CAS Mix Up July 2026 - ECLIPSE

Hello friends.  Playing along with the CAS Mix Up Challenge today where we are being asked to make a card using the ECLIPSE technique! 

Love this technique but haven't used it in quite awhile, so it was FUN to do!  Although I have to admit it wasn't fun in the beginning!  In fact my panel ended up in the trash until I dug it out the next day and decided maybe it wasn't so bad after all!  Haha!!  Take a look at how it ended up...

I started with TCW's Mini Joyful Sunflower stencil and inked it up, spritzed with water and then flipped it over and onto my card panel.  I pressed it with a paper towel and then lifted it off...it was a hot mess and didn't even look like a sunflower!  It was basically just an outline and a messy outline at that!  So I carefully replaced the stencil and ink blended in the openings of the stencil...apparently I didn't line it up close enough so it was off. Grrrrrr!!  Into the trash it went.

I pulled it out of the trash the next morning and thought maybe it wasn't so bad...just a little artsy.  I trimmed it down (started with a 6x6 panel and cut it to a 5 1/4 x 4) and then used an older Catherine Pooler Hello die down toward the bottom.  I die cut the hello 2 more times from white cardstock and then proceeded to fill it all in.  I backed the panel with a piece of PTI's Summer Sunrise cs and then added both to a white card base.  Considering the way this card started out, I'm really kinda pleased with the outcome! 

** Just realized I didn't include any stamping...oops!  Oh well, should have remembered that from before...will try harder next time to not forget!  Sorry!!

Loll and the DT have some FABULOUS inspiration for you using the Eclipse technique, and you can find it all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Friday, July 31st.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #744

Hello friends.  Been on kind of a Christmas (in July) kick lately and when I saw Donna's "Polaroid" sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

And here's what I came up with...

Doesn't she just make you want to smile?!!  I fell in love with this PB set (sing joy) a couple years ago and it has definitely become a staple in my go to Christmas stash!  There are 3 separate images in the set and believe it or not, this is the first time I've used this image!  (The other two images have seen ink many, many times!!)  I colored her up with my Copics and gave her a bit of a vintage look with the colors and the ink blending around the edges.  I used a polaroid frame die (MFT) to frame her out and stamped my sentiment in the lower portion of the frame (sentiment from the sing joy stamp set).

I added foam tape to the back of the frame before insetting my image and added to an embossed panel using SU!'s Subtle ef and a strip of PTI's Ocean Tides polka dotted dsp.  I added a little twine bow to the strip and called it good.

Lots of wonderful inspiration from Donna and the DT for this sketch that you can find right HERE. This challenge is open till Monday, July 13th @ 3:00PM.

I will also be adding this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge as I've never used this 3rd image before and she definitely deserves a little bit of recognition!!

 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Christmas July 2026 - Snowman

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at CAS Christmas so I can keep up with my Christmas cards!  This month they are looking for a SNOWMAN.  Easy peasy as I do happen to have a few...hundred! Haha!!

I pulled out a little TH set called CHILLY & FREEZY and came up with this CAS card...

I started by using SB's Hemstitch Rectangle Dies to make a border frame around my snowman and also cut another plain rectangle from the center and ink blended a little bit of purple in the bottom right corner before embossing the rectangle with SSS's Snowflake Visions ef.  I sprayed it quite liberally with Sheer Shimmer Spritz Sparkle before inlaying it back into the center of my card front.

Next I die cut my snowman from white cs and only colored his eyes, the charcoal buttons, his nose & twig arms with my Copics. I thought about coloring his hat and scarf, but decided to keep him (or is it a her??) really clean looking.  I used foam tape on the back of him (or her) for some dimension.  I may have to play more than once this month as I really do have an abundance of snowmen stamps and dies...hope you don't mind?!  And these snowmen should help cool us down with this hot, HOT Summer we're having!! Ha!!

This challenge is open till the end of the month and if you need some more inspiration to play along, you can check out all the wonderful snowmen Linda and the rest of the DT have made right HERE.   

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues Challenge #136 - CREAM & GOLD

Hello friends.  July 1st already and time for a new challenge here at Color Hues.  Our hostess for the next 2 weeks is Julie and she has chosen CREAM & GOLD for us to work with.

