Season's Greetings

Hello, and happy Sunday! Deb and I are back for our final collaboration for 2019. This month we decided to use this mood board as our starting point for inspiration for our cards. I was out Christmas shopping this past weekend when I happened upon an adorable collection of washi tapes from American Crafts called Snow and Cocoa. They were marked down and literally sitting on the counter to be put back on the shelf at my local T.J. Maxx. Ummm, cute AND on sale? Yes please! So, I decided to create my own patterned paper using just the washi tape and let it really take center stage. I put each one at a diagonal angle and butted them right up against each other. I then cut the panel down to 1/4" shorter than a standard A2 size card and popped it up on foam tape onto the card base. I stamped the sentiment from the Close To My Heart Merriest Christmas Holiday stamp set onto some white cardstock using Versamark ink and heat set it using gold embossing powder from Ranger. I used a pierced edge circle die from My Favorite Things to cut it into a focal panel. I made another small panel using more of the washi tape and die cut it using a slightly larger circle die from Spellbinders. I popped the sentiment up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook adhesives. To finish off my card I added some pink sequins that I picked up at my local Tuesday Morning. I love how adorably cute this card turned out! 

As for my coffee selection I opted for a Jack Frost latte and a red velvet cupcake that I treated myself to while out shopping. The Jack Frost latte is a white chocolate and peppermint latte and yes, it was mighty tasty! Now be sure to pop on over to Deb's blog and check out how she was inspired by our mood board!  Merry Christmas to all of you and I wish you all a healthy, happy New Year!

The Light Of Love-December Words 2 Craft By

Hello, and welcome to our final Words 2 Craft By word challenge. Unfortunately, our challenge is closing permanently due to the time constraints and health issues from our design team members. Our word challenge is For it is in giving that we recieve. Francis Assisi. I found the most precious image and the perfect sentiment over at Mo's Digital Pencil and purchased this sweet little digital stamp set. I printed her out onto Copic-friendly cardstock and colored her using my alcohol markers. I will have to say that this is the most I've ever colored an image before and I love how the background turned out. I formatted the sentiment in such a way so that I could get it onto a small circle and used a Stampin' UP circle punch to punch it out. I matted the colored image onto some basic black cardstock and adhered the sentiment onto the lower right corner. I attached a piece a piece of plaid patterned paper from Authentique's Solitude 6x6 paper pad onto a white A2 card base that I had matted with some basic black cardstock. I attached the entire focal panel and sentiment to the front of the card using 3M foam tape. I love how beautiful and simple this card turned out. 

As our time at Words 2 Craft By comes to a close I want to thank my fellow design team members and all of the participants who have played along with our challenge in the two years I've been on the team. It's truly been a delight logging in and seeing all of the beautiful and creative ways our challenges have inspired you. I also have to give a very special thank you to my dear friend Sybrina who convinced me that my work was good enough to be on a design team and has been not only an inspiration to me through her work but also through her friendship! I'm going to miss our collaborations together my friend! I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

Thankful For You-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb Collaboration

Hello! Happy Sunday to you all and thank you for stopping by my blog this morning for another Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb collaboration. Debra picked this fun inspiration photo for our collaboration. It's perfect considering Thanksgiving is this week. To create my card I started by layering some chocolate chip cardstock by Stampin' UP onto my A2 white card base. I then layered a piece of Best Creation Inc's Autumn Splendor pattered paper on top. I love how beautifully it matched the inspiration photo. I then stamped the sentiment onto some white cardstock using Stampin' UP dual tip markers in autumn colors and the sentiment from the Stampin' UP Thankful Forest Friends stamp set. I cut the sentiment into an oval focal panel and layered it onto a scalloped oval in more brown cardstock using Spellbinders dies. To complete my card I added some brown dashed lines around the outer edge of the focal panel and added some pretty bronze sequins from The Ton on either side of the sentiment. I hope you like it! 

For my coffee selection this month I popped into my local Barnes & Noble and picked up a nice warm chestnut praline latte. It hit the spot on this cold, gray day! Now be sure to pop on over to Deb's blog and see how she was inspired this month. 

