Blue skies are comin'

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

I decided to create an encouragement card that I can have on hand to send to someone who is going through a difficult time.  So, I have some dark clouds, a happy sun peeking out and some blue sky coming the recipient's way.

I started with a white card base and a bit of blue paper that was sitting on my desk.  Then I built the scene using cloud dies and some gray ink, some dimension and a cute little sun.  I finished everything off with some clear drops and some die cut hearts (that were also sitting on my desk waiting to be used).

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: Verve "Blue Skies"; Your Next Stamp "Silly Faces 2"

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" circle and pinked circles and "Tag Builder Blueprints 5" little hearts; Lawn Fawn "Fluffy Cloud Borders"

Challenges:

Sweet Stamping--no patterned paper

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Snippet's Playground #457--anything goes with snippets (besides the blue paper and the pink hearts already sitting on my desk, all the clouds and the sun pieces were die cut from scraps)

Creative Fingers #258--anything goes

Hubby's Father's Day

This is the Father's Day Card I made for my husband.  He is in construction, so this little cutie with the tools is a perfect image to use for him.  I was feeling lazy and under a bit of a time crunch, so I didn't feel like coloring (as it takes me a while).  But I thought stamping the image on patterned paper would give enough interest that I wouldn't have to color it.  And I do really like how it turned out!

I finished it off with some black enamel dots and then some die cut pink hearts.  Quick and easy and cute!

Supplies:

Stamps: MFT image that no longer seems to be on the website any more; PaperTrey Ink "World's Greatest"

Dies: MFT Stamps "Tag Builder Blueprints 5" hearts

Challenges:

Cheerful Sketches #121--sketch

Cards Galore #112--anything goes

NBUS #51--never before used schtuff (this is the first time I've used this image)

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--masculine

Cupcake Inspirations #571--Father's Day or special man

Shopping Our Stash #498--Let's hear it for the boys

Cardz 4 Guyz #324--Father's Day

Fab n' Funky #575--use a sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--Lot's of layers

Creative Fingers #257--anything goes

Father's Day times 2!

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

Here is my card(s) for your inspiration:

I rarely ever make more than one of the same card, because I like doing and trying new things.  But, Father's Day was zooming closer and I still needed cards for my dad and my father-in-law.  When short on time, doing the same steps at the same time makes card making a whole lot faster.  I just got these fun mustache dies from MFT Stamps and since both dads have mustaches, they seemed a fitting focal element.  I used a cream card base to better match the more vintage feel of the patterned papers I used.  I die cut the dotted paper with a stitched rectangle die and the journal paper with a notebook border die.  I then die cut the mustaches out of brown cardstock.  I didn't cut the dies apart yet, so I used a piece of washi tape to hold the die cut pieces in the dies, added adhesive to the backs of the mustaches and then (keeping them in the dies) adhered them to the journal paper.  It was the perfect way to keep everything lined up perfectly!  Then I stamped "Happy Father's Day", adhered all the layers together and voila!  Done!  Two quick, easy and rather fun cards finished in record time!  Here is a closer up shot of just one of the cards.

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"

Dies: MFT "MSTN Mustache Trio" and "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle; Spellbinders "On the Edge" border die

Challenges:

Cards Galore #112--anything goes

Sheepski Designs #75--for the boys

Craft Rockets #104--use dies

Moving Along With The Times #155--for man/boy

NBUS #51--never before used schtuff (first time outing for these mustaches!  I actually only got them a week or two ago--that might be a new record for me!)

Penny's Challenge #548--anything goes

Snippets Playground #456--anything goes with snippets (my mustaches were die cut from scraps--and I remembered NOT to link up to more than 10 challenges this time!  So sorry about that last challenge)

Simon Says Stamp Monday--masculine

Cupcake Inspirations #571--Father's Day or someone special/masculine

Birthday Truck

   Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Boys and Men.  I am using an image from one of our fabulous sponsors: Polkadoodles.

