The Light Of Love-December Words 2 Craft By

Hello, and welcome to our final Words 2 Craft By word challenge. Unfortunately, our challenge is closing permanently due to the time constraints and health issues from our design team members. Our word challenge is For it is in giving that we recieve. Francis Assisi. I found the most precious image and the perfect sentiment over at Mo's Digital Pencil and purchased this sweet little digital stamp set. I printed her out onto Copic-friendly cardstock and colored her using my alcohol markers. I will have to say that this is the most I've ever colored an image before and I love how the background turned out. I formatted the sentiment in such a way so that I could get it onto a small circle and used a Stampin' UP circle punch to punch it out. I matted the colored image onto some basic black cardstock and adhered the sentiment onto the lower right corner. I attached a piece a piece of plaid patterned paper from Authentique's Solitude 6x6 paper pad onto a white A2 card base that I had matted with some basic black cardstock. I attached the entire focal panel and sentiment to the front of the card using 3M foam tape. I love how beautiful and simple this card turned out. 

As our time at Words 2 Craft By comes to a close I want to thank my fellow design team members and all of the participants who have played along with our challenge in the two years I've been on the team. It's truly been a delight logging in and seeing all of the beautiful and creative ways our challenges have inspired you. I also have to give a very special thank you to my dear friend Sybrina who convinced me that my work was good enough to be on a design team and has been not only an inspiration to me through her work but also through her friendship! I'm going to miss our collaborations together my friend! I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

Always Grateful-November Words To Craft By

Hello fellow crafters! I cannot believe we are already half way through November. This year is just zipping by way too quickly. Our word inspiration for W2CB this month is "When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." - Sam Lefkowitz. To create my card I started by layering some Stampin' UP chocolate chip cardstock onto my white A2 card base. I then layered some pretty patterned paper from the Echo Park Reflections Fall 12x12 paper pad on top. I stamped the beautiful tree from the Close To My Heart Always Grateful Seasons & Nature stamp set onto some white card stock and then stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set right below in Memento rich cocoa ink. To create the illusion of leaves on the trees I added some gorgeous chalk ink in pumpkin spice from Versa Magic using a Q-tip. Once dry I die cut the panel using a stitched rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs and mounted it onto some more of the same chocolate chip cardstock. To finish my card off I popped the panel up off of the card using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby and some pretty mocha sequins from The Ton. I can't wait to see how everyone was inspired by this beautiful quote!

Have A Boo-Tiful Halloween-W2CB October Challenge

Hello, happy October and welcome to another Words To Craft By card challenge. This month our quote is "Always be yourself unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman"-source unknown. I don't have any Batman stamps but I do have lots of fun bat stamps for Halloween and thought I would let that be my inspiration. To create my card I started by layering some textured orange cardstock from the American Crafts Halloween 6x6 cardstock pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut a piece of Canson watercolor paper using a Gina Marie stitched rectangle die and stamped the moon/bats image from Craft Smart onto the panel using Versafine onyx black ink. I poured some Zing clear embossing powder over the stamped image and heat set it. I masked the moon portion of the stamp off and created a night sky using my Tim Holtz distress inks and a blending tool. I added some light water splatters to create the image of a starry night. I also added some additional stars using my white gel pen. I then die cut a hillside using some Stampin' Up basic black cardstock and a Paper Smooches hillside border die. I stamped the sentiment from Darcie's Heart & Home Bootiful Hallween stamp set right above it usine Versafine onyx black ink. I stamped the Dracula image from The Cat's Pajama's Mwahh! stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored it using my alcohol makers, fussy cut the image out, and popped it up off of my card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I can't wait to see how you were inspired by this month's challenge!

Arrgh-Words 2 Craft By September 2019

Hello and welcome to the September 2019 Words 2 Craft By challenge! This month inspiration words are "Ahoy, Matey!" in honor of September 19th being National Talk Like A Pirate Day. To create my card I started by printing out the pirate, parrot, and sentiment from the Vera Lane Studio digital pirate stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored the images using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut them out and edged them with my dual tip Memento tuxedo black marker. I layered some fun graphic patterned papers from the Crate Paper Cool Kid 6x6 paper pad onto my card using a fun sketch I found on Pinterest. I cut the sentiment strip down and adhered it under the focal panel and added some faux black stitched lines with my Memento marker. I then popped the pirate and his fun little parrot up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I love how quick and easy this card turned out! I can't wait to see how everyone else is inspired by this fun quote! 

