MFT WSC #400, Color Challenge 100, The Birthday Project

8/31/18
Supplies: MFT Bitty Bears/Musical Notes BG/MFT Bunch
of Balloons Card Kit, Die-namics Tag Builder Blueprints 6/
Stitched Rectangle STAX 2, MFT Dye Ink (Blue Yonder, 
Latte), PTI Dye Ink (Spring Rain), Distress Oxide Ink 
(candied apple, spiced marmalade), MFT Blue Yonder/
Persimmon CS, Copic Sketch.


The Birthday Project: CAS Birthday 

PTI MIM 334: Glitter Inlays

8/30/18
Lexi hosts this weeks MIM over at PTI with a relatively easy
challenge. She uses a die-cut background and lines the back
of it with adhesive paper, then sprinkles some bling on with 
glitter. Definitely makes things "pop" tho this does not show up well in a photo.

I have just gotten around to the MIM because I've been pre-
occupied with the 6 challenges for Stamp-A-Faire. I selected
the Cutaway Tags: Winter stamp/die to work with.  And I confess that this set is brand new (never been touched) and was released last year!?? It worked well for Lexi's challenge and is a fun set to play with. I'll be making more of these Christmas cards.  

Supplies: PTI Cutaway Tags: Winter, PTI Dye Ink (Sweet Blush, Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet, Simply Chartreuse, Green Parakeet), My Mind's Eye Sugar Plum PP, vintage seam binding (Moss Green), Studio Katia Snow Crystals.  

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2018: Green thumb Garden Journal

8/29/18
Heather Nichols concludes the Stamp-A-Faire 2018 with a 
doozy of a challenge...to create a journal project! This is the fastest I've ever turned out a small album having been a former scrapper turned card-maker. And I barely got it done.

I don't have the Heather's dies for making the journaling books. I went with cutting a 8.5" X 11" CS in half the long ways and made my book base this way. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is my favorite place to visit. My hubby and I visit every year and I learn something new each time. So when Betsy's Salt Air Collection was released...I had to buy it all. It was fun putting my aquarium journal together using  Betsy's collection! I left some spaces open on my pages as I have not gotten around to journaling. I also plan to make a protective cover of some sort for my mini album. Here's my result:

 Supplies: PTI Salt Air Fauna/Reef Builder Die Collection/Forest Floor: Summer/Winter Penguin/Sand Swatch/Pierced Feature Frame Dies/, Sun & Surf Stencil Collection, PTI Dye Ink, MFT Beach Buds (crab), Die-namics Single Stitch Line Rectangle Frames, Distress Crayons, gesso, MFT Bunch of Balloons kit, Copic Sketch.   WHEW!!

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2018: Creating Plantable Paper/Planting Your Garden

8/28/18
Creating Plantable Paper (Heather Nichols)
Planting Your Garden (Dawn McVey): Create a project using 8 colors involving stenciling, stamping and die-cuts.

I spent my morning making handmade paper! This is quite a process tho' rewarding. I made 5 sheets with the last two having a pinkish tinge (threw in some light pink construction paper). I'll have to try this paper-making again to experiment with more coloring. My paper contains no seeds (next time).

I have combined my card for two of the Stamp-A-Faire challenges since it works and I am running short on time.
Using Betsy's Simply Gourd-eous is a blast and sooo colorful (love her 2-step stamping). I did not have a leaf
stencil so I made my own using the leaf die-cut from Mix & Mat: Pinked Edge. The stencil is not super distinct but this is what I was going for...a subtle BG. Thought it would be cute to attach one of the leaves onto my twine bow at the top of the card. Too bad most of my handmade paper barely shows up on the card.     Onto finishing my last challenge...Heather's journal (probably won't get this one in before the deadline). >.<

Supplies: PTI Simply Gourd-eous, Mix & Mat: Pinked Edge, PTI Dye Ink (MORE than 8!),
Die-namics Blessed/Blessings word die, Arnold Grummer's Paper-Making Set, Tonic Studios Mirror Card (Rose Platinum).

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2018: Garden Whimsy Pop-Up Box

8/27/18
Lexi Daly heads up the Garden Whimsy Pop-Up Box
challenge for Stamp-A-Faire 2018. I love all her cute little
die-cut flowers with all their details! Too bad I didn't invest 
in the Stamp-A-Faire kit. 

I managed to create my own pop-up box using the Lawn
Fawn Scalloped Pop-up Box dies. This is only the second
pop-up box I've made with the set...mainly because it is so
time consuming to create one. I found the Button Stax I &
II worked well for making the flowers. My stems were made
from Simple Stems tho I found these are rather fragile and
should be doubled up for more stability. I decorated the outside of my box as well creating a planter box look with 
the Cover Plate Basket Die and using Lawn Fawn's Flower
Border Die. Here's my finished box...   >.<

 Supplies: Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop-Up Die/Flower Border/ Stitched Hillside Border, PTI Simple Stems/Cover Plate Basket Die/Petite Places Home & Garden (sentiment)/ Button Stax I & II, MFT Meant to Bee, Doodlebug kraft in color/sugarplums PP, Fiskars grass border punch.

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2018: Water Your Flowers

8/26/18
Betsy clues us into some very useful watercolor techniques
as she is host to Water Your Flowers for Stamp-A-Faire 2018!
I have always admired her watercolor pieces. I feel like I am
in first grade with my watercolor skills...still need a lot of practice. With Betsy's tutorial, I've learned I can control the 
watercolors to stay within the outlines of a stamped image. I got it to work...YAY! I took a photo of my watercolored poppy before laminating it to place onto to the front of a notepad cover. I followed Ashley's Make-It-Live video on how to make these clever little gifts. Watercolors show up best in the "nude!"

 Supplies: PTI Botanical Blocks III, Bitty Big Spring Rain PP, Kuretake Gansai Tambi Water Colors, PTI White Notepads.

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2018: Crafting A Felt Flower Wreath

8/26/18
Lizzie hosts this challenge creating her felt flower wreath! Her
video is very helpful in how to put together the flowers cut from different die-cuts. Lizzie hosted a MIM in May 2017 with felt flowers. This is when I first fell in love with her idea. I
actually made a bunch of felt flowers back then with the dies
I had on hand. I wanted to make memo boards embellished with the flowers (also Lizzie's idea). My intention was to make 3 memo boards to give as a Mother's Day gift, one to each of
my daughters. Alas, this never happened...so Lizzie's challenge for Stamp-A-Faire 2018 was perfect incentive to
finish my project! Maybe I can give them as Christmas gifts
instead!??

I have since ordered the flower building die set which will make my felt flower creations much easier without having to hunt thru all my dies. >.<  I am hoping the fringe die/leaf die set will be made available to purchase at the PTI store since I did not attend the Stamp-A-Faire event nor buy the kit.

Lastly, the one PTI product I used is the Stitched Ladybug which is one of the magnets on
the memo board. It adds a bit of cuteness to the project. :)

MFT WSC #399, Color Challenge 100

8/25/18
Supplies: MFT Harvest Mouse, Die-namics Sentiment Strips,
PTI Shape Shifters: Circle 3 Die, MFT Dye Ink (Blue Yonder),
PTI Dye Ink (Spring Rain), Lawn Fawn Knock On Wood PP,
Copic Sketch, EK Success Falling Leaves Edger Punch.

My FAVORITE fall mouse! :)

PTI Transformation Tuesday #16

                                   

8/23/18
Laurie heads up this weeks Transformation Tuesday as she changes out the colors used in her first card to make her main image shine more. 

I've selected a Halloween Tag I made back in August 2016 (MIM: Cover Plate Tags with Laurie Willison). Obviously, I did not like the way it came out because I never ended up using it. I've switched things up a bit using a round tag die instead and adding more interest with the Shape Shifters: Circle 1 Die. I like these new Halloween tags better and will tie them onto my grandkids' Halloween goodie bags. I still have to make a couple more of these tags since I need 5!

Supplies: PTI Spooky Smiles, Tiny Town Spookville (spider webs), Berry Wreath Tag Die, Shape Shifter's: Circle 1 Die, Lawn Fawn Stitched Labels, Copic Sketch, Zig Clean Color, Stickles (clear)

OLD

NEW

PTI MIM #333: Layering Patterns Over Images

8/21/18
Dawn has an interesting MIM challenge for us this week! She
incorporates an overall BG stamp over floral images creating
a layer of additional texture and interest. And depending upon what color you choose for your BG pattern changes the feel of the cards. AMAZING!

I wanted to create a Fall card today (my way of wishing for Fall to hurry up and arrive). And I couldn't resist throwing in that cute scarecrow (from the autumn scarecrow set) with my florals. It is so much fun to drag out previous seasonal sets... "oldies but goodies!"

 Supplies: PTI Garden Party/ autumn scarecrow, PTI Dye Ink (Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet, Harvest Gold, Honey Nut, Cocoa Bean, Orange Zest, Scarlet Jewel, Soft Stone), Umbrella Crafts Dye Ink (Soft Sand, Beach Sand), MFT Chevron Grid BG/Tiny Checks Brights PP,
Lawn Fawn Sweater Weather PP, Copic Sketch, JudiKins EP (Rustique Weather Vane), Lucy's Cards Fallen Leaves (sequin mix), Stickles (Cinnamon).

MFT Summer School 2018, Day 4

8/20/18   MFT Summer School 2018, Session 2
     Day 4: Rainbow with Stephanie Klauck

Supplies: MFT Magical Dragons/Rainbow of Happiness (sentiment), Die-namics Cross Stitch Tag/Stitched Rec STAX 2, Spellbinders Deckled Rectangles, Copic Sketch, DecoArt Americana white acrylic paint, Wink of Stella (clear).