FTTC58

I made this card loosely based on the FTTC58 challenge where my sweet friend Silke gave us a sketch to work with. I say it's loosely based on the sketch, because Silke made a square card, and I rarely ever make square cards. They look great, but I have to make envelopes for them and they cost more to mail so I usually stick with A2 cards. I followed her sketch, I just added a little to it *wink* :D
I used some of the Cottage Wall dp by SU! along with some PTI white cardstock. I added some Old Olive for the scalloped circle and some olive striped ribbon by SU!. The button is by PTI and almost matches the olive color but it looked better than white or cream. It's tied with a piece of tan hemp. The strip in the center of the circle is just a thin piece of the reverse side of the dp on the right side. The sentiment is by SU! and was stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink and punched with a Marvy punch. A few lavender Kaiser pearls were added for interest, and I punched a couple of butterflies with a MS punch and adhered them; one on top of the other and bent the wings upward. The antennae were drawn in with a fine-tip pen.
I'm going to get out and enjoy some of this beautiful weather today, so thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Carol

Timeless Tuesday on Friday?!?!

I've been a serious slacker for challenges this week, but I made time to do the FTTC53 challenge to make an easel card. I liked the purple and green color combo so much on the previous card I posted that I used the same colors for this one. I used the Flourishes Calendar set #2 Iris for this card. I colored the image with Tombows and matted it with New Leaf and Plum Pudding cardstocks. The DP is Wisteria by Basic Grey and the colors in these photos are nothing close to what I see IRL. I used a slit punch and a couple of acrylic gemstones on the sides of the main image, and added some new leaf and plum pudding ribbons on the bottom. I glued 2 buttons together to hold the card up and adhered them to the double ribbons.
Here's another view of the card..................these easel cards are tricky to photograph to see all the details. The sentiment is by SU and this one will be going to Operation Write Home along with a lot of other cards I've made.
That's it for me today, but thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Carol

Can I have a "P" please?!

Today over at the Flourishes FTTC51 challenge, my blogging pal Pat Adam (the Rubber Maid) is doing the honor of guest designing this week. Anyone who knows Pat knows she's a wonderful cardmaker with a wicked sense of humor! Her challenge for us this week is to base our card on the letter "P". I immediately thought of purple since that's my favorite color, so I brought out the plum pudding ink, cardstock, and the pansy image from the Flourishes calendar1 set. The lacey border and the corners were done with the new Flourishes Lace Edges stamp set that I won last week! Thank you Flourishes!! For my "P" inspired card, I used Plum Pudding and Pansy.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday!


Carol

stamps - Flourishes Pansy (Calendar set 1), Flourishes Lace Edges, Hero Arts
paper - Plum Pudding, Vintage Cream, wc paper
inks - Plum Pudding, Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark
accessories - clear ep, Tombows, blender pen, Kaiser gemstones, EK Fleur de lis border punch, plum pudding ribbon, Nestabilities Blossom

A Get Well Wish for my BIL

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple days without making any cards. I'm fighting off some sort of a "cold" that left me with a constant, dry cough that I can't seem to get rid of. Hopefully soon I'll get that nipped in the bud and feel like my old self again.
I made this card today for my DH's brother who had a stroke over the weekend. He was supposed to have surgery on both carotid arteries today, so we're waiting for word to see how the surgery went. Hopefully he's going to be ok, but he's having a rough time for now.
This card is for the Flourishes FFTC50 where Betty Wright challenges us to create a scene with stamps. I also followed Mercy's MTSC57 sketch challenge in coming up with this design. I used the Flourishes Forest of Trees stamp set, using the image without leaves to represent winter. I hope my BIL is able to read and enjoy this card when he receives it, and hopefully he'll be on the road to a full recovery.
Thanks for stopping by today...........I hope your Tuesday is a great one!

