Some New Cards!!

Hello Crafty Friends!!

I am just popping in with a couple of cards. I have not been crafting the last few weeks. I have been too depressed. Everything in the world is uncertain and I have a hard time feeling crafty when things are like this. However, I am on vacation this week and my goal is too make a ton of cards with some of the kits I have received over the past six months.

My first card I created for some challenges. I used this weeks Freshly Made Sketch #731, Time Out Challenges #315-Sweet Treats and Simon Says Stamp! Wednesday Challenge as my inspiration. As I was making it, I thought of my mother. She LOVED tea and had many cups throughout the day.

I had a blast using the Simon Says Stamp! August 2025 Best-Teas Stamp kit for my card. 

I used the paper in this kit from the Carta Bella Coffee Shop 6" x 6" paper pad for the background and the images from the Best-Teas that I colored in with Copic Markers. 

I die cut the images with the matching dies. I also used a cupcake from the tiny Tea-riffic Birthday that matches the larger set. I used a die from The Stamp Market for my ovals.

My second card I created for a student this week. I don't make cards for all the kids, which might sound mean, but this student is really special and has come such a long way. I wanted him to know that I was thinking of him on his birthday.

I used the Simon Says Stamp! Celebrate You stamp set (retired) for the bold balloons and the Simon Says Stamp! Fancy Happy Birthday Die for the sentiment die. 

I used the prompt from the As You See It Challenge #370 and Seize the Birthday #324 Anything Goes as my inspiration for this card.

When I gave this card to the student, he had such a big smile and it made my day. I love how it came out and it did what I needed it to do. 

Well, that is all from me today. I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by. Have a FABULOUS day!!!

Nora

Some More Challenge Cards

Happy Monday!! My first full week off from work-woot, woot!!

Not only that but I will depart for Ireland for a 14 day trip with some friends to celebrate our 50th Birthdays on Friday. I cannot tell you how excited I am!! This trip has been months in the making!!

Today I am popping in to post some cards I created for some challenges. Instead of cleaning up my craft room, I have been using the supplies I should have been putting away!!!

My first card was inspired by two challenges.

I used the As You See It Challenge #202 and the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #225: All About Occasions Challenge as my jumping off for this card.

I rarely do color challenges because I kind of suck at them. However, when I saw this color challenge, I knew that I wanted to ink up the Echo Park stencil that was on my desk.

I also pulled out some Simon Says Stamps dies for the "happy" sentiment and the "birthday" is from Mama Elephant.

It took more time for the Glossy Accents to dry then it did to make this fun card!!!

My  next two cards were inspired by The Daily Marker's 30 Day Coloring Challenge and the Fab Friday Sketch #165.

 

I have not been coloring a lot as it takes time so I was excited that I would be able to participate a little before I went off on my vacation.

The butterflies were originally on a full sized panel, which I colored, but I decided to cut it in two so I could make two cards.

The butterflies are from Pretty Pink Posh's "Beautiful Butterflies" stamp set and colored in with a combination of Copic Markers and a white gel pen.

I also used a Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen over the top of the butterflies.

Under the panel I used the Pink Fresh Studio "Lacey Edgers 1" to die cut a piece of lace out of white cardstock. The sequins were added at the end.

My last card is the second part of the butterflies panel.

I used Stampin Up!'s "Dear Doily" set to stamp purple doilies on white cardstock. Then popped up my purple matted butterfly panel over it.

I covered the butterflies in Aqua Shimmer and Glossy Accents.

As you can see, these are both sympathy cards. I know people hate making them but I don't mind it. I think butterflies are appropriate too because they mean re-birth.

I am entering this card in the Time Out Theme Challenge #137: Nature.

Well, that is all from me this Monday. I hope you all have a FABULOUS day!!

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Card #1 Supplies:

Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Lawn Fawn "Licorice" cardstock, Bazzill "Rainforest," Bazzill "Pollen," Echo Park "Floral Bouquet" Stencil, Ranger "Abandoned Coral" Distress Ink, Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen, Glossy Accents, Yellow Sequins, Picket Fence Life Changing Brushes

Card #2 Supplies:

Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Thermoweb "Red Velvet" cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio "Lacey Edgers 1" dies and Avery Elle "Wonky Stitches" die, Pretty Pink Posh "Beautiful Butterflies" stamp set, Foam Adhesive, Copic Markers

Card #3 Supplies:

Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Pretty Pink Posh "Beautiful Butterflies" stamp set, Stampin Up! "Dear Doily" stamp set, Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen, Glossy Accents, Foam Adhesive, Copic Markers, Pretty Pink Posh "Plum" jewels

Freshly Made Sketches #243, As You See It Challenge #138 and SJ Card Kit "Extras"

Hello everyone! Was able to get into my craft room today after a very long week.

My stepmother lost her mother this week. It was very sad all around, though a blessing as well. My stepmother is a fabulous person and I just hated to see the pain she was going through. I cannot say that she was not prepared as her mother was 93 and had been ill but I don't think that you ever are fully prepared for a death, especially your mother.

On top of that, I have been searching for a dress to wear to a wedding next week. Nothing I try on is doing it for me. Hate shopping but I have been more then I like to this week!!

So today I am showing you a card that I created for "Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #243" and "As You See It Challenge #138," which was to use the colors red and white. I have played with the "Freshly Made Sketch Challenge" before but this is a first for me to enter the "As You See It Challenge."

This is the card I created for both challenges:

I had a picture in my head of how I wanted this card to come out but could not execute it. I knew when I saw the red and white challenge that I wanted to use my My Favorite Things "Etched Flower" stamp and heat emboss it with my American Crafts Zing embossing powder in "Rouge." 

My first three tries at doing this were not so hot-even though I did all the correct steps. It was MADDENING!! I finally switched the ink I was using from Versamark to Hero Arts Pigment Ink in "Unicorn White." It made all the difference! I then die cut my panel using an Avery Elle "Wonky Stitched" die and adhered it to my card using foam adhesive.

I die cut a leaf out of vellum using PaperTrey Ink's "Turning a New Leaf" die and a butterfly out of patterned paper using Memory Box's "Pippi Butterfly." I then adhered them to my card front.

I embossed a sentiment from My Favorite Things "About Sympathy" stamp set in white on a strip of "Red Hot" card stock. I then adhered it to my card front  using foam adhesive to finish it off.

I really like how it came out but am not happy that it took me so long to do. I am not a huge fan of heat embossing so just doing that technique stressed me out! Who wants to stress when they are supposed to be having fun?

Again, I am entering this card into "Freshly Made Sketches # 243", as well as "As You See It #138."

 

On another note, I created three cards out of extras that I had left over from my card kits. I was supposed to blog them on Thursday but could not due to searching for that dang dress and the wake. Better late then never I guess!!

The first two are very similar. Everything came in the kits with the exception of the teal card stock. 

I wanted to jazz up the card front a bit so I used my Martha Stewart mini scorer to score some lines on this card.

My second card I did some die cutting for the oval and on the sentiment, and layered everything in a cluster.

This card is my favorite. I did some ink blending behind the deer, as well as some stenciling. I then blended the same ink on the sentiment block.

I had colored the deer with Copics and layerd that over the sentiment.

My last step was to adhere the sun, which was a die cut scrap that I already had in my stash.

That is all for today. Hope you have a fabulous night!!