Hello, gorgeous

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

And our fabulous sponsor is:

STAMPlorations

Here is my card for your inspiration:

As I was looking through my STAMPlorations products to see what I wanted to use, I realized that I have quite a number of their products, most of them unused.  This row of butterflies stamp was one of those items and as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use it!!  At first it might seem like this doesn't fit the "Out in the Country" theme, but you definitely see a lot more butterflies out in the country than you do in more urban areas.  I started by die cutting the stitched panel out of white card stock and stamping my image with black ink.  Then I took some small ink cubes in a range of purples and created an ombre, water color look.  I started with the lightest ink, smooshed it onto a small clear stamping block and spritzed with some water.  Then I smooshed the block onto the stamped panel mostly over the first butterfly.  I did the same steps with the remaining three shades of purple.  I stamped "hello" with black ink and then came the magic.  I die cut the word "gorgeous" directly out of the center of my stamped image.  Then I die cut the same word out of three more layers of white card stock and one out of a dark purple (which you really don't end up seeing, but it was worth a try to bring in a little more color).  I adhered them all together and then glued it back into the negative space in my stamped panel.  Unfortunately, I lost the pieces from the loops of the "g's" so the look isn't exactly what it should be.  But it still turned out really cool.  I finished the card off with several small purple pearls to add some interest.  You can see the dimension of the word "gorgeous" better in the photo below.

I had originally thought to do rainbow colors on the butterflies, but I really like how it looks with the monochromatic color scheme.  I may have to give the rainbow a try another time to see how it turns out.

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: STAMPlorations "Butterfly Row" and "Wreaths and Flowers"

Dies: STAMPlorations "Stitched Rectangles" and "gorgeous"

Challenges:

Cards Galore Challenges #99--anything goes

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #68--anything goes

Through the Purple Haze #192--CAS

Unicorn Challenge #76--pearls/bling

Die Cut Divas--anything goes

Crafty Calendar--anything goes

Sheepski Designs #67--for the girlz

We Love Stamping--for a lady (or girl)

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #41--anything goes

NBUS #28--never before used schtuff (Butterfly Row had yet to come out of it's packaging--so sad)

Crafting Happiness #63--anything goes

Incy Wincy Designs--die cut or punch

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #544--anything goes with an uplifting sentiment

Creative Fingers Challenge #231--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #182--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--texture (with the pearls, raised up die cut word and the die cut stitching)

Try Stampin' on Tuesday #556--die cuts AND/OR sketch

Penny's Challenge #521--anything goes

Double D--monochromatic

Krafty Chicks #612--CAS

15 masculine cards

 This is a long post with a lot of pictures, so hang on!  Last quarter, I finally got a change to play along with Kendra's card challenge--You take 6 sheets of 6x6 paper and follow Kendra's cutting templates and card sketches to create 15 fabulous cards.    Do you see the 5 little tiny scraps of paper in the top right?  That's all that is left of the 6 sheets after making the cards!!  This is the second time I have gotten a chance to play along.  I decided to make some masculine cards as I always need them in my stash.  Some of them (with the yellow dotted paper) could work equally well for a female, but for the most part they are pretty masculine.  I used stars as my embellishment of choice to tie the cards together even more.  Most of them are designed to be birthday cards, though I used some sentiments that could be used for other occasions as well.

Card #1:

I added some die cut stars, some grossgrain ribbon and a couple enamel dots.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed"

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A"; Verve star dies

Challenges:

Cards Galore #99--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #231--anything goes

Card #2:

Only die cut stars to embellish this one.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" and "To the Moon" trio of stars

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; Verve stars; Stamps of Life star

Challenges:

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

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #182--anything goes

Card #3:

I added die cut strs and a star border.  Some of the stars are left overs from the border die cut.  This is probably my least favorite card of the bunch.  It needs just a little something and I'm not sure what it is.

Supplies:

Stamps: PaperTrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Birthday"

Dies: Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die and stars; Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:

Love to Craft Challenge Blog #68--anything goes

Snippets Playground #428--anything goes with snippets (all of my die cuts were cut from scraps)

Card #4:

Stars, more grossgrain ribbon and 3 more of the enamel dots.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed"

Dies: Verve stars

Challenges:

Die Cut Divas--anything goes

Penny's Challenge #521--anything goes

Card #5:

I think this is my favorite of the bunch.  I just LOVE that striped paper!!  The kraft banner on the left was supposed to be a place to use a different patterned paper but I thought it was the perfect place to stamp the birthday sentiment.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Birthday"

Dies: Verve stars

Challenges:

Crafty Calendar--anything goes

Cupcake Challenge #544--stripes

Card #6:

I also love this one with the striped paper!  This is the only one where I didn't stamp the sentiment on white card stock.  I heat embossed it with white powder onto navy card stock for a fun touch.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "I'm So Glad . . ."

