Friday, February 24, 2023

Life is Messy!

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: CAS (clean and simple)

Here is my card for your inspiration:
I used to struggle with CAS cards, but I am starting to really appreciate them.  I'm not saying I can always pull them off well (there is a real art to doing that!), but I think this one turned out quite well, and cute!  There were three sets sitting on my table that had seen their first ink only earlier this month when I was creating my Valentine's Day cards.  I wanted to use at least one of them again before I put them away and this sweet little kitty won!  I stamped him on a very tiny scrap of white card stock and masked off his bottom half so I could make it look like he was riding on the robotic vacuum cleaner.  (Let me just say that I have one of these and my cats would never even get close to it!!).  Then I colored him up and fussy cut him out.  The striped paper was a scrap, I only had to trim it's length and the border die cut was cut from a scrap.  I stamped the sentiment and add the enamel dots (which were the very last two on the sheet-so they are also scraps of a sort) and I was done!


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: MFT "Cat-astrophe"
Dies: Papertrey Ink border die

Challenges:
Sheepski Designs #71--wings and paws
Try Stampin' on Tuesday--Furry Friends AND/OR sketch (I used both!)











Word Art Wednesday #584--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Penny's Challenge #540--anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Snippets Playground #448--anything goes with snippets

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Precious Baby

 My cousin and his wife are having their first baby!!  She had a miscarriage a year or two ago, so this is very exciting and we are all so happy for them.  They are having a couple's baby shower this week far away from where I live, so I can't go, but I made them this adorable little card to welcome their precious little gift!

The stitched heart was in my bits and pieces stash and the white banner is a piece left over from cutting out the striped cover plate.  I die cut 4 of the cover plates out of white card stock and one out of the star paper.  I adhered all the white pieces together before sandwiching a sheet of acetate between the stack of white die cuts and the green one.  I added shimmery clear seed beads into each of the "wells" before adhering everything to a coordinating green card base.  I stamped and colored the sweet little bears and finished everything off with some tiny pink stamped hearts.

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Bear Hugs" and "Essential Sentiments"; Verve "To the Moon" little hearts
Dies: MFT "Bold Stripes" cover plate and "Stitched Heart STAX"

Challenges:
Creative Moments #243--anything goes with the optional twist: interactive (I made a shaker card)
Sheepski Designs #71--wings and paws
Creative Inspirations--anything goes
Critter Crazy--anything goes with critters
Shopping Our Stash #490--anything starting with "B" (bears, baby)
Word Art Wednesday #583--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Penny's Challenge #540--anything goes






A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes













90th birthday

 Last week was my grandmother's 90th birthday!!  Of course, I had to make a special card for her.  Such a blessing to still have her in our lives.

The rose was already stamped and cut and waiting in my bits and pieces stash, as was the stitched circle, I believe.  Yellow is my grandmother's favorite color, so it was the perfect opportunity to use this "leftover".

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink "The Sweet Life"; Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment
Dies: Papertrey Ink "The Sweet Life" and Numbers border die; MFT "Blueprints 12" Stitched circle, "Blueprints 13" Stitched rectangle, "Fancy Flourish" and stitched, scalloped border die

Challenges:
Incy Wincy Designs--Valentine's AND/OR In the garden













ART Impressions Stamps #345--Bloom where you're planted
Creative Knockouts #232--birthday wishes

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Get Well Wishes

A couple weeks ago, my daughter (she's 16) asked me to make a card for the office manager at the auto body shop where she works.  She was having surgery and the boss was going to send a card and flowers and my daughter offered that I could make the card.  Isn't that so sweet?!  That's how you know your kids like the cards you make.  The woman has a sweet little Golden Retriever, so I chose an image that I could color to look like her pup.

