H is for HOME

Hello friends! This will be a pre-scheduled post as I’m away for a bit, so this is going to be a very short and sweet post from me.

There is a new challenge today over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog! Our next letter is ‘H‘ and the hostess has chosen “H” is for HOME *Remember that this is a bi-weekly challenge, so you have two weeks to enter* I hope you will find some time to play along! Here’s what I’ve created:

I have pulled out an older card kit from Simon Says Stamp called “Home Sweet Home” and used some of the cloud papers that came in the kit along with the stamp set to make my little square on the left.

This is a mini slimline sized easel calendar. It folds flat for mailing and then sets up with a base at the bottom. (I figured a message could go on the back.) I got the Square Calendar Tear-Offs as well as the Landscape Calendar Table Tent Base from Taylored Expressions. The “slash marks” on the home sweet home square also came from the TE Square Tear Off Calendar Stacklets Die Set which is how I was able to cut out the square to fit onto the design too.

Obviously, I have August 2025, but I also have 2026 calendars that I will have to replace for the new year. I really love making these calendars every year to give as gifts and I thought it would be nice for someone moving into a new home as well.

Thanks so much for dropping in today! I hope you will take a look at what the design team has for inspiration and join in the challenge with us!
I’ll have another scheduled post for tomorrow to share my monthly Art Journal Page.

Spooky Ombre & Welcome Gnomes for Dare to Get Dirty

Hello friends! I’m back again today to share a couple more cards that I’ve made for the Splitcoaststampers “Dare to Get Dirty” event! They’ve released another batch of challenge over there today! There is certainly lots of crafty fun going on lately, isn’t there?!😀

My first card was made for a challenge from the lovely Lee:

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This card was so much fun to create! I’ve used only purple shades to make this entire design! I started out with a white piece of cardstock using the MFT Rolling Clouds stencil and ink blended them in with several Stampin’ Up! inks that I’ve had in my stash for quite a while now! LOL! After I was done, I spritzed it with a water bottle.

I took the awesomely spooky Trick or Treat stamp set and used some SU! Elegant Eggplant ink to stamp the witch image, bat and the sentiment at the bottom. I used my MISTI to stamp several times to darken the ink up on them.

I cut out the panel with a stitched rectangle and then cut out an additional piece of Potion Cardstock with a stitched scallop rectangle die from MFT. I layered it over an A2 sized top folding Elegant Eggplant card base.

I then took a glitter brush pen to “color in” the inside of the moon around the witch that gave a really cool shimmer look to it. I then started noticing that it was taking away some of the purple ink while doing this, which was really awesome as it made the moon glow even more! (I just had to be careful around the witch because she was stamped with regular dye purple ink and I didn’t want to blur it.)

I finished the design with some Lilac Matte Sequins that I filled with some Violet Galaxy Crystal Nuvo Drops. It’s much more sparkly in person!

My next card was made for a challenge from the lovely Kelly:

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This scene was really fun to put together! I fell in the love with the little house and gnomes from the Simon Says Stamp Gnome School. I thought it would make a nice “new home” type of card. I colored them up and cut them out with the coordinating dies to arrange over my scene.

The scene started with a piece of kraft that was ran over with the SSS Petal Plate die for the texture in the background. I cut out some clouds and a border of grass with dies and inked them up with some inks for shadows. I then took this panel and cut it all out with a stitched rectangle die and mounted it over a top folding A2 sized black card base. I also took a sentiment strip from the SSS Gnome School Sentiment Strips to place over the design while arranging the images over the scene.

For the sign on top of the “home”, I used one of the sentiments made for that spot and white heat embossed it over my coloring. Hard to tell in the photo, but I’ve also covered the heart on the gnome’s hat as well as the glasses on the gnome with a glitter brush pen. I also did the same for the windows on the home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my creations for today and I sure appreciate you stopping in to check out all of the happenings that are going on! Hope you’re able to join in some of what’s going on too! See you soon!

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Oh So cute (bottom card only)
Stamps & Fun = Creativity – #372 Lavender or Purple (top card)
Always Fun – #177 In the Sky Scene (top card)
Crafting Happiness – #63 Anything Goes

Welcome Little One From Digi Doodle Studios!

