The Flower Challenge #107 - Add PURPLE

Hello friends.  It's time for another new challenge here at The Flower Challenge and for this month we'd like to see you add PURPLE to your florals.

I used another stencil (surprise, surprise!!) for my card and came up with this...

The stencil is from PTI and called In The Meadow, and I used shades of purple and green (Gina K inks) to stencil my background and also blended the purple around the edges of the panel too.  I adhered the panel to a white card base.

I added a tag (PTI - Tag Sale #8) using vellum so as not to cover up too much of the stenciled background, and then embossed my sentiment using PTI's Year Of Psalms - March on it.  I added some purple seam binding ribbon and purple gems to finish my card.

The DT has some beautiful inspiration using purple and florals to inspire you and we can't wait to see what YOU come up with!  You can find all the inspiration and details right HERE.  This challenge is open till Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00PM. 

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

Freshly Made Sketches #706

Hello friends.  Playing along with the new Freshly Made Sketches Challenge hosted by Amy, and as simple as the layout is, I struggled with this one a bit!  

I think I struggled a bit with this one because I went a little rogue (well ok, maybe a LOT rogue!) with my first card and then just felt like it didn't fit the sketch at all!  So much for trying to think outside the box!  I started over again and just followed the sketch and came up with a nice and sunny card using a new die from SB's and Donna Mikasa (Thank you so much Donna!!!). 

The die set is called Sunflower Serenade and I die cut the flower 3 times for dimension and then added the center and leaves using all sandable cs. (You can see the sanding mostly on the leaves.)  I placed my sunny sunflower on a scalloped circle die from PFS and then added that to a Slim Ornate Banner die cut using some Bitty Big DSP from PTI. I added a piece of the green sandable cs at the top of the banner and also added a twine bow to the top. I didn't want to add a piece of the green to the bottom of the banner like in the sketch and cover up the decorative edge of my banner.

I added everything to a panel that I embossed with SU!'s SUNFLOWER 3D ef and a white card base.  A few gold gems (PFS) finished up this sunny card.  I left the sentiment off as it was busy enough, and will add it to the inside when I figure out what I'm going to use it for. I also used a Spectrum Noir Sparkle brush on the center of the sunflower and it sparkles big time in real life!  So anyway, there's my very simple card that I made way too much complicated the first time around and I'm happy with it!  Especially the new die set...thanks again so much Donna!  You are a sweetheart!!

Amy and the rest of the DT have some amazing inspiration for you right HERE, so check it all out and play along!  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 6 @ 3:00PM.

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

Color Hues #119 - RUST & YELLOW

Hello friends.  Happy October!  This year is flying by and my favorite season is upon us...I love FALL!!  I get to be the hostess for this current challenge at Color Hues and I've chosen the pairing of RUST & YELLOW.

My first thought for my card was pumpkins and leaves, but ended up changing my mind and going sunflower...I just can't seem to get enough of them this year!!  I did a little bit of ink blending and then used a Gina K stamp called Blooming Sunflower.  Take a look...

I used a circle mask and ink blended Summer Sunrise & Terracotta Tile inks (PTI). I left the mask in place and stamped the Blooming Sunflower in black ink over the mask.  I trimmed it down with a Master Layout #2 die (Gina K) and then ran it through with my Subtle ef (SU!).  

 The DT has some awesome inspiration for you using the rust and yellow color pairing, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us...we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Oct. 14th @ 9:00AM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #705

Hello friends.  It's Friday and surprise, surprise...I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where Narelle has given a FUN sketch to work with this week!

I pulled out a bunch of favorite products from The Greetery to come up with this Fall card...

I started with a cream colored panel and embossed it with an older FSJ Leaves ef, and then started adding on top of that panel.  The Greetery's Shiplap Builder Dies were used for the 3 strip in the sketch (I did move mine from a center position to the left), and then added 2 pumpkins from The Greetery's  (Plump Pumpkins) which I ink blended the edges of for a little more definition.

I wanted to add a couple leaves and when I pulled out The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Mighty Oak die set, there were a few leaves in the package that I obviously had done the year before (or longer).  Don't you just love it when that works out that something is already to use?!  I finished with a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp set and then added a few Sparkling Champagne Pearls from PFS.

Lots of fun ideas and inspiration over at the Freshly Made Sketches site from the DT and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 29th @ 3:00PM.

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

Double D - Make Your Own Background

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Double D Challenge where they would like us to make our own backgrounds.

I had just received Kristina Werner's & Concord & 9th Holiday Icons stencil set which creates a stenciled background that is so much FUN and figured it would fit this challenge perfectly!  It's a large stencil that you use a half sheet of card stock (8 1/2 x 5 1/2) and then you can cut it in half to make two A2 size cards when you're finished.  I had so much fun with different colors that I ended up making 6 cards!  Here's the first set with some pretty bright and non-traditional colors...

You start with the background stencil (I used gray) and then follow through with the other 4 stencils, so you use 5 colors total.  My inks and cs are all C&9 on this one.  My sentiments were stamped and die cut using Gina K's Let Your Light Shine set and then I finished with a few Disco Ball sequins.

 For this set I started by stenciling my background black and IRL it makes a pretty dramatic back drop!  I used the traditional red & green for the rest of the stenciling, and then added frames using Kristina Werner's A2 Thin Frame Dies and sentiments from older PTI dies, both with gold mirror cs.

 My last set of cards was done ombre style using a 6th stencil that is included in the set, starting light and adding more color as I went up.  I matted these in gold mirror cs and then added sentiments from WPlus9's Joyful Poinsettia stamp set.  

This is such a neat set if you need to turn out a lot of cards at once and also just plain fun to play with!  There is a lot of beautiful inspiration from the DT that shows a lot of different ways to make your own backgrounds and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Sunday, Sept. 28th @ 8:00PM.

 

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

Freshly Made Sketches #704

Hello friends.  Playing along again with the gals over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where my sweet friend Michele is hosting with this FUN sketch.

 I took my cue from Michele and went Halloween because I still had the dies out from last weeks sketch (Ghostly Cats from Poppystamps) and they're just too cute not to use a few times each season!  The idea came to me so quickly after seeing the sketch that I had to go with the nudge, right TK?!  Take a look...

 

These little ghost kitties totally make me smile and what a perfect sketch to add a whole family of them to my card!!  I used a panel of Smokey Slate cs and embossed with an older SU! spiders web, and then lightly blended some black ink over the top and edges before adding to my white card base.

  I pop dotted two of the ghost kitties and added the rest flat against the spiders' web and then added the die cut "boo" from SSS's Boo Word dies, putting it directly over the center ghost kitty so just his eyes were showing through the first "o".  Lastly I sprayed Sheer Shimmer Sparkle spray to give the card some shimmer & shine.

The DT has oodles of inspiration to get you started on this weeks sketch, so check it all out right HERE and then play along!  I'm sure you'll get hooked on this sketch challenge just like I have!  This challenge is open till Monday, Sept. 22nd @ 3:00PM.

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

Color Hues #118 - Smokey Blue & Sage

Hello friends.  Time for a new challenge here at Color Hues, and our talented hostess this time around is Jules, and she would like to see Smokey Blue & Sage on our cards.

  

Isn't that a striking color pairing?? I'm loving it and made two cards for you today using a Altenew Christmas set called Festive Triangles.  Take a look...

 It's a very graphic set which is so not my style, but I watched Laura Bassen put together a few cards with it and was hooked!  I started by stamping the A in the middle of my cs and then went to the left and then the right with the rest of the letters to spell PEACE. I used Seaside Spray and Soft Succulent inks for the letters and stamped a few times using my MISTI to get lighter and darker hues of the colors.

  I kept the card very simple and finished with a sub sentiment (included in the stamp set) and then added an ancient wooden snowflake (SU!) and a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K).  I also added some WOS to the wooden snowflake, but of course the camera didn't pick that up!

My 2nd card is very much the same, but I used one of the triangle trees for my "A", stamping first with the Seaside Spray ink and then stamping the stripes over top using the Soft Succulent ink.  (Lots of different options in this set to decorate the trees.)  I finished the word PEACE in the same way I did the 1st card.

 I finished this card with another sub sentiment and a clear star gem for the top of the "A" (tree).  Both very simple and definitely graphic cards, but I'm really happy with the way they turned out and will be getting lots of use from this set!

Our DT and Special GD Birgit (who also happens to be a sweet friend of mine!!) have lots of beautiful inspiration to share with you that you can check out right HERE. We can't wait to see what YOU come up with using this awesome color pairing!  This challenge is open till Monday, Sept. 29th @ 9:00AM.

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

The Flower Challenge #106 Reminder - Use Our Sketch

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still plenty of time to play along with us here at The Flower Challenge, where we'd like you to use our sketch with your florals.

Using PFS's Floral Focus stencils, I colored my panel and then used my Crimped Circle Die (The Greetery) to cut out a portion to fit the bottom, left hand corner of my card.  Take a look...

I used the coordinating stamp (Floral Focus) to create my background panel with black ink, and then adhered the stenciled circle to it.  I added a black panel to mat it and attached both layers to a white card base.

I know the sketch shows the sentiment a little higher, but I felt mine (MB's Just A Note Posh Script) looked better on the lower corner.  I added a few black enamel dots (Gina K) to finish.

 You can check out what my teammates came up with using this sketch right HERE and then play along.  We'd love to see all your floral cards using this sketch in our gallery!!  This challenge is open till Thursday, Sept. 25th @ 5:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #703

Hello friends.  I'd never been a big fan of sketch challenges...until recently, and now I can't seem to stop playing with the gals over at Freshly Made Sketches!  This latest sketch by DT member Karren had me stumped for a bit...sometimes I just need time to think it through!!

I have several domed dies that I rarely ever use, but have to admit I really like the way this one turned out.  It's definitely NOT CAS which is what they like to see over at this challenge, but I like the way it turned out too much to not share it!  Take a look...

  Recently I was gifted the TH Festive Wreath die set from my sweet friend Bobby, and although it's intended as a Christmas wreath set, I wondered how it would look as an Autumn wreath?!  I switched up the colors to more of a Fall palette and added a couple extra die cuts from other sets, and voila!  I think I succeeded!!  I used Sizzix Revealz Sandable cardstock (they have texture that I really like!) for all my little die cut pieces and the wreath itself from Kraft cs (PTI).  Once I finished die cutting all the tiny pieces and gluing them together (time consuming but so worth it!!), I arranged them onto the wreath and then added the wreath to the Terrarium die cut (PFS).

  The pumpkins and the ghost kitty are from Poppystamps Perky Pumpkins and Ghostly Cats die sets...I thought they added a fun and whimsical touch to this fall themed card.  The sentiment is from Gina K's Thankful and Blessed stamp & die set.  I embossed my cream colored background with SSS's Fall Foliage ef and attached all the layers to a Kraft card base.  Thanks again so much for gifting me with this die set Bobby...it will definitely be well used and loved...stamping friends really are the best!!!

The DT has some amazing cards to share with you for inspiration using the sketch right HERE, so check it out and play along.  The challenge is open till Monday, Sept. 15th @ 3:00PM. 

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

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #95

Hello friends.  Still working on those Christmas cards, so I'm once again joining in with the gals over at the Peace On Earth Christmas challenge.

I was inspired by the light aqua colors in the mood board and used them to color up my images from PB's yuletide delivery stamp set.

This stamp set has 3 images and I couldn't decide which one to use (they're ALL adorable!!), so I colored up all 3 and have 3 cards to share with you!  I colored the image with my Copics and then fussy cut her out before placing her on a background I cut using PB's ripple die.  A little hard to see in the photo, but I did some white splattering on the background for snow, so I'm assuming she's outside at the mailbox and couldn't wait to get back inside before she started opening envelopes! I mean don't we all get a little excited about receiving handmade cards at Christmas?? I sure do!!

I did add glitter to the brim of her hat to add some sparkle and then added to a card front where I used PFS's Stitched Diamonds coverplate die.  My sentiment is from PB's feeling of christmas sentiment set.

My 2nd card uses another of the images and was also colored with Copics and framed out using PB's classy frames dies.  For my background on this one I used a piece of dsp Michele had given me and embossed it with SU!'s retired Winter Snow ef.

On this closer up you can see the embossing on the dsp a bit better...it really shows up in real life and I'm loving the look!  I finished this one with just a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K) and some white & silver bakers twine at the top.  I couldn't figure out where to put the sentiment so just put it on the inside.

My last card uses the final image in the yuletide delivery set, and I once again colored it up with my Copics and then fussy cut it out.  

I used PB's crystal frame die to frame the image out and added a piece of pink cs behind to show through all the little holes in the frame. I ink blended the small rectangle behind this sweet little girl with more light aqua and finished with more glitter (even though it doessn't show up, it really is there!!).  The sentiment is once again on the inside.

The DT has some really pretty cards using the colors from the mood board and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Sept. 18th @ 8:00PM.

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

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #102

Hello friends.  Playing along with Jo and her special guest elf Leslie at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for Santa in September.

I have many Santa stamps that I've collected over the years, but I do have one that is my all time favorite from a company that is no longer in business (sigh...) called Flourishes and the name of the set is Santa I Believe.  Here's what I came up with this year using this sweet Santa face...

Isn't that just the sweetest Santa face?!  This year I added a silhouette of Santa (enabled by Leslie I might add!!) using Cottage Cutz Santa's Naughty/Nice List die to the card and I love the way it looks next to Santa's face!

 I cut off about a half inch on the right side of the card front and then added some red & white striped dsp (PTI) to the inside of the card where it shows from the front of the card when it's closed.  The sentiment on the both the outside and the inside are both from the Santa I Believe stamp set.  I added a few red gems (PFS) to the holly berries on top of Santa's head and a piece of black & white baker's twine to the side of the card.  Easy peasy and done! 

You can check out Jo and Leslie's cards right HERE for some inspiration and then play along...Christmas really will be here before we know it!  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Sept. 30th.

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