BOO Halloween Card

Happy Monday! This morning I made this BOO Halloween Card using a die cut set (DIE325-V) by Impression Obsession. I wanted a simple and quick card to send to the younger boys in the family. The ghost patterned paper has been in my stash for many years and it's by Adorn It from the Hocus Pocus collection. Silver glimmer paper by Stampin' Up! was used for the BOO die cut. The little bat is from a punch by Stampin' Up! and the ghost and cat are both dies from the set. That's it!

Challenges entered: Lil Patch of Crafty Friends (Anything Goes), Pause Dream Enjoy (Cards Any Theme),  Simon Says (Halloween/Spooky) and Die Cut Divas (Autumn/Halloween).

Fab Flowers Birthday Card

Hello and happy Wednesday! Today would have been my sister's 42nd birthday and although she has passed on I made this card in honor of her birthday. I had just started making cards before she passed away in 2011. The only handmade card I gave her was for Valentine's Day the month before she passed. Making cards became a form of therapy after she passed away and it continues to help me cope with everyday stresses.

For this Fab Flowers Birthday Card I selected colors I thought my sister would like for the flowers and used the Fab Flowers stamp set by Lawn Fawn. The Happy Birthday die cut is by Stampin' Up! and Blueberry Bushel cardstock was used. It took awhile to get the die cuts positioned and everything was adhered flat. The background paper is a subtle gray woodgrain and frayed burlap distress ink was sponged along the edges. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Always Happy Birthday: Anything Birthday Goes
• City Crafter: Into the Woods
• Pause Dream Enjoy: Any Card
• Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
• The Cutie Pie: Going Girly
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

Quick Bird Card

It's a twofer Thursday! The hubby has the day off tomorrow, so I'm taking some extra craft time today! There are a couple of challenges that inspired this Quick Bird Card. The challenge at Cards in Envy is to use Yellow & Black and Creative Knockouts challenge is Something to Say. I love this sentiment by Stampendous and the Birds on a Wire die cut by Spellbinders made this a quick and easy card. The patterned paper is from the Summer Mood paper pad by Bo Bunny (2017). To add a little sparkle three yellow sequins were added and that's it. So glad you stopped by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered: Cards in Envy (Yellow & Black), Creative Knockouts (Something to Say), Simon Says (Anything Goes) and Word Art Wednesday (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

Manatee Card

Hello! Last month Newton's Nook released a super cute Manatee stamp set called Manatee-rific and I just had to add it to my stash. Today I made this Manatee Card using the new stamp set along with the waves stencil. Salty Ocean distress ink was used for the waves and the Mantee and accents were colored with Copic markers. The coordinating dies were used to cut out the images and everything was adhered flat for easy shipping. To add some green to the scene I used a foliage stamp from a Lawn Fawn stamp set. The outside frame is from the Newton's Nook Frames & Flags die set and the center oval was cut using a cross-stitched oval die by My Favorite Things. That's it! I'm pretty slow when it comes to crafting, so this Manatee Card took me most of the afternoon to make.

Challenges entered:

• Cards in Envy: Something New
• Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday: Feature a Creature
• Inky Paws: Summer/Beach Theme
• Little Red Wagon: Wild Animals
• Unicorn Challenge: At The Beach

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

Summer Fun at Crafty Catz

Hello crafty friends! This month I have the honor of being a guest designer at the Crafty Catz Challenge and today is the start of a Summer Fun theme challenge. The sponsor this week is The Paper Shelter and they provided the design team with a couple of wonderful digital images to create with. Unfortunately my old printer decided to die, the poor thing had been making an awful noise for months, but that meant no digital images for me. So, I've used a House-Mouse Designs image called Umbrella Nap and colored it with Copic markers. We would love for you to join the Summer Fun challenge! Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

This Summer Fun Card is entered into the following challenges: Cute Card Thursday (Anything Goes), Through The Purple Haze (At the Beach) and Tuesday Throwdown (The Great Outdoors).

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

Always on My Mind Card

Hello! You know what they say "when the cats away the mice will play." That's exactly what I did tonight when the hubby worked late. I was inspired by the current Inky Paws color challenge to use: white, blue, green and yellow. After looking through my Newton's Nook stamps the Newton's Birdbath stamp set got the pick. The images were colored with Copic markers and die cut using the coordinating dies and my Big Shot. For the background Tumbled Glass distress ink was sponged onto mixed media paper and then die cut with the Frames & Flags die set by Newton's Nook. Yellow polka dot paper was also die cut and some green grass punched with a Fiskars grass punch. It was a pretty simple card to put together. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments: Water
• Inky Paws: Color
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes

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!

Sending Love Card

Do you ever lose something in your craft room? I knew I had this patterned paper that I was "saving" for the right card and when I finally decide to use it, I couldn't find it. Well after a couple of searches I found it stuck in a box. The colors are perfect for one of my nieces and that's who will be receiving this Sending Love Card.