Carol

stamps - wellness wishes, forest of trees
paper - true thyme, cool caribbean, kraft, BG Mellow dp
ink - versafine sepia, chocolate chip, navy, not quite navy, bayou blue, baja breeze, white, bamboo
accessories - Tombow markers, white gel pen, MS fence and deer punches

Pansy Happiness

Wow! This is 2 weeks in a row that I did a Tuesday challenge on a Tuesday! That must be some sort of a record for me! LOL
This card is for the Flourishes FTTC49 where Silke challenges us to create with a great sketch! It's also for the SCS CC253 color challenge where Betty challenges us to use Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Rich Razzleberry. The "dessert" for this challenge is to use houndstooth in some way.
I started with a Vintage Cream card stock base. I chose the Flourishes Pansy image from the calendar flowers set, stamping it with Versafine Onyx Black on wc paper, and then embossing with clear ep. I colored it with a blender pen using Razzleberry ink, and added touches of pale yellow, green and gold with Tombow markers. I cut the image and mat with a blossom Nestabilities, and layered the vertical panels with pretty in pink and chocolate, embossing with the houndstooth ef. The horizontal panel is PTI dsp with a piece of gingham ribbon and a scalloped border along the bottom. The sentiment panel is from SU!'s So Many Sayings, stamped with Chocolate on wc paper and punched with the word window and modern label punches. 2 tiny pink gemstones were added for the final touch.
Thanks so much for dropping in today, it's always nice to have you :)

Carol

Tuesday Challenges on Tuesday!

I finished 2 Tuesday challenges on a Tuesday!! Woot! I'm starting the new year off right, even though I'm sure it won't last :)
This card is for the FTTC48 challenge where Makiko challenges us to use yellow and black with 1 more color of our choice. It's also following the great sketch from Mercy's MTSC#55.
I began with a white 5x7 card base, adding layers of black and pale yellow. I stamped the Flourishes daffodil image with Versafine Black Onyx ink on wc paper, and embossed with clear ep, then colored the image with Tombows. I layered it using nesties circles and scalloped circles. I punched the vertical black border with a SU scalloped punch, and cut the yellow panel with deckled scissors. I layered 2 different ribbons from my stash, and then added 3 black primas with 3 tiny yellow buttons. I had just a smidgen of ribbon left, and rather than save it to my already over-flowing ribbon snippets, I just added it to the top corner with a black Kaiser pearl. I also added a tiny pearl to the inside of one flower. The sentiment is from So Many Sayings and that's also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink. This is another card that will be going in my next box of cards for soldiers. I never realized how important these cards are for our men and women serving in the military, especially in remote areas where cards aren't available. If you're interested, HERE is where you can find more information about donating your hand-made cards.
I hope you're all having a fabulous Tuesday!

Carol

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday on Wednesday

As usual, I'm a day late with my Flourishes Timeless Tuesday#46 card.......again! LOL I'll try to do better next year, I promise!
This week Betty challenged us to do stenciling. I love what Silke did with her stenciled card, so I copied her idea to use an Impressabilities for my stencil. I sponged Versacolor sand beige on Vintage Cream card stock and used 2 different Nestabilites dies for the image and pale pink mat beneath it. The Sweet Pea image was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and embossed with clear detail embossing powder before coloring with Tombows I added a little piece of ivory ribbon and stamped the sentiment with Chocolate Chip, using the SU Thank you Kindly. This went together quick & easy, which was ideal, because I need a thank-you card!
I'm off to the kitchen again to continue baking so enjoy your Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

One More Kraft Card!!

This is the end for the kraft cards, I promise! I think I've exhausted my fascination with making them for a while now :)
This is for the FTTC44 challenge today where Maki challenges us to make a C&S card. I recently discovered how quickly a card comes together when using kraft cardstock, so I had to make ONE more card with it before moving on to something else :) I wish I had some Flourishes Christmas stamps, but so far I only have the tree image, and since I used that for last week's card, I thought I'd try some snowflakes. These are from the Snow Swirled set, and they're stamped in Versamark, and embossed with Winter Wonderland ep. I dotted them with glue and added some crystal tinsel glitter by Martha Stewart. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE that stuff? I'm normally not a glitter girl but lately I keep reaching for that little jar :) It's much prettier IRL than my photos seem to show. The sentiment is another $1 stamp from Michaels and it's stamped with Chocolate chip, and the frame was drawn with a brown marker.
Thanks for stopping by today, it's always nice to see you :)

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #43 (FTTC#43)

Happy Tuesday everyone!! It's the end of the month, and that means it's time for another guest host on the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #43 challenge and I've had the tremendous honor of being asked to do the hosting duties this week!! With the holidays rapidly approaching, I thought a great theme for this week's challenge would be to make a Christmas and/or Thank-you card. You can choose to make one or the other........or both! This will be a great way to build up your supply of those beautiful cards you'll be mailing out for the holidays!

I wasn't sure how the Basic Grey Indian Summer designer paper would look on a Christmas card, but I was pleasantly surprised and liked the result! I started off with a Burgundy Corduroy card stock base and decided to use the spruce image from the Forest of Trees set. I chose a piece of rose-colored dsp from the BG pack, and stamped the Basketweave image on it using Razzleberry ink. Directly on top of the basketweave, I stamped the tree image with Versamark and embossed it with winter wonderland embossing powder. I decided it still needed a little more, so I dabbed on a little glue and added some sparkly tinsel glitter. I cut the ovals of White, Burgundy and BG dsp with the Nestabilities petite/scalloped ovals. The background dsp is another piece from the BG Indian Summer pack. I wrapped a piece of Burgundy Bobbin ribbon around the card and made a small bow for the bottom. I decided to put the sentiment inside and just let the tree take the spotlight on the front of this card.

To see what the rest of the design team has created for you with this challenge, please click the links below and check them out!

Cindy Haffner
Betty Wright
Maki Jones
Silke Ledlow
Dee Jackson

And now it's your turn! I hope you've found some inspiration here and we're all waiting to see what you create with this challenge!

Thanks for stopping by today. I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Carol

FTTC42

I made this card for the FTTC42 challenge this week where Silke gave us a sketch to follow. I honestly don't know how this card came to be.......I just started working with some scraps lying on my table and this just evolved! I had this idea of turquoise, silver, black and white in my head and it all came out on the paper.
I started with the Nesties Fleur de lis pendant and began layering in black and turquoise. I also used a Nestie scalloped square. I did the center with silver metallic paper and punched 2 circles underneath. The side panel was done with aluminum foil and the CB Fleur de lis ef. I punched the black horizontal panel with an EK Fleur de lis border punch, and added some stripes with a silver deco pen. I also did the edges of the card with the silver pen. I added a piece of ribbon, and embossed the sentiment in silver ep.
This was a fun challenge although I have no clue where the idea for this card came from?!
Have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Silver Snowflakes

I made this card to meet 2 challenges. The Crazy4Challenges#10 asks us to make an easel card this week, while Flourishes FLLCNOV asks us to take inspiration from the lyrics of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music. The line that inspired this card was "Silver white winters that melt into springs." This is the first easel card I've made and I'm so happy with it that I'm sure I'll be making many more! I love the elegant look of silver and white together, so once I started, this card just came together easily. I embossed the white cardstock base with Versamark, using the snowflakes from the Snow Swirled set by SU! and silver embossing powder. The main tree image is from Flourishes Forest of Trees, was also stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver ep. I had a sheet of silver metallic paper that I used for the mats in the image and sentiment. I did all the edges with a silver deco pen, and added a few silver pearls on the sentiment panel. I used some silver metallic ribbon from my stash and the bow-easy to make the little bow. I used the Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder on the top note die, and Nestabilities Labels 4 for the main image and sentiment panels.
Thanks for stopping by today, I wish each and every one of you a spectacular weekend!

Carol

FTTC40

I finished my FTTC40 card a day late (again) but at least there's no time limit on these challenges! Whew! The challenge is to use neutrals and add texture and a pop of color. I used Kraft as the cardstock base, stamping a backgrounder & sponging on wc paper in caramel, and then matting with a rust colored scrap from my stash. I stamped the tree from the Flourishes forest of trees set with Versamark, and embossed it with green ep. I added some red geo sparklers in various sizes and then dabbed the tree with a 2-way glue pen and added a light sprinkle of white flower-soft. You can see the details if you click the photo. The ribbon is from Michaels and I used the bow-easy to make the bow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Tuesday Triple Play

