Happy New Year Stars

Soon we will be ringing in the new year.  I love the combo of silver and gold for festive events, especially New Year's.  And this star set from Technique Junkies seemed the perfect set to use for my card today.

You can read about my card, stamps, and technique on my post on Technique Junkies HERE.  My design team comrades and I have been busy making cards for the January 1st blog hop with the new stamps release.  Be sure to stop back then to check it out.

Use my code TJ10Lynda to get 10% off your non-release purchases.  And be sure to check out the challenge, which goes until January 14th.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Party

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Thank you so much for visiting today.  I wish you health, happiness, peace and harmony in the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Hello my lovely followers!

Just stopping in, before we begin our Christmas festivities, to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to those who do not observe Christmas.  I pray you will find peace and joy in your celebrations.

May God bless you with good health, prosperity, joy, and peace in the new year.  May He bless you abundantly.

Thank you for your support.  Your comments are so very appreciated.

I will, God willing, be back next week with some more inspiration.  I have lots planned for 2018, and hope you will continue to visit. 

Blessings,

Wonderful and Wonder-full

Just squeezing in another Christmas card today.  I love this candle from Penny Black (Xmas Light), and just had to play with it. 

I also used Wonderful holiday sentiment, and some other Penny Black background stamps from my stash.  I used Tim Holtz distress inks to ink my stamp, and with my Misti I stamped a few times, adding color and water, and painting it out between stampings.

I added the background stamps lightly, and used tea dye distress ink along the outsides.

I am adding my card to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.   The theme is Christmas or winter.  

I hope you are all set for Christmas.  It's sneaking up on us.  I'm praying for nice travel weather for all who are driving.  Stay safe, everyone.  And have yourself a very Merry Christmas.

God bless,

lynda joy

Christmas Trees!

I have a couple of more Christmas cards using the Technique Junkies Christmas Trees Set of 6  and the Gifts of Christmas Set of 5. 

For this card, I created the background on watercolor paper, using Tim Holtz distress inks.  I taped down the paper, then wet it all over with a mop brush and lots of water.  Then I dropped in blues, purples, and green inks and let it interact with each other and with the water. 

When the background was dry, I cut it to size, and embossed the trees using Judi Kins Black Opal embossing powder.  This powder has lots of sparkles of fiery colors in with the black that look amazing in real life.  I tried to capture it here...

For the strip along the top, I embossed a piece of card stock and cut it and layered it onto the card.  I embossed the verse in regular black embossing powder.  I added some dots with an embossing marker, and drew a star, then added silver embossing powder in the sky.

For my second card, I used Tim Holtz distress oxide inks to create the background, then embossed the trees in black embossing powder. The stars are from a sheet of sticker Peel-Offs.  I die cut the pieces using a Spellbinders die, and created the banners for the Merry Christmas from the left over pieces of the panel I had created for the background.

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season and all the festivities.  I love this time of year when everyone seems a bit happier, more jolly, and shares the Christmas spirit.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to stop over at the Technique Junkies blog and check out the challenge.  
You have until January 14th to enter to win a $25 Technique Junkies gift certificate!!  You can see details and enter the challenge HERE.

Also, get 10% off your stamp order by using my code TJ10Lynda.

Thanks for stopping in.  Have a wonderful week before Christmas!

Blessings,

lynda joy

Friends And Family At Christmas

Just a quick hello today, with another design team post on Technique Junkies HERE. 

Details about my card, techniques, stamps, etc. can be found HERE.

While you are checking out the TJ blog, be sure to hop over to the store.  There are lots of fun stamps, along with a sale going on now.  

Also, think about joining the TJ challenge.  You have until January 14th to enter to win a $25 Technique Junkies gift certificate!!  You can see details and enter the challenge HERE.

Use my code TJ10Lynda to get 10% off your order at Technique Junkies.  

I hope your are enjoying your holiday preparations.  I'm busy, like everyone, but trying hard to focus on each task, and enjoy the process.  I really am enjoying the holidays more this year by reminding myself to be present in each part of my day, in each of my chores, activities, and interactions.  I wish the same for you.

Now, it's off to bake more cookies!

