Stopping to say “HI” CAS card today with Lawn Fawn…

July 15, 2017July 24, 2017 Pam Sparks41 Comments

Hi everyone…doesn’t this just make you want to run out and get a watermelon?! Fortunately Tim already stopped and bought one this week so we’re set!

I used the Lawn Fawn alphabet die set Quinn’s Capital ABC’s. I die cut it in white Bazzil texture cardstock, removed the letters H and I and inked them with Distress Inks and the ink blending tool. Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry and Festive Berries were the pads I used. I added the seeds with a Ranger Fude Ball Black ink pen.

I adhered the die cut panel to an A2 top folding card base, then I adhered the watermelon HI with mounting tape. Happy Card! Well, until I sent my husband a picture of the card and he replied, “why is the w upside down”? So I might think twice before I send him a picture again! haha This was my Summer swap card for stamp club yesterday.

Linking my watermelon HI card to some challenges…

Lawn Fawnatics – Summertime Fun – thank you so much ladies!

Color Throwdown – photo inspiration and colors

Shopping Our Stash – CAS (clean and simple) Thank you ladies!

Addicted To CAS – Summer my card is a WINNER! Thank you so much Ceal the gals at ATCAS!

It was so fun to see everyone and make the card Carolyn prepared for us. July, the month for celebrating!

The tag is a Taylored Expressions Build a Tag die and the background is a Memory Box star texture plate that’s discontinued.

I’ll sign off for now and get busy…thanks for stopping by on your busy Saturday!

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cards · Die Piecing · Distress Ink coloring · Masculine · Memory Box · Spring · Summer · Watercolor

Diorama card with Memory Box Lavender Butterfly dies…

July 7, 2017July 26, 2017 Pam Sparks34 Comments

Hi and how did it get to be Friday already?! This week has been so mixed up! hoho holidays! I have a card that I started a few weeks ago…made a prototype first and then neglected to keep after it! It’s finished now though! yay and I like it!

The very background/back is Ranger Distress Oxide ink ink blended in 4 colors, Peeled Paint, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lipstick….can’t stop using these inks! haha New colors coming…can’t wait… SLS has them coming too…check her coming soon category…first one on the left.

Everything is cut from XL watercolor paper, colored with Ranger Distress Markers and a waterbrush. Marker colors I used are Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade. Very fun… I do like these markers for watercoloring…along with every other kind of medium! lol We’re doomed to own everything aren’t we?!

Here’s the dies I used to create the foliage and butterfly scene…

front to back on the left…
Small Lavender Stems Left Corner
Lavender Butterfly Left Corner
Lavender Stems Left Corner

in the middle…
Lavender Bunch

on the front top…
the largest butterfly from the Leavenworth Butterfly Trio

front to back on the right…
Small Lavender Stems Right Corner
Large Lavender Butterfly Right Corner
Small Lavender Butterfly Right Corner

I’ve made this type of card before and just go off the top of my head…I’m bad about that. It will fold flat and fit in an A7 envelope. I am conscious of envelope size whenever I’m making something out of the ordinary though.

I die cut the rectangles, all the same size with the Memory Box Rectangle Basics Rectangle die set in three pieces of watercolor paper. ’bout can’t make a card without them! 😀 I did all the same size rectangle but you could easy do larger to smaller for a tunnel type card…I see your minds racing with ideas! lol

Then just score the ends and trim then to layer inside the front and back pieces, I did ¼ inch increments. Sides of the front and back are scored at ¾ inch.

Linking up to some challenges…

Just Us Girls Challenge – ink blending Thank you so much ladies for the ‘Chic of the Week‘ honor! You made my day!

Scrapyland Challenge – anything goes Thank you ladies for this honor!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Summer sunshine

Great NEWS! Starlitstudio has the new release from Memory Box/poppystamps in stock and ready to ship! I know…it’s so exciting but how could it be time for Christmas in July already! hehe

Holler if you have any questions! So glad you stopped by and hope you enjoyed this little piece of Summer in a diorama.

ttul,

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Birthday · CAS · copics · Die Piecing · Simon Says Stamp · Uncategorized

Two Simon Says Stamp cards and SALE!!!

July 1, 2017September 13, 2017 Pam Sparks36 Comments

Happy Holiday weekend to you!

As many of you know, I’m an affiliate for Simon Says Stamp, Scrapbook.com, Blick Art, Bluemoon Scrapbooking and Hallmark Scrapbook and link up to the products I use when I can to these stores. (links in the sidebar too) Being an affiliate means I make a small percentage on your order, at no expense to you, when you click from a link on my blog.