My card today works for three different challenges. The Midnight Madness Sketch challenge#25, the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge#39 to use border punches, and the Splitcoaststampers color challenge CC242 to use Black, Kraft, and Melon Mambo. I actually surprised myself that I squeezed all 3 challenges into one card........and on the same day the challenges were posted! Maybe this will be a new trend for me??
I started with Kraft and stamped it using the IttyBitty Backgrounds in cool grey. The image panel was first stamped with the Basketweave from Flourishes in Versacolor Sand Beige. I stamped the tree from Flourishes Forest of Trees in Versafine Onyx Black and pierced the edges, doing faux stitching with white and black gel pens. I used a MS arch lattice border punch on the Melon Mambo horizontal panel beneath the striped ribbon. The scallops and circles were cut with SU! punches and stamped with cool grey using a leaf image from the Autumn stamp set by the Paper Co. I dotted the scallops with the white gel pen. I used an antique brass HPH ribbon slide - dipping it in Versamark, then black ep and heating it to turn it black. Both ribbons are by SU! and the black pearls are by Kaiser.
Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Carol

Triple Challenge Tuesday!

I made a quick card for 3 different challenges today. This is for the Flourishes FTTC38 challenge to watercolor, the Mercy Kerin MTTSC44 sketch challenge, and the Splitcoast stampers CC241 color challenge to use Bravo Burgundy, Cameo Coral, Very Vanilla and optional Always Artichoke.
I began with a square card, using PTI Vintage Cream cardstock, and used Cameo Coral, Bravo Burgundy and Artichoke. I stamped the Flourishes Sweet Peas image on wc paper with Versafine onyx black and embossed it with clear ep - then colored it with Tombows and a wet brush. The ovals were cut with Petite Nestabilities, and the sentiment was stamped with an Inkadinkado stamp and layered using the modern label and word window punches. The dsp is SU retired. The tiny flower is actually a piece of ribbon I've had for ages. It's all flowers strung together, so I just cut one off, added a Kaiser pink gemstone (along with a few others) and this card was done!
Thanks for stopping by on this great Tuesday..........wishing you all a most fabulous day!

Carol

Better Late than Never!

I'm a day late and a dollar short with these two challenge cards, but that's nothing new for me! LOL I had my granddaughter for the day yesterday which pretty much commanded my full attention. First up is the FTTC37 which is our choice of four similar sketches. I chose sketch A for mine and stamped my just-received Flourishes Forest of Trees in Hunter Green. I put some polar white flower-soft and dazzling diamonds on it for some sparkle. The dsp is from a Jo-Anne's glitter stack (thanks Heidi). I used a G studio stamp set for the circle sentiment, stamping the snowflake off once with Baja Breeze and the sentiment with Hunter Green. I used a 1-1/4, 1-3/8 and a Marvy scalloped punch for the layers, a Nestability for the circle, and Dew Drops for interest.

Next up is Mercy Kerin's MTSC43 sketch challenge. First I smeared my small CB embossing folders with Pretty in Pink, then embossed them, and layered them with PIP cardstock. I stamped the card stock base with PiP ink, using the Stitched backgrounder. The main panel was cut with the Nestabilites Labels 4 in PiP and white. The sentiment by Verve was done in cool grey, and the ribbon and button were from my stash. The butterfly was done with a MS punch and the 3mm pearls are from Hero Arts.

Now I need to work on Wednesday's challenges..........and most likely they'll be posted on Thursday :) Ok Pat, I can hear you chuckling all the way back here in PA LOL

Have a wonderful day everyone!!

FTTC36 & MTSC42

For today's Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #36 challenge, Makiko Jones challenges us to make a pink card in honor of October being breast cancer awareness month. Makiko is also a Flourishes blog team guest designer for the month of October. Congrats Maki!! I also used the sketch challenge from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge 42, where Silke Ledlow is the "guest muse" of the month! WTG Silke, congrats to you too!
I paper-pieced the butterfly with SU dsp after stamping with Versafine Onyx Black on PTI white cardstock and pretty in pink dsp. I used the same PIP dsp for the circle cut with Nestabilities. The darker pink cardstock mats were scraps from my stash and done with Nestabilities. I pierced the main panel, and added some silver pearls (thanks again Silke) and a ribbon with a button tied with silver cording. The sentiment is by Verve done in black and pink. I colored those little darker spots in the butterfly's wings with a pink glitter pen.
We probably all know someone who's battling (or battled) cancer, and I think a hand-made card sent to them shows a huge support system that they all need so desperately. I say this from personal experience. Show someone some love today with a card you've made - it can really make a difference!!
Thanks for the great challenges ladies and thanks for spending a little bit of your day visiting :)

Carol

A Triple Challenge

My card today meets 3 different challenges. First is the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge FTTC 35 which is to extend your creation out of the frame. The next is the Midnight Madness sketch challenge MMSC#21 . Last is the CC238 color challenge to use Pretty in Pink, Basic Grey, and Sage Shadow. The main image is the Sweet Pea by Flourishes, stamped twice on wc paper, and several of the blooms were cut out and popped up on foam tape. The image is layered on the Nestabilities petite oval and a labels 4 diecut, using Sage Shadow, Heritage Grey & Pretty in Pink. The base layer is embossed with the leafy branch ef and layered with Sage Shadow die cuts again using the Labels 4 and stamped with the swirls from the Sweet Pea set in Basic Grey ink. I used a pair of scalloped scissors to notch the top two corners of the main image. The sage and pink ribbons were layered and a Bow-Easy was used to make the bow. The flower in the center is actually a piece of glittered bobbin ribbon, with a pink gemstone in the center. I used Tombow markers and a wet brush to color the image.
I wish you all a wonderful Tuesday and thank you for spending a little of your day with me today :)

FTTC#34_New Home

I'm going for a record here.......I'm actually getting the Timeless Tuesday challenge done on Tuesday again! LOL This is the FTTC#34 where Silke Ledlow challenges us to use the stamp misting technique; which is to ink your stamp, then mist it with water and stamp. It gives such a soft look to your images and I don't know why I don't use it more often, because it's a very pretty look! For this card I used a pair of Inkadinkado stamps. First I stamped the wc paper with the linen backgrounder, using caramel ink. Then I inked up the rose image with markers, spritzed it, and stamped it. I cut it with the Nestabilites label 4, and went around the edges with a gold opaque pen. I used a piece of K&Co dsp and also went around the edge with the gold pen. I added a little word window tag and champagne ribbon to the main image, tying the tag on with gold cording. The rest of the sentiment was done with eggplant ink, and a word window punch. The inside is computer generated and says " Wishing you a bright future and the opportunity to create many fond memories in your new home." My best friend is a realtor and she gave me an order last night for more "new home" cards, so this is the first of 6 I'll be making for her.

Thanks to Silke and Flourishes for this fun challenge and thanks to all of you for stopping by today! I hope you all have a super Tuesday!

Carol

FTTC33

I've made a Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge card on a Tuesday! Yay me!!! LOL I've gotten caught up in so many challenges lately that I have a hard time deciding which ones to participate in from day to day. I may need to take a breather from it all!!

Anyway, this week Betty Wright challenges us to "Mix it up." We can mix stamps, dsp, textures, or a combination of all 3. I chose 3 different colored paint chips and embossed them with 3 different embossing folders. I used the Life Lemons Love stamp set and stamped 3 slices of lemons, coloring with Tombows and adding stickles for interest. I did a few scored lines for interest, and used some very old unloved fibers for the final touch.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks to Flourishes and Betty for another fun challenge!

FLLCSEPT, The Feel of Fall

There's a sketch challenge going on over at Flourishes to help usher in fall with their latest stamp release. The card doesn't have to be a theme for fall, but I went out on a limb and tried to use a summer flower stamp for a fall image. The drooping bud reminded me of when the weather turns cooler, stopping flower growth almost overnight. I stamped the Flourishes Poppy image with Versamark on wc paper, and then I used a mixture of malachite green, cornelian and brown ep's and embossed. I colored the image with wc pencils and a wet brush, sponging with caramel ink. The PTI bitty box dsp was stamped with a leaf image in white craft ink, but I didn't get the results I was looking for, so I added some cornelian ep and hit it with the heat gun. The Dusty Durango cardstock base was stamped with the Weathered backgrounder in Close to Cocoa. I used the spiral punch on the Kraft panel, added a KSS sentiment stamp and a piece of ribbon from my stash.
Flourishes is offering a chance to win all four of their new releases by playing along with this sketch, so what are you waiting for? Click the link above and check it out!
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!

Carol