A Little Perk

 Hi card makers! I love card challenges so much for the inspiration and incentive they give me to get crafty. Yesterday after seeing the sketch at The Paper Players, I got busy. Here you go! 

I'm setting aside a few older stamps to play with in coming days and had pulled out Cup of Kindness from Concord & 9th and a new paper pad from Penny Black. I really love the versatility of this set. It has great sentiments too! The card process is pretty self explanatory. Just die cuts with a little stamping. I spent more time getting a photo of this card than I did making it. Isn't that refreshing? 

Thanks for coming by. It means so much to me to have you visit. Hope your day is great!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges: 

The Paper Players 

Little Red Wagon  Make It Sew - I used a stitched rectangle panel
Love Those Pretty Papers

More with Butterfly Blooms Take 2

 Hello, happy Saturday! Spring has brought very warm weather our way, and lots of blooms! One downside for me is that I now am experiencing vertigo, probably related to allergies. Limiting my motions helps keeps the worst dizziness away, so I am making use of some of my stamping supplies. Butterfly Booms to the rescue! 

This cute and simple card was fun to make and will be flat to send. I kept trying to  add embellishments or some thing to even out the layout - is it the vertigo or just me, that thinks the balance is OFF just a bit. Ha!

I used the card kit contents from SSS in April, including the stamps, stencils and washi tape for the horizontal panel. Altenew inks provided the colors and my scissors
cut everything out. 

I hope your world is not spinning and you are steady on your feet. Thanks for your visit today!  Come back soon!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges listed:

Freshly Made Sketches

Beautiful Blossoms Anything Goes Florals

JUGS Just Us Girls Stencil Week 

A Classic

 Hello, I'm glad you're here to visit again! If you visit often, you already know that I love card challenges. One I find easy to join is NBUS - Never Been Used Schtuff, but there's a new kid on the block; The Neglected Stuff Challenge. I have lots of both kinds of stuff.  

I was inspired to pull out two of my very first wood block stamp sets purchased from Stampin' Up! for today's card. 

I find that I'm still pleased to see these lovely, timeless images from my first year (2011) as a demo. Stamping the text background was much easier to line up using my Misty. How things have changed in the stamping world!

Simply using just stamps paper and ink felt good! Oh, and two stitched rectangle dies. I think the stamp set was called Natural Beauty. It's a keeper! It is one of the handful of wood block stamps that remain in my stash.

Check out the challenge HERE and give it a try! The goal either way is to use the stuff that we have, right? 

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Christmas Pair

 Popping in with a quick post on this chilly Sunday. Hi, how are you doing? I'm sharing a Christmas card today that I feel happy to have as the first in the pile up.

I used new stamps from Penny Black (Christmas with Mimi) and colored the cute couple with re-inkers used as watercolors. The snowflakes and designer paper were oldies from my stash. I'm keeping things simple with my stamping and getting used to multiple trips to the "closet" to rummage for supplies which I carry out to the dining room table. And back again. 

Those who visit my blog regularly know that we moved to be closer to our family, in spite of being 'very young' for this kind of change. (big grin here). Our move to a smaller home has been a good thing. It's an individual home in a huge 55plus community. You know - with lots of options for exercise and sociability, pretty neighborhoods with sidewalks, walking trails, a lake and an indoor pool. That last one is my favorite. So, I have big goals to move my body more. It's a .2 mile walk to that pool!

As it turns out, I do also have time and energy for stamping. It's no longer two hours per card, but just enough to have fun, share and keep up with you lovely stamping friends. Thank you for keeping on visiting me!

Challenges entered: 

Penny Black Saturday Challenge
Jingle Belles - using new/old  oops! I'm too late for this one.
A Cut Above - Anything Goes, optional New
Time Out - Inspired by something you love to do. For me, I love to walk in the snow, and gift giving is good to do too!

Sunflower Harvest at Penny Black

 I'm always surprised to see the back-to-school and fall decor items flooding the stores before summer is even over! And I'm usually not at all ready for the new season, even though FALL is my favorite! 

But the Sunflower Harvest is a brand new-to-me stamp set that I couldn't resist pulling out for this card. It's my reminder that The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is still in full swing! The  challenge is Anything Goes, with an Optional theme - flowers. I LOVE sunflowers!

Pairing them with a rustic fence and pumpkins makes it even better. I stamped the scene using light gray ink, and watercolored with Distress Ink re-inkers. After fussy cutting the image panel I layered it with patterned paper and twine. The sentiment is from the Delightful Day set, stamped onto brown card stock. 

I sure hope that you've already checked out the challenge blog and enjoyed the inspiration! Thanks so much for coming by to visit me. I end this post by sending autumn greetings your way - just a wee bit early!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Latte Love for Color Hues #41

 Hello crafters, so glad to have you here for a visit to my blog!  It's time for a new combo at our Color Hues challenge and this time I got to be the one picking the colors! 

I love Aqua and Red in general, and putting them together seems like a good idea. For our challenge you may use the two colors plus choose a neutral, so with a fun coffee theme, I added brown. Here's my card!

I've purchased a few simple stamps from Penny Black and I've been loving using them for CAS cards. I stamped on Bristol Smooth card stock and colored the images with Zig markers. 

I'm not even a coffee drinker, but I just love this sweet illustration. 

I sure hope you will be inspired to play along, I can't wait to see your projects in the gallery! Thanks so much for your kind words and for spending a bit of time with me today. Happy crafting! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies used: 
Stamps: Penny Black Love Ya
Paper:  Doodlebug Design 
Accessories:  WPlus9 - Postage Dies

Inspired By...Carrot About Spring

 Well, if the title of this post didn't grab your attention, I don't know what will! Have you, like me, been seeing a huge crop of carrots on cards for spring this year? Bring them out for this challenge and join the fun! We say, let's keep calm and carr-ot on!

My card is about as quirky as the bad puns. I combined images from several sets and here's what I came up with! 

It's a tri-fold card. The fold is at the top and that panel tucks in behind the die cut letters. I chose to be inspired by the carrots, colors, springtime and puns. Here's our photo.

What inspires you? I can't wait to see what will be in the gallery this week! You'll find it here. Won't you join us? 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Butterflies for a Wonderful Friend

Hello, how are you on this Monday? 

I am glad that it's a new week. A very big event took place this morning. We went to get peaches! I live 20 minutes from the orchards and these peaches are the best I've ever eaten! I don't buy more than a few at a time, since we eat very little sugar we like them best just off the tree! 

On the way we dropped off this thank you card to our friend and neighbor.  Could there be anything cheerier than butterflies in striped rainbow colors? 

I used DSP from Waffle Flower Crafts, and  layered the white die cut panel on top. (Bitty Butterflies Cover Plate from PTI.)

The sweet Fusion Card Challenge inspired me to pull out the die as it fits perfectly with the sketch. I loved the soft sweet pastel cupcakes and used the butterfly elements on my card. Pearls instead of icing swirls? 

The sentiment and die are thanks to Simon Says Stamp "You" stamp set and die. These sentiments are so unique and fill in the gaps left by occasions greetings. This card was easy and quick to make but I think it's special. 

Hope you stay well today and find some brightness or sweet spots in your day. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Polka Dots and Birthday Buds

Hello dear friends, welcome to a new weekend!

I put a few more images I had stamped and fussy cut the other day to good use on a card made for Freshly Made Sketches.

I just love these critters from BB Birthday Buds (MFT stamps). I colored them with Copics, pairing them with Polka dotted paper (from PTI) and scattering a few sequins into the mix. Clear Nuvo drops over the balloons and a scalloped border die add texture.

Isn't this a unique sketch? 

Hope this brightens your day. With all of your staying in, have you found a way to make Friday special? I'm still thinking about it. 

Wishing you well, stay well! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

A Sign of Hope

I can't get enough flowers these days, it seems! They keep coming up in my cards. I tried planting  some daisies in my small garden but when I look out in the morning some critter has lopped the blooms off! 

I like stamped flowers, I can make them any color I like, HA! Today I pulled out the blues and went to work Copic Coloring the large floral spray in the Bouquet Builder 3 set (Waffle Flower.) 

I selected and fussy cut the flowers I wanted to frame the label die cut with. Adding pops of bold colors and stripes helps the focal point to stand out. Gold confetti dots and a bit of sparkle are the only embellishments. 

I loved this sentiment from Penny Black called "Blooming Sentiments."  I think it's a great one for these days, especially for a gardener or anyone who needs encouragement.  I've been feeling a bit "blue" myself today. Maybe I should have colored everything bright yellow! 

The sun has come out to shine for just a little bit. You know what they say about the sun..... it will come out tomorrow! It's only a day away.  I will go out for a walk now with a certain song resonating! Good thing I like that one! Sending you cyber hugs and well wishes.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

I'm happily playing along with Amy's great sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  My card uses the sketch on a vertical card base. OOPS?

Also joining Darnell's Challenge at NBUS as both stamp sets have never been used  until now!

Other supplies: 

Pacific Point card stock - SU

DSP - Honeybee Back to Basics

Label Die - Sissex

Pretty Pink Posh - Metallic Gold Confetti Mix

Sunny Get Well

Watercolored stripes and tulips are a sweet combination. I'm hoping it will brighten someone's day! 

Combining the old and the new: retired SU stamp for the tulips and the new Sentiment Suite stamps from The Greetery. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

 My entry for Addicted to Stamps and More

Simply Striped

A rainy weekend meant I had time in my craft room to stamp and sunshine was on my mind! I chose bold colors, simple stripes and softly watercolored images for my clean and simple card. I combined a few sets to make this, and was so happy to find the envelope from the Somebunny Love set was just the right size to pair with the cute bird. 

It was a delight to make using the rectangle stitched frames layered on the card base. I love it when a card turns out quickly, don't you? 
I'm playing with these challenges.

Thanks so much for your visit, have a great day! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: PTI Sending You, WPlus9 - Hello and Thanks, SSS - Somebunny Love (2 years old)

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI Bitty Big, Ranger Distress Watercolor paper

INK: WPlus9 - Warm Wool 

Accessories: Zig markers used for watercoloring, PTI - Pierced Feature Frames.

Celebrate In Style

Hello everyone! 
I've been so caught up in Christmas preparations and events. Have really missed my crafting and regular posts. It's a busy time of year but I'm delighted to be able to stamp today as the featured guest stamper at CAS(E) this Sketch! I'm so honored to stamp again with this talented team of designers. 

I need a card to be on hand for a January guy birthday and I wanted to create a classy style. Choosing bold neutrals with gold gave me a great head start on a card that could also double as a New Year's greeting.

I'm way out of my comfort zone with two grays and black but they do look really good with lots of white and gold accents. 

Here's the sketch. 

You can find the challenge HERE and it will be in play for two weeks. Hope you will check out the wonderful projects and make your own to join in the fun! 

Thanks for your visit. Hope you have many good things to celebrate today.   

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: none

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Basic Gray and Basic Black, WPlus9 - Fog, Gold Foil paper

Accessories: Sissix - Celebrate die, SU - Starblast Edgelit Die (retired) 

Merry and Bright

YAAY! Happy Friday! 

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm back again today with Take 2 of the sketch from CAS(E) this sketch. I took a more literal approach using bold stripes and a hexagon window. 

 The reindeer from the Merry and Bright stamp set (SSS) was colored with Copics. He is surrounded by two trees die cut of white card stock and also colored with Copics.  I arranged the scene on an inked background and topped it with the stamped sentiment banner. 

In case you need a refresher of the sketch, here you go! 

I'm pleased to be on a roll with stamping this week and happy to have quite a few Christmas cards finished. I hope you feel glad to have stopped by today. Enjoy your weekend!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: SSS - Merry and Bright

Paper: Neenah Solar White, red foil card stock

INK: Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, WPlus9 - Gala Red

Accessories:  Hexagon dies - Plus 9, Copic markers, Glossy accents

Cas(E) This Sketch

Welcome stamping friends, hope you're having a great Thursday. 
It's a very special day for me, I've been invited to be Guest Designer this week at CAS(E) this sketch!  It's my very favorite challenge and I'm thrilled to be part of the team today. 

We were given this fabulous sketch created by Donna.  
I interpreted it somewhat loosely, using  a white embossed sentiment and a few die cuts to define the shapes. 

This kind of elegant simplicity is one of my favorite types of cards for Christmas. Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the design team. And feel free to play along! 
Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I'll be back tomorrow with my 2nd take on this sketch

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: WPlus9 - Hellebore Builder and dies; SSS - Stained Glass Greetings

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Real Red

INK: Versamark - WPlus9 - Gala Red, Fairy Dust, Last Leaf, Appletini, Old Gold, Hayride

Accessories: White embossing powder, Gold sequins

A Simple Sketch - Times 2

Hello there! 
My stamping has been a bit hit or miss this fall, but somehow I got on a roll. Here's the first post to share with you! 

I used to have a category on my blog called Twice is Nice. If I found a sketch I really like it was fun to make two completely different cards with it. That's what happened with me while crafting. I couldn't stop after one card and had to make a second. 

Let me show you the sketch first, from the great designers at CAS(E) This Sketch. 

I began with wanting to place the sentiment in the sketch and then added the leaves around that to form rows. Although it is a bit busy, I like how this card turned out. 

For the second card, I went looking for a smaller image and pulled out the Whole Lotta Happy set from W Plus 9. This card is still also a bit busy, but the uniformity of the images gives it a more cohesive look. I like it so much better than the first card.

These images are so cute and I thought they'd be perfect for a rainbow themed card. You know they've been the rage for so long but until now I hadn't made one! What fun! 

Here's where the rainbow comes in, on the inside - 

This will be a congrats card for someone we love so much! The photo makes it look wonky but I promise that the image and sentiment dies are straight. Both cards give me a sense of delight in using stamps and dies that have been long lost in my stash. It is invigorating to re-discover them. The sketch inspired me to seek them out. Another reason I love sketches. 

Thanks for visiting today! It has been raining here, but I keep looking for the rainbow from my warm cozy spot. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: SSS -  Apple of my Eye;   WPlus9 - Whole Lotta Happy