PBSC October Anything Goes...Optional...'Cute or Spooky'

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge (PBSC) again as I had another image that I had stamped when Michele came over to play last month.  I finally got around to coloring it up and turned into a card, and I think it definitely qualifies as 'Cute'!  Just a warning though...it's not Halloween as I already have those made for this year and am still trying to finish up my Christmas card stash!  Anyway, take a look...

The image is from the Merry Days stamp set, and I colored up those sweet bears and their sled full of gifts AND a Christmas tree too, with my Copics.  Michele had the die too, so all I really had to do was color the image.  Easy peasy!!  I used foam tape on the back and applied it to a background that I used SB's Hexi Snowflake ef on in Smokey Slate cs.  

A little close up for you...aren't those bears just the sweetest?!!  To finish I added a few sequins and a piece of white crochet thread at the top that also holds my star tag and sentiment (PTI's Tiny Tags).

Lots of inspiration from the DT and those already in the gallery that you can find right HERE if you'd like to play along.  This challenge is open till Friday, Nov. 1st @ 8:00PM.

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

Color Hues Challenge #97 - OLIVE & MUSTARD

Hello friends!  Hard to believe it's the middle of October already, isn't it?!  Our sweet hostess Jules has picked out a fabulous color duo here at the Color Hues Challenge, and she would like to see OLIVE & MUSTARD on our cards.

I just love this color combination that totally says FALL to me, and came up with a card using an older stamp set from The Greetery called Bittersweet Bouquet.  Take a look...

I stamped my Bittersweet Bouquet using Old Olive & Crushed Curry inks (SU!) and double stamped on some of the leaves to get the darker mustard tone.  (I did cheat a little bit and stamped my berries with some Canyon Clay ink from PTI.) I used the coordinating die to cut the bouquet out and also die cut a 2nd bouquet to glue to the stamped one for some added dimension.

For my background I embossed a white panel with SU!'s Dashing Designs ef and attached it to a card base of Old Olive cs.  I added a strip of Old Olive cs across the top half of my card so the bouquet didn't totally get lost against the white embossed background, and also placed some foam tape behind the bouquet to give a bit more dimension.  The Autumn sentiment is part of the Bittersweet Bouquet set and was stamped and die cut and added to the bottom of the card.  I finished by adding a few Iridescent Faceted Gems from SU!.

The DT has outdone themselves with this color combination, and you can find all their inspiration right HERE.  We hope you'll join us and play along with this beautiful color combination!  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Oct. 29th @ 9:00AM. 

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

The Flower Challenge #96 Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still plenty of time to play along in our monthly challenge here at The Flower Challenge where we'd like you to use a STENCIL on your flower card.

I've used another stencil from The Ton called Gentle Peonies for my reminder card today.  Take a look...

This stencil set is a 6 piece one and makes a 6 x 6 piece, and it about killed me to cut it up once I'd finished stenciling it, but I really like the way it turned out, so my heart rate did go back to normal afterwards!  I used 3 shades of yellow inks (Gina K & PFS) and did not stencil the leaves in as I didn't want any green on this card.  I used PFS's Slim Ornate Banner dies to cut my stenciled piece out and also a piece of Crushed Curry cs (SU!).

My background piece uses the new Pierced Plaid Coverplate Die from The Greetery, and I can tell this is going to be a favorite already!!  My sentiment is from a Gina K set called Beautiful Basket Additions and I also used her ML #7 to die cut the 2 circle layers that I stamped the sentiment on.  A few gold butterflies from SU! finished off this card.

We'd love to see what YOU come up using a STENCIL on your FLOWER card, so check out all the wonderful inspiration we have for you HERE and then play along with us.  This challenge is open till Friday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00PM.  

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

Peace On Earth #73

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge where they have the loveliest mood board featuring PEACH hues, so I just had to give it a go since I love working with non-traditional colors at Christmas!

Isn't that such a pretty mood board?!  I had just received the Regal Wreath Registration Press Plates from Altenew, and figured it would look great with PEACH for the flowers in the wreath.  Here's what I came up with...

