Sympathy

Sympathy cards are never fun to have to make.  I really should make some to have in my stash, because I usually end up not sending anything since I don't have anything made.  This one has a specific recipient, though.  The "button" is from my "bits and pieces" stash.  I almost wasn't able to make the stash work for this one, but the button happened to be a close match for the Berry Sorbet ink.  Yeay!

Challenges:
Paper Nest Dolls #5--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #122--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafting By Designs--anything goes
The Stamping Chef #19--anything goes
Cas-ual Fridays #129--two shades of gray

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "The Sweet Life" and "Boutique Borders:Sympathy"; DRS Designs "Chevron border" stamp
Dies: PTI "The Sweet Life" and Boutique Borders: Sympathy" and Button die
Inks: PTI Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet; SU! real red

Glitz

I don't usually use gold as I am more of a silver person, but gold definitely has more of a glitzy look to it.  Unfortunately, the gold reflects a lot in the camera light;  it looks so much better in real life.  I managed to use an item from my bits and pieces stash: the sentiment panel.  It actually is the back of patterned paper, but a white oval, is a white oval; specially when you're not sure you'll use the pattern on the back. : )

Challenges:
{Pin}spirational Challenges #96--inspiration photo (I think you can see my inspiration)

Die Cuttin' Divas #154--mardi gras inspired (the gold and the ornate look)
Stampin' Chef #18--anything goes
Milk Coffee--emboss it (the sentiment is embossed with gold embossing powder)
Sister Act Card Challenge #46--anything goes
Crafty Catz #22--anything goes
My Favorite Things #165--sketch


Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Beautiful You" sentiment
Dies: spellbinders ovals, large; MFT "Die-namics Moroccan Tile Border Trio" (used to make the background)

Celebrate

Another item from my bits and pieces stash: the shell stamped main panel and it was just screaming to be a masculine card.  It was so hard not to put embellishments on the banners, but I really didn't think a guy would appreciate gems. : )

Challenges:
Timeless Tuesday #262--stamped image NO coloring
Cuttin' and Stampin' #19--All Boy
Creative Inspiration #254--It's a boy thing
Southern Girls--swinging in the breeze (banners or pennants)
Creative Knockouts #26--1 border, 1 image, 1 sentiment
Brown Sugar Challenges #83--color combo

Sweet n' Sassy Stamps #4--stamped borders
Fussy and Fancy--sketch


Supplies:
Stamps: SU! shell wheel stamp (I haven't used one of these in forever!); Verve "Joyful Blooms" sentiment; unknown sheel image
Dies: Verve "Pennant Trim" die

Snowflakes

I just got these snowflake dies this week, so when I saw the VLV sketch for this week, I just had to pull them out an use them.  But never fear, I also used two items from my bits and pieces stash: the blue tag and the button on top of it.  If you want to see my stash, check out this post.  I am going to try to take a picture each month to see how well I am doing at using it up.

Challenges:
Sweet Stamps challenge--favorite colors (blue is my all-time favorite color and mixed with white is my favorite Christmas card combo)
Delightful Challenges--Keep it simple
Crimbo Crackers #59--blue and white
Viva La Verve February week 4--sketch

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #166-ribbon, twine, fibers (I have used ribbon, twine, and sewing thread)
Sparkles Christmas Challenge #38--more than three embellishments
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge--anything goes as long as it is covered in patterned paper

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment; PTI "Fresh Alphabet" numbers; Sweet n' Sassy "Celebrating Milestones" 'th'
Dies/Punches: PTI snowflakes and button die; Sweet n' Sassy small snowflakes; SU! label punch

Standing

The two starting points for this card were the green scalloped oval and the polka dotted ribbon.  The oval is from my bits and pieces stash (you can see a picture of the stash here; I'm going to post a picture each month to see how well I am doing at using it up) and the ribbon I have had forever!!  I tried a few new techniques on this one.  If you look closely, you can just see that I stamped the background layer with a script stamp and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  Then I stamped the leaf image over it.  It didn't work out quite like I had thought, but I do like the subtle effect it gave.  I also tried making my own pearl "flourish" embellishment.  I found the idea on pinterest here.  I stamped a flourish stamp onto scrap paper, then laid a piece of acetate packaging over top and used perfect pearls to trace the design.  I need to work on my pearl making technique but I do like the outcome and it was basically free!  (yeay!  I like that!)

