Happy Sunday!

 Hello everyone! 

Just popping in with two cards I created this weekend for some challenges. It sure was a good weekend to make cards as the weather was not very nice. We have had a week of rain and another week has been predicted. I am not complaining as I would rather have rain than a drought.

My first card, I created for two challenges. 

I pulled out my Altenew *Leaf Canopy Stamp and Dies to create this card. I have been trying to use my new with my old so I also used my new *Garden Trellis Die. 

The two challenges that inspired this card were this weeks Color Throwdown #650 and TGIF Challenge #324, which was a sketch.

I think I have said it before but I am not great with color challenges so I was SO HAPPY when I saw this badge. The photo actually inspired me to use the Leaf Canopy set. The layout was inspired by the sketch.

I used Altnew *Chamomile Ink to stamp the yellow leaves and Altenew *Gray Denim for the gray. It was the first time I had used that gray and I think it is my new favorite

I also knew I wanted to use my Garden Trellis on this so I cut it down into a triangle to use in the bottom right corner. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things *Deepest Sympathy stamp set. I tend to use this set a lot as it it has some really great sympathy sentiments.

For my second card, I used three challenges as inspiration. I used As You See It Challenge #254-Focal Point. I also am entering this into Inspiration Station Challenge #9-Sun, Sea and Sand and I am playing along with The Card Concept #158-Long Summer Days. This is actually a record for me-three challenges at once!!

This card was SO FUN to create!! I had used *Hero Arts Seashells Fancy Dies to die cut some shells out for a different card last week. I never got around to making it so I decided to use it for these challenges.

I layered these over piece of *Neenah cardstock that I had colored in using Copic Markers to create "sand." I was trying to make the dots teeny like the Inspiration Station photo but it just wasn't working. 

I decided to get out a distress tool to distress the edges of all the papers that the shells were layered on. I also took some *Vintage Photo Distress Ink and did a really light blend on the outside of each, so that the torn parts looked "dirty."

The last thing I adhered to the card was the sentiment. I wasn't sure if I wanted a black sentiment or white sentiment on my card. I even thought about a dark brown. However, my daughter said the black looked best because it popped. 

The sentiment I decided to use is from My Favorite Things *Bitty Birthday Wishes that I heat embossed in white. 

I love when I have mojo to create!!! It is almost like a high when I am successful at making more than one card at a time. I am easily distracted!!

Well that is all from me today. Check back tomorrow as the latest Cupcake Inspiration Challenge card will be up on the blog. Have a FABULOUS night!!

***All starred links are affiliated links to use at no extra cost to you. I am very new at this and am trying to support my habit!! Clicking on the links gives me a tiny percentage that I can use to purchase new supplies.

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!!!