CAS Mix Up Challenge

Hello my crafty friends, I hope you all have been able to stay pretty cool. It's been a hot one here. Sometimes we have hot summers, sometimes not. Sometimes it swings back and forth. This year it seems to be swinging back and forth. So we've had about two weeks of extreme heat, but a cold front is coming in tomorrow afternoon or evening and we will be back to beautiful low humidity and temp days. For a few days anyway. lol So stay cool everyone!! Cause I know some live where it is hot and humid all the time.

Well I have a sad attempt at playing along with CAS Mix Up Card Challenge in which Bonnie (who chose the challenge theme) has asked for those playing to color their die cuts. You have to add stamping and one other mix media element. There are so many to chose from on the side of the blog. I die cut my dies out of water color paper, a gift from a sweet and very talented blogger. Used my Zig's and one Arteza to color by putting down color on something slick and picking up the color with my water brush. Didn't care for this water color paper, but could be user error too! But the colors just didn't want to blend well and forget putting down the color directly to the paper and then blending, cause it wouldn't blend. But like I said, could be user error. Cause I'm not the best water colorer! I stamped my little sentiment and also used the Tim Holtz blender brushes to blend some ink on the sky and some sun glow. Of course I didn't plan well on that and decided to do it after I had my flowers glued down. Duh to me! But I looks ok anyway. Or as good as it can anyway. Much more vivid in person, but still soft. Added grass by flicking up with my two colors of green Zig's/Arteza's full strength.  Anyway I think I met the challenge rules. I hope I did anyway!  I have to say my card is going to look sad compared to everyone else's and the design team's cards. lol I will keep trying though, one day maybe.....or maybe I just need to rub elbows with some of these talented ladies!  Ok enough chatter, all my supplies will be listed below in the recipe section.

This is how I'm staying cool! Especially after mowing.

 Or playing Frisbee with Savannah! We can't play to long in this heat though. She gets very hot and won't stop playing unless you make her or she collapses. We do this anywhere from 3 to 5 times a day weather permitting. 

As always I thank you for stopping by for a spell. I know it's hot, but the pool is open and very refreshing! Hope you will stop by again soon. As always, your comments bring such sunshine into my life!

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:
Kah-I-Noor Bristol Vellum - anyone use this??? I like the whiteness of it, but not the way it works.
AliExpress - Daisies Die
Maymay Made It "From All of Us" - sentiment
Verafine Black Onyx ink-sentiment and the dots on the daisies with a stylus
Fossilized amber and broken china Distress Oxide inks
Zigs: #50 Yellow, #64 Oatmeal, #45 Pale Green, #41 Light Green
Arteza: They don't have color numbers or  names, it was an orange color.

Rudolph Day for June and Snippet's Playground Challenges

Hello my crafty friends, it was a nice sunny day today here. We have a heat wave coming for this weekend. We go from rainy, cool days to heat waves. Crazy weather for sure. lol 

Anyway I am scooting under the wire once again and joining in on Rudolph Days for June. Once again I tried the encrusted jewel technique and this time I got a better look....I think. It's pretty thick as I stacked about 5 die cuts together and then all of the embossing and stuff. Anyway, I made a Christmas card with it. As always all my products will be listed down before in the recipe section. I think I will go over to the Snippet Playground and play along since my plaid is a snippet. I haven't been over to see Parsnip in a long while! Edited to add: Sweet Bonnie told me I could enter this card in Merry Monday Christmas, so I am going to do just that. They want to see rustic Christmas cards. Although this is the last challenge for Merry Monday as they are shutting the doors. So might as well have a play! Here we go:

 This shows a close up of the encrusted jewel technique. It's shiny so hard to get a good picture and I used glitter so that doesn't help either. But I think it is cool the way it turned out. The snowy area is a mix of white embossing powder and ultra thick embossing powder. The white bleed up into the trees, but gives them a cool look I think. Like the wind blew it on the bottoms of the trees. lol At least that is the way it happens around here! I also water colored my trees and deer's with my Zig's/Arteza's lightly first. 

 Showing the thickness between the stacking of die cuts and the embossing stuff. 

As always, I thank you for stopping by and visiting with me a spell. I always enjoy when you stop by, it makes my day! You bring such sunshine to my life and for that I am very thankful. Have a wonderful weekend my friends! 

Crafty Hugs,

Card Recipe:
AliExpress for my deer/tree die cut NBUS
Plaid Tidings from Paper Studio/Hobby Lobby
UTE powder
SU white embossing powder
Martha Steward fine glitter in Smoky Quartz for the deer and Aquamarine for the trees
Glass glitter in Gold
Dusties Glitter Dust in Moon Beam sprinkled in the glitter areas
Gold Gel Pen
White paper sent to me
Paper Studio paper from Hobby Lobby for the black base

CAS Christmas Card Challenge-Masculine

Hello my crafty friends, I hope your Sunday is going well. We started off with nice sunshine for most of the day. Now it is black out and a storm is coming. We had mostly a sunny day! Still raining here and the yard smells moldy-not good for my mold allergies, but I keep taking my allergy meds hoping for a dry out at some point. But I was thankful for the sun today!

