Paw-sitively My Purr-sonal Favorite – Cat Card

Hello and welcome back to the mid-way point of the Cat Lovers Hop!

There is a super special surprise with this post, so be sure to read all the way to the end!

This card features the ever-so-fun Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies stamps designed by Brandi Kincaid – especially Cat Lady.

Fun, right?! After stamping, coloring and fussy-cutting, I used a Viva Perlen-Pen to make the ice cream look realistic and some Nuvo drops for the Cherry…

And, I stamped up an envelope to match:

Supplies:

• Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies: Cat Lady & Celebration Lady
• Spellbinders Lounge Around, French Frills (for table base), and 5×7 Elegant Labels 4 dies
• Fine Touch metallic poster board – blue
• Recollections 110# cardstock – white; 65# cardstock white & brown
• K & Co SW Spring Blossom Seed Packet Die Cut Cardstock packaging
• Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black & Desert Sand (env.) dye inks
• Brutus Monroe Alabaster pigment ink
• Tombow Markers: 28, 31, 32, 50, 52, 60, 67, 70, 71, 91, 92, 96
• Shuttle Art gel pens
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones
• Viva Perlen Pen – Ice White
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops Silver Lining & Gloss Red Berry
• Simply Defined Stay-Put glue
• Misc. Foam Dots

I’m playing along with the following challenges – click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun:

• 2018 Cat Lovers Hop
• Lost Coast Designs & Carmen’s Veranda Challenge #63 Cats & Dogs 

 

*****      Giveaway now closed      *****

Aaaannnnd now…. drumroll…. Guess what????!!! Ellen Hutson has generously offered to give away the Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies -Cat Lady stamp set to one person who comments on this blog! Open worldwide!

What do you have to do to be eligible to win this prize? Let’s start by showing the kind folks at Ellen Hutson some gratitude… First, go to their Facebook page HERE, like it and leave them a message thanking them for sponsoring the generous giveaway for the Cat Lovers Hop on DAnnsCraftingWhims blog! Then come back here and leave me a comment that you did so. Easy peasy.

Bonus entry option: (for a total of two possible entries per person), follow me on Instagram (@d.ann.c), like and comment on the post featuring this card. (It doesn’t have to be a long comment, just a heart will do.) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did it and your Instagram name.

This giveaway is open worldwide. You will have until Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, October 28, 2018 to get your comments in. Sometime after noon Eastern Standard Time on Monday, October 29, I will publish a post listing all winners from giveaways on my blog from this hop (chosen using Random.org). Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes so, if you’re not subscribed, be sure to check back later that afternoon for that post!!

My next post should have everyone feline marbleous! Be back soon!!

~D.Ann

.

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Guest Designing for CropStop – Heartfelt Creations Daffodils-from-Orchids Card

Hooray! Today is the day I finally get to share with you the exciting secret I’ve been busting to tell you… I was invited to be a guest designer of a project for the CropStop blog! If you happen to be coming from there… WELCOME!!

I was totally surprised and nervous as all get-out for my first ever privilege of being a guest designer! I hope you like my first project… I happen to think it’s one of my best cards. I’d be tickled pink if you would pop over to the CropStop blog and leave some love! Here’s a TINY sneaky peak to pique your interest:

I know you’re going to want to see the details close up… you can click the link HERE to get to the CropStop Blog. Meanwhile, I’ll sit here and twiddle my thumbs while you go check it out!  When you’re done, please come on back here and I’ll share some extra details and tips with you, ok?!

Are you still here? I wish I knew how to embed music into my post, but since I dont, let me send you on your way by humming the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey for dramatic effect while you click on the link HERE to go check out the project…. duuuum, DuuuuuM, DUUUUUUMMMM, TaDUUUMMM!….

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So, what’d’ya think?! I hope you liked it as much as I did! Of course you know things always look better in real life… wish you could see it for real!

Here’s some of the extra details that I didn’t want to overwhelm the folks at the CropStop blog. I played around with different ways to color the flowers… The first ones I stamped with Versamark ink and then watercolored with Distress inks by putting the ink on some plastic and picking it up with a water brush.

