It’s Going to be “Owl-right!”

Hello friends and welcome to the weekend!  I hope you have some great plans ahead of you and have some fun!

Today I’d like to share this card I’ve made with a darling feathered cutie and the punnyness that goes along with him….

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Isn’t this little guy the cutest owl you’ve seen?  This image was actually created on my computer with the “Owl-rageous” Pairables digital stamp set from Digi Doodle Studios.  The owl, the branch and the sentiment are all separate images, but I’ve pieced them together on my computer and printed it out to create this scene!

I’ve actually printed out an “extra” owl and flower to color in and pop up over the image for added dimension.  I used the “out-of-the-box” technique to circle die cut out the image.  The branch is sticking outside the circle.

I’ve used a woodgrain embossing folder and rubbed some white ink over it and also added a strip of yellow paper from my stash wrapped in twine along the edge.

I die cut a flower and rubbed some pink ink over it, attached a button and twine bow over it to pop up over the owl panel.  Then added some sequins filled with glitter glue in the centers.

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Here’s a closer look at the coloring I’ve done on the images.  I’ve used a purple glitter gel pen for the tiny hearts on the branch and then a yellow glitter gel pen for the centers of the flowers.  I’ve used some yellow ink to sponge around the circle panel.

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This card actually has me longing for Spring to come with those flowers!  He’s letting us know that everything is OWLright!! ha ha ha!!  Hope you’ve enjoyed my creation today and I really appreciate you stopping in!  See you soon!

ETA:  Hubby said I should include the song….

Challenges to enter:

  1. Cheerful Sketches – Feb sketch
  2. Love to Craft – LTCCB43 Anything Goes
  3. Crafts Galore Encore – #72 Anything Goes
  4. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2006 Anything Goes
  5. Not Just Cards – Feb Anything Goes
  6. Arty Divas – #115 Anything Goes
  7. Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
  8. Alphabet Challenge – ‘W’ is for “Anything You Wish”

Turner Syndrome Awareness Blog Hop

Hello friends!

February is TSA month and If you’re not familiar with this, please read about it below:

Turner Syndrome is a genetic disorder where a female is born with only one X chromosome, instead of two, leaving her with life-long medical issues and learning disabilities. This condition occurs one in 2,500 female births worldwide, but is more common among pregnancies that do not survive to full term. That is why Turner Syndrome Females are considered MIRACLES!

My TS related project is inspired by the TSA official color board:

For my project, I have combined two different digital sets that were kindly made especially for this blog hop and the TSA cause:

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I was really inspired by the wonderful colors along with the images from the inspirational board above, but it was fairly easy since the images were already pre-colored in the set to create with!

I’ve used the TSF Key digital set from Jan’s Digi Stamps for the images on my card.  Also what’s cool about this set is that all of the proceeds from this set go directly to the Turner Syndrome Foundation!  It’s a stunning set to have plus a great way to help with a terrific cause too!

I have printed out the images over a piece of white cardstock and cut them out.  I also added one of the images in a repeat pattern to print out over a piece of green cardstock for a decorative strip on the background of my card design.

I took an embossing folder and embossed only the top portion of my card base, added the green printed strip with ribbon wrapped around it and sponged the edges.  I layered some pink cardstock and cut a scallop square piece of lavender colored cardstock for behind my vanilla panel and popped it up over the card base with foam tape.

Lastly, I’ve attached the bow, button and twine to the side of the image panel and attached the cut-out butterfly to the top corner of the image panel.  I glued only the center portion of the butterfly so that I could pop out the wings.

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Here’s a closer view of the images.  I’ve used a Copic marker on the vanilla-colored panel to create a “shadow” around the key image and then I attached the cut-out key over top of that.  I’ve used the same Copic marker for a few more shadows around the key.  For that butterfly, I’ve used a glitter gel pen to color portions of the butterfly and then a clear glitter brush pen to go over the wings.

You can see that TSA symbol on the key which is the same image used for the green background panel I created on the computer.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Challenges I’d like to enter my card for:

  1.  Jan’s Digi Stamps Challenge – #6 Anything Goes
  2. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2004 Anything Goes
  3. Arty Divas – #14 Anything Goes
  4. Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
  5. Allsorts – A Touch Vintage

A Vintage Love

Hello friends!  I hope you’re having a great week!  I must be really wishing for flowers as this seems to be my theme this week!…along with watercolor and heat embossing! LOL!