Be blessed,

lynda joy

Christmas Sparkles

Hello and greetings!  The snow machine is cranking outside, and I'm happily playing indoors where it's nice and warm.  Glad I don't have to go anywhere in this weather.  Another upside to being retired!

My card today features Technique Junkies stamps , specifically Christmas Ornament Trio set, and Gifts of Christmas verse set.

I created the background with Distress Oxide inks.  Embossed the stamps with Winter Wonderland embossing powder.  Some rhinestones add additional sparkle.

Hop on over to the Technique Junkies blog for lots of inspiration and ideas for your holiday and other cards and projects.  Then stop by the Technique Junkies site to do some shopping.  Enjoy 10% off your orders with my code:  

Hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations.  I'm procrastinating on making my Christmas cookies.  I figure if I put it off long enough, I can get them made and out the door as gifts before I have a chance to eat too many of them!  We'll see how that works out.  Wish me luck!

Thanks so much for visiting. 

Blessings,

lynda joy

Poinsettia Collage Card

Happy Saturday, peeps!   It's supposed to storm starting tomorrow, so I'm enjoying this lovely, sunny day here while we have it.  Took a nice brisk walk earlier, and chatted with neighbors over the fence after lunch.  Early December is usually pretty snowy here, but so far we've managed to escape too much of that.
I spent a little time in my studio this afternoon, playing with more Christmas stamps......

This poinsettia collage stamp is one of my very favorites.  It is from Magenta, one of my favorite stamp companies!  I don't know the item number, as it is a cling stamp, and I misplaced the packaging.  

I stamped and gold embossed the image onto red mulberry paper, then onto white card stock.  I watercolored with FineTec gold pigments.  For the red berries, I used a red Tim Holtz distress marker.  

I fussy-cut the flower and the left-side panel and attached them over the mulberry paper image.  I used foam tape to raise the flower.  I tore the mulberry paper to create an interesting, fibery edge, then layered it onto a square of gold paper.  

For my background, I used a piece of decorative textured paper from The Paper Company.  I use the Fine-Tec gold paints, and a distress foam applicator to apply gold highlights on the raised areas of the paper.  A couple of strips of red and gold along the left edge, then the prepared panel over all.  
Here is a close-up of the background highlighted paper....

 A lovely red satin bow finishes off this festive card.  Red and white with gold really says Christmas to me. 

I am adding my card to:

Make My Monday Challenge - Happy Holidays

Splitcoaststampers Free-For-All Challenge - Favorite December holiday

Thanks so much for stopping by today. 
I wish for you a blessed and very merry holiday season.


Blessings,

lynda

Wise Men Still Seek Him Card

Hello lovely peeps!

I'm back today with a CAS card.  That's right, I actually did keep it clean and simple....no easy task for me.  But I wanted to enter a couple of challenges, soooo.....Here's my card.

The embossing folder is Cuttlebug.  The verse stamp is from a clear set by Printworks.

I embossed the image into watercolor paper.  I used my FineTec gold watercolor pigments to paint the star and made a very light wash with the gold paint for the village and hillside.  I embossed the verse with Ranger gold embossing powder.  Layered onto a gold A2 card.  And that's all she wrote.  The only embellishment I added was a lovely studded gemstone in the center of the star.  I just couldn't leave it alone!

I am adding my card to these challenges:

AAA Cards Challenge - CAS Christmas

Splitcoaststampers Free For All Challenge - Favorite December Holiday

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to check out these challenges.  There are lots of amazing cards there.

Blessings,

lynda

Winter Wonderland Technique Junkies Style

Hello Junkies fans!  I have a couple of cards today....

I couldn't help but sing 'Walking in a winter wonderland' when I was making these cards!  The scene reminds me of the snowy fields behind the house I grew up in, out in the country.  It was a chore just to walk a few steps in the kind of snow we used to get.

To create my scene, I used a piece of watercolor paper and my Distress ink minis.  I inked up my first tree from the Christmas Trees set of 6, then misted it lightly by holding it over my aromatherapy misting diffuser.  I keep this diffuser on my desk while I work for it's calming, soothing effects.  I thought, hmmmm, that's a pretty good dose of mist coming from that thing....it beats huffing on the stamp.  So I tried it, and it worked!!  Just the right amount of moisture for a good image. 

