A birthday card for a friend’s mom who’s turning 95 this month and playing along with the ModSquad Challenge hosted by Judy with a butterfly theme. The sponsor is Gina K Designs so I pulled out my Birthday Blessings stamp set since I wanted a die for my butterfly. I created a partial rainbow background using GKD inks and then stamped my butterflies from the stamp set. The green butterfly was stamped in versamark ink and sprinkled pinches of different color embossing powders to heat set. The top butterfly I stamped in black ink and sponged on the same inks as the background. It’s popped up on another rainbow butterfly that was stamped in clear embossing powder but it didn’t really work out like I hoped so it stayed hidden. Added a little bit of bling for it’s tail winds. This is a mini slimline card. 3-1/2″ x 6″ and the envelope was made using patterned paper and following Jenny Card Designs’ envelope directions.

Looking forward for warmer weather this week. We still have patches of snow in our yard. I would like to put the snow shovel away for the season but know it’s way to early to do that.

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The Two Old Bats Halloween Challenges have begun again in March with an Anything Halloween Goes challenge. They did provide a really fun mood board:

As I am normally drawn to anything witchy and love those legs I decided upon an older red rubber wood mounted Great Impressions stamp. My patterned paper is from my stash and made me think of bubbles. Colored in my cauldron with pencils and a combination of markers for the legs and shoes. I could not resist giving Ms. Witch some red sparkly shoes. My sketch is a Lisa Curcio sketch that I found a while ago and decided to give it a whirl. Sorry I did not save the link but the panels are 1″x4-1/4″ and 1″x3″ with center 1-7/8″ x 3-1/8″ The dimensions worked out well.

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When is a challenge a real challenge? When it requires a clean and simple card design and watercolor. The easiest part should have been the sketch but oh my what a challenge this has been. Following along with the sketch for AAA Cards

provided had me thinking what’s next??? I found a Gina K Designs Brancing Out stamp set (that I believe had a misspelling of the word Branching) that was illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger should have been my first clue that I had trouble ahead. I stamped the image with the branches in VersaFine Clair nocturne ink and heat embossed in clear embossing powder. I chose 4 Gina K Design colors and smooched them on my surface using a water brush started “painting”. The ink colors used were Dusty Rose, Faded Brick, Sweet Mango and Wild Dandelion my portion of the rainbow. Since this is a clean and simple card challenge as well as sketch with watercolor option, I did my best from adding any extra layers by die cutting the image with Waffle Flowers A2 Lacy Layers Die and the Hugs dies from Poppystamps Hugs Heart die.

This was a third attempt to create this card. The first one was put off and on so many card bases that it has extra extra layers for dimension. The second one I tried using text vellum paper and when I taped it to the card base it crinkled…in the trash so since it’s the beginning of spring training and baseball season I didn’t want to be three strikes and you are out so I will be using this card for the AAA Cards Game #184 Sketch challenge + watercolor option.

WOW! February 28th today! Let those March winds blow and bring us some spring weather.

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I received a card using The Stamps of Life Cookie Dog Fold It Die Set which totally enabled me to purchase this fold it die set. Since I received the dies, I have collected a litter of puppies and have had so much fun creating these cards. I previously created a rainbow of Distress Oxide inks that to me turned out beautifully and I was saving it for a special project. This rainbow cookie dog fold it was my….gulp….go for it special project and I cut up that blended rainbow to make this card. I remember my kids having pound puppies and fluffy puppy stuffed animals so I used those cute little things as more inspiration.

I’ll be joining the Just Us Girls Challenge: #572 Color Week – Rainbow Colors.

Just in case you are interested, here are the rest of the cookie dogs in Rainbow’s litter:

They are all up for adoption to good, loving homes. The front left pup has a wobbler head…LOL.

So much fun!!

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Playing along with The Paper Players Clean and Simple Challenge: PP529 with an extra theme Feline Fine (Use a cat, tiger or any feline on your project). I searched through my different cat stamps and this older Inkadinkadoo clear stamp set caught my eye. This cat has a typical pose sleeping away the day and only to run through the house at night. The sentiment is from the same stamp set. To add a little extra but still keeping it Clean and Simple, I used the Hero Arts/Pinkfresh Studios collaboration “You Make a Difference” stamp set that I picked up at my local Joann’s. Stamped part of this frame on my card in GKD honey mustard ink and lightly painted a little Distress Oxide ink onto the leaves and flowers.

I’m not even going to mention that 4 letter word that starts with “S” but yes adding more inches tomorrow.

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Today I received a card from a dear friend with a lovely poem reminding me of the joys of each month. So I’m putting the snow (5 more inches today) behind me and enjoying all that each month can bring. As I enjoy sending cards to my grandchildren and my friends’ grands, this was a good time to start a new supply of them.

My card today was created using the design that I found on the Simply Simple Stamping Blog. Using some Recollections cardstock in their 110 lb weight, Spellbinder’s oval and scallop nestabilities and a Sizzix framelits w/ stamps set, I created my card. Adding some glitter hearts punched with my Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches this will fit the requirements for the Double D Challenge.

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Playing along with The Paper Players Color Challenge PP528

and The Sisterhood of Crafters: Smile challenges. I incorporated both challenges into my card. For the color challenge at The Paper Players, I used some gifted GKD cardstock (thanks, Diana) in red and white die cutting the smile letters using Concord & 9th’s Double cut Alphabet dies, adding some gold embossed Hero Arts Smile stamp and cut set on black cardstock. The challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters was either using the word Smile and/or a Sun on your card.

Happy Fastnacht Day! Happy Mardi Gras!!

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When you make one slim line card, why not make another? This slim line St. Patrick’s Day card was created using North Coast Creations Kiss Me Rosco stamp, GKD’s Sunshine Stencil which was lightly sponged using a rainbow of inks, a piece of ribbon from my stash and some colored pencils to finish off Roscoe. The sentiment is unknown. And I’ll be entering this card into the Just Us Girls Challenge #571: Trend Week – Slim Line Card.

I think Roscoe will be sent to our 10 year old grandson!! LOL….not sure if he will ‘get’ the beer mug and pitcher but I’m sure his mom will.

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A slimline St. Patrick’s Day card for our granddaughter, Alexandra includes a rainbow created using Lawn Fawn’s rainbow die, a group of playful leprechauns from Tutti Designs die, MFT’s cloud die, cuttlebug embossing folder and the sentiment from Colorado Craft Company’s St. Patrick’s Day Lovely Legs stamps set. The playful leprechauns are carrying a pot of gold but since it is in a silhouette I decided to use a sticker for an additional pop of color. This card will be entered into the Anything Goes theme challenge and to use a metal die from a company sold in their store at Dies R Us Challenge: Challenge #163.

It wasn’t too difficult lining up the embossing folder to create a continuous pattern. I’m still not quite sold on these slim line cards. I just think of a money folder when I use this size and will more than likely add some $$ for the little one anyway.

The sun is shining! We didn’t get the icy weather that was forecast so we were lucky this time around.

Thanks for taking a peek.