 Supplies:
Stamps: KNK "Sitting Doxie"; MFT "Essential Sentiments"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" and ; MFT "Blueprints 12" stitched banner and "Smartphone" smaller two hearts; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small heart (largest heart)

Challenges:
Cards Galore--anything goes
Crafty Calendar--add ribbon
Creatalicious Challenge #253--anything goes with the optional twist: lots of circles
Critter Crazy--anything goes with a critter
Paper Funday #50--anything goes with the optional twist: lots of layers
Fab n' Funky #560--Valentine's or hearts
Creative Fingers #248--anything goes
Make My Monday #196--all creatures great and small
Shopping Our Stash #490--something beginning with "B" (I have a Bow and Banner die)
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #594--Furry Friends AND/OR sketch








Penny's Challenge #540--anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Valentine's Day cards

 I created my Valentine's Day Cards using Kendra's Card Challenge #9 cutting template and layout guide.  It is an awesome way to use 6 entire 6x6 sheets of patterned paper and create 15 cards at the same time!!  Here is a photo of the entire set:

The other times that I have played along with Kendra's challenges, I have used one, single stamp set for the set of cards, but this time I used a couple different sets to fit the recipients better.  Most of the cards use the "Love Bites" stamp set from Newton's Nook, but I used three other sets as well.
Card #1:
I already posted this card on my blog a couple weeks ago.  If you want to read about it, you can click here.  I ended up using the same ribbon on several of the cards, helping to tie the set together.

Card #2:
I used this adorable kitty set on several of the cards for some cat lovers in my family.  The sentiment is a new set that I just won from a different challenge, and it was perfect to add to some of the cards.
Card #3:
My papers were gradient of colors from dark pink through an orangey-yellow, so I pick three card stock colors (also ended up using a very pale gray on a couple)--dark gray, a melon, and light pink.  It was an interesting color combo, but I really like the end results on most of the cards.

Card #4:
This card is for my brother-in-law and he really likes sushi.  I thought it was just too fun!!  I used the same images to stamp a background on the pale gray panel.
Card #5:
This one is for my middle daughter as she loves monkeys.  All the tiny hearts on all of the cards are leftovers from these heart border dies featured on this card.  It's a great way to get embellishments that match perfectly!

Card #6:
This card is probably one of my favorites!  I love this sweet little kitty with her ball of yarn!

Card #7:
This one is for my youngest daughter.  She loves cats just like I do.

Card #8:
I just love the look on this little kitty's face!!  He looks like he is about to cause some trouble.

Card #9:
This one is for my parents.  My dad is a BIG Coke drinker so I thought this fit him perfectly!  I used the same images to create a stamped background.  On many of the cards, I used pink enamel dots as embellishments.  I ended up finishing the pack, so I used some pink nuvo enamel drops to finish off the rest.  I have to admit that this card is probably my least favorite out of the bunch.

Card #10:

This card I posted on my blog last week.  You can read more about it here if you want.  This is probably one of my favorites.  I love the donuts and the sketch is fun.
Card #11:
This one is a little different in that I used a dark dray cardstock for the focal panel.  It was in my bits and pieces stash along with at least one of the heart border pieces.  To be able to get the color right on the olives, I stamped the image first on the gray circle, then stamped them again on white card stock.  After I colored the ones stamped on the white, I fussy cut them and adhered them onto the gray circle images.  I did this because of their tiny arms and legs.  It would have been impossible to fussy cut them out!
Card #12:
As you can see now, we are almost entirely using the orangey-yellow papers at this point.  But I think it still works because of the hearts and the love theme.
    Card #13:
Another cute little kitty and some nuvo drop embellishments.
Card #14:
This one is for my oldest daughter.  She has a young adult Rottweiler, so I colored up these cute little pups to look like him.  For these last two, the pink heart ribbon really didn't work with the paper colors, so I pulled out this peachy lace that I won a couple years ago.
Card #15:
I think this one will be for my husband.  Again, I used the lace and a bunch of hearts, but the color scheme makes it work for a masculine card.

