Thank You So Much-Growing In Unity Day 5

 Hello, and welcome to my last day as a guest designer on the Facebook group Unity Show and Tell's Growing in Unity. I've had so much fun creating creations with one of my favorite stamp company's! I created this card by layering some pretty, textured yellow cardstock onto my white card base. I then die cut a panel of white cardstock using Unity Stamp Company's Postage nesting dies. Using some low tack tape, I taped over the edges and stamped Unity Stamp Company's The Paper Apothecary in black ink. I took the tape off and adhered the panel to the card using thin foam tape. I then stamped Unity Stamp Company's You're The Zest onto white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored the image using my alcohol markers, fussy cut the image, and popped it up off of the card using foam tape. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set, fussy cut it out, and added it to the image at the bottom right. I finished this card off with Nuvo drops in white blizzard and some yellow enamel dots from Simple Stories. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to head over to the Growing In Unity Facebook page. There is ton's of beautiful inspiration posted there on a daily basis, and a chance to win a prize! This is a private group that is free to join on Facebook

You're Sweet As Honey-Growing In Unity Day 3

 

Hello, and welcome to day 3 of my Growing in Unity guest spot on the Unity Show and Tell Facebook group. I stamped the Unity Stamp Company's Sweet As Honey stamp set onto white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored the image using alcohol markers, and fussy cut the image. Using the Unity Stamp Company's Soft Stitch Lattice embossing folder I embossed yellow cardstock for my background and my focal panel that I created using white cardstock and SSS Nesting Arches dies. I adhered both panels to my card base. I popped the floral panel up using thin foam tape. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set, fussy cut it, and popped it up off of the floral image. I finished the card off with some yellow and clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh and some white blizzard Nuvo glitter drops. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to head over to the Growing In Unity Facebook page. There is ton's of beautiful inspiration posted there on a daily basis, and a chance to win a prize! This is a private group that is free to join on Facebook. 

Be Merry

 

I can't believe I'm creating a Christmas card in late June when it is literally 93 degrees outside in the shade, but here we are! LOL.  I recently picked up the adorable Woodware Craft Collection Gnome Christmas Cup stamp set on an online destash sale and could not wait to ink him up! I stamped the image onto white Copic-friendly cardstock, colored it using alcohol markers, and fussy cut the image out. Using dark green cardstock I die cut a layering panel using Unity Stamp Company postage stamp nesting dies. Then I embossed a smaller panel of red cardstock using SSS Dancing Starlets embossing folder. I adhered both panels to my white A2 cardbase. I popped the gnome image up off of the card using thin foam tape. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set and cut it down unto a small panel. I adhered that to the bottom right of the card. I finished off the card by adding some black sketchy lines around the sentiment, white gel pen details and white blizzard Nuvo drops to the image. I added a few black gems to each corner using liquid glue for a final touch on this adorable Christmas card. Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you and yours are staying cool this summer. 

You're Cuter Than Cupid-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

We are celebrating fun folds this month at Send A Smile 4 Kids. I have to admit that I have never created anything other than a traditional top or side fold A2 card, so I had to go to Pinterest to figure this one out. I found this design on a Stampin' UP demonstrators page using some floral image. I thought it would be fun to do a sweet Valentine's Day card instead. I started with a piece of real red cardstock and cut it down to an A2 size (4.25"x 5.5"), removing 1" from the right side. I cut down down a piece of white cardstock for the insert to be 4'x5.25". I then die cut a rectangle piece of real red cardstock using a Pink & Main nesting rectangle die. I score the right edge at 1/4" and adhered that to the center of the insert panel at the back. I then attached the entire piece to the inside of the card. I then cut down another smaller piece of white cardstock and stamped the adorable image and sentiment from Colorado Craft Company's Mini Love Cards stamp set using Memento tuxedo black ink, and colored it using my Copic markers. I adhered that panel to my folded flap and added black dashed lines around the panel for a bit of interest. I added some patterned paper to the smaller front panel using Pebbles Be Mine 6x6 paper pad. I finished my adorable card off with some Nuvo Crystal drops in the White Blizzard to Cupid's wings and the cloud, and some pretty red clay hearts from Trinity Stamps to the outside panel. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Be sure to stop by the Send A Smile 4 Kids blog to see how everyone else was inspired!

