Sunday, April 27, 2025

Tic Tac Toe

I went with a different style than you normally see from me. I was asked by a friend to create a Victorian birthday card and this is one of two that I completed. I'm also entering it into the current Tic Tac Toe Challenge using the middle horizontal line of birthday, patterned paper and layers. The paper reminded me of Victorian era wallpaper and then I added elements of old script pattern paper, lace trim, crinkled seam binding and postage corner collage.  

STAMPS: Birthday Your Way 2 (Papertrey Ink).
INK: Melon Berry, Lemon Tart, Limeade Ice, New Leaf, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink); Versafine Clair Nocturne.
PAPER: Botanical 6x6 pad by Prima Marketing; Vintage Cream, Stamper's Select White (PTI).
DIES: Into the Blooms: Spring Nest, Birthday Your Way 2 (PTI); Stitched Rectangle & Banner Flag STAX Die-Namics (My Favorite Things).
OTHER: Seam binding; Enamel dots. 
 

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Wanda


 

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Freshly Made Sketches


OK...I'll have to admit this new Freshly Made Sketches layout was a bit difficult for me. I finally went with a vellum overlay and divided it in half with a plaid patterned paper strip. The card base was stenciled with Papertrey Ink's Sunflower Garden stencil collection.       
I'm loving this big sentiment set when you want it to be a focal point! I die cut the "celebrate" twice and adhered the layers together for more dimension.

STAMPS: This is Big Sentiments: Celebrate (Papertrey Ink).
INK: Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Bright Buttercup, Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate, Honey Nut, New Leaf, Simply Chartreuse, Limeade Ice (Papertrey Ink).
PAPER: Harvest Gold, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink); Party Plaid 6x6 pad (My Favorite Things); Vellum.
DIES: Skinny Frames: Diagonal Border, This is Big Sentiments: Celebrate (Papertrey Ink).
OTHER: Word window punch (Stampin' Up); Sunflower Garden stencil collection (PTI).
 
Enjoy your day!   ~Wanda

 

Friday, April 25, 2025

The Card Concept Challenge

The Card Concept Challenge has a fabulous mood board for inspiration! I used the colors (all but one) and also was inspired to go with a birthday theme as this fun party table suggests. Concord & 9th has a very unique triple stamp happy day set with coordinating dies. It has endless possibilities for combining elements and I always love to add some patterned stamping to the letters and to add some dimension by popping up a few with foam tape.

STAMPS: Triple-Step Happy Day (Concord & 9th).
INK: Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade distress oxide inks by Ranger; Veramark.
PAPER: Lemon Tart, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink); Gold Metallic (Lawn Fawn); Vellum.
DIES: Triple-Step Happy Day (Concord & 9th); Blueprints 27 (My Favorite Things).
OTHER: Queen's Gold embossing powder (Ranger).
 
It's a cloudy morning in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and it's calling for much needed rain. Looks like a good day to hunker down in my craft room!   ~Wanda


 

 

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Just Us Girls - Stencil Week

 


It's stencil week over on the Just Us Girls challenge blog. I went stencil crazy on my card and loved every minute of it! I started with the 4 stencils from the Zero-Waste Chocolate Flowers set by Altenew. Below is a photo of the 5 1/2" square area prior to die cutting.

Next step involved using the large die that cuts all of the florals out in one swipe! Such an innovative idea to instantly get a large number of flowers and leaves at once.

I then stenciled the wooden crate, lantern and candle from Papertrey Ink's August 2023 Surprise Box stencil set. I die cut that layer using the PTI Love to Layer: Arches die set and popped it up with foam. Next, it was time to arrange the florals and add a small sentiment. 

STAMPS: Blooming Beauties (Papertrey Ink).
INK: Lemon Tart, Bright Buttercup, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Canyon Clay, Lovely Lady, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Melon Berry, Spring Moss, New Leaf, Simply Chartreuse, Weathervane, Fine Linen, Cocoa Bean (Papertrey Ink); Versafine Clair Nocturne.
PAPER: Lovely Lady, Stamper's Select White (PTI).
DIES: Zero-Waste Chocolate Flowers (Altenew); Love to Layer: Arches, Border Bling: Lotty Dotty (Papertrey Ink).
OTHER: August 2023 Surprise Box (PTI). 
 
