The Make the Cards Challenge is a technique challenge to use a black cardstock background. On my black cardstock I stamped with versamark ink the border wildflower background stamp from Hero Arts/PinkFresh Studios collaboration set “You Make a Difference”. After heat embossing the gold embossing powder, I used a white colored pencil to color in certain areas of my flowers and then used different colors of colored pencils to complete the background. After adding the sentiment from the same stamp set, I cut some frames from Taylored Expressions A2 Thin Frame Cutting Plate in gold cardstock. The sentiment frame was popped up by adding two frames under the gold.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, be safe and stay cool. Temperatures are heading higher again tomorrow in Pennsylvania.

Double D Challenges

Blue, Purple and Green is the challenge with Double D Challenges and Along the Edge + In the Sea is the clean and simple challenge with AAA Cards Game #220 so I attempted to catch two fish (mermaids) with one card!!

After masking off the top portion of my single layer card, I ink blended Ocean Mist GKD ink and then pulled out a new to me Brutus Monroe Whirlpool stencil and blended with navy ink (BLUE) and along the edge. After stamping the Mermaid’s Tail stamp from Essentials by Ellen I colored the scales in with a variety of Purple and Green markers which may be a little difficult to see the color variations. Stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set in GKD Wild Lilac ink to complete this card. Fun challenges and awesome mood boards.

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

Anything goes embossing with a twist of the beach is the challenge with the Can You Handle the Pressure group. First thing I need for the beach is my chair and an umbrella and of course a pair of flip flops. My required embossed image was made using a Cuttlebug ProvoCraft embossing folder…sorry no name on this one. I lightly sponged some kraft ink on the raised embossed area and mounted it on navy cardstock. The flip flops on my sandy panel and the fussy cut beach chair and umbrella are from Gina K Designs Hello Sunshine stamp set.

Fun challenge as always with this group.

A great weekend which began with a visit to our 4 year old granddaughter and then led to some extra card making from our granddaughter and grandson. Chase made a card for his sister Brooke’s birthday (forgot to take a photo) and our Brooke made these two fun cards.

Love these Grouchy Pets from C C Designs and apparently so does Brooke. The poodle is cotton candy colored and the slim line card is for when Brooke feels extra sassy. She did a great job. She’s double digits today….omg growing up too quickly. It was a great weekend for us .

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

The new Anything Christmas challenge with the Peace on Earth group has another intriguing mood board for inspiration and I was drawn to the buffalo plaid. Using my The Crafters Workshop Buffalo Plaid stencil, I blended black soot Distress ink on red cardstock, adding a black panel and Taylored Expressions A2 thin frame cutting plate for my red border. White heat embossed the sentiment which is from Gina K Designs’ Holiday Tags set, SimonSaysStamp’s Sensational Snowflake die and reindeer die from my stash were cut in white shimmer cardstock from my Michael’s. This looks like a good masculine card but I really kind of like it.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, be safe and STAY COOL! Yikes, it’s out in Pennsylvania!!

Butterflies, Bees and Dragonflies is the challenge theme with The Sisterhood of Crafters and you may use one, two or all three. What are the chances that I would have an old Inkadinkadoo red rubber mounted stamp in my stash that really has Butterflies, Bees and Dragonflies! I opted to stamp them on Gina K Designs Watercolor Floral patterned paper pad then use the spotlight technique to highlight one dragonfly. The dragonfly was stamped and colored with KaiserCraft gel pens and a Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. Waffle Flowers A2 lacy layers dies were used to die cut my panels and SU circle punches.

I added a sentiment from Gina K Designs’ So Many Sentiments included in the Watercolor Spring kit and then wasn’t sure if I wanted or needed a sentiment. Here is the card without the sentiment.

What’s do you all think? I didn’t adhere the sentiment yet as I am curious what you suggest.

Thanks so much for taking a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, be safe and STAY COOL!

A clean and simple challenge anything goes + Christmas Pets in July challenge is the task with the AAA Cards Challenge blog. I have a lot of snowmen, reindeer, fox and bear stamps but it took awile to find a pet stamp. I finally found this mounted red rubber stamp probably from one of the big box stores in my neighborhood. The stamp is makred as Rubber Soul and “Cat with Stockings and Cap” and then a sentiment for my cat with stockings and cap??? Well the only thing I could think of was this Ho Ho Ho from Katie & Co which I’m quite sure came out of AC Moore’s dollar bin.

After stamping and coloring kitty cat, giving him green socks and a red cap on that tail, I had a circle stencil that I used to lightly blend some green ink around him. I did have this polka dot paper on my desk that I had a circle die cut from it and decided to put it to use as a layer for my focal image. Still clean and simple and a pet and Christmas in July, challenge accepted.

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

The July Monthly Mix Challenge with Gina K Designs is hosted by Michelle Woerner and she has challenged us to create a black & white card with a POP of color. I remember Michelle and her beautiful cards back in the good old StampTV days so i decided to play along.

Using Gina’s masking magic, I die cut a circle with the single stitch large circle die set and positioned it on my white layering weight GKD cardstock. I blended some Distress black onxy ink on my background and carefully lifted my circle mask and then used the masking magic panel to ink the moon with Gina’s Cherry Red and Sweet Mango. The stamp set from Gina’s Friendly Silhouette stamp set was stamped in Gina’s white pigment ink and then heat embossed with fine detail ink. The sentiment is from the same stamp set and was die cut with the Sentiment die set that was included in the Joyful Holiday kit. I added a little white pigment splatter to hide some of the embossing flecks.

I didn’t see the Buck Super Moon in person but the photos looked fabulous so I was inspired by them to create this black & white card with a POP of color. Next supermoon is in August and maybe I’ll set the alarm to view that one.

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

Anything goes with an embossing folder and a twist of summer. I immediately thought of the twist first and strawberries, then I started thinking that our strawberry season is over and strawberries may not be officially a summer time treat????? But I’m planning a get together and we are having strawberry rose wine ice cream floats to cool off in the hot weather! So strawberries and summer still do go together!

My embossing folder is Cricut Cuttlebug Tiffany frame embossing folder which was layered on black and then again on shimmery red cardstock and to the card base. My strawberries are Gina K Designs You’re the Sweetest stamp set. I was really happy that my strawberry “caps” actually made it in the right position. No Misti for this card today….I was living dangerously.

I believe this card will go to our granddaughter who will be 10 in a few weeks. Another summer occasion!

It’s been a crazy day with computers not cooperating and the router going out and I immediately was thankful that I wasn’t dealing with these issues in my old office and very thankful to be able to enjoy my retirement for the last few years. Funny how those little issues take you back.

Thanks so much for stopping in for a peek and reading about my upside down day. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, stay cool and be safe.

It’s a Anything Goes for the Summer season month of July with a mood board of red, white and blue. To try to include all of the elements in this challenge, I decided to use Hero Arts’ Sun background stencil and Taylored Expressions Shades of Summer clear stamp die sets. My shades include a patriotic pair, a tropical pair and polka dots sun glasses. I just realized that the old 60’s song “She wore an itsy bitsy, tweeny weeny……YELLOW…. polka dot bikini”. OOPS!! Yellow polka dots would not have fit my red, white and blue summer challenge. LOL!

Pretty mood board for inspiration. Thanks for a fun challenge and stopping in for a peek. I appreciate you and your time. Take care, stay cool and be safe.