Color Throwdown #442

I am super excited to be sharing this card with you today, created for Color Throwdown #442.  This particular challenge is a special surprise for my BFF, Barbara Anders!  Barbara and I have known each other for many years, and way, way back when the CTD was in it’s infancy, she joined the team.  And when I decided to step down from the team at the end of 2015, I did so with complete confidence that I was leaving the team in her very capable hands.  She does it all… creates those fabulous color swatch graphics every week, maintains the social media accounts for the team, and just keeps things running smoothly.  So, today’s challenge with these beautiful subtle colors that were picked by her is an extra-special “Thank you, Barbara!” challenge in her honor!  I love you, my friend!

For my card, I created a special get well card that I will need later this week…

I used some Blue Breeze card stock in the background that was die-cut with Blueprints 22, and in front of that I added a sentiment that was die-cut from good ol’ Barely Banana card stock with the Sending Hugs Die-Namics, all from My Favorite Things.  On the left side, I added some leaves that were die-cut with the Leafy Confetti Cuts from Reverse Confetti.  And on the Steel Grey card stock strip I stamped “get well wishes” from a really old Impression Obsession stamp set.  I added a fine Chevron background on the Cement Gray card stock in the background, and embellished with some black enamel dots.

Please be sure to stop over at the CTD blog for all the details of today’s challenge, and be inspired by the rockin’ design team!  I miss all those gals so much, and am just thrilled to be joining them again today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Grateful

Despite having a little head cold, I got in some stamping time today… it’s such good therapy when you’re not feeling good!  I turned to the Color Throwdown and My Favorite Things for inspiration…

I used the colors from Color Throwdown #441 this week… pale pink, light purple and aqua blue for my card, and used the current sketch #331 from My Favorite Things for the layout.  The Bold Blooms from MFT is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and it was perfect to use for this card, along with the Grateful for You stamp set and matching Die-Namics die.  (Hmmm… is that die retired?  I cannot find it on the MFT website.)  The chevron patterned paper I used is from the Fresh Squeezed Chevron 6x6 paper pack.  I embellished with a few sequins to complete my design.

I hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Praying for You

Hi friends!  I had THE BEST WEEKEND, how about you?  I spent almost all day Friday, all day Saturday and almost all day Sunday with a bunch of the greatest girls, and we stamped and talked and ate and laughed all weekend long!  I got a lot of cards made, and just wanted to share two of them with you now.

This first one, I made a total of eight of these using the colors from the current Color Throwdown #440…

For this card I used Pure Plum, Sour Apple and Daffodil card stocks, the Peaceful Greetings Die-Namics, Stitched Flowers Die-Namics, the Essential Sentiments stamps, and the Distressed Patterns stamps (stamped in Grout Gray hybrid ink), all from My Favorite Things.

This second card I made for my Uncle Gene, who fell the other day getting off his riding mower and had to have surgery on Thursday to repair two broken vertebrae… definitely an OUCH!

For this card, I used the current sketch #330 from My Favorite Things, and used the Sweet Succulents stamps and matching Die-Namics.  I colored with Copics, then added a watercolor wash background.  Behind the cacti I added a brand new Stitched Dome Frames Die-Namics, and a strip of vellum, along with the sentiment stamped on a flag die-cut from Blueprints 13.

I’ll have a few more of the cards I made this weekend to share with you in the next few days!  Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of You

I recently made my very first purchase of stamps from Concord & 9th, after seeing some cards made with the gorgeous Hello Lovely stamp set.  I’m not entirely sure that I like my watercoloring here, but overall I think the card turned out OK.  My plan is to send this card to one of my aunts, who’s been having some health problems and has been in a nursing home for a few months.

I hope my Aunt Rose will like this!  I stamped the flowers in Versafine Onyx Black ink, embossed with clear embossing powder, and used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to color this.  The sentiment was created by stamping part of a phrase from this Thanks stamp set from Simon Says Stamp, and the You Craft Die, also from Simon Says.

I’m linking my card to the current Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge:  Splash it On, and the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:  Showers or Flowers.

