I am Guest Designer at Color Hues 7/16/26!

 I was so excited to have my Tulip card chosen as a winner for the Black Yellow challenge back on June 16th and to be asked to be the Guest Designer for today's Color Hues Challenge as well!  

      

Here's the card I made using Black/Red with white, an allowed neutral.

I have had this cute Skate Boarding Terry die from Spellbinders for several months and I was happy to finally get him out to make this card!

Terry is popped up on foam dots as well as the larger cloud (dies from Memory Box).  The sentiment strip was in my Birthday drawer (unknown origin?! I usually mark them?!).  I added white enamel dots from Altenew to the wheels.

I added a Happy Birthday sentiment inside.

So please join the super talented Design Team over at Color Hues - along with me - and show us your card using Black and Red!

And a BIG thank you to the team for asking me to join with you for this challenge as well!

I'm also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using Skateboarding Terry die!

Seize the Birthday

ends 7/21

As You Like It

Favorite Pet and Why

I love dogs because they give unquestioned love and comfort

I have had 3 dogs ( Cocker spaniel mix, Great Dane - best dog EVER!, and a mix rescue) over the years and my son now has 3 (my granddoggies!)

The Male Room

skate boarding

Paper:  Hammered White (on Terry) - Amazon (from England), Pure Poppy, True Black, White, DP Bitty Big Smokey Shadow - Papertrey Ink.

Other Supplies:  Skateboarding Terry Die - Spellbinders, Puffy Clouds Dies - Memory Box, white enamel dots - Altenew, foam dots, sentiment strip from stash.

Happy Anniversary, Deer

I made this card for my son and daughter-in-law for their anniversary.  They live in a log home on a mountain in the woods and they have a herd of deer behind their house that visit them daily, so I use deer on many of the cards I make for them!

I cut a panel of water color paper and stenciled over it using Falling Trees Embossing Folder from Sizzix using Peeled Paint Distress Oxide Ink. Next, I smooshed the panel into Carved Pumpkin Distress Ink on my craft mat that I had spritzed with water.  Then I smooshed just the top half of the panel into Peeled Paint Distress Oxide Ink on my craft mat, also spritzed with water.  

The trees are die cut from green card using Woodlands Thinlit dies from Sizzix. I adhered them to the dried inked panel.  The deer are die cut from brown Kraft Core Coredinations paper using Reindeer Flight Bigz Sizzix die.  I also sponged them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and added black enamel dot eyes.  I adhered the darker deer to the panel and then adhered the lighter deer on foam dots.

I'm linking my card to:

The Male Room Challenge

Stamps:  Hero Arts

Paper:  Watercolor paper - Canson Cold Press, white, New Leaf - PTI, brown and tan Kraft Core Coredinations.

Ink:  Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, Carved Pumpkin, Ranger Distress Oxide Peeled Paint, Leaf Green Wendy Vecchi Archival.

Accessories:  Falling Trees Embossing Folder - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Reindeer Flight Bigz Die, Woodlands Thinlit dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, enamel dots - Altenew. foam dots.

Mid Month Reminder - March CAS Stencil - Ghosting

I'm here today to remind you there's still time to join us in the March CAS Stencil Ghosting Challenge!  Mr. Linky is open until 3/24!

I am happily hosting the challenge this month so I really hope you will join us and show us how you create a CAS card design using Ghost Stenciling!

For my reminder card I decided to use Ranger Distress Inks for my base. 

I sponged Salty Ocean, Twisted Cintrol and a little bit of Hickory Smoke over a 4"x 5 1/4" panel of watercolor paper.

I laid my Intersecting Brick Circles stencil from Stencil Girl over the panel - taping the edges to hold everything in place.  

The stencil is bigger than the panel so I could decide what design I wanted on my panel - I set it slightly off center.  I thought it would be a little more interesting that way!

I took a baby wipe and rubbed over the stencil removing some of the exposed ink.  Be sure your baby wipe isn't too wet - or it will remove all the color as well as soak the paper!

And here is my Ghosting of the stencil.  I dried the panel with a heat tool and that actually made the colors look a little brighter when it was dry.

I cut my panel in two horizontally and was able to make two cards.  

I added a die cut balloon that I stamped with stars (die and stamps from Birthday Balloons PTI) and tied a piece of black jute around the base of the balloon.  It's interesting to see how different a look you get just by the curve of the jute! 

The sentiment is from Penned Elegance II from PTI

These will work well for all those guys we need birthday cards for!

You will find Mr. Linky, lovely inspiration from the Design Team, as well as links to technique videos over at the CAS Stencil blog here.

Please join us!!

I'm also linking my card to:

Fusion Card Challenge 

I was inspired by the colors

 Happy Little Stampers

 The Male Room

Stamps:  Birthday Balloons,  Penned Elegance II - Papertrey Ink
Paper:  watercolor paper - Canson, white, true black, Tropical Teal - PTI
Ink:  Hero Hues Black, Ranger Distress Salty Ocean, Twisted Cintron, Hickory Smoke
Accessories:  Intersecting Brick Circles Stencil - Stencil Girl, Birthday Balloon Die - PTI, black jute, foam dots, Baby Wipes.

June CAS Mix Up Challenge - Mid month reminder!

Can you believe June is half over already!   I'm here today to remind you about the June CAS Mix Up Challenge where Loll is our host  -  you still have time to link up your CAS creation!

I used black embossing paste over stencils, stamped sentiments, rhinestones and punched butterflies.

I actually made 3 cards for my reminder post as I decided to use Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste over 3 of Tim Holtz mini stencils (leafy, feather and splash) so they all fit on an 11" x 4 1/4" panel.

 (a regular card size before folding it in half!).

Here are the stencils laid out over the white card panel.

