Playing for fun

Usually, most of my card making is for Design Team Assignments or cards that I need right away.  But every once in a while, a challenge really grabs my eye and I just HAVE to play along.  When I saw this sketch from Atlantic Hearts, I knew it would be perfect for using up some elements of my bits and pieces stash.

And here is the card I created:

The strips of patterned paper were pieced together from scraps and had been in my bits and pieces stash along with one lonely scrap from the same pack that I had missed when creating the strips.  That piece was just perfect for creating the bottom banner of the sketch.  The white strip that the sentiment is stamped on was also in the stash.  The base panel felt a little too plain to me, so I stamped it with a crackle background stamp and a light gray ink.  It is very subtle, but adds just enough interest to keep it from being boring.  I die cut a heart from vellum and topped it with a button that was rescued from an item of clothing that my kids have outgrown.

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT "Essential Sentiments"; JustRite Stampers crackle background
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps heart; MFT "Bold Stripes Cover Up" sentiment strip

Challenges:
Atlantic Hearts Sketch #331--sketch
Unicorn Challenge #46--fully loaded or CAS (I went with CAS)
Brown Sugar #292--anything goes
Pixie's Crafty Workshop #359--anything goes with snippets (everything on this card was made from scraps)
Sweet Stampin'--pretty in pink
Simon Says Stamp Monday--S is for? (strips and scraps and sentiment)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes
Krafty Chicks #470--Crazy Egg/just a sentiment

Miracle of Christmas

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps Built and this week it is a fan favorite: Anything Goes!! And here is the card I created for your inspiration:

I spotted this card on Pinterest a couple weeks ago, and I was inspired to put my own twist on it for this challenge:

 I used my mini MISTI to stamp my deer family first.  It took a couple of stampings to get a nice, dark image, but that's the beauty of the MISTI!  Then I masked off the ground directly beneath the deer and used the pine tree stamp to create my forest.  I stamped some of the trees directly, and some after stamping off once or twice to create a difference in depth.  Then I masked the moon with a punched out circle and used SU!'s Brocade Blue to sponge in the night sky.  When I removed the moon mask, the moon was a bit too bright, so I sponged some light gray ink on it to soften the look.  Then, I splatted some watered down white paint to give the look of snow.

After, I removed the ground mask, I sponged on some glue on the ground and added some fine glitter to make a snow covering.  I'm really please with how this turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you will hop over to the House blog to see the rest of the DT's creations and then get inky and play along with us.  And if you need any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your ENTIRE order coupon code over in my left sidebar.  AND right now, there is a HUGE sale going on--Wendy is looking to clear out her show inventory.  So head over and see.

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Deer Family Silhouette", "Large Pine Tree" and "May the Miracle . . ."
Dies: MFT "Stitched Scallops"; Marvy Uchida 1" circle punch

Challenges:
Unicorn Challenge #46--fully loaded or CAS (I went with CAS)
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'--anything goes with the optional twist: snow people (I did not use the twist)
Sparkles #103--It's snowtime
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round--add a tree
Power Poppy Creative Spark--shimmer
Crafty Calendar--anything goes
Brown Sugar #292--anything goes
Creative Inspirations--something seasonal
Creatalicious #169--add some sparkle
Creative Craft Cottage #121--Christmas
2 Crafty Critter Crazies--anything goes
Merry Little Christmas Challenge #13--anything goes
Cardz TV #96--anything goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #112--anything goes
CAS(E) This Sketch #336--sketch

Cut It Up #181--outdoor fun
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #452--anything goes with the optional twist: embossing (I did not use the twist)
Simon Says Stamp Monday--S is for? Snow and sparkle

Gorgeous

I'm just getting in under the wire to play along with STAMPlorations Bloomdala Bliss linky party!  I was this gorgeous image, and HAD to play along.  I mean, it's gorgeous!!

