Seize the Birthday #335

 

Today's card share combines our Seize the Birthday challenge with some new goodies gifted to me by Spellbinders. After my long crafty hiatus I'm delighted that they hadn't totally forgotten about me.  

Our current Topping is Fall Colors so as you can see below, this new floral set was perfect for our challenge.

Given the size of these florals I opted to create a 5x7 card which I ended up cutting down to 4.75 x 6.75 for scale.  The florals began as white cardstock and were colored with Distress Oxide inks.  I gave them both gold and black splatters and used gems to create the centers.  The background is embossed green cardstock that was edged in dye ink and splattered with black ink.  The sentiment uses the same green cardstock with the sentiment Glimmered in gold foil and cut with an accompanying die.  I really love how this one turned out.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Helenium and Ladybugs die set

Spellbinders - Evergreen embossing folder  (on sale)

Spellbinders - Let's Celebrate sentiment and die set

Spellbinders - Glimmer system

I invite you to visit our blog for more autumnal birthday inspiration.  Stacey is once again joining us as our Surprise Party Guest.  

My thanks to Spellbinders for the products and to you all for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #334

 

I am back today to share my card for the new Seize the Birthday challenge and as it so happens, I'm also the host of this challenge.  We choose our Toppings well in advance so Present Jules is very grateful that Past Jules chose something simple. What great timing she had!  *wink*

My Topping of choice is To Add a Sentiment Strip.  Given that this is a birthday challenge blog make sure it's some sort of birthday or celebratory greeting.  Here's my card for this fortnight.

There are so many things to love about North Carolina living.  The flora and fauna are so different from hot humid Florida and I am totally in for it all. The floral landscaping never ceases to amaze me but I have a special fondness for the precious hummingbirds that now gather just outside my kitchen window.  I set up two feeders earlier this summer as well as three little red swings. (One even has a camera so I can spy on the little guys.)  In the beginning they would flit in and out very quickly. Over the summer though they have gotten more comforable in their surroundings so they tend to hang around for quite awhile. I think the adults  began their migration last week but I still have a few juveniles hanging around, one male and two females. I made today's card in honor of Oliver, my male juvenile who just loves to swing and selfishly guard the nectar. 

The hummingbirds in my yard are the Ruby Throated species however only the males have the red on their necks.  They are also a bit more brilliant green in color compared to the females.  (I had to do a bit of die surgery to make the paper humminbird a bit closer in color/pattern as real life Oliver.  It's better but still not totally accurate, especially around the head/neck area.)  

Paper Oliver was assembled and adhered to an embossed, matted oval focal panel.  The stamped sentiment strip was popped up with foam tape and the oval added to an embossed card base.  A few brown gems were added to mimic movement.  

Supplies:

Honeybee Stamps - Hummingbird die 

MFT - Friends Like You stamp set

Spellbinders - Lined Corners embossing folder

Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set

PaperTrey Ink - Linen embossing plate

We have Stacey and Chris both joining us on the blog today.  I invite you to play along by sharing your birthday cards in the gallery.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #327

Hello Crafty Friends.  I'm here to share my latest card for our Seize the Birthday challenge, hosted by Shirley.  Her chosen Topping is Sweet Treats.

As many of you may know, we recently moved from Florida to North Carolina and all of my cards were created in January before I packed up my craft room. My list of supplies is buried at the moment so forgive me for not providing the product names.  

In a nutshell I chose turquoise cardstock for the base, the panel (embossed) and the hot chocolate cup.  I'm fairly certain that the cocoa cup is from MFT.  The embossing folder is one from Spellbinders and the heat embossed text is from Ellen Hutson.  The assembly can easily be figured out from the design.

I will be taking a hiatus while I wade through my housefull of boxes.  Unfortunately my craft room set up is way down on the list so I'll most likely disappear until at least mid summer.  Until then, thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday # 326

Hello from North Carolina, my Crafty Friends! After five months of planning, remodeling, packing, etc, etc, etc we are finally here.  I still have a few challenge cards to share before I go on a temporary leave.  It's going to take some time getting this house (and my craft room) up and ready.  

Nancy S. is our host this fortnight and she's chosen Focal Animal as her Topping.  I pulled out a really old die from PaperTrey Ink for my simple card.