Thanks For The Perfect Day-W2CB August

Hello and happy Wednesday. I cannot believe we are already publishing the August Words 2 Craft By challenge! This year is flying by too quickly for me. This month's quote is "I don't know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors."-from Five Go Off in a Caravan by Enid Blyton. I didn't really have any picnic related stamps or papers so I had to improvise. I started by layering a piece of blue patterned paper from the Authentique Delightful 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 white card base. I then stamped the grass, the tree, and the picnic basket from the Avocado Arts Perfectly Perfect Day stamp set onto some white cardstock using memento inks. I then stamped the adorable couple from the CC Designs Spring Couple stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored their hair, skin and shoes. I then stamped the same stamp set onto more patterned paper from the same paper pad and fussy cut them out. I edged the elements with my dual tipped Memento marker and adhered them directly onto the paper. I fussy but the image leaving a small white border around the edge. I stamped the kite from the same Avocado Arts stamp set onto some more patterned paper and popped it and the cute couple up off of the card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. To finish my card off I added the sentiment from the Avocado Arts stamp set in the upper left corner and then added some "apples" onto the tree and the basket using my Nuvo Crystal Drops in rhubarb crumble. I can't wait to see what fun creations everyone else comes up with!

Blast Off-W2CB July

Hello and happy Friday! I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. Today's card was created for the latest Words 2 Craft By and Time Out Challenges. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing. The inspiration quote is "We came in peace for all mankind." To create my card I started by inking a panel I had die cut using a Gina Marie Designs stitched rectangle die using my Tim Holtz distress inks in broken china, faded jeans, and black soot. I spritzed it with my Ranger mini-mister and then just took some plain clean water and added some droplets to the panel for a nice hazy, watery effect. I then stamped the images from the Papertrey Ink Blast Off stamp set onto some white copic-friendly cardstock, colored them using my alcohol markers, and then die cut the images using the coordinating dies. I stamped the sentiment into the lower right corner of the focal panel using Versamark clear ink and heat embossed the image using Recollections detail embossing powder in snow. I adhered the moon and the stars directly to the card panel using my Ranger Multi-matte medium clear glue and then popped the rocket up off of the page using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I trimmed down a piece of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP and framed out the panel. I popped the whole thing up off of the standard A2 white card base using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby. To finish off the card I added some white stars to the background using my Pen-touch white chalk pen and then added some shimmer to the rocket, stars, and moon with my Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen. Thank you for stopping by and if you like my card be sure to leave a kind word. I appreciate them all!

Flip Flop's-June W2CB

Hello and welcome to the June Words 2 Craft By card challenge. June 1st was National Go Barefoot Day so in honor of that we chose an appropriate quote. "My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass." Leslie Grimutter. I personally don't go barefoot anywhere unless it's to the beach but I do love to wear flip flops as often as possible in the summer and that's good enough for me. So, for my card I thought I would do my version of barefoot and create a flip flop card. To create my card I started with a base of Stampin' UP's crumb cake cut down to an A2 standard card. I then die cut a piece of white cardstock using a Gina Marie Designs stitched rectangle die. Using the elements from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Beachy Keen stamp set I stamped the sand onto the die cut panel using Stampin' UP's sahara sand to create a beach look. I then stamped the flip flops and sentiment from the same stamp set onto the panel using Versafine onyx black ink. I stamped the flip flips again onto some pretty patterned papers from the Bo Bunny Early Bird 6x6 paper pad and fussy cut them out. I went around the outer edges of each flip flop with my dual tip Memento black marker for a clean look and adhered them to the card panel using a Zig two way glue pen. To finish off my card I popped the focal panel up off of the card using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby and added some clear mini rhinestones from Recollections to each side of the sentiment and to each of the flip flops to give them a little bling! Thank you for stopping off at my blog today. I can't wait to see how the inspiration quote challenges you!

Hey, Smartypants-W2CB May challenge

Hello and welcome to another W2CB challenge! May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Day so this month's word challenge is "The influence of a good teacher can never be erased.-The Smith Family" I will confess that I don't have many teacher stamps, but I thought this fun image from Sugar Pea Designs seemed appropriate. To create my card I started by stamping the focal image from the Sugar Pea Designs I Like Big Books stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock using my Memento tuxedo black ink and then colored the image using my alcohol markers. I then layered some fun patterned papers from the We R Memory Keepers Hall Pass 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I die cut the speech bubble using a The Cat's Pajama's die and stamped the greeting from the same stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and mounted it directly onto the patterned paper. I then popped the focal image up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives and mounted it onto the card to finish this fun creation off! I hope you like my card and be sure to pop on over and see what my fellow design team members have created!

Some People Strengthen Others

Hello and welcome to the March Words 2 Craft By Challenge. Our inspiration word quote is "All the best heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary." Gerard Way. My card completely embodies that sentiment with a simple statement, so I chose to keep it simple and let the sentiment be the star. I chose some pretty vintage rose patterned paper from Authentique's 6x6 Essentials Collection paper pad and cut a rectangle out of the center. I adhered the panel down to my white A2 card base and then stamped the sentiment from the Stampabilities Some People stamp set directly onto the cardstock using my Mini Misti for good placement and ink coverage. Using my Copic markers I highlighted some of the words to match the paper and then added some shimmer using my Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen. To finish my card I added some clear rhinestones from Recollections, a pink satin bow from my ribbon collection, and some dashed black lines around the outside of the card using my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker. 

Happy Birthday-Words 2 Craft By

Hello and welcome to our March Words 2 Craft By word challenge. Our quote this month is Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower-John Harrigan. Since I always have a large need for birthday cards I thought I would use the "happy" theme and create a beautiful birthday card. To create my card I started by stamping the sentiment from the Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold, and The Happy stamp set directly onto my white A2 card base using Versafine onyx black ink for a nice crisp look. Then using a border die from Stamplorations I created a beautiful decorative edge with some textured black cardstock from Hobby Lobby and layered a piece of pretty plaid patterned paper from Authentique's Lovestruck 6x6 paper pad directly onto the card base. I then stamped the cluster of roses from the Waltzing Mouse Old Country Roses stamp set using some gorgeous Altenew inks. I fussy cut the roses out and popped them up off of the card using some foam dimentionals from Scrapbook Adhesives. To finish my card I added some large clear rhinestones from Recollections and rounded the bottom corners using my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper. I can't wait to see what fun and beautiful creations everyone else comes up with this month!

Love Ewe-February Words 2 Craft By

Hello and welcome to the February Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month's word challenge is based on a quote from an A. A. Milne Pooh book "Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." I thought since it was so close to Valentine's Day I would create a sweet card for my granddaughter Maddie. She's 11 months old this month. To create my card I started by layering some black and white heart paper from The Paper Studio onto my white A2 card base. I then added a small strip of pink and cream patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Penelope 6x6 paper pad onto the card panel. I then stamped the adorable sheep images from Unity Stamp Company's Love Ewe onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored it using my alcohol markers. I then die cut it into a panel using a stitched edge oval die from My Favorite Things. I adhered it directly to the card and then added a few die cut hearts using some Paper Smooches dies and colored them with my alcohol markers to match the focal image. I then stamped the sentiment onto a small die cut banner I created using a Jillian Vance banner die and adhered it to the top right of the card. To finish my card off I added some black dashed lines around the focal panel, the fishtail banner, and the focal strip. I added some sparkle and shine with my Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen and a few beautiful soft pink sequins in 4mm and 6mm from The Ton. I can't wait to see how this month's challenge inspires the rest of you!

A Little Birdie Told Me-January Words 2 Craft By

Hello and Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Our quote for January's Words 2 Craft By is " Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul-and sings the tunes without words-and never stops at all. -Emily Dickenson." And January 5th is national bird day so I thought it would be appropriate to create a card with a bird on it. To create my card I started by stamping my leaves and bird from the Skipping Stone Design Heartsong II stamp set onto some patterned paper from the Cosmo Cricket 2twnty-thr3e 6x6 paper pad using both Versafine onyx black ink and Tim Holtz distress oxide ink in mermaid lagoon. I die cut the paper to create a panel using a stitched rectangle die by Gina Marie Designs. I stamped the sentiment from the Skipping Stone Design Heartsong I stamp set onto the panel and layered it onto my white card base using more patterned papers from the same Cosmo Cricket paper pad. To finish my card off I added some black dashed lines around the outer edge of the card for some added contrast and a few turquoise 6mm sequins from The Ton. I can't wait to see how our quote inspires you! Thank you for stopping off at my blog today. 

Freezin' My Snowballs Off-W2CB Dec/Jan

Hello and welcome to the December/January Words 2 Craft By word challenge. This month's quote is "I'm an angel at Christmas time, but the rest of the year I'm the real me. Benjamin, age 11" My card kind of flips that a bit and I decided to create something fun and mischievous! To create my card I started by stamping the bunny from The Cat's Pajamas Snow Days stamp set onto some Copic-friendly white cardstock and colored him in using my alcohol markers. I die cut the image using a pierced edge circle die from My Favorite Things and then framed it out using some dark olive cardstock from Hobby Lobby and a Spellbinders circle die. I layered more of the olive cardstock onto my white A2 cardbase and then layered some pretty patterned papers from the American Crafts Very Merry paper pad onto the card. I stamped the sentiment from Unity Stamp Company onto more white cardstock, cut it down into strip and layered it onto more olive cardstock and mounted it onto the card below the focal panel. To finish this fun card off I added some red 6mm sequins from Craft Medley around the card. I hope can't wait to see how our quote inspires everyone else!

Blessed-Words 2 Craft By

Hello and happy November to you all! I cannot believe we are one week away from Thanksgiving and a month away from Christmas. Honestly, where has this year gone? Our latest Words 2 Craft By quote is "When I count my blessings, I count you twice.-Irish Proverb." To create my card I started layering some pretty fall plaid patterned paper from the American Crafts Autumn Crisp 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 white card base. I then stamped the sentiment and the pumpkin from the Unity Stamp Company's September KOTM Blessed Fall stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock. I die cut the image using a postage stamp edge rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs and then colored the pumpkin using my alcohol markers. I matted the panel onto some pumpkin colored cardstock from Hobby Lobby and popped it up off of the card using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby. To finish my card off I added some orange 6mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh and some gorgeous shimmer to the pumpkin and the sentiment using my Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen. I can't wait to see how this month's quote inspires everyone! 

Ah, Autumn-Words 2 Craft By September/October

Hello and welcome to the September/October Words 2 Craft By word challenge. Your inspiration this month is Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall-F. Scott Fitzgerald. Anyone who knows me knows it's no secret that autumn is my favorite time of the year. I love the cool, crisp air, the foliage, the warmer clothing...and my birthday is in the fall. So, I was excited to create a card that celebrates my favorite season! To start I layered a piece of chocolate chip cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my standard A2 white card base. I then layered a piece of the Autumn Splendor patterned paper from Best Creation Inc on top. I then stamped the gorgeous tree image from the Hero Arts Color Layering Fall Trees stamp set onto some white cardstock from Staples using Memento dew drop inks in fall colors. For the ground I used one of the images from the Paper Smooches Positive Strokes stamp set and more Memento inks. I then stamped the sentiment from the Close To My Heart Always Grateful Seasons & Nature stamp set and die cut the image using a stitched edge rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs. I matted the panel onto more Stampin' UP chocolate chip cardstock and popped it up off of the card using fun foam from Hobby Lobby. I added some coordinating 3mm sequins from The Ton onto the tree image to mix in with the leaves to finish up my pretty autumn card. I can't wait to see how this month's quote inspires the rest of you!

Dream-W2CB August/September Challenge

Hello! Welcome to the August/September Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month's challenge is "Will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.). Kid, you'll move mountains!-Dr. Suess." This made me think of graduation and all of the hope and promise that comes with ending a scholastic chapter of a person's life and the beginning of implementing that education into the next phase of life. So, I created a graduation card. To create this fun gender neutral card I started by layering some textured black cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto my white card base. I then layered some patterned papers from the K&Company's Graduation Designer Mat Pad paper pack onto the card and added a strip of black cardstock that I cut with a dotted edge die from Paper Smooches in between the two papers for some contrast. I then stamped the image from Unity Stamp Company's Diploma Cap & Gown mini stamp set onto some white cardstock from Staples using Versafine and heat embossed it using Zing clear embossing powder and my heat tool. I trimmed the image down and mounted it onto more of the same black cardstock and popped it up off of the card base at an angle using fun foam from Hobby Lobby. I then stamped the same image again onto a small strip of the patterned paper and trimmed it down into a fishtail banner and mounted it up off of the focal image using some Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares. To finish this card off I added some 6mm black sequins from Pretty Pink Posh around the focal panel. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the team comes up with and how it inspires the rest of you create something fun and inspirational!

