Congratulations

How about that, we have made it to the end of September; hello, crafty friends; it is day 30 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is a Congratulations.

This card is pretty simple in design. I have wanted to use this Retro designer paper for a long time, and I had an idea. My idea was not successful, but there were some lessons learned.

I started with the designer paper and layered it onto brown, then gold cardstock; I die cut the sentiment three times, once in gold, the other in brown, and the card was done.

This is a tilt-to-see-the-details card; as I was making it, with the light and angle (I stand to craft), the card looks fantastic. At another angle, the sentiments get lost in the busy of the pattern. Lessons learned :) I will never waste a card.

The patterned paper is glossy and reflects the light,  so they may have contributed to me not seeing the sentiment's low visibility until the card was finished.

Supplies: Cream, brown and gold cardstock, Designer Paper - Whimsy Stamps, Simons Say Stamp - Congratulations.

Did you know: You cannot sneeze with your eyes open.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Sympathy

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 29 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is a three-colour combo.

The colours I am using on my card today could be considered the same colour family: brown, tan and linen.

I started with a panel of dark brown cardstock, then added a layer of linen cardstock. The linen cardstock is quite pretty; it looks like linen and has a nice texture.

I die-cut the gum leaf border twice, once from the patterned paper and a second time from a second piece of linen cardstock. I glue the patterned paper down, then cut the stitched edges from the line piece to line up alongside the stitching on the patterned paper.

I stamped and die-cut the sentiment and popped it up with foam tape. I finished my card with some gems.

Supplies: Cream, brown and lined cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Altenew - Elegant Sayings, Paper Rose - Gum Tree border, gems.

Did you know: Spoons are a millennia older than forks.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Spring is in the air

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 28 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is Spring.

Full disclosure - this card has been in the 'need to post' box on my craft table for a while. I don't recall when I made it, but I suspect it was at one of the retreats I attended because I don't own that fabulous dandelion die-cut.

I am not finding it on my blog or Pinterest if I have posted it already. So, if this is a repeat.. apologies; please enjoy its fabulousness again.

I can tell you how I made it, though. I started with a panel of light grey cardstock and added strips of patterned paper.

I die-cut the dandelion circle from white cardstock, then a coordinating designer paper and fit the patterned paper center in the white die cut; I popped the circle up with foam tape.

I die cut the bee from the light grey cardstock, the sentiment is popped up with foam tape, and I finished the card with dew drop gems.

Supplies: White and grey card stock, Designer Paper -Kaiser Kraft, Dandelion die cut, Bee die cut, Simon Says Stamp - sentiment Strip, dew drops.

Did you know: There are about 20,000 species of bees worldwide, most of which are solitary bees.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Just a note

It's Washi Tape Wednesday, and it is day 27 of "the challenge" you can find Crystal’s post HERE; today's challenge is Just a note.

I love using Just a Note; you can use it for almost anything.. Just a note to say I am sorry you have a blister, or just a not to say I am thinking about you. All my cards are blank inside, so just a note has endless possibilities.

I don’t lack Washi tape, and I almost eye roll when I see another roll in an order I place, at the same time rubbing my hands together with crafty anticipation.

So, this card was very easy to put together, and surprisingly I found I still need a few extra fall cards. 

I started with a panel of white cardstock and laid down strips of washi. I added a couple of thin layers of orange cardstock, and then I die-cut a couple of leaves; the bottom set is just glued down the top one has some foam tape. I stamped the sentiment and popped it up with foam tape. I finished the card with some gems.

Supplies: White and orange cardstock, washi tape, Hero Arts-CL342, Carta Bella - Falling branches gems.

Did you know: No word in the dictionary rhymes with the word orange.. 

I had to google that, being as it is Google's 25 birthday (boy, that makes me feel old), and there are apparently two words Sporange and Blorange, I will leave it up to you if you need to explore that more.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Coffee

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 26 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to use two designer papers combo.

I layered white cardstock with brown cardstock for each panel; I added two different coffee-themed designer papers on one panel and popped it up with foam tape. 

I then added a rub-on image to the smaller panel and added more interest by smooshing ink around the edges. I finished the card with some brown metallic gems.

Supplies: White and brown cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Dress my craft - Coffee Love, gems.

