Love Always Frame

I have had Concord and 9th's Love Always Frame dies for many months and never opened the package (how sad is that?!). I needed a wedding card for later in the month, so it was high time I checked YouTube for directions on how to use this die! After watching the tutorial HERE, it was totally a simple thing to use! 

I created the base panel by stamping florals from C9's Brushed Blossom stamp set with distress oxide inks.  The frame was cut from brushed metallic silver cardstock.  The silver ribbon is by SU and was threaded through a rhinestone "slide" embellishment.  

STAMPS: Brushed Blossom (Concord and 9th).
INK: Shaded Lilac, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint distress oxide inks by Ranger.
DIES: Love Always Frame (Concord and 9th), Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-Namics by MFT. 

It's another scorcher of a day here in VA.  Have not wanted to venture outside yet until the sun goes down!  Stay cool everyone!

Fusion Card Challenge

Can you believe we're into the month of July already?! I always feel once July 4th holiday is over, we're on the slippery slope downhill with summer getting close to the end.  

The hot temps make it perfect to retreat to your crafty space and there is a really fun inspiration photo on the Fusion Card Challenge blog along with a great sketch that we'd love to have to play along!  Remember, you can choose just one of the options or you can use both on your creation.  I was inspired by the varying shades of blues/greens and, of course, that huge cactus in the foreground and couldn't resist the great sketch as well!

I dug into my archives of loose 12x12" papers and went with My Mind's Eye "Bohemia" collection.  Stamps are from My Favorite Things' Sweet Succulents stamp set with matching dies and were colored with Copics after stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on X-Press It Blending Card. 

Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team has created...

Barb Ghigliotty, Jeanne Jachna, Jen Mitchell, Karren Johnson, Linda Callahan, Lyndal Higgins , Michelle Leone, Michelle Lupton, Wanda Cullen (you are here)

Hope to see you in the gallery!

Celebrating 500th CTD Challenge!

Wowzers! The Color Throwdown Challenge has hit the 500 mark today and yours truly is hosting the colors which are navy, blush, gold and white! It's also the Fourth of July in the US, so fireworks had to be included in this post - lol!

 I fell in love with this cake while browsing Pinterest.  The wee touch of gold is perfect to create a celebratory card!

The Blush 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye was perfect for the challenge and I pretty much let it do the talking!  I cut two navy layers and one blush layer of the sentiment.  The flower die was part of a card kit by Simon Says Stamp.  I also used MFT's Stitched Basic Edges Die-Namics and added a trio of dewdrops as embellishments.  



I ended up giving this card to our middle son and DIL who celebrated their 5th anniversary on June 30th!

They got married in a tiny chapel in the Old City Cemetery and Arboretum in Lynchburg, VA.  Two beautiful children later, they are once again at the chapel entrance!

For more inspiration from the rest of the design team, click on their blog links below:

 Amy Rohl  

Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put  
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen (you are here)

Stock Your Stash

The first of the month always brings a new theme for Reverse Confetti's Stock Your Stash challenge! This month is all about babies and I knew I wanted to CASE a card by Melissa Phillips using her sweet, pastel style! You can see her Easter card posted HERE.  I changed the tag, florals, paper and sentiment.

Here is my enabler's list...
STAMPS: Bitty Banners, Petals 'n Posies, All About Ewe, Elemental Stripes - all by Reverse Confetti.
PAPER: Piggy Bank, Iced Aqua CS by Reverse Confetti. Sweet Tooth CS by MFT.
INK: Bumblebee Yellow, Iced Aqua, Lagoon, Piggy Bank - all by Reverse Confetti; Pretty in Pink by SU; Versafine Onyx Black.
DIES: Pierced Round Top Layers, Bitty Banners, All About Ewe, Petals 'n Posies - by Reverse Confetti.  Corners were rounded with a corner chomper.

The ewe was colored in using pink chalk and the bird was colored with Copics.

Hello Friend...again!

As promised in my post last Sunday, I've got a second card using Whimsy Stamps' fun fairy image called Hello Friend! This time she is blonde (wonder if she's having more fun - lol?) and she's in purple and aqua attire.  I'm entering this into the Whimsy Inspirations Challenge where Anything Goes is the theme this month!  You have until July 12 to join in the fun.

I love to "smoosh" distress inks onto watercolor cardstock by applying the ink to an acrylic block, misting lightly with water then "smooshing" the paper onto the block to pick up the ink.  I colored the image with Copics and added sparkle highlights with Sakura's Gelly Roll Clear Star pen.  It's so hard to capture this in a photo! The sentiment is from Whimsy's Shine Bright stamp set.

STAMPS: Hello Friend (Whimsy Stamps), Shine Bright (Whimsy Stamps).
PAPER: Iced Aqua (Reverse Confetti), Ranger watercolor CS, X-Press It Blending Card.
INK: Peacock Feathers and Wilted Violet distress inks; Versamark; Memento Tuxedo Black.
DIES: Stitched Circle and Rectangle Die-Namics by My Favorite Things. 

Be sure to stop by the Whimsy Stamps store and check out their large selection of stamps, dies, papers, etc.  You will love their great variety of products!

Color Throwdown #499

Hello everyone! Get ready to create with some fabulous colors that Vickie has chosen for the last Color Throwdown Challenge in June!  Yikes!  Where has this month gone?! 

I can't seem to ever stop using florals and went with these Altenew stamps that involve 2 and 3-step stamping. I layered them over MFT's Striped Sentiment Strip Cover Plate die (a "go to" favorite of mine!).

Here is my enabler's list...

STAMPS: Vintage Flowers (Altenew), More Than Words (Altenew). 
PAPER: Pacific Point (SU), Sweet Tooth (My Favorite Things).
INK: Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint (Distress Oxide inks by Ranger); Versafine Onyx Black (stamped twice with MISTI).
DIES: Vintage Flowers (Altenew); Striped Sentiment Strip Cover Plate Die-Namics (MFT). 

For more inspiration from the rest of the design team, click on their blog links below:

 Amy Rohl  

Amy Rysavy

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put  
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen (you are here)

Hope to see you in the CTD gallery!

Papertrey Ink June Blog Hop Challenge

I'm joining in on the fun for PTI's June Blog Hop Challenge! Check out this rainbow assortment of fruits and popsicles in their inspiration photo! Cool...right?

Well...now imagine those popsicles melting in the hot sun and you end up with something similar to the background of my card...achieved with alcohol ink blending! 
(Smile)  The images were white embossed with Altenew's Pure White EP.

What did I use?
STAMPS: Butterfly Folk (PTI), Direct Messages (PTI).
PAPER: Sweet Tooth, Sour Apple, Ripe Raspberry (MFT); Yupo.
DIES: Butterfly Folk, Direct Messages (PTI); Stitched Rectangle Die-Namics (MFT).