The layout for this card is from the current Inky Paws Sketch Challenge. I used the new Sending Hugs stamp set and coordinating dies by Newton's Nook. Copic markers were used to color the image. To go along with the sketch, some Basic Gray twine by Stampin' Up! was added and three pink sequins for a little sparkle. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Challenges entered:

• Inky Paws: Sketch
• The Crazy Challenge: Love
• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Anything Goes

Blue and Red Birthday Card

Hello! Today was my first day off since last Thursday and I definitely needed the break. It's been awhile since I've stood for long periods of time working in retail. Hopefully I'll get used to it again soon. It has been nice getting out of the house and visiting with other humans for a change.

My goal today was to make a card for my Mother's birthday and this Blue and Red Birthday Card is what I made for her. Blue is her favorite color and this red flower has been sitting on my craft desk just waiting to be used. The patterned papers are from the Americana paper pad by Pebbles (2013). I love how the little flowers have red centers, it really helped to tie everything together. To finish the card I added some twine and a butterfly charm. The finished size is 4.50" x 6.25". Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

This Blue and Red Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Watercolor Wednesday: Anything Goes
• Pattie's Creations: Birthdays
• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
• Craftaholics R Us: Anything Goes
• Retarte: Anything Goes

CAS Thanksgiving Card

Hello and Happy Friday! It's hard to believe that November has already arrived and Thanksgiving will be here in three weeks. Time really does seem to go faster as each year passes by. Speaking of time, it's time to start a new challenge at Simply Create Too and this month the them is Clean and Simple. This type of card is always a challenge for me... it's the simple part that I have an issue with. For this CAS Thanksgiving Card I left lots of white space but the focal area has several die cuts and three sequins for sparkle. In my world this is a CAS card. What does CAS look like in your world? We would love for you to join us this month! Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. Challenge closes on November 24th, 2017.

Card supplies include:

• Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango Cardstock along with wood dsp from the Wood Textures paper stack all by Stampin' Up!.
• Stamps: Pick a Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! and Thanksgiving sentiment by Inkadinkado.
• Inks: Crumb Cake and Pear Pizzazz by Stampin' Up!
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, Patterned Pumpkins Thinlits by Stampin' Up! and sequins.

Challenges entered:

1. CCEE Stampers: Thanksgiving or Thank You
2. Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
3. Crafty Gals Corner: Harvest Colours
4. Pause Dream Enjoy: Thanksgiving

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

Newton Thankful Card

Hello and happy World Card Making Day! This morning I had some fun playing with patterned paper and Newton. To get my card started I found a sketch at Sweet Sketch Wednesday. Instead of making the card square, because I rarely mail my square cards, I went with an A2 size. The image and sentiment are from the stamp set called Autumn Newton by Newton's Nook. Copic markers were used to color the image and then it was die cut with the coordinating dies. I used one of my favorite paper pads by Doodlebug Designs called Flea Market. The polka dot oval was die cut using a cross stitched oval die by My Favorite Things. Fiskars deckle scissors were used to cut the yellow oval mat. An oval punch was used for the sentiment and it was matted to a green apple scalloped oval. The final touch was the three yellow glitter enamel dots by Stampin' Up! and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to get crafty today!

This Newton Thankful Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2: Sketch
• Shopping Our Stash: Give Thanks
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Aud Sentiments: Use a Die Cut + Sentiment 
• Alphabet Challenge: "O" for Oval

Otter Anniversary Card

It's been a few days since my last post but it's been pretty busy around my house. This week my hubby and I are celebrating our Twentieth Wedding Anniversary. It has really gone by fast!!! I wanted to make a special card to celebrate and I bought the Christmas Like No Otter stamp set for Simon Says Stamp by Lawn Fawn for the occasion. We love to visit the otters when go to the local Tulsa Zoo. They are fun and charismatic creatures!

To make this card I started with a piece of watercolor paper and oxide inks in Broken China and Salty Ocean for the water and Antique Linen and Vintage Photo for the sand. After inking the paper it was spritzed with water and a heat gun used to speed the drying process. Then the panel was die cut using a scalloped frame by Taylored Expressions. The outside frame was then darkened with more Salty Ocean distress ink. I went back and stamped the waves and little circles in the water. Then the otters and images were stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. They were then die cut with the coordinating dies. The sand was die cut with a small wavy scallop stitches die by Simon Says Stamp. Everything was adhered flat to a piece of natural cardstock and that's it! Thanks for stopping by!

This Otter Anniversary Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Use Your Stuff: Old and New
• Sweet Stampin': Cute and Cuddly
• Retarte: Anything Goes

Autumn Newton Thankful Card

Hello and happy Wednesday! Last month Newton's Nook released a new stamp set called Autumn Newton and I decided it was purrfect for my Thanksgiving cards for family this year. The Newton's Nook design team did an amazing job with their inspirational designs, click HERE. I was inspired by all the inky backgrounds and really loved Maria Russell's design that you can check out HERE. Then Jennifer Jackson created two awesome cards for the Simon Says Stamp Blog that you can check out HERE.

With all this wonderful inspiration I was excited to make my own inky background with distress oxide inks. Colors include: Seedless Preserves, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Fossilized Amber and Vintage Photo. The colors were sponged onto mixed media paper, blended well and then sprayed with water. The heat gun was used to dry the water and set the ink. I let the panel dry overnight before cutting it to the right size. A Birch Tree die cut by Taylored Expressions was added and trimmed and then the panel was matted to Rich Razzleberry cardstock by Stampin' Up!. Next, the Newton image was colored with Copic markers and die cut with the coordinating die. Everything was adhered flat to the card for easy mailing. A few sequins were added for sparkle and that's it!

This Autumn Newton Thankful Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp: Stamp It!
• Little Red Wagon: Give Us Your Background
• Tuesday Throwdown: Punches and/or Dies
• Crafty Gals Corner: Favorite Colors (used favorite Fall colors)

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

For You Faux Patina Card

Hello and happy September 1st! I'm always happy when September arrives because that means Fall isn't too far behind. Today is also the start of a new challenge at Simply Create Too and this month the theme is Ribbon and Buttons. The challenge runs through September 29th! You can find all the challenge details and design team inspiration HERE. I hope you will play along!

For my card I decided to use the Faux Patina technique with a button embossing folder by Darice. If this technique is new to you click HERE for a video tutorial. The ink colors used include: Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon and Island Indigo all by Stampin' Up! and Tumbled Glass distress ink by Ranger. The embossing powder is by Recollections and the color is Champagne. It's more subtle than gold but I like the way it looks with the colors. The finished faux patina panel was matted to a piece of Island Indigo cardstock and then some retired Pool Party ribbon was wrapped around flat. A stitched die cut square was matted to Island Indigo and then a For You die cut from Bermuda Bay cardstock was adhered and then added to the front with dimensionals. To add some sparkle five sequins were added and that's it. If you've never tried this technique I hope you will give it a try, it's a lot of inky fun. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• 4 Crafty Chicks: Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends: Anything Goes

Cute Puppy Birthday Card

Hello and happy Friday! My nephew will turn two later this year, so I thought I would go ahead and make his birthday card. The image is from the Birthday Puppies set by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it was colored with Copic markers. I used some fun bright papers from the Playlist paper pad by Hampton Arts (2013). A scalloped die cut from by Taylored Expressions frames the image. The sentiment is by Hero Arts and some sequins were added for sparkle. That's it! I'm glad you stopped by my blog and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!!!

This Cute Puppy Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Cute Card Thursday: Bright Colours!
• As You Like It: Fur of Feathers*
• Die Cuttin' Divas: Birthday Celebration
• Crafting Circle: Bugaboo Image 

* When it comes to choosing between fur or feathers that's a hard choice for me. I love them both, but I guess I love the furry animals more than our feathered friends. 

Cardinal Christmas Card

The Cardinal is one of my favorite backyard birds. We have several adults and juveniles that frequent our bird feeders. The males red color makes them a popular choice on Christmas cards. A couple of years ago Stampin' Up! made this stamp set called Beauty of the Season. I loved it and bought it, but this is the first time I've used it. The image was stamped with Memento black ink and then colored with Copic markers. An Avery Elle pierced oval and scalloped frame were used to cut out the image. The red patterned paper has been in my stash for awhile, it's by Pebbles from their Welcome Christmas paper pad (2012). The blue snowflakes is another older one by Recollections. Some retired Pool Party twine was added along with the Peace & Joy sentiment from the retired Good Greetings stamp set by Stampin' Up!. Three small sequins were added and a drop of glossy accents for the bird's eye. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Cardinal Christmas Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Moo-Mania: Birds
• Sweet Stampin' Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes
• The Sisterhood of Crafters: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Christmas
• Holly and Ivy Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes

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

Happy Together Toucans Card

When the mail arrived today I was thrilled to see my Newton's Nook order!!! Last week when they revealed their new July release I couldn't wait to order the Toucan Party stamp set and coordinating dies. So I immediately went into the house and got inky with my new goodies. This Happy Together Toucans Card was made for the following challenges:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Tropical
• Creative Knockouts: Sew It Up 
• Through The Purple Haze: Anything with Wings

The finished size of the card is 5.25" square. I started by using the Newton's Nook Tropical Leaves Stencil and a piece of retired Pistachio Pudding cardstock by Stampin' Up!. The ink colors include both distress inks and Stampin' Up! classic ink pads in several shades of green. Copic markers were used to color the Toucans, leaves and flower and then the images were die cut. I decided to cut a heart into the middle of the stenciled paper and then added a piece of tumbled glass inked cardstock. A piece of Garden Green cardstock was used as a mat and then I stitched around the edges. Then I dug through the scrap bin to find the right piece of woodgrain paper for a little ledge for the toucan image to sit on. The Be Happy Together sentiment was stamped using Memento black ink and three blue sequins were added for sparkle. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

For more Toucan inspiration visit the Newton's Nook Toucan Party Stamp Set reveal!