Did you know: The Western lowland gorilla's scientific name is Gorilla gorilla gorilla.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Celebrate

Hello, Merry Monday - crafty friends; it is day 25 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to B&W plus one colour.

My colour is silver, I am sure if that is actually a colour but my pencil crayons say yes, so that is my story, and I am sticking to it.

I made a very simple card for my post today. I started with a piece of black and white patterned paper and added a layer of black cardstock and foam tape.

I am using a coordinating sentiment panel, and I added a strip of silver then black cardstock then popped it up with foam tape.

I finished my card with some silver half pearls.

Supplies: White, black and silver cardstock, Designer paper - Echo Park, half pearls.

Did you know: When you snap a whip, that sound you hear is the whip breaking the sound barrier.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Laugh and Smile

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 24 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to make a gift tag.

Sooo, I am not exactly following the challenge. I made a tag, but I put it on a card. I started with a panel of white cardstock and die-cut it with a die-cut plate. I added a panel of designer paper, then die-cut a tag from a coordinating piece of patterned paper and popped it up with foam tape.

I die-cut the branch, layered it twice, and offset it slightly to give it a 3D look. I added a piece of matching die-cut ephemera and popped some of the pieces up to give them dimension.

I used a pre-cut sentiment, which is also popped up with foam tape. I finished the card with some dew drops, silver twine and some silver dots I applied using a gel pen. Most of the spots show up white but they are silver :).

Supplies: White cardstock, Moda scrap - designer paper, love branches and die cut ephemera, Simon Says Stamp - Detail Pincushion Plate & rounded tag, twine, dew drops.

Did you know: Plants grow larger and more quickly when watered with warm water than those watered with cold water.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Fall

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 23 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is Autumn.

I am using one of my go-to sketches for my card. I started with a panel of designer paper and then added a layer of brown cardstock; I did the same with the other two panels. I die-cut fall leaves die cut from a coordinating piece of patterned paper.

I cut the letters from brown cardstock and finished the card with clear dew drops.

Supplies: White and brown cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Pink Fresh - Fall Leaves, Stampin' Up! - Alphabet à la Mode, dew drops.

Did you know: Despite common belief, your heart does not stop when you sneeze.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Autumn Blessings

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 22 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is a three-colour combo.

I chose a tan brown, orange, and orange-yellow for my card. Are you tired of seeing fall cards yet? I have had so much fun creating these cards this month.

I cut the three colours of cardstock into various widths of strips, glued them down on a piece of cardstock, and then trimmed the edges. I ran the panel through my Big Shot with an autumn-themed embossing folder. 

I die-cut fall leaves a couple of times from the same tan-brown cardstock and an acorn and then added some inking to the end of the panel, the fall leaves and the acorn. 

I added the leaves to the panel with foam tape, stamped the sentiment and inked the edges. 

I popped the sentiment up with foam tape, tucked some spare leaves behind and added the acorn. I added some gold Nuvo drops to finish.

Supplies: White, Brown, orange and yellow cardstock. Say it with stamps  Fall Thanksgiving, Sunny Studio  Beautiful Autumn, Pink Fresh - Fall Leaves, embossing folder.

Did you know: Newborn kangaroos are so small they can fit in a teaspoon.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Hello Autumn

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 21 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to use a sketch, so I am also playing along with Tuesday Morning Sketches.

I started with a piece of patterned paper and added a layer of black cardstock. I used a piece of coordinating patterned paper and die-cut three panels. I layered the panels on black cardstock.

I used my new Cricut Joy and cut out a sentiment. I then added some Autumn Leaves die-cut ephemera. I finished the card with some black Nuvo drops.

I found these wonderful ephemera when I was up island last weekend, locally made.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Studio 17 - Fall Leaves, Cricut Joy, Nuvo drops.

Did you know:  Billy goats urinate on their own heads to smell more attractive to females.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Fluttering Leaves

Hello crafty friends, it is day 20 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to use a stencil.
 
I am cheating on my card again today; same retreat as I mentioned yesterday and again the card works fabulously.
 
This card was super simple to put together. I started with a frame stencil/mask call it what you will, I added some fall distress colour. I then covered that over with a striped stencil and added some more colour.

 
I die-cut a fall leaf from white cardstock, I stamped the sentiment then finished the card with some clear dew drops.
 
