EDS/HSD – Awareness Hop

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Hello Everyone…. I am excited to share with you that over on Instagram we are coming together as a crafty community to raise awareness about EDS/HSD and support @ehlers.danlos . The EDS/HSD are a group of connective tissue disorders that often go undiagnosed and unvalidated. Thank you for joining us in this effort to spread the word. Come join us over on Instagram to hop along for some gorgeous card making inspiration and the opportunity to win prizes form over 25 AMAZING sponsors. The hop begins with my amazing friend @handmadebytasha13 My friend Natasha has shared amazing resources and posts over the last week. I am sharing them here as well if you would like to learn more about EDS/HSD.

I was so excited to create a card to support my dear friend Natasha and I knew I wanted it to be special! Today I am using these beautiful tulips from Unity Stamp Company – Kit of the Month! I love receiving happy mail each month and the kit is loaded with AMAZING stamps! You can see this month’s kit here – as well as a link to other memberships as well! I started by stamping my image using WOW embossing ink and I used Gilded Gold embossing powder from Brutus Monroe. I used Canson XL Water color card stock today. I recently purchased Peerless water colors and let me tell you – I LOVE them! They are so bright and easy to work with! I also added a shadow in a gray tone around the tulips as well. I set these aside to dry.

I used the Grateful sentiment stamp from the April Kit of the Month – Unity Stamp Company. I stamped this on black card stock and used white embossing powder. Once my tulip panel was dry, I added splatters in gold. Then I ran this through my Spellbinders machine and used the Gina Marie Designs Only Pierced dots rectangle die. I used a Hero Arts rectangle die to trim the panel and then adhered this to a black card base. I added a few sequins to the panel and added clear drops to the center of each sequin.

I mentioned above that we have 25 AMAZING sponsors – come join us on Instagram for a chance to win these amazing prizes!!!!! You have until May 30th to hop along!!!!!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies:

Thank you for your support! Crafty Hugs!

Natasha

Alex Syberia Design May Digi Stamp Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

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Hi Everyone and Welcome back! I am so excited to be a part of Alex Syberia’s May release and blog hop! If you have been following me for sometime, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Alex’s work! She is a talented artist, card marker, and she is truly the sweetest too! So I am so EXCITED & honored to be a part of this AMAZING May release and blog hop! You can see the new May release at Alex’s shop here and all her beautiful inspiration on her blog! Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite tea, you will love her blog and be inspired!!!!!

To celebrate this release, Alex is giving away 7 – $10 gift certificates. Please leave a comment on each of the participating designers’ blogs/IG accounts in this blog hop by 05/22/2020 for a chance to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs/IG accounts listed below and will be announced on Alex’s blog on 05/23/2020. Be sure to hop along all the crafter’s blogs to see the amazing cards! The hop begins with the Alex Syberia. If you are following along the hop you arrived here from the talented Ilda Dias. A full list of all blogs is listed below as well!

For my first card I am using the new Precious Flower set. I love Alex’s flowers, they are so beautiful and so much fun to color. When I work with digital images I work in word to create my card base. For this card I wanted to create a slimline card. The precious flowers were perfect for layering to create my card. I layered 3 Precious Flowers and turned them in different directions to create my card panel. I then printed my card on Canson Mixed Media paper and couldn’t wait to color! I used my Tombow markers for this card. I used the following colors: pink (723, 803, 685, 636), Blue (515, 528, 555, 620), and leaves (173, 228, 379). Between layers I let the color dry, then I add my next layer. When my coloring was complete I cut down the panel to create a slime line card. I then added splatters in white and a bright yellow. Once dry I adhered the white panel on a piece of black card stock, then glued this onto a slim line card base. I set this aside. I chose 2 sentiments from The Gray Muse – Favorite Card maker sentiment set. I heat embossed these on black card stock using white embossing powder. I used foam tape and added these to my card. I am loving the slim line cards and Alex’s flowers are just the perfect stamp for these cards!

