A Blog Called Wanda

The Greetery - Garden Variety Release - Day 1!

Hi there! It's a very exciting day! We are here to celebrate the three year anniversary of The Greetery! Congratulations to Betsy! I am so honored to have been part of this awesome company since the very first release. It is a true joy to work with The Greetery! And I am so happy to celebrate this occasion! It's release week! 

Today, the team is kicking off a brand new, beautiful release from The Greetery! The new release is called "Garden Variety" and it is perfect for early Summer and anyone who loves flowers and gardening! It's all so very very pretty! Flowers, Garden Tools, New Botanicuts, New word dies.... I can't wait to share my projects with you! Today and tomorrow are project and product reveals, and then the release will go live for shopping on Thursday May 26th at 10am EST. I am quite sure you're gonna like it! Are you excited? I am! Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of my post for prize information and links to the other designers!

Today I have two cards to show you and they are made with the two brand new Print Shop products!! Print Shop Garden Goodness and Print Shop Daisy Days! Stamps, Stencils and Dies that all match together like a dream. I have really come to love stenciling!!

My first card features the brand new Print Shop Daisy Days Stamp/Stencil/Die combo! I also used the new Scripty Hello Dies! The florals fill the front of an A2 card perfectly and you can make your daisies any color combination! Or you could not die cut it out and use it as a full panel... My inspiration for my card was a country Summer... Yellow and Kraft!!  My finished card is an A2 white card base, covered with woodgrain cardstock, vellum, and then the florals. 

 

I started the card by stenciling the Daisy Days panel. OMG so so pretty!!! I used yellows and greens to make my bouquet! The stencils are so super easy to use and line up. Perfect every time. I splashed on some white paint on top and used the matching die to cut it out. It fills the entire front of the card. I love the detail in the cut out of the die. VERY classy.

 

I layered a vellum piece over my woodgrain layer. Then I wrapped a bit of twine around it. The floral piece is attached to the card with small foam squares.

 

The sentiment is a new word die set - Scripty Hello and I layered dark brown paper and vellum. It's really nice - the perfect size!!

 

Some of my stenciling tips: I use two sizes of blender brushes! I do the large areas with the bigger brushes and then go back with the smaller brushes to add shading and do the little flowers. For both of my cards today I used the SSS Pawsitively Ink Pads. The colors are vivid and clear and bright. They make sets of threes in each color for shading and they are awesome!! I really love the colors.  I am slowly collecting all the color sets - I buy three or four of the three packs each time. I loooove them both for stamping and for stenciling. I have a lot of ink pads and these are my favs right now!

 

My next card features the brand new Print Shop Garden Goodness Stamp/Stencil/Die combination! This suite is really cool and has a bit of a different twist... You can make the whole panel your card (as I did here), or you can die cut out the panel and it makes each element a separate piece! Then you can mix and match the small images however you like. Genius!!! My finished card is an A2 card base in white. I die cut a stitched edge around it and kept it super simple...

 

After I stenciled the whole panel, I went back and stenciled a few leaves, the strawberries and the butterflies to add as accents!

 

I shaded the leaves with two shades of green and then stamped the veins in a third color. Doing the shading really brings it to life I feel!!

 

For my sentiment I used vellum and gold glitter cardstock and that pretty new Scripty Hello Die!

 

 

Okay, friends, that's it for day one! We will be back tomorrow with more inspiration and more new items!! Can't wait to share more with you. And remember the new release is live for sale on Thursday May 26th at 10am EST.

AMAZING PRIZES!!! The Greetery will be giving away three prize packages that include a $50 gift card to spend right away, plus a Greetery tumbler with a 25% off code to use at a later date of the winner's choosing. To enter to win a prize, visit all the designers' blogs! The winners will be selected from comments left on all the blog posts! Good Luck!! 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for these cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION FOR TODAY!

Dana

Wanda

Angelica

Melissa

Dawn

Laurie

Kelly

Doodlebug Shadow Box Frame - Cute & Crafty!!

