Seize the Birthday #212 - Spring Flowers

 Hello Friends! Cutting it a little close to play along over at Seize the Birthday where the topping this week is Spring Flowers.

Around here, nothing says Spring like pansies.  They are the first blooms to show up at the nursery!

Here's the products I used:

• Stampin' Up Fresh Freesia cardstock and ink (available May 4th)
• Concord & 9th Stripes background stamp
• Stampin' Up Pansy Petals DSP and Pansy Dies (Available May 4th)
• Stampin' Up White Crinkled Seam Binding (colored with Blends available May 4th))
• Mama Elephant Scalloped Rectangle
• Stampin' Up Happiest of Birthdays stamps
• Stampin' Up In Color Gems (available May 4th)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Hug,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #208

 Hi Friends! Here's a card to play along with Seize the Birthday's latest challenge.  The topping is to "Create a Scene""

I was totally inspired by the great DT cards, especially Cathy and Glenda's gorgeous ocean scenes.  I decided to pull out one of my favorite fish stamp sets from MFT called "Adorned Ocean Friends" and create an underwater scene with various other foliage stamps and SU DSP.  The sentiment is from an old Simon Says stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #207

 Hello Friends! I have a card today for the Seize the Birthday challenge:

The theme is always birthday but you can also play along with an extra topping.  The topping this time around is "Hearts." I still have all my Valentine/Love supplies out so I pulled my favorite balloons and dies from MFT:

I stenciled a bit of brick wall with SU Crumb Cake ink to help the heart balloons "pop" and added a fun sentiment from SSS.  I tied black embroidery cord onto the balloons, popped them up, and layered on SU Real Red cardstock.  The card base is SU Crumb Cake to coordinate with the brick wall. 

Thanks for stopping and Happy Valentine's Day!

Annie 

Seize the Birthday #199: Die Cuts

 Hello Friends!  Over the past few days, the air is very heavy with smoke from all of the wildfires in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  Everyone has been told to stay indoors as it's so unhealthy.  But...crafting IS healthy, so I played along with Seize the Birthday's latest challenge today:

The Topping is to use die cuts only and you can add an optional stamped sentiment. I needed a masculine birthday card for next week, so I kept the card very clean and layered (just like my friend that its going to :)

I grabbed a great piece of plaid from Stampin' Up's Plaid Tidings DSP and die cut a layer of black cardstock to place on a Gina K. Red Velvet card base.  The candle is a layering die cut from Stamps of Life that I've had forever.  The sentiment is from an old rubber stamp by JudiKins that I heat embossed.  Very simple card ~ I wanted to jazz it up with sequins and ribbon but...it is a guy card! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great week!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #198: Add Gold

 Hi Friends!  A quick card today to play along over at Seize the Birthday's latest challenge.  The challenge is always a birthday theme but you can add a topping also if you'd like.  This week's topping is to "Add Gold:"

I did add a topping this week and went with a black/white/gold color scheme:

On a Neenah Solar White card base, I layered a piece of Bazzill's Gold Matte cardstock.  I inked up Hero Arts' Presents background and stamped on a piece of watercolor cardstock.  Using FineTec Metallic watercolors, I loosely and randomly colored portions of the presents before layering on top of the gold mat.  The Happy Birthday was die cut from the same gold cardstock and the shadow die cut from Bazzill Licorice cardstock.  To finish the card, I added some Catherine Pooler "Vegas, Baby" various gold sequins.  I maybe went overboard on the gold "topping" but I like the shine and sparkle!

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you're having a great week!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #197: Rainbow Colors

 Hello friends!  I'm playing along today over at Seize the Birthday where it's always a birthday theme but you can go with a topping for a little extra!

I wasn't sure I was going to add the topping today when I started but I couldn't resist the party hats!

This card is for a friend that I volunteer with for an old dog rescue organization.  My friends know that if there's a dog stamp set, I have to have it!  This stamp set is called Peeking Pets from Catherine Pooler.  I colored them with my Zig Clean Color brushes and put them behind a scrap of brick wall that I stenciled for another card. The grass is also a scrap die cut with Lawn Fawn's Grass Border.  The sentiment is from a MFT stamp set called Canine Companions.  It's hard to tell in the picture but the white cardstock layer was embossed with a wood paneling embossing folder.  AND, the finishing touch was adding rainbow colored party hats to the pups!

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you have a great week!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #196: Tic-Tac-Toe

 Happy Monday!  Today I'm posting for Seize the Birthday's Challenge that includes a Topping of Tic-Tac-Toe:

I had every intention of using the Tic-Tac-Toe Topping and was going for the Third Row on the Diagonal: One Image, Flowers, Large Sentiment.  I'm not sure that the sentiment is "large" enough but here it goes:

I used an older Simon Says Stamp set called 'Sketched Flowers' and heat embossed the image with Ranger Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder on Bristol cardstock.  I watercolored the flowers by just dropping color using Distress Inks.  The leaves and sprigs were watercolored with FineTec metallic golds.  The gold embossed sentiment is from the same stamp set and Gold Confetti from Pretty Pink Posh finished off the card.  A very shiny card! 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great week!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #195

Hi Friends!  I'm playing along today with the challenge, Seize the Birthday.  It is always a birthday themed challenge with a little extra topping thrown in for more fun!

