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

Chubby Butterfly Card

Hello and happy July 1st! There a lot of people with holiday/vacation plans this week since the 4th of July falls on a Wednesday. I hope you will have time to enjoy with family and friends. Please remember to keep your animals safe during fireworks! The 4th of July results in many animals running away from home or getting injured because they were scared.

This Chubby Butterfly Card was made with a couple of challenges in mind. I used the recipe challenge at Catch The Bug to use Kraft and a BRIGHT POP of color. Dry and wet embossing were used to play along at The Crafty Catz and I'm also linking this card to the anything goes challenge at Lil Patch of Crafty Friends. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the holiday week!

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

If Flowers were Hugs Card

Happy Tuesday! We had a wonderful rain shower this morning and it cooled the air temperature, so I ran a couple of errands to take advantage of the cooler weather. With the gloomy skies it seemed like a good time to make a bright and cheerful card. A couple of weeks ago I received my order from the new Stampin' Up! catalog and I finally inked up the Abstract Impressions stamp set. Using new colors: Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce, Grapefruit Grove and Pineapple Punch. To accent the stamped image both ends of the Mango Melody cardstock was embossed with one of the Petal Pair embossing folders. A retired butterfly stamp and punch were used for the little butterfly and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This If Flowers were Hugs Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Dragonfly Dreams: Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations: Anything Goes

Heartfelt Sympathy Card

Last week a longtime friend of our family passed away and I made this Heartfelt Sympathy Card to send to her family. Unfortunately another family friend passed away yesterday, so I have a few more cards to make. When it comes to making sympathy cards I like to make them when the need arises. I have a few on hand, but I try to make a card that reflects the person who passed. Of course, sometimes that's easier said than done.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Stamping Sensations: Close to Nature
• A Gem of a Challenge: Get Well/Sympathy
• Crafty Girls Creations: Anything Goes

All supplies used on this Heartfelt Sympathy Card have been in my stash for a while and include:

• Paper: Natural, Fresh Fig, Pistachio Pudding and Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock by Stampin' Up! with text patterned paper by Prima Marketing Madeline Collection (2011).
• Stamps: Visual Artistry by Tim Holtz, With Sympathy by Hero Arts, Bitty Butterfly and sentiment stamp both retired by Stampin' Up!.
• Inks: Fresh Fig and Crisp Cantaloupe by Stampin' Up!.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, retired Framed Tulips embossing folder by Stampin' Up!, Cuttlebug Flourish embossing border, oval punch, scalloped oval punch and butterfly punch all by Stampin' Up!, along with three small pearls by Recollections. 

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

Elephant Sympathy Card

This past week at the Tulsa Zoo their long time resident Gunda an Asian elephant passed away at the age of 67. She lived two decades longer than the average lifespan of an Asian elephant. My hubby and I were planning a trip to the zoo, so I made this Elephant Sympathy Card to give to the Zoo Keepers and Staff.

The elephant image is by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's one of my favorite older images. It's been in my stash since 2012 and I already had several printed to make a set of note cards. A paisley embossing folder by Cuttlebug, another older favorite, was used along with a scalloped frame by Taylored Expressions and the Petite Petal stamp set by Stampin' Up!. The colors include: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Perfect Plum and Pear Pizzazz all by Stampin' Up!. That's it, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Allsorts: Old Favourites
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• International Art & Soul: Do Something Digital

Recover Card with Band-aids

The first week of the new year is almost over and it's been a cold one for many places in the United States. I'm still working part-time but not for much longer. The job is seasonal, so in about a week I'll be finished. It has been nice getting out of the house, but it also made me realize my day to day pain was more than I thought. When I sit for long periods of time or stand for too long I'm in pain. So, I made an appointment with a doctor and had an x-ray to find the reason. Come to find out... I have a bone spur on my right hip bone. It could be causing more damage, but I need an MRI to determine the extent. Anyway.... that's what's up with me. I hope you're having a better New Year!

This Recover Card with Band-aids was made for my aunt who had rotator cuff surgery earlier this week. The design is repeated from a card I made back in 2013. It's simple and easy to make. The band-aids and sentiment came from the retired Patterned Occasions stamp set by Stampin' Up!. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Challenges entered:

• Alphabet Challenge: Use 3 of Something
• Simply Create Too: Use Embossing
• QKR Stampede: Anything Goes
• Just Us Girls: Anything Goes

More than Naps Card

Good day crafty friends! This year has flown by, especially the last couple of months. I want to thank each of you for following my blog and leaving your encouraging comments. It's fun to share my creativity and I love all the inspiration I receive from my the online crafting community.

This More than Naps Card was inspired by the current Inky Paws Color Challenge #62 (see photo below). I love the combination of colors and the cable knit sweaters. So, I knew I had to use the cable knit embossing folder by Stampin' Up!. Surprisingly... there is NO patterned paper on this card. Copic markers were used to color the Newton's Naptime image and then it was die cut using a cross-stitched oval die by My Favorite Things. Circle punches were used to cut out the sentiment and some Very Vanilla twine from Stampin' Up! adds the final detail. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and have a happy and safe New Year's Eve.

Challenges entered include:

• Inky Paws: Color Challenge
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
• C.R.A.F.T.: Anything Goes
• Hiding in My Craft Room: Freestyle!

Golden Anniversary Card

In the times we live in making a marriage last fifty years is an amazing milestone. My Uncle and Aunt are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary this weekend, so I made them this Golden Anniversary Card.

To make this card I used the following supplies: Pearl card base by Recollections, gold foil paper by The Paper Studio, Label dies by Spellbinders, Number of Years stamp set by Stampin' Up!, Large Numbers framelits by Stampin' Up!, Versamark stamp pad, gold embossing powder by Recollections, heat gun, retired Petite Petals stamps set and coordinating punch by Stampin' Up! and patterned pumpkins thinlits.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

This Golden Anniversary Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes
• Challenge Up Your Life: Die Cuts
• The Sisterhood of Crafters: Let the Sparkle Fly!
• Stamps & Fun = Creativity: Special Occasion

Newton Halloween Card

Happy Tuesday! I mail around a dozen cards for Halloween to family and friends. Since it will be here next month I decided to get a start on my cards. To create this Newton Halloween Card I used the sketch from Newton's Inky Paws Challenge. When I first saw the sketch I thought it would make a cool moon card. The flying broom and kitty image from the Newton's Boo-tiful Night stamp set was the best choice to use in front of the moon.

To start I made the moon using watercolor paper and distress oxide inks in Antique Linen and Fossilized Amber. A small amount of Frayed Burlap was added to the edges of the moon, then it was spritzed with water and a heat gun used to speed the drying process. Then I made the sky background with distress oxide inks in Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves and Black Soot on mixed media paper. The same process was used, spritz with water and heat set. Once this panel was dried I heat embossed several stars with Wow! Glow-in-the-Dark embossing powder and the sentiment with white embossing powder. The white strip of paper was stamped with the little bat. Newton was colored with Copic markers and then fussy-cut. Next everything was assembled and adhered flat for easy mailing. I decided it needed a little more sparkle, so I added three star sequins and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Newton Halloween Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Sketch
• Simon Says Stamp: It's Written in the Stars
• Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Anything Goes
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes

Sketch:

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

Feminine Sympathy Card

Last week I made a sympathy card using this same layout and stamps but I really wanted to see what it would look like in different colors. You can click HERE to see the first card. Don't be surprised if you see yellow butterflies on the next attempt.

For this Feminine Sympathy Card I dug out some long retired patterned paper by Stampin' Up! called Twitterpated. Colors include: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo and Basic Gray. The butterflies are from the Watercolor Wings stamp set with coordinating Butterflies Thinlits and the sentiment and label die are both by Verve Stamps. The embossing folder is retired and I added some zig zag stitching with my sewing maching. Dimensionals were used to pop up the sentiment and butterflies. That's it! Thanks for stopping by my blog and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Just Us Girls: Something Old and/or Something New
• Sweet Stampin': Sympathy or Thinking of You
• Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Things with Wings
• Ooh La La Creations: Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff: Free Week

Handmade Wedding Card

Happy Friday! Today is the start of a new monthly challenge at Simply Create Too and the theme is Wedding. This is the first Handmade Wedding Card I've ever made! I've made several anniversary cards but until now I didn't have a reason to make a Wedding Card. I hope you will join the challenge this month! Click here for the design team inspiration and challenge details.

This Wedding Card was made for a cousin who is getting married in October. I obtained her wedding colors and based my color selections from the image I received. Almost all the supplies on the card are by Stampin' Up!. Current supplies include: Peekaboo Peach and Whisper White cardstock, flowers die cut from random scraps, Big Shot, Bloomin' Heart Thinlit, Marriage sentiment from Flourishing Phrases stamp set, Berry Burst Stampin' Pad, Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush and Basic Pearls. The embossing folder is retired. For some extra sparkle I used white fine glitter by Martha Stewart and added it to the heart area. It doesn't show up in the photo but it adds a nice detail in person. That's it!

This card is linked to the following challenges:

• Moving Along With The Times: Wedding, Anniversary or Engagement
• Everybody-Art-Challenge: Lace or Pearls
• Watercooler Wednesday: Fiona's Feminine Anything Goes

Inspiration photo:

What's Up? Cat Chat Card

Hello! When the Tim Holtz Cat Chat stamp set came out I wasn't sure how I felt about the "funky" cats, but they finally won me over. I bought the Sizzix set from Michaels and this card is a slightly modified recreation of the example on the back of the package. The reason I decided to "case" the example was the inked embossed background. I wanted to try my hand at recreating it. I used distress inks in the following colors: Scattered Straw, Cracked Pistachio, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean with a little Peeled Paint which I quickly decided was a bad idea. The cats were colored with Copic markers and then die cut with the coordinating framelits. The background cardstock is Pear Pizzazz by Stampin' Up! and I used the stamp off method with Pear Pizzazz ink for the small stamped images. Black cardstock was used to frame the entire embossed panel and some black twine for detail, since the cats are playing with yarn it seemed like the perfect addition. Finally the What's Up? sentiment was stamped and I used scissors to cut the banner ends. That's it for this handmade card! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This What's Up? Cat Chat Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Sunny Day Crafting: A is for Animals
• The Crazy Challenge: Animals
• Craft Rocket: Anything Goes
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes

Embossing at Tuesday Throwdown

Wow! It's Tuesday again and that means the start of another challenge at Tuesday Throwdown. This week we want to see your embossing skills. Our lovely sponsor is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and they generously provided the design team with a choice of digital images to use on our creations. I'm using Lilacs for Cocoa on this Hello Fabulous Card. For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click here. I hope you will share your embossed creation with us this week.

Card Supplies:

• Paper: Whisper White and Blushing Bride cardstock by Stampin' Up!, Green Apple cardstock by Simon Says Stamp, Lilac patterned paper from Butterfly Kisses paper pad by Bo Bunny and light purple scrap paper.
• Stamps: Lilacs for Cocoa by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Hello Fabulous! sentiment by Fiskars.
• Inks & Coloring: Memento black ink and Copic Markers.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, Fancy Fan embossing folder by Stampin' Up! (retired), 1 1/4" circle punch, scalloped circle punch, rectangle stitched die by Lil' Inkers, white lace from Ribbon Resources and dimensionals.

Challenges entered:

1. Cards in Envy: Pretty Pastels
2. A Gem of a Challenge: Ribbon and/or Lace
3. Crafting From the Heart: Anything Goes

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

Colorful Plaid Thanks Card

Happy Tuesday! It's time for a new challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and this week we want to see Something Clear on your creations. Our sponsor this week is Honey Bee Stamps! You can check out their wonderful stamps, dies and embellishments right HERE. The design team has created a variety of inspiration and you can see it along with all the challenge details HERE. I can't wait to see what you create.

Clear embossing powder was used on the row of hearts on this Colorful Plaid Thanks Card. Besides some clear epoxy stickers it's about all I had in my stash. The stamp set is called For Being You and it's a retired Sale-A-Bration set by Stampin' Up!. The plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and it covers the entire front of the card. For detail some purple twine from The Twinery and three sequins finished the card. That's it! Wishing you a crafty day!

Shamrock Sheep Card

Happy Friday! I have a quick post to share a card I made for my parents for St. Patrick's Day. My parents raise sheep, so I used the cute Shamrock Sheep image from Bugaboo Digi Stamps. The layout is from Stella Says Sketch #505 and it's perfect to use paper scraps from that ever growing pile. Copic markers were used to add some color to the sheep image and then it was die cut with a stitched circle die by My Favorite Things. To add some texture I used a new Spellbinders embossing folder (which I found out isn't compatible with a Big Shot), so I had to cram it through my Texture Boutique. Green glitter tape was added before the image was adhered with dimensionals. Accents were added in accordance with the sketch and that's it!

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

This Shamrock Sheep Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Stella Says Sketch
• Creative Knockouts: Lots of Green
• Cut It Up: Think Green!

My niece at the Tulsa State Fair 2016.

Let It Snow Card

Brrrr.... it's cold outside today! The sky is gray and gloomy and the wind is has a bitter bite. There is a possibility we may see a few snow flurries but it's not supposed to last long. It's a great day to cook a pot of stew for dinner. Of course that means I have to make a trip to the grocery store, but it will be worth it.

In anticipation of possibly seeing snow I made this Let It Snow Card with a Bugaboo Digi Stamp called Snowman 003. The image was colored with Copic markers and framed with a layer of Marina Mist cardstock where I fussy cut the window using a pair of deckle scissors by Fiskars. A light blue piece of cardstock was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder by Darice and Sky Blue chalk ink was added to the raised areas for detail. Once the card was assembled some Star Dust Stickles was added to the snow beneath the snowman for sparkle. The Let It Snow sentiment by Stampin' Up! was added which was anchored with one snowflake. Everything was adhered flat to make it easy to ship. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

This Let It Snow Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Clean As Snow
• Make My Monday: Show Me a Snowman
• Sunny Day Crafting: Anything Goes

Embossed Tree Christmas Card

Hello and Happy Tuesday! It's time for another challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and this week... It's All About the Words. Our sponsor is Craft Classes Online, they offer an array of different crafty classes. I can't wait to see how you interpret this theme. You have until mid-day on Monday, November 14th to link your creation. Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration. I sure hope you will play along!

This tree stamp by Inkadinkado was the first thing that came to mind when I read the challenge theme. Then I found the Merry Christmas word paper by Pebbles and thought it would work too, so I used both. The tree was heat embossed with Emerald PEARLustre and silver glitter powder on the star both by Stampendous. A simple layout and three silver sequins finished the card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Embossed Tree Christmas Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Craftyhazelnut's Christmas: Anything Goes
• Fashionable Stamping: Trees
• Cupcake Inspirations: Trees