Here's hoping you can join us in this fun challenge. See you in the Just Us Girls gallery!  ~Wanda

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

SSS Monday Challenge

Good Wednesday friends! I'm trying a new technique to use washi tape combined with postage dies and stamp elements. I saw the idea on the FB Share Handmade Kindness group and knew I wanted to try it using Pinkfresh Studio's Chrysanthemum washi tape and coordinating die. Blooming blooms is the theme for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge so it was the perfect reason to create this card! 

The glare on the top middle "stamp" is bothering me but the shininess of the washi tape makes it difficult to photograph. The postage block stencil was used to shade lightly with Spring Moss ink for the background.

STAMPS: Birthday Your Way (Papertrey Ink); Postage Collage (Waffle Flower).
INK: Spring Moss (PTI); Versafine Clair Nocturne (Ranger).
PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Spring Moss (PTI). 
DIES: Chrysanthemum (Pinkfresh Studio); Postage Collage (Waffle Flower); Birthday Your Way (PTI).
OTHER: Postage Collage Blocks stencil (Waffle Flower); Chrysanthemum wide washi tape (Pinkfresh Studio).

Thanks so much for stopping by!  ~Wanda


 

Word Art Wednesday

 


Happy Wednesday to my crafty friends! It's time for a new Word Art Wednesday challenge and Karen has chosen Psalm 146:5 which speaks of the great hope we can be be promised if we trust in God as our helper! I happened to have a stamp set from Papertrey Ink that showcases Psalm 31:25 which expresses an almost idential theme as the WAW verse.  

We would love to have you join us in the challenge. Remember, you don't have to use the given sentiment...you can "stray" like I did and use something else but feel free to print the example given. A big THANK YOU to Kat Scrappiness for sponsoring this challenge and offering a $50 prize package to some blessed participant! Check out their website HERE.

I went with a pretty simple design and adhered wide washi tape from Altenew to the card base. I then stamped the verse and gold embossed it on heavy weight vellum. I cut two of the navy frame dies to make it sturdier and more dimensional. Gold gems that enhance the gold sentiment were a quick embellishment.

 

 

STAMP: Psalm Reflections: February (Papertrey Ink).
INK: Versamark.
PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Enchanted Evening (PTI); Vellum. 
DIES: Psalm Reflections: September (PTI); Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-Namics (My Favorite Things).
OTHER: Queen's Gold embossing powder (Ranger); Gilded gems (Stampin' Up); Washi tape (Altenew). 
 
That's all for today! Hope to see you in the WAW gallery!  ~Wanda

Monday, April 21, 2025

Just A Note


 

Good Monday everyone! Hope you had a blessed Easter weekend. The weather in VA was glorious and though the weekend was busy with lots of food preparation, it was fun to be with family on Easter Sunday! He is risen! He is risen indeed! 

I'm sharing a teacher card I created for one of our grands. This stamp/die set by Papertrey Ink is so versatile and has such fun elements!
 

STAMPS: Just A Note (Papertrey Ink).
INK: Hawaiian Shores, Bright Buttercup, Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Honey Nut, True Black (PTI).
PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Hawaiian Shores, Pure Poppy, Bitty Big: True Black (PTI); Metallic silver; School-themed patterned paper by Recollections.
DIES: Just A Note (PTI).
 
Just a few photos from the weekend...
Only our middle son's family could be with us. Our oldest son's family was flying back from London and our daughter and her husband were in South Carolina.
 

This Nana filled 94 plastic eggs with a variety of candy and money! The hunt is ready to begin with two of our grands. We missed the other two grands who were flying home from England.
Mark's birthday is today but we celebrated yesterday. Red velvet cake and Kline's ice cream was a special ending to our Easter meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, fresh corn, deviled eggs and rolls.
                                                                 ~Wanda