CTD495

It is an honor for me today to be a guest designer over at the Color Throwdown challenge. Here are the colors for this week:

Here is my card made with stamps from Stampin' Up and Flourishes. I had just recently found this design paper from Carta Bella called "Ahoy There," which I found at Tuesday Morning. Summer time has surely hit my area of the Texas gulf coast, and I am longing to get to the beach.

Be sure to visit the CDT blog to see all the wonderful creations the team has put together with these awesome colors. Link your card there to play along.

Mod Squad challenge and Shop our stash challenge

This is for the Mod Squad challenge this week to use heat embossing, and the Shop our stash challenge to use both dry and wet embossing.  I dry embossed the background panel, and then I used versamark ink to stamp the image and then I covered with gold embossing powder. My photo does not do it much justice and the gold is not picking up in my artificial lighting that I am using for this nightime photography. I used copic markers to color in the image.

I used some brown ribbon for a band around the card, and then added some gold chord to pick up on the gold used for the embossing.

Wow, I was so pleased to see that this card was selected as one of the top 3 over at Shop Our Stash.

CAS(E) this sketch #238

I have been having fun using some of my older stamps for a few challenges. I decided to use this stipple hydrangea stamp for the CAS(/e) this Sketch challenge:

The hydrangea stamp is from Stampin' Up and the the sentiment is from Verve. 

Sketch Saturday #478

This card is for the Sketch Saturday Challenge #478. You can find that challenge here.
I used some cute design papers and an old Stampin' Up stamp I have in my collection.
I added a piece of black thin ribbon as I could not find my twines. I paper pieced the onesie!

CCEE1701 Bird Day

Starting this new year with a new die and an old stamp. Vicky is hosting this our first challenge for 2017 for the CCEE stampers. She is repeating the "Bird Day" theme this year again, because who doesn't love these wonderful feathered creatures?  Hunt down your favorite bird stamp and if you download it to SCS please use this as your code: CCEE1701.  I used Stampin' Up markers to color onto the rubber of the stamp, the I spritzed it with water, and stamped it onto white cardstock. I really like this color scheme even though it looks like spring. It doesn't take long for me to tire of the grays and whites of winter.

SC464 and Paper Players Challenge

This is for the sketch challenge this week on SCS and also for the Paper Players Challenge to use an evergreen on your card. I had out my As Lovely As a Tree set from Stampin' Up and decided I could do these two challenges with this set  all on one card. I used some Paper Studio fancy Christmas paper for my background panel and also some gold chrome. That chrome is so pretty but a real problem to photograph with my evening lighting situation I have set up.

Weekly Christmas Card Challenge #52

I keep all of my wood mounted Christmas rubber stamps in a storage bin that slides under my bed for the majority of the year. Last week I got it out and decided some of these stamps needed to be used this season. This is one from a retired set from Stampin' Up. It was a great one that will always be a classic in my collection. I have been browsing finding some challenges I have not had the time to visit on a weekly basis, as my personal challenge for November has been to make a Christmas card for every challenge I do this month as a way of getting my cards done so I can get them addressed and mailed. I love making only one of most of the cards I make. I find it boring to mass produce. It uses up too much of the same papers and the best part of making cards is the creating part for me.
So the challenge I found today is the Weekly Christmas Card Challenge #52 ( I guess if I had been doing this challenge all along, I would have my cards done, won't I?) I guess I don't have to tell you it is my nature to procrastinate. The theme for this week was Faith. I love making cards that reflect the real reason for the season, the birth of my Lord and Savior. Thanks for coming by to check out my blog and my efforts at getting my cards made for the season. May the light of His love touch you in very special ways this Christmas season. .

CTD250

Today I am revisiting some old great stamps from a retired Stampin' Up set called  Best Blossoms. After stamping mambo melon flowers, bermuda bay flowers and crumb cake leaves, I added some punched circles of saffron yellow as flower centers and some crumb cake berries. Using blender pen I added some darkened areas of mambo melon on the big flowers and added with a copic tan marker some shadows to my berries. I sponged a little so saffron as a background.  This was a great color combo and what fun to be taking part in the 250th celebration of the Color Throwdown challenge.. The prizes are terrific.

Little Red Wagon 192

The Little Red Wagon challenge was to make a clean and simple card. I saw a pinterest post that showed how you can use a smaller punch to punch parts out of a larger border punch. I added some jewels and thought the sentiment from SU made it fit for a queen.

CBC167 and QFTD160

I am using this card in two challenges. One is the Creative Bellie Challenge to use pastels. They also request you use some of those stored up embellishments that haven't been used in a while. I used some gold micro beads for the centers of the flowers. I am also using this for the Queen For The Day challenge over on Splitcoaststampers honoring Queen Bonnie! I cased a card of hers and made a few changes to it. On her card she had used this stamp from Stampin' Up and stamped it three times across her card as well. I liked the layout so I did mine similarly. The embossing folder I used is from Sizzix.

 I can't believe the week has passed so fast. Have a great weekend.

