Happy Days

So, my husband and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary this month!  Where has the time gone?!  So I made him this sweet little card.  Nothing too frilly, but enough to let him know I love him. : )  Don't you love that cute little ticket die?  So cute and so fun!

 And here is the inside of the card:  I carried over the front design by adding the cutout heart border.  (I used the negative space on the front--a fun little detail)

Challenges:
Your Next Stamp #14--sketch

Verve July Diva Dare--Inside Out (carry over the outside of your design to the inside)
Word Art Wednesday #142--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafter's Cafe #73--anything goes
The Stamping Chef #39--anything goes
The Paper Shelter--anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes
Brown Sugar #104--for the boys
Sister Act Card Challenge #67--anything goes
Crafty Catz #25--anything goes
Dis Digi Designs--dies and/or punches
Fussy & Fancy #119--words; it's about feeling
CAS-ual Fridays #134--tic tac toe (I used the column "black, white, gray"

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment on ticket die and "Take Note" small sentiment; Sweet n' Sassy "Celebrating Milestones" inside sentiment
Dies: PTI "heart border die"; Spellbinders "Just the ticket" ticket die

Gift Set

Happy Friday!!  Wahoo!!  And that means it's time for another challenge from Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.  We don't have a sponsor this week; instead the winner will get a chance to be a guest designer with us on a future challenge.  This week the challenge might be a little bit more tough, but I know you can handle it.  The challenge is to create a 3-piece gift set.  

 The three pieces are up to you. I decided to make a card, a tag and a gift bag.  Here's a picture of everything together:

 The gift bag:

 The card:

 And the gift tag:

The layout on each is pretty much the same, I just changed up the size of the flowers (and the bag has 3 instead of just one) and the sprigs and their orientation.

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #186--layer it up
Lexi's Creations #121--Christmas in July
Love To Scrap #34--scheming crafters (use a color scheme--mine is cool tones)
Tuesday Morning Sketches #259--sketch

Sweet Stamps #179--Christmas tags
Creative Knockouts #47--Christmas in July
Tuesday Throwdown #205--handmade flowers
Die Cuttin' Divas #175--Christmas in July

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Merry & Bright" sentiment on bag and card; PTI "Mat Stack 2" sentiment on tag
Dies: spellbinders "Fleur Di Lis Squares", "Layered Poinsettias"; Verve "Sprightly Sprigs"

Celebrating

Here's another birthday card.  I think it is my last for this month.  Phew, it's been a busy month.  This one is for my brother-in-law.  He lives in New York City, so I thought this skyline of a city would be a perfect fit for him.  I added the fireworks to add to the celebratory feel.  You can't really see it, but the fireworks are really sparkly, too.  I embossed the gold one with really glittery gold embossing powder and the other two with a holographic clear powder.  I really wish it showed up in the photo.

Challenges:
Crating Musketeers #15--Summertine (fireworks are a definite summertime activity around here)
Sarah Hurley #94--celebration
Raisin Boat #25--summertime
Suzy Bees #38--anything goes
Craft Hoarders Annonymous #12--Who's the Boss (embossing) (the item I was hoarding is that strip of red paper.  I had to cut it down a bit but it really wasn't much bigger; I just can't bear to throw anything away)
Our Daily Bread Designs #210--sponging or use a stencil
Loves RubberStamps #113--Summer Fun
Creative Inspirations #275--Here come summer
The Paper Nest Dolls #15--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy "Landscape Silhouettes"; Cloud 9 Designs fireworks; Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment

Merry Christmas from a little one

 Just about a month ago, I shared a Christmas card that one of my daughters had made.  Well, she actually won a couple digi images and that motivated my other two girls to want to make a card and have me "put it on the computer" so they could win some images.  This one was made by my 5-year-old (twin to the one who created the first card).  I drew the stable for her, but she drew the manger scene (I believe those pointy things behind Mary and Joseph are the ears of a horse and a donkey respectively); I'm pretty impressed with that; they are very recognizable as to what they are.  She also stamped the stars and colored them in with my glitter pen.  All of my girls are very infatuated with my "sparkly" pen. : )  So cute.

