Blog Updates and White Christmas Card

Since I didn't post anything in 2017 I considered closing the blog, but I still want to be able to participate in the blog hops and challenges from time to time or share favorite projects. So the blog will stay open for occasional posts, but I will put most of my projects on Instagram since it's a lot quicker and allows me to share more. I still really enjoy blogging, but I enjoy creating even more and with the limited time I have to craft, I want to maximize that time.

It feels incomplete to have a post without a project though, so sharing one of my favorite cards from 2017 - the White Christmas card. It's a shaker card with the sparkling snow filling, light sponging to create the scene and adorable die cuts from Mama Elephant and MFT. It was a little time consuming to mass produce, but I love how it turned out.

Thanks for checking out my blog and please connect with me on Instagram for more regular updates. Thanks!

Supplies:

• Stamps: Mama Elephant Winter Wonderland
• Tools: MFT Birch Trees, Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics

~Olga

Merry Christmas 2016

I took another long break from posting. I've been working on my Christmas cards over the last couple of months, but with travel and other obligations didn't get a chance to actually post any of them. I made a few different designs and now that they're all mailed, it's a good time to share some of them before New Year. 

The first design was various combinations with the PTI Spruce and Springs set. I had green and red base cards and made lots of different variations where cards had similar layouts, but the winter bouquet compositions were all a bit different. 

Here's another card from the set. I liked the time savings of being able to pre-cut and stamp a bunch of the same images, yet have all the cards be a little bit unique.  Thanks for looking.

Do you have time saving tips for "mass" producing cards?

Supplies:

• Stamps: Papertray Ink Spruce & Springs stamps and die 
• Accessories: Washi tape

~Olga

Embossed Peonies

I haven't posted in a while. Work kept me busy, was traveling a bit and when I did get to play in my craft room I've primarily been working on my Christmas cards instead of the weekly challenges. I needed a few thank you cards though and the Simon Says Stamp Thanks/Thanksgiving challenge was perfect timing. I wanted minimal layers on the card for easy mailing so opted to add dimension with color. The flowers were masked and then embossed. I also added some clear shimmer inside the flowers. 

In person the card looks really vibrant and I ended up making a few other variations for birthday and other celebrations. Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: PTI Peonies on Parade
• Tools: Simon Says Stamp Thanks craft die S202, Zing embossing powder in Cricket, Grapefruit, Butter and Powder. 

~Olga

Birthday Cone Card for MFTWSC297

This is a second quick and simple birthday card I made based on the MFTWSC297 Sketch Challenge.  Similar look and feel to the earlier one with pattern paper base, but this time I moved the sentiment lower on the card.

The ice cream cone is from a Stampin'Up set and both sentiments are from My Favorite Things. The image is colored with watercolors and covered with clear Wink of Stella pen.

Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps:MFT Delicious Birthday,  SU Honeycomb Happiness
• Tools: MFT Happy and Fishtail STAX Dienamics

~Olga

Birthday Chick Card

I made two different cards for the MFTWSC297 sketch challenge this week. This first one is dubbed The Birthday Chick.

The image is from a Stampin'Up! set and both sentiments are from My Favorite Things.  I was practicing coloring using watercolors on both the chick and the balloon, but since I covered the balloon in Stickles it's hard to tell what it looks like underneath. I didn't add any embellishments because I needed more flat birthday cards that are easy to mail.

Thanks for looking. 

Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT Delicious Birthday, Label Maker Love , SU Honeycomb Happiness
• Tools: MFT Dienamics, Koi watercolors

~Olga

Party Cows Card

Every time I reach for The Whole Herd stamp set from My Favorite Things, I end up using the cow image and the "Let's party 'til the cows come home" sentiment. I like the other images too, but this is my favorite one.  I did the same thing on this card, which is based on the MFTWSC296 sketch.

It's a quick card with just white, insulation pink and black colors. The background is sponged using the Cow Print stencil. The images are colored with Copics and adhered with foam for extra dimension.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT The Whole Herd
• Accessories: Washi tape
• Tools: MFT Cow Print Stencil

~Olga

Wedding Champagne Glasses Card

I've been making mostly quick cards lately that I haven't been posting, but this week I wanted to play along with the CAS-ual Fridays challenge because I love making contrasting black and white cards. Plus, this combo was perfect for a wedding card I needed. My "extra" color was silver, although I also have a few gold sequins as well.

To my amazement, I didn't use any stamps on this card - only die cuts and embellishments. The layered champagne glass die is from My Favorite Things and Congratulations sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp. The glasses are popped up with foam for extra dimension. I like the simple, but elegant look.
I'm also posting the card on the Simon Says blog for the Anything Goes challenge this week since I've used their products.

