Special Little One

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog. 

Can't believe that April is drawing to a close in a couple of days. Spring is breaking out all over our neighborhood. Trees are budding and some in bloom, tulips and hyacinths are still around. And the beautiful dogwoods are everywhere or so it seems. 

My hubby has already planted his beans, onions and kale. He also planted sunflower and zinnia seeds today. Next month he will have the rest of his vegetable garden in place. 

I noticed the other day that his garlic is coming up. Early June we will enjoy the garlic scapes. That's the green leafy stems that come up out of the ground. They have a wonderful garlic flavor and can be used the same way you would use chopped garlic. It's wonderful in pesto.

Now let's move onto my card for today. This one I created for the color challenge #787 on Splitcoaststampers. I was the hostess and I chose pink petal, mint macaron and so saffron for my color trio. Optional was to make a congratulations card. 

petal pink, mint macaron, so saffron

I need a baby card for my niece who is due in 2 weeks and having a baby girl. So hence the optional item and color choices this week. 

My images are from the "bear on cloud with moon" die from CottageCutz. The sentiment is from the beautiful baby stamp set from MFT. I stamped in mint macaron ink.

The mint macaron background paper is from the "tranquil textures" collection from Stampin'-Up. I added some mint macaron ribbon. This was originally white and I used the mint macaron Stampin' Blend to color it. Worked like a charm. 

To finish off my card I cut a few stars in pink and my card is done. And, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.......God bless. 

card details:

Stamps: beautfiul baby (MFT)

Paper: mint, macaron, petal pink, so saffron, baked brown sugar, whisper white, tranquil textures dsp (Stampin'-Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: mint macaron

Accessories: bear on cloud and moon, cross stitched rectangle die (CottageCutz), ribbon (Darice)

I am also entering:

1.  Unicorn Challenge is furry friends.
2.  A Place to Start has a ribbon or bows challenge. 
3.  Country View Challenges has an animal magic challenge.
4.  Die Cut Divas has an animal challenge.
5.  Cutie Pie Challenge is Bunnies,  Bears and other B's.

Hello Friend

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. Hope you all had a nice weekend and that you had something to do to keep busy during this stay at home time. 

Our PA Governor is going to start a very small scale re-opening of some businesses this coming Friday in PA. I suppose he has a planned schedule for our state. People need to get back to work. It's been a huge stress on a lot of people all across the globe.

Anyway, let's move onto a more pleasant topic and that would be my card for today. Yhis one I made for my youngest son for his birthday. He is a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies and this die reminded me of Gandalf. A major character in the series. 

My die is from CottageCutz - Magical Wizard. The background paper is from Brutus Monroe - the Galaxy collection. I thought it had a mystical look to it. So perfect for this image. My cardstock is all from Stampin'-Up. 

Well, this is a very short post today. So until next time.......God bless.

card details:

Stamps: gnome sweet gnome (Sugar Pea Designs)

Paper: gorgeous grape, highland heather, daffodil delight, whisper white, poswer pink, soft suede (Stampin' -Up), water galaxy dsp (Brutus Monroe)

Paper Size: 4 1/2" x 5 3/4"

Ink: gorgeous grape (Stampin'-Up)

Accessories: magical wizard, sun & clouds dies (CottageCutz)

I am also entering:

1.  Crafting Happiness has an anything goes challenge w/option of occupation. I am submitting a wizard (lol)!!

2.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anything goes challenge. 

3.  Gem of a Challenge has an anything goes. 

4.  The Fairy and the Unicorn has an anything goes fantasy challenge. 

5.  Crafty Catz has an anything goes with optional to add a sentiment. 

Hugs From The Garden

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this last Saturday in April. Just wondering how this month passed by so quickly?

It's a warm and sunny day here right now. Rain is expected this afternoon. So I went out for a 2 mile walk this morning. It was early and quiet. I listened to some worship music and moved along at a nice pace. Now I hear the lawn mowers running and more people are out walking on my street.

  

When I came home my precious granddaughter was anxiously awaiting my Facetime call. She sent me a message while I was walking to call. She just got a new baby doll and she likes to go through a routine with me on Facetime. She changes , dresses and feeds the baby. Then I pick out the outfit she will wear for the day. It's the same thing for the past 3 days but she never gets tired of it. I am her cyber playmate (lol!).

Now let's move onto my card for today. This one I created for my weekly DT post on the CottageCutz Blog. I am featuring the new Garden Border and Gardening Hat & Gloves to create a Mother's Day card. It's my first for this year, but I make a lot and send them to my family and friends. This year they will especially like the kind thoughts. So let's get started with some details on how I created my card. 

Design Steps:

This week I am using the Splitcoaststampers sketch #798 for my card layout. As soon as I saw it, I thought it would work well for both of the dies I am showcasing today.

Next, I selected my designer paper and coordinating cardstocks so I could cut the die images in matching cardstocks. The designer paper is a vellum paper. I really liked the floral motif. By layering the pink cardstock underneath it will give the appearance of a pink background.

I cut the die images in pear pizzazz (light green) and the gloves in petal pink. These 2 colors are in the designer paper. The bands are cut in a fig cardstock. Also a color on the designer paper.

For layer 2 of the sketch I cut a piece of fig cardstock 1 1/4" x 5 3/8". I used a subtle pink ribbon to overlay the cardstock.

I wanted a small sentiment on the front of the card. I decided to stamp directly on the watering can. With the help of my MISTI, I was able to triple stamp to get the depth of color I wanted. Used a fig ink. I will have the Happy Mother's Day sentiment on the inside of the card.

I attached the die images to the front panel with double sided tape . On the garden hat, I used dimensional adhesive to lift it slightly off the background.

To finish off my card, I secured the image panel to the card base. I added a few pink rhinestones to the flower centers.

 Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.......God bless.

I am also entering:

1.  Crafty Catz has an anything goes challenge with option to add sentiment.

2.  Creative Knockouts has a friendship challenge. 

3.  Krafty Chicks has an all occasion challenge. Mine is Mother's Day for a friend. That sentiment will be on inside. 

4.  Southern Girls has an anything goes challenge. 

5.  Simon Says Stamp has a flower power challenge. 

Floral Blooms Birthday

Hello Blogger friends! Happy Sunday to you. We started our day here in our home with our online church service. 

Our Pastor had an excellent message on fear. Lots of biblical scripture to illustrate what he was preaching on. Here is a Facebook link to it, in case any of you might be interested. It starts off with some prerecorded worship and the actual message is 15 minutes later. 

Then my precious little granddaughter called me on FaceTime. We spent an hour together. So I am having a great day today.

Now, let's move onto my card for today. I used the Spring Blooms die from CottageCutz to create a birthday card.  Here are my design steps:

I started my card this week by selecting a designer paper. I already had a layout in mind using the Stitched Wide Rectangle Frame die that would frame the paper. I found this paper that was in a galaxy collection that I thought would work well because of the soft colors.

I paired it up with Stampin'-Up's highland heather (purple) cardstock

Heather card base: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Pierced Wide Frame: 3 3/4" x 4 3/4"

 and cut the frame in purple posy (light purple) cardstock.

I then cut the blooms various cardstock colors. You could always cut in white cardstock and then sponge on colors or color with markers or pencils.

I stamped the birthday sentiment directly on the designer paper in a grape ink.

I decided to add this panel to the card base before I attached the die cut blooms. Just in case I decided to take the flowers outside the frame. 

Next I attached the flower spray. I laid it out before attaching to get an idea of where everything should go. I used a combination of glue dots and multi-matte adhesive. 

I worked from the bottom up and used the packaging photo for help with placement. I adjusted to fit my card design. 

I added a few of the lighter purple sequins to finish off my card.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.............God bless.

dies I used to create card:

Card details:

Stamps: be blessed (Verve)

Paper: highland heather, purple posy, gorgeous grape, pear pizzazz, daffodil delight (Stampin'-Up), galaxy dsp (Paper Studio)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: gorgeous grape, berry burst (Stampin'-Up)

Accessories: Spring Blooms die (CottageCutz), woven threads sequins (Stampin'-Up)

I am also entering:

1.  WT787 on Splitcoaststampers wants us to use the color purple.

2.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anythinggoes challenge.

3.  Sweet Stampin' Challenge is bloomon' wonderful.

4.  Creative Fingers Challenge is anything goes. 

5.  Aud Sentiments is celebrating 10 years with a birthday sentiment challenge.   

Garden Wheelbarrow

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this Saturday in April. 

It has been really cold here the past several days so that's interfered with my outside walking. When temps are 40° or below I am not interested in being outside. It hasn't stopped my hubby though. I guess I am just a fair weather walker (lol)!!! Plus we have had no sun for 3 days so that makes it seem even colder. 

Needless to say, with the current stay at home order and cold weather, I am more than anxious to get outside for awhile. President Trump has laid out a plan for the gradual re-opening of America. I will have to wait and see what our Governor here in PA is going to do. 

Now let's move onto my card for today. This one I created for my weekly DT post on the CottageCutz Blog. There was a new release of Garden dies and today I am featuring the Garden Wheelbarrow and Garden Phrases dies. 

This was a work in progress for me this week. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do, but I would have to lay it all out to see how it would look. I started by cutting the wheelbarrow and flowers. I used various colors of Stampin'-Up cardstock for the die elements.

Next, I cut a phrase from the Garden Phrases die. I couldn't decide which one to use but eventually settled on the Live life in full bloom phrase. But any of the three would have worked for my card. I am going to use this as a birthday card with the birthday sentiment on the inside.

I wanted the wheelbarrow and phrase to have a fence as the backdrop. I first used an embossing folder but I didn't like that look. So I pulled out this Hardwood background stamp from Stampin'-Up and used it to stamp my fence background. I used a light gray cardstock (smoky slate) and the matching ink. 

I didn't like the look of the fence without a bottom border of grass. So I cut a grass layer using the Spring Grass die. It gave a more finished look to my fence.

I started card assembly and attached the wheelbarrow first using dimensional adhesive. I lifted it off the fence background slightly. 

Next up, I attached the phrase using Ranger multi matte adhesive. I cut it 2x to give the phrase a bit more dimension. 

To finish off my card, I attached the image panel to the red (lovely lipstick) card base. I also scattered a few lovely lipstick enamel dots.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.......God bless. 

dies I used to create card:

I am also entering:

1.  Allsorts has a flowers/showers challenge.

2.  Creative Fingers has an anything goes challenge.

3.  Cut It Up has an "our beautiful earth" challenge. 

4.  Dies R Us has a Spring Flowers challenge.

5.  Crafter's Café has a flowers challenge.

6.  Simon Says Stamp has a knock on wood challenge. 

  

Easter Cross

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this Easter Sunday 2020. 

It's a different celebration this year with the stay at home orders in place. We watched our church service live streamed on Facebook. Our Pastor encouraged us to dress up as if we were in attendance at church. So that's what my husband and I did. It felt good to have makeup on again and be dressed in something other than jeans. 

I have a ham in the oven for Easter dinner. It smells so good in my home right now. We are going to have an early dinner and then take some of the ham over to my sister-in-law. She has my mother-in-law living with her and buying a ham is just too much meat for them. Ours is 18 lb so we have plenty to share. Nothing will get wasted here. I can make plenty of meals from it and even freeze some of the ham.

Anyway, lets move onto my card for today. I saved this one to post on Easter Sunday. As a Christian the cross represents why we celebrate Easter, our Savior's death and resurrection. 

This one I created for the Splitcoaststampers color challenge #786. Chris was our hostess and hse chose rococo rose, pretty peacock and pool party for her color trio. Optional was to use stripes. 

pretty peacock, pool party, rococo rose

I was in need of one additional Easter card and I thought I would try with these colors. This card made it's way to my mother-in-law. It was a bit more of a challenge than I thought with these colors. But, I think I was able to pull it off. 

I cut my cross in neutrals of crumb cake (kraft) & soft suede. Then used the pretty peacock for the lily stem. The lilies are white with a small accent of rococo rose.

For the optional item, I had some older Stampin'-Up designer paper from the "color me irresistible" collection- I sponged pool party ink on the stripes.
Used some white mesh and pool party seam binding for added interest and finished off my card with a few rococo rose faceted enamel dots. My card layout is an older sketch that I had pinned to one of my Pinterest boards. See that here.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time...….God bless. 

card details:

Stamps: easter lily (impression Obsession)

Paper: pretty peacock, pool party, rococo rose, whisper white, crumb cake, soft suede, embossed designer paper (Stampin'-Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: pretty peacock, pool party (Stampin'-Up)

Accessories: cross w/spring lilies, oval dies (CottageCutz), white mesh ribbon (May Arts), pool party seam binding, rococo rose enamel dots (Stampin'-Up)

I am also entering:

1.  All Fun Challenges has an anything goes with optional of Easter. 

2.  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends has an anything goes.

3.  Allsorts has a something old (Cross die), something new (enamel dots), something borrowed (used bleu striped paper), something blue (blue seam binding) 

4.  Joy of Sets has a tic tac toe- I used - designer paper, ink blending (I ink blended the designer paper)  and flowers. 

Daffodil & Egg garden

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this Saturday in April. 

It's a beautiful, sunny but cold day here in Pittsburgh. We actually had snow yesterday. It didn't amount to much but it was still there. Not that it mattered anyway since we are still under the stay at home order in PA. 

Although, I read that our curve is flattening. That's such wonderful news. Our schools are not going to reopen this school year. So my Preschool is done. I feel so sad because I didn't get to say goodbye to my class. I am putting together their alphabet book that we worked on since October. Not all the letters are in there but it's still a memory from their first year of school. 

Anyway, let's move on to my card for today. Thinking about Preschool makes me too emotional. 

This card I made for my weekly DT post on the CottageCutz Blog. See this post for more photos and info. I featured the new Spring Daffodils & Eggs die. I love daffodils and they are now in bloom all over my neighborhood. Such a pretty welcome sight after the winter season.

I used the sketch challenge #795 on Splitcoaststampers for the card layout. I thought the sketch was a good one to use some designer paper in the background. 

I made more cards to send out for Easter this year to let friends & family know I am thinking of them during this time. What could be a better card for Easter than a Spring garden card- the symbol of new life. This one went to my good friend in Virginia. 

I used balmy blue gingham designer paper from Stampin'-Up. And, the Stitched Squares and Pierced Rectangle dies to cut the shapes. 3 different dies to cut the background layers. I stamped my "rejoice" phrase and this card was finished. 

Well, that's it for me for today. So until next time...….God bless. 

dies I used to create card:

I am also entering:

1.  Crafty Friends has an anything goes challenge.

2.  Alphabet Challenge is "A" for anything goes. 

3.  Polkadoodles Craft Challenge is anything goes.

4.  Southern Girls Challenge is anything goes.  

5.  Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge is anything goes.