Today I wanted to share a card I’ve made for an anniversary:

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As you can see from the card itself, my parents have been married for 55 years.  So when I saw this Simon Says Stamp LE Valentine 2020 card kit, I knew that this would be a great way to start using the kit immediately!

I actually really didn’t know what direction I was going to go with this anniversary card and I just started pulling things out and switching different items to see what I wanted to do.  I sampled the stencil with the metallic paste from the kit and really liked it, but when I pulled out my copper metallic mirror cardstock, I decided to heat emboss over the stencil with the same copper EP that I used on the sentiment for this card.

I’ve also cut out the numbers with the copper metallic mirror cardstock along with the layer behind some of the papers from the card kit.  I’ve added another heart strip of the papers from the kit at the top and used one of the butterflies from the kit to go over the piece of lace I’ve added from my stash.  The layers were all attached over an A2 sized top folding card base.  Lastly, I added some white hearts that were actually from a different card kit.  LOL!

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I wanted to share a closer look at the flower.  The stamp set in that card kit is so stunning!  I’ve white heat embossed the flower and leaves over some watercolor paper and then used my Clean Color Real Brush markers to color it with.  I’ve used some foam tape to pop up the flower over the stenciled heat embossed piece that was cut out with a circle die and attached to the card front.

You can see the shimmer over the butterfly wings that I’ve covered with a glitter brush pen.  I only glued the center of the butterfly so that I could pop out the wings a bit.

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Although this card looks a bit simple, there were a few steps to the stenciling and heat embossing some of the elements.

I hope you like it!  Thanks so much for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges:

  1.  Simon Says Stamp Wednsday – Anything Goes
  2. QKR Stampede – #382 Anything Goes
  3. Allsorts – Take Flight
  4. Creative Fingers – #178 Anything Goes
  5. Watercooler Wednesday – WWC256 All About Occasions
  6. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – #124 Anything Goes

Guest Design Spot For Retro Rubber Challenge and Playing Tic-Tac-Toe!

Hello there friends!  I hope that you’ve had a great weekend and found some enjoyable moments for yourself!  I had a nice and cozy weekend with my hubby!

Today, I’m thrilled to share my post for the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog as I’ve been asked to do a guest design spot for their challenge!  Retro Rubber is known for their challenges in which they challenge you to pull out those neglected older stamps from your stash and use them!  (They ask that you use a stamp that is at least 1 year or older to enter).  For this particular challenge, they’re asking you to follow along with a fun Tic-Tac-Toe board.

For my card, I was going for a diagonal direction one way, but it ended up fitting with several different directions on this board!  LOL!  I just had fun playing I think:

(My card below utilizes the top row across, and diagonally in both directions!) Squares used for my card are:  green, twine, pattern paper, die cut or punch, sympathy and nature.

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Isn’t this such a pretty floral stamp?!  Hydrangeas are pretty much my fave all time flower!  The colors amaze me and I have a line of them in my backyard along my fence and look forward to seeing them bloom every year!  I take photos of them too!

Well I have this container sitting on a shelf in my stamp room where this particular stamp and die set is just “staring at me” awaiting for me to pull it out!  I didn’t realize that it was actually a 3 year old set until I pulled it out, but do you remember this Mondo Hydrangea from Ellen Hutson by Julie E?  Fell in love with it immediately, purchased it and think I may have used it one time!  I was excited about pulling it out to make my card for today as it’s one that I really love!

I started by heat embossing the image with some Brutus Monroe Gilded EP and then used my Clean Color Real Brush markers and a water brush pen to blend out the colors over the images.  I then used the Mondo Hydrangea coordinating dies to cut out all of the images.  I also took some vanilla cardstock to die cut the top border with the MFT Stitched Scallop Basic Edges die as well as cut it out along with the green pattern papers with the MFT A2 Stitched Rectangle STAX die.  These layers were attached over an A2 sized vanilla top folding card base.

I’ve used a sentiment from the Whimsy Stamps Furever in Our Hearts stamp set and heat embossed that over that vanilla die cut panel as well. (Adorable pet sympathy set to have on hand!)

The flowers were popped up over the design with foam tape, but before I attached the large hydrangea to the card, I took some metallic gold twine and tied a bow around the stem.  Lastly, I added some clear confetti sequins.

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Here’s a closer look at the watercolor I’ve done over the flower.  I don’t do this very often, but it’s always satisfying when I play around with it!  At first I thought it would be intimidating to color, but it’s really not.  I just added layers of watercolor as I wanted it to look.  You can really see where the EP shines on this!