The hardest part of creating this card was deciding what color combo I wanted to use to color the image.  I finally decided on purples and aquas; such a pretty color combo.  I started with the lightest shades, worked up to the darker shades and moved back down to the lighter shades.  I love how it turned out!  I die cut the word "gorgeous" and stamped "Hello" to finish the sentiment.  And finished everything off with a few irridescent purple rhinestones.  I layered the panel on a dark purple card stock base.

Love, love, love how this turned out!!

Supplies:

Stamps: STAMPlorations "Bloomdala Bliss" free digi; Raisin Boat Stamps "Flourishing Thoughts" hello

Dies: STAMPlorations "gorgeous" die

Challenges: 

STAMPlorations--National Coloring Book Day Linky Party
Love To Craft Challenge Blog #37--anything goes
Power Poppy Creative Spark--make it with metal (I used a gold paint pen on some of the dots and a gold die cut word)
Dare 2B Artzy--anything goes
STAMPlorations CUTplorations--anything goes

STAMPlorations Never-Ending--anything goes

Sweet Stampers #35--dies and/or punches
Word Art Wednesday #400--anything goes with uplifting sentiments
Alphabet Challenge--K is for Kind words
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #112--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--CAS
Double D Challenge--pearls, gems, rhinestones
Crafty Friends #117--add embellishments

Thinking of you

It's Saturday!!  That means it's time for another challenge from Di's Digi Designs.

The challenge this time is: Ribbon and/or bows
And here is my card for your inspiration:

 Looking to use some unloved ribbon, I came across this super cute heart ribbon that I've had for a long time and have never used.  It turned into the basis for the color combo of my card.  I used a sentiment from Cardz TV on the front and one of the companion sentiments on the inside:

I hope you will get a chance to play along with us; I can't wait to see what you create.  And make sure you hop over to the Di's Digital Designs blog to see what the rest of the team has made for this challenge.

Supplies: 

Stams: Di's Digi Stamps "Background Washday" digi; Cardz TV "Thinking of You: Inside and Out" sentiments

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle

Challenges:
Craft Dee BowZ--anything goes with handmade bow
Sheepski Designs #29--animal madness
2 Crafty Critter Crazies #29--anything goes
As You Like It--Favorite color combo: pink and green, or orange and blue (pink and green has always been one of my favorite color combos for cards.  I think they are really pretty and feminine together and work perfectly for flower cards--and also for these cute animals)
ART Impressions #262--gotta gingham
Cardz TV #96--anything goes
My Favorite Things #451--sketch (turned on its side)

Creative Knockouts #312--tic tac toe (I used the diagonal starting on the top left: stamp (digi), sentiment, ribbon/twine)

Sunflower Hapiness

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps.  This week we have a beautiful inspiration photo for you:

And here is the card I created:

Right away, those yellow flowers caught my eye as the look like little, tiny sunflowers!  So, I decided to go with the sunflower theme and add in some of the colors to complete my card.  I started by stamping the sunflowers on the blue panel on the left.  After stamping them in brown ink, I colored the yellow portions and then colored the background with blue.  I got a little carried away with the blue and it was quite dark, a bit too dark for my liking and the rest of the card, so I added a piece of vellum over stop.  This softened the colors just enough without making it hard to see the images.  I found a piece of yellow paper that I have had FOREVER and is one of those which I have a hard time using because it's so bright.  But it seemed perfect for a happy, sunflower card and definitely fit the color scheme.  I then stamped, colored and die cut the main sunflower image and added brown stickles to the center to give it some dimension and sparkle!  You can see it better in the photo below: 

I finished everything off with some scallops cut from kraft scraps, some blue mats cut from scraps (the one under the main panel actually has a giant hole from die cutting something a while ago, but it's a mat, so no one will ever see it!) and some brown enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this photo.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Sunflower", "Floral Positive" (the vertical blue panel on the left side), and "I'm so glad . . ."

