Color Hues #100 -- Blue and Purple

 

 Color Hues Challenge has reached a milestone--100 challenges! I just had to play along.

 

I chose Altenew's wreath and the non traditional color palette for my card. 

Two shades of blue and a flipped stencil made for a fuller wreath.

 

  

 

Papertrey Ink's sentiment fit perfectly in the center, stamped with dark gray ink.

I added purple berries from the stencil and ran the panel through an unknown

embossing folder then adhered it to a gray card base.

 

Huge congrats to Color Hues on their 100th Challenge and here's to many

more years of color!

Freshly Made Sketches #666

 

Jen B brings a fun sketch for Freshly Made Sketches #666. With the holidays quickly

approaching, I thought about using ornaments or snowflakes for the design.

 

In the end, I resorted to stacking teacups that I could use on an A2 sized card--because 

my slimline dies were hiding from me 😉

 

I rotated the sketch to accommodate the cups which were cut from washi tape

and colored card stock. The sentiment was stamped before the card was run

through a textured embossing folder.

 Off to link this up. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Inspired by Challenge #313

 

The theme for the current Inspired by Challenge #313 is GIFTING.

 

Here's my card. I was inspired by the buffalo check gift bags and the greenery.

 

It was also time for me to bring out the gnome from hibernation. He was decked out

in an outfit that matched the patterned papers. I decided to make a shaped card

using Spellbinders decorative arches and added greenery from Tim Holtz's vault.

 

It's serendipitous that some sentiment stamps from Honeybee arrived and I chose

a sentiment that fit the occasion as well as the space on the card.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Color Throwdown Challenge #822

 

Here's this week's Christmasy colors for Color Throwdown Challenge #822.

 

 

The very traditional green, red, and cream. And here's my gift card holder, a very

non traditional bit of clothing for someone who hails from Hawaii.

 

 I love seeing all the Christmas stockings and mittens that have been popping up 

and it may not be everyday wear but they'd be very welcome high atop a few

mountain ranges on Hawaii island.

 

I ran the die cut mitten through a cable knit embossing folder for a bit of texture

and added the lace trim, button berries and leaves. I finished off with a tag

stamped with a very old Hero Arts sentiment from my stamp inventory.

I just love the font!

Ok, I'm still early but I'll link this up over at CTD. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Note: Special warm thanks to Michele for informing her geographically challenged

friend that the state of Michigan is known as the "Mitten State" because of its unique 

shape--a mitten! Besides the temps dropping to levels where you'd require mittens! 

Thanks, Michele!

Also, my mitten was chosen as the random winner for CTD822 and I'll be guesting

in the new year! Thanks so much CTD!

Freshly Made Sketches #662

Freshly Made Sketches #662 by Jen T. is another sketch with countless

possibilities. Needless to say, I had a few ideas but settled on the simplest one.

Here's my take on it.

 

 

 I stenciled Pinkfresh Studio's Bougainvillea Print Layering Stencil, using just the first two

stencils. I ran it through an embossing folder, then trimmed it per the sketch and adhered

it to a card base. I added a strip of gold metallic card stock then stamped the sentiment 

in gold pigment ink. Done!

Thanks, always, for stopping by!

 

Time Out Challenge #276 -- Cozy

 

The latest cue word for Time Out Challenge #276 is COZY.

 

How about a cozy pair of bunny slippers? Yes, please!

I've been an off and on subscriber to Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club, but 

when I saw the bunny slippers, I was back on. Our daughter had a white bunny and 

one Christmas I received a pair of bunny slippers from her.

These remind me of Kumo 💗

I tried my best to make the legs look "cross legged" and used papers from a long 

retired pad of Lawn Fawn papers. After assembling the legs on the card I stamped 

and white embossed the sentiment. 

I'm hoping to put together the other slippers in the set. The penguin is next on 

the list. Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

Freshly Made Sketches #661

Freshly Made Sketches #661 is a fun, color blocked sketch by Jacquie.

 

 

The sketch made me search for one of my favorite die sets--Christmas Cutouts.

 

The pieces were die cut from scraps of card stock (yay!) and I ran the card 

base through an Organic Linen embossing folder. The moon and sentiments 

were doubled up and I adhered all of the pieces per the sketch.

This card was a good reminder to play with some older supplies and I may

possibly crank out a few more cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

2024 Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

 Talk about "down to the wire", I may or not have made it to the link up for the

2024 Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. What with Daylight Savings Time and

babysitting, I barely had time to even think of a design.

 

 

 

Some of my postage dies were out and about and I just picked up a pad of coffee

themed paper and my card was born.

I used Ellen Hutson's postage dies and cut out some images from the paper pad.

The sentiment was white embossed before being run through an embossing

folder. I spattered white ink on the card before adhering the stamps. 

 

Ok, off to link this up. Maybe. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Color Hues #98 -- Red and Black

 I've had Spellbinders' Skateboarding Terry for a while, die cut in different

"doggie colors". I grabbed a black one and made a card for Color Hues #98.

 

And here's Terry in all his glory.

 

I love how the red collar pops on him and matches his skateboard. And the

sentiment? I imagine that if pets could speak, that would be the message

they would convey to their owner ❤

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #660

 

Here's Freshly Made Sketches #660, courtesy of Judy.

 

 

I went a little off course with a different shape but tried to stay true to 

the original sketch.

I almost brought in a nest then remembered that I had Tim Holtz's Festive 

Wreath that he recently brought out from the vault. There must have been

a zillion pieces and it was a good time to use scraps of colored cardstock.

I stamped the sentiment first on cream cardstock and cut the panel with

Spellbinder dies, then adhered the wreath and extras. The panel looked a 

little too "clean", so I distressed the edges with a scissors, and adhered it 

to a chocolate brown card base. 

I'm off to link this up. Thanks, always, for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #659

Here's Freshly Made Sketches #659, another sketch with many possibilities.

 

And here's my take on it. Butterflies!

Pinkfresh Studio's Fluttering Butterflies Washi tape has a kaleidoscope of

butterflies and I love that you can cut them out in one pass. Some gold paint was 

spattered on the card and I adhered the butterflies and foliage and stamped

 the sentiment.

I hope this brightens your weekend! I'm off to link this up, early, for a change.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Color Throwdown Challenge #816

 

I consider myself "color challenged" but joined this week's Color Throwdown

Challenge #816 to honor a former Color Throwdown DT member, Barbara Anders 

who recently passed away.

I was on the My Favorite Things design team from 2015 till 2019 and Barbara

was a long time designer--possibly even from the very beginning. I always admired

her ability to create cards so effortlessly, from CAS to elegant and layered. 

Bar could do it all. 

 

Here's my card that I plan to send to her family.

 

Altenew's Hill Blossom stencil is one of my favorite stencils and I've made many

cards with it. It's a first for me to ink up brown leaves and I rather liked how it 

looks together with the orange blooms.

I cut out two panels from Reverse Wonky Rectangles and ran the Doily embossing

folder through one. The back panel was joined to the front to form a hinge and I

liked how the doily left a space for my sentiment.

 

 

Two branches were stenciled and cut with the matching dies. One branch was

adhered directly to the card and the second was trimmed a bit and popped up

over the first. An MFT sentiment finished off the card.

For more information on this week's challenge and how you can send a card to

Bar's family, visit this post. Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #658

 

Freshly Made Sketches #658 offers so many possibilities.

 

I went the postal route and here's my card.

 

The postage stamps were cut from patterned paper and adhered to postage frames.

I stamped the sentiment then ran the card through the Swiss Dots embossing folder. 

The two smaller stamps were adhered to the card base and the larger stamp

was popped up on the card. 

I'm off to link this up with hours to spare. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Edited to add: Honored that my card was chosen for Princess status by Jen T.

Thanks so much, Jen! 

 

 

JUGS #748 Word Week -- LEAVES

 

 It's Word Week over at Just Us Girls Challenge #748 and the word is LEAVES.

 

 

 

I love leaves and own a ton of leaf dies in every shape and size. It's my dream to see

fall foliage anywhere--brilliant reds and oranges, please. I seem to be missing the mark as

we've traveled to see them many times with no luck.

I have seen ginkgo leaves in Japan and I love their fan shape and that no two are the same.

Here's my card featuring ginkgo leaves in bright colors because I've rediscovered my 

Zig Kuretake markers.

I started out with green and yellow pens, and grabbed pinks and purples just for fun.

I rather like how they looked--pretty much like umbrellas. After spattering them with 

white paint, they were adhered to a tree ring embossed card and I made sure to 

stamp the sentiment before embossing it.

A little far fetched, I know, but wouldn't it be awesome to see leaves in those colors?

Thanks, always, for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #657

 

I've returned from Japan and slowly getting back into craft mode. I left with a small 

cold and came back with an unwanted souvenir--a very bad cough.  

 

I decided to get my feet wet with Freshly Made Sketches #657 and came up with this.

 

I had some stenciled panels and chose one and embossed it with a folder. I also 

embossed a plain white panel then cut them per the sketch and joined them on a

card base.

I chose a sentiment that would fill up a tag and gold embossed it. After adhering 

the tag to the card, I found some rayon ribbon that I dyed many moons ago

and fashioned a bow as best as I could and adhered it to the tag.

Off to link this up, thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Edited to add: My card was chosen as the winner for FMS #657!

Thank you so much, Freshly Made Sketches!

 

 

JUGS #746 -- Anything Goes STENCILS

 

I'm leaving on an overseas trip in a few days and wanted to post a card so it won't be 

too quiet around here. Luckily, while swooning over Michele's gorgeous card 

I learned about Just Us Girls Challenge #746 using STENCILS.

 

Pinkfresh Studio's Built on Dreams may be my all time fave stencil because it's easy 

to layer and the dies make the cutest little shaped card if you choose to make one.

I love this stencil so much that I bought several as "backups" because some parts

of the stencil are delicate and I was worried it might tear. I chose Concord & 9th

inks and finished off with some iridescent sequins and a sentiment that came

with the stamp set.

 

 The design is versatile and depending on the colors you choose, can be used for

almost any occasion.

 Ok, I'd better link this up. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Freshly Made Sketches #655

 

Freshly Made Sketches #655 is a simple one by Jen B. with so many possibilities.

 

 

I was thinking of flipping the sketch but I'm running short on time so I went with Jen's 

sketch as is. 

 

A bunch of mushrooms were cut and colored and adhered to an embossed wall. I stamped the

punny sentiment before embossing and drew in some grass to ground them.

The mushrooms and sentiment are by Paper Smooches, and although Kim has closed

 her online shop, I continue to use her products whenever I can. Because I love them!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Inspired By Challenge #302

 

It's been a while since I've joined an Inspired By challenge and when I saw the

graphic for IB302, I was in.

 

 

I LOVE leaves and anything fall, so I searched for Altenew's funky leaves and

put together this card in record time.

 

 

 Three leaves were cut and colored in autumnal colors and I stamped the

sentiment before running the panel through an embossing folder. I adhered

the leaves to a "clothesline" and called it done.

Off to link this up. Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #654

I'm entering Freshly Made Sketches #654 after seeing some gnomes pop up

and remembered how much I loved them. And their shape mimicked the sketch.

 

Here's my card and I substituted a tree because two gnomes were rather squishy.

 

 

I assembled the Large Gnome with patterned paper and searched high and low for

a tree that I was happy with. Twig and Stump's tree fit the bill and I assembled

both on the embossed background. A strip of gray card stock was run through

the embossing folder and matched up with the background. A simple "joy"

finished off the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Long Time No See

  

Well, I totally missed Time Out Challenges #271 deadline by a day but thought I'd 

share this anyway because I like how it turned out. Once again, patterned paper

was my friend.

 

 

I was inspired by Allison Frazier (@allifrazier on Instagram) and how she played with 

postage stamp supplies and patterned paper to create some quick and easy cards. 

I found a pad of paper on Amazon with large floral images and created postage 

stamps with Spellbinders Nested Postage Label Dies.

All postage marks were made with Waffle Flower Crafts Oversized Postage Stamp Set.

I chose the CZ Design sentiment because it fit perfectly in the space and white

embossed it so it would stand out against the dark background.

To give the panel some dimension, I cut out another butterfly and flower and popped 

them up. A second postage panel was cut and adhered in the back to create a hinge. 

I'm a little late with the postage trend but I know that I'll be making more cards 

using patterned paper because it's fast and fun. Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #653

 

I couldn't pass on Freshly Made Sketches #653 with Kim's fun sketch.

 

 

And here's my take on it. I have several large sentiments but thought I could 

chalk up a holiday card for my stash.

After embossing a panel with some falling snow, I built the Spellbinders sentiment

 on a tree shape with hot pink letters. A gold star and sub sentiment finished off

the card. I thought about adding baubles on the tree but decided it had enough bling

so it went without.

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #652

 

I'm joining Freshly Made Sketches #652 with a simplified take on the sketch. I wanted

to use Concord & 9th's new Mushroom Medley--yes, another mushroom die set that

just had to join the others.

 

Here's Linda's versatile sketch.

 

 

And here's my mushroomy card in portrait format. Can you see the sketch?

 

 I took advantage of the mushroom cap's roundness and adhered a few with some

greenery on a wood plank embossed card base. The two part sentiment is an oldie 

from Simon Says Stamp and one of my faves because of the different fonts.

 

The card was finished off with some Creamsicle enamel dots. 

Off to link up my card, thanks for stopping by!