Game #223 at the Clean and Simple AAA Cards challenge is: One Layer + Sympathy. Clean and simple is usually challenging for me and then a one layer card steps this challenge up a few levels. So for my card, I used SimonSaysStamp’s Arched Domed Mask Stencil, ink blending Seafoam, Surf and Ocean inks, then using a light gray ink inked and stamped Friendship text background over the stencil. Finally I stamped my image a swirly dragonfly red rubber stamp that I believe I picked up at a stamp show oh those many years ago from one of the companies at the show. The simple sentiment is Gina K Designs Garden Silhouette. Hopefully this fits the CAS portion of the challenge and is definitely a one layer card. I was inspired by our buddy Johanna’s card to use a dragonfly stamp.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

Another fun mood board to use as inspiration with Challenge #23 Anything Christmas and the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge blog. I searched and searched but could not come up with a Christmas mouse which was my first choice on the mood board so opted for the red and white snowflake pillow for my inspiration.

My card today uses a past STAMPtember collaboration set with SimonSaysStamp and Gina K Designs Snowflake Cascade. This took forever to line up the elements and I definitely can say that white embossing powder is not my friend but I finally completed this card. After stamping and white heat embossing the image, I sponged some Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink onto the edges of the GKD Red Velvet cardstock then die cut using Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles dies.

Thanks so much for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

Double D Challenges

Can You Handle The Pressure

It’s a Baa~Cluck~Moo~Neigh~Oink~Quack Challenge with the Double D Challenges blog and an embossing folder anything fall challenge with the Can You Handle The Pressure group. Perfect timing as the local farms are getting ready for pumpkin picking, hay rides, apple cider, and farm animals. My card, I think, has a little bit of all of these elements today.

My farm scene with “Moo” cow was made using Gina K Designs Funny Farm stamp set. I die cut come grass for “Moo” to nibble on using The Cat’s Pajamas grass die and the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch are also a Gina K Designs stamp set Haunts & Harvest. For the embossed element, I used a Darice Nature 3 embossing folder as I’m sure there is a pond on most farms with cattails growing.

Fun challenges and card for one of the grandkids to enjoy. Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

September begins the Fall Season with The Four Seasons Challenge blog. My card today will be entered into their September Anything Fall challenge. The inspiration mood board is filled with gorgeous, rich fall colors.

I decided to go with Taylored Expressions Four Seasons Stamp & Stencil combo set to create my fall background. Using SimonSaysStamp’s Gingham Plaid stamped in Gina K Designs Honey Mustard on Honey Mustard cardstock made a very subtle background for my leaf pattern that was layered using Waffle Flower’s A2 Lazy Layering Dies. This set is never far from my reach on my desk. I added a stamped and die cut Taylored Expressions On Occasion sentiment and mounted in on a half circle of vellum.

Gorgeous mood board for inspiration. I’m hopeful that the leaves on our trees will turn these gorgeous colors too.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

Fly! Too quickly! The challenge with Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenge is Time Flies with the dragonfly option. Of course, I generally focus on the option first then attempt to make my card. The background uses a Texture Fades Tim Holtz/Sizzix embossing folder Retro Circles using some purple ink to highlight the raised embossed portions of this panel. My time clock is an image from Gina K Designs stamp set “Time”. After stamping and clear heat embossing on vellum, I fussy cut the time piece and stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set and die cut it. I tucked in my dragonfly dies to complete this card.

Thanks so much for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

Just Add Ink #619 – Masculine

Beautiful Brown is the color for the September challenge with Colorful Options blog. This card will also fit the Just Add Ink #619 Masculine challenge. My card for this challenge includes SimonSaysStamps’ Wood Planks background stamp, word and circle dies, vellum, a strip of woodgrain that I made using my scoreboard and a rocky background that was found on line and of course brown ink and cardstock. The stamped You Rock is Gina K Designs’ DinoMite and the wishes was a misplaced stamp that was on my desk 🙂

Love the inspiration mood board and of course there is always the rainbow option but I kind of like the browns.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

The September Anything Halloween challenge with the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge and the mood board for inspiration was a stumper for me this month. I did a cat on last month’s challenge and I didn’t care to repeat the llamas so my focus turned to the bat favors. After spending some time surfing and looking for ideas on YouTube and Pinterest, I found a video from Creative Chelsey who made treat bags from A2 envelopes. A cute idea and it worked out pretty well. The bottom of the envelope was sponged using Hero Arts inks and some TH Black Soot, the bats are from a SimonSaysStamp mini stencil and my stamped image is Stampendous Fluffles Vamp, patterned paper and ribbon from my stash.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and be safe.

Thanks to Angie for recommending a new challenge: All things Caffeinated, Christmas and Challenge theme. The theme for challenge #9 is Candy or Cookie. Those two items I understand! I went searching for any coffee/tea stamps in my stash and remembered Melanie Muechinger’s stamp set she illustrated for Gina K Designs in 2010. My cookie feature is the gingerbread man from SimonSaysStamp Christmas Squad which I believe was a free item or a clearance item. After stamping the gingerbread man on the coffee mug and coloring them both, I die cut the images using circle dies. The sweet patterned paper is from my stash and the sentiment is from the same SSS Christmas Squad set.

It was a fun, different challenge to join in. Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, be safe and it’s ok if the west coast doesn’t share their extremely high, record breaking weather with me in Pennsylvania.

I haven’t played along with the challenges at Sunday Stamps in awhile but I liked the sketch challenge and am getting this card in just under the deadline.

Although the temperatures outside are still staying hot, I am definitely getting into Fall mode and starting my October birthday cards. My background was created using Taylored Expressions Four Seasons stamp and stencil set however I decided to just gold heat emboss the stamped image onto some kraft cardstock and not use the stencils for added color. In keeping with the sketch and not wanted to cover the background, I used a piece of vellum, some ribbon , circle dies with a TE On Occasion stamp and die sentiment which was topped with leaves from Gina K Designs Thankful Leaves stamp, foil and die set.

This was a great sketch to use and will probably duplicate it again.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, be safe and make it a great day!