FMS#38 and Dynamic Duos #6 {Praying for You}

Hello once again.  I am combining two fun challenges for this card today.  The colors for the card are from the Dynamic Duos #6 challenge (Regal Rose and Basic Grey) and the layout (which I flipped on its side) is courtesy of Freshly Made Sketches #38. 

I chose to make a sympathy card for these challenges (or it could also be an encouragement or hope card too with this sentiment). Thankfully I don't need sympathy cards very often - but I also don't make very many so I don't usually have on on hand when I do need one.  This card could just as easily be a Happy Birthday, Mother's Day, Friend or Thank you card by changing the sentiment.  The colors and layout would work perfectly with those themes as well.

A trend that I've come across recently is sending your handmade cards with the option for your recipient to pass it forward one more time.    How this works is that you put your own personal sentiment on an insert inside the card (with a note on the back that the card can by recycled and shared again) and leave the inside base blank for the next use.  If you provided a couple extra sentiments (like I mentioned above) then the recipient could then pop their new sentiment on top of the original one and add their message inside to forward to the next lucky, and loved, recipient.  I'm not completely on board with this for myself as I keep every handmade card I am given. However, I do know that not everyone is a saver like me and I do like the idea that someone might like the card I made so much that they would want to pass it forward and share with someone else (sharing the love is nice too).

Hope you enjoyed today's card.  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit - I'm sure glad you did!  The design team samples for both of these challenges are amazing and full of inspiration - I highly recommend that you go visit there as well.  Have a most wonderful day won't you?! Hugs!

Supplies (all from Stampin Up!): Cardstock - Regal Rose,Whisper White and Basic Grey.  Stamps - Thoughts and Prayers.  Ink - Basic Grey and Regal Rose (to get the two colors on the image I used my Stampin Write markers).  The tiny punched flowers are from one of the punches in the Bitty Punch Pack.  Patterned paper is from the Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack in the Neutrals collection.

MOJO 244 and Flourishes Colors of the Rainbow (BBB23)

Happy Sunday friends!  Time to enter the fun MOJO Monday #244 challenge (on a Sunday for me - talk about wait til the last minute) based on this great sketch.

Here's another view of my card:

I am using several NEW products from Stampin Up on this card.  The NEW Floral District DSP has lots of bright happy colors and interesting patterns on several of these papers.  I chose today's papers because I am also combining this with another challenge at Flourishes - Bring Back Beautiful #23 - The Beauty of the Rainbow (BBB23) where the challenge is to use some (or all) of the colors of the rainbow.  This card uses Yellow, Green and Purple (violet).  I really like the combo of purple and greens together and then when you add yellow it just feels happier - kind of like adding sunshine :o)

Another NEW SU product is a stamp set called Betsy's Blossoms that I used the large flower from and then I punched out the middle of it with a 1 3/8" circle punch to layer on a 1 3/4" circle that I first ran through the Polka Dot textured embossing folder.  I used the 2 1/4" scallop circle punch and added some scoring lines to mimi the green flower on the DSP. A final touch to the flower comes from the largest eye of the Owl Builder punch and an In-color brad in Lucky Limeade for the center.  I added some hand drawn stitching with my white Signo pen to copy the stitching in this beautiful daffodil delight ribbon (also NEW from Stampin Up).  The sentiment and the banner die cut are also NEW from SU (Bitty Banners Framelits dies and Bitty Banners stamp set that coordinates with those shapes).  I used the scallop edge border punch for the bottoms of the top two layers.  Colors used are Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight. 

This card has lots of layers but is actually pretty quick to make.  It took me a little less than 10 minutes to put together (although the idea of what I wanted to do took me much longer than that as I pondered - LOL).

Thanks so much for stopping by - hope you like this bright and cheery card today.  If you need some additional inspiration, pop into these fun challenges and take a peek at all the amazing ideas and samples that people have put together.  Maybe you will be inspired to make one of your own too - that would be wonderful!  Hugs!

cQc #140, C4C140, CFC56 & Retrosketches #16

Hello Friends! With the less than summery weather today I had an excuse to stay inside and craft to my heart's content and was able to get several cards done today - Whoo Hoo!  It's been a while since I have participated in the ColourQ and Retrosketches challenges but today I am able to enter this card in both of these fun challenges and two others.  I am entering the following challenges:

Colour Q Challenge #140 - Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade and White

Retrosketches #15 (see sketch inspiration below)

Crazy 4 Challenges #140 - Circles, Lots of circles

CAS-Fridays 56 - Polka Dots

I used some retired DSP from Stampin Up which is appropriately called "Celebrations".  You may have noticed that I like to use punches and die cuts on my cards, and this card is no exception.  I used the Petite Penant Builder punch for the hat, the Owl Builder punch for the two smallest sized circles, and the 1/2", 3/" and 1" circle punches.  I also used the Sweet Buttons Embosslit and the Top Note Sizzix die (I love when I have a chance to use this one) - all punches are from Stampin Up!.  The sentiment is from a SU set called Fabulous Phrases.  Of course no birthday party celebration is complete without a little sparkle so I added some red rhinestones here and there also.  Hope you enjoyed this card and thanks so much for stopping by to visit. Hugs!

