52CCT - Sketch Challenge #20, ABC Christmas Challenge - O is for O'Christmas Tree

Hello everyone! After taking just a wee break I'm happy to be back and making a few cards again. I had the best time visiting my youngest sister in Oregon - it was truly wonderful to see her and my nephew. I wish we lived closer - the 12 hour drive was a bit much for me - but well worth it once we got there.  Anyway.. as I said I'm happy to be back and crafting again too and this month at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Sarah is our hostess. Sarah has started off  the month of August with this terrific sketch. 

Take a look at my interpretation of this (not too much of a variation from the sketch really) - hope you like it!  

Not too long ago I got myself organized and put all my spare bits and pieces in baggies by color and/or shape.  I remembered seeing these square scallop shapes in of those bags and decided to use them as well as some other extra parts that I had punched out a while ago. Every element of this card (except the base) was pulled from one scrap pile or another (that's why my greens aren't an exact match).  The teeny trees were even originally punched from a sparkly gift envelope that I had received. I love when I get a chance to use up some of those spare parts that I just can't seem to toss in the trash.  Feels so good :o).  My card size is a bit odd - 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 - due to the width of the squares, so I'll just have to use a bigger envelope, or tuck it in with a gift in the package.

The rest of the DT members have created some terrific cards using 52CCT Sketch Challenge #55.  Please pop on over and see what they've done.  I hope you will decide to join us this week. 

I'm also entering this card at ABC Christmas Challenge - O is for O' Christmas Tree.

Well... that's all from me this time. Thanks for stopping by to visit me - I'm sure glad that you did! Til next time... hugs and happy crafting friends. Hugs D  

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #56 "Anything Goes"

Hello friends and followers, hope that all is well with you.  I have a question for you..."How did it get to be the last week of July already?"  Soon our summer flowers will be fading and the fall will be upon us.  My how time flies - especially as you get older!

The theme this week at Addicted to Stamps and More! is the ever popular "Anything Goes".  That's right - anything! Any color, any style, any shape, 3D projects, any theme - you get it "Anything Goes" :o). 

My card this week is made using a sweet little image by Mo Manning called "Ben". Looks like Ben likes summer as much as I do.  This image reminds me of my own son when he was about 3 and wanted to help me with the flowers.  One time he "helped" me pull up my seedlings because they looked like they needed to breathe. LOL it wasn't as funny to me then as the memory of it is now :o)

Well... gotta get going for  now.. I sure hope that you will decide to play along with us this week at AST&M Challenge #56 - Anything Goes.  The rest of the fabulous DT has made some great projects to share with and inspire you.  Please go visit them and say "hi". 

Thanks so much for stopping by today to visit me - I'm sure glad that you did. Til next time...hugs and happy crafting. D

ATS&M - Challenge #55 - Photo Inspiration

Hello dear friends and followers - time for another challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATS&M).  ATS&M Challenge #55 is a photo inspiration challenge based on this fun and colorful photo above.  There's so much that you can get from this photo such as the birthday theme, black background, neon colors, candles, sentiment, colors, stripes.  Good golly... see what I mean?  Lots and lots of inspiration in one little photo. 

 

My card this week uses some new DSP from Stampin Up! Take a look and see if you can figure out what most inspired me this week:

 

 What will you take from this photo as your inspiration?  I can't wait to come visit you this week to see.  The rest of the lovely DT team members have made some terrific cards to further inspire you.  To visit them and enter the challenge you just need to click  here. 


A relatively short post for tonight. Til next time...hugs and happy crafting friends! D

 

'ABC' Challenges - Doubly Embossed

Hello friends and followers - hope that each and every one of you are doing well.  After taking last week off we are back in swing with a new challenge this week (chosen by yours truly) at 'ABC' Challenges.  The challenge this week is technique based - we want to see your Beautiful Cards made with two types of embossing (Doubly Embossed).

Adding texture through dry embossing is one of my favorite techniques to use and although I love to heat emboss things, I seldom seem to do it lately.  So...to keep myself in practice (and maybe help challenge you a bit), I came up with this idea.  What I'd really like to see is your cards using both dry (texture) and wet (stamped and heat set) embossing.  But if that doesn't work for you then please use two different types of dry embossing patterns on your card. 

Here's what I came up with this week using a previous sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

The sentiment is heat embossed using versa mark ink and melon mambo embossing powder (Stampin Up!).  A solid sentiment would have stood out better with the embossing but originally I thought I'd color in the lettering to match the cupcake colors (one of the added benefits of heat embossing).  Then decided it might be too busy so I left it alone.  The cupcake is a sticker left over from some other crafting stash (too cute to throw out and I knew I'd find another use for it) put on top of a punched 1 3/4" circle and a large scalloped circle punched shape.  My dry embossing is made using one of my all-time favorite embossing texture folders called Perfect Polka Dots (SU). 

 

Overall a very quick card to put together. Looking at my birthday card stash, I realized that I really need to try to make more masculine birthday cards.  But Pink is just so much fun to use!! Real men like pink too - don't they?  Nah... not so much! Oh well :o)  

 

I sure hope that you will go visit the rest of our lovely DT over at 'ABC' Challenges and see what they have made to inspire you as well.  I'll be excited to see if you are up for  my challenge this week.  May the crafting force be with you!!