Supplies: White cardstock, Pink Fresh - Fall Leaf, Just Rite-Shabby chic autumn leaves, Simon Says Stamp  Stencils, dew drops.

 
Did you know: The history of stencils dates back as early as 30,000 BCE to 9,000 BCE where stenciling examples were found in Paleolithic cave paintings.
 
Happy crafting,
Nina

Happy Birthday

Hello crafty friends, it is Day 19 of “the challenge.” you can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is to use two designer papers.

I am cheating on my card today; I made this card at a retreat earlier this month, and it fits the challenge just fine. 

I used two patterns of black and gray designer paper and layered both with black cardstock. I die-cut the balloon and used a brad for the reflection on the balloon (I last used a brad in forever).

I used a little bit of twine at the bottom of the balloon. I used sentiment strips that are popped up with foam tape.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Designer Paper-Memory Box, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Strip, Scrapbook.com - nested stitched balloon, brad, twine.

Did you know: The very first balloons ever known were made of inflated pig bladders and animal intestines.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Let it Snow

Merry Monday, crafty friends; I have a quick and easy card for my post today. It is Day 18 of 'The Challenge' you can find Crystal’s post HERE.

The challenge for today is to Use a die cut.

I had the paper pad from Stampin’ Up!, on my crafting table, so I used a piece of paper from that. I added some die-cut trees, and the top layer has foam tape.

 

I stamped the sentiment, popped it up with foam tape, and then added shimmery snowflake sprinkles and glitter for snow.

Supplies: White and blue cardstock, Designer Paper – Stampin’ Up!, Waffle Flower-Star Snowflake, Sizzix - Forest Shadows, Clear Snap - Fairy Dust glitter, snowflake sprinkles.

Did you know: Glitter is typically tiny, flat particles made from material that has reflective properties, and the word comes from the Old Norse word ‘glitra’, which means ‘to shine’.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Wintertime

Hello crafty friends, it is Day 17 of “the challenge” you can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today’s challenge is Winter theme.
 
I have another card with a very simple design, sometime simply makes the pretties of cards.

 
I started with a piece of designer paper then layered it with silver then black cardstock to create a frame. I did the same with a sentiment strip.  The paper is so pretty that I did not want to detract from it so there are no additional embellishments.
 
Supplies: White, black, and silver cardstock, Designer Paper – Stampin’ Up!, Simon Says Stamp – Sentiment Strip.
 
Did you know: The sun looks bigger in the Winter.
 
Happy Crafting,
Nina

Autumn Greetings

Hello, crafty friends; it is Day 16 of “the challenge.” You can find Crystal’s post HERE; today's challenge is to use Washi tape. I don’t think I have any; I might have to dig through my supplies. HA!.
 
Fall/Autumn is my favourite season, and I love to give autumn cards. I am happy with how this card turned out. I started with a cardstock panel and then lined up my washi tape. I have a thin strip of gold overlapping the other tape to add dimension and pizazz. 

I had a scrap piece of kraft and gold on my desk, so I cut it in half, added it to the washi tape panel, and popped it up with foam tape.
 
I added a sentiment strip layered with black cardstock. My card is simple yet elegant.
 
Supplies: White and black cardstock, Designer Paper – Recollections, washi tape, Simon Says stamp – sentiment Strip.
 
Did you know: Certain temperatures make prettier foliage. The brightest and most diverse hues of fall foliage are produced after many warm summer days, followed by cold (but not freezing) evenings.
 
Happy Crafting,
Nina

Hello There

Hello, crafty friends; it is day 15 of “the challenge. You can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today we the challenge is 3 colour combo.

I grabbed some washi tape for this card adventure; colour challenges always stump me; I get ideas in my head, and then they just end up being a started project.

This washi tape is from Altenew, and I love the graduated colours. Is it cheating when the colours are a gradient of the same colours?

 

I laid down the washi tape in varying lengths; the wide strips are the actual size of the washi, and the other two widths were cut with my trimmer, so don't look too close, apparently my blade does not entirely cut straight, which is no doubt me adjusting pressure as I run it along.. alas I digress.

I added a lacy poppy flower, then added a sentiment strip that is popped up with foam tape. The gems are random; it is a perfect example of accidental crafting. I dropped the gem container, left some gems behind and glued them down.  