I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Hello…

Hello, friends!  Even though Spring has sprung here in Northeast Ohio, it was chilly today… too chilly for me, so I stayed indoors and had some fun with stamps, ink and Copic markers!  I was totally inspired by my former Color Throwdown teammate Monika Davis to create this card, based on her GORGEOUS card here…

Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I DON’T do purple!  But I decided to tackle the current challenge at the Color Throwdown, so purple it is!  The stamps I used here are from Altenew… the flowers and matching dies are Beautiful Day, and the sentiment is from Label Love.  I colored all the flowers with Copic markers.  The BG Small Brick background from My Favorite Things was stamped in the background on watercolor cardstock, then I applied a wash of watercolor using Dusty Concord distress ink.  I embellished with some purple sequins.

Here’s the swatch from the CTD blog…

I’ll be gone all next weekend with a bunch of my very best stampy friends at a retreat, so I think that’s what has sparked my recent spurt of creativity!  I. CAN’T. WAIT! until next weekend!!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Look for Rainbows

Hey, look at me!  The second time IN A WEEK that I’ve made a card!  I’m so happy!  The current sketch challenge at My Favorite Things got my creative juices flowing.  Here’s the sketch, which was a little intimidating to me… until I turned it sideways!

By turning the sketch sideways, I was able to come up with this card…

I used the End of the Rainbow Die-Namics, along with the Rainbow of Happiness stamp set and the Color the Rainbow Die-Namics to create my card.  I also used the Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics, and my Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics.  Card stock colors include Razzle Berry, Coral Crush, Lemon Chiffon, Sour Apple, Blu Raspberry, Grape Jelly, Jellybean Green, Blue Breeze, Grout Gray, Steel Grey, and Sweet Tooth.  I finsihed with a few black enamel dots for embellishment (and to hide a spot of glue that ended up in the wrong place!)

Squeee!  I’m so happy to have stamped again this week!  Hope you’re having a wonderful week, too!  Thanks for stopping by!

Color Throwdown #438

Hello friends!  Has anyone missed me?  I don’t find much time for stamping and blogging lately, but this Easter Sunday has been blessedly quiet.  After church and a nice family dinner (oh, and a nap!) I’ve had some great time for stamping.  So here’s a card I made, using the current Color Throwdown  #438.  Sadly, I need a sympathy card this week…

For this card, I used the prety Bold Blooms stamp set and matching Die-Namics from My Favorite Things, stamping in Coral Crush, Peach Bellini, Lemon Chiffon, Limelight and Sour Apple hybrid inks.  The sentiment, from the Deepest Sympathy stamp set, was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink on a new Die-Namics Sentiment Label Strip.  Behind the flowers and strip, I stamped the BG Diagonal Stripes background in Versamark ink and embossed with white embossing powder, then die cut it with the Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics.  I mounted this to a panel of Grout Gray card stock, then mounted to a white card base.  I could add some sequins or enamel dots for further embellishment, but think it just needs to stay simple.

Below I’m including photos of some more cards I have made recently, but haven’t had time to blog.  If you would like information about any of these cards… stamps used, colors, etc. just shoot me an email!

Thanks for stopping by today!

The birthday card I made for my Mom last month.

For my daughters graduation from Vet Tech school in March.

For my daughter’s boyfriend, who graduated on the same day from Culinary School.

For my hubby, for our 27th anniversary last week.

Actually made this one back in November when I was a retreat and realized I had never blogged it!

Beyond Grateful Blooms

I needed a special thank you card for someone this week, and the new Sketched Blooms 2 stamp set from My Favorite Things was begging me to use it.  I saw this beautiful creation from Debbie Olsen, and was so inspired… that wispy branch with matching dot-style flowers was the biggest reason why I liked this stamp set from the get-go.  So I got to work on this card over the weekend…

Using my Copics to airbrush a colored background like this is going to officially be my new favorite thing to do!  It was so quick and easy to lay down these beautiful shades of blue and green… my little air compressor is so glad to be getting used again!  Many thanks to Debbie for the beautiful inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by today!

