The Flower Challenge #108 - Reminder

There is still time for you to make a thanks card for The Flower Challenge and there is more inspiration on the blog to inspire you.

This is a new die that I got from the Spellbinder's Warehouse Sale called Fresh Picked Buttercups.  The flowers are the same color as my last card - C9 Clementine which I understand has been discontinued. 😥 The leaves are C9 Parsley and the background is the last piece of a really dark brown that I didn't swatch so I have no idea whose it is.  I used the same sentiment die from Altenew as my previous card in the color of the flower centers.  

Will we see your card in the gallery? 

 

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The Flower Challenge #108

Being November, the month of Thanksgiving, The Flower Challenge would like to see you make a thanks card.

I decided to do mine in rather Autumnal colors for the season.

The Be Bold Blooms from Spellbinders made the focal point of my card.  Their Acorn cardstock was cut at an angle and the flowers arranged along that line.  The sentiment die is from Altenew, layered to give it some stability and dimension. 

I'm sure you all make thank you, thanks, thankful cards.  Why not send one to the gallery at The Flower Challenge?  We'd love to see you there.  For inspiration, please check out the fabulous cards from the Design Team.

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The Flower Challenge #97 - Thanks

It's the month of Thanksgiving

so the theme for The Flower Challenge is: 

I went back to my earlier style of card making

with a Clean and Simple card.

The Lovely Camellias from Altenew were embossed and then colored with a stencil using Altenew inks. I thought it needed a little splatter and then added the die cut sentiment from the same stamp set. 

We'd love to see your Thank You cards featuring flowers in our gallery.  For inspiration you only have to look at the cards by the fabulous Design Team.

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Just Us Girls #705 - Word Week

Carol Mayne is our host at Just Us Girls and she chose this for Word Week.

I have a stamp from Jillian Vance that I wanted to use so I went searching for just the right stamp or die to go with it.  This is the results.

The sentiment fit perfectly inside the Chisholm Wreath from SSS that was cut from kraft.  To decorate it I used Lawn Fawn leaves cut from a smooshed panel, then added the bow from PTI.  

There are so many ways to use the word on a card so be sure to check out what the Design Team and our guest Melissa have made to inspire you.  Then it's up to you to take it from there.

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Freshly Made Sketches #607 and The Card Concept 200

While making a card for another challenge I thought the sentiment would be great as a focal point on the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. 

From back layer to front: Plaid paper from Honey Bee.  Warm Cocoa cardstock from Gina K.  Leaves from Lawn Fawn cut from a panel smooshed with Distress Oxides.  A sentiment from Jillian Vance. 

I'm also sending this to The Card Concept as a clean and layered design.  I haven't played with them since they came back from their hiatus. 

Thanks for dropping by.  I give thanks to you -  my faithful followers. 

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Just Us Girls #701 - Word Week

 It's Word Week at Just Us Girls and our host Lisa E has chosen this:

Perfect for this time of year when we see fields of pumpkins just ready for the picking and carving.  I went non-Halloween with my card.

One year we made an altar decoration for Thanksgiving with letters on white pumpkins so I duplicated that on my card in miniature.  The pumpkins are from SSS, the letters from Memory Box and the background is some patterned paper from my stash.  I love that rustic look.

Our guest designer extraordinaire Bonnie Klass and the rest of the team have pulled out their best pumpkin ideas to inspire you.  We hope you join us in the gallery.

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Color Hues #69, Inkspirational # 295 and Double D/Altenew

I haven't made a card in a while.  With all the combined birthdays and bridal shower activities, family visitors and great weather for lake fun, I have been too busy.  Most of what you have seen lately was made long ago for my design teams.  After all this time it's hard to get back into cardmaking.  

I did jump in yesterday for a card for several challenges.  The color of Color Hues, the stenciling of Inkspirational and the Altenew collaboration with Double D all combined for this card. 

The flower is from Altenew's Delicate Garden, stenciled with their inks from the Golden Sunset and Sweet Dreams sets.  The sentiment from Dazzling Dahlias was stamped in Galactic Stream and die cut with an Altenew Label Die.  The image was layered three times before adding it to the Dotted Swirls debossed background.  These colors look so wonderful together I may do the same with other images in the set. 

I'm so glad you took the time to drop by today.  

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Just Us Girls #512 - Word Week

It's Word Week at Just Us Girls and Ina has chosen 

I'm in the midst of making Thanksgiving cards so this gave me a chance to add a few more to my stash. 

Using my MISTI, I stamped the JV sentiment in the center and then surrounded it with leaves from WPlus9.  Once I had the images set up it was easy to make four cards, using a variety of Altenew inks.  I trimmed the panel with a SSS die and added it to GinaK's Coral Reef.

