Twofer #4

The new Twofer challenge is up and it's going to be a fun one because Darnell wants to see pets on our cards.  If you're not familiar with the challenge, you have to use the same stamp on two cards for two different occasions.  Over the years my children have had dogs, cats, birds and the occasional hamster or snake.  I'm cheating a little because while we've never had pet bunnies that's what I'm using on my card.  I just HAD to since getting these darling ones from Gerda Steiner.

The bunnies on both cards were colored with Zigs.  The birthday card includes a balloon (covered with Glossy Accents) and a sentiment from the set with a background made with Distress Inks and a Clarity brush. 

The valentine has the bunny blowing hearts on a die cut panel with a sentiment from PB.

Aren't they just the cutest critters?  I couldn't resist them.

Thanks for dropping by today. 

CAS(E) This Sketch #267 and Less Is More #369

I got a number of cards made this snowy, icy weekend and first up is one for CAS(E) This Sketch and Less Is More.  Here's the sketch I started with.

I had this heat embossed panel from CF in my drawer so I inked it up with some DOXs, trimmed it down and added what I "brought back" for the Less is More challenge.  Remember all those punches we used to have?  It's probably been 10 years since I used it and now I know why.  I had to use vellum for the lace because it wouldn't cut through anything else. I added a strip inked with Abandoned Coral to finish it off and gold embossed the sentiment from PTI.

Stay tuned for the rest of the week as I show off what I've been doing.  Well all but what I made for my Design Teams.  Those you'll see when the challenges go live. *wink*

CASology #295

A number of the design team at CASology used the same stamp set that I wanted to use for their 'believe' challenge so I tried to do something a little different with it.

I tried partial die cutting and although it was a little difficult getting the small pieces out I think it worked fine.  Then I had to find a panel to place it on.  I found this one in my WTDWT drawer.  It's smooshed DOX but I thought it looked a little dreamy and that meant I could add that stamped sentiment to my card.  I also added a vellum outline under the silver glitter die cut word. 

For the first time in as long as I can remember, and in 16 years for the pastor, church was canceled this morning.  That's how bad the roads are here with the freezing rain and snow.  The forecast for the end of the week is mid to high 50s.  That's Michigan for you.

Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful day.

The Flower Challenge #19

You still have time to play along with The Flower Challenge.  The Design Team has more inspiration for you over on the blog with their shaped cards.

The flower is from Altenew stamped in new inks.  The card base was cut with a curved die and I cut another piece the same and embossed it to look like a milk glass vase.  The little tag and sentiment are from My Craft Spot (closed).

I hope to see your card in the gallery.

Merry Monday #285

I'm not one who usually uses ribbons on my cards but I'll do it just for you Merry Monday.

I haven't used these bells from CASual Fridays in along time.  I stamped them in VersaFine Gray on Bristol and colored them with Zigs.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set. 

That's all for today.  The weather has turned nasty so I'll be staying in and glued to the live stream of the robotics competition.

Thanks for dropping by.  If you're in the bad weather zone please stay safe.

Addicted to CAS #134

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to CAS and our host Anja has chosen as her code word:

I had to go searching for a stamp that I could use for this challenge and I found one in a set by PB.

I colored it with Zigs and popped it up on fun foam over a panel embossed with a bubble folder.  I also added some Pico Embellisher to the bubbles.  It's difficult to tell in the photo which also washed out that little mouse who is really gray.

How does the word "bubbles" inspire you?  We hope you'll make a card after you check out the Design Team cards.  You may be the winner of a $20 gift voucher from Happy Little Stampers.

Just Us Girls # 436

It's Trend Week on Just Us Girls and our host Lisa has chosen this:

Black and white stripes can add a dramatic effect to any card and I hope you will find a way to incorporate them into a card for this week's challenge.

I die cut the diagonal stripes from white and placed it over black after stamping the sentiment from PTI.  The flowers are from SSS, heat embossed in white and colored with Zigs.  This set doesn't have any leaves so I used some from W&W.

The Design Team and our guest Designer Karren Johnson have some wonderful cards for your inspiration.  Check them out and then make a card for the challenge.  If you are chosen Chic of the Week you will have a chance to be a guest designer in June.

AAA Cards #112

AAA Cards wants us to use our favorite technique on our cards. I have a number of techniques I gravitate towards but for this challenge I decided to watercolor with my Zigs.

I colored a number of the Altenew flowers, not sure of how I wanted to arrange them on a filigreed oval, and used almost all of them  The sentiment is from Altenew also.

I'm off tomorrow to watch the State robotics competition.  I would never have thought that I could get so excited watching machines carry cubes and put them on scales, then climb the scale with another robot on a ramp.  Maybe the fact that my 15 year old granddaughter is the one operating the arms that pick up those cubes is what makes it so much fun to watch.  I'd love to go see the finals on Saturday but we have a memorial service for the mother of one of my best friends.  Maybe we'll get home in time to see a live stream of the finals.

Thanks for dropping by. 

