Thankful

A new challenge is up at Less Is More where the challenge is SUMMER FLOWERS.

Our Guest Designer is our June winner: Meghan Kennihan of Made By Meghan K.

Meghan usually contributes multiple cards to our challenges. Please treat yourself to a stroll through her blog for some wonderful inspiration. You will be so glad you did.

To create my card, I used my new Altenew's Build-A-Flower:Stargazer Layering Stamp and Die set. along with Altenew inks, and Lawn Fawn Scalloped rectangle dies. Stargazers are one of my favorite flowers and the very favorite of my dear friend who has an August birthday. This is her birthday card. I have known her for 45 years and I am indeed so thankful for the day I met her. We live very far apart, but that makes no difference In the quality and longevity of our friendship.

Please head over to the Less Is More Blog and see what Meghan and the Design Team have created for your inspiration. I hope you'll play along with us to share your creations and for a chance to win. Remember to keep your design Clean And Simple.

To be eligible for showCASe and PRIZE WINNER choices you will need to carefully follow the guidance on our GLOSSARY OF TERMS and our HOW TO PLAY pages. Your design should feature lots of clean / white / blank / non patterned / non textured space. All challenge details are on the Less Is More blog. Good Luck!

I'm also playing at:

Never Before Used Schtuff #17

Let's Dance It Out

It's time for a new challenge at Time Out!!! Time Out Challenge #167 - Inspired By Words: "Your love starts a dance party in my heart",

We are generously sponsored by Top Flight Stamps. The Challenge Winner will receive a 25.00 gift voucher to use in the Top Flight Store.

Our Guest Designer is Ashwini a wonderful designer whose creations are always so wonderful and fresh. She has a wonderful way with flowers! Do treat yourself to a stroll through her blog for some awesome inspiration.

To create my card, I used Casual Fridays Tutu stamps and dies, and Simon 
Says Stamp Radiant Heart s Stencil and several shades of red Distress oxide Inks. I flicked water on the hearts after I colored them. I stamped my little dancer with VersaFine Onlyx Black Ink, heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder and die cut it. The sentiment from the same stamp set is heat embossed in whitte on black and and die cut with a MFT Fishtail Flag die.

Please hop on over to the Time Out Challenge Blog to see the wonderful creations that Ashwini and our Design Team came up with to inspire you. Come play with us!

I'm also playing at:

Krafty Chicks KCC# 518 - Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday #282 - Anything Goes

Always Fun Challenge #173 - Use Stencils

Oh Ship!

I was just so amused by this photo inspiration at Inskpirational #218, and as soon as I saw it, I knew just what supplies I was going to use to play! The tentacles are from a Hero Arts wood mounted stamp that I have had forever and never used. The ship and sentiment are from a Hero Arts clear stamp set called Enjoy The Journey. I stamped and clear embossed the tentacles, then masked them and stenciled the dots using the Falling Snow stencil from SSS with Memento Love Letter ink. I colored everything with Zigs and popped up the boat and sentiment. It just keeps cracking me up. I love it.

I'm also playing at:

A Blog Named Hero July Challenge - Embossing

Always Fun Challenge #173 - Use Stencils

I Was A Mermaid

This card is a CASE of Kristina Werner's Mermaid card in THIS Video. I used completely different products than Kristina did, but I mimicked her design and coloring of the mermaid tail. I do think this sentiment is perfect for me because I believe it to be true. LOL.

Supplies:

Stamps~Inner Mermaid by Julie Ebersole, Sentiment by Impression Obsession.

Ink~VersaFine Onyx Black; VersaMark.

Accessories~PTI White Filigree Detail Embossing Powder; Wow Under The Sea Embossing Glitter; Nuvo Ocean Sparkle Embossing Powder; Stampendous Kaleidoscope Sparkly Embossing Powder;  Picket Fence Mermaid Scales Stencil; Ranger Round Ink Blending Tool; Purple Tape, Embossing Buddy; Fun Foam Sheets; Pinkfresh Studio Stitched Banner Dies.

I'm playing at:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Ocean Or Beachy

Double D Challenges - Let's Go To The Beach

Moving Along With The Times #120 - At The Beach

SUMMER

The current Fusion Challenge inspiration photo really sparked my creativity. That row of popsicles with the word "summer" spelled out jumped out at me. I have been resisting the slimline craze, but my idea needed lots of horizontal room, so I went with it. My card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". I used Paper Smooches Ice Cream Cone dies and Lawn Fawn Alphabet dies to mimic the popsicle element in the inspiration photo. The cones are dabbed with Antique Linen DO Ink to add some dimension. The sentiment is from Neat and Tangled. I love the way it turned out.

Supplies:

Stamps~Neat & Tangled Hello Summer.

Ink~VersaMark; Antique Linen Distress Oxide.

Accessories~PTI White Filigree Embossing Powder; Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts: Cole's ABCs; Paper Smooches Ice Cream Cone Die; MFT Fishtail Flags Die.

Paper~Various SU and PTI colored cardstock; SU Confetti Cream; Neenah Solar White 80# cardstock; Environment Desert Storm 100# cardstock.

I am also playing at two other ice cream themed challenges:

Festive Friday - #FF0064

Pink, Ice Cream Image, Die Cut, Summer Fun

Day Of The Month Club - National Ice Cream Day

You're On My Mind

I bought the Ellen Hutson Summer Of Stamping Combo By Brandi Kincaid under the spell of Michele Ferguson, my chief enabler. What a wonderful bunch of images and sentiments that I just HAD to have. I used a technique using Brushos that I learned from Jennifer McGuire in THIS video. I just love these images, and the sentiments are so wonderful. Thank you, enabler (also responsible for that awesome Spellbinders Hemstitch Frame), and Jennifer and Brandi and Ellen.

I am playing at:

The Flower Challenge #46

Just Add Ink #515 Mixed Media

Water coloring, die cutting, heat embossing

Global Design Project #GDP250

Sketch Challenge

Allsorts 581/582 - Flowers All Over

Inkspirational #217 - Painting or Colouring

Happiness

I recently discovered the The Rainbow Challenge, and I am so glad I did. It feels like it's a million degrees out today, so I am happily holed in in my craft room and I decided to play today. Challenge #19 is Tantalizing Tangerine. To create my card, I broke out my new Pinkfresh Studio goodies - Heart and Soul Stamps and die and Oval Foliage Wreath die. I used Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Encouragement for my sentiment. Some heat embossing and die cutting and my card was done. It's very simple, but elegant and I love the color - Tangerine Tango from my old SU cardstock stash.

I am also playing at:

Festive Friday - International Day Of Friendship #FF0063

I used friendship sentiment, flower, die cuts and embossing.

Allsorts Challenge #581/582 - Flowers All Over

The Flower Challenge #46

Summer/Winter