Life's Just Better In Flip Flops-W2CB

Hello! Welcome to the July/Aug Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month our phrase is "life is better in flip flops." I was so excited when I saw this because I actually have a stamp set with almost that exact phrase. To create my card I started by layering a pretty pink piece of patterned paper from the Ki Color Crush 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut a panel of  Copic-friendly white cardstock from Staples using a Gina Marie Designs rectangle die and stamped all of the images and sentiment from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Beachy Keen stamp set onto the panel using Memento tuxedo black ink. I colored the sky and the sand using my alcohol markers. I then stamped the top of the sun umbrella, the flip flops, and the seashell onto more of the same patterned paper, fussy cut them out, edged them with my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker, and adhered them directly to the panel. I added some metallic marker to the umbrella stand and the beach chair using an American Crafts metallic marker in gold for just a bit of contrast. A few clear rhinestones from Recollections were added to the flip flops and bordering the sentiment to finish this fun summer card off. I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

Just A Note

Hello, and welcome to the June/July Words 2 Craft By Challenge! This month's word challenge is "go where you feel most alive." I absolutely love music. I literally have music playing almost my entire day when I'm not at work. I run to music, shower to it, clean and craft to it, even cook and dress in the morning to music. It's a huge part of my life. So, I felt like I had to incorporate a musical note into my card this month. To start I layered some beautiful patterned papers from G.C.D Studios Splendor 8x8 paper pad onto my white card base. I die cut a pierced edge oval using paper from the same paper pad and a My Favorite Things die and adhered it straight down to the card. I stamped the Victrola image from the Unity Stamp Company Better With Age KOTM onto some Copic-friendly cardstock and colored it using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut the image and popped it up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I stamped the sentiment from the Skipping Stones Designs Heartsong II stamp set onto more white cardstock using Versafine onyx black ink and used a 1" circle punch from Stampin' UP to punch it out and adhered it to the card using more foam squares. A few black sequins from Pretty Pink Posh finish off my card. I can't wait to see how our challenge inspires you this month!

If You Can Read This Thank A Teacher

Today's card was created for the May/June Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month our phrase is "If you can read this, thank a teacher." I have a friend who is retiring this month after 20+ years as a teacher in our local school system and I plan on giving this card to her as a retirement card. I thought it was perfect. 

To create my card I started with a kraft card base and die cut a white panel using the Lawn Fawn speech bubble border die. Using the Lawn Fawn Claire's ABC's alpha stamp set I stamped the phrase using Versafine onyx black ink. I stamped the small apple image directly under the quote using Memento tuxedo black ink and the Paper Smooches Falling For You stamp set. I colored the image using my Copic markers. I then added some stitched black lines all around the border of the speech bubble panel and adhered it directly onto my card. I then stamped the larger apple image from the same Paper Smooches stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and some patterned paper from the Cosmo Cricket Tea For Two 6x6 paper pad. I fussy cut the images, added some coloring to the stems using my alcohol markers, edged them all with my Memento dual tip marker, and adhered them together using my Zig 2 way glue pen. I adhered the green apple directly to the card and then popped the red apple up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. Thank you for visiting my blog today and I look forward to seeing all of the fun creations you all come up with the phrase! 

A Real Woman

Hello, and welcome to the March Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month we have a quote from Maya Angelou..."I'm a woman. Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That's me." I know everyone who visits my blog must roll their eyes when they see me use yet another Unity Stamp Company Angie Girl but they really have the most amazing images and beautiful sentiments. This one really stood out to me and I thought it really embodied the essence our quote this month! 

To create my card I started by layering some rust colored cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto my white card base and then covering it with some patterned paper from the Pink Paislee Country Meadows 12x12 paper pack. I stamped the beautiful image from the Unity Stamp Company's Angie Girl Rebuild Herself stamp set using Memento tuxedo black ink and my mini-Misti and colored her with my alcohol markers to compliment the patterned papers. I cut the image down into a focal panel, matted it onto the same cardstock, and adhered it to the card at an angle for some visual contrast to the busy paper. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set and mounted it onto some of the same cardstock. I popped it up off of the card using some fun foam and called this card done. I look forward to seeing all of the beautiful creations my fellow design team members and the participants create!