Challenges:
Viva La Verve February week 3--sketch

Word Art Wednesday #121--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Paper Pretties #299--try a new technique
Charisma Cardz #5--something NOT for crafting (the piece of acetate I used was from a stamp packaging)
Mod Squad--Thinking of Spring 2.0 (spring colors, butterflies, leaves)

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Turning a new leaf"; Sweet 'n' Sassy "The Future" sentiment; Hero Arts "French Script"
Punches/dies: Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; spellbinders ovals and scalloped ovals, large

No winter lasts forever

I don't know about you, but I'm definitely ready for spring!  I don't mind snow, but I don't like cold at all!  I think this sentiment is perfect! : )  The green scalloped oval is from my bits and pieces stash.  You can see of picture of what it (the stash) looks like right now on this post.  I'm going to try to take pictures of the stash each month; mostly for my own enjoyment but also maybe to motivate others to use up that stash.  I've also had the dotted ribbon for a LONG time and just could not make it work.  I picked my color scheme based on the ribbon to make sure I could use some.  It was only a tiny piece, but it is a start.

Challenges:
Viva La Verve February week 2--sketch

The Squirrel & The Fox #64--something spooled (ribbon)
Word Art Wednesday #121--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafting by Designs--Spring is here, isn't it? (Colors of spring)
DRS #111--Button up!
Crafty Ribbons #78--ribbons and buttons
Sister Act #46--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI "Turning a New Leaf"; Verve "Beautiful You" sentiment
Punches/dies/embossing folders: Martha Stewart butterfly punches (2); PTI "Turning A New Leaf" die; spellbinders classic ovals and scalloped ovals, large; sizzix botanicals embossing folder

Christmas Baubles

Hello, All!  It's the start of another month, can you believe it?!  March already!!  That means it is time for another challenge from Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra: Anything Goes as long as it is Christmas related.  And it lasts all month long; you can enter as many times as you want.  The sponsor is Bugaboo Stamps and the winner will receive 7 images from their store.  Yeay!!  I got to work with this image: Christmas Tags--rudolf.  It usually looks like this:

I originally had it out for a different project and decided to fussy cut the image instead of using it as a tag.  That project didn't work, so I had it sitting in my bits and pieces stash that I am trying to use up.  I think I made it work on this card.  And one less item in that stash! Here's a picture of my stash as it is now.

I think I'll try to include a new picture of it every month, just for fun to see how well I am doing at whittling it down.   Now head on over to the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra to see the other projects from the DT and read all the details.

Challenges:

Lexi's Creations #116--monochromatic

Love to Scrap Challenge Blog #24--anything goes

Cuttlebug Mania--Let's feel it (use texture--I used wet and dry embossing, a button and twine)

Digi Stamps 4 Joy #86--punches/dies

The Squirrel and the Fox #69--something spooled (twine and washi tape--it sort of comes on a spool)

Christmas Card #13--anything goes

Card Mania #41--use a sentiment

Loves Rubberstamps #92--washi tape or faux washi (the red with white polka dots is washi)

Tuesday Throwdown #184--anything goes

Fab 'n' Funky #205--Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge--D is for Die cuts
Little Miss Muffet #80--anything goes
Pattie's Creations--spots or dots

Supplies:

Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps "Christmas Tags: Rudolf" digi; Verve "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment

Dies: spellbinders classic circles, large; PTI snowflake die (Just got it yesterday!!!)

Papers: American Crafts