I’m also a big fan of starlitstudio.net and love to support Cindy’s store! Great prices, fast service and top notch customer service. So I link to her store a lot!

Today I’m using Simon Says Stamp own line of stamps and dies on these two cards. They are on SALE right now 15% off! Yes that is exciting! It doesn’t happen very often. lol

OK – I need to make a couple decisions and wouldn’t you know because I feel like you’re my fellow cardmakers and friends I need help!

The linking system that I’ve used for the last few years is changing especially for me and the other gals that use wordpress.com. It isn’t going to work anymore because wordpress doesn’t allow ‘script’ which is the code the new LinkDeli uses. So, that means I need to move my blog to wordpress.org and become expressionswithheart.com to use it, which means a yearly domain fee and a monthly fee to have a blog…then they add on a fee of security…it really adds up fast. Then there is the new monthly fee to use LinkDeli. LinkDeli is amazing! Much faster then Inlinkz and I would love to be able to use it because it’s such a time saver. I was able to beta test it even though it didn’t work when I put it on my blog. ugh. sigh.

So, I need to make money here on this ‘ole blog to pay for all this.

I’m just wondering how you all feel about affiliates and shopping through links on blogs? I spend a lot of time linking up to stores when writing blog posts, after spending the time to make the cards and take the photos. It’s a big deal, but I know I appreciate seeing what other ppl use and I think you do too! I don’t want to be a martyr about it but until you’ve done it, you don’t realize what a time sucker it is.

I know there are a lot of us out there trying to make a little to pay for blogging. Kinda crazy. hehe

Any thoughts you can leave me here as a comment or email me, would be most helpful.

For this fun little bear card I used SSS Birch Tree Window die, Stitched Rectangles die, Sending die, Sending and Wishing stamp set and the bear from Abby’s Spring Showers stamp set.

I colored him with Copic Sketch markers. I love these Stitched Rectangles…SSS was the first to come out with the stitching on both sides of the cut! Clever…now several other companies are doing it too.

As part of SSS affiliate program, when they have a new release, they usually send me one thing to use from that release. This time they sent the new Heart Sprinkle Trail die… very fun… I have some ideas to use it for the holidays too. 😀

I embossed it in my white panel with the Big Shot and tan embossing mat. (I have videos about embossing under the video tab under my blog title) Then I die cut it in red card-stock and glued the red pieces onto the embossed panel… gives it a really nice dimension. It really didn’t take much time either… I just put little dots of glue on top of each place on the embossed panel and used the pick up tool to place the little pieces on the dots of glue. Nothing new, I’ve done it before.

I stamped the sentiment from the SSS Roses For You stamp set with the MISTI stamping tool. Someone is asking on a FB group if it is a worthwhile investment… YES!!! lol

I do love Washi tape…hehe…as you can tell! I used 3 different ones and then tied on some twine…love all that white space!

ok – here’s the SALE info! ALL Simon Brand products are 15% off!
Use the code SSSFLASH

I hope you have some time to shop, when you’re not outside enjoying this beautiful Summer weather! There are some awesome new dies and stamps under the SSS brand. Anyway, it’s been unusually nice here for a week! I hope it stays! haha

Holler at me if you have any questions and I do appreciate your friendship and that you follow my blog! I do!!! 😀

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cards · Die Piecing · MFT · Summer · Watercolor

Two cards for MFT Camp Create 2017

June 22, 2017July 5, 2017 Pam Sparks31 Comments

My first card today is for Day One – Wonderful Watercolor.

I chose to use the MFT Bold Blooms stamp set and matching die set.

First I die cut all the flowers and then they went swimming. lol I did the watercolor dip technique but instead of painting with a brush, I stamped the solid images from the stamp set onto the soaked, wet die cut, with Distress Ink stamp pads.

So much fun! Hope you get some time to try this WC technique…scroll down a couple posts and there’s a link to a video about it.

The sentiment is from the MFT Much Love stamp set. I used the MISTI for all the stamping.

The scallop stitch rectangle die is from the MFT Blueprints #27 die set.

I’m linking my watercolor card to some challenges...

MFT Card Challenge Sketch 338

The Challenge – Keywords

Seize the Birthday – anything goes birthday

Tic Tac Toe – yellow, stitching, rectangle (bottom row) thank you for picking my card ladies!

My card for Day Two – Remarkable Resist is next…

First thing I did was stamp and emboss the background Bundles of Blossoms background stamp with a Versafine Black ink pad and Black embossing powder. It’s hard to see the heat embossing in the picture because the lines are so fine in the image. Next time I would use Black pigment ink to stamp it with.

