Friday, December 28, 2018

Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree and Lasting Lily

Tonight I'm playing in three challenges with my card.

1. Alphabet Challenge - T is for Trees

2. Fab Friday 153 Sketch

3. TGIF #192 - Glossy Paper

I pulled out my Lovely As A Tree stamp set, which has been around forever! I also used a stamp from Lasting Lily for the sentiment (available January 3 as a Sale-A-Bration promotion).


My card base is Whisper White. I took a piece of glossy photo paper, sprinkled Ken Oliver's Color Burst powder on it, spritzed it with water and alcohol and turned the paper around to try to get a frame. Unfortunately, I forgot the paper was too big for the card front so I had to cut off the right side and there went that border!

I stamped the trees in Memento Tuxedo Black off the edge of the 2" circle so I would have room for the sentiment, which is stamped in Shaded Spruce ink. I sponged the edge with Lemon Lime Twist ink. I used my Delicate Lace Edgelits die to cut the edging. I glued the bottom of the circle to it. I put a piece of Foam Adhesive Strip on the back of the edging and added Dimensionals to the back of the circle and adhered it to the card front.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you tomorrow. If you have any questions, ask away!

Partial Product List:

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Stampin' Up! Geared Up Garage for Happy Inkin' Thursday Blog Hop



It's Thursday again BUT it's the last one for 2018! Can you believe it? I, for one, am glad to kiss 2018 goodbye and begin anew. I always look forward to January 1 because it gives me another chance to work on the resolutions I've been making forever! I resolve this year to keep the craft room neat and orderly...ha! and perhaps to become more than a "hobbyist" demonstrator. 

Thanks for stopping by. Our team has a color challenge today and they are three of my favorites. Take a look see...

Image may contain: text

My layout comes from the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Challenge

et voila....


My card base is Very Vanilla. I stamped my Gray Granite mat in the matching ink with the car stamp and gas can from Geared Up Garage. This stamp set will be available in the upcoming Occasions catalog, along with its matching dies.

I cut mats of Blackberry Bliss, Pear Pizzazz, Gray Granite and adhered them together with liquid glue. On a piece of Very Vanilla, I stamped the sentiment in Blackberry Bliss (second generation). Using the Garage Gears Thinlits dies, I adhered two gears with glue dots.

For the inside...
I cut mats in Pear Pizzazz, Blackberry Bliss and Gray Granite. I stamped the sentiment in Blackberry Bliss full strength. I stamped the car using Gray Granite ink on a piece of Pear Pizzazz and used a die to cut it out. I used another die in the set to cut out the three gears (which is one die).

I hope you have enjoyed my card today. There are more beauties to look at by clicking on the "next" button to hop to the ever-so-creative Julie Johnston and/or click on each name listed below for our other talented team mates. Happy hopping!




Karen Finkle - you are here!

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Stampin' Up! Stitched Labels Meets Sitting Here

Good morning peeps, hope you had a wonder-filled Christmas. Ours was different without Perry and we lost our 9 year old fur baby unexpectedly on December 22. Tini (short for Martini) had never been sick a day in her life and it was her first and last trip to the veterinary hospital. When we took her in they did blood work and found she had a thyroid problem, diabetes and she was dehydrated. The doctor called at 3 AM to say her heart was giving out. She loved her Grampa and I'm sure her heart was broken not knowing where he went. BUT, we also had installed a Glade Air Freshener next to her litter box while Perry was confined to the hospital bed. My son and I have read all kinds of articles about the air fresheners. They are REALLY bad for cats...especially the pine ones...so we learned a lesson too late. There are no more air fresheners for us. But another polydactyl Tuxedo kitty...possibly!


On to my card...there is a person in my life (one of several) who was there for me 24/7 if I needed her so I made this card for her. I entered it at Sunday Stamps challenge SSC #194 Getting Sketchy. It's a great sketch, Heather, thank you. 



is where I am also playing.


My card base is Blackberry Bliss with mats of Crushed Curry. I used DSP from Country Lane for the art panels. The sentiment is stamped in Crushed Curry on a scrap of Whisper White and punched with the Everyday Label punch. It is from the Sitting Here stamp set. I adhered it to the Blackberry Bliss Stitched Label Framelit with Dimensionals and adhered the die cut to the front also with Dimensionals. The twine is from the Nature's Twine group. I had to cheat on that because I forgot to wrap it around the panel and mat before I glued it to the card front...glue dots really came in handy for that! The Faceted Dots broke up the whiteness of the sentiment panel.

Be sure to return tomorrow as it will be our Thursday blog hop...you don't want to miss it!

