JUGS #772

 

I recently treated myself to some new cardstocks and have spent the week organizing, swatching and labeling.  I will post my opinions in a future post but I have to say, I am loving them all.

I had a few minutes to spare this afternoon so I wandered over to the Just Us Girls challenge site to check out this week's prompt.  I was honestly flabbergasted to see that my beach card was chosen as last week's Top Pick.  Totally made my day!!  Thanks to everyone there.  

This week is JUGS Stencil Week.  I had one lone NBUS stencil left in the bin so I opted to work with it.  I also have some new cute Easter die sets so I decided to get a head start on next year.  (Truth be told, I really don't make Easter cards but thought this chick would be cute for baby gift tags.)

I began my card by stenciling a trio of pale pastel Distress Oxides onto a panel of smooth white cardstock.  I die cut the cute chick using colored cardstocks (many of them new) and assembled it as per the package instructions.  I used the coordinating stamp set for the greeting and the honeycomb ball instructions.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Supplies:

The Greetery - Hey Honeycomb Chick die set

The Greetery - Hey Honeycomb Spring stamp set

The Greetery - Honeycomb Balls Spring Chick mix

Spellbinders - Layered Geometric Diamond stencil (not available)

Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstocks 

                   Blush Pink

                      Windy 

                   Saffron

Hero Arts - Canary cardstock

Distress Oxides - Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar, Squeezed Lemonade

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  Your time and comments are always appreciated.

Jules

Seize the Birthday #304

I don't know about you but I think this month has flown by!  Today's card share is for our newest Seize the Birthday challenge where Shirley is our host.  She has chosen Stenciling as her Topping.

 

The stencil I chose today has been in my NBUS bin for quite some time and there's a reason for that.  It's actually a full 8.5"x11" in size which is quite intimidating.  For that reason today's card is actually an A7 (or 5"x7") so I could utilize as much of the stencil as possible. 

I did my stenciling with dye inks this time around using a selection from Catherine Pooler.  I stenciled the bottom right corner first and then flipped the panel to create the identical image in the top left corner.  I then embossed the panel with a 3D folder.  With this larger card size I needed a big sentiment to span the center. I chose the word Celebrate which I adhered to a double mat and added some gems for additional interest. I popped the panel up with fun foam and adhered it to a white card base.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Hello Blooms stencil set (NBUS)

Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder

Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set

MFT - Celebrate word die

Honeybee Stamps - gems

I'm a permanent fixture in Darnell's gallery now.

I invite you to play along with us in the gallery.  If stenciling isn't your cup of tea then any birthday card qualifies.  Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Floral Cards with Extra Bits

 

Today is a rather random post.  I don't know about you but I tend to die cut far more elements than I typically need to create a card.  Most of the time I will put them all to good use in one sitting, either in additional cards or tags/bookmarks however sometimes the leftovers get filed away in clear baggies for the future.  Well I've had several of these baggies shaming me for months now so I decided it was time to clear them out.  I created three very different cards mixing and matching up the elements from several Spellbinders sets.  

I want to keep this post simple so I won't go into any design details.  If you have any questions please ask away in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them.  I will say though that all of these elements were cut from white cardstock and then colored with inks.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Spellbinders - Fresh Picked Trumpet Flowers

Spellbinders - Sentiments of Wonder Better Press Plates

Spellbinders - Rain Boot Bouquet
Spellbinders - Stylized Lattice embossing folder

Spellbinders - Sweet and Savory stamp set (no longer available)

Assorted gems

Whew!!!  I am feeling quite accomplished...she says as she pats herself on her back.  No more shame and more cards for the stash.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Just Us Girls Challenge #771

 

I had some free time on Friday so I popped in to the Just Us Girls challenge to see what their prompt was for the week.  It turns out it's Mood Board Week, which is definitely my favorite.  Other than for my grandson, I don't make Easter cards so I went with the soft colors as my inspiration.

I had two pockets full of white die cuts that I created whilst visiting crafty friends last year.  I chose a couple of elements from both packets to create a peaceful beach themed card using the Mood Board colors for those two pieces of layer cake. 

All elements were colored with Distress Oxide inks.  The chair has two layers, the top one popped up with foam tape for a bit of added interest.  I did the same with the starfish.  It's a very simple card but one I know will come in handy.

Food for thought.... Can one count six month old dusty borrowed die cuts as NBUS????  What's your opinion?  LOL!

Supplies:

MFT - Snow Swirls cover plate

Simon Says Stamp - Adirondack chair die

Concord & 9th - Seaside Postage stamp and die set

WPlus9 - Sunshine Layers background die 

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  Your time is much appreciated.

