Coffee Is Not Enough

 Good Day, Friends!

I have a card for you today but the backstory may be a bit confusing.  I wanted to use the "old" Color Hues challenge to see if I could make something viable (non-floral) using Peach and Teal.  Then I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and thought "I could use that"!  Lo and behold, I missed both challenges, but I still wanted to post so I found JUGS #812 - Stencil Week.  Yay for me, now to incorporate the stencil!  So today, I'm using two new-to-me products so I can also send this to NBUS #84 too.  Now, let's hurry along before I miss these too!

Haha!  Love this image...

Frankly I kinda feel like this most mornings.  You see, I had my thyroid removed just over 30 years ago -- yep, half my life ago.  Since then, one of the side-effects that I've had to bear is slow mornings.  I didn't drink coffee until post mid 30's, if that tells you anything.  Now I have to limit myself but it's a daily thing, I really don't like the taste (at least before the sugar additions), it's absolutely a caffeine thing for me.

She cracks me up!  I definitely relate to this gal.

I could say I look like this every morning, but I'm pretty sure she looks way better, seriously... before the coffee...

Supplies:

   Unity - Coffee Is Not Enough

   Alt. - Squiggly Lines

Have a wonderful week, I hope to see you all soon again!  Thanks for the visit!

Hugs,

TK

Someone We Love

Welcome, welcome!

Today's card is for Daughter #2's Birthday today!  Since she has her card and gift, I can post it now ~

I've been wanting to use this NBUS stamp, and this particular daughter loves oranges, so I knew it would go over well.  I also used a new tag die and a new sentiment set, so I guess I got a three-fer?  No?  Okay, but I'll just triple enter this at NBUS #83 - lol.  I also had been wanting to use my postage collage die, though this isn't what I had in mind, it came together well, I'd say.

I stamped and colored the sunflower image, then winked it WoS.  It was then die-cut and mounted on the card panel.  Two tags were cut, the one stamped (and corrected), then tied together with gold thread and mounted on the lower panel.  While you can't see the WoS, I assure you it's there, just hiding as usual.

Supplies:

   UN - Radiant Resilience stamp, Perfect Layered Tags (both NBUS)

   PB - Carefree Wishes sentiment

   WF - Postage Collage die

Again, no posting lately.  We've had the dreaded COVID rip through our house.  We believe our poor Grandbaby got it first (so I was watching him to protect daycare), then Hubbs came down with it really bad, and lastly (I hope) I came down with it.  It hit me light and while I try to keep my distance from recovering Grandbaby and Hubbs, we still all live in the same house.  We are fortunate that currently Daughter #2 and SIL have evaded its grip.  This was the first time Hubbs and I have gotten COVID, so we did evade it for awhile.  Hubbs is recovering, but now has the cough that just won't go away.  I have a bit of congestion at night, but no dreadful extreme sore throat nor extreme night headache.  Yep, those were the two worst symptons for both of us.

Well, I hope your days are better, and that warmth is coming your way.

Hugs,

TK

 

 

Sending Prayers Your Way

Welcome!

Today's card is all about being there for a Friend!  My card has been mailed and hopefully received now.  No fancy hoopla, just a whole lotta heart and prayers ~

I've had this cart die for quite some time.  It stayed unused until now, and I'm so happy that it all came together pretty easily.   The blue swirl paper was added over the cream cs.  The card and pails were die cut from white and inked, then popped up on "rolled" double sided tape to provide only a bit of lift so I could slide the flowers in.  The flowers were die cut from a multitude of scraps and added to the buckets using thin foam on the front-most flower in each bucket while the others were added flat..

There are a few pieces to this set; however I found it went together pretty easily, the flowers were a bit more fiddly.  Overall, I like this and it makes my heart happy.  Hopefully it brings a smile, or at least the prayers bring peace.

Since the cart is NBUS, I'll send this over there.

Supplies:

   HB - Hugs & Kisses dp (thanks, Carol!)

