I've never liked that saying. I'm an avid bird watcher and love to feed them and watch their sweet little antics in our yard. If anyone ever threw a stone at one of them, I'd have to hurt them. Haha! But, my card today meets both of the MFT challenges. Here's the color inspiration:
And here's the sketch challenge:
And here's my card that meets both challenges:
I used Blueprints #1 & #13, Stitched Scallop Edges, Sentimental Flourish and Gerbera Daisy.
I'm also adding this to the Paper Players Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Please leave a comment to let me know you've been here. It's so appreciated! Blessings~ Birgit
Good morning friends~ I'm hoping to get this posted before we lose power from the biggest snow storm we've had in years here in Maine. We're enjoying a Nor'Easter right now with blinding snow and high winds. We've got provisions to last us for days if needed. I'm hoping it will give me extra time to spend in my craft room as long as we don't lose the electricity. No sun for the next couple of days. Anyway, I made this card yesterday for PTI's Make-it-Monday Challenge. Betsy showed us how to add fabulous garland to our cards so here's mine.
I just recently received the Hands of Time set so this was my go to choice for today along with Phrase Play #4 stamps and die.
The card panel is stamped using Hands of Time in Smokey Shadow ink that I stamped off once. I added vellum to the inside window of my Phrase Play panel to soften the background even more and heat embossed the sentiment in gold. I used these super old punches to make lots of silver, gold and metallic blue hearts and stars.
This card is pretty general as it could be used for retirement, graduation, engagement or any other celebratory event.
Thanks so much for looking! If you're in the coastal north east, stay safe and snug! If you're in the south and the temps are above 50, send it our way! Blessings~ Birgit
Good Sunday morning Papertrey Ink fans! Today is PTI's monthly Blog Hop and it's all about hearts.
I was inspired by the sweet little quilted hearts in the lower right corner. I love little quilted ornaments and hearts are well, dear to my heart since my sweet daughter also celebrates her birthday on Valentine's day.
Here's one of the cards I made for the hop.
I chose to do a little paper piecing, Melissa Phillips style. Well, I know I fall way short when it comes to paper piecing but this was a simple design for me to try it on.
I used the Limitless Layers Heart Die Collection and the small hearts are punched from a paper punch.
Enjoy the rest of the hop and thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll take the time, since you're here anyway, to leave me a comment. I see I get lots of viewers but a handful of comments. I'd love to know that you've been here so I can stop in and visit your lovely blog as well.
E.T.A. ~ I'm also adding this to the Simon Says Have a Heart challenge.
Thanks again! Blessings~ Birgit
This card was made for the challenge over at Our Daily Bread.
I was inspired by the two pink candles sitting on the piano ledge, but used two bottles from Joy In A Jar instead.
The flowers were cut from ODB Heart and Soul printed paper pack.
I'm also entering this card into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
This card is made using colors from
Curtain Call.
I used various frame stamps to create the background using the suggested colors and heat embossed the sentiment using black embossing powder. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.
I'm also entering this card into the CAS-ology challenge
the Paper Players
and Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
E.T.A. Thanks Gillian R. for letting me know I can link this to the Uninko Studio Challenge. A new challenge to me that I've never visited before.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
It was Ashley's turn to host the fabulous Make-it Monday and her video was on making three panel cards.
I stamped a plaid background using white ink on spring moss cardstock. I also added some very faint thin lines using another stripe stamp in soft stone ink. The watering can is from Garden Variety and I filled it with flowers made from WPlus9's Fresh Cut Flowers.
Here's the inside:
The center panel was made using the Mover's and Shaker's Zipper Die and sentiments. The wreath is from MFT, on which I added more Fresh Cut Flowers.
The bottom flap holds a gift card envelope made using the Seed Packet Envelope Die and stamps from Garden Variety, Vegetable Garden and Grow in Grace from SNSS.
I love how this all came together since I didn't really have a plan starting out. My MIL is an avid gardener so she will enjoy getting a gift certificate to her local nursery for her birthday in the spring.
I'm also entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
This next card was made using the colors from Color Throwdown
I also used Karen's sketch from Sweet Sunday Sketch.
I used MFT's Postage Stax for the stamp panel and PTI's Daydreamer set for the flowers.
I'm also entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Valentine's is on its way so I whipped up this sweet little file folder card for the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, "Have A Heart".
I used Edgers #5 dies from PTI to create the file folder from Kraft cardstock and added some really old printed paper with primitive hearts. The row of hearts is also cut using a PTI die but I don't remember the name of it. The little Valentine clown was a free printable I found on line which I simply fussy cut, outlined in sparkley Stickles and layered over a pre-fab doily. The verse is also an old stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms which is no longer in business. This was a good project to use up lots of older supplies that I've been holding on to. One of my new goals this year is to really try to use what I have on hand and revisit some old stamp sets.
I'm also entering this card into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
I thought I'd give the colors from the MFT Color Challenge another try because my first two cards I wasn't completely thrilled with how they came out. Here's another card I made using this color palette
I tried to keep white as my main color and add the blue as the next main color. The other colors were added as accent.
This one feels a little more like me.
I'm also entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
So I just recently discovered the Tag You're It! challenge blog and have been anxiously awaiting for them to start their challenges for 2015. They just listed it and the inspiration couldn't be prettier!
So pretty, right!
Since I'm a newbie to this challenge, I'm not sure how closely I need to stick to the challenge image, so I stuck pretty closely. Ha!
I was inspired by the soft colors of the flowers and the whole design. I used the watering can die cut from PTI's Garden Variety and colored it with my copics. Yes, I need lots of practice coloring with copics... The bouquet of flowers are made using Fresh Cut Flowers from Wplus9 and the little silver bow is made using Blueprints 17 from MFT.
I was also inspired by the scribble stamp in the background and tried my hand at using real string. I've seen so many people do this on their cards and I just don't know how they get it to look so good. I guess I need practice on string laying as well.
This is a new year and I'm trying new techniques and entering into new challenges. I hope this year will be a good one.
I'm also entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge and the Color Throwdown Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Here are two cards I made for the MFT Color Challenge. These cards were a challenge for me because I don't use a lot of bright colors in my cards, so this challenge stretched me a little. Since I wasn't sure what direction I was going in, I also cut multiple shapes using MFT's Blueprints #1 in multiple colors as I knew I wanted to use that set based on the fact that they just did a post revisiting that set. I'm so glad they're going to do posts using older BP sets. I turn to those with just about every card I make.
The Blueprint sketch designs made these cards go together very quickly. They're the same, but different.
I used LJD Celebrate You for these cards.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Today's card is for the new MFT Challenge Board. They've relocated their challenges to this new blog so be sure to check them out.
Here's my card I made using their sketch.
I used LJD Pretty Poppies since I haven't used it in quite some time. The card base is a very light grey, not white. I used a brown Sharpie to dot in the center and then added some gold stamen with a gold gel pen.
I added a little poppy cluster to the inside as well. I'm pretty good at neglecting the inside of my cards so this year I'm trying to focus on the whole card, not just the front.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
This card was made using the colors from Our Daily Bread Color Challenge. I can finally join in on their challenges since I've just recently received my first order from them. Here's the color choices:
We had to choose three or more colors. So here's my card using their set called "Joy in a Jar".
I used a stamp from the "Lavender" set to create the background on the white cardstock panel. After die cutting the bottle, I left the cardstock in the die cut while I rubbed on some Tim Holtz Milled Lavender ink. The leaves were punched using a Martha Stewart punch and the flower is homemade using a Stampin' Up! flower punch from paper scraps.
I think I'm really going to enjoy using this new set from Our Daily Bread.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Today's card is clean and simple and goes along with Laurie's Make It Monday Challenge to create die cut stickers and also Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch.
I used PTI's "Songbirds" set to make the pretty little purply glittered bird sticker. I think I got more glitter on me and my fingers than I did on the bird, during the process of making this card but it's okay. I'm beginning to like glitter.
I just discovered I can enter this card into the challenges over at CASology and NBUS since the purple glitter from Martha Stewart was NBUS!
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Masculine birthday cards is something I struggle with and I'm always in need of a fair number at the beginning of the year. The Simon Says Wednesday Challenge timing couldn't be more perfect since the theme is 'It's a Guy Thing". Hopefully I'll have a few cards to enter into this challenge but here's my first card.
I started by randomly stamping sheet music background to a solid white cardstock panel and then added some paint splats from PTI's Watercolor Wonder which I spritzed with water before stamping. I then sprayed it generously with some Cherry colored spritz from Heidi Swapp. The letters "H & B" were stamped using PTI's Headline Alphabet stamp set which I then mounted onto some black cardstock. I mounted the white card panel onto black and then a grey colored card base. A cool, masculine card to send to one of my nephews.
I'm also entering this card into the Simon Says Monday Challenge for inky backgrounds.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Good morning paper crafting friends. Today's card was made using the colors from The Paper Players
The colors I used in their place are Melon Berry, Ocean Tides and Fine Linen all from Papertrey Ink.
Here's my card:
The inspiration for this card came from a recent Simon Says Color Palette blog post.
I used lots of fun sets to make this including:
MFT's Blueprints #1 & 14, Typewriter Text Background
Simon Says Stamp "Favorite Flowers",
Polaroid Frame from PTI
and Fresh Cut Florals from WPlus9.
I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge
and Word Art Wednesday challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
I've been keeping myself busy in my craft room during this really cold spell of weather. I'm already wishing for spring, but here in Maine it's still a long way away. I've been pumping out the Valentine's day cards and they've kept my heart warm on these frigid cold days.
Here's a few to share.
Sending love messages in a bottle using my new "Joy in a Jar" from Our Daily Bread.
This one was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest. I really enjoy working with their bottle images. So many ideas!
And since I'm on the jar kick, I can't forget the ever popular Freindship Jar set from PTI. I have quite a collection of real turquoise colored mason jars that I store dried goods in, in my pantry. I use them for many, many things.
This one has nothing to do with jars, but you put things in your pockets too, so I thought I'd share this card as well. I'm entering one or more of these cards into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge, the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge and the Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge.
Stay warm and crafty! Blessings~ Birgit
Today's card is a sweet Valentine's card using non traditional colors from the Curtain Call Challenge.
My card didn't come out with as much neutral / white as I wanted and the So Saffron ink looks more like yellow on the computer than in real life, but it's still kind of cute and you get the idea.
I started by stamping the text background in a creamy white pigment ink and then added the damask design on the background using Versamark and white embossing powder. I then rubbed So Saffron ink through just the center of the background. I cut the background heart out of So Saffron Cardstock and stenciled in some white polka dots using a Heidi Swapp stencil. I used lots of different sets to create this.
Heart Doily Die from Top Dog Dies
Heart Full of Love and Damask Designs from My Favorite Things
Script Background Basics and Note Niblets from PaperTrey Ink
I also used gold glimmer mist from Heidi Swapp and So Saffron ink from Stampin' Up!.
I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge,
Word Art Wednesday
The Paper Players
Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings~ Birgit
My second post for the day is this card I made for the PTI MIM challenge on making colorful card corners with Danielle Flanders. You can find her video HERE.
I used the new PTI set "Big Hugs" and "The Sweet Life" to create this pretty, sparkly card. The rose image is stamped using Sweet Blush, Autumn Rose and Scarlet Jewel and the leaves in Simply Chartreuse and Ripe Avacado. The background image is from last years SAF, Ancient Rome set, stamped in Soft Stone. I don't know if you can see it or not, but I never realized that little flourishy image included in the Sweet Life set. I stamped that also using Soft Stone in the corners of my flower arrangement. You can see it best if you enbiggen the top picture. I love it when I discover new things!
I just recently purchased a pad of American Crafts sparkly paper and I'm just loving it! I used the Big Hugs die to cut the sentiment out of the ruby red color paper.
Sorry for the blurry picture, but here's the inside. Clean and simple.
I'm also entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge.
Thanks so much for looking! Blessings~ Birgit
Happy first Monday of 2015! There are only 74 days until the first day of spring! Even though I have spring on my mind, I am busily working in my craft room on my Christmas thank you cards. Perfect timing for the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge, to use snowflakes on your card. I am trying to use up some old supplies as well, like this paper from G45, so this card meets the challenges over at Simon Says Monday Challenge and The Paper Players, to use something old. While I'm in the spirit of the challenge, I'll also be entering this into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge as well, because anything always goes.
Thanks so much for looking! May your 2015 be filled with health, happiness and many blessings. ~ Birgit
