Hats Off

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

Just a reminder that we are trying to get to 1,000 followers on our challenge blog!  We are so close, I believe we are only 3 followers away!  When we reach 1000 followers we'll have a random drawing from all of the entries in the challenge in which the magic number is reached and reward the lucky drawing winner with a box full of crafty goodness.  So, be sure you've checked the Followers box on our sidebar and pass the word to your crafty friends. We're still at 997 so let's make this challenge be the one!!!

Here is my card for your inspiration:

We had 5 young people from our church graduating this year and we had a little reception after the church service a couple weeks ago.  This is the card that I made for each of the three young men (the two young ladies are my daughters so I didn't make them a card, yet, they're still finishing up).  I started by stamping the caps in the background to make it look like they are falling after being thrown up in the air in celebration.  Then I die cut the sentiments from black and gold cardstock.  I was trying to decide whether I liked the black "congrats" better or the gold, when my youngest daughter suggested layering them together.  She's pretty smart, that one!  I stamped the sentiment in the corner and while everything looked good, it still needed something.  So, I die cut some tiny gold stars and sprinkled them around the caps and the sentiment  and I think they finished everything off perfectly!

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: Taylored Expressions "The Inside Scoop Stamp Set--Grad"; Repeat Impressions graduation cap

Dies: Papertrey Ink "congrats" die; MFT graduation die set; Stamps of life flip card star die set

Challenges:

Crafty Catz #717--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #326--anything goes

Cards Galore #149--anything goes

Unicorn Challenge #122--no patterned paper

Word Power--anything goes with the sentiment as the focus

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #281--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--back to school (mine is more the ending of school, but it does have to do with school--if not fitting the theme, please remove.  Thanks!)

Word Art Wednesday #760--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Pink Christmas

 Good morning!  Today I am sharing my project as a Guest Designer for Double Trouble Challenge.  Here are the details:

WELCOME to Challenge #220 - Let the Troubles Begin!

Challenge runs from Monday, July 6th thru Sunday, July 19th 

Here is Thing 1's 3-2-1 Recipe - "Christmas in July"
Servings - Unlimited Portions of Fun
Specific information is available by clicking on each ingredient.
        3 Colors of your choice (Neutrals Do Not Count as one of the three                   choices, but neutrals can be used in addition to colors of choice)
        2 Layers (Card Base does not count)

        1 Holiday Image 

Directions: You MUST include at least the required minimum of each ingredient for successful results and a chance in our random drawing... but you may enhance your project by using more than the ingredients stipulated.

THING 1: Trouble Maker

says, "'Christmas in July' is a fun and quirky commemoration of the traditional winter holiday... so why wait until December to create a little holiday cheer? It's the perfect time to mix sunny skies with snowy vibes and celebrate the season in the most unexpected way. It's also a great way to get ahead of your holiday stash! 

Let's celebrate, stir up some trouble in Double Trouble's Kitchen, and create a project using all the ingredients from our 3-2-1 Recipe above.

You can stop here...
OR
play along with Thing 3's Optional Twist and/or Thing 2's Optional Dare and earn additional chances in our random drawing.

THING 3: Twisted Sister 

says, "Even though the July 4th weekend has passed, Trouble Maker wants to celebrate 'Christmas in July.' She will probably think this idea makes snow sense, but why not go with a 'patriotic-meets-festive' vibe? We can have snow much fun with a 'Star-Spangled Christmas.' My optional twist is to use stars and/or stripes in our 'Christmas in July' 3-2-1 recipe above."

 

Optional Twist: If you have included stars and/or stripes in your project, you will earn another chance in our Random Drawing. 

THING 2:  Double Dare

says, "Click the clipart to the left for a sneak peek of sketches #699 and #700 from our sister challenge, Try a Sketch On Tuesday.

"My optional dare is to combine your choice of either sketch with the Double Trouble 3-2-1 recipe for 'Christmas in July.' To prevent backlinking, please ensure your project is not posted, published, or entered anywhere before July 7th. Following this guideline will earn you TWO additional chances in our random drawing!"