Always Grateful-November Words To Craft By

Hello fellow crafters! I cannot believe we are already half way through November. This year is just zipping by way too quickly. Our word inspiration for W2CB this month is "When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." - Sam Lefkowitz. To create my card I started by layering some Stampin' UP chocolate chip cardstock onto my white A2 card base. I then layered some pretty patterned paper from the Echo Park Reflections Fall 12x12 paper pad on top. I stamped the beautiful tree from the Close To My Heart Always Grateful Seasons & Nature stamp set onto some white card stock and then stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set right below in Memento rich cocoa ink. To create the illusion of leaves on the trees I added some gorgeous chalk ink in pumpkin spice from Versa Magic using a Q-tip. Once dry I die cut the panel using a stitched rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs and mounted it onto some more of the same chocolate chip cardstock. To finish my card off I popped the panel up off of the card using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby and some pretty mocha sequins from The Ton. I can't wait to see how everyone was inspired by this beautiful quote!

Thanks

Hello and Happy Halloween! Today's card was created for the latest If You Give A Crafter A Cookie card challenge. To create my card I started by selecting four inks from Gina K Designs that matched the color challenge and stamped the leaves from the Cloud 9 Leaves stamp set onto my white A2 card base in a random pattern. I then added the small splatters from the Stampendous Sunny Flowers stamp set. I die cut the sentiment using some espresso cardstock from Stampin' UP and a die from Lil' Inkers. I popped the sentiment up off of the card base using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. To complete my card I added some sequins from The Ton in coordinating colors. I hope you like my card and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Coffee Is A Mug In A Hug-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb October

Hello and happy Sunday! I cannot believe we're almost at the close of October. This year has slipped away all too quickly! But we are getting some beautiful autumn weather and foliage right now in Southeast Missouri, so Deb and I decided to use a fun fall themed inspiration photo for our October collaboration. To create my card I started by layering some pretty rust colored patterned paper from the Echo Park Reflections Fall 12x12 paper pack onto my white A2 card base. I then matted some more of the patterned paper onto some Stampin' UP early espresso cardstock and layered that on top of the panel. I stamped the Dream Of Being image from Unity Stamp Company onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored her in using my alcohol markers to match the colors in the photo. I then stamped the sentiment from Bo Bunny's Cup A Joe stamp set and cut the panel out using a rectangle die from Spellbinders. I matted the image using more early espresso cardstock and popped the panel up off of the card using some 3M dimensional foam tape. To finish my card off I added some gorgeous dark brown metallic sequins from The Ton onto the card. 

For my coffee selection this month I opted for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew. It was amazing! Thanks for visiting my blog today and be sure to head over to Deb's blog and see what fun she created using our inspiration photo!

Witching You

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! Today's card was created for the latest Color Throwdown card challenge. To create my card I started by cutting down a piece of patterned paper from the Recollections Midnight Magic Halloween 6x6 paper pad and inking around the edges with Tim Holtz black soot distress ink. Once inked I adhered it directly to my A2 card base. I then stamped Esmerelda Girl from Unity Stamp Company onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and die cut it into a panel using a Gina Marie Designs stitched rectangle die. I colored the image using the colors from the challenge. To finish my card I stamped the sentiment from My Sentiments Exactly's Halloween Innies & Outies stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink and added some lilac sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I absolutely love this image and hope you like it too!

Hocus Pocus

Today's fun Halloween card was created for both the Paper Players and AAA Cards challenges. To create my card I started by stamping the witch hat and the cat from the Pebbles/American Crafts Midnight Haunting stamp set (another amazing Tuesday Morning $2.99 find) onto the corner of some white Copic-friendly cardstock. I colored the images to match the color challenge. I cut down a small strip of harlequin patterned paper from the Recollections Midnight Magic Halloween 6x6 paper pad and mounted it directly underneath my colored panel. To finish off my card I added the sentiment from the same Pebbles stamp set and then rounded all four corners using my We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper. I hope you like my card, and I thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Happiest Birthday

Today's card was created for the latest Cardz 4 Galz card challenge. The challenge is to create a card in shades of brown. I started with an A2 base of Stampin' UP's crumb cake card stock and stamped the sentiment in Stampin' UP's espresso ink using the Stampin' UP Apothecary Art stamp set. Using some Stampin' UP espresso cardstock I created a frame and layered some older Stampin' UP designer series paper on top with some white cardstock from my stash. I stamped the butterflies from the Stampin' UP Butterfly Prints stamp set using Stampin' UP crumb cake and espresso inks and punched out the center butterfly using the Stampin' UP coordinating punch. I popped that up in the center using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives and a glue dot in the center. I added a few taupe colored pearls in the center and separated the patterned paper from the cardstock using some beige satin ribbon, both of which I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I love how simply this card came together. Thank you for visiting my blog today. 

