Recycled cards

 I got to have a little fun today and just play.  I decided to try upcycling Christmas cards that I received this year.  I've had the thought before, but never made it happen.  Today, I finally did it.  All three cards in this post use pieces from the same Christmas card.  On the first one, I die cut the main image with a rectangle die.  The plaid banner piece was a piece that actually ran down the side of the original card.

I embossed a piece of kraft card stock for the background panel and added a mat of light turquoise.  I added a sentiment strip and some snowflakes that had been punched a long time ago.  They were just sitting in a bag waiting to be used.

After cutting out the image, I had the sentiment and a cute little house left over.  They were perfect to pair together to create this second card.  I used the same red card base, and some embossed kraft strips.  I added some light turquoise and then added some red glitter paper die cut hearts.  The largest one was in my bits and pieces stash and was the inspiration for adding them to the card.

After finished the second card, I still had two small squares of the card left.  They had some pieces of trees on them and seemed to pretty to throw away.  So, I found a sketch to use to use them up.  Unfortunately, you don't really see the pattern with the ribbon covering them.  But at least I did use them

I also got a chance to use this adorable little snowman stamp that I have had for several years and never inked up.  He's super cute; so I will definitely be using him again.  I paper pieced his hat with the little bit of left over plaid from the first card.  Then I added a fun little pom pom to the top of the hat.  I stamped some light turquoise snowflakes around the top of the focal panel.  The ribbon was in my bits and pieces stash.

Card #1:

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Beyond Measure" sentiment

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle; MFT "Blueprints 14" sentiment banner

Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Martha Stewart snowflake punch

Challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs--color combo and/or sketch (I chose the sketch)

Cards Galore Challenge #92--anything goes

Through The Purple Haze #188--anything goes

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #42--anything goes

Dare 2 B Artzy--winter fun

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #164--inspiration photo (I went with the color scheme and snowflakes)

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #153--anything goes

Sweet Stampers #64--winter/snow

Penny's Challenge #513--anything goes

C.R.A.F.T. #624--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #596--all occasions

Alphabet Challenge--V is for vehicle

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Card #2:

Supplies:

Dies: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps largest heart; MFT "Smartphone" two smaller hearts

Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Challenges:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge--a winter scene

Creative Sketchy Girls #68--sketch

ABC Christmas--anything Christmas goes

The Paper Funday Challenge #57--anything goes with the optional twist: winter landscapes

613 Avenue Create--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #528--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Snippets Playground #420--anything goes with snippets (one heart was left over from another project, the other two were cut from snippets.  The two main pieces were scraps from the recycled card, and the kraft and turquoise layers were all scraps)

Creative Knockouts #437--die cuts/punches

Card #3:

Stamps: Rubbernecker Stamps "Snowman with Arms"; Papertrey Ink " Fab Flakes" and sentiment

Dies: Verve "Elegant Ovals"

Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder

Challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--snow people

Pattie's Creations #190--anything goes

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #66--anything goes

Creatalicious #227--anything goes with the optional twist: winter

Craft Rockets #88--use dies

Crafty Gals #227--snow much fun

{Pin}spirational Challenge #285--inspirational photo

Crafting Happiness #119--anything goes

Make My Monday #166--winter

YNS #175--seasons

Creative Moments #230--sketch

Use Your Stuff #440--embossing

Creative Fingers #223--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #575--anything goes with the optional twist: use a sentiment

Praying

 So, in my last post at the beginning of the year, I mentioned how I had suddenly found myself Design Teamless.  Well, I have to say that didn't last very long!!  Within a couple days, I have an offer from the owner of the Cut It Up Challenge blog to come join their design team!  I'm excited to announce that today begins my first challenge as part of that team!!  Yeay!!  The challenge for the next two weeks is: 

Hard to Say (sympathy, belated birthday, sorry, etc.)

The sponsor is DRS Designs and you can win a fabulous prize!

I chose to make a sympathy card and it was perfect (yet unfortunate) timing as a friend just lost her mother and I will need to send this card.  I was hoping to add it to my stash to have on hand when needed.  Here it is:

I chose to work with this beautiful sympathy sentiment.  I think it would also be perfect to add to the inside of a card, but wanted to make it the focal point.  In my stamp collection, I also had this pussy willow image from DRS Designs, and I thought it made the perfect backdrop for the sentiment--a way to highlight it without detracting from it.  Other than the focal panel, the star of this show is that pink mulberry paper!  It adds so much interest and softness at the same time.  I definitely don't use it enough!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please check out the full details of the challenge and get some beautiful inspiration from the Design Team over on the Cut It Up Challenge blog.  You'll be glad you did!

Supplies:

Stamps: DRS Designs "Praying for Friends Sympathy Greeting" and "Brush Pussy Willow"

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle (I used it to die cut the sentiment panel and to trace around to create the mulberry paper layer)

Challenges:

Cards Galore Challenge #95--anything goes

Through the Purple Haze #188--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with pattern paper

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #66--anything goes

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

Craft Rockets #188--use dies

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2--any sketch from 2021 (I chose sketch #198)

613 Avenue Create--anything goes

Crafting Happiness #119--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #174--anything goes

Fab n Funky #543--use 2 or more patterned papers

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #528--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Krafty Chicks #596--All Occasions

All About "U"

 A couple months ago, I decided I needed to step down from some of my DT work.  I have some "new" commitments having to do with church and a volunteer organization, so I needed to free up some time.  One of the challenge blogs I designed for was closing at the end of December which was a perfect out without having to feel like I was letting anyone down.  (It turns out that the owner decided NOT to close the challenge, but she is working without a design team anyway.)  Another team was running a design team call, so I figured it was the perfect time to step down since they would be able to acquire new team members without any problems.  And then the third team (the one I was planning to keep designing for) suddenly was closed down without any definite plans for the future.  So, I find myself without any DT commitments.  It's sad, but it's also good--now when I make (and post) cards it will be because I need them or because I WANT to make a card, not because I HAVE to make one.  This is my first card after being Design Teamless.  It is a birthday card for my cousin and I tried Jennifer McQuire's "Eclipse Sentiment Stamping" technique for something a little different.

A while ago (ok, a very long while ago) I purchased this "U" die from Altenew.  I had some other ideas for it, but decided to start here: by using it as part of the sentiment.  This card kind of started with the large blue die cut star.  I had several of them left over from a baby shower project last spring, and I have been slowing using them up.  I die cut out a couple smaller stars to go along with it and matched them up with some colorful paper.  Unfortunately as I was stamping on the star, it shifted a little in my MISTI and blurred a little.  UGH!!  Luckily, I had ONE more of the stars, so I adhered it over the original and it was all fixed!  I added a few little star sprinkle pieces that I got from Kat Scrappiness.  They add a fun pop of color!

Supplies:

Stamps: CASual Fridays "Shenanigans"

Dies: Altenew "Mega Alphabet U"; Stamps of Life/Stephanie Bernhart star; Verve small stars

Kat Scrappiness "Superhero Star Sprinkles"

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #173--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #461--something beginning with "S" (Stars, sprinkles, stamping and Sentiment)

Cut It Up #242--birthday cards

Unicorn Challenge #72--layer it up

Cards Galore #95--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper

Creative Inspiration--anything goes

Craft Rockets #88--use dies

Crafty Catz #577--anything goes with the optional twist: CAS

Snippets Playground--anything goes with snippets (my patterned papers were all scraps and all the die cuts were cut from scraps--or were left over from a project)