Dies: Spellbinders "A2 Matting Basics A" rectangle; MFT "Stitched Scallop Border Trio"

Challenges:
Cards Galore #66--anything goes
Crafting with an Attitude #54--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Creatalicious Challenge #169--anything goes with the optional twist: add some sparkle
Crafty Calendar--anything goes
Stamplorations Theme and Sketch Challenge--anything goes

Creative Fingers #169--anything goes
Cupcake Inspirations #476--glitter (stickles=glitter glue)

Word Art Wednesday #400--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Creations #376--anything goes
Alphabet Challenge--K is for kind thoughts
Sketch Saturday #157--sketch

Fishy Birthday Wishes

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  This week we have a fun Tic Tac Toe board for you:
  

Here is what I created for your inspiration:

I used the diagonal: By the Sea, Texture, Bright colors.  The card was mostly inspired by the blue patterned paper in the background.  I found a larger scrap of it a couple months ago and used a bit for another water card.  I had three small pieces left and I have had this idea in my head since I made the other card.  The three scraps were just exactly the right size.  I added texture with a "bubble" stencil and used it to dry emboss the main panel.  For a bit of extra fun, I made it into a shaker card by adding some clear seed beads to each circle to represent air bubbles.

I had to use the mirror image technique for the fish in the top circle to add a little interest.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this photo.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Large Tropical Fish", "Small Tropical Fish" and "it's your birthday" from the Holy Crap set

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"
Taylored Expressions bubble stencil

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Shopping Our Stash #402--gone fishin'
Tuesday Throwdown #438--color inspiration

Simon Says Stamp Monday--midsummer blues
Sweet Stampers #35--dies and/or punches
Creative Fingers #169--anything goes
Cute Card Thursday #594--circles
Dies R Us #126--bright colors
Pattie's Creations #161--beach/under the sea
Cards Galore #66--anything goes
Cardz TV #95--anything goes

A Child is Born

Today is my turn to share my Pick of the Week over on The House That Stamps Built blog.  While I was making a different card this week, I remembered a little trick that I like to use but hadn't thought of in a while.  If you have nesting dies like I do (or actually any die that has a little edge around it), you can use this trick to create a small border around your shaped die cut.  For this card, I used a circle die, but it also works great for ovals or other rounded shapes.  I used one size of my circle dies to cut the circle with the poinsettia, and the next size up to cut the green mat.  It's just leaves too much green showing and here is where the trick comes in.

 I took the green circle and the same die that I used to cut the white circle, and taped the circle die onto the green circle.

 Then, I took my scissors and cut right up against the die.  The metal edge is a nice guide.

 Continue cutting around the edge until you have a perfect circle.

 And then, you have the perfect mat for your circle; just the right size.

 And here is my finished card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "For Unto You" and "Poinsettia"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" and "Radiant Rectangles"; MFT "Blueprints 13" fishtail banner

Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T. #524--Christmas
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #55--anything goes
Merry Little Christmas Challenge #13--anything goes
Brown Sugar #292--anything goes
Love To Craft Challenge Blog #37--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes
Cards Galore #66--anything goes
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'--anything goes with the optional twist: Christmas in the sun (I did not use the optional twist)
Mojo Monday #520--sketch (I turned it sideways)

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #111--anything goes
Cardz TV #95--anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #399--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #197--3 or more layers
Crafty By Designs--anything goes

Christmas Blessings

It's Saturday!!  That means it's time for another challenge from Di's Digi Designs.

The challenge this time is: Circles
And here is my card for your inspiration:

I hope you will get a chance to play along with us; I can't wait to see what you create.  And make sure you hop over to the Di's Digital Designs blog to see what the rest of the team has made for this challenge.

Supplies: 

Stams: Di's Digi Stamps "Poinsettia Mouse" digi; Verve "Beyond Measure" sentiment

Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:
Crafting By Designs--anything goes
The Paper Shelter--anything goes
Crimbo Crackers #190--anything goes
Pink Gem Challenge--anything goes
Double Trouble #35--Thing #1: 3 colors (red, green, white), 2 patterned paper, 1 sentiment or image
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'--anything goes with the optional twist: Christmas in the sun (I did not use the optional twist)
Christmas Cards All Year Round--add a tree (trees in my patterned paper)
Crafting with an Attitude #54--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Crafty Calendar--anything goes
Sheepski Designs #29--animal madness
2 Crafty Critter Crazies #29--anything goes
Craft Rockets #62--anything goes
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Penny's Challenges #442--anything goes
Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #166--sketch