A while back I had purchased Hero Arts Decorative Flora Letterpress + Foil Plate and then it sat there because I didn't know what to do with it!  Luckily inspiration hit when this color challenge hit and I came up with this...

I used cream cs (Gina K) and my SB's Letterpress system with the plate and Delicata Golden Glitz ink and then fussy cut around the image.  Next I used another piece of cream cs and SB's Molded Frame embossing folder and glued the fussy cut piece into the center of the embossed frame.  I attached both to a cream colored card base.

 I added a couple butterflies using SSS's Whirl Butterflies dies and cream and gold cs and a gold foiled sentiment from SB's Everyday Sentiments II set.  I finished with a few clear gems with gold dust from PFS.

Make sure you check out all the beautiful inspiration we have for you using this color combination and then play along with us...we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!!  This challenge is open till Tuesday, July 14th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Just Us Girls Challenge #829 - STENCIL WEEK

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at JUGS where the sweet hostess Lisa is bringing us STENCIL WEEK.

I'm still hooked on The Greetery's Pretty Picado stencils and embossing folder, and although I never really send out 4th of July cards, I really wanted to try the Pretty Picado stencils in red, white & blue.  I think they turned out pretty cool, so let's take a look...

 Here's the red version.   I used 2 shades of red and 2 shades of blue (SU! inks) to stencil with the 4 stencils and then used the embossing folder to add dimension.  Much more noticeable in real life!!

I used the Capsule Basics dies and embossing folder for the red card base, and the "happy" is from the Opposites Attract stamp and die set (all from The Greetery).  The #4 is from the Delightful Digits dies, also from The Greetery. I finished with a bit of WOS on the #4 and a few red gems from PFS.

  Here's the blue version with the colors just switched around.

Done almost exactly the same as the red version except that I used more of the Capsule Basic dies to add a bit more dimension to this one.

And here they both are together.  Do you have a favorite?  I like them both equally and am happy with the way they turned out!!

Lots of BEAUTIFUL stenciled cards from the JUGS DT that you can find right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till Wednesday, July 1st @ 6:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #742

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge where DT member Amy has a sweet and easy sketch for us to follow...

And here's what I came up with...

This card features the stamp and die set from SU! called Spotlight on Nature that I've had for a couple years and never used.  Why??  I honestly don't know.  But I did have fun playing with it and am really happy with how this CAS card turned out.  I started by putting the main flower image in my MISTI and then stamped onto a top folding card base. Next I placed the die cut circle (part of the set) and sentiment strip over top of the stamped image, and then restamped. I hadn't moved the stamp in my MISTI from the 1st stamping, so it stamped right over in the same place and just added the image to the circle and part of the sentiment strip.

 I colored only the smallest bloom and leaves with my Copics and left the other two blooms and leaves black & white.  The sentiment is also from the stamp set and I love that font...so pretty!!  Next I stamped the butterfly from the set on vellum and fussy cut it out and then colored on the back of the vellum with my R83 Copic.  To finish I added a twine bow and a couple PFS pink gems.

Amy and the rest of the DT have some beautiful cards to share using the sketch and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, June 29th @ 3:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #741

Hello friends.  After seeing a couple cards by friends using SB's Sunflower Serenade, it gave me the inspiration to pull mine out and have a play.  Narelle over at Freshly Made Sketches had a perfect sketch to use the sunflower dies with, and here's what I came up with...

I used Magenta Madness (SU!), Orange Zest & Summer Sunrise (both PTI) cardstocks to cut out my sunflowers and placed them on small rectangles that I ink blended on using the matching inks.

My background looked too plain, so I added a panel that I embossed with Altenew's Organic Linen ef and a better press sentiment from SB's A Little Message Sentiments.  A little WOS was added to the flower centers to finish off the card.  

 Lots of wonderful inspiration from Narelle and the talented DT, and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, June 22nd @ 3:00PM.

Also adding my card to the Just Us Girls Challenge where they have a beautiful and colorful mood board full of blooms...loved it!!

The JUGS challenge is open till Wednesday, June 24th @ 6:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!