Want to earn another chance in our random drawing? If your project includes stars and/or stripes, with or without TSOT sketch, you can also link it up at the Jingle Belles Challenge until July 19th.

And here is my card for your inspiration:

My three colors are red, pink, and a blue-ish gray.  I have at least 4 layers once you get to my image, and I have 1 snowwoman image.  For Thing #3's challenge, I added stars and I followed one of the sketches:

I hope you will get a chance to play along with us; I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!

Supplies:

All papers and image ephemera are from Not 2 Shabby

Stamps: PaperTrey Ink sentiment

Dies: unbranded circle die from Amazon; Pink & Main "Roses" die set--banner; My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" Stitched Rectangle

Challenges:

Creative Knockouts #574--Christmas in July

Crafty Catz #717--anything goes

Creative Fingers #326--anything goes

Jingles Belles--stars AND/OR stripes forever

Try a Sketch on Tuesday #699--sketch

Die Cut Divas--Christmas in July

Pearly Sparkles #121--Christmas in July

Cupcake Inspirations #638--anything goes

Winged Beauties

Happy July 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 wanted to try something a little different for me.  I don't do a lot of CAS cards, but I have been creating them more and more lately.  I chose three butterfly images and lined them up down the center of my panel using my mini misti.  I then chose three inks from the same family and stamped the butterflies in an ombre look beginning with the lightest at the top and moving down to the darkest ink on the sentiment (which looks black, but is really a very dark purple).  Then I die cut the panel with a wonky stitched die and adhered it to a plain white base.  I really like how simple it is and how pretty the butterflies turned out.

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: Picket Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties"; MFT "Something for Everyone" sentiment

Dies: wonky stitched die (I can't remember where I got this from, but it is an actual company!)

Ink: Altenew "Enchanted Garden" mini quartet

Challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations #638--anything goes

Crafty Catz #716--anything goes

Creative Fingers #325--anything goes

Sweet Stampin'--anything BUT birthday

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #280--anything goes

Fab n' Funky #640--something beginning with B (butterflies)

Word Art Wednesday #759--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Water color chair

Hello, everyone!  It's time for the mid-month reminder for the challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Pastel or Bright.  There is no sponsor this month, we are playing just for fun.

 Here is my card:

Several years ago, my mother-in-law and I went to a stamp convention and took a class with Art Impressions.  It was so fun and we came away with a number of beautiful water colored images.  I had forgotten all about them until I pulled one out for a different card.  I thought this one was so pretty and perfect for the quick birthday card I needed to make.  I pulled out some soft papers to match the image and added some purple mulberry paper to frame the image.  This isn't exactly pastel, but the colors are soft and definitely not bright.

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: Art Impressions Stamps (various water color stamp images); Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment

Dies: wonky die (unknown)

Challenges: 

Cupcake Inspirations #638--anything goes

Crafty Catz #716--anything goes

Creative Fingers #325--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #280--anything goes

Fab 'n' Funky #650--something beginning with B (butterflies, blue)

Thinking of you

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This card was made almost entirely out of scraps, most of which were already on my desk.  The three different patterned papers I used were scraps from the same paper pack--still sitting on my desk from a different card I had made recently.  The butterfly and the sentiment were actually stamped and die cut from the same scrap of blue patterned paper from the background panel of the card.  I had to go dig out some silver card stock for the frame and the blue mats were not from scraps, but everything else was.

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: Picket Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties"; MFT "Something for Everyone"

Dies: Pickled Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties"; MFT "Blueprints 13" sentiment strip; Atlenew frame

Challenges:

Cards Galore #148--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--anything goes

Cupcake Inspirations #638--anything goes

Crafty Catz #716--anything goes

Creative Fingers #325--anything goes

Sweet Stampin'--anything BUT birthday

Inkspirational Challenge #370--leftovers

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #280--anything goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground #535--anything goes with snippets

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #687--sketch

Programmed to Party

 Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Pastel or Bold.  We do not have a sponsor for this month, it's just for fun.