CrAzY for Words - C4C374

Hello there!  I’m back today hosting the last challenge for February on the Crazy 4 Challenges team!  I’m challenging everyone today to Use Your Words… make the sentiment the focal point of your card.  This is something I LOVE to do, and don’t do often enough anymore.  Years ago I used to design work for Verses Rubber Stamps, and always enjoyed pairing embellishments and other items with the wonderful sentiments they carried at Verses.  Check out my Verses cards HERE for some ideas.

Another thing I love to do is use a big die-cut word for my sentiment, just like this…

I’ve used the new Twice the Hugs Die-Namics from My Favorite Things for my large focal sentiment die-cut from Blu Raspberry card stock, and added the word “Sending” from the matching Lots of Hugs stamp set.  I sponged a little bit of Summer Splash dye ink on the base of my card front panel, then stamped this tulip from the new Sketched Blooms 2 stamp set, using Sour Apple, Razzle Berry, Pink Lemonade and Cotton Candy hybrid inks.  I embellished with a few clear sequins.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Lisa Henke, February Guest Designer
Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by today!

CrAzY for Sketches - C4C373

Hello friends!  It’s the third Saturday of the month which can only mean one thing… it’s time for a Crazy 4 Challenges sketch!  Here we go…

And here’s my card…

I got inspiration for my card from the current Color Challenge #63 at My Favorite Things, and used the Beautiful Blooms stamp set and matching Die-Namics for my design.  I stamped my blooms and leaves with Spearmint, Green-Eyed Monster, Coral Crush and Chocolate Brown hybrid inks.  I die-cut “hugs” from two layers of Coral Crush card stock using the Sending Hugs Die-Namics, and gave it a layer of Glossy Accents.  Then I added “sending” from the Essential Sentiments stamp set.  I also used Blueprints 12 for the Spearmint banner behind the sentiments, the Stitched Mini Scallop Circle STAX die-cut from Peach Bellini card stock behind the flowers, and the Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics to die-cut the gingham paper that was from the Tiny Check 6x6 paper pack.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Lisa Henke, February Guest Designer
Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by today!

CrAzY for Red - C4C372

Hey there!  Guess who forgot to do her blog post today?  Yep, that’s me! 

I’m the hostess-with-the-mostest for February at Crazy 4 Challenges, and this week I’ve got an interesting twist for you!  With Valentine’s Day approaching, many people have a date night that involves dining out, amiright?  So for today’s challenge, I want you to include a food/dining/dish theme on your card, AND include the color red!  Maybe some romantic chocolate with red hearts?  Or some red wine!  Or chocolate AND wine (that’s MY favorite, but a big no-no in my current eating plan!)

For me, I HAD to turn to my beloved Pyrex-like stamps from My Favorite Things…

Inspired by the current sketch #319 at MFT, I pulled out my Kitschy Kitchen stamp set, and got to work!  I die-cut the bowls from the matching Die-Namics, and stamped them using my MISTI with Razzle Berry and Wild Cherry hybrid inks, and added the whisk stamped in Steel Grey hybrid ink.  For the circle element, I used the Stitched Mini Scallop Circle STAX Die-Namics and added an insert to the circle with pink polka dot paper.  I added the sentiment on a strip of Wild Cherry card stock, and a piece of pink patterned paper in the background die-cut with the Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics.  Then on the background piece, die-cut with a large stitched rectangle from Blueprints 13, I stamped the BG Distressed Stripes background with Versamark ink and heat set it with white embossing powder.  A few black enamel dots for embellishment, and I was done.  This will be a perfect Valentine’s Day card for my hubby, who gets into the Pyrex collecting as much as I do!

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Lisa Henke, February Guest Designer
Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by today!

CrAzY about Animals - C4C371

Hello friends!  It’s time for a new challenge with the Crazy 4 Challenges team, and also a new month.  And I am the challenge hostess for February, so I want to see you all joining in, because I have some fun challenges lined up!

AND I’ve got a FABULOUS Guest Designer joining us this month, too!  None other than the highly talented and super-sweet, Lisa Henke!  I know you’re going to love her darling creations all month long!

The challenge for this week is centered around my daughter, Kelsey.  Today is Kelsey’s 20th birthday!  How did my BABY get to be 20 already???  None only is it her birthday, but she’s 19 days away from graduating from Bradford Vet Tech in Columbus, Ohio… she loves her animals!  In fact, I often joke (but am honestly quite serious!) that the only grandchildren I will get from her someday will be the four-legged kind!  So, to honor Kelsey’s birthday today I’m challenging everyone to make a card with animals on it!

So, here’s Kelsey’s birthday card for today…

Kelsey is also a purple-fanatic so this background paper from My Favorite Things was perfect for her card, along with this sweet Lili of the Valley dog/cat/bunny image. (I think it’s retired… can’t find it on their site.)  I colored with Copics, then put these cuties in a die-cut Polaroid frame, and added the birthday sentiment.  I’m hoping Kelsey will love it!

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Lisa Henke, February Guest Designer
Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sending You X’s and O’s

Hello everyone!  It’s February 1st, so you know what that means… time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  Here’s our inspiration photo for this round…

I was immediately drawn to the X’s and O’s in the photo, and thought it’d be fun to create the whole card background with the letters.  So I turned to some retired Die-Namics from My Favorite Things to create my card…

Yes… if you’re wondering, that DID take me some time, to glue all those letters down!  LOL  But I’m happy with the final result.  I added a Stitched Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics banner across the center, with a sentiment stamped from the Essential Sentiments stamp set from MFT, and behind that I added a die-cut vellum heart.  My colors were inspired by the new Color Throwdown challenge, which I spotted as a sneak peek on Facebook last night!

Please be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be in the running to be chosen as the “Lead” and be our guest designer for the next challenge!  And be sure to visit the Crew for plenty of inspiration…

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Thanks for stopping by!

Let’s Go Nuts!

 

It’s time for another challenge with the Crazy 4 Challenges team, and this week we’re kindly of weirdly celebrating Squirrel Appreciation Day.  LOL  I say weirdly because I don’t quite understand the need to appreciate squirrels!  I admit, they’re kind of fun to watch sometimes, but they’re an ornery rodent, too!  Amiright?  Next thing, will we be having Sewer Rat Appreciation Day? 

I pulled out the cute Forest Friends stamp set from My Favorite Things to create my card, and thought it’d be fun to give it a Valentine’s theme.  I used some miscellaneous designer papers, and sketch #206 for this week from the CAS(E) this Sketch team.

And while we’re on the subject of Crazy 4 Challenges, I totally missed getting my card posted for last week!  We had a great sketch to use…

And here’s the card I made…

Those that know me know that I’m a huge Pyrex fan!  So the Kitschy Kitchen stamp set and matching Die-Namics were a no-brainer for me… I HAD to have them!  And the matching You Bake Me Happy stamp set and matching Die-Namics are on that HAVE to have list, too!  It’s all just too cute, and matches my pretty Pyrex collection so perfectly! 

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Have a Cool Day

Hey everyone, it’s time for another Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  Our inspiration this time around is this photo of these really “cool” icicles…

For lack of any icicle stamps or dies, I went with something else that’s “cool”…

I did a watercolor wash background with some Salty Ocean Distress Ink, and splattered it with some water, Tinsel and Perfect Pearl sprays.  After the background dried, I die-cut the panel with Blueprints 13.  I stamped the sentiment from the Birdie Brown Cool Day stamp set, and embossed wtih clear embossing powder.  Then I die-cut a (retired) Pierced Snowflake from vellum, adhered it to the card front and embellished with some sequins.

Be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be chosen as the “Lead” for our next challenge and join us as Guest Designer!

Thanks for stopping by today!

CrAzY for Home - C4C368

Hello friends!  Wow, I haven’t stamped since way before Christmas… almost thought I might have forgotten how!  But I didn’t, and I have a card to share with you today for the Crazy 4 Challenges team.  Today, January 14, 2017 is Organize Your Home Day, so in recognition we’re creating cards with a homey theme.  And here is mine…

I wanted to send a Christmas card to my Aunt, and never got around to it so I think this will be a good card to send to her!  In addition to the C4C challenge today, I also created my card using the current Sketch #315 at My Favorite Things, and the current Color Challenge #61. 

