Happy Birthday Featuring Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms Stamps and Dies

 Brandy shared this pretty and happy card with me.  She made the card using her Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamps and dies.  These birdies look so dainty and colorful sitting on the floral branch.  The background clouds make the scene come to life.  So pretty!

Andie for 

Using Stuff from the Stash - A Birthday Card

My mom's birthday is right in the middle of birthday season.  Her favorite color is pink and so I used this frame from the stash and some Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms die cut flowers to make this card.  Behind the frame is some vellum paper that I crumpled into a ball to create the crinkled look behind the frame.  It made a nice off set to the vintage look of the card front.  There's some gold paint on the butterflies that was hard to capture in the photo, but looked ever so sparkly in person.  Tiny prills fill the center of my die cut flowers.

On the inside, a scripty sentiment for the day.  I actually made her gift and will be posting as soon as I get the pictures edited. 

A Notecard Box Set

Here's my finish to the Year of Psalms notecards.  A handmade card box using cardstock and a little ingenuity.  The box was made something like this.  I varied the sizes by 1/4 in. to allow the lid to fit snugly, but easily over the box.      The front was embellished with one of the Year of Psalms stamp that is featured on  each card.

I kept the flowers the same using my Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp and die set ot create the flowers and leaves.  The box needed to have some pizzazz so I used a little glitter paper, again, keeping the design simple focused on the sentiment stamp. 

The second box, I toyed with some of the patterned paper in the cards to create these flags.  I like the differences in the embellishments, a decided style difference.

In the end, I love them all and had so much fun.  I'm sure these stamps will be a go to when I need a quick gift/card set in the future.  I'd challenge you all to do the same, use those stamps and be amazed by the beauty they create.

A Finish to the Psalms Notecards

I'm finishing out my notecard set using the Papertrey Ink Year of Psalms stamp sets with my favorite of these stamps.  For this card, I used the Year of Psalms July mini stamp which comes with these fun embellishments, the wheat sheaf looking stamp and the berry branch stamp.  These tiny stamps allow for some really neat embellishing of the sentiment stamp.  I picked out this super fun plaid for the background which dictated the pink coordinating flowers using my Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp and die set.  A little glitter finish the backdrop keeping the sentiment stamp the star. 

So the card set is done.  I'm truly pleased, these stamps and dies made the process so easy that even with my busy work schedule, I was able to whip this set up in no time.  I've dedicated myself to a grand finish and am thinking, card box to house these lovelies for gifting.  The bits and pieces are out on the workbench, so I'm going back to finish now.

Giving Thanks - More of the Psalms Notecards

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For this notecard, I considered going for the obvious fall colored cards.  However, I noticed that there were quite a few of the yellow variety already, so I went in the opposite direction - towards a more summery color palette.  In this card I used my Papertrey Ink Year of Psalms August mini stamp and again chose the keep the theme with my Mix and Mat Pretty Brackets die.  The flowers are Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms die cuts. 

The Lord has truly been good to me.  Look at the abundance I've had the privilege to enjoy!  ... and there are still more to make.  I'm thinking of finishing the weekend fun with the last of the set and maybe a wrapper to gift these cards in.

Fun Notecards - More of the Psalms

I'm keeping my commitment to make notecards with my new-to-me Papertrey Ink Year of Psalms stamp sets.  Here's the latest using my Year of Psalms August mini stamp and Mix and Mat Pretty Brackets die.  I found that I need to use my MISTI stamping tool to ensure a strong stamp on some of the stamps like this one - big and bold, the MISTI gives me the opportunity to stamp twice if I miss or don't get solid inking.

There's more of my Birds and Blooms die cut flowers, simple and sweet so that the stamped sentiment is the star.  I'm still loving this card set and so I'll be back later this week with a couple more.  I've also started thinking of the finish for these sets as well.

Another Psalms Notecard

Here's the second in my Psalms notecard set.  Whoa doggies, this is a ton of fun.  Easy to spend time after a long day at work creating these lovely cards, but not so much that I feel either overwhelmed or burdened.  Keeping the design the same worked well too, so I think I'll do that with the remaining stamps. 

This card was stamped using my Year of Psalms March mini stamp and some colored ink for the layered stamping.  I also decided to place these on black card bases to create a very graphic stunning effect.  I'm selecting from a pad of patterned paper for all the backgrounds as well. Keeping the process simple to stay motivated for my challenge.

These two will go with the first two and I'm 40% of my way through.  How fun!

Psalms Notecard

Papertrey Ink is always such a temptation to me.  I try to ignore what they have going on because I can become almost a hoarder about their products.  My temptation became too great and I've picked up a few of their Psalms of the Year stamps.  They almost always have some die set too, but I resisted (for the most part), instead getting this fantastic die set - Pretty Brackets.  This die cut with a impression frame worked so nicely, I've decided to make a set of cards with my stamps.  I'm going try to be diligent about making, photographing and posting these cards regularly over then coming days.

This card was made by stamping with various stamps from the Year of Psalms June mini stamp.  I matched the coloring of the flowers (Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms flowers watercolored to select colors) selected and the feel of the stamp in the background patterned paper to make the card design go together quickly since I intend to make a pack of 5 cards and maybe make two sets at the same time.

Oh so pretty!  I am simply in love with these and can't wait to create with what remains in my new purchases.

Monotone Cards

The ladies over at City Crafter Challenge Blog have challenged us to make monotone cards.  I was so inspired by what I saw (and in desperate need to some crafty time), I decided to whip together these cards based on the challenge.  I tried to play with different depths of color using my Mission Gold watercolors.  The backgrounds were made on Strathmore watercolor paper and the flowers were made by coloring some white cardstock with darker versions of the same watercolors, stamped with dye ink and then die cut using my Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp and die set.

Some of the backgrounds worked better than others and I meant to have a scattering of flowers, but now look at them thinking they might be fuller or more closely spaced.  Either way, I think they turned out pretty and the recipient should feel my gratitude.

The sentiment is from the Honey Bee Bless Your Heart stamp set.

I ended up not liking how the flowers I colored for this darker background turned out, so I deviated from the challenge to create contrast.  I can't say which I like better...

I ended up with some cards I can use to bless someone for blessing me - a win-win since I also spent a considerable amount of crafty time and feel much more relaxed because of it.  Hoping your holiday (in the US at least) weekend has a little bit of crafty time.

I'm going to link up to the following challenges:

City Crafter Challenge Blog - Monotone Cards

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday's Week 298/299 - Anything Goes

More Little Birdies to Brighten Your Day

Maybe it is the new year, maybe it is just how adorable the Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp and die set is.  Either way, I decided to put that pile of colored and die cut pieces into a card set.   I also decided that some of the patterned paper from the stash needed to find it's way into cards.  So I went shopping in the Scrapbox.  Look what I found!

I really like how the coloring on the birds can make them look so very different from card to card.  The oval die cut was made using my Heartfelt Creations Eyelet Oval die.  The set comes with the pieces to cut an open frame like the blue cards or a solid frame like the green cards.  Fantastic!

With the new year, I'm hoping you are finding your crafty way.  I suggest "going shopping" in your supplies.  You will be pleased with what you find and the creations are no less spectacular if the paper is stored well.

Happy Birthday Tweety Bird!

 I had a need for a quick birthday card so I swooped in to grab some birds and this branch from a pile of pre-colored and cut pieces.  The paper in the background comes from a decades old paper pad that has been lingering in the stash.  I hate to say it, but this only consumed 1/2 of two different sheets - enough to make more cards!

Still, I'm so pleased with the color match on this card - it really turned out.  All the coloring was accomplished with some Pallette paper, Prima Oil Pastels and a watercolor brush.  I simply colored the crayons onto the pallette paper and used water to pick up and distribute the color.  Isn't it fantastic?

A short and sweet sentiment on the inside to finish this card off.  It was a ton of fun to make, even on short notice.  What's been hanging around too long in your craft room that needs to be converted to a beautiful card?