Warm Holiday Greetings

There's a new challenge out there that I have really been wanting to play. I finally had the time today. 

On October 10th, Jo of Just a Dotty Pudding and Gail of Crafty Nomad started their new and aptly named challenge: Let's Squash It!. It's all about using embossing folders. That is GENIUS! I am excited to enter Challenge #3 today - Use Any Embossing Folder And Dies/Fussy Cutting.

I must say, I am very pleased with this card. Before I completed it, I thought it might be too busy, but I don't think that is the case. I die cut a panel of Linen card stock with Hero Arts Snowflake Confetti Fancy Die and backed it with a piece of white glitter paper. I then die cut Uniko's Sparkling Snowflake Designer Die from Gina K's  Ocean Mist Pure Luxury Card Stock. Before lifting the snowflake out of the cut, I placed it in a Cuttlebug embossing folder with a quilt/snowflake design from the deep, dark recesses of my Christmas stash, and ran it through my Cuttlebug (it's still chugging along). I sprayed it with shimmer spray, popped it up and mounted it on the die cut snowflake panel. The sentiment is from SSS Tiny Words Christmas. It's heat embossed in silver on black card stock, and die cut with a Pink & Main Sentiment Strip Die.

Wishing Jo and Gail  good luck and LOTS of fun with this challenge. I hope to play as often as I can. I hope you are encouraged to dig into your stash, pull out some embossing folders and do some squashing!

I'm also paying at:

Uniko Challenge #62 - Tis The Season + Optional Twist Sparkle

Watercooler Wednesday #301 - All About Occasions

Inkspirational #228 - Snow

Little Red Wagon #579 - Snow Day

Happy Birthday To You!

I'm here with the Creative With Stamps mid-month reminder. This month we celabrate our second anniversary.  With that in mind, our challenge is to create a celebration-themed CAS (Clean And Simple) project with sentiment. In case you are not aware or need a refresher, here is the definition of CAS:

I chose to stencil one quarter of my card with Distress Oxide inks - can't get enough of them. I heat embossed part of the sentiment on a black (MFT) Fishtail die cut, and stamped the rest of the sentiment (SSS You Matter) with VersaMark Onyx Black ink.

Please head over to the Creative With Stamps Challenge Blog and see what the Deign Team has created to inspire you.  Join us in the gallery to showcase your creation and for a chance to win.

Love How You Brighten My Day

Time Out Challenge #104 is up and running. 

Our Guest Designer is Marieke. Marieke is an incredibly talented papercraft artist, and her coloring is absolutely magical. Please  treat yourself to a stroll through her blog.

Our sponsor for this challenge is Poppystamps. Challenge winner will receive a $20 gift voucher to spend at the Poppystamps Store which is a delight to visit and is packed with top quality goodies-take a look here. The Time Out Design Team has created some awesome inspiration for you. Head on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog and check it out. Play with us for a chance to win!

I went with a BOLD LOVE die cut (Poppystamps Sentiments Of Love stamps and Little Halo Love die) and a CAS design. It goes with the Time Out theme, and also the CAS theme of the new Poppystamps Challenge for March.

On this first of every month, a new challenge with a central theme is introduced  on the Poppy Stamps blog. The March theme is "Clean And Simple". You can get all the details HERE. If you have some Poppystamps Products, make a CAS card, and link up to their challenge for a chance to win more prizes.

I'm also playing at:

SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood Of Crafters - CAS

City Crafter Challenge #401 -Die Cuts

A Happy Hello

Time for a new challenge at Time Out Challenges! This time the theme is "Home Sweet Home" - photo inspiration with a homey twist! 

Here is the inspiration photo for Time Out #85:

There are so many wonderful things focus on in this photo, but that beautiful hummingbird caught my immediate attention. I also incorporated many of the colors in the photo. I love all things tropical.

Ashwini is our Guest Designer for this challenge.

Happy Little Stampers are our sponsors with $15 gift voucher for the winner.

Come play with us! The Design Team has come up with some wonderful inspiration to get you started. Check out their projects, and then create something of your own to link up to the gallery and play for a chance to win.

