The Future

Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: CAS (Clean and Simple).  I am using an image from one of our fabulous sponsors: Hetty Claire.

 Here is my card:

Sometimes I really struggle with CAS cards, but I have been getting better at them.  I really love how this one turned out!  The image was done in a little bit of grayscale already, so I decided to add just the tiniest bit of color.  Then I die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die, stamped the sentiment and added a couple die cut hearts in a very light pink.  What do you think?

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: Hetty Claire "The Buttercup" digi; Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "Future"

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle and "Tag Builders 5" small hearts

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #624--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Addicted to CAS #251--heart

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #223--anything goes

Double D--heartfelt

Creative Fingers #271--anything goes

Crafty Calendar--anything goes

Sheepski Designs #83--anything goes

Lion Love

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

Oh, my goodness!!  Isn't this little lion the cutest!!??  I'm working on my Valentine's Day cards and this is the first one completed.  It's a bit of an unusual color scheme with the yellow, but I'm working on a batch with several different patterned papers and the yellow makes more sense with some of them than with others.  The background was created with a stencil from Simon Says Stamp; it's perfect for Valentine's Day!

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 "YUZU Lovely Lions"; Verve "Text Objects" love

Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX" and "Tag Builders 5" small hearts

Fiskars "Apron" border punch

Simon Says Stamp "Hearts and Stars" stencil

Challenges:

Make My Monday #218--use patterned paper

Penny's Challenge #564--anything goes

C.R.A.F.T. #708--love/Valentine's Day

Creative Knockouts #514--Love/Valentine's Day/Anniversary

As You Like It --digital or physical stamps and why (I soooo prefer physical stamps!  I love being able to stamp them wherever I want on a card.  Also, I'm not super tech savvy when it comes to using digi stamps, so I don't know how to do a lot of the fancy things with them.  I do like being able to resize the image, but I was a whole lot more paper and the images don't always end up being the size I wanted.  Plus, I have soooo many physical stamps and I love the ease of using them)

Sweet Stampin'--Valentine's or Galentine's Day

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--fun with stencils

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #223--anything goes

The Paper Shelter #582--hearts

Crazy Cat

 Happy February 1st!!  It's time for a new challenge on the Critter Crazy Challenge blog!  As always, it is a month long challenge: Anything Goes as long as you feature a creature.  Here is my card for your inspiration:

The reason for this card is a LONG story!!!  The short version is that I took my female kitten in to the dr. to be spayed and there were complications.  She has had two additional surgeries (one because she ripped all the stitches out and had an open wound) and a couple rounds of antibiotics and sedatives to try to keep her calm.  That is a joke!  Anyone ever try to keep a kitten calm???  Yeah, it's not working real great.  Anyway, I digress.  The Dr. has been amazing, even coming in on his day off to do the second surgery and not charging me for various things.  So, I thought it would be a good idea to send him a fun little "thank you" card.  I kept it nice and simple, just adding a black cat (like my Shadow) and adding the sentiment and a few die cut stars.

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.

Supplies:

Stamps: Riley & Company "Burt"; Pretty Pink Posh "Thoughtful Greetings" 

Dies: Riley & Company "Smiling Burt"; Papertrey Ink stars

Challenges:

Through the Purple Haze #212--anything goes

NBUS #58--never before used schtuff (the cat stamp and die are brand new, I won them last month and this is the first time using)

Crafty Catz #664--anything goes with the optional twist: make me smile (how can you NOT smile when looking at this crazy cat!)

Creative Fingers #270--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #623--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Penny's Challenge #564--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Winter Blues

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This card is full of things that make me happy: I LOVE snowflakes and snow and patterned paper and blue and die cuts and gems--so basically everything on this card makes me happy.  The  two blue snowflakes and the sentiment were recycled from a commercial card we received last year.  The card was too pretty to throw away, so I cut it up a created a new card!  I used some scraps of patterned paper for the different panels and layered them on holographic card stock before adhering them to a navy card base.  I die cut a light gray snowflake and layered it in between the two blue snowflakes.  I also matted the sentiment on holographic card stock and finished everything off with some silver gems.  You can see the shine from the holographic paper and the sparkle on the blue snowflakes a bit better in the photo below:

