This week’s ModSquad Challenge is to use neon or bright colors. I opted to go with bright colors as I do not have any neon stamp pads so using the stamps and dies from Gina K Designs’ Bold & Blooming stamp set I created my bright pink or maybe I should say shocking pink flowers. The cardstock is GKD and I believe it was from one of those variety packs maybe carnival??? and the patterned paper is The Paper Studio’s Uptown Flair glitter paper pack. I stamped the flowers in versamark and heat embossed three of them in GKD clear embossing powder and two in GKD fine detail white embossing powder then die cut. My frame was cut using Waffle Flowers A2 dies.

Tags and Shaker cards are always such a challenge for me but today I’m taking on the Tag challenge for Dies R Us. I felt in the need of a frosty brew so pulled out my Cheapo dies “beer mug” die and Spellbinders Labels 16 dies to create this tag. I added a pop dots behind the middle of my mugs for some dimension and cut the foamy top from glitter paper, added some Kiss Me, I’m Irish ribbon and a sentiment from my stash as well as a few other shamrocks and yes, I do have a tag!!

Thanks for looking and have a great day! 9 days, 11 hours and counting to spring!

My card today will be entered into two challenges: The Color Challenge hosted by Laurie at The Paper Players using SU’s Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana and Calypso Coral. I inked my background lightly in the following GKD colors Coral Reef, Ocean Mist and Tranquil Teal then placed the GKD art stencil over the background and inked the same colors adding a darker shade. I die cut SSS Dahlia Stem from the background, layered it several times and popped the silhouette back into the die cut space. Sentiment is from GKD’s Stippled Flowers. The challenge for Just Us Girls is “Heal” for Sue’s Word Week Challenge.

The color challenge at the As You Can See It Design Team member LeAnne is a color challenge to incorporate Poppy Parade Grapefruit Grove, Mango Melody and Whisper White. Gorgeous SU colors so thanks to our Buddy Lisa I was able to find substitutes for these colors with the inks I have on hand. I used Memento Rhubarb Stalk and two colors from Kaleidacolor inks. My cardstock besides the white is GKD’s Lipstick Red which I believe is close to the Poppy Parade. After sponging a background I die cut a frame using Waffle Flowers A2 dies and die cut the SSS Carnation Frame die multiple times, inlaid the petals into the die and then cut the carnation once more in the lipstick red cardstock. It needed to “pop”.My sentiment is from SU’s Upsy Daisy stamp set.

Today’s card is for an overly stressed friend who is attempting to do everything for everyone in her life. I decided to pull out my SU stamp set “Giggle Greetings”. I cut apart the sentiments from the main image and my inside sentiment reads…’and sometimes it’s just the pits’. I think this will fit my friend as well as the challenge for The Sisterhood of Crafters Patterned Paper challenge. My cherry paper is from my stash and I believe it was GKD. I always enjoy triple time stamping technique so opted to triple my patterned paper which is layered on black and then offset a bit. The card base is “cherry red”, too! I do believe after enjoying a slice of cherry pie on Saturday that I must be stuck on cherries!!

Tomorrow is faschnaut day in Pennyslvania and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I’ve been to New Orleans but not during Mardi Gras but I have many memories of my grandmother making the faschnaut donuts. My job was to deliver them to neighbors and collect a little bit of money for her hard work. The challenge at Sunday Stamps is Bright Colors and the color seen below immediately reminded me of Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, gold. Using Distress Inks in wilted violet and pine needles which were sponged onto my white cardstock, then placed my stencil by Buddy Bonnie on top and inked with VersaMark then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The black soot distress ink was applied over the entire image and then buffed off.

Double D’s Challenge is to include the saying “HELLO” so I used the new Hello scripty die from Gina K Designs and cut out from the colored panel and then multiple times and layered and inserted back into the die opening. I added some bright yellow cardstock and stamped Concord & 9th Dahlia Turnabout Friend sentiment on the bright yellow cardstock. Added a few sequins and a purple gem stone in the “h” loop.

Thanks for looking and have a great day! Happy Faschnaut Day and have a doughnut before Lent begins.

Playing along with the As You See It Challenge #219 Sketch Challenge – Hive:

Normally I would follow the sketch to the “T” but am using a little artistic license or just going rogue today. My “hive” is created with the die cut letter HI but I believe the rest of the card fits the sketch. (Card #1 with a bee hive was a fail but I may send it one of the grandkids anyway. Back to business — The letter dies are Momenta, my bee and sentiment are from GKD’s Cute As A Bug stamp set, some markers and colored pencils, Nuvo Glitter Gloss and Ranger Glossy Accents for the wings, GKD patterned paper and cardstock and Cuttlebug Honeycomb embossing folder.

The Dies R Us Challenge is entitled Wild Things and to include animals in our card project. I picked up a Jordan Caderao Sizzix thinlits die which includes a giraffe, lion and elephant so I decided to make a little jungle scene. The jungle foilage is a MyHero Arts kit die as is the bird, the background was created using my clouds stencil by our Buddy Bonnie, and the lion and giraffe were from the Sizzix set. Thankfully the tiny little pieces for the nose, eyes, etc were labeled as to which animal it belongs.

Thanks for another fun challenge from Dies R Us.