Peace On Earth Challenge #36

Hello friends.  Still trying to keep up with my Christmas card stash and playing along with the Peace On Earth Challenge to keep me on track!

I was drawn to the bottom left photo with the bear as it reminded me of one of my favorite MFT stamp sets...Polar Bear Pals.  Last Fall at a play date with my sweet friend Michele, I had die cut a few of her Fa - La - La letters from The Stamp Market, but hadn't used them yet, and I think they paired up quite nicely with a PFS stencil (Kaleidoscope) to come up with this card...

I had stenciled a white piece of cs with red and green and then die cut the Fa - La - La letters from it, and then also die cut again using just red cs.  I removed the red letters and ran the negative piece through my big shot with a SU! ef called Cane Weave.  I inlaid the stenciled Fa - La - La letters into the embossed red negative piece and attached to a white card base.

I stamped, colored with my Copics, and die cut the 2 bears and then attached to my card with foam tape for a bit of dimension.  A bit of green & white bakers twine at the top finished off this card.

My twofer was made with all the negative pieces from the first card and then instead of adding more Polar Bears, I added a sweet little "paper" mouse from CCC's Anita Jeram called Best Gift Shrew.  I don't know if a shrew is different than a mouse, but he sure looks like a mouse to me!  And as long as he's paper, he's cute and belongs on a card!!

The DT has lots of wonderful inspiration for you right HERE if you're looking to keep up with your Christmas cards this year!  This challenge is open till Thursday, March 30th @ 8:00PM.

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

Double D Challenge - Easter

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Double D Challenge today and it's all about EASTER!

I have a twofer for you today...one a cute bunny card, but first one that says what Easter is really all about.

I totally owe the inspiration to Dana Kirby for her card (HERE) and reminding me about the wonderful tulip dies from The Greetery (BotaniCuts: Tulips and also the It's a Wrap: Posy Pocket die.)  I feel like I die cut a million tulips for this card, but really just 2 of the medium size ones and 7 of the smallest.  I cut them from Real Red (SU!) cardstock and sponged each piece with Cherry Cobbler (SU!) ink.  I think my fingers are permanently stanined red!!  Haha!!  I used Old Olive ink and cardstock for the leaves.  

My white background was die cut with a PFS Stitched Diamonds coverplate die, and then adhered to a piece of Old Olive cardstock and a white card base.  My dsp for the posy wrap is from PTI's Bitty Big Pattern Pack in Kraft and my sentiment which explains the whole meaning of Easter to me is also from The Greetery (Empty Grave) and was stamped in black, heat embossed in clear, and then die cut with the coordinating die and foam adhesive added to the back for dimension.  There were a LOT of pieces to this card, but I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out!

And now for a little fun and a completely different direction, how about a little Bunny Hop?!  I started with Concord & 9th's Markered Turnabout Stamp for my background (ask me how many color combinations I made while I had it positioned on my MISTI?????  Yes, it is a little addicting!!), and then started adding different elements.  The fence is a die from PTI (Picket Fence Die) and then added two of the bunnies from Tim Holtz's Bunny Hop dies.  I love how they're both climbing the fence!  (Can bunnies climb in real life??)  I added a tiny pompom to the bunnies bottom that is facing away from us...makes me smile!  

  The grass at the bottom was die cut from some sparkly green paper with a Gina Marie Designs die, and the tiny flowers are from an older Spellbinders die set...I also added some sparkly clear Stickles to the centers of the flowers.  My sentiment comes from PTI's Just Sentiments: Spring Blessings and the little butterfly die cut is also from a Gina Marie Designs die set.  I finished with a piece of sparkly turquoise thin ribbon that I think is from SU!.

There is LOTS of absolutely BEAUTIFUL inspiration from the DT over at the Double D and you can see it all and play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till Sunday, April 2nd @ 8PM.

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

Color Hues #59 - BLUE & TURQUOISE

Hello friends.  I'm thrilled to be hosting the new Color Hues Challenge for the next two weeks, and I would like to see BLUE & TURQUOISE on your cards.

Why these colors??  Think warm breezes, sunshine, the tropics...that's what I'm thinking this time of year when Winter is still hanging on here in Michigan!  Seriously though, go wherever the colors take you, and we'll be thrilled to see you in the gallery!  Here's what the colors led me to...

That little crab is me in my pale white skin, but he's hoping a few days poolside will fix that!  I started by stenciling my background using PTI's POOL WATER stencils and Blue Raspberry and Turquoise Sea inks from Gina K.  I stamped my umbrella on white card and then again on Turquoise Sea and Pacific Point cardstocks (Gina K & SU!), and then fussy cut and paper pieced to the white stamped umbrella.  The umbrella and the crab are both from MFT's Just Beclaws stamp and die set.

   The Adirondack chair (Gina Marie Designs) was also die cut from Turquoise Sea card and then attached to my Crimped Circle die cut (The Greetery) along with the pasty white crab, the umbrella, and my sentiment that I think is just perfect for this card!  (Catherine Pooler - Vitamin Sea Stamps)  I finished with a few matching enamel dots and google eyes that have blue centers (leftover from a Paper Pumpkin (SU!) kit).  

We can't wait to see YOU in the gallery using these two colors!!    Make sure you check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from the rest of our DT...you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 28th @ 9:00AM.

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

Peace On Earth Challenge #35

Hello friends.  Trying to keep up with making a Christmas card every week or two, and the Peace On Earth Challenge is helping me stay on track!

I was inspired by the photo on the top left with all the trees and decided this was the perfect time to bring out my Concord & 9th Tiny Trees Turnabout stamp and dies.  I have quite a few of the turnabout stamps, but hadn't used any in quite some time and had to dig out the instructions on how to set up my MISTI with the jig and template, but it all came back rather quickly once I started!  Once I finished the card it sat on my desk for a few days as I wasn't sure I liked it.  I am mostly a CAS stamper, and this card is WAAAAAYYYY busy, but it's grown on me and I kinda like all the small details.  Take a look and let me know what you think...

I stamped the background with the turnabout stamp using Pinkfresh Studio green inks in 4 different shades, and then die cut it using The Greetery's Crimped Rectangle Dies.  I matted it to a piece of green cs (Gina K) and then adhered both panels to a top folding white card base.  Next I added an offset Crimped Circle Die cut (The Greetery) in white to the background and added 5 of the die cut trees that come with the stamp set and added gold embossed ornaments to the top right and bottom left trees.  

 I also embossed in gold my sentiment strip and wish it showed up as gold in my photos instead of black...grrrrrrrrr!  I added some gold thread underneath my sentiment for a bit more shine and that shows up pretty well in my photos, so just imagine that the sentiment matches the shine of the thread!!  It definitely is a busy card, but it really does grow on you and I had fun making it, so I guess that's all that matters!  :0)

There's lots of wonderful inspiration from the DT that you can check out right HERE if you'd like to play along.  This challenge is open till Thursday, March 16th @ 8PM.

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

The Flower Challenge #78

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge today and this month they are looking for Die Cuts and/or Stencils.

In my head it's SPRING, so I pulled out my beloved BotaniCuts: Crocus dies from The Greetery and came up with this card...

I die cut all the pieces from white and then used my sponge daubers and Oxide Inks to color them up.  I know Crocus's don't come in pink, but I just wanted a touch of a 3rd color to add into my little cluster.  

I wanted to make a background for my cluster, but very soft so as not to take away from my pretty crocus's.  I used vellum and stenciled on it using Gina K's Lush Leaves Stencil with some green ink that was left on my blending brush.  I attached the vellum to my card base and then added another layer that I die cut the circle opening from using Penny Black's Stitched Circle Dies.  I did add foam tape behind this layer to add some depth and dimension for my flowers.

My "Spring" sentiment also comes from The Greetery and was die cut 3 times and stacked together for a bit more dimension.  I thought about inking the die cut sentiment, but in the end decided to leave it plain white.  The "BLESSINGS" was heat embossed in white on a strip of black cardstock and adhered below.  I finished with a few silver metallic dots from SU!.

You can check out all the fabulous inspiration HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till the 25th @ 5:00PM.

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

Just Us Girls #669 - Color Week

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Just Us Girls Challenge where it's Color Week and I'm absolutely loving the colors!!

It's such a FUN color combination, so I made a FUN little card using the same Honey Bee Heart Hugs die set that I used earlier this week, and just changed up the critter to a sweet little fox.  Take a look...

I made a plaid background using PFS's Simple Plaid stencil and Honey Mustard & Turquoise Sea inks (Gina K).  I matted it to a piece of black and then adhered to a white card base.  That sweet little fox was die cut using matching cardstock from Gina K and popped up on dimensionals and adhered to a white stitched circle die cut.

My sentiment is also from Honey Bee (Bitty Buzzwords stamp and coordinating dies).  A pretty simple card that I thought turned out rather cute using the challenge colors!

You can check out all the inspiration from the DT and their Special GD (my sweet friend Michele) right HERE.  This challenge is open till March 9 @ 9:00PM.

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

Double D Everything Is Coming Up Green Challenge

Hello friends.  Lots of GREEN out there in blogland lately and I'm playing along with the Double D Challenge where Everything Is Coming Up GREEN! 

Our youngest and middle daughters both have birthdays in March, and both love the color green, so I have another birthday card to share today using a couple new Honey Bee items.  The stencil set that I used for my background is really a Valentines stencil (Hearts In Bloom), but I stenciled it all in shades of green and I think it worked out beautifully for a March birthday.  Take a look...

Besides the new stencil set, I used a new die set from Honey Bee called Heart Hugs and I just couldn't resist adding this little hedgie to my card!!  He's holding a heart that I edged in Versamark and heat set with gold embossing powder.  I also added a little green sprig from Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms.

My sentiment comes from Gina K's Birthday Trio Die set and I used vellum for the background layer, and then ink blended the "HAPPY" with green ink and added the "Birthday" in black to add a POP against all the green.  A few glitter gems (PFS) finished off this card.

Lots of GREEN inspiration going on over at the Double D challenge, and you can find it right HERE to check it out and play along.  This challenge is open till March 12th @ 8:00PM.
 

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