This was one of those cards I thought I would have done in 10 minutes or less...nope!!  You press the wreath outline first and that went very smoothly.  They give you a piece of acetate with the wreath outline in black that you lay the actual press plate on top of for correct placement to line everything up...easy.  Next you add the press plate to fill in the holly leaves with a lighter green ink and the piece of acetate has the outline of the holly leaves in blue for you to place the press plate in the exact space needed.  Thought I had it lined up perfectly...nope.  Back to step one...2 more times.  Also, you have to be very careful with this plate that you don't get ink anywhere you're not supposed to...easier said than done!  The flowers were not a problem to line up.  

 The sentiment was easy to line up, but like the leaves, you had to be very light handed when adding the ink or it didn't ink up clean and crisp...grrrrrrrrr!  Back to the beginning...it's been well over an hour now!  Anyway, the last time was the charm.  Not perfect by any means, but I was happy with it!  And I love that you can actually see the impression of the flowers in the above photo...most better press impressions don't show up that well in photographs!  I finished the card simply with some matting and a few PFS gems so that the wreath would be the star of the show.

The DT has some beautiful cards to inspire you with this beautiful color, although it's an anything goes as long as it's Christmas challenge, so check it all out right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Oct. 17th @ 8:00PM.

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

The Flower Challenge #96 - Add A Stencil

Hello friends.  Happy October and welcome to another Flower Challenge where we would like you to add a STENCIL to your flower card this month.

Some of my most favorite stencils are from The Ton and I had fun using the Darling Dahlia stencil and autumnal colors to come up with this birthday card...

 I used Gina K inks in yellows and oranges on this 3 piece stencil set to create this Dahlia, and even though I know Dahlia's are more of a Summer flower than Fall, they do come in gorgeous shades of yellows and oranges that to me say Autumn!  I used an old retired background stamp from SU! called En Francais and Crumb Cake ink to stamp over my Dahlia, and then trimmed off a small portion on an angle at the bottom before adhering to a top folding white card base.  I added a very thin strip of Crumb Cake cs along the diagonal cut, and then stamped " HAPPY BIRTHDAY" twice along the thin strip using The Greetery's Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamp set.  I finished with a Sparkling Champagne Pearl from PFS between the stamped sentiment.  Very simple card, but I love the way it turned out!

Stencils have become very popular the past couple years, so dig one of yours out and play along with us this month!  We have lots of inspiration from the DT that you can find right HERE to get you started.  This challenge is open till Friday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00PM.

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

Color Hues #96 - Purple & Orange

Hello friends.  Welcome October and to a new challenge here at Color Hues, where our sweet hostess Julie has chosen the colors PURPLE & ORANGE for us to work with for the next two weeks.

Definitely says HALLOWEEN to me, but you do you and use hues of these two colors to create whatever you'd like!  I pulled out a stamp and die set that I've had so much fun with this past year from Waffle Flower Crafts and came up with this card...

Have you all gotten on the Postage Collage die bandwagon yet?  Waffle Flower has so many stamp sets and stencils to go along with the postage die for every holiday and season, and they are all so much FUN!  For my card today I only used the Postage Collage Coloring Stencil for the background PURPLE & ORANGE colors, and then for the "air-mail" stripes around the edges of the card base.  

I filled in each square with images from the Happy Halloween and Boo stamp sets (both also Waffle Flower) with black ink, and then adhered the stamped panel to a piece of Pumpkin Pie cs (SU!) and my card base that I had stenciled the "air-mail" stripes on.  Hardest part of this card was deciding which images to use in each square!

The DT and our Special GD's (welcome Trina and Stephanie!!) have lots of fabulous inspiration to get you started, so check it all out right HERE, and then play along with us.  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 14th @ 9:00AM.

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

Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Hello friends.  Last week when Michele was here, she brought several of her new Penny Black stamps to share, and I had a great time this week coloring up a couple of them and making them into Christmas cards.

My first card uses the Love & Magic stamp set with the sweet little bear carrying his bouquet of holly and berries.

