Survivor

I won the Words 2 Scrap by challenge in August, so I've been invited to guest design for the W2SB #22 challenge for October. The challenge is "fight like a girl." October is breast cancer awareness month, so I made a card for a survivor using a Unity image, colored with Copics and die cut with a SB Nestabilities labels 18. I used the colors of blushing bride and smoky slate, adding a strip of pink velvet ribbon and 2 color coordinated mini brads. I added some light pink stickles to the pink ribbon and stamped a Verve sentiment and called this one done. Thanks to Bobbi and Sybrina for asking me to guest design this month........I hope you'll play along and make a card for a survivor too.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great first day of October!

Carol

Ahoy Matey!

The Words2ScrapBy #21 challenge is "Ahoy Matey" or in other words, use an image inspired by a pirate or a pirate expression. I didn't think I had an image I could use for this challenge, but while looking through my stamps, I found this image from a SU! valentine stamp set, so I masked off the sentiment and just used the image. I added some SU! map paper, along with some Graphic 45 tropical papers to put this together. I added a few colorful pearls and gemstones to the treasure chest just to keep it real. (click to enlarge for details) I haven't added a sentiment yet, but I'll add one later when I have the occasion to use this card.

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned because I may have a 2nd post later today.

Carol

Inspired by a Good Book

Today's card was inspired by a great book that I recently read. 

When our children were growing up, we often went to Vet Stadium to watch the Philadelphia Phillies play. It wasn't long before Glenn Wilson became a favorite player of mine. He was an amazing and enthusiastic athlete on the field, and we all loved watching him play. We were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet him in person back then. We haven't been to a baseball game in years, and I decided to do a search to see what he's been up to since retiring from baseball. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he'd written a book, so I immediately got a copy and read it the same day I received it. His book is called "Headed Home" and it's such a wonderful and inspiring story that I'd recommend it for anyone to read.

The August challenge for Words2ScrapBy is to make a card that's inspired by a book, so I chose Glenn's book! I used the House Mouse image because it's a baseball player, and the red & white herringbone background was done with strips of red & white cardstock to represent the Phillies home uniforms. I embossed it with arrows, and added a sentiment (that combines with the background) to represent the book title. The #12 was Glenn's jersey number, and the little gold-embossed "believe" oval at the bottom is something that you'll understand once you read the book yourself. I added some gold mini stars and white mini brads to finish the card.

I'm also going to enter this into the Snippets Playground #189 (must use snippets) as well as the House Mouse HMFMC#200 challenge, where I've opted for the "anything goes" choice.

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

Carol

It's all about the CHOCOLATE!

Today I have a card made for the Words2ScrapBy challenge #19, which is "A Friend With Chocolate." I'm a friend to anyone who has chocolate :)

I won the Words2ScrapBy challenge for May which gave me the opportunity to guest design for them in July. In keeping with the chocolate theme, I chose this Sweet'nSassy Cocoa Mouse image, and colored it with Copics. I mounted it on (what else?) Chocolate Chip cardstock, adding a big piece of matching Chocolate Chip satin ribbon. The papers are from a K&Co Greenhouse paper pad by Carolyn Gavin.

I hope you'll find time to play along with this fun challenge because there's a $20 prize from Simon Says Stamp, and that's a great prize! 

And now I need to go find a piece of chocolate to satisfy that craving I'm suddenly having for chocolate :) I'm willing to share with a friend....any takers?

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great chocolate day!

Carol

Cowboy Birthday

Today I have a masculine birthday card which I'm dropping into my last OWH box of cards before they close the doors on August 1st.

I used a MFP Southwest Cowboy stamp set for the images and barbed wire, and a SNSS sentiment. The images were stamped with Versafine Onyx black and embossed with clear detail embossing powder. I die cut each panel using a set of Lil Inker stitched rectangles, then sponged the smaller stamped pieces with scarlet, orange and yellow ColorBox pigment inks. I mounted the pieces on a piece of black, and tied some matching twine around the lower edge. The dsp is from K&Co Que Sera Sera, and I stamped 3 rows of the barbed wire with really rust ink.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

MFP Speedy Fox and Friends #264 - follow the sketch

                                               

Words2ScrapBy#18 - it's a man's world

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - make it masculine

Mod Squad Challenge - make a birthday card

Thanks for stopping by and happy trails to you!

Carol

Say Cheese!

I find myself playing with the yellow, black & white color combination a lot lately, so I made another card with those colors again today.

This is a House Mouse image I've had in my box of stamped images for a long time, so I decided it was time to use it, and I lightly colored it with Copics. I added an embossed background and vertical strip; both done with an Anna Griffin/Cuttlebug Matelasse ef set. The sentiment is from CTMH and I hand-cut the sentiment panel. The final touch was to add some black & white gingham ribbon from my stash.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

House Mouse HMFMC#193 - "dotty for dots" (the embossing has lots of tiny dots in the pattern)

OWH May ODBD Challenge - use embossing

Words2ScrapBy#20 - "say cheese" (I took this challenge literally as it's national photography month)

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

Carol

Spring is Coming!

I'm playing along with the Words2ScrapBy #15 challenge which is "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Spring is about to make it's appearance here in the US and after a wickedly cold February, we're ready for it!

I had this PB stamped image in a box of stamped images for a long time, so I colored it with Copics, and paired it with some snippets of yellow & green dsp for a spring look. The ribbon is my last bit of that beautiful SU! retired ribbon, and the tiny flowers were done with a SU! itty bitty punch, dotted with green gemstones from Pizzazz Aplenty. I added a Casual Friday sentiment, and this card will be heading to OWH.

I'm also sharing this over at the Snippets Playground #167 as well as the Penny Black Saturday challenge for March - which is to use spring flowers (thanks Greta!)

Thanks for spending a few moments of your day with me here, I love having your company :)

Carol

Two for Four

I made 2 cards today for 4 challenges, and guess what? They're CAS cards! I usually stay away from CAS because I don't do it very well. I'm a layering fool when it comes to cards, but this week I've chosen a new path.

I used a MS heart border punch along with a SU! scalloped border punch. I punched a strip of white to get the white hearts, and inserted them into the red border for some contrast. The sentiment is by MFP from their "going postal" set.

Here's the same design done in pink, grey and black - another favorite color combination of mine.

I'm entering these cards into the following challenges:

MFP Speedy Fox & Friends # 247 - use two different border punches

OWH Stars and Stripes Team Challenge - Use your team's favorite colors. (since I'm not an avid sports fan, I used a couple of my favorite color combinations to make a pair of "Miss You" cards for our heroes.)

Snippets Playground #162 - Must use snippets

Words2ScrapBy#14 - Do something different (I made a CAS card)

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a Super Duper Sunday!

Carol

A Card for a Hero

I love this retired stamped image from SU! that makes the greatest hero cards for OWH. I stamped the image in Versamark, then heat-embossed it with gold ep. I used some pale shades of blue and red Copic color on the flag, and left the rest of it uncolored. I used a crafter's workshop tiny dots stencil with some Antique Linen ink, masking the embossed image to keep it clean. I sponged the edges with more antique linen ink, and added some gold-embossed die cut letters, a hashtag, and a star. It's all done on a kraft card base.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

January ODBD challenge for OWH - make a Hero card for a hero.

Words2ScrapBy#13 - use a hashtag (you choose the word (s)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - It's a Guy Thing - create something for the men

I wish I could have taken a better photo, but this is the best I could come up with after many tries.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great week ahead!

Carol

Warm Wishes

I made this card a while ago and never posted it, so today I'll enter it into the Words2ScrapBy #12 challenge, which is "Eat, drink, and be merry." The printed image was given to me, and I don't know who makes it, but I love all the hearts on the cup. I added some embossed hearts and polka dot ribbon in shades of pink & cocoa brown. The little pink & brown hearts were done with a SNSS die and a SU! owl punch. The cork panel has been in my stash forever, and the tiny scallops were done with an EK punch. In this cold snap we've had lately, I've been drinking lots of hot cocoa and it does make me feel better too :)

Warm wishes to you, and I hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend! Thanks as always for stopping by :)

Carol

Gratitude

Today I'm sharing a thank-you card I made with SU!'s lovely as a tree. This pretty stamp will never go out of style as far as I'm concerned, and it always makes me feel peaceful somehow when looking at the trees. I stamped them on a snippet of dsp and added another snippet of cardstock for the lower panel with a HA sentiment. I added a few mini star brads and called this one done. I'm entering this card into the Words 2 Scrap By #11 challenge which is gratitude and kindness.