Have A Boo-Tiful Halloween-W2CB October Challenge

Hello, happy October and welcome to another Words To Craft By card challenge. This month our quote is "Always be yourself unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman"-source unknown. I don't have any Batman stamps but I do have lots of fun bat stamps for Halloween and thought I would let that be my inspiration. To create my card I started by layering some textured orange cardstock from the American Crafts Halloween 6x6 cardstock pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut a piece of Canson watercolor paper using a Gina Marie stitched rectangle die and stamped the moon/bats image from Craft Smart onto the panel using Versafine onyx black ink. I poured some Zing clear embossing powder over the stamped image and heat set it. I masked the moon portion of the stamp off and created a night sky using my Tim Holtz distress inks and a blending tool. I added some light water splatters to create the image of a starry night. I also added some additional stars using my white gel pen. I then die cut a hillside using some Stampin' Up basic black cardstock and a Paper Smooches hillside border die. I stamped the sentiment from Darcie's Heart & Home Bootiful Hallween stamp set right above it usine Versafine onyx black ink. I stamped the Dracula image from The Cat's Pajama's Mwahh! stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored it using my alcohol makers, fussy cut the image out, and popped it up off of my card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I can't wait to see how you were inspired by this month's challenge!

Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to the September collaboration of Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb! Today is International Coffee Day in the United States and we are also in the midst of two fun coffee themed blog hops.  Deb picked out this fun image for us to use as our inspiration and I couldn't help myself... I made two cards this month instead of one! To create my first card I started with some gorgeous papers from a 6x6 paper pad that was in the dollar bin at my local Target store last year. I love the colors and thought they matched perfectly the gorgeous inspiration photo. I then stamped the sentiment from Unity Stamp Company's Bountiful Owl stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and then the mug from Avocado Arts Sweet Kindness below it. I colored the images in to match my patterned paper and then die cut them out using a pierced edge circle die from My Favorite Things. I matted the circle panel onto some black cardstock using a large scalloped edge die from Spellbinders and popped it up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. To finish off my first card I added a few black 6mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh and some sparkle and shine to the images using my Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen. 

My second card was created by layering some Stampin' UP crumb cake cardstock onto my white A2 card base and stamping the coffee cup from the Echo Park Coffee & Friends stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and onto some of the same patterned papers that I used on the first card and fussy cutting and gluing the whole image together. I cut a few strips of the same patterned paper and layered it onto the card and stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set below the focal image. All I did to finish this quick and simple card off was add a few dashed black lines around the outer edge of the card. Love both of these autumn themed coffee cards! 

So, yesterday I ran my first ever trail run 5K and am proud to say that I came in 7th overall and won 1st place in my age group. So, to celebrate my buddy Lindel (who also ran and came in 5th) and I went to the local bakery. I opted for two pastries and a nice big cup of bourbon pecan coffee! Carbs and coffee after a race is the way to go! 

Now pop on over to Deb's blog and see how she was inspired by our fun fall theme!

Arrgh-Words 2 Craft By September 2019

Hello and welcome to the September 2019 Words 2 Craft By challenge! This month inspiration words are "Ahoy, Matey!" in honor of September 19th being National Talk Like A Pirate Day. To create my card I started by printing out the pirate, parrot, and sentiment from the Vera Lane Studio digital pirate stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored the images using my alcohol markers. I fussy cut them out and edged them with my dual tip Memento tuxedo black marker. I layered some fun graphic patterned papers from the Crate Paper Cool Kid 6x6 paper pad onto my card using a fun sketch I found on Pinterest. I cut the sentiment strip down and adhered it under the focal panel and added some faux black stitched lines with my Memento marker. I then popped the pirate and his fun little parrot up off of the card using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I love how quick and easy this card turned out! I can't wait to see how everyone else is inspired by this fun quote! 