I am flying in under the wire, hopefully, to join in at the CAS Christmas Card Challenge where I think it is a masculine Christmas card they are looking for. So I hope this card qualifies! As always, everything I used will be listed in the recipe section at the end of this post. In hind sight, I should have shadowed my letters with black, and I was going to do just that, but forgot since I was rushing to get this done before the challenge closed and I was treating the hot tub as well before the storm hits. But overall I am pretty happy with how this came out. I used grey real brush pen on my house to give it a little shadow, but you really can't see it to well in the photo, but can in real life.

Then I thought I would try my hand at the encrusted jewel embossing. Well, tried is the key word!!! What a mess! lol I finally got smart and used a frying pan with a silicon mat to protect the frying pan and then held my heat gun up high while the stove was heating underneath. That worked out pretty good. I just don't have much stuff to use to make the encrusted embossing to look good, but it isn't a loss either. Here is what it looks like:

So not a total loss, and the picture doesn't even do it justice as you can't really see the colors that are in it. But not like what I've seen you all do either!  Still usable though and so in the UFO box it will go until I decide how I want to use it. 

As always, I thank you for stopping by and visiting a spell. Sorry it has been so soggy around here. lol The rain is coming down as I type. Your comments always bring sunshine into my life though and for that I thank you!!!!

Crafty Hugs,

Card Recipe:

My Creative Time-Upper Case Fun Dies
My Creative Time-Christmas House- for the sentiment
Stamplorations-house NBUS I think
Distress Inks-Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, Broken China
Dusting Brush to do the sky
Versafine Black Ink
Ranger Clear Embossing Powder
Yellow and Light Grey Zig or Arteza Real Brush Pens
White Gel Pen
Gelly Roll Sparkle Pen
Paper Studio plaid paper from Hobby Lobby

Heart:
Ultra Thick Embossing Powder
SU Silver EP
Wow Platinum EP
SU Espresso EP
SU Gold EP
Gold Glass Glitter
Sugar Coating-Lily White
Versa Mark

Tree Twofer Challenge

Hello my crafty friends, hope you are having a beautiful, sunshiny day! It is nice and sunny here today with balmy temps of 77 degrees. So lovely. Still soggy though, but slowly we are drying out. Then it will be back on the mower once again. lol

I wanted to participate in the Twofer Challenge, but really didn't know if I was clever enough to come up with any clever ideas for the tree challenge. What I had thought of, which was to use a tree and make a snowflake, someone already did. So to Pinterest I went. So I grabbed the SU Thoughtful Branches stamp set, a NBUS for me, one that I got at the SU Yard Sale last summer and got to work. As always, the recipes for what I used will be at the bottom of my post.

Here is a look at my twofer's

My Christmas Card. My one tree is decorated for Christmas. There is some sparkle on the snow drifts and snowflake using the Nuvo Sparkle Pen.  I should have gold embossed the sentiment but for some reason I didn't! 

Inside

My flower card using my tree top. I didn't get the leaves on like I wanted because I forgot to do them and then had to add them in. Should have left well enough alone!

Inside

As always, I want to thank you for stopping by and visiting with me a spell. I will be around to visit you too! Thank you for your kind comments as they always bring so much sunshine to my world. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

flower card:
SU Thoughtful Branches for my "trees"-flowers NBUS
My Creative Time-Mini Butterfly Dies NBUS
My Creative Time-Build a Pretty Flower-for my "flower" stems
SU Love and Sympathy-for my inside sentiments
SU Peaceful Wreath-the bow NBUS
Altenew inks-Frayed Leaf, Coral Berry, Sand Dunes
My Mind's Eye-Miss Caroline Paper Pack
EK Success (I think) Scallop Scallop punch

Christmas Card:
SU Thought Branches-Trees
AliExpress Snowflake Dies NBUS
Avery Elle-Winter Wreath-inside sentiment
SU Wonderland-outside sentiment NBUS
Altenew inks-Fired Brick, Expresso
Versa-mark ink
WOW White Pearl Embossing Powder
SU Gold Embossing Powder
DCWV-metallic blue paper
Nuvo sparkle pen on the snow and snowflakes

A Couple of Older Cards

Hello my crafty friends, I hope this Saturday finds you all well and enjoying your day! I have mowed and we tidied up a few tree limbs that were all but knocking me off the tractor. lol We have finally had two days in a row without rain. It's nice! 

I have a couple of cards I made that I never got around to sharing, so thought I would share them today. Nothing fancy as you know I don't do fancy. But cute I hope. As always the recipe of items used will be down below. 

As always I appreciate y'all stopping by to visit me. Your comments always bring lots of sunshine to my day!!! I will be returning the visit to you all as well. Have a happy weekend everyone! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Card 1
Penny Black stamp set
My Creative Time dies for the "sun rays"

Card 2
My Creative Time dies
Nitwit Collection for the flowers and striped paper

Card 3
Altenew Flower Stamp and die set

Lots of Changes!

Hello my crafty friends, so glad to have you stop by! Lots been going on around here, but first let me say thank you for all the beautiful birthday cards!!!! I want to email you all, but I can't. One of the changes going on here. So please for those of you that email with me, here is my new email. dblfarms93 at gmail dot com. Once I start getting email addresses back again, I will email a proper thank you. 

First off there was Bret's graduation. His aunt, uncle and I went up and spent the night Friday into Saturday since graduation was at 10 am. A friend of Bret's who graduated last year drove us over to where graduation was being held, so nice of him to take the old folks. lol I loved that graduation wasn't super long and no one was long winded, besides they had another graduation at 2 pm. Here is a photo of the graduate. So proud of this guy!

We went out to eat at Ruby Tuesdays in Williamsport, PA with two of Bret's Friends. The one in the middle is the guy that drove us to the building where graduation was being held. Both very polite guys!

Bret with his professors. Doesn't the one on the right end look like Jim Carey?!

Bret moved home on Mother's Day evening. That week was a busy one! Bret took me out for a nice meal at Texas Road House on Monday evening and a movie. Then we went SUV shopping. Bret wanted a vehicle that would be easier on gas to drive to work. Here is his new to him SU, a 2014 Ford Edge! So nice y'all!!!

Then we got new cell phones and started packing getting ready for our trip down South. My birthday gift my Bret. Spent time with my aunt and uncle and a tiny bit of time over at Myrtle Beach. Someone brought a python snake on the beach and that spoiled Bret's whole day. He was out of there! Here's a photo of Bret before the snake came. 

But the best part of the trip was going to Easley SC to see Momma Mary! It was a brief visit but so fun. I hope to get back one day and spend a little more time with her. We had a great time visiting and talking. She is just like she is online-just the sweetest! Bret occupied himself with his phone while Momma Mary and I chatted. lol Plus he was tired from all the driving he did. 

So once again, I thank you for all the beautiful birthday cards. When I got home I had a bunch to open and it was so fun! I also thank the ones that tucked a little something, something inside as well. You are all so sweet and so good to me! I also thank you for sticking with me as I work through things, hoping it goes better now that Bret is home to stay but we will have to get used to being with each other once again. lol Thanks for stopping by and getting up to date with me. You all bring so much sunshine into my life and I really do appreciate you all so much. One day I will get to visiting you all once again. Bear with me as lots of things going on this summer. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Graduation Time!

Hello my crafty friends, I know I haven't been around in a long time again. Lots of mowing to do, a long funk, a combined 90th and 80th birthday party and now shingles. Yes, shingles. Thought I was to young for them but apparently not! Very painful, but I am doing well with them now. And Saturday is the big day for Bret-graduation! So I have his card to share (among other crafty things), which is totally CASED from Pinterest as is the saying on the inside of it. It said the things I wanted too but more elegantly. lol I used my Cricut Explore of course with other supplies. As always the recipes will be at the bottom of this post.

The next card was for my late husband's uncle. His 90th and his sister's 80th birthday are this month and so the family had a party for them both. The first card is "his" card and is totally CASED from Pinterest too, but I can't find the card again to give credit for it. If I ever run across it again, I will put a link in this post. The inside is my idea. The second card is "her" card. I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the 80th card. 

This is a framed shadow box that I made for the Pink Out. I saw one in AC Moore and decided to CAS it too. I'm good at coping! lol But have another one in the works that is all my own idea but using the same design. As you can hopefully see the pattern paper is set lower than the white "love" so that it has depth. 

I have more to share, but will wait for another day as I need to go mow.....again. And then tomorrow late afternoon I'm heading up to Bret's school for graduation on Saturday. So exciting!

As always thank you for sticking by me when I'm never here and haven't been commenting much either. Part is my fault and part is not getting my notifications. But still, I'm sorry for not getting around. I hope to get into more of a routine, but who knows when that will happen. Bret and I will have to get into a routine once he is home to stay and I think he plans on moving out once he gets money saved up. So hard to say what will be around here. So bare with me please. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Grad card:
Cricut Explore and Design Space: Just search for a compass and a grad hat. Compass was a print and I attached it to my card stock layer. The grad hat I cut and layered. Colors are Bret's college school colors.
Typed my sentiment out and attached it to the card stock layer and print and cut it along with the compass.
AliExpress Die for the world
The inside was typed and attached and printed and cut on the card stock base.

90th and 80th card:
The eyes and nose is a stamp set from Cardz TV Stamps. I used the  nose to ink up  only for the mouth and colored it in. I added the "eyebrows" with a marker.
Circle Dies to trace around for the circle of the face.
Once again, I typed out the sentiment and printed and cut the card stock layer.
Inside sentiment was a Fiscar stamp set and the number dies are a My Creative Time Dies.
For the 80th card, the quilt die is a Gina Marie die. Papers from my stash.
Candle is from a My Favorite Things Stamp and Die set as is the sentiment.
Number Dies again are from My Creative Time Dies.

Frame Shadowbox:
Picked out the font I wanted to use and cut out the Love in chipboard and then cut it out again in white to put over the chipboard.
Picked my font again and cut it out of vinyl and placed it the "love" part.
Birds from Cricut Design Space cut in vinyl
Printed and cut my designer paper for behind the "love" and placed everything back in the frame. The digital paper is from Nitwit Collections.