Happy Birthday 2 You

Today's card was created for the latest Watercooler Wednesday challange. To create my card I started by layering some Stampin' UP early espresso cardstock onto my white card base. Then I created a focal panel using some typing paper and gluing hexagon scraps that I created using a Fiskars punch and patterned papers from the Simple Stories Take A Hike 6x6 paper pad. I love using this technique to get rid of those tiny scraps that I accumulate making cards. I went around the edges of each hex shape with Tim Holtz distress ink in tea dye for a nice vintage look. Once the panel was complete and adhered to the card I stamped the sentiment using a Stampabilities stamp that I picked up at Hobby Lobby in Gina K charcoal brown ink. I added a border of early espresso cardstock and set the sentiment at an angle for some added interest. For a finishing touch I created two faux enamel dots using Nuvo Crystal Drops in dark walnut. Love how clean and simple this card is. I hope you like it too!

Thanks A Melon

My second card was created for the latest Just Us Girls and Paper Players challenges. I created my card by layering some pretty floral patterned paper from the Pebbles Be Mine 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then created a focal panel using Stampin' UP early espresso and Staples heavy weight white cardstocks. I created a pretty open scalloped border at the bottom of the panel using a Fiskars punch. I stamped the sentiment using Gina K passionate pink ink and a Studio G alphabet stamp set. To create my watermelons I die cut some scalloped circles using a Spellbinders die. I then layered on white circles that I die cut using a Spellbinders circle die. Using a smaller pierced edge My Favorite Things die I die cut some more patterned paper from the same paper pad and layered them onto the circle stacks and then cut them in half. To complete my card I layered the watermelons in a wonky pattern using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I hope you like it!

Winter Greetings

Summertime is here in Southeast Missouri and I've been spending a lot more time outdoors playing and working. As a result my creative mojo has suffered. But we are under a heat advisory here today so I opted to spend the day indoors creating. Today's card was created for the latest Send A Smile 4 Kids card challenge. The challenge, Christmas in July, is to create a holiday card appropriate for a child. I wanted to keep this simple since I will actually be donating this card and opted to not include an interior greeting. To create my card I started by layering some pretty red snowflake patterned paper from the American Crafts Very Merry 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut a fishtail banner using a Jillian Vance die out of white cardstock and adhered it onto the patterned paper. Using the Lawn Fawn Claire's ABC alpha stamp set I stamped the word Winter onto the banner using Gina K Design ink in red hot. I then stamped the word greetings in Memento tuxedo black ink using one of the greetings from the Stampendous Snowy Stacks stamp set. I then stamped the little elf from the same Stampedous stamp set, colored him using my Copic alcohol markers, fussy cut him out, and popped him up off of the banner using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. To complete my card I added some black dashed lines all around the card and banner. I hope you like it and thank you for visiting my blog!

Dad

I decided to try and do a CASE card and I have always been a big fan of Lori Tecler and her fun and creative cards. I decided to do an A2 sized card using some of the same elements she used on her great card. I started with a clean white card base and layered on some kraft cardstock that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I cut down a navy panel using more Hobby Lobby cardstock and then a plain white panel to go on top. I stamped the Happy Father's Day sentiment over and over using a sentiment from Hero Arts Happy Dad's Day stamp set and some Gina K Designs navy ink and mounted it onto the card panel. I cut a fishtail banner using a Jillian Vance Design banner die and some more kraft cardstock and popped it up off of the card using 3M foam tape for some great dimension. I die cut the pierced edge oval using a My Favorite Things die and more of the same navy cardstock. Finally, I die cut the focal sentiment from kraft three times using a Simon Says Stamp die and adhered them together using my Zig 2 Way glue pen and then adhered it directly onto the oval. A few navy enamel dots from the Simple Stories Life Documented collection finished this fun card off. Thank you Lori for the inspiration!

