HM119, SOS51, and SC384

 Here is my card for the House Mouse Challenge #119 which requires us to use "humor" in our cards. I think this hilarious image can hold it's own level of humor, but I added a computer-generated sentiment to make the recipient smile for sure. I'd imagine if I had two big corn kernels in my mouth, I wouldn't be able to say "teeth" either! LOL The dsp is from On The Bright Side One by MME. and I added some black accents. The image was stamped on wc paper and colored with Tombows, then completely covered and embossed with Versamark and clear detail ep. I had to add those little mouse prints and "spatters" just for fun :)

This one is for the Shopping Our Stash challenge #51 to use 3 or more different designer papers. I've been hoarding this SU! paper pad of dsp for too long, and now that there are new in colors about to hit the market, it's time to actually USE these papers! The colors are Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, and Pear Pizzazz. I used a retired Carl punch, adding some hoarded buttons in matching colors. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado, done in Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz. A touch of white satin ribbon brought everything into balance for the final touch.

This is my card for the SC384 sketch challenge. I just let this cute pre-colored image do all the work for me here. I added a sentiment from the SNSS Christmas Tags set, and some Viva liquid pearl drops to the punched border, along with an embossed background using the square lattice ef. I used cardstock from a paper pad by the Paper co that I've had for eons!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I wish you a wonderful Wednesday!

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

OWH mid-week throwdown

The mid-week throwdown over at the Stars and Stamps blog today is to make a "missing you" card. I combined their challenge with today's SC376 sketch challenge to make this card. I'm using the SNSS bluebird digi, along with the SU Doily stamp and a sentiment from So Many Sayings. I stamped the doily directly on the cardstock using Versafine ink, and added white embossing powder, then heated it. I sponged blushing bride ink all over it after it was cool. The image was colored with Copics, and I used some Ranger tumbled glass ink to sponge on the clouds and added a sentiment using the SU! word window and fancy label punches. A little pink satin ribbon and some gemstones from HA finished this card.
That's it for me today, so enjoy this gorgeous weather and have a great day!

Carol

Sketching with a Digital Image

Today's card was made for the Stars and Stamps mid-week throwdown to use a digital image, and I've also used the SCS 374 sketch. I found this awesome free digi image from freevintagedigistamps.com and instantly knew I could use this to make some "Any Hero" cards for OWH. I printed the image on crumb cake cardstock and only colored the metals, buttons and pins on the collar and hat with glitter pens. I matted the image with some artichoke-colored green card stock and sanded all the edges, and embossed the cream-colored background with a Sizzix ef, then cut it into squares. I added some mini brads to the corners and a couple mini star brads to the sentiment panel. The sentiment is from MFP. I'll be making more hero cards with this fantastic digi image and trying it in different colors.
Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day!

Carol

A Inspirational Birthday Card and a Sketch

Hello and Happy Wednesday! Here's the inspirational photo for this week's Shop Our Stash challenge #40. I just love these soft pastel floral and butterfly images!

My SIL is having a birthday on February 29th, and this is the card I came up with. They say she's going to be 60, but being a leap year baby, I think in reality she's still a teenager :)  I tried to match the colors from scraps I had and made a "quilt-like" card using the top note die, and embossed it with a TH Sizzix damask ef. I stamped the background with SU! stitched in Memento Cocoa ink on blush cardstock. The sentiment panel was done with an EK punch and the SU large oval punch, popped up with foam tape. I added a tiny tag and some ferns done with a MS punch and some Swarovski brown crystals.

I made this card for today's SCS373 challenge found here. I flipped the sketch on it's side and used a very old stamp in my stash from the Paper Bag Studio. I embossed the stamp with Versamark, then Memento London Fog ink, and heat embossed it with clear detail ep. Then I sponged with some pale pink and green inks. The sentiment is from Verve, ribbon from SU, border die cut from SNSS and the papers and card stock were all from my stash.
Now it's time to leave my craft room and get some things done today. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!


Carol

SC369 I {heart} you

I played along with the SC369 challenge today over on SCS and decided to use some blue color instead of the traditional reds I'd usually use with a heart image. I printed the SNSS Rhubarbs's heart digi image, adding a printed sentiment to the inside of the heart, and colored with Copics. I used 2 different Sizzix embossing folders for this - the curlique & hearts set, along with the Valentine set of 2. I used a scor-pal to score the turquoise panel, and a SU! fancy scallop punch for the horizontal border. The image was cut with a Labels 2 die and edged with a navy marker and 4 white mini brads were added to the corners. Those 3 tiny hearts along the side were punch-outs from the newest SNSS hearts & stars scallop border dies, done in the same cardstock as the diagonal panel. A little piece of SU! turquoise ribbon wrapped up this card for the final touch.
I hope you're having a wonderful day today and thanks so much for stopping by!

