Stars & Stamps Sketch #119

Here is this week's sketch #119 from the Stars & Stamps blog.

This is a simple birthday card I made using the sketch. I used some scraps of turquoise, chocolate and kraft cardstock, running the die-cut star through my paper crimper and sponging with chocolate chip ink. I wrapped some copper cording around it for a little interest. The SNSS star scalloped border die was cut twice from turquoise and kraft cardstock, and the stars were swapped out for a little color interest. Sentiment is by SNSS done in Chocolate chip ink.
Thanks for stopping by today, and make it a great Sunday!

Carol

Queens and Birthdays

Hello and happy Saturday! I'm sharing a couple cards I posted over on SCS earlier this week. This card was made for the QFTD110 challenge, which celebrated Holly/aka Toy as the latest queen for the day. I cased this pretty card from her gallery and made my own version, keeping the same basic design. I used the lattice weaving technique, creating a window with a SB labels 4 die and then embossing it with a CB swiss dots ef. Next I put a piece of square lattice embossed cardstock behind the woven panel and matted with real red cardstock. I used a SU! bird punch along with a MS fern punch to create the leaves and the red gemstones were a $1 find from Michaels. I used 2 different flower punches and the SU! word window and fancy labels punches for the computer-generated sentiment.

This card was made for the SC382 sketch challenge. I'm using a new SNSS digi image called butterfly and flower. I used a very old piece of dsp for the background, and added some pure poppy dsp behind the punched border. The border was done with an EK brick pattern punch that I won from Simon Says Stamp, as part of a prize package for winning over at the House Mouse challenge blog! Whee! I colored the image with Copics and cut it with a SB square die, adding some pretty pink gemstones from Pizzazz Aplenty - which I also won as part of a prize package from a different House Mouse challenge! Double Whee!! I added the birthday greeting from the SNSS Poppies and Greetings clear stamp set and used some circle punches to create it. The green mats were done with PTI new leaf cardstock.
That will do it for me today, so thanks for stopping by and I wish all of you a fabulous crafty weekend!

Carol

SNSDC51 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Hello and a very happy Friday to you! This is going to be my last post as a SNSDC DT member as I've decided to step down. I'm a little sad about leaving, but at the same time I'm looking forward to the future. Thanks for all of your support and wonderful comments during the past year - I hope you'll still come say "hello" now and then, as I'm not going anywhere :)

This week the challenge for the SNSDC51 is "April Showers." I'm using the SNSS Morning Glory and Psalm30:5b digi images for this card, and it will be used as a sympathy card. I colored the image with Copics cut it using a SB beaded oval die. I wove some mini white ric-rac through the die and added a little matching color to the tiny ovals while the piece was still in the die. I added some more mini white ric-rac along the bottom with some very tiny HA pearls. The lavender background piece was embossed with a TH Sizzix damask embossing folder.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and as always......thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Tuesday Throwdown #95 - Sparkle!

The challenge over at the Tuesday Throwdown #95 is to "make it sparkle."
With all the bling I added here, I'd say this card sparkles :) I used Echo Park Springtime dsp to create the herringbone background, and then die cut with a SB labels 25 die. The butterfly is by Memory Box, and after die cutting, I lined it with matching dsp for some contrast. Sentiment is by SNSS, and the bling was from my stash. If you click on the photo, the colors may appear a little darker. This is pastel aqua blue, but photographed on a gray side.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you check in to see what I'm creating, you really are a blessing and this card's for you :)

Carol

Fetch a Sketch 22

Here's the sketch for the Fetch A Sketch challenge #22 found here.

and here is my card. I'm using a Heartfelt Creations Posy image that I stamped at a stamp meet a year ago and I'm just now getting around to using it to make a card! I colored it with Copics and added a simple SNSS birthday sentiment and some ribbon threaded through the embossed layer. The embossing was done a square lattice ef, and the blue cardstock is from a paper stack by the Paper co.
That's going to do it for me today, but as always, I thank you for stopping by.

Carol

Merry Monday #17 Winter Wonderland

Here's the fun sketch for this week's Merry Monday Challenge #17 - Winter Wonderland. I jumped on the bandwagon last week, and starting playing along with this challenge to get some Christmas cards done ahead of schedule.

I flipped the sketch and used some much-loved (and hoarded) retired SU! designer paper in shades of close to cocoa and baja breeze. I paired it with some PTI soft stone and SU! crumb cake cardstock along with some felt snowflakes. I added some snowflake brads I've had in my stash for ages, and although one looks brighter in color, they're all the same. I punched the border with a SU! fancy scallop punch and added some cream colored satin ribbon to complete this card. The sentiment was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, using a Northwoods sentiment.

I hope to continue playing along with this challenge every week, and by the time Christmas gets here, I shouldn't be overwhelmed with trying to finish all my cards at once!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have yourself a fantastic day!

Carol

HMFMC118 Anything Goes

Happy Monday everyone! I'm back with another House Mouse card for the HMFMC118 challenge, which is to "grab some tea for anything goes." I went with anything goes, since I don't have any HM images related to tea.
This is the "lipstamp" HM image, and I colored it with Copics. I added some scraps of pink, blue, and a piece of very old dsp I got ages ago at Ames (remember that store?), along with some ribbon, ric-rac, and a little clip. The sentiment is from a CTMH stamp set and considering one mouse is modeling her new hot pink lips, I thought "say cheese!" was the perfect sentiment. After all, we're talking about mice here :)
Thanks for stopping by and here's wishing you a great Monday!


Carol

OWH Sketch Challenge #118

Here's the Sunday sketch#118  from the Stars and Stamps blog this week.

And here is my quick card I made using the sketch. I used SU! trendy trees for this one pairing it with some Echo Park dsp along with some chocolate chip and PTI new leaf card stock. I punched the edges with an EK dotted scallop punch and just had to add a row of those cute trees from the dsp pack. I added a little piercing around the image panel and this one was done. Sorry for the wonky colors, but whenever I have to use a lightbox to photograph something with green color, it seems to put a green cast over everything & I haven't figured out how to eliminate it yet :)

Have a great Sunday, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

The SNSDC50 Challenge and New Digi Release Blog Hop

Hello and happy Friday everyone! It's time for the SNSDC50, but today we're mixing it up again by bringing you a fun blog hop for our April digi release!

If you like to win prizes (and I know you do), then you'll want to visit each blog along this hop and leave a comment, because one of us is going to be a mystery blogger, and one lucky person's name will be chosen randomly to win the whole April digi release!! The winner will be announced here (and on the SNS digi blog) on Friday, April 27th!

The challenge this week is to "Make it Old." Use any distress/sponge techniques for your creation to look vintage or antique.

I'm using the new SNSS Rhubarb's Ice Cream Cone digi image for my card. I used a very old piece of Wild Asparagus dsp which looked a little shabby chic in nature, so I embossed it with a CB swiss dots ef, then paired it with some cream-colored cardstock, ribbon, and pearls. The image was colored with Copics, sponged with antique linen ink, and cut using a SB labels 18 die. The border was done with a SNSS scalloped die and after weaving some ribbon through, I added a store-bought sheer ribbon bow with a tiny pearl at the top.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you play along with this challenge. You are required to use only DIGI images, but they don't have to be SNSS images. You know we always appreciate seeing them when you do use them. When uploading your cards, add your link to Mr Linky at the bottom of this post, or if it's not available, enter using Mr Linky over on the SNSDC blog. When uploading to online galleries, please use the keyword SNSDC50.

Here is the list of participants joining in this blog hop. If you get lost along the way, you can always start over at the SNSDC blog.

Carol Longacre (you're here!)

Ceal Pritchett

Harriet Skelly

Makiko Jones

Margo Smith

Stephanie Serrano

Stephanie Wright

Wendy Jordan

Finally, every card you enter into our challenges throughout the month earns you an entry to be eligible for winning 3 digis of your choice from the SNSS store. Plus, if your card uses a SNSS digi image, it will earn you TWO entries, so be sure to play along every week to improve your chances of winning! The more you play and/or use SNSS digis, the greater your chances of winning, so have fun and get creative!

Oh, and one more thing........the picture pretty much says it all :)

Thanks for stopping by and have fun hopping!

Carol

Challenges, Challenges..........

 I found a new-to-me sketch challenge yesterday over at Freshly Made Sketches so I decided to play along since sketch challenges are my favorite way to create.

Here's my take on the sketch. I used cream & chocolate card stock, along with a piece of SU! (r) Parisian Breeze dsp. The embossed panel was done with a Sizzix ef, and the butterfly was cut with a Memory Box Vivienne butterfly die that I chose as part of a very generous prize I recently won from the SimonSaysStamp store. I added some tiny flatback pearls, also part of another generous prize package I won from Pizzazz Aplenty. My luck has been incredible lately, and I'm extremely grateful too! The sentiment was done with an Inkadinkado stamper on a piece of matching card stock, and the brown layer was popped up with foam tape.