Inspired By #7 {Limes and Margaritas}

Hello and Happy Weekend to all of you!  I have been watching this fun challenge called Inspired By that uses different photos for the challenges.  There have been a lot of photo inspiration challenges from this site that have caught my eye (like the apron one recently) but I haven't been able to play along at the time.  I am happy to finally be able to participate for the first time with this week's photo inspiration (see below):

This card uses a stamp set that I purchased because it made me laugh out loud as it seemed to fit my life situation right now (AND I love margaritas - on the rocks please, not blended - LOL). This fun photo for the Inspired By #27 challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to use it once again. I was so excited, I'm mean it's just too perfect - and I just had to play along! As my daughter would say "I know...right?"

I stamped the lime background with a retired Stampin Up set in Lucky Limeade.  The margarita glasses are first embossed in black and then were colored in with a blender pen and Pool Party ink.  Then I gave those yummy looking blue margaritas a salty (or it could be sugary) rim using Dazzling Details glitter glue (note: I used colors from a previous Dynamic Duos challenge - aren't they fun together?).  Hope you like this card and thanks so much for stopping by to visit!  If this photo inspires you too please play along, I'm sure the hostess would love to have you do so.

Supplies: Cardstock - Lucky Limead, Pool Party and Whisper White (all Stampin Up!). Ink: Pool Party and Lucky Limeade (both Stampin Up!). Stamps - Unity Stamp Co. & Jilly Bean Soup "When Life Gives you Limes" (sentiment and glasses) and Tart & Tangy (retired Stampin Up!) for the limes on the background.  Salted rim - Dazzling Details glitter glue (SU).  Perfect Polka Dots Textured embossing folder (SU). 

Our Creative Corner - Embellished Frame

Hello again friends!  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to enter the Our Creative Corner Challenge - Embellished Frame as I have been wanting a reason to use this new stamp set from Stampin Up. This frame and DSP from Stampin Up! just seems to be made to go with the Tim Holtz inks and stamps.  This is a very different style for me which is why I wanted to give it a try. 

I'll be brief tonight with my post as I only have 20 minutes left to enter this challenge and this card took my way longer than I thought it would to make (LOL). The essence of the challenge is to make sure that the frame takes center stage and really stands out as the first thing you notice.  To achieve this I embossed the frame first in gold (for a vintage feel) and then layered it twice to give it some additional depth (almost 3D).  The bird and sentiment are from Tim Holtz stamps sets (first time I have used either of them) called "Just Thoughts" (sentiment) and "Urban Tapestry" (bird on branch).  I used the Ranger Distress inks in antique linen, iced spruce and tumbled glass. The DSP is from Stampin Up called Attic Boutique (now retired but was one of my favorites).  The frame is from a NEW Stampin Up set called Papaya Collage. 

Hope you like my first attempt at this type of card.  Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs.

The Paper Players #98 - Summertime and CCC12 - Song Inspired

Happy Friday friends!  We had sun this morning for awhile but now is cloudy and overcast :o(  I'm soooo ready for lots of sunshine, flip flops and the lake.  How about you? 

The Paper Players Challenge #98 is to make a card with a Summertime theme.  How could I pass that up when I'm craving summer and all the fun things it brings with it?  I am also entering the Creative Card Crew Challenge #12 - Song Inspired - my song inspiration is "Soak up the Sun". 

I got this fun stamp set right at the end of a SU mini catalog and didn't get a chance to use it til now.  I colored it in with my copics and hand cut the sun rays.  I used lots of shiny, sunny, yellow bling to simulate the sunshine effect.  Hope you like today's card and see some sunshine this weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs.

Supplies: Cardstock - Whisper White, Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral.  Stamps - Sunny Fun (retired) and Delicate Doilies.  Punches - Lg Scallop Circle and 1 3/4" circle.

Merry Monday #23 - 3 for 3

Hello friends - in an earlier post I told you that I was so excited to be chosen as the guest designer for the Merry Monday Challenge #23 that I made 3 cards!  I have shared two of them with you and this is the 3rd and final one that I made based on the great sketch from Lesley below:

I was going with a fun take on this Christmas card for some friends and family of mine that live for Christmas shopping (especially the black Friday sales - which this year started at midnight - crazy!).  The packages are were made using a 1" square punch out of coordinating pieces of the Be of Good Cheer DSP (NEW from Stampin Up!) and the bows on the packages are made using the retired Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch.  I am love, love, lovin' this Christmas paper with its great reds and greens! It can be used in a fun, whimsical manner or a more traditional manner.   The fun sentiment is from a hostess only stamp set and the snowflake is from the retired Northern Frost snowflake Sizzlit Strip. 

As you can see, I really like the versatility of this sketch.  I will be using it time and time again, I'm sure.  Thank for stopping by and for letting me share my 3 cards with you - hope you like this one too.  Hugs!