Fueled By Coffee

Today's card was created for the latest Freshly Made Sketches. 

To create my card I started by layering the beautiful patterned papers from the Bo Bunny Early Bird 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 white card base. I then stamped the sentiment from the Echo Park Paper Co Coffee & Friends stamp set onto some white cardstock and die cut the panel using a pierced edge oval die from My Favorite Things. I added some black dashed lines around the outer edge for some nice contrast. I then stamped the mug from the same Echo Park stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored it to coordinate with the patterned paper I used on the card. I fussy cut the image out and edged it with my dual tip Memento tuxedo black marker. I popped the entire oval panel up off of the card using foam squares from Scrapbook adhesives. To finish my card off I added some matte black 6mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I hope you like my card and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Spread Joy Through The Year

Hello and happy Sunday! Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Today's card was created for the latest Watercooler Wednesday Challenge. To create my card I started by layering some Old Olive cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my white A2 card base and then a panel of kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby on top that I die cut using a Gina Marie Design rectangle stitched die. Using a banner die from Jillian Vance Designs I die cut a banner from some plaid paper from the AmericanCrafts Very Merry 6x6 paper pad and adhered it directly to the card. I stamped the image from the Unity Stamp Company's Old Traditions stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and the sentiment below it from the same stamp set. I colored the image using my alcohol markers and then added some shimmer by adding lace Stickles to all of the snow. I finished the card off by popping the circle panel up off of the card using some Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares. I hope you like it!

First I Drink The Coffee-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to the August Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb collaboration. This month Deb and I decided to do a sketch challenge. I love sketches, especially when my mojo is lacking. This one was perfect to showcase some fun new stamps I recently picked up at my local Tuesday Morning. To create my card I started by layering some pretty patterned paper from Pink & Main's Spring Flings 6x6 paper pad onto a pretty embossed piece of cardstock that my crafty friend Lisa Elton mailed me. I added a small sliver of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP to help delineate the patterned paper from the embossed paper. I popped that panel up off of my A2 white card base using some inexpensive fun foam I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I then stamped the sentiment from the Bo Bunny Cup Of Joe stamp set onto some white cardstock. I then stamped the coffee cup from the Close To My Heart Treats Of Friendship Occasions right below the sentiment. I stamped the image again onto some more of the same patterned paper and fussy cut it out and adhered it to the cup. I colored the rest of the image using my Copic markers. I cut the panel down to match the sketch and matted it onto some more of the basic black Stampin' UP cardstock and popped it up off the card using more fun foam. To finish my card off I added some black accents using Nuvo Crystal Drops in ebony. 

For my coffee selection I went old school...just a cup of Seattle's Best 6th Avenue Bistro in dark roast with some hazelnut coffee creamer in my favorite grandma mug! 

Now hop on over to Debra's blog and check out what she did with the challenge and thank you for stopping here today!

Thanks For The Perfect Day-W2CB August

Hello and happy Wednesday. I cannot believe we are already publishing the August Words 2 Craft By challenge! This year is flying by too quickly for me. This month's quote is "I don't know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors."-from Five Go Off in a Caravan by Enid Blyton. I didn't really have any picnic related stamps or papers so I had to improvise. I started by layering a piece of blue patterned paper from the Authentique Delightful 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 white card base. I then stamped the grass, the tree, and the picnic basket from the Avocado Arts Perfectly Perfect Day stamp set onto some white cardstock using memento inks. I then stamped the adorable couple from the CC Designs Spring Couple stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored their hair, skin and shoes. I then stamped the same stamp set onto more patterned paper from the same paper pad and fussy cut them out. I edged the elements with my dual tipped Memento marker and adhered them directly onto the paper. I fussy but the image leaving a small white border around the edge. I stamped the kite from the same Avocado Arts stamp set onto some more patterned paper and popped it and the cute couple up off of the card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. To finish my card off I added the sentiment from the Avocado Arts stamp set in the upper left corner and then added some "apples" onto the tree and the basket using my Nuvo Crystal Drops in rhubarb crumble. I can't wait to see what fun creations everyone else comes up with!

Blast Off-W2CB July

Hello and happy Friday! I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. Today's card was created for the latest Words 2 Craft By and Time Out Challenges. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing. The inspiration quote is "We came in peace for all mankind." To create my card I started by inking a panel I had die cut using a Gina Marie Designs stitched rectangle die using my Tim Holtz distress inks in broken china, faded jeans, and black soot. I spritzed it with my Ranger mini-mister and then just took some plain clean water and added some droplets to the panel for a nice hazy, watery effect. I then stamped the images from the Papertrey Ink Blast Off stamp set onto some white copic-friendly cardstock, colored them using my alcohol markers, and then die cut the images using the coordinating dies. I stamped the sentiment into the lower right corner of the focal panel using Versamark clear ink and heat embossed the image using Recollections detail embossing powder in snow. I adhered the moon and the stars directly to the card panel using my Ranger Multi-matte medium clear glue and then popped the rocket up off of the page using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I trimmed down a piece of basic black cardstock from Stampin' UP and framed out the panel. I popped the whole thing up off of the standard A2 white card base using some inexpensive fun foam from Hobby Lobby. To finish off the card I added some white stars to the background using my Pen-touch white chalk pen and then added some shimmer to the rocket, stars, and moon with my Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen. Thank you for stopping by and if you like my card be sure to leave a kind word. I appreciate them all!

Birthday Zombies

Hello and happy Sunday! My card today was created for the latest Time Out Challeges and Addicted To Stamps And More Challenge. To create my card I started by layering a fun piece of grungy patterned paper from the Studio Calico Darling Dear 6x6 paper pad directly onto my white A2 card base. I then stamped the fun zombie from The Cat's Pajama's Mwahh stamp set three times onto a piece of Copic-friendly cardstock. I colored the images using my alcohol markers and then stamped the sentiment from the Sugar Pea Designs Undying Love stamp set onto the front. The front reads "Birthdays are like zombies." And the inside reads "they just keep coming and coming until you die!" To finish my card up I popped it up off of the front panel using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby, added some scribbly lines around the focal panel using my Memento tuxedo black dual tip marker, and then added Glossy Accents to the zombies eyes. This card simply cracks me up! I hope you like it too. 

Just Wanted To Say Hello-June Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to the June collaboration of Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb. Unfortunately I had to miss the May collaboration due to a family emergency, but am glad to be back this month. We're very excited to have our crafty friend Michael Trent joining us  again. This month we opted for an "anything goes" theme. So I took this opportunity to showcase a new stamp set and paper pad I picked up for $2.99 at my local Tuesday Morning. Seriously, can you beat $2.99 for a stamp set and paper pad? To create my card I started by stamping the typewriter and the sentiment from the Bo Bunny Just My Type stamp set onto some Copic-friendly white cardstock, colored it using my alcohol markers, and fussy cut the image at the black line and the sentiment leaving a small white border. I layered some pretty patterned papers from the Bo Bunny Early Bird 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base using a bit of Stampin' UP basic black cardstock as a border on the focal strip. I popped the typewriter and the sentiment up off of the card using foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives for some nice dimension. I added some shimmer to the hearts and keys on the typewriter and then went over them with glossy accents for some nice dimension and shine. A few black 6mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh finished up my card. I hope you like it and thank you for stopping at my blog today! 

For my coffee selection today I opted for an ice cold S'mores Crème Frappuccino from Starbucks because it's hot as Hades here in Southeast Missouri now. I was excited that they actually spelled and pronounced my name correctly this time. Small victories people! Now, pop on over to Deb and Michael's blogs and see what fun they have in store for you!

Just For You

Hello and happy Sunday. It's rainy and bleary here in Southeast Missouri, so I'm taking advantage of the bad weather to get a little crafty. My card today was created for the latest Freshly Made Sketches challege. I'm always in need of birthday cards and since I have very little time to create them these days I wanted to keep it simple. I started by taking a piece of yellow cardstock from Hobby Lobby and stamping the sunflower image and sentiment from the Stampendous Sunny Flowers stamp set onto the panel using Versafine onyx black ink. Then using a piece of bubble wrap and maple yellow ink from Altenew I "stamped" the background spots onto the panel. To finish off this simple card I die cut the scalloped edge borders using a Stamplorations border die and some black cardstock from Stampin' UP and then rounded the corners with my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper. Easy peasy! Thank you for stopping by and if you like my card be sure to leave a comment.