Colorful Options – January 2023

Basic black is the color challenge this month with Colorful Option with neutrals permissible. Although you always have a choice to use rainbow, I opted for the basic black and decided to make 4 cards using Taylored Expressings Creat in Quads Hexagon layering stencils. For my first card, I used several inks ranging from light grey to black and then blended some Tim Holtz black soot around the edges and lightly in the middle. In an effort to highlight the hexagon images, I used my Sakura clear gel pen to add some shine. After disecting the SimonSaysStamp die I mounted the happy and added a sentiment strip and a few sequins.

The second image of the Create in Quads background includes the rest of the disected die sentiment from the first card, sentiment word strip, Taylored Expressions Frame in Frame 3 Cuting plate.

Next up is the third background, SSS painted hugs die cut on fun foam mounted on a vellum circle, Gina K Designs sunshine stencil with ink left on my brush, Spellbinders Hemstitch frame and a few black stars sequins.

And finally, the last hexagon background was the base for my Picket Fence Studio Lavender Frame coverplate die. I can see myself using this die over and over. The create in quads stencils are fun to use and you receive 4 different backgrounds.

Sorry for the long post today but I when you make one basic black card I might as well make four. Above is the Colorful Options mood board for this month’s challenge.

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

I was inspired by Lisa’s Penguins Welcoming 2023 card that she posted a few days ago using Gerda Steiner Designs digi freebie and this is the card that I came up with. After coloring in the numbers and the penguins I decided to coloring in the rest of the panel using my makers. It was fun to do but lots of coloring. I added a simple die cut with shadow on vellum hello and some layering to complete my card to kick off a brand new year!

Here’s to making new memories in 2023!

Once I started coloring I decided on different color backgrounds and then needed one more card so I enlarged the image slightly and it was much easier to color. Lol.

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

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #30

Can You Handle The Pressure Anything Goes with the Twist of SNOW

I decided to play along with two challenges today with my gold snowflake card. After cutting down two sections of card stock, I embossed them with my Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder. I like this type of card design by am challenged to get the dimenstions just right so after many trims of the cardstock it’s better than horrible. The patterned paper is from a Michael’s Recollections gold/black & white pad from my stash. Using Spellbinder’s word die for JOY and I believe Cherry Lynn snowflake die which was cut in gold metallic paper and layered on a white die cut. My card was complete.

Temps are going up finally and more rain is on it’s way but for me it’s better than snow.

I was inspired from the Peace On Earth mood board to use gold and white. I did add a little blue snow stencil on the card base.

Can You Handle the Pressure requires an embossing folder and the twist of snow. I always try to play along with the twist.

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

Double D Challenges: Candy Cane (red & white)

A red and white candy cane challenge has been posted on the Double D Challenge blog and I just finished my money cards for the Big Kids for Christmas and there was a candy cane design. I was inspired by our Stamp Buddy Gerry and her gift card holders from earlier in the month. The candy cane patterned paper is from my stash, the candy cane is ephemera from Michael’s and the stamped sections is Catherine Pooler’s Stamp of Approval Candy Cane Lane stamp set.

Like Gerry, I added some good old cash instead of a gift card inside. They came together easily word to the wise, I stamped a sentiment on the inside flap using some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink and it faintly came through the front of my white flap. Thankfully I had “sweet” stamps to cover up that OOPS!

And for good measure, here is another red & white card using more Michael’s ephemera and some foiled pieces left over from a previous card project.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, stay safe and Merry Christmas to all!

The Sisterhood of Crafters

Traditional Christmas colors is the challenge with The Sisterhood of Crafters blog. For my card, I chose some red plaid patterned paper and Tim Holtz Large Funky Festive dies and Spellbinder’s Joy die made my traditional Christmas colors card come together pretty quickly.

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

Can You Handle the Pressure

The challenge for the the Can You Handle The Pressure blog is Anything Goes Embossing with a Twist of Christmas. An embossing folder is required for this challenge. My card design was inspired by Stamp Buddy Johanna’s double embossed card for this same challenge. Triple time stamping is one of my favorite techniques so I was curious if it would work using an embossing folder. Using a Cuttlebug rows of ornaments embossing folder I cut the layers for my triple time, positioned them in the embossing folder and ran it through my Big Shot. The focal images matted with colored cardstock and added to my card base. Dasher is a Catherine Pooler stamp set was a freebie from Scrapbook.com. I was glad to find out that the triple time embossing worked but maybe a different folder would show more of the design.

It’s always fun to participate in this challenge. Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care and stay safe.

Four Seasons Challenge – December Anything Goes Winter Challenge

Today’s card is a deconstructed and reworked Day 2 Online Holiday Card Workshop card class card. Our homework was to create a plaid background using masks. This original card sat on my desk since November 1st. Staring at me!!! My first step was to take the three die cut trees focal point, then came the gold die cut circle which was replaced with an ink blended circle which I was hoping would look like a winter sky. Using and cutting apart a Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tall Pines die I made my wintery tree forest. I’m still not sure about the snowy white section under the trees but I think it’s better than what I started with.

Here’s my original card:

Today’s “original” revamped and saved from the trash card will be entered in the December Anything Goes Winter Challenge with the Four Seasons Challenge blog.

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

Double D Challenges: Christmas Stockings Challenge

Today’s card features a Sizzix Thinlits Sophie Guilar Christmas Stocking die set. After assembling all of the die cut pieces, I added some gold cording, layered it on an embossed circle panel of white shimmer cardstock. The designer paper is from my stash but I believe it was included in a SimonSaysStamp kit. Versamark stamped and gold heat embossed snowflakes from SSS Snowflake Season completes my card which will be entered into the Double D Challenges – Christmas Stocking Challenge.

I am on the hunt for a stocking for our grandson celebrating his first Christmas but haven’t quite found the perfect one for him yet. The mood board has inspired me to look in different directions other than just the red with furry cuff.

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

Crazy is our fame–Stencils are our game

December Stencil Fun challenge is to create a Holiday card using stencils. For my card today, I’ve been enjoying using the Gina K Designs layering Perfect poinsettia stencil which was inked using Light, Medium and Dark Spruce from GKD. Preprinted strip sentiment and Glitter Glitz in gold and a spray of perfect pearls for some extra sparkle completed my card.

Great challenge to use my stencils each month. Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. take care and stay safe.