Postcards from Paris

Hello and welcome! Today I'm honored to be hosting the bi-weekly challenge at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog! Summer is in full swing, bringing with it the height of vacation season. Our challenge is to create a project, card, or lay out with a vintage travel theme, whether it's far away over the sea or Route 66! The winner will earn a Guest DT spot at the Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters will have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. 

It's super easy to play along. For entry details and inspiration from my amazing teammates just click on the Frilly and Funkie link above, and get ready to be a part of the fun!    

I've long dreamed of traveling to Paris, so I already had a theme established for my card.   

I created the Parisian postcard that I used as my focal point in photoshop, layered with a couple of other vintage Paris postcards. They coordinated perfectly with two of my favorite Prima paper collections; Cartographer and Stationers Desk. I distressed my papers and layered them up.   

I created a flower spray with hand stained and painted flowers from my stash. I usually make my own flowers, but for this card only one of the flowers was handmade. 

I tied everything together with some jute twine. I really have tons of it in my stash!  

A little peek at the inside...

I'm thrilled you had a chance to stop in today! I wish we could have a real visit, sitting on the porch with tall, icy glasses of sweet tea, sharing all our crafty secrets. May your day be filled with all things good and wonderful! 

Hugs,

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents	Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Ranger Inkssentials Mister Bottle	Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape - 1/8"	Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 9.5" Titanium Scissors
Ranger Inkssentials Manila Card Stock 8.5x11	Claudine Hellmuth Gesso	Prima Designer Paper Cartographer- 6” x 6” Pad	Prima Designer Paper Cartographer - 12x12" Collection (8 sheets)	Prima Designer Paper Stationer′s Desk- 6” x 6” Pad
Prima Designer Paper Stationer′s Desk- 12x12" Collection (8 sheets)	Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Framelits Die Set - French Flight	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black Pad #3	Ranger Tim Holtz Old Paper Distress Ink Reinker	Ranger Tim Holtz Barn Door Distress Ink Reinker
Ranger Tim Holtz Aged Mahogany Distress Ink Reinker	Ranger Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder - Heirloom Gold	Natural Jute Twine

'Thinking of You' Card

Hello to you on this wonderful Monday! I hope your week is off to a great start. All is well in my little part of the world. My mom received good news from her lymph node biopsies. No cancer!! We are so relieved we are walking on air! 

It's time for a new challenge at Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge Blog, where I am once again delighted to be a guest designer! The challenge theme is 'Who's the Boss?' with the following guidelines: Show some embossing on your project. You can use dry embossing or heat embossing. You can use an embossing folder or a stencil. You can emboss with embossing paste or embossing powder. You can even create something with ultra-thick embossing enamel. You probably have some sort of embossing apparatus in your hoard! Pull these embossing tools out and put them to use! For all other entry details just click on the link above and it will take you directly to Gloria's challenge blog.      

This adorable vintage girl sought out a quiet garden from which to ponder her thoughts, surrounded by the fragrance of cool earth and lush summer blooms.    

I chose dry embossing using two Marianne Creatables dies. The embossing didn't show up clearly in the photo of my whole card, so I've included several closes ups to show more detail.  Marianne Creatable dies are amazing. Each one is feminine, elegant, and easy to work with.    

I die cut several rose leaves from a Magnolia Doohickey's die and shaped them to add dimension. I hand crafted the two larger roses. The rest of the blooms are from my stash of pre-made flowers. I stained and painted each flower to coordinate with the papers I used; Prima Time Traveler and Cartographer. I can't seem to get enough of the new Prima papers. They've taken up permanent residence on my craft desk 

I distressed and layered my papers and frames. I also added a jute twine bow. The reason I use jute twine so often is because I have a ton of it in my stash!   

. 

I scattered a few Melissa Frances pearls here and there and added a couple of die cut flourishes

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your time with me. Each time you visit you bring sunshine into my heart. May you have a blessing filled day!  

Hugs,

Shabby Chic Tag Tutorial

Hello! I hope this day finds you well. It's been a challenging week here with some medical issues for both myself and my mother. My mom was diagnosed with a probable stage 4 melanoma skin cancer a couple of weeks ago. She had her second surgery yesterday. All went well and she is now recovering at home. We are still waiting on biopsy results and pray they bring good news. If I am not my usual, bubbly self it is just that my heart carries a sad burden at the moment. My mother is the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful person I have ever or will ever know. If you have a moment to send up some prayers or healing thoughts it would be much appreciated.  

I am honored to present the Saturday Step by Step this week at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog! Just click on the link for a complete tutorial for creating this shabby chic tag. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate your visits and kind comments more than words can say! I wish you a day filled with pure crafty bliss!! 

Hugs,

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents	Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Ranger Inkssentials Mister Bottle	Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape - 1/8"	Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 9.5" Titanium Scissors
Ranger Inkssentials Manila Card Stock 8.5x11	Claudine Hellmuth Gesso	Ivory/White Jute Twine	Maja Design 6x6" Scrapbook Paper Pad - Vintage Summer Basics	Prima Designer Paper Cartographer- 6” x 6” Pad
Prima Designer Paper Cartographer - 12x12" Collection (8 sheets)	Prima Designer Paper Stationer′s Desk- 6” x 6” Pad	Prima Designer Paper Stationer′s Desk- 12x12" Collection (8 sheets)	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungeboard Basics Plain	Sizzix Alterations Tim Holtz Tag and Bookplates Die
Tim Holtz Sized Ovals Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Dies