Big Holiday Wishes

Today's card was create for a challenge but I completed it too late to participate. To create my card I started with a piece of Canson cold pressed watercolor paper, smooth side up. Using my Misti stamping tool I stamped the XOXO border from the Simon Says Stamp Big Holiday Wishes stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink. The Misti stamping tool came in handy since I was stamping onto watercolor paper and even though I was stamping on the smoother side of the paper it took several stampings to get a good impression. I then stamped the focal sentiment and the strings for my mitten onto the watercolor paper using the same ink and heat embossed it using some Zing clear embossing powder. I did this so I could watercolor around the image and not have the ink dull from the ink. Using Tim Holtz distress ink in faded jeans I watercolored the focal panel and added some splotches and dots using an acetate sheet and the smooshing technique. I then stamped the mittens from the same stamp set onto some plain white cardstock and used Gina K Designs ocean mist ink to stamp the coordinating heart on the mittens. I fussy cut those out and popped them up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. For a finishing touch I added some clear Wink of Stella glitter pen to the mittens for some pretty shimmer and shine. I hope you like my card! Please don't forget to leave a comment. 

With Sympathy

Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls and Addicted To CAS challenges. I started by layering a piece of dark brown wood grain patterned paper from the Little Yellow's Bicycle's Fern & Forest 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut a rectangle panel using a stitched edge Gina Marie Design die and layered it onto some plain white cardstock. I stamped the pawprint from the Simon Says Stamp Pawprints On Our Hearts stamp set onto the panel using Gina K Designs charcoal brown ink. I die cut the sentiment using a Simon Says Stamp die and adhered it onto the panel using my Zig Two Way glue pen. For a finishing touch I popped the focal panel up off of the card using some 3M foam tape. I hope you like this simple sympathy card and thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Happy Valentine's Day

Today's card was created for the Sunday Stamps weekly challenge. I started with a white card base and layered on a 1" strip of Gina K Designs glossy patterned paper with a fun heart theme off to one side. I then cut a strip of black Stampin' UP cardstock to add to the edge of the patterned paper for some added contrast and then stamped the sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Happy Everything stamp set onto the top left corner. I then stamped the sock monkey from The Cat's Pajama's Show Me The Monkey stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them in using my alcohol markers in coordinating colors. I fussy cut them and edged them using my dual tip Memento marker in tuxedo black. I stamped the heart envelopes from the same stamp set three times so they connected, colored them, and fussy cut them out too. I popped the monkeys up using Stampin' UP's foam dimensionals and adhered them to the card. I finished the card by adding some crystal Stickles the hearts on each of the envelopes and some pretty red Nuvo drops around the monkeys. I hope you like it! I plan on donating this card to the Send A Smile 4 Kids Valentine's card drive. 

Mom

My second card today was created for the latest Mojo Monday sketch challenge over at the Verve Stamps blog. I recently picked up the Authentique Remembrance 6x6 paper pad on sale at my local Hobby Lobby and thought the beautiful papers in this pad would be perfect for this fun little sketch. I started with a white card base and layered on some Stampin' UP early espresso cardstock. I cut and layered the patterned papers onto my card to fit the sketch, and matted some of the elements with the same early espresso cardstock to help break up the patterns. I stamped the floral element and sentiment from Verve Stamps Because Of You stamp set onto some white cardstock using Gina K charcoal brown ink. I popped the focal panel up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I finished the card by adding some stitched lines in dark brown ink around the outer edges. I hope you like it and if you do don't forget to leave a comment!

Coffee & Friends

Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls challenge. I have to admit, I never think to use my smaller stamps to create all over stamped backgrounds but I really had fun with this one! I picked up the awesome Altenew Coffee Love stamp set during a recent Blitsy sale and thought it would be the perfect set for this technique. I started with a white card base and layered on some Stampin' UP early espresso cardstock. I then stamped some of the images from the stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock using Memento tuxedo black ink and colored them in using my alcohol markers. To fill in some of the blank spots I stamped the coffee beans from the stamp set using Gina K. charcoal brown ink. I mounted that panel directly onto the card. Using the same brown cardstock as the base I prepped it with my EK Success powder tool and then stamped the sentiment using Versamark ink. I heat set it using some Recollections white embossing powder and my heat tool. I trimmed the sentiment down to a proportional size and mounted it onto my card using some 3M foam tape for some added dimension. I plan on sending this card out to my January partner for the Coffee Lover's Card Swap. I hope you like it!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

