Merry Christmas Skates Die-Versions Post

{This is a scheduled post} Happy Monday!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! It's my turn to post on the Die-Versions blog and I have a couple of Christmas cards to share with you today using several Die-Versions dies. If you use the code lisa15 you'll receive 15% off your regular price (does not include sale prices) Die-Versions order.

The papers are from Maja Designs Vintage Winter stack. For the focal point of my cards, I used the Whispers Skate Around die. I cut them several times for the different colors of the skates, and then applied crackle paint to the boots to give them an aged look.

Once the crackle paint dried and cracked, I added DecoArt raw umber antiquing medium to highlight the cracks. The blades were cut with aluminum tape. The skates were popped up with foam tape for dimension on a Whispers Stitched Nesting Squares die.

A Whispers Snowflake Corner (not currently in stock) die was added to the corner and covered with Decoart Snow Writer paint. A Sweet Petite Snowflake die (not currently in stock) was covered in crystal ice glitter.

A Whispers Lacey Dots border die (not currently in stock) was added beneath the middle layers.
Merry Christmas and...

Seasons Greetings are from the Compliments Holiday 1 die set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! I'll be by to visit when I return :)

Die-Versions Blog Post ~ Celebrate

Happy Tuesday!! It's my turn to post on the Die-Versions blog and I have a couple of cards to share with you today featuring several Die-Versions dies.

I chose beautiful Maja Designs Summer Crush papers for these cards. I used a Whispers Diamonds Background die and cut it in half. A Whispers Lacey Dots die was tucked under the edge. I used the two largest sizes of the Whispers Stitched Nesting Squares dies to frame the beautiful image from the Maja papers. I chose flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts to compliment the flowers in the picture.

A Whispers Ring of Hearts die was added behind the image. For the sentiment, I used a Sweet Wordlet Celebrate die. The beautiful crinkle ribbons are from DL.ART.

To show you the versatility of Die-Versions dies, I used a Whispers Nesting Flowers die and cut it into fourths to make the leaves.

Die-Versions Dies Used

Whispers Diamonds Background (not currently in stock)
Whispers Lacey Dots (not currently in stock)
Whispers Stitched Nesting Squares
Whispers Nesting Flowers
Whispers Ring of Hearts
Sweet Wordlet Celebrate

If you use the code lisa15 you'll receive 15% off your regular price Die-Versions order (not valid with other sales).

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great day :)

Congratulations, Baby!!

Happy Tuesday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!! It's my turn to post on the Die-Versions blog and I have a couple of cards to share with you using one of the newest dies from the latest release.

The new Whispers Pacifier die so is adorable!! I paired it with baby themed papers from Lemoncraft for these cards.

Along the top, I used a Whispers Lacey Dots die (not currently in stock). The sentiment is from the Oh Baby set from Joy Clair Stamps. On the DL.ART crinkle ribbon I used a Wee Petites Button die.

I haven't had much of a chance to snap more pictures but I do have a few new birds to share. So in the Birds of My Backyard series, I'll call this one the Woodpecker edition  :)

I'll start with the cute Downy Woodpecker.

Next is the Red Bellied woodpecker. This was one of the first birds I saw when I moved here.

A clearer shot of a Red Headed Woodpecker. Such a vibrant red!!

And one of my favorites...a Pileated woodpecker. These suckers are huge.

A close-up of his red head. These guys eat so much, I can barely keep the suet cake stocked!!

A sweet picture of a Red Finch couple.

The turkeys were back in all of their puffed up glory.

So pretty!

I wasn't sure what this tiny little bird was so I did some searching I think it might be a house finch.

And last but not least, an adorable pond frog.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great day :)

Congratulations, Grad

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! It's my turn to post on the Die-Versions blog and I have a couple of graduation cards to share with you using several Die-Versions dies. If you use the code lisa15 you'll receive 15% off your regular price Die-Versions order.

These cards are very different from my usual style, but I wanted them to be both unisex and flat enough that they would mail easily. I really struggle not using flowers and ribbons and bling!! I did add a touch of sparkle to the cap and diploma from the new Whispers Graduation Set. They were both popped up with foam for dimension. The square is a Whispers Stitched Nested Square, also popped up with foam. 2016 is from the Downhill Font set. Congratulations is from the Compliments Everyday set. The scalloped border is a Whispers Lacey Dots die (not currently in stock).

On a different note, I got a 150-600mm camera lens for Christmas and I've been practicing with it, capturing some of the springtime birds that have been visiting. The lens is super-heavy and it's hard to hold it steady to take shots. I really want to capture the hummingbirds but I haven't managed a great shot yet. It's been raining on and off for like a week, so most of these shots are taken through the glass.

This is the best I could get of the hummer. Unfortunately, you can see the reflection from the glass.

I had to add a shot of a Cardinal, the state bird of Indiana :) This is the male and...

the female. Sadly, I cut off her tail :(

Blue Jays are so beautiful but they are so noisy!! And they eat all of the food I leave for my outdoor cats.

The Eastern Bluebird is one of my favorite birds...not a great shot with the deck post in the way. I haven't been able to get another shot yet.

I'm guessing this is a female Gray Catbird since it looks like she's gathering materials to build her nest. Look at the size of that twig :)

This is a Northern Flicker...a medium sized woodpecker. His coloring is so beautiful!!

This is a Grosbeak....so pretty!! They stop by in the spring and don't stay long but I love when they visit. This is the male...

and the female. Not fair the male gets the pretty coloring!!

I was so excited when I saw the turkeys puffing and posturing!! Sadly, I couldn't get a decent shot through the window screens. I thought I'd try sneaking outside to get a better shot...

And while it is clearer, he (not sure what the correct term is) de-puffed and took off. One of my cats followed me and meow'ed the entire time so they heard us coming a mile away :) I hope to get some decent shots of the hummingbirds soon. There only a few right now and by the time I can heft the camera and spot them, they fly away :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great week :)

DL.ART Thankful Thursday #164 - Coffee, Tea or Any Drink

Happy Thursday!! It's time for a DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge!! The theme this week is Coffee, Tea or Any Drink, and the challenge is sponsored by The Cutting Cafe.

We got to use some of the fabulous files from The Cutting Cafe for the challenge. It gave me the chance to relearn how to use my poor, neglected Explore :)

I using the Coffee Cup Shaped Card 2 Cutting File for this card. The papers are from an old My Mind's Eye stack. The ribbon is Caribbean Coral from the Tropical Summer bundle.

For the gift card holder on the inside, I used some old K Andrew Coffee and Tea stamps.

I used the Tea Box Holder Cutting File for the gift box. I decorated the box with Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, a Die-Versions Lacey Dots border die, a PoppyStamps Stitched Button die and a My Craft Spot banner die. The Orange Twine is from the DL.ART Shop.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1) Darnell's NBUS #5 - NBU Cutting Files

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to DL.ART to see the amazing projects my design team sisters have created for today's challenge!! Then link up your Coffee, Tea or Any Drink project!! I can't wait to see what you create :)

Scrapy Land Blog Challenge #24 - Pockets/Tags

Happy Wednesday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!! It's time for another fun challenge at Scrapy Land. The theme this week is Pocket/Tags PLUS a brand of die that Scrapy Land carries (there are over 40 to choose from). Also, Scrapy Land has created a new Scrapy Land Pinterest account and has lots of boards for inspiration and pinning of your favorites.

There will be a very generous prize given once we reach 100 followers, 200 followers, etc. To make it more fair, the winner will be chosen randomly from all the followers. So be sure to follow Scrapy Land on Pinterest too!

For my projects today, I created two cards to share with you. The bases of the cards are Spellbinders Reflective Moments dies.

I wrapped the back layer with tulle and the next layer is a Spellbinders Radiant Rectangle die. I cut it twice and then cut one in half to create the pocket. A Die-Versions Whispers Lacey Dots border was attached to the pocket. The button on the ribbon is a Poppystamps Stitched Button die.

The tag is a Sizzix Tiny Tabs & Tags die. Memory Box Chloe Stems were added to the tag, and tucked among the flowers. Memory Box Botanical Stems were also added with the flowers.

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Scrapy Land to see the amazing projects my design team sisters have created for today's challenge!! Then link up your Pocket/Tag project using a brand of die that Scrapy Land carries!! I can't wait to see what you create :)

Find the Cure

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! It's my turn to post on the Die-Versions Blog and I have a shaker card to share with you today. Hopefully you were able to join us for the Die-Versions / Sparkle N Sprinkle Awareness Blog Hop earlier this month. If you did, you saw some amazing projects using the new Awareness dies from Die-Versions and the new Awareness Stamp Set from Sparkle N Sprinkle. My card today features products from both.

For my card, I've used the Die-Versions Awareness Square Die, and turned it into a shaker. The papers are from Me and My Big Ideas I Believe In Pink Mambi stack. The center ribbon was cut out and heat embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle Cotton Candy Embossing Powder. Find the Cure is from Sparkle N Sprinkle's Awareness Stamp Set.

Here's a better picture of the amazing shine from the SNS Embossing Powder. The lacy border along the bottom is a Die-Versions Whispers Lacey Dots die. The gorgeous crinkle ribbon is from Diana's DL.ART Vintage Vineyard set titled Rose'. The button in the center of the ribbon is a Die-Versions Wee Petites Button die.

A portion of the proceeds from the Die-Versions Awareness Dies and the Awareness Stamp Sets from Sparkle N Sprinkle will be donated to help cancer research.

Thanks so much for stopping by :)