CAS valentine

This CAS card is for two challenges for this week. One is the Creative Bellie Challenge which was to use rhinestones. I've had these border rhinestones in my stash for a couple of months now and the stamp is an old retired Stampin' Up stamp from when I once was a demonstrator.The sketch for this card is for the sketch challenge for Sketch #8 over on Less is More. Hope you get on over and take part in both of these yourself if you are up to a good challenge!

COF January Challenge

The challenge for this month for my Crafters of Faith Blog group was to try a new technique, while also making use of some old things in your stash and making use of something new. I had never tried this technique before, and I have to admit, I had to dig around to find those old colored pencils I had put somewhere in my stamproom. I also made use of an old stamp from a retired Stampin' Up set. Lydia had a great tutorial over on Splitcoaststampers for this blended pencils technique. First you stamp in a light neutral color (I used sahara sand), then you outline with the darker of the colors you are going to use. Then you color in with a lighter shade of that color the remainder of the image. After that I used my copic blender pen over it. Finally, you outline the image with a fine point pen. I used a new embossing folder I had gotten recently and used some new bling. I hope this little bluebird of happiness will brighten someone's day!!! Check out the others in my group and leave a little love on their blogs too:

1. Carolina -Cardolina Scrapolina
2. LizW - Right Brained Madness
3. Mary Rose Mary Rose Cafe
4. Jackie - Kreatewithme2
5. LizD - crafts4thesoul
6. Sharon - ScrappingMum
7. Jeanette CreativePlay
8. Darlene According to Bijou
9. Lorie Thinkinspot
10. Carol Lost in my craft room
11. Kadie InMyMindsEye
12. Tami Blueinksdesign
13. Barb - Inkinintoretirement
14. April - April'sAlley
15. Marsha Stamping Down South
16. Kelly - Sandcastle Stamper

Less is More 101 and C4C 167

The Less is More challenge was to use black and white and a splash of color. The stamps are from Flourishes, Stampin' Up, and Verve. The rose was stamped on red and white gingham paper and then the shadows were shaded with a red copic marker. I also am working to keep a new year's resolution to use up scraps from my scrap pile. That is the same resolution for my stamproom that I had last year, and I did a good job, it's only that I have 5 years of scraps to use up!!LOL I also am using this card for the C4C challenge #167 to use ribbon and bows.

JUGS 170 and F4A150

I used this sketch from the JUGS challenge this week:

I also used this card for the Free for All challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I used stamps from Stampin' Up, and a Martha Stewart snowflake punch. Added a few rhinestones, and had a great thank you card for my Christmas thank you notes that I need to get done this week.

CBC160

Got out an old stamp set for this one and some stashed  rhinestones. Stamped in 4 different shades of blue ink: Baja Breeze, taken with teal, pacific point, and not quite navy. I punched some MS large and small snowflakes from scraps and designed paper. A quick and easy thank you card, so I made a few more to take care of some Christmas thank yous. The snowflake stamps are from Stampin' Up as is the sentiment.

COF challenge for December

For our December challenge, we wish to "SNOW" you our winter inspired Crafter of Faith cards!

COF sisters: Create a card/project using a snowy-winter theme and "ring in the new year with glitter and bling!" Your winter/snow card creation should reflect the beauty of the gift of the season - snow, winter, snowflakes, etc and include bling and glitter to ring in the joy of what will be

Here are some other Crafter of Faith blogs you can check out:
1. Carolina -Cardolina Scrapolina
2. LizW - Right Brained Madness
3. Mary Rose Mary Rose Cafe
4. Jackie - Kreatewithme2
5. LizD - crafts4thesoul
6. Sharon - ScrappingMum
7. Jeanette CreativePlay
8. Darlene According to Bijou
9. Lorie Thinkinspot
10. Carol Lost in my craft room
11. Kadie InMyMindsEye
12. Tami Blueinksdesign
13. Barb - Inkinintoretirement
14. April - April'sAlley
15. Marsha Stamping Down South
16. Kelly - Sandcastle Stamper

I used the embossing resist technique on my card. On white cardstock, I stamped the snowflake images (from Stampin' Up) with Versamark. I embossed with clear and white embossing powder. I sponged on baja breeze and pacific point ink around the snowflakes. I punched the snowflakes from white and pacific point paper and wrote the 2013 on them. For the glitter and bling, I added rhinestones and glittery ribbon.

WAW54

CAS-ual Friday Challenge 78

It always takes a while for fall to get going here in the south where I live. So even though we don't always get the gorgeous colors of the changes of the leaves around here, I love seeing in pictures and on calendars. The challenge for CAS-ual Friday today was to use town paper. So I tore a piece of Indian Summer Basic Grey paper and some rust. The cardbase is ivory. I stamped some of the trees from one of the tree stamps from Lovely As a Tree from Stampin' Up. I sponged the sun on with a dauber and I dotted some leaves on the trees. The sentiment is from Flourishes.

HHYCCT1227

Just a few days left in October and only a few more cards to go before I mail off my final batch of cards to MD Anderson. I  really enjoy creating cards during October especially those I send to them.                                                                                                                                              

SS#20

Limes, lemons, and oranges. How bright and refreshing that kind of a challenge is. The inspiration piece made me think of this little stamp I have from Stampin' Up. The sentiment is from Paper Trey Ink. I used yoyo yellow ink, tangerine, and pear tart.