Elephant Birthday

Happy February!!  I have the privilege of being the Guest Designer for Critter Crazy challenge for the month of February!  I'm so excited and so honored to have been asked.  As always, the challenge for the month is Anything Goes as long as you feature a critter.  Here is my card:

This is the final card in a set I have been making with a One-sheet Wonder template.  One-sheet wonders use an entire sheet of patterned paper to create a group of cards.  This particular one I used makes 12 to14 cards, I believe.  If you would like to see the rest of them, you can go here, here, here, here, and here.  For this card, I added a small scalloped border, a vellum die cut circle, and some blue rhinestones.  The photo below shows the card and three tiny little pieces of patterned paper that were left over after making all the cards!  And the only reason they are left is because I trimmed them off to make some of the paper fit my layouts better.  Otherwise, I used an entire piece of 12 x 12 patterned paper on this set.

Please head over to the Critter Crazy blog to see what the team has created and for the full details of the challenge.

Supplies:

Stamps: MFT "Adorable Elephants" image and sentiment

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; MFT "Stitched Scallop Trio"

Challenges:

Pattie's Creations #190--anything goes

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

C.R.A.F.T. #624--anything goes

As You Like It--favorite coloring medium (I love using my Spectrum Noir markers--the blending is fabulous!)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #596--all occasions

Crafty Catz #580--anything goes with the optional twist: add flowers (I have flowers on my patterned paper)

A Gem of a  Challenge--anything goes

Recycled cards

 I got to have a little fun today and just play.  I decided to try upcycling Christmas cards that I received this year.  I've had the thought before, but never made it happen.  Today, I finally did it.  All three cards in this post use pieces from the same Christmas card.  On the first one, I die cut the main image with a rectangle die.  The plaid banner piece was a piece that actually ran down the side of the original card.

I embossed a piece of kraft card stock for the background panel and added a mat of light turquoise.  I added a sentiment strip and some snowflakes that had been punched a long time ago.  They were just sitting in a bag waiting to be used.

After cutting out the image, I had the sentiment and a cute little house left over.  They were perfect to pair together to create this second card.  I used the same red card base, and some embossed kraft strips.  I added some light turquoise and then added some red glitter paper die cut hearts.  The largest one was in my bits and pieces stash and was the inspiration for adding them to the card.

After finished the second card, I still had two small squares of the card left.  They had some pieces of trees on them and seemed to pretty to throw away.  So, I found a sketch to use to use them up.  Unfortunately, you don't really see the pattern with the ribbon covering them.  But at least I did use them

I also got a chance to use this adorable little snowman stamp that I have had for several years and never inked up.  He's super cute; so I will definitely be using him again.  I paper pieced his hat with the little bit of left over plaid from the first card.  Then I added a fun little pom pom to the top of the hat.  I stamped some light turquoise snowflakes around the top of the focal panel.  The ribbon was in my bits and pieces stash.

Card #1:

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Beyond Measure" sentiment

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle; MFT "Blueprints 14" sentiment banner

Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Martha Stewart snowflake punch

Challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs--color combo and/or sketch (I chose the sketch)

Cards Galore Challenge #92--anything goes

Through The Purple Haze #188--anything goes

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #42--anything goes

Dare 2 B Artzy--winter fun

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #164--inspiration photo (I went with the color scheme and snowflakes)

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #153--anything goes

Sweet Stampers #64--winter/snow

Penny's Challenge #513--anything goes

C.R.A.F.T. #624--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Krafty Chicks #596--all occasions

Alphabet Challenge--V is for vehicle

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Card #2:

Supplies:

Dies: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps largest heart; MFT "Smartphone" two smaller hearts

Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Challenges:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge--a winter scene

Creative Sketchy Girls #68--sketch

ABC Christmas--anything Christmas goes

The Paper Funday Challenge #57--anything goes with the optional twist: winter landscapes

613 Avenue Create--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #528--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Snippets Playground #420--anything goes with snippets (one heart was left over from another project, the other two were cut from snippets.  The two main pieces were scraps from the recycled card, and the kraft and turquoise layers were all scraps)

Creative Knockouts #437--die cuts/punches

Card #3:

Stamps: Rubbernecker Stamps "Snowman with Arms"; Papertrey Ink " Fab Flakes" and sentiment

Dies: Verve "Elegant Ovals"

Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder

Challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--snow people

Pattie's Creations #190--anything goes

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #66--anything goes

Creatalicious #227--anything goes with the optional twist: winter

Craft Rockets #88--use dies

Crafty Gals #227--snow much fun

{Pin}spirational Challenge #285--inspirational photo

Crafting Happiness #119--anything goes

Make My Monday #166--winter

YNS #175--seasons

Creative Moments #230--sketch

Use Your Stuff #440--embossing

Creative Fingers #223--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #575--anything goes with the optional twist: use a sentiment

Praying

 So, in my last post at the beginning of the year, I mentioned how I had suddenly found myself Design Teamless.  Well, I have to say that didn't last very long!!  Within a couple days, I have an offer from the owner of the Cut It Up Challenge blog to come join their design team!  I'm excited to announce that today begins my first challenge as part of that team!!  Yeay!!  The challenge for the next two weeks is: 

Hard to Say (sympathy, belated birthday, sorry, etc.)

The sponsor is DRS Designs and you can win a fabulous prize!

I chose to make a sympathy card and it was perfect (yet unfortunate) timing as a friend just lost her mother and I will need to send this card.  I was hoping to add it to my stash to have on hand when needed.  Here it is:

I chose to work with this beautiful sympathy sentiment.  I think it would also be perfect to add to the inside of a card, but wanted to make it the focal point.  In my stamp collection, I also had this pussy willow image from DRS Designs, and I thought it made the perfect backdrop for the sentiment--a way to highlight it without detracting from it.  Other than the focal panel, the star of this show is that pink mulberry paper!  It adds so much interest and softness at the same time.  I definitely don't use it enough!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please check out the full details of the challenge and get some beautiful inspiration from the Design Team over on the Cut It Up Challenge blog.  You'll be glad you did!

Supplies:

Stamps: DRS Designs "Praying for Friends Sympathy Greeting" and "Brush Pussy Willow"

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle (I used it to die cut the sentiment panel and to trace around to create the mulberry paper layer)

Challenges:

Cards Galore Challenge #95--anything goes

Through the Purple Haze #188--anything goes

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

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #66--anything goes

Creative Inspirations--anything goes

Craft Rockets #188--use dies

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2--any sketch from 2021 (I chose sketch #198)

613 Avenue Create--anything goes

Crafting Happiness #119--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #174--anything goes

Fab n Funky #543--use 2 or more patterned papers

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #528--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Krafty Chicks #596--All Occasions

All About "U"

 A couple months ago, I decided I needed to step down from some of my DT work.  I have some "new" commitments having to do with church and a volunteer organization, so I needed to free up some time.  One of the challenge blogs I designed for was closing at the end of December which was a perfect out without having to feel like I was letting anyone down.  (It turns out that the owner decided NOT to close the challenge, but she is working without a design team anyway.)  Another team was running a design team call, so I figured it was the perfect time to step down since they would be able to acquire new team members without any problems.  And then the third team (the one I was planning to keep designing for) suddenly was closed down without any definite plans for the future.  So, I find myself without any DT commitments.  It's sad, but it's also good--now when I make (and post) cards it will be because I need them or because I WANT to make a card, not because I HAVE to make one.  This is my first card after being Design Teamless.  It is a birthday card for my cousin and I tried Jennifer McQuire's "Eclipse Sentiment Stamping" technique for something a little different.

A while ago (ok, a very long while ago) I purchased this "U" die from Altenew.  I had some other ideas for it, but decided to start here: by using it as part of the sentiment.  This card kind of started with the large blue die cut star.  I had several of them left over from a baby shower project last spring, and I have been slowing using them up.  I die cut out a couple smaller stars to go along with it and matched them up with some colorful paper.  Unfortunately as I was stamping on the star, it shifted a little in my MISTI and blurred a little.  UGH!!  Luckily, I had ONE more of the stars, so I adhered it over the original and it was all fixed!  I added a few little star sprinkle pieces that I got from Kat Scrappiness.  They add a fun pop of color!

Supplies:

Stamps: CASual Fridays "Shenanigans"

Dies: Altenew "Mega Alphabet U"; Stamps of Life/Stephanie Bernhart star; Verve small stars

Kat Scrappiness "Superhero Star Sprinkles"

Challenges:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #173--anything goes

Shopping Our Stash #461--something beginning with "S" (Stars, sprinkles, stamping and Sentiment)

Cut It Up #242--birthday cards

Unicorn Challenge #72--layer it up

Cards Galore #95--anything goes

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

Creative Inspiration--anything goes

Craft Rockets #88--use dies

Crafty Catz #577--anything goes with the optional twist: CAS

Snippets Playground--anything goes with snippets (my patterned papers were all scraps and all the die cuts were cut from scraps--or were left over from a project)

2022

 Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  This week is very fitting: Create a New Year's card.  It's a bittersweet challenge, actually, as it will be the last one from The House That Stamps Built for the foreseeable future.  Let's hope it won't be permanent.