Measurements:

Base: 4 1/4" x 11"
Crushed Curry Mats: 4" x 5 1/4"; 1 3/4" x 4 7/8"
Blackberry Bliss DSP: 3 /8" x 5 1/8"
Flowery DSP: 1 5/8" x 4 3/4"
Twine: 16"

Partial Product List:

Friday, December 21, 2018

Stampin' Up! Healing Hugs

Today is another sad day for me. My son's feline daughter, Tini (short for Martini), is in the veterinary hospital. She has been diagnosed with dehydration, thyroid problem and diabetes. This was her first visit in 9 years as she is strictly an indoor cat and had been very healthy but under much stress through Perry's illness. It was so hard to leave her there but we are hoping she will be able to come home over the weekend. The vet said she will be on thyroid medicine and insulin for the rest of her life. She only weighed 7.5 pounds today.

I need Healing Hugs today so that is why I chose the stamp set. This is another card for a person who sent a Mass card for Perry. I am grateful to all the people who sent sympathy cards. The number we received was very overwhelming and I just want to thank any of my readers/followers for your cards, thoughts and prayers. Grief is a very strange bedfellow. I am learning so much through it.

So, the roses are from that set. I stamped one in Calypso Coral and one in Grapefruit Grove, touched with my Calypso Coral Stampin' Write Marker. I fussy cut them and adhered them with dimensionals.

The leaves are stamped in Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz and using stamps from Rooted in Nature. I cut them out with the Nature's Roots Framelits Dies.

The sentiments are from the Kindness & Compassion stamp set and stamped in Grapefruit Grove. 

The Grapefruit Grove Organdy ribbon is part of a free combo pack for Sale-A-Bration (spend $50 get a free item) beginning January 3 thru March 31, 2019. The other colors are Daffodil Delight, Balmy Blue, Lemon Lime Twist and Highland Heather. (5 yards each). The Gingham DSP comes in the same colors and will be available in the Occasions Catalog, available January 3 for customers.

I used three Grapefruit Grove Faceted Dots to break up the white space.

Once again, my iPhone camera does not show the true colors but I am not a camera person so it will have to do!




Thank you for stopping by and I want to thank Chris Smith for the inspiration.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Stampin' Up! Follow Your Dreams for the Happy Inkin' Thursday and Happy Stampers Combined Blog Hop


It has been awhile since I have participated in the joint blog hop between the Happy Inkin' Thursday and Happy Stampers Blog Hop ladies! It's good to be back. You will find a lot of inspiration for your card making if you hop along today. We can choose to use the colour challenge, the sketch challenge or both. I have chosen to do both!

I recently was given the bundle of Follow Your Dreams and decided to use it for the first time here.

Here are the colors...


Image may contain: text that says 'Coastal Smoky Calypso Cabana Slate Coral Colour Challenge #13 Happy Stampers Team Challenge'

Here is the sketch...



and here is what I created...


My card base is Whisper White. I cut a piece of Calypso Coral and adhered it to a piece of Smoky Slate. I ran it through my Big Shot with the Subtle Dynamic TIEF. I stamped the round piece in Smoky Slate on a scrap of Whisper White and cut it out with a die from the bundle. I then dipped it in the Smoky Slate ink pad to make it darker. 

I cut the Calypso Coral and Coastal Cabana large feathers with the die from that bundle. I stamped the little feathers in Calypso Coral and Coastal Cabana on scraps of Whisper White and cut them out with another die from the bundle. The word "dream" is a die from that set and I cut it in Whisper White, Calypso Coral and Coastal Cabana. I glued them together with liquid multipurpose glue. Next time I would use adhesive sheets! I keep forgetting I have them.

For the inside...


I took a mat of Smoky Slate and stamped in the same color ink with a stamp from the Follow Your Dreams. I added a mat of Coastal Cabana topped with a panel of Whisper White. The sentiments are from Follow Your Dreams and ? I put everything away and can't remember for the life of me! Over at TIME OUT Challenges: Challenge #125 I am participating as a birthday celebration.


Thank you for taking a look at my card. I hope you'll take a minute to hop thru all our projects today.  If you click on the Next Blog button, you’ll go right to Eva Dobilas’ page. OR you can just click on the names below to go direct to all the blogs!



  1. Amy Koenders
  2. Shelagh Freemantle
  3. Mary Deatherage
  4. Kristi Gray
  5. Jaimie Babarczy
  6. Sue Prather
  7. Karen Finkle - you are here!
  8. Eva Dobilas

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Stampin' Up! Country Home

It has been difficult for me again to be in the card room but today I forced myself to make this card. I was inspired by Liza Handerhan, who lives not too far from me!


My card base is Berry Burst. I started out with Blackberry Bliss and then Rich Razzleberry but the Berry won out. I cut a mat from Country Lane DSP, a mat of Mint Macaron and stamped my image from Country Home on a piece of Whisper White. I used Basic Gray to stamp it and also did a little color wash for a shadow of sorts.

The milk can is colored with my light and dark Basic Gray Blends. I colored the leaves with Old Olive and Call Me Clover light Blends. I used my Light and Dark Rich Razzleberry Blends to color some flowers and berries. The artichoke looking flower is Light Mint Macaron Blend and the cattails are Light and Dark Soft Suede. I didn't know what two of the flowers/leaves were so I colored them with my Light Petal Pink Blend. I sponged around the edge with Rich Razzleberry. Coloring and sponging really relax me. The bow is Fresh Fig. I love how most of the SU colors blend so easily together.

The inside is plain and simple. The corners are punched with the Detailed Trio punch. The sentiment is from Kindness and Compassion, stamped in Mint Macaron. I'm not sure if the loops of the "p" and "r" in "Expression" is supposed to have ink in it, but I can't seem to get it to stamp without that. If you have this set and you know it's not supposed to be that way, will you let me know in a comment and then I'll contact SU.


I have a number of cards to make like this so I'll get my Stamparatus out to help with an assembly line. But before I do, I would like to ask you what I can do to make the milk can more appealing. Thank you in advance for your help!

So glad you stopped by and remember tomorrow is our Thursday blog hop...you don't want to miss it!


Sunday, December 16, 2018

Stampin' Up! Butterfly Gala meets Lily Pad Lake

Unfortunately, I needed a sympathy card this week. Our Godson's Nana passed away after a long struggle. His mother loves butterflies and they will be taking a boat ride to scatter Nana's ashes. So, I thought it fitting to use the upcoming Butterfly Gala bundle (available January 3) and the current Lily Pad Lake stamp set to create my card for the family.


The inspiration for my design came from the challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch #301


My corner pieces are cut from patterned paper I purchased at Michael's when I first started making cards. The embossed vellum was embossed with a retired TIEF called Flittering. The enamel dots are retired Calypso Coral to match the Calypso Coral card base. The mat is Coastal Cabana.

I stamped the two butterflies from Butterfly Gala with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, colored them with my Stampin' Write Markers and Blends. Then I punched them out with the punch from the Butterfly Gala bundle. The sentiment is from the Lily Pad Lake stamp set.


The inside is stamped using the Lily Pad Lake set. The colors I used are Coastal Cabana, Balmy Blue, So Saffron and Tuxedo Black. 

The Wreaths Across America ceremony yesterday was very touching. The plaque for Perry's niche had not been done yet but will be in another month. The entire ceremony was very well organized. My son and I went and next year, I hope to have my daughter in Florida so she can attend. My photos didn't turn out so great, but here is a link to the Photo Gallery that the cemetery has created Sarasota National Cemetery Wreaths Across America. Thought you would like to see the weather we enjoyed after the ceremony. 



Thank you for stopping by today.



Saturday, December 15, 2018

Stampin' Up Tropical Escape DSP

Today we are headed to the Sarasota National Cemetery for the Wreaths Across America service. It's hard to believe we were there just two weeks ago for my husband's memorial service. I'm sure I'll need to get the tissues out. My son and I are just hoping we don't get wet from predicted rain!

So, my post title sounds like you will be seeing Florida paradise paper. Nope, you're going to see a wrapped Christmas present! The design comes from the challenge at TGIF 190
and the color choice comes from the challenge at Just Add Ink #438

The additional color I chose is Garden Green. Let's take a look see...
Whoa! That sure is bright!! It's funny how the iPhone camera shows up all the flaws that I can't see with my naked eyes. Why is that?

Well, in any event, I adhered a mat of Lovely Lipstick to my Whisper White card base. Then I cut four panels from the Tropical Escape DSP that were Granny Apple Green and had Garden Green dots. The Garden Green enamel trees are from the Santa's Workshop Enamel Shapes (sold out). The ribbon is 5/8" Polka Dot Tulle.

This is not my favorite Christmas card, but it does fit the two challenges. Let's think of it this way...you know the ugliest Christmas sweater? ...well, I'm starting the ugliest Christmas card contest!  

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day.


Product List

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Stampin' Up! Happy Inkin' Thursday Blog Hop


Wow, where does time go these days? It seems like it was just Thursday yesterday! Here we are again with our blog hop and we've got a color challenge this time. This one just fell into my lap with what I had on my desk so it was easy peasy. Here are the colors...
Image may contain: text

and I chose Shaded Spruce for my other color.


My card base is Shaded Spruce with a  4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Gold Foil Paper adhered to the front. I then cut a mat 4" x 5 1/4" of Under the Mistletoe Designer Series Paper and adhered it to the gold. I cut another piece of Gold Foil 3 1/4" x 3 3/4". I cut a piece of Whisper White 3" x 3 1/2", sponged it with Shaded Spruce, stamped the star snowflake from the Star of Light stamp set, stamped off once. The sentiment is from Timeless Tidings. I ran it through my Big Shot with the Subtles Dynamic TIEF and then adhered it to the gold mat. I affixed that to the front with dimensionals.



For the inside, I cut a piece of Whisper White 4" x 5 1/4". I sponged it with Shaded Spruce ink and punched the corners with the Detailed Trio Punch. The sentiment is from Snowflake Sentiments.



I hope you have enjoyed my card today. There are more to look at by clicking on the "next" button or on each name listed below.

Thanks for stopping by.



Karen Finkle - you are here!

Product List

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