Freshly Made Sketches #503 and a Card for some Color Challenges

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Happy Saturday!! It is a FABULOUS day here in Connecticut. So needed as this week has felt like it went on forever!! 

I have been busy trying to create some Halloween projects that I will be sending out to some college students to decorate their rooms and it is a bit of a process. I am painting wood, which takes time. Do you send out fun things to your college students? I remember my mother sending a Valentine package to me at college stuffed with things for me and for my floor. We only lived 20 minutes away so it was such a fun surprise!!!

Today I am popping in with some cards I created for some challenges. I have found it so hard to have time, or any motivation to create anything as of late. I have ideas in my head but am just too tired to execute. I was happy this week that I had a day to play, along with some actual energy!!

My first card was inspired by this weeks Freshly Made Sketches #503.

It is nothing earth shattering but I was able to use some fun things that I had on my desk. I chose to go with this blue color as my main theme as blue is my favorite color and makes me happy. Below is the FMS505 sketch I used for my card.

The background was die cut from *Neenah Solar White cardstock with an Altenew *Dainty Cover Blooms die. I die cut the squares from paper scraps with an Embossed Edge Square Die from Kat Scrappiness. 

I first stamped the Pinkfresh Studio *Sweet Friend Floral Stamp with a light ink and used the coordinating stencil to color it in. The flower was then stamped again with *Versamark Embossing Ink and heat embossed with Wow! Superfine Metallic Rich Gold embossing powder. I then used the *Sweet Friend Floral matching dies to die cut this out. 

The sentiment was pulled from my stash and adhered using foam adhesive. Such a simple card but am so happy at how it came out!!

My second card I created for a color challenge and a theme challenge. I used The Card Concept #159 "Colorful Fall" badge to influence the colors I used on my card. The theme I used was from the Double D Challenge Mood Board which was filled with leaves. 

I started off my card by attempting to use my gel plate and a stencil to create a background. I chose to use some oxide inks in *Fired Brick, *Wild Honey and *Dusty Concord as the printing inks. I didn't use enough and it was an epic fail so I had a plan b. I used the Altenew *Striped Leaf cover die to die cut Neenah White cardstock to layer over my print disastor.

I then colored in some of the positive pieces with Copic markers and inlaid them back into the leaves.

Other die cut areas I chose to layer *Glossy Accents over the inked portions of the leaf. I cannot seem to create a card without Glossy Accents these days and need to order some more!!

I finished off my card with the Simon Says Stamp Sending Smiles die and random colors of sequins that matched my leaves.

All in all, I saved my background from being thrown out. Seems to be a pattern these days for me!!!

Well I am off to bake some Apple Crisp for my step-mother's birthday celebration. I didn't pick apples yet but bought them from the farm stand today. I will be picking apples later this week as I love them fresh off the tree!!! My favorite type are Macoun. What are yours?

I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by today. Have a FABULOUS rest of the day!!!

Inspired By Challenge Entry IB187

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Happy Sunday everyone!! 

I am popping quickly today with a card that I created for this weeks Inspired By Challenge #IB187. I am hoping they are going to accept it as I DID NOT make a fall card.

Instead, I used the black window, the wood sentiment board and the yellow flowers and blueish eucalyptus branch as my color inspiration.

I started off by swishing Hero Arts *Unicorn Pigment Ink across the front of a Kraft A2 sized card base. I then die cut a frame using the Spellbinders *Candlewick Etched Dies from Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock. (and a shout out here-*Spellbinders is having a warehouse sale. I spent a lot of money there myself this week-don't tell my husband!!)

I used Simple Stories Vintage Lemon Twist *die cuts and stickers on this card for my embellishments. The gingham paper is from the Simple Stories Vintage Lemon Twist 6" by 8" paper pad. 

I popped some of my embellishments up with foam adhesive and added some clear sparkle pen in some areas. Other areas I used *Glossy Accents to enhance a portion of my die cut. 

I bought some Nuvo Vintage Peppermint Candy colored drops and used them to create the "enamel" dots to finish my card off.

I know I didn't use "traditional" stamps on my card but I really like how this came out. I have a couple more that I created but will post them at a later date. 

That is all from me today. I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by. Have a FABULOUS Sunday!!

On the Blog at CAS-Fridays with a Pet Sympathy Card

 Happy Hump Day!!

Today I am on the blog at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps with a simple pet sympathy card. This did not turn out as I had planned but I made it work-something I try to do when I take a lot of time on a card. Below is a sneak peek:

Please hop on over to MY POST to see my completed card. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. Have a FABULOUS day!!

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #527 Reminder

 Hello Crafty Friends!!

Today I am popping in to remind you of the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #527-Shades of Green.  This week I created another little scene with a dragon.

Once again, I used images generously donated by our sponsor- WWW.CRAFTYSCRAPPERS.IN-to create my card. Isn't she precious?

Below is the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #527 Badge:

Source

I started off my card by creating a scene with a photo program using different images from WWW.CRAFTYSCRAPPERS.IN. I then printed out the scene on my computer and die cut it with a *Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die. 

I used Copic markers to color in the entire scene. I then layered the dragon over a dry embossed panel that was on top of an A2, *Neenah White, top folding card base.

Once again, I created little dragon "scales" with colored pencils. I used some *shimmer pen over the horns and the wings, and then covered both with *Glossy Accents. 

I think that this dragon came out cuter than last weeks!! My daughter saw this card and insists I send it out to her at college!!!

I so hope that you play with us this week at the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #527. Be sure to hop on over to the BLOG POST to see what the other designers have created with these fun, little images!!! You can enter the challenge for a chance to win!!!

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

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Distress Inking and Copic Coloring for Some Challenges

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend. 

Chris and I are in full fledged empty nest and we actually were social for a change. We had my Dad and Stepmother over for a cookout on Sunday and went to a friend's house to spend time with my girls on Monday. We hadn't been all together for over a year. It was so refreshing!!

That said, I know we probably should have not gone anywhere. However, I am tired of being the only one staying home and socially distancing. I am vaccinated, I have been masking EVERYWHERE for months, and I needed these visits for my mental health.

I also had some fun making a couple cards for some challenges. 

I created my first card for the Color Hues Challenge #TCH #25, Sunday Stamps #265, a color challenge,  Addicted to CAS #205-Nature and The Four Seasons Challenge.

I started off my card using a rectangle die to die cut a mask. I placed the mask over an A2, top folding, white card base. 

I then blended Ranger Distress Ink in Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold and Carved Pumpkin through the mask. I then used Tim Holtz Distressed Mica Stain-Set 1, over the top.

While the stain was drying, I die cut Prima Moroccan Foliage Dies out of white cardstock and used the same colored Distress Ink blend over the top. 

I tied the three leaves together with 49 and Market Jute and adhered them to my card front.

My next card I created using this weeks Color Throwdown #658 and Freshly Made Sketches #501 as my inspiration. However, I missed the deadline for both. I am also going to enter this into the Inspired By Card Challenge #IB185, which is to use scraps on a card. I used PLENTY of scraps on this card!!

I started off using the Hero Arts Bold Script Prints background stamp using Hero Arts Charcoal Dye Ink on a Neenah White card base. I then stamped it again using Hero Arts Navy ink.

I then a scrap of light gray cardstock over the top. I then adhered a light blue rectangle scrap that I embossed with a polka dot embossing folder and a strip of blue pattern paper. I stamped a sentiment from MFT at the bottom of the blue rectangle.

I die cut some Pink Fresh Curvy Leaves out of vellum and Neenah White cardstock and layered it over the top of the card.

I then used a Pink Fresh butterfly from Little Butterflies that I had stamped with Tuxedo Black ink. I colored in the image with Copic Markers and then heat embossed with Ranger Super Fine Gold embossing powder. I die cut it using the matching Small Butterflies die. 

I adhered it to my card front using foam adhesive. My last step was to use some SB.com Clear Shimmer Pen.

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