Here is my card:

I decided to go with a LOT of sparkle and shine for this one as it seemed fitting for a New Year's celebration.  I started by stamping just the "Happy New Year" portion of the "Merry/Happy Frame" image, then die cut it with a circle die.  I stamped and heat embossed the "Celebration Burst" with a gold tinsel embossing powder.  I also stamped the image repeatedly on a black card stock panel and heat embossed the images with the same gold tinsel embossing powder.  I die cut "2022" once from gold glitter cardstock and twice more from scrap white card stock and adhered them together for dimension before adding them just above the sentiment on the circle panel.  I finished everything off with some large, gold sequins.  This is definitely a celebration in a card!

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this challenge.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Merry/Happy Frame" and "Celebration Burst"

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"; MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle (the black embossed panel); PaperTrey Ink "numbers border die"

Challenges:

Creative Fingers #221--anything goes

Creative Moments #229--anything goes

Cardz TV #156--anything goes

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #172--anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday--Party

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--time to party

Krafty Chicks #591--all occasions

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #574--anything Christmas or New Year's

Crafty Sentiments--anything goes

Embossed Christmas

 Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps.  This week the challenge is Christmas with the optional twist: use your favorite technique.

And here is the card I created:

I had a bit of a hard time coming up with a favorite technique at first, and then once I started I had a hard time deciding on one!  I finally decided to go with heat embossing as I have been doing a bunch of it lately.  It is just so magical watching that powder melt!!  A couple weeks ago, my fellow Rock Star, Patti created a card using this stamp and she highlighted the scarf, hat and bird with red ink.  I really liked how it looked and I decided to recreate that using red embossing powder on the scarf only.  The rest of it I embossed with silver embossing powder.  I do love that pop of red; it's really fun!  It took some masking and a lot of hard pressure, but I think it was worth it.  I heat embossed the sentiment with silver as well, die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die and brushed on some white ink around the edges.  I would have liked it to be more sparkly with maybe some glitter embossing powder, but I didn't have any.  Maybe another time.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this challenge.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Snowman and Friend" and "Christmas"

Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle

Challenges:

Sweet Stampin--anything Christmas

Cards Galore--anything goes

Love To Craft Challenge Blog #65--anything goes

Crafty Calendar--Christmas

Creative Inspirations--Christmas time

We Love Stamping--anything goes with the optional twist: CAS

Merry Little Christmas--anything goes

Winter Wonderland--anything goes

Dare 2B Artzy--CAS

Crafty Creations #428--anything goes

613 Avenue Create--anything goes with the optional twist: any holiday

Crafting Happiness--anything goes

Creative Fingers #221--anything goes

Sweet Stampers #63--anything goes

Cupcake Inspirations #534--snow people

The Paper Shelter--anything goes

Creative Moments #228--anything goes

C.R.A.F.T. #622--Christmas

Krafty Chicks #590--CAS

Alphabet Challenge--S is for silver (I used silver embossing powder)

Cardz TV #156--anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #573--anything goes with the optional twist: use the word "Merry"

A Gem of a Challenge--anything goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #172--anything goes

Use Your Stuff #438--snow or winter

Tuesday Morning Sketches--anything goes

Unto You

 Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps.  This week is Christmas with the option of Words as the Focus.

And here is the card I created:

I heat embossed the sentiment with silver embossing powder and then die cut it with a rectangular frame.  I was going to put it on the black base and leave it nice and clean.  But I felt like it needed something, so I cut another panel of black card stock, embossed it with a snowflake embossing folder and wiped on a bit of white ink to help the embossing stand out.  I die cut some snowflakes from sliver glitter paper and adhered a bit of black and white ribbon left over from another project.  It was a actually quite quick and easy, and I really love how it turned out--very classy and elegant.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this challenge.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "For Unto You"

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle; Memory Box "Lindeman Snowflake"; MFT "Sweet Snowflakes"

Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder

Challenges:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #416--anything goes with snippets (My ribbon was left over from some party favors I made back in July--the piece was already cut, sitting in my bits and pieces stash.  The sentiment was die cut from a scrap and the snowflakes were die cut from a sheet of paper that has already had several other die cuts cut from it.)

Double Trouble #99--It's up to you (Thing #1: anything goes; Thing #3: add a number (numbers in the Scripture reference); Thing #2: play with Paper Funday)

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #221--sketch

Sparkles #131--non-traditional colors

Paper Funday Challenge #36--anything goes with the optional twist: holidays

Word Art Wednesday #522--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #572--anything goes with the optional twist: quick and easy

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #171--anything goes