Hugs & Kisses

I don't usually make Valentine's Day cards but when I saw the Cow Hugs stamp from High Hopes Rubber Stamps I decided to make one. I will stamp Happy Valentine's Day inside but I might also use it to send to a friend who needs a hug.... this is such a versatile stamp!

After colouring the stamp with Copic markers, I hand fussy cut it leaving a thin white edge. I set it aside and found some paper from and old Echo Park pad that fit the colour palette perfectly. I cut the pieces to fit my A2 size card base. I cut a circle out of patterned paper and cut off the edge just to create some interest. Next I cut the fishtail heart banner out of matching paper and card stock, cut some smaller hearts out of a different banner to put in the middle of the hearts and glued them to the base. Then I glued down the circle and added the stamp with foam pop dots. I stamped the sentiment, mounted it on matching card stock and added some enamel dots to finish off my card. 

 

Stamp Recipe

Stamps - Cow Hugs (TT136)- High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment - Hugs & Kisses (FR016) - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper - Blowing Kisses - Echo Park

Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Hammermill Digital Cover Card Stock, heart banner dies - Your Next Stamp, circle die, 3D foam dots, enamel dots

Copic Markers

Hooves - C1 C2 C4 C5

Flowers - Y11 Y15 Y17 YG03 YG17 R81 R83 R85

Spots - N3 N5 N8 N10

Bow/Bell Band - R24 R27 R37 R59

Grass - YG01 YG03

Shading - C1 C2

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Simply De-Vine!

I don't usually make a lot of cards for Valentine's Day but when I saw the "Simply De-Vine!" sentiment from High Hopes Rubber Stamps I decided to challenge myself to find a way to use this sentiment for a non-traditional Valentine. 

I decided "Mike On A Vine" and the "Branch" also from High Hopes, went together perfectly with the sentiment and fit my non-traditional theme. 

Mike is adorable and could be used for a number of different card themes.

After stamping Mike and the branch Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I coloured them with Copic markers. I hand fussy cut them - I actually broke my scissors! - and ran a black marker around the edge to get any white I had missed. 

After setting them aside, I got my baby blue ink, dauber and cloud die and formed my cloud background. 

I cut a piece of white card stock to size and used a circle die to cut the space for the clouds. Thankful for my Misti as I placed and stamped the sentiment directly on to the card. After cutting the cloud paper to fit the circle I glued Mike and the branch down and added some enamel dots to finish off my card. 

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Mike On A Vine, Branch - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiments: Simply De-Vine!- High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper - Baby Blue Memories ink, cloud die - Quickutz

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill 100lb digital cover stock, ribbon, stitched inside out circle die - Gina Marie Designs, enamel dots 

 Copic Markers:

Monkey - E30 E31 E43 E23 E25 E27 E29

Vine and Leaves - YG01 YG03 YG17 G29

Branch - E34 E35 E29

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Hugs and Hugs and Hugs

Sometimes we all just need a hug! Whether it is in person or in a card for Valentine's Day, a thinking of you or a miss you card - a hug in person or in a card helps the recipient know how special they are! 
These "Monkey Mates" from High Hopes are happy to share a hug and I love when I have a stamp in my stash that can be used for so many occasions. 

I coloured up this adorable pair with alcohol markers, added some shading with Prismacolor pencils and hand fussy cut them leaving a thin white edge. I chose some patterned paper from Bo Bunny - one is a little darker and bolder then I normally use, gulp - and cut the pieces to fit my card base. The scallop edge was cut with my Cricut using the "book" feature and the Elegant Edges cartridge. I stamped the sentiment and mounted it on matching cardstock and placed it to go off the edge of the card. Some ribbon and enamel dots finish off my card.  
  
Card Recipe 

Stamp: Monkey Mates - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment - Hugs & Hugs - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Only You and Stay While Collections - Bo Bunny 

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill digital cover stock, Elegant Edges cartridge - Cricut (Provo Craft), white gel pen, classic circle die - Spellbinders, ribbon - stash, enamel dots - Gina Marie Designs

Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers: MB2 MB3 R20 DP3 DP4

Prismacolor Premier Pencils: dark brown, beige sienna, peach beige

The High Hopes Design team posts daily inspiration on Facebook and the High Hopes blog - we'd love for you to pop by for a visit! Inspiration can also be found on the High Hopes Instagram and Pinterest pages! 

                                                               

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Pawsitively Purr-fect

Adults like receiving Valentine's Day cards too right?! So when I have a very special person in my life who loves cats the "Purr-fect Valentine Friends" stamp from High Hopes is purr-fect for her Valentine card. 
She is fighting a hard, tough battle daily and I am hoping that some happy mail with something she loves, filled with love will maker her smile. 

After colouring this sweet pair of friends with alcohol markers I hand fussy cut them leaving a thin white edge. I set them aside and found some paper from Stampin' Up and cut it to fit my A2 size card base. I cut a lacy circle die and cut it to fit - I wanted one edge to be off the card front just for fun. I like to add a little bling to my cards if I can so some Stickles on the heart lace was perfect for this one. I added the stamp using some 3D foam pop dots. Ribbon, flowers and gum drops finish off my card. 
  
Card Recipe 

Stamp: Purr-fect Valentine Friends - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment - Pawsitively - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill digital cover stock, lacy circle die - Spellbinders, classic circle die - Spellbinders, ribbon - Offray, 3D foam pop dots - Forever In Time, flowers - Poppies and Prairie, gumdrops - YNS, star dust Stickles

Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers: E31 E34 E37 RB1 RB2 RB3 R20 RV32 RV34 FS7 FS8

The High Hopes Design team posts daily inspiration on Facebook and the High Hopes blog - we'd love for you to pop by for a visit! Inspiration can also be found on the High Hopes Instagram and Pinterest pages! 

                                                               

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Tons of Love

It's all about love on the High Hopes blog this month. Valentine's day is just around the corner but I challenged myself to use a love themed stamp to create a card for my stash that is more of a just because, thinking of you type card.

Sometimes we have peeps in our lives that are going through "stuff" and just need to know that they are being thought of and sometimes all you can do is send them a ton of love when you can't physically be there for them. 

I decided to colour the hearts in a "rainbow" of colours and added some clear sparkle pen to them for something different and fun. Once I was done colouring I cut out the stamp with a wonky stitched oval die. I put together a yellow paper combo using Lawn Fawn and Doodlebug and added a fun banner with a heart. Some ribbon and my favourite enamel dots finish off my card. 
  
Card Recipe 

Stamp: Ton Of Love Ellie - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: So Punny - Doodlebug, Spring Perfectly Plaid - Lawn Fawn

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill digital cover stock, wonky stitched oval die - Gina Marie Designs, clear Spectrum Sparkle pen, ribbon - stash, gumdrops - YNS

Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers: 1G1 1G3 1G6 PP1 PP3 C0 TB5 PL4 CRY OR1 CT2 CT1 LG2 LG3

The High Hopes Design team posts daily inspiration on Facebook and the High Hopes blog - we'd love for you to pop by for a visit! Inspiration can also be found on the High Hopes Instagram and Pinterest pages! 

                                                               

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Work Of Heart

"Tink" is the adorable skunk in the High Hopes line up and it looks like he has found his soul mate. How stinkin' cute (pardon the pun) are these two?! 
They are perfect for this month's love theme and I love their tails in a heart shape - so fun!

After stamping this cute pair, I coloured them with alcohol markers and hand fussy cut them leaving a thin white edge on the outside of the stamp. I cut along the lines (no white edge) on the inside because I wanted the red heart in the background to show through. I added some foam pop dots to them to add some dimension to my card. 
I combined patterned paper from three different companies for this design. After cutting the polka dot paper to size I took a heart die, centered it and cut it out with my Big Kick. I stamped and matted the sentiment, glued down my layers and voila! 
 A ribbon bow and enamel dots finish off my card. 
  
Card Recipe 

Stamp: Rubbing Noses - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Dot Our Love  - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Blowing Kisses - Echo Park, Christmas Delivery - Carta Bella, Petal Lane - Bo Bunny, stash 

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill digital cover stock, heart die - Stampin' Up, 3D foam pop dots - Forever In Time, ribbon - Close To My Heart, enamel dots - Gina Marie Designs

Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers: W5 BG7 BG10 CR7 CR11 DR7 C1

The High Hopes Design team posts daily inspiration on Facebook and the High Hopes blog - we'd love for you to pop by for a visit! Inspiration can also be found on the High Hopes Instagram and Pinterest pages! 

                                                               

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

For The World To See

Happy New Year High Hopes fans and to my followers! I hope this new year and decade - yikes! brings you lots of love, happiness and crafty time! 

How cute is this beaver couple with their big sparkly teeth!?! Mr. Beaver sure is proud of his carving abilities and is quite the romantic I'd say! 
This stamp and sentiment are perfect for Valentine's Day, Anniversary or Birthday cards to name a few. 