CARD #1:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" and Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small hearts

CARD #2:
Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Catastrophe" and The Crafter's Workshop "Sending Love"
Dies: Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio"; the tiny hearts are left over from the "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die

Challenges:
Word Art Wednesday #582--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
CRAFT #667--love/Valentine

CARD #3:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A"; the tiny hearts are left over from the "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die
Cuttlebug embossing folder

Challenges:
Creative Knockouts #487--love is in the air/Valentine's Day/red, pink & white
Incy Wincy Designs--Valentine's AND/OR in the garden
Crafty Catz #624--anything goes with the optional twist: add a little love

CARD #4:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" banner and "Blueprints 12" stitched circle; the tiny hearts are left over from the "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die

Challenges:
Cards Galore--anything goes
Creative Fingers #248--anything goes

CARD #5:
Supplies:
Stamps: Sugar Pea Designs "Cheeky Monkey"
Dies: Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die and left over tiny hearts; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small heart die

Challenges:
Di's Digi Stamps--add one or more hearts
Shopping Our Stash #490--anything starting with "b" (I have Bananas)

CARD #6:
Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Catastrophe" and The Crafter's Workshop "Sending Love"

Challenges:
NBUS #47--never before used schtuff (both stamp sets were the first time getting inky)

CARD #7:
Supplies:
Stamps: MFT " Catastrophe"
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 12" stitched circle

Challenges:
Crafty Calendar--use some ribbon
Make My Monday #194--all creatures great and small

CARD #8:
Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Catastrophe"
Dies: MFT "Designer Label STAX"; Sweet n' Sassy small heart

Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #594--Furry Friends AND/OR sketch







CARD #9:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 12" banner

Challenges:
Craft Rocket #100--love/Valentine's Day

CARD #10:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX"; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small heart

CARD #11:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 12" stitched circles; Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die and left over tiny hearts

Challenges:
Paper Funday Challenge #50--anything goes with the optional twist: lots of layers
Snippets Playground #447--anything goes with snippets (two of the heart border pieces were in my bits and pieces stash--I pieced them together behind the circle which was also in the stash.  The tiny pink hearts are left over from cutting the other border piece and these card templates/layouts use 6 entire 6x6 sheets of paper which is the ultimate snippets usage in my book!)

CARD #12:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX" and "Blueprints 12" banner; Verve leftover tiny heart dies

Challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations #562--Valentine's Day













CARD #13:
Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Catastrophe"; The Crafter's Workshop "Sending Love" 
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small heart

Challenges:
Critter Crazy #71--anything goes with a critter
Double Trouble #131--love is in the air (Thing #1: Valentine's Day)

CARD #14:
Supplies:
Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh "Playful Puppies"
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps small heart

Challenges:
Sheepski Designs #71--wings and paws
Fab n' Funky #566--Valentine's Day or hearts


CARD # 15:
Supplies:
Stamps: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX"

Challenges:
ART Impressions #344-- you are my everything
Cardz 4 Guyz #315--Valentine for a guy











Friday, February 10, 2023

Lots of hearts

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Hearts (add at least one and make sure you use a die cut!)

Here is my card for your inspiration:
I'm still working on creating my Valentine's Day cards (actually just finished them up last night) using Kendra's cutting and layout challenge for this quarter.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should go check it out.  She takes 6 sheets of 6x6 paper, gives you the cutting diagrams and card layouts for 15 cards.  All you have to do is pick your papers and embellishments!  I will be posting all 15 of my cards soon, so stop by next week if you are interested in seeing them all.

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: Newton's Nook "Love Bites"
Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX"; Sweet n' Sassy small hearts; Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" the little, tiny hearts are the cut out pieces from the border die

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday--Love is in the air
Make My Monday #193--Love is in the air
Shopping Our Stash #489--Love is in the air
Fab n Funky #566--Valentine's Day or Hearts
Penny's Challenge #539--anything goes
Double D--hearts













Little Red Wagon #691--somebody to love
CRAFT #667--love/valentine's
Di's Digi Stamps--add one or more hearts
Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Cards Galore--anything goes
Crafty Calendar--add ribbon
Creative Inspirations--anything goes
Creatalicious Challenge #242--anything goes with the optional twist: love and/or hearts
Craft Rocket #100--love/valentine
Paper Funday #50--anything goes with the optional twist: lots of layers
Crafty Friends #165--love/romance