Nature's Beauty Sneak Peek

Happy Friday! August is almost behind us and that means the new holiday Stampin' Up! catalog will be debuting on September 4th. Today I have a sneak peek of a new stamp set called Nature's Beauty and for every set sold $3 will go towards mental health organizations. The set includes images of a rabbit, fox and deer with wonderful grass and tree accents. I made a tag using the rabbit with some grasses and paired it with new patterned paper from the Come To Gather designer series paper. Copic markers were used to color the images and a pair of deckle Fiskar's scissors were used to cut the edges. When adding a sentiment I prefer to have them fit into a shape that can be matted but that doesn't always work. The sentiments seem to stand out better which I like. Luckily I found a For You sentiment in the retired Birthday Blooms stamp set that fit into a 1 1/4" circle and I matted it with a scalloped circle. That's it! Everything was adhered flat and a ribbon added to the top. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend.

Challenges entered:

• Arty Divas: Anything Goes
• As You Like It: Favourite Way to add Text (and why)
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything but a Card

Newton Autumn Greetings Card

Hello! I have a quick post to share my latest card. It's an Autumn Card to play along with the color challenge at Inky Paws. Are you ready for Autumn? I know I am!!! I'm much happier when there is a cool breeze in the air. For those of you counting down the days there is 33 days until the official start to Fall/Autumn here in the United States.

This Newton Autumn Greetings Card uses two different stamp sets by Newtons's Nook. The main image is from the Autumn Newton Stamp set and the sentiment and gourd image is from the Harvest Tails stamp set. Copic markers were used to color the images and the coordinating dies to cut them out. Distress inks in Tumbled Glass and Peeled Paint were used on the focal panel using the ink smooshing technique. The patterned papers are from the Happy Camper paper pad by We R Memory Keepers and that's it. This card is also entered into the animal challenge at Crafty Sentiments Designs. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Newton Santa Paws Card

Happy Thursday! We got a subtle break from the summer heat the last couple of days and it's been nice. I mowed the lawn yesterday and pulled a few weeds, but there are still plenty of outdoor chores that need to be done. It's seems there is never enough time or energy to get everything accomplished.

Making Christmas cards in July is a wonderful idea! It helps me add to my stash and it's a nice break from summer colors. Although, this Newton Santa Paws Card is the first one I've made this month. I've had a harder time finding ideas than usual. Luckily the sketch at Inky Paws helped to inspire this card. The Santa Paws stamp set by Newton's Nook was used and the images colored with Copic markers. Three different patterned papers were used, plaid by Lawn Fawn, polka dots by Stampin' Up! and snowflakes by Recollections (Fireside paper pad). I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Gals Corner: Christmas in July
• Crafting By Designs: Get Ready for Christmas
• Inky Paws: Sketch #102
• Shopping Our Stash: Christmas in July
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

Halloween Card in June

Okay... I made one more card for the Inky Paws 100th challenge. I couldn't help myself I had to use my favorite Newton's Nook Hoppy Halloween stamp set. You know when you see a stamp set and just have to have it? That's how I felt with the Hoppy Halloween set. 💜

To create this card I combined the first Inky Paws challenge which was a sketch with the color challenge #82. The images were colored with Copic markers and die cut with the coordinating dies.  Patterned papers are from the Boos & Brews paper pad by Doodlebug Designs (2016). The sentiment was heat embossed and to add some sparkle a few sequins were added. That's it! So glad you stopped by and enjoy the rest of your day!

I'm entering this Halloween Card into the copy cat color challenge.

Sketch:

July 26, 2013

Color Challenge #82

October 1, 2018

Newton Harvest Blessings Card

It's nice to take a break from summer colors and make a fall inspired card. This Newton Harvest Blessings Card was inspired by a former color challenge at Inky Paws from September 2014. This challenge was  before I found Newton's Nook stamps, so I wanted my chance to play along. I really fell in love with the inspiration photo and had to use it as my copy cat entry for the color challenge. The stamp set used is called Autumn Newton and the images were stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. Then the images were die cut with the coordinating dies. For the background I did some ink smooshing with Peeled Paint and Tumbled Glass distress inks. The plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and was die cut with the Newton's Nook Frames & Flags die set. Everything was adhered flat for easy shipping and that's it. So glad you stopped by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark
• Inky Paws: 100th Challenge (Color)
• Simon Says: Anything Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters: Any Occasion
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

September 26, 2014

Bunny Trio Card - TMS #499

Good day friends! I'm sharing this Bunny Trio Card made for the Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge that starts today. This week is challenge #499 and that means next week is #500! So, set a calendar reminder to join us next Tuesday for a Blog Hop and prizes. For this weeks challenge you have until Sunday at 8 pm EST to link your creation. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration.

