Oh Happy Day!

Hello everyone! We've just returned from a vacation trip to Colorado and we had such a great time together as a family!  We spent time in Colorado Springs, drove through Denver and visited Ikea (!!) and Casa Bonita, then drove on to Winter Park and enjoyed a great day at the resort doing everything from miniature golf to the Alpine Slides.  It was such a GREAT time and a very needed vacation!
 

 This is the kids & I after riding the train to the top of Pike's Peak.  (It was pretty bright up there and so they are both squinting.)

Before we left on vacation, I made a card for the current Avery Elle challenge that was based on a sketch.  I'm posting it at the last minute, barely squeaking in by the deadline!  I took a pretty literal interpretation of the sketch that was posted.

 

This was a fun sketch to play with!  You know me, I went with bright colors!  I do love color!

I used several Avery Elle sets on this card.   My son is 10 and so his friends are starting to have birthdays and I figured having an "11" card in my stash was appropriate.  Those numbers are from the "Count on It" set and I love the font for the numbers in this set.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the "Picture It" set.  The little star and the sentiment are from one of my FAVORITE sentiment sets ever, "Oh Happy Day".  

This sketch was perfect for using Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats Circles with!  I love how the stitching adds a little extra pop to the circles!

  Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

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It's a Wrap!

Hey! Welcome back to the last day of the Lil' Inker Designs release week festivities!! From everything I've been hearing from you, you like this release as much as our design team did!  It's fabulous isn't it!? If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog.

Today I have a couple more cards to share with you.

This is a masculine card that I made with the new Cover Up Die: Pieced Chevron.  Have I mentioned how much fun this die is?  When Laura first mentioned this die almost a year ago, I couldn't wait until it was released.  Fast forward to today and we get to see it in all its glory!  LOVE it!  There are so many possibilities with this die.  When my husband first saw this die he said that it looked just like tire tread marks and I decided I'd like to take that idea and run with it.  You've seen how several of the design team members created a mask using this die.  I did something similar to that as well.

I took a thin piece of stencil plastic and cut my die out.  It cut very nicely!  Then, I took some "Ferro Special Effect Paste" that I purchased in Hobby Lobby in the stamping/mixed arts section.  I taped the plastic mask down onto my cardstock with washi tape and then applied the paste with an old plastic gift card.  It dried very quickly.  The first time I tried this I smoothed it out, but it didn't look as realistic as I wanted so the 2nd time I made sure it was bumpy and had more texture.  

The tag was made with one of the circle stamps from Spot On (I stamped that on the arrow as well), a sentiment & border from Mom & Dad Sentiments and then stamped over some of the circles in VersaMark so it is very, very light was one of the lined frame images from the Flags & Tags stamp set.

Another take on the chevron die is to use the pieces that are cut out without the frame.  There are so many patterns you can create doing this!  I used the die to cut out some different patterned papers from Simple Stories Vintage Bliss paper line (if you want to do this technique and not use an entire piece of patterned paper, you can position your die so it only cuts part of the paper) and then pieced them all together on my card.  

I die cut the frame from the new Stitched Mats: Circles and then stamped the "hugs" sentiment from Spot On.  I cut off the top & bottom part of the circle to make a fun frame and then tied my Solid Blossom twine from The Twinery on.

Thank you so much for joining us this week for this fun Lil' Inker Designs release!  Be sure to leave comments as you stop by the blogs on the hop because random winners will earn great prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! You can check out Laura's blog for all of the prize details!  Your next stop on the hop is to Sarah's blog!

Fanfare is Spot On!

It's time for Day 3 of the Lil' Inker Designs June release!  I'm excited to share two more fabulous products with you today!  If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog.

Up first is this card that I made using the new Fanfare Scalloped Border die.  It is so pretty!  I love the detail in this die!  I also used a new stamp set, Spot On, on this card along with the previously released Darling Diamonds stamp set.  The background was created on grid paper using one of the circle stamps from Spot On.  The patterns included in this stamp set are wonderful and so trendy! I really like all of the options available.  The green diamonds and the pink dots are from the Darling Diamonds set.  I love how these two sets coordinate together!

That felt flower was made with the new Stitched Mats: Circles.  There are so many sizes to choose from so you can make your flowers small or really large!  I used 6 small circles to make this flower and I love that they have the stitching detail on them also.  To see how to make these flowers, take a look at the tutorial here.

This second card was inspired by a cake picture that I pinned on Pinterest.  The flower in the first card was made to go on this card but it just didn't work with the card, so I saved it.  I think that this Fanfare border die is so pretty & elegant.  It look like billowing clouds, a sunrise or sunset, fans, rainbows, etc...all beautiful things.  The "congrats" is from the new Spot On stamp set.  Aren't the sizes of the sentiments wonderful!

I hope you'll come back tomorrow! We have one more day showcasing projects from this new release!

Be sure to leave comments as you stop by the blogs on the hop because random winners will earn great prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! You can check out Laura's blog for all of the prize details!  Your next stop on the hop is to Sarah's blog!

Gift Tags with a Twist

Welcome back to Day 2 of the Lil' Inker Designs release!  Have you loved what you've seen so far!  Today's spotlight is a twist on a good old staple for paper crafting!  I think you're going to be pleased!   If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog.

How many times do you need a tag for a gift or even a fun tag for a card?  I know I seem to need one A LOT!  Well, Laura has really created a fun new set of tag dies with a twist!  There are two new styles of die tags available that fold.

I needed a gift for some co-workers and I was really stretched on time.  In fact, I had their gifts for over a week, but wanted to include a handmade note to go along with them.  There was just no time.  Then, my Lil' Inker Designs package arrived. Voilà!  I pulled out the incredible new tag dies and was able to make these tags in no time at all!

The circle embellishments were cut with the new Stitched Mats: Circles dies.  You can't really see the stitching detail on the felt in the photo, but it is there, adding a little extra fun to the embellishments!  I used double sided paper to cut the tags with and I really like how that looks!  It looks finished with one pass through the die cut machine!  The "thanks" sentiment is from the previously released Darling Diamonds set.  I found that one of the Stitched Mats: Rectangles fits perfectly inside the tags!  I decorated the tag with a sentiment from Rainbows & Clouds set and a scallop from the You're Invited stamp set and then tied them on to the garden stakes with solid twine from The Twinery.

Here's a look at the new products being highlighted today: 

Thanks for joining us today for the blog hop!

The products that you see here are available for purchase now in the store!  Snatch them up because they will go fast!

Be sure to stop back by tomorrow!  We'll feature two more fabulous new release products and you'll have more chances to win!

Be sure to leave comments as you stop by the blogs on the hop because random commenters will win great prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! You can check out Laura's blog for all of the prize details!  Your next stop on the hop is to Sarah's blog!

Chevrons & Circles!

Yea!! It is time for another Lil' Inker Designs Release!  Are you prepared to be wowed by these new products? I think you're going to want to find space for them in your stash!  They are that incredible! If you are following along in the blog hop, you should have come from Isha's blog.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, visit Laura's blog.

First up is one of my favorite cards that I've made for this release using one of my favorite products.

This card was made using the new Cover Up Die: Pieced Chevron.  Oh. My. Word.  There are SO MANY ways to use this die!  I'm sure you'll see a variety today throughout this hop and I'll share a few more this week as well.   The tags at the top are cut with the Flags & Tags dies (I trimmed the smaller mint one down to make it narrower).  The sentiment comes from the coordinating Flags & Tags stamp set.

 I was inspired to make this card after I saw this photo on Pinterest:

Photo source

   

Here's a closeup of the detail.  I have so many ideas using this die!

Here's what it looks like:

Another great product that is releasing today is a MUST HAVE and is the first of its kind that I've seen in the industry!

Here's my card showcasing it:

Yes.  Stitched Mat Circles.  BUT wait...there's more!  Do you see how the circles are stitched on the negative AND the positive!?  Pretty cool huh!?  

Here's a closeup so you can see the stitching better.  These are just way too cool!  You're also getting a peek of another set releasing this month as well (more on that on Wednesday).

And here's the product images:

Thank you for joining us for this spectacular release!  I hope you are as excited as I am!  We have THREE more days of release posts this week, so be sure to stop by and see more!

The products that you see here are available for purchase now in the store!  Snatch them up because they will go fast!

Be sure to leave comments as you stop by the blogs on the hop because random winners will earn great prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! You can check out Laura's blog for all of the prize details!  Your next stop on the hop is to Sarah's blog!

Supplies:

Mint Thanks So Much

Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Cover Up: Chevron, Flags & Tags

Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags

Cardstock: MFT Spearmint, PTI White, Black

Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Park Bench

Celebrate

Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats: Circles

Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Spot On

Cardstock: PTI White, Harvest Gold

Patterned Paper: Echo Park Here & Now

Twine: The Twinery Solid Midnight Blue

Floral Thanks

Hello! Ever have one of those days where nothing goes as you had planned?  Well, that was today!  We were suppose to head to Wichita and do some shopping, eat out, etc but my 5 year old daughter had other plans.  She was a crabby little thing and I knew going out with her today would not work.  At. All.  So...I had a chance to stamp instead (which isn't a bad thing!).

I decided to play along with a couple of challenges which I've really enjoyed doing lately.  I combined two challenges, the Pinspired Challenge #11 and the Cloud9 Blog Hop challenge.

This is what I came up with for the challenges.  I love stamping those WPlus9 Fresh Floral flowers!  I had so many inks open on my desk!  The "thanks" die is from Paper Smooches, I think it is so fun!  I am really enjoying the word dies lately!

This is the Pinspired challenge photo that I based my card on.

I'm also entering this in the Cloud9 Blog Hop.  

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you all have a happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Speed Racer

Father's Day is just around the corner.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes find making masculine cards the most difficult.  Today I have two masculine cards to share with you.

These cards are inspired by my husband's hobby.  He doesn't have the "typical" hobby, his hobby is working on and driving a dirt track race car. He's driven since he was 16 but not since we've been married...but that's about to change (and I'm very nervous!!).  For my inspiration today, I used his race car.  So along with my cards you might learn a tiny bit about dirt car racing today too!

Here's the car (my husband is not in this picture):

I've had two years now to prepare myself for him to begin racing again.  He assures me it is safe.  I've been to races before though.   I've seen the crashes, the cars that flip, seen the ambulance on the track, heard the horror stories from other tracks.  Yep, a tad bit uptight here.  Next Saturday I have to face reality because it is time for his first race.  It's not that it isn't exciting, I'm just trying to make my mind have fun with it and quit worrying so much.  Faith instead of Fear...that is what I'm trying to remember, lol!  So 81 Speedway here we come!

Onto the cards...

For both of my masculine cards I used the color scheme from his car.

First up, is this flag card.  I figured that flags also represent racing and so I used the paint scheme from his car for my colors.  Although, a blue flag isn't one that a driver really wants to see...it means he's going too slow & needs to move over to let the other cars by (they don't use that one at this dirt track though).   A green flag of course means the race is on!  

The other thing that every race car (or woodworker or mechanic) needs is nuts & bolts & washers.  I strung the washers on the card with the Twinery's new Solid Charcoal twine.  I tied each one on so that it wouldn't slip and punched 1/2 circles in the sides of the card base to hold the twine washers on.  I also used a tiny piece of scor-tape on the backs of the washer to help them stay in place.

This next cards uses many of the same elements as the first, only this time I used the washers like eyelets and tied the twine through the holes.  It seemed like a good way to add a little more masculinity to a card.  I also tied the twine around the small banner.