Hello friends! So now that we have celebrated the Holidays and have started the year, it’s time to look at all things “new”, right?! I have some new things to share with you today using Digi Doodle Studios products!

To me, there’s nothing better to celebrate “new” than new crafty items to play with as well as a new baby theme:

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I hope you just said “Awe!” right along with me here! Absolutely fell in love with this precious digital Pairables set that’s BRAND NEW at Digi Doodle Studios called “Little Ones“!

I started by printing out the images and coloring them up. I colored the giraffe, balloon, heart and baby rattle and then fussy cut them out for my card design. There is a very soft interlocking heart grey background papers from the Digi Doodle Studios Baby Boy digital paper pack that I’ve used for the background with the frame layout.

The frame was cut out using the Whimsy Stamps Peekaboo Window 3 die from some yellow cardstock. I then took a brand new textured embossing folder from Sizzix that I got over the Holidays and embossed it. Love the texture of the hearts!

I used some pop dots to lift the images up a bit and added some white twine to the balloon and giraffe. The sentiment was printed out (also from the same Pairables set) and cut out with a banner die. Lastly, I’ve added the ribbon bow, button and some tiny heart sequins in random areas.

Here’s a closer look at the coloring I’ve done on this sweet little giraffe. I’ve used Copics to color all the images. You can see how pretty that texture from the embossing is! Lots of little hearts going on here! (Including on the giraffe in case you didn’t see that!) 🙂

You can see where I’ve added some shimmer to the balloon, tiny hearts on rattle and the tiny heart inside the yellow heart with a glitter brush pen.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my “NEW” creation for you today! Please be sure to stop in the store and check it out along with all of the other new items available!

Challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Crafty Creations – Anything Goes #405
Pearly Sparkles – Anything Goes
Moving Along With the Times – All Things New (new digi stamps/papers/embossing folder and new baby)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Something New
Craft Rocket – Something New
QKR Stampede – Anything Goes #379
Crafty Friends – Something New
Crafter’s Castle – Anything Goes

Imagine…You’re Home!

Hello friends! I have to say that I’m very happy that we’ve started the month of March and I really look forward to seeing the bit of green and growth soon to come!

Today, I have a card using this new stamp set:

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Today, my card features this really fun Lil Garden Cottage rubber stamp set. I have colored it up with my Copic markers and I’ve used the packaging from the stamp set to help with color suggestions. (I really like that when stamp sets have a colored version on their product labels!)

Since last year I’ve been noticing lots of “fairy garden” projects, and I am amazed at how many “tiny” items that are available to purchase so that you can create your own little garden! This image sort of reminds me of that! I think I like creating my own little “fairy garden” on paper! 🙂 Do any of you like to make Fairy Gardens?

For the base of my card, I’ve used an A2 sized top folding kraft card base. I took my VersaMark ink to stamp the tiny mushroom images from the set along the bottom edge of the base. I also took another piece of kraft cardstock and heat embossed part of the sentiment with the White EP and then cut it out from a circle die. I set these pieces aside while working on the rest of my card.

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After coloring in the image, I also took the other portion of the sentiment “Imagine…” and stamped it next to the cottage image, but then heat set that one with the Coffee EP. I also took an additional piece of white cardstock to layer behind the image panel. For that piece, I took my VersaMark ink pad and sponged along the edges of it and also heat set that with the same Coffee EP as well. You can also see at the top of the image panel that I’ve lightly blended in some distress ink to soften up the white a bit.

For the sparkly twine at the top, I created it by taking the 1/4″ Tear Tape and twisting it on itself and then I ran it through some Shamrock Glitter. I took a piece of it to make a bow and then glued it over my design.

I took some craft foam to pop up this image panel a bit before attaching it to the kraft card base. I also took some more craft foam to pop up the side of the circle sentiment panel as well.

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To add a bit of detail to my image and make it my own, I stamped, colored and fussy cut out each of the mushrooms as well as the snail and then attached them where I wanted them to show up on my image panel.

I used the Nuvo Precision Glue Pen to “color in” the areas where I wanted it to be green and then sprinkled some of that Shamrock Glitter over those areas. I took the Nuvo White Crystal Drops to add a few “dots” over the red mushroom. I then took the Nuvo Morning Dew Crystal Drops (dries clear) and filled in the “window” on the cottage as well as the “snail shell” to add some shine to it.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and that you’ve been inspired!

