Blessed is the man

I was in need of a birthday card for a man at our church and as I was scrolling through Pinterest for some inspiration, I remembered that I had this beautiful verse "Plain Jane" from Verve.  For a little extra interest, I also stamped a lighthouse and some clusters of birds in a light aqua ink.  I finished it off with a button and some threads off a strip of burlap; I felt it added to the nautical feel.

It's so fun when you get to just "play" when making a card and getting to use some older, forgotten stamps feels good, too!

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Jeremiah 17:7" Plain Jane; Repeat Impressions "Sandcastle" cluster of birds and "Cape Hatteras Light"; Papertrey Ink "World's Greatest" Happy Birthday sentiment
SU! corner rounder punch

Challenges:
Creative Fingers #189--anything goes
Krafty Chicks #513--all occasions
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes
Penny's Challenge #474--anything goes
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #463--sketch and optional twist: make a splash (I really use a water image, but I did use a nautical theme)

Pink Gem Challenge--anything goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #134--anything goes
Crafty Friends #138--men and/or boys
Cardz TV #117--anything goes
As You Like It--digi or rubber (I definitely prefer rubber!  I know some people can layer digital images, but that is out of my skill range, but I can do it with rubber like I did on this card!  It's such a great technique to add a bit of interest to a card focusing on the sentiment)
Word Art Wednesday #445--anything goes with an uplifting sentiment
Sweet Stampers #45--something begins with B (I used a button and the words "Blessed" and "Birthday")
Creative Inspirations--let's hear if for the boys

Peaceful lake

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps Built and this week it is a fan favorite: Anything Goes!! And here is the card I created for your inspiration:

I created this beautiful water color card for my husband for Father's Day.  He just got a kayak this spring and has really been enjoying using it on the pond/lake we live on.  I didn't have a kayak image, but I thought the sailboat fit in with the water theme.  I have to say, I love how this turned out!  I used the ART Impressions water color technique to create the scene: coloring on the images with waterbased markers and using water and a paintbrush to turn it into a water colored image.  I used a little bit of color from a palette to create the reflections in the water.  Again, I just love it!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you will hop over to the House blog to see the rest of the DT's creations and then get inky and play along with us.  And if you need any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your ENTIRE order coupon code over in my left sidebar.

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Rocky Shore Vista", "Sailboat", and "Father's Day"
Dies: STAMPlorations Stitched rectangle die

Challenges:
Divas That Cut--summertime fun
Love To Craft Challenge Blog #47--anything goes
Dies R Us #146--summertime fun
Creative Inspirations--let's here it for the boys
Creatalicious #189--anything goes with the optional twist: no patterned paper
Paper Funday--anything goes with the optional twist: make is masculine
Dare 2B Artzy--masculine
Artsy Stamper #17--vacation
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #208--you're the man
CASology #370--father
Hero Arts Stay Crafty #10--build a scene

Creative Fingers #188--anything goes
Sweet Stampers #45--something begins with B (I have a Boat)
As You Like It--which is your favorite: digi or rubber (I would have to go rubber all the way!!  While I go like that you can resize a digital image very easily, that is the extent of my digi skills.  I love that you can stamp rubber stamps anywhere on your paper, you can use whatever colors you want, you can alter them, by cutting, curving, or  masking.  And in the case with my card today, you can watercolor with rubber stamps.  I'm pretty sure you can't get a look like this with digi images!)
Cardz TV #117--anything goes
Crafty Friends #138--men and/or boys
Tuesday Throwdown #460--anything goes

Just a note

It's Saturday!!  That means it's time for another challenge from Di's Digi Designs.

The challenge this time is: Summer fun
And here is my card for your inspiration:

I used these sweet little fairies sitting out on mushrooms reading in the summer sun.  I finished off my little scene by adding some die cut clouds, sun and a little fence.  I glued two layers of both the fence and the clouds together to give them more dimension and allow them to stand out from the background a little bit.  I colored up my image to match this fabulous background paper.  Red, white and blue always say summer to me; I think it's because they are the colors associated with the 4th of July which always signals the start of summer in my book.

I hope you will get a chance to play along with us; I can't wait to see what you create.  And make sure you hop over to the Di's Digital Designs blog to see what the rest of the team has made for this challenge.

Supplies: 

Stams: Di's Digi Stamps "Fairies Storytime" digi; Verve "Take Note" sentiments and "To the Moon" little hearts

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" Verve "Mini Classic Labels"; Sweet n Sassy Stamps fence border; MFT sunshine; Paper Smooches "Cute Clouds"

Challenges:
Pattie's Creations #171--things that fly
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Divas That Cut--summertime fun
Dies R Us #147--summertime fun
Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #185--sketch

Moving Along with the Times #119--things with wings
Aud Sentiments #253--anything goes
Hero Arts Stay Crafty #10--build a scene
Use Your Stuff #400--it's a girl thing
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
The Paper Shelter #432--colour it
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--summer fun
Word Art Wednesday #444--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Happy Moments

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps.  This week we have a beautiful inspiration photo for you:

And here is the card I created:

