Card Maker Success Summit - Inspired by Nicki Baxley

 Well the best made plans of mice and men..... My idea to watch more sessions last night were scuttled by the internet doing down last night-  No wifi in the house and no service from the local cell tower... so I had to wait till today to re-watch Nicki Baxley's Easel card session and have a go.   It was a labour of love... made a few mistakes and had to redo my embossed panels a couple of times...but in the end made it!

Nicki's Easel card is a bit different from how I've done them before, but turned out awesome.  Looks like a normal card till it's opened.    I liked her use of green and red card I went with the same colour scheme.  I took an Altenew embossing folder - Beautiful Begonia for my background.   I added some Altenew Vineyard Berry and Berrylicious inks to the edges.  My floral focus is a Hero Arts Vintage Poinsettia stamp and it's matching die. I stamped it with Versafine Onyx Black ink and clear embossed.  I used an idea I saw on a video by Jo Simmons, made my own stencils for adding some ink blending.  Stamped it twice and cut out the whole image and then just the cut out the flower part.  Used that as a mask to ink up the leaves and then used the second negative piece to ink blend the flower before die cutting out the coloured image.  Added some gold pen around the edge and added some Zig Glue and added some gold foil in the centre of the poinsettia.  The stopper is made with a Joy die from Chloes Creative Cards - a freebie from a magazine. I added a little sub-sentiment  from a Kaisercraft stamp set. 

As I used a Woodblock stamp for this card, I'm entering it into the Woodblock Wednesday Challenge...

Will be working on more of the sessions over the next few weeks.  Slowly building up the Christmas cards.  

Card Maker Success Summit July-Aug 2025

 The CMSS free classes have started but I got a slight head start by purchasing the VIP pass... and I had great plans to get started early... but live sort of took over!   I did however a couple of weeks ago - watch Ardyth's tutorial - using a Gel Plate to make some backgrounds.... and managed to make a few panels I liked.  (Here's my first card that was made over two weeks ago).

I got home from work early on Wednesday and had a play using one of the backgrounds I had saved.  I made two cards inspired by Ardyth.  

For this first one I made a 5" square card.  The background was a blue gel background that I embossed with an unknown brand folder (suspect it was from a magazine from years ago)  I then rubbed Catherine Pooler Juniper ink over the embossed area.  The gold and red panel was the panel I made using a stencil and red and gold paint.  I die cut with an ornament die I picked up at my local stationary store - came from a magazine.  I then stamped the matching stamp set in black and clear embossed. Added a silver die cut topper before double mounting on white and red panels.    Turned out a bit busier than I would have preferred. 

Next up is a smaller 4.25" square card.  This time I use a red card panel embossed with Gina K Tapestry folder and rubbed Delicata Gold ink over it.   Die cut the ornament and added a gold embossed sentiment from a Waffle Flower set called Star Snowflake.  Added some gold dots to embellishment.  

Hoping that I get some time over the weekend to watch some more videos and get a few more cards made.   We are heading out early in the morning to watch Grace play netball and then coffee before doing our grocery shopping... so then the afternoon for crafting.  

MFT Magical Dragon

It the last day of the Die Cut Divas "Birthday Challenge" - and I'm here to share my card. 

Our sponsor this month - My Favorite Things - 

Such a wonderful company which sadly has recently closed.

Don't worry, though, we'll still be offering a $25 prize!  

Most of my MFT stash is older products. And for this birthday card I chose to use Magical Dragons stamp set.

I started with a piece of black card and used Altenew White Cloud ink and a Your Next Stamp - mini Star Splatter to make my starry background.   Used two Simon Said Stamp Stitched Circles dies to make the frame.   Cut the aperture from the white panel with a Spellbinders circle die.   Stamped and clear embossed the flying dragon from MFT Magical Dragons stamp set and cut with my Brother Scan'N'Cut .  Used some Spectrum Noir Aqua Markers to add colour.   Used some Spectrum Noir Black Glitter pen for the wings.  Stamp and embossed the sentiment from the MFT stamp set and cut with one of  Altenew Featured Sentiment dies.   Added it a white card base. 

You have till 9.00pm Pacific US time to join us with your birthday cards

Dawn & The Divas

Happy Bird-day!

 It's time for my day to share at Die Cut Divas.   Our sponsor this month is My Favorite Things

Such a wonderful company which sadly has recently closed.

Don't worry, though, we'll still be offering a $25 prize! 

I've used MFT Radiating Halftone Background with some green ink for my background.  Used a Darice embossing folder and swiped the raised areas with the green ink.  Next I used MFT Toucan Do It.  I stamped the Toucan's and the leaves.  Used the Scan'n'Cut to cut them out and then used alcohol markers to colour then in.   I added some Sparkle pen got some shimmer and shine. A bit of a fun card. 