The kitty was die cut in pink, white and designer textured black cardstocks.  I added three narrow strips of the black to ground the kitty, added a few flowers and a stamped sentiment.  The card base is watercolor paper.  

Supplies:

PaperTrey Ink - Kay's Cat die set

MFT - Housecats stamp set

I invite you to join us on our blog and in the gallery.  Animals are optional however birthday greetings are not.

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday # 325

 

Hello again my Crafty Friends!  I'm here today to share my card for our latest Seize the Birthday challenge.  Our fearless leader Nancy is the host and she's chosen "Primarily Pink" as our Topping.  As you will see below, I went all in.

This is an example of how a very simple design packs a lot of punch.  The background was created with one die, an embossing folder and a white pigment ink pad.  The sentiment is a stacked die cut.  Finally a few white gems for interest.  So easy!

Supplies:

The Greetery - Capsule Basics die set

The Greetery - Rosemal Reflections embossing folder

Memory Box - Happy Birthday Script die set

Honeybee Stamps - white gem stickers

I invite you all to visit the our blog for more pretty pink inspo.  We look forward to seeing your contribution to the gallery.  Just make sure it's a birthday card!

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #324

 

Hello, Crafty Friends!  It's time for a new Seize the Birthday challenge.  Linda is our host and she's chosen Spring Garden as her Topping.  I took this opportunity to use some new to me florals from The Stamp Market.

I overdid the die cutting a bit so I used the extras

 to create three Thank You tags.

My designs and assembly processes are fairly straightforward.  After adhering the florals to the card panel I added a bit of die cut grass to the bottom, stamped the greeting and added lots of clear droplets in the open spaces.  Finally I added a narrow mat to the panel before adhering it to a white card base.  

Supplies:

The Stamp Market - Dainty Daisies die set

Hero Arts - Thorn Tree and Grasses die

Flora and Fauna - Letterboard Stamp set

Tags --  

The Stamp Market - Dainty Daisies

MFT - Gift Tag dies

Altenew - Many Thanks stamp set

I invite you to visit our blog where Jennie is our Surprise Party Guest.  I look forward to seeing your beautiful florals in our gallery!

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #323

 

Hello my crafty friends!  I am the host of the Seize the Birthday challenge and have a very simple Topping for you all this fortnight.  I'd like you to Add a Tag to your birthday card design.  Easy Peasy.  

My card is very CAS.  I changed things up a bit and used some old watercolor paper to create my tag and card base.  I've seen many crafters do this over the years but I had yet to try.  I'm rather digging it as you will see in some of my upcoming card designs.  I believe this particular paper is a Hobby Lobby brand from years ago.  Unfortunately my photo doesn't illustrate the cool texture of this watercolor paper.

I added some die cut greenery to the base and popped up the sentiment tag over top.  Some really old twine finished this one off.  I think this is a great design for a gender neutral card.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Stylish Oval Birthday Wishes stamp set

MFT Stamps - Fab Greenery dies

Watercolor Paper for card base and tag

I invite you to visit our blog and play along in our gallery!  Whether or not you incorporate my Topping, remember to make it a birthday card.

Seize the Birthday #322

 

In celebration of spring our host JoAnn has chosen the color of Green as her Topping for this new Seize the Birthday challenge.  I have once again turned to the brilliance of Betsy Veldman, owner of The Greetery, to assist with my card design.  (I do not know her personally and have purchased all of her supplies myself but her horn definitely needs so tooting as she's absolutely spot on in her designs.)

Once again I've chosen my favorite green shade of cardstock, Pinefeather, from PaperTrey Ink as my card base.  I die cut the capsule oval, stamped the border and sentiment, and then ran it through my machine with an embossing folder.  I popped it up and added a few gems for interest.

Supplies:

The Greetery - Capsule Collection Floral Borders

The Greetery - Capsule Basics die set

Fun Stampers Journey - Inspire embossing folder

We have Jennie Maier joining us as our Surprise Party Guest so I hope you'll give her and the rest of the Design Team some appreciation.  We would love to see your card in our gallery!  If you'd like to be considered for a Guest spot be sure to use our Toppings.