Thanks so much for dropping in today!! I’m so hoping that I can get back into catching up with you and getting caught up on entering challenges! I do miss all of this!

Wishing you a happy day!

Enjoy the Changes Life Brings

Hello friends! Back with you today to share a card I’ve made using the January release stamp set called Early Spring Nest!

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I had so much fun playing with this pretty Spring image and playing with some new embossing powders on this one!

To get the background, I’ve taken a piece of watercolor paper and sprinkled it with some Nuvo Blue Blitz Shimmer Powder and spritzed it with water to also move it around the paper until I got the look I was wanting for it. I set it aside to work on the rest of my card until it was COMPLETELY dry. After it dried, I took my Static Free Bag to rub over the area and prep for heat embossing. I stamped the Crackle Background stamp (Really love the versatility of this image!) with VersaMark and heat set the image with the Robin’s Egg embossing powder. (Sounded like the perfect product to use for my card!) I also used my corner chomper to round the corners on this panel.

For the scallop layer behind this panel as well as the layer behind the sentiment, I took my VersaMark ink pad and smeared on a layer around the edges and heat embossed them with the Coffee embossing powder. I also used this for the sentiment as well as the nest image, so this also works for a nice, detailed embossing powder! I made the fishtail banner layer before I did the embossing with my Tim Holtz 5″ scissors. I took some craft foam and attached the front base panel to the embossed scalloped layer which was mounted onto a white A2 sized top folding card base.

Here’s a closer look at the stamped Crackle background with the Robin’s Egg heat embossing over the watercolor background. I just love the shimmer it has in it! You can also see the Coffee heat embossed layers. I love the pretty Copper sheen it has as well as the dark brown flecks in it! You can also see how well it embossed the fine detailed stamped images too.

There are so many different things going on with the embossing powder on this design that you really need to capture all the different angles throughout the design to see it!

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For the coloring of the image, I just used some Clean Color Real Brush markers for it. I like to heat emboss the images when I do this sort of coloring as it helps to keep the water coloring inside the lines and acts as sort of a “well” so that the colors stay where you want them.

For the eggs inside the nest, I took a VersaMarker pen and colored them in with it. Then I took the same Robin’s Egg embossing powder and heat set the eggs with it. It really creates a fun and unique look with the blue tint and speckle flakes in it, plus it gives it a nice embossed shine for an “egg like” appearance!

After coloring in the image, I used my scissors to fussy cut it out and then added a couple of feathers from my stash and attached this image over the card front panel with some foam tape. I finished off my design by adding a few random drops with some Nuvo Dazzling Blue Glitter Drops.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my card today and thank you so much for stopping in!

Challenges I’d like to enter:

~~Fab ‘N’ Funky – New Beginnings~~ MISS IT!!!
Not Just Cards – Jan Anything Goes
Crafty Friends – New Beginnings
Stamps & Fun = Creativity – #338 Anything Goes
Pammies Inky Pinkies – PIP1902 Anything Goes

What’s New at Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! It’s Thursday time again and we have a new challenge for you over at Cute Card Thursday today! The challenge for this week is…..”What’s New?“

And remember these challenge themes are always your own interpretation! Here’s what I’ve created for it:

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I thought this image was so TWEET!! 🙂 It is a “new to me” image from our sponsor this week by All Dressed Up Stamps called Home Sweet Home. I thought this would be such a nice card for someone with a “new home”.

It was also nice to be able to use some older items from my stash as well! I have colored up the image and used a heart die to cut it out with. I’ve also sponged some color around the edges and added some stitching details with a marker. For the patterned papers in the background, I’ve used a paper piercer tool and made stitch marks over the holes with a white gel pen. I layered it onto a piece of white cardstock which I then layered onto a piece of 5″x5″ Sahara Sand top folding card base. BEFORE attaching my white layer onto the base, I’ve added some twine around it.

I cut out a smaller heart from the die set I’ve used from some craft foam and attached it to the image heart panel and placed it over the twine on the front. Lastly, I’ve added the wood veneer bird cage and flowers and twine bow.