Did you know: A fun fact about colour: red and yellow stimulate hunger, while blue suppresses hunger.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Happy Thoughts

Hello, crafty peeps; it is day 14 of "the challenge", you can find Crystal’s post HERE. Today, the challenge is florals.

I am posting a card I made on a recent retreat; it is simple in design. I  used one of the Penny Black masterpieces made simple. I love these panels as they resemble watercolour painting, and this is something I could never achieve with my painting skills.

I layered the panel with three layers of cardstock, alternating black and white. I used a butterfly punch and added some script with a background stamp before adding colour with my Zig markers.

I added a sentiment strip that is popped up with foam tape, then finished the card with some gems on the butterfly body.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Penny Black - Masterpieces made simple, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Strip, butterfly punch, gems.

Did you know: The butterfly got its name from its poop.

Ok.. I need to add to that. Long ago, Dutch scientists were studying butterflies. And they looked at their poop — which is officially called frass. They noticed that the droppings looked an awful lot like butter. So they gave the insect the name butterfly.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Beautiful Season

It's washi tape Wednesday, and it is day 13 of "the challenge", you can find Crystal’s post HERE; today's challenge is heat embossing.

 
I am sending out a fair number of Autumn cards this year, and well, I love the colours, so... I laid down some washi tape and added a layer of brown cardstock; I popped the panel up with foam tape.

I heat-embossed the sentiment in gold. I finished the card with some gold half pearls.

Supplies: White and brown cardstock, Washi Tape, Sunny Studios - Beautiful Autumn, half pearls.

Did you know: Did you know, the world record for the most heads on a sunflower plant is 837.

    

Happy Crafting,

Nina

Autumn Season

Hello, crafty peeps; it is day 12 of "the challenge", you can find Crystal’s post HERE. 

Today the challenge use two designer paper combo. Well, that was easy! Crystal did a class last night for Fractured Card Technique, so I am just going to post my card from that.

I love how this card turned out. I did go down the rabbit hole a little, little bits and pieces as I created. I started with a piece of navy patterned paper (first DSP) with a gold leaf pattern all over it, I layered that with black and kraft cardstock. For the strips, I layered the black and kraft cardstock. I like how that turned out. 

The center panel is a piece of coordinating designer paper (second DSP) and adhered the paper strips.

I die-cut the leaf from a texture gold cardstock and adhered it with foam tape, I stamped the sentiment and layered it with black card and foam tape.

Supplies: White, black, kraft and gold cardstock, Designer Paper – DCWV, Pink Fresh Studio – Fall Leaf.

Did you know: Red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap trapped inside the leaves.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Thank you

It is day 11 of "the challenge." You can find Crystal’s post HERE; today's challenge is Thank you. I am using this card as a sketch (Here)

I used one of the rectangles from my Hero Arts Infinity dies and die-cut six rectangles from some pretty purple plaid paper striped through with gold, then backed each with foam tape. 

I die-cut a Winsome Branch from black cardstock and added foam tape to each leaf. I then cut a sentiment strip... and guess what... Yes, more foam tape.

I finished the card with some black gems.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Designer Paper - Memory Box, Simon Says Stamp - Winsome Branch and Sentiment Strips, gems.

Did you know: The ostrich lays the largest eggs on land, but the whale shark lays the largest eggs in the world.

Happy crafting,
Nina

Winter Comfort

Merry Monday, crafty friends. I have a quick and easy card for my post today.

I started with a plaid patterned designer paper layered with black cardstock. To that I added a Penny Black Masterpiece made simple, also with a  layer of black cardstock and popped up with foam tape.

I layered a sentiment strip to finish. I did not add embellishment as these Penny Black panels have so much detail.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Penny Black - Masterpieces made simple, Designer Paper - Memory Box, Simon Says Stamp  Sentiment strip.

Did you know: Avocado is poisonous to birds.

I will be back later with a card for "The Challenge."

Happy crafting,
Nina

Happy Fall

It is day 10 of "the challenge", you can find Crystal’s post HERE; today's challenge is CASE yourself. 

I am casing a card I created in January 1, 2022,  I went with a fall theme.

I adhered strips of washi tape in horizontal and diagonal design across a panel of cardstock.  I used strips of gold cardstock as accents then I die-cut some leaves and backed them with foam tape, I did the same with the sentiment strip. 