For card 2, I combined 2 sets in Alex’s May release: Almond Blossoms and Kokeshi Doll Mitsuki. I was so excited to work with these dolls. They are all so beautiful and Alex has several Kokeshi dolls in her new release to choose from! I printed these images on Neenah 80lb card stock as I was going to color these in using alcohol markers. On the almond blossoms I used shades of light gray to color each flower. I also added a gold pen to the stamens of each flower. I was so excited to color in Mitsuki – she is just beautiful! Once my coloring was complete I used my Brother Scan and cut to “fussy cut” each image. I trimmed a black panel of card stock to add to my slim line base. I added gold splatters to the black card base. Once dry I adhered all the beautiful stamps to create my slime line. I chose a sentiment from Pretty Pink Posh – Encouraging Greetings and heat embossed this in gold. This sweet doll, just makes me smile! Be sure to check out all the Kokeshi dolls in Alex’s release!

For card 3, I am using the Aloe Close Up card panel. I printed my Aloe panel on Canson Mixed Media Card stock and used my Peerless Water Colors to color this beautiful aloe plant! I used many shades of colors until I achieved the depth of color I was looking for. I let each layer dry between colors. I added a deep navy blue onto the nooks and crannies for added dimension. I adhered my panel to a black card base. To complete my card I heat embossed a sentiment from Hero Arts on black card stock using white embossing powder, I adhered this with foam tape. I added a few clear drops to resemble water droplets. I love this aloe plant stamped image!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I would love it if you would sign up to follow my blog as well if you enjoyed my work! Be sure to comment along the hop, you will be inspired along the way seeing all the AMAZING and beautiful cards using Alex’s May release.

The next person on the hop is the super talented Laura Jane.

A full list of crafty bloggers is here…… be sure to stop be everyone’s page to share some love using Alex’s beautfiul stamps!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you will check out all of Alex’s new release, I know you will love it!

Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Thinking of You – Rachel Vass Designs

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Hi everyone – it is release day over at Rachel Vass Designs. Rachel’s newest digital stamp set is called – Mock Orange Blossom. This set is beautiful, you can check it out here.

I started by working with my image within word. It is fun to resize the image, this allows you to create many different types of cards using 1 stamp set. For my card I used 2 branches. I printed my images on Canson Mixed Media paper. I used my Tombow markers to color in my image. When working on Canson mixed media I place the color on my glass mat and then I pick up the coloring using a water brush. I have found this to work the best, as well as allow the coloring to dry between the layers. I added serval layers of color and completed the coloring by adding some shading to the nooks and crannies. I also used a white gel pen on the flower stamens to allow those to “pop” out.

When my coloring was complete I used my Brother Scan and Cut to “fussy cut” my branches. I added foam tape to both of my branches, as well as the sentiment and set them aside. I then created a water color background on Canson Water Color card stock. Once my card panel was dry, I adhered this to an A2 sized card, adhered my images, as well as my sentiment. I added a few sequins for added shine at the end.

I hope you enjoyed this card! If you haven’t tried digital stamps yet, I would encourage you to try them! Visit Rachel Vass Designs to see this new release plus many other beautiful sets!

Supplies Used:

  • Stamp: Mock Orange Blossom
  • Coloring Medium: Tombow Markers
  • Paper: Canson Mixed Media, Canson Watercolor Card stock, Recollections 100 for card base
  • Other: Sequins

Have a great rest of your Saturday! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Unity Stamp Company… New Release

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Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well and staying healthy! I am excited to share with you beautiful new stamp sets that have released from Unity Stamp Company! I had so much fun creating with these new sets. These new stamps were so fun to color and have such a whimsical feel to them!

For my first card I am using Humble Places by artist Phyllis Harris.

I started by stamping on Canson Mixed media paper, I wanted to create a notecard using this stamp. So I left the front with the image only for now and may add a sentiment later on. I wanted to create a whimsical, water color look for this adorable stamp! As soon as I saw this girl, I fell in love with the stamp! She is the sweetest…. don’t you think? I colored her using Tombow markers. When working with my Tombow markers I place the color on my glass mat and pick up the color using my water brush pen. I added serval layers of color until my coloring was complete. I do wait between layers so my coloring does take me some time. I find this truly makes the watercoloring have better results in the end. I die cut my panel using a Hero Arts nested rectangle, then I used a Gina Marie Designs Only Pierced Dots nested rectangle to add a little interest. I glued the panel onto a black card base and added a few flower sequins and added Stickles to the center of each floral. I hope she brightened your day!

