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

Blue Butterfly Note Card

Hello! This year I didn't make any cards for the Fourth of July holiday. I did want to use some patriotic colors, so I made this Blue Butterfly Note Card. Since the floral paper is pretty bold and the colors are strong, I kept it simple. No added embellishments. The floral patterned paper is by Bo Bunny from the Celebrating Freedom paper pad and was matted to a piece of Blueberry Bushel cardstock by Stampin' Up!. The butterfly is also by Stampin' Up! from the Beautiful Day stamp set and it was colored with Stampin' Blends markers in Night of Navy. Using a heat gun and Vintage Pearl embossing powder by Ranger the sentiment was heat embossed. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and come back again soon.

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore: Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Thoughts for You Card - TMS #509

Welcome and happy Tuesday! This weeks sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. I decided to use a branch in place of the line element and used my favorite retired Best Birds stamp set by Stampin' Up! to make this card. This Thoughts for You Card really came together quickly and I plan to make a couple extras to have on hand. We would love for you to play along with us this week! You have until Sunday 8 pm EST to link you creation. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration.

Challenges entered: Make My Monday (Begins with the letter B), 2 Sisters on the Blog (Things with Wings) and Crafts Galore Encore (Anything Goes).

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

Sketch #509:

Butterfly Gala Note Card

Happy Friday! I think I figured out why I haven't wanted to make much lately... it's time to clean. My work space is overflowing and I desperately need to organize. So, that's what I need to do. It will make finding things easier and maybe then I won't be so frustrated. Are you a messy crafter like me, or are you the organized type? Feel free to share any organizing tips that help keep your crafty space under control.

Earlier this week the new Stampin' Up! annual catalog was released. Lots of pretty new products! I was thrilled they carried over the Butterfly Gala stamp set from the occasions catalog. The colors were chosen from the Bird Ballard dsp and include: Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Daffodil Delight. After stamping the butterflies with Memento black ink they were colored with Stampin' Blends markers. Once the butterflies were punched they were adhered to the embossed panel (retired Garden Trellis embossing folder). The sentiment was stamped, fussy cut and layered onto a piece of Old Olive cardstock that was die cut with a Stitched Nested Labels die. Everything was adhered flat for easy shipping and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Nature + Sentiment
• Creative Knockouts: Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Simple Thank You Card - TMS #497

Happy Tuesday! This weeks challenge sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches is perfect for a simple easy card. Although it could certainly be used for a more elaborate design. I took the simple approach and used a piece of patterned paper from the Pretty Things paper pad by MME. The butterfly is from my bin of "extras" that I stamped many years ago and I stamped the Thank You sentiment from the Petal Palette stamp set by Stampin' Up!. That's it, a Simple Thank You Card. We would love for you to join us this week! Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. You have until 8 pm EST on Sunday to link your creation. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Sketch:

Climbing Roses Wedding Card

Hello! My cousin is getting married this weekend and this Climbing Roses Wedding Card is the one I made for the occasion. She is using purple as the main color which also happens to be my favorite color. Almost all of the supplies on this card are by Stampin' Up! The one exception is some sugar cube glitter paint by Martha Stewart Crafts that I painted onto the trellis die cut. Unfortunately the photo doesn't show how pretty the glitter detail is, it looks better in person. Hopefully she will love it! 💜

Supplies used include:

• Paper: Thick and thin white cardstock along with Subtles Designer Series Paper in Highland Heather.
• Stamps: Climbing Roses and Flourishing Phrases.
• Ink & Coloring: Memento Black and Gorgeous Grape ink pads along with Stampin' Blends markers in Highland Heather and Granny Apple Green.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, Rose Trellis Thinlits Dies, Glitter Paint and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Challenges entered: Cardz 4 Gals (Flora or Fauna), Cut It Up (Flowers), Cute Card Thursday (Feminine), Everybody-Art (Wedding) and Watercooler Wednesday (All About Occasions).

On My Mind Card with Butterflies

Good day! It's been super windy today, so I didn't run errands like usual on my day off. Instead I made this On My Mind Card with Butterflies. The layout is from the sketch at Try Stampin' On Tuesday challenge. I really wanted to use green but didn't need another St. Patrick's Day Card. So, I found this pretty butterfly paper and thought it worked well with the Butterfly Gala stamp set by Stampin' Up!. To color the butterflies I used Stampin' Blends markers in Mint Macaroon and Shaded Spruce. A little black lace was added and that's it. Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for stopping by.

