Hello Sweet Friend

 
It's snowing pretty hard here in Southeast Missouri, and I am off work today. What a perfect day to sit in the house, sip coffee, and create cards, right? Today's card was created for the latest AAA Card challenge. I created my card by layering some pretty patterned papers from Studio Calico's Take Note 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. On a separate white cardstock panel, I stamped the Stampabilities Cherry Blossom Bird stamp using Memento tuxedo black ink and colored it using my Copic markers. I lightly water colored the background using Tim Holtz distress ink and then stamped the Unity Stamp Company's Small Details background stamp on the panel using Memento's London fog ink and 2nd generation stamping for a faint detail. I stamped the sentiment from Honey Bee's Sweet Sunflowers stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. I cut the panel down using a Spellbinders rectangle postage edge die and adhered it to the card using thin foam tape. 

May All Your Wishes Come True

 

Today's card was created for my granddaughter's upcoming birthday. She absolutely loves sunflowers, and I thought I would challenge myself and create a sunflower card for her big day. I started by stamping the background directly onto my white A2 card base by using Stampin' UP's crumb cake ink and Heidi Swapp's woodgrain background stamp. I then inked around the edges and some of the card base using the same ink to make it look more like wood. I then stamped the sunflower and leaves images from Recollections Sunflowers stamp set onto white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut the images out and adhered them to the base of my card using thin foam tape. I stamped the sentiment from Pawsome Stamps XL Birthday Greetings stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink in the upper left corner of the card base. I finished off my card by adding some pretty sparkling black gems around the card to add some additional sparkle and shine. Thank you for stopping by my blog today! 

Sending You Love And Joy-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Happy Sunday! This adorable image is the inspiration for this month's Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb. To create my card I started by layering some cherry cobbler cardstock onto my white A2 card base. Then using some patterned papers from Heidi Swapp's Noel 6x6 paper pad I created a main panel that I cut down using a stitched rectangle die from Paper Roses. I popped that panel up off of the card using 3M foam tape. I stamped the adorable image and sentiment from Penny Black's Cup Of Joy mini stamp set. I colored them using my Copic markers and fussy cut the images and sentiment banner out. Using the steam images from Paper Smooches Need To Venti stamp set I stamped them onto a white stitched rectangle panel using a smaller die from Paper Roses and Versafine onyx black ink. I popped the images up using Stampin' UP's foam dimensionals and centered them on the panel under the steam. For a finishing touch I added some black gems around the panel for a little sparkle. 

I was out finishing up the last of my Christmas shopping, so I snagged a Starbucks peppermint mocha latte. Now, be sure to pop on over to Debra's blog and see what fun she created for our collaboration this month! Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I wish all of you and your family's a very merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!

 

Friendship Warms The Heart-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

Hello, and a very happy November to you! This month at Send A Smile 4 Kids we are creating Holiday cards for kids. I recently picked up this adorable stamp set on a de-stash from a fellow crafter and couldn't wait to use it. I layered some cherry cobbler cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my white A2 card base. I then added a piece of plain white cardstock as a frame and then added a pretty piece of snowflake patterned paper from the Simple Stories Cozy Christmas 6x6 paper pad. Using a scalloped edge die from Papertrey Ink I created a large scalloped border using more paper from the same paper pad. I stamped the sentiment from My Favorite Things PI Merry Kissmas stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and trimmed it down into a narrow border. I mounted it on more of the cherry cobbler cardstock and adhered it to the scalloped border. I stamped the adorable image from the same My Favorite Things stamp set with Memento tuxedo black ink directly onto a round circle panel I created using a Spellbinders circle stacking die. I also paper pieced the girl's sweater and hat and the snowman's scarf and hat using more patterned paper from the same paper pad. I adhered them directly onto the images on the focal panel and colored everything using my Copic markers. I adhered the entire panel to another piece of cherry cobbler cardstock using a Spellbinders scalloped edge circle stacking die. I adhered the panel to the card using some 3M foam tape. For a nice finishing touch, I covered the pom poms on the girl's hat and the snowbank with liquid glue and poured over some Wow! glitter in white for some sparkle and shine and added some white gel pen to the characters. Be sure to stop over at the SendASmile4Kids blog and see what the rest of the design team created this month. 

