Memories

My friendship with Sandy dates back to the 7^th grade and I thank God we’ve stayed in close touch for lo these many decades.  She surprised me with a lovely gift card recently, hence the following Thank You note . . .

As she lives near the ocean in Southern California, I thought a beachy theme would work well.  The seashell background layer has been languishing in my scrap box for awhile, just waiting for the right use.  I think I found it . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Scraps Light and Dark Brown  

Inks:             Distress Ground Espresso, Gina K Charcoal Brown

Dies:            Taylored Expressions Stitched Frame Stacklets, 

Love Nicole Shells Scalloped, Nautilus, Elizabeth

Designs Words 4 Remember: “Memories”               

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Nautilus

Doo Dads:    Metalix Glitter Moondust   

Hugs

This one was done with a brand new and ingeniously designed bundle from Taylored Expressions . . .

There are five different butterflies and they are all arranged on one stamp.  Once stamped, the three coordinating stencils are designed to color all of the butterflies at the same time.  After the coloring is done, the one-piece die fits perfectly over all of the butterflies.  The stencils are numbered and each piece includes a trio of tiny squares that align with stamped squares included on the image.  These make for easy and perfect alignment.

The butterflies were covered with Micro Glaze, a product I’ve had for decades but fell in love with only recently.  I’ve no idea as to why the delay.  That stuff is fabulous, especially on die inks that emerge looking flat and lifeless.  A sponge dauber works perfectly to apply the merest amount of Glaze in a swirling motion.  When done, buff lightly with a tissue.  The Glaze enriches the ink colors and provides a very subtle sheen with no shiny glare.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Puppy Love, Raven, Strathmore #100 Bristol

Smooth, Scrap Sage Green         

Stamps:       Taylored Expressions Whimsical Wings

Inks:             Superior India Ink Black, Distress Dusty Concord,

Fossilized Amber, Pine Needles

Dies:            Taylored Expressions Whimsical Wings, Memory Box 

Weeping Willow Branch, Recollections Word Fetti: “Hugs”     

Stencil:        Taylored Expressions Whimsical Wings

Emb Fldr:     Taylored Expressions Brick

Doo Dads:    Judikins Micro Glaze, Metalix Glitter Moondust 

Beech

This is one of those rare cards I’ve done that the more I look at it, the more I really like how it turned out . . .

The stenciled leaf and green sidebars were done with sprays which I love because you can get such wonderful, smooshy looks with them.  I love the varied depth of color that is easy to get with sprays.  This leaf is part of a set of four that include both the leaf and the mortise, which opens up a variety of creative options.  These leaves are beautiful and will be used many times in future . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Ivy, Strathmore #100 Bristol Vellum       

Stamps:       Lost Coast Vertical ABC, Stampin Up Itty Bitty

Backgrounds

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White

Colorants:    Stamp Zia Sprays Sapphire, Olive

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            DieVersions font Noodles            

Stencil:        A Colorful Life Beech

Doo Dads:    My Mind’s Eye Wood Dots

Happy

While my own dear Mother is gone, that needn’t stop me from celebrating the Mothers among my friends . . .

Lately, I’m loving shredded edges, glitter sprinkled onto wet embossing paste, and Foamiran flowers.  Foamiran is a wonderful thin foam that takes inks and coloration of all kinds, die cuts easily, and when heated for 3-5 seconds, gets perky and actually survives the US Postal Service!  With the heat, the petals curve up, get a little firmer, and after mailing, they pop right back up when removed from the envelope.  Amazing stuff!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Fire Hearts, Strathmore #140 Watercolor         

Inks:             Distress Tattered Rose, Victorian Velvet, Worn Lipstick

Dies:            Taylored Expressions Stitched Frame Stacklets 1,

“Happy”, Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia, AccuCut

Tile Blocks #2

Stencil:        Hero Leaf & Flourish

Doo Dads:    Golden Light Molding Paste, Sparkle & Sprinkle

Fantasy Gold Glitter, Foamiran       

This is one of those layouts that started off in one direction and wound up in another . . .

 

It started with a layered stencil background that I came to decide was too intrusive.  So I covered most of it with a plain piece topped with a mesh texture.  Then I decided a single stemmed rose retired from the Spellbinders line ages ago would work.  I’m quite happy with the results . . . what say you?

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Neenah Desert Storm       

Stamps:       Taylored Expressions Flower Patch

Inks:             Distress Peeled Paint, Candied Apple, Forest Moss,

Spiced Marmalade

Emb Pwdr:   Whispers Clear Glitter

Dies:            Waffle Flower Lacy Layers, Cugap Flower (mesh)

Background, Spellbinders Rose, Memory Box Stitched

Rectangle Trimmings, TEMU Words Set: Happy Birthday            

Stencil:        Taylored Expressions Flower Patch

Doo Dads:    My Mind’s Eye Wood Dots

Doce No Mas

“Doce No Mas” means “Twelve No More” in Spanish.  He was a lovely cat and the twelfth of the strays and rescues that my friends have loved and cared for over many years.  The “No more” part of his name meant he would be the last of the rescues, as twelve cats were more than enough to take care of . . .

 

As the card will be hand delivered, I had fun with a square shape as the need for additional postage will not be necessary.  I went for a subtle ombre effect with the sun’s rays and am rather pleased how they turned out.

Doce No Mas was a real sweetie will be missed for a long time . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Capri Sea, Strathmore #140 Watercolor,

                     Scraps Black

Colorants:    Copic Cadmium Yellow, Napoli Yellow, Honey, Chrome

Orange, Mint Green

Dies:            TopUnder Sun’s Rays, Frantic Stamper Ten Fun Felines,

Memory Box Alphabet Soup, Tim Holtz Alphanumeric

Tiny Type Upper                       

Happy!

The die for the perforated background is a new one and I had a great time taking it on its maiden voyage atop my crafting table.  Best of all is the coordinating one-piece stencil (available separately) that lets you easily add color while keeping the perforated framing a pristine white – or whatever your original cardstock color is.   I loved how easy it was to brush on the soft frames, even though the color I wound up with was not what I was expecting . . .

  . . . I loaded the brush with Speckled Egg but wound up with a burnt mustard shade!  Evidently, I used a yellow ink the last time I worked with the brush and there was enough remaining to blend with the Speckled Egg.  I actually love the result, especially since I was serendipitously able to match the rogue color with some cardstock in my stash.  SCORE!

This is a one-off, of course . . . I’ll never be able to blunder my way into making that wonderful boo boo happen again.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Desert Sun, Neenah #110 Solar White   

Stamps:       Outlines “Have a Great Day”, Printworks “Celebrate”,

East Coast “Happy”

Inks:             Distress Speckled Egg, ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Waffle Flower Postage Collage A6 Blocks,

Spellbinders Floral Berry Accents                    

Stencil:        Waffle Flower Postage Collage A6 Blocks

Doo Dads:    Foamiran