Friday, October 16, 2026

Prayer

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:
My aunt is battling breast cancer and since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, it was the perfect opportunity to combine it with the pink theme.  I had a bit of fun creating the background for this one.  I got quite a bit more inky than usual and I really like how it turned out in real life.  I started out with a piece of pink cardstock and ink blended around the edges with Worn Lipstick and Black Soot Distress Oxide inks.  Then I ran it through with an embossing folder and realized I had used the folder backwards and it was actually DE-bossed on the side I had already inked.  Rather than starting over, I decided to use the same Worn Lipstick directly on the embossing folder, place the sheet back in the folder and ran it through again (I actually had to do it two times), which put darker ink in the recessed parts.  Then, I decided to add a little more, so I added a French script stamp with white Craft ink.  You really can't see it much because of all else that is going on, but you can see it around the edges where it stamped on the black ink.  I really wanted this panel to be the star of the show, so I created a dotted frame with two rectangular dies.  The left the perfect place for my ribbon (which was a scrap that was lying on my desk).  I used the same pink cardstock and the same Distress Oxide inks to create the sentiment strip, stamped the sentiment segments and added it over the center of my card.  I finished it off with some pink pearls.  I have had them for years and years and finally managed to use them up!

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: Hero Arts "French Script" rubber stamp; PaperTrey Ink "Inspired: Prayer" sentiment
Dies:  Elizabeth Craft Designs "Garden Notes Frame It Stitched Rectangles"

Challenges:
Creative Inspirations--anything goes
613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: think pink
Can You Handle the Pressure--anything goes with an embossing folder with the optional twist: birthday (I did not use the optional twist)
Word Power--anything goes with the sentiment at the focus
Fab n' Funky #643--3 of something (I used 3 different colored inks: black, pink, white)
As You Like It--favorite fabric embellishment (I love ribbon.  I don't use it a lot, but it is the fabric I use the most of.  I have way too much!)
Crafty Cats #721--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #774--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Birthday wishes

 Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Wings and Things.  This challenge we are honoring Alex, a former teammate who has since passed away.

 Here is my card:
I created this card for my mother-in-law's birthday--she also is a big fan of butterflies, so it was perfect for this challenge.  I used some beautiful fall papers (they really don't look like fall necessarily, but they are and the colors are so rich--I love them!) all from the same paper pack.  I decided to have a little fun and used an embossing folder on the sheet of paper in the background.  I stamped the large butterfly on the same paper before die cutting it, and I also punched the little butterflies from a scrap of the same.  I matted everything with brown card stock and finished it off with gold pearls.
The picture above is a close up of that fabulous embossing!  It naturally cracked the paper just a little bit so a bit of the white core shows through; I think it really adds a fun look.
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: Picket Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties"; Verve "Be Blessed" sentimet
Dies: Picket Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties"
Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Challenges: 
Creative Inspirations--anything goes










Can You Handle the Pressure--anything goes with the optional twist: birthday
Crafty Catz #721--anything goes
Creative Fingers #331--anything goes


Friday, October 2, 2026

Happy 90th

Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: Use More than 1 Die Cut.  

Here is my card for your inspiration:
My husband's grandfather tuned 90 this year!  This is the card I made for him.  He worked in construction his whole life and still putters around building things here and there.  I thought the tool theme was perfect for him!

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: Paper Trey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes" th
Dies: Paper Trey Ink "By the Numbers" 90; MFT "Pegboard" cover die and "Happy Trio"; Taylored Expressions tools; window box (I can't remember the brand)

Challenges:
Pixies' Snippets Playground #542--anything goes with snippets (all the die cuts were cut from snippets, except the pegboard)
Crafty Catz #720--anything goes
Creative Fingers #380--anything goes
Cards Galore #152--anything goes


Thursday, October 1, 2026

Blessed

Hello, everyone!  It's time for the mid-month reminder for the challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Colors of Fall.  I am using an image from our fabulous sponsor: Kit & Klowder.

 Here is my card:
I used this beautiful Ash Leaf image from our sponsor.  I didn't feel like coloring (even though the company is a coloring company!) so I printed it out on a patterned paper and added a little bit of shading with my markers.  Then I fussy cut it out and adhered it on top of a die cut vellum layer which helps it stand out from the busy background.  I die cut the "blessed" three times and adhered them together for some texture.  I finished it all off with some random orange and yellow rhinestones.