I inked the background with some pigment ink pads that I’ve had for a long time and the little finger dauber things HERE.

I stamped and die cut the MFT Peaceful Wild Flowers stamp set and glued some down to the background and mounted some with foam mounting squares.

I used MFT Blueprints #20 for the Stitched Rectangle and the Stitched banner dies.

I’m linking my Wild Flowers card to some challenges…

The Flower Challenge – Anything Goes

The Foiled Fox – Simply Irresistible Challenge I won, I won! Thank you so much ladies!

AAA Cards CAS Game #92 Resist Technique

That’s pretty much it! Holler if you have any questions. I had to hurry to get these posted before the challenge ends tonight. Last minute LooLoo strikes again!

I wish I could’ve done all the days but you know how it is…things come up!

I have a card posted on Instagram today too for Simon Says Stamp New ‘One of a Kind’ Release… link over in the sidebar to my IG account. You can see even if you don’t have an account! Click the logo below to see all the sweet new stuff! A watermelon color stamp pad! lol (it’s really hot and muggy here, can you tell?! lol)

Thanks again for stopping by to see what I’ve been up! ‘preciate it!

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Birthday · cards · CAS · Die Piecing · Distress Ink coloring · Masculine · Memory Box · Poppystamps · Spring

3 Memory Box/poppystamps cards to share today…

May 31, 2017June 18, 2017 Pam Sparks34 Comments

Hello and happy to welcome you back to my blog! I had fun using some Distress Oxide inks again… all the rage these days! Don’t you love new stuff?! I sure do! lol

Here I’ve die cut the Grassland Collage die in a white Memory Box notecard panel that I die cut with the largest Rectangle Basics die… I love using that die because I love the rounded over edges! I kept all the pieces and inked them up with Distress Oxide ink pads… yes you need them. I don’t have the browns yet but I think I’ll get Vintage Photo at least. I had to use Cracked Pistachio for the grass but I didn’t think it was grass enough looking so I blended on regular Peeled Paint Distress ink over the top and it worked great! yay

Then added water speckling to the pieces before I pieced them into the card…

I stamped the ‘thinking of you’ sentiment from the So Many Things to Love stamp set.

I die cut the Adelaide Stem die from white card-stock and adhered it just in the centers so the flower heads would bend up a little.

I really like this card… always love it when I’m happy with a card after pictures! lol

Linking my Grassland card up to challenges…

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – Add a Circle shape

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge – Anything Goes

Die Cuttin’ Divas – Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More – Clean and Simple

Thank you so much for choosing my card as a TOP ADDICT! You made my day!

Next up…

There’s that pretty Cracked Pistachio and Broken China blend again… hehe That pop of white against those colors….scream Summer!

Here I die cut the Tall Fern Left and Tall Fern Right Corner dies in white and glued them on over the blended and Sprinkle Dots stenciled background. I did go in with the white Signo Gel pen and add white dots too.

I die cut the Powell Butterfly die in white card-stock and the Corden Butterfly in vellum. The butterfly body is from another butterfly set. I’m sure you have as many butterfly body dies as I do! lol Holler if you need me to look it up.

The sentiment is from the Friends and Flowers stamp set. I need to do some more with this set…really pretty flowers. That little stitched panel was just laying on my desk! eek! Holler if I need to look it up for you!

Next up… a super CAS birthday card.

Here I used the leftover ink from the stencil used on the Tall Fern/Butterfly card above. Who’d a thunk?! Weird… sprayed it with water and laid it down on the card-stock and this is what it looked like… I kept it and went with it for this clean and simple card. I like it even though it looks really imperfect.

I die cut the Celebration Balloon Collage die in a white panel that I die cut with the Cross Stitched Frame Borders die. (this die appears to be discontinued. I googled and found this site)

After you look at this card, notice the woven piece it’s laying on…our middle daughter is a weaver…she wove that!!! Her work is amazing. She is so talented. She used to help me make cards. I drove her crazy asking her what colors to use together and does this look alright etc. She left me to make cards on my own years ago (she got married). lol I’ve managed to survive and keep making cards. lol

OH, back to the card… I used heavy thread for the balloon strings and then that cute little String Ribbon Bow die at the bottom.

The celebrate sentiment is from the Holiday Bunnies stamp set.

I glued on 3 little Pretty Pink Posh 3 mm sequins just to sparkle it up!

Linking my Celebration Balloon card to challenges…

Addicted to Stamps and More – Clean and Simple

AAA Cards – Birthday card

Seize the Birthday – anything goes

Thank you ladies @ Seize the Birthday for their ‘I took the cake award’