March 2024 Pot of Gold Card

I made a Pot o' Gold card 3 years ago. I don't remember who I gave it to, so it was a good thing I had posted it here. There are a few differences from that one to this one. I added the Illumination to this version, and placed the hat differently. I also added a clover to the hat, but it's still essentially the same card. Unfortunately, the "gold" coins are thicker and do block some of the light from the illumination mechanism.

Left side is not lit up, right side is (glow is mostly at the bottom center of the card).

Queen Shaker Light Up Challenge

Queen & Co. has a challenge this month to create a card that lights up (using their Endless Illumination Kit, of course). I have been busy making card kits for a friend and finally got them done, so I had time to play with this kit that had been a bit intimidating. It was actually very easy. The hardest part was to figure out what dies to use that hadn't already been used by others. They have used the sun, camping lantern, and other Queen kits. I wanted to do the lighthouse from a kit they had a summer or two ago. I don't know if they will sell it again this summer, but it is a great kit (and of course, I love lighthouses).

The images below show the differences in the shaker card with the light off (left) and on (right). If you push it once, it flashes fast; twice, flashes fast, but not as fast; three times, solid light.

Sweet Summertime Card with Scraps

On the RefuPeas message board, someone asked about organizing scraps. Mine have gotten out of hand over time, so I started working on organizing them a bit better. While organizing, I have also pulled some scraps and made a few cards, which I've posted previously. Tonight I finished a set of 4 cards, all identical to the one below. I used Queen & Co. Foundation dies, Queen & Co. Foundation Sketch #15 (slightly adapted, paper scraps, and Lemonade stamped images that were leftovers from the card class I taught last summer for my church's craft night. I also used the Sweet Summertime stamp phrase from the Queen & Co. Watermelon Shaped Card Kit.

Karen Burniston Accordian Fence Card

I've been collecting Karen Burniston pop-up card dies for awhile but am not as good about actually using them. However, I've been planning to do this card for awhile. It is an almost blatant copy of the card she made in her video that demonstrated how to use the fence add-on set. I rarely copy someone else's card, but I definitely copied hers, with only very slight variations. I was mostly just trying to learn how to make it, but it turned out so cute that I decided to add a sister sentiment and send it to my only sister.

The photo below helps you to see the actual structure. It does fold down flat to 5 and 3/4 inches, to go into an envelope, but it doesn't fold flat the full length of the card. You can add as many panels as you like, though, so it can be very, very long if you want. (I didn't.)

Heartfelt Creations Mushroom Cottage Card

This feels like it was almost a total cheat. I designed the card based on what I had in my stash. I used the fairy, firefly, and mushroom cottage cut aparts from the Heartfelt Creations Mushroom Cottage paper pad (one of my recent purchases from their Warehouse Sale). The green vine background patterned paper is from Jen Hadfield's Along the Way collection, Birds & Bees paper from 2018, and which was a Tuesday Morning find from a few years or so ago. I created the sentiment on my computer, using the Ink Free font. The yellow mat behind, and the yellow die cut frame were cut with Queen & Co. Foundation dies.

Heartfelt Creations

Heartfelt Creations (HC) announced last spring or summer that they would be winding down their business and closing their doors. I have loved their designs ever since I found them at a scrapbook/card making convention in Virginia many years ago. My crafty friends and I used to scrapbook together at the local scrapbook store (LSS), as well as attend conventions together. The LSS closed, and over time, many of us moved to other states. When I first moved to Texas, I went to every scrapbook/stamp convention that I could. In 2017, I went to at least 3 conventions that came to my area. I went alone. I couldn't find any other paper crafting enthusiasts to go with me, and while I taught a free card class in my home for over a year, none of those who came to my card nights were interested in conventions.

I have been to only one or two conventions since COVID, but Heartfelt Creations no longer attended by then. I have been taking advantage of Heartfelt Creations' online sales, but I haven't been making much using their products lately, so I decided to get out some of my HC dies and stamps and this simple Valentine card what I came up with:

These are dies that I've had for years. The patterned paper was a more recent acquisition. It is from their Sweet Pea collection. Anyway, it was fun to play with HC products again.

After making this card, I pulled out their Wildwood Cottage paper pad and stamps. That collection had some extremely cute fairies. I made a card with their fairies back in the fall which you can see here:

Wildwood Cottage Card

On Sunday, I decided to stamp and cut out a bunch of the Wildwood Cottage fairies ahead of time for future cards. That is when I realized that I didn't have the matching fairy die set, so I created a cut file with my Silhouette. Now I have a bunch of fairy die cuts, mushrooms, and flower pots to color and add to future cards. It's a very cute set. I don't know why I have neglected it so long.

Since they are having an ongoing warehouse sale, where the more you buy, the bigger the discount you get, I have recently added to my HC collection of paper pads, stamps, and dies. One of the most recent acquisitions was a Mushroom Cottage paper pad. I decided it looked even better in person than online, and placed another order to get what stamps and dies were still available to go with it, along with another paper pad. This set has a similar style to the Wildwood Cottage collection, and I think they will be cute together, although the paper pad for the two different fairy sets each have a different color palette. The stamps and dies, however, can definitely be used together.

Heartfelt Creations sells beautiful (as well as cute) products, but they won't be available much longer. I think I have probably placed my last order, but I have enough to last me for as long as I can craft. Still, it's always sad to say goodbye to a favorite company.

Woodland Critters Fox Card

I used one of the sketches shown for Foundation Set #24 to create this card but added the fox, tree trunk,circle, etc. and eliminated the stamped phrase. I'll be stamping something on the inside of the card.

The patterned paper is an older one from my stash, bought at Tuesday Morning, so I assume it was discontinued long ago. It's from Simple Stories' Simple Vintage Great Escape line.