Monday, April 24, 2023

Bee-cause

  Hello, everyone!  Here is a mid-challenge reminder for our "Things with Wings" challenge over on the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  You still have almost 2 weeks to play along with us.  We have two sponsors and the image I used today came from Pattie's Creations.  Here is my card:

When I first saw this image, I immediately thought of this bee patterned paper and knew I HAD to pair them together.  And I had a little bit of this yellow honeycomb paper as well.  Perfect match!  I add some gold sparkle pen to the wings of both the gnome and the little bees; it adds a fun touch!

Remember, you still have almost 2 weeks to play.  So, get inky and link up your creation; I can't wait to see what you create!


Supplies:
Stamps: Pattie's Creations "Blinky the Bee Keeper Gnome" digi; Verve "Take Note" sentiments
Dies: Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die

Challenges:
Cards Galore #110--anything goes
Creative Inspirations--anything goes
Craft Rockets #102--layer it up
The Fairy and The Unicorn--anything goes with mythical creature
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #603--sketch with the optional twist: flower










Word Art Wednesday--anything goes with an uplifting sentiment
Penny's Challenge #544--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--things with wings
Double D--things that fly











Friday, April 21, 2023

Another Never-ending card

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


Here is my card for your inspiration:
I stretched the theme a little bit this time--I knew the stamp sets I wanted to use for this card, and they didn't really have to do with things in the garden (though plenty to do with things on a farm).  So, I chose some flowery paper and added some die cut flowers because those do grow in a garden.  This card is for my mom.  When I made one of these Never-ending cards for my daughter's birthday last month, Mom said she wanted one for her birthday.  She thought it was so fun.  So, I made her one.  (If you are interested, you can find a tutorial here.)  I had this adorable farm themed stamp set from MFT that I wanted to use, partly because my mom grew up on a cow farm and partly because it's just so cute and fun.  All the papers I used for this were from the same paper pack, even the cute little girl's paper pieced dress and apron! So, the first panel of the card is all sweet and cute, and then you open it up to the second panel and the fun begins!!
The cute little chicks are from the same stamp set as the girl on the front, while the other animals are all from the MFT set I wanted to use.  This panel is kind of a two-for-one because you can see the animals that are actually on the next panel peeking out on the top and bottom.
The sentiments in this set are too fun!!  And I just love the expressions on the animals' faces!  I had to place the sentiments on this panel so they wouldn't show at all when the card was open to the previous panel.
For the back side (or the last panel), I covered the right hand center square with a piece of vellum so it would mute the patterned paper a little and give me a place to write a little note to my mom.  I think she is going to love it!
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, pig, horse, sentiments; There She Goes unknown stamp set--girl and little chicks
Dies: The Frantic Stamper Inc. "Tall Stems" and "Floral Confetti" stems and flowers; My Favorite Things "Blueprints 14" sentiment banners; Verve "Pennant Trim" border die

Challenges:
Cards Galore #110--anything goes
Unicorn #86--add an animal
Crafty Calendar--die cuts
Sheepski Designs #73--die cuts & punches
Creative Inspiration--anything goes
We Love Stamping--anything goes with the optional twist birds & animals
Craft Rockets #102--layer it up
Paper Funday #52--anything goes with the optional twist: flower power
A Gem of A Challenge--anything goes
Penny's Challenge #544--anything goes
Creative Creases #55--anything goes with a fun fold

Monday, April 10, 2023

So Sweet

   Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Things with Wings.  I am using an image from one of our fabulous sponsors: Pattie's Creations.

 Here is my card:
Isn't this little Bee Gnome so cute?!  Since, obviously, he needed to be colored up in yellow and black, I paired him with some black and white papers with some pops of color.  I added a black die cut pennant strip across the bottom to go along with the pennant paper (which you can't really see) layered behind the yellow patterned panel.  I added some silver stickles to his wings to give them some sparkle and finished everything off with some yellow rhinestone gems.
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: Pattie's Creations "Blinky the Bee Keepers Gnome" digi; Your Next Stamp "Sweet and Cool" sentiment
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Verve "Pennant Trim"

Challenges:
Creative Knockouts #491--two or more patterned papers
Di's Digi Stamps--things with wings and/or tails













Crafty Calendar--die cuts
Sheepski Designs #73--die cuts & punches
The Fairy and The Unicorn--anything goes with a fantasy/mystical figure