I had thought about adding some glitter over it, but wanted to keep it soft since it’s a sympathy card.

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It seems that I hardly ever have a sympathy card on hand when I need one, so this will be a great one to have on stand by for my collection.

Thanks for stopping by today and I’ll see you soon!

Other challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

  1.  Cute Card Thursday – Green
  2. Krafty Chicks – KCC491 All Occasions
  3. Crafty Catz– #490 Anything Goes + optional twist:  Flower Power

It’s Christmas at Cute Card Thursday!

Well here we are friends!  Happy Halloween!!!   I hope whatever your plans are that you have a safe and wonderful evening!  I also hope the little trick-or-treaters don’t get too cold this year with the snow over my way!

Well, although it’s Halloween today, we are having a “Christmas” theme going on this week at the Cute Card Thursday Challenges!  So if you’re all packed up from making Halloween, then this would be a great time to start working on your Christmas makes for the year!  We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Here’s the card I made for the challenge:

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Isn’t this image just beautiful?!  I was so happy to pull out this stamp… finally and color it up for a Christmas card!  This was my purchase during STAMPtember from Paper Rose.  I had never heard of this company before that time, so this was the stamp set/die combo I picked to get as I fell in love with it.

I stamped the large image over a piece of Copic Blending Card and then stamped the sentiment from the set right underneath it.  Colored with Copics and then trimmed it down to fit over my card front.  I layered this panel onto a piece of brushed gold cardstock and then a piece of red.

For the card base, I took the two pine sprigs from the stamp set and randomly stamped them over a kraft colored A2 sized top folding card base.  I used the same ink color to stamp them with and then used that color to sponge around my image panel before attaching all the layers together.

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Here’s a closer view of the coloring I’ve done over the image.  Although the brushed gold cardstock is a bit muted, you can see the slight shimmer in it.

I’ve taken a Copic marker and done some random “dots” all around the flowers.  I’ve also used a gold gel pen to color the center of the flowers as well as add some more “dots” around the poinsettias.

For the “berries” within the branches, I’ve added some Nuvo Morning Dew Drops which dries clear over them.  This would be the only dimension on my card which makes it nice and flat for mailing.

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I’m actually really happy to add another Christmas card onto my pile for this year and I have many places to send cards to, so I know I will be making more!

Thanks so much for joining me here today and I’ll be seeing you again soon!

Challenges:

  1.  Allsorts – Make Your Own Background Paper (stamped on card base)
  2. Pammies Inky Pinkies – Anything Goes PIP1943
  3. The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge – Anything Christmas Goes
  4. Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
  5. Fab ‘N’ Funky – Christmas

Sparkles for Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends!  Today starts a new challenge for Cute Card Thursday!  The theme for this week’s challenge is “Sparkles“.  Usually when I think of sparkles, I usually think of Christmas or snow, but this time I went in a different direction for a reason…

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Unfortunately, I needed a sympathy type of card this last weekend and it seems that I’m always making one as I need them instead of making several up at one time so that they’re ready and on hand when the time comes.

This is an older stamp set from Stampin’ Up! that I got a few years back during their Sale-a-bration time and it was a free set called “Heartfelt Blooms“.  I actually really love the floral image and how detailed the image is so that you don’t have to color it if you don’t want to.  It has been my “go-to” lately when I need something quickly.

I made it monochromatic green with the Old Olive color and Vanilla cardstock.  The “sparkle” is that beautiful glitter paper behind the strip and sentiment.  The sentiment was cut from oval dies and popped up with foam tape.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my simple card with sparkles today!

Thanks for dropping in and I’ll see you soon my friends!

Challenges:

  1.  Use Your Stuff – Tic-Tac-Toe (I used bottom row across)
  2. Creative Moments – Anything Goes with optional:  For the girls
  3. Through the Craftroom Door – Anything Goes

Cheerful Sketches Guest Designer

Hello friends!  Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend!  I just got back from a lovely weekend trip with hubby and we had such a great time visiting over in Hannibal, MO.  This was something we both really needed to just get away for a bit and it was wonderful to be able to go and do something fun!

Today I’m sharing my creation I made as a guest designer for the Cheerful Sketches challenge blog.  (I had won a spot with one of my creations I had entered.)  I was also shared the sketch and an image to work with:

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The was a company that I have heard of before, but this is the first time that I have actually colored one up.  This is from the My Bestie Shop in their Harvest Collection called Harvest Besties Doll 25.