The Design Team and our guest designer are ready to show you the cards they have made based on this word.  I hope you'll check out the blog and then enter a card in our gallery.  You could be chosen our Chic of the Week.

Freshly Made Sketches #371

While trying to decide what to do for Freshly Made Sketches, I ran across a NBUS set from Concord and 9th and a card was born.

I went back and forth between what background paper and what color the pineapple should be.  I loved the gold polka dots so cut it with a PTI die and then stamped the pineapple in Altenew Peach Parfait, embossing with rose gold.  Now for the sentiment strip.  I needed something darker and thought the cork gave some texture.    Here's the sketch I was working from.

I know it's square but I rarely do square cards.  They take more postage unless it's 4.25 by 4.25 and put in an A2 envelope which doesn't feel right to me.  Just my reasoning. ;)

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by.

Inkspirational #171

I'm always in the need for sympathy cards and this week's challenge at Inkspirational spurred me on to make one.

Some place I saw a card with leaves on dark cardstock and knew that my Oxides would be perfect for this technique.

I had a whole bunch of PTI Tide Pool paper and decided it would make a wonderful calming background.  Using leaves from MFT I stamped in a variety of Oxide inks all over the panel.  The hidden sentiment is from Winnie and Walter, stacked up three layers.

It turned out so well I decided to make another card using a different background color and leaves from Catherine Pooler.

This time I used a die from MFT and stacked it four high.  This was so QACAS that I can see making more of them.

Thanks for dropping by.

Twofer Card Challenge #6

Yes, that's right.  This month's Twofer Card Challenge wants to see trees on two cards for two different occasions.  Not having many tree stamps to choose from I made a couple of little scenes using Birchland from Altenew.

For the Spring card I masked the tree and inked the background with Distress Ink, stamping the leaves in the same green ink. The birdhouse and bird are colored with Zigs. 

For the Fall card I stamped three trees with Gathered Twigs DI and watercolored them with the same.  I lightly washed the grass and sky and then stamped a variety of leaf colors in the trees and on the ground. 


Thanks again for a wonderful challenge to stretch our stamps and our imagination.

Addicted to Stamps #247

It's Make Your Mark week at Addicted to Stamps and More.  This is an easy one because you can make a card using markers, pencils, Zigs, watercolor. Anything that makes a mark.  For my card I used Inktense Pencils because I haven't used them in a while.

This was in my UFO file, stamped but not colored.  The Asters are from PB. I did a Distress Ink wash around them and splattered.  I'm not sure that was the best thing to do but it's done. I brought some of the color to the left side with strips of cardstock.


Now it's your turn.  Head on over to Addicted to Stamps and More for inspiration from the Design Team and then make your mark on a card to enter in the gallery.  ATSM is celebrating its 5th birthday so Kylie and Happy Little Stampers are awarding the winner of this challenge a $40 gift certificate to the HLS shop.

Just Us Girls #378

Nancy chose this photo to inspire our cards for Just Us Girls this week.  I took it quite literally.

Well I didn't put a ladybug on the flower but she's represented in the strip along the side.  It was originally red with white polka dots that I colored with a Sharpie.  The daisy from Altenew is colored with Zigs and the sentiment is from HLS.  

How does the photo inspire you?  Go see what the design team and guest designer Shawna Standish have done.  I hope to see your card in the gallery.

Time Out #69 and AAA Cards #77

Talk about frustration.  I should have left well enough alone.  I decided to get a Big Shot even though my Cuttlebug was okay.  It did need new plates and the handle was attached with duct tape but it's been good to me.  The Big Shot on the other hand has been a pain.  One of the plates is so warped it struggles to go through and then the cut marks (or any tape I use to hold the die) leave marks on my cardstock.  It also leaves embossing about the edge of the die - not necessarily a bad thing but not what I'm going for.

Frustration number two is with my cutting devices.  None of the three cut perfectly straight.  Well I guess the Tonic one does but I got the smaller one without knowing any better and it doesn't go 5.5 inches wide so I have to mark it first.  That means I am constantly trimming my cards to get them even.  And don't even mention the T square ruler.  That's warped too.

Okay.  Enough rant for today.  You came here for a card.  Just so you know. This is my third attempt.  Hence the rant.

I used some of Altenew's Spicy Yogurt cs, cut a MFT word from it and then 3 times in chocolate. My original card attempt included some Distress Inking so that ruined panel became my C9 leaves.  They are heart shaped and perfect for the Time Out challenge - Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart.  I'm singing it now. ;)  I'll also link up to AAA Cards for their thanksgiving/thanks challenge.

Now that my rant is over, I'll go make the bed and finish the laundry.  Have a great day!