Wishing I was at the Beach and a Critter Card

 Hello friends!!!

It is a very rainy day in Connecticut. I brought my daughter down to the beach yesterday to stay with my sister at her cottage and it was so sunny. I wish I had been able to stay but had appointments and couldn't fit it in. Chris and I were going to go down and spend half the today but the weather is just not cooperating. I am not complaining because I would rather have rain than a drought.

Today I am popping in with two cards I created for some challenges. The first is a challenge I have just heard of and decided to play along. It is the Inspiration Station Challenge.

The challenge was to use the photo below as my inspiration for the Inspiration Station Challenge #9-Sun, Sea, and Sand. I also was inspired by the Card Concept Challenge #158-Long Summer Days.

When I think of the beach, I think of lighthouses. I was lucky enough to vacation in Cape Cod when I was little with friends. The two things I remember are the lighthouses and the sand dunes. Cape Cod is the home of 22 lighthouses. This includes the lighthouses on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. I decided to create a lighthouse card in honor of those vacations.

I used CottageCutz Lighthouse die to create this. I die cut my lighthouse out of red and white paper. I then used gray Copic marker to make some shadows.

The background was created by blending Salty Ocean Distress Ink on the bottom and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to shade the sky. I added some clouds and seagulls that I had die cut using CottageCuz Lighthouse w/ Clouds die. 

The sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink. I had a retirement card to make for a friend so this was the perfect die to use!!

I LOVE how this card came out and I hope my friend likes it too. Oh how I WISH I was retiring right now.

For my next card, I am playing with two new TO ME challenges.  Crafty Animals Challenge #52-Anything Goes and 2 Crafty Critter Crazies #52-Anything Goes. 

Both challenges you could make a card for any occasion but it had to have a critter on it. I chose to break out my never before used My Favorite Things Birdie Brown Mice Day to Celebrate stamps and matching dies to create a birthday card. 

The background is a piece of pattern paper that was left over from another project, as well as the green triangle underneath the mouse.

The mouse itself was colored in with Copic Markers. I did a dot technique all over the critter. You might wonder why I decided to color him/her in gray. The mice that we catch in our house all happen to be this color. (They tend to find their way in to our upstairs in the winter. We have not figured out how, though.)

The sentiment is from the same Mice Day stamp set and I added some sequins around the little birthday mouse to make it a bit more festive. I love the way this came out and cannot wait to create another card with this set!!!

I have just recently become an Affiliate of My Favorite Things and if you use my links, I will earn money at no extra cost to you!! (I am playing around with it as I am really not 100% knowledgeable on how it works.) July 6-July 9 they are having a 15% off sale site wide (in-stock products only), no code, so there is till time to shop!!! 

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

My Turn at CAS-Fridays with a Mixed Media Card

 Hello everyone!! Once again it is my turn on the CAS-Fridays Blog with a mixed media card. I have been having so much fun smearing paste, flicking Distress Stain, and just making a mess. I feel so free!!! Below is a sneak peek of my card. 

Hop on over to my BLOG POST to see how I created this card!!

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

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Reminder

Hello everyone!! I hope this finds you well. 

I am just popping in with another card for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #522. This time around it is a theme challenge-Oh Birdie. There is still time to play along!!! 

Below is the inspiration badge for this time around.

Source

I had fun playing with my new Spellbinders dies-Sweet Birds on a Branch for my card. I used a combination of Copic Markers and Distress Inks to color them in. I actually screwed up two birds in the making of this card. I tried to put "eyes" on them with some Liquid Pearls and messed up. Lucky I made more than one set of birds!!!

The background was done by shading Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I wanted to make the background more green than blue to give the illusion of leaves in the background.

I added some white gel pen on each of the birds for a bit more detail. The leaves and the wings also have some Clear Sparkle Pen on top. This set was so fun to use!! The sentiment strips I pulled from my stash and am not sure who created them. 

I layered the strips on top of each other to take up some space. I love how this turned out!!! 

Hop on over to the Cupcake Inspirations Blog to enter this challenge. I cannot wait to see what you create!!!

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

Sending Big Hugs and a new DT Gig at the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge Blog

Happy Monday everyone!! Today I finally get to share that I have a new DT gig at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Blog!!! I am an official "Sweetie." I am beyond EXCITED!!! 

The challenge will be a two week challenge and my first card ever for the Design Team is below.

My photo inspiration is from Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #522 badge. Aren't those little chicks cute?

(Source)

 

I know, I know-you are probably thinking how did I get from those little chicks to my card? Well, I did. When I think of birds, I think of spring. When I think of spring, I think of flowers. So I decided to get out my WPLUS9 stamp sets out and create a little scene. If you notice, the little bird on my card is yellow like the ones in that nest!

I used WPlus9's The Little Things stamps and dies, Spring Blessings stamps and dies, and the bird is from the Winter Greenery stamp set.

I made sure to add some brown in my little scene, another ode to the inspiration photo. I also used a shaded oval in the background with the color blue, like a robin's egg. See how I did that?

The sentiment on my card is from The Ton. The little orange flowers on the "ground" were in my "extra" pile of stamped images. I am not sure from where. I am so excited at the way this card came out. 

I hope you come on over to the blog and play along with me and the other Sweeties this week. I cannot wait to see what you create!!!

Popping in With Some Cards

(Disclaimer: This post has some affiliate links at no extra cost to you.)

Happy Sunday!! Just popping in with some cards I created this weekend with some cards I created using some challenges. 

My first card I created for Freshly Made Sketches #491.  

I have been trying to have my own internal challenge to use some of the supplies I have. I have SO MUCH pattern paper that I decided the sketch was perfect to use some up. Below is the sketch that inspired my card.

I also have some stickers that I needed to use. Do you ever used stickers on your cards? I decided when I created some of my cards that I would add them to some of my cards.

I used paper from a 12" by 12" paper pad I bought from Michael's. The little frame was even fussy cut from a piece.

The watering can is a Carta Bella element sticker sheet from the Flower Market collection. The yellow flower is from Carta Bell's Spring Market element stickers. 

The watering can had light polka dots that I decided to emphasize by adding some White Nuvo Crystal Drops. The sentiment was from my stash that is stamped and die cut. I am not sure who created it.

For my second card, I created a card for a CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge #425.

I had so much fun making this card!! Again, I used a combination of stickers from the same sticker sheets. The pattern paper used is from 49 and Market Vintage Artistry Vintage Sage paper collection.

The sentiment is from My Favorite Things Bitty Birthday Wishes sentiment set. The greenery was die cut using Altenew Branches and Berries dies that were die cut from Neenah Solar White cardstock and shaded with two shades of Distress Ink-Mowed Lawn and Rustic Wilderness.

I die cut the circles using a retired Shaker Die from My Favorite Things and a Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle die for the background paper. 

I am so in love with how this card came out!! I am not sure it is up to a CAS design because I used pattern paper but it is a card that I have in my stash. I am notorious for not getting birthday cards out in time. My daughter makes fun of me for this. A card maker who forgets to send out cards.

On another note, I have been having a FABULOUS summer. I am trying to go on a few "adventures" a couple times a week. This past week I went walking with a friend, out to lunch and then to a fun antique store. I love old things and the younger generation does not appreciate them as much as my generation does.

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