Bold Birthday Rose

Hello again! 
Today I've combined the colors from TGIF Challenges and the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

The flower is BOLD, but here it is, ha! I really like the idea here, but I think I would choose a different shade for the flower. It's fine. Someone will get a birthday card anyway! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds, Elements of Text

Ink: Berry Burst, Memento Black, Crumb Cake

Paper: Crumb Cake, Lemon Lolly, Berry Burst
Accessories: Brass Butterflies, unmarked stitched ribbon, Blossoming Happiness dies, Dimensionals, big shot

All the happiness...

Happy Monday to you! Just gonna hop right in today. 

Today's card combines the latest Freshly Made Sketch with the beautiful colors from Inspired By... I was going to color in the flower, but I really liked it as it is, so that's how I left it! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Amazing You, Happiness Abounds

Ink: Pear Pizazz

Paper: Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizazz, Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Seaside Spray Metallic Ribbon, old Paper Pumpkin pearls

Spring Colors!

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a peaceful, happy Easter weekend. 
We went to California for college Spring Break, but today begins our elementary school Spring Break. At the time of writing this up, I only have a couple vague ideas to keep us busy and occupied... Guess we'll see how it ends up! ha! 

Today's card is just a bunch of bright, happy, spring colors! I combined the color challenge at SUO Challenges with the sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments and got this: 

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Ink: Pretty in Pink

Paper: Lemon Lolly & Basic White card stock, Unbounded Beauty DP

Accessories: White Baker's Twine, 2024-26 In Color Dots, Dimensionals 

Yellow Butterfly Birthday

Hello again! It's been almost another week since I got to play! 

Today I have a fun card combining the fantastic colors from SUO Challenges, and the sketch from CAS Colours & Sketches! 

Supplies:
Stamps: A Touch of Ink, Happiness Abounds

Ink: Crushed Curry, Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy & Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Denim Jean Ribbon, White & Crushed Curry Baker's Twine, sequins (from a Paper Pumpkin) Dimensionals, scotch tape 

I started this one by looking at what kinds of ribbon I had to make the stripes with, and I like the result! The spacing is a little wonky, but it's fiiine. haha! 

Purple Birthday!

Today's card is extra happy because I was already thinking about having these flowers hang over the circle text somehow and did you see the latest from Freshly Made Sketches? Perfect match!

 
I fussy cut out the flowers, and layered Gorgeous Grape flowers over the whole image in Soft Seafoam. I am loving the texture and layers. I'm not always good at the layers, but I am very happy with today's card! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Spotlight on Nature, Elements of Text, Happiness Abounds (retired)

Ink: Fresh Freesia, Gorgeous Grape, Soft Sea Foam

Paper: Fresh Freesia, Gorgeous Grape & Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Tinsel Gems 3Pack, Iridescent Striped Trim, Spotlight on Nature dies, Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder, Dimensionals, big shot

Butterfly Birthday

Happy Monday! Ready for a new week?
I told you I needed birthday cards right now, haha, because here's another one for the SUO Challenge! This time I used the great sketch from Inspire.Create.Challenges and dug into the WABAC for a whole lotta retired supplies. One ink and the card stock is all that's current. But I needed some soft blues and a pretty butterfly, and this worked great. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds, Strength & Hope (both retired)

Ink: Pool Party, Soft Suede (retired)
Paper: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Every Day Enchantment DP (retired)

Accessories: Paper Pumpkin Twine (retired)

Baby Card

Happy Saturday to you! 

Whooole lotta retired product for today's card, but hey! I got another one made, which I need fast! And today's card took about as long as all of yesterday's cards did, hee hee.

My cousin's wife is expecting twins- a boy and a girl. I got this very old set from a neighbor when she moved away. She wrote on the end of the box "Noah", and the copyright on the stamps say 1996. I was still in high school and hadn't heard of Stampin' Up! then, so that's what we'll call the set! I also used a bunch of retired shades of ink, so I found a bit of DP that "works" even tho it isn't the same shades. And all that to use the Global Design Project sketch, flipped. Because I couldn't hide the sheep with the congrats...! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds (retired 2022), Noah (retired 1996!)

Ink: Soft Suede (retired), Daffodil Delight (retired),Crushed Curry, Lost Lagoon, Baja Breeze (retired), Rococo Rose (retired), Moody Mauve

Paper: Basic White card stock, Band Stand Simply Scrappin' Kit (retired) 

Accessories: Dimensionals

We Create Blog Hop: April Showers...

...bring May flowers! 
And so I am focusing on some bright flowers today! Because I cannot get over the fact that it is April and this year is just zooming past at the speed of light! (doesn't help that there are three inches of snow on the grass, that wasn't there Tuesday, and it keeps being less than 30* in the mornings) But, a new month means a new blog hop, so here we are! 

I took inspiration from SUO Challenges and made the small square Crumb Cake card shown, but in bright pink! And this one has already been mailed out- and it was late too! Rats! 

Supplies: 

Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Ink: Melon Mambo

Paper: Flirty Flamingo & Basic White card stocks

Accessories: Opal Rounds, Bakers Twine, Dimensionals

The twine is a little wonky, but the recipient won't mind. 

Also, you need to know that this stamp set and the Opal Rounds are retiring! The Opals will be 50% off starting April 4, but things tend to sell out quickly, so if you love these, you'll want to place an order very soon! 

Now hop along over to Cheryl using the button below. 

Then hop on through to see what everyone has made to inspire you today! 

And make something pretty yourself, and mail it out to someone! They'll love it and so will you! 

Rosey Birthdays

Most of the time when I pull things out to make cards, I check a number of blogs and websites looking for a new sketch or other challenge to play with. I have found this helps me make a card I'm happy with. I need a ton of birthday cards right now (at least 12 for February - and this is the short month!) so of course I was going to use other people's ideas as a jumping off point. Earlier this week, I saw the latest CAS Colours & Sketches challenge and I really love the sketch idea. I actually own all of the suggested ink colors, but for a long while, all of my retired product moved to my mom's craft room, two hours away, and those are still there. So first I just used the sketch and made this fun card.

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Ink: Memento Black, Tahitian Tide
Blends: Dark & Light Flirty Flamingo, Dark & Light Old Olive

Paper: Basic White & Flirty Flamingo card stocks

Accessories: Blossoming Happiness Dies, Dimensionals, big shot

Then I decided I really did like it so much that I made a version with similar shades to the color part of the challenge. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Ink: Memento Black, Flirty Flamingo, So Saffron
Blends: Dark & Light Melon Mambo, Dark & Light Old Olive

Paper: Basic White & Flirty Flamingo card stocks

Accessories: Blending Brush, Blossoming Happiness Dies, Dimensionals, big shot

And that gets me two cards closer to my goal! 

And! if you like this... this stamp and die bundle, and a pack of Dimensionals would earn you a Sale-A-Bration freebie! 

The process...

Taking most of December off of any crafting means that it takes me a minute (or a day or two...) to get back into a groove where I feel like I know what I'm doing. Yep, still does. 
So when coming up with ideas for my upcoming class, I knew I wanted to use this gorgeous stamp set....and this gorgeous paper.....but then what?? I tried out an idea but I didn't love it... 

So I did it a little differently.... but I still didn't love it....

and then I tried this and liked it a lot better. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiness Abounds

Ink: Starry Sky, Melon Mambo

Paper: Melon Mambo, Hues of Happiness DP

Accessories: Opal Rounds, Dimensionals

And then for good measure, haha, I asked three of my stamping buddies which they liked the best. 2/3 agreed with me, so that ended up the winner. 

Which one do you like, and why? 

Everyone agreed the white flower and greeting was too stark, but it probably would have worked if I'd used a white base and matted it with the Melon Mambo. I felt the die cut flower got lost in the DP, which is why I stamped it subtly on the background. 

So are you coming to the card class tomorrow, or on Friday? Let me know ASAP- I'm prepping supplies now! 

Cozy Birthday Cards

Happy Thursday morning to you! I hope you all had a lovely Christmastime, (I sure have!) and are gearing up for a fabulous New Year!

I finally got to stamp and I can't even tell you how nice that was. I was in serious need of some birthday cards. I happened to have some kits from previous classes prepped and not yet used, so I figured that was a good match. Here's the original design: Just Beautiful.

Today's cards also happens to fit nicely with the Inspired by Challenge, for "cozy". 

Supplies:

Stamps: In The Moment, Happiness Abounds
Ink: Memento Black
Stampin' Blends: Dark & Light Night of Navy, Dark & Light Balmy Blue, Light Petal Pink, Bronze, Ivory, Light Old Olive, Light Blackberry Bliss
Paper: Balmy Blue & Basic White card stock, In Good Taste DP (retired)
Accessories: Woven Ribbon

Supplies:

Stamps: In The Moment
Ink: Memento Black
Stampin' Blends: Dark & Light Night of Navy, Dark Balmy Blue, Light Petal Pink, Bronze, Light Old Olive, Light Blackberry Bliss, Dark Daffodil Delight, Light Melon Mambo
Paper: Balmy Blue & Basic White card stock, In Good Taste DP (retired)
Accessories: White Crinkled Seam Binding

Happy Paper!