 Here is my card:

I went with bold for this challenge.  I created a fun little card for my "nephew" who just turned 3!  I had this fun border made with scraps of paper from an old paper pack; it was sitting on my desk just waiting for this card to be made (I've had it in mind for a while).  I cut a very thin strip of orange scrap card stock to bridge the border and the card base.  I stamped the images and colored up my little robot and it was good to go!

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: Verve "Geared Up for Fun" all images and sentiment

Challenges:

Cards Galore #148--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #243--anything goes

Crafty Calendar--all about the Men/boys

Craft Rockets #137--birthday

Paper Funday #84--anything goes with the optional twist: polka dots AND/OR stripes (I created a stripe of stripes!)

Sweet Stampin'--something for the boys

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #279--anything goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground #534--anything goes with snippets (the border piece was created with snippets)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--add a sentiment

A boy and his truck

Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  This week, the challenge is: One for the Boys (Man/Men)

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This is the birthday card for my soon to be son-in-law.  He just turned 20 and he is all about his TRUCK (and my daughter, of course!)  I have a really fun pickup truck die set that I used to make a truck as similar to his as I could.  Obviously, I was limited by the die set, but I customized it as much as I could. I even had to create my own mirrors, because he has these giant towing mirrors! I believe he was quite pleased with it.  I wanted to create a scene to go along with the truck, so I pulled out the "Landscape Silhouettes" stamp set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps (which I believe has another name now, but I'm not sure what it is.)  I started by stamping the mountains (we live in Rhode Island, so we don't really have mountains, but both he and I come from New Hampshire where there are plenty of mountains).  All of the silhouette stamps were too narrow to fit the width of the card, so I had to do some selective masking to make them look continuous.  Also, the mountains were too short for what I was looking to do, so I used the direct ink to paper technique to give them a taller look.  It left some streaking, but that actually adds depth to the mountains by looking like I added highlights!  Then I stamped the trees.  I masked off the bank and ink blended in the river before stamping the grass in the foreground.  I finished off the bottom by inking in a road, and I added a bit of blue ink to the sky.  I stamped the sentiment (which was from a set I had won and had actually arrived that day, so perfect timing!)  I wanted to make it interactive so I created a slider element at the bottom for the truck to "drive" along.

As usual, I forgot to plan it out first, so had to do some adjustments on the fly, but no one except you knows that!  I used a slider die to cut the slot, but had to create my own pull tab to go along with it.  Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out and I think he thought it was quite fun!

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: Sweet n' Sassy Stamp "Landscape Silhouettes"; MFT "Essential Sentiments" sentiment inside the slider; ? unknown name for the main sentiment set

Dies: unbranded truck die set from Amazon; MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle and "Launch Party" for the slider slot.

Challenges:

Cards Galore Challenge #148--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--anything goes

Crafty Calendar--All about the men/boys

We Love Stamping--sports/hobbies OR anything goes (his hobby is working on his truck; does that count?  Or I can go with anything goes)

Craft Rockets #137--birthday

613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: crafty or hobby (working on his truck is his hobby)

Sweet Stampin'--something for the boys

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #279--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--masculine

Double Trouble Challenge #218--My Guy (Things #1: 3 washi tape/paper scraps (all the truck parts were cut from scraps of card stock/specialty paper), 2 die cuts, 1 sentiment; #3: his favorite hobby/activity/sport--he enjoys working on his truck--though maybe not right now; it's broken!)

Word Art Wednesday #756--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--add a sentiment

Little Red Wagon #862--O is for outdoor

Crafty Catz #715--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #324--anything goes

Hello

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:

This card was made almost entirely from scraps.  I'm not sure why it was there, but the green plaid piece was on my desk; I only had to trim off a narrow strip which I turned into the banner on the right hand side.  The kraft strip was on my desk from another project, I trimmed it to length and then trimmed off a little bit down the whole side to make it narrower.  I used most of the rest of the full width strip to create the kraft banner.  The white, stitched banner was trimmed off from a previous project.  So, I think they only thing that wasn't a scrap was the card base and the enamel dots.

I stamped this sweet dragon directly onto the card base and colored him up with markers.  I layered the banners together and stamped the sentiment and it was all set to go!