I took the image and colored it up and cut it out the size I needed for my card and layered it with some dark brown cardstock.  I took some sunflower style papers from my stash and placed a piece over a 5.5″ square dark brown top folding card base.

I cut out a couple of squares for each corner of the card and layered a scallop die cut square to each one with some orange colored cardstock.  I also took a strip of this same orange cardstock and attached it diagonally across it.

Lastly, I took the image panel and wrapped some seam binding ribbon around it with a bow, twine and button.  For the seam binding ribbon, I spritzed it with water and crinkled it up a bit and let it dry before adding to my card.  I then added some Fall Prima flowers around the design.

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Here’s a closer view of the image and how I’ve colored her up with Copic markers.  For the gold glittery details in the Fall sentiment and around her (including the buttons on her shoes), I’ve taken a Quickie Glue Pen to color it in with and then added some pretty Fall gold glitter over it.

The edges of this image panel were sponged with some Tea Dye Distress Ink and then sprayed with water for the water droplet marks.

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She has put me in the mood to go to the pumpkin patch and bring one home!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  Hope you’ve been inspired in some way and I’ll be seeing you soon!

Challenges:

  1.  Love to Craft – LTCCB39 Oct Anything Goes
  2. Little Red Wagon – Pumpkin Party
  3. Fab ‘N’ Funky – Autumn Colors
  4. Watercooler Wednesday – WWC241 Anything Goes Feminine
  5. Crafting with an Attitude – Anything Goes
  6. Crafty Catz – Anything Goes with option of Ribbon, Bow or Flower
  7. Creative Knockouts – Lots of Layers

Autumn Embossed Background

Hello friends!

Here’s what I’ve made today:

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For my card, I stamped the image and cut it out with a circle die.  I’ve just colored mine up with Copic markers over a piece of White cardstock.

For the background, I’ve used a stencil with EP.

I took the stencil over a piece of white cardstock and covered it with the Embossing Ink and then lifted the stencil to sprinkle the embossing powder over it to heat set.  I cut out that piece and layered it over another piece of white cardstock that I die cut with a stitched scallop die.

Terracotta cardstock was used for my card base and the circle layer behind the image.

Lastly, I’ve added another circle layer with gold glitter paper, popped it up with some foam tape and added some gold thread nested behind it.  I took some gold sequins and filled them with gold glitter too.

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Here’s a closer look at the image and how I’ve colored it in.  As you know, I like to use my gel pens to add just a bit of sparkle to certain areas of the image and I’ve also added some “dots” around it with gel pens.

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Here you can get a better glimpse of the heat embossed background on the left corner of the card.  It’s a very pretty Fall color and appropriately named “Crisp Leaves”.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges:

  1.  Brown Sugar – Anything Goes
  2. Crafty Catz – Anything Goes
  3. QKR Stampede – #362 Anything Goes
  4. Simply Create Too – Anything Goes
  5. Crafty Calendar – Add Lots of Layers

Projects with Patterned Papers!

Hello friends!

I have sort of went a little “crazy” with the papers, but there are lots of fun tips, techniques and even a tutorial below to help you use those left over pieces you don’t want to throw away from your patterned papers!  I ALWAYS have left over pieces and I know you do too if you’re a hoarder like myself! LOL!

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

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I have used the same Patterned Paper Collection for each one of these designs and I love how they all turned out different too!  I’ve used a Bold Rainbow Paper Pad for all of these designs.  I’ve made a couple of cards with some fun techniques and I’ve also used the same papers to decorate my two Post-It Note Holders too.

Be sure to grab a beverage and stick with me for some paper crafting fun!

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Starting with this card, I thought it would be fun to take my left over strips and create a fun background for a card!  I also tend to hoard those tiny pieces of Glitter paper too!  So I’ve cut some very thin strips and placed those between the Rainbow paper pieces too.

How I’ve done this is simply by taking a piece of white Cardstock (you could even use copy paper to keep thickness down!) and attaching each strip down laying it right up next to each one as I go.  When I’ve covered the piece, I took a rectangle die cut and cut out the panel so that it all looks uniform even though all of the strips I used were uneven to begin with.

I’ve finished off my card by attaching my paper pieced panel to a top folding A2 sized black Cardstock base and then adding the fun sentiment that was heat embossed with white EP over a piece of black Cardstock.  I took some white ink and rubbed some over it and added some stitch marks along the edge with a white gel pen for a sort of chalkboard look.

