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Tuesday, April 23, 2019

diy stencils with die cuts

One of my favorite ways to get more from my die cuts is to create easy DIY stencils. I'm sharing a little bit more about it on the Neat & Tangled blog today.
Come on over and say hi!
Carly

Sunday, April 21, 2019

national tea day shaker card

Happy National Tea Day friends! I'm joining some talented ladies from Honey Bee Stamps & the Coffee Loving Cardmaker's blog to have a little tea-themed hop! (If you're hopping with us, you should be arriving from Galina's awesome blog.)
I created a punny word shaker card to celebrate today, a best tea card for my bestie! And I have a little video of the process too...



Some tips for creating word shakers...
  • Use a light pencil line to help line up individual letter dies.
  • Secure perfectly lined up dies with low-tack tape before die cutting.
  • Add a little glue around letter openings before adhering acetate.
Grab a cup of tea and head to the next stop on our hop to see what the fabulous Keiko has created!

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs!

Saturday, April 20, 2019

drippy watercolor + happy beeday blog hop

Honey Bee is celebrating their 4th birthday with a tremendous new release and a blog hop so fantastic that it's taking two days! LOL! (And if you're hopping with us, you should be arriving from Cathy Zielske's blog.)
There are so many sets in this release that I love, I seriously can't pick a favorite to share with you so I decided to pick one of my favorite watercolor techniques...drippy watercolor with Distress Inks. (And you check out the whole release HERE.)

This is a glazing/overlaying watercolor technique with a little intentional messiness thrown in. It's perfect with Distress Inks and so fun with the Honey Bee Flutter By set.

See my drippy watercolor in action in this short video...







Honey Bee is also doing a fun giveaway, a Spring Fling Prize Pack that includes the Spring Peony stamp and dies, Spring Fling paper, Spring Fling enamel dots, and the Radiant Background Stencil!

To enter to win, just comment at each blog hop stop!

Thanks for stopping by! To keep hopping, head over to Laura Bassen's blog and have fun!

Hugs!
Carly

supplies:

Friday, April 19, 2019

star shaped card front + new neat & tangled

Cards with shaped fronts are easy to create and fun to surprise a friend with!
I've been loving the bright blue & fuchsia galaxies paired with the adorable fairies from the new Neat & Tangled Dream Big and To The Stars stamp sets.

This is my 5th card with the same sets and colors! I just can't quit! Here's a quick video of how this one came together...




Thanks for stopping by and happy Friday!
Carly

Thursday, April 18, 2019

neat & tangled to the star shaker card

There's only one more day until you can get your hands on the new Neat & Tangled release, YAY! 

I've been having fun with it and I couldn't resist creating a shaker card to add to the trio of ginger fairy cards I have already created this week...
I inked another bright galaxy to be the background of my shaker (I might be addicted) and then filled it with the pretty new Neat & Tangled Enchanted sequin mix.

Head over to the Neat & Tangled blog where you can see more before the release tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!
Carly

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

neat & tangled receding background

Do you follow my crafty friend Miriam Prantner? If not you definitely should (here's her blog) because she comes up with the coolest designs for cards and stamps too! 

This new Neat & Tangled background stamp is Miriam's design and it is so fun!


I love how versatile this background can be...it can be soft & subtle like my card (just embossed in clear over an inked background). Or it can really bold like something one of my teammates is sharing today! Make sure you head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see what I mean!

Have a great day!
Carly

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

neat & tangled dream big

Want to see a another Neat & Tangled sneak peek? I know you do! Here is a little bit of the new Dream Big set...


I had so much fun making a bright galaxy background for the first card (on my blog here if you missed it), that I made more! I love how the Distress Oxide looks layered over the CP Flirty Fuchsia!

And I love coloring Elena's designs! I feel like the images are so cute that it doesn't matter if my coloring is basic, LOL! But I am practicing!

Please make sure you head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see what my talented teammates have created. And learn about prizes!

Thanks for stopping by!!!
Carly


Monday, April 15, 2019

shaping die cut letters

Sometimes I have an idea in my head but I'm not sure how to actually execute it, like shaping my die cut letters into a circle. Heavens knows if I tried to eyeball it, it would be some other crazy, crooked shape!

After I sorted out an easy method to make the shape, this clean & simple card came together in a snap! The trick...I used a circle cut from masking paper as a guide!

Here's a quick video...


Thanks for stopping by!
Carly

supplies:
affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you! 
Essentials by Ellen A Breve Note Stamps
Essentials by Ellen Letterboard Dies
Copic Markers BG10, BG11, BG32, E35 & E37
Solar White Cardstock
Stick It Adhesive
Masking Paper

neat & tangled to the stars

It's time for Neat & Tangled sneak peeks! Are you excited? I'd say raise your hands but I can't see you so I'll just assume you are all as excited as I am!!!

