Tag You're It Challenge #96

Hello friends.  Slipping another post in today to play along with the current Tag You're It Challenge where they've got a FUN theme going on this time with BUTTONS!

I used to save buttons like crazy, but now not so much!  (Too hard to mail them on my cards!)  But for a tag, how perfect...wish I'd kept a few around now!  Oh well, perfect time to make my own!!  I've had a Poppystamps die for ages called Butterfly Buttons that worked perfectly for this challenge, and this is what I came up with:

I started with a piece of cardstock that I'd used Lindy's Magicals (Cattail Copper Brown & Red Hot Poker Orange) on and then cut out the butterflies with the dies.  The shine on these buttons is SO pretty IRL!  Next I coated the buttons with Glossy Accents to give them a bit of depth like a real button.  Here's a closer up so you can see better...

My tag is actually a Christmas one from SugarPea Designs (Santa's Gift Tag) and I purposely inked mostly just the outside edges and left the center only partially inked so it isn't readable and gives a more vintage look.  I tied jute twine through the holes on my butterfly buttons and then attached to the center of the tag.  A piece of polka dotted ribbon and some more jute twine finished off my tag that I'm going to use as a bookmark.

There's still time to play along with this challenge and the DT has outdone themselves with their inspiration tags this time around!  You can check it all out right HERE to play along.

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

CAS Stencil Challenge

Hello friends.  This month's challenge over at CAS Stencil is all about using different baby wipe techniques.

I used a new to me stencil from SSS's Stamptember celebration called Floral.  Because I used a smaller piece of the design I made with the stencil, I thought I'd take a photo of the actual stencil and a piece of what it actually looks like when it's inked up so you have a better idea what it really looks like.

Isn't that such a pretty stencil?!  Love the delicate lines of it!!  Because I used DOX inks for my actual card and the baby wipe, the lines on stenciled piece are not quite as fine as they are pictured above, but I still like how my card came out...

I blended Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet, & Seedless Preserves DOX inks over a piece of white cardstock and when dry, I placed the stencil over top and then gently pounced more than rubbed a baby wipe over the stencil.  When it was dry, I used The Greetery's Crimped Frame Dies to die cut my rectangle, and then sprayed quite liberally with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz.

In this photo you can see the sparkle a bit at the top.  I mounted my stenciled piece to a piece of black cardstock and then adhered to a white card base.  Next I added 2 Elizabeth Craft Designs Dandelion Fluff die cuts and then finished with my sentiment (PTI - Boutique Borders: Sympathy Set).  The colors are rather muted on this card, but I think it's perfect for a sympathy card.

You have until the 24th to play along with the CAS Stencil Challenge, so check out all the beautiful examples using baby wipes from the DT and then give it a try...FUN!!  

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

The Flower Challenge #36

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with this month's challenge over at The Flower Challenge and this month is "ANYTHING GOES" and is being sponsored by My Favorite Things.

Most of my MFT stamps are all the wonderful CUTE stamps, however, I do have a few flower ones, so I dug out an oldie but a goodie by Lisa Johnson called Pretty Poppies to come up with this:

I feel like I should be making Fall cards right now, and I know Poppies are not a Fall flower, but hey, when you ink them up in Fall colors, they look pretty convincing, right?!!  After inking up the flowers, I did a bit of blending around the edges to add some depth to them and then fussy cut them out.  I stamped the background with the script stamp that comes with the set in a light ink (Gina K's Sandy Beach) and then stamped the stems and leaves over the script. Also did a bit of splattering and I was so proud of myself for not getting carried away like I usually do!  Next I did some tearing across the bottom before matting it to a piece of kraft cardstock, and then tearing along the bottom of that piece too.

In this close up you can see a little better that I used a layer of Rustic Cream cardstock (the same cardstock as what I stamped on) that I ran through my Big Shot with the Subtle EF by SU!, and then layered with another piece of kraft and then adhered all to a Rustic Cream card base.  A little bit of twine, an enamel heart, and a sentiment strip (from the Pretty Poppies set) finished off my Fall Poppy card.

There's still time to play, so check out all the BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT and Special Guest Designer Michele Ferguson and then play along right HERE.

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

CAS Watercolour Reminder - Complementary Colors

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that you have until the 24th to play along with this months challenge at CAS Watercolour.

We are looking for COMPLEMENTARY COLORS and here is the color wheel if you need the visual:

I liked using the BLUE and ORANGE so much at the beginning of the challenge, that I decided to use those same colors again.  (NOT lazy, just really like the 2 colors together!!)

I used The Greetery's Botanicuts: Sunflower dies to come up with this card:

I die cut the Sunflowers from TH watercolor cardstock and then water colored them with several different orange and blue inks that I smooshed onto an acrylic block and then picked up the color with an Aqua Painter brush.  Here's a closer up for you:

 There are 3 layers to the actual flower and 2 layers to the center.  I used a label die to cut out an opening on my top panel and then used the same die to cut a piece of vellum that I then embossed with an older SU! embossing folder.  I inlaid the vellum to the top panel and then attached both to my white card base.  I attached the Sunflower to the lower corner and added a sentiment strip (SSS Tiny Words) that I embossed in white on a thin strip of Night of Navy cardstock.  Easy peasy!!

Lots more inspiration from the DT and our special GD Anita to get you started, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us.  The challenge is open till the 24th, so join in the FUN...we'd love to see you in the gallery!! 

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

CAS Christmas - Holiday Treats

Hello friends.  This month's challenge at CAS Christmas is all about HOLIDAY TREATS!

And who doesn't like HOLIDAY TREATS??!!  When I was younger and our girls were all at home, I baked like crazy from the beginning of December, and then the girls and I would package them all up on pretty plates and deliver them to friends and neighbors...such FUN memories!!

For my card I used a sweet little die cut from my dear friend Birgit and came up with this:

Isn't that snowman cupcake just the cutest?!!  It's from The Stamping Cottage and I colored all the pieces with my Copics before assembling it.  My background was embossed in white using a Hero Arts Hand Drawn Snowflakes Bold Prints background stamp, and then I lightly blended Abandoned Coral DOX ink over it.  I added a Pierced Feature Frame (PTI) over the background piece, and then adhered to a white card base and then pop dotted the snowman cupcake over the embossed background.

I was trying to capture the WOS in this close up for you, but no luck.  The snowman and icing are covered with it though!  My little sentiment tag is from PTI's Tiny Tags set.  Gosh I'm hungry for a cupcake now!  :0)

Check out all the sweet treats from the rest of the DT over at CAS Christmas and then play along...the challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Christmas Kickstart #19 - Scandinavian Holiday

Hello friends.  It's time for a new challenge at Christmas Kickstart and they are looking for SCANDINAVIAN HOLIDAY themed cards.

Jo has chosen sweet Michele as her ELF this time around, and I was totally inspired by Michele's cards HERE.  The kraft and the white together really got to me, and here's what I came up with:

I started by using a new SSS stencil (Holiday Foliage) and Crumb Cake ink to create my background and then adhered to a Crumb Cake card base.  I added a simple sentiment strip and embossed the Joyeux Noel  (PTI's Rustic Wreath) in white embossing powder.  Next I die cut a deer from Tim Holtz's Holiday Joy set and added a bit of sponging with white ink before pop dotting him to the sentiment strip.  Easy peasy card!  :0)

Of course I had to make a 2nd card and reverse the process by using white ink through the same stencil onto Crumb Cake cardstock...love, LOVE this look!!  Once dry (the white is a pigment ink) I adhered to a white card base and added a white sentiment strip that I stamped my sentiment (PTI's Rustic Wreath) on.  Next I added a die cut Poinsettia from SSS's Poinsettia Parade that I also sponged white ink on and then adhered with a bit of twine to the sentiment strip.

Here they are both together...do you have a favorite??  I like them both equally and was thrilled with the way they turned out!  Thanks so much for the awesome inspiration Michele!!

This challenge is open for another 10 days, so play along right HERE and get a head start on those Christmas cards...it will be here before you know it!!

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

CAS Mix Up - Inchies

Hello friends.  Playing along with this months Challenge at CAS Mix Up where they are looking for INCHIES on our cards.

I have BONNIE to thank for my card today after seeing her card HERE.  I absolutely LOVED the Alexandra Renke Washi Tape she used to make her inchies, and of course I HAD to have some of my own...so I went shopping!  Thanks Bonnie!!  :0)

Here's what I came up with:

Isn't it beautiful washi tape?  Sure made making this card a pleasure!  After adhering the washi tape to a strip of white cardstock, I cut it into 3 squares, and then matted each with gold mirror cardstock and Mossy Meadow cardstock.  Here's a closer up so you can see the details better:

I used a SU! Pine Bough embossing folder to attach my inchies to, and then stamped my greeting from Gina K's Festive Flower stamp set in the open space with Mossy Meadow ink.  Layered with a piece of Mossy Meadow cs and a white card base to finish off my simple card.

So many BEAUTIFUL examples from the CAS Mix Up DT and in the gallery already, so check it out right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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