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: MFT "Magical Dragons" and "Something for Everyone" sentiment

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched banner

Challenges: 

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #278--anything goes

Double Trouble #217--8th Anniversary Celebration (Thing #1: Father's Day/Masculine; Thing #3: Kraft paper)

Creative Knockouts #571--real or faux stitching (on the white banner)

Crafty Catz #714--anything goes

Creative Fingers #323--anything goes

Inkspirational Challenge #368--for the guys

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

We Love Stamping--all creatures great and small 

Krafty Chicks #822--masculine

Sending Hugs

Happy Friday!!!  It's time for a new challenge from the Cut It Up Challenge Blog.  But before I get to that, I have an announcement to make:

Cut It Up Challenge is trying to get to 1000 followers!!  Right now we are at 990.  When we get to 1000, there will be a random drawing for a box of crafty goodies!!  All you have to do is head over to the blog and follow us.

This week, the challenge is: Friendship

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This card is made from a lot of bits and pieces that were left over on my desk from other projects.  The black die cut was a mistake from a previous card, but it was perfect for this heat embossed sentiment!  One layer of the roses was already stamped, so I added the first and third layers and die cut them out (after misstamping the same image on the other side of the cardstock!).  The ribbon isn't a scrap, but the roll of it has been sitting on my desk for a while.  The patterned paper was a scrap that I trimmed down to size and the leaves were die cut from scraps before stamping them.  I finished everything off with some pale pink pearls.

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 "Luke 1:45" plain Jane; Papertrey Ink "The Sweet Life"; MFT "Something for Everyone" sentiment

Dies: PaperTrey Ink "The Sweet Life"; Spellbinders "Radiant Rectangles"

Challenges:

Snippets Playground #533 --anything goes with snippets

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: May flowers

Word Art Wednesday #754--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Make My Monday #278--say it with flowers

Crafty Catz #714--anything goes

Creative Fingers #323--anything goes

Sweet Stampin'--flowers

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

 

Father's Day

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

 Here is my card:

This is my Father's Day card for my dad.  He used to own a motorcycle so this is the perfect image for him!  This is an adorable image and Kit & Klowder has a tutorial on how to color him.  Just to be clear, I did not use the tutorial, so please don't judge their class on my coloring ability!!  I find it challenging to use my markers on very fine details (partly because I am now at the age at which I need reading glasses to see up close), so I decided to attempt colored pencils.  I actually think it came out pretty well.  I'm not overly happy with the color of the bear's fur, but other than that, not too bad, if I say so myself.  In order to have any chance of coloring within the lines, I printed the image out rather large so it didn't leave much room for any extras.  But I did find the little red heart in a bag of bits and pieces and I think it finishes it off perfectly!

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 motorcycle bear (sorry, I don't know the name); PaperTrey Ink "Mother and Father"

Dies: unbranded circle die and unbranded stitched label die, both from Amazon

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #277--anything goes

Crafty Catz #713--anything goes

Creative Fingers #322--anything goes

Cards Galore Challenge #147--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #242--anything goes with handcolored image

Die Cut Divas--celebrations

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

We Love Stamping--all creatures great and small OR anything goes

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Double Trouble #216--It's a Wheelie Good Day (Thing #1: 3 layers, 2 shapes {square and circle}, 1 image; #3: one or more wheel or gear; #2 Try A Sketch on Tuesday)

Try A Sketch on Tuesday #695--sketch

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--use dies

Mother's Day

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This is the card for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  Purple is her favorite color, so I pulled out some purple patterned papers and a couple greens from a different pack.  I stamped the image directly onto the patterned paper and layered the green leaves over the the leaves on the purple image I die cut the image with the matching die and added some shading white a gray marker.  I used a banner die from the same set for the sentiment and finished everything off with some gold ribbon and some small purple pearls.