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #321

 

Hello to all of my crafty friends!  I'm popping in here today to share a card created for the new Seize the Birthday challenge!  Jenny is our host this fortnight and has chosen Anything With Wings as our Topping.  This cute NBUS set had been gathering dust but when I noticed it included little butterflies I knew today was it's lucky day.

C'mon.  Who can resist Piglet and Tigger?

Tigger's orange fur dictated the color scheme of my card and turquoise seemed like a good pairing.  A little blush color for piglet and a bold designer paper and this card pretty much created itself.  Due to the size of these dies I did increase the size of my card.  I don't have the measurements in front of me but it's bigger than A2 and smaller than A7.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Piglet and Pooh die set

Spellbinders - Tigger and Eeyore die set

A Jillian Vance Design - Make a Wish stamp set

I invite you to visit our blog for more birthday inspiration.  We invite you to share your new birthday cards with us in the gallery.  If you would like to be considered as a future Guest Designer remember to use our Topping in your design.

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #320

 

Today I'm sharing a card created for our latest Seize the Birthday challenge.  Glenda is our host and she's chosen the combination of CAS and Die Cuts for her Topping.  

I know CAS means different things to different crafters but in my example its taking on the role of lots of white space.  Or in this case, orange space.  

My focal point is a two piece die cut frame created with a tone on tone orange card base.  I stamped, colored and fussy cut my hen and then stamped the two part sentiment.  A pretty simple CAS card with a sentiment that fits my mood lately...constantly struggling to keep up.  LOL!  (More on that later...all good stuff.)

Supplies:

Ellen Hutson - A Good Egg stamp set

A Jillian Vance Design - Oh Cluck stamp set

I invite you to visit our blog and hope you're inspired to add your CAS/Die Cut creation to our gallery.  Toppings are optional but birthday cards are not.

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #319

 

My card today was created using our latest Topping over at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog.  Cathy is our host and has chosen A Rainbow of Colors as our prompt.  

I really wanted to use some of my new postage stamp stencils so I chose a design that would work for the multicolored rainbow.  Because I also wanted a kraft background I opted for Distress Oxides in the softer hues of the rainbow.  I added some white gems on their bodies and quadruple stacked my die cut sentiment in white.  

Supplies:

Waffle Flower Crafts - Collage Butterfly Stencils

Waffle Flower Crafts - Postage Collage die set

Spellbinders - Handwritten Sentiment die set (Simon Hurley)

I invite you to play along with us.  We'd love to see your card in our gallery.  Remember, the Topping is optional but Birthday themed is not.  

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #318

Happy New Year!  Let's hope this is a good one.  :-)

I am here today with our first Seize the Birthday challenge of 2026. Barb is our host and she is calling her Topping a "Blizzard of Snowflakes."  She would like us all to create a snowflake background for our birthday cards using the technique/product of our choosing.  

It is difficult to see from my photo but my background consists of navy colored die cut snowflakes adhered to a navy cardstock clear embossed panel.  I had every intention of capturing a close up before posting however I forgot before I mailed this one out.  But yay on me for doing so, right?  LOL!

Being a Floridian I wouldn't get much use from a traditional snowy card other than at the holidays so I decided to create warmth with a coffee cup.  I began by first stamping a crackle background to a panel of navy cardstock in Versamark ink.  I added clear embossing powder to that, heat set it, and then adhered the navy snowflakes over top to cover the entire background, clipping the excess off at the edges.  I replaced the negative circle with one of a lighter blue and heated embossed a sentiment strip which I adhered over the dimensional background.  I also sprinkled a few sequins before calling this one done.

Supplies:

Trinity Stamps - Snowflake Background

MFT Stamps - Coffee Break sentiment set

Concord & 9th and Simon Says Stamp - snowflake dies

Fun Stampers Journey - Cozy Knit embossing folder

Simon Says Stamp - Crackle Background stamp

I invite you to visit our blog for more inspiration from the design team as well as our guest, Hellen.  Remember, the Topping is optional but birthday is not.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #317

Ashwini is the host of our new Seize the Birthday challenge and she's chosen a very interesting prompt and I can't wait to see what you all create! Our Topping this fortnight is to use your Christmas supplies to create a birthday card.  Fun, right?!  Here's what I created.....