Creative Moments #174--anything goes
C.R.A.F.T. #423--Christmas
Cute Card Thursday #554--circles
Aud Sentiments #233--animals

Hello

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another challenge from The House That Stamps.  This week is a Designer's Choice Challenge and Esther has chosen: Try a New Technique (it doesn't have to be something brand new, just something new to you that you haven't tried before)

And here is the card I created:

After looking through my Pinterest boards to see what techniques I might want to try, I decided on the Faux Tin Tile technique.  It was really easy and fun!  Adhere tin foil to a piece of card stock, emboss it with an embossing folder, and score it into squares (I scored every inch).  For a little bit more depth and age, I then dry brushed over my "tiles" with a mixture of green and turquoise, straight black and straight white acrylic paints and then wiped most of the paint off with a paper towel.  The pints stayed in the debossed areas and added a bit of patina to my "tiles".  I also die cut my frame from some card stock covered in tin foil and then painted it white to hopefully give it a bit more interest.  The bookprint is actually from an old (really old) encyclopedia set that my parents were getting rid of several years ago.  And the seam binding ribbon and bow used up a small length of ribbon that has been hanging around for quite a while.  I stamped, colored and fussy cut my favorite flowers and leaves from the Flower Power Separates set.  Finished everything off by die cutting the word "hello" three times from dark brown cardstock and adhering them all together for a bit more dimension.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you head on over to The House blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has done with this photo.  And if you "need" any of the stamps I used, check out my 10% off your entire order coupon code over in my lift sidebar.

Supplies:

Stamps: Repeat Impressions "Daisy Outline, large", "Daisy Outline, small", and "Leaf Outline, large"

Dies: Spellbinders "Floral Ovals"; Simon Says Stamp "Painted Hello"

Challenges:
Shopping Our Stash #401--base it on a book (used an actual page of a book)
Crafting By Designs--anything goes
Crafty Gals #197--3 or more layers
Word Art Wednesday #399--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
Cute Card Thursday #593--anything goes
Krafty Chicks #466--anything goes with the optional twist: embossing (I used dry embossing)
Cardz TV #95--anything goes
Sketch Saturday #575--sketch

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #358--anything goes with snippets (all the flowers and leaves were stamped onto scraps of white card stock, the seam binding was a little 6 inch scrap and the book print was a scrap--and a recycled bit!)
Craft Dee Bow-Z--anything goes with handmade bow
Creatalicious #168--anything goes with optional twist: distress it (I distressed my tiles with paint)
Dare2B Artzy--anything goes

Adorable Panda

A new month has arrived and that means a new challenge from the Love To Scrap Challenge Blog.  This month's challenge is Shape Shifter (Create a shaped card).  Our fabulous sponsor is The Paper Shelter.

And here is the card I created:

This little guy is called the Most Adorable Panda and he really is super cute!!  I created a quick and easy little scene for him using a could stencil and some patterned papers and dies.  Nice and easy and cute!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Head on over to the LTSCB blog to see what the rest of the team has created and to get the full details of the challenge.  Then get inky and play along with us; I can't wait to see what you create.

Supplies:

Stamps: The Paper Shelter "The Most Adorable Panda" digi; MFT "Essential Sentiments" greeting

Dies: Spellbinders "Labels 27"; MFT "Blueprints 13" circles dies; Paper Smooches "Cute Clouds"

Taylored Expressions cloud stencil

Challenges:
Stamplorations Mixed Media--anything goes as long as you used a stencil

The Paper Shelter--anything goes
Crafty Creations #395--anything goes
Creative Moments #173--anything goes
Crafty Friends #113--summer colors
Tuesday Throwdown #437--furry friends
Shopping Our Stash #401--base it on a book (The Only Lonely Panda by Jonny Lambert)
Die Cuttin' Divas #431--anything goes
Crafty Sentiments--anything goes
Crafting By Designs--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--anything goes
Little Red Wagon #508--digi do