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"; PaperTrey Ink "Mother and Father"

Dies: Pink & Main "Roses"

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #277--anything goes

Crafty Catz #713--anything goes

Creative Fingers #322--anything goes

Cards Galore #147--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--celebrations

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: may flowers

Aud Sentiments #337--embossing AND/OR Flowers

Beautiful Blossoms #41--anything goes with optional mood board

Word Art Wednesday #752--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Lil' Red Wagon #858--May flowers

The Best

Happy May 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:

My husband needed a card for a work friend who was turning 40.  This guy also happens to love golf, so I combined both into this card.  I didn't have time to color an image, so I printed it out onto a patterned paper which gives it interest with out having to color.  In hind sight, it might have been a fun idea to add some shading, but as I said, I really didn't have time to color.  I barely finished the card in time for my husband to leave for the party as it was.  And because of that, I didn't even have time to take a good photo; we just shot it right there on my work 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: Di's Digi Stamps "Ted In the Rough" digi; PaperTrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes"

Dies: PaperTrey Ink "By the Numbers" border die

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #276--anything goes

Crafty Catz #712--anything goes

Creative Fingers #321--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--4-legged friends

Word Art Wednesday #450--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Polar Bear

Hello, everyone!  It's time for the mid-month reminder for the challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Gone But Not Forgotten (Use an image from a designer that is no longer in business).  I am using an image from Bugaboo Stamps.

 Here is my card:

This cute little polar bear is my absolute favorite Bugaboo Stamps images, in fact it is one of my all time favorite images from anywhere!  It is so adorable!  I made this card using scraps from the same paper pack I used on one of my last cards. (I also used the same sketch--it was such a good one!)  I have only a few very small scraps; I can't wait to use them up--it's one of my favorite things!  The blue ribbon was a scrap on my desk and the snowflakes were left over from a previous project.  They finished the card off perfectly--even covering up a seam in one of the strips on the tag.  I love the non-traditional color scheme.

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: Bugaboo Stamps "Polar Bear" digi

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" tag die; PaperTrey Ink "Snow Globe" snowflakes

Challenges: 

ABC Christmas--H is for hat: I is for image only (no sentiments)

Pixie's Snippets Playground #551--anything goes with snippets (the entire card (other than the base) was snippets)

Paper Funday #86--anything goes with the optional twist of dies or punches

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #276--anything goes

Creative Knockouts #569--use 2 or more patterned papers (I used 4 different papers)

As You Like It--Favorite: brights or pastels? (I don't know if mine count as pastels, but I definitely prefer softer colors over bright colors)

Crafty Catz #712--anything goes

Creative Fingers #321--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--4-legged friends

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Birthday Flyby

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

I have made several of these never ending cards using this tutorial.  They look really complicated but really the hardest part is deciding how to decorate them--you have to do 4 cards in place of one!  This card is for my nephew who, you guessed it, just turned 9.  I wanted to use some bright, happy colors, to match his level of energy!  I used my favorite dragon stamp set and decided to stamp them on patterned paper instead of coloring them.  But after having to fussy cut out around all those little spikes and claws, I don't think I actually saved any time.  But I think they turned out super cute and fun!

I got to use up a lot of fun patterned scraps on this one.  For a little more fun, I die cut some bright yellow stars to use as embellishments.

On the last side, I left a blank square so I could write a message.

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:

Side #1:

Stamps: MFT "Magical Dragons"

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 12" stitched banner; Verve stars

Side #2:

Stamps: MFT "Magical Dragons"; PaperTrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes"

Dies: Paper Trey Ink "By the Numbers"; Verve stars

Side #3:

Stamps: MFT "Magical Dragons"

Dies: MFT "Slice of Cake" and "Blueprints 12" banner; Verve stars

Side #4:

Stamps: Paper Trey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes

Dies: Paper Trey Ink "By the Numbers" border die; Verve stars

Challenges:

Creative Creases #115--more than one fold

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #276--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #572--up, up, and away (something you would see in the sky)

Simon Says Stamp Monday--4-legged friends

Word Art Wednesday #750--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

 

Birthday Wishes

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

This is the card I made for my mom's birthday.  I saw the sketch and it really caught my eye and I had to use it!  Lily of the Valley are not blooming here in Southern New England, yet, but they should be starting in a couple weeks.  The ones we have around here are all white, but there are some very pale pink ones out there and that is how I colored mine up.  I fussy cut the image and draped it around the sentiment strip so neither the sentiment nor the image were covered up very much.  I think it adds a fun and interesting touch.  Before adhering both to the card, I added some gold embroidery thread and that was a really good choice if I do say so myself!  It instantly took the card from "meh" to eye-catching.  I finished it up with some pink pearls.  It is a smaller sized card: 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 so it would fit the sketch but not be too gigantic for the flower image.