                     

                           

Today's card was created for the latest The Male Room challenge.  I started by layering some patterned papers from the My Mind's Eye Signature Christmas 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I love the rich, vintage, and masculine look of this paper pad. I inked around the outer edges of all of the patterned paper with some Tim Holtz distress ink in tea dye for a nice distressed and vintage look.  I then stamped the fun Stampabilities Merry Little Christmas stamp onto some plain white cardstock using Memento cocoa brown ink at the top of the stamp and some Gina K Designs asparagus ink at the bottom for a nice two-tone look. I die cut the image using a My Favorite Things pierced edge oval die and then went around the outer edges with some more distress ink. I popped the oval panel up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals and then added some Nuvo Crystal Drops in dark walnut to the corners and the oval panel for some additional texture and interest. I hope you like it!

Hello

Today's card was created for the latest Just Us Girls and The Male Room challenges . I love that autumn is finally here in the Midwest and jumped at the chance to create a card showcasing the beauty of the season. I started by layering on some kraft cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto a white card base. I then cut a panel 1/4" smaller and stamped the sentiment from Winnie & Walter's The Big The Bold & The Happy's stamp set at the bottom right corner using Gina K Designs ink in charcoal brown. I then took some Canson watercolor paper and did a smooshing and spritzing technique using 3 colors of Tim Holtz distress inks and dried the paper fully. Once dry I punched the leaves out using an EK Success leaf punch and then inked around the edges with Tim Holtz tea dye ink to give it a more distressed look. I added some Lawn Fawn twine in oatmeal and gold around the panel of the card and then mounted the leaves up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I added a bow using a glue dot, and called this card done. I hope you like it!

Happy Fall

My second card today was created for both Cards In Envy and The Challenge challenges. I will also be donating this card to the Send A Smile 4 Kids card donation program. Yes Sybrina, I have cards coming your way this week! I started my card by layering some chocolate chip cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my white cardbase. I then layered some pretty, glittery paper Autumn Splendor patterned 12x12 paper from Best Creation onto my card. The photo doesn't do this adorable paper justice. It really sparkles and shines and the best part is it's permanent, which is perfect for donating cards to children in hospitals because it won't flake off and become airborne. Anyway, I did some masking and stamping using the adorable images from My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse stamp set and die cut the image using a pierced edge circle die, also from My Favorite Things. I colored the adorable image using Copic markers and added some pretty clear Wink of Stella to help mimic the glitter of the paper. Using Hero Arts Layering Tree stamp set I stamped the sentiment above the scene using Gina K charcoal brown ink. I cut a small strip of the same chocolate chip cardstock and added it to the card and then adhered the focal die directly on top. I love how sweet this little card turned out! I have to apologize for the poor quality of my photo. I usually use my smart phone but it died on me yesterday and I'm using my tablet. Unfortunately, the photo quality is not quite as good. I will be fixing that this week so bear with me. 

Sending Warm Thoughts

Today's card was created for both the current Color Q and the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenges. It's been a while since I made a card and I was determined to get creative and break out of my funk. I don't know about you guys out there in the crafting blogosphere but I have about had my fill of summer. I'm not a fan of the heat anyway now that I've hit hot flash age but this has been a pretty hot summer so far. So, I wanted something to remind me that fall will be coming soon. I started with some plain white cardstock and inked around the edges using Memento dandelion ink. I cut a piece of cardstock 1/4" smaller and embossed it using a Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder and mounted it straight onto my inked panel. I liked the look of the debossed side better some I actually flipped it over and used the "wrong" side. I inked up the Hero Arts Color Layering Fall Trees stamp set using Gina K ink in warm cocoa for the trunk and Memento inks in lilac posies, love letter, tangelo, and dandelion for the leaves. I stamped the hillside under the tree using Rubberneck's French Script background stamp and then inked the memento dandelion ink directly onto the paper. I cut it down using a stitched edge die from Paper Smooches and then adhered it straight onto the paper under the tree. Once adhered I die cut a circle panel using an MFT pierced edge die. I stamped the sentiment from the same Hero Arts stamp set and added ink directly to the paper using the same Memento ink. I lightly inked the edges of the circle panel and the sentiment strip using Tim Holtz distress ink in tea dye and then popped them up off of the card using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals for some added interest and dimension. I hope you like it!

