Coral Butterfly Sympathy Card

Hello! I'm feeling much better after my surgery almost two weeks ago. It's easier to sit now and I've been crafting at my computer desk on the pull out keyboard area. Honestly, I really like crafting at this lower level. I can see things better and it hasn't hurt my back. It would be nice if the surface area was larger, but it does force me to clean up when I'm done. Anyway... onto my Coral Butterfly Sympathy Card.

The challenge at SU! Only is to use Butterflies or Dragonflies and I like them both but decided to use the Watercolor Wings stamp set to make a sympathy card. All supplies used on this card are by Stampin' Up!, with the exception of the sentiment, sequins and Tip Top Taupe ink everything else is currently available. Supplies used include: Whisper White, Old Olive and Calypso Coral Cardstock, Petal Garden paper stack, Watercolor Wings stamp set, Calypso Coral and Tip Top Taupe ink, Flourish thinlits, Big Shot, sentiment from retired Simply Sketched stamp set and Fancy Frost sequins. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• SU! Only: Butterflies or Dragonflies
• RETARTE: Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes 

Encouragement Card

Life can be hard sometimes! My youngest niece is in the eighth grade and recently a father of one of her friends passed away. Her friend has really leaned on my niece because she lost her mother, my sister, when she was six years old. It's times like these when all those feelings of loss and grief resurface. I made this Encouragement Card for my niece to give her friend. There is nothing that makes this time easier but support and kindness makes a big difference.

Encouragement Card Supplies:

• Paper: White, black and red cardstock along with patterned papers from Simple Stories Life In Color paper pad.
• Stamps: Mouse-Big Flower image by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and One Day at a Time sentiment by Verve Stamps.
• Inks & Coloring: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic markers.
• Other Stuff: Cross-stitched oval die by My Favorite Things, Fiskars Deckle scissors, blue twine from The Twinery and dimensionals.

Challenges entered: 

• Crafting Circle: Bugaboo Images
• Brown Sugar: Anything Goes
• Allsorts: Forest Friends
• Catch The Bug: Bingo (Dots/Stripes, Flowers & Sentiment)

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

Dreams Come True Card

Hope you're having a wonderful day! I'm still recovering from surgery and each day I'm feeling a little better. It's still hard to sit for long periods of time, so it took me awhile to finish this Dreams Come True Card. I made this card to play along in the following challenges:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Color 
• Simon Says Stamp: Add a Sentiment
• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes

To create this card I started with a piece of white cardstock and a quarterfoil stencil by Clear Scraps along with Peacock Feathers distress ink and Melon Mambo ink by Stampin' Up!. Then I stamped the Newton's Naptime with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. A stitched rectangle die by Lil' Inkers was used to cut the image and it was matted to a slightly larger piece of black cardstock. The sentiment was stamped, punched and matted to a scalloped oval punch and then everything was adhered flat for easy mailing. For the final touch three pink sequins were added for sparkle and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Choose Happy Card with Pig

Hello and happy Tuesday! Today is the start of an Anything Goes challenge at Tuesday Throwdown. After two years as part of the design team at Tuesday Throwdown this will be my last post as part of their team. It's been a lot of fun and it went by really quickly! Thank you for following along over the last couple of years and I hope to continue to see each of you around blogland.

Our sponsor this week is DRS Designs and I'm using their Leonard Pig Blowing Bubbles image. It's such a cute image and could be used for multiple different occasions. We would love for you to join the challenge this week! Click HERE for all the details and design team inspiration. You have until mid-day on Monday, August 21st to link your creation.

This Choose Happy Card with Pig was made almost completely while standing up. Last week I had an outpatient surgery and the plan was to finish my card before, but I totally procraftinated!!! There was some cleaning but mostly procrastination. My pain level after surgery has been more than I expected and sitting is challenging. So, I was able to sit to color the image at my computer desk but after that I stood while I made this card. Everything used was on my craft desk or at a level that I didn't have to bend over. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your creation in the gallery at Tuesday Throwdown.

Challenges entered:

• Dragonfly Dreams: Animals
• Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart: Anything Goes

You're So Foxy Card

This weekend while cleaning I came across this cute fox image by Meljen's Designs. It was already cut into a circle and partially colored, so I decided to finish coloring and feature it on a card. The fun colorful circle paper is from the Hello Sunshine paper pad by Doodlebug Designs Inc. and the yellow gingham is by Paper Pizazz. It's been awhile since I've used a charm, so I added the little butterfly with some orange twine. The sentiment is by Taylored Expressions and was punched with a 1 1/4" circle punch then matted to a scalloped circle punch. I used an edge punch for the white accents and that pretty much sums up this You're So Foxy Card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Cute Card Thursday: Charms!
• Craft Rocket: Animal Kingdom
• Dragonfly Dreams: Animals
• Challenge Up Your Life: Circles

Black and Red Pot Holders

Recently a girl I went to high school with asked me to make some Black and Red Pot Holders for a gift. Last time I made pot holders was in March, so I had to remember what sizes I cut the fabric to get the right finished size. I really should write this stuff down, but I'm one of those that just does stuff without patterns or recipes for that matter. I'll look stuff up and then just do it my way. I'm constantly making things up in the kitchen. My hubby just loves it when he asks "what's for dinner" and I reply that I'm trying something new or throwing something together. Sometimes it's really good and sometimes it's just okay, but it's always fun to watch his face as he takes the first bite. Thanks for stopping by my blog and bye for now.