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: Fred She Said "Lily of the Valley" digi; Verve "Be Blessed" sentiment

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched banner

Challenges:

Cards Galore #146--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #241--anything goes

Unicorn Challenge #119--use dies

Die Cut Divas--anniversary/birthday

Creative Inspirations--Easter/Spring

We Love Stamping--Spring

Moving Along with the Times #188--anything spring

Crafty Gals Corner #276--anything goes with the optional twist: spring

Aud Sentiments #336--watercolor AND/OR spring

Beautiful Blossoms #40--anything goes with flowers with the optional twist: inspiration picture

Love Those Pretty Papers--spring flowers

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #275--anything goes

Crafty Catz #711--anything goes

Creative Fingers #320--anything goes

Inkspirational Challenge #365--sketch

Word Art Wednesday #748--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Groovy

Yesterday, I had a bit of time to just play.  (I mean, I could have used that time for something more productive, but I didn't!)  This card was inspired by all these little scraps from a paper pack.  It started out with this card I made for my mom using some of the pieces from the paper pack.  And then since there were only scraps left, I decided to use a bunch of them up.  I created this card and a second card using the same layout that I will post at the beginning of next month.  The striped circle was already die cut and all the rest of the patterned paper pieces were scraps.  Even the stars were die cut from scraps as well.  This isn't normally a color combination that would appeal to me, but I do actually really like how it turned out!  And the patterns made me think of this "groovy" sentiment.  Such a fun card all around!

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Surely Goodness"

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

Challenges:

Unicorn Challenge #119--use dies

Crafty Calendar--dies/punches

Craft Rocket Challenge #135--Layer It Up

Word Power--sentiment as focal

Try A Sketch on Tuesday #693--sketch

Pixie's Snippets Playground #530--anything goes with snippets

Word Art Wednesday #748--anything goes with uplifting sentiment 

Creative Moments Template

Hello, everyone!  It's time for a new challenge from the Creative Moments Challenge blog.  The theme is: Gone But Not Forgotten (Use an image from a designer/company that is no longer in business).  I am using an image from one of my old-time favorites: Bugaboo Stamps.

 Here is my card:

Bugaboo Stamps images are so adorable and I was very sad when they went out of business.  I needed a birthday card for my dad, and I thought this fun image was just perfect!  I colored him up and used the die cutting out of the box technique.  Then I added some glossy accents to the balloon to give it a beautiful shine!  The fun image needed some bright happy papers The two striped papers are from a patterned paper pack that is almost used up (just little bits to use up!!) and was able to find a bright yellow from another pack to go along with them.  I finished everything off with some bright red enamel dots.

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: Bugaboo Stamps "Bear Balloon 3"; MFT "Essential Sentiments"; PaperTrey Ink "World's Greatest" DAD

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched banner; unbranded stitched label die from Amazon

Challenges:

Cards Galore #146--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #241--anything goes

Unicorn Challenge #119--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--birthday or anniversary

Crafty Calendar--dies/punches

Craft Rocket #135--layer it up

Paper Funday #86--anything goes with the optional twist: die cut/punches

Colorful Options--yellow

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #275--anything goes

Crafty Catz #711--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #320--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--bright & cheerful

Double Trouble #214--Let's make this Air-mazing (#1: 3 patterned papers or special papers, 2 colors, 1 image; #3: any flying element (balloon)

1st Birthday

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

We have a young family in our church who's little guy just turned one.  So, I decided to take this opportunity to make a first birthday card for him.  I had several of these stamped onesies left over (probably from the baby's baby shower) and thought it would be fun to create a little background using them.  Luckily, I managed to find the same patterned paper and stamped one more of the blue onesies and the reverse of the paper was the green, so I stamped four on that paper as well.  Because the originals had been mounted on white card stock, I had to mount the new pieces on white and cut them out as well.  It adds a texture to the background for a bit more fun.  I die cut a vellum circle to help the die cut "1" to stand out from the background and stamped "st" directly onto the circle.  I added the sentiment to die cut stitched banners.  I think it turned out so fun!