For my second card I am using the new Happiness by Choice – by Phyllis Harris.

I also fell in love with this girl! She is just so peaceful and beautiful at the same time! I followed a similar process with this stamp as card 1. I stamped on Canson Mixed Media paper and colored using my Tombow markers. I allowed the stamped image to dry between layers. To complete my coloring I added Bre Reese Liquid Glitter to her dress! Every girl needs some sparkle, right! Once my coloring was complete I die cut my stamped image using a Double Stiched In and Out Circle die by Gina Marie Designs. I used a background from my stash I had created a little while back. I wanted the green on the bottom to compliment the grass and the purple in the top portion to pull out color from her dress. I used foam tape to adhere the circle and the beautiful stamped sentiment from this set. You can see her sparkly dress in a quick video I am sharing on my instagram page.

For my 3rd card I am sharing Hope and Strength by Graciellie Design. This set recently released as a digital stamp and is now available in red rubber. This set comes with 2 dragon flies (see set for measurements of dragonflies).

For my last card I followed the same process for coloring the dragonfly as shared above for both cards. I wanted this dragonfly to be super sparkly…. I embossed the entire butterfly using WOW Embossing glitter – Fairy Dust! I used a sentiment from the set and foam mounted the dragonfly and the sentiment onto an alcohol ink card panel. I also glued a bit of chunky glitter to the card panel as well for added shine! My card panel was added to a black card base.

Unity Stamp Company also released two more beautiful stamp sets, as well as patterned paper!

There is also an AMAZING sale happening to CELEBRATE Whitney’s BIRTHDAY – see all items on sale here!!!!!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

I hope you are doing well and having some time to craft! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Happy Birthday – Let’s go to the Fair

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Hi everyone! I am back with a fun themed card – do you love summer, the smell of cotton candy, and going to an amusement park? When I see rides, it makes me think of summer days and nights! I am no longer a ride girl, but I still do love the excitement of going to an amusement park -it just makes me happy! Today’s card features the new stencil of the month from Brutus Monroe. I had fun using this stencil to create my card today!

The detail in this stencil was so fun to work with! I created a slim line card for today’s project. I started by ink blending using the stencil on top of Bristol Smooth Card stock. I used 3 colors (from top to bottom): Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, and Seedless Preserves. I used my Picket Fence blending brushes and did several layers until I achieved a smooth blend. I used perfect pearls to add splatters to my card, then set it aside to dry. Once it was dry, I cut it down to make the 3 parts of the amusement park.

I used a gray slim line card base, I adhered a black card stock panel along the bottom, then glued the roller coaster section into the middle, and used foam underneath the Merry -Go-Round and Ferris Wheel to add more dimension. I added a few gold stars to my background as well. I used a sentiment from Super Sentimental (which is currently sold out) but this set is AMAZING! I love all the fun fonts in this set!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

Have a great day! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Be Calm, Be Brave, Be Strong – Unity Stamp Company

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Hi everyone… Happy Mother’s day! I hope this post finds you doing well! I hope you had a wonderful day and a great weekend! I enjoyed some crafty time this afternoon and evening. I was excited to use the Trust It Will Be Okay April 2020 Sentiment Kit from Unity Stamp Company! I purchased this during a recent flash sale and it still happens to be on sale today! The kit contains a large heart shaped stamp with butterflies and 14 encouraging sentiments. I couldn’t wait to ink this one up!

I started by cutting a panel of Canson Mixed Media paper, I was planning to create a slim line card today. I taped down my paper to a board and started to water color using Peerless Water colors – these are AMAZING! I am so excited to add these to my stash, they are so pigmented! From the top down I used: Robins Egg Blue, Sky Blue, and Alice Blue. I used a water brush to apply the colors. I let this panel dry, then I added splatters using the same colors.

Once my panel was dry I used the butterfly heart shape stamp. I stamped the butterflies (Versafine Black Ink) 3 times on my card panel, turning it in different directions. I chose the sentiment Be Calm, Be Brave, and Be Strong from the set. I stamped this using Versafine Black ink on white card stock and then cut it down into 3 sentiment strips. I used foam tape behind each sentiment. I created a slim line card panel 3.5 x 8.5 and adhered a piece of black card stock to my white card base. I then mounted my butterfly panel and my sentiment strips as well. To complete my card, I added sequins for added shine and Perfect Pearls in gold on various butterflies along the panel.