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Here’s another card I made actually using more of the strips from the Bold Rainbow Paper Pad.  I took the strips once again and adhered them to a piece of thin paper this time and lined up two different patterns next to each other.  I then took a circle punch and punched them out and then attached these in a pattern over a black card front piece.  I took a rectangle die and cut it out for the background.

So to give it a bit of texture and sort of a “quilt” pattern look, I took a Vintage Tapestry embossing folder and embossed the background too.

Then for the sentiment, I took and heat set it with Gilded EP.  I also added a few of the tiny stars from the set with it and then cut the whole thing out with a stitched circle die.  I also took the Embossing Ink and rubbed it around the edges of the circle and then heat set it with the Gilded EP.  I attached the circle over the background panel and cut off the part hanging off the side with my Scissors.

You will also notice at the bottom of the card that I took a strip of cardstock and covered it with Embossing Ink and heat set that strip with the same Gilded EP.  I attached that to the bottom of a white A2 sized top folding card base.

I then added a gold ribbon around the paper pieced background and attached the bow.  Then I just added this background piece over the white card base.  I finished it with some gold sequins and added glitter in the center of each one.

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I still wasn’t finished after the cards, so I made a couple of Post-It Note Holders too!  You will notice the one with the flower on the right, I’ve also used some of these papers to create a dimensional flower with it too!

To create the flower, all I did was punch out three different sized scallop circles, then used my scissors to cut into each scallop and creating petals that I lifted up for dimension and then layered each one on top of each other and added a glittery brad in the center.  I also used some black Ink to sponge around them.

The papers were cut with a scalloped square die cut for both of them and then layered them over a piece of black Cardstock.  I die cut a piece of white Cardstock with a stitched circle die and then sponged around the edges with some orange ink.  I then die cut a piece of black cardstock with a stitched scallop circle die for layering.

For the sentiment on the left holder, I took the sentiment and heat set it with black Sparkle EP.

The base of the Post It Note Holders were made using some orange cardstock.

And if you’d like to learn how to make one of these Post It Note Holders, then check out the step-by-step photo tutorial below:  (measurements shared in photos)

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Well that’s all I have for now! 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by today friends!  See you real soon!

Challenges I’d like to enter:

  1.  Cardz 4 Guyz – Celebrate
  2. Tuesday Throwdown – Stripes
  3. CCEE Stampers – CCEE1935 – Encouragment (sending to a friend)
  4. A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes
  5. Papercraft – Handmade/Stamped flowers
  6. Love to Scrap – #125 Anything Goes
  7. Scor-Pal – Sept More Than One Fold “Back to School”

Fussy Cut Falling Flowers for Fall

Hello friends!  Happy weekend!  I’m actually excited about it being the weekend!  This weekend is a nice long holiday weekend so I can spend time with hubby!  Yay!  However, I won’t be resting on my blog as there are lots of fun things going on since it’s the start of a new month!  So be sure to keep stopping by to see what’s going on!  🙂

Today I took out some flowers and fussy cut them and colored them in happy Fall like colors.

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I’ve taken this Flowers stamp set and settled on about 3 different sized floral images to work with along with a couple of leaves.  I’ve colored them with Copic markers and then cut them out with my scissors…I set them aside.

I took a piece of white cardstock along with some masking paper and began working in the flowers for the background with Black Ink.  I made a mask for them as a went along and worked my way up.  After I was done, I took an ink foam blending tool and some soft blue Ink to sponge around the top and side of the panel.  I attached the flowers on with glue and some foam tape.  (I used thicker foam tape for the largest flower.)

For the banner, I heat embossed the sentiment from a Sentiment stamp set  over some Black cardstock with white EP and cut it into a banner and attached it to the card.  Lastly, I attached the sequins and then added some gold glitter to the centers.

I attached the white floral panel over a piece of yellow cardstock and then mounted that over an A2 sized top folding black cardstock base.

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Here’s closer look at the flowers and how I’ve colored them in.

You can better see the sequins that I’ve used.  I actually had one of them laying on my table while I was assembling this card and thought the color matched up nicely with it.  Otherwise, I would’ve never thought to get those out to use on this particular card!  You never know what could be lurking on your table un-used! LOL!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today!  🙂

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you tomorrow!!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

  1.  Inkspirational – photo challenge
  2. Addicted to Stamps and More – Anything Goes
  3. The House That Stamps Built – A2819 Anything Goes
  4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes
  5. Creative Knockouts – Something To Say