Anchored in Hope

 Happy new day! 

Today I'm sharing a card made in honor of the 800th challenge at The Paper Players, can you believe it? Those designers have been inspiring us for a long time! I'm excited to remember that it was one of the first challenges that I took part in way back when I started my first blog (2007). It's still one of the best card challenges out there. I'm pleased to mention that I had the privilege of being on their design team for a year, it was wonderful. 

Back to today...I'm caught up in the last days of summer in my thoughts. Here's my card!

I took a literal version of this timeless sketch that is the same one the Players used on their first post. 

I began by choosing an aqua card stock for the base layer, and I sponged ink around the edges. It's my first time using the Waffle Flower Craft Dies - Floral Anchor. I love that these dies contain individual flowers and leaves but also included are two dies that feature the same flowers already arranged in groupings. That made it easy!  I embellished my clean and layered card with black twine and pearls. 

Thank you, Paper Players!! 
I'm playing also in the following challenges: 
NBUS where I'm using the new dies and sentiment
The Card Concept Summer by the Sea, clean and layered style is  inspired by the title
We Love Stamping Summer Blooms

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies:
DSP is Pink & Main -  Bright Botannicals

sentiment is also Waffle Flower - Overlapping hugs Additions

Snowy scenes

 My last post for this year, hooray! And Happy New Year to you! 

I just wanted to play with the Postal Collage Die and Snowy stencil from Waffle Flower. The birthday card is not needed for a couple of weeks so I had time to try out colors and techniques with the inking.  Here's what I came up with. 

I love the mountains and SNOW *as you know* mine is only on paper although it is cold here today. This stencil is great for guy cards and I will be using it often! You may see the snow sprinkles I added with spatters of white paint.

I chose Altenew inks for the scenes as I have several variations of each color to use. The sentiment is SSS Birthday Blitz. I loosely followed the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. So thankful for their inspiration! Also linking to Simon Says: Add a Sentiment!

I couldn't think of ending the year without a huge thank you to you, my loyal readers, and crafty friends. I began 14 years ago with this blog, can you believe it? Those in the wonderful community of paper crafters have brought me joy, encouragement, laughter and brightness to my days. Heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Santa's Coming

 A happy Saturday hello from me.  The song says Santa is coming to town but as I look around stores in my community, I'd say he's already here! 

I'm not too much into Santa but this jolly guy is newly acquired and he's so cute!

I couldn't wait to feature him in the offering from Freshly Made Sketches. He's paired with a dancing penguin and the vertical word die.  This is also brand new and I know I will often use this in the holiday season. I used Copics to color. For sparkle, there's some wink of stell on his hat, and a few snowflakes.

I love this card layout I hope to use it again as it's so versatile! 

I hope your weekend is going well. It's rainy here, so I may have more crafty time!  Signing off with BIG hugs to you --

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies:  *new
Waffle Flower Overlapping Vertical Merry Word Die*, Gina K  Christmas Cheer stamps and dies*; Word stamp "Christmas is from PB stamps Christmas with Mimi

Challenges: 

Freshly Made Sketches 
NBUS
Simon Says Stamp  ATG, Gina K 
Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Santa
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge 

Color Hues #71 Thanks

It's good to be with you on this first day of September! I love this month, the back-to-school time brings happy memories. And its the beginning of my favorite season. At Color Hues new challenge, Tracey has chosen Tangerine and Violet. Could be for a fall vibe? Or maybe you'd choose a Halloween theme? 

 I'm happy to be playing with a few supplies from my new goodies pile. I wanted to use the Postal Collage Bundle and the colors lead me in the direction of fall elements. How about leaf dies?

My thank you card was so much fun to put together. I can't wait to use the Postal Collage stencils to make a colorful bunch of paper stamps.

Please join us to play along, this is sure to be a great challenge! I hope to see you in the gallery. Thanks so much for your visit today. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: Concord & 9th card stock and Leafy Layers Dies

Pretty in Pastels Birthday

I'm happy to be joining the color challenge at The Paper Players this week. Ann chose lovely pastels for us and I'm jumping in with my take on using Baby Blue, Petal Pink, So Saffron and Kraft.  I was stumped for awhile but then thought of using the colors in frames made with the A2 Arched Dies. Voila! 

The card base was embellished with double stitched lines. The arched panel with frames was stamped with the sentiment and adhered.  After coloring the floral spray with Zigs I die cut it and used foam to mount it at a slight angle. I added a simple twine bow and three sparkling heart sequins.  You know how it goes, that spot just needed a special something!

This card show the benefits of challenges. I never would have used this mix of colors in this way without a prompt to get me started.

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies used: 
Stamps: Floral Bouquet 6 stamps and dies by Waffle Flower; Sentiment Suites Birthday from The Greetery

Accessories - A2 Arches Dies - The Greetery

A Pop of Color for The Paper Players #604

 Welcome to a wonderful new challenge at The Paper Players #604! For our colors Anne Marie has chosen Black, White and a POP of any color! How fun is that!

