'ABC' Challenges #44 - Sympathy

Hello dear friends and followers - Happy Monday to you!! Time for another challenge at 'ABC' Challenges.  Before I tell you about this week's challenge I would like to say that I was completely blown away by the amazing entries last week for the Use Your Markers Challenge - thank so much for continuing to support us and share your talents with us!  I came across a couple of blogs and talent that I just have to share with you at the end of this post.   So...back to this week's challenge ABC#44 - Sympathy.  Here's my DT card to share with you:

Sympathy cards are not something most of us think just to make - but sadly we do seem to need to have a couple on hand from time to time. I have found that it's very nice to have one to grab and send rather than try to make in a hurry (especially as my heart is breaking for someone for their loss).

 

I kept this one kind of subtle and added just a couple embellishments.  The background is made from a retired piece of Stampin Up DSP that I ran through the BigShot and the square lattice texture folder.  The paper was thin enough that the fibers came through so I sanded it a bit more to give it a uniform texture.  This is the first time I had used this particular stamp.  The flowers were a bit tricky for my tired eyes to color in but I like how it turned out.  Hope you do too. 

 

If you would like to have a sympathy card on hand to share with someone, please consider joining our challenge this week at 'ABC' Challenges.  The other ladies on the DT have also made some beautiful sympathy cards to share with and inspire you.

 

P.S. here are a couple of blogs that I visited last week that I really enjoyed:

 Nicole from Nicole's Craft Nook (thanks Nicole for being my newest follower too)

Lisa from WishCraft Cards 

Pam from Expressions from the Heart

and Pia from Pias Papir og Perler

 

Thanks so much for stopping by, I'm sure glad that you did! Hugs always and special hugs to dear Jeanette. D

 

 





    

52CCT - Ruth's September Sketch #21

 

Happy Saturday friends!  Time for another challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (52CCT), the home of opportunity for getting your Christmas card stash done in plenty of time for Christmas while having lots of fun doing it :o).  

 

Each month one of the DT member get to take a turn with setting the challenges.  Ruth is our hostess for the month of September and she has started us out with this terrific sketch.  

 

And here's what I did with it:

 

I haven't done a great deal with this stamp set since I bought it so I thought I'd dust it off a bit and give it a go while I'm waiting for some of my new goodies to come in.  Added three little self-adhesive dots in Crumb Cake in the corner (wishing now I'd have used red so they stand out better).

Colored up the stamps with my SU markers using Real Red, Lucky Limeade and Gumball Green.  Don't they look like yummy holiday drinks?  Whose ready to celebrate with me?? Guess it might be a bit early yet so I'll take a rain-check :o)

 

Welcome to our Guest Designer for the month of September - Margaret.  Margaret's blog is called Em's Paperdaze.  She has been a regular player of our challenge for a very long time - we are delighted to have her join us this month! To see Margaret's card and the lovely creations from the rest of the 52CCT DT just click here. 

 

If you haven't been joining us, September is a great time to get started. You'll still have plenty of cards by the time Christmas rolls around if you join us each week.  Hoping you'll decide to join us this week!  Til next time... hugs and happy crafting! D   

ATSM #61 - Anything Goes {PaperNest Dolls Sponsor} & Seize the Birthday "Anything Goes"

Hello dear friends and followers - so happy that you've stopped by to visit me today! Can you believe it's September already?  Just a couple days ago it was still 90 plus degrees here - August wasn't giving up without a fight for sure.  I have noticed that the mornings are now crisp and cool so I'm sure that Fall is definitely upon us.  I LOVE Summer, but must admit that Fall is my second favorite season and I am ready for it to be here now. It's much nicer to sleep at night with the windows open - ahhhhh, so lovely.

So...back to the reason you came to visit me.  This week at Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #61 is our ever popular ANYTHING GOES!  That's right - any theme, any color, any layout, any occasion or reason - a card, a 3D project, a scrapbook page that you've stamped on or created digitally - Anything Goes!  We also have a new sponsor for the month of September - The Paper Nest Dolls - who is offering a very nice prize (check out the challenge site HERE to get more details). 

