Traditional Mermaid Christmas

Hello friends! Although it still feels a bit like summer outside where I’m from with the temps in upper 80s and 90s all week long, I enjoy creating Christmas and snow-themed cards any time of the year! Besides, I know that once Fall hits, it will soon be time for Christmas to come along right behind it! I have used this adorable September release from Whimsy Stamps once again to inspire you with a more traditional Christmas themed colors and design this time:

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I have used this gorgeous Christmas Mermaid digital stamp by Crissy Armstrong for my card today. She is an amazing image for the coloring enthusiasts for sure!

My last card with this image showed her in more soft pastel tones. (You can see that post by CLICKING HERE if you don’t remember it.) This time I went for a more traditional Christmas color theme. I found some really cool green with white splatter pattern paper to use, so I worked around that by coloring the mermaid outfit in reds with gold trimmings. I took inspiration from the gold ribbon, bells and buckle and added in more elements with some gold on my card as well.

I was almost too scared to try this, but after coloring the image, I took some white Shimmerz paint and a paint brush to add some white splattering effect over top of her to give the appearance of snow and to also coordinate with the pattern paper in the background. I didn’t get too carried away, but just enough and then I cut her out with the Whimsy Stamps Hand Stitched Nested Rectangles die set and took my ink foam blending tool and went around the edges with some Pine Needles distress ink. I then took some gold cord and wrapped it around the two corners and then added a double bow with some red jingle bells on one end. I also glued some cheese cloth on each corner before I added some foam tape behind her to mount her on the card design.

For the card design, the base is a red top folding 5.5″ square design with the green splattered pattern paper over it. I took some chunky glitter and glued it around the edges and then perhaps you remember this “oldie but a goodie” border die from Whimsy Stamps along the edge of the image panel? I cut it out with mirror gold card stock and then wrapped some gold silk ribbon over it and attached to the card. I placed the foam taped image panel over top and then added the finishing touches over the image:

Here’s a closer look at the image where you can see all of the glitter and shimmer on her. Before I splattered it, I covered her outfit with a clear glitter brush pen and went over her gold buckle and the jingle bells with a gold metallic gel pen. I went over the tiny holly berries with a red metallic gel pen. I then took some liquid glue and added some clear glitter to her hat and outfit trimmings along with the tiny creature’s hats.

After she was splattered, I added some gold sequins and then some gold Stickles in the centers of each one.

Those tiny creature faces just make me giggle every time! 🙂

I know she has tons of shimmer and sparkle, but she is a mermaid after all, and I do love adding a little bit of this and that as much as I can! Do you like lots of bling?

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, I truly appreciate your time! I’ll see you again very soon!

Challenges:

The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge – Anything Goes + Christmas
Crafty Creations – Anything Goes
The Merry Christmas Challenge – Anything Goes + Christmas
Winter Wonderland – Use Ribbon and/or Twine
Little Red Wagon – Bling It On!
CRAFT – Christmas
Crafty Gals Corner – 3+ Layers

Dies and Punches for Cute Card Thursday

*I wanted to take a moment to say to those (and those with loved ones) along the eastern coast threatened by Hurricane Florence that we’re thinking of you and wishing you safety and strength.*

Hello friends! We are quickly rolling through another month here as we are getting into Fall and I know the “C” word will be here before we know it!! LOL! I’m trying to sneak in little creations here and there so I’m not overwhelmed. Sometimes challenges can help with that like our new challenge this week at Cute Card Thursday! Our new challenge this week is “Dies and/or Punches” which is something that I use ALL the time on my projects, how about you?

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This week we are sponsored by “All Dressed Up Stamps” and I have used this adorable image called “Little Skater” on my card. I’ve colored her up with my Copic markers and then I’ve cut her out with a stitched circle die. I then used a very old Stampin’ Up! Snowflake stamp from my stash and stamped some snowflakes in the background with blue ink and then sponged around the edges of the circle with the same color.

I also heat embossed the sentiment (From My Favorite Things) with silver EP over a piece of pink cardstock and then cut it out with a banner strip die. I then sponged around this banner with some white ink. (This pink cardstock is the same color as my card base.

I had a piece of this pretty snowflake woodgrain paper in my stash a long time, pulled it out for the background. I’ve also die cut the stitched scallop circle behind the circle image panel with some silver glitter paper and attached it to the background. I’ve also die cut some additional snowflakes in white cardstock and placed those on my layout and covered the centers of them with some silver Stickles. I used a strip of foam tape to pop up the heat embossed sentiment right underneath the image and then lastly, I’ve added some clear crystal accents to the sides of the sentiment banner as well as on each corner of the background paper.

Here’s a closer view of the image. I have colored her skate blades with a silver gel pen and then I took a clear gel pen and went over the bow in her hair and her scarf as well as the tiny snowflakes around her. I’ve used a white gel pen for her cheeks and highlights on her leggings.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Challenges:

All Dressed Up Challenge – Anything Goes #84 + All Dressed Up image.
QKR Stampede – Anything Goes #312
Sweet Stampin’ – sketch

4. Happy Little Stampers – Anything Goes with Dies

5. Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes

Fun in the Fall

Hello friends! I can almost feel it in the air! Fall is coming near and I’m looking forward to joining in the crisp cool air and pretty colors with the changing leaves. These are just a couple of things that I love about this season! How about you?

Well this sweet little penguin certainly knows how to have fun in the Fall for sure:

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Here’s another September release from Whimsy Stamps called Penguin Fun in Fall image by Crissy Armstrong. Of course, I grabbed my purple color markers to color his hat and scarf! LOL! I decided to create a purple and turquoise plaid pattern. I also gave the leaves in the air a bit of movement with my coloring as if he’s throwing them up in the air. Trying to be a bit different with my layout, so I tilted the image panel and cut it off on the right side of my card base.

