Author: *Vicki*

I love to create smiles with my handmade cards! I also enjoy papercrafts through art journaling, scrapooking and mixed media projects too!

Time to Send Love

Hello friends!  It’s getting closer to Valentine’s Day and Sending out love to others is a good reason to make cards!  I’ve joined a couple of challenges to play along with:

I have fallen in love with these card layout dies from Newton’s Nook called A2 Card Layout Die and was also able to use as part of a sketch for a challenge that worked with it.  The die made it very easy for the layout.  I’ve also used some Newton’s Nook papers as well as a new Valentine themed stamp set that came out in December.  

For the postage stamp on the card, I’ve taken the NN Postage Stamp Layout die and cut one in turquoise and then another in white.  One for the inside and one for the frame.  I cut it apart so that I had several postage stamps.  I stenciled clouds on the turquoise insert and added the heart balloons from the NN Valentine Postage Sampler set over it.  I stamped, colored and cut it out with the coordinating die.  I also white heat embossed the number at the bottom.

I took the same stamp set and stamped some random hearts on the center kraft cardstock panel.  The sentiment came from the NN Sending Hugs stamp set (retired) and was white heat embossed over the hearts.

For the die cut turquoise hearts, I’ve used the NN Charming Hearts Frame die.  It cut out three hearts that I could use for accents on this card.  I’ve attached the entire design over an A2 top folding kraft card base and finished it with some heart shaped sequins.

Thanks so much for joining me today!  I hope you’ve enjoyed my card or found some inspiration!

Challenges:

  1. Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge – Cherry Red, Turquoise, Buttery Brown & White + Newton’s Nook products
  2. Sketch Saturday – #768 sketch with twist:  include a heart
  3. The Divas That Cut…Paper – Something New + die (new Newton’s Nook products!)
  4. Creative Fingers – #293 Anything Goes
  5. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – #2504 Anything Goes

January 2025 “NEW” Art Journal Page-Smashing Our Stash Continues!

Hello friends!  I hope you’ve had a great month so far and staying crafty while also trying to keep warm and cozy!  Thank you for your kind support with my crafting journey and I’m so happy you’re here however you like to follow along.❤️

Today is the start of another year of art journaling and I’m thrilled that my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) is collaborating with me again this year to “SMASH OUR STASH”! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” January prompt of “NEW” (challenge/technique): 

As you know, we are forever trying to “smash our stash” and included within that stash are possibly some “new” stash or something that hasn’t been used before.  But if that’s not the case, then that’s totally fine too because there always seems to be a new “challenge” to over come or something like a new “technique” that you’ve always wanted to try and using up your stash helps with that too!  I’ve done this on my page in several ways…

NEW = art journal book used here.  I have a few AJ books that I haven’t used at all, so I pulled this one out which is a 5.5″ x 8.5″ spiral mixed media book.  I’ve never worked from a book before and not sure I like it as the pages do curl up on me and you can see that I’ve clipped it along the side to keep it from curling.  Going forward, I might make a separate page and then attach it to the book.  I’ve been so used to making my own book, so this was a new “challenge” for me to try.  If you art journal, how do you like to compile your pages together?

NEW = technique used for background with distress crayons.  I have a tin full of those distress crayons and I’ve barely even touched them, so I found a fun technique to try by taking a dotted stencil and applying gesso over the blank page.  I used several colors of the distress crayons to rub over the stenciled paint and then blended it together with a baby wipe.  It was fun!  (I’ve also used a black distress crayon around the edges of the page and went over the words inside the heart with a white distress crayon to mute it a bit.)

NEW = Lunar Paste colors used through a stencil.  I bought several colors of these metallic/shinny pastes last year and never broke them open, so I thought this would be a good time to see what they look like and they’re really pretty!

NEW = alphabet die letters used.  I got these set of alphabet dies with upper and lower case and haven’t had a chance to use them until this page.  I like that it includes both upper and lower because it seems you always have to get them separately.  

A closer view of the heart that I die cut.  I pulled out some cardstock in coordinating colors to match up with the distress crayons in the background and made strips with stamping words and then placing them together on the heart that I cut off the edges to keep the shape.

I was going for a “happy” rainbow style with all of it, but not sure after looking at it as I think it may be a bit too much/busy.  But, I’m just going to go with it and be happy! LOL  

I hope you’ve enjoyed my page today or at least have been inspired in some way!  Thank you for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – DOTS
  2. Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone – no cards
  3. Ally’s Angels – Anything Goes 
  4. Love to Scrap – #171 Anything Goes

“U” is for Underwater

Hello friends!  It’s already closer to the end of our first month for 2025 and I hope you’re staying warm and/or cozy where you are!  

