You're Purrrfect

I've got the cutest little two-year-old niece and I think she is going to love this cute little kitty Valentine.  We had a 5 month-old kitten that is all gray and black stripes, so I colored up this little  kitty to look sort of like her: look close you can see the stripes.

Item used from my "Bits and Pieces" stash is the scalloped oval.  It's been in there for at least two years and I have several more.  They were left overs from Christmas cards.  Glad to have one finally leave the nest. : )

Challenges:
Mojo Monday #383--sketch

The Paper Girls #73--anniversary or love
Sweet Stamps #207--Love is in the air
Raisin Boat--Love is in the air
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes as long as it is covered with patterned paper
Creative Inspiration #299--love is in the air
Verve February Inspiration Challenge--Vivacious Valentine
Sister Act Card Challenge #92--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "Cute Critters"; Verve "Valentine's Day" plain jane
Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Ovals, large" and "Classic Scalloped Ovals, large"

Turtley Awesome

My brother and his wife had a little boy in July and he is the first little boy in my life (only girls around here!) so I am going to be able to have fun creating lots of little boy cards in the coming years.  This is my first!  I know he's only 6 months old, but I still HAD to make him a Valentine's Day card to let him know how special he is! : )

 I had the sunshine in my "bits and pieces" stash and thought it would work perfectly to help create a little scene for this cute turtle.  I stamped him a second time and cut out just his head and neck to pop up with foam tape.

Challenges:
Card Mania #65--add some red
Love To Scrap Challenge #47--love is in the air
Crafting Musketeers #22--cute!
Raisin Boat--love is in the air
One Sweet Challenge--All about love
Cuttin' & Stampin' #6--masculine
Clear it Out Challenge--theme: anything goes, stash item: anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #169--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Paper Shelter #189--Be My Valentine
MFT #214--sketch

C.R.A.F.T. #297--decoupage (my turtle)
Verve February Inspiration Challenge--Vivacious Valentine

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps "Cute Critters"; Verve "To the Moon" little heart trio
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps grass die; MFT sun die; Verve "Flag It" die

First of Many

I just started working on my Valentine's Day cards.  And I just figured out that I need 18 of them!!  Yikes, I better get working!!  So, he is the first of many:

Nice and easy.  It all started with the pink dotted circle which was in my "bits and pieces" stash that I am working on using up.  Once again, I thought this would be a tough one to use because of the color, but I'm really enjoying stamping on dark panels and the boldness of this one is balanced by the black accents and the chevron pattern.

Challenges:
Lacy Sunshine--Have a heart
Love to Scrap Challenge #47--love is in the air
The Paper Girls #73--anniversary or love
Sweet Stamps #207--love is in the air
Raisin Boat #30--love is in the air
{Pin}spirational Challenge #133--inspiration photo (I was inspired by the pink, hearts and banners)

Craft-Dee BowZ--anything goes with a handmade bow
Tuesday Morning Sketches #286--sketch

Shopping Our Stash #187--Gettin' Inky: use your oldest ink (the black  is my oldest and most used ink pad.  It was probably $1 about 12 years ago and I still use it all the time)
Creative Inspiration #299--Love is in the air
Word Art Wednesday #169--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Verve February Inspiration Challenge--Vivacious Valentine

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Text Objects" hearts and "Take Note" sentiment
Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Circles, large" and "Classic Scalloped Circles, large"; Verve "Pennant Trim" die

Bold Thanks

I love purple on cards, but it is a hard color to work with sometimes.  I had this circle in my "bits and pieces" stash and thought it was going to be difficult to fit into something.  But, I think it turned out really well.  It's bold, but the chevron paper and the pops of black hold their own against it.

 I stamped the flower twice, cut out one entire flower and the center portion of the second, and layered them together with foam tape for some fun dimension.