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: Kit & Klowder "Ash Leaf" digi
Dies: Unbranded stitched label die from Amazon; Unbranded "Blessed" die from Amazon

Challenges: 
Creative Inspirations--Hello, Autumn
Crafty Gals Corner #280--anything goes with the optional twist: fall foliage













Word Art Wednesday #772--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Catz #720--anything goes
Inkspirational Challenge #377--photo inspiration (I used the fall colors and leaves)



Crowing

Happy October 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:

I was browsing through some challenges and came across one whose theme "chicken" and I immediately thought of this fun little set that I have had for a very long time.  I was planning to create a birthday card for my mother-in-law who runs a mini farm with lots of chickens.  But it seemed a little masculine so I turned it into a retirement card for a family member.  I started out with a sketch  (as I usually do) and these cute little chickens.  I colored them up like Rhode Island Reds, which we have raised in the past.  We have had several roosters, so I had to include the green tail.  I used several pieces of patterned paper from a fall paper pack that was already on my desk.

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: There She Goes "Farm Fresh" rooster, chickens and main sentiment; Sugar Pea Designs "Great Catch" retirement sentiment
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps fence die; MFT "Blueprints 13" banner

Challenges:
Creative Inspirations--Hello, autumn
A Gem of A Challenge--anything goes
Cardz 4 Guyz #390--Fall/autumn colors











Shopping Our Stash #583--Chicken!
Crafty Catz #720--anything goes
Creative Fingers #330--anything goes
Inkspirational Challenge #371--inspirational prompt (I used the fall theme and colors)






 

Friday, September 18, 2026

Turning 40

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:
So, I always struggle with color combinations in challenges and when I saw black and orange for this challenge all I could think of was Halloween.  And I don't do Halloween, so I was at a bit of a loss at to what to do.  When I saw that several of my teammates had managed to create orange and black cards without being Halloween related, I realized it was possible.  My brother-in-law was turning 40 this week, so I decided to make a card for him using this color combo.  I pulled out some definitely NOT Halloween paper and that was the beginning of this card.  I forgot to take a photo of it, but the "40" was die cut out of black glitter paper.  Yes, I did manage to use both glitter AND ribbon on a masculine card and I think it works perfectly!  The ribbon was recycled from some gift or something like that I had received a couple years ago and all the little stars are the left overs from the star border die I used down the side of the card.  I added a few more inside to surround the sentiment and added another die cut "40", this time in orange to contrast with all the black inside.


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 "Big Birthday Wishes"
Dies: Paper Trey Ink "By the Numbers" border die; Verve "Scalloped Trim Trio" star border die; Spellbinders "You are Here" arrow die; Stamps of Life star; unbranded label die from Amazon

Challenges:
Die Cut Divas--recycle, re-use & repurpose
Word Power--anything goes with sentiment as the focus













Crafty Catz #714--anything goes
Creative Fingers #329--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #770--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Pixie's Snippets Playground #541--anything goes with snippets (Almost everything was die cut from snippets and I reused the little stars left over from the border die cut)

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Amazing

Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Colors of Fall.  I am using an image from our fabulous sponsor: Kit and Clowder.

 Here is my card:


I used this beautiful leaf image and printed it nice and large so it would be the star of the show.  I die cut it with a stitched rectangle die,  colored it up in shades of yellow and then stamped over it with a light gray ink and a French script stamp.  I then die cut "amazing" out of the image, cut out the word two more times and layered them all together for dimension and then adhered it back into the negative space.  It adds such a fun touch without letting the sentiment overwhelm the image.  I stamped "you are" over the die cut stack to complete the sentiment.  I added a few yellow gems sprinkled around to finish it all off.

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: Kit & Clowder "Dogrose Leaf"; My Favorite Things "Essential Sentiments" (I masked off the rest of the sentiment to fit with my die cut); Hero Arts "French Script"
Dies: "My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle die; STAMPlorations "amazing"

Challenges:
Cards Galore #151--anything goes
Pattie's Creations #246--anything goes with handcolored sentiment
Creative Inspirations--Hello, Autumn
We Love Stamping--trees & leaves
Crafty Gals Corner #280--anything goes with the optional twist: fall foliage
{Pin}spirational Challenge #341--inspirational photo (I was inspired by the leaves)


























Crafty Catz #719--anything goes
Creative Fingers #329--anything goes