Isn't he a cutie?!  I did some simple Copic coloring and then fussy cut him out before adding him to a panel that I blended some tea dye ink on (with foam tape on the back).  I also used the Crystal Frames die with a piece of Real Red cs behind.

I used a top folding white card base and then finished with a sentiment from PTI's Christmas Blessings stamp set.  

My 2nd card uses the ADORABLE Sing Joy stamp set from Penny Black and I am absolutely in LOVE with this sweet little caroler!  I colored her with my Copics again, and then added her to a die cut Posted Cut Out.

My background for this 2nd card uses SSS's Hand Lettered Holiday Background stamp on Real Red cs with white pigment ink.  I added a piece a shimmery ribbon around the background piece and then added to a white card base.  I left off a sentiment since there were enough words in the background and I didn't want the card to be too busy!

A BIG thanks to sweet Michele for sharing her stash with me...I had so much fun coloring both of these sweet images and turning them into cards!  I'm adding both of these cards to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where it's a "Anything Goes" with the option of "Anything but Square".  I used rectangles on both cards, so I think it's safe to say I didn't add a square!!  This challenge is open till Friday, Oct. 4th @ 8:00PM.

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

                                               

Double D - Fall Leaves

Hello friends.  Have the leaves started turning color in your neck of the woods yet?  Not much change here in West Michigan yet, but hopefully the next couple weeks will bring some added color to my neck of the woods!  I do know how to add color in my craft room though, and when Michele came over to play last week, I broke out the Lindy's Magicals for her to try and we both have a card to share with you today and are playing along with the Double D Challenge who are looking for colorful Fall Leaves!

This is one of those cards that does not photograph well to show all the shimmer and shine of the mica flakes that are in the Lindy's Magicals, but just trust me that in real life, this card really does SHINE!!

I started by adding Lindy's Magicals from the Autumn Leaves Collection on water color cs and while that was drying, used SSS's Fall Foliage EF on a piece of Vintage Cream cs (PTI) and then lightly blended brown ink from my brown brush all around the edges.  

  I die cut a pumpkin from The Greetery's Plump Pumpkins Dies and inked around the edges with DOX ink and sponge daubers to add a bit more definition.  My branch and leaves were die cut using The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Mighty Oaks dies from Soft Suede cs for the branch and the dried water colored cs for the leaves and acorn tops.  

My sentiment comes from a very old Clearly Besotted stamp set called Autumn Flowers and was added with foam tape on an angle at the bottom of the pumpkin.  A few PFS Sparkling Champagne Pearls finished off my card.  I really wish you could all see this card in person as the colors really do shimmer and shine, just like a sunny Fall day here in West Michigan!

The DT has some absolutely beautiful cards to share with you that you can check out right HERE, and don't forget to check out Michele's blog too to see what she did using the Lindy's Magicals!  This Fall Leaves challenge is open till Sunday, Sept. 29th @ 8:00PM.  

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

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #72

Hello friends.  Have another Christmas card to share with you today and playing along with the gals over at the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge where they have a FABULOUS mood board for inspiration using rainbow colors!

Wouldn't it be fun to decorate your house for the holidays in rainbow colors?!  I'm pretty traditional with all my Christmas decorations, but I wouldn't mind trying a rainbow palette sometime.  We'll see...  Maybe I should just start with a card?!!  I used PFS's Holiday Street Press Plate and coordinating stencils to come up with this colorful card...

I used the Press Plate and foiled the image in gold and then proceeded to stencil in all the colors.  There are 7 stencils in this set, so it's easy to add all the different colors.  

After stenciling, I used some white acrylic paint to add some splatter to look like snow, and then finished with a gold embossed sentiment on vellum from PFS's Holiday Sentiments stamp & die set.

The DT has lots of colorful cards to inspire you and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Oct. 3rd @ 8:00PM.

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

Color Hues #95 - BLUE & PINK

Hello friends.  Time for a new color pairing here at the Color Hues Challenge, and our sweet hostess Cindy would like to see BLUE & PINK on our cards,

One of my sweet stamping friends Lisa had gifted me some foil plates and dies that she wasn't using anymore, and I had fun using this current color pairing with a background foil plate and butterfly die.  Take a look...