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Unity Stamp Company had a beautiful recent release and many sets are still on SALE – you can see them here!

Supplies Used:

Thank you for stopping by! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Romantic Ruffle – New Release Rachel Vass Designs

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Hi Everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a good start and this post finds you doing well! Most importantly healthy! Today I am back sharing a new release called Romantic Ruffle by Rachel Vass Designs. You can check out this gorgeous new image and of course all her beautiful digital stamps at her ETSY shop.

If you have been following me for awhile, when I work with digital images I often use Canson Mixed Media paper. I have found this paper to be the best for me when working with digital images. I wanted the focal point to be this beautiful bloom, so I resized the image and then printed. I colored this beautiful bloom using shades of blue, purple, and red. I added colors in layers until my flower was complete. I used gold perfect pearls for the center of my flower.

I used a piece of watercolor card stock to create the background. I used my distress inks to create an ink smooshed background. I added splatters using gold watercolors. I foam mounted my floral, adhered my sentiment, and added a few sequins, and my card was complete. I do wish I would have foam mounted my sentiment, but that is ok right….

Have a beautiful day and stay healthy my friends!

Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Monochrome Hello – Altenew Wallpaper Art

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Hi everyone! I hope you are having a good week! Today I am back sharing one of my favorite sets! I was so excited to color the beautiful floral images from the Wallpaper Art set by Altenew. I created a monochrome card, using shades of blue and gold. I will be sharing this as a part of The Flower Challenge – Monochrome. Be sure to check it out, they host fun monthly challenges!

For today’s card I started by choosing 2 of the floral images within the set. I stamped them using WOW Embossing ink and heat set them using Gilded Gold Embossing Powder from Brutus Monroe. The images were stamped on Bristol Smooth card stock. For my coloring today I used my Arteza brush pens. I used 4 shades of blue for my card, from lightest to darkest: A181, A117, A123, A 141. I continued to color and add colors until I felt my flowers had enough dimension. For the flower centers I used Acid Yellow and Honey. I also added colored pencils in the nooks and crannies. I then fussy cut both of my images and set them aside.

I then used the leaves from the set and chose to stamp them using a pattern that would compliment my floral images. I stamped these using WOW embossing ink and Gilded Gold Embossing powder from Brutus Monroe. To complete my background I added a metallic gold splatter. I glued my background on an A2 card base and set this aside. I then decided where I wanted to place my florals. The largest floral is glued to the card base and the smaller floral image is adhered using foam tape. I chose the hello sentiment from the set and used the same Gilded Gold Embossing powder for my sentiment. I then adhered this to my card using foam tape. I hope you enjoyed my monochrome card! It was fun to make! I also enjoyed using a stamp set I haven’t used in awhile!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

  • Stamps: Altenew Wallpaper Art
  • Paper: Bristol Smooth Card Stock for floral image, Re-Collections for card base
  • Coloring Medium: Arteza Brush Pens (blue shades: A181, A117, A123, A 141), Acid Yellow and Honey for center
  • Other: Gilded Gold Embossing powder from Brutus Monroe

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay healthy!

Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

New RED Rubber RELEASE – Unity Stamp Company

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Wow – Happy Friday and Happy May 1st! I can’t believe it is May already! It has been a rainy week here in upstate NY, but today my blog is full of sunshine…. Unity Stamp Company has a beautiful new release – click here to see all the GORGEOUS new stamps! I am going to share several cards today using the new release.

My first card is using this new gorgeous set called One of those People. I was so excited to use this set, as this set is designed by a dear crafty friend of mine, Sandhya Iyer. I am so excited for her as she begins this next creative journey in designing stamps! I had so much fun with this one! I stamped the beautiful floral cluster 2 times on Canson Mixed Media Paper. I used my zigs to color the flowers and leaves. Once my coloring was complete I used my scan and cut to fussy cut each cluster. I created an ink smooshed watercolor background on an A2 sized panel using distress ink: peacock feathers and a navy blue from Stampin up. Once my panel was dry I added silver splatters to the background and metallic purple splatters to the floral cluster. I foam mounted the flowers and adhered my sentiment to the panel and attached this to my card base.