It is FRIDAY people! And I need one of those! 

Sometimes the paper can stand on its own feet, haha, and this is definitely one of those times! This card was made with the sketch from Inspire.Create.Challenge and is for a sweet little girl I know whose favorite colors were all grouped together and that was too perfect to pass up. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Inspired Thoughts, Happiness Abounds
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Bermuda Bay
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Basic White card stock, Hues of Happiness DP
Accessories: Opal Rounds, White Baker's Twine, Blossoming Happiness dies, Dimensionals, big shot

We Create Blog Hop

September already?! I really hope the weather checks the calendar so it will cool off soon...! In the meantime, we've got a new blog hop for you to enjoy!  

This month we'd like to direct your attention to the July - December mini catalog. If you don't have a copy of your own, I've got it linked here on my sidebar, on the right. On page 5, you'll find the Nourish & Flourish kit that comes in an insulated canvas lunch bag! This cute kit makes 9 all occasion cards, with envelopes AND with every purchase Stampin' Up! will donate $3 to end food insecurity. I love that Stampin' Up! often has fundraiser products to help make a physical difference in this world.

Never underestimate the power your cards have to also make a difference. I promise, recipients are always so happy to get a hand-made card, and know that you were thinking of them.
Recording memories in scrapbooks is just as important. Writing your history down, and sharing the reason behind your photos will be a treasure your loved ones will be grateful to have. 

For my cards today, I used the sketch from Global Design Project, and combined it with the SUO Challenge to use die cuts! I used three dies, and an embossing folder! It makes a pretty birthday card that will definitely brighten someone's day! 

I actually really just wanted to play this day, so I tried a few different ways of coloring the flowers. That also shows you that you can use what you already own, or you can try something new!
This first one is just to stamp in a color of ink as always, and as soon as you do, use a Blender Pen to pull the ink into the image.

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pear Pizazz
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pear Pizazz, Basic White
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Timeworn Type embossing folder, Blossoming Happiness dies, Blender Pens

This one uses the Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pens.

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pear Pizazz, Basic White
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Timeworn Type embossing folder, Blossoming Happiness dies, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pens

and this one uses Stampin' Blends. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds
Ink: Memento Black
Stampin' Blends: Dark & Light Old Olive, Dark & Light Melon Mambo
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pear Pizazz, Basic White
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Timeworn Type embossing folder, Blossoming Happiness dies

In this case, my favorite is the one with the Blends, but, I haven't invested into very many sets yet, so I don't have a huge variety. And I have a much bigger variety of colors with the pencils and way more with ink pads! Use whatever you've got and make something pretty today! 

But first, click the button below to hop along over to Kimberly's blog and see what she's made for you. Then hop on thru to everyone's, and let us know what you think of our work! Happy Stamping! 

Bright Happiness!

Happy Monday to you! I am sure hoping for some serious crafty time this week...!

I got this one done quickly this morning, combining three different challenges! I used the colors from the Color Throwdown, the sketch from The Paper Players, and the challenge from TGIF Challenges! And this one gets to go on my display board! (almost every card I've made for the past two years is sent out in the following week or so! That display board has been too bare too long!)

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds
Ink: Starry Sky
Paper: Crushed Curry, Starry Sky, Tahitain Tide
Accessories: Brushed Brass Butterflies, Blossoming Happiness dies, Dimensionals, big shot

It's not a color combo I would have thought of, but I think it worked out pretty well! And no white card stock, just like the TGIF challenge asked for, haha! 

Watercolor Pencil Flowers

Happy Monday and a new week to you! I got a bunch of cards made the other day so I *should have some fun posts for you this week!  

First up, this stamp set from the cover of the Annual Catalog, which I was just able to purchase. I was in the mood to color, so I just stamped a bunch of the three flower images, and colored them. I added a bit of shading in between and popped it up on a white base. Then some simple white-ish embellishments to finish it off! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiness Abounds
Ink: Stazon Black
Paper: Basic White card stock
Accessories: White Crinkled Seam Binding ribbon, Opal Rounds, Watercolor Pencils (both packs), Blender Pen, Dimensionals

And it's already gone out in the mail! Yeay for birthday cards, eeeven if sometimes they're late....
ahem.