Friday, July 4, 2025

Christmas Joy

Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Use a Die Cut.  I am using an image from our fabulous sponsor: All Dressed Up.

 Here is my card:
I just love the All Dressed Up images; they are so cute!!  I chose to go with the Christmas in July theme and picked out this adorable little girl and her polar bear.  Maybe the winter theme will help cool things down around here!  I used some Christmas themed papers that have been in my stash for FOREVER!!  I've got some snowflakes, I've got some stars, I've got some stripes and red, white, and blue!  I added some die cut snowflakes and a sentiment and all done!  For a little sparkle, I added some ultrafine glitter to the pompom on her scarf and each of the little stars on her headband.  You can see it in the photo below.

You have all month to play along.  So, get inky and link up your creation; I can't wait to see what you create!

Supplies:
Stamps:  All Dressed Up (I don't see it in their shop anymore.  Maybe retired?); Verve "Peace on Earth" sentiment
Dies: Memory Box "Lindamen snowflake"; My Favorite Things "Sweet Snowflakes" and "Blueprints 12" banner

Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T. #758--Christmas
Crafty Catz #697--anything goes
Creative Fingers #304--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday--red, white, and/or blue
Shopping Our Stash #551--red, white, and blue
Fab n' Funky #620--Christmas in July
Paper Shelter #645--anything goes with the optional twist: Christmas in July
Penny's Challenge #600--anything goes
Little Red Wagon #814--to boldly go!













Unicorn Challenge #111--Christmas in July
Creative Inspiration--stars AND/OR stripes
Creatalicious #290--anything goes with the optional twist: stars
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Fabulous

Happy July 1st!!  It's time for a new challenge on the Critter Crazy Challenge blog!  And this month we are celebrating our 100th challenge!!  Wahoo!  For this month ONLY to celebrate this milestone, your card featuring a creature MUST be a birthday card!  There will be a prize, so head on over to the Critter Crazy Blog and check out all the details.

Here is my card for your inspiration:
This is for my Bestie.  She turned 50 a week ago and this is the card I made for her.  I took some soft floral papers to go along with my cute little flamingo.  I added some gold embellishments and accents and a pretty handmade flower to add a bit of elegance.  I didn't feel like coloring, so I stamped the flamingo on white cardstock and then again on a pink patterned paper.  I fussy cut the body from the pink image and adhered it to the white panel after coloring the rest of the image on the white panel.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hop on over to the Critter Crazy blog and check out the details and the rest of the projects from the Design Team.  And don't forget your card MUST be a birthday card featuring a creature!

Supplies:
Stamps: Tracey Hey "Fabulous" image; Papertrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes" sentiment
Dies: PaperTrey Ink numbers; My Favorite Things "Fancy Flourish"

Challenges:








The Paper Shelter #644--anything goes with the optional twist: cut it out (I fussy cut the body of the flamingo before adding it to the base stamped image
Crafty Catz #697--anything goes
Creative Fingers #304--anything goes
Alphabet Challenge--f is for feathers (flamingos have feathers)

Friday, June 27, 2025

Birthday cow

Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Critters

Here is my card for your inspiration:
I cheated a little bit on this one: I already had the tag made.  I think I actually made it for a Cut It Up Challenge quite a while ago.  But, it's been sitting on my desk waiting to be used and I decided to finally turn it into a card.  I die cut the base layer with a stitched rectangle die and then stamped the focal image repeatedly to create a pattern.  I did add ribbon and twine to the tag, heat embossed the second sentiment with white embossing powder on black card stock and finished it off with some black enamel dots.  I love the color of the tag against all the black and white of the rest of the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you will hop over to the Cut It Up blog for the full details of the challenge and to see what the rest of the Design Team has created. 

Supplies:
Stamps: My Favorite Things "The Whole Herd" cow; Verve "Birthday Wishes" embossed sentiment; Cardz TV "Critter Captions" cow sentiment
Dies: My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" tag, stitched rectangle and stitched banner; I don't remember where the hearts came from

Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
We Love Stamping--nature or anything goes















Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Deepest Sympathy

Another sympathy card; the third I've needed in just over a month.  Not fun, but necessary.

 This paper pack was already on my desk.  It's an interesting pack, most of the patterns/colors are rather tropical and flowery, but there are a couple of these blue patterns.  I felt they were more subtle and soft and more fitting for a sympathy card.  I pulled out my favorite flower layering stamp set and some pretty ribbon to finish it off.

Supplies:
Stamps: PaperTrey Ink "The Sweet Life" roses and leaves; Verve "Borderlines" sentiment
Dies: PaperTrey Ink "The Sweet Life" roses and leaves; unbranded stitched label die from Amazon

Challenges:
Love Those Pretty Papers--anything goes with the optional twist: weddings (I did not use the twist)
CRAFT #757--cute OR anything goes
Make My Monday #254--more than one butterfly (I have 3 on my patterned paper)
Word Art Wednesday #704--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
We Love Stamping--nature OR anything goes













Beautiful Blossoms #30--anything goes with flowers with an optional mood board













Triple B--anything goes with a bird, butterfly or bloom and an optional mood board






70 and fabulous

This past weekend, we celebrated the 70th birthday of one of my husband's aunts.  This is the card I made for her.  I already had this paper pack out on my desk from another card that I had made (which I will post next week) and it seemed a good fit as the aunt and uncle live in Florida for half the year--it seemed very tropical to me.

 Supplies:
Stamps: PaperTrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes"
Dies: PaperTrey Ink "By the Numbers" border die and "Filigree" border die; unbranded stitched label die from Amazon

Challenges:
Love Those Pretty Papers--anything goes with the optional twist: weddings (I did not use the twist)
Word Power--sentiment as the focal
CRAFT #757--cute OR anything goes (I went with anything goes)
Crafty Catz #696--anything goes with the optional twist: use hot colors
Creative Fingers #303--anything goes
Sketch Saturday #778--sketch with the optional twist: popping an element













Word Art Wednesday #707--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Penny's Challenge #599--anything goes

Friday, June 20, 2025

Autumn birthday greetings

 Hello, everyone!  It's time for the mid-month reminder for the challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Men and Boys.  I am using an image from our fabulous sponsor: Mirtillamente.

 Here is my card:
And no, I am NOT ready for Fall to arrive--summer just got here!!  But, I don't have very many manly images from Mirtillamente, so I decided to choose this beautiful pumpkin image and get a head start on a fall masculine birthday card.   I love the bit of patterned papers just peeking out behind the image panel!
You have all month to play along.  So, get inky and link up your creation; I can't wait to see what you create!

Supplies:
Stamps: Mirtillamente "Autumn Season" digi; Verve "So Happy" sentiment
Dies: unbranded stitched label die from Amazon

Challenges: 
Crafter's Cafe #319--anything goes with the optional twist of masculine
Crafty Calendar--add a sentiment
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Double Trouble #193--My Guy (Thing #1: 3 or more layers, 2 or more patterned paper, 1 piece of kraft; Thing #2: play along with Try a Sketch on Tuesday)













Creative Fingers #363--anything goes
Penny's Challenge #599--anything goes

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Using up some scraps

 I have a paper pack that I have had for a quite a while and it is getting down to some pretty small scraps left.  I had a fun time playing with them this past weekend.  Here's what I came up with so far.  I was able to use the larger pieces on the top card and used a bunch of smaller scraps for the second card.  Based on the sketch I decided to use, I was able to use tiny scraps to create the illusion of larger pieces.  You can see that at the very bottom of the picture and can see how they hide behind the main panel in the finished first card.  I still have all those scraps left in the top right corner, but I have an idea for some of them.

In the photo below you can see my scrapped layers--you can't even tell!  This card with all the colors is perfect for a little boy birthday we celebrated over the weekend.  Can you tell he was turning 2??  I also pulled the arrow from my bits and pieces stash.  And the fun enamel circles I have had for a long time!
Here is the sentiment I created for the inside.  As are all two-year-old boys, he is definitely full of shenanigans!
The second card made with the larger scrap pieces, I turned into a Father's Day card for my husband.
All I needed to do was add a little pirate, stamp the sentiment and add some enamel dots.  Using up scraps and supplies I have had for a long time is one of my favorite things to do in card making!

Card #1:
Supplies:
Stamps: PaperTrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes"; CAS-ual Fridays "Shenanigans" inside sentiments
Dies: PaperTrey Ink "By the Numbers"; My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" and "Blueprints 12" banners

Challenges:
Crafter's Cafe #320--anything goes with the optional twist: masculine
Crafty Calendar--add a sentiment
613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: for the boys
Colorful Options--aquablue or rainbow (I used ALL the colors)
Word Power--sentiment
Sweet Stampin'--rainbow creations
Double Trouble #193--My Guy (Thing #1: 3 or more layers, 2 or more patterned papers, 1 piece of kraft; Thing #2: Try a Sketch of Tuesday)













Crafty Catz #696--anything goes with the optional twist: use hot colors
Word Art Wednesday #704--anything goes with uplifting sentiment


Card #2:
Supplies:
Stamps: My Favorite Things "Party Like a Pirate"

Challenges:
Creative Inspirations--one for the boys
Crafty Gals #267--fill in the blank--dad's . . . (day--Father's Day)
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Snippets Playground #508--anything goes with snippets (everything is snippets)
CRAFT #757--cute or anything goes
Creative Fingers #303--anything goes
Penny's Challenge #599--anything goes