Several of my teammates also used this swan image and I was going to try to just use the color combo with a different image.  But I just couldn't!!  The swans were just too fabulous and I had to go with them AND the color combo.  I went mostly grays with accents of the peachy/orange and little pops of black!  I started by stamping feathers in a pale gray on the gray card base.  For the vertical rectangle panel, I used the same light gray ink to ink my embossing folder before using it to deboss the panel.  It adds a really soft, subtle textured pattern.  The banner was a little too bright for what I wanted, so I used some white ink and brushed it around the edges to soften the color.  I also brushed white ink onto the die cut flowers (which have been in my bits and pieces stash for around a year).  A little grossgrain ribbon and some peach lace finish everything off perfectly!  With the sentiment and image paired with the soft color combo, this makes an sweet, elegant anniversary card.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this photo.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my left sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Falling Feathers", "Swan Love", "Calm Water" and "Happy Moments"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"
Darice damask embossing folder

Challenges:
Pattie's Creations #171--things that fly
Love To Craft Challenge Blog #47--anything goes
Creatalicious #189--anything goes with the optional twist: no patterned paper
2 Crafty Critter Crazies #139--anything goes
CRAFT Rockets #71--embossing
Moving Along with the Times #119--things with wings
Penny's Challenges #473--anything goes
Aud Sentiments #253--anything goes
Creative Fingers #188--anything goes
Sweet Stampin'--die cuts and punches
Double Trouble #59--3-2-1 recipe (Thing #1: 3 colors {peach, gray, black}, 2 embellishments {ribbon, lace, pearls}, 1 seasoned stamped sentiment {my sentiment is a year and a half old}; Thing #3 use at least one angular shape {I know I have a circle, but I have a rectangle and a pointy banner))
Mojo Monday #539--sketch

Cuttlebug Mania--wedding/anniversary

A Child is Born

I finally managed to make another Christmas card!  It's been a while, so I'm glad I got the chance to just play and make one.  I was pushed a little by a challenge to create something with your UFO's (unfinished objects).  I've had this adorable image sitting on my desk (colored even) for a loooooong time!  I'd say it's been printed out for several years.  Part of the problem is that I had cut a different image from the same sheet of paper and the cut was too close to this image making it impossible to die cut any shape around it.  So, I finally decided to fussy cut around the image and add it to a die cut circle. I popped it up with foam tape for some added dimension.

The color combo is a little brighter than I would normally use with an image like this, but I do like how it turned out.

Supplies:
Stamps: A Day For Daisies "A Sign I Give" digi; Verve "Richly Blessed" sentiment and "Beyond Measure" greenery (I added three little red nuvo drops to the sprig to look like berries)
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" and "Labels 5"

Challenges:
Crafts Galore--anything goes
Cutie Pie Challenge--layer it up
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Cheerful Sketches--sketch

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #23--anything goes
Crafty Creations #410--anything goes
Christmas Craft Creations--Christmas trees (on my papers)

Cardz TV #116--anything goes
Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
Shopping our Stash #422--UFO's (my image has been colored and on my desk for a couple years)
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Penny's Challenges #473--anything goes
Aud Sentiments #253--anything goes
Krafty Chicks #511--Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #494--anything goes with the optional twist: non--traditional colors

Welcome

A little bit ago, I won some stamps from DRS Designs and I picked this sign image as one of them.  I knew it would be perfect for mixing with some ART Impressions stamps and watercolor technique.  And it most definitely IS!  The sign part comes blank so you can add whatever sentiment you choose.

I die cut the image with a stitched rectangle die and matted it with some torn mulberry paper.  I love the softness mulberry paper adds.  I finished it off with a few pale purple sequins.

Supplies:
Stamps: DRS Designs "Hanging Sign Post";  sentiment
Dies: Stamplorations "Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies"

Challenges:
Penny's Challenges #473--anything goes
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
A Gem of A Challenge--anything goes
Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #443--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Creations #410--anything goes
Creative Craft Cottage #130--Eileen's anything goes (I didn't use a purple/lavender ribbon, but I did use lavender papers and flowers)
Crafty Calendar--flowers
Love To Craft Challenge Blog--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Cards Galore--anything goes

Let your light shine

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  This week we have a fun Tic Tac Toe board for you:


  Here is what I created for your inspiration:

I used the first column: tone on tone, sponging, blue or pink.  I started with a very pale gray card stock, masked my rectangle and sponged (actually I used my blender brushes, but that's the new sponging) on the blue rectangle, making it darker around the edges and fading into the center.  Then I stamped the lighthouse and the birds with the same blue ink I used to sponge the rectangle (that's where the tone on tone comes in).  Then I used a very light gray to add the clouds (which is also tone on tone with the gray cardstock).  I die cut three stitched banners and stamped my sentiment on one.  After I adhered the strips in place, the card still needed "something", so I added four blue enamel dots for some more tone on tone.  Very simple, but I think it makes a great masculine card.  I sent it out this morning to an older gentleman at our church for his birthday.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this photo.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Cape Hatteras Light", "Clouds", and "Sandcastle" (I used just the little birds)

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle and "Blueprints 25" stitched banner

Challenges:
Creative Fingers #187--anything goes
Unicorn Challenge #55--masculine
Crafts Galore #76--anything goes
Creative Inspirations--let's here it for the boys
Paper Funday--anything goes with the optional twist: make is masculine
Dare 2 B Artzy--masculine
Crafty Creations #140--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #442--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
C.R.A.F.T. #558--masculine
CAS(E) This Sketch #375--sketch

Krafty Chicks #510--stamp act
Crafty Catz #509--anything goes with the optional twist: CAS
Sweet Stampin'--masculine/Father's Day
Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #137--anything goes
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes