Heart and Home Hello

Today's card is quick and simple. The Heart & Home stamp set images have so much going on that they require very little coloring. I intentionally left some areas white to add visual interest.

I stamped all the images in Espresso ink, colored them, then fussy cut them using Micro-tip scissors. I didn't bother cutting out the centers of the wreaths but did use an x-acto knife to cut out the center of the sign so it looked like it was hanging. I tied a knot into White Twine and adhered it to the top of the sign with Liquid Glass. (NOTE: I didn't tie the twine around the stamped sign hanger. I wouldn't have been able to get my knot that small and would have damaged the paper.) The bottom strip of paper is from the Feels Like Home paper suite.

I always try to have a number of "blank" cards available to be modified into whatever I need. I'm using this one as a thank you for someone who opened their home to me and my friend as we drove from one coast to the other during the second week of April.

If you like this stamp set, be sure to order right away. The current catalog retires in a few days...as does the amazing April Stamp of the Month: Love So Sweet.

Until next time,
Becca

Dandelion Wishes

I've been on the road since March 23, so my blog has suffered from inattention. I was smart enough to take some pictures ahead of time hoping I'd have a chance to post once I landed somewhere long enough to finish. Today, I got a couple of minutes so here ya go...

Because acrylic stamps bend easily, I was able to make all three of these dandelions with the same stamp. The natural bend is the one on the far right. I stamped all three plus "Birthday" in Versamark ink before adding White Embossing Powder. "wishes" was stamped in Pewter which I also used to sponge the centers of the dandelions. It's difficult to see, but I added clear shimmer to the dandelion centers for added interest. The paper, except for the black glitter, is from the Feels Like Home suite. The strip of glitter paper could be done two ways: by trimming down the black shimmer trim or by cutting a strip from the 12x12 black glitter paper. I chose to do the latter.

In other news, I went house-hunting last week in preparation for our move to Washington state in a couple months. I found a fabulous house. Now we just have to see what the inspector says. But isn't this welcoming?

There were only two homes available to look at the day I went house hunting. This was the first one I looked at. I offered and the current owner accepted within about six hours. Yep...the houses in this area go that fast. The amazing thing is, this is the EXACT house I would have picked if I had a hundred homes to look out.

And did I tell you the best part?...Washington is HOME! It makes our third move in two years bearable.

Until next time,
Becca

April SOM Blog Hop - Love So Sweet

Welcome to the April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop. You should have come from Gina's blog. As always, the hop is a circle so keep going until you get back to your first stop to take advantage of all the great inspiration.

This was my favorite SOM in the catalog. I loved everything - absolutely EVERYTHING - about it. So I made two cards for the hop, one featuring the butterflies and one featuring the flowers.

I layered the largest butterfly (in Sapphire ink) with the medium butterfly (in Lemon ink). So quick and easy! And that small diagonally striped line...LOVE it! You can't tell from the picture, but the background piece of Lemon was stamped with the branch and leaves in the center of the pictured set. It shows up better in real life.

Who says leaves have to be green? I forget when I first saw someone use an alternative color for leaves, but it's been a technique I've used over and over again. The only other technique I employed here was sponging Nectarine ink in the centers of the Lemon inked flowers. I really liked how that addition of color made the centers pop. I adore the fresh, vibrant colors of the So Much Happy paper.

Here's the supply list with shopping links for your convenience:

• Love So Sweet stamp set
• So Much Happy paper
• White Daisy Cardstock
• Sapphire Cardstock
• Lemon Cardstock
• Lemon ink
• Nectarine ink
• Sapphire ink
• Lagoon ink
• Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts (backordered, link unavailable)
• 3-D Foam Tape
• Micro-tip Scissors
• Sponge Daubers

Next up is Haley's blog. Remember that this fabulous stamp set is only available this month, and that all the papers and most of the stamps from the current catalog are retiring at the end of April. There's a new, gorgeous catalog headed your way, but I wouldn't want you to regret not getting the items that are available now.

Until next time (which could be a while because I'm at a writer's conference for the next week then on the road to do house-hunting for our next military move--the third in two years),
Becca

Anniversary Card with CTMH, Altenew, and MFT

If you've been around my blog at all, it's no secret that my three favorite stamp companies are Close to My Heart (CTMH), Altenew, and My Favorite Things (MFT). I used a combination of products to make a card for friends who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

All paper is from CTMH. I used a combination of old and new colors with Altenew's Rose Flurries 3D Die Set. Once the flowers were assembled, I added sparkle with both a clear and Bashful shimmer pens from CTMH. The "happy" comes from MFT, and "anniversary" is retired CTMH in Heather ink. The stitched frame is CTMH.