Addicted to Stamps and More #287

It's time for the Make Your Mark challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  That means you can use markers, paints, pencils, chalks, anything that makes a mark on your card.  I chose Zigs for mine.

I'm disappointed in the color that comes across on the screen.  There is more color variation on the actual card with the green being more olive and more orange in the petals.  I played with the photo editing but this is the best I could get.

I hope you'll check out what the Design Team has made for your inspiration and then enter a card of your own.

Stamps: Penny Black
Paper:  Bristol, BoBunny

CAS Mix-Up April

As if I needed an excuse to buy anything 😉 but a brayer had been on my list for a while so I bought one to do the rubber band technique for the CAS Mix-Up challenge. 

The color is off and the card looks a little cattywampus but what's a person to do. 😕  The brayer was inked in Fog and the panel placed on Fog cs.  See what I mean about the color?  It looks the same IRL.  I stamped my NBUS Altenew wildflower to one side and used the sentiment from the same set.  Heaven knows I've needed a lot of sympathy cards lately.

This technique makes a wonderful background so look for more cards from me using it.

Less Is More #368

Is is any wonder that my teamie from The Flower Challenge has flowers as her inspiration as we CASE her design at Less Is More?  Here is Aileen's card.

She used Copic markers on her flowers but I decided to just stamp mine.

The layered flowers are from Altenew stamped in their inks.  Before placing them on the card I embossed a die to make a frame and then cut the SSS word die several times with the top layer being a shimmer paper.

Blue is such an appropriate color for my post today with all the news that has saddened my heart.  Ken's brother-in-law passed away yesterday after falling off a roof.  The skull fracture and internal bleeding were so severe that there was little chance of recovery. Then this morning I got the prayer chain from church and a dear elderly lady friend fell yesterday and broke her hip, wrist and fractured her pelvis.  Just one of these injuries is a lot for a 90+ year old and having gone through it with my mother I know the toll it takes.  It goes without saying that I will be offering up a lot of prayers today.

CAS(E) This Sketch #266 and Inspired By All the Little Things #83

My card today was made for CAS(E) This Sketch but it also fits into the Inspired By All the Little Things challenge.

I started by stamping and masking the bottles from W&W on Bristol.  I masked off the top of the card to ink the bottom in Hickory Smoke and went over it again through a SSS stencil.  The bottles were colored with Zigs and the branches stamped and Perfect Pearls dotted on.  Not exactly a Springtime look but I like it. 

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope your weekend went well and that you have a wonderful week ahead.

CASology #294

Thank goodness for Evernote.  That's where I went when I needed to see what I had that would go with the cue word at CASology this week.

What popped up was a sentiment from CF.

After playing around for a while I ended up embossing it in Verdigris on a CPD label and then layered other size labels behind it. Lots of texture and dimension while keeping it CAS.

It's been crazy weather around here lately.  The ground gets covered with snow over night and by that evening it's gone.   That kept repeating for several days.  I was knitting with a group of ladies yesterday and when we looked out the window it was almost white out conditions.  Then it stopped and started again a few minutes later, repeating that over and over for an hour or more.  Today the sun is shining which is always a good mood booster.

Thanks for dropping by.  Enjoy your day no matter the weather.

Just Us Girls #435

It's Word Week at Just Us Girls and our host Ina would like to see bold cards.

I happened to have a smooshed DOX background on my desk that looked pretty bold to me so I added a flower and called it good.

I've had the TH flowers for quite a while but I just got the dies which allowed me to put my daisy on the background.  It was stamped with DI and then I used a waterbrush to move the color around.  The sentiment is from PB.

How do you interpret the word 'Bold'?  For inspiration check out what the Design Team and our Guest Designer for the month of April, Karren Johnson, have made.  The winning card maker will be chosen Chic of the Week and have a chance at guest designing in June.

We'd love to see your card in the gallery.

Time Out #106

Nothing says Spring to me more than blooming forsythia.  Like in this photo inspiration from Time Out.

I've been wanting to watercolor some of the smaller images in Altenew's Beautiful Day so that is what made up my card.

I added them to a card cut with a TH die and backed with Aqua Mist.  The sentiment is from EbyE.

Thanks for dropping by today.

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - April

A new month and a new challenge at Happy Little Stampers for their Christmas Challenge.

If you know me at all, you know I have to go for the twist and I must admit it was not that easy this time.  I had the song "Deck the Halls" in my head and it wouldn't go away until I made a holly card.

I'm not real happy with this and I think it's the largeness of the plaid background.  I had another plaid panel that I tried but it was the wrong color and not my stamp so I couldn't recreate it.  I love this Concord and 9th plaid on other cards and since it was all I had to work with I went with it.  The holly is from CPD, stamped on a die from AliExpress and colored with Inktense pencils.  The sentiment - the driving force behind the card - is from MFT.

Now you must remember that you do NOT have to use the twist on your anything goes Christmas card.  Get a head start on your stash and make a card for this month's challenge.  The winner will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the HLS shop. If you are the random draw and you used a HLS stamp, the prize will be doubled.

We'd love to see yours in the gallery.