Carol

More Cards

 I recently posted these cards in my gallery over on SCS so I thought I'd share them here too. This card was made for the sketch challenge SC366, and I used this cute SNSS Berry Sweet Cocoa image with Echo Park dp and some bling. The vertical panel was done with an EK punch and some scraps of yellow and green. I tossed it a little bling just for fun. The inside says "you are berry berry special."

 This card was done for the SNSS January Release Party challenge #2. Cathy challenged us to a tic-tac-toe challenge, and I chose red, hearts, and ribbon from the grid. DP is by Recollections, along with SU! crumb cake and black. Sentiment is by SU! and I used a square lattice ef on the squares.

 This card was made for the QFTD94, wendybell. I cased this card from her gallery, changing the colors, ribbon placement and adding a sentiment. I used retired BG two scoops dp for the entire card, adding a punched border done with an EK punch, and embossing with Sizzix Valentine set and SU! square lattice efs. I added a few touches of a Viva Pearl Pen for interest.

This card is for the SNSS January Release Party challenge #3 to do paper piecing. I needed a sympathy card, so I chose some softly colored SU! retired dp, and stamped the flowers from the SNSS "Your Friendship" set with versafine ink, and embossed them with gold ep. I added some gold micro beads to the centers, then embossed the MSE sentiment with gold embossing powder too. I edged the Spellbinders labels eighteen with a Marvy gold paint pen before cutting and added some cream colored satin ribbon.

And last, I made this quick and simple Valentine card by using strips of left-over ribbon. This was for the SNSS January Release Party challenge #1 to make a card with black & white and one other color. Check! All this needed was a little pop of red and it was done.
Thanks for staying with me for this extended post. I hope your Sunday is fabulous!

Carol

Fabulous Together!

I made this card for 2 challenges. First up is the SC354 sketch challenge, and it's also for the MFPSPEEDYTV challenge #2 to create an anniversary card. I flipped the sketch on it's side and embossed the doily image with white ep on espresso cardstock. I used a retired SU! stitched backgrounder in cherry cobbler on the crumb cake panel and matted with cherry cobbler cardstock. Sentiment is by G Studio, and the punch is by EK. DP is holly berry bouquet by SU, hearts were punched using the SU! owl punch, and the tiny tag punches were stamped and embossed using an Inkadinkado stamper. They spell out "fabulous" and "together" and were tied onto the wasabi ribbon with gold cording.

That will do it for me for today, but as always - I thank you for stopping by!

Carol

Happy Wednesday!

Here's my card for this week's Sweet Stop sketch SSS128 found here. They're doing a blast from the past and using an older sketch for the challenge. I used a blast from the past from my stash by using wild wasabi and purely pomegranate cardstock. The image is by all night media, stamped in wasabi ink and touched up with a Tombow marker for the trunk. I dotted the tree using a matching Tombow marker and also did some faux stitching. The sentiment is from SNSS Christmas tags, and I used the same marker to add the dots. A few mini brads finished this simple card for my Christmas stash.

This is for the SC353 sketch challenge found here. This color combination still works for me and probably always will. I used a sizzix ef for the background, and a G studio stamp for the sentiment. All I had to do was add some ribbon, a bow, and a heart brad and this card was done in a flash!

Ok, the SUN is actually making an appearance in PA today, so I'm going to go out and run some errands. Have a great Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

I'm still at it!

This card is for the SC351 sketch challenge found here. That's green galore card stock I used with the black, and a CB embossing folder.I used a sentiment from MFP and layered it with SU word window and fancy label punches.
This is for another Stars & Stamps challenge sponsored by Michelle's Scrap where "anything goes." I used one of Sandy's free state digis that's available from OWH. This one is Kansas and I used a new Sizzix diamond ef that I won from CircleB Enterprises for playing a previous challenge at Stars & Stamps. (thanks Veronica!) I colored it with Copics and added a chipboard button with bakers twine to the center.
This is for the Sweet Treats challenge over at the Stars & Stamps blog. This challenge is sponsored by Michelle Perkett Studio. I created the sweet treats by using MS cupcake punch, and used some scraps of PTI dp and pink cardstock. I also used an EK chain punch and SU! fancy scalloped border punch. Sentiment by Hero Arts. Quick and easy for this one!
And here is another card done for the Missouri state digi contest. Sandy drew this gorgeous digi of the Missouri state flower and it's free! I used royal purple and shimmer grey cardstock for this, embossing with the Swiss Dots ef, and adding some gray ribbon. The image was colored with Copics.

I think I've turned into a card-making maniac with OWH's birthday celebration! LOL

I'll have a new Crazy4Cocoa challenge for you tomorrow, so stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Playing with New Stamps!