This card was made for two challenges. I played along with the Tuesday Throwdown #94 to recycle something and use it on your card. The embossed panel was a scrap I'd cut down from a previous project and saved, so today was the day to use it. This is also for the OWH Stars and Stamps mid-week color challenge to use brown and turquoise. I used a MS hydrangea punch for the flowers, dotting them with some Viva Pearl pen accents. The branch is a Memory Box die called Woodland branch and was done with chocolate chip card stock. The kraft panel was punched with an EK dotted scallop punch, and the sentiment was done with a G Studio stamp. There's a "." underneath the tail on the word "happy" that just didn't look right to me, so I covered it with a matching turquoise flower. I think doing that added the perfect balance, so as Martha always says........."that's a good thing :)"

Now that I've made a few cards for challenges this week, I need to get back to working on the scrapbook I'm making for someone! If only the days had more hours to craft :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thursday!

Carol

Perfect Sentiments Challenge #28

Challenge #28 over at the Perfect Sentiment blog is to create a card with a sentiment that lets someone know you're thinking of them, and to use monochromatic colors. The pink papers are from a pack someone gave me, and they're called "the sugared collection" but I have no idea who makes them. My neutral color is cream-colored cardstock which perfectly matches the colors in the dsp. I did some faux stitching with a Spica glitter pen, and added a sentiment from the  SNSS Poppies & Greetings set. The pink gemstones are part of a great prize I won from Pizzazz Aplenty. If you wonder how I made the panels, I drew the design on copy paper, then cut the pieces out and used them as templates. This will be going into my next OWH box, as they always have a need for this type of card.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is a great one!

Carol

Shopping our Stash #48

I've really been enjoying playing along with the Shopping our Stash challenges, because I've been digging into my collection of unloved items and actually using them! This card is for the SOS #48 challenge to make a card with a theme of April showers, rain, snow, or anything water-related.
I stamped this image at a stamp meet I attended well over a year ago, and it was perfect for this challenge, but I don't know who makes it, sorry. I colored it with Copics & added glossy accents to the puddles, raindrops, boots, and umbrella which looks better IRL.
April showers bring May flowers, but most of my flowers have already bloomed, except for the peonies!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Carol

stamps - unknown
inks - memento tuxedo black
paper - MME everyday flair & on the bright side two, orange card stock
accessories - glossy accents, DCWV adhesive ribbon, CB swiss dots ef, Quickutz corner, bottlecap, & alphabet letters, hearts from a SNSS hearts border die, circle punch, copics

Christmas in April?!

After seeing so many of my online blogging friends making Christmas cards all year long, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and get my cards done early this year too! It's a great idea to work ahead, so I'm playing along with the Merry Monday challenge #16 sketch and adding my first Christmas card to my stash.

I used Cherry Cobbler card stock and punched the vertical panels using a SU fancy scallop punch, and layered them over some SU! dsp. The sentiment is from the Contempo Christmas set (also from SU!) and stamped in Cherry Cobbler, and matted with Wild Wasabi cardstock. The poinsettias were done with the SB layered poinsettia dies and I used the SU! bird punch to create the gold centers.
Thanks as always, for stopping by. I always appreciate your spending a few minutes of your day to check in with me here! Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Carol

Happy Birthday to Lynn

My friend and former DT member of Stamps R Us Lynn Hayes (of Creative Crafts by Lynn) celebrated her birthday on Saturday, and since she lives in TX, I wanted to send her a funny card with something that represents her home state. I didn't have any longhorn images, but I did find this funny bull image & sentiment from Limited Run Stamps. The inside says "baffle them with bull! Happy Birthday!" LOL I colored the image with Copics, and added some grass with the new SNSS grass die, using both the negative and positive cuts for a double row. I sponged the sky with Ranger tumbled glass ink and the bottom strips of yellow and green dsp are from Echo Park. Ribbon was from my stash.
Lynn's birthday was Saturday, but I waited to post this until I knew she got the card. If you get time, click on her blog link above and go holler some birthday wishes to her!!
Thanks for stopping by today and have a great Monday!

Carol

OWH Stars & Stamps Sketch #117

Here's the sketch for this week's Stars & Stamps challenge #117.

I made my card using all scraps of Blushing Bride dsp from SU! and black. I used an awesome new punch I won recently called Brick Pattern by EK Success. and used blushing bride cardstock over black. The sentiment is by SU! and was done with SB circles and scalloped circles. I added a piece of narrow black ribbon to separate the panels of dsp and I keep thinking this needs something more, but I'm not sure what to add. I'd love to hear your suggestions!

I wrapped up my package for OWH yesterday and it's ready to mail tomorrow morning, so this card will have to wait for the next box.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Sunday!

