Encouragement Card

 I used some pretty paper snippets from the Paper Studio and SU! along with snippets of vanilla and light green cardstock to put this card together. I followed a fun sketch to design this card adding some dark green cardstock for the base. I used a Cuttlebug EF with leaves on the vanilla panel to mirror the designer paper panel, then used a Stampendous sentiment on some pastel green cardstock adding some dark green candy dots for the finishing touch. 

You just can't miss with pretty papers and a good sketch!

Sharing this with the following challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #647

The Four Seasons August 2024 Challenge - A/G Summer

Can You Handle the Pressure? - A/G Embossing (Cuttlebug ef)

with an optional twist of "things with wings"

the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - A/G

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thursday on this first day of August.

Carol

Merry Christmas in July

I finally used up the last of this great Kringle paper pad with this Christmas card. It's been one of my all-time favorite Christmas paper pads and I'm sad to see it gone - but on the other hand, it might be one of the only paper pads I've ever used up completely, so that's a good thing!

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch to put this together. A very thoughtful friend recently sent me that Santa die, so I die-cut it with some red mirror paper as well as white, and then added the last of my liquid applique to the fur sections. I guess I'll have to search for a new place to buy that now since Jo-Anne's stores closed and I always bought the liquid applique there. The die-cut sentiment was also cut from red mirror paper and that die is by Sunny Studios.

 This was one of 2 inserts in the paper pad that I used for the inside of the card.

I'm sharing this with the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches#644

the Peace on Earth Christmas challenge #67 - A/G Christmas

the NBUS Challenge #64 - Never Before Used Schtuff (the Santa Hat)

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a great day!

Carol

Birthday Butterfly

 I found a sketch I wanted to play along with and brought out my Memory Box Vivienne and Darla Butterfly dies along with some polka dot papers to make this card. I die-cut the butterfly from white as well as all the polka dot paper colors and swapped the negatives for a colorful butterfly. I've learned that I'm not as good with swapping those tiny pieces anymore like I once was, and had a difficult time with doing my favorite technique, but I'm OK with the results and hopefully no one will look too closely to see the oopsies! LOL

I used a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder for the center panel in keeping with the polka-dot theme and added a pre-printed Simon Says Stamp sentiment and called this one finished.

I'll share this card with the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #636

the Double D challenges - Polka Dots

the Triple B May 2024 challenge - use birds, blooms and/or butterflies

(use one, two, or all three)

Can You Handle the Pressure? May 11, 2024 - A/G using an embossing folder with an optional twist of using flowers.

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - use Patterned Paper

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day whatever you're doing.

Carol

Sweet Birthday

 I pulled out my Sunny Studio paper pad and found a few small snippets of brightly colored designer paper that I thought would work perfectly for a sketch challenge I wanted to play with. I stenciled the card base lightly with a data dots stencil and some white craft ink, then placed the 3 bits of designer paper on top. I found a snippet of lavender cardstock that I layered the pre-printed SSS stamp sentiment on, then added a tiny cupcake that was cut with a die and some very tiny snippets of white and green designer paper. I added wink of stella glitter to the frosting and colored the cherry with Copics. The final touch was adding 3 purple gemstones and I'm pleased with how this turned out. I just love the color purple and always have.

I'm sharing this with the following challenges:

The Snippets Playground Challenge #471 - any celebration theme

(They're celebrating 12 years of the Snippets Playground)

The Freshy Made Sketch Challenge #617

the Double D's 8th Challenge - Birthday/Anniversary

(You can use a birthday/anniversary theme and/or use the color bronze as it's the color for an 8th anniversary)

The January 2024 Stencil Fun Challenge - use a stencil

*Optional - Feed the Birds. {Birds, Birdhouses, Birdfeeders, etc.}

Congrats to those challenges celebrating birthdays and thanks for all you do to keep us challenged to make cards all year long. Where would we be without you?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic Monday!

Carol

Fall is Here

 Fall is "almost" here according to the calendar but right now it's very hot outside so summer will be around a little bit longer.

I've had this stamped image in my stash for quite some time, and finally pulled it out and colored it with Copics. I used a strip of fall designer paper on the side and embossed a panel of autumn-colored cardstock with a Darice fall leaves embossing folder for the main panel. The sentiment was heat-embossed with white on dark brown cardstock and I added 3 SU! embellishments to the bottom in autumn colors to finish this.

I'll enter this into

The Freshly Made Sketches #602 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're staying cool on this day!