Here they are with the black embossing paste spread over them.  I used blue painters tape to hold the stencils over the paper so they wouldn't move as I spread the paste over them.

Here are the results after carefully removing the stencils.  I let the panel dry overnight.

Remember to wipe off your stencils immediately then wash them thoroughly before the paste dries on them.

I trimmed each stenciled piece close to the edge leaving a small white border on all 4 sides.

For my first card, I added a sentiment stamped strip and die cut butterfly both up on foam - the butterfly has foam just on the center body part so the wings can be folded up to add dimension.  I also added purple rhinestones.

I don't particularly like black for sympathy cards - but I think adding the color softens the harshness.

I made a 2nd Sympathy card, rotating the card to its side and using green instead of purple for the accent color.  

(funny how changing the color completely changes the look!?)

And for my third card I made a masculine birthday card (always like to have these on hand - and for some reason I think guys need funny sentiments on their cards ???!!!), stamping the sentiment from Off Beat Birthdays by PTI on a sponged panel left over from when I made this card for last month's splatter challenge.

You have until June 24th to link up your CAS cards using Embossing Pastes/Gels - check out the challenge here -  where you will also find lots of inspiration from the other talented Design Team members!

Entering my birthday card in:
Seize the Birthday

 The Male Room

Sympathy cards
Stamps:  Sympathy - Big Day Today - Waltzingmouse (retired),  Thoughts and Prayers - PSX wooden stamp.
Ink:  Versamark, True Black - PTI
Paper:  White, Winter Wisteria, Simply Chartreuse - PTI, Kraft Core Core-dinations purple and green.
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Archival Jet Black.
Accessories:  Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste, foam dots, rhinestones - Kaiser Craft, Mini Stencils - Tim Holtz, butterfly punch - Martha Stewart, Tombow Adhesive.
Birthday Card
Stamps:  Off Beat Birthday - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Ranger Distress Mermaid Lagoon and Twisted Cintron
Paper:  White - PTI
Accessories:  Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste, foam dots, gem stickers - DCWV, Mini Stencils (leafy, feather and splash - Tim Holtz, water.

An Out of this World 6th Birthday Card

My grandnephew James is turning 6 this weekend - and I always make special cards for the grands - so the pressure was on to create something fun.   I've been wanting to make a pop up box card for quite a while -  there is a great tutorial over at Splitcoaststampers that I printed out a year or so ago - and I finally got it out to try it for James' special card.

This is how it looks when you fold it flat for delivery.  Very unassuming and you'd never guess the surprise it holds inside!

and then you just push on the two sides and it opens into a box 

 (the purple base looks black in this photo for some reason?!)

and when you fold down the front and side panels you get your surprise!  

I used my brandy new Make it Market Mini  kit - Out of this World for all of the space decorations.  I used one of the patterned papers and the dies in the kit to cut out all the outer space pieces.

You start out with a 12"x12" piece of card stock, cut it and score it according to the tutorial, cut patterned papers to fit the sides inside and out and add tabbed pieces inside to adhere the pop ups to.  They also include instructions for a smaller card that will fit an A2 envelope. 

My pop up box measures 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" when folded up. (as in the first photo above) 

Here's a close up showing the dividing pieces inside the box where you attach your pop ups.  I put the planet and space ship on strips of acetate so they stand up and shake a bit when you move the box.  I adhered the lighter blue planet in the front directly to the dividing piece.

here are close ups of the side panels.  All the pieces on the panels are up on foam dots.

I used a PTI By the Numbers die for the 6. 

close up of the pop ups and the acetate strips

So, I'm glad I finally tried a Pop Up Box Card - it takes a little longer to cut, score and decorate, but isn't difficult at all to put together - and I think James will love his little outer space birthday card!

I'm linking James' birthday card to:

Seize the Birthday

 The Male Room

Muse Challenge #217

To use Kim's card as inspiration

Stamps:  Make it Market Mini Kit - Out of this World - Papertrey Ink, Happy Birthday from A Beary Good Year - The Cat's Pajamas.
Paper:  Purple cardstock from stash, black dot patterned paper from Modern Metallic paper pack - DCWV,  White, Acetate - Papertrey Ink, Space ship patterned paper From Mini Kit - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Versamark
Accessories:  dies from Make it Market Mini Kit - Out of this world and By the Numbers Die - Papertrey Ink, Word Window Punch - SU, Scortape, foam dots, white embossing powder, heat tool,  Pop Up Box Card Tutorial - Splitcoaststampers.

Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Yikes!  where was I??? I almost missed the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog hop! But luckily saw it two days before it ends!

I was excited to use this wonderful sentiment stamp from Stampendous that I purchased after the last Coffee Lovers blog hop. (I'm always looking for coffee/tea stamps now, aren't you??!!)

I added two die cut leaves using dies from PTI - one out of Kraft Core Coredinations paper that I sanded to expose the kraft.

I die cut the other leaf out of patterned paper from PTI.  I colored the mug and FRIEND in fall colors of Zig Brush pens.

I die cut the panel with a Wonky Stitched die from Avery Elle and popped it up over the leaves with foam dots.  I sponged all the edges with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo ink.

I'm off to the Coffee Lovers Blog to see the plethora of coffee/tea/cocoa cards linked up there!  There are tons of prizes to be won - so get yours linked up too!

I'm also linking my card to:

Freshly Made Sketches

The Male Room
Leaves and/or Trees

Stamps:  Shared Coffee - Stampendous
Paper:  Rustic Cream and Text Style Autumn Abundance - PTI, Kraft Core - Coredinations.
Ink:  Cocoa Bean - PTI, Vintage Photo Ranger Distress.
Accessories:  Leaf dies - PTI, Wonky Stitches dies - Avery Elle, foam dots, enamel dots - Michaels, Zig Clean Color Brush Pens.