My second card is using the beautiful new release Possible Not Easy, designed by Sandhya Iyer! I am so proud of her! I fell in love with this set right away, Coneflowers are one of my favorite flowers! I stamped the beautiful images on Canson Mixed media paper and used my Tombow markers to color each image. I used a combination of pinks, purple, and even navy blue to color each floral image. I used shades of green and grayish-green to color each leaf in as well. I used my san and cut to fussy cut each floral. I set these aside. I used a background for my florals from my stash. I had created this awhile back. The stencil is from Gina Marie designs, along with some glitter glaze from Brutus Monroe on the left hand side. I adhered the sketchy square panel (also from set), florals, and sentiment…. my card is complete! I love this set and can’t wait to use it again!

For my 3rd card I am sharing the beautiful Happy Mother’ Day set by artist Graciellie Design. This set is releasing in red rubber today!!!!!! It has a beautiful floral cluster, along with florals inside a cup. The sentiments in this set are amazing! This set will be wonderful to create cards for any special female in your life and can be used all year long.

For my 4th card I am using 2 new stamp sets A Faithful Letter background stamp and Hello Sweetheart Bouquet – May Sentiment Kit. I was so excited to combine both of these sets for my card! This background is amazing, the font is so beautiful! I stamped the background on Canson Mixed Media paper and used Distressed inks to create an ink smooshed background. I love the added color this gave to this beautiful stamp. I set this aside to dry. I then stamped the bouquet from the stamp set which is a combination of florals and feathers! WHAT… this is amazing! I colored in these beautiful flowers and feathers using a combination of pinks and teals. I used my scan and cut to fussy cut the image. I die cut a circle using a piece of vellum and adhered my floral image to the vellum. I glued the scripty background panel to an A2 card base. I used black twine and tied this around my card base. I used foam tape to adhere the stamped image and my sentiment to my background panel. I added a few sequins and my card was complete.

Do you love receiving crafty Happy Mail each month… You can also see the new monthly kits that Unity has to offer! I have linked all 4 below. I have loved being a member of the Kit of the Month! The selection of stamps is so amazing and what a wonderful surprise each month. Unity Stamp Company has several monthly subscriptions to choose from! See if one is right for you today! I have linked the new kits for May here!

Today there is also a digital stamp release! You can see them here – Unity Stamp Company digital release.

There is a big flash SALE this weekend too – Happy Birthday Unity – 12th birthday sale!

Stamp Grab bag sale (10 stamps in a bag: sentiments and images)

Thank you for stopping by! You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used/New Release Links

Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

So Very Grateful – Unity Stamp Company

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Hi everyone – I hope you have had a good weekend and are doing well! I am so grateful for my family, my health, friends, and my hobby. I have found my hobby to be so relaxing and a way to unwind after a busy, stressful day! Coloring for me is a way to relax. What do you enjoy doing to relax? Today I am using a gorgeous floral cluster from the April Kit of the Month – Unity Stamp Company. I recently became a subscriber to their monthly kit! I can’t believe the amount of stamps in the kit – it is AMAZING! You can see the subscriptions here – Unity Stamp Company Subscriptions.

I started by stamping the large floral cluster in each corner on Bristol Smooth card stock. I am using Vera Fine Ink – black, as I will be using my Zig markers today. The image has a pot below the floral cluster, but I chose to use the flowers only for today’s card. I was inspired by a color pallet I found, it was pinks, blues, and a peach color. I loved the colors. You can see a list of the colors I used below.

When my coloring was complete I used 2 different rectangle dies. I used a pierced rectangle die to create a pattern around the outside of the card. This die does not cut a rectangle, it adds interest. I then used a Hero Arts rectangle die to cut a center rectangle. I then adhered this rectangle on foam to raise up the center panel a bit. I then glued the outer rectangle frame on a card base, then glued down the center. I added splatter to my card using my zig markers. I wanted the splatters to pick up on the colors from my florals. I used a sentiment So very Grateful -Unity Stamp Company. This was a recent freebie from a recent order- isn’t it beautiful!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

Be sure to visit the Unity Stamp Company – Weekend Flash Sale!

Have a good afternoon. Crafty Hugs,

Natasha