Taking a closer look at the image, you can see that I’ve used various colors of Copics to color it in with. I went around the images with a W0 which matched up nicely with the colors of the main card panel. You can also see places where I’ve added a bit of sparkle from some colored gel pens and extra “dots” around the image with a white gel pen. It was actually a really simple and fun image to color!

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Thanks so much for stopping by today and I wish you a wonderful day!

Challenges I’d like to enter for this card:

CRAFT – New (year/job/baby, etc.) – for me: new home and new stash
All Dressed Up Stamps challenge – Anything Goes + ADU image
Cardz 4 Galz – New Year/New Stash (image and hearts dies)
Alphabet Challenge – ‘U’ is for ‘Use Some Stitching: faux or real’
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes
Try it On Tuesday – Something old/something new (new image/wood veneer, new home and old papers, old flowers, old tools!)
Words 2 Craft By – HOPE (W2CB61): “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul & sings the tunes without the words & never stops at all.” ~ Emily Dickenson Absolutely LOVE that!!

Whimsy Stamps + Anything Goes at Cute Card Thursday!

Hello friends! I’m not only here to share my creation for the new release at Whimsy Stamps, but also another new challenge for Cute Card Thursday which is also being sponsored by Whimsy Stamps this week! The new challenge for Cute Card Thursday this week is another “Anything Goes“! We look forward to seeing your creations, plus if you enter this week, you put your name into a draw for a win from our sponsor! Don’t miss out!

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Now how adorable are these little cuties?!! This is the newly released digital stamp called Crateful of Kittens from Whimsy Stamps. I have also paired it with the newly released Oh Boy – Digital Papers. I thought that the solid yellow and gingham would work nicely with this image to give it a happy feel! For the sentiment I’ve used the Whimsy Stamps Bold Statements clear stamp set to stamp over some of the yellow solid paper and made my own fishtail banner with it.

I’ve added some white ribbon with a bow to go around the yellow papers and then attached it to an A2 sized white top folding card base. For the banner, I’ve added a white daisy flower and placed a rhinestone in the center that I’ve colored yellow with a Y17 Copic Marker.

Here’s a closer look for you on how I’ve colored up this image! I’ve used a stitched square die to cut the image out with and additional die to layer some of the solid yellow digital papers behind it. For the background of the image panel, I’ve used a cloud stencil and very lightly inked some clouds in the background. I added some sparkle to the center of the flowers on the image with a glue pen and clear loose glitter. I’ve also added some dots to their cheeks with a white gel pen.

Here are the Copics I’ve used to color with:

wooden crate: E23, E25, E27, 0-blender
Flowers, leaves, grass: Y11, Y15, Y17, YG61, YG63, YG67, G20, G21, G24
Kitties: C1, C3, C5, E41, E43, E44, R20 (cheeks), W1, W3, W5

Hope you’ve enjoyed my creation today and see you soon!

Challenges:

My Time to Craft – Something NEW (New image, new papers and new friends!)
Always Fun – Something NEW (ditto above!)
A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes
Classic DT Challenge – open (Anything Goes)
The Crafty Addicts – Anything Goes with optional: “It’s a purrfect day!”
Little Red Wagon – Hey Newbie! (new image, new papers and new friends!)

It’s a Mouth-Full!

Hello friends! I’m back with you again to share another fun image from the Whimsy Stamps September Digital Release!

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This guy is so stinkin’ CUTE and I really had fun coloring this one! 🙂 I thought this was a great image to use any time of the year really and a cute idea for also a “new home” themed card. I have used the So Nuts About Home Digital Stamp.

After coloring the image, I went around the edges with some distress ink using my ink foam blending tool. Mounted that onto a black layer and popped it up over the card design with some craft foam. I die cut a leaf from kraft cardstock and used some more distress inks with the ink foam blending tool to give it a bit of color. I then added some sparkle with some Ranger Vintage Platinum glitter and a clear shimmer brush pen. I curled the edges a bit and attached it over the image panel in the corner.

For the background of my card, I have used the new Autumn Beauty digital papers released this month. You can see a bit peeking out, but it really doesn’t do justice to the papers…they’re really gorgeous! I’ve layered them onto a piece of glitter cardstock that was cut along the edge with a scallop border die and then I lined it all up along the right side of my card base. I’ve added a piece of burlap ribbon and a button with a twine bow on the lower portion of the card before adding my image panel to it.