I make lots of thank-you cards for OWH, so I decided to make another one using this simple design and same stamp...

For this one, I went with a different colored lower panel and card base, and used some SU! candi dots instead of brads. I try to make each card I send to OWH a little bit different, plus it enables me to use up more snippets this way!

Speaking of Snippets, I'll be taking these cards over to the Snippets Playground #150 to share with all the wonderful playmates....and Parsnip too :)

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great weekend! I heard the country is in for some seriously cold weather later on next week. I'm so not ready for that yet..........then again.............I'm never ready for bitter cold weather :)

Carol

Dachshund Card

Here's my card for the Words2ScrapBy challenge #10 - "Paved with Paw prints."
I wish I knew where this cute digi image originated, but there's no name on the file, so I have no clue who created it. Being a huge fan of the dachshund breed, I love using it to make cards. I used SB square scallop dies for the image and tan mat, and then added some snippets of paper from an Autumn paper pad for the vertical panels. The typewriter paper was in my snippets container, and the colors were just perfectly matched to this fun pooch! I added a paw print brad for the final touch.

I'm also sharing this card over at the Snippets Playground #144.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day!

Carol

Words2ScrapBy #9

The challenge for the Words2ScrapBy #9 challenge is "To everything there is a season." It reminded me of the changing seasons happening right now, with summer slowly fading away and autumn coming in with cooler temps and all the beautiful colors of falling leaves. I used a SU! retired Trendy Trees stamp for the images, placing each one on some alternating colored tag punches. I used a piece of kraft that was embossed with an autumn leaves design, and sponged it with antique linen. I matted that with dark brown and added a panel of dsp from the BoBunny autumn paper pad, and added another strip of dsp from the pad for the lower border. The ribbons are all assorted snippets from my stash, while the sentiment is by MFP. The embossed gold flowers were done with a SU! mini punch, and I added some golden Geo Sparkler stickers to the centers.

I'll be sharing this over at the Snippets Playground #145 when the gates open again later today. I just missed the fun by a few hours this week (again!)

Thanks for stopping by and make this a great day!!

Carol

Re-visiting Older Supplies

My card today came about while playing with my long-neglected Derwent water-color pencils. Watercoloring is currently a hot trend, so I pulled out my supplies and had some fun! I just scribbled some shades of purple and blue on a piece of watercolor paper, and used an Aquabrush to spread and blend it. After it dried, I embossed it with a CB Decorative Tile ef and paired it with some GinaK Wild Orchid cardstock that I recently won. I LOVE this color! The tag was cut with a SU! Chalktalk framelit die and stamped with the border from SU! Summer Silhouettes, and embossed with clear detail. I colored it with Copics that matched the watercolor background and tied some bashful blue ribbon at the top. The sentiment is from SU! Gifts of Kindness, and the banner was done with a PTI Notched Hearts banner die. I was so pleased with the way this turned out that I made another one....

 This was done with Island Indigo as the main color and I used a SU! arrow ef for the background, and some May Arts ribbon to finish it off.

I'm entering these into the following challenges:

Tuesday Morning Sketch #261

Shopping our Stash #163 - Splish-Splash - use some form of wet medium (watercoloring)  

Words2ScrapBy #8 - From Darkness to Light - Ombre coloring

I made a couple more cards with this design that I'll post sometime in the future.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a fantastic day!

Carol

Oh the Places You'll Go

I've been invited to guest design this month for the Words 2 Scrap By #6 this week, and the theme is "Oh, the places you'll go!" This little bear is heading for parts unknown apparently! LOL It's an Inky Antics image & sentiment, and I cut the sentiment into separate words so I could make it all fit on the front of the card. I colored the image with Copics, sponged the sky with Tumbled Glass ink, and embossed the background with a Darice hearts ef. I die cut a red heart for the word "heart" just for a little fun.

I hope you'll come play along with us this month and have some fun! You can get all the details for the challenge here.

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great week!

Carol

Razzleberry Birthday

I decided to make another birthday card using some razzleberry bits of cardstock remnants I had lying on my table. I pulled out an embossed panel I'd made long ago that somehow never got used, and thought the flowers would look pretty around the edges. I cut 2 panels for the rectangle inset and stamped the sentiment, while using the SU! petite petals stamp set and punch to create the flowers. I embossed the larger flowers in white, and punched the smaller ones with a SU! mini punch. I used 2 different sizes of clear rhinestones and added a couple stems of die cut white leaves. This was really simple to put together and makes great use of those snippets of cardstock you just can't bear to toss away!

I'm entering this card into 2 challenges:

Words2Scrapby W2SB#4 - Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - make a birthday card

I was headed over to the Snippets Playground with this too, but once again - the gates closed a couple hours ago.........sigh :) Just like the card I made yesterday - "the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get!" Yep! That's me :)

OK, so I'll enter it early into the Snippets Playground #119 instead! LOL

Thanks for checking in with me today and I wish you all a fantastic day!

Carol

There's No Place Like Home!

Here's my card for the W2SB#3, which follows the Oscar buzz by choosing from a few favorite songs to make your card. I chose "There's no place like home" from the Wizard of Oz (1939) for my inspiration. I colored this fun House Mouse image and turned it into a "new home" card. I used scraps of polka dot papers and punched a black button with a MS punch, and used some Lawn Fawn twine to tie on a little metal house key charm.

There really is no place like home. Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day!

Carol

Friday Cards

Here's my card for the Words 2 Scrap by W2SB2 challenge to use the world colors of the Olympic flag. This one was so easy to put together using snippets of left-over cardstock in those 5 Olympic colors! I added punched borders in black along with a CAS-ual Friday's sentiment which ties in with the idea of competing in the games. I also used the CAS(E) this sketch #62 to put this together, but as usual, that challenge is now closed........sigh.

This card was made for the MFTWSC162. I'm currently adding to my stash of masculine cards for OWH so this is headed there in my next box. I used some great Pebbles papers I picked up at a discount store recently and thought they worked well with this sketch. I threw in a piece of cherry cobbler cardstock for one of the banners, adding assorted star brads with red & blue gem stones from my stash. The sentiment was done with MFT alpha stamps.

That's going to do it for me on this Friday. I hope you have a fantastic day and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Challenge Cards

This card was made for a brand new challenge I discovered yesterday called Words 2 Scrap By (W2SB#1). Their first challenge is to use the words from the song "My Favorite Things" for inspiration. I chose the words "cream colored ponies" to make this card. I stamped the Serendipity Mustang image, colored it with Copics, outlined with a gold paint pen before cutting with a SB labels 18 die, and for the final touch, I sponged around the edges with Antique Linen ink while the image was still in the die. I used a top note die for the dark brown panel, and the plaid dsp is from DCWV. For the final touch, I added one of those metal ribbon tabs and tied on some brown and natural colored twines to give this an earthy feel. 

Since I used the last one of those old metal ribbon tabs, I'm also entering this into the Shopping our Stash #132 challenge, which is to use "the last of something."

Here's my card for the OWH Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #205. I pulled out my owl punch and made a fun owl with some googlie eyes. The striped paper was a left-over snippet from a previous project, while the embossed panel was done with a brand new Arrows Textured Impressions embossing folder from the new SU! Occasions catalog. The sentiment is from MFP and the owl's vest was embossed with a SU! square lattice ef.

I'll also be taking this one over to the Snippets Playground #105 since I used assorted snippets to put this one together.

That's going to do it for me today! We're bracing for a snowstorm later on today, so I'll be hunkered down in my craft room for a while I'm sure......after the shoveling is done that is :)

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

Carol