When I first saw this sketch I knew that Bugaboo Stamps had the perfect block images to use on my card. Since I needed to finish up my Easter cards I used the Bunny Block Trio and colored it with Copic markers. Some bright plaid paper from the Hoppy Easter paper pad by Doodlebug Designs was used for the background and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Always Fun: Easter
• Cute N Crafty: Easter
• Use Your Stuff: Easter/Spring

Sketch:

Added a sentiment, flower and butterfly before I mailed it.

Rainy Day Card

It's been really cold and rainy the last few days which always makes me want to stay home. So, today I played in my craft room and made this Rainy Day Card using the Newton's Rainy Day stamp set by Newton's Nook. The Monday challenge at Simon Says is Whatever The Weather, so I thought this image was perfect. Copic markers were used to color the image and then it was die cut using the coordinating die. The layout is from the current Inky Paws sketch challenge and I used plaid paper by Doodlebug Designs to play along at Cupcake Inspirations. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Happy Valentine's Day and welcome to a Valentine's Day Blog Hop! You won't find any red or pink on this post because the card I'm sharing is for my hubby. I used purple and blue as the main colors. A pair of darling bunnies from Crafter's Companion called Perfect Couple were used for the focal image and they were colored with Copic markers. This stamp set was bought many years ago with the intention of making my hubby a card, so I finally did. We have cottontail bunnies in our yard and we love to watch them. I didn't add any embellishments just some plaid and polka dot papers for detail. Simple but sweet.

Thanks for stopping by! I am giving away a Foxy Valentine stamp by Unity Stamps, so make sure to comment on my blog. Your invited to follow me if you want, but it's not a requirement. The winner will be randomly selected on Friday, Feb. 22nd from the comments on this post. Wishing you a wonderful day and enjoy the hop!

Challenges entered: Creative Knockouts (Love is in the Air), Shopping Our Stash (Make Your Mark), The Cutie Pie (One for the Boys) and Watercooler Wednesday (All About Occasions).

Hop list:

PolymerCreations4U

It's Oddly Appealing
Matter of Crafts
Kelly Parker Designs
Psychotic Ramblings of a Serial Scrapper
The Joyful Soul Creates
Paper Mache Patch
Scrappy Squirrel’s Nest
A Fine How Do You Do
Whimsy Chic Paper Crafts Etc
Inky Pinky Boo
ekgorman designs
Life in a Snapshot
Juli Loves Paper
The Crafty Moussekateer
Savvy Handmade Cards (you are here)
The Crafty Robin
Whimsical Creations
CMP Designs

Elephant Christmas Card - TMS Anything Goes

Well... it's one week before Christmas, are you ready? If you're doing some last minute crafting we would love for you to share your project with us at Tuesday Morning Sketches! This week the challenge is anything goes, so no new sketch but you're welcome to use a past sketch (click here) if you need some inspiration for a layout. The design team has some inspiration for you and you can link your crafty creation  HERE. There are a few rules so make sure you read them before you add your link.

This Elephant Christmas Card was made for my nephew who is three. During the summer he went to the zoo and his favorite animal was the elephants. When I saw this image by Bugaboo Stamps I knew it was perfect for him. The image was colored with Copic markers and some diamond Stickles added to the white part of the elephant's hat and Christmas stockings. A piece of plaid paper by Lawn Fawn (Winter paper pad 2016) was used along with Basic Gray and Balmy Blue cardstock by Stampin' Up!. The Merry Christmas sentiment is by Hero Arts and that's pretty much it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Allsorts: Christmas Trees
• Cards in Envy: Hang Your Stockings with Care
• Crafty Animals: Anything Goes
• Crafty Cats: Anything Goes/Do What You Like Best*
• Crafty Cardmakers: Christmas
• Use Your Stuff: Christmas/Holidays

*One of the things I like best is coloring and I love playing with patterned paper.

Llama Christmas Card

Hello and happy Friday! If you live in the United States, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. After spending time with family and traveling back home I wanted to make a card for the Inky Paws color challenge before it ends. I decided to use the Llama Delivery stamp set by Newton's Nook to make this Llama Christmas Card. The images were colored with Copic markers and then die cut with the coordinating dies. A piece of snowflake vellum was die cut with an oval die and adhered to the fun plaid paper. Two green presents and a North Pole sign (from the Santa Paws Newton stamp set) add a little more detail. The Merry Christmas sentiment is from the retired Snow Place stamp set by Stampin' Up! and some stickles was added under the Llama to add sparkle to the "snow." That's it! I have the early shift today at work so it's off to bed for me. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Christmas or Winter Sentiment
• Fab 'n' Funky: Christmas
• Inky Paws: Color (red, white, green & black)
• Simon Says: Baby It's Cold Outside
• Sweet Stampin' Christmas: Anything Christmas 

Grateful Heart Card - TMS #480

Good day and happy Tuesday! A new sketch challenge starts today at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's perfect to use with your patterned paper scraps. The Doodlebug Designs plaid paper on my card was actually cut for last weeks sketch card but then I changed my mind. Since it was still on my craft desk I decided it was perfect for this weeks challenge. The paper strips were cut at 1.25" x 5.25" each and matted to a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock by Stampin' Up!. The Grateful Heart sentiment was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and matted to a piece of Tempting Turquoise cardstock. When it came to the bow detail, I decided to use some stamped and die cut leaves to go with the flower. That's it! We would love for you to join us this week. For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click HERE. You have until 8 pm (EST) on Sunday to link your creation. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Cute N Crafty: Anything Goes
• Just Add Ink: Big Bold Sentiment
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes 

Sketch #480:

Poppi Cocoa Card

A warm cup of cocoa always sounds good on cold winter days! Although winter is more than a month away, the weather here in Oklahoma feels like it has arrived. That's all the excuse I need to make me a cup of cocoa and stay in my craft room.

This Poppi Cocoa Card features an image by Bugaboo Stamps called Poppi Xmas Cocoa and it was colored with Copic markers. All patterned papers are retired by Stampin' Up! and the sentiment is by Lawn Fawn from the Winter Fox mini stamp set. To add some sparkle, three light green sequins were added and stickles was used on Poppi's hat. That's it! So glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• 4 Crafty Chicks: Holiday Treats
• Catch The Bug: Something Yummy!
• Crafting With Friends: Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes/Ready for Christmas Twist

Halloween Card with a Cat

A big welcome to the month of October!!! I love making Halloween cards and especially Halloween Cards with a Cat. It may be traditional to use black cats at Halloween but I decided to color this cat as a gray tabby. The image and sentiment are from the Newton's Boo-tiful Night stamp set by Newton's Nook. It was stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. The coordinating die was used to cut out the image. On the focal area Wilted Violet distress ink was applied with a sponge dauber and then some green grass was added. All papers are from the Not Too Spooky paper pad by Pink & Main. The colors were selected to play along with the Inky Paws color challenge to use: Lime Green, Yellow, Orange and Purple. This is definitely my favorite Halloween color combination! To add a little sparkle three silver sequins were added and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Cute N Crafty: Fall/Halloween 
• Dragonfly's Journey: Happy Halloween!
• Inky Paws: Colors
• Just Us Girls: Stripes
• Make My Monday: Animals

Another version using the same layout:

Purrrfect Day Card

Hooray for Friday! This morning I got up and finished this Purrrfect Day Card to give to the Humane Society of Tulsa along with a food donation. They have a lot of puppies and cats right now and have requested food donations, so when we can we try to help. 😺

The layout for this card is my "go to" layout. When I'm in a hurry it works for almost everything. Copic markers were used to color the cat from the Nine Lives stamp set by Paper Smooches. The cat and yarn images were fussy-cut and then adhered to the die cut square. All paper is from The Pets Stack paper by DCWV and some twine was tied for detail. That's it! So glad you stopped by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Challenges entered:

• City Crafter: Pet Company
• Creative Knockouts: Anything Goes 
• Fab 'n' Funky: All Creatures Great and Small
• Show Us Your Pussycats: Pussycats Only
• Sunny Day Crafting: Anything with Animals
• QKR Stampede: Anything Goes

Autumn Newton Card

Hello and happy Friday! One more day until the arrival of Fall/Autumn! A cool front is arriving in our area today and we are expecting some rain, both of these make me happy. Our weatherman assured us the heat is over!!! So, bring on the cooler weather.

There are several Fall/Autumn challenges right now and I made this Autumn Newton Card to participate in a few. My intent when making this card was to send it to my Aunt Cindy, but now I kinda want to keep it. I just love the mix of colors and of course the Autumn Newton stamp. The floral patterned paper is from the Woodland Forest paper pad by Pebbles (2016) and the Fall plaid is by Lawn Fawn. I made the inky background using Distress Oxide Inks and then die cut it with a deckle die by Tim Holtz. After stamping and coloring the images with Copic markers they were die cut with the coordinating dies. Everything was adhered flat for easy shipping and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Challenges entered:

• Back to Basics and Beyond: Inky Backgrounds
• Creative Knockouts: 2 or More Patterned Papers
• Inky Paws: Fabulous Fall
• SumMore Fun: Mood Board Inspiration
• The Sisherhood of Crafters: Cozy Plaids

Happy 21st Birthday Card

Hello and happy Friday! This weekend we are having a birthday party for my oldest niece who recently turned 21. I remember the anticipation of turning 21 and then when the day arrived it wasn't a big deal. When I went to the store to make my first purchase the clerk didn't even ask for my ID. I was a little shocked and disappointed at the same time. That was so long ago and hopefully things are different now.

This Happy 21st Birthday Card features my niece's favorite colors: Hot Pink (Melon Mambo and Turquoise (Bermuda Bay). The plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and unfortunately all the stamps are retired by Stampin' Up!. I was really sad the see the Number of Years stamp set and Large Number framelits retire. They make wonderful milestone cards. The layout is copied from an anniversary card I made last year. When I made the card last year (click here) it took forever to get the placement of the flowers right. It was much easier to duplicate the design! Even though the cards have the same layout the colors and background paper make a big difference. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Anything Goes + Sentiment
• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes/Beautiful Blooms
• Crafting With Friends: Anything Goes
• Creative Knockouts: For the Girls
• Seize the Birthday: Birthday Anything Goes

Dinosaur Birthday Card

Happy Friday! Last week I printed out the sketch for the Stella Says Sketch challenge at Catch The Bug and I finally made this Dinosaur Birthday Card to play along. The hardest part was deciding on the patterned papers. In the end I decided on the Lawn Fawn plaid with blue and orange watercolor papers from ms. sparkle & co., luckily the colors matched well. The image is called Dino Birthday by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it was hand colored with Copic markers. To finish the card three yellow candy dots and the Happy Birthday sentiment were added and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

This Dinosaur Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Stella Says Sketch #610
• Jo's Scrap Shack: Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday: Birthday w/ Patterned Paper
• QKR Stampede: Anything Goes

Mouse Big Flower Card

When life gets tough as it sometimes does, it's best to take it one day at a time. I love using this sentiment by Verve Stamps. It makes a wonderful card to send a few weeks after a sympathy card. When I was looking through my stash this past weekend I realized I had no cards ready with this sentiment. So, I used one of my favorite Bugaboo images called Mouse Big Flower to create this card.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Crafty Animals: Anything with Animal
• Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes
• Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
• Catch The Bug: Bingo (Sentiment, Player's Choice and Stitching)

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

Dressed Bunny Easter Card

This week is going by pretty fast and I still need to make several more Easter cards. It's been a couple of years since I stamped this image that I borrowed from a friend. I knew it would make a cute card for my youngest niece. The image is really large, so I used a center focused design for this Dressed Bunny Easter Card. Copic markers were used to color the image, then it was trimmed and matted to pink cardstock. The plaid patterned is by Lawn Fawn and the yellow polka dots is by Echo Park. To finish it off I added a little yellow butterfly and a Happy Easter sentiment.

Does your favorite colors change with the season? I'm always going to love green and purple but I love using yellow in the spring and one of my new favorite colors is coral sea blue (BG23). Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Cute Card Thursday: Easter
• Craftaholics R Us: Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash: Here Comes Peter Cottontail
• Aud Sentiments: Bingo + Sentiment  (patterned paper, stamps and favorite color)

Another version:

Newton Wanted Card

Happy Monday! Last week we rescued a feral kitten from our backyard and took her to our veterinarian for care. The kitten was spotted early in November on the other side of our neighborhood with siblings. However, nobody did anything to help them. At the time they weren't in my yard and even though I offered to help nobody responded. So, when fate brought this little one to our yard we knew we had to rescue her. It took us five days and we finally trapped her last Friday. We tried finding a local shelter to take her but many of them are at capacity and wouldn't take a feral kitten. To help with her medical expenses we have set up a Go Fund Me account. The hardest part about rescuing animals is the cost involved. If you feel like contributing every little bit helps!

This Newton Wanted Card was made for one of our neighbors who gave us a donation. The inside is stamped "for being awesome!" The stamp set is by Newton's Nook and it's called Newton Rides West and the matching dies were used to die cut the stars. Copic markers were used to color the image. The Pioneer plaid paper is by Authentique and cardstock colors include: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze and Hello Honey all by Stampin' Up! That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Newton Wanted Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes
• As You Like It: Favourite Animal
• Cats have been my favourite animal for as long as I can remember. I think it's because they resemble my personality... perfectly happy being alone with occasional social interaction.

Below is a picture of the rescued kitten we named Daisy. She is getting used to being inside, it's only been two days since we picked her up from the veterinarians. She is still really shy and doesn't like being picked up, but she isn't hiding from us and she is starting to play with toys. We are just happy she is safe and warm!