A new to me challenge blog that I came across from Buddy Bonnie’s entries so I decided to give it a whirl. What a great idea to be inspired and challenged to use all of those embossing folders that are in my stash. This challenge is an Anything Goes Embossing with a Twist of Pink. I wanted to make my embossed panel the star of the card so I used a SimonSaysStamp 3D Kaleidoscope embossing folder that is very detailed. I die cut a piece of heavy weight pink cardstock then lightly sprayed it with water and ran it through my Big Shot. The detail is pretty awesome. I did CASE a card I saw on the Facebook group Share Handmade Kindness but unfortunately I didn’t notate the maker to give credit. From there I constructed and deconstructed what to do next multiple times adding a black layer then removing it, trying to get a clean heat embossed sentiment and on and on. So I settled with a simple Script Hello die from SSS, stamped “there” from Hero Arts Stamp & Cut Floral set and a Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens leaf that was previously cut out but not used. Without that black layer, the card seemed to have been missing something so I lightly stenciled pink on a Fun Stampers Journey Splash Zone stencil. Hard to see but it adds a little background detail….well, at least to me.

Thanks Darlene and Diane for another fun challenge blog.

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

A little bit of whimsy with my card today as I share it in the Double D Challenges Shades of Pink challenge. Such a fun mood board had me thinking in many different directions however I received inspiration from the upper left photo with all of the beads in shades of pink. To my eye I immediately thought of bubbles. It doesn’t matter how old the grand kids are they still like to play with bubbles….me too!

I started with SimonSaysStamp’s In The Round stencil inking it in Gina K Designs Bubblegum Pink and Dusty Rose as well as SSS Cotton Candy and Hero Arts Bubble Gum ink. Then I moved onto SSS’s Friendship Text Background stamp and using versamark ink and clear embossing powder, stamped and heat set this background on my bubbles and then lightly ink blending the same colors over the entire background. Stamped and fussy cut the images from The Cats Pajamas Bubbles Happen stamp set. The panels were die cut using Art Impressions A2 Double Stitched Rectangle dies and mounted on a white card base.

I wouldn’t mind having that delicious pink cupcake to eat. LOL
Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate your time. Take care and be safe.

I’m playing in a new to me challenge today with Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenges. The challenge is Anything Flies using only Pink and Black. Anything Flies is their definition of Anything Goes and you can add the optional dragonfly to the the challenge too. I normally make cards for one of by BFF’s that include a dragonfly so this will be a new card for her.

Using Inky Antics’ cloud stencil, I created by background with DO Kitsch Flamingo ink, then added some DO Black Soot but it looked more gray than black so I added a black frame to my panel. Stamped one GKD’s Dreams Take Flight dragonfly stamp in black and clear heat embossed then stamped a second in DO Picked Raspberry while adding some stars from My Monthly Hero Arts Kit from August 2017. Sentiment was from GKD’s Stippled Flowers stamp set. A little clear sparkle to star clusters finishes off my card.

If you love dragonflies, this may be a fun challenge for you, too.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. Take care and be safe.

The final winter challenge at Four Seasons challenge has quite a snowy and red hearts mood board to use for inspiration in their February challenge. Since it snowed yesterday and today is Valentine’s Day, I took my inspiration from the top right panel, creating a dry embossed panel and doing direct to paper ink with GKD’s Moonlit Fog ink and die cutting multiple times ScrapMan’s Frame Love die. The final die cut was made in white glitter paper and inset with red glitter paper hearts. Sentiment is GKD’s You Are Enough mini which was free with purchase.

Fun mood board and challenge. Thanks for stopping in for a peek. Happy Valentine’s Day friends! Take care and be safe.

Santa is officially off-duty but that doesn’t stop him from keeping a check on his Naughty/Nice List. Off Duty Santa has officially turned in his red uniform for pink after being inspired by Anything Christmas Challenge #9 Mood Board.

Using SimonSaysStamp’s A2 Rectangle Masks, I created my background in Gina K Designs Dusty Rose and Soft Stone. Santa is SSS’s Christmas Cheer stamp set and sentiment is GKD’s Wishing Your Joy stamp set. I die cut a few pink snowflakes (SSS Sensational Snowflakes die) and Art Impressions Double Stitched die for the image panel. I did have to fussy cut Santa because I created my background before stamping and masking the image….LOL….what’s one more step!!