Today I’m excited to share that I’ve joined the Alphabet Challenge design team!  I’ve been playing along with the challenges for a few years, so this will be a fun one!  Please be sure to check out the challenge blog to see how to play as we go through the alphabet letters every-other week (fortnight) for each new challenge.

Blog Badge

For this challenge, we are at the letter “U” for Underwater and here’s what I’ve come up with:

Now how cute are these smiling underwater critters?!  It was hard to believe that going through my stash that I didn’t have much of any underwater critters besides mermaids, but last year I saw this adorable Doodlebug Sea Life stamp set on sale and decided to add it to my collection.  This is the first time I’ve used it.

For the background:  I’ve taken my Distress Oxide inks and ink blended the colors Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon and Blueprint sketch over some Bristol Smooth watercolor paper.  I sprayed it with water and blotted it up with a paper towel.  I used a stitched wave die cut border at the top and another wavy landscape border die for the sand at the bottom with kraft cardstock.  I’ve used markers and gel pens to create “dots” for the sand and then attached it to the ink blended panel.  Once I had it all attached, I cut out the entire panel with a stitched rectangle die and then attached it to an A2 sized top folding kraft card base.

I stamped several of the images and colored them with Copic markers and die cut them out with each coordinating die.  The “seaweed” was part of the coordinating die set that I inked over in green Oxide inks and then attached all of the images to the underwater scene.

Lastly, I white heat embossed a sentiment from the stamp set (it says:  “with oceans & oceans of love”) in the top corner of the card base and stamped some blue solid hearts from the set for “bubbles”.  I couldn’t resist adding some googly eyes to the crab too.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and hop on over to the challenge blog to play along with us!  I look forward to seeing your underwater creations in the gallery!

Thanks so much for dropping in and I’ll see you tomorrow for my monthly Art Journal Page!

Challenges:

  1. Allsorts – Close to Nature/Anything Goes
  2. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2503 Anything Goes
  3. Little Red Wagon – #791 Can You Feel the Love Tonight (love theme)
  4. Critter Crazy – Anything Goes with Featured Creature
  5. Crafty Animals – Anything Goes with Animal(s)

The January Blues at Sparkles Monthly

Hello friends!  For those of us that experience the cold weather season for January, I hope you’re finding ways to keep warm.  I have been wrapping myself in blankets with fluffy slippers around the house…and yes, I have the heat up too! LOL  I think I seem to feel the cold more as I get older in age!  This week will be really cold for us here. So I suppose that’s why they say “January Blues”?🥶

Anyway, that brings me to the January challenge over at Sparkles Monthly and for this month, our hostess is asking for “January Blues” (monochromatic blue) on your project.  Be sure to stop by the blog to see what the rest of the design team has created for you.  Here’s my project for this challenge:

Usually, when I think of blues, especially in January, I tend to think of snowflakes.  I wanted to do something a bit different and decided to pull out my blue tone alcohol inks and make a background.  It was really fun to play around with, and of course, you make a panel and make more than one to save for other cards! Blue makes for such a great masculine card too.

I found some cardstock to match up with the background and die cut the alcohol panel with a stitched rectangle die, layered it over a piece of white to attach to an A2 sized top folding blue card base.  (I’m glad that I’m using some older items from my stash as I think this is old Stampin’ Up! paper that needs to be used!  I THINK it’s Pacific Point?)

I pulled out a leaf die from Taylored Expressions called Subtle Sprigs and cut one in white to place over top the alcohol background.  I also used the TE On Occasion stamp set by white heat embossing over blue cardstock, cutting it out with the die and placing it over the background with the sprig.

It’s a very simple card, but I wanted the alcohol background to take the stage on this one.

I hope you’ve been inspired today to play along with us this month for the challenge at Sparkles Monthly! (P.S.  This will also work with the Monochrome challenge at Mix It Up this month too!) Thanks so much for stopping in today with your kind support!  I really appreciate it!  See you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Addicted to CAS – #274 Blue
  2. Crafty Catz – #685 Anything Goes with optional: CAS
  3. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2502 Anything Goes
  4. Try it On Tuesday – Feeling Blue
  5. C.R.A.F.T. – #746 Anything Goes 
  6. The Male Room – #194 Clean & Simple

Sending Love Using My Stash

Hello friends!  Just popping in with a quick post to share a card I’ve made for a few challenges.