I chose a candy cane die set employing a cotton candy color scheme.  The canes were positioned in a heart formation with a bow added at the intersection.  The sentiments were frankensteined from two different stamp sets. (ie, I cut the sentiments apart and stamped them to form new phrases.)  The completed oval was adhered to patterned paper with a few pink gems thrown in for a finishing touch.  

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Modern Oval die set

MFT - Sweet Sticks Holiday die set

MFT - Sassy Pants Holiday Too stamp set

MFT - Sweetest Holiday Wishes stamp set

Picket Fence - A Bow for any Reason

Project Life - old 6x6 paper pad

I really enjoyed the "challenge of this challenge" and hope you'll be inspired to play along.  You can find more inspiration from my teammies on our blog.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #315

Hello Fellow Crafters!  Seize the Birthday has just posted our latest Topping and it's a good one.  Shirley is our host and she's chosen Splish/Splash.  What makes this extra special is that she's offering us many freedoms of choice.  Pool, Ocean, Beverages, Messy Inking, etc.  I love it! 

I will admit to sneaking a peek into the DT gallery ahead of time to get a feel for the direction everyone took.  Always wanting to be a bit different, I chose a fishing theme that allowed me to combine two awesome die sets from two different companies.  

I haven't given my postcard die background enough love so that's where I started.  I did some light inking to give it a bit of depth, die cut the fishing gear in white and then colored them with Catherine Pooler dye inks.  After that it was just a matter of arranging them and stamping the sentiment.  I really love the versatility of her Topping!

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Fairways and Fish Tales die set

Cottage Cutz - Fishing Gear die set

Clearly Besotted - Sentimental Type stamp set

Waffle Flower Crafts - Postage Collage die and stencil

I invite you to visit our blog for a variety of splashy goodness and do hope you're inspired to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #314

Hello Crafty Friends.  For those in the northern hemsphere I'd love to know if fall has hit your area yet.  There is no such thing in Florida so I need to live through you.

Today I'm sharing a card I just whipped up for our latest Seize the Birthday challenge where our fearless leader Nancy has chosen Clean and Simple with a Stencil.  I know CAS means different things to different crafters....such as No Layers, No Embellishments, Lots of White Space, etc.  Since I am a failure at single layer cards I chose to add a stenciled and stamped white panel onto a green card base.  There is not much white space however it is entirely flat and devoid of embellishments.  

I chose a beautiful but underutilized set of stencils (5 in all) along with a simple stamped sentiment.  I thought this sentiment design was perfect with the drape of the hanging florals.    

Supplies:

Pink Fresh Studio - Hanging Garden stencil set

The Greetery - Everyday Labels stamp set

Catherine Pooler inks

In addition to Johanna who will be here until year's end we have previous winners Milla and Bonnie joining us on the blog today.  Please come take a look around the blog.  We'd love for you to play along.  CAS/Stenciling is optional.  A birthday greeting is not.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #312

 

Hello my Crafty Friends!  

As you're reading this I am back up in SC supervising a new flooring install immediately followed by another trip to NC for more painting.  I'm all rested up and ready to go .... after I get caught up with my Design Team duties, that is.

Today I'm sharing a simple card I create for our latest Seize the Birthday challenge, hosted by Linda.  She has chosen a very classic combination of Black and White as the (optional) Topping.  We also have a new DT member joining us.  Please welcome Nance Salkeld to the Seize the Birthday team!  We're excited to have her join us.

Onto my card ....

I'm giving a few really old Mama Elephant supplies some love today, combining three sets to create this design.  I stamped/cut that cute little panda and plopped his adorable bottom onto an open book created with black cardstock and white embossing powder.  I stamped the birthday book sentiment to a die cut panel which was then matted with another die cut panel for some added interest.  I haven't used enamel dots in ages but thought they were the perfect embellishment for this simple card.  As a member of two different book clubs I have a large assortment of book themed supplies and was thrilled to dust a few off.

Supplies:

Mama Elephant - Bookworm stamp and die set

Mama Elephant - Goodreads stamp set

Mama Elephant - Peek a Frame die set

I invite you to visit our blog for more wonderful black and white inspiration.   If you'd like to be considered for a Surprise Party Guest gig you must use the Topping however we choose and feature regular birthday cards as part of our challenge.  We would love to see yours in the gallery! 