Jules

Color Hues #108

 

I'm here today to share my card for the newest Color Hues challenge.  Nancy is our host and I must be on her bad side because she's chosen a shade of purple once again. *wink*  I chose my least offense shades to add to the other hue, which I happen to love. The official hues for this fortnight are Lilac and Aqua.

My card panel is white but the lighting is skewing it a bit blueish.

I dove back into my NBUS (yes, it seems bottomless, doesn't it?) and pulled out this floral set from Spellbinders.  It was designed to work with the Modern Oval die set however I chose to slap them onto a rectangular panel.

I die cut the florals and vase in shades of lilac and aqua.  I die cut some of the centers from silver metallics.  The aqua border fits snugly around the white card base.  I die cut the sentiment in aqua and added some gems as a finishing touch.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Supplies

Spellbinders - Ceramic Vases (NBUS) 

Simon Says Stamp - Stitched Craft Frames 

Spellbinders - Stylish Oval Hello You Floral die set

Tired of me yet, Darnell?

I invite you to visit our blog and play along with the gallery.  Remember: do not add any colors other than neutrals as it disqualifies it from being chosen as a winner.  

Thanks so much for visiting!  Your time is appreciated.

Jules

For Spellbinders - Simon Hurley Up and Away

 

I'm here today to showcase another new and very cute set sent to me by Spellbinders.  It's part of the Simon Hurley The Sky's the Limit Collection.  This one is called The Up and Away Set which comes with a kite and a figure that you can customize into a boy or a girl.

I chose to create a girl for my first card.  I positioned her flying against a stenciled background with a purple and white kite.  All elements were cut from colored cardstocks.

My second card is a bit more elaborate.  I chose to make this one a boy with a cap, leaving off the whirly top section included in the set.  I added some texture to the background with cloud embossing folder and positioned the young man floating up over a house created with an extremely old Spellbinders die set.

I chose to make both cards birthday themed since my stash for children's cards is very limited at the moment.

I used a bit of white pigment ink to puff up my clouds a bit.  All elements were cut with colored cardstocks.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Card One

Spellbinders - Simon Hurley's Up and Away die set 

Spellbinders - Stylish Oval Birthday sentiment stamps (appears to be no longer available)

Card Two

Spellbinders - Simon Hurley's Up and Away die set

Spellbinders -  Hand Drawn Scallops embossing folder (available in a bundle)

Spellbinders - Die D Lites S2-251

Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder

Spellbinders - Sentiments of Wonder Better Press and dies

Spellbinders - Die D Lites S2-251 (super old...the house and florals)

Fun Stampers Journey - Above the Clouds EF (really old)

Thanks again so much Spellbinders!  I always appreciate the opportunity to work with you.

I hope you enjoyed my cards today.  Your visit here is much appreciated!

Jules

Wedding Cards

 

I have spent a bit of my free crafty time creating cards to fill the holes in my stash.  I recently discovered that I had little, if any, wedding and/or baby themed cards.  Today I'm sharing a two-fer of wedding themed cards.  

Believe it or not, I actually began with this gorgeous outer frame.  It's a recent purchase from Jillian Vance Design.  She was having a 50% off sale (which is still ongoing, by the way) and I picked up this Art Deco Backdrop set along with a couple of other die sets.  Unfortunately the one I received was a manufacturer's dud.  I emailed her, sent her some photos and I had a new set on it's way to me the next day.  What you see cut above are from the replacement which cuts like buttah!  I was so impressed with their customer service that I ordered a few more items with the continued "before the tariff" sales.  (Don't even get me started on that subject!)  Anyway...I just wanted to give them an UNSPONSORED Shout Out for their excellent service after the sale.

On to the rest of my card...

I pulled out a very old set from MFT for the focal image.  It's hard to tell but both the black and the white cardstocks are from the Spellbinders Brushed Collection. If you don't own these you should really check them out.  They're just so beautiful!  Card One does a white frame on light blue cardstock while Card Two does a blue frame on white cardstock.  I added a trio of little pearls to each card as a final touch.  I really love how these turned out!

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Spellbinders - Brushed Black cardstock 

Spellbinders - Brushed White cardstock

MFT - Let's Say I Do die set 

A Jillian Vance Design - Art Deco Backdrop die

I will be back soon with a whole slew of Baby Themed cards.  Until then, Happy Crafting and Thanks for Visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #303

 

It's time for another challenge over at the Seize the Birthday blog and our fearless leader Nancy is the host.  She has chosen a fun Topping which may only be challenging for the tried and true CAS card makers.  She's asking for Layers.

