finding my crafty mojo with concord & 9th

It's my last Feature Friday with Concord & 9th! It's been so much fun to create with their most recent release and share with you! 

Today there are two sets from C9 that we are talking about but lately I've been feeling a little blah in the craft room so I decided to give myself a little challenge to see if I could find my crafty mojo. 

Here are the guidelines I set...

• minimal supplies - just the fab Concord & 9th sets we're featuring today, two colors of ink (plus black) and blending brushes.
• a set time - I've been known to take a week or two when creating so for this I gave myself 30 minutes per card. Spoiler, I totally blew it on the time that leads me to the final guideline...
• just have fun and disregard the other rules if that's where my creativity takes me!

Here are the cards I made...

I'm surprised how with the same color scheme one card is so soft and one is so bold. And I'm totally inspired to make more of these cards with more colors!

With Blended Petals card I stamped the image first to have a guide to use with the stencils but the stencils were super easy to use and I could have done it in any order! I'm excited to use the stencils more, it's such a fun way to add color to an image. And how gorgeous are those flowers?!

With Popsicle Party card I applied Ballet Slipper with the base stencil first. Then without moving the stencil I added Honeysuckle ink, blending down from the top. I liked the ombre look so much that I decided to skip the detail layers.

I highly recommend popping over to the C9 blog to see what Channin & Mindy have made! They are both amazing makers that inspire me so much!

And there's a little giveaway on my IG if you have time to stop by there too!

Hope you have a fab weekend!

Carly

cheers card with mft's new card kit

Do you need a card to say cheers? Maybe with little paper martinis to celebrate a birthday or something else fun? Well I've got one to show you! I created it with the MFT Stamps Cheers To Your Birthday card kit...

To create the card I started by die cutting nine martinis from white cardstock. I used a few Cool Gray Copic markers to give the glasses a little shadow. Then I colored the "drinks" with markers as well.

I adhered the drinks to the martini glasses and the the glasses to the card. I'm not a very precise crafter by nature so I drew a pencil line down the card front with a ruler, using that to place the first column of martinis. It was easy to erase after.

The finishing touches were limes slices and tiki umbrellas from the Garnish and Drink Decor die sets (both part of the kit). A stamped sentiment with the Raise A Glass stamp set (also in the kit). And finally a little faux black paint splatter created with a marker.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have time to pop over to the MFT blog to check out more cards made with the kit (and maybe treat yourself to the kit too)!

Hugs!

Carly

cheers to your birthday card kit

If you like to celebrate birthdays by raising a glass & saying "cheers" then I have the perfect card kit for you!

MFT is releasing their latest card kit tomorrow, Cheers To Your Birthday! Here's a little sneak peek...

I used the hands die from In Good Hands and the wine glasses from the Long Stem Barware. I die cut everything from white cardstock and colored with Copic markers.

Here are the colors I used...

• hand on left - E51 & E11
• hand on right - E35 & E37
• glasses (for subtle shadow) - C0, C1 & C3
• wine - R21 & R22

The sentiment is from the fab Raise A Glass stamp set.

Stop by again tomorrow to see more!

Hugs!

Carly

shaker cards with concord & 9th

There's one kind of card I love making the most...shaker cards! I get really excited when I find stamps & dies that instantly shout "make me a shaker" and there are so many awesome sets perfect for shaker cards in the latest Concord & 9th release! 

Let me show you what I mean...

The popsicle from the Sweet Summer set had to be a shaker! How could I resist?! 

I used the die to make a shaker window and then used the matching stencil to ink blend more popsicle on either side of the window. (By the way, how did I not make a rainbow popsicle??!! I guess I know what I'm doing tonight, LOL!)

Next I used the Just Amazing dies to make a shaker window. I ink blended the outline with Honeysuckle ink and adhered it on top of the acetate along with the letter middles.

And finally could any set be more perfect for a shaker than the Triangle Confetti Bundles?! It literally makes confetti, LOL!

I stamped the Triangle Confetti Turnabout once on Sprout cardstock. Then I used the triangle confetti die with double-sided adhesive & glitter to add a few sparkly triangles on the background.

Have I inspired you to make shaker cards this weekend? I hope so!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

mft sketch challenge 603

It's sketch challenge day over on the MFT Stamps blog and after missing the last two challenges I was extra excited for this one! I had a blast making my card but I can't decide if I like how it turned out.

Here's this week's sketch...

And here's my card...

It has so many of my favorite techniques like masking and ink blending...and I had so much fun making it but now I just can't decide if I like it. LOL!!!

I used Distress Oxides inks with some low-tack tape, a bloom from the MFT Stitched Wildflowers and a sweet little sentiment from MFT's current gift with purchase. (I'm posting a little how-to reel on my IG later if you want to see the process.)

So what do you think? Keep or toss?

Hugs!

Carly

P.S. Don't forget that when you join in the sketch challenge (and I hope you do), you might win $50 to the MFT shop! You can find all the info about the challenge HERE on the blog.

mft july vault release

In honor of their 16th birthday MFT Stamps has opened the vault to release some of their most sought-after retired birthday stamps & dies! 

I know you can't wait to check it out but before you run off to shop, I've got a card to share with you...

This release is full of word dies that are just begging to be shakers. I mean how cute does this Bold Happy Birthday die look?!

You can find a reel on my Instagram later today showing how I put this card together. And make sure you head over to the MFT shop to snap up all the word dies! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

one day left until the mft july vault release

Have you heard the news that MFT Stamps is opening their vault to release some of their classic birthday stamps & dies this month in honor of their 16th birthday?

The vault stamps and dies are cute, cute, CUTE! Here's a little peek...

For this card I used a little lazy masking (torn post-it notes) to make rainbow candles with the Happy Birthday Candles set.

I placed the post-its directly on the stamp before inking to create sections for each color. After applying the ink I removed the post-its and stamped. 

I stamp one color at a time and it takes an extra few minutes to mask each color but I love the look! And I love how the Distress Oxide inks (Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Salvaged Patina & Twisted Citron) layer to create additional shades.

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you have time, over to the MFT blog to see more of what is coming tomorrow!

Hugs!

Carly

let's countdown to another amazing mft vault release!

Did you know that MFT Stamps is celebrating their sweet 16th birthday this month? And for their birthday they are giving us a second chance at some of their cutest birthday stamps & dies including the Wish die. You know I've never met a word die that I didn't want to turn into a shaker card, haha!

Here's my formula for creating a word shaker card...

• die cut the word from a 110lbs cardstock panel and save any letter middles or in this case, the flame.
• back with acetate to create the shaker window. I like to put double-sided tape on the edges of the acetate and glue pen around the die cut letters to make it very secure.
• ink blend on the card front where the shaker window will be.
• create "shaker container" around shaker window with foam tape.
• fill shaker container with sequins & bits.
• seal shaker window with another piece of acetate.
• adhere shaker panel to card front.

To add a little extra dimension, I colored the flame die cut yellow and adhered it to the shaker window. Then I applied a nice thick coat of Glossy Accents and set it aside to dry.

And by the way, I decided to put the sentiment on the inside of the card. The Essential Birthday Messages are perfect for that!

To see more of what's coming from the MFT vault, pop over to the MFT blog and YT. And mark your calendars for the vault release this Tuesday, July 19th ;)

Hugs!

Carly

concord & 9th july 2022 release

Have you seen Concord & 9th's fabulous new stamps and dies this month? They really are fab and I know because they've asked me to guest design for them this month so that means I get to show & tell you all about it. YAY!

Today let's chat about the Triple-Step Hi Bundle, the Double Stripe Card Front Die and a couple of cards I made with them...

For this card I used the negative die cut "hi", placing it over a background cut with the Double Stripe Card Front die.

I often stay away from background dies because I struggle to find the precision I think is required to be successful with them...BUT this die is foolproof! Truly impossible to mess up!

It can work for horizontal of vertical cards and it has little notches on two of the corners to make it so easy to line up.

I used the Double Stripe die with Grapefruit cardstock, then masked & ink blended a section with Honeysuckle ink so the "h" and "i" would be different colors. I love the bold & graphic feel of it but the texture from the Double Stripe Card Front Die really makes it!

A layered "there" die cut (from the Triple-Step Hi Bundle) and a little white splatter finished the design.

For this card I used just the base layer of the three-step stamp in the Triple-Step Hi stamp but like the name says there are three layers - the base letters, the flowers and the leaves. The layers line up perfectly and I know because I stamped half a dozen panels just for fun.

I ink blended a card front with Honeysuckle and Grapefruit inks then stamped the "hi" in black.

I die cut a white panel with the "hi" and adhered it over the top. Finishing with a stamped sentiment, a little faux black splatter and some white jewels.

Let me finish today's post by saying, thank you to Concord & 9th! I'm having so much fun with these sets!

And I LOVE big word dies! Seriously I am smitten with this "hi" and I'm going to be using it so much. Shaker card coming soon *wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

summer sweets card with mft stamps

The latest MFT Stamps release is bursting with sweet summer vibes, including the sets I used to make this card!

The adorable van stamp from the Chill Friends set is the perfect partner for the goodies from Sweet Treats. I mean who doesn't love an ice cream truck?!

I layered some Distress Oxide ink blended lines to create an abstract rainbow road for my truck to travel.

If you haven't had a chance, I highly recommend popping over to the MFT blog to see more of the new release!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

final countdown to mft stamps july release

There's only one more day until the MFT Stamps July release is available and I couldn't let the countdown go by without sharing a shaker card with you!

This card might be a signature "Carly" card, LOL! I've mixed a stamped sentiment with die cuts AND the shaker window is a word. Plus the shaker background is rainbow ink blending. And a cute critter to top it all off! How cute is the little skate boarding puppy from the new Let The Good Times Roll set?!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget you can find more peeks at the MFT June release on their blog and YouTube channel.

Hugs!

Carly

rainbow stamping with mft stamps

We are counting down the days to the latest MFT Stamps release and there are only two more days to go! Today I have a super simple card to share with you that features a super easy rainbow inking techniques!

For this technique you need a solid stamp like the one in the MFT Happy Happy Birthday stamp set. This is such a cute set with so much potential! 

In addition to the stamp, you need a rainbow of inks, post-it notes (or low tack tape) and probably a stamp positioning tool unless you are amazing at lining things up.

Then just use the post-its to mask sections while inking. For example covering everything but most of the H & a little top of the A while inking them stamp with orange. Then removing the masks and stamping. 

Then placing mask that leave the bottom of the H, the whole A and part first P to get inked with pink, before removing the masks and stamping again.

I love the rainbow this creates especially with Distress Oxide inks that overlap so beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by! You can find more peeks at the MFT June release on their blog and YouTube channel.

Have a great day!

Carly

P.S. Should I make a quick video showing this? Or maybe a reel on IG? Let me know what you think!

the mft stamps july release countdown day 3

We're halfway to the MFT Stamps July release and I've got a quick card to share!

I can already see that the new Stitched Wildflowers die set is going to get a lot of use in my craft room! It's such a fun collection of blooms but for this card I just used one.

I swiped my ink pads directly on white cardstock to create custom colored cardstock. This is a great trick if you want something to match or if you are chronically short on colored cardstock like I am, LOL!

After the ink was dry I die cut a bunch of the large retro-y stitched flower. I create a simple pattern on my card front, trimming off any flowers that were hanging over the edge.

My spacing isn't perfect with the flowers but I think blooms are thankfully pretty forgiving.

The sentiment is from the Sweet 16 stamp set and it's a fun FREEBIE! Definitely pop over to the MFT blog to see more!

Hugs!

Carly

a silly cow card - mft stamps july release countdown day 4

There are 4 days left until the MFT July release and today I've got a silly cow card to show you!

My toddler loves to sing Old MacDonald and make animal noises so I was thrilled to see the Farm-tastic Friends stamps & dies. Plus I've been known to utter the phrase "holy cow" quite a lot, lol!

I have no idea why I decided to color the cow blue but I like it. I used the Essential Alphabet dies for the "holy cow". And I think I might actually want to change out the black for a matching blue one.

Thanks for stopping by! You can find more peeks at the MFT June release on their blog and YouTube channel.

Have a great day!

Carly