Note: For those of you who don’t have a MISTI or other stamping device, I highly recommend using the red 11×17 Rubber Stamping Mat under your paper to help get a nice evenly stamped image.

Also, if you don’t have a palette made specifically for watercoloring, you can use any hard plastic, like an old cd, a cd cover, or the packaging from your stamps, like I did.

You can see I wasn’t worried about staying in the lines as the die would cut away the excess. I did want to go OVER the lines to get a little extra dark coloring where the Versamark stamped image was.

For the second set of flowers I colored directly with the markers.

And, for the final set of flowers, I stamped with a light gray ink instead of Versamark and colored directly with the markers again. I also colored the back sides of each flower.

These are the Heartfelt Creations Botanical ORCHID stamps. Emma Lou of Heartfelt Creations has a nice video showing how to use these to make the DAFFODILS HERE.

Here are the finished flowers in the order I made them:

If you want a softer color, the watercolor works, but for brighter colors, coloring direct on the page works better. You will loose some color with the wetting required to shape the flowers. (Note, I also tried this with Color Bursts, but they washed out too much. FYI, you would have to start out with a really dark color to allow for the loss of color in the wetting and shaping process.)

I used the Twist & Style Sizzix so kindly sent me a while back to make the stamens out of beads and wire stems. It makes quick work of wire twisting!!

Another thing I learned… The Beadalon 7 strand .015″ wire was a little too flimsy for the stems. The 26 gauge copper wire worked MUCH better. If I wanted them to stand up in a bouquet, I’d use an even heavier wire.

Here’s a close-up of the finished flowers. I took one of each different kind and put them in a bunch for variety and affixed them with Glubers.  Oh, and FYI, the butterfly got its fabulous shine from Stickles (Firefly and Tropical Tangerine).

For the card base I wanted to have it embossed with the Couture Creations Serenity Collection: Chiaro 5×7 embossing folder that I won from CropStop back in January AND I wanted a nice cutout shape. This led to another learning experience…

The die cut card was so delicate that the pass through the embossing machine ‘broke’ the paper apart in several places. It worked out much better to run the paper through the embossing folder first, THEN die cut it. In the process of die cutting it, it did flatten some of the embossing, leaving a much softer look and keeping the edges in tact.

Tip: Can’t find faux adhesive pearls to match your project? Use a Copic Marker to color plain ones!

You will find the list of all the supplies used on the CropStop Blog. You can click HERE to go back and check it out again. Thank you, CropStop, for the privilege of guest designing for your blog!

Well, as Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know the REST OF THE STORY!”

I am also playing along with the following challenges… click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun:

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Handmade Flowers
• Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday February 2017: Green

You can also feel free to join in with the Cropstop March Challenge Linky Party #26: Anything Goes… It’s always fun to see the many lovely projects and you have the chance to win a nice prize or, perhaps, even be a guest designer!

Please stop back by Next Friday, March 24, for another guest designer post for the CropStop blog… this time a MUCH simpler pair of cards using some fun cut-and-fold dies… I’ll look forward to seeing you then!

This has been D.Ann reporting…. “Good day!” : )

.

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

 

Papertrey December Blog Hop Challenge – Lacy Anniversary Card

Hello and welcome! Today I have a lovely bespoke anniversary card to share with you. I was asked to use luscious layers of lace, pearls, sparkle and frills on the card. I also used this month’s Papertrey Ink Blog Hop inspiration photo:

I chose the pinks/cream/tans with just a touch of green and turquoise colors and the stars and rounded arch of the fans for this anniversary party card.

From sparkling cardstock  and ribbon to rhinestones, there’s plenty of bling on this lacy party card!

She was thoroughly delighted with the outcome and chose this lovely sentiment for the inside:

Supplies used:

• Papertrey Ink: Simply Jane die collection
• Spellbinders: Elegant Labels Four
• Justrite Dies/Spellbinders Heirloom Flourish One
• Quietfire Design: Always Be My Friend stamp collection
• DCWV Luxury Stack & Shimmer Stack cardstock
• Simply Defined Distinctions 200# card base
• Recollections: Spohia cardstock, Mixed Media Paper Word & Botique Fleur mulberry paper mini rose
• Tsukineko Versamark Ink
• Stampendous PEARLustre embossing powder – Rose Quartz
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones
• Tombow Xtreme permanent adhesive and E600
• Misc. laces, faux pearls, ribbon and flowers(mostly Recollections & Offray)

I’m playing along with the following hops and challenges… click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun!

• Papertrey Ink December Blog Hop
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Party Time 
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Make is Sparkle
• Crop Stop December Challenge Linky Party #23 – Anything Goes (Pebbles, Spellbinders and Versamark)

I’ll be back in just a few minutes with a much different anniversary card that will make you go ‘Awww!’, so do check back (or scroll up)! : )

~D.Ann

.

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

All I Want Is… A Coffee Bigger Than My Head Card

Hello! I’m back today with a really fun NORTHERN Winter Coffee card:

The sentiment originally said ‘chocolate bar’ – which is terrific, but didn’t fit the Coffee Lovers Hop. I cut it apart so that I could put the in the die cut ‘Coffee’ lined with brown instead. Sometimes you can mask a sentiment to do this, but the words in this one were too close. Cutting stamps apart is fairly easy with an X-acto knife and they can go right back together to use as originally intended. It’s an easy way to get more mileage out of your stamps. So far I haven’t been struck by lightening for the sacrilege of ‘maiming’ my stamps. lol!

I thought the flower sequin was just the right size to stick in her hair. That helps draw your eye away from the other side of her face where I added some hair to cover for the fact that I got her face stamped in slightly off from her chin angle…. now she just looks like she might have a bad toothache… of course I shouldda kept MY mouth shut and you probl’y wouldn’t’ve noticed! lol!

Supplies used:

• Spellbinders Elegant Labels 4 die
• Verve Coffee die
• Unity Stamp Co: Hello Love, Angie Girl Faces & Big Chocolate Bar stamps
• Memento: London Fog, Rich Cocoa, Tuxedo Black
• Copics: BG13, 018, 45; C1; E11, 23; R20; RV02, 19, 34; YR21, 24
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones
• Core’dinations cardstock – white and teal
• Scrapbook adhesives by 3l EZ Runner permanent adhesive
• Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue
• Misc sequins

I’m playing along with the following hop(s) and challenge(s)… click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun!

• 2016 Winter Coffee Lovers Hop

• MarkerPop! Challenge #110 – Winter

Stay warm, my dear northern friends and I’ll be back soon!

~D.Ann

.

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Discombobulated Prima Bloom Floridian Winter Coffee Card

I’m back again with another card for the Winter Coffee Lovers Hop.

This time, I’ll start with the INSIDE, first…

I’m sure you’ve lost a pen, glasses, etc, only to find them stuck up in your hair, haven’t you?! If not, wait a few years!!! lol! Well, this gal is definitely a bit discombobulated!…

Bwah-hahaha! Next time you lose your coffee, be sure to look on top of your head! What a pricelessly entertaining stamp, Prima!!

She’a a super loose translation of the current Prima CAT layers sketch:

Having just been to the McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida, and seen the water lilies in bloom right now, I felt I could beg the Coffee Lovers indulgence and post this as another Floridian WINTER card. : ) The rest will be traditional winter cards, I promise!

If you want to see some great pics of the water lilies and more from the McKee Botanical Garden, see my previous post HERE.

HAD to catch the amazing shine of the WoW! embossing powder!

Supplies used:

• Prima Bloom Collection “Paige” stamp
• Spellbinders Elegant Labels 4 dies
• Tsukineko Versamark ink
• WOW! Pearl Gold Sparkle embossing powder
• Copic Markers: B21, 25; BV00, 02, 08 C3, 5; E00, 02, 31; G05, 09; RV02, 04; Y17; YG17, 61; YR02, 04, 07, 21, 24; V04, 06, 12
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks – Jewel Tones
• Coredinations cardstock – White & Purple
• Scrapbook adhesives by 3l EZ Runner permanent adhesive
• Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue

I’m playing along with the following hops and challenges… click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun!

• Prima Cards & Tags December sketch
• 2016 Winter Coffee Lovers Hop
• Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday November 2016: Dies
• Crop Stop Linky Party #22: Anything Goes (Aleene, Coredinations, Pebbles, Prima, Spellbinders, Versamark & WOW!)

 

I appreciate all of your kind comments! It’s been great seeing many familiar talents on the hop. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

~D.Ann

.

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

You Are My Friend Card & 1st Blogiversary Blog Candy

Welcome back sweet visitors and regulars!

I’ve been so out of it lately! I forgot my one year blog anniversary aka blogiversary was March 18. Seems like ages ago! Who knew that I’d have 1991 visitors from 58 countries leaving 1380 kind comments on my 129 posts?! Of course it’s fitting that this anniversary falls during the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop… for it was these lovely ladies who encouraged me to start my blog last year and I’d say a large majority of my visitors are from these hops. So I’ll have a small little ‘thank-you’ giveaway for you sweeties at the end of this post.

I’m pleased that this lovely shaker card  serendipitously came together for today’s post:

I love the girly feminine look and I threw in some coffee grounds in the shaker, so it smells heavenly, too… Hmmm… maybe next time I’ll only use coffee grounds and write ‘in case of emergency, just add water.’ Lol!

Here’s a different angle so you can see the raised banner sentiment…

Materials used:

• Spellbinders dies: Elegant Labels 4; Labels 4; Tea Cups
• JustRite Spellbinders dies: Vintage Labels 7
• Spellbinders Celebra’tions Cup for Two stamp set
• Quietfire Design Stamp: You Are My Friend stamp
• Core’dinations Cardstock – white
• Recollections Floral Bunches paper
• Recollections Shimmer card – pink
• Memento Dye Ink: Rose Bud
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent chalks
• Neat & Tangled – Lucy’s Little Things Chocolate Truffle sequin mix
• Martha Stewart Crafts copper microbeads
• Recollections: Boutique Fleur mulberry paper mini roses, lace on a roll, crochet embellishments, rhinestone stickers, faux pearls
• Copic marker RV29
• The Paper Studio – Gemstones pearl, small, flourish
• Offray Elegant loop flower with pearls
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue
• Tombow foam tape
• Misc. coffee grounds, acetate, seed beads.

In case you haven’t already joined the fun, but are thinking about it, here are the hops and challenges I am participating in… just click on the name to get more information on each:

• Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

• DL.Art March Linky Challenge Anything goes
• A Colorful Journey – Let’s Play!
• CropStop Linky Party #14 Anything goes

 

***********    giveaway now closed    ***************

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today! Oh – wait! The blog candy!! Silly me – Brain fog moment! I have a lot of those… like the time I bought this Sizzix/Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folder: On the Go – I had already ordered one 3 days before. Sigh. At least I had a nice use for it… Blog candy!

I also found another lovely Studio Shop/Susan Winget Flour Sack towel for one of you:

Would you like to have a chance at winning either of these (each one is a separate prize)? Pay close attention: Leave ONE comment on this post before 8 am EASTERN time, Sunday, March 27, 2016, telling me: Do you prefer your coffee or tea hot or cold?  If you don’t answer the question in your comment, I’ll assume you’re not interested in the blog candy (and won’t be offended!). You can also tell me if you have a preference for just a specific one of the two prizes, otherwise you will be a random draw for each. If you are (or become) a follower of this blog, you may make a SECOND comment telling me so for an additional entry. For non-followers, ONE ENTRY/COMMENT per person. Duplicate comments will be deleted.

For those of you with allergy concerns, this is a pet-free/smoke free home.

On March 27, 2016 I will use Mr. Random org to draw a winner from the comments that qualify and will try to announce it here on the blog some time before noon EASTERN time. The way my days are going recently, I might run a little late, so be patient. That’s another advantage of becoming a follower… You’ll know when I post! : ) You already know it’s a pet peeve of mine when someone doesn’t post their winners ’til days or weeks after they say they will, so I always try my best to stick to what I say. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their snail-mail address or another winner will be chosen.

Thanks so much for your kind comments of encouragement and support over the past year! I look forward to sharing another year of crafty fun with you!

-D.Ann

.

p.s. Any ads you may see are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.