I have a card that I made for my Aunt using a darling Paper Nest Dolls image (colored with copic markers) for my DT contribution to ATSM#61 Anything Goes.  I'm also entering this card in the Seize the Birthday "Anything Goes" challenge.  Drum roll please....

 

Okay - so it might seem as if this card was made for a kid, but my Aunt actually loves clowns and she's still a big giggly kid at heart - so I think she will like it.  One of my new purchases in the Archivers Store in the Mall of America (first time I had ever been there, or to an Archivers store) was some Stickles glitter glue.  This stuff is so much fun!! Wish I had bought a few more colors. I added a glimmer red dot from Close to My Heart on the clown's nose that fit just perfectly.  The papers are some retired DSP from my Stampin Up stash (I knew someday I'd have the perfect reason to use them again).  Usually I do pick my papers first but this time I just started coloring. If I had picked out the papers before I colored the image I would have colored the coat blue and the balloon red.  The sentiments on the front and inside are both from Stampin Up! I especially love the one on the inside - take a look:

Well that's enough from me today.  I'm sure that you would like to go see what the other lovely ladies on the ATSM design team have made for your inspiration - they are awesome as usual.  I hope to see your entry in our challenge this week - so go get crafty!  Til next time... hugs and happy crafting. D



'ABC' Challenges #43 (ABC43) - Use Markers

Hello dear friends and followers, hope you are all doing well!  I've been away from my computer and crafting for about 10 days while on a family trip.  This is a card I made just before I left for my DT contribution to 'ABC' Challenges #43- Use Markers (ABC43). Take a look:

I used a negative cut-out and ran it through my polka dot texture folder.  This digital image is from Bugaboo Stamps, which I fussy cut around after coloring with copic markers.  Since summer is on its way out I thought it would be fun to use this image one last time before I turn my focus to more fall and winter themed cards. 

 

I love stamping but I've also re-discovered the joy of coloring with markers.  I often use digital images that I've printed out on my laser jet printer but I do have a few stamps that also work well for coloring in.  Do you love to color as well?  If so, then go get busy and make a card to share with us this week at 'ABC' Challenges.  I can't wait to see what you create!! The other lovely ladies have "colored" some wonderful creations to share with and inspire you as well.  Please go visit them and say "hey!".  

Am going to make this a brief post today as I have a lot of catching up on comments and making cards for my next several DT challenges to do.  Thanks so much for stopping by - I'm sure glad that you did. Til next time....hugs and happy crafting! D

52CCT - Embellishment Challenge #20 - Canvas

Hello and happy Saturday!  This week at 52CCT we have an embellishment challenge for you.  We'd like to see you use canvas on your beautiful Christmas cards.  I love the look of stamped images on canvas - it can be classy, whimsical or distressed.  I purchased a package of canvas pieces but I'll be darned if I can find where I hid them from myself!  That is so frustrating!! Do you ever do that?   I wonder what I was thinking when I put them where ever I put them for safe keeping - lol.  Fortunately a friend gave me a small piece to use so here's what I did with it...

I'm not exactly sure what style this card is. It seems that I've mixed a bunch of different styles to make a very individual card style all my own - lol.  I had this great idea in mind (thus the sponging) but the stamp I wanted to use on this strip didn't go on smoothly at all.  So... being very resourceful I flipped it over and started again with a more solid color image but this one didn't work too well either (the canvas is a bit rough) so I ended up coloring it in with my markers. I blobbed in the corner with the marker so then had to draw a frame around the image to cover up my error.  Good gracious - I think I should have stopped while I was ahead!

I didn't have time to make another card (nor can I find my hidden canvas) - and I really wanted to support Sarah (our 52CCT August hostess), so I decided that I would just be brave and share with you.  Maybe you'll see something in this that you like.  I promise to make another card when I find my canvas :o). 