 

The topping this time around is to use a non-neutral card base.  I've used a Memory Box Blueberry Notecard for my card base:

I don't know about you but I'm so excited that Shark Week is coming up on August 9th.  I love that series so to celebrate, I'm going with a Baby Shark birthday card!  

And if you're a fan of the movie Jaws, you'll sing when you read the sentiment!  I used Distress Oxide inks to blend the background on watercolor paper, then sprinkled some shimmer spray for bubbles.  The shark die cut (Baby Shark) and sentiment (Sharky Sentiments) are from My Favorite Things.  Clear enamel dots were added to finish off the card.

Thanks for stopping by!  Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo...

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday: Red, White & Blue Topping

Hi Friends!  I'm posting a card today for the current Seize the Birthday Challenge.  It is always birthday themed but they include a little extra topping if you'd like to add to your project.  The current topping is, appropriately, Red, White & Blue:

On a Neenah Solar White card base, I added some fun 'Party Fans' from Catherine Pooler's latest collection.  I stamped them with Stampin' Up inks and die cut with the matching dies.  Some are popped up for dimension and of course we had to add some confetti to the birthday party.  I added a few SOL enamel dots to the fans and finished the card with the "Cheers to More Years" sentiment (MFT) on the inside.

I hope you had a safe and sane 4th and thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #193: Watercoloring

Hello Friends!  I put together a second card today for the current Seize the Birthday Challenge where the Topping is watercoloring.

  

I played with liquid watercolors on this background.  It was the first time I had used them.  I used a blue and a green and they blended beautifully.  Of course, I had to add splatter.  The white embossed leaves are die cuts from Spellbinders that I placed on the background, along with the embossed sentiment (MFT).  A few Moonstone Confetti sequins were scattered among the leaves to finish off the card. 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #191: Totally Tropical

Hello Friends! Yes, a tropical vacation sounds soooo good right now and Seize the Birthday is letting us take a little trip this time around. Any birthday-themed card may link up but the optional topping for this challenge is Totally Tropical and I 'totally' wanted to go there!

  

I was inspired by Nancy's DT card to use my MFT Beach Scene Builder dies to create this card.  The tropical sky and ocean were ink blended with Distress Oxides.  The birthday sentiment and starfish are from Gina K.'s Sun-Kissed stamps and dies. Looks like a great place to spend a birthday!

Thanks for a fun challenge!

Hugs,

Annie 

Seize the Birthday #190 - Monochromatic

Hi Friends! Seize the Birthday this week has a fun topping:

A fun challenge for me because I rarely make monochromatic cards.

I was going for a masculine nature birthday card using greens as my monochromatic color.  The Rubbernecker background stamp called Fern Shadows was inked up with SU's Pear Pizzazz.  The card base and die cut fern (Spellbinder) used Pear Pizzazz cardstock.  I added a piece of vellum, the fern die cut, and popped up the sentiment from MFT's Label Maker Sentiment stamp set.  A bit of May Arts' twine finished off the card.  The deckled die cut rectangles are from Honey Bee's deckled die set.  

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #189: Food And/Or Drink

Hi there...back again to play along over at Seize the Birthday's latest birthday-themed Challenge with the optional Topping of Food And/Or Drink:

I put together this card for my nephew's birthday this week.  Unfortunately, he had to have a 'FaceTime' birthday party this year but I'm sure we'll make up for it later!

I used Stampin' Up's 'Bubble Over' stamps and dies for this card and the coordinating DSP and inks.  I haven't attempted too many fun fold cards but was happy with how this one turned out.  Here's a pic of the inside...

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great weekend!

Hugs,
Annie

Rainy Day Crafting

Hi Friends!  A rainy day made for some fun crafting time today.  I have a couple of cards today for two Challenges so I'll keep this post short.  The first card was for the current Tic Tac Toe Challenge #061:

I went with Markers (Copics), Designer Paper (stash), and Red (stars) for my card.   I was totally inspired by a recent card posted by Michele Ferguson over on her blog, I Card Everyone!

I stenciled some stars in the background (MFT Star Confetti) with DI in Tumbled Glass.  The stamps and dies are from Ellen Hutson's 'Voices in My Head' and 'Hands' dies...both designed by Julie.  The DSP strip came from my stash.

I loved this card so much, I made several.  One of the additional cards was to play along over at Seize the Birthday's Seize the Hero Challenge #188 as a shout out to a special nurse:

Same supplies as first card but with a different sentiment to send some "Positive Mental Vibes" her way:

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope all is well!

Hugs,

Annie

Seize the Birthday #187: Spring Fling

Happy Friday!  It's an optional Spring Fling over at the Seize the Birthday challenge this time:

We've had some spring-like weather the last few days and I'm starting to see the bees come out and get to work!  So, my card for the Spring Fling option had to include bees and blooms.  Normally, I'd be creating a card with raindrops and umbrellas!

On a Memory Box Sweet Corn card base, I added some Stampin' Up Laser Cut Specialty paper for my "trellis." The blooms are Meadow Blossoms from Concord & 9th, colored with Copics and die cut.  The busy little bees from Stampin Up's Honey Bee bundle were also colored with Copics and a little Nuvo Glitter Gloss added to their wings.  The sentiment is from Avery Elle's 'Handwritten Notes' stamp set.  I finished off the card with Stampin Up's Glitter Enamel Dots.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're getting some sunshine were you are...it definitely helps!

Hugs,

Annie  

Seize the Birthday #186

Hi Friends!  Well, usually I'm a Toppings kind of person over at the Seize the Birthday Challenges.  The topping this time around is Cards for Kids:

I'm making birthday cards for residents in the local assisted living facility since they can't have any visitors right now so I skipped the topping for the challenge this time.

This card is really just a Poppy Parade! I love the color and used Stampin' Up's Peaceful Poppies DSP for the envelope and the Poppy Moments dies for the inlaid poppies and foliage. The inlaid portion of the poppies is also a piece of DSP from the set.  The sentiment is from the SU Everything is Rosy stamp set.  I finished it off with a few dots in Poppy Parade ink.  I hope it brings cheer to someone on their special day!

I'm so glad you stopped by ~ hope you all are well!

Hugs,
Annie

One Year Older

Hi Friends!  I hope you all are well.  I have a bit of cabin fever but that is much better than the alternative.  Besides baking cupcakes and taste testing too many, I put together a card for a couple of fun challenges:

Seize the Birthday #185: Touch of Green

Shopping Our Stash #416: Happy Birthday

Here's my card:

The stenciled oval includes Distress Oxide inks using Gina K.'s Thick Brush Stencil for my 'Touch of Green.'  The little Toucan (Catherine Pooler) was colored with Jane Davenport pencils, die cut, and popped up.  The MFT sentiment (Anything but Basic B'day Wishes) was white heat embossed and popped up also.  A few sequins were added to finish the card. 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Stay well!

Hugs,

Annie 

Seize the Birthday #184: Sentiment as Focal Image

Hi Friends! I can't believe it's March already but happy dancin' because March is my birthday MONTH.  Yep, I celebrate all month long!  Today I'm celebrating by playing along over at Seize the Birthday where every challenge is birthday-themed but you can add a featured topping if you'd like:

With a topping of using the "Sentiment as Focal Image," I played around with the eclipse technique on a star stenciled background. 

The "Wish" die is from MFT that I also die cut out of fun foam.  I highlighted the candle with gold glitter paper and added some gold sequins.  The inside sentiment is "Happy Birthday - May all your wishes come true" (also from MFT).

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you're having a good week!

Hugs,
Annie

Seize The Birthday #183: Show Me Your White Space

Hi Friends!  I made a couple of cards today while I waited out the storm.  The first card I'm posting was for Seize the Birthday #183:

The topping this time around is White Space ~ a clean and simple birthday card. Although white space doesn't have to be 'white,' I used a white card base to showcase the little bees and their foiled DSP hive.

I love the Honey Bee set from Stampin' Up and used the stamps and dies and the Golden Honey DSP for the hive. I used the honeycomb die included in the set to dry emboss a portion of the background although the photo doesn't pick it up well :( .  The sentiment is from MFT's 'Meant to Bee' stamp set, white heat embossed on a flag banner.  I colored the bees with Prismacolor pencils and added a few gold sequins and dashed lines for movement.

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you had a great weekend!

Hugs,

Annie  

Seize the Birthday #182: Creatures Great and Small

Hi there!  Back with the third and last card I made today.  This one was to play along over at Seize the Birthday with the extra Topping of Creatures Great and Small:

Since I'm a retired Beach Bum, I had to get "crabby" with this one for my creature!

This little guy is a die from Elizabeth Craft called 'Rocky the Crab' that I die cut out of black, red, and white cardstock.   I created a Watercolor Wash background (Stampin' Up) with Catherine Pooler inks on a Neenah Solar White card base. Then I added some VersaMark to the sand and used Hero Arts 'Sand' embossing powder for lots of sandy texture.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp that I glued in Rocky's claws and then popped him up in the sand.  I added a little die cut seashell and some Nuvo Morning Dew Crystal Drops.  Finally I stamped some seagulls to finish the card.  Fun challenge!

Thanks for stopping by ~ come back again!

Hugs,

Annie