I took the prompt literally and added gobs of paper layers in the form of frames and florals.

And I had enough florals leftover to create a pretty bookmark.

My design started with a old piece of designer paper from my stash.  I don't even know who made it since it was loose and not tucked inside a pad.  The colors really drew me in.  I'm still digging through my NBUS bin so today's pick was a set of daisy dies.  I matched up the paper colors with cardstock scraps from my stash and went to town die cutting.  I embossed the front of a yellow card base, added a matted oval and then layered the florals until I got something I liked.  The sentiment was heat embossed in white onto brown cardstock.  I used the leftovers on a bookmark.  

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns me a bit of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA!

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder

Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set (a fav of mine)

Spellbinders - Layered Daisies die set (NBUS)

Altenew - Birthday Greetings stamp set

The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamp/die (tag)

Hi Darnell!  Miss me?  LOL!

I invite you to play along!  We love to see the use of Toppings in our gallery however if it's not your thing, any birthday card works.  

Thanks so much for visiting!!!  Your time and comments are much appreciated.

Jules

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #261

It's the first Saturday of the month which means we have a new challenge up for you over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers blog.  Our newest theme is Masculine.  I opted for a two-fer featuring bourbon on the rocks.  That in and of itself is not necessarily manly because this happens to also be one of my favorite adult beverages.  Whether it's straight up with ice or in a Manhattan (my personal fav) or perhaps an Old Fashioned, bourbon obviously isn't just for men.  I'm hoping that my choice of kraft and plaid papers gives these cards a more masculine feel.

With Snark

Love her!

Sans Snark

I used a slightly textured kraft cardstock from Neenah as the card bases.  The lined kraft paper is from a really old pad of 6x6 papers and as you can see, I positioned it on an angle.  The orange plaid/tweed papers are from a purchase made last fall.  I opted to position these vertically.  I stamped, colored and die cut the cocktail, also positioned vertically.  I adore these stamp sets from Unity.  Their designers have been speaking my language in recent years.  

Supplies:

Unity Stamps - If You Were Whiskey stamp set

Brutus Monroe - Autumn Tweed 6x6 paper pad

7 Gypsies - Postal 6x6 paper pad (this is ANCIENT)

Basic Grey - Basic Kraft 6x6 paper pad (EVEN MORE ANCIENT)

More for Darnell's viewing pleasure.  

Sorry, not sorry.  

I invite you all to visit our blog for additional Manly Snark.  Snark is optional however the masculine theme is not.  

Thanks so much for visiting me.  Much Appreciated!

Jules

 

Color Hues #107

Hello Crafty Friends!  I am the hostess of our latest Color Hues challenge and I've chosen the combination of Teal and Orange for you to work with this fortnight.  I unintentionally had myself a die cutting marathon, resulting in three cards and four tags to share with you all today.  Let's start with the one I posted on the Color Hues blog...

NBUS!

I had enough florals to create this second card.

And because I wanted to dig a bit more 

into my NBUS bin I also made this card.

NBUS!

And I certainly couldn't waste the

remaining florals, so tags it was!

Card #1 and #3and began with an ombre' direct ink pad to paper technique with three teal hues of Catherine Pooler dye ink.  

Card #1 utilizes die cut florals, an embossed vase and a die cut sentiment.  

Card #3 uses sky themed dies, a die cut penguin and a Better Pressed sentiment. 

Card #2 utilizes a bunch of leftover florals arranged on a teal panel of cardstock.  This small panel was adhered to white cardstock die cut with a cover plate.  This entire piece was then adhered to a black card base.  The sentiment and shadow were also die cut.

The tags were created with all of the floral bits and bobs leftover along with the same die cut sentiment used on my first card.  

I'm sharing affiliate links for the first time.  If you purchase through my link I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.  All of the products I've linked to today were purchased by me.  Thanks!

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Fresh Picked Vase Bouquet (NBUS)

Simon Says Stamp - Friend die

Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder (NBUS)

The Greetery - Hey Honeycomb Penguin die set

Spellbinders - Rain or Shine die set

Spellbinders - Brighten My Day Sentiments of Wonder BP

The Greetery - Square Dance cover die

Simon Says Stamp - Thanks die and shadow

Catherine Pooler Inks

Thanks for humoring me in this longer than usual post.  Do you have a favorite? I'd love to know in the comments.

Please welcome Renate as our Guest Designer for this challenge.  I invite you to visit her work as well as those from my teammies on our blog.  

Thanks for visiting!

Jules