Holding my inked stamp over the mist from my aromatherapy oil diffuser

I then stamped it onto the watercolor paper,  using a water brush to manipulate and obscure the ink, to give it a watercolor look.  I let it dry a bit, then inked and repeated again, over the initial image.  

Now, you may notice that my trees are a little taller than the stamps.  I made them look that way by 'walking' the stamp downward as I stamped it, keeping pressure on the base of the stamp.  This created the impression of taller trees!  I used the wet brush again, and continued in this fashion until I achieved the look I wanted.  Repeated for the rest of the trees.

When dry, I punched a circle from a paper scrap, and used it as a template to ink my moon, using ColorBox silver pigment ink, and a sponge finger dauber.  I spread the silver around a bit, to give the feeling of moonglow over the trees.

Some quick watercolor strokes for hills, and some spatters for snow (I used white acrylic paint, then some white India ink).  I added some tiny stars from my stash, and a pretty silver ribbon.  Layered it onto silver paper, then onto a white card base.  I gave it a quick spritz of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to give it a shimmery glimmer, which is so pretty in real life!

Closer view of moon in the trees

Stamps:  Technique Junkies Christmas Trees set of 6
               Technique Junkies Gifts of Christmas set of 5

I used the same stamps on this second card....

I kept this one a little simpler.  Same technique.  For the snow banks, I tore the paper and layered it on the bottom.

Stop by the Technique Junkies Stamps store.   There are some fabulous stamps there.  If you find some holiday stamps, or any, that you just have to have, please use my discount code (TJ10Lynda) and get 10% off your order!

I am adding my card to:
Make My Monday Challenge - Happy Christmas!
Mod Squad Challenge - What a Flake!
Splitcoaststampers Ways To Use It Challenge - Try A Tutorial

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you found some inspiration here!

Blessings,

lynda
 

 

Portion Control

Hello again, lovely peeps.  I am on a roll today!  I think this will be my last post for today. 

Stamps:  Power Poppy digital stamps:
                Winter Pick-Me-Up Digital stamp set
                Acorn Ornaments Digital (verse)

I created the background strip by running an acrylic brayer through a Kaleidacolor Riviera stamp pad, and rolling it onto a piece of matte-coated card stock.  I repeated the rolling several times to achieve the intensity I wanted.  I dropped some gold Perfect Pearls mixed with water onto it, and rolled again to achieve the gold highlights.  I stamped a script stamp (unmounted from my stash - unknown) over it when it was dry.  

Close-up of detail on background strip

For the flowers, I chose cool colors for a winter palette.  I colored with Polychromos colored pencils.  For the soft haze around the bouquet, I used Faber Castel pastels with a cotton swab.  

I used my light box to trace one of the flowers under the verse, and colored that.  Cut both circles with the double stitched circles from Our Daily Bread Designs.

I added a bow I made with my Bow-Easy.  I added some sparkling crystals from Studio Katia to finish off the card.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Power Poppy Challenge - Portion control (use a portion of the stamp, having it go off the edge)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

The Paper Players - Sketch challenge

I'm so glad you stopped in for a visit today.  I am always happy to see you here.  I love your comments, as well.

 

The Gift Of Peace This Season

Greetings of the season to you, my friends!  

Today is my first post on the Technique Junkies blog as a new Technique Junkies Design Team member.  Please check it out here Technique Junkies Blog, Lynda's post. 
All of my techniques and stamp details for this card are on that post.
AND...here's a nice little 10% discount for you for any of the TJ stamps!  Just use this code to get your discount - TJ10Lynda.

Here's my card....

Please stop over at the TJ blog and leave some love HERE.

Enjoy your day, and be sure to take time for yourself to do those things that bring you joy.

Blessings and joy,

lynda 

 
 

His Love Is A Gift Christmas Card

I love the combination of gray, red, and white for Christmas.  It is a little variance from the typical green and red.

 

I have had this stamp set for a while, and had been stumped as to what I would do with it.  So I took a different approach.  Instead of planning the card out in my head first, I decided to choose a color scheme, thinking that might prompt some ideas.  With the red and gray, I immediately thought of white embossing, so went ahead and embossed the largest star onto a piece of the dark gray card stock.  Then I embossed the other two onto a lighter gray panel, slightly smaller than an A2 card.  So far, I liked it.

I chose the verse, and then it hit me.  I would make the card look like a wrapped package with ribbon wrapped around it!  Hence, the red ribbon.  I sponged the edges with distress ink, and mounted it onto a red A2 card.  A little craft foam to elevate the largest star, and some punched silver foil stars finish off the card.  

The stamps are a cling set from Our Daily Bread Designs, His Birth G600 , and the die is Sparkling Stars CSBD79, also from ODBD.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Star light, star bright

Make My Monday Challenge - Happy holidays

Splitcoaster Stampers - Inspiration challenge

I'm just getting over a severe sinus infection, so just starting to get back into my studio to play.  I've missed it.  

Tomorrow morning is my first post as a new design team member of Technique Junkies.  I would love for you to hop on over to check out the TJ blog.  Lots of fun stuff going on there.  Please leave me a comment there if you stop so I know you were there. 

AND...if you like some of the Technique Junkies stamps, you can use my code on my blog post to get 10% off your order!

So....off to bed I go now.  Gotta get my rest, so I can get better.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings and joy,

lynda

 

Sweet Thankful Snowman

I just adore this precious little snowman from Penny Black!  He makes me smile!

I used Penny Black stamps:
Sweet snowman 40-006 (main image)
Salutations 30-014 (Thank you)
Winter whites & greens 30-057 (tree and embossed snowflakes)
Inside of card:  Jolly friends 30-058 (hat and snowflake)

I stamped the snowman onto an A2 card and used watercolor and Tombow markers to paint him.  I masked him and stamped the tree behind him, and added some Faber Castell pastel with a cotton ball.  I made some 'hills' by cutting a paper scrap into curved shapes, then rubbed the pastels over the paper onto the card.

The snowflakes are embossed with Judi-Kins agean silver embossing powder.  In real life these snowflakes twinkle with lots of sparkly, colors.

Inside I stamped the thank you, and fussy-cut the hat from the snowman in the jolly friends set, along with some snowflakes.  
Inside:

 I am adding my card to these challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Thank you

Make My Monday - Snow fun

Happy Little Stampers watercolor challenge - Anything goes

Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge - Anything goes

Splitcoaststampers Featured Stamper challenge - case featured stamper card

I'm so glad you stopped by today.  Thank you for visiting.  Check out the challenges above if you have a moment.  Lots of fun and great cards there.  

Tomorrow I will be making my pies for Thanksgiving, and getting the house ready for the 'kids.'  I love family gatherings, especially at the holidays.  We are blessed, indeed, to have our family, and I cherish every moment with them. 

Blessings, and happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

lynda

Believe Poinsettia Card

I am finally getting around to posting my card for the Penny Black at Allsorts challenge this month.  

The theme is Flower Power, so I went with this beautiful stamp from one of my PB oldies but goodies (Winter Glow 2808L).  

I inked the stamp with Tim Holtz distress inks, placed a piece of Strathmore vellum bristol in my Misti, and stamped the flower.  I started with a light shade, and gradually added darker shades to build up the color.  The Misti is great for this technique. 

When the image was dry (ok...so I hurried it along with a heat tool), I used a VersaMark embossing pen to add some gold embossing to areas of the image, then embossed it.  I also embossed the 'believe' (from a Fiskars small Christmas set).  

I am also adding my card to:  Happy Little Stampers Watercolor Challenge and Addicted To Stamps Challenge (Make your mark).

I added some extra shading and details to the poinsettia petals and leaves with my Prismacolor colored pencils.  With my Clarity brush, I added a light purple haze around the flower, then stamped some Penny Black background stamps (Letter Background, swirl, and swirl border) for interest.  Some spatters, a few crystals, and some gold cording finish it off.