Challenges:
Sugar Pea Designs #19--sketch

Loves Rubberstamps #137--anything goes
Shopping Our Stash #187--Getting Inky: use your oldest ink.  (The gray ink I used on the flower and the chevrons under the sentiment is, if not my oldest ink, part of my first ink purchase--probably $1 per ink pad about 12 years ago)
Word Art Wednesday #169--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
C.R.A.F.T. #297--decoupage (my flower)
Brown Sugar Challenge #132--anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge #92--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Joyful Blooms" flower and "Better Together" sentiment and chevrons; Hero Arts "French Script" on the flower
Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Circles, large"; MFT "Fancy Flourish"

CAS Thanks

This card started out with that gray oval which was in my "bits and pieces" stash.  I'm trying to use at least one item from there on each card I make until they are used up, and this piece was one I wasn't sure I would be able to use very easily.  But I LOVE the way this turned out.  The white embossing on the gray just really sets everything off.  I usually only stamp sentiments on white panels; but I will try to do more of this stamping onto dark because I really like it.

Challenges:
Clear It Out Challenge--theme: thank you; stash item: real/faux stitching (I used a stitching stamp on the yellow patterned paper)
Word Art Wednesday #168--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
DRS Designs #159--so shapely (long, thin rectangle and the oval)
Sister Act Card Challenge #91--anything goes
Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge #65--anything goes: real or faux stitching
Digi Sketch Challenge--any sketch and/OR for the girls (I used the Digi Sketch from last week--such a fun sketch


Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Better Together" sentiment and "Text Objects" stitching
Dies/punches: Spellbinders "Radient Rectangles" oval; Fiskars "Upper Crest" border punch

Thanks

Sympathy cards are never fun to have to make.  But with that being said, I really did enjoy putting this card together.  If you have visited my blog at all since the new year, you know I am trying to use up my "bits and pieces" stash.  So the item on this card is the white sentiment panel.  

 I did harm a single piece of patterned paper for this card.  Everything was created using stamps and ink (and an embossing folder that I highlighted and softened with some gray ink).  Here's a close up of the "patterned paper" and the sentiment panel.  When I remember to do it, I really love adding subtle images to sentiment.

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #168--anything goes with uplifting sentiment

The Crafter's Cafe #101--create your own background

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes

Sister Act Card Challenge #91--anything goes

Mojo Monday #383--sketch

Through The Purple Haze #76--anything goes

Cards Galore--use a stamp or digi

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve "Be Blessed" flowers; PTI "Boutique Borders: Sympathy" sentiment; Hero Arts "French Script"

Dies/embossing folders: Verve "Classy Label dies"; Cuttlebug embossing folder

Card Stock: PTI "Lemon Zest" and "Soft Stone"

Inks: PTI  Lemon Zest, Soft Stone, New Leaf and Sweet Blush

PTI Lemon Zest ribbon

Poinsettia for You

Happy February 1st!  I'm hear with my card for the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra to inspired you to come play along this month.  As always, our sponsor is the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps and the winner will get to pick SEVEN images of their choice!!  Remember, you have all month to play along; you can link up as many times as you want and get a good jump on your Christmas card making for this year.  I used the adorable "Poinsettia Bear" from Bugaboo and I LOVE how this card turned out!  (That doesn't always happen to me, but it sure did this time.)

Not a single piece of patterned paper was used on this card; I created both patterns with good ol' stamps and inks.  I really like how the snowflake "paper" came out.  Of course, what really finished this card off is that fabulous snowflake die down the side.  It was sent to me by Gail Lass after I commented on how much I like the one she had used on one of her cards.  Wasn't that sweet?!  (You should go check out her blog, she does beautiful work!)  Anyway, I love how it adds depth and texture without covering up too much of the background.  And for my self-imposed challenge for this year, the shape the sentiment is stamped on was hanging out in my "bits and pieces" stash; another item used up!  After the card was all adhered together ('cause I've messed this step up before) I added some Stickles to the center of the poinsettia to give it some extra sparkle.

Now it's time for you to play along.  You can never start working on Christmas cards too early!

Challenges:

Digi Sketch Challenge--cute & sparkly OR the sketch (I think I managed to use both)

Crafter's Cafe #101--make your own background

Fab n Funky Challenges #244--Christmas

The Paper Shelter #188--Layers and lots of them

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--anything goes

Southern Girls--sparkle and shine

Creative Knockouts #74--animal antics

Winter Wonderland--lots of layers

Supplies:

Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps "Poinsettia Bear"; Verve "Merry and Bright" snowflakes and "Ornamental Christmas" sentiment; PTI "Distressed Stripes"; Hero Arts French Script

Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Ovals, large" and "Classic Scalloped Ovals, large"; Verve "Mini Classic Labels"; MFT "Stitched Scalloped border"