 

Til next time... hugs and happy crafting! D 

   

52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Challenge #19 Recipe

Hello friends so happy to know that you've come by to visit me today. I'm excited to see that I have a new follower - welcome! Our hostess this month at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown (52CCT) is Patricia and she has chosen a fabulous theme challenge for this 3rd week of July.  52CCT Challenge #19 is a Recipe Challenge - we want to see you make a Christmas card using the following recipe:  1 ribbon, 2 patterned papers and 3 gems.  I really love this one as it combines such fun elements (especially the patterned papers).  Take a look at what I created to share with you this week:  

Surprise! It's a square card again - what do you know?  I'm starting to wonder if I'm in a bit of rut as I do seem to be making a lot of square cards lately.  Oh well...they do cost a bit more postage, but they are fun to make and I can easily fit a family photo in it as it is 6"square. 

The stamp is by Stampendous and it's the first time I've inked it up.  I took my colors from the patterned papers (as closely as I could using my copic markers).  The patterned paper is from Stampin Up! called Candy Cane (retired).  The ribbon and bow is some Baja Breeze Seam binding.  I find this stuff kind of hard to work with as I'm not the best at tying bows.  I probably ruined 2 of them before I got this one right :o( .  It frustrates me how easily it frays. Does anyone have a tip out there to help that?  I'd love for you to share with me.

Please pop on over to the 52CCT Challenge site and see what the rest of the DT members have made to share with and inspire you.  I'm noticing that more and more crafters are starting on their Christmas cards this month.  If that's you, you can keep the momentum going by playing along with us each week.  By the beginning of December you will have a nice little stash done and ready to mail out.  I hope you will decide to join us this week (and each week thereafter)!

Well, better get going for now. Have a busy weekend ahead of me. Til next time...hugs and happy crafting!  D



Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #54 - CAS, Crazy 4 Challenges C4CC194 - Marine Life and CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #109 - Polka Dots

Hello friends and followers - hope that today brings you many smiles and blessings.  Time for another fun challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATS&M).  ATS&M Challenge #54 is to make a CAS card.  You get to choose the theme, the colors, the stamps or the digis - but whatever you choose it must be CAS in style.  If you aren't sure what CAS (Clean and Simple) means, the jest of it is that there is plenty of "white" space (could be a color other than white but is generally not a busy pattern), has clean lines and limited embellishments and layering.  If you want to know more about this style of card making, just go visit the ATS&M site for more details.  

My card is made using a TAWS (The Alley Way Stamps) digital image that I picked up quite awhile ago but hadn't had an occasion to use it until now.  Isn't it just too, too cute?  I decided to go with bright tropical colors for my fish and the matting.  I added some texture to that lovely amount of white space with my perfect polka dots embossing texture folder (one of my favorites).  I punched out a few extra bubbles and placed them on the card as well.  This is going to a friend who's been having a tough time.  She knows if she just waits it out it will pass - I'm giving her some encouragement with "Just keep Swimming". 

The copics I used are: YR14, YR16, BG53, BG10, BG13.  Quite please with how it turned out :o) Hope you like it too.

So hurry on over to ATS&M and see what other lovely creations our DT has made to inspire you to play along this week.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'm also joining the fun over at Crazy 4 Challenges C4CC - Marine Life and CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #109 - Polka Dots (I hope the bubbles and embossing count as polka dots). 



Thanks for stopping by today, I'm so glad that you did.  Til next time...hugs and happy crafting friends! D

52CCT - Color Challenge #19 {Dark Red, Dark Green, Dark Brown and Vanilla} and Merry Monday - July Challenge "Anything Goes"

Hello dear friends and followers - time for another challenge over at 52{Christmas} Card Throwdown - or 52CCT for short.  This week Patricia has chosen a very elegant color combo for our 52CCT Color Challenge #19.  These are the only colors we want to see on your Christmas cards this week - no black, no white, no blue, no light green, no pink... you get the idea. There are just so many possibilities with this color combo - we really want to see what you can come up with in true color challenge style.  Here's what I made this week:

My card base is 6 inches square.  I had this retired DSP from Stampin Up! that was absolutely perfect for this week's color challenge.  With paper that gorgeous - I didn't need to do much else in terms of stamping or embellishments.  This is one of those times that my stash of paper really worked to my advantage ;o)  Those little dots by the sentiment are called candy dots - they are new from Stampin Up! and they are fabulous. They are self adhesive so there is no poking a hole and trying to open those tiny little prongs from the brads.  I love them!  I used Early Espresso textured cardstock for the base and the sentiment. The green layer is called Always Artichoke and is one of my all-time favorite elegant greens.  

I am also entering this card in the Merry Monday - July Challenge "Anything Goes".

Well... not much else to say other than "I hope that you will decide to join us this week at 52CCT for Color Challenge #19".  Please go check out what the rest of the talented DT has made for your inspiration. Til next time...hugs and happy crafting friends. D