Color Throwdown #333

Monika is our fabulous hostess today for Color Throwdown #333!  I hope you’ll stop over at the CTD blog to check out the challenge details and join us today.  If you’re a purple lover, this challenge is right up your alley…

I received a text message about 10 days ago from the sweet lady who does my nails, asking me if I could make a birthday card for her to give to her granny for her 104th birthday!  How could I refuse?  And since granny’s favorite color is purple, it worked out just perfectly to make her this Center Step card with the Delightful Dahlia Additions from Papertrey Ink.

I die-cut the dahlias, then stamped each one with Wild Wisteria hybrid ink, Grape Jelly hybrid ink, and Lavender Fields hybrid ink from My Favorite Things.  The leaves were done with Jellybean Green hybrid ink (the lighter layer was just stamped off once.)  On the gray card stock panels, I stamped the Greenery background from Impression Obsession.  I thought this style of card would be neat for Deb’s granny so she could set it up beside her and see the pretty flowers (especially since there aren’t any outside our windows around here!)
Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration. Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Holly Brown, March Guest Designer
Betty Wright, Guest Star Stamper I hope you’ll join us for the challenge, and thank you for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #332

Lori is our hostess today for Color Throwdown #332, and she’s thinking Spring with these cute boots to inspire our colors.  After all the snow we’ve had again this Winter, I dream of the need to wear a pair of boots like these on a muddy Spring day!  :)

I had fun with these colors, pulling out my Whale of a Time stamp set from The Cat’s Pajamas…

I used the current Sweet Sunday Sketch #258 for layout inspiration, and paper-pieced my whale with some aqua blue designer paper.  I added some waves from the stamp set on the navy blue panel behind the whale, and embossed the red card stock with a waves stencil.
Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration.  And we have a day of “firsts” today for our challenge… our new Guest Designer for March is none other than Joan’s daughter, Holly Brown.  AND for the first time ever, we have a man as our Guest Star Stamper, Kevin McDonald!  We welcome them both very happily! Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Holly Brown, March Guest Designer
Kevin McDonald, Guest Star Stamper I hope you’ll join us for the challenge, and thank you for stopping by today!

TCPTuesday #285 – Inspiration Challenge

It’s time for another TCPTuesday challenge with The Cat’s Pajamas and I’m playing hostess for this 2-week challenge!  It’s an inspiration challenge, so check out the photos below and see where your creativity takes you…

The Cat Pack has some great inspiration for you so be sure to stop over at the TCP blog to check out their creations!  Here’s mine…

I just thought the Bear Hugs bear would be great for this card to wish someone good luck, or Happy St. Paddy’s Day!  I colored my image with Copics, then layered him over a banner stamped with the “Good Luck” sentiment from Simply Said.  I added a green card stock circle to mimic the wreath, and a tag that was cut from a coffee cup cozy to replicate the texture on the wreath.  My rainbow-hued flags were cut with the Bitty Banners Cutups die, and secured on each end with some gold-trimmed baker’s twine.  Finally, I embellished with some gold enamel dots.

So, I hope you’ll stop over at the TCP blog and join us for the challenge!  You could win some Cat Cash to spend, and also could be in the running to be the next Swanky Stamper!  The use of The Cat’s Pajamas stamps is not required, but if you’ve got ‘em, why not use ‘em?!

GOOD LUCK!

Color Throwdown #331

Happy Wednesday, my stampy friends!  Are you ready for a new Color Throwdown challenge today?  Jodi is our gorgeous hostess, and she’s got these fantastic colors to inspire you!  I’m a true 80’s girl… pink and green just GO together, right?  Like, totally!

Here’s my card…

Vickie had me so inspired with her CTD card last week, so I just had to pull out my Altenew Painted Flowers stamp set to create my card for this week.  I used the Mojo Monday sketch #386 for the layout… I completely love the tall, skinny cards!  My flowers were stamped with Cotton Candy hybrid ink and Ripe Raspberry hybrid ink from My Favorite Things, and also Versafine Onyx Black.  The leaves were stamped with Jellybean Green hybrid ink.  I used the LJD Darling Dots stamp set from MFT to add some polka dots to my pink circle that was cut with Stitched Circle STAX Die-Namics, and stamped with a sentiment from Paper Smooches’ Chit Chat stamp set.  The Natural card stock base was stamped with the BG Woodgrain background stamp in Natural hybrid ink, and the Ripe Raspberry card stock panel on the card base was stamped in Ripe Raspberry hybrid ink with the BG Gingham background stamp.  On the Natural card stock panel in the center, I used the Small Brick Wall stencil to emboss, then sponged the edges with some ink.  Behind the circle is a piece of Jellybean Green card stock that was cut with the Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics and stamped in Jellybean Green hybrid ink with the Greenery background stamp from Impression Obsession.  A few sequins for embellishment, and I was done!  :)
Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration… Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Jen Shults, Guest Designer
Stephanie Severin, Guest Star Stamper Many thanks to everyone for the sweet comments here on my blog, and on Facebook and Instagram for my Cat’s Pajamas design team news!  I appreciated all the congratulations very much, and can’t wait to share more TCP creations with you!

“Eye” Think You’re Terrific

I’ve been keeping a little secret for a few weeks now!  And the joy of this secret is that it has helped me immensely to get out of the stamping/creative slump I’ve been in!
Say hello to the newest member of The Cat Pack!  I am officially a member of the design team for the awesome company The Cat’s Pajamas!  I’m totally excited to be joining this fantastic group of girls, and I cannot say enough good things about company owner, Alma de la Rosa!  I felt an instant bond with her in the first few emails we exchanged, and am honored and proud to represent The Cat’s Pajamas!
The TCP Tuesday challenge continues this week with the color challenge…

I posted a card a few days ago that I made with these colors, but of course had to make a new one for today! 

Can I just tell you… this Aye, Eye, I stamp set is a TON of fun!  The set is full of many different phrases that are a play on words, and when you combine it with the Under My Hat Cutups, you can really go crazy.  I used the current Freshly Made Sketch #174 for layout inspiration here. 
I hope you’ll stop over at the TCP Blog and join us for the challenge this week!  You could win some Cat Cash to spend, and also could be in the running to be the next Swanky Stamper!  The use of The Cat’s Pajamas stamps is not required, but if you’ve got ‘em, why not use ‘em?!
Thank you for sharing my wonderful news today, and thank you for stopping by my blog!

You Float My Boat - MFTWSC216

I had another great weekend with some stamping time… I’m so grateful that my family doesn’t mind when I head off to my stamp room for some art therapy!

The weekly sketch #216 from My Favorite Things was calling my name, so here’s what I came up with…

I had a lot of fun creating this card!  I used a Lemon Chiffon card stock base (ooh, I think that’s my new favorite of all the new colors from MFT!)  The upper half of the background panel is Sno Cone card stock, and I used my Cloudy Day stencil to emboss some clouds on it, then left the stencil in place and sponged some Sweet Tooth pigment ink onto the clouds.  The lower half of the panel is Berrylicious card stock, and I die cut the edge with the Stitched Snow Drifts Die-Namics.  Using some Blu Raspberry dye ink refill and water in a mini-mister, I used the Waves stencil to add some waves to the lower panel.  The sentiment was stamped in Nightshift Blue hybrid ink, and comes from the Sailor Girl Pure Innocence stamp set.  For my sailboat, I used Cherry Crisp card stock, and the sails were cut from Sweet Tooth card stock.  On the sails I used the BG Linen background stamp with Sweet Tooth pigment ink, and heat embossed for some texture.
On the inside, I added a Berrylicious card stock anchor from Sea Charms Die-Namics, and a sentiment from DC Go Overboard stamped in Cherry Crisp hybrid ink.

I hope you had a weekend that was as enjoyable as mine!  Thank you for visiting my blog today!

A Year Better – TCPTuesday #284

I had a little time this week to play along with the current TCPTuesday challenge #284 at The Cat’s Pajamas.  LOVE these great colors… makes me wish for Spring!

I just had to use my favorite floppy-eared bunny for my card, coloring with Copics, of course!  This bunny, sentiment and “wish” (stamped on the purple panel) are all from the A Girl and Her Cake stamp set.

I used the current Mojo Monday sketch #385, but turned the sketch upside down so that the ears are in the spot where the flower would be.  :)  On the aqua blue panel in the background, I used the Dots Cutups panel to emboss, and I embellished with  a button, baker’s twine and some sequins.
Now to check my calendar and see who’s got a birthday coming up so I can use this card!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #330

Hi there, friends!  Joan is our Color Throwdown hostess today, and she's got a beautiful color combo for you!  I enjoyed this color combo a lot, and I hope you will too!

For my card, I decided to use my brand spankin' new LJD Spring Tulips and matching Die-Namics from My Favorite Things...