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: SU! "By Ones and By Twos"; PaperTrey Ink "Big Birthday Wishes" st; My Favorite Things "Essential Sentiments"

Dies: PaperTrey Ink "By The Numbers"; My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" stitched banner; unbranded circle die from Amazon

Challenges:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #274--anything goes

Crafty Catz #710--anything goes

Creative Fingers #319--anything goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground #529--anything goes with snippets (3 of the onesies were left overs and the others were fussy cut from a scrap of paper, all the die cuts were cut from scraps as well)

Double Trouble Challenge #213--SomeThing, AnyThing, EveryThing (#1: 3 die cuts, 2 patterned papers, one number one!)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--happy birthday

Little Red Wagon #852--M is for masculine

Krafty Chicks #814--birthday

Cards Galore Challenge #146--anything goes

Die Cut Divas--anniversary or birthday card

Paper Funday #86--anything goes with the optional twist: die cut/punches

Word Power--sentiment as the focal point

Butterflies galore

Happy April 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 went a little bit different than normal on this one.  I usually go with more animal animals, but as I was looking for something to use for the card, I came across this gorgeous butterfly cover plate die and decided to go with insect animal.  It took me a bit to get this to die cut well since it is so detailed, but the end result is worth it!!  I layered the die cut over a distressed patterned paper and added some stretchy lace trim--ruffling it onto some double sided-tape.  Then I added a die cut leaf stem and a beautiful flower I have had for ever!  I added some clear nuvo drops that kind of look like dew drops and I ended up with a pretty elegant card, I think!

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:

Dies: Papertrey Ink butterfly cover plate die and "Turning a New Leaf" die

Challenges:

613 Avenue Create --anything goes with the optional twist: things with wings

Crafty Catz #710--anything goes

Creative Fingers #319--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #274--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #570--white out (no white)

Today is your day!

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

Here is my card for your inspiration:

My oldest daughter's birthday is this week and it just so happens that green is her favorite color, so I took the opportunity to use this "Forever Green" theme to create a birthday card for her.  She's turning 20, though I have absolutely no idea how that happened!  I felt like something a little different, so I created a gate fold card.  I die cut the paw print cover panel out of green card stock and adhered it to some green check paper.  Then I adhered the whole thing to one side of the card base and used a craft knife to cut off the overlap so it would fit perfectly on the other half of the gate fold base.  I used some brown glitter paper to die cut the "20" and also two paw prints that I layered on top of some of the green leftover pieces and inlayed back into the main panel.  I used some green mulberry paper to mat the sentiment circle and added a cute little pup to the bottom circle.

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 "Just Sentiments: Birthday"; Mama Elephant "Lunar Animals

Dies: Your Next Stamp pawprint cover plate die; Papertrey Ink "By the Numbers" border die; unbranded circle dies from Amazon

Challenges:

Cards Galore #145--anything goes

Pattie's Creations #240--anything goes

Crafter's Cafe #328--fancy folds OR anything goes

Creative Inspirations--cute critters

Paper Funday #85--anything goes with the optional twist: fur or feathers (I went with fur)

Crafty Gals Corner #275--make it green

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #214--clovers are green

Aud Sentiments #335--glitter/bling AND/OR St. Patrick's green

Colorful Options--green or rainbow

Love Those Pretty Papers--anything goes with the optional twist: circles

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Creative Creases #133--anything goes with more than one fold

Word Power--sentiment as focal

Shopping Our Stash #569--I'm counting on you

Crafty Catz #709--anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #318--anything goes

Inkspirational Challenge #363--greens

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #274--anything goes

Try a Sketch on Tuesday #691--sketch

Fab n' Funky #633--four-legged friends