Hello Spring

A little CAS spring-themed card for today. I'm playing at the following challenges:

CAS(E) this sketch #219

ATSM #239

Simon Says Stamps Work it Wednesday-April Showers bring May Flowers

CASology Week 246 - Season

Just Us Girls #390 Photo Week

I took my inspiration from the colors of red, yellow, green and gray/silver in the photo.

Supplies

Stamps: SSS Spring Seeds.

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI Fresh Snow Linen Cardstock.

Ink: Ranger Archival Jet Black, VersaFine Onyx Black.

Accessories: SSS Spring Seeds Dies, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, Zig Watercolor BrusH2O DETAILER, Clear Wink Of Stella Pen, Ranger Distress Designer Mica Spray-Brushed Pewter, Nuvo Autumn Red Crystal Drops.

So Kind

Time for a new challenge at Time Out Challenge #82 is a Theme Challenge - Flowers with an optional twist of "Kissing" - using two stamps for stamping one image. Tutorial HERE.

The challenge is sponsored by Happy Little Stampers with a $15.00 random winner for those who twist.

This is my take:

I used the kissing technique on the flowers and stems on my card. The background is blended with distress inks with water sprayed and water droplets dropped on the background.

Please go over to the Time Out Blog and check out the inspiration created for you by the Design Team. Create a flower-themed card with or without the twist of the kissing technique, and play along with us by linking up to the gallery. 

I am playing at:

CASology - Season

Simon Says Stamps Work it Wednesday-April Showers bring May Flowers

Happy Little Stamper Anything Goes With Dies

Supplies used:Stamps - SSS Artful Flowers, Impression Obsession Textural Dots, Concord & 9th Kindhearted.
Inks - PTI Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise,Simply Chartreuse, Blueberry Sky, Winter Wysteria. various Ranger Distress Inks.

Paper -  Strathmore Bristol, Neeneh Solar White.

Accessories - SSS Artful Flowers Dies, Nuvo Crystal Drops - Black, 3M Foam Tape.

Warm Winter Greetings

Game #82 is up at AAA Cards Challenge Blog with a theme of "Winter Chill". Our wonderful and generous sponsor is Stamplorations:

Challenge first place winner will receive Stamplorations Framed Cardinal Stamp and the Warm Winter Wishes CUTplorations die. All players will receive a 10% discount at the Stamplorations store. Get the details on the AAA Challenge Blog.

Our Guest Designer for this challenge is Katrina from Katrina's Craftworks. You will be delighted as you stroll through her blog and experience her wonderful work.

Here is my take:

This is really different than my usual. The white space is blue space. Eeeeek! It's hard to see that the die cut in the top right corner is cut from white glitter paper, as is the word "winter". The words "warm" and "greetings" are embossed in silver. As is so often the case, the picture doesn't do it justice. I'm still not sure about how I feel about this one, but I do feel good that I tried something different.

Please head on over to the AAA Challenge Blog and see what the DT has conjured up for your inspiration, Create a Winter Chill inspired card of your own, link up and play with us. Thanks for stopping by today!

Hope Endures

Challenge #65

The current Time Out Challenge is "Inspired By Words". I really love this type of challenge as it leaves so much to the imagination. Here is the quote:

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” 

You can be inspired of the whole sentiment or just choose one or two words as a starting point for your project.

Here is my take:

I love Autumn. I love the change in weather. Where I live, there are four very distinct seasons. I love the change in foods, clothes, decor... When the leaves die off so much in nature goes to sleep, there is always the promise of spring and rebirth. So there's hope, and that was my thought process in pondering the quote and putting this card together.

Everything on this card is new except the Kraft card base. I used Brushos to make a water color background from which I cut the solid wreath. I sprayed it with Ranger Buttercup Mica Spray to give it a golden sheen. It's gorgeous IRL. All stamps, dies and the sentiment are from Winnie and Walter. The white panel is Tim Holtz Distress Woodgrain Cardstock. It is luscious.

I am also linking this CAS card up to the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge where the current challenge is Clean & Simple.

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit! Have a wonderful day!!

Miss You

I really love the simplicity of CTS #178  When I saw it, this little lobster die popped into my head and out of my stash. I cut him from a scrap from a Distress Ink project and set him on a little bit of stenciling that put me in mind of a fishing net. Lobsters remind me of my dear, lifelong friend who lives far from me in northern Vermont.  Last time we visited, we celebrated with a wonderful dinner on Long Beach Island of lobster and scallops. This is a perfect card for her.

CTS #178

This card was also inspired by the following challenges:

It's been far too long since I played the wonderful Less Is More challenge. This week's recipe is USE A STENCIL.

Can You CASE It #126 - Dies

Thanks so much for  coming by today.

Supplies
Paper~Neenah Solar White.
Stamps~MFT Penguins In Paradise.
Ink~VersaFine Onyx Black, and Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch DI's.
Accessories~Memory Box Lobster Die, TH Burlap Layering Stencil.

Beautiful

AAA Cards Challenge #63

The new game is up on the AAA Cards Challenge Blog. This time it's "Anything Goes".  I am still playing with my Brushos and loving the magic. I used the mono printing technique for my creation. I had used the honeycomb stencil and Brushos on another project, and made sure that I got paint on the negative.  I flipped the stencil and pressed it on to the watercolor paper, and got this beautiful effect. Once dry, I sprayed the entire panel lightly with Tattered Angels Gold spray mist. I die cut the butterfly (PTI) from velum and gold adhesive paper (PTI), popped it up on the card and bent the wings upward a bit.

The sentiment is from Concord & 9th's Beautiful Words and Beautiful You dies. I am loving learning and trying new things, and I'm very pleased with the way this one turned out.

Please head on over to the AAA Cards Challenge Blog and check out the designs of my fabulously talented fellow DT members. Leave them some love, then create something wonderful and link up to our challenge. Our sponsor this week is Happy Little Stampers, with a $20.00 gift certificate for the challenge winner.

I am linking my card to the following challenges:

+

Creative with stamps challenge #1 - Butterfly.

Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge : WINGS. Create anything mixed media that you like as long as it includes Wings of any description :)

CAS Mix Up - I chose to add Die Cuts to my stenciling and stamping creation.

Thank you for coming by today. I hope you have been inspired. As always, I love your comments. They make my day!

Warm Winter Wishes

Happy New Year! Time for the first AAA Cards Challenge of 2016! 

Our theme for Game #55 is: Glitter!!!! Use glitter on your newly created project and link up at AAA Cards. The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from our wonderful sponsor for this week's challenge: Stampendous!

Winter has finally arrived here in the northeastern part of the US. Winter+glitter=snowflakes in my mind for this project. I used glitter to highlight the word "winter" in my sentiment which is done with Winnie & Walter's The Big, the Bold and Seasons stamps. "Winter" is stamped in VersaMark and embossed with SU Heat & Stick powder with glitter sprinkled on top. I combined several blue, pink and purple Twinkling H2Os on a piece of watercolor paper and die cut these wonderful Paper Smooches snowflakes.  Very simple, but the glittery word really adds a touch which indeed makes the whole thing sparkle.

Head on over to the AAA Cards Challenge Blog and see what my wonderful DT partners have created. Pull out that glitter from your stash and see what sparkly, fun project you can come up with. Link up and play along with us. Maybe you will be the lucky winner of a $20 gift certificate from Stampendous!

I also linking up and playing the following challenges:

Curtain Call - Frozen

Mod Squad Challenge Blog where the challenge this week is: 
Anything Goes with at least one die cut.

Cards In Envy - Let It Snow

Thank you so very much for visiting today. As always, I appreciate your comments. Have a wonderful day.

Merry Christmas Wreath

This card is totally inspired by the current Time Out Challenge inspiration photo. As you can see, I took it quite literally.

 I am really struggling with photos lately because the light at this time of year is so difficult for indoor photography (with an iPhone LOL), and it's very hard to get the colors right.  My "door" is really brown, and it is made from a Pretty Pink Posh die that has 4 stitched squares in the middle that really reminded me of the door in the picture. Anyway, I used all sorts of different things from different companies: PTI, Paper Smooches, Pretty Pink Posh, Martha Stewart... It was really fun putting it together.

I am also sending this over to the Simon Says Monday Challenge where the theme this week is : Holly Jolly Stamping. Create a Christmas project.

I am trying to take it easy with the season, and enjoy it and keep the best and most important parts of it front and center. Thanks so much for coming by. As always, I appreciate your comments so much. Have a wonderful day.