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:

Dies: Papertrey Ink "Fancy Flakes"

Challenges:

Through the Purple Haze #212--anything goes

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--snowflakes

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers #41--sketch

Double D--sparkle AND/OR shine

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #222--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--recycle

Krafty Chicks #700--all occasions

Creative Fingers #270--anything goes

Joyous Wishes

  I have exciting news!!  A couple months ago, I was asked to be a guest designer on the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge blog for the month of January!!  This week's challenge is: "Christmas" and our fabulous sponsor is Beccy's Place.

This is the card I created for your inspiration:

I colored up the candy cane image and then used glue to adhere real baker's twine to the ribbon on the image.  And then I added a button tied with the same twine.  I think it's a fun little touch that adds so much interest.  The three vertical patterned paper strips were already cut to width I just had to trim them to the correct length--the perfect way to use up some scraps.  I stamped the sentiment added some rhinestone gems and it was all finished!

Make sure you stop by the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge blog to see what the DT created for this challenge.  Thanks for stopping by!

 Supplies:

Stamps: Beccy's Place "String Candy" from the "All Tied Up" set; PaperTrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Be Merry"

Challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--snowflakes (on my red patterned paper)

ABC Christmas--A is for anything (Christmas) goes

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #188--winter wishes

Christmas [Or Not] Bingo--I used the "B" column: (Green, FREE, Digi image and Button)

Try A Sketch On Tuesday #639--sketch

Fab n' Funky Challenge #587--stamp it

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--add texture (with the twine, button, gems and layers)

Hello, Friend

  Hello, everyone!  Here is a mid-challenge reminder for our "Fantasy" challenge over on the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  You still have almost 2 weeks to play along with us.  Our fabulous sponsor is Sheepski Designs.  Here is my card:

I love snow (though I HATE the cold weather), but I know a lot of people don't, so I created this nice spring inspired card to help cheer you up if you are one of those people!  I started with the cute little gnome images and went from there.  I picked some garden inspired papers in happy colors and paired them with a fun sketch.  The "hello" is die cut and the "Friend" is stamped directly onto the patterned paper--I just love that look when I remember it is an option!

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: Sheepski Designs "Giant Daisies"; Verve "Text Objects" friend

Dies: Papertrey Ink "Loopy" border die; YNS "hello"

Challenges:

Cutie Pie Challenge--feeling sentimental

Beautiful Blossoms #12--anything goes along as you use flowers

Triple B--anything goes with a bird, bloom or butterfly

Creative Fingers #269--anything goes

Tuesday Morning Sketches #740--sketch (unfortunately, I missed the deadline, but I still like the sketch)

Penny's Challenge #563--anything goes

Creative Knockouts #513--lots of layers

Snippets Playground #472--anything goes with snippets (my "daisy" was punched from scraps of white, the "hello" was die cut from a card base that I had scored incorrectly and is destined for the scrap bin; the floral piece of patterned paper was a scrap that I only had to trim down to the correct length, and the loopy border was die cut from a scrap)

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #222--anything goes

Peace on Earth

The other day, I posted this card that I created from an upcycled Christmas card I received last year.  Today's card is made from the top part of that same upcycled Christmas card.  The scene is just gorgeous and just didn't need anything except a sentiment really.  I die cut the scene with a stitched rectangle die, stamped the sentiment in the top center and added a few metal rhinestones to highlight the sentiment.

There are all these little foiled dots in the trees and sparkle and shine so beautifully.  You can see it a little better in the photo below.

I love the gray/silver color in this image, so I matted it on a dark gray card stock base.  It makes it feel so icy and wintery.

Supplies:

Stamps: PaperTrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Be Merry"

Dies: MFT " Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle

Challenges:

Sparkles #156--winter wonderland

ABC Christmas--A is for Anything Christmas Goes

Creative Fingers #269--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--Sparkle and Shine

Penny's Challenges #563--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #699--CAS

Crafty Catz #663--anything goes with the optional twist: no patterned paper

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #222--anything goes