sentiment is from the Jul stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad. I stamped and white heat embossed a bunch at once on a scrap piece of blue cardstock from Maja Design. I added my strip using foam squares and finished off the tag with a few sequins from the Igloo mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards and a bow I tied to the top using Divine Twine in the color Blueberry.

I used the same setup for the second tag, only switching out the sentiment and using pearls instead of sequins. They’re from the same mix from Lucy, though.

I love using 1 mm foam squares. It adds a little bit of raised dimension to something that is very simple, and the bow adds a little bit of texture.

Simple color palette for these two (and the other two penguins that are still lost somewhere in my craft room).

Gingerbread Christmas tags {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a trio of gift tags to share featuring some gingerbread cookies from the Gingerbread stamp set from Lili of the Valley. I went very untraditional with my color scheme for these, but I had so much fun!

Three same, but different gift tags using all the gingerbread people in the stamp set. I created the tags themselves using dies (two of them are actual tag dies, I used the topper from the ornament die set to create a topper for the heart to create a tag from that too). I used the Itty Bitty Gifting stamps and the Itty Bitty Strips dies, both from My Favorite Things, for all my to/from strips.

I used Classic Kraft and Stamper’s Select White cardstock for most of my die cutting, both from Papertrey Ink. For the ornament I also used a piece of silver cardstock from Rayher. I did all my Copic coloring on 120 lb white cardstock from Simon Says Stamp. This isn’t the cardstock I normally use with my Copics, but it’s great for one layer cards and elements that you can see the back of, because the markers don’t bleed through. Getting smooth color blends with Copics is trickier on this cardstock than my beloved X-Press It blending card, but the thickness saves me from having to fussy cut each of those gingerbread twice to cover up any bleed through. It’s worth the trade off, I think.

For the yellow one, I used the Snøfnugg, stor die from Papirdesign to create the snowflake tag. I added Nuvo Jewel Drops in the Key Lime color to the green buttons on the belly, and used a couple of pearls from the Igloo mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards for a little bit of embellishment. I put a piece of Divine Twine in the Lemon color through the hole at the top, making it easy to add to a gift.

For the pink one I used the Hjerte 3 die from Papirdesign to create the tag (and the Julekule die to create the hole at the top). The sequins are from the same Igloo mix that I used for the yellow, and I also added Jewel Drops in the color Key Lime to the buttons on her belly. The twine is Divine Twine in the Cotton Candy color.

And finally the green one. I used the Julekule die set from Papirdesign to create the actual tag, Nuvo Jewel Drops in the Limoncello color for the star on his sweater, and green dots from Papirdesign to embellish. The twine is Divine Twine in the color Green Apple.

Very simple color palette for these.

Gift tag trio {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m usually pretty good at making Christmas cards all year. What I’m not usually so good at is creating Christmas tags to go on presents. It’s often one of those things I do last minute, even after the gifts are wrapped. I’m trying to be better, though, and today I have three tags to share featuring the Snow Cute stamp set from Lili of the Valley, I just can’t get enough of this set.

These penguins are about 4 cm tall, which makes them the perfect size to create gift tags from. By stamping them on a sheet of X-Press It blending card (or your cardstock of choice) with a little bit of space between them, you can die cut some and fussy cut the remaining ones. I decided to fussy cut the one in the center, while using dies for the other two.

I colored all the penguins with Copics and used a black glaze pen to create a little bit of shine and dimension to their eyes. Once the black was dry, which didn’t take long, I used a white Gelly Roll 05 on top of the black to put the white back into their eyes.

I’m starting with this fussy cut penguin. In a drawer, I had a scrap of a snowy background that I created last fall using Rustic Cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink, the Falling Snow stencil from Simon Says Stamp, modeling paste from The Crafter’s Workshop and Rock Candy distress glitter from Ranger. I decided to put it to use and die cut it using the 210 die from Kort & Godt, I really like the heart shaped hole it creates at the top. I mounted the penguin using foam tape and added a sentiment strip below. The sentiment is from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley, it’s got heaps of great sentiments for the holidays. I used a bit of red lace ribbon, a couple of bells and a piece of thread to the top of the tag to embellish it a little.