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Fab 'n' Funky: Butterfly    
• Try Stampin' On Tuesday: Sketch/Photo Inspiration
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions
• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes

Little Piggy Birthday Card

Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful day. Did you know Friday was National Pig Day? I watched a cute video of pet pigs and was inspired to make this Little Piggy Birthday Card. The pig image is from the This Little Piggy stamp set by Stampin' Up! and it was colored with Copic markers. A few extras were added to the image area and they include: party hat, balloon and present. These stamps are all from various Newton's Nook stamp sets. The patterned paper has been in my stash for awhile and it's from the Hello Summer paper pad by Lori Whitlock/Echo Park (2012). I tried to keep the colors gender neutral because I don't know who will end up with this card. The final touch was the birthday sentiment which combined a stamp from the This Little Piggy stamp set by masking the work Thanks and then stamping Happy Birthday from the retired Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set by Stampin' Up!. That's it and I'm glad you stopped by.

Challenges entered:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: Anything with Critters
• Crafty Animals: Anything Goes with Animals
• Just Us Girls: Birthday
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday: Make Us Laugh

Purple Lasting Lily Card

Well it's time to say goodbye to the month of February but not before I share this Purple Lasting Lily Card. Purple is my favorite color and the color of amethyst the birthstone for February. This week I received my latest Stampin' Up! order and had to play with the Lasting Lily stamp set which is a freebie for Sale-A-Bration. After stamping the lilies in Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather and Wild Wasabi for the stems they were die cut with the coordinating Lily dies. The background paper is Highland Heather gingham from the Gingham Gala dsp and it was matted to a piece of Gorgeous Grape cardstock. The cardstock was also used to anchor the bottom of the focal oval. After arranging the group of lilies a strip of Highland Heather cardstock was placed over the stems to add the perfect spot for the sentiment label. The label shape is from the coordinating Lily Framelits Dies. That's it and thanks for stopping by!

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Bingo + Sentiment (Patterned Paper/Stamp/Favorite Color)
• Creative Knockouts: Lots of Layers
• Little Red Wagon: LOVE it! (Color Purple)
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions
• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes

In My Thoughts Card - TMS #483

Happy happy Tuesday! It's the start of another challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. This weeks sketch has a lot of fun elements to play around with. My card was started by choosing the sentiment and unfortunately I needed a sympathy card. A friend from high school passed away and I wanted to make her mother a card. Once the sentiment was selected I decided to use the Flourish Thinlits along with a brick stencil by Stampin' Up! A couple small butterflies from my stash were added and the edges were punched with a decorative punch from Creative Memories. The final detail was adding the bow and that's it. For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click HERE. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Sketch #483:

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:

Fall Butterfly Birthday Card

Good day crafty friends! There are still a few butterflies fluttering around my flowers, but a hard freeze is expected in the next few days. The freeze will definitely put and end to the remaining annuals that have been trying to hang on. So, I was inspired to use a butterfly on this Fall Butterfly Birthday Card. The floral patterned paper is by Bo Bunny (Stay Awhile Collection) and the Granny Apple Green polka dots is by Stampin' Up!. Using Memento black ink the butterfly from the Beautiful Day stamp set by Stampin' Up! was stamped and then colored with a mix of Stampin' Blends and Copic markers. The butterfly was fussy-cut and adhered flat to the card. To finish the card the Happy Birthday Wishes sentiment from the retired Avant-Garden stamp set by Stampin' Up! was matted to a Granny Apple Green scalloped oval and adhered flat for easy shipping. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Crafts Galore Encore: Anything Goes
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• Love To Craft: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Fall Card with Die Cuts

Good day! If you're counting down with me... it's 23 days until the start of Fall! To get a head start on my Thanksgiving cards I made this Fall Card with Die Cuts. The stamp and die cut bundle will be released on September 5th in the Stampin' Up! 2018 Holiday Catalog. The stamp set is called Falling For Leaves and it coordinates with the Detailed Leaves Thinlits Dies. Cardstock colors include: Early Espresso, Fresh Fig, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive. Woodgrain patterned paper was used for the background and it was stamped with Crumb Cake ink using a leaf stamp. To add a subtle pattern a piece of scrap orange polka dot paper was used for the bottom trio of leaves. The sentiment was stamped with Early Espresso ink and die cut with a Tim Holtz Alterations circle framelit. Three sequins were added for some sparkle and that's it. So glad you stopped by!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
• Mod Squad: Anything Goes
• Simon Says: Fall/Autumn
• Watercooler Wednesday: Anything Goes

Butterfly Belated Birthday Card

Hello! If you're anything like me, a birthday gets missed every once in awhile. Not on purpose, it just seems life goes too fast to keep up sometimes. One good thing about Facebook is it reminds us we have friend/family birthdays coming up. Getting a card in the mail is a completely different story!

This Butterfly Belated Birthday Card was made for one of my cousins. Her favorite color is purple, so I colored the butterfly from the Beautiful Day stamp set by Stampin' Up! with Highland Heather Stampin' Blends markers. The layout was based on the sketch challenge at Just Add Ink. Other Stampin' Up! supplies include: Marbled stamp, Memento black ink, Softly Falling embossing folder and silver sequins. The Smoky Slate cardstock circle was cut using a stitched circle die by My Favorite Things and the sentiment was stamped using the Hang in There stamp set by Lawn Fawn. That's it! Thanks for stopping by.

Challenges entered:

• Just Add Ink: Sketch
• Southern Girls: Stamp Your Mark
• QKR Stampede: Anything Goes

Falling Flowers Birthday Card

Happy Thursday! Lately a lot of my cards have featured critters on them, so I decided to make a floral card. This Falling Flowers Birthday Card features one of my favorite stamp sets by Stampin' Up! called Falling Flowers along with the May Flowers Framelit Dies. The images were stamped with Memento black ink and then colored with a mix of Stampin' Blend and Copic markers. The birthday sentiment is from the retired Watercolor Wishes stamp set and it was heat embossed with white embossing powder. For the background panel I did a subtle version of the Faux Patina technique using an embossing folder along with Crumb Cake cardstock, Crumb Cake ink, Whisper White Craft ink and clear embossing powder. If the Faux Patina technique is new to you here is a link to a great video tutorial. If you want to see all the cards I've made using the technique click HERE. The layout for this card comes from a couple others I found on Pinterest. Sometimes the hardest part of making a die cut floral card is arranging the flowers and I really like how the others were done. One of the cards was by Sue Miller and the other by Tina's Creative Studio. It's amazing to see how color changes the look of the card. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Dragonfly Journeys: Flower Power
• Inspire.Create: Floral
• Pause Dream Enjoy: Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations: Favourite Stamp
• Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

Butterfly Thank You Card

Hope all is well in your world! This week I was busy making a special order of baby boy burp cloths. I had all my sewing supplies put away since my surgery last August, so it was a chore to set everything up. Now that everything is out I need to make baby girl burp cloths for a gift. They really are fun to make and are great baby shower gifts!

Now onto this Butterfly Thank You Card... I made this card for my neighbor who orders Stampin' Up! supplies from me. When I delivered her latest order I included this card. All supplies are current and by Stampin' Up!. Supplies include: Thick Whisper White cardstock, Shaded Spruce cardstock, Soft Sea Foam cardstock, Garden Impressions designer series paper, Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends markers, Memento black ink, Butterfly stamp from Beautiful Day stamp set and Thank You sentiment from the Abstract Impressions stamp set. That's it, thanks for stopping by!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Pause Dream Enjoy: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

Blue Butterfly Thank You Card

Wow! It's been a very long time since I've had two posts in one day. I'm definitely neglecting my household chores, but oh well!!! This Blue Butterfly Thank You Card was made for one of my neighbors who organized an outdoor activity for our neighborhood this coming weekend.

To make this card I decided to use a couple of Stampin' Up! supplies that I've had unused in my stash for awhile. I seem to buy supplies faster than I use them. The butterfly is from the Beautiful Day stamp set and was colored with Night of Navy Stampin' Blends. For the background the Marbled stamp was used with Poppy Parade ink. A strip of white cardstock was embossed with the Softly Falling embossing folder and then the Thank You sentiment from the Abstract Impressions stamp set was heat embossed on black cardstock with white embossing powder. The completed panel was matted to Night of Navy cardstock and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• C.R.A.F.T: Thank You
• DL.ART: Red, White & Blue
• Shopping Our Stash: Red, White & Blue
• Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
• SU-Only!: Patriotic, #SUOC202

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

Butterfly Kindness Card

Good day crafty friends! I have a quick post to share my latest card. This Butterfly Kindness Card was made using new and retired supplies by Stampin' Up!. Unfortunately the Watercolor Wings butterfly stamp is now retired, but the paper and sentiment are new. The patterned paper is from the Garden Impressions designer series paper, cardstock colors are Calypso Coral and Shaded Spruce, the sentiment is from the Abstract Impressions stamp set and the embossed panel uses one of the Petal Pair embossing folders. Three retired sequins add some sparkle and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes
• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
• Craftaholics R Us: Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp: Bright Colors
• The Crafty Addicts: Anything Goes/Flowers

Happy News Card

Hello and happy Saturday! This afternoon my hubby is out running errands, so I'm playing in my craft room. Even though I have the house to myself a lot... I'll always take extra time to play, especially when it's hot outside.

This Happy News Card features my favorite new stamp set called Abstract Impressions in the new Stampin' Up! annual catalog. I used it earlier this week and ever since I've been wanting to use it with the new purple colors: Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather. The greens are also both new colors and include: Call Me Clover and Granny Apple Green. The layout was cased from an example card in the annual catalog on page 5. I don't have the punch shown in the example, so I added some banners and matted my focal area for extra color. To add some stamping to the banners the Timeless Textures stamp set was used and a little white twine bow finishes it off.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes
• CCEE Stampers: Blooming Flowers
• Southern Girls: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions