Glory To The Newborn King

My last card today was created for the latest Freshly Made Sketches and  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown challenges. This card came together pretty quickly. I've had a small bundle of Christmas stickers that were gifted to me by a fellow crafter since last year and I've never used them. So when I saw the latest Christmas Card Throwdown challenge I knew I had to break out that bundle of stickers and put at least one of them to use. It's time to get a jumpstart on my Christmas cards anyway. I started by layering some patterned papers from the We R Memory Keepers Silver & Gold 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut a circle using more of the same patterned papers and a pierced circle die from My Favorite Things. I adhered the circle directly to the card panel and added some black dashed lines around the outer panel. I stamped the sentiment from Taylored Expressions Sing Of The King stamp set onto the card using Versafine onyx black ink. To finish the card off I added the nativity sticker and the coordinating stars around it. Love how clean and simple this card turned out. I hope you like it too. 

Happy Birthday-Just Us Girls Challenge

My second card today was created for the latest Just Us Girls card challenge. I have been stuck in a coloring rut lately. It seems that anytime I stamp an image I automatically reach for my Copic markers. I have been trying to get myself to branch out and try to watercolor more. So, when I saw the inspiration photo I thought it would be a good time for me to actually challenge my watercoloring skills. To create my card I started with some kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby. I inked up the Stampin' UP French Script background stamp using Tim Holtz black soot ink and spritzed it with my mini mister to give it a nice loose look on the text since I was going to be stamping it sideways onto my A2 card base. Using some Canson coldpress watercolor paper I stamped the pretty poppies and leaves from the Stampers Anonymous Flower Garden stamp set and the sentiment from the Papertrey Ink Botanical Silhouettes stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. I covered all of the stamped images with Zing clear embossing powder and heat set them. Using an inexpensive watercolor set I picked up at Hobby Lobby I watercolored the images and set it aside to dry. Once dry I die cut it down into a panel using a Gina Marie Designs stitched rectangle die. I added popped the panel up off of the card using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby and added some clear rhinestones by Recollections to the center of the poppies and a few Nuvo crystal drops in ebony black around the panel to finish this card off. I hope you like it. 

Merry Christmas

Today's card was created for the latest Jingle Belles and Watercooler Wednesday card challenges. To create my card I started by adding some glittery gold washi tape from the American Crafts Make It Happen collection onto some white cardstock. I then cut down a piece of patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas 6x6 paper pad and die cut a snowflake out it. I adhered the gold washi tape panel to the back of the patterned paper using my Ranger multi-matte medium glue and then mounted it to a piece of early espresso cardstock from Stampin' UP. I stamped the sentiment from Stampabilities Merry Christmas onto the patterned paper using Gina K Design charcoal brown ink. I then wrapped some gold glittery Lawn Fawn lawn trimmings to the card and tied a bow. I added a simple blue button to the center of the snowflake and popped the entire panel up off of my white card base using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby. To finish this glittery, fun card off I added some gold Stickles around some of the printed snowflakes on the patterned paper. I hope you like my card. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment. I appreciate them all!

Unicorn-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello, and welcome to the July Coffee and Cards Collaboration with Celeste and Deb! Deb and I were chatting online earlier this month about nothing in particular when she stated she wanted to create a unicorn card. I thought it might be fun if that were our challenge this month and she loved the idea. Who doesn't love unicorns, right? I have a fun little set of stamps from The Greeting Farm that I have used time and time again. I thought I would challenge myself to use the stamp set in a way I've never used it before and a pop-up box card came to mind. I've always liked them and thought they looked fun but haven't brought myself to make one. To create this fun card I had to start by looking up the dimensions on the internet. I chose a fun hot pink cardstock from Hobby Lobby as my card base. I layered fun, coordinating papers from Doodlebug Design Inc's Sugar Shoppe 6x6 paper pad around the outer panels of the box. I then stamped the fun images from the Magical Day and Your Wings stamp sets onto white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them using my alcohol markers. I stamped the balloon onto some coordinating patterned paper from the same paper pad and fussy cut around all of the images. I cut a few strips of clear acetate and adhered the colored images onto the strips and attached them to the interior box panels to create a fun little scene. To finish my card I stamped the sentiment from the Magical Day stamp set onto the same pink cardstock and die cut it out using a stitched edge rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs. 

I will admit that I didn't get my dimensions quite right and the card will only lie flat if folded to one side, but not the other. It also won't fit into an A2 envelope because some of the images stick up above the top flaps. I will have to fix that on my next attempt but I am still pleased with how it turned out. I hope you like it too!

As for my coffee selection I opted for a simple French roast with some hazelnut creamer. I don't usually do creamer but I had some leftover from when a friend came to visit last week so I thought..."what the heck!" 

Now be sure to pop on over to Deb's site and leave a nice comment on her fun creation!

I Can't Even! Need Coffee Now!

Today's card was created for the latest AAA Cards Challenge. To create my card I started by stamping the coffee pot and cups from the Your Next Stamp's Perk Up stamp set onto some Copic-friendly cardstock. I colored them in rainbow order using my alcohol markers. I layered a small piece of patterned paper from the Crate Paper Story Teller 6x6 paper pad onto the bottom of the panel to make it look like a table. I stamped the sentiment at the top of the panel using Versafine onyx black ink and stamps from Honey Bee Stamps Blah Blah Blah stamp set. I then popped the entire panel up off of the card using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby and this clean and simple card was done. I hope you like it! Be sure to click the subscribe button on the right and if you like my card leave me a comment. I really appreciate them all!

Chillax

Hello, happy hump day! Today's card was created for the latest The Male Room card challenge. As soon as I saw the challenge I knew I had to use the Art Impression Catching Z's stamp set. Their stamps are always so full of fun and whimsy and I thought this would make a fun card for any male occasion. To create my card I started by layering some patterned papers from the Little Yellow Bicycle Fern & Forest 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I die cut more of the same patterned papers into nesting circles using some Little B nesting circle dies and layered them directly onto the card base. I added some black dashed lines around the inner rectangle panel and the inner circle panel as well. I stamped the sentiment from the Paper Smooches Slang Gang stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink for a nice, crisp look. I then stamped the Art Impression image onto some Copic-friendly cardstock, colored it to compliment the patterned papers using my alcohol markers, fussy cut the image, and popped it up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I added a few 6mm black sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to finish off my card. I love how it turned out and hope you like it too!

Life's Just Better In Flip Flops-W2CB

Hello! Welcome to the July/Aug Words 2 Craft By challenge. This month our phrase is "life is better in flip flops." I was so excited when I saw this because I actually have a stamp set with almost that exact phrase. To create my card I started by layering a pretty pink piece of patterned paper from the Ki Color Crush 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut a panel of  Copic-friendly white cardstock from Staples using a Gina Marie Designs rectangle die and stamped all of the images and sentiment from the Fresh Squeezed Stamps Beachy Keen stamp set onto the panel using Memento tuxedo black ink. I colored the sky and the sand using my alcohol markers. I then stamped the top of the sun umbrella, the flip flops, and the seashell onto more of the same patterned paper, fussy cut them out, edged them with my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker, and adhered them directly to the panel. I added some metallic marker to the umbrella stand and the beach chair using an American Crafts metallic marker in gold for just a bit of contrast. A few clear rhinestones from Recollections were added to the flip flops and bordering the sentiment to finish this fun summer card off. I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!