 Here is my card:

   

I created this card for my Father-in-Law's birthday which was last week.  He has an old El Camino truck that is bright yellow, so I colored this one up to resemble that vehicle and filled it up with some special presents!  The green pieces of patterned paper are actually two scraps that fit perfectly behind the main panel.  I colored the ribbon on the smaller package to match the paper.  I die cut the lined journal paper to go behind the main image and added a few bright yellow enamel dots 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: Polkadoodles "Red Truck Celebration"; PaperTrey Ink "Just Sentiments: Birthday"

Dies: Spellbinders "On the Edge" border die

Challenges:

Creative Fingers #256--anything goes

Sketch Saturday #727--sketch

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #207--anything goes

Cards Galore #112--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #207--anything goes

Sheepski Designs #75--for the boys

Craft Rocket #104--use dies

Moving Along with the Times #144--for man/boy

{Pin}spirational Challenge #302--birthday with the addition of cars and trucks

Incy Wincy Designs--rainbow AND/OR birthday

Crafting Happiness #143--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #498--let's hear it for the boys

Penny's #548--anything goes

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Cow's It Going

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

Oh, my!!  Isn't this the cutest thing!??  I LOVE this little cow!  I created this tag using my favorite technique for tags: using up scraps!  And these are not just normal scraps, no, no, no, these are the little scraps that attach your patterned papers into the binding of the pack.  (See the photo below.)

The tag die I tend to use is the perfect width to use slightly less than half of these strips of paper.  I added adhesive to the entire tag, layer the strips side to side down the tag and then trim off the excess.  Easy as pie!  I was even able to use two little tiny scraps along the bottom edge!

Then, all I had to do was color and fussy cut the cow, stamp the sentiment on the die cut banner and adhere them both along with some die cut hearts.  I punch a hole at the top and added an eyelet and voila, done!

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 "The Whole Herd" cow and Cardz TV sentiment (but I couldn't find it in the store)

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" tag die and stitched banner and "Tag Builder #5" little hearts

Challenges:

Cutie Pie Challenge #297--animals

Use Your Stuff #484--anything goes

Snippets Playground #455--anything goes with snippets

Cupcake Inspirations #570--anything goes

Penny's Challenge #547--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #666--Stamp act

Creative Fingers #256--anything goes

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #207--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #207--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--critters

Craft Rockets #104--use dies

Crafting Happiness #143--anything goes

Swan love

 Happy June 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 have had this adorable stamp set from Pretty Pink Posh for a long time, at least a year, probably more like 2 years and I have never inked it up until this card!  Can you believe it?  It will definitely NOT be the last time (and I won't wait another 2 years) because it is soooooo sweet.  Absolutely perfect for the anniversary card I needed!  I had some fun with the sketch and the stamp set and created a sweet little scene.  I layered the patterned paper on a piece of white card stock cut to the same dimensions and then I die cut the oval through both layers.  I die cut some waves out of blue patterned paper and adhered them directly to the back of the oval layer.  Then I figured out where that panel would be on the card base and stenciled on some clouds.  I added a second layer of waves directly to the stenciled piece on the card base and then adhered the oval die cut panel over the background with some foam tape for dimension.  Then I tucked in the little swans and the cattails and added the water lily with a piece of foam tape so it was sort of floating in the foreground.  I stamped a heart trio from the same stamp set, colored them with pink markers and added a pit of gold shimmer pen (also to the waterlily) which you can sort of see in the photo below.  

At first I stamped the sentiment directly onto the patterned paper layer, but I think it was just slightly off center and it just didn't look right, so I die cut a fishtail banner and stamped the sentiment on it and used the banner to cover up the original sentiment.

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: Pretty Pink Posh "Pond Friends" and MFT "Essential Sentiments"

Dies: Spellbinders "Filigree Delights" oval; MFT "Making Waves"

Punch: Martha Stewart border punch

Challenges:

Cutie Pie #297--animals

NBUS #51--anything goes with never before used schtuff (I posted a card a couple days ago using this stamp, but this was actually the first card I made using it.)

Use Your Stuff #484--anything goes

Try Stampin' on Tuesday #628--sketch and optional twist: create a scene

Cupcake Inspirations #570--anything goes

Penny's Challenge #547--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #666--Stamp Act

Sweet Stampin'--Things with Wings

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes