Inkspirational #376 - Furry Friends - Happy Birthday to Ewe!

 It's time for a new challenge over at Inkspirational and it's a Word Prompt.

I immediately thought of my fun sheep dies Primitive Sheep Die Set from Whimsey Stamps - that I have only used on a card once before over a year ago!?!?! 

  

At that time, I had luckily made a bunch of sheep bodies using the Opaque White Embossing Paste from Altenew and they were waiting for me in the sleeve with the dies!   So -  I just had to die cut the body bases (black behind the white fur), the faces and ears to make my sheep today!

 

It saved time not having to let the paste dry over night!

The sentiments inside and outside are from Sheepish Moments also from Whimsy Stamps.  I also added a black sheep inside.

So, please join us and show us your creation inspired by "Furry Friends"!  You'll find inspiration from the rest of the team as well as Mr. Linky over at the Inkspirational Blog here.

This challenge ends on Sept 25th.

Also sending my card to:

Crafty Animals #109

ends Sept 29

Love Those Pretty Papers

ends 9/30

Stamps:  Sheepish Moments - Whimsy Stamps.

Paper:  Kraft, True Black, White - Papertrey Ink, Water Color card - Spellbinders, DP - Primitive Colonial Americana - Whimsy Stamps, Polka Dot Obsessed - Unity.

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair.

Other Supplies:  Primitive Sheep Die Set - Whimsy Stamps, Wood Frame Infinity Dies - Hero Arts, Opaque White Matte Finish Embossing Paste - Altenew, flowers - The Greetery.

Guest DT at Just Us Girls - #840 Word Week Bold

 It's time for another challenge over at Just Us Girls - with my second card as the Guest Designer for Sept!  

I'm so excited to be playing along with the talented JUGS Design Team!

Here's the newest challenge:

And here is the card I created.

I'm thinking this DP from Retro Vibes by Whimsy Stamps is pretty bold?!  As well as the silhouettes of the disco dancers?!  from Retro Dancers Die set - also from Whimsy Stamps.

The sentiment is from Simple Strips: Birthday die cut with the Simple Strips Straight Edge die both from Taylored Expressions.  The birthday sentiment stamp has 13 sentiments on it, that all get cut at the same time using the die!

There were a couple of 'snarky' sentiments I thought about using from the set on my card - "Sorry to Hear You're Getting Old" and "Another Year Closer to Velcro Shoes"  that would work for someone like me who is old enough to remember the Disco Years (!) but I played nice instead - inside I used the sentiment from the set "Eat Cake and Celebrate".

I added 3 little gems that sparkle like a disco ball in the light!!

So please join myself and the wonderful design team over at Just Us Girls and show us what BOLD inspires in you!  

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using the disco dancers die and Retro paper

Love those Pretty Papers

Anything Goes with DP ends Sept 30th

Time Out Challenges

 "Saturday Night Fever" with John Travolta!

Stamps: Simple Strips: Birthday - Taylored Expressions.
Ink: Nocturne - Versafine Clair
Paper: Summer Sunrise, True Black - Papertrey Ink, DP Retro Vibes - Whimsy Stamps.
Other Supplies: Retro Dancers Die Set - Whimsy Stamps, Simple Strips Straight Edge Die - Taylored Expressions, Gems - Joann's.

Birthday Balloons in Blue and Brown

 I finally sat down to make a card for the latest Color Hues Challenge! 

Sometimes I have trouble designing with colors I'm told to use but I loved these two colors!

I was going to go floral - but when I got to my craft room - it morphed into balloons!

Balloons could be for anyone - and these colors make it ok for a masculine birthday card I think?!

I simply stamped the image and sentiment and colored the image with Copics.

I cut the panel to 4"x 5 1/4" so there's a little card base framing just to add some interest!

I got this stamp set as a free gift from Simon Says Stamp several years ago for my birthday.  I think I've only used it once before.

Stamps: Festive Balloons Stamps and Die Set - Simon Says Stamp (free from SSS for my birthday several years ago).
Ink: Nocturne - Versafine Clair
Paper: White - Papertrey Ink
Other Supplies: Copics B45, E34

Guest Designer - Just Us Girls - Die Week #839 Thanks

 I am so honored to have been asked to be a Guest Designer over at Just Us Girls (JUGS) for the month of September! 