Another fun challenge and inspiring mood board from the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge blog.

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

Will “pink” replace orange and black as the new Halloween colors? Probably not but at least for the February Anything Challenge mood board, it sure seemed that would happen. This was a fun option for Halloween. My card for this challenge uses Gina K Designs Haunted Harvest stamp set and Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens. Lots of pink in various shades but it looks cute to my eyes.

My first attempt was way more detailed (next card). The frame border is Hero Arts Leaves & Vines die, Stamps from Inkadinkadoo Cats & Bats, SimonSaysStamp Happy Haunting, Spook up Some Fun, Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle and Ink Antics Cloud stencil. My first thought was I wanted to try Buddy Bonnie’s cloisonne technique. I pulled out a Halloween Haven catalog that Bonnie had sent to me and stamped my pumpkin in versamark over a pinkish page of the catalog, heat embossed in bronze embossing powder and fussy cut it. Stamped the image again and heat embossed in bronze, then stenciled pink clouds. At this point I wasn’t sure which direction to go and decided to cut down the image and surround it with the leaf frame. Stamped a few bats and added the sentiment. It’s ok! LOL….Better than horrible.

Love to play Halloween year round with the Two Old Bats and their fun mood boards.

Thanks for stopping in today. It was a beautiful day in Pennsylvania. A taste of spring…take that Punxsutawney Phil! LOL!! Take care and be safe.

My attempt at the Just Add….Minimalist challenge with the Just Add Ink blog. This was the explanation of minimalist principles: Minimalist art is an extreme type of abstract art that usually is depicted through simplistic shapes and hard edges, all while exposing the essence of the forms and materials used. One of the most common is repetition, or creating multiple images of the same shape, especially simple geometric forms like lines or squares. Artists repeat shapes and compose projects composed of vertical colour blocks. Simple, paired down to the fewest possible lines or forms”

Not sure if I completely met the minimalist challenge or not but my image is repetitive, simple and angular edges. My background was my attempt at Gina K Designs’ Stamp & Chat background using GKD reinkers and rubbing alcohol on glossy photo paper, then stamping with clear stamps which SHOULD pick up the ink….NOT! So since that was a fail, what did I have to lose but ink in VersaFine ink and clear ink emboss. I was happy to save the background even though the technique did not work. My stamps are an older Inkadinkadoo Hearts stamp set and sentiment from a cute Recollections Valentine set that I picked up at Michael’s a few years ago. The focal panel was die cut using Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles die. This was an interesting, different challenge that was fun to play along.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. Take care and Be Safe!

Totally appropriate color choice for the February Colorful Options challenge: RED!

For my card, I used the Taylored Expressions Stitched With Love cutting plate for my background, SimonSaysStamp’s Halftone Square background stamp stamped in GKD’s Cherry Red ink and die cut using Spellbinder’s Classic Hearts die cut. The second heart was cut from some Michael’s Recollections brand shimmer cardstock so I have I few different shades of red. To ground my hearts, I added a short embossed panel. The heart stems were picked up on Amazon.

Fun challenge and I like just the one color and of course there is always the rainbow option too for this group.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. Our groundhog winter weather predictor, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow on February 2nd and that means 6 more weeks of winter. Take care, stay warm and be safe.

Hard to believe that Valentine’s Day is only one week away and I actually have all of my cards and treats completed. For my project today, I made a treat box that hold 4 Hershey Kisses. Using Spellbinder’s Labels 8 die set, I cut the base using the largest die, then the second largest to cut some patterned paper and scored the base die at 2″ and 3-1/4″. Thanks to Amanda over at Newtons Nook Designs for figuring out the math. I searched their site for the link but couldn’t locate it.

My hearts are from SSS’s recent release which included Doodlebug Design, Inc. Odds&Ends ephemera. Really cute images and I was happy SSS sold them separately. They made adorable kids cards. I made 10 treats for friends and kids.

Fun challenge and timely theme with the Double D Challenges blog.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. Have a great day, stay warm and be safe.