Carol

July 4th

 Here's a card I made for the July 4th holiday coming up. I used a very old Sweet 'n Sassy Cocoa mouse digital image with a firecracker along with an older piece of double sided dsp that I got at Tuesday Morning years ago. I used some MFT stitched square dies to cut the image and red mat and added a sparkly blue star done with a (r) SU! mini punch. The sentiment was computer generated and die-cut with a MFT fishtail banner die. The background design was made using the Freshly Made Sketch challenge #591 but I needed to change the sentiment placement with the image I used. Seeing the sketch design and my card side-by-side I realize I reversed the design too...sigh. Some days I'm a hopeless case 😋

Also entering this into the June Happy Little Stampers A/G with Dies challenge 

Thanks for stopping by today and make it a good one. Keep smiling 😁

Carol

From the Snippet Box

 I've been trying to use some of the snippets I've accumulated for eons, so I dug into that overflowing box once again to create this card. I found 2 die-cut circles in there, one black and one mint green. The mint green circle was  cut from a Lawn Fawn die-cut background with wind swirls, while the black circle was plain. I embossed the black circle with a SU! Petal Burst embossing folder and then sanded it a bit to show all the embossed petals. The die-cut bucket was made with an Impression Obsession die and some grey cardstock; while the greens were done with Precious Maricke and SU! dies. The little bow was made with a Sizzix die from 3 colors. The flowers were done with a SU! mini flower punch, and dotted with Nuvo drops in assorted colors, adding more black drops to the overall design of the card. The birthday greeting was a pre-print that came in a paper pad. I placed this on a Berry Burst cardstock base by SU!

Here's a small sampling of some snippets I used to make this card.

I'm going to share this with the following challenges:

The Snippets Playground #452 - must use snippets

Freshly Made Sketches #582

Happy Little Stampers April Birthday Challenge  - A/G

Triple AAA Birthday Card Challenge #438 - Layer it Up

Craft Rocket Challenge #102 - Layer it Up

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge - A/G Embossing *Option of Clouds

Whew, I'm sliding into that last challenge with less than 2 hours to go before it closes!  😊 LOL

Thanks for checking in today and I wish you a great day whatever you do!

Carol

Thanks

 When I made this card, and this card recently, I mentioned I'd made several cards using this great sketch design from my friend Wendy. Today I have a Thank You card inspired by the same sketch design and more SU! Wonderful World designer papers. I added an unbranded butterfly die cut along with a stitched circle die and added a die-cut Thanks sentiment by T.E and called this one done.

Imagine my surprise to see this week's Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #580 was this exact same sketch design, so I'm sharing this card over there.

Thanks for stopping by and as always, I wish you all a wonderful day!

Carol

Hoppin' Bunnies

 Sorry for the shabby photo but we have a cloudy day today so this was the best I could do.

I die-cut 3 of the Tim Holtz sizzix bunny dies in different bunny colors and placed them hiding behind the grass with 3 hidden Easter eggs. I did the grass with a SNSS die from some (r) SU! cardstock and dsp in 3 rows. I added a SSS pre-printed sentiment and called this one done.

I'll enter this into the following challenges:

the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #577

The Double D Challenge  - EASTER

The Four Seasons Spring Season March 2023 Challenge

Thanks for stopping by and my wish for you is the same as always - have the best possible day!

Carol

Yellow Rose

 While rummaging through my stash, I found an older GinaK stamp set with a rose image that I haven't used for quite some time, so I stamped it several times and tucked the extra images away for future cards. I colored the rose in shades of yellow with Copics, and added a tiny bit of spritzing in green along with some black Nuvo dots for a little interest. The sentiment is a pre-print from Simon Says Stamp backed with a strip of Wild Wasabi cardstock from SU! (dues anyone remember that pretty older color?) The embossing was done with a SU! Tulips frame ef on a piece of yellow cardstock and that's a wrap!

I'm sharing this with these challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #552

Also sharing with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stamp it!

(use stamped images)

That's going to be it for me today. We're off to get some fresh produce at some farmer's market stands! My husband is set on getting one more watermelon before they're all gone for the season. Enjoy your day and take care! Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your visits :)

Carol

Birthday Time

 Today's card was done with the colors of lime green and navy, and I rather like the combo now that it's finished! I used all snippets for this design, cutting 3 different border dies by Sweet 'n Sassy stamps and swapping the alternating negative stars for a fun look. The big stars were done with a very old SU! Sizzix die called stars#2 and I added a navy star brad along with a Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment from SU! The background was done with a Cuttlebug birthday embossing folder and this card was done!

I'll share this with the following challenges:

The Color Hues Challenge #48 - use the colors of Lime Green and Navy

This challenge is also celebrating their 2nd anniversary, so they are asking for birthday cards and coordinating their challenge with the Seize the Birthday Challenge which follows below.

Seize the Birthday #246 - coordinating with the Color Hues Challenge above

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #551

Happy Little Stampers Birthday Challenge for September

The Snippets Playground #436 - must use snippets

For my American friends, I hope you're all enjoying the Labor Day holiday weekend and doing something fun and my wish is the same for everyone else too! Thanks for stopping by, I'll see you again soon!