It's A Hot Chocolate Kind Of Day

 

Today's card was created for the latest Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge. I created my card by stamping the three mugs from Newton's Nook Designs Cup of Cocoa stamp set onto white Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them using my alcohol markers. I then die cut a scalloped edge panel using powder blue cardstock from Hobby Lobby and a Gina Marie Designs nesting scalloped edge rectangle die. I layered that directly onto my white card base. Using the square Window Trio 1 die from Waffle Flower, I cut a focal panel using white cardstock. Before adhering directly to the scalloped panel, I stamped snowflakes from Stampabilities Winter Wonderland stamp set using Stampin' UP's bashful blue ink. I then stamped the sentiment from the Cup of Cocoa stamp set using Gina K Designs black ink. I adhered the panel to the card, added some Nuvo Crystal Drops in white blizzard, some gel pen detail, and clear rhinestones from Recollections to the snowflakes. I love how adorably cute this card turned out! Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Hope you have an amazing day!

Naughty Or Nice? Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

This month at Send A Smile 4 Kids we are creating Christmas cards for kids. I recently picked up the Sweet N Sassy Christmas Blocks stamp set on sale and had to use this adorable stamp set for this challenge. I started by stamping the adorable Santa image and sentiment from the stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and doing some simple coloring on his hat, beard, and face. I cut the image out using a Spellbinders nesting circle die. I adhered that panel to a scalloped border that I created using a Spellbinders nesting scalloped border die and real red cardstock from Stampin' UP. Then I layered some green cardstock from Hobby Lobby directly onto my white A2 card base. I adhered a piece of striped patterned paper from Doodlebug Design's Home For The Holidays 6x6 paper pad on top. I then cut down a white panel and added a scalloped edge at the top using a Fiskars punch. I layered some more of the green cardstock onto the panel after creating a scalloped border at the bottom. I added more patterned paper from the same Doodlebug Design paper pad on top of the green cardstock, and popped the whole panel up onto the card at an angle. I stamped the other sentiment at the bottom of the panel from the same stamp set, added some white mini brads from my stash to the corners, and adhered the whole panel up off of the card using 3M foam tape. I finished off the card by adhering the Santa panel to the focal panel and adding some fun shimmer and dimension by adding Nuvo glitter drops to the beard, hat, and pom pom. Thank you for visiting my blog today. Be sure to hop over to the Send A Smile 4 Kids blog and see how the other design team members were inspired this month!

You're On The Nice List

 

Happy Saturday! Today's card was created for the latest Freshly Made Sketches card challenge. To create my card I started by stamping the adorable Santa and sentiment from My Favorite Things Jingle All The Way stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock. I colored the image using my alcohol markers. I die cut the panel down using a layering stitched rectangle die from Paper Rose. Using papers from the American Crafts Jolly 6x6 paper pad I die cut another panel using the same Paper Rose die. I then a 2" strip using more of the patterned paper and edged it with some red cardstock that I die cut using My Favorite Things Fine Finish Edge die. I popped the focal panel up off of the card using 3M foam tape and then added the gifts and tree that I stamped, colored, and fussy cut using the same stamp set. I added some Nuvo Glitter Drops in white blizzard to the tree, gift bows, and Santa's hat and beard for a finishing touch. Thank you for stopping by my blog today! 

Let It Snow-Send A Smile 4 Kids

 

Hello and happy July! I cannot believe the year is already half over. This month at Send A Smile 4 Kids we are having Christmas in July. To create my card I started layering some dark navy cardstock directly onto my card base. Then I die cut the snow globe and sloped hillside using My Favorite Things Snow Globe die set. I stamped the snow on the background using Papertrey Ink's Winter Snow Globe stamp set with Versamark ink. I heat set it using Ranger fine white detail embossing powder, and then inked the background with Stampin' UP's bashful blue ink. I adhered the background hillside that I die cut using the same MFT die. I then stamped the trees and skiing penguin using the My Favorite Things Snow Globe Singles stamp and die set. I colored the images using my Copic markers. I adhered them directly to the snow globe panel. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set onto the bottom portion of the snow globe and heat set that using more Ranger white embossing powder. I popped the snow globe up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I finished this card by adding some Nuvo white blizzard glitter drops to the trees and snow drift and some blue 4mm sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. 

 

Gnome For The Holidays

 

Hello, and happy Sunday! It's quite blustery here in Southeast Missouri, which makes doing much outside almost impossible. So, I'm inside today and I decided to create a Christmas card using the theme from Christmas Kickstart Challenge and the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. To create my card I started by layering some whimsical patterned paper from the Pebbles Welcome Christmas 6x6 paper pad onto my A2 card base. I then stamped, colored and fussy cut the gnomes from the Stampendous Holiday Gnomes stamp set using my Copic markers. I stamped, colored and die cut the mountains from the Crafter's Companion Little Snowmen stamp and die set. Using a stitched sloping border die I die cut a snow drift using white cardstock and edged it with some distress ink in Salty Ocean. I cut the focal panel down to match the sketch and inked it up with more Salty Ocean and added a few snowflakes to the background using the Little Snowmen stamp set again. I adhered the snowdrift and the mountains directly to the panel and then popped the gnomes up using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment from the gnome stamp set, matted it onto some forest green cardstock, and popped it up under the gnomes. For a finishing touch I added some Nuvo glitter drops in clear around the gnomes and the snowflakes for some additional shine and shimmer. Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Have A Magical Day-SAS4Kids

 

Hello and happy February! This month's Send A Smile 4 Kids challenge is focusing on spring/Easter cards for kids. My sweet granddaughter is having a birthday early next month and I wanted to create a fun card for her. I've never made a 3D box card before. I wish I had dies to create the base, but unfortunately, I don't. So, I created one from scratch using white cardstock and pretty patterned papers from Pebbles Sunny Side 6x6 paper pad. The adorable images and sentiment were stamped using My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Fairy Girl mini stamp set using Memento tuxedo black ink and colored using Copic markers. I fussy cut the images out and adhered them strategically on the box so they could all be seen when the box is open. The sentiment was die cut using a pierced edge oval die from My Favorite Things and layered onto a piece of patterned paper die cut using a Verve Stamps label die and adhered directly onto the front of the card. To finish it up I added some white gel pen details to her hair, wings, mushrooms and a little Nuvo clear glitter to the wings, pom poms on her shoes, and the dots on the mushrooms! And finally, I added a few clear rhinestones from Recollections on either side of the sentiment and on the fairy's wand. I can't wait to see what everyone else has created for this month's challenge. 

Gnome For The Holidays-Coffee And Cards With Celeste And Deb

Hello and welcome to the July installment of Coffee and Cards with Celeste and Deb. We decided we would do a Christmas in July theme this month. Those of us who create our own Christmas cards know you have to get a jump start on those. I typically send out anywhere between 50-75 cards per year so this is about the time of year I usually get started on that. To create my card I started by layering some patterned papers from the Heidi Swapp Noel 6x6 paper pad onto my white A2 card base. I then die cut a sloped snow bank using white cardstock and a border die from Simon Says Stamp and adhered that directly on the patterned paper panel. I die cut the tree image from some light green cardstock using one of the Taylored Expressions Evergreen dies. I added some snow to the image using my white gel pen and colored the trunk brown using a Memento cocoa brown dual tip marker and adhered that to the card. I then die cut some sweet little snowflakes using a Paper Smooches die, adhered them to the card, and added a little sparkle to the centers by applying a dot of Nuvo Glitter Drops in white blizzard. I die cut the adorable little gnome using a Gina Marie Designs die and more of the patterned papers from the Heidi Swapp Noel collection, colored his nose and beard using my Copic markers, and popped that fun little guy up using some foam squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Gnome For The Holidays stamp set onto the snow bank using Versafine onyx black ink for a nice, crisp look. I added a sweet little red heart sequin from Pretty Pink Posh to the gnomes hat and finished him off by added some drops of Stickles in Christmas red to his shirt and to the tip of his hat. Love how adorable this turned out!

For my coffee choice this month I opted for a nice, tall iced mocha latte from Duncan Donuts because it's ridiculously hot here and I had to mow my lawn this morning. This really hit the spot!

Now, be sure to stop over at Deb's blog and see what fun Christmasy goodness she's created this month!

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!

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. 

Hope Your Day Is Magical

Today's card was created for my granddaughter Journey's 8th birthday. Her birthday was actually September 11th but she lives 2 hours away from me and between my job and her mom's job we just weren't able to get together until last weekend. As you can see from the photo she is a very girly tomboy! She loves all things blingy, glittery, fluffy, pink, and pretty. But she also loves to play with her horses in the mud and dirt like a true country girl! So, I knew she would love this adorable pegasus card. To create my card I started by stamping the images from The Greeting Farm's Spread Your Wings onto some Copic-friendly white cardstock. I colored them using my alcohol markers and then fussy cut them out. I cut a small rectangle panel and inked the background using my Tim Holtz distress ink in faded jeans. I die cut the clouds using a The Cats Pajamas speech bubble die and adhered them directly to the panel. I punched the clouds using a Fiskars punch and added some Nuvo white blizzard glitter drops to the outline of the clouds. Once they were dry I adhered the clouds and the colored images to the panel using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set directly onto the lower clouds using Versafine onyx black ink. I then layered some pink cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto my white cardbase and then added a panel of cardstock from the We R Memory Keepers Chalkboard 6x6 paper pad on top. I matted the focal panel onto more of the pink cardstock and mounted it to the card using some 3M foam tape. I hope you like my card...I know Journey did!

No Rain...No Flowers

Today's card was created for the latest Addicted to CAS card challenge. To create my card I started by layering some bright yellow cardstock from Hobby Lobby onto my white card base. I then stamped the pretty floral image from the Unity Stamp Company Free Your Dreams kit of the month onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock. I created a pretty scalloped edge panel by die cutting the cardstock with a Gina Marie Design die. I colored the image using my alcohol markers in soft, pretty colors and then stamped the sentiment using some Versafine onyx black ink for a nice crisp look. Once the ink was dried I popped the image up off of the card using 3M foam tape for a nice dimensional look. To finish my card I added some yellow Stickles to the centers of the flowers and some Nuvo Crystal Drops in ebony to the card. I hope you like it and thank you for visiting my blog!

Masculine Happy Birthday

Today's card was created for the latest The Male Room Challenge. 

I started with a cream card base and layered some Stampin' UP early espresso cardstock on top. I then stamped the World Map background stamp by Stampin' UP onto some more cream cardstock using Gina K Designs charcoal brown ink. I cut the map up into 3 smaller panels and ink distressed them using Tim Holtz tea dye and faded jeans distress inks. I stamped the compass from Unity Stamp Company's Go In The Direction Of Your Heart stamp set twice onto cream cardstock using the same brown ink. I die cut one of the images using a circle die from Spellbinders and inked around the edges just like I did the map panels. I fussy cut the other image out and popped it up onto the larger panel. I mounted the entire thing onto a circle I die cut using a My Favorite Things pierced edge die and early espresso cardstock. I stamped the sentiment from the Stampers Anonymous Crazy Talk sentiment stamp set onto more cream cardstock and distressed it and mounted it with early espresso cardstock. To finish my card I added some black Nuvo crystal drops to the center of the compass and on either side of the sentiment. I hope you like it. Thank you for visiting my blog!

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!

Ho Ho Ho

Today's card was created for the latest Jingle Belles card challenge. The challenge is to create something with Santa Claus on it. I created my card by layering some fun, festive patterned papers from the Doodle Bug Home For The Holidays 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I added a small strip of green cardstock from the American Crafts Christmas cardstock 6x6 paper pad to the edge just to break up the patterned paper. I stamped the adorable little Santa onto some Copic friendly cardstock and colored him using my alcohol markers. I die cut him out using an x-edge die by Gina Marie Designs. I die cut another of the same panels using the green cardstock. I layered them together and stamped the greeting from the Simon Says Stamp Gnome For The Holidays at the bottom. I popped the focal panel up off of the card using Stampin' UP foam dimensionals and added some Nuvo Crystal Drops in rhubarb crumble for some fun interest. I finished the card by adding a fun dotted border that I die cut using more of the green cardstock and a fun little Papertrey Ink die. I hope you like it!

Yay, You!

Hello, and Happy 4th of July! Today's card was created for the latest The Paper Players challenge. To create my card I started by layering some textured cardstock from the Ki natural cardstock 6x6 paper pad onto my white card base. I then die cut some fishtail banners using patterned papers from the K&Company Graduation 4x6 paper pad using a Jillian Vance die. I layered them onto my card at an angle and then stamped the graduation cap and sentiment from the Stampin' UP Pomp & Circumstance stamp set onto a small panel using both Versafine onyx black ink and Memento London fog grey ink. I matted that panel using more of the same Ki cardstock and popped the panel up using some 3M foam tape. I added a few dots of Nuvo Crystal Drops in ebony and some black dashed lines around the card and panel to finish it off. I hope you like it and thank you for visiting my blog!