Challenges:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #42--a winter scene

Flat Friends #22--one-layer card

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--non-traditional colors (orange is definitely NOT traditional, but a 5 year old doesn't care!)

Divas By Design--Christmas in July

C.R.A.F.T. #268--Christmas

Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge #38--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra--anything Christmas goes

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Star of Wonder" large star and "To the Moon" small trio of stars

Sweet 16

This sweet card is for a sweet girl in our family who is turning 16 next week!  I couldn't resist going all girly on this one. : )

 Here is the inside.  I added a strip of the same patterned paper and use the same border punch to tie the inside together with the front.

Challenges:

Twisted Tuesday #80--pearls are sooooo heavy (use lots of layers and pearls)

Fussy and Fancy #118--It's all about girls

Card Mania #51--how charming (use a charm)

Verve July Diva Dare--inside out (tie in the inside with the outside of your card)

Word Art Wednesday #141--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

The Stamping Chef #38--anything goes

Milk Coffee--birthdays

Time Out Challenge #10--inspiration photo (I really loved that background wall with the minty green and white stripes; it inspired my choice of papers though I used chevrons instead of stripes)

Frosted Designs--flowers & stitching (flowers in my dp)

Sister Act Card Challenge #66--anything goes

Viva La Verve July week 3--sketch

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Saturday Challenge--anything goes

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Borderline" so sweet; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "Celebrating Milestones" 16; SU! sentiment inside; Your Next Stamp "Silly Monsters" happy birthday

Dies/punches: spellbinders "Floral Doily Motifs", "Classic Circles, large";Fiskars "Apron" borderpunch

Monsterous

Hmmm . . . what to put on a card for a fourteen-year-old boy?  What do teenage boys like?  I think: bold colors, no frills, and monsters (cute ones that is).  Yep, I think this one fits the bill.

Here's the inside:

I think this little one with all the eyes is so funny, and I love the sentiment that goes along with it: "All eyes on you  . . ."

Challenges:
Your Next Stamp #14--sketch (used it the long way instead of the short way)

Digi Stamps 4 Joy #96--for the boys
Through the Purple Haze--birthdays
The Crafter's Cafe--birthdays
Milk Coffee--birthdays
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge #66--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Your Next Stamp "Silly Monsters"
Dies: spellbinders A2 matting basics rectangles; PTI numbers border die

Beautiful Poppies

July is a busy birthday month for us, so I have a bunch of birthday cards to share.  This one is for my husband's grandmother.

 And here is the inside.  I kept it similar with the same colors and the ovals and, obviously, the poppies.  But instead of coloring them with markers like I did on the outside, I colored them with colored pencils for a much softer look.

Challenges:

Crafting Musketeers#15--summertime (around here--southern New England--poppies are definitely summer flowers)

Twisted Tuesday #80--pearls are sooooo heavy (use layers and pearls)

Fab n' Funky #223--feels like summer (when I see poppies starting to bloom, I know it is summertime)

Fussy & Fancy #118--it's all about girls

The Squirrel and the Fox #73--ribbons and lace

Through the Purple Haze--birthdays

Sugar Pea Designs #007--sketch

Verve's July Diva Dare--Inside Out (carry over some part of your card design to the insides)

Shopping Our Stash #160--can't put it down or away (I use that little sentiment die a LOT; it is just perfect for a little sentiment)

The Crafter's Cafe--birthdays

ART Impressions #140--Big birthdays

Milk Coffee--birthdays

DRS Designs #131--strawberries & cream (use the colors from the inspiration photo)

Sister Act Card Challenge #66--anything goes

Supplies:

Stamps: Fred She Said "Poppies" digi; Our Daily Bread Designs "Crochete" background; Hero Arts French script; Verve "Birthday Phrases" sentiment outside; PTI "Damask Designs" sentiment inside

Dies: Spellbinders classic ovals and scalloped ovals, large; Verve "Charming Ovals"