I was chosen because my card was a Winner of the Week in July here.  That was also die week!?!

Here's the first challenge for September  - Die Week/Thanks.

"Thanks" always makes me think of Thanksgiving - especially since we are almost moving into fall here in New England.

But I don't send many Thanksgiving cards....

so I went with Thank You using Fall colors!

I first cut a Dark Chocolate base that I  ran through my machine with the Pierced Spring Leaves Cover Plate die from Honey Bee.  

Next, I die cut the side panel out of Saffron Spice using Woven Cane Background die from The Greetery.  This die cuts a full A2 panel but I cut it down to be just about a third. 

I die cut the 'THANK YOU' from Gina Marie Stamps in Summer Sunrise, Saffron Spice and Terracotta Tile.  I cut three more out of Dark Chocolate and layered the colored ones over Chocolate to make them more sturdy.  I layered them on the card with foam dots. 

 

To finish off my design, I die cut the acorn using Autumn Side Kick Thinlits from Tim Holtz/Sizzix and adhered it over the O in the middle THANK YOU!

So what does 'Thanks' make you think of?  We hope you'll join us over at JUGS and link up your creation using dies along with the Thanks theme!

You'll also find lots of inspiration from the super talented Design Team! 

Also sending my card to:

Tic Tac Toe  

left vertical row  Letters, Sentiment, Die Cut

ends Sept 10th

Four Seasons

Fall  ends Sept 25th

Word Power September

Focus on the Sentiment

Paper:  Dark Chocolate, Summer Sunrise, Saffron Spice, Terra Cotta Tile - PTI.

Other Supplies:  THANK YOU die - Gina Marie Stamps, Pierced Spring Leaves Cover Plate Die - Honey Bee Stamps, Woven Cane Background Die - The Greetery, Autumn Side Kick Thinlits die (acorn) - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, foam dots.

August 2026 Card Chain Challenge Reveal

 Today's the day all of the cards exchanged for the August Card Chain Challenge are revealed!  For August, I sent a card to Linda in MN and received a card from Pia in Norway!

26 cards were exchanged in August.

We are always given options for creating our design -  you only need to use one of the options or you can use several of them!   This month - I used the colors (pretty much accept for the pink), the theme of Elephants (could you guess that??!) and friendship.

I die cut a 2nd base shape for the elephant to be the back of the card  - scored it along the top (about a half inch down) and adhered it to the back side of the front piece.

Have you been thinking you'd like to participate in a Card Chain Challenge?  It's really easy - you sign up on Mr. Linky - you send a card to the person signed up before you and you receive a card from the person signed up after you!  Gail sends everyone the list at the beginning of the month with peoples email addresses so you can request their snail mail addresses.   You'll find all the details for the Sept Card Chain over at The Card Chain Challenge here.

Sign up for Sept ends 9/6

Also sending my card to:

As You Like it Challenge

Your favorite wild animal and why.  Ends 9/8

Hubby and I went on a Safari in Kenya in 1998.

I will say elephants were my fav, they were definitely the biggest! 

(but I also loved the giraffes, hippos, monkeys, lions and many beautiful birds!)

Crafty Animals

Any Animal will do  ends 9/30

Paper:  Core-dinations Color Core Card Stock - Tim Holtz/Ranger

Ink:  Brushed Corduroy - Ranger Distress

Other Supplies:  Clarence Colorize Thinlits Die - Tim Holtz/Sizzix , printed sentiments from stash.

CAS Christmas Challenge - Sept 2026 Woodland Critters

 It's time for the Sept CAS Christmas Challenge!

DT Lisa is our hostess this month and she would like to see Woodland Critters.

I took the opportunity to get out this lovely Snow Happy image from Colorado Crafts that I purchased last year on sale but never used until today!  

I colored it with COPICs and added the sentiment from an older PTI set.  

I added the dots on the deer with a white POSCA Pen,.

We hope you'll join us in getting your Christmas cards done early and show us your Woodland Animal CAS design!  You'll find this challenge here.

This challenge ends Sept 30th.

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using this Snow Happy stamp set

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

S is for Snow

Merry Little Christmas Challenge

Anything goes Christmas

Stamps: Snow Happy - Colorado Crafts, Let It Snow - Papertrey Ink (retired)

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink.

