The Simple Things.......

Hello everyone: As always, I hope you and your families are doing well, keeping each other healthy and safe.

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I don't create Masculine cards often, and that is a big mistake because I have a hubby, brothers, brothers in law, good neighbors, and, last but not least, a couple of handsome grandsons.

So, here's this card that could be perfect for any of them.

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This is the inside.

And this is what I used.

Stampin' Up! "Apron Builder" die set.

Stampin' Up! "Gorgeous Grunge", for the floor.

I just love, love these little utensils, the apron and accessories are just adorable too.

I want to play with the following challenges.

As You Like It Challenge 

"Feminine or Masculine" and why?

Your Next Stamp "Anything Goes"

Creative Knockouts #459 "Outside Fun" 

Thank you for stopping by today and for your comments, they always make my day.

Until next time, stay healthy and safe.

XO

Maria.

Perfectly CAS with dies.

 Hello, dear blogging friends: I hope and pray you and your families are doing well, staying healthy and safe.

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I've been busy giving my house a thorough Spring cleaning, this past 2 days the temperature has been glorious so, we opened all our windows to let the fresh air flow throughout the rooms, we washed drapes, cleaned windows, carpets, etc. you know how it goes.  But anywho, I have this card I finished last night, but I was too tired to take pictures, write the post, etc. but now, here it is, thank you for stopping by.

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This is the inside.

And this is what I used:

Memory Box "Chrysanthemum Corner Die"

Penny Black "Critter Party" for the little butterfly.

Stampin' Up! "Artistically Inked" for the sentiment in front.

Washi tape is from Creative By Design, you can find it at Amazon.

I want to play with:

Perfectly CAS #25 "Dies"

Thank you for visiting me today and for your comments, they are so very much appreciated.

Stay healthy and safe.

XO
Maria.

Festive Snowman.

Hello everyone: As always, I hope and pray you and your families are doing well, taking care of each other and staying healthy and safe.

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 I have a quick card to share with you using an image that I stamped a while ago and never used, it landed on my box of "pending projects" but I went and fished it out because I saw a challenge in which it will fit just right.

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This is the inside.

And this is what I used.

"Festive Snowman" from Stamps Happen.

The hats are from a Power Poppy set called "Merry Littles"

I cut their noses with an Exacto knife to be able to fit them on their heads.

WOW Glitter.

The sentiment inside is from a Power Poppy set called "Poinsettia"

The snowflakes on the border are from a Power Poppy set called "Glitterhouse Village".

Prismacolor pencils.

I want to play with:

The Divas that Cut.....Paper 

Crafty Catz Challenge # 574, Anything Goes 

optional twist "Christmas: Non Traditional colors"

Your Next Stamp Challenge #173 "Sparkle and Shine"

Thank you for stopping by today.

I appreciate your visit and your comments.

Stay healthy and safe.

XO
Maria.

You Are The Iris Of My Eye.......

Hello everyone: I hope and pray you and your families are doing well, not only health-wise but also, emotionally wise.
No matter how much I want not to get upset, this situation makes it impossible.

A sleeping giant has been awakened, and now it's up to all of us to deal with it, we must come together and address the feelings of despair and pain, anger and hopelessness that are at the core of the uprising and the demands for change.
We no longer can turn a blind eye to it all, pretend it's not here, hope it will go away "eventually".  Change is hard, any kind of change is really hard but it's not impossible, we just have to have the courage to take that first step, we can't run this race believing we might lose, we owe this to future generations, we can't allow one more single tear to be shed from the eyes of any mother who has to bury her child because of injustice and prejudice.

We are all God's Children.
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This Iris is from an Altenew set called "Enchanted Iris". I stamped the images on Canson watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored it with Winsor & Newton watercolor markers using a wet brush and added detail and shadows with Prismacolor pencils. Both the flowers and the sentiment are die-cut with the companion dies for these stamps. 

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This is the INSIDE of my card.

The sentiment is from the Iris set, the little Iris in the corner, from a retired Flourishes set called "A Year of Flowers" (2010)

I want to play with the following challenges.

Stamps and Fun=Creativity

Daisy Chains Challenges

Thank you for visiting me today.

Stay safe and healthy.

XO

Maria.

Take care, be safe and stay healthy.

XO

Maria.

A Little Reminder for The Flower Challenge.......

Hello everyone: Well, there's still time for you guys to come and play along with us at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE "Use a Die" challenge, here's my card that I hope it will inspire you to join us in our gallery.




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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

I hope you find a bit of time to play along with us at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE, come and check out the cards my awesome teammates created to inspire you to join us.
We have a $25.00 gift e-card offered by our generous sponsor Crackerbox and Suzy Stamps, check out their online store, you'll find lots of awesome products to choose from.

I would like to play on the following challenges.

World Wide Open Design Team Challenge

Happy Little Stampers


Thank you for stopping by, your comments always make my day.

This is what I used to create this card.

*Botanical Blooms (SU, retired)

*Simply Camelias from Power Poppy (Sentiment)

*Enamel Dots from Gina Marie Designs.

*Delicate Details (SU, retired)

Hugs.
Maria.

Our Wonderful Crafting Machines.....

Hello crafting friends: The SHOPPING OUR STASH challenge has a new and fun one for you to play this week, we want you to use your favorite crafting machine or tool, I have 2 that I just can't live without.....the BIG SHOT and the MISTI.  I use this tools every single day in my craft room, I can't picture my crafting life without them so, here is my card that uses both of this wonderful machines that have changed the crafting world forever.

I used a lot of my stash of die cut flowers done with the now retired SU "Botanical Blooms", this is one beautiful die set, it has a stamp set but the dies are more than enough by themselves.

I saw THIS CARD on Pinterest and I decided to use some of my already cut flowers, all I did is to sponge them a bit with distress inks. 

I also had a strip of black card stock that I had heat embossed in white using the "Bordering Blooms" stamp set from SU and I thought I could incorporate it on my card, even if the design doesn't look like the flowers.

The sentiment was die cut with oval dies and stamped with Versafine black ink.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

I used some scraps of the DSP to decorate the inside, the sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Sweet Peas" and the flower on the corner also from my stash.

I hope you stop by the SHOPPING OUR STASH blog and check out my teammates beautiful creations then, come and play along.

Please let us know what craft machine or tool you used to create your cards.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping,

Hugs from Maria .

Calypso Coral with a Twist of Lemon Lime.....

Hello everyone: I saw the challenge over at THE PAPER PLAYERS and I decided to give it a try.  Color challenges are a bit hard for me because I don't always have the colors but this time I did and I'm loving this combination from the very talented Nance Leedy, it's very bright and cheerful.

Here is my card.

The images are from a stamp set that is so old that I lost the packaging but I think this stamps are from Our Daily Bread, (they came with the dies too) but I'm not 100% sure, I apologize. 

I stamped the flowers and butterfly on watercolor paper with Antique Linen ink and colored them with my old Calypso Coral ink pad for the flowers and butterflies and Sakura Koi watercolors for the green parts.  I'm really loving the No Line Coloring Technique.  The sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Words of Wisdom", the sentiments are from Mother Theresa and they are beautiful.EI was lucky to find some lemon/lime scraps and one fitted perfectly behind the die cut circle.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like

I

The border on the top is from a retired SU set called "Bordering Blooms", the sentiment is from the same Flourishes set and the butterflies from the same Our Daily Bread set.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges.

The Paper Players

Dare2BArtzy June Challenge "Bright Colors"

heARTful Stamping Challenge "Anything Goes + a Stamp"

Happy Little Stampers

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Rhapsody in Blue.....

Hello everyone: Today, the sun finally came out from hiding, it's been a good 4-5 days of cloudy skies, rain, fierce winds, cold temps, everything looks green and lush, my flowers are happy and the grass is tall, need to mow it, that's for sure, later maybe?.....For now, I have more pleasant things to do like coloring this awesome image from a Power Poppy set called Foxglove and Ranunculus, I love this fabulous flowers with their widely open blooms so the little bees and butterflies can stop and get a drink.  I was looking on Google for pictures of this flowers because I needed to know if they come in blue shades and, to my delight, they do, I will explain later why I needed to know this, in the mean time, here is a picture of some blue Floxgloves.

Aren't this just gorgeous? Now, here is a picture of my card.

This lovely image is from a Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley stamp set called Foxglove and Ranunculus, I just love this image, specially those chubby little bees.
I stamped it onto a piece of Strathmore mixed media paper with Versafine black ink and clear heat embossed it, then colored it with a mix of SU markers for shading and highlights and Sakura Koi water colors using my empty Wink of Stella brush, I found out that, even when there is no more of this beautiful, shimmery liquid, you can take the pen apart and fill it with water, put it back together, shake it and there you have it, a perfectly good water brush, I'm amazed at how much glitter stuff is left behind once the brush is actually empty.
I die cut the frame with a postage stamp die, in the front and inside for the sentiment.
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Here is a picture of the finished inside of my card.

I stamped the sentiment from another Power Poppy set called Potted Primroses and the top of the Foxglove image plus the little bees. I actually snipped this sweeties off of the main stamp just so I could use them in different ways, like stamping more than two or just stamp them any where on my flower images, they are the perfect size.

I'm linking this card to the following challenges.

Power Poppy May Challenge "Frame It Up!"

Your Next Stamp "Sketch and Color" Challenge #63.

Daring Cardmakers "May's Elementary Inspiration"

Cut It Up! Challenge #121 "Wings" 

Crafting With Dragonflies Challenge #80 "Lots of Flowers and/or Mother's Day.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.