Do come and join us at Die Cut Divas. 

Sending lots of Love.

 My sister-in-law is going through a horrid time health-wise at the moment.   Not good news for her... so I made her a card to let her know we are thinking of her and sending her prayers. 

This card was inspired by a You Tube video from Natasha Foote - I masked off the panel and used some Distress Oxide inks with a torn edge scrap to make the blending.  Once the ink dried, I added some glue (Tombow Mono Multi) - Natasha used a Zig glue pen, but of course, I couldn't find mine till after the I finsihed the card.  I let the glue go tacky and then add some silver foil.  You just rub the foil over the glue - works a charm!  I stamped the Hero Arts Poppy stamp on the card and then onto some white scrap.  I clear embossed both stampings.  Used the Distress Oxide colours to add colour to the second stamping and fussy cut the poppy flower and the leaves and added them over the other stamped image.  Added some black dots and some foiled dots on the flower.   I unfortunately dropped my ink pad and got a splotch on my panel so had to cut it down a bit.   But it turned out ok.   Added as stamped sentiment. 

Happy Birthday to my Daughter in Law

 Today is my daughter in law's birthday.   On Sunday we popped around to their place to give her the card I made and a voucher for a manicure and pedicure at her favourite nail salon.    Great to catch up with the little ones too!  

I came across a YouTube video by Rae Hunter where she used some PP and Waffle Flower Postage Collage Die set in the US A7 size.  She cut her PP making each panel 1/4" less than the size of each panel of the die.   I have the Postage Collage Die in the A2 size and the Postage Collage Block Die so decided to give it a go.  I loved the bold patterns of the Francheville Luxe Illusions paper pack and decided it would look great.   I cut out the block dies - and kept the outer frame.  I laid the pink Postage Collage die over the outer frame and then added the blocks.   Added a white die cut sentiment from Paper Roses - Chunky Layered Birthday.

Anything but a Square.... at Sweet Stampin' Challenge

 Time for my team to share our inspiration for the latest challenge at Sweet Stampin' Challenge.   Our challenge this time is "Anything but a Square"

I could have done a rectangle card but decided to try out making a Rocker Card. 

I cut a 6" circle from white card using my Scan'N'Cut and then cut a 5.5" circle from some patterned paper.  Layered them together.  I stamp this cutie from Penny Black Tiny Wishes (discontinued)   It's from 2009 so been in my stash for a long time!  Used some watercolour Aqua Spectrum Noir pens to colour her.  I stamped on some more patterned paper and paper pieced her hat and dress.  I cut her out with a Spellbinders Nestibilities oval and scallop oval dies.  Finished with a pre-printed sentiment. 

Adding this to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes 

Christmas in July... Two cards with circles, dots and spots

 Do you know that there is a Christmas Card Makers Success Summit starting at the end of July - it's free but you can purchase the VIP pass and get to watch the tutorials straight away.   And that's what I did! 

I watched the tutorial from Ardyth Percy-Robb - which showed how to use a gel plate to get some gorgeous papers and how turn them into Christmas cards.  For my card I CASE'd Ardyth's example card, just using some different stencils and colours. 

I used a Hero Arts stencil called Crossing Waves.  I added some red paint to my gel plate and added the stencil.  I let the paint dry on the plate and then layered with some gold paint and added another paper. Once it dried I took my pull and this is what I got.   It took a few goes to get something I liked... but got there.  I used a circle die from Gina K Master Layouts 3 to make my ornament.  I used some of my roll off papers to cut the gold topper and the Merry Christmas die (both from a magazine freebie set)  For my background, I swinked some Catherine Pooler Juniper Mist onto some card.   I found a Memory Box stencil (Diamonds) that I used some texture paste to add in the corners.   I thought my background was dry but obviously not... it picked up the ink and coloured the paste.   Added some white dots of Posca paint and white gel pen and finished with some homemade star dots.  

I am adding this to latest Christmas Kickstart Challenge #100 - Merry Go Around.   Use spots, dots and circles-

And while I was in the mood for Christmas cards I made a second card for the challenge...

I used Altenew Wonderful Wreath stencil to make a half circle wreath - with two Altenew green inks - Sweet Leaf and Just Green.  I moved the stencil three times to get the three layers of leaves.  I stenciled the red berry circles, but after making a bit of a boo-boo so changed them to use circular red gems for the berries.  I used some off the left over red roll off from my previous card, covered with some clear packing tape to die cut the Hero Arts Peace stamp and cut set.  The sub-sentiment was stamped directly to the card.  Matted with some dark green card. 

Slowly building up the Christmas stash.