In Colors 2015-2017

Another glimpse of the upcoming In Colors~~When I first saw the new colors, I really wasn't that excited.  But I have to admit, now that I have them in my hands, and I'm using them, they are AWESOME!!  Oh, and the new RMHC stamp, Sprinkles of Life, so cute!  Love that it has a coordinating punch:)  The new catty goes live on June 2nd, so keep your eyes peeled.  Lots of new stamps, dies, punches and of course, new colors!!!!  Gotta love it.

Rainy Day~~No Problem

Punch Up Those Butterflies and Birds

I found this card on Pinterest several weeks, maybe months, ago.  I absolutely love the subtle colors, as well as this Elegant Butterfly punch.  I definitely want to credit the artist, unfortunately when I clicked into their post, it just takes me to an Ebay page from Australia.  I changed up the sentiment, but this is basically the same card I pinned, so~thank you for your inspiration from Australia!

When you make your butterflies, punch them first and then "wash" them quickly with your aquapainter and allow them to dry.  Then come back and sponge the edges with the same color, to add pop.

This bird-day card is also a Pinterest pin.  This card was designed by Carol Payne from carolpaynestamps.com and it is adorable.  Her color scheme was different, but same design.  Thank you, Carol, for your creativity!  I used the Birthday Bash DSP, which I adore, for the hats and punched them using the Small Oval punch.  The DSP and Punch are both retiring, but I'm sure I'll find other paper and punches to satisfy me;)

The punches I used were the 1 3/4", 1 3/8" and 1" Circles.  The wings on Mommy and Daddy are from the Bird Builder Punch and I just cut triangles for the beaks.  Very simple and quick card to make with very "WOW" results.  Thanks again, Carol Payne!!

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Silver Hearts and Friends

Good morning!  My post today is based on a challenge from Stampin' Up! and I thought, "why not".  I've always been chicken to participate because of my innate fear of not being able to rise up to meet the challenge, but I'm done with that way of thinking.  To quote a great coach whom I follow, "Nothing worth doing right is easy"--Mike Matheny (St. Louis Cardinals).  So I'm just doing it!  I love what I do, I want to share what I do, so here it is.  

 The challenge was to use at least two punches, specifics were given, and post by June 30 on Pinterest.  I know, it's way far away from June 30, but procrastinating is not my strong suit.  I am getting better at it, but not with this;)  The two punches I chose were the Sweet Heart and the Hearts Border Punch.  I used the border on the inside of my card, as you can catch a glimpse of it in the first photo and then you see it in all its glory below.  

 I really like this new stamp set, Friendly Wishes, from the 2015-2016 catalog!  I like that the trend these days is BIG sentiments that actually become the focal point of projects.  Oh and the Watermelon Wonder...very lovely.  I liked it when I saw it, and now I can't get enough of it!!  

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Gold and Strawberries

 Have you ever imagined something, but until it was close to "just right" in your mind you just couldn't put that idea into reality?  You may have noticed I haven't posted anything for a few days, and that's because I had (above) this rolling around my brain, but couldn't get it to the REAL stage.  Until now. To give credit where credit is due, I watched a You Tube video by Dawn Griffith and she showed how to make some strawberries, so I set out to do just that.  However, I didn't have any of the same tools she used to create her berries, so I had to figure out how to improvise.  Here's what I did:

Using the Floral Framelits Die, 2nd largest, I cut out my strawberry and then embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots EF.  I made my leaves from the Pansy Punch and then began to construct my first berry.

I folded the Real Red Card Stock in half, all the way around. Next I cut out two of the sections, ending up with the piece you see below.

I refolded this piece in half and punched the 6 sections of the strawberry.  I then used the Multipurpose Adhesive and glued the 2 adjacent sections together and formed a preliminary version of the finished berry.  Taking a needle and some Linen Thread, about 8 inches, give or take, I whip-stitched through the holes, ending in the same hole I began.  BE SURE TO BEGIN IN THE DOUBLED UP PIECE, BECAUSE WHEN YOU CINCH YOUR THREAD, YOU'LL NEED THE STRENGTH OF THIS PIECE!

Before you begin cinching up the thread you need to cut 1/4" to 3/8" down between each section on your berry. This will make it easier to gather. Then carefully cinch up the thread and double knot it before cutting off the excess Linen Thread.

Your berry is almost complete, but you need your leaves to top them off.  I used Old Olive card stock, punched it with the Pansy punch and then added texture by first lightly spritzing the leaves with water.

Then I wadded this piece as tightly and gently as I could and then carefully unfolded it.  I            used pencil markings to guide where I punched 2 small holes that I then put linen thread  through, to imitate a stem.

Using 4 Mini Glue Dots, I adhered the leaves to the berry and WALA!!

 I made one gold berry and thought this would be the perfect place for a special gift!

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