I used the darling LJD Make Yourself at Home stamp set and matching Die-Namics, and colored each image with Copic markers.  Using Coral Crush card stock, I die-cut the banner behind the images with the Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics.  Using Versamark ink, I stamped the white background card stock with the Modern Mosaic background stamp and embossed with white embossing powder.  And finally, I added a Berrylicious striped strip of paper on the left side from the Fun & Frolic Paper Pack.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by!

Curtain Call–Fa La La

Hey there!  It’s December 15th, which means two things, actually!  One… I’m crazy busy with it being only 10 days until Christmas!  Can I get an amen?  And two… it’s time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  So, if you find yourself with some spare time in the coming days, please join us!

Here’s my project…

And our inspiriation photo for this challenge…

And I’m running SO short on time right now, that I’ll have to come back later and post details about my project, that was made with awesomely fun products from Reverse Confetti!

Until later… thanks for stopping by!

Grateful

I got a big package of goodies from My Favorite Things on Friday… lots of fun new things I was able to pick up from their great Black Friday sale!  So I got to work using several of those new items and created this card using the current Color Throwdown #421 colors, and the current Sketch #309 on the MFT Challenge & Inspiration blog…

This Grateful for You stamp set and dies has been on my wish list for awhile, so I picked it up during the sale.  I think I’m going to add one of the sentiments to the inside of the card, since I didn’t have room on the front.  I die-cut “grateful” twice from Lavender Fields card stock, and mounted it to a Sour Apple card stock piece that was die-cut from Blueprints 24.  The plaid paper behind the sentiment is from the Plaid Patterns Paper Pack (another new item!) and was die-cut with the Horizontal Stitched Strips Die-Namics.  The circle frame was cut from Blu Raspberry card stock using the Stitched Circle STAX Die-Namics, and I used the Traditional Tags STAX Die-Namics to cut the tag in the background using paper from the Dots & Stripes Neutral Paper Pack.  Finally, I layered everything on a background that was stamped with the BG Modern Mosaic background (another new purchase!) in Versamark ink, embossed with white detail embossing powder, and die-cut with Blueprints 13.  A few enamel dots completed my design.

I hope you’re having a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Polar Birthday

It’s a new month, and that means we have a new hostess for the Crazy 4 Challenges team, and that’s our fearless leader, Frances Byrne!  And today Frances wants us to be inspired by the STAR… we put a star on our Christmas trees, and a star led the wiseman to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem… everywhere you look at Christmastime, you see stars.  So, using the letters S-T-A-R, incorporate them into your design! 

Now… you’ll have to forgive me but my brain is on overload this week with a lot going on at work.  So I took it pretty easy on myself and used…

S – silver
T – teal
A – apple green
R – red

And here’s my card…

 

On a piece of watercolor card stock, I used my Peerless watercolors to create a light teal wash.  After the ink dried, I spattered with more teal ink, and some Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Tinsel.  I added a Sweet Tooth card stock frame over my background that was die-cut with the Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics from My Favorite Things.  Then I pulled out my Birdie Brown Cool Day stamp set from MFT, and die-cut and stamped the polar bear, sign and iceberg, then colored with Copics.  I embellished with some Sparkling Clear Mix sequins, added my sentiments, and Silver Sparkle card stock strip, and called this card finished.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by!

Curtain Call–Sweet

It’s time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge, and this time around we’re getting you in the holiday spirit with this cute inspiration photo…

A wonderful mug of hot chocolate, complete with a marshmallow gingerbread man!  How yummy is that?  For my card, I went with the fun Hot Cocoa Cups Die-Namics from My Favorite Things, along with the matching Hug in a Mug stamp set.  (Thanks for the loan, Kirsty!)  I die-cut the mug from Kraft card stock and embellished with a red heart, then added a nice pile of whipped cream to the top, with a dusting of cocoa powder.  I added the mug, a strip of red gingham paper from the Tiny Check Paper Pack, and a Jellybean Green card stock sentiment flag over a watercolor wash of green.  A few enamel dots completed my card.

Please be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be in the running to be chosen as the “Lead” and be our guest designer for the next challenge!  And be sure to visit the Crew for plenty of inspiration…

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Thanks for stopping by!