Hello my sweet and crafty friends! I'm here to share a super fun project with you! I think you're going to love it! I am so excited to share my Cute and Crafty Shadowbox project!! Have you seen the awesome Doodlebug shadow boxes and inserts? What a cool concept! I knew right away I wanted to make one for my craft room. So of course I chose the Cute and Crafty Insert!! This came together so quickly and easily and it looks cute on the shelf in my room. I also think this would make an excellent gift. There are so many inserts - for a baby shower gift, or a Christmas gift, or for someone who loves Halloween! I also really think this could be a fun group project to do with your friends. Be sure to check out all of them! (Here's a direct link to all the inserts)! Doodlebug has made it so easy to make this. I think it took me 30 minutes total! Yay for quick and cute, right?? 

I chose the brown frame for my project. I splattered on some white paint for a bit of an artistic look. (you know me with the splatters!) You could also easily paint your frame any color - and I may paint mine - but I'll decide later! The key is you can buy one frame and then you just switch out the inserts as the season changes.... The frames come in white, black and brown. The insert pack comes with everything you need to put it together. Here's my finished project!

 

I added some cute flowers and a sentiment to the bottom corner of my frame! Adorable paper flowers from Doodlebug of course! I tacked them on lightly with glue globs so I can take them off when/if I switch out the insert. 

 

In this photo you can see the finished shadow box effect! Isn't this the most fun thing ever???

 

Here is the frame and the insert kit....

 

The kit comes with a sheet of vellum and a pattern... Then you place the pattern behind the vellum as a guide, and attach all the goodies!! I swapped out some of the stickers with glossy hearts and glossy flowers from other Sprinkles packs. Some of my elements are popped up with foam tape. The guide shows you where!! 

 

Here is my started project.... See how I attached the vellum to the guide sheet with washi? SO SIMPLE!

 

And here it is DONE!! Before you place it in your frame you need to back the vellum with paper... You can choose white paper, or any other color. OF COURSE I chose some cheerful yellow gingham to back mine!!! 

 

This makes me ridiculously happy....

 

 

 

 

 

My shadow box frame is sitting on a shelf in my craft room!! A great gift for your crafty friends!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

The back comes allllllll ready for framing! A nice touch!!

That's it for me today! This is going to be a VERY busy week!!! I have blog posts almost every day! I told you I was busy making a lot of things!! Thanks for hanging out here with me. Let's have an awesome week together! Love ya! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's project! (Affiliate Links Used).

Hello Bluebird May 2022 New Release!

Hi everyone! I have some exciting newsssss! There is a fun and fabulous new release available from Hello Bluebird! Yipppeeee! New stamps, dies and the adorable critters we all love from Hello Bluebird!! I am lucky enough to be a guest whenever there is a new release and I get so excited because I know it will bring a big smile to my face. The new release is NOW available now for shopping only at the Hello Bluebird Website!! I made three bright, cheerful and colorful cards to share with you today. Lots of Copic coloring and some ink blending too. Yay!

First up is a big square card 5.25"x5.25" finished size.... I made a white card base and covered it with tiny gingham. I used the brand new Rainbow Square Die to make the red frame. The images are from the new Flower Friends Stamp Set and the previously released Bloom and Grow Stamp Set! I love that the scale is the same every time so it's easy to mix and match old and new stamp sets together. 

 

I stamped and die cut out everything and colored with my Copic Markers. I love to color! I kept a uniform color palette of red, yellow and aqua to make the card look polished. I adore that sentiment font!! 

 

This is so sweet! I stamped the sentiment directly onto the bottom layer of my card. The frame was attached to the card with foam squares to pop it up.

 

 

 

Those teeny tiny bees! Be still my heart! 

 

I made up a bunch of flower pots and then scattered them around the images to look like the gals are out in the garden! 

 

Next up is a more clean and simple card... The finished card is an A2 white card base, covered in teal gingham and then two layers of white. I ink blended the top layer with blues and greens using Distress Inks and Blender Brushes. The adorable images are from the Forest Friends Stamp Set. I used the balloons from the previously released Moose and Friends Stamp Set.

 

I created a little scene for my sweet hedgies.... And there must be mushrooms!!

 

All the images were colored with Copic Markers and then I added white gel pen accents. 

I used my MISTI to perfect line up the stamps for the balloon ties. :-)

 

 

And last, but not least, some cuties pie deer out in the forest frolicking around! This finished card is an A2 white card base. The Oak Tree Frames Dies covers the entire front of the card. The critters are from the new Forest Fawns Stamp Set and the Moose and Friends Stamp Set. 

 

I stamped and die cut everything and colored with Copic Markers.... I die cut the pieces of the oak tree and used Distress Inks and mini sponge daubers to add some color to the pieces.

 

 

 

How adorable is that sentiment???!!!

 

 

Okay friends - that's it for today - and the new release from Hello Bluebird! Thanks for stopping by to spend some creative time with me here!! I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you soon! XOXO

CLICK HERE to see the supplies used for today's cards (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Concord & 9th May New Release - Good Vibes and Posies!

Hi gang! Happyyyy Fridayyyyy!!! Oh man, it's been 95 degrees here already! Not ready! But Summer is coming! Hope you had a great week! Good to see you! I am a guest designer for Concord and 9th's beautiful May 2022 new release. Yippee! I have two projects to share with you today made with the new goodies. Everything is already in the store for shopping so I hope you find some inspiration and maybe something that you want to create with. My personal favorite thing from the new release is the Picked Posie Dies and Stamps. Pretty, modern, classic florals. Right up my alley. Let's take a look!

My first card was made with the new Picked Posie Suite and also the Stitched Vines background (another favorite thing of mine from C9). I used Concord and 9th beautiful cardstock also. My finished card is an A2 card base. I covered it with deep pink paper. My 'white' parts are actually cream cardstock for more of a soft/vintage feeling. I used kind of a different color palette for me. I popped in that deep red. Again, I felt like that was sort of vintage. What do you think??

 

For the sentiment banner, I die cut three of them from cream cardstock and glued them together for more of a statement. I stamped that gorgeous sentiment onto the top one. SO FRESH!!! 

 

The dies are in separate pieces so you can mix and match florals for any type of layout. I wanted a big floral spray focusing on those soft pink posies.

 

Here's a close up of that Stitched Vines Background Die - perfection!!

 

I added some white gel pen accents onto the flowers and leaves and also finished off with some white enamel dots. You know I love all the little details. 

 

 

 

All the flowers were attached to the card with foam dots for dimension. I put the flowers down first and then tucked the leaves in between. 

 

Next up is a fun and funky Good Vibes card! The finished card is a 5" x 5" square card from kraft paper. I used a retro 70's good vibes color palette and the new Good Vibes turnabout stamp and dies. I also put in some funky cute birds!! 

 

I used only C9 ink pad colors and cardstock for this card. Yummy orange, yellow, aqua and teal. Reminds me of the OP shirts I used to wear in junior high school! I used vellum as the background for the dies....To let that pretty background show through.

 

 

 

I splashed on a little bit of white paint and also used some white enamel dots as my details. This would make a great 'cheer up' or 'get well card' I think. 

 

 

I'm wishing you only good vibes today and a very very happy weekend!! Thanks for stopping by today to see me! Happy Crafting! Love ya! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies for my cards today (Affiliate Links Used)

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! Quick Update!

Hi everyone!! Happy Monday!! I wanted to pop in real quick and check in with ya! I've been busy busy busy crafting here behind the scenes and I have so much fun stuff to share with you! My last two posts for last week and today have been delayed by the companies for various reasons - mostly having to do with logistics and products etc. SOOOOO I've got those things on pause. LOTS of good things are coming soon! It's making me crazy not sharing! Ha. On a very very positive note, there will be a new release from The Greetery later this month!! OMG you guys are going to love it so much. My cards are almost done and it's all so beautiful (as you can imagine)! So I'll just say hi and wish you a great week! Take care! XOXO

In the meantime, make sure to take time to stop and smell the flowers!

 

French Flower Pot with Resin and Chalk Paints!

Hi everybody! Hope your week is going great! I've been crafting night and day the past 2-3 days! I have so many projects and cards to make and share! Stay tuned! Today's project is something completely new and different for me! I made a resin/paint/wax project a couple weeks ago! My first one (except for the one I made in a class to learn how)! SO EXCITING! I have been a stamper and card maker for 28 years!!! Yikes! So I loooove making paper things of course. But I have been an overall crafty person since I was very small. I remember one time when I was around eight years old I made my own magazine. I still totally recall sitting on the floor gluing and pasting and writing articles. I used to do loom beading as a little girl too! And pretty much anything else. When I got to high school I discovered photography and that became my first artistic soulmate. I used to make cards from my self printed black and white photographs. Man how I miss being in a darkroom! Anyhoo I am doing the time machine rewind with you! All this is meant to say that it's time for me to explore again, and try some new things. Get the creativity flowing in new ways... Well, I have discovered resin and molds and chalk paints and transfers - oh my!! I'm having a lot of fun, and maybe I'll inspire you to try something new too!

Today's project started out as the necessity for a nice gift for my friend Liz. I bought this GORGEOUS orchid at the nursery to give her as that gift. But, me being me, I wanted to make her something... The idea came to me to 'make' her a pot for the orchid. The pot that the orchid came with was a plain white ceramic pot. I changed it into a faux stone French Fleur-de-lis pot! Let's look - lots of pictures ahead.

This was literally the most perfect orchid I have ever seen! Pristine and beautiful! 

 

 

And here is the white pot that it came with....

 

So now the fun part!!!! Look at all these fun supplies!!!

 

I decided to use that big chunky Fleur-de-lis mold!!!! It was the perfect size and scale for the pot.

 

The resin is a two part mixture. You mix equal parts of two different liquids and still it well... It pours into the mold totally clear, and then over a period of about ten minutes it turns white! It's realllllll fun to watch this happen. It takes around 10 minutes is all.

 

Here it is ready to pop out of the mold! At this point, it is still malleable so you can curve it or make it form to something else. But you only have a little bit of time before it hardens. 

 

I used Lock Tite Glue to affix the Fleur-de-lis to the pot. It has a gentle curve to it so I taped it while the glue dried. This is how it looked before any paint, etc. 

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to paint the pot. I used three coats and let it dry in between each coat. I was surprised how nicely the paint 'took' to the ceramic.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the supplies and colors I used to make this project...

 

I painted the pot with gray and green paints and then splattered on white and black spatters to make it look like stone. Then I put on two coats of clear wax over the paint.

 

 

 

The final step after everything is completely dry, is to put on black wax!! I rubbed it with a stipple brush and a q-tip into the crevices and joints.... Looks so cool!!

 

 

 

It's amazing what a difference the finishing touches make... This is the pot with only paint on it....

 

And this is the pot after splatters, clear wax and black wax, and just a touch of gold too!!

 

That's it for me today, friends! Hope you enjoyed something a little different from me! It was such a cool project to make and I'm very happy with how it came out. Now I want to make all the molds and paint all the things. I just need more time!! What have you discovered lately? Do you have a new crafty hobby you're loving? I want to hear - leave me a comment! I'll be back soon with some paper projects. Until then, take care and keep on creating! XOXO

 

 

Doodlebug Down on the Farm Collection - Pop Up Card!

Hi friends! Happy Monday again! How did that happen? And how is it May already? I hope you had a really nice weekend! We have been super busy lately and I love that - getting out and doing fun things and going places. It's been so good to get fresh air and be amongst other people having fun! Last week we went to a two day conference at church and it was AMAZING! The first day we were at church from 7:30am to 10:00pm! I think I'm still tired! LOL. Saturday we went to a beautiful Spring Market and out to breakfast. It's been good here and I'm very grateful. Hope you are doing great too! I have SOOOO many things coming up this month. I am terribly behind and I'll be crafting from sun up til sun down this week. It's all good and I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you my friends!! 

Today is my day to post over on the Doodlebug Blog! I'm sharing my project here too, of course!! There are some new things coming soon (I can't wait) from Doodlebug, but until the new goodies arrive, the design team is working with the Down on the Farm Collection. I do love bringing new life and new ideas to some older products. 

Today's card is an awesome pop up made with dies from C9, and a custom envelope too! It's all super fresh - farm fresh! I used the Concord & 9th Card Stacks Die Set to make this card. The other elements are all papers, scrapbooking pieces and embellishments from Doodlebug of course! The main base of the card was made with the pretty red buffalo check paper. The bottom or 'ground' of the pop up was made using 12x12 green gingham. All the supplies are listed at the bottom of my post!

 

Here's a top down view.... I started with the barn and sun in the back, then the fence in front. Then I filled in everything with hay, the cow, flowers and chickens. Everything is SO cute! I used a white gel pen to add accents to each element. 

 

Here's a close up of the construction of the pop up card.... 

 

Since the paper is double sided, the back is already decorated!! I use the "happy birthday to moo" sentiment to make this a birthday card!

 

AND....the whole card folds flat for mailing! The barn and sun elements extend over the top of the back of the pop up die.... That means that I had to make my own envelope (which I love to do anyway)... If you don't extend over that back part, this folding card would fit into an A2 envelope.

 

I used my envelope punch board and a sheet of paper from the collection to make a 6"x6" square envelope. My envelope perfectly matches the card and that's something I really like!! Makes it feel even more special.

 

I even made a little seal for the back of the envelope!

 

 

Okay friends, that's it for today's project! Thanks for coming by my little farm today! I hope you have a great week!! XOXO

**If you're interested in that cool pop up card die - here is another post/another card I made with it so you can see more ideas! 

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's project! (Affiliate Links Used)

Pinkfresh Studio April 2022 Blog Hop - Pretty and Graphic Florals!

Hi everyone! Happy Happy Happy Friday! I've got something fun to share today! Welcome to my stop on the awesome Pinkfresh Studio April 2022 New Release Blog Hop! If you're new here - welcome! This hop is so great - so many stops - so much inspiration! The link to all the stops is at the very bottom of my post so be sure to see everything! This new release, as usual, is full of gorgeous florals, beautiful hot foil plates, Innovative dies and more! They never seem to run out of ideas! Yay! I'm featuring a new floral set called Simplest Gestures (I used the stencils, hot foil, and dies) and the new Floral and Diamond Tiles Cover Plate. I also used the wonderful Pinkfresh Studio Ink Cubes and some of my previously released favorite products. All the supplies are listed at the end of my post. Let's get started!

My finished card is an A2 white card base. I layered black and vellum and gold! This card did not turn out at all like I planned - it kind of took on a mind of it's own and ended up super bold and graphic! That cover plate in black is to die for!!

 

 

Here's a close up of the design of the cover plate. SO nice! I splattered on some white paint and mounted it right onto my white card base. The black and white contrast really shows the design off.

 

The main event is the beautiful floral spray! I hot foiled it in Matte Gold foil and then used the stencils to color in the flowers and leaves. I used the Pinkfresh Studio Ink Cubes and die more of a soft blend than an all over color. I added black gems to the centers of the flowers. I also splattered on some white ink here. I wanted another element and it came to me - butterflies! I used the same foil and the Small Butterflies hot foil plate - on vellum! They came out perfectly. I have never foiled on vellum before. LOVE. 

 

The sentiment was also hot foiled using the Perfect Sentiments set. Just a note!

 

 

 

With a different sentiment on it, I think this could make a really classic wedding card or shower card...or Mother's Day card!

 

Here's a sneak peek pic I took for my Instagram of just those pretty butterflies!

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on their Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel!! They will also be giving away a total of TEN $25  gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops - the winners will be picked from the comments from all the blogs! Pinkfresh Studio will pull the winners & post them on May 10th on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. You must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks! Good Luck!! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW RELEASE AT PINKFRESH STUDIO!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's card! (Affiliate Links Used).

 

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE ALL THE BLOG HOP PARTICIPANTS!!

 

Howdy Y'all! Doodlebug Down on the Farm Collection Card and Gift Box!

Howdy cowgirls!! How are y'all today!? I hope you're having a lovely day so far, full of sunshine and laughter! Today, I'm up on the Doodlebug Blog with a project featuring an older collection - called Down on the Farm! It's ADORABLE and happy and fun! So many cute themes from this collection and it's perfect for scrapbooking too! Farm animals and gingham and florals...country themed for Summer!! I have several friends who have horses and love horses, so I decided to go with a horse themed card and gift box for my project today. Yee haw!

My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with gingham, floral paper and white paper. Then I attached a pocket for a gift card! The gift box was made with the WRMK Pillow Box Punch Board and that can hold candy, or money or a small gift! I think the little pillow boxes would be cute as favors for a country party too! 

 

Here is the card - with a little paper bandana tucked inside with the coffee gift card! F-U-N!

 

And here's the little pillow box gift box! I made the box from blue patterned paper and then wrapped a strip of bandana paper around it. I used my awesome Deckle Edge Trimmer (supplies listed at the bottom of my post) to trim the edges of the bandana paper. I wrapped it with some chunky twine and glued on the horse embellishment!

 

When I attached the pocket to the front of the card I used foam tape only around the perimeter. That left the top open to tuck in the gift card. I glued the flowers to the inside of the pocket before attaching it to the card. The little paper bandana was made from a square of paper that I hand crumpled. The pocket was cut from one of the 12x12 papers in the collection and it's the perfect size for the front of a card.

 

I attached the cute horse Doodle Pop to the front of the pocket and then added the 'howdy' word bubble. Since it's not specific, this could be a birthday card, grad card or just because card!

 

 

 

 

Thanks, cowgirls, for stopping by today! Hope you have a happy and fun day today! I'll see you back here real soon, ya hear! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's project! (Affiliate Links Used).

Ahoy, Mates! It's the weekend!

Ahoy, Mateys!! Happy Weekend!! Do you have some fun stuff planned? We're going to a big craft fair event tomorrow morning outside in the fresh air and I am so excited! Then church after (we go to 7pm service)! Today is all about getting caught up on chores and laundry and all that jazz. I'm here today with a super fun and silly card made with adorable stamps from Rubbernecker! I picked these up at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo a few weeks ago and have been anxious to color them in! I hope they make you smile - I mean c'mon - that little crab with a pirate hat and those crazy eyes? A pirate shark? It's all good! 

Side note - remember I did this blog post with Rubbernecker Dies - and a lot of them were sold out? Most of the dies are back in stock so if you wanted something, check again. The supplies are all listed at the bottom of that post!

Today's card is a beachy card for any occasion! It's time to start thinking about Summer crafting. My finished card is an A2 card base. I layered some waves and the Palm Tree Border (something I use all the time) and then the fun critters. Everything is colored with Copic Markers!

 

Here's a close up of my paper layers! The blue waves, the palm trees, and the beach! I added accents to the palm fronds using Copics. And I added white gel pen to everything. To make the beach, I used kraft cardstock and then a bunch of different colors of Copics to make dots to mimic sand! I kinda like how it came out. This made the perfect scene for my pirates.

 

I stamped and die cut out the shark, crab and parrot and colored them all in bright colors. They are attached to the card using foam tape to pop up off the page. 

 

The palm tree die set is three dies so it comes together perfectly! One die does the kraft part, one does the brown part (tree bases) and then the third die does the green tops. LOVE.

 

I created a fun little scene for Instagram!

 

 

 

A few teal gems and that cute sentiment finish off the card!

That's it for today! Wishing you a fun weekend filled with sunshine and margaritas! (And no pirates!) I'll be back on Monday with a Doodlebug project. Until then, keep it crafty my friends! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP AT RUBBERNECKER!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used in today's card (Affiliate Links Used).