Other Supplies:  Copics - R20, YG6, E13, E00, E34, E13, White POSCA pen.

Inkspirational Challenge #375 Home - Family - Love

 Today's the start of a new challenge over at Inkspirational -  a Visual Prompt.

And here is my DT card inspired by the three words in the prompt.

This card could be for a new home, for a family with a new addition to the family or just a note card for someone that loves wherever it is they are living at the present time?!

The house panel is from a pack called Hazo Tiny Town Cardstock Stickers from Taperlogy - it's full of single, double, multiple and even mushroom houses made from cardstock.  

I embossed a panel of water color card stock with Simple Frame Embossing Folder from Altenew.  I rubbed over the raised part with Sand Dune Versafine Clair to accent the design.  

I adhered the houses inside the frame with foam dots, added an acrylic heart to one of the doors and stamped the sentiment.  I adhered the frame panel over a panel of wood grain DP.

We hope you will join us for this fun challenge, creating something inspired by the Visual Prompt!  

You'll find some lovely inspiration from the rest of the DT plus Mr. Linky over at the blog here.

This challenge ends Sept 11th

Also sending my card to:

TIME OUT Challenges

inspired by windows

Pick 3 Challenge

Orange (houses)  Triangle (Roof) Stamping (sentiment)

ends 9/18

All About Challenge

ends 9/2

Stamps:  Happy Village - Lawn Fawn.

Paper:  Water Color Card - Spellbinders, DP Prim Colonial America - Whimsy Stamps.

Ink:  Nocturne, Sand Dune - Versafine Clair.

Other Supplies:  Houses - Hazo Tiny Town Cardstock Stickers - Taperlogy, Simple Frame Embossing Folder - Altenew, foam dots, acrylic heart - Altenew.

CAS Christmas - Santa's Sleigh #2

 Here's my second card for this month's CAS Christmas Card Challenge.   

I am the host for August and my challenge is:

I used 4 stamps from the Stamptember 2021 Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous set.  I inked the stamps with Portobello Versafine Clair Ink and colored in Santa's hat and outfit with a red Copic.  

No layers - lots of white space. CAS!

This challenge ends Aug 31 so you still have time to join us over at CAS Christmas!

Also sending my card to:

Christmas Kick Start

I'd say Santa and his reindeer are friends for life!  ends Aug 31st

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

P is for Pine Trees  ends Aug 31st

Sparkles Christmas Challenge

Clean and Simple  ends Aug 31st

Stamps: Stamptember 2021 Set - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.
Paper: White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Portobello - Versafine Clair
Other Supplies: R29 Copic.

Inkspirational #374 Word Prompt - Garden

 Today there's a new challenge up over at Inkspirational Challenge.  #374 Word Prompt - Garden

So I literally went out to my garden, picked some pansies and a few leaves from other plants to press for this card!

I laid the blossoms and leaves, face side down onto a panel of water color paper.  I folded a piece of computer paper in half and inserted the panel inside (to absorb moisture) and then ran it through my Big Shot.  I took the panel out, removed it from the folded computer paper, and scraped off the bits of pansies and leaves that were left on the card stock  - and a print was left.   I added orange gems, stamped the sentiment and ran along the edge of the panel with a gold Sharpie pen.  

Every time you press a panel it comes out different - depending on the blooms and the leaves used (some plant leaves don't leave any green so it's trial and error!)

The wetness of the fresh blooms pressed against the paper can make the cardstock damp and curl a bit. I laid the panels out overnight to dry and then laid heavy books on top of them to help flatten them.

Here are several more cards I made using geranium and pansy petals.  On many of these I didn't use any leaves.  I used plain white card stock on a couple of them.

So please join us and show us how "Garden" inspires you!  You'll find some lovely inspiration from the rest of the team as well as Mr. Linky over at Inkspirational!

This challenge ends on Aug 28th

Also linking my first card to:

Word Art Wednesday

Anything Goes  ends 8/19

Everybody Art Challenge

Summer  ends 8/17

Try It on Tuesday

Make it Colorful  ends 8/18

Stamps:Beyond Basic Borders - PTI (retired)

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  Water Color Cardstock - Spellbinders, white - PTI, computer paper.

Other Supplies:  Pansy and Geranium blossoms, different green leaves from my garden, Candy Gems - Waffle Flower, Big Shot.