Tuesday, July 14, 2020

The Missing Year

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I feel like this year is a missing year. I look at the calendar, and think there's no way it can be July, because while time has gone by, nothing else has. No events, none of the normal things that help me mark time have taken place. 

This past week, I attended a funeral and my brother's birthday party online. So strange. 

I'm in a great routine, but there are no big annual milestones - just the routine. 

It feels strange to see big dates come and go when it seems sort of like time is standing still around me. So seasonal cardmaking helps it feel like time is linear again - I'm very happy to be able to see Halloween and Christmas images - things from a normal year.

Halloween is pretty much my favorite, as you know, so I'll start there with this adorable repeating Jack-o-Lanterns background. It's a 4x4, so very inexpensive, but it repeats in all four directions, so you can build backgrounds of any size!

I colored them with Karin Markers (coupon code at the end of the post) on watercolor paper while listening to this new BBC podcast - it's pretty riveting. Then I die cut the image with infinity dies, and used a Christmas sentiment from this amazing large classic Santa face set because fall and Halloween ARE the most wonderful time of the year! :) I added just a few Gin & Tonic sequins.

Speaking of repeating backgrounds, I stamped this one to repeat vertically to fill my card front, and then just added a blue Copic background to these gorgeous fall images. When I was in New York - and I'm sure there's some meteorological phenomenon to explain this - the skies were much bluer in the fall. It was a magical time of year there. 


But I didn't leave Christmas out of my weekend plans! This is a shaker card, so it's impossible to photograph - sorry for the terrible job there! The stamp that my chonky little Santa comes from actually has two other little chonky Santas on it - so cute - but I just wanted one for my scene. First, I used an infinity die to cut a circle into card front sized piece of white, self adhesive fun foam - this saves me a step! I adhered acetate to that (I use these precut pieces for ease of use) and filled it with these sparkly flakes. The flakes come in lots of fun colors - I chose blue.  Then I put another piece of acetate over that to close the shaker, and attached the shaker part to a card front I had brushed ink onto using a torn piece of paper to create inky snowdrifts. Finally, I cut a circle in a white card front with the same die and glued that on top of the shaker scene, before adding my chonky Santa and the sentiment from this set - a full set of sentiments designed for the inside of your Christmas cards. So sweet. The Santa is colored with Karin Markers



There's a fun, new, layering tree out today. The first time I stamped it I used traditional tree colors, and I decided that wasn't fun enough, so I did some really cool, retro style color combos for two trees and they ARE fun enough.

The first combo is Innocent Pink + Passionate pink. I used a hole punch and silver glitter paper for the ornaments. The sentiment is from this set.



Grab your sunglasses! This is a fall/winter mashup combo, with Wild Dandelion + Red Hot, with aqua ornaments that match the card base. This one is my favorite. The sentiment is from this set.


Jack-o-lanterns
[ PFS ]
Autumn Harvest
[ PFS ]
Baby It's Cold Outside
[ PFS ]
Most Wonderful Time of the Year
[ PFS ]
Inside Quotes Christmas
[ PFS ]
Reindeer Games
[ PFS ]
Wrapped Candy
[ PFS ]
Ho Ho Ho
[ PFS ]
Believe in the Magic
[ PFS ]
Brocade Stencil
[ PFS ]
Field of Snowy Trees Stencil
[ PFS ]
Shading Flower Stencil
[ PFS ]
Candlelight Stencil
[ PFS ]
Flower of Life Stencil
[ PFS ]
Gin & Tonic Sequin Mix – Picket Fence...
[ PFS ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad-...
[ GNK ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad-...
[ GNK ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild...
[ GNK ]
GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Red Hot...
[ GNK ]
Creativity Street Wonderfoam Peel &...
[ BLIC ]
DI199 Nesting Circle Infinity Dies...
[ HA ]
Shimmer Flake - Blue — Brutus|Monroe
[ BMR ]
Karin Brushmarker Pro Mega Box 60...
[ MRK ]
Fabriano Artistico Extra White...
[ BLIC | SSS ]
Hero Arts Acetate Sheets
[ HA ]
Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock
[ CTC ]
Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473
[ SSS ]
Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White
[ GNK ]
MISTI Stamping Tool
[ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ]
Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -...
[ BLIC ]
Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH | SSS ]
Crafter's Companion GEMINI...
[ SSS ]
Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring...
[ SSS ]
Essentials by Ellen Storage...
[ ELH ]
Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets...
[ CHC ]
XL Stamp Storage Pockets
[ ELH ]
Mermaid tidy towel case and glue...
[ ETS ]
Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045
[ SSS | CST ]
Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies
[ ART ]
RETIREMENT - SALE – Page 5 – Picket...
[ PFS ]


So fun to see holidays on the horizon, yes?

If you want to see the rest of this fabulous release, including a beautiful large floral stencil, a snowy trees stencil, a cute reindeer repeating background, a wrapped candy background and more - you can do so here! Their retirement sale is still going strong if you want a bargain or seven!

Loveyameanitbye. 


CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
10% off sitewide at Arteza here with code Understandblue6 through 7.31.2020
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

2 comments:

  1. Love your cards. Now—to shop!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous cards! I am totally in love with the pink tree! Take care and stay safe xxx

    ReplyDelete

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