Dies: Verve stars

Challenges:

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #155--anything goes

Try Stampin' on Tuesday #556--die cuts AND/OR sketch

Card #7:

Hmmm . . . I also love this one!!  I was able to use the enamel dots on this one.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Better Together"

Dies: Verve stars; Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:

Dies R Us #192--anything goes with dies Dies R Us sells (I used Spellbinders)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--layer it up

Card #8:

This is a very interesting one with all the narrow strips.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" and "To the Moon" star trio

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A"; Verve stars; Stamps of Life large star

Challenges:

Crafting Happiness #123--anything goes

Card #9:

I felt this one could be a little more feminine, but could work for either one.  I used one of the enamel dots and some yellow ones to coordinate with the paper.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "I'm so glad . . ."

Dies: Verve stars

Challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs--die cut or punch

Card #10:

This one is fun!  I dry embossed the background with a diagonal stiped embossing folder.  The sentiment was stamped and die cut and then finished it off on the small strip below.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink "Perfect Pairs: Commodities"

Dies: Papertrey Ink "Perfect Pairs: Commodities"; Verve stars

Darice embossing folder

Challenges:

Craft Rocket #92--birthday

Simon Says Stamp Monday--add texture (with the embossing folder)

Card #11:

For this one I added some more grossgrain ribbon and then I added glossy accents to the stars to give them a bit of something.  You can see it in the second photo.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "I'm so glad . . ."

Dies: Verve stars; Stamps of Life large star

Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Card #12:

Another one of my favorites.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Birthday"

Dies: Verve stars; Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:

Moving Along With the Times #142--birthday

Card #13:

This one is so fun with all the banners.  This one finished off the sheet of enamel dots.  Stash busting at its finest!

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Better Together"

Dies: Verve stars

Challenges:

Sweet Stampers #68--birthday

Card #14:

I added some die cut stars around the top of the sentiment circle for a fun embellishment.  I also added some tiny stars along the bottom of the circle since I was now out of the matching enamel dots.  Three strips of the grossgrain ribbon finished it off.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Birthday"

Dies: Verve stars; Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:

Creative Knockouts #452--anything goes

Card #15:

I had a TON of tiny stars left over from the border die cuts, so I used a bunch of them to accent the sentiment panel.

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Jeremiah 33:7" plain jane

Dies: Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" border die and stars

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #544--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Crafty Catz #595--anything goes with the optional twist: masculine

Mother's Day

I'm a little late in posting this, but this is the Mother's Day card I made for my mother-in-law.  Here favorite color is purple, and what pairs better with purple than green?  So I started with that color combo and went from there.  I started by stamping these gorgeous flowers from Altenew's "Beautiful Days" set.  The layering stamps are fabulous and quite easy to line up (thought I did have a bit of trouble lining up the outline stamp) and I used a coordinated group of purple inks from Altenew so they match perfectly!  Then I pulled out my "Guide Lines" stamp set from Papertrey Ink and created the background using the same purples as the flowers and adding some green for contrast.  I finished it off with a sentiment from Verve and added a smattering of purple pearls.  I stamped the outline of the flower image in purple on the envelope.  You can see it in the photo below.

For the inside, I added a "Mother's Day" sentiment and stamped the flower outline image again with one of the lighter purple inks.  And there it is, ready to go!

Supplies:

Stamps: Altenew "Beautiful Days"; Papertrey Ink "Guide Lines" and "Tucked In: Mother"; Verve "Love Deepens"

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

Challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations #543--Mother's Day/Someone Special (feminine)

 

Try Stampin' On Tuesday #554--sketch with the optional twist: floral

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #68--anything goes

Dies R Us #192--anything goes with dies DRU sells (I used MFT dies)

Unicorn Challenge #76--pearls/bling

Sheepski Designs #62--for the girlz

We Love Stamping--for a lady (or girl)

Creatalicious #234--anything goes with the optional twist: Mother's Day

Word Art Wednesday #543--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Penny's Challenge #521--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #230--anything goes

YNS #183--flower power

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #181--anything goes

Paper Funday #41--anything goes with the optional twist: family (mother-in-law)

Dare 2B Artzy--flowers

613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: mother, may, I

Crafting Happiness #123--anything goes

Incy Wincy--die cut or punch

Foxy Birthday

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Any Animal or Insect

And our fabulous sponsor is:

CAS-ual Fridays

Here is my card for your inspiration:

I have had this stamp set from CAS-ual Fridays for a couple years and had yet to pull it out and get it inky.  This challenge (specially since they are our sponsor!) was the perfect opportunity to pull it out and let it see the light of day.  There is also a racoon in the set, but I decided to use this cutie fox and created a masculine themed birthday card.  I had been wondering how I would use this log patterned paper, it fit the theme quite well.  I finished everything off with a couple star brads that I have had for very, very, long time.

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: CAS-ual Fridays "Bushy Tailed"

Dies: Spellbinders banner

Challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz #295--"D" is for die cut

Cards Galore #99--anything goes

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

Creative Sketchy  Girls #71--animals

Critter Crazy #62--anything goes

Inkspirational Challenge #264--Bark (tree bark on my logs)

Penny's Challenge #520--anything goes

Creative Fingers #230--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #181--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--masculine

Make My Monday #173--Happy Birthday

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #228--sketch

Moving Along with the Times #146--birthday

Crafty Friends #155--animals

NBUS--first time this stamp set has been used even though I've had it for at least 2 or 3 years

Krafty Chicks #610--stamp act

Simply Amazing

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: April Showers Bring May Flowers

And our fabulous sponsor is:

Pink and Main

Here is my card for your inspiration:

Pink and Main sent me this lovely Stamp Set and Die set to work with.  There are 3 gorgeous flowers and sentiments to go along with them.  The die set cuts out the flowers and has three banner dies that fit the sentiments.  I chose to use the rose bud image, one of the sentiments and the banner die that coordinates with the sentiment.  Along with the brand new goodies, I pulled out some ooooold stuff out of my stash.  The background is a page from an old, old, old encyclopedia set, there's a bit of mulberry paper from back when it was so popular (great stuff, really) and an old spellbinders die set that I have had for years!

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: Pink & Main "Roses"

Dies: Pink & Main "Roses" dies; Spellbinders "Filigree Delight"

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #559--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Penny's Challenge #519--anything goes

Art Impressions #325--fun with flowers

Creative Fingers #229--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #180--anything goes

Double Trouble Challenge #108--Frame It (Thing #1: basic die shape {I used an oval, which I think is pretty basic}; Thing #3--flowers and/or butterflies; Thing #2--play with Dies R Us)

The Paper Shelter #508--world book day (I used a page from a book)

Cards Galore Challenge #98--anything goes

Dies R Us #190--flowers/spring (I used a spellbinders die)

Pattie's Creations #193--anything goes

Sweet Sketch Wednesday #227--sketch (I turned it on it's side to fit my image better)

NBUS #37--the stamp set and coordinating dies hadn't been opened until this card (I only just got them this month, but still . . .)

Crafting Happiness #122--anything goes

Easter Blessings

  Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Easter and/or Make your own background

And our fabulous sponsor is:

DRS Designs

Here is my card for your inspiration:

I decided to create an Easter card, and I chose this beautiful Easter image from DRS Designs.  Because it is such an interestingly shaped image, I printed it out really big and used it as the main (and only) panel.  I colored the image with my Spectrum Noir markers, then masked the image so I could stamp the sentiment "Easter Blessings" repeatedly over the background with a pale gray ink (that way, I also completed the "make your own background" portion of the challenge).  Then I die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die.  I adhered it to a pale purple card base and finished everything off with some clear dew drops.

For the inside, I used the same stitched rectangle die to cut a panel of white card stock and then stamped a second Easter Sentiment and adhered the panel to the card base.

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: DRS Designs "Easter Lily and Crosses Oval" digi; Easter sentiments are from an old Flourishes set

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle

Challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs--Easter and/or animals (I went with Easter)

Cards Galore--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #193--anything goes

Creatalicious #232--anything goes with the optional twist: Easter

Crafting Happiness #122--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #179--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--Easter/spring

Inkspirational #262--inspirational photo (I was inspired by the spring flowers)

The Paper Shelter #506--pastel Colours

Mod Squad Challenge--anything goes

Double D Challenge--Easter

Thankful for you

This card was made almost entirely from my bits and pieces stash.  The patterned paper and the die cut butterflies have been in there for a couple years; they were part of a little thank you gift for ordering some stamps.  The die cut heart was also in the stash and the "thankful" was left over from Thanksgiving.  I die cut 3 more out of cheap yellow card stock and layered them all together for dimension.  I heat embossed the sentiment on a little scrap of black card stock with white embossing powder and added a few pink enamel dots.  Quick and easy when it's all made out of scraps!

 Supplies:

Stamps: Verve 

Dies: MFT "Stitched Heart STAX"; unbranded "thankful"

Challenges:

Crafty Catz #589--anything goes with the optional twist: lots of layers

Snippets Playground #425--anything goes with snippets

Creative Fingers Challenge #228--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #537--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Creative Moments--special lady (this card was made for my twins' Sunday School teacher who is looking for a new church closer to where she lives.  She has been their teacher for at least 8 years, so she is very special!)

Crafty Friends #154--colours of spring

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #179--anything goes

Penny's Challenge #518--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #605--anything goes