On the back, I added die cut letters to spell the words to and from. The words are from the Tag Builder Blueprints 6 die set from My Favorite Things, die cut from Amarena Cherry cardstock, also from MFT.

Simple color palette for this one.

Next up is the circular tag. I used the Tag Builder Blueprints 6 die set for this one as well, as well as another sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from LOTV. I added Divine Twine in the color Cherry to the top, a bell charm and a few red enamel dots from Papirdesign to finish it off.

On the back, I used the to/from circle die that I used for the first tag, but for this one, I used the negative of the die cut, popping in the centers of the o’s to complete the look. I figured it would be easier to see the writing on white cardstock instead of the red in the dim light on Christmas Eve when we open our presents, so this is meant to be practical too.

A few additional colors for this one, I wanted to ground my penguin and also needed some color on that candy cane.

For the blue one, I used the Fold-Up Tags die set from My Favorite Things to create my tag. I made sure not to cut off his scarf by fussy cutting that and putting it behind the die as I ran it through my die cutting machine. I used a piece of Blue Breeze cardstock from My Favorite Things to create the reinforcing element near the top, added some Divine Twine in the color Blueberry, a couple of white bells from UiT Hobby and some thread that’s actually meant to use with a loom (it’s super strong). Once again, I used the Christmas Greetings stamp set for the sentiment, and scattered a few snowdrift sprinkles from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards to finish.

On the back, I used that same die from the Tag Builder Blueprints 6 die set from My Favorite Things that I used for the other two tags, this time die cut from Enchanted Evening cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

Once again, simple color palette. These were such fun to make. I want to make more, and have a bunch on hand when it’s time to wrap Christmas presents, so I’m not rushing last minute to get the tags done.

Hello friend {Lee Holland Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a clean and simple, yet dimensional card to share today, featuring the Peony Dragon 1 digi stamp from Lee Holland. This was one of the first of Lee’s images I colored up a couple of years ago, and this tiny dragon hugging these peonies is just sooo adorable.

I printed the image onto X-Press It blending card and colored it with my Copics, before trimming it down. I mounted it on foam tape to a top fold white card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

I felt the need to add a design element that would break the rigidity of the rectangular panels, and decided to add some twine going across. I wrapped Green Apple Divine Twine around the card front three times and tied a knot. The green goes well with the green in the image.

Onto a piece of Eiffel Tower cardstock from My Favorite Things, I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from the Mini messages stamp set from Mama Elephant, before using a 1″ circle punch from EK Success to create a quick circle from it. I added strategically placed pieces of foam tape on the back of it and adhered it directly onto the knot I had tied on the front of the card.

To finish off the card, I added sequins and gems from the Urban Chic mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. They’re kind of scattered in a trail going from the bottom left to the top right of the image.

The card is simple, but has lots of dimension, and that dragon hugging his peonies will always steal the show.

Mostly analogous color palette, with a little bit of pink and yellow (!) for the peonies.

King for the Day {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. I have a different kind of card to share today, featuring this King for the Day image from Mo Manning.

It’s a circle card!!! I received an order for a birthday card for a huuuge Liverpool fan. I don’t have a lot of red patterned paper, but came up with the idea to create a circle card to mimic the shape of a football.

I colored the image to somewhat match the Liverpool team colors. Their uniforms are solid red, but I felt like I needed something besides just red, so I gave the guy a white T shirt with a couple of logos on it in proper team colors. I fussy cut the image and rummaged through my patterned paper looking for red and/or football themed papers. I found some football themed scraps and some neutral papers from Papirdesign, as well as some red scraps from P13. I used a stitched circle die set from My Favorite Things to create my card base and also to give the patterned paper scraps the rounded shape on the edge with that nice faux stitch border. I glued some pieces directly to the card base, adding layers of cardstock on the back of others for dimension and interest.

I used the In Stitches Alpha uppercase die set from My Favorite Things to die cut the recipient’s name a few times from white cardstock, adding a layer of red patterned paper from Waffle Flower on top to include more red on the card. I was told the birthday “boy” likes beer, so I added a couple of bottle caps, flipping one of them upside down so I could add his age inside. I used the Alfabet 3 die set from Scrapmagasinet to die cut the numbers, added them to a 1” circle and covered it with Glossy Accents for some shine.

On the inside I printed the lyrics for You’ll Never Walk Alone in red ink and added a couple of circular elements, including a football I fussy cut from patterned paper from Papirdesign. The right side has plenty of space to write a personal message.

On the back of the card I added a few more strips of patterned paper and stamped a sentiment from the Til mannen stamp set from Norsk Stempelblad AS using Wild Cherry ink from My Favorite Things.

I didn’t have an envelope to fit this very dimensional 5 1/2” circle card, so I created one from patterned paper from Papirdesign. The paper is covered with footballs on one side with a few specks of red here and there (how perfect is that?), and football pitches on the back.

Fairly simple color combination for this one.

 

Especially for you {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I wanted to share this yesterday, because it was the 24th and nine months left until Christmas Eve, but I didn’t finish this before the sun set, and I’m no good at flat lay photography in the dark, so I’m sharing today instead.

I colored and fussy cut Especially for you from the 2021 I’ll Be Home for the Holidays collection illustrated by Stacey Yacula for Purple Onion Designs. I left a white trim around the edge to preserve the tail on the mouse and also have an easier time cutting the ribbon that adorns the present.

For the background I used the largest die in the Stitched Traditional Tag STAX die set from My Favorite Things and die cut two of these from Blue Breeze cardstock from My Favorite Things, before gluing them back to back. On the back I simply stamped a To/From stamp and on the front, I used the Falling Snow stencil from Simon Says Stamp along with some paste for a subtle snowy effect in the background.

I mounted the image on foam tape and added big die cut numbers above them using the By the numbers die set from Papertrey Ink. I die cut four of each number from Cornflower cardstock from My Favorite Things, and the top layer from the same cardstock I used for the background. I stamped a sentiment from a Norsk Stempelblad AS stamp set using Cornflower ink from MFT onto one of the numbers. I stacked the numbers, offsetting the top layer slightly and adhered them to the tag. I even put foam tape on the back of the number 4 to pop it up a little bit more and to add interest and dimension, before finishing off the tag with some ribbon of unknown origin, twine from Whisker Graphics in the color Blueberry and a snowflake charm.

I used quite a few colors for the fur on the squirrel, but the rest of the colors are pretty basic.

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.

With lots of love {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. This Best of the Bunch image from Mo’s Digital Pencil is one I’ve used a couple of times in the past (you’ll find the cards here and here), and it’s an image with such a positive vibe I wanted to use it again, the world needs every grain of positivity we can find these days.

I couldn’t choose any other colors for this card, it simply had to be blue and yellow. I colored the image with Copics, then used the largest die in the Wonky Stitched Rectangles STAX set from My Favorite Things to create a little bit of interest to the edges of the panel, before adhering it to a card base created from Cornflower cardstock from My Favorite Things.

In the top right corner, I adhered part of a mini doily from Doodlebug using liquid glue. To the top of the card, I tied a piece of Divine Twine from Whisker Graphics in the color Lemon. I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from the Mini Messages stamp set from Mama Elephant on a scrap piece of blue cardstock and die cut it into a tag using a die from the Everyday Gift Box die set from My Favorite Things. I tied the ends of the twine to the tag, added a bow and put foam tape behind the tag for a little bit of dimension to my card.

I put a small piece of Stick-it adhesive behind a scrap of Bright Buttercup cardstock from Papertrey Ink and die cut lots of tiny hearts from it using a die from the Say What? Gift Tags die set from Lawn Fawn. I adhered the hearts in three little groupings of three. They form a nice visual triangle and add more yellow goodness to the card. There’s no such thing as too many hearts!

I’m sending lots of love to the people in Ukraine. It’s heartbreaking that certain people haven’t yet learned the lesson that war’s never the answer. Love always is. 💙💛

Lots of Copics used for this. Thankfully, they were already out on my desk from previous projects, so I didn’t add to the pile of markers I have to clean before I put them back where they belong in my block stands.