June Card Chain Challenge 2026 Reveal

 Today's the day all of the cards exchanged for the June Card Chain Challenge are revealed.  

24 people signed up to exchange cards in June. I sent a card to Chris in Illinois and I received a beautiful card from Alice in Austria!

I used one of the suggested Technique Options of Shaped Card for my design this month!

I used at Retro TV die from Amazon, designer papers from Oriental Garden by Stamperia and the bee is made with the Fire Flies Die from the Greetery (colored to look like a bee!)  I die cut the TV out of hammered white card stock and colored the pieces with Copics and a Silver Leaf Krylon Pen.

Inside                                                Back

We hope you will join us for the July Card Chain Challenge! You'll find the link up and all the details on how to join in on the blog here.

The deadline to sign up is July 6th.

5000 cards have been exchanged world wide!

Also sending my card to:

Cardz 4 Guys

Gardens 

TIME OUT Challenge

Viewing a lake/ocean scene on the TV. The color of the aqua float in the pool 

Try it on Tuesday

In the Garden - ends July 6

Stamps:  Inside of card - Garden Sayings - Impression Obsession.

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink, Hammered White Card - Amazon (comes from England), DP Oriental Garden - Stamperia.

Other Supplies:  Retro TV Die - Amazon, Fire Flies Die - The Greetery, Copics - E04, BG11, N10, Y17, Silver Leaf Pen - Krylon.

Embossed Roses for Three Occasions

 Today I was inspired to join in with the Color Hues Challenge.  I had this Rose Bouquet Embossing folder from Altenew out on my craft table as I used it a few days ago to make a card for a friend.  I thought it would work perfectly with the Coral/Green colors.

I embossed the white card panel and then used blender brushes to add the colors.  The sentiment is a Better Press Plate and Die set from Spellbinders.

I ended up making three cards for three different occasions.  The sponging of ink comes out differently on each card.  I start in the center where the ink will be the darkest and then brush out to the edges.  

I think the Sympathy card came out with the smoothest blending of color but I like them all.

I'm sending my Birthday card to:

Color Hues

ends 6/14

Tic Tac Toe

Layers, Free, Floral

ends 6/19

Seize the Birthday

ends 6/27

Try it on Tuesday

In The Garden  ends 6/23

Paper:  White - PTI

Ink: Black Better Press - Spellbinders, Abandoned Coral, Mowed Lawn - Ranger Distress.

Other Supplies:  Rose Bouquet Embossing Folder - Altenew, You are Everything Sentiments - Better Press Plate and Die Set - Spellbinders, foam dots.

Pretty Kitty Birthday

 I made this card for a friend who has a tabby cat who is the love of her life.

The sweet kitty is a Vinyl Sticker from Kawaii Pens that I adhered to a die cut circle with clear dots. It is holographic so is really sparkly in the light.  The circle is adhered to the card base with foam dots.   This is a 4"x4" card.  

I'm sending my card to:

Try It On Tuesday

Oh So Sweet ends 4/28

Seize the Birthday

Layer It ends 4/22

I.D.E.A.S.

Week 2 - Dies

Paper: Whie, DP Bitty Big Lilac Grace - PTI

Other Supplies: Stitched Square and Circles dies - Penny Black, foam dots, glue dots, Cat vinyl sticker - The Stars and The Moon Dream - Kawaii Pens, computer generated sentiment, enamel dot - Altenew.

Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday - Add a Heart

 I am excited to be playing along with Seize the Birthday today as a Surprise Party Guest! I was asked after my card was chosen a winner on this post.

I almost started making a Valentine (with a heart!) and luckily my brain refocused and remembered this is a birthday card challenge - duh!  

My boxwood wreath and stamp set are from The Greetery.  I have had this stamp set and die since it came out in 2021 and until today, have never used it.  My New Year's Resolution is to stop buying so much and start using what I have that hasn't yet been touched! (it's sort of working!)

I made the background using the Herringbone Parquet Die, also from The Greetery.  I cut it out of white paper and colored it using blender brushes with Brushed Corduroy and Hickory Smoke Distress Inks.  I splattered it using a white POSCA Pen.  I tied a bow out of twine and adhered it to the wreath.  The wreath is popped up on foam dots.

We hope you will join us at Seize the Birthday and you'll 'Add a Heart' to your birthday card design - or you can just make a birthday card!  

You will find some lovely inspiration from the Design Team as well as Mr. Linky over at Seize the Birthday!

I'm also sending my card to:

NBUS

first time using the Boxwood stamps and die

Double D Challenge: Hearts

ends 2/16

Make My Monday

Love  ends 2/22

Try it on Tuesday

Romance  ends 2/16

Stamps:  Love Is (boxwood wreath) - The Greetery, Birthday Basics - Papertrey Ink.

Paper:  white - Papertrey Ink

Ink:  Light Spruce, Medium Spruce - Gina K Designs, Brushed Corduroy, Hickory Smoke - Ranger Distress.

Other Supplies:  Herringbone Parquet Die, Boxwood Heart base Die - The Greetery, Blender brushes, Oval Punch - Stampin'up, twine, white POSCA pen.

Inkspirational #328 Designer Choice - Layer It

 The new challenge for Inkspirational is up over at the blog!  It's Designer Choice and Carol is our designer  this time.  She has chosen - Layer It.

I layered photo stickers to frames of card stock and then layered them over the gray striped DP on foam dots. I layered the pieces of a die cut sofa and adhered the sofa to the DP 'floor' at the base of the card.

 I was thinking of this as being a scene inside a museum - but it could also be in a living room - where the Monet paintings would certainly be prints rather than originals!

The Monet stickers are from Kawaii Pen Shop, the stamp is from Paper Artsy and the sofa is from My Favorite Things (retired).  I added 3 enamel dots from Altenew below the sentiment.

We hope you will join us over at Inkspirational and link up a card design showing how you interpret "Layer It"!

This challenge ends 11/15.

I'm also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using the sofa die cut that I've had for over a year, and the Monet Stickers which I've had for two months.

Krafty Chicks Challenge

Anything Goes   ends 11/6

Try it on Tuesday

Make it Magical (I think flowers and gardens are magical!)

ends 11/11

Cardz for Galz

Showcase your patterned papers ends 11/13

Stamps:  Alison Bomber EAB01 set - PaperArtsy

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  True Black, Hawaiian Shores, Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink, DP White Plaid - Coredinations, The Sound of Summer - Ciao Bella.

Other Supplies:  Take a Seat Die - MFT, Monet Stickers - Kawaii Pen Shop, foam dots, Enamel Dots - Altenew.

August Group of 7 Cardmakers 8/24 - Product Spotlight - Embossing Vellum

 The Group of Seven Cardmakers post for August is up - and this month we are playing with embossing Vellum.  There are links to videos for several different ways to emboss on vellum over at the blog so be sure to check them out for some new ideas.

It is recommended to use a thicker vellum (they come in several thicknesses) as the vellum can crack when you emboss with a folder if it's thin.  

The vellum I used on the Monstera card was dotted and a little thinner than the plain vellum I have and it did 'punch through' on a few spots - but nothing that ruined it!  So you just need to try it out on the vellum you have.

  The dots on the vellum show up on the embossed green inked leaves.

Just a few photos of how I made my card.

Emboss the vellum using Monstera Frame 3D embossing folder from Altenew.  I used a white dotted vellum.

Die cut the Monstera leaf from The Greetery out of hammered white card.  Rub ink pad over the leaf to color.  The hammered cardstock gives it a nice mottled effect. Glue the vein piece over the leaf.

Rub ink pad over the embossed areas of the vellum - dry with heat tool (don't hold over one area for too long or you might burn the vellum.  Heat from both front and back.)  It didn't matter that some ink got on the center of my vellum since it was covered with the die cut leaf.

I gold embossed the sentiment on a 3/4" x 4 1/4" strip of plain vellum and adhered it below the leaf with Glue Dots.  I adhered the monstera leaf to the center with foam dots and used Glue Dots to adhere the panel to the white card base.

I made this Christmas Snowflake card by simply embossing a panel of vellum and layering it to a blue panel that was die cut with a scalloped frame. I adhered the vellum panel to the blue card with Glue Dots. The blue card shows through the embossed vellum giving it a subtle color. I layered the panel to a white card base. 

My next 4 cards show how different a card can look using the same stamp with different color Copics.  I used the same technique on all 4 - stamping an image with Nocturne Ink on vellum and embossing it with clear embossing powder - turning the panel over and coloring the image from the back with Copics.

For the two cards below, I stamped the Daisy Days cover stamp from Unity onto two vellum panels using Nocturne Versafine Claire ink and embossing with Clear Embossing Powder.  I used a pink and teal Copic on the first card coloring over the image on the back of the panel and a yellow and orange Copic on the 2nd card..  I adhered these panels to the white card base with Glue Dots on the corners, sides and center.

I adhered a panel of vellum to an Adhesive Sheet from Sizzix and die cut the two sentiments.  I peeled off the back  and adhered the sentiments to the cards.

I used the same technique on the floral cards below -  stamping  the floral from Dearest Friend by Altenew in Nocturne ink, embossing with Clear Embossing Powder and coloring with Copics on the back of the panel. 

For these two cards,  I adhered the inked panels to Adhesive Sheets and then die cut the frame.  Then I removed the backing and adhered the panels to white card bases.

I used 3 colors on this one.

I used just two colors on this one.

We'd love to see what you create with any of the ways of embossing vellum.  There are links to YouTube videos showing several techniques over at the blog.  You will find the videos, lovely creations by the rest of the GO7 team and link up over at The Group of Seven! 

I'm linking my Monstera card to:

NBUS

first time using the Monstera Embossing Folder

I'm linking my Christmas card to:

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

ends 9/6

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge

Anything Christmas Goes  ends 9/7

Peace on Earth Christmas

ends 8/29

I'm linking my pastel floral card to:

Try it on Tuesday: Make it feminine

ends 9/2

Monstera Card
Stamps: Ways to Say: Get Well Soon - PTI
Ink: Vintage Jadeite - PTI, Versamark
Paper: Hammered White - Amazon, Sheer Basics Vellum (dots/stars/stripes) - PTI, clear vellum from stash.
Accessories: Monstera Frame Embossing Folder - Altenew, Large Leaves - Monstera die - The Greetery, gold embossing powder - Ranger, heat tool, embossing pillow, glue dots, foam dots, enamel hearts - Altenew.

Snowflake Christmas

Stamps: Christmas Cheer - PTI (retired)

Ink:  Blueberry Sky - PTI

Paper:  white, Blueberry Sky, Vellum Card Stock - Papertrey Ink, Hammered White - Amazon

Accessories:  Winter Snowflakes 3D Textured Impressions embossing Folder - Sizzix,  Christmas Cheer Die - PTI (retired), Nested Stitched Scallop Dies - Amazon, glue dots, Enamel Dots - Altenew.

Thinking of You and Thank You

Stamps: Daisy Days - Unity

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  Vellum, - PT

Accessories:  sentiment dies - Amazon, Copics Y02, Y38, R32, BG18, glue dots, Adhesive Sheets - Sizzix, clear embossing powder, heat tool.

Thinking of You and Feel Better Soon 

Stamps:  Dearest Friend - Altenew

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Claire, Versamark

Paper:  Vellum , White - PTI

Accessories:  Copics BG18, R32, Y38, Adhesive Sheets - Sizzix,  clear embossing powder, heat tool, Strip Sentiments - Waffle Flower, sentiment dies - Amazon