I used Silver Speckled Prism foil (Spellbinders) with the foil plate for my background, and then used the coordinating stencils that Lisa had also sent to color in this Deco Diamond (Poppystamps) design with blue ink.  There were 3 stencils, so it was easy to get the 3 shades of blue into all those tiny spaces!

 Lisa had also sent Poppystamps Large Stained Glass Butterfly dies and I cut the top layer from some glittery silver cs and then the solid piece behind from a pink blended piece of cs that I also splattered with some water and pink ink.  I also brushed a bit of blue around the edges of the solid pink piece of the butterfly for a bit of contrast.  I added 3 clear gems (Trinity Stamps) to the center of the butterfly and popped up on foam tape my pre printed Thank You sentiment from Gina K. A very simple card, but I really like the way it turned out.  It's a lot more sparkly in real life!! :0)

We have some really awesome inspiration for you from our DT and Special GD Ishani that you can find HERE, so check it out and then play along with us!  As always, we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!!  This challenge is open till Sunday, Sept. 29th @ 9:00AM. 

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

The Flower Challenge #95 - Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge
where we're looking for STAMPED flower images this month.

I used another older Altenew stamp set (Handpicked Bouquet) that hadn't seen any ink in quite some time, and came up with 2 cards to share with you.

I stamped the outline in black onyx ink and then stamped the layers in Sweet 16, Pixie Dust, Royal Treatment, Lime Rickey, & Grass Skirt inks (CP) and then die cut with the coordinating die.

The background was stamped with SSS's Friendship Text Background and then foiled using Prism foil and SB's Geometric Optical Background foil plate.  The Prism foil has a really sparkly look that unfortunately I was unable to capture, but gives a very glitzy look to this card!  I finished with a sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings and a very thin strip of black cardstock to the left edge of the stamped and foiled panel.

My 2nd card uses the same Handpicked Bouquet stamp set and It's A Girl, Party Dress, Lime Rickey, & Grass Skirt inks from CP.  

After die cutting the floral image, I added it to a background panel that I'd embossed with SSS's Feathered Spiral EF with foam tape.  A few silver gems and a strip sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings finished off this card.

We hope you'll join us (if you haven't all ready!) and add your STAMPED floral image to our gallery...we'd love to see you there!  If you need more inspiration, make sure you check out all the lovely, lovely cards from our DT right HERE.  This challenge is open till Wednesday, Sept. 25th @ 5:00PM.

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

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #71

Hello friends.  Still trying to get back into the Christmas swing of things here so that I'm prepared come December and have a fun card to share with you today from inspiration from the Peace On Earth Challenge mood board.

The photo on the bottom right is what really inspired my card...the nutcracker!  I had bought Tim Holtz's Harvey set of dies almost a year and a half ago, and like most Tim Holtz die sets, when I opened the package and saw how many pieces there were, I closed it back up and put it away and then forgot about it!  It ended up really not being that bad (I've done worse ones, like the Santa one Michele and I worked on back in July!!), and I came up with a fun card to share with you!

He really is a cutie, isn't he?!  And I love his name...very fitting!!  I used scraps of colored cardstock to cut out all the pieces and then on some of the pieces (mostly the red, and the white feathers on his hat) did a bit of ink blending.  

For my background I used a piece of DSP from SU!'s Peaceful Prints...I love the plaid and snowflake combo!!  Behind Harvey I die cut the letters for the word JOY from The Stamp Market's Festive Foliage Dies.  I cut the letters from Real Red cardstock and again from white to make a shadow so they'd stand out more from the DSP.  I put foam tape behind the J & Y to add some dimension, and left the O and Harvey flat.  Pretty easy card once I got Harvey put together, and I think it turned out pretty CUTE!!

 I'm going to add this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge also, since I think waiting a year and a half to use a new die qualifies!

The DT at the Peace On Earth Challenge have lots of fabulous cards to inspire you to play along, so check it out and get going on those Christmas cards.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Sept. 19th @ 8:00PM. 

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