I've been playing with a new SU! stamp set called Field Flowers for a little while now, and today I used the SC345 sketch challenge to make another card with them. I stamped the image with Memento dandelion and tangelo inks and the stalk was done with always artichoke. The sentiment is from Sweet'nSassy's Your Friendship stamp set and all the card stock and dp is from PTI's summer sunrise and ripe avocado.
Here's one I made and mailed to a sweet friend last week, and this one is done with Plum Pudding and Old Olive colors. The sentiment is from SU's Whimsical words. The flowers were done with SU! pale plum and perfect plum inks.
I hope you're having a great day doing something you enjoy!

Carol

Challenge Time!

I made cards for a few challenges today. First up is my card for the OWH Stars & Stamps mid week throwdown challenge to use a "water" theme. I think this hilarious card fits the bill. This free digi image is from Leighs Paper Creations and I colored it with Copics, using flourescent Copics for the umbrella. DP is by Echo Park, blue is Cool Caribbean, and I used some embossed kraft for the bottom. I drew in some water with Copics, and sponged the sky using Tumbled Glass distress ink. The sentiment was done with an unmarked wooden set of summer-themed stamps. I'm not too fond of sunbathing, but I wouldn't mind lazing on a beach to feel a cool ocean breeze with this summer heat wave we're having right now!
This card is for the Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #65 to use 3 hearts. I also used the SC343 sketch found here. I used kraft, navy & red cardstock, along with some red DP from Bo Bunny, and some navy DP from SU! I cut the hearts using Spellbinders heart dies, and added a shiny brad along with 3 small heart stickers on the sentiment panel. The border of the strips was done with an EK punch. The sentiment is from MFP's Thankful Pumpkins & Mums. This one is going into my next OWH box so a soldier serving somewhere overseas can send a little love back home. I think that's reason enough to use more than 3 hearts for the challenge:)
Thanks so much for stopping by, and don't forget to check back in tomorrow when the winners are announced for the Stamps R Us birthday celebration blog hop. Each blog on the hop will be announcing a different winner so stay tuned!

Have a fantastic day!

Carol

Mid Week Throwdown & a Sketch

Here's a fun card I made for the Stars & Stamps mid-week throwdown. The theme is "miss you." I rarely make "missing you" cards for kids, so this is one a military parent can send home to their children. The image is by Hambo stamps, and I colored it with Copics. I have so many strips of white cardstock left over from trimming and wanted to use them, so I came up with this idea to make a zig-zag border. I colored the pieces with flourescent Copics in 3 colors after punching them with the EK punch. I just laid some adhesive down on a 1-1/2" scrap of cardstock, and laid the zig-zag strips down close to each other in a pattern. I trimmed the edges straight afterward, and the piece that was left over was adhered to the top of the stamped image to pull it all together. The bottom mat for the image is white, and I just went around the edges with the blunt edge of the purple Copic. This was fun to make and I'm loving those Flourescent Copic markers!
This was made for todays SC341 sketch challenge. I won this unicorn digi image from Lyn of Spyders Corner/dragonsmoore and printed it on Neenah cardstock, and colored it with Copics. Unfortunately I had to trim some of the image off the bottom to make it fit my card, but I think it still looks OK. The sentiment is by G Studio and was stamped with SU Basic Grey ink. The paper is BG granola and I added 4 mini brads to the sides.
Thanks for stopping by today, and I'll be back tomorrow with another Crazy4Cocoa challenge.

Carol

Welcome Baby

I made a quick card for the SCS SC337 today following Korin's easy sketch. This is a SNS stamp called Welcome Baby and I colored it with Copics. The cardstock and DP is by SU! called blushing bride and I colored the white ric-rac with a Copic marker to match. The heart border was done with an EK punch. Quick and easy, I love when cards go together like this for me!
Thanks for stopping by and have a super Wednesday!

Carol

Another Two-fer

I made this card for the Stars&Stamps MWT challenge to create a Thanksgiving card, and I also used the great sketch from SC336. Honestly, I love simple sketches because they're so easy to work with, and yet I always seem to make more work for myself than I should! I ended up paper piecing these pumpkins because I thought they'd look better, and I'm also trying to use up the tons of scraps I have. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but I wish I could simplify my life in this regard! LOL The stamps used are from MFP Thankful Mums & Pumpkins and all the dp scraps are retired from SU! I used card stock scraps for the punched leaves using EK & MS punches. The acorns were die cut and sponged with Memento Potters Clay ink. I tied a tiny piece of copper cording to the stems and this card was done! I flipped the sketch only because the pumpkins looked all wrong at the top of the card.
It's going to feel like it's over 100 degrees outside today, so I'll be inside playing at my craft table. I hope it's cool wherever you are today. It's not even summer yet, and our temps are this hot, so what will this summer have in store for us I wonder? Whew!!
Have a fabulous day doing whatever you're doing!