I finished the card with some gems and mounted the panel to a card base with some foam tape.

Supplies: White, gold, and kraft cardstock, washi tape, Pink Fresh - Fall Leaf, Simon Says Stamp sentiment strip, gems.

Did you know: According to The Weather Channel, pumpkin by far was the most craved-for food in autumn.

Happy crafting,

Nina

Punch it up

It is day 9 of "the challenge" , you can find Crystal’s post HERE; we are pulling out the punches. 

I am using my Marvy envelope punch on my card. I used 6 different patterns; I wanted each envelope to have its own pattern. I added a solo flower to cover the fact I folded and glued the flaps upside down.

I adhered them to a piece of coordinating cardstock, added some gems and finished with a sentiment strip.

Supplies: White cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Marvy - Envelope punch, Spellbinders Petite Floral Potpourri, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Strip, gems.

Did you know: The very first envelopes date back to 3500 to 3200 BCE.

Happy Crafting,
Nina

Good Vibes

It is day 8 of "the challenge", you can find Crystal’s post HERE, the theme for today is three colour combo.

I am using three shades of blue cardstock, the black and white on my card are not counted. All in all this card looks a lot more complicated than it was to make it.

I used this quilt like die cut and ran it through my Big Shot with two the colours and using black for the frame. I pieced them back together and glued them down.  I die cut the flowers in the lightest shade. I popped the panel up with foam tape.

I used a sentiment strip and finished the card with some gems

Supplies: White, Black and blue cardstock, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Strip, quilt and flower die cuts.

Did you know: Australia is wider than the moon.

Happy Crafting,

Nina

Summer

Good morning, crafty peeps – guess what! It is day 7 of ‘the challenge.’

Today, the theme is summer. Whiplash much? Yesterday was Halloween, and now we are returning to summer; I can feel the cooler temps in the air… I am full-on ready for fall personally.

Warmer weather and flip-flops say summer to me, so that is the card I created. You can find Crystal’s post HERE.

I started with a panel patterned paper that looks like a sandy beach; I added a thin strip of designer paper that looks like weathered board. I then cut a smaller panel of patterned paper that looks like water and sky.

I stamped Summer and Life is better in Flip-flops onto the panel; I added a layer of foam tape to the panel to adhere it.

I stamped the flip flops onto a coordinating piece of paper, added some colour with my Zig markers, then fussy cut them out, added some black ink to the edges and popped them up with foam tape. I added some micro gems to the flip-flops and some extra on the ‘sand’ around them.

Supplies: White cardstock, Designer Paper - Honey Bee, Simon Says Stamp - Flip Flop Season, gems

Did you know: Tug-o-war used to be a summer Olympic event.

Happy Crafting,

Nina

Happy Halloween

Double, double, toil and trouble. Well, not really, but I do have a note card with a Halloween theme for my Washi Tape Wednesday Post.

These note cards are the cutest and perfect little cards to say a Halloween hi.

I am also playing along with 'The Challenge,' which is where the 3x3 comes from. Crystal’s post is HERE.

Super simple, 3x3 card bases, a slightly smaller panel. I laid down the washi tape and added a layer of black cardstock, then popped it up with foam tape. 

I finished the card with tiny die-cut spiders also layered with foam tape. The Happy Halloween wash has a holographic script so no added bling.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, washi tape, Memory box - scary spiders.

Did you know: The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.

Happy Crafting,
Nina

Autumn

Hello crafty friends - it is Day 5 of 'The Challenge' you can find Crystal’s post HERE.

Today the challenge is 2 DSP combo, my Fall/Autumn papers are still all over my desk, so my paper choice was pretty easy.

I also loved all the layers on Crystal's card so I followed along. I cut three different patterns from a 6x6 paper pad and then layered each panel with a layer of dark brown cardstock.

 

I then die-cut a sentiment in gold and added a shadow in that same dark brown. I die-cut some leaves from gold and tucked them under the sentiment then finished my card with some diamond art gems.

Supplies: Cream, brown, and gold cardstock, Designer Paper - Echo Park, Honey Bee - Autumn, Spellbinders Petite Floral Potpourri, gems.

Did you know: Superstition says catching a falling leaf is good luck.

Happy Crafting,

Nina