So, I can't wait to see what you create this week using canvas! The rest of the lovely DT at 52CCT  have made some beautiful creations using canvas - please go visit them and check it out!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me today.  Til next time... Hugs and happy crafting! D  

ATS&M Challenge #59 - CAS (Nicecrane Designs Sponsor)

Hello again dear friends and followers!  Time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! (ATS&M) - CAS #59.  Our challenge this week is once again sponsored by the wonderful and generous owner of Nicecrane Designs.  We are continuing our August Challenges with a Twist so that means if you choose to use a Nicecrane Designs image then you can make any style card (or project) you wish (it doesn't have to be CAS).  I chose to stick with CAS and use one of the newest digital images from the set called Reading Children (thanks so  much Ignacio) - take a look:

Isn't she just so sweet? I was immediately drawn to this image because as a girl I always had my nose in a book (still do when I'm not crafting) and my own sweet daughter is the same way (LOVE that!).  One of my favorite books was Little Women, and I loved all the Nancy Drew mysteries.  Now I love the Janet Evanovich series that starts with "One for the Money" (I have ready every one of them so far) and books by Mary Higgins Clark - oh and of course some romance novels when I'm in the mood :o).  Lately though my nose is usually under the People magazine that has fallen on my face (to muffle my snoring) as I've tried to read in bed.

I hope that you will decide to join us this week at ATS&M. Our fabulous DT has created some amazing cards to share with you as well - so please go take a look and leave them a little note (we love to hear from you).

I also decided to make a one-layer card, which I haven't done in a very long time, so I am entering this in The Paper Players Challenge #159 One Layer Card.

As a side note...I will be taking a small break and won't be around much in the blogging world for a couple weeks. I'll tell you more about it all when I return to blogging.  Til next time... hugs and happy crafting! D

Copic colors used are: E17 and E19 (hair), E000, E01 and E02 (skin), BG72 (dress), C1 (pages and sox), C7 (bottom of shoes), and G09 (book). The sentiment is from Close to My Heart.

Lots of Layers for 'ABC' Challenges #41

Hello dear friends and followers - so happy that you've stopped by to visit me today!  Here it is Monday already and time for a new challenge at 'ABC' Challenges.  This week for ABC#41 we want to see Lots of Layers on your beautiful cards.  How do we define "lots of layers"?  The answer is that you need to use at least 5 layers on your card (the base does not count as a layer).    Take a look:

 

I was thinking I would have a hard time with 5 layers. I searched my card magazines and flagged pages that maybe I could CASE.  I think that I've been in such a CAS mode lately (due to being short on energy and crafting time) that this seemed nearly overwhelming to me. So as I was procrastinating by cleaning off my craft desk and organizing (things that really did need to be done) I came upon a copy of a sketch I had saved as a favorite from The Paper Players (Sketch challenge #143) and suddenly inspiration struck  It seems so silly now that I fretted about how I was possibly going to get 5 layers on my card when in the end I managed to use 10 layers - whoot whoot!! Do you see them all?

 For more inspiration and ideas, you should also go visit the other lovely ladies on our DT at ABC Challenges. They have some beautiful "lots of layer" cards to share with you as well.  Now that I've shown you how easy it is to do I hope to see your beautiful layers cards in our gallery this week.  I have a feeling this is going to be a fun week for our challenge as I have seen so many layering experts in my blog browsing of late. Can't wait to see what you do!

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

Card details (all Stampin Up unless noted otherwise): Card base - raspberry ripple. Border - gumball green c.s. punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. DSP - Birthday Basics. Banners - summer starfruit, crisp cantelope (NEW), wild wasabi. Sentiment circle - raspberry ripple punched with 2 1/2" circle punch, Thinking of You - single stamp colored with SU markers (gumball green, summer starfruit, crisp cantelope) the sentiment middle was punched out from the original stamped image and layered on the RR circle. Flower stamp from Secret Garden and cut out with coordinating Sizzix framelits dies cut. Middle of flower is a flower from the Boho Blossom punch and an eye from the Two-Step Owl punch.