Supplies:

• Accessories: Simon Says Sparkle & Shine SNS736 sequins
• Tools: MFT Layered Champagne Glass Die-namics, SSS Congratulations die

~Olga

Red White and Blue Ironman Card

Last month I posted the first Ironman card that I made for friends who will be doing a 140.6 mile triathlon race in Chattanooga. Here's another good luck card. The red, white and blue colors were part of the Simon Says Monday Challenge and are very fitting for the 4th of July week.

Again, since I struggled to find triathlon specific stamps, I was trying to find other stamps that could work.  Here I used the US map from Lawn Fawn Wish You Were Here and colored Tennessee in red since that's where the race is. The "Good Luck" sentiment is from Papertray Ink These United States and die cut numbers are from PTI as well.

Thanks for looking and I'd love to hear your ideas on what stamps can be used for athletic inspired cards.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Lawn Fawn Wish You Were Here, PTI These United States
• Tools: PTI Modern Numbers Dies, Darice Chevron embossing folder

~Olga

Baby Card Pink Giraffe

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge this week was Animal Magic. I have a good selection of animal stamps to choose from, but needed a baby card for a friend's shower so went with this cute little giraffe. 

This is a 2007 Stampin'Up! set called Bundle of Joy that I've used a lot over the years. The paper and buttons are also old SU that coordinated with the cardstock. The image and star diecuts were finished off with the clear Wink of Stella pen for a touch of whimsy. 

Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: SU Bundle of Joy, Avery Elle Oh Happy Day
• Tools:MFT Blueprints 13 Dienamics, Spellbinder Ovals 

~Olga

Thank You Gift Card Set

Every year it seems like there's a constant stream of birthdays, weddings and baby showers April through July. A handmade card gift set makes a great small gift or adds a personal touch to a store-bought item. I've made gift sets in the past and often they would similar cards with slightly different sentiments or color variations of a card. This time around I made a set of Thank You cards based on the CAS(E) This Sketch 176.

Here's my take on it:

I know the card doesn't look like a clean and simple card at first glance because of the colors, but it's just a single sheet of patterned paper so it's very simple and quick to make. I added sentiment from Avery Elle Oh Happy Day set and added a touch of gold washi tape. That's it! The inside of each card and corner of the envelopes are stamped with the flowers from the same set to coordinate with the colors of the paper. The inside of the envelopes are lined with paper from the same collection.

In this set the cards are all the same so my friend can send them to her baby shower guests. I put the set in a clear box I bought from PapertrayInk and finished it off with coordinating ribbon. I used the paper from the same set as wrapping paper and added a coordinating tag.

What kind of card sets do you like to make?

Supplies:

• Stamps: Avery Elle Oh Happy Day
• Paper: Paper Studio Hello Darling
• Accessories: PTI gift boxes
• Tools: MFT Stitched Fishtail Flag Dienamics  

~Olga

Firefly Mason Jar Card

The card I'm showcasing today is slightly different dimension. It's based on the Mojo Monday 450 Sketch and is a little skinnier than usual to allow for tilted label. I call this the firefly card. It's a little hard to see from the picture, but I used glitter cardstock for some of the die cuts to give the illusion of glowing and added some other sequins to the shaker. 

After taking the picture, I realized I forgot to add the jar lid and have adhered it since.Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT More Essential Sentiments, PTI Wreath for All Seasons
• Accessories: SU Lost Lagoon stitched satin ribbon, sequins
• Tools:MFT Maison Jar dienamics, Simon Says Stamp Wishing dienamics

~Olga

MFTWSC282 Scribbles Card

Posting a few days in a row since I was able to do a bit more crafting during the three day weekend. This is a quick card is based on the MFTWSC282 sketch. 

The white background is slightly embossed with a stencil and the scribbles are die cut from scraps. Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT Celebrate Big
• Tools: MFT Dienamics Scribbles, Petal Circles stencil

~Olga

Ironman 140.6 Bike Card

Some of you may know that triathlon is another one of my hobbies. I don't scrap as much in the spring and summer because  I spend most of my free time running, biking or swimming. This year I've decided to focus on Nationals and only race in Sprint and Olympic distances, but a few of my friends are currently training for an Ironman triathlon, which is 140.6 mile long race - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run (a full marathon). The amount of training that goes into preparing for something like that is unbelievable. I'm making some cards for them that our team will sign before the race for extra encouragement. I wanted to make some tri themed cards for a while now, but there aren't a lot of athletic stamps out there. I've had a few ideas though that I've been wanting to try and this card is one of several tri themed handmade cards that I plan to make soon. 

The card is for Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge with Technique Tuesday stamps. I had this Technique Tuesday bike chain stamp from Borderline Industry set for a while and have hardly used it, but this is a perfect occasion. I just stamped it a few times in grey ink to create a background. The bike and number die cuts are from Paper Tray Ink.  I also added eyelets to the wheels like I usually do with this stamp. It's not the most aerodynamic bike, but it'll have to do. Plus, it looks like the basket could store tons of nutrition for the 112 mile journey. I know, I need to stop making cycling jokes on a paper crafting blog, but I just can't help it. 

If you're a runner, cyclist or a swimmer, have you found other sport related stamps that you can recommend? Thanks.

Supplies: 

• Stamps: PTI Pedal Pusher, Technique Tuesday Borderline Industry
• Tools: PTI Pedal Pusher and Modern Numbers Dies, Darice Chevron embossing folder

~Olga

Bring on The Blue Baby Card

This is a card for a friend's baby shower. It's based on the Simon Says Polka challenge. 

I needed a baby card for a friend and still had the blue polka dot paper sitting on my desk since last week when I made the Sweet Treats card. I'm really loving this DP. It's from DCWV DIY Favor box collection. I wasn't a big fan of DCWV paper in the past, but this one is double sided, heavier paper and I love the colors in the stack. The "bump" on the image is paper pierced and the rest is colored with copics. I also added some glitter accents with Wink of Stella pen. 

After making the card I couldn't resist adding a coordinating tag and vellum envelope. Thanks for looking.
Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT Baby Bump
• Paper: DCWV DIY Favor Boxes
• Tools:MFT Stitched Scallop Edges

~Olga

Wildflowers and Bicycles

I love April in Texas. The weather is gorgeous. The wildflowers are everywhere. I did a fun 42 mile charity bike ride for Autism this past weekend and was in awe of how nice it was outside. Well, that's my inspiration for the Bellarific Friday Mojobella card this week - bicycle and flowers.

The sketch was very detailed and I decided to follow it pretty closely. The image is colored with Copics and I stayed with the flower inspired colors. Thanks for looking and happy spring!

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stamping Bella Flora and Her Bicycle, PTI  One Big Happy Stamp
• Paper: Stampin'Up and BasicGrey
• Tools: PTI  One Big Happy Die, MFT Blueprints 21

~Olga

Color Throwdown 386

Another quick card from this weekend. The colors are from CTD386 challenge.

The foil strips are adhered to a thin score tape strips. The whole card came together very quick. 
Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:

• Stamps: StampinUp Pretty Amazing, Simon Says Big Scripty Greetings
• Accessories: Silver foil
• Tools: Darice Chevron embossing folder

~Olga

Birthday Elephant

I started out with green base cardstock  for the Simon Says Challenge - A Bit 'O Green, but somehow by the time it was finished, there was hardly any green on the card. I guess that's where the "bit" part comes in. The adorable stamp is called Bella with Balloons from Wild Rose Studio.  All the coloring was done with Copics and to add some texture I covered the balloons with Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Wild Rose Studio Bella with Balloons
• Paper: Basic Grey
• Tools:

~Olga

Uptown Girl Audrey, I Believe in Pink

This card is for the Bellarific Friday Flower Challenge. I colored the adorable Uptown Girl Audrey with Copics and added felt rose embellishments. Of course I also couldn't pass up adding some bling - the metallic washi tape and some silver highlights with the Gelly Roll pen. Love how this turned out.

The inside of the card is stamped with the Riley Funny Bones "I Love Pink" stamp. It's a different Audrey Hepburn quote than the one in the Stampingbella set and it's so fitting for this image.

Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stampingbella Uptown Girl Audrey Loves Makeup, Riley & Company I Believe in Pink
• Accessories: MFT felt, Paper Studio Metallic tape
• Tools: MFT Mini Royal Roses Die, Mama Elephant Femme Frame

~Olga

Party 'Till The Cows Come Home

The Whole Herd stamp set form My Favorite Things is adorable. I love both the images and the sentiments that go with it. For this week's MFTWSC269 Sketch Challenge I used the cow image with the corresponding "Let's Party 'Till the Cows Come Home" sentiment. I used a masking technique to position multiple cows behind each other. This card is also for the Simon Says Anything Goes Wednesday challenge.

Thanks  for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: MFT The Whole Herd
• Tools:  MFT Fishtail STAX Die, Flat Buttom Clouds Die, Cow Print Stencil, PTI Fresh Cut Grass Die, corner punch

~Olga

Watercolored Peonies

I got my Papertray Ink order a few days ago that included the new Peonies on Parade set. I thought it'd be perfect to practice all kinds of different coloring techniques. I've been inspired to color more after following all the beautiful artwork in the 30 Day Coloring Challenge on the Daily Marker Blog. This is one of the first few watercolor cards I've made. I've done some backgrounds before, but on this one the entire image is watercolored with stamp reinkers. The image is stamped with clear, glittery embossing powder for a softer look. I didn't add any other embellishments because I need more cards that are easy to mail.  

Thanks for looking.

Supplies:

• Stamps: PTI Peonies on Parade, Hooray
• Tools: Mama Elephant Femme Frames

~Olga