Carol

As Cute As a Bug SNSDC49

Happy Friday and welcome to the SNSDC49 challenge where we're challenging you to use "bugs and/or buttons" on your creations. I'm using one of the images from the Bitty Bug digital set, and I did some paper piercing around the image for a little fun interest.
You don't need to use a SNSS digi image to play along, but you are required to use a digital image. Be sure to check all the details here to be eligible for a great prize at the end of the month.
Thanks for stopping by, and may all of your bugs today be the cute ones :)

Carol


stamps - SNSS bitty bug digi, G studio sentiment
paper - K&Co, SU dsp and card stock in peach and pear "in" colors
ink - printer ink, versafine onyx black
accessories - Copics, peach ink for sponging, Quickutz bottlecap die cut, circle punches, SB labels two, SU! border punch, PTI buttons, piercing tool, aqua stickles, black marker, Heidi Swapp edge distresser

SOS Challenge #47 - Make it Masculine

I made this card for the Shopping our Stash Weekly Challenge #47, and this week they're looking for masculine cards. This challenge worked out great for me, because I'm finishing up a package to send to OWH and they're looking for cards for the guys. I used a retired SU! image, stamping with versamark on early espresso and embossing with gold. The panel behind it is PTI rustic cream and the dsp is BG kraft. The "train tracks" are actually a SNSS fence die I cut from kraft card stock and snipped the tops off. The sentiment is from MFP, done with word window and fancy label punches.  A die cut corner and a few square brads completed this card.
Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day!

Carol

OWH Challenges

I'm running a little late with challenges since the Easter weekend, so I made a combined challenge card for both the OWH sketch challenge #116 as well as the mid-week throw-down to make a father's day card. This card was made entirely from scraps in my over-flowing stash. The circle was pre-cut, so I matched it with a little scrap of dsp and added some masculine brads and black alphabet letters that I've had for eons! I embossed the background with a houndstooth ef by CB, and added some stamped doodling along the edges with a G Studio stamp. I need to make a few more cards like this for Dad and get them mailed soon before the OWH deadline for Father's Day cards. I didn't put a father's day sentiment on this, so it can also be used for any occasion, not just father's day.
Thanks for stopping by today and make it a great Wednesday!

Carol

House Mouse Challenge #HMFMC117 - Sweet

The challenge over at the HMFMC117 this week is to create something "sweet." Lilacs have the sweetest aroma, so I made a sweet birthday wishes card using this "aromatherapy" HM image. It was colored with Copics, and matted with black and lavender cardstock, which was embossed with a SU! square lattice ef. I printed the sentiment on some lime green cardstock, and wove some sheer ribbon through it after cutting with a SB ribbon tag. I used the bow-easy and some lavender bling for the center of the bow.
Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful week ahead!

Carol

Cupcakes Anyone?

I played along with the Sweet Stop Sketch SSS153 as they're celebrating their 3rd birthday this month. They're challenging you to use one of their previous sketches, and I chose this one - the SSS58. The cupcake image is from an unknown stamp I won recently, and all the dsp is from MME Everyday Flair. The cupcake was colored with Copics and I used baby blue and frosted stickles, along with a blue glitter pen and a red Spica glitter pen. The clip is clear plastic and from a huge set I got from QVC years ago. It says "cheers" - perfect for a birthday celebration. I added some piercing on the corners which you can see better if you click the photo to enlarge it.

I had a request to make a birthday card for a friend who likes Purple, so while I had that cupcake stamp out, I made this card for her. I used scraps of rich purple card stock along with some BoBunny Jazmyne dsp and the labels four dies. I outlined the dies with white and purple markers and did the sentiment using a grommet tag and some brads. I added lots of sparkle with glitter pens to the image and used some purple gingham ribbon from my stash.

I hope your week is off to a great start, and thank you for stopping by today!

Carol

Have a Happy & Blessed Easter

I'm having family and friends for dinner today, so I won't be on the computer much, but I wanted to leave you with a card to wish all of you a very happy and blessed Easter Sunday! Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is wonderful!

The image was a free d/l from sgtstamper I got a year ago and it's still one of my favorites today ;)


Carol

Easter Cards & Challenges

I wrapped up making my Easter cards and got them all in the mail hopefully on time! This card is for the Perfect Sentiments challenge 26 to make an Easter card with bling. It's also for the Tuesday Throwdown 92 to use pastels. I used a Penny Black image and sentiment, coloring with Copics, and adding some glossy accents to the ribbon on the egg, and some pearl pen accents to the tiny flowers for the bling. I used an EK chain punch to create the zig-zag panels in blue scraps for the background. The pink dsp is a soft blend of pink and cream, and I added a mat of soft green.