After colouring this cute pair with alcohol markers, I hand fussy cut them using my trusty cuticle scissors and in the small spaces an exacto knife. Patterned paper from Lawn Fawn was perfect for these two. 
I used a small heart die from another stamp and die set to cut out the hearts above her head after I glued the paper and card stock together. This gave me the chance to use the solid card stock or the patterned paper in those spaces. The heart above him is cut from matching paper.
Some ribbon and enamel dots finish off my card. 
  
Card Recipe 

Stamp: Beavers Romance - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Carving Our Names  - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Spiffy Speckles - Lawn Fawn 

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Hammermill digital cover stock, Gold Wink of Stella, ribbon - stash, enamel dots - Gina Marie Designs

Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers: RB1 RB2 RB3 W5 BG7 BG10 EB3 EB6 EB5 TN1 CT2

The High Hopes Design team posts daily inspiration on Facebook and the High Hopes blog - we'd love for you to pop by for a visit! Inspiration can also be found on the High Hopes Instagram and Pinterest pages! 

                                                               

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Pizza My Heart

February is the month of love and they say the way to a man's heart is food....so "Luigi" has you covered! How fun is this heart shaped pizza!? Perfect for Valentine's Day or an Anniversary card especially if the recipient loves pizza! 

This week I challenged myself to make a Valentine themed card in non traditional colours. After colouring the adorable Luigi with alcohol markers I  fussy cut him leaving a thin white edge. Fussy cutting him was not my plan but things happen and the plan changes
I added him to a stitched tag background with some foam pop dots just for fun. The sentiment was stamped and cut to fit and all of this cuteness was added to some patterned paper from MFT and my stash. A few die cut hearts finish off my A2 size card.  

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Luigi - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Pizza My Heart - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Gingham Galore - MFT, stash

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Misti, white gel pen, stitched nesting tag die - Tutti Designs, foam pop dots - Forever In Time

Spectrum Noir Markers: BG5, 7, 10, CR7, 11 DR6, IG2 

Copics: C00, R20 E00 E21, E11, E37, E77

Be sure to stop by the High Hopes Rubber Stamps Facebook page and blog for daily inspiration from the design team!

                                                                 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Monkey Love

Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away ... already! Where has January gone?! 
My post today features the oh so cute "Heartstrings Monkey" from High Hopes Rubber Stamps.
How fun is this cutie with his heart love banner!?! 

After colouring up this cutie with alcohol markers I cut him out with a circle die. I used a dark brown Prismacolor pencil to add some shading and my Fiskars circle cutter to cut a card stock circle to go behind him. I chose patterned paper from Reverse Confetti and laid out my card base. 
This card is done for the Bazzill Basics Paper sketch challenge so the design is based on the challenge sketch. 

I added a fun heartstring banner, gingham ribbon and gumdrops to finish off my card. There is also clear Spectrum sparkle pen added to the monkey's hearts and all of the paper is edged with antique linen distress ink.  

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Heartstrings Monkey - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: True Love - Reverse Confetti

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Misti, Heartstring banner die - YNS, gingham ribbon - Stampin' Up, Antique Linen Distress ink, gumdrops - YNS, Clear Spectrum Sparkle pen

Spectrum Noir Markers: MB1 MB2 MB3 TN1 EB1 

Copics: C00 RV11 RV32 RV34

Dark Brown Prismacolor pencil 

Be sure to stop by the High Hopes Rubber Stamps Facebook page and blog for daily inspiration from the design team!

                                                                 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Hogs & Kisses

Poor Pickles!!!He bought his sweetheart some balloons for Valentine's Day and they seem to have put a little too much helium in them! 
For now all he can do is send Hogs and Kisses to his sweetheart and hope he back in time for the big day! 

 I coloured Pickles with alcohol markers, cut him out with a stitched rectangle die and set him aside. Next I grabbed some white card stock, a dauber, blue ink and a cloud die cut and created my sky background. This is an A2 size card so I cut some background pieces out of my cloud paper. The second cut in the background is for some added interest. The sentiment is stamped directly onto to the background and some matching enamel dots finish off my card. 

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Lg. Pickles Balloon Ride - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Hogs and Kisses - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Misti, white gel pen, baby blue Memories ink, cloud Quickutz die, stormy blue Distress ink (sentiment), stitched rectangle dies - YNS, enamel dots - Carta Bella

Spectrum Noir Markers: TB8 BT9 TB9 IG1 IG3 IG5 FS6 FS8 CR1 AP4 CT1 CT3 GY1

Copics: RV11 RV34

Be sure to stop by the High Hopes Rubber Stamps Facebook page and blog for daily inspiration from the design team!

                                                                 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Wild Thing

I am getting out of Christmas card making mode and jumping in to Valentine's Day cards. I don't make many of this type of card to be honest but sometimes you have a stamp that comes into your life that needs to be a Valentine's Day card! 

"Snuggle Lions" was just that stamp for me.....although now I think it would also be perfect for an Anniversary card............

This card went sideways from my original plan. After colouring it with alcohol markers I hand fussy cut it and went around the edge with a black marker to cover any white I may have missed. Here is where things went awry...the paper and design I had chosen were just not working together with the stamp! Even after walking away for a day it wouldn't come together! 

So, I chose some paper from MFT and a different design and put my card together. I had to use my fussy cut stamp although I don't think it looks fussy cut on this white background. Next I took a small heart die and after roughly placing where I wanted the lions to be, I cut three hearts. 

The sentiment is one large sentiment but with some masking and help from my Misti I was able to split it up and stamp directly on to my paper. Some glossy enamel dots finish off my card. 


Card Recipe 

Stamp: Snuggle Lions - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Wild Thing - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Hearts and Stripes - My Favorite Things

Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Misti, gloss enamel dots - Gina Marie Designs 

Spectrum Noir Markers: GB1 GB4 GB7 GB10 BG5 BG7 BG10 EB3 EB6 EB5 AG1 AG3 AG4 CR7 CR11 DR6

Be sure to stop by the High Hopes Rubber Stamps Facebook page and blog for daily inspiration from the design team!

                                                                 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a super fantastic day!

Not Horsin Around!

                             Happy Thursday High Hopes Fans!

This week I've been horsin' around (pardon the pun) with another fun Valentine's Day stamp from High Hopes. 

I love that the sentiment is included although I had to rearrange my card making routine slightly....after all, I didn't have to find a place for the sentiment! It has been fun to have a bit of a challenge with the process. 

This week's card layout is based on an older challenge sketch from High Hopes. I have posted it below my card for you. I also chose to use some non-traditional Valentine's Day colours just for fun!

Here's the sketch I followed

I started my horsin' around by colouring my stamp with alcohol markers and then cutting it out with a classic circle die. The background cardstock was cut out using a circle cutter. I placed it on patterned paper from an older 6x6 paper collection from Echo Park. Some twine, banners and gumdrops (my fav) finish off my card. 

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Horsin' Around Horsey (P130) - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: This & That - Echo Park

 Tuxedo Black ink - Memento, Copic XpressIt cardstock,  Fishtail Banner dies - YNS, Classic circle die - Spellbinders, Fiskars circle cutter, bakers twine, Love Earth Gumdrops - YNS

Spectrum Noir Markers: EB3 EB5 GB8 GB10 1G2 1G3 1G5 CG2 DG2 CT4 GB5 

Copics: E37 RV11 RV34

The challenge for this month is called: Live, Laugh, Love. There are three ways to win some stamps - click here for details. 

There is also a new sketch to play along with - we can't wait to see what you create! Come play along!

Thanks so much for popping by! Have a fantastic day!

Love You

                             Happy Thursday High Hopes Fans! 

It's the first week of January but my mind is out of Christmas card making mode into Valentine's Day cards. I don't normally make this type of card but High Hopes has some great stamps for this occasion so I just had to ink them up! 

"Dino-Mite Dino" just makes me giggle! He could be used for so many card types....graduation, congratulations, birthday.....the list goes on! but I chose Valentine's Day for this guy. 

After colouring Dino with alcohol markers I cut him out with circle die and cut a matching cardstock piece to put behind him. 

I wanted to keep the layout of this card on the more simple side (for me anyway) to keep the focus on our friend Dino. 

Now, I have a confession ... I didn't have a happy Valentine's day sentiment stamp that fit my design so I used "part" of another High Hopes sentiment for my card. 

Some red rhinestones finish it off. 

Card Recipe 

Stamp: Dino-Mite Dino (M130) - High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Owl Always Love You (HH020)- High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Patterned Paper: Tea For Two - Cosmo Cricket

 Tuxedo Black ink - Memento, Copic XpressIt cardstock, rhinestones - stash, Banners #3 die - Sizzix, Classic Circle die - Spellbinders, Fiskars circle cutter 

Spectrum Noir Markers: JG2 JG6 JG4 CG1 CG2 1G1 CR7 CR11 DR6 

The challenge for this month is called: Live, Laugh, Love. There are three ways to win some stamps - click here for details. 

There is also a new sketch to play along with - we can't wait to see what you create! Come play along!

Thanks so much for popping by! Have a fantastic day!