Miriam has created a really cool background stamp (which I will show you later this week) and Elena has illustrated two dreamy stamp sets! Here's a little peek of one of them...

This is the To The Stars set and isn't is adorable?!
I loved coloring this little ginger fairy and creating a bright galaxy background for her!

Now make sure you head over to the Neat & Tangled blog to see what my talented teamies have created. And learn about prizes!

Have a great day!!!
Carly

Friday, April 12, 2019

catherine pooler club sursee

Nothing makes me happier than new crafty goodies arriving in my mailbox! Ok, well that's not exactly true because if candy was arriving in my mailbox, it would be hard to choose which made me happier...but I'm getting off topic!

There is a fun new way to get crafty treats in the mail and I think it's really cool so I wanted to share! Club Sursee is a new monthly subscription box from my sweet friends Catherine Pooler.

Check out the fun I've been having with the premier box...


The gorgeous wildflowers included in the first Club Sursee were so fun to use with Kuretake Art & Graphic Twin Markers! I colored the directly on the stamps with the markers and then misted them before stamping for a messy watercolored effect. 



So if you are needing a happy-crafty-mail-delivery, you can learn more about Club Sursee HERE!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
Carly 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

using small stamps with trinity stamps seasonal sweetheart

I'm over on the Trinity Stamps blog today with SUGAR!!! I mean LOLLIPOPS!!! I mean ways to use small stamps! Sorry, I got distracted by candy. I love candy even when it's paper! *haha*
Come on over and say hi!

Hugs!
Carly

Saturday, April 6, 2019

faux watercolor technique with essentials by ellen

I love an easy stamping trick that produces great results like this faux watercolor technique! And another bonus...you only need a few supplies - watercolor cardstock, water-reactive ink like Distress Inks, a spray bottle and a solid stamp!

The technique is super easy...
  1.  Ink solid stamp with water-reactive ink.
  2.  Mist stamp with water before stamping on watercolor cardstock. Give yourself a few practice runs to figure out how many sprays it takes to achieve the results you want.
  3.  Let dry or dry with heat gun and TA-DA!
Here's a quick video of the process...




Thanks so much for stopping by!
Carly


supplies:

Friday, April 5, 2019

diy enamel embellishments with the stamp market dies

One of my favorite ways to create with die cuts is to turn them into DIY enamel embellishments! 
I've had a blast creating some DIY enamel embellishments with brand new dies from The Stamp Market and we are having a little blog hop today so I get to show them off to you! (If you are hoping with us, you should be arriving from The Stamp Market blog.)

I've created a quick video to show you my process...





Here are my quick tips for creating DIY enamel embellishments...
  • layer 3 die cuts to provide stability and prevent warping when glossy medium is applied
  • temporarily secure layered die cut to an acrylic block with low-tack tape before applying glossy medium
  • Tonic Nuvo Drops and Ranger Glossy Accents are both great glossy mediums but I find Glossy Accents works better for larger surfaces (less cracking)
  • use craft pick to pull out any air bubbles
  • add glitter (if desired) while glossy medium is wet

Thanks so much for stopping by and please head on over to Thurston Post to see what Rebecca has created! She always knocks my socks off!!!

Hugs! 
Carly


supplies:

watercolor with nuvo shimmer powders + pinkfresh studio's 5th birthday


I love taking new crafty products for a test drive and my latest experiment with Nuvo Shimmer Powders turned out pretty fun! Especially because I paired them with two of my favorite Pinkfresh sets! It is their birthday after all!

If you hopping along with us for Pinkfresh Studio's 5th birthday, you should be arriving from Jung AhSung. And if you would like to hop with us, you can start over at the Pinkfresh blog.




Now I paired the powders with two of my favorite Pinkfresh sets, not only to celebrate Pinkfresh's 5th birthday but also to help guarantee I would like the results and make them into cards...and not just leave mystery watercolored panels on my desk. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that? *haha*

Let me quit rambling and you can see the Nuvo Shimmer Powders in action...






Ok, now before you go on to the next hop stop! Let's talk about all the cool GIVEAWAYS! 
  • Pinkfresh is giving away 3 grand prizes so make sure you stop by their blog! They are also running some great specials so you are probably going to want to shop!
  • You also have a chance to win $25 to the Pinkfresh shop by leaving comments here and at each hop stop!
  • Winners will be announced on the Pinkfresh Giveaway page on April 14th so please make sure to check there (winners have two weeks to claim there prize).

BLOG HOP LIST

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Carly


supplies: