Monday, May 25, 2020

Beverages and Flowers

Several years ago I discovered a wonderful week-long Blog Hop that focuses on my favorite beverage- COFFEE! I’ve spent several happy hours in my craft room the last few days making coffee themed cards while enjoying warm mugs of the brew.  This first card has a sentiment that reflects how much I enjoy it! Both the clear sentiment sticker and coffee cup silhouette die are from Stamplorations. I’ve had them for over a year and am finally using them. This means that I can enter my card into the NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff)! Challenge. So fun! I also used three pigment ink pads- silver, gold and bronze- that I've had in my stash since the late 90's. but haven't used for years. I had fun smudging them onto the coffee cup silhouette die after cutting it from black cardstock.  
 
  
Supplies: 
·    Die Image- Stamplorations (Coffee Cup Silhouette Die)
·    Front Sentiment- Stamplorations (Coffee Heaven Clear Stickers)
·    Assorted metallic pigment ink pads- silver, bronze, gold
·    Assorted background papers, metallic gold and brown photo corners from my stash
·    Puffy Heart Stickers- Sticko’s from WalMart (The pack contains 113 assorted puffy hearts for just 99 cents!)
Entered into:  
CoffeeLoversCardmakers.com- 2020 Spring Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop   
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #120
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                       
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- May                                 
NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff)!-  Challenge # 14
A Perfect Time to Craft 2020-Anything Goes- Challenge #5-2020

For this fun card I used this month’s Freebie from artist Pattie Gomez at Pattie’s Creations. I printed off the digi, then used a scrap of acetate that I cut from some plastic packaging to add realism to the card. (Steps for this task- lay the acetate over the Martini glass and traced over it with a permanent fine-line black marker. Then trimmed it from the acetate, adding a few little “tabs” on each side of the flute of the glass. To attach the acetate overlay to the digi without having adhesive or tape show through, I cut small slits on the sides of the glass flute, slid these tabs down inside, and taped them to the backside.)  The olives each have little pimentos (made with a tiny scrap of red mulberry paper. So fun!)
The sentiments are computer-generated. In a stroke of genius (at least for me when it comes to technology) I learned that I can make outline letters with my Word program. I selected a bold font for the sentiment- in this case, a freebie named "SNAP ITC" which would provide me with the olive-shaped “O” that I wanted to create the sentiment. Then, on the Word toolbar, I clicked on the little arrow at the bottom of the "font" option,  selected "text effects" at the bottom left, then selected text outline (solid line, then black) and text fill (no fill.)  After coloring the “O’s/olives” I used an Exacto knife to cut out the little hole, wadded up a small scrap of red mulberry paper, and stuffed those olives! (I made sure that there was a little tail that I could pull through the little hole so that I could tape the "pimento" down on the backside of the image.) The finished item looks almost edible, doesn't it?
I am entering this card into several challenges including two that require recycling (Simon Says Wednesday Challenge and We Craft Cards Monday Challenge) plus Pixie’s Snippets (one of my favorite challenges that invites us to use all the little snips of paper that we might otherwise toss. In this case I used acetate and tiny little bits of precious mulberry paper for which there is usually no use.)
  
Supplies: 
·    Digi- Patties Creations Freebie (Martini)
·    Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens
·    Sentiments- Computer Generated
·    Assorted papers, acetate, and red mulberry paper from my stash
Entered into:  
Pattie's Creations Challenge- #170 Anything Goes
We Craft Cards Monday Challenge- Phase 10 (upcycle)                           
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Recycle                                                          
Double D’s Challenge- Begins with M                 
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #507 (Optional twist- Spots and/or Stripes) 
Pixie's Snippets-Week #378                                                                              

My final card for this post features a beautiful image from a Jan’s Digi Stamps set named “Country Flowers.” (The digi set includes this wonderful image plus three sentiments and a sweet little bee, all for just $4!) I colored the beautiful bouquet with alcohol markers and a white gel pen, then created the layout so that I enter the card into Power Poppy’s challenge “Rule of Thirds.” I’m also entering it into a few other challenges including The Paper Shelter (flowers are a beautiful part of nature), the Butterfly Challenge (all three colors: Yam, Yale Blue, and Yarrow plus two themes: your choice-add ribbon, and butterfly) and Cute Card Thursday (I think that butterflies are considered critters, even though that isn’t their official classification!)
 
Supplies: 
·    Digi  image and sentiment- Jan’s Digi Stamps (Country Flowers)
·    Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·    Inside sentiment-“Sending Sweet Birthday Wishes”  Imagine That digi set  (Ice Cream to My Cone)
·    Assorted papers, puffy butterfly stickers, and sheer lavender ribbon from my stash
Entered into:  
Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Songs and Rhymes- Sing a Song of Flowers
Jan’s Digi Stamps- Anything Goes
Incy Wincy Designs- Anything Goes                                                      
Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Rule of Thirds
The Paper Shelter- #428 In the Nature/In the Sea
Butterfly Challenge- #142 Y for YoYo Spinner  
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #635 Critters

16 comments:

  1. Absolutely gorgeous cards, super designs!
    Many thanks for joining us at Cute Card Thursday this week for our Challenge!
    Debxx

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  2. Hi Kathy all your cards are gorgeous. Take care. Hugs Jackie

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  3. Fab designs, love the coffee ones!

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  4. Kathy- I LOVE what you did with my Country Flowers digi set! It amazes me how creative talented crafters use my sets. Love the coloring, the layout, and oh- those ribbons! Thanks for entering JDS May Challenge. Stay safe and be well.
    Hugs,

    Jan (owner/illustrator Jan's Digi Stamp Shop)

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  5. Beautiful cards. Thanks for sharing with us at The Paper Shelter challenge- Patsy

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  6. I absolutely love that you used the ribbon to create the rule of thirds. Just a creative and fun card. Thanks for joining in the fun at Creative Confetti.
    Barbara

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  7. Oh my gosh, I am in love with the image that you chose! What a beauty and the way you colored it up is stunning -- love the splashes of white gel pen. That's a perfect addition!

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  8. Love the martini / olive card! That's so clever - the way you used the acetate over the glass. I'm inspired! Thank-you for sharing your creativity with us at Patties Creations this month. Vic - D.T. x

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  9. All cards are wonderful but I really like your coffee one.

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  10. Wonderful cards Kathy - I do love your Martini one, especially how you did that glass. Genius!

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  11. LOL ... love your martini card! I could use a cocktail right about now! LOL Great job! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Double D ‘Begins with “M”’ challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.
    Darlene
    DOUBLE D Challenge Blog
    DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
    Please stop in for a visit!

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  12. Wonderful martini card, lovely colours and great design also! Thanks for sharing with us at Double "D" Challenge.
    Amelia (Double "D" Challenge Design Team)

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  13. Wonderful colouring of your flowers and Imlike the arrangement with the ribbon. Thankyou for coming and playing in the butterfly garden this challenge. Hugs Mrs A.

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Thanks you for your comments. They bring joy to my day!