My design team duties have been keeping me busy, so I haven't been as active here on my blog.  I was honored to be asked by SCS moderator, Lydia, to join the Dirty Dozen Design Team at Splitcoaststampers last month.  Can't believe I'm in my second month as a 'Dirty Girl!'  I love the community there, and have been enjoying getting to know everyone.  If you haven't been to the SCS site, do pop in and say hello.  Check out the amazing galleries, and the fun forums.  There are also lots of challenges available to join.  If you are not a SCS member, it only takes a minute to join.  It's a wonderful resource for inspiration and ideas.  And there are tons of free tutorials on the site!  Here is a link to my gallery.  The cards I've been making for the Dirty Dozen Design Team are in the Fan Club section.  You can find information about the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club HERE.  The rest of my cards are in my gallery.  My SCS identification is JustCallMeNana.  The 'my gallery' link above will take you there.

I also received an invitation to join the Technique Junkies design team a couple of weeks ago.  I have been busy, busy, busy getting my cards ready for my first post on that site in late November.  I hope you will stop by to check out the TJ blog and say hello!  You will love the stamp designs.  You can see a card I made a while ago, using TJ's stamps on my blog HERE.  And another one HERE.

Now that I have worked out all the techie stuff (I hope), I will be around here more often.  I miss my little Cafe!  I will be back to my normal posting schedule very soon. 

I appreciate you taking the time to stop by.  If you feel inclined, let me know in the comments if you prefer traditional Christmas colors or tend to go for the non-traditional, as in this poinsettia.  I love both, just depends on my mood!

Blessings,

lynda

In My Thoughts Anemones Card

I just received my order with my stamps from The Ton, and couldn't wait to use them.  I've been drooling over this anemones set for a while now, and finally have it.  So, today's card....

 Stamps:  Fresh Cut Anemones - The Ton
                Verse - Thoughtful Poppies - The Ton
                Various background stamps- unknown
Stencil:  Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi - dots & stripes borders
Inks:  Tim Holtz distress inks
Tools:  Misti, Clarity stencil brushes, distress applicators

I started with a pale pink A2 card.  On a panel slightly smaller, I created a row of stripes along the left side, using my Clarity brushes and distress ink.  

On a light pink card stock panel cut slightly smaller than the card front, I stamped the vase from the Fresh Cut Anemones set.  I did not ink up the bottom portion of the vase.  I used the same distress marker color to draw the bottom for the mug, and added a hand-drawn handle, then colored the mug.  I sponged a background, and added some background stamping with a script and flourish stamp.  These are stamps that I have had in my stash forever, unmounted, so I do not know who they are.

On watercolor paper, I stamped and water colored the anemones and leaves.  Then I fussy-cut them, and arranged them in the mug.  I added the verse, and some pearls from Want 2 Scrap.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

The Ton Challenge  - Mood board inspiration

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge -
Anything goes

Less Is More Challenge - Stamp layering

Splitcoaststampers Featured Stamper Challenge - Case one of this week's featured stamper's cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  

Blessings,

lynda

Happy National Pumpkin Day Card

Happy National Pumpkin Day!  To celebrate, I made a card with, well, pumpkins!  Lots and lots of pumpkins.

 I used watercolor paper, and inked the pumpkins with Tim Holtz distress inks and just stamped randomly all over the paper for the background.  I added some sponging to fill in the white.  

For the verse, I stamped it with India Ink black, distressed it a little, then cut with a double stitched die.  I added another double stitched die under it, which I colored with my green distress ink.  I used foam tape to give this dimension.

The leaves were punched from some direct-to-paper card stock, and added with glue dots and foam tape, along with the pumpkin charm with the twine.  All was layered onto a gold panel, then adhered to a white A2 card.

Stamps:  Pumpkins - Printworks Q019 Thanksgiving Blessings; Verse - Printworks (don't have name or item #)
Dies:  Our Daily Bread Designs double stitched rectangles
Punch:  McGill oak leaf
Inks:  Tim Holtz distress inks

I hope you are enjoying some pumpkin things today.  Pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cookies, pumplin pie, pumpkin bread.  Yummy.  

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Happy Little Stampers Watercolor challenge - Anything goes optional gold (border)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Splitcoaststampers Falliday Fest Fall Splendor challengel - Use fall colors

Thanks for visiting. 

Blessings,

lynda