Carol

Recycled Flower

 I found this beautiful large flower in my snippets box that was recycled from a card I received. It was too pretty to throw away and I decided to make a birthday card with it. I also found those 2 previously cut green leaves in the box along with the flower, so I paired them up. The sentiment was previously heat-embossed with white on some dark brown cardstock, so I used that snippet too. The background was cut from white with a Lawn Fawn stitched windy day die. My snippets box is a wee bit lighter today, but I have a long way to go before I use up all those bits I've saved through the years :)

I'm sharing this with these challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketch #549

The Snippets Playground Challenge #435 - must use snippets

Dies R Us Challenge #199 - summer

(must use dies sold in their store - Lawn Fawn background die

AAA Birthday Card Challenge #40 - A/G

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful Sunday!

Carol

Hugs

 Here's a quick card made with some plaid designer paper I've hoarded for quite a few years. I bought this in a huge craft store while on vacation in TN probably 12-13 years ago and always wished I'd bought a few more sheets. Pink and Black was a popular color combination many moons ago when I was a teen-ager, but after all these years I still love the look of them together.

I used a piece of SSS pre-embossed white cardstock that looks like fine woodgrain. I used Spellbinders circle/scalloped dies to cut the circles and added a die-cut sentiment by Impression Obsession. I cut the word from matching white and a piece of black with the intention of creating a shadow but you can see the shadow is only evident in a few places. My hands are no longer steady for doing that meticulous layering, but I tried anyway 😊

For the final touch I added black and pink Nuvo drops.

I'm sharing this with the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #547

The Little Red Wagon Challenge #665 - make it with circles

The Allsorts Challenge week 688/9 - A/G with the option

to create your own background.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful day filled with your favorite things!

Carol

Thinking of You Teacups

 I found some time this morning to make a card for a few challenges. The cups are dies from Penny Black's "What's in your Cup?" and I cut them all from snippets of blue, green and purple cardstock. The tea bag tag and hearts on the blue cup are from the same die set, while the circles on the purple cup are die-cuts from MFT stitched circle dies. The sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers (now closed) and the embossing folder is from Darice.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #546

The PBSC for July - A/G optional spots or stripes

The Little Red Wagon Challenge #664 - stitching sensations

the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - A/G

the Double D Challenge - purple, blue, green

Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you a beautiful day!

Carol

Quick Christmas Card

 Today I have a quick and very easy Christmas card to share. The image is a sticker a thoughtful blogging friend sent me many moons ago (thank you!) and I added a strip of (r) SU! designer paper and a pre-printed Simon Says Stamp sentiment. I added a few dabs of gold stickles for an accent and placed it all on some SU! Wild Wasabi cardstock. This might be the quickest and easiest card I've ever made! 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #541

(I turned this onto it's side)

The June Rudolph Days Challenge - A/G Christmas

the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge #18 - A/G Christmas

 with this mood board to inspire you

Thanks for stopping by and thanks too for all your good wishes. I'm still hacking away with an annoying cough and sinus issues with no let-up yet.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better! My hubby was doing fine all week, and now it doubled back on him again too. 

Thanks for stopping by and have yourself a nice weekend!

Carol

Quilt Cards

I haven't used my MFT quilt die for some time, so I had a play with it recently. I used 3 matching designer papers from SU! and some black cardstock to create one. I die-cut all the pieces to make my card and added a GinaK Designs sentiment at the bottom. Once I put this together I had lots of pieces left, so I cut 3 more from black and made a total of 6 cards, adding die-cut buttons with I.O. dies and weaving thin strips of matching designer papers through the holes. I added an assortment of sentiments so I'd have a few cards on hand for different occasions.

I'd like to enter this card into the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #519

I'll also enter it into the Dies R Us Challenge #185 - A/G using dies from their store  (Impression Obsession Button Dies)

Thanks for the visit and I hope you're doing well. Have a safe, warm and happy weekend!

Carol

Rainbow Valentine Card

 I was pulling out little snippets of colorful cardstock to make this card with all the die-cut stitched hearts after seeing the Freshly Made Sketch #517.

This couldn't have been an easier card to put together so I will probably make a few more with different colors. The sentiment is from an old (r) SU! set that was heat-embossed with white on black. Quick, easy, and I like how it turned out!

I'll enter my card in the following challenges:

The Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #517

The brand spankin' new Snippets Playground #419

(Di created a new blog for this challenge separate from her own personal blog - check it out by clicking the link above!)

The HLS January 2022 Anything goes with Dies challenge 

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope things are well in your corner of the world. We have freezing rain and cold temperatures today so it's a good day to stay inside where it's warm and cozy!

Have a great Sunday and take good care!

Carol