Thanks and Wish...

I got a package in the mail yesterday and said something about an order I'd placed. Um...I hadn't placed any orders and I didn't even recognize the company! I carefully opened the box, just in case I was going to have to return what I didn't order and when I peeked inside, I started doing the giddy girly dance. You know the one where you jump from foot to foot on your tippy toes and clap your hands in glee? Well, that was me. You see, this was from two very special young boys named Bjorn and Mathias, who have a very, very special grandma named Kathi. I have a birthday coming up on Monday and Kathi, I mean the boys, got me the Hero Arts Dots and Flowers background stamp! I've mentioned it in a previous post (I think I said I was too cheap to buy it) and have had serious stamp envy when Kathi's posted cards using her Dots and Flowers background stamp.

It was just the ticket to get me to go out into my craft room and break it in! Wanna see?

I used one of Kathi's cards as the starting off point for my card. Because I don't have that adorable owl, I took things in a different direction. I recently discovered a blog called Scrap a Little! Erin, of Inky Smiles, told me about these lovely cardstock roses she found and there was a tutorial on how to make them! I knew I had to try them out. And decided to make one for my card today. I used my Cricut and George cartridge to cut the hearts needed, only mine is the original Cricut and it doesn't cut all the same sizes. So I had to adjust a smidge with the sizes I have available. But it was easy peasy to put the rose together. When I finished though, I thought the rose was WAY too big to fit the card well, so I took off the largest hearts layer. I think it still looks nice and the size works better. I don't know if you can see it well, but I sprayed some Glimmer Mist (Iridescent Gold) on the rose as well. Oh and you'll have to look closely, but I added a dot with my Desert Sand marker, then I went over it with a Sakura glitter pen. I used the same pen to draw lines on the Colonial White piece.

Supplies:

Stamps: Dots and Flowers (Hero Arts), For Every Occasion (CTMH)

Ink: Desert Sand ink pad and marker (CTMH)

Cardstock: Bamboo, Desert Sand, Colonial White, Topiary

Accessories: Sakura Clear Star glitter pen, glittered brad (Hobby Lobby), Martha Stewart punch, Glimmer Mist

I then got to work making another card. This one was inspired this one created by Sarah of Sarah's Paper Tray. I came across some glittery clear embossing powder by Stampendous and decided to try it and see how it would look. I like it, although it's hard to photograph. LOL I've long admired the cards I've seen where the dandilion fluff image is used. Earlier this summer or maybe late spring, I found a clear stamp set called Fine and Dandy (by Autumn Leaves) at Michaels (the concept store in Brighton) and thought it would work great.

I like how this one came out, too. I guess I am in a glittery mood today as I used the same Sakura glitter pen on this card (on the scalloped piece and in the focal image dandilion). A month or so ago, I discovered Michaels was carrying those teeny tiny mini brads and I picked up a couple of packages. It's the Recollections brand. I finally broke open the package today. I used a ruler to try to get my holes all lined up straight, but it must have slipped a tad. Oh well. The wish sentiment seemed to fit just perfectly. I didn't want to use the whole swirl on the image, so I inked the stamp up and then scotch taped off the area of the image I didnt' want to use. Had I been thinking ahead, I might have stamped the entire image first, then the dandilions and you could see it peek through, but that would be too clever on my part. LOL

Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Supplies:

Stamps: Fine and Dandy (Autumn Leaves), Card Commentary (CTMH)

Cardstock: Kraft (Archivers), Bamboo, Topiary (CTMH)

Inks: Desert Sand, Topiary {used a Topiary marker to draw a line, too} (CTMH)

Accessories: itty bitty mini brads (Recollections at Michaels) Sakura glitter pen, EK Success border punch, Nestabilities circle and scallop circle dies, glittered clear embossing powder (Stampendous)

And that does it from me today. Thanks for your support and encouragement about the things I am working on these days. It sure means a lot! Thanks, too, for visiting!