I hope this helped to get your mind flowing for your own Father's Day cards.  It is always so nice that as a card maker I have the freedom to make a card that truly represents the special person in my life and I'm sure that many of you feel the same way.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies for both cards:

Twine: Solid Charcoal by The Twinery

Stamps:  Zoom Goes My Heart by The Craft's Meow, Fillable Frames by PTI

Banner Die: Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags

Cardstock:  PTI New Leaf, SU! Pacific Point

Ink: PTI New Leaf, True Black & Pure Poppy, SU! Pacific Point, VersaMark 

Impression Plate: PTI Herringbone 

Washi Tape: Target

Sending Happy Thoughts

Hey!  I hope you are having a great weekend! I've taken time today to do some stamping!  I've enjoyed each minute too.  I may or may not have given my kiddos a little extra time on the Wii so I could have some quiet time to myself...but shhhh that is our secret! :)

As I was stamping I was looking for some inspiration and I combined three challenges to make this card: WPlus9 Monday Mood Board #13, Freshly Made Sketch #89 & the CAS-ual Fridays CFC104 to make a CAS card using flags/banners.

Here's my creation!  I spent a lot of time stamping the WPlus9 flowers and in the end only used two!  I love, love that sentiment too!  That font is so fresh and fun!  And that solid twine from The Twinery...I know you are seeing it on everything lately but I seriously can't put that stuff down!  I love, love it!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a blessed weekend!

Wplus9 Mood Board #13

Freshly Made Sketches #89 

CAS-ual Fridays #104

Supplies:

Stamps: WPlus9 Fresh Cut Florals & Strictly Sentiments 2

Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats Squares & Stitched Sentiment Flag Die

Twine: The Twinery Solid Blossom

Patterned Paper: Authentique Glory

Cardstock: PTI Spring Rain & White

Ink: PTI Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, SU! Pink Pirouette

Impression Plate: PTI Linen

Something to Brighten Your Day

Hey!! I am sneaking in with a last minute card for the Pinspired challenge #10 that ends tonight!  (And the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger as well!)

Here is my entry for that challenge.  I thought that the colorful striped washi tape worked wonderful for the colorful chairs all lined up in the challenge photo!  I LOVE cards with bright colors!! 

Here's a little closer view.

ETA: I'm also adding this to the Tuesday Trigger on the Moxie Fab blog!  I LOVE, LOVE the inspiration photo for this week and this card fits in perfectly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps: WPlus9
Washi: Doodlebug
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats Square
Sequins: Avery Elle Sunshine
Twine: The Twinery Solid Pink Sorbet
Cardstock: PTI

The Best Part of My Day...

Hey!! I have had such a wonderful weekend!  Not only has the weather been beautiful & unseasonably cool in Kansas, but I had the pleasure of spending it with three of my favorite people:  Amy Kolling, Laurie Willison & Suzanne Dahlberg.  We spent time making cards, chatting, laughing, watching movies and eating way too much yummy food! :)  The time went by so quickly and it's hard to believe that something we've looked forward to for so long is already over!

I made quite a few cards during the weekend.  The first one that I'm sharing today is for two challenges.

I love that "you" die from Simon Says Stamp!  The sketch is based on the current challenge from Freshly Made Sketches #88.  The color scheme is from the ColourQ Challenge #191.  After I stamped the flowers on the die cuts, I popped some of them up with dimensionals and created a half frame for the sentiments.  I added stripes behind the image panel for a little subtle accent.

Thank you for stopping by!  I'll be sharing a few more cards later this week!

Supplies

Dies: Simon Says Stamps "You", PTI Mini Blooms

Stamps: PTI Mini Blooms, Simon Says Stamps You, PTI BB: Super Stripes

Ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Spring Rain, Limeade Ice, CTMH Slate

Paper: PTI Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold & White