Don't Be Sad Card - TMS #517

Happy Tuesday! The weeks keep rolling by and each week we have a new challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. This weeks sketch was designed by Debbie Foster and I decided to turn it to accommodate the image I wanted to use. The image is called Sad Stymie by Unity Stamps and it was stamped with black Memento ink. So how will you use this sketch? I can't wait to see your card in the gallery. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. Don't forget to link your card by 8 pm EST on Sunday.

This Don't Be Sad Card was made for my hubby in an attempt to cheer him up. Challenges entered: Alphabet Challenge (K for Kind Thoughts), Krafty Chicks (Masculine) and Southern Girls (Father's Day/Masculine).

Sketch #517:

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Otterly Amazing Card

Hello! I hope all is well in your world today. This afternoon I read the challenge at Simon Says Stamp was to make your own background, so I decided to play along. After finding a couple of masculine challenges at Watercooler Wednesday and Use Your Stuff this Otterly Amazing Card was in the works. The stamp set used is called Otter Friends by Hello Bluebird and I totally feel in love with it the minute I saw it. After coloring the images with Copic markers they were die cut with the coordinating dies. To make the background I used distress inks in Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Chipped Sapphire. The outer paper started with Sahara Sand cardstock by Stampin' Up! and it was inked with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap distress inks. Water was spritzed onto the inked papers and some color dabbed away. The heat gun was used to help speed the drying process. A Memory Box die called Underwater Collage was used and the images positioned onto the card. The final addition was the heat embossed sentiment and that's it. I'm also entering this card in the anything goes challenge at Word Art Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Here is a closer look at these adorable otters:

Cool Cat Father's Day Card

Hello! Today I'm sharing the card I made for my dad for Father's Day. He is one cool cat, so I used a fun image by Newton's Nook along with papers from the Beach Day paper pad by Carta Bella (2016) to make this card. The image was stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. Then it was die cut with the coordinating die. A cross stitched oval was die cut and Tumbled Glass distress ink sponged on to add some color. Finally the sentiment was stamped and adhered. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered: Cardz 4 Guyz (Father's Day), Crafty Cardmakers (Masculine), Crafty Gals Corner (You're the Man), Cut N Crafty (Father's Day or Card for a Man) and Dragonfly Dreams (For a Man/Boy).

Encouragement Card - TMS #502

Well, it's another happy Tuesday!!! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will join the challenge this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches. It features one of my favorites shapes... the circle. Circles just make me happy! It's been a while since I've made a masculine card, so that's the direction I took with this Encouragement Card. To allow for the sentiment I turned the sketch horizontal and placed the circles where I thought they looked best. I'm looking forward to how you will use the sketch. For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click HERE. You have until 8 pm EST to link your creation to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered: Dragonfly Dreams- Anything Goes

Sketch #502:

Sloth Hang in There Card

This time of years isn't always cheerful. I know a lot of people who struggle with the holidays, myself included. Right now my brother is going through a difficult time and I didn't get to see him over Christmas. In efforts to lift his spirits I made this Sloth Hang in There Card for him.

The sloth image is by Lawn Fawn from the Hang In There stamp set and it was die cut with the coordinating dies. Copic markers were used to color the image and distress inks in Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire for the oval area. The patterned paper is from the Land of the Sahara paper pad by The Paper Studio. An oval frame accents the focal area and that's it, simple and easy to ship. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Creative Knockouts: Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Simon Says: Wednesday Anything Goes
• The Creative Crafters: Anything Goes

Crab Relax Card

Good day! I have a quick post to share my latest card. This Crab Relax Card features a retired image by Bugaboo Digi Stamps. It's been colored for some time and waiting to be used. All I had to do was find the right papers, do a little cutting and assemble the card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Catch The Bug: Make a Splash
• Crafty Sentiment Designs: Water
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday: Sun, Sea or Sand!
• Sunny Day Crafting: Seashore Animals
• Unicorn Challenge: Masculine

Masculine Congratulations Card

Happy Friday! It's hard to believe June has already arrived, although it's felt like June for the last couple of weeks here in Oklahoma. It seems we skipped Spring and went straight to Summer. Not my favorite time of year, but I'll suffer through it. Fall will always be my favorite!

Today starts a new challenge at Simply Create Too and the theme is For A Male. The challenge runs until June 29, 2018, so you have plenty of time to play along. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. I hope to see your card in the gallery!

This Masculine Congratulations Card was made for my brother because he recently obtained a new job. The brown die cut had been sitting on my desk for awhile (Glass Effects die by Spellbinders). It was almost used for another project and then I went with different colors. To cover up some blemishes, I painted the cardstock with Rich Espresso Metallic paint. The light blue background was created with watercolor paper and spray inks. It turned out okay but I wish the colors contrasted more. The congratulations is a die cut from Impression Obsession and I also painted it with the metallic paint. To finish the card three glitter stickers by Jolee's were added and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Masculine Thanks Card

Hello! Tomorrow I have my follow-up appointment with my surgeon, so I made him this Masculine Thanks Card. Blue is the hospital colors and a nice manly color which works well in a monochrome color scheme. I used Night of Navy cardstock by Stampin' Up! and a bright blue from Core'dinations. The background was watercolored using Higgins blue watercolor ink and watercolor paper.  The top is a die called Glass Effects by Spellbinders and the thanks die is by Stampin' Up! Three glimmer stickers by Sticko were added for some extra interest and that's it!

I really like the Glass Effects die for masculine cards. The abstract look is fun and this card was pretty easy to make. It's sad that I've had this die for two years and this is only the second time I've used it. Click HERE to see the first card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Masculine Thanks Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Watercolor Wednesday: Masculine Anything Goes
• Love to Create: Anything Creative/Mixed Media
• Let's Craft and Create: Hey Dude
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes

Winston Takes Flight Card

This afternoon I sat down and created this Winston Takes Flight Card using the sketch from the Inky Paws Challenge. There were several other challenges I had in mind when I created this card and they are:

• Simon Says Stamp: Use Patterned Paper
• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Watercooler Wednesday: Masculine Anything Goes

Playing with patterned paper is one of my favorite things and I ended up using papers by Photoplay from the Party Boy collection. The yellow strip is from Recollections and it's called Mom's Diner (cone). Copic markers were used to color the Winston image by Newton's Nook and then it was die cut with the coordinating dies. To make it look like Winston was flying in the clouds I used the Sky Borders Die Set also by Newton's Nook and adhered the clouds to the bottom of a tumbled glass distress inked piece of cardstock. Three additional small clouds were added for detail and that's it. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

 

Kick Ass Birthday Card

My brother's birthday is this weekend, so I made him this Kick Ass Birthday Card. If you knew my brother you would understand it's also very appropriate. Hopefully he will see the humor! The stamp set is from Unity Stamp Company and it's called Jack {ass} and I used this weeks sketch at Mojo Monday for the layout. Finding the right papers with the right colors was the hardest part. I finally settled on papers from the Snippets collection by Studio Calico (2012). The image was colored with Copic markers using warm gray tones. Then I decided to add the party hat from a Newton's Nook stamp set. The final touch was the addition of four pastel glimmer dot stickers by Sticko and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

This Kick Ass Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Mojo Monday: Sketch #497
• Seize the Birthday: Creatures or Animals
• Stampvie and More: Man or Boy
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Masculine Anything Goes
• Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

Hot Dog Birthday Card

The month of May is busy with birthdays in my family. It all starts this weekend with my dad's birthday. I wanted his card to be different from previous years. So when I found this stamp set called Frank the Fun Dog by Unity Stamps I ordered it. This Hot Dog Birthday Card is what I made for my him. Copic markers were used to color the image and then it was fussy cut. Once I had the layout arranged and the hot dog placed, I decided he needed a party hat. Luckily, I found one in a stamp set from Newton's Nook that was the perfect size. Three sequins were the final touch and this card was done.

This Hot Dog Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• C.R.A.F.T.: Birthday and Blog Hop
• Addicted to Stamps and More: Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes/Optional Topping 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Country #1 Dad Card

Happy Tuesday! Today is the start of a new challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and our theme is "Man's World." This is a great time to make Father's Day cards or a manly birthday card. We are sponsored this week by Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps and I've used the Jake in the Country image on this Country #1 Dad Card. We would love for you to join in the fun and play along with our challenge. You can find all the challenge details and marvelous manly inspiration from the design team right here on the challenge blog. Make sure to link your creation by mid-day on Monday, June 13th. Can't wait to see what you create!

It took me some time to find the right patterned papers for this card! I knew I wanted to use the straw paper from The Paper Studio and the bandana paper by GCD Studios, but finding the third pattern was a struggle. Finally, I found the yellow plaid by Authentique and decided it would work. The image was colored with Copic markers and die cut using a Lil' Inkers stitched rectangle die. I matted the image with Brick cardstock by Bazzill and cut another piece to mat to the plaid paper after using a zig zag edgelit for a little detail. The #1 Dad ribbon stamp is by Hero Arts and was stamped onto Hello Honey cardstock and fussy-cut. Three red sequins were added for some sparkle and that was it. The finished size of this card is 5.25" square. Thanks for stopping by!

This Country #1 Dad Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Crafty Boots: Masculine
• Cards in Envy: No Girls Allowed
• Love to Scrap: It's a Boy Thing!

Simple #1 Dad Card

Happy Friday! Father's Day will be here in a couple of weeks on June 19, 2016. I've made a Simple #1 Dad Card using this weeks sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. This card uses minimal supplies and would be easy to duplicate. All you need is: Very Vanilla cardstock for card base, coordinating solid cardstock to mat layers, patterned paper (Adventure by My Mind's Eye), #1 Dad ribbon (free digital image, click here), red marker, scissors, silver glimmer paper, a star punch and adhesive.

The ribbon was printed onto patterned paper and onto Very Vanilla cardstock, then fussy-cut with scissors. If you're not into printing the image onto patterned paper, just simply use cardstock and color the ribbon to match your color choices. Don't have a star punch, use sequins or enamel dots instead. Click here for the sketch used and have fun making your dad a handmade card. He will love it!

This Simple #1 Dad Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Freshly Made Sketches: Sketch #239
• Cute Card Thursday: Father's Day
• Creative Corner: Just for Men
• Pattie's Creations: Father's Day or Graduation

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Floats Your Goat Birthday Card

Making a handmade card for my dad is getting harder every year. I've done trucks, tractors, monkeys, etc... so this year I'm using a goat with balloons. The sentiment and image by Doodle Pantry crack me up! My dad raises sheep but my mother might say that he acts like an old goat. Hopefully this Floats Your Goat Birthday Card will make him laugh.

The image comes with a colored or non-colored version. I used the colored version to save a little time and die cut it with a stitched circle die by My Favorite Things. The patterned papers were in my scrap bin. Everything was adhered flat and three green sequins were added for a little sparkle.

I'm entering this card is the following challenges:

• Doodle Pantry: Digital Anything Goes 
• Brown Sugar: Anything Goes
• Simply Papercraft: Anything Goes

Manly Birthday Card

Hello! We are having some lovely weather this weekend in Oklahoma. This mornings entertainment has been a nest of mocking birds who are almost ready to leave the nest. They are making all kinds of noise and moving around a lot. I keep watching to see if I can spy one flying away. It's been fun watching the parents catch bugs and take it to the babies. The nest is right outside my front window in a large Privet. When I'm at the computer I have a front row seat to all the action.

Okay, onto this Manly Birthday Card. This month we are celebrating my dad, brother and father-in-laws birthdays, so I need several Manly Birthday Cards. The image used is by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's called Charlie Birthday. Copic markers were used to color the image and I added some glossy accents to the balloon. The image was die cut using a cross stitched oval by My Favorite Things. The image was matted to a slightly larger oval cut using Fiskars deckle decorative scissors.  All patterned paper is from The Paper Loft from the Persnickety collection. I really love the colors in this paper collection, they are perfect for manly cards.  The layout is from the current Stella Says Sketch challenge. To add some detail I added some buttercream twine from The Twinery, three large olive rhinestones and the sentiment is from The Itty Bitty Banners stamp set by Stampin' Up! That's it!

This Manly Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Stella Says Sketch: Sketch #409
• Moving Along With The Times: Man or Boy
• Little Red Wagon: Let's Hear it for the Boys
• Alphabet Challenge: "F" for Furry Friends
• 613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes
• Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Happy Birthday Card for Boys

I hope you're having a lovely day! Mine has been calm and quiet, just how I like them. This afternoon I spent some time in my craft room and I made this Happy Birthday Card. The digital image used is by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's called Monkey with Balloon. I colored the image with Copic markers to coordinate with the patterned papers used. The patterned papers are from the Party Boy collection by Photo Play that I found at my local scrapbook store. As usual, I kept the embellishments to a minimum and added some twine. The Happy Birthday sentiment is by Hero Arts and it was stamped using Memento black ink. That's pretty much it! I'm glad you stopped by and enjoy the rest of your day!


This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch the Bug: Bingo (top row across)
• Crafting with Dragonflies: Masculine Card
• Crafty Friends: For a Child
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
• Star Stampz: Use a Digi

Strong Tree Sympathy Card

This Strong Tree Sympathy Card is being sent to a relative who is a teenage boy. His mother, my aunt, passed away this week and I wanted to make both of her children their own cards. I have to admit this card was a challenge for me because I have no idea what teenage boys like, so to play it safe I went with the Strong Tree image from the Lovely as a Tree stamp set and the sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set both by Stampin' Up!. The layout is from a sketch by Freshly Made Sketches (FMS108) that I saved from 2013. All patterned papers are by The Paper Loft. It's simple, it's masculine and it came from the heart.  

Serene Sympathy Card

Happy Friday! I look forward to the weekends, since I spent all week by myself. Although by Monday I'm ready for the hubby to go back to work. This weekend we are expecting 70 degree weather here in Oklahoma. I'm hoping we can get a few outdoor chores done.

This week I need several sympathy cards. My Aunt passed away on Tuesday and I have several family members who I'll be sending a card. I made this Serene Sympathy Card for my Aunt's husband.

The design and colors were inspired by a card I found at Taylored Expressions (click here). The cardstock colors I used are by Stampin' Up! and they include: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla. The images were heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I used four stamps on this card: Serene Silhouettes by Stampin' Up!, Agapanthus Cluster by Stampendous!, With Sympathy set by Hero Arts (sentiment) and Bohemian Borders set by Stampin' Up!. The twine started out white but I dyed it using a Soft Suede ink refill. This card is 4.5" x 6". That's it!

Wishing you a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Handmade Guy Christmas Gifts

Comic Collage Canvas, 16 x 20

It's time to count down the last few hours left in 2015! This month went by very quickly and although I didn't make many cards this month I wanted to share the Handmade Guy Christmas Gifts I made for my brother. This year my brother requested a handmade gift and he didn't give me any specifics. He likes Batman, Superman and Wolverine, so I made him a Comic Collage Canvas using vintage comics and Mod Podge Matte. The second gift is a pair of king size Batman pillow cases using some fun fabric. I always enjoy making gifts and I hope my brother enjoys what I made him.

King Size Batman Pillow Cases

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Die Cut Thanks Card

Last September I was a guest designer at Cardz 4 Guyz and then joined their team. I have really enjoyed my time as part of the team but today is my last post as a designer at Cardz 4 Guyz. I have the honor of being hostess for my last challenge and the theme is a color challenge to use Brown and Orange. I would love for you to join us to celebrate my last challenge!!!

To create this Die Cut Thanks Card I used a Spellbinders die called Glass Effects with Early Espresso cardstock. The fun background was made using watercolor paper and alcohol inks. First I cut the watercolor paper to the desired size. Then using a spray bottle I coated the paper liberally with water and then randomly dropped Sunset Orange Adirondack ink by Tim Holtz. The process was repeated as needed. I let the inked panel dry thoroughly before adhering the die cut panel. For the sentiment strip I matted a piece of Whisper White cardstock onto a slightly larger Tangelo Twist cardstock and adhered the die cut Thanks sentiment by Stampin' Up! to the center. To finish the card I added three dot pastel stickers by EK Success/Sticko. I think it turned out pretty cool and I hope you agree.

Don't forget to CLICK HERE to view the wonderful inspiration from the team. We would love to see your card in the gallery this week. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!