   Ps - Corner Shoppe Wooden Cart die (NBUS)

   MFT - Sending Prayers

Thanks for joining me today and may all of you find a little bit of peace today.

Hugs,

TK

 

Shenanigans for Valentine's

 Good Morning!

Today's post is for Hubbs, as you might have guessed!  A quick card I made, and a quick post to get it on the blog.  Then, we're off to a day of shenanigans!

Am I a romantic?  Maybe.  But is Hubbs?  Only slightly... He's more of "a laugh will get you where you wanna go" type of person.  I can't say it hasn't worked, after nearly 40 years!  

I wish I had used a little bit darker green for the stenciled oval, but I like this too, it just doesn't show up well -- even after over a dozen photos!  I recently found out that MFT was resurrecting their challenges, from the owner of MFT herself!  Well, the current challenge is color, using blue, turquoise, light green and light lavendar.  The website is www.cardchallenges.com but while I was on it yesterday, I cannot get on it today.  Maybe I'll link this up later, if I can get on.

Supplies:

   MFT - Old Friends

   Splb - Oval (to make a mask)

Well, that's it for me.  We're off to see what shenanigans we can find!

Hugs,

TK

Wonderful Friend

 Welcome!

The sun is shining, the crocus and bulbs are popping through the soil and I'm squinting - lol!  Boy, it's amazing what happens when the sun comes out.  We've had an extremely mild winter, with no snow and only some rain but I miss the snow!  Come on, can we have a bit of weather before the yardwork starts up again?  I know, I know, I should be thankful because there are plenty that got hammered this winter by cold and snow but I actually miss it.

On to the card, shall we?  Today's card was needed for a friend, a thank you of sorts, well kinda!  She'll get it...  It all started with Color Hues #126 challenge - Pink & Red, which was quickly emphasized by Triple B - January.  Okay, two in a row!  Who could I say no to those colors?!

 

Right!

Lots of red, pink and some white, plus don't forget about those "allowed" neutrals!

My press plate was foiled with Splb Prism foil, then I blended with a light shade of pink, a deep red and two lighter shades of gray.  The center was cut with the center die from the set and a pressed sentiment in medium gray was added over the opening.  While I started with a red pressed sentiment, it was quickly decided that the gray would be a much better color -- bingo!

Now, while this close-up appears to be a green-gray, it is indeed not!  I had to hunt around for the perfect grays to avoid that.  I like!  And it's off to the recipient and hopefully received.

Supplies:

   PFS - Splendid Florals pp/die/stencils

   Splb - Yana's Special Sentiments gfp (yes, I pressed with a glimmer plate!)

I hope you've had a magnificent and short week, thus creating what feels like a lovely, long weekend!

Hugs,

TK

You Make Everything Bloom

Welcome, Friends, cold or warm!

Today I have a card that I hope will fit a couple of challenges, Double D - Friends, Freshly Made Sketches #721  and NBUS #82 ~

Now, wouldn't you say that sentiment to a Friend?  I hope so!  Either way, it'll work for me and I think he's adorable.  I used the sketch at FMS, over a stamped background and a colored strip.  I do hope my heart is ok, I didn't want to obscure it so I placed it out a little.  My other addition is the sentiment to give him a base to balance over.

Yep, he's pretty cute!  Li'l Bloomer and Faithful Letter background are both on their maiden outing.

 

Supplies:

   Unity - Faithful Letter bg stamp, Li'l Bloomer stamp

   LF - Inside Out Stitched Hearts die

   MFT - Blueprints 27

We've officially entered the weekend, I hope you have a great one planned.  Those of you socked in with snow, may your days be freer to venture out.  Stay safe!

Hugs,

TK

Sending Warm Blessings

 Hello and Welcome!

This is for all you friends who are braving out the winter snow and cold.  While I love the snow, some of those temps I've heard (-47 for one!), will keep me on my side of the U.S.!  I mean, we get snow, we get down to the teens usually for a week, but this winter we seem to be on the warmer side of all that.

Anywhoooo.....

I started this card, thinking I'd be sending it to JUGs - Stencil week, but I missed that since it took me 3 days to complete it.  My other hope was Christmas Kickstart #106 - Dreaming of a Pink Christmas.  It appears I'll make this one by the skin of my chinny-chin-chin, so I'd better get with it!

An NBUS stencil from T Holtz, a couple of pink inks (photo shows pink inks, not corals) for ink-blending, a lonely green Copic, a gold Signo gel and a "clear" gel pen, whichs looks more silver sparkle -- easy, right?  Nope!  While I love the stencil, it is only one, not a set of coordinating so there's A TON of masking.

I added a strip of coral-ish pink card at the bottom, and also layered the pink foiled sentiment on more of the same cardstock.  Here's a closer look that shows more sparkle from the two pens ~

Now, will I ever use this stencil again?  Probably not, even though it's beautiful.  Maybe it's me being lazy, or used to the newer layered stencils, but 3 days is just too much for me.  Thus the leaves in green Copic, and the centers and snow in pen.  After starting this card, I distinctly remember trying to use it one other time and then figuring out the masking issue...

Since this is an unused stencil until now, it'll also be heading to Darnell's NBUS #82.

 

Supplies:

   TH/Stampers Anon. - Poinsettia stencil

   Splb - Glitter Wishes hfp (also NBUS)

I'm so glad you stopped by and thank you for spending some time with me!

Hugs,

TK

Merry & Bright

 Welcome, and thanks for the visit!

Today's post is a short one with a card for a couple of challenges.  I ended up posting my last card (blue & white) Color Hues #125, and then was asked to join another challenge asking for shades of blue, Inspirational #359.  So I came up with this card, probably for my eldest grandson this next Christmas ~

While this has several layers, it's a pretty easy card (HA - struggles listed later).  The blue layer was cut with a cover plate punching out the starts and snowflakes, then layered over a layer of white glitter cs.  A second panel of glitter cs was then cut using an NBUS die for the treeline, layered over that.  Lastly, I cut the NBUS snowman and put him together, thinking I would add him on a wobbler.  That's where the frustration started!  I have these wobblers and yet I struggle to use them, 1) they aren't "flat" under the sticky portion, so the small side always has trouble sticking to whatever I want to wobble; 2) with added glue and using my reverse tweezers, I try to get them to stick more and still no success!  Thus, I removed the wobbler and layered him straight onto the panel -- easier for mailing anyway, with all the layers of glitter cs!  A foiled sentiment was then added.  With two unused products now used, this'll be going to NBUS #182 too!

Supplies:

   HB - Northern Star coverplate

   Ps - Whittle Friendly Snowman die (NBUS) 

   MB - Woodsy Plaid dp, AlpineTree die (NBUS)

   Splb - Merry Messages pp

  

Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

TK

Let Us Adore Him

 Greetings, Friends!

I'm here today, with a QACAS card, using new-to-me items.  

I started with the embossing -- I tried to add inking on the first panel to highlight the pine boughs but that was a No-Go!  So, I embossed another panel and left it plain.  Now what's a gal to do with it?  I spied the new-to-me press plate and pressed right onto the embossed panel.  I first pressed using Delicata Gold twice, and while it was wonderful, it was still a bit light.  I pressed a third time using PTI Fine Linen to get a bit of a darker look, then went back to press with gold.  Much better!  Then, the gold thread was wrapped and tied making a slight addition to the gold pressed sentiment.  While very CAS, I do like that it lets the sentiment stay at the focus.  My only question now, should I add sparkle to the "snow"?  A bit of Nuvo, or chunky glitter?

A close-up ~

Since both products are seeing the light of day for the first time, I will be sending this to Darnell's NBUS #82.

Supplies:

   HB - Snowy Pines 3D folder

   Splb - Let Us Adore Him pp

Hump Day, Folks!  Hope you have a great rest of your week!

Hugs,

TK

Three Challenges and a Bonus!

 Hello, my Friends!

Today I'm here so excited about this card.  It all started with a Double D - 10th year Birthday (Go Double D!!!), since I'm in need of Birthday cards.  Then I strolled over to Triple B - January to see their beautiful inspiration photo with gorgeous blues and whites.  As per usual, I took a stroll through my NBUS products and was able to come up with a press plate and die plus a hot foil frame, then got quickly to work.

Here's my card ~

Initially, I tried to foil on the blue cardstock (darker than it appears), but it did not work on the MFT card.  I didn't want to waste the beautiful blue cs, so I cut off the foiling to save the outside strips and inside rectangle for another day.  I used the "new-to-me" double rectangle frame and foiled in Aura on Hammermill, then foiled the "new-to-me" centerpiece floral too.  I colored it with Copics, then cut it using the die.  Once I had done this, I realized one strip of blue would be nice behind the floral piece, but lo and behold, if I used the floral die again, I could also fill in the inner circle with the remaining blue -- cool!  Sentiment  pressed, cut and mounted.

Now, the Bonus!  After photographing my card (trying out a new light, which is why I got so many other colors in the foiling), I read Marcia's latest post.  Ta Da -- bonus challenge with Color Hues #125 - Blue and White!  Yay!

 

 

ETA:  I was invited by Carol to join them over at Inspirational #359 - Shades of Blue

Supplies:

   Splb - Essential Duo Lines hfp, New Beginnings Timeless Sentiments pp

   PFS - Floral Round Frames pp/die

   Aura foil

Thanks for the visit, have a blessed day!

Hugs,

TK

More Christmas Tags

 Welcome!

Today's post is a couple more Christmas tags that will be used for next year.  I wanted to get these done early, using a few older products but a new stamp set, so one of these will go to NBUS #82.

 

I'm loving this new stamp set, so fun!

 

Now, while I don't celebrate Santa, the Easter bunny nor Halloween (it is rare if you ever see one on my blog); I have no problem with those that do, so this third tag will be used for them.  I really like this stamp set and think they're really adorable!  For me?  The fourth tag says it all - Tis the Reason for the Season!  

Tags cut, toppers cut and added, twine tied and stamps stamped.  What you might not see is that the Nativity stamp was stamped in gold Delicata and the topper is gold shimmer paper.  Are you confused about that background?  Those tags were photographed right in my tree!  The colors were hard to deal with, especially since the light shows as yellow (my house was dark except the tree), but I still like my attempt at being artsy - lol.  The first and last tags actually look truer in color.

Supplies:

   RC- Topped Off Tags, Toppers and Hang-Ups

   Un - With Love, From Me (NBUS)

That's it for me, and I hope you all have a great week!

Hugs,

TK

Warm Winter Wishes

 Hello, and welcome to 2026!

I have a card today that fits a few challenges.  I was wanting to play at Inkspirational #357 - Cold, and then I saw the colors that Bonnie chose at Color Hues - Red & Gray, and it all went from there!  The only issue?  What sweet image should I use today?!

Sweet, huh?

I started with the PB little girl ,but I needed something for her to be reaching for and my mind went straight to bird.  This set doesn't have one, so I had to find one that was the appropriate size and had the same approximate line width.  While this one fit the bill, it also really pushed the color choice to be the perfect option!  

The images were colored with Copics, small snowdrifts masked and ink blended, then a little WoS for sparkle.  The image was cut down, added to a gray fog cs, and the sentiment I already had in my stash -- perfect!  While my photos leave much to be desired (I need a PS lesson, or ten or some more sunshine through the winter), I'm happy with this card.

 

And since I used another NBUS product, I'll also be adding this to Darnell's gallery!

Supplies:

   PB - Snow Folks

   AE - Festive Wreath (cardinal)

   PTI - In The Meadow dies

   KS - Fany Scalloped Rectangle die

   Splb - Merry Messages pp

Well, we're off to the weekend now, and I hope you've had a great start to 2026!  Thank you for your visit, I appreciate you!

Hugs,

TK