This year, I’m going to try and “shop my stash” instead of buying and buying and buying all the things.  YES…I know it’s easier said than done, but I’ve joined a fellow crafter that I’ve known for a long time to join in her monthly challenge prompts in her group on FB  (This & That With Danni’s Dreams) to help keep me motivated in spending less.  I’m sure she’d love you to join her, so check it out.  Her monthly prompts are from her “Use Your Stash” challenges that she just started this year.

Her themes/prompts for January 2025:  gnome(s), embossing folder, border die/punch, heart(s) and 12×12 paper.  (You can choose one, several or all.)  Here’s the card that I’ve made “Using My Stash” with ALL of the prompts:

I think gnomes are cute and I happen to have several stamps, so it was no problem finding one of those!  I’ve used an older gnome set from Whimsy Stamps Gnome One Like You.  I colored him up with Copics, but I fussy cut out the gnome and the heart balloon to pop up over the image on the circle that I’ve stenciled some pink clouds on.

The background has an older Sizzix embossing folder not sure of the name, but it’s a 3D embossing folder with hearts piled up.  The embossing folder and hearts was another two of her prompts.  I splattered some gold watercolor over the background before placing it over an A2 sized top folding cream card base.  I also used a corner chomper to round the edges of the right two corners.

I’ve used some very old 12×12 papers from Stampin’ Up! called “Fan Fare”.  I hoarded it for a long time and even wrote the coordinating colors on the back of the package!  It’s high time to use some of it up…even if it’s a small strip!  I’ve also taken the Whimsy Stamps Basic Border dies (not available any more) to cut a mirror gold strip along the edge of the papers. (The remaining of her other prompts used.)

I gold heat embossed the sentiment from the stamp set over a piece of the cream cardstock.  I cut it out with a banner die and sponged some light pink ink around the edges.  Lastly, I covered the heart balloon with a glitter pen and added a couple of tiny sequin hearts around the gnome.

I had a great time pulling out items from my stash and it felt good to be using them!  I certainly plan on doing more of these every month!  So stay tuned for more posts to help “Use Your Stash”!  Thanks so much for dropping in!  See you again soon!

Challenges:

  1. Freshly Made Sketches – #FMS668
  2. Creative Friday – #376 altrosa (Old pink)
  3. Crafty Calendar – Add a Die Cut
  4. Stamping Sensations – Anything Goes optional:  hand colored image

WINNER of my GIVE AWAY!!

Hello friends!  Just poppin’ in here today as promised to reveal who the winner is of the Taylored Expressions Pretty Postage stamp set and the package of 2025 tear-off calendars!  (Check out THIS POST to see what the give away was.)

I know the names can be picked in a variety of ways, but I thought this would be more fun and fair to share with you how a name was picked for this drawing in my video below:

WOOT WOOT!!!🎉

Congratulations MARGREET!! 

So excited that you’ve won and I look forward to sending your prize!  Please contact me at vparz70@gmail.com with your snail mail so I can get a package sent out!

 

Thanks again for each and every one of you for your kindness and support!  I already have another give away planned out for next month, so I do hope you’ll be back to try again at another fun give away soon!

Have an amazing week!

Happy New Year! Still Mixing It Up in Monochromatic!

**DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY I’M OFFERING IN THIS POST –  THERE’S STILL A FEW DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!**

Hello friends and welcome to the New Year of 2025!  Hope that you’ve had a wonderful and healthy Holiday Season and ready to start the crafty year!  I look back and can’t believe that I’ve been blogging since 2006…next year will be 20 years of blogging!  Holy cow!  Should I have some sort of celebration?

Today not only starts a brand new year, but it’s also the start of a new challenge over at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog.  ( NOTE: The challenge blog has recently been taken over by Tina, but it’s running the same way that Leslie had been running it…so hope you can join along as you always have or if you haven’t yet, sure hope to see your creations over there!)  The challenge will run for 6 weeks so there is plenty of time to enter.  The theme given this time around is: Monochromatic (meaning shades of the same color) or you can do the ‘Anything Goes” too.  Here’s the card that I came up with for the challenge using the theme:

Of course I chose shades of purple for my design in the Taylored Expressions colors:  Eggplant, Dried Fig and Macaron.  I also used the floating technique with the circle of acetate and the different strips attached and popped up with foam tape strips.  Very easy and fun to do!

The “thanks” sentiment and strips were white heat embossed over the Eggplant color and cut out with the coordinating dies.  The little hearts were also apart of the die cut.  I then added some purple color rhinestones to finish it off.

I’ve used a VERY old embossing folder by Cuttlebug…do you remember that thing?  I attached the embossed piece to a side folding A2 Eggplant card base and added a white panel with a sentiment on the inside.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first card of the New Year or have been inspired to create a monochromatic card as well to enter in the challenge with us!  

Thanks so much for stopping in today and I look forward to seeing all of your crafty inspiration throughout the year!  See you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Creative Inspirations – Something Old/Something New (I’ve used a VERY old embossing folder!)
  2. Moving Along With the Times – Thank You
  3. Love to Craft – #84 Anything Goes
  4. Crafts Galore Encore – #131 Anything Goes
  5. Pearly Sparkles – Something Old, Something New (Old embossing folder and new purple glitter drops!)
  6. Penny’s Paper-Crafty – #587 Anything Goes Using Paper
  7. Paper Funday – #72 Anything Goes with optional: Monochrome

December Art Journal Page-SNOW

**DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY I’M OFFERING IN THIS POST – OR SCROLL BELOW THIS POST TO SEE!**

Hello crafty friends!  I hope that you all had a happy Christmas time with your loved ones and friends!  2025 is quickly approaching us and I know there will be lots of changes coming to look forward to!  Although I’m not feeling 100%, so I think I’m going to rest for the remainder of what’s left of the year🤒.

Today is the monthly Art Journal Page collaboration with my crafty friend, Carol (from Crafty-Stamper)! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” December prompt of “FOUND OBJECT(S)” (something you found or discovered):  (I’ve also combined 2 other past prompts with this one that I’ve missed out on earlier in the year!)

SNOW SNOW SNOW!  I know people that hate it and people that love it!  Whatever YOUR favorite place to be with it…or not…mine is being inside the warmth and watching it from the window!  I don’t mind shoveling if I need to help my husband, but I enjoy watching it peacefully from the window.

The prompt for THIS month (December) is “Found object(s)” and I found some VERY pretty blue ribbon on a present this year and decided to keep it…and I have plenty left for another project!  I used it above the die cut window.  (This page is my normal 5.5″ x 8.5″ with pre-punched holes at the top…I would have a book finished, but I wasn’t feeling well enough to get one done, so I’ll have to do it later.)

And for the other prompts I’ve missed this year:  August I was away and didn’t get to complete that one and the prompt for that month was “Vintage/Old“.  The background wallpaper area looks vintage to me and it came from a VERY old pack of paper that I’ve had along with the letters on the side of the window.  I also missed November and the prompt for that month was “Food“.  I love me a good cup of cocoa in the winter and I thought I would make myself some Linzer cookies to add with it in the shape of snowflakes with frosting on them!  I even took a bite out of the one in front of the cup!

Since I’m not feeling well, I’m going to stop typing and get some sleep now.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the page as I’d be happy to answer!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop in!  I really appreciate it and will try to reciprocate when I feel better.  Happy New Year friends and I’ll see you in 2025!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – SNOW

Merry Christmas Makes PLUS GIVE AWAY!!!!

Hello friends!  Just wanted to pop in to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to share some final Christmas creations that I’ve made basically within the last few weeks!  Some of these are cards that I’ve sent friends and family and some are recent makes for Craft Roulette challenges.

  • Scroll below this post to see the give away!

First up are the last few weeks of the Craft Roulette challenges:

(I got out my stretchy pants to play along!)😉

(These are money holders for Christmas with recycled wrapping paper)
(This is a diagonal joy fold card design)
(Tri-Panel Card for me was 3 layer panels on the front! LOL)
(Always stepping on those tiny gems on my floor!)

Hopefully the next several cards have been received by everyone they were sent to, but if not, maybe the surprise will be which one you will get!  I don’t like making several at one time, so I’ve split up the design in sessions using the Taylored Expressions Make It Merry Stamp Set along with the Happy Half Sheets: (I’ve made my own “map” with the images)

Lastly, I’ve made several of these photo frame cards using the Lisa Horton Framed Poinsettia Stencils/Die/Embossing Folder: (Using a photo recently taken for our 25th wedding anniversary)

Hope you’ve enjoyed all of my Christmas projects this year and a very special thank you for being apart of the crafting journey with me!  I’m so thankful for the friends I’ve met along the way! 

ALERT!!  GIVEAWAY!!

Since this is the season of giving, I would like to  gift someone that would like to receive this set that I have collected myself (over the entire year as an extra) to give away to someone:

Vicki-December2024-giveawayVicki-December2024-giveawayback

If you’re NOT familiar with Taylored Expressions, this is a collection of the “freebie” rubber stamps that a person receives when placing an order. Each month the stamp image changes to something else.  I have not only collected a set for myself, but I’ve also collected another entire set (12 rubber stamps) to give to someone else that would like one!   I have included the sturdy laminated Collection card, in addition,  a sturdy plastic sleeve in which to store it all in.  Plus, I’ve also included a set of 2025 tear-off calendars in a package of ten to go with it!

You can purchase these in the store here under the Pretty Postage Collection, but I’m giving them all away in one set for the entire year as I’ve collected them.  I did NOT include the Pretty Postage die set that cuts out the images, but you can purchase your own by clicking on the link.

  • If you are interested in this give away from me (no affiliation with any company), please just leave me a comment below to tell me that you’re interested in the give away.  THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO, BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL ME IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN GIVE AWAY!   
  • You will need to leave your comment below by January 3rd, 2025 to enter.   I will announce here on my blog who won by January 5th, 2025. (The winner will need to be in contact for mailing out prize.)
  • P.S.  If you have been collecting and looking for one you’re missing, let me know which month and I’ll see if I have it as I have several months that are extras! (I know that I do NOT have any August left, though.)

Just wanted to send out a little Christmas cheer to a crafty friend!  It doesn’t matter where you live, I will be happy to mail it out…so please don’t let that stop you!  It’s just a special gift from one crafter to another to enjoy!

Thank you for making my crafting journey a special one and for joining me here to share inspiration with one another!  Looking forward to more in the coming year!

Wishing you and yours a VERY Merry Christmas with lots of joy and love! 

(I will be back after Christmas (Saturday) to share an art journal page with you!)

Christmas Transport at Sparkles Monthly-It’s almost Christmas!

Hey friends!  Wow, how in the world did Christmas get here so darn fast?!  I feel like we just got through Thanksgiving and then things were a blur after that!😳  So, I’m also now realizing that it’s been a whole month since I’ve posted!  YIKES!

Since it IS December…and the middle of it…that means today starts the December challenge over at Sparkles Monthly and for this month, our hostess is asking to see Christmas Transport on your project.  Be sure to stop by the blog to see what the rest of the team has created for you.  Here’s my project for this challenge:

For me, Christmas transport is not planes, trains or anything busy or noisy, but something a little more outdoors around the countryside.  There’s nothing better than a good road trip with snow falling and the smell of fresh pine in the air!  I live in an area where there are lots of tree farms to pick out your perfect tree.  (Do I pick out a real tree?  Nope…but I do love them and the smell.  Just not the mess. LOL) I prefer to visit the trees and not chop one down.

I’ve used the adorable Inky Stamper set called Vintage Truck and I’ve decided to add the tree image to the back of his truck as he’s taking it home to decorate for Christmas!  I’ve fussy cut the image out after coloring and even added a snowflake stamp to the truck door from the Inky Stamper Toboggan stamp set.  I’ve also stamped a few more along with the larger snowflake and cut out to add to the background of the card.

For the background, I’ve used some paper from the Lisa Horton A Festive Tapestry pack as it was perfect for a landscape of trees.  At the bottom, I’ve used the road die from Lawn Fawn and then placed it over my tree landscape and added the truck over it by popping up with foam tape so it looks like he’s on the road.  

So while making this card, I had the song stuck in my head and so I found a perfect sentiment to go with it from the Inky Stamper Tree stamp set.  I white heat embossed over a green piece and cut out a banner to add to the top left of the card.  Everything was placed over a white A2 top folding card base and I lastly added some Iridescent Clear Drops in the center of the snowflakes.

  • Hope you’ve enjoyed my card for you today and I hope that you’ll hop on over to the challenge blog and play along!  I’d love to see what you come up with!

Challenges:

  1. 613 Avenue Create – Anything Goes optional: Any Winter Holiday (Christmas)
  2. We Love Stamping – Winter/Anything Goes
  3. Stamping Sensations – Anything Goes Winter
  4. Sparkles Christmas – #167 Christmas Song-Carol (“Oh Tannenbaum”/Oh Christmas Tree”)
  5. Cardz for Guyz – #362 Holiday/Christmas Card/Tag
  6. Krafty Chicks – #746 Christmas
  7. As You Like It – Anything Goes Christmas
  8. C.R.A.F.T. – #744 Christmas/The Last Stretch