I die-cut some tulips from Peach Bellini card stock, and stamped them in Peach Bellini hybrid ink.  The tulip stems and leaves were cut from SU! Pistachio Pudding card stock, and were stamped with Jellybean Green hybrid ink from MFT.  I die-cut a Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics from Sweet Tooth card stock, then stamped it in Grout Gray hybrid ink using the BG Woodgrain background.  Behind the circle I added a Jellybean Green card stock Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics that was stamped in Jellybean Green hybrid ink using the BG Linen background stamp.  And behind that I added a Pistachio Pudding card stock panel that was stamped with Spearmint hybrid ink using the BG Romantic Script background.  I added a thin strip of Jellybean Green card stock above and below the Pistachio panel for contrast, and finished the card by stamping the sentiment (from LJD Spring Tulips) in Jellybean Green hybrid ink, and adding a few sequins. The layout for my card comes from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #256 for this week. Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration… Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Jen Shults, Guest Designer
Amy White, Guest Star Stamper Thank you so much for visiting my blog today!

Life Saver – MFTWSC215/Color Challenge #15

Oh, the beauty of a federal holiday!  I had the day off today, and managed to carve out some wonderful stamping time!  I’m finally using a lot of long-neglected stamps and it feel so great!
One of the cards I made today combines the sketch challenge #215 and the color challenge #15 from My Favorite Things…

The circle element in the sketch and the color combo just naturally had me thinking nautical.  For my card, I created an embossed circle using my Stitched Circle STAX Die-Namics, then added the life preserver that was die-cut with the Let’s Get Nautical Die-Namics.  The life preserver was cut with Sweet Tooth card stock, and Cherry Crisp card stock.  My card base is Kraft card stock, and I stamped the left edge with Nightshift Blue hybrid ink with the BG Diagonal Stripes background.  I added a Nightshift Blue card stock edge on the Sno Cone card stock panel for contrast, then stamped the background with the anchors from the DC Go Overboard stamp set using Sno Cone hybrid ink.  The sentiment is from the same set and was stamped with Nightshift Blue hybrid ink on a strip of vellum which was die-cut with the Blueprints 12 Die-Namics.
On the inside I added a rope accent stamped in Kraft hybrid ink, and the ships wheel stamped in Cherry Crisp hybrid ink, both from the DC Go Overboard stamp set.

I hope your Monday was as enjoyable as mine!  And if you’re buried in snow like we are here (but thankfully NOT like they are in the Boston-area!) have faith… Spring is coming!  Thanks for stopping by!

Delightful Dahlias

 

I had some wonderful time for stamping this weekend, and finally took some time to ink up the Delightful Dahlia Additions stamp set from Papertrey Ink.  I’ve had this set for quite awhile, having always admired how beautiful these flower look when they’re stamped, so I finally made time to play this weekend.

The first card is for my beautiful Aunt Arlene, who is also my Godmother.  She took a bad fall a week ago while at the grocery store, and has had a painful week.  She thankfully had some surgery to repair a fracture in her vertebrae and is doing much better, and is now in a rehab facility to gain back some strength.  I hope this card will brighten her day…

I stamped my dahlias on Smooth White card stock from My Favorite Things, and used Wild Wisteria hybrid ink, Grape Jelly hybrid ink, and Lavender Fields hybrid ink, along with Jellybean Green hybrid ink for the leaves.  I then masked the flowers and leaves and used my Copic airbrush to do the background with BG000 and BG10 Copic markers.  The sentiment is from LJD Grand Greetings from My Favorite Things and was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I sponged the edges with some Antique Linen distress ink, and applied some clear dewdrops.

This second card is for a lady from my church, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  She’s a stamper too, so I know she’s going to love these dahlias…

For this card, I again stamped on Smooth White card stock from MFT, and used Cotton Candy hybrid ink, Ripe Raspberry hybrid ink, and Pure Plum hybrid ink, along with Jellybean Green hybrid ink for the leaves.  I airbrushed again, and stamped this sentiment from Verses Rubber Stamps with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  On this one I embellished with some sequins.

I hope you’ve had as nice a weekend as I’ve had!  Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hi stampy friends!  Happy Valentine’s Day!  I hope you’re ready for a day full of love.  At my house this evening there will be a romantic dinner consisting of filet mignon, seared scallops, roasted asparagus and cherry cheesecake!  No, we don’t eat like that on a regular basis!  LOL  It’ll be a romantic dinner for three, since our youngest daughter is by her lonesome right now, having recently had a bad break-up.  :(

For Kelsey, I plan to give her this card along with a Starbucks gift card…



I got my very neglected Bear Hugs stamp set from The Cat’s Pajamas out to make this card. and decided to play along with the Anything Goes challenge at TCP.  I also used the colors from the Colour Q challenge #279 this week (red, black, neutral and newsprint), and the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge #225 for the layout.  On the red panel behind the bear, I used a few circular heart stamps from the Loving Mew TCP stamp set. (I think that set might be retired.)  On the cream card stock panel, I stamped an Impression Obsession newsprint background using Grout Gray hybrid ink from My Favorite Things, and overstamped the newsprint in Cherry Crisp hybrid ink (stamped off once) using the Tiny Hearts background.

On the inside I added another sentiment from the Bear Hugs stamp set, and another background stamped with the Tiny Hearts background.



And this card, even though it might be a little girly with all that pink, is for my husband…



Maybe the kraft card stock will feel more manly to him?  For this one, I used the new Love Die-Namics from My Favorite Things, and Smitten With You stamp set.  My hubby texts me and our daughters every morning with “I love you” and very often my reply is “I love you more!” so I just had to make his Valentine with that phrase.  On the kraft card stock panel, I used the Tiny Hearts background, and on the pink card stock behind the panel I stamped the Diagonal Stripes background.  I embellished with some die-cut hearts from the LJD All My Love stamp set, some sequins, and some pink and white baker’s twine.  On the smaller heart, and the letters I added some sparkle from a Wink of Stella pen, but darned if it doesn’t show up in the photo.

I wish you all a big lovey-dovey day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Color Throwdown #329

At the stampy time I had with friends this past Saturday, I was able to borrow this sweet My Favorite Things LJD Out on a Limb stamp set and matching Die-Namics from my friend Kirsty to make my Color Throwdown card for this week.  (Kirsty owns EVERYTHING from MFT, and brings it all with her every time we meet!)  I also borrowed her Cloudy Day stencil (because I forgot to bring my own stencils) and sponged some clouds in the background with Sweet Tooth pigment ink.  Then I stamped the tree trunk with Hot Fudge Premium dye ink, and added the leaves which were die-cut from Sour Apple card stock.  (I also used an Impression Obsession leafy background stamp on the leaves.)  I added a grassy border, and a button embellishment, but basically kept the card pretty simple otherwise.  :)  Other card stock colors used here include Berrylicious, Cherry Crisp, and Lavender Fields.

Here are the Throwdown colors for this week, and Broni is our hostess-with-the-mostest!

 

 

 

Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

 

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Jen Shults, Guest Designer

Ashwini, Guest Star Stamper


I hope you'll join us this week!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!



Stay Cozy!

I had some fun stamping time this past Saturday with a bunch of my local friends, and this is one of the cards I made using the current sketch #214 from My Favorite Things for this week...

This Comfy Sweater Die-Namics is something I just HAD to have when it was released and I sadly have only used it this one time so far!  (Clearly, I'm doing way too much shopping lately and not enough stamping!)  I used the Nordic Knits stamp set to stamp the sweater using this card by Jody Morrow as my inspiration.  I used the BG Sweater Stitched Background on the yellow circle, and the Cozy Greetings stamp set for the sentiment.  My card stock colors here are the new Wild Wisteria and Lemon Chiffon, as well as Berrylicious and Sweet Tooth.  On the Berrylicious card stock panel I stamped the BG Gingham Background using Sweet Tooth pigment ink.

On the inside I added some more "stitching" from the Nordic Knits stamp set and a sentiment from Cozy Greetings, both stamped in Lavender Fields hybrid ink.

One of my co-workers, who is a big purple lover, has a birthday this Friday so this card will be perfect for her!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy 18th Birthday, Kelsey!

My "baby" girl turned 18 on Wednesday.... *sniff, sniff*  Where does the time go?  It was just yesterday that she was this fat, happy baby and now she's about to graduate and will head off to college in the Fall!

Well, of course we had to make a big deal out her day this week and it couldn't go by without Mom making her birthday card.  Despite my best efforts, the girl loves purple so the current Color Challenge #14 from My Favorite Things was just perfect for Kelsey's card.  Using some new Wild Wisteria card stock, I die cut a Pierced Traditional Tag STAX then stamped it with the BG Confetti Background in Wild Wisteria Premium dye ink.  Then I used a retired numbers Die-Namics to die-cut the 18, and backed the numbers with a piece of Limelight card stock that was stamped with the BG Fine Check Background.  I stamped the sentiment from LJD Birthday Greetings on the tag with Blueberry Premium dye ink.  I die cut Blueberry card stock using the Blueprints 13, and stamped it with Blueberry Hybrid ink using the BG Happy Birthday Background.  I finished the card with some lime green twine, enamel dots and a spritz of silver shimmer spray.  The layout for my design was inspired by the current Retro Sketch #151.

Happy weekend, and thank you for visiting today!

Color Throwdown #328

Hello friends!  It's time for another Color Throwdown challenge, and this my BFF Barbara Anders is the hostess.  I just LOVE the colors she chose this week because you go seriously go in just about any direction with them... flowers, cutesy, masculine, vintage... go crazy!

For me, it was a need for a masculine card that led me to my creation this week...

We have a man at our church that is suffering with an illness the doctors can't quite figure out, so I thought this "hang in there" card would offer a slight bit of encouragement.  I kept it super simple for mailing with just the image stamped on the tag, and the stripes of color in the background.  The image is a retired Pure Innocence from My Favorite Things, as well as my card stock colors.

Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Jen Shults, Guest Designer

Flo, Guest Star Stamper

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #327

 

Hi everyone!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I have a new Color Throwdown creation to share with you, based on these fun colors chosen by Wanda this week.

For some reason, I had the idea for this card design in my head for a few days, so I was really happy when the idea in my head came out in the card stock!  LOL  And as luck would have it, I found this fabulous sketch from the girls at CAS(E) this Sketch and when I flipped it upside down, it worked perfectly!

I airbrushed the background with Copic markers for the sky and the grass, then added the die-cut fence.  The flowers and leaves were all cut from the Trellis & Vine Die-Namics (retired) from My Favorite Things using Blu Raspberry, Limelight, Barely Banana and   Blackberry Bliss card stock.  I added a sentiment, butterfly and flat-bottom clouds to finish the design.

Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Bonnie Sharp, Guest Designer

Marlena M., Guest Star Stamper

Thanks again for stopping by today!  I appreciate it!

I Like Big Books…

I mentioned on Facebook one day about ten days ago that I was frustrated with reading books on my phone.  A few friends chimed in with some suggestions, and then I suddenly got a message from my good friend, Rick.  He said “I bought myself a new Kindle Paperwhite this year… I’ll gladly give you my old one!”  And so now I’m the proud owner of a Kindle!  I really like it so far, but honestly… I’ve had a little trouble this week even remembering that I have it!  LOL  It’s in my purse, and I keep forgetting about it.  But we’re going to be in the car for a long trip this weekend, so I know I’ll get some reading done.
But anyway, I wanted to be sure to send my thanks to Rick for this great gift, and the To Thine Own Shelf stamp set from Simon Says Stamp is just PERFECT!  I found inspiration for my design from this card by Debby Hughes.  AND it works out perfectly this week to get this card done because the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is to create a card for a guy.  Nailed it!
Happy weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #325

Hey friends, happy Wednesday!  It’s time for another Color Throwdown and this week it’s my turn to play hostess!  I found this awesome fabric to inspire you today, with these cool, retro cats…

Ha!  Aren’t they cool!  I just fell in love the second I saw this fabric.  I pulled four colors from the fabric for you to use today, but don’t be afraid to add a little celery green from the photo, too!  Here’s my card…

Can you look at this and tell that I’m longing for Spring already?  After the brutality of last Winter, I’m just fed up with the snow, cold and ice we’ve had so far this year and am ready to move to the Bahamas!  Who’s with me?  So, I tried to brighten my outlook with this card, using the Spring Blooms stamp set from Wplus9 Design Studio.  The gorgeous reddish-orange cardstock and ink you see here is the new Persimmon from My Favorite Things… it’s my new favorite color!  The birthday sentiment, from the Hello You stamp set, and the die-cut “you” are both from Simon Says Stamp.

Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Bonnie Sharp, Guest Designer
Cassie Trask, Guest Star Stamper

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #324

Hello friends!  Happy New Year!  The Color Throwdown team had a nice holiday break, but now we’re back with new challenges for the new year.  Today, Monika is our hostess with this great wintery scene to inspire you.  Maybe you’ll create a winter scene for your card?  Maybe a Valentine?  I can’t wait to see!

I pulled out a not-yet-inked stamp set from My Favorite Things for my card, Cool Day.  I die-cut the polar bear as well as the ice berg, then stamped and colored each image.  The layout for my card comes from the Retro Sketch #147 for this week.

On the inside I added another polar bear, and a birthday sentiment…

Be sure to stop over at the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and join us this week!  And be sure to visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration… Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Bonnie Sharp, January Guest Designer
Jenny Engelke, Guest Star Stamper Keep warm, and thanks for stopping by today!