Carol

Double Challenge Time!

I made this card to meet 2 challenges. First up is the SC332 sketch challenge found here. I'm also entering this into the Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge 54 found here - which is to use stamps, papers and inks, but no embellishments. I pulled out my favorite MFP stamp set called Southwestern Cowboy and stamped the image with versafine onyx black ink, then embossed it with clear detail ep. Next I sponged on some Ranger vintage photo & antique linen inks, along with some Colorbox yellow, orange and red inks, and added a little interest with a Copic marker. The DP is retired SU! (sorry, I forget the name) and I used sage shadow, chocolate chip and really rust card stock. I embossed the background with a CB ef and covered it with Versamark ink, and embossed it with clear detail ep to make it look like a piece of leather. The sentiment is from the MFP Thankful Mums & Pumpkins stamp set and was done with chocolate chip ink. This card will be going into my next OWH box.
Have a fabulous Wednesday and thanks so much for stopping by!

Carol

Penny Black ATC challenge

I read about the Penny Black ATC challenge over on Denise's blog and decided to play along. You need to make an ATC and upload it to their Flickr Gallery. Well I made the ATC and thought I uploaded it to their gallery, but I don't see it there! LOL I might try again a little later, but I'm clearly Flickr challenged for the time being :)
Anyhoo.........I used this adorable little PB image (thanks Denise) and made the ATC first.
Then I decided to make a card with it, so I used today's SC327 sketch challenge found here.
I used a few scraps of dp from my scrap bin, reversing the stripes on each panel, and embossing them with the square lattice ef. The faux brads were made using the SU owl punch, and a Fiskars circular punch, then coating them with glossy accents.
Happy Tuesday everyone, I wish you all a fabulous day!

Carol

stamps - Penny Black, Inkadinkado
paper - white, purple, unknown dp
inks - memento tuxedo black, versafine onyx black, blushing bride (sponging)
accessories - SU owl punch, SU oval punches, Fiskars circular punch, Spellbinders Labels 10, clip, gingham ribbon, stickles, Copics, cuttlebug birthday ef, SU square lattice ef, glossy accents

A Two-fer!

Today's card is for two challenges. I played along with the SC321 sketch and I'm also entering this into the OWH Stars and Stamps MWT challenge, which is any occasion/anything goes. For this card I used some things that have been sitting around collecting dust for years! The green & white checkered prima flowers were in a mixed jar of primas I bought at a convention about 5 years ago. I never quite knew what to do with them because of the checkered design. Using the faux pressed flower technique really tones them down and makes them easier to use. I pulled out some punched scalloped squares in navy, added the flowers with glue stick, then ran them through the Big Kick with a SU! lattice square embossing folder. The brads have been in my stash since I first began scrapbooking eons ago. The white embossed panel is a Tim Holtz Damask texture fades ef, and the ribbon is white satin. The sentiment and stars are by Hero Arts, done in Night of Navy and Memento New Sprout inks. This card was very simple to create, and I love that I was able to use things that have been unloved for so long!
I hope you're all having a great Wednesday!
Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

On the Farm

The challenge for the OWH MWT (operation write home mid-weekthrowdown) is to create a card that uses a farm theme. I used todays SC318 sketch challenge for inspiration. I don't have any stamps that would be considered farm animals, but in my world, this is a horse farm! I used the Serendipity Mustang image, stamping it on watercolor paper with Versafine Onyx Black ink and embossing it with clear detail ep. I colored the image with Tombows and a wet brush. The edges were sponged with Ranger antique linen and vintage photo inks, then distressed on the edges to fray them slightly. It's matted on black cardstock and I used Basic Grey dp from the kraft pad. The card base is white, so I sponged the edges with more vintage photo ink in keeping with the distressed look. I added a few snippets of ribbon and several black brads to finish this card. There's really no room for a sentiment, but that's OK because it can be used for several different occasions.
That will do it for me today so thanks for stopping by and take care!

Carol

SC317 One of my Favorite Peeps

I've been working on my next OWH box, so I'm doing Easter cards now. They're not due until mid-March, but starting early gives me enough time to make multiples. For this card I used the SC317 sketch found here. I used all Memory Box papers from the Enchanted line for this card. The stamp & sentiment is a $1 set I picked up at AC Moore a few weeks ago. The sentiment was stamped with Plum Pudding ink, while the chicks were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, then embossed with clear ep. The "brads" are all faux.....made with punched circles and dotted with Glossy Accents. The blue embossed panel was done with SU's square lattice ef and the bottom border was done with a SU! punch.
It's snowing here in PA again and we've already accumulated around 4-5 inches.......BUT........they say the heavy stuff is coming overnight! AACK!!
Have a great day wherever you are, and stay warm!

Carol