I absolutely LOVE how this came out. I made a whole bunch of these 3D flowers at a craft night last week, so you might be seeing more of them in the near future.

Until next time,
Becca

Love Blossoms Blog Hop

Welcome to the Love Blossoms Blog Hop. You should have come from Miss Carrie's blog.

The instant CTMH came out with this promotion, those stamps were in my cart. I love the flowers; I love the sayings. Getting both together...oh yeah! When they arrived I couldn't stop playing, and a good thing too. My writing partner and I were runners up in the prestigious Spur Awards for Book 2 of our Montana Brides Inspirational Romance series. As I did last year when we won, I'm sending cards to both my writing partner and our editor to celebrate.

I decided to do white on white embossing over watercolor paper and then paint using ink squeezed into the lid of stamp pads. (You have to squeeze pretty hard or, alternately, you can use re-inker.)

Here's the first card I made:

And here's card #2:

Here's the supply list with links for your shopping convenience:

BOTH CARDS

• Love Blossoms (Double stamp set only. Be sure to go to the Promotions page for more workshops)
• Versamark Ink
• White Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Anti-static Pouch
• Watercolor Paper
• Water Brush
• Microtip Scissors
• Willow Ink
• Sapphire Ink
• Pewter Ink

CARD#1

• Something Fierce Paper (Don't forget to check out the BOGO Paper Party!)
• Ballerina Cardstock
• White Daisy Cardstock
• Rectangular Stitched Frames (currently on back-order so no link available)
• Raspberry Ink
• Peach Ink
• Dual Action Glue Pen

CARD #2

• Smoothie Ink
• Carolina Ink
• 3D Foam Tape 

Not listed is the X-acto Knife I used to cut out some of the internal spaces.

Now you're off to Darlys' blog. Be sure to hop all the way through for loads of inspiration using this fabulous set.

Until next time,
Becca

Win Books!!

I wanted to be sure those of you who follow my writing in addition to my paper crafting were aware of a giveaway sponsored by a blog I contribute to. The Write Nook (www.TheWriteNook.com) is "The Place for Writers." We have Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts in addition to the blog (which is hosted by Kimberley Woodhouse because she and her daughter Kayla are the ones who started TWN).

We are looking to grow our presence on Instagram right now, so we're offering three levels of prizes. The grand prize is a book authored or co-authored by all four of the contributing authors, a t-shirt, and an edit. The great thing about the edit is that it's transferable. If you aren't a writer, you probably know someone who is. All four of us look over the pages and bring our expertise to bear. It's like getting four edits in one.

Click HERE to enter.


Until next time,
Becca

This Happened - March SOM Blog Hop

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop using the stamp set This Happened.

You should have come from Brandi's blog. For my project, I combined the stamps with the So Much Happy paper suite to create this layout.

Here's a better look at the images that come in the stamp set.

I began my project by trimming out all the images from the cut apart sheet in the So Much  Happy paper pack. I'll admit it took a bit of time, but the Micro-tip Scissors we carry at CTMH were up to the task. I then stamped three images from This Happened in Sapphire ink onto various pieces of paper. It's difficult to see, so look closely at the cluster of embellishments on the bottom right of the layout. I trimmed out the small image from the cut apart sheet that includes a little heart and a blank place to write. Then I took out the stamp that says "today" and a place to fill in the date below it. I taped over "today," inked it with Sapphire, removed the tape, and carefully stamped the date portion into the blank space of the paper. On the left side of the layout, I used the "What Matters" stamp on a piece of yellow patterned paper included in So Much Happy. After stamping it in Sapphire, I cut the image into two pieces. By tucking the edges under the layer above it, it looks like one continuous piece.

Here's the supply list with links for your shopping convenience:

• So Much Happy Paper
• This Happened
• Micro-tip Scissors
• Sapphire Ink
• Candy Apple Cardstock
• White Daisy Cardstock
• Tombow Permanent Adhesive

CTMH is running several great promotions this month as part of their year-long celebration of 35 years in the industry. The Stamp of the Month, This Happened, is only $5 with a $50 purchase and there's a BOGO sale on all the paper suites. Click here for details. Both of these specials are only available until the end of this month.

Now you are off to Krista's blog. Be sure to go all the way through the hop for lots of great ideas using this fun stamp set.

Until next time,
Becca