Merry Everything

 

Today's card was created for the latest Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge. I created my card by stamping the adorable bear from My Favorite Things Cool Day stamp set and coloring him in using my Copic markers. I then cut some frames using my paper trimmer and cherry cobbler cardstock from Stampin' UP and black and white striped paper from the American Crafts Christmas 6x6 paper pad and layered them on top of my focal panel in a wonky fashion. I stamped and hand cut the sentiment banner using My Favorite Things Jingle All The Way stamp set and Versafine onyx black ink. I popped the whole panel up off of the card using 3M foam tape for some fun dimension. I die cut some snowflakes using white cardstock and a die from Simon Says Stamp and layered them around the focal image. I topped them off with some glittery white gems from Honey Bee Stamps Fresh Brewed gem stickers. To finish off my card I added some white gel pen detail to the bear's cheeks. Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Hand Picked For You-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

 

Hello and happy Sunday! This month Deb and I thought it would be fun to create gnome cards, since they are so popular right now. I created my card by partially stenciling the front of my white A2 white card using Stampin' Up's daffodil delight ink and a fun honeycomb stencil from TCW. I then stamped the sentiment from the Stampendous True Friends stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink so I could get a nice crisp impression. On some Copic-friendly white cardstock I stamped the gnome and butterfly from the Inkadinkado Garden Gnome stamp set, colored them with my alcohol markers, and fussy cut them out. I attached them to my card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I finished off my card by adding some white gel pen details the images. I'm not very good at clean and simple cards but this was was so easy and fun to create! 

So, my small town in Southeast Missouri has recently had a boom in coffee shops, some commercial and some small, locally owned. I popped in to a little place here called Mana-Tea and happened upon the most amazing Vietnamese coffee I've ever had! So rich, creamy, and delicious. Now be sure to pop on over to Debra's blog and see how she was inspired by our gnome challenge! 

Coffee And Friends Make The Perfect Blend

 

Hello and happy Friday! It's snowing here in SE Missouri. I guess winter is not done with us yet. I decided to do a little crafting and created a card for the latest Sunday Stamps card challenge. I created my card by layering some textured kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto my white A2 card base. I then layered a pretty piece of patterned paper from the Echo Park Hello Valentine 6x6 paper pad on top. I die cut a circle from some plain white cardstock using a stitched stacking circle die from My Favorite Things. I stamped the coffee and donut from the Honey Bee Stamps Coffee Break stamp set onto white Copic-friendly cardstock and Memento tuxedo black ink. I colored them with my alcohol markers, fussy cut them out, and adhered them to my die cut circle panel using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment from the Bo Bunny Cup A Joe stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. To finish my card off I added some pretty clear rhinestone from Recollections around the focal panel for a little sparkle and shine. Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Have A Very Merry Christmas

Happy Monday! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is this week. This year is slipping by so quickly. I'm in Christmas card mode for the rest of the month and still have quite a few I have to make before I get mine mailed out. I saw the current sketch challenge over at Sunday Stamps weekly challenge and was inspired! I had just picked up the October issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft and there was a darling little freebie that came with that month's edition...Margaret Sherry's Christmas Cuties stamps and snow globe die! Gotta love free stuff, right? I stamped up the darling little mouse pulling Rudolph on the sled onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored the image to create a winter scene using my alcohol markers. Using the snow globe die cut I cut it once using the white cardstock and then a second time using black. I colored the hearts and the star with my alcohol markers and inserted them into the die cut panel along with the focal panel. Then following the sketch I adhered some Stampin' UP basic black cardstock to my white A2 card base, then a slightly smaller white panel. To that I added my sketch elements from the My Mind's Eye Christmas Wish 6x6 paper pad to the card, matting each piece with more black cardstock for some nice contrast. I stamped the sentiment from the same Margaret Sherry stamp set at the bottom right corner using Versafine onyx black ink and added a few black gems from my stash on either side of the sentiment and some white gel pen details to the critters to finish off this adorably cheery Christmas card!

 

Boo!-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello, and welcome to the October Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb! With Halloween right around the corner Deb and I thought it would be fun to create a Halloween card. I love making Halloween cards and always send out at least a half dozen every year. I created this fun card for my bestie who absolutely loves Halloween. To create my card I started by die cutting the Lil' Inkers ghost die from white cardstock and then cut it out with a stitched edge circle die from My Favorite Things using white cardstock. I then cut the circle again using black cardstock and mounted the two together. I then stamped the sentiment from My Sentiments Exactly's Halloween Innies & Outies stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. I poured some Zing clear embossing powder over it and heat set it. Then using Pink and Main's stacking rectangle dies I layered some patterned paper from American Crafts Halloween 6x6 paper pad onto some black cardstock and adhered it directly onto my white A2 card base. I then cut a smaller strip of spider patterned paper from the same American Crafts paper pad and mounted that onto more black cardstock. I adhered that to the top of the card and then glued the focal circle panel lower onto the card. To finish this fun card off I added some 6mm black matte sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to the top right and bottom left. I love how this turned out!

For my coffee this month I decided to try something new that my running buddy suggested to me...Protein coffee! I am drinking Bang's chocolate peanut butter blast and, I have to say, it's pretty good! I drank it cold and it's very creamy and tasty! Now, be sure to pop on over to Deb's blog and see what sort of Halloween fun she created this month! And thank you for visiting my blog today. I appreciate all of your support!

 

Make Your Own Luck

Spring is right around the corner and St. Patrick's Day is just three days away. I typically don't sent St. Patty's Day cards but like the colors and the whole shamrock image, so I thought it would be fun to create a card that had all of the elements without actually referencing the holiday. This card will be entered in the Inspired By and CASology challenges. To create my card I started by die cutting the tshirt using some Paper Studio green patterned paper and the MFT Girly Graphic T-Shirt die. I stamped the shamrock and sentiment from the coordinating stamp set. I then layered some basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my white A2 card base and then layered some more of the Paper Studio patterned paper and some specialty paper that I had in my stash onto the card using layers to delinate between the patterns. I die cut an oval from white cardstock from Staples and a pierced edge oval die from MFT.  I stamped the shamrock again using Tim Holtz distress ink in peeled paint all over the background of that panel and adhered that to a slightly larger oval that I die cut using more black cardstock and a Spellbinders oval die. I added a few pastel green 6mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to add a bit more bling and that finished my card. Thank you for stopping off at my blog today!

 

Happy Birthday-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and happy Sunday! Deb and I decided that we would create fun birthday cards this month. They are the cards I give most and I never seem to have enough on hand. So, I decided to go ahead and get a jump start on my stash by creating two cards using the same layout. The first card was created using patterned papers from the Jen Hadfield DIY Home 6x6 paper pad and the second card I used papers from the Authentique Essential Collection 6x6 paper pad. Both cards have dark gray cardstock from Stampin' UP. On both cards I used the Close To My Heart You Mean The World To Me stamp set and versafine smokey gray ink. I colored white pearls from Recollections using my gray Copic markers and used them to embellish the cards. I love this layout because it lets me showcase my love of layers and patterned papers. And now I have two cards to put in my stash for the start of the year. 

It was cold, windy, and spitting snow this morning so I opted for a nice warm Starbucks pistachio latte. It was so very tasty and hit the spot on my belly after my workout! Now, be sure to head over to Deb's blog and see what fun she created for us this month!

 

Spooktacular-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

This month in honor of Halloween Deb and I decided to do Halloween themed cards. We also decided to use the same sketch. For my card I started by layering some grey cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my white A2 card base. I then layered some fun Halloween themed patterned papers from the We R Memory Keepers Bewitched 6x6 paper pad on top. I stamped the skull and sentiment from an old Stampin' Up bundle I bought from a crafting destash years ago using Versafine smokey grey ink. I trimmed the focal panel down and matted it with more grey cardstock and glued it directly onto my card. I added a matted strip of the patterned paper from some added interest and to break up the image from the sentiment. To finish off my card I added some clear sparking sequins from Pretty Pink Posh in both 6mm and 4mm. This fun little gem will be given to my best friend Alana, who adores Halloween!!

As for my coffee this month I opted for some McGregor's Jamaican Me Crazy with a little cream in it. It's a nice cozy treat on a chilly morning! Now be sure to pop on over to Deb's blog and see what fun she crafted for this month's card collaboration!

 

Especially For You

                                                    

Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls card challenge. To create my card I started by layering some fun text patterned paper from the Pebbles Garden Party 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut some kraft cardstock down into a focal panel using a stitched scalloped edge die from Gina Marie Designs and added some white gel pen around the stitched detail to really make it pop. I cut the butterflies out using a punch from Martha Stewart and more patterned paper from the same Pebbles paper pad. I attached them all with a glue dot and popped the wings up with foam squares for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Versafine smokey grey ink and attached the focal panel to the card. For a nice finishing touch I added some seed pearls from Paper Studios to the centers of the butterflies. Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! 

Gnome For The Holidays-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to the July installment of Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb. We decided we would do a Christmas in July theme this month. Those of us who create our own Christmas cards know you have to get a jump start on those. I typically send out anywhere between 50-75 cards per year so this is about the time of year I usually get started on that. To create my card I started by layering some patterned papers from the Heidi Swapp Noel 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut a sloped snow bank using white cardstock and a border die from Simon Says Stamp and adhered that directly on the patterned paper panel. I die cut the tree image from some light green cardstock using one of the Taylored Expressions Evergreen dies. I added some snow to the image using my white gel pen and colored the trunk brown using a Memento cocoa brown dual tip marker and adhered that to the card. I then die cut some sweet little snowflakes using a Paper Smooches die, adhered them to the card, and added a little sparkle to the centers by applying a dot of Nuvo Glitter Drops in white blizzard. I die cut the adorable little gnome using a Gina Marie Designs die and more of the patterned papers from the Heidi Swapp Noel collection, colored his nose and beard using my Copic markers, and popped that fun little guy up using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Gnome For The Holidays stamp set onto the snow bank using Versafine onyx black ink for a nice, crisp look. I added a sweet little red heart sequin from Pretty Pink Posh to the gnomes hat and finished him off by added some drops of Stickles in Christmas red to his shirt and to the tip of his hat. Love how adorable this turned out!

For my coffee choice this month I opted for a nice, tall iced mocha latte from Duncan Donuts because it's ridiculously hot here and I had to mow my lawn this morning. This really hit the spot!

Now, be sure to stop over at Deb's blog and see what fun Christmasy goodness she's created this month!

Welcome baby

Hello and happy Saturday! My card today was created for the latest The Sisterhood Of Crafters card challenge. To create my card I started by layering on some Tim Holtz distress inks in the colors salty ocean, faded jeans, and broken china onto a white card panel using a My Favorite Things Drifts and Hills border stencil. I spritzed some water onto the cardstock and blotted it off and then some light spatter using the same colors of distress inks. I trimmed the panel down using a Gina Marie Designs stitched border rectangle die. I stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Baby stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and then popped the panel up off of the card using some inexpensive fun foam I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I then stamped the whales from the Alley Way Stamps Something Fishy and Little Fellas stamp sets onto some Copic-friendly white cardstock and then colored them using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut them out and went around the edges of each image using my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker for a nice clean look. I popped them up onto the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. To finish off my card I stamped a few of the bubbles from the Something Fishy stamp set. Thank you for stopping by today and stay cool and safe out there!

One In A Melon

Hello and Happy Independence Day! My card today was created for the latest Color Throwdown challenge. To create my card I started by laying some pretty plaid patterned paper from the Pink & Main Spring Fling 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 white card base at an angle. I then added a thin sliver of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP at the edge to create some visual contrast. I stamped the watermelons from the Impression Obsession Watermelon Layering stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut them out and edged all around them with my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker for a nice clean look. I stamped the sentiment from the IO stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and popped the watermelon up off of the card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I hope everyone is having fun with family and staying safe this holiday weekend!

Happy Birthday-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to another Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb collaboration. This month Deb picked this beautiful inspiration photo. Isn't it gorgeous? To create my card I started by layering some pretty patterned paper from the Dear Lizzy Stay Colorful 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut the scalloped stitched edge rectangle using a Gina Marie Designs die. I stamped the beautiful floral images from the Stampers Anonymous Flower Garden stamp set directly onto the panel and colored them to match the inspiration photo using my alcohol markers. I stamped the sentiment from the Reverse Confetti's Beautiful Banners stamp set at the bottom right using Versafine onyx black ink. For a little added embellishment I added the dots from the Stampendous Sunny Flowers stamp set all around the flowers using Stampin' Up's sahara sand ink and a little clear Wink of Stella to the flowers. 

As for my coffee selection I opted for a big cup of Seattle's Best French Roast coffee with a little white chocolate mocha creamer mixed in.  

Now pop on over to Deb's blog and see what fun and gorgeous project she whipped up for our collaboration today!

With Deepest Sympathy

Hello and happy Monday! It's been snowing here but unfortunately not sticking. I did manage to get a 5 mile run in this morning but spent the rest of the day holed up in the house eating Chinese food, watching Netflix, and making a few cards. This card was created for the latest Sunday Stamps weekly card challenge. To create my card I started by layering some Stampin' Up's basic black cardstock onto my white A2 card base. I then embossed a piece of white cardstock using a Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder.  I added some sheer black ribbon that I picked up at Hobby Lobby onto the right side of the panel and then adhered the whole thing down to the card. I cut down a piece of black and white polka cardstock from Basic Grey's Little Black Dress 6x6 paper pad and made three fish tail banners out of them. I layered them toward the bottom of the card following the sketch. I then stamped the floral image from Unity Stamp Company onto some white cardstock using Memento London fog ink and die cut it using a double stitched circle die from Gina Marie Designs. I matted that circle panel onto some more basic black cardstock that I die cut using a Spellbinders die. I stamped the sentiment from the Altenew Birch Land stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. To finish this card I added some 6mm black sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Warm Wishes-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and happy Sunday! Welcome to the January Cards and Coffee with Celeste and Deb. This month Deb selected this fun image as our inspiration. For my card I wanted to create a background that would seem warm and fuzzy like a warm blanket so I broke out my Tim Holtz Holiday Knit stencil and inked it up onto some crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' UP using fired brick Tim Holtz distress ink. I added a few black dots here and there on the pattern using my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker. I layered that stenciled piece of cardstock onto my white A2 sized card and paired it with a strip of patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye Yuletide 6x6 paper pad and a sliver of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP. I stamped the coffee mug onto more of the same patterned paper using Stamplorations Coffee Cup-large stamp and fussy cut them out and pieced them together. I die cut a circled using more of the patterned paper using a Gina Marie Designs dual pierced edge die. I went around the card, the circle panel, and the coffee cup with Tim Holtz distress ink in vintage photo and popped the coffee cup up off the card using 3M foam tape. To finish off my card I stamped the sentiment from the Paper Smooches Need To Venti stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink.

My coffee selection today came from the last of the holiday coffees I got from Bones Coffee this December. The flavor was Oh Fuuudge! after the movie A Christmas Story. It's tasty and cracked me up every time I took it out to make a pot! Now, be sure to hop on over to Deb's blog and see what fun things she created and what fun beverage she's drinking today!

Have A Boo-Tiful Halloween-W2CB October Challenge

Hello, happy October and welcome to another Words To Craft By card challenge. This month our quote is "Always be yourself unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman"-source unknown. I don't have any Batman stamps but I do have lots of fun bat stamps for Halloween and thought I would let that be my inspiration. To create my card I started by layering some textured orange cardstock from the American Crafts Halloween 6x6 cardstock pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut a piece of Canson watercolor paper using a Gina Marie stitched rectangle die and stamped the moon/bats image from Craft Smart onto the panel using Versafine onyx black ink. I poured some Zing clear embossing powder over the stamped image and heat set it. I masked the moon portion of the stamp off and created a night sky using my Tim Holtz distress inks and a blending tool. I added some light water splatters to create the image of a starry night. I also added some additional stars using my white gel pen. I then die cut a hillside using some Stampin' Up basic black cardstock and a Paper Smooches hillside border die. I stamped the sentiment from Darcie's Heart & Home Bootiful Hallween stamp set right above it usine Versafine onyx black ink. I stamped the Dracula image from The Cat's Pajama's Mwahh! stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored it using my alcohol makers, fussy cut the image out, and popped it up off of my card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I can't wait to see how you were inspired by this month's challenge!