There's Always Time For Tea

Today's card was created as a thank you for some blog candy I received during the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop from fellow coffee loving cardmaker Danielle Vincent. You can find find her and all of her crafty goodness over at her blog here. Danielle sent me the wonderful new Stampin' UP Nice Cuppa stamp set and I couldn't resist inking it up immediately and sending her a wonderful thank you card for her generous act of kindness! For my card I started by stamping the stacked tea cups onto some white cardstock using Gina K ink in red hot and die cutting them with some fun new Gina Marie Designs dies I just got in this week. Love those wonky stitched lines around the border! I then took my Crop-A-Dile and punched a hole at the top of the mugs and onto the little tea bag tag that I stamped separately and fussy cut out. I attached some inexpensive white rickrack I picked up at Hobby Lobby to both ends to make it look like a tea bag string. I layered some cherry cobbler cardstock from Stampin' UP onto my card base and then a pretty floral piece of patterned paper from the Crate Paper Paper Heart Collection 6x6 paper pad on top. I popped the focal panel up off of the card with some 3M foam tape for added dimension. I hope you like it!  

What's Shakin'?

Today's card was created for the latest Send A Smile 4 Kids challenge. The challenge was to create a clean and simple card without a lot of layers. I'm not exactly noted for my CAS style so this was a tough challenge for me. I really wanted something where the sentiment was as much the star as the focal image. I started with a clean, white card base and die cut the sentiment using cherry cobbler cardstock from Stampin' UP and the lower case alpha dies from MFT. I adhered them onto the lower left corner of my card using Zig 2 way glue. I stamped the monkey from CTM's In The Wild stamp set onto some crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' UP using Gina K's charcoal brown ink. I fussy cut the image and separated the fingers from the hand so I could adhere them to the branch. I adhered the monkey flat to the card and then die cut the branch using an MFT die and chocolate chip cardstock from Stampin' UP and green cardstock from Hobby Lobby. I popped all of the branch elements up off of the card using foam dimensionals and adhered the monkey's fingers directly onto the branch. I hope you like it!

Sup?

Today's card was created for both the AAA Card and the Send A Smile 4 Kids challenges. I wanted to keep this card kind of simple since it would be donated to the Send A Smile 4 Kids card drive and I like doing general sentiments so that the organizers of the drive don't have to worry about saving it for a particular time of the year. I started with a white card base and layered on some early espresso cardstock from Stampin' UP and cut a smaller panel of patterned paper from the American Crafts Welcome Spring 6x6 paper pad and layered it on top. Using my Stampin' UP Build An Owl punch I punched the base for the owl using the early espresso cardstock and the same paper pad for the stomach. I punched the base for the eyes using crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' UP and then mounted googly eyes on top. I then die cut a stitched rectangle from plain white cardstock from Staples using a Gina Marie Designs die. I wanted to create a clothes line effect so I used the string stamp from the Lawn Fawn Lunar Lights stamp set and the tiny heart from Lawn Fawn's Bee Mine mini stamp set to create  that effect. I stamped the sentiment at the top left using Gina K's charcoal brown ink and a sentiment from the Paper Smooches Slang Gang stamp set. I popped the stitched rectangle panel up off of the card using 3M foam tape and then popped the owl up using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. Love how simple and adorable this card is. I hope you like it too!

You're Frytastic

I sat down this afternoon with the intention of creating a coffee themed card for the Summer Coffee Lover's Bloghop but I just wasn't feeling it. I've had a lot on my mind lately and needed to make something light-hearted and fun. What's more fun than a kid's card, right? So, I decided to create another card for the Send A Smile 4 Kids card drive. I started with the adorable french fry character from Your Next Stamp's Happy Meal stamp set and added on the smiley face from the same set. I created a mask by stamping the same image onto a post-it note and fussy cut it out and adhered it to the body of the image. I then stamped the arms and legs from the Your Next Stamp's Create A Character mini stamp set. I then Copic colored the image, fussy cut it out, and edged it with a black Memento marker to give it a nice die cut look. For my card I layered on some pretty turquoise paper from Hobby Lobby onto my white card base. I then layered on the polka dot patterned paper from Ki's Color Crush 6x6 paper pad. I cut a smaller panel and edged it with the same turquoise paper and adhered it to the panel. I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set using Versafine onyx black ink for a nice crisp look and then stamped the hearts from the stamp set using Gina K's red hot ink. I popped the french fry character up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals, added some Glossy Accents to the eyes and hearts and some black faux stitching along the smaller panel edges and all around the polka dots on the card panel. I think this card is just too stinking cute and I hope it will bring a smile to some child's face when they receive it in the hospital! Thanks for stopping by and looking at my creation!

Just A Note

Today's card was created for the latest The Paper Players color challenge. I wanted to keep my card pretty clean and simple so I chose a small stamp with impact that would really stand out on my card. I stamped the musical butterfly from the Skipping Stones Design Heartsong I stamp set using Gina K ink in navy. I then colored the butterfly using Copic markers to make it look like an American flag. I stamped the sentiment below from the same stamp set and then die cut the panel out using a stitched rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs. I layered some red, white, and blue cardstocks onto my white card base and then popped my focal panel up off of the card using some 3M foam tape. A few clear Recollections rhinestones to the center of butterfly finished this fun card off!

Happy Birthday

Today's card was created for the latest Retro Sketches challenge. I love this layout and knew I had to create something using it. I started with a white card base and layered on a piece of apricot cardstock from Hobby Lobby and some white cardstock from Staples. I layered a pretty piece of patterned paper from the Crate Paper Notes & Things 6x6 paper pad. I took another piece of the apricot cardstock and cut it down into a narrow panel and punched the scalloped edge using a Fiskars punch. I adhered that down to the card panel and then layered on another piece of patterned paper from the same Crate Paper pack and edged it with more apricot paper. I cut that piece at an angle to mimic the sketch. I then stamped the birthday sentiment from the Skipping Stones Design Heartsong I stamp set using Gina K ink. I die cut the sentiment using a pretty stitched banner die from Lil' Inker designs and edged it using some more of the apricot cardstock. For my focal panel I stamped the beautiful rose trio from the Waltzingmouse Stamps Old Country Roses stamp set using Gina K inks. I die cut the roses using a pierced edge circle die from My Favorite Things and mounted it and the banner sentiment up off of the card using 3M foam tape for added dimension. I love how pretty and feminine this stamp set is and am pleased with how the card turned out using this great sketch. I hope you like it!

Need Caffeine

I have to admit that my mojo has escaped me here as of late and it's left me feeling a bit down. I got my list for June participants in the latest Coffee Lover's card exchange this weekend and it prompted me to crack out some stamps and get remedy that situation. I started with the mug from a set I recently picked up called Funny Coffee Volume #1 from Skipping Stones Design. I love this fun stamp set because the stamps are large enough to take center stage on any A2 card. I stamped the mug onto some cardstock by Stampin' UP and then created a mask using a post-it note. I cut the sleeve portion of the cup out using my X-acto knife and then stamped the pattern using the Floral & Script Background stamp by Julie Nutting and removed the mask. I then stamped the sentiment from the Latina Crafter's Need Caffeine mini stamp set and die cut the whole thing using a pierced circle die from MFT. I popped the circle panel up off of the card using some foam dimensionals from Stampin' UP.  I stamped the same floral background again onto some crumbcake cardstock and then cut it down into a panel and mounted it onto some early espresso cardstock, both from Stampin' UP. It's not one of my favorite cards I've ever created but at least it got me out of my creative funk!