This card is for the Shopping our Stash challenge 46 to "punch it out, or use punches." This card is going to a special little girl who loves purple (like me) so I kept it simple using some PTI dsp in shades of lavender & purple. The stamp set is by G Studio and I used some SU! tag punches for the image.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Carol

SNSDC48 Happy Easter

Hello and welcome to the SNSDC48 which is to make an Easter card. I'm using the Egg-Cited Cocoa digital stamp and chose the colors of yellow, green, and blue. I colored the image with Copics, used some Echo Park dsp, along with some PTI new leaf green and some SU! Cool Caribbean. If you click the photo, you can see the crackle effect of the blue panel, which I did to coordinate with the cracks in Cocoa's egg shell. I did that by first embossing the strip with any embossing folder, and then embossing it again with the square lattice ef. I discovered that by mistake one day and thought it would look cute with this image. The ribbon is also by PTI.
As always, you don't need to use SNSS digis to play along with us, but you do need to use a digi stamp. Check all the details on the SNSDC blog to see how you can win a great prize at the end of the month!
Happy Easter, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Rhubarb's Easter

Here's a card I entered in today's WT369 challenge over on SCS, which is to "color an image." Easy enough, right? This is a SNSS digi image called Rhubarb's Easter and I colored him with Copics and popped him up on foam tape after doing some fussy cutting. The background was done with a Sizzix ef and some Memento desert sand ink. The frame was cut with a SB labels 18 and chocolate chip cardstock, and edged with a white pen. I added some pink, cream, and blue ribbon and pearls and the sentiment was done with a ticket punch. The background paper is SU! retired dsp.
Easter is just around the corner and I finally have all my cards finished! Now I can relax and enjoy the holiday :)
Thanks for stopping by today!

Carol

A Cowboy Card for Dad

My card today meets 2 challenges. First up is Oozak's first challenge of "anything goes". There is also a challenge over on the OWH Stars & Stamps blog this month to make a card for the ODBD April challenge to use an animal on your card. OWH is also asking for masculine cards so I made this one for Dad. I'm sure there are a lot of dads out there who will enjoy this cowboy image. The image is by Inkadinkado and I colored all 3 with Copics and matted them with scraps of gold cardstock. The background is cherry cobbler, and the star border at the top was done with a SNSS die, cut in turquoise and gold, with the stars swapped out for a little color interest. The sentiment is a stamp from MFP, done with word window and fancy label punches, and another little black star added just for fun.  I added some paper piercing to the black panel which you can probably see better if you click the photo to enlarge it. I don't know why I used this color combination, it just seemed to work as I was creating.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!


Carol


Copics used: YR30, YR31, YR18, YR15, YR12, R46, 100

Heidi's April Calendar

Here is the April calendar page my sweet friend Heidi made for me. Honestly, each month I get a new gift from her when I open each calendar she's made! The details are amazing, and you can see them more clearly if you click on the photo to enlarge it. There is a border of sequins that captures the light in a soft shimmer, and the way she colored the egg and cart is amazing! Heidi uses Tombows to color her images and does a fabulous job of it too! Don't you just love all the colorful Easter grass she added to the image?! Thanks Heidi, this is so special to me, and something I'll always treasure!


Carol

Two Sketch challenges

Hello everybody! Today I have 2 cards that I've made for sketch challenges. This is the sketch challenge from the Perfect Sentiments Challenge PSC25, which is to use the sketch along with an "uplifting sentiment."

I made this card entirely from scraps sitting on my table! I added a couple different ribbons along with a punched border and a Studio G sentiment that I colored with Marvy markers before stamping. I'm happy with the way this one turned out because purple & green is my favorite color combination :)

Next is this week's OWH Stars & Stamps sketch challenge #115....

...and this is my card for the challenge. I'm trying to add in a few more Dad cards before my next box gets mailed. This can be used for father's day, or just a card for Dad. I try to keep them general like this, so that they can be used year-round, and not just for father's day. I used a glue stick to add the stars to the background, and then ran it through the machine with a houndstooth ef. The sentiment is by AMuse, and the letters that spell "DaD" are cardstock letters that I've had for probably ten years and seldom use. I have oodles of them, so I should start using them instead of letting them collect dust in a box somewhere!
Edit: Thanks to Jennipher for letting me know this card works for the Sentimental Sundays challenge #96 to make a hero card with a sentiment.
That's it for me today, but I thank you for stopping by and wish you a wonderful Sunday!

Carol