I went with a graphic look using BOLD colors. 

These happy energetic kids were fussy cut, colored with Copics and assembled as if they are tumbling down my card front. A full slimline provided plenty of space for their frolics!

Now it's your turn to create! I know you will find lots of options for this one.

I so appreciate your visit today. Hearing from you sure makes me smile! 

Be yourself.

     Find delight in your craft.

             Make something beautiful! 

Supply List 

Stamps:  Waffle Flower - Yippee! stamp set

Other:  Creative Cuts Dies from Mama Elephant - Slimfilm City

Welcome to Color Hues #37

 Hello crafters, it's time for our mid-March throw down at Color Hues! Nancy has selected pale teal and yellow for our challenge. We can't wait to see what you will make using this combo. 

I was stumped for awhile as I anticipate using lots of flowers in upcoming posts, so I wanted to come up with something else. 

I love this  sweet set from Waffle Flower, and thought now might be the first time to ink up the Jars of Happiness stamps and dies for a whimsical spring greeting.

Stamping on Solar Neenah white card stock, I lightly colored the images with Zig markers, then die cut them. Adding a bold sentiment and striped paper helps the images make an impact.  Applying a strip of pale teal and embellishing with enamel dots, completes the project.

Using a brand new to me stamp set means I will be posting this at NBUS!

 As always, you'll find a fabulous assortment of projects to inspire you at the Color Hues challenge blog. Hope you will join us! 

Have a wonderful day! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 
               Make something beautiful!  

Sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio Just a Hello Floral stamp set and dies. 

Color Hues Shines in Silver and Gold

 Hello friends! In the past couple weeks I've been busy working ahead on cards for the blog challenges I'm in through the end of the year. So this morning I had the fun of creating with Christmas sets in my stash, new and old. Did lots of inking and didn't even make a card, but enjoyed the explorative crafting. Now I'm moving on to getting some chores done this afternoon. 

Our Color Hues Challenge of Silver and Gold shines this month! The Waffle Flower Poinsettia Die was a delight to use for a white on white Christmas card.   

 I cut white flowers and layered them, tucking in a few leaves from gold foil. Using glue dots allowed for extra dimension between the flower layers. I put foam under the whole flower. 

The shine is hard to see on the silver foil flourish and silver embossed sentiment. Pearls seemed just right for an elegant embellishment to tie the card together. This is one of my favorites, I love how it turned out.

I can't wait to see what you will make! Hope you will play along!

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Stamps: Touched by Peace - Penny Black

Sweet Baby Hello for Color Hues

  It's time for a new month and a new challenge at Color Hues! After having a break from some of my challenges, I feel so ready to jump into crafty action. 

Hannelie has picked wonderful colors for us to use, yellow and pink. Sounds sweet and summery, and I thought perfect for a baby theme. I went looking for baby stamps and discovered I don't have any! 

The onesie dies from Stampin Up! looked cute and I combined them with the BIG "Hello" stamps and dies from Waffle Flower. Papers are from my stash, I just love polka dots and stripes together.

I can't wait to see what inspires you! Be sure to check out the ideas from the rest of the team and join us!

Can you believe that we are in August already? It seems like we were just happy about July coming. I hope you are staying well. Glad to have you visit!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Color Hues - Aqua and Black

 June is my favorite month! Can you believe we are ready for our 20th challenge at Color Hues?  Aqua and black, what a lovely duo! My favorite SU color has always been Cool Caribbean and I have hoarded that card stock for too long! Pulled it out for today's card. 

The  Stitched Diamond and Triple Lined Diamond Dies from Waffle Flower are terrific paired for a classic textured look. I added florals from the Bouquet Builders 6 stamp set that I colored with Copic markers and die cut. I kept the coloring light on the flowers but the leaves are leaning more towards teal to add dimension. 

I kept the card simple for a graphic look. Honey Bee stamps and dies called Bitty Buzzwords supplied the sentiment.

Thanks to you for your visit today. Hope you will be playing along!

Be yourself.

     Find delight in your craft.

             Make something beautiful! 

Yo, dude!

 A happy shout out to you today from my craft room! Hope you are doing well. 

This week's challenge at Inspired By is called Shred the Cake and the photo is so inspiring! Even if like me, you have to look up the terminology! Suffice it to say that if you can shred you have great skate or snowboarding skills. 

 

This one had me stumped at first until I got very literal with my interpretation. And remembered that I had this very cool Tiger and Lily set from Waffle Flower waiting to be used in my stash. What fun I had with this card for a young teen!

Coloring was done with Copic markers and I fussy cut the images. I found this DP in my scrap box. What stood out to me the most in our photo was the stripes, so I had to use it, echoing the photo colors as well.  The card measures 4.25 x 6.26 " so there is some extra room inside. 

It's my first time using this set, so I will be entering this at NBUS! Darnell is the best and I love to play there. 

How does the photo or theme prompt you? I can't wait to see how you have fun with it! 
Thanks for coming by my blog, it always amazes me that you keep coming. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Color Hues #19 Blue and Brown

Hi friends! I'm happy to turn the page on the calendar. Welcome to a new month, a new color challenge and my blog! I hope things are going well with you. 

Can I tell you that using only two colors is always a challenge for me? I want to pull out ALL the colors. I find that being challenged makes me think outside the box and create cards in different styes, which I think is tons of fun! I learn a lot this way. 

For instance, I've learned that the capybara, which lives predominantly in South America is the largest living rodent in the world, weighing in at 77 - 150 pounds?  I've traveled to South America but never ran into one of these guys! I've also learned that they can look CUTE - on cards! 

Here's my take on blue and brown for a simple gender neutral birthday card. I did some masking, coloring with Copics and fussy cutting this critter for the tag. For the card base,  I used a stencil to add a few polka dots with Distress Oxide Inks.

Blue and brown work well together, and I'm sure the rest of the team will amaze you with their creative samples. Check them out and join us at Color Hues!

I appreciate your visit today, thanks!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Waffle Flower - Summer Time; The Greetery - Cake Pop Sentiments and dies

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Marina Mist

INK: Gina K - Amalgam; DOX - Tea Dye, Walnut Stain

Accessories: stencil - PTI 

Watercolor Birthday

 Hello, crafty friends! It's me on a Monday, just popping in with a card for a couple challenges and some watercolor fun! I am glad to see you.

The weekly challenge at Waffle Flower is one you shouldn't miss! This week's theme is embossed resist watercolor. 

You know I love to watercolor so I pulled out Bouquet Builder #6 and dies and painted with my Mungyo 46 pan set. Embossing the image in Rose Gold (Altenew) adds a soft glow. Embossing first helps those hesitant to watercolor because the embossing holds the water in place. 

I had a foiled strip already made using a polka dot stencil so I added that for a focal point and to carry over the gold as an accent. That lets me add this to the challenge at The Paper Players to use polka dots on a CAS card. 

I am so glad you came by to visit today! Getting to stamp just for fun makes it a happy day for me! Take care. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Puppy Power for Color Hues

 How are you doing today? 

Things are going well here, you are just in time for another great combo challenge for Color Hues #14.

Hannelie has chosen a bold color combo of BLACK and WHITE for us. 

Now you know how hard it was for me to come up with a card with ONLY black and white, don't you? I was dying to add a pop of color. Getting the idea to make a get well card with these adorable puppies got me started. Here is the result! 

This slimline has already been sent off to a family member who just had knee replacement surgery. I stamped the pups in black and added accents to the eyes and noses with a black gel pen. On the inside is the sentiment wishing a speedy recovery.

I love how challenges help me to think outside of the box! The sentiments come from a couple of different sets, I will list them below. You can never have too many cute dog sets, right? After the ink had dried on the dogs, I embossed the sentiments in black on top.

I can't wait to see how you and the team interpret this challenge! We love seeing the gallery fill with your gorgeous creations. You inspire us!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Puppy Power - Waffle Flower, Honeybee Stamps- Friends Furever, MFT Stamps - You Have My Heart

Paper: Neenah Solar White

INK: Gina K Amalgam, Versafine Black

Accessories: Clear EP, twine

Playing with Paper

 More just for fun stamping and today I'm playing with Paper! Hi, hope you feel like doing some creating today!

I love challenging myself to do something that's not normally in my zone. Using the sweet Special Delivery Papers Pad and combining three patterns was my task. 

I LOVE the papers from Waffle Flower! Although they have some cute new ones I must-use-what-I have, HA!

I paired the super cute fox and cat from Be Her for the focal point actually stamping the images directly on the pale blue DSP.  The clouds fade into the background of their faces. I added some shading and details with markers. I think maybe my grands when they receive this will see a resemblance to their Mimi and Papa. You think? 

My sketch is inspired by the terrific team at The Paper Players. I appreciate you coming by today! I know so many of you are having snow and awful weather. Stay warm and well! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Traditional Christmas with a Twist

 We made it to Friday, yaay! Although with COVID many of the days seem the same, I still find myself wanting to do something special for Friday.  I made Grain Free Waffles with buttered apples, bacon and whipped cream for breakfast. What have you been up to? 

And I have a Christmas card to share! Using traditional colors and a great sketch,  here's what I came up with. 

I love these flowers from the Potted Lily set (Waffle Flower designs) and I'm using them for the first time. For a twist I colored them like poinsettias using Distress Oxide inks to watercolor, and colored pencils for extra detail. I added a few Nuvo drops in the centers.

After fussy cutting I arranged the blooms on a banner, embossed with the  Dotted Swirls Debossing Die (Altenew.)  Fortunately I found the Snowday paper pack (Lawn Fawn) to be a perfect match for my coloring.  I like these patterns so much I've bought them twice! The sentiment  (from MFT) is embossed on a black die cut strip and layered over the flowers.  

I am delighted to add this to the terrific challenge at NBUS. Increasing my Christmas stash one card at a time. Thanks so much for coming by today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!