Lavender Birthday Card

Last week a group of friends celebrated Soni’s birthday. She is such a special friend and person and during these difficult and trying times we had to do something! And so we ordered lunch at a great organic place that makes fabulous sandwiches, picked up our order and had a wonderful lunch out on Soni’s deck —— with fresh air and physical distancing! It was a beautiful afternoon!

Here is the card I made for Soni. I had used the Altenew Lavender color layering stamp set. It also comes with a matching die.  I’m starting quite a collection of flower layering stamp sets yet this is the  very first card I actually made! The basic design of the card is from a class I held several years ago, and the background design is from the famous Kittie C.

I must say that I am very pleased with the way it turned out. even though I had to fussy cut the flowers! Yes, I do have the die, but the flower part and the stem is all one die. When I stamped the flower, I placed the stem where I thought it looked good. When it was time to use the die, the flower part matched up with the die, but the stem was off, slightly!!! So, I thought, great, why did I buy the die when I can’t match up the stamped image with the die. Well, I did learn from Soni how to solve that problem and I will post the solution with pictures within the next few days. Meanwhile, I hope you find inspiration from the flowers around you, especially this time of the year, and create some beautiful flower cards! Flower cards are perfect for any occasion!

Oh yes, the second photo is a close up of glitter! What else from the Glitter Queen!

Thanks for “stamping” by,

~Anna

Sue Wilson Poinsettia Mini Striplet and Poinsettia Dies

Hello Everyone!

Today I have a poinsettia card to share with you.  It's a simple design, yet with the sparkle of the stickles, it makes a pretty Christmas card.

 

Supplies used:

Dies:   Sue Wilson Poinsettia Mini Striplet, Poinsettia set of outlie and complete petals, Holly leaves

Stamps:   Serendipity Stamps - Merry Christmas

Other:   Stickles, gems, and peel offs

Thanks so much for stamping by,

            Anna

Beautiful Ukrainian Poppy!

Happy Wednesday All,

It's hump day and a short work week! Yay!!!

Today I would like to share with you a poppy flower card.  Now, being Ukrainian, I was thrilled when Sue Wilson came out with the Exquisite Poppy die set; because every Ukrainian needs EVERYTHING poppies!  I myself have a large embroidered framed poppies piece (38" X 18"), silk poppies in an Ukrainian vase and even a painting of poppies! I was so excited about being able to make poppy cards now!!!

I started cutting the flowers and was not pleased at all with the way they looked. They just did not look like poppies. I tried red card stock, then white card stock. Tried molding them on my mat, and still they didn't look like poppies. I just couldn't figure out what was wrong. I was so discouraged.

I couldn't sleep because of my dilema until I thought of doing a search on youtube! I was so hoping that Sue Wilson used them in a video. And sure enough she did!  She created a beautiful card showcasing 3 poppies.  You can see the card and video HERE.

Sue's tip on cutting the poppies did the trick!!! She used crepe paper!!! Of course! It made the flower realistic and lightweight!  I couldn't wait to get to the Dollar Store the next day to get some crepe paper streamers!!!  And here is my card; the crepe paper made ALL the difference.

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out! And it's perfect for ANY occasion! 

Supplies used:

Dies:   Sue Wilson Exquisite Poppy set, Sue Wilson Olive branches, Marianne Creatables Flower filler
           Impression Obsession Rectangle 6 in 1 frame
Embossing folder:  Sizzix


The lesson here --- the right paper goes a long way!!!

Thanks so much for "stamping" by,
           ~Anna

Christmas Joy

Happy Monday!
Hope you are enjoying the summer and it's not too humid where you are!  We've been having a heat wave and the humidity has been horrible!  I don't remember when it was this bad.  Yesterday was better and I think it will improve slowly.  (I can't complain too much though, since I do hate the winter cold and snow!)

So, thinking about winter, I'd like to share with you a Christmas card I made and used in a class this past weekend.  I got the inspiration from Sue Wilson, the designer of the Joy die!  I saw the card she made with this die and I just fell in love with this color scheme; cream and gold is such an elegant look!  You can see Sue's creation HERE.

Sue Wilson's cards are actually beautiful pieces of art because she makes the cards quite large; usually 5X5 or 6X6.  My card is a regular A2 size card.  I didn't have a large nativity star die and so I went with the bells.  I also added micro-fine glitter to the edges and lots of stickles to the "snow" on the card.  I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

Now, Kittie Caracciolo is another talented designer and if you go to HER BLOG, you can see this die set used in the traditional red and green color scheme; very simple, yet also elegant.

This die was released in the winter of 2014, (and I finally used it! Yay!) I am happy to inform you that it is still available!  Please let me know if you want to reserve it for yourself!

Supplies used:
Dies:    Sue Wilson, Joy, Impression Obsession small Christmas charms, and small pine branches
Other:  Sizzix/Hero Arts "Snow" embossing folder, Micro fine glitter in Sahara, stickles

Thanks so much for stopping by,
       ~Anna

Christmas Tags Galore!

Hi Everyone!  Just love the tags we made in the Christmas Tags Galore class ---

And we will be making them again, on Saturday, August 29th, at 1PM.  Join the fun and get a head start on your Christmas projects all at the same time!!!

And here are close up pictures of the tags.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 29th!
              ~Anna

One Die, Two Looks

Happy Sunday!  And it is finally sunny and quite warm (high 30's) after being in the negative digits!!!  As I say each day, we're ONE day closer to spring!!!

Today I want to show you two cards I completed with the same border die.

This card was inspired by Kittie Caracciolo.  You can see the card she made HERE.  I just love her work and when I saw the card she made with this border die (Sue Wilson's French collection border and tag set), I just had to get the die set!

I tried several flowers and they just didn't work.  Then I came across this Cheery Lynn Frangipani flower die, and I imagined that it should work.  I also love this flower because it reminds me of my many happy times in Barbados!  After I finished the card and looked on line at the flower again, I realized that I should have curled it a bit differently.  I will try improving the look of this flower in the next card I make.  But all in all, I like the look of this card - it just makes me smile and feel happy!  Hope it does that for you too.

The second card was inspired by Sue Wilson herself.  I watched a video where she demonstrated using not only the border but the card stock that is left behind.  I liked the look and tried it out here.  I added micro fine "cool highlights" glitter to the background of the card and it truly gives it a nice sparkle.  I even created a border by piercing the layered card stock; also a favorite detail of Sue Wilson. 

Supplies Used:
Dies:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson French Collection border, corner and tag die set and Vinery Petite set,  Cheery Lynn Frangipani flower set, baby's breath set and Chrysanthemums, Dee's Distinctively With Love words, Marianne's open flower and leaf
Other:  Micro glitter ritz in cool highlights, Viva Decor pearl pen, Copic markers

Spring is on it's way and we can even see it in our card creations!
Have a wonderful day!
          ~Anna