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #311

Hey Crafty Friends!  

It feels like forever but it's totally me, not you.  *wink*   I have spent the last three months traveling up and down the southeast United States.  My daughter and her new husband just moved from Florida to South Carolina, about two hours south of my son and his family in North Carolina.  Somewhere along the way I decided to offer up my redecorating services in the way of painting the interiors.  It took me three trips to SC to get their house ready and I am now in the process of repainting my son's upper level which includes a total redo of my grandson's room. I am one tired mama/grandmama but I can see the light at the end of the painting tunnel.

Anyway, all that to say that I have been very preoccupied and my crafting time has been pushed to the wayside.  Fortunately I buckled down in early June and managed to get all of my DT obligations met for the summer.  Where I feel a disconnect is in the area of social media.  I won't lie.  It's been a struggle to keep up but I'm looking forward to hanging at home this fall, crafting my heart out and keeping up with all things crafty.   

So on to today's post!

I am hosting the Seize the Birthday challenge that just went live and as host it is my opportunity to choose the Topping.  It seems like we always have an abundance of florals showcased in our gallery so my challenge to you is to omit flowers of any kind in your design.  This will be easy for most of us but definitely a challenge for some.  

I reached into my NBUS bin and pulled out one of it's newest occupants.  I fell in love with this fishing set the moment I saw it.  I die cut my elements from colored cardstocks, inked some clouds onto a light blue sky and got to work assembling the scene.  I couldn't resist adding my grandson's name to the greeting so I did some Frankensteining of two sentiment stamps to create my own.  I will definitely be giving this die set more love in the near future.  I just love it.

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 - Fairways and Fish Tales die set

MFT Stamps - Sharky Sentiments

I invite you to come play along.  We would love to see your favorite color showcased on your card but if you choose not to use the Topping please remember that it must be a birthday card.  We have Karen and Cassandra joining us on the blog where you'll also find inspiration from my fellow teammates.  

A bonus photo for those of you who read this far....

Notice the lovely shin bruises from the ladder?  I'm actually 

a very good painter (not that you could tell from this mess) but after

multiple ten hour days painting nine foot walls I tend to get clumsy. 

And tired.  Very, very tired.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #310

 

There's a new challenge up at the Seize the Birthday blog.  JoAnn is our hostess and she has requested that we use our favorite color in our card design.  Easiest Topping Ever, right?

My all time favorite color is green, particularly olive or sage hues.  Because I wanted the color to be prominent I chose a white on green design.

I chose a daisy style floral die and cut it out multiple times in white.  I die cut the centers in green to match the background.  After adhering the flowers I die cut the panel with a scalloped edge die, added a stamped white panel, a green banner and some white gemstones.  This was all popped up with foam onto a heavy weight 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 - Heartfelt Thanks and Scallops die set

Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set

Spellbinders - Swallowtail Tags die set

Spellbinders - Sitting Pretty DOM Jan 2024

The Stamp Market - Fern Cardstock

I invite you to come play along.  We would love to see your favorite color showcased on your card but if you choose not to use the Topping please remember that it must be a birthday card.  Check out the other DT creations while you're there!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #309

The Seize the Birthday team has a new Topping for you to play with this fortnight.  Glenda is our host and she's chosen Food and/or Drink as our new challenge.  I went a bit rogue and created a Winnie the Pooh card because as we all know...

Poohs Love Honey!

I die cut Pooh and his honey jar from colored cardstocks and did a bit of subtle ink blending to create some of depth.  Poor Pooh is shirtless in this set but I didn't want a Naked Bear so I made one myself.   The red panel was stamped with a heart background using Versamark ink.  I matted it with a matching yellow and then adhered it to a red cardbase.  To make it a birthday card I stamped the Make A Wish sentiment.  I think Pooh got his wish, don't you?

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 - Pooh and Piglet

Spellbinders - Kaleidoscope Arch Sentiments (older)

Impression Obsession - Heart background stamp

Bearly Arts glue 

Spellbinders - Colorwheel cardstock

I invite you to visit our blog and hope you're inspired to join in!  Remember, the Topping is optional however it MUST be a birthday card!

Thanks for visiting!

Jules