Pine Cone Greetings

| Gayle Chrvala

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #15

After seeing the inspiration mood board for the Challenge #15 with the Peace On Earth Christmas blog, I focused on the arrangement of pinecones and greens. I remembered and watched the YouTube video again from Amy R (Prairer Paper & Ink) using the SimonSaysStamp pinecone background stamp. Amy R made multiple cards but I only made two using this design. After stamping the background stamp and heat embossing using Taylored Expressions Copper embossing powder, I inked up Distress Ink in Iced Spruce to soften the white space in the panel.

The sentiment is Taylored Expressions Joyful Season sentiment with die layered on a piece of vellum. I thought it needed a little more so after stamping and die cuttting a pinecone and branches in Tim Holtz iced spruce and walnut stain Distress Ink to finish off my card. Not sure if I like the added pinecone…it may need to go the other direction but I didn’t want to take the chance of repositioning so it’s a keeper for me today.

Congratulations to our Johanna and her awesome card in her role as Guest Designer for this challenge.

Thanks for stopping in for a peek today. I appreciate you and your time. Happy Mother’s Day to all. Take care and be safe.

Pastel Embossing

| Lisa K

I decided to emboss flowers today.

https://cyhtp.blogspot.com/2022/04/anything-goes-embossing-with-twist-of_0267032586.html http://justusgirlschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/05/just-us-girls-challenge-631-word-week.html

I chose the Country Floral embossing folder by Stampin Up to emboss and color. It is a 3D folder so it has a lot of dimension. I embossed on Ranger Watercolor Paper, then proceeded to add color. I used Gina K Designs ink with a blender brush. I did come back and add a bit more color with pencils taking the pigment directly from the pencil with water. I chose a sentiment from Stippled Flowers from Gina K Designs. I added a bit of ribbon and a few gems.

I found my inspiration for the colors by searching the folder on Google. I found a SU demonstrator who shared exactly which colors she used and the card recipe. Her name is Cindy. Thank you Cindy for the inspiration and helpful blog post.

golden webs

| Gerry Morse

https://twooldbatshalloweenchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-anything-halloween.html

For this card I got my inspiration from the lower right section of the inspiration photo. For the gold webs I found a piece of gold vellum in my stash. Not knowing if embossing vellum would work, I thought why not give it a try. Looking at the embossed vellum it seemed a little too bright so I used a cotton ball and black stamp pad to soften it. Large spiders are an old Sizzix sisslet die, small spiders are from a Quick Cuts die. Looking at the cut spiders I had the brilliant idea to cover them with silver Wink of Stella then used stickles for creepy eyes on the large ones. All spiders are popped up with Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay healthy and safe.

Gerry

Dinner Party!

| Gayle Chrvala

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge – May

My most anticipated monthly challenge is live! It’s May Anything Halloween with the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge blog. This month’s inspiration mood board seemed to focus on black and gold with a hint of orange. I was drawn to the dinner table place settings and decided that no respectable Halloween party can take place without a spooky chandelier!!

My card used a gold heat embossed chandelier from maybe Outlines/Hampton Arts. I did not have the original packaging any more on this older red rubber stamp. I stamped the image in verafine black onyx ink and then heat embossed using gold embossing powder. To me, I get a much better and less splotchy emboss than using veramark. And it was interesting that the black ink worked well with colored embossing powder. I popped up my panel with some fun foam and then decided to frame it with Hero Arts Wood Frame Infinity dies cut from black and gold patterened paper from my stash. The side of the frame cuts out slightly so I mounted it on an orange card base so a little orange peeks through the frame. And since crows were invited to the dinner party on the mood board I found Mr. Crow from a Recollections stamp set, gold heat emboss the guest of honor and fussy cut him out to oversee the activities.

Another fun challenge and inspiration mood board from the Two Old Bats.

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

Double Pink Trouble

| Gayle Chrvala

Colorful Options – May 2022

Double Trouble Challenge #109

Double Dare with Colorful Options this month!! Pink is the color of the month of a rainbow option but they are joining The Double Trouble Challenge #109 with their theme of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Thing One is requiring rainbow colors and Thing Two is requiring a fantasy element. Whew!!! Three in one and only one thinking cap!!!

Using my SimonSaysStamp Cosmo Flowers stencil, I ink blended Distress Oxide inks in Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry. Step one completed lots of pink. SSS also has Cosmo Flower Petals dies which I cut out in ROYGBIV and pink colors with an ivory center which is Thing One’s requirement. Next a fantasy element which is my little fairy silhouette die for Thing Two. Double Dare challenge met!!

This was fun and took more than a little thought….LOL!

This is my first time playing with Double Trouble Challenges.

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

Mermaid Dragonfly

| Gayle Chrvala

Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenges #5

The Paper Dragonfly Createve Challenge this month is Mermaids + the dragonfly twist. I created my water scene by first using Hero Arts Rays of Color stencil and a light blue ink. I wanted more of an undersea background so I die cut Hero Arts Beach Frame Fancy die from cardstock and blended this over the Rays of Color in a navy ink. The top portion which I surprisingly remembered to mask off at the start of my card became my sky by making my clouds with an Inky Antics cloud stencil and left over ink on a blending brush. The little mermaid is Sizzix’s Catch a Wave stamp and die set and dragonflies are Gina K Designs’ Take Flight stamp set.

It’s always fun to play with Paper Dragonfly challenges.

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

Talking Birds

| Lisa K

https://daranddiane.blogspot.com/2022/05/birdsbird-nestsbird-cagesbirdhouses.html

I used a Paper Pumpkin kit for the patterned paper and flowers. I placed a stencil over the pp and added the vines. The stencil is from A Colorful Life. The bird dies and branch are from a Memento set. I used Peacock ink and cardstock which matches the color on the pp. The light green is Mint Macoron and the peach is from Hobby Lobby. It is a close match to the flowers. The greeting and “meep” are from a Paper Smooches set.

As I created this card, I listened to the birds singing outside. I love birds and this was a fun challenge.

Bee-Long Together

| Gayle Chrvala

The Paper Players Theme Challenge PP589

After 46 years of marriage and a total of 52 years together, I do bee-lieve that we still do Bee-Long Together. My anniversary card for my husband will also be entered into The Paper Players Theme challenge of Birds and/or Bees. My angled gatefold card and some bee patterned paper from my stash as well as the SimonSaysStamp’s multi-use Bee Yourself stamp set completes my card. Inside the card the two bees are holding hands floating above a honecomb on a beautiful sky.

Fun challenge from hosted by Jaydee.

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

Rudolph and trees

| Gerry Morse

Today’s card will be entered in https://peaceonearthchristmas.blogspot.com/2022/05/peace-on-earth-challenge-15.html.

Background paper was found online, stamps and dies are from Stampin’ Up’s Santa’s Sleigh set. I used red Stickles on Rudolph’s nose and he’s popped up. Stamping is kind of hard for me because I don’t have much strength in my hands, but the Stamparatus makes it much easier. This was a very quick and easy card to make.

Thanks for stopping by. Comments are greatly appreciated. Have a great day and stay healthy & safe.

Gerry