Friday, April 7, 2023

70th Birthday

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Something Beginning with "B"

Here is my card for your inspiration:
My "B" items are Blue, Birthday and Bible Verse.
My father is turning 70 this weekend.  Wow, it's so hard to believe that can be true!  This is the card I made for him.  The background panel was for a card I had made (for him) several years ago, and when I got all done with the background, I realized I had stamped it upside down!!  So, it had to be set aside and has been siting in my bits and pieces stash all this time!  The bit of blue ribbon underneath the sentiment panel was a small scrap I came across as I was looking for a different ribbon and it fit the color scheme perfectly.  I layered some kraft ribbon on top to give a little contrast and pull in some colors other than blue.  It was quite funny: I was looking for a small, rather plain script birthday sentiment to finish off the bottom of the sentiment panel and as I was stamping it, I realized it was from the same set that the neckties came from!  I guess they were definitely meant to be together!
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: Papertrey Ink "World's Greatest"; Verve "Jeremiah 17:7" plain jane
Dies: Papertrey Ink "By the Numbers" border die (I used it for the individual numbers); MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle

Challenges:
Retro Rubber #203--Happy Birthday (I have had both stamp sets longer than I can remember; the "World's Greatest" set I have had for at least 5 or 6 years, but probably much longer and the Verve set I have had for probably 12 years!  Both are still good to go)













Word Art Wednesday #590--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Snippets Playground #451--anything goes with snippets
Cardz 4 Guyz #319--numbered birthday
Cards Galore #110--anything goes
Crafty Calendar--die cuts
Sheepski Designs #73--die cuts & punches
Penny's Challenge #543--anything goes

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Fun Fold Birthday Card

 Hello, everyone!  I have more exciting news: I have been asked to become part of the Design Team for Critter Crazy Challenges!!  Such an honor!!  It is a monthly challenge and every month the theme is always: Anything Goes featuring a creature.  Nice and easy!

And here is my card:
I made this for my oldest daughter's birthday last weekend.  It is a fun "Never-ending card".  I used this tutorial here.  She has a stripey orange cat and I have an orange stripey cat, so I "needed" to make her card loaded with orange stripey kitties!  For the "front" of the card, I used one of the kitties and some die cut balloons along with a die cut sentiment.  As you open it to the next panel, there are more sentiments and lots of orange kitties!!
Opening to the next panel, we have more kitties, a balloon, and the die cut age.
The final panel has another sentiment and a section where I wrote a message to my daughter.  The pattern was a little busy for the sentiment and the message, so I toned them down a little by adding a piece of vellum to each.
This card is really so fun!  So much so, that my Mom, who was there when my daughter opened it, requested one for her birthday!  She said she didn't care what was on it, she just wanted one with this fold.
Thanks so much for stopping by!!  Head over to the Crazy Critter blog for all the details and to see the rest of the creations from the design team.

Supplies:
Panel one:
Stamps: MFT "Cat-astrophe"
Dies: MFT "In Stitches Alphabet" and balloons; Papertrey Ink numbers border die

Panel two:
Stamps: MFT "Cat-astrophe"; Papertrey Ink "Perfect Pairs: Commodities"
Dies: Papertrey Ink "Perfect Pairs: Commodities"

Panel Three:
Stamps: MFT "Cat-astrophe"
Dies: MFT balloons; Papertrey Ink "By the Numbers"

Panel Four:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink birthday sentiment (I couldn't find it in the store)

Challenges:
Cutie Pie--beginning with "B" (birthday, B die, balloons, ball of yarn)
Double Trouble #134--PAWsome pets (Thing #1: pups and/or kittens; Thing #3: pun fun--sentiment on panel 2; Thing #2: play along with Use Your Stuff Challenge--I missed the deadline!)
Fab n' Funky #569--lots of layers
As You Like It--People or critters (I do like both, actually, but I would probably opt for animals more often.  They are super cute and you don't have to color them as realistic all the time.)
Creative Fingers--anything goes
Creative Creases Challenge--anything goes with a fun fold
Word Art Wednesday #589--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Paper Shelter #547--for a child (she is technically a teen, but still a child)
Penny's Challenge #543--anything goes
Krafty Chicks #657--anything goes
Di's Digi Designs--things with wings and/or tails