I’ve also used the September release digital papers from Whimsy Stamps called Autumn Beauty. These are fabulous papers and I know I’m going to be using some more of these on an up-coming card! I’ve used two different patterns on the background and the banner strip. Lastly, I added some fun Autumn Leaves sequins from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. I’ve actually had it for a while and hoarded the package and not used it until now! I filled the centers of the round ones with some gold Stickles. I also added a twine bow at the bottom of the banner strip.

Here’s a closer view of the image. Here you can see where I’ve used some foam dots to pop up the fussy cut penguin for a bit of dimension. (I’ve also colored the one underneath as you can see it peeking out a bit on the side.) I cut the image panel out with a stitched square die, sponged around the edges with some Spiced Marmalade distress ink and then went over the edges with some clear glitter Stickles as well as put some on the penguin’s hat tassel.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my colorful Fall card today! Thanks for stopping by as I really appreciate seeing your encouraging words or knowing you’ve stopped by! 🙂

Challenges:

Creative Inspirations – Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs – Anything Goes
That’s Crafty – Autumnal theme.
Brown Sugar – All Creatures Great & Small
Use Your Stuff – Animals

Anything Goes at Cute Card Thursday with a Shaped Apple Card

Hello friends! It’s time for another weekly Cute Card Thursday Challenge! For this week, since it’s the beginning of the month, we will have our easy peasy “Anything Goes” challenge for you this week! We are sponsored by Whimsy Stamps!

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I couldn’t resist using this cute little fellow on my card for today! This is the Penguin Apple Bushel digital stamp from Whimsy Stamps. I’ve colored him with Copics and pencils and then fussy cut him out and attached him on the front of my apple shaped card with foam tape. Hard to see in the photo, but I’ve added just a wee bit of shimmer with my glitter brush pen on the bitten inside apple he’s holding. I’ve also added some white dots for his eyes with a gel pen.

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For the shape of my apple card, I found a fun apple card pattern and cut it out with my Cricut Explore machine and enlarged it the size that I wanted it to be. I’ve taken some sponges and ink to add some shading and highlighting details to the apple. I’ve taken that CUTE stamp set from Lawn Fawn called Thanks a Bushel to stamp a couple of hearts around the penguin as well as white heat emboss the sentiment on the front.

I’ve also added a black gingham ribbon along with some twine that I’ve attached an apple charm to before attaching it to the top of the apple.

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So of course, I wanted to show you what the inside of the shaped card looked like too! I thought that the inside needed to “look like” the inside of an apple, so I took the Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Apple die and cut a piece to fit the inside of the apple and then followed the “bite marks” to cut off the end and then I took a sponge to sponge around the areas of it with brown colored ink for shadows. I’ve also taken the same die set to add a tiny green apple on the opposite side of the inside of the card. The purpose for that was not just to add an extra decorative element, but I also wanted to cover up the back side of the penguin sticking out from the front of the card. I then needed to add the “apple seeds” to the inside of the apple, so I took the Lawn Fawn Stitched Apple Frames to cut out the seeds die in black cardstock and glued them to the vanilla die cut apple panel. I’ve also added some shimmer to the seeds with my glitter brush pen.

I thought that there was still plenty of room for a message below the seeds or you could also write on the opposite side as well. It’s just a fun and unique card design to go with that darling penguin! I will need to make a special envelope to fit the card inside for giving.

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today!

Have a fantastic day!

Challenges:

Stamping Sensations – “I Spy with My Little Eye, Something Beginning with ‘B’!” (Bushel, bows, blue cap, bite, barrel)
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations – Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers – All Creatures Great & Small
Fab ‘N’ Funky – Bingo! (I’ve used the third column: die-cuts, ribbons, red)
The Crafty Addicts – Anything Goes with optional Back to School

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.

Here’s a closer look at this cutie and my coloring details. He really makes me smile! 🙂

Hope you’ve enjoyed my creation today! Thanks for sharing part of your day with me!

Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks – Crazy Egg Anything Goes
Moving Along With the Times – Gingham and/or Buttons
Alphabet Challenge – ‘L’ for leaves

Whimsy Stamps September New Digital Release is Here

Hello friends! I’m excited to be sharing with you my creation for one of the newly released images for this month from Whimsy Stamps! Yay!

Every first of the month Whimsy Stamps will come out with a new release and the 1st day of the month begins with their digital release and the products become available for purchase as soon as they’re announced! You may have seen my creation on the Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Blog along with all of the newly released images and inspiration from the rest of the design team!

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Now what a cute and clever idea from Crissy Armstrong to come up with a Christmas Mermaid image, don’t you think?! I love all the different possibilities with this one! I thought it was a good place to start with the amazing release this month!

I kept her very soft and feminine with the pink and teal colors. Not sure if you can be underwater with snowflakes…but it seemed like the perfect accent to add and I’m pretty sure that’s why the little critters have a surprised face! LOL!

For the image, I have used an oval die and cut around the areas that didn’t fit inside the shape. I think it makes her look like she’s in a bubble of sorts! I also layered her onto another teal glitter oval shape, and I have also die cut a sentiment that went perfectly with the image. I’ve paired her with the Whimsy Stamps Christmas So Soft digital papers and some mint-colored cardstock. They seemed to go well with the coloring I did on the image. I popped the oval image panel up with some craft foam and added some fun tinsel ribbon in the strip behind her. Then attached some snowflake sequins.

Here’s a closer view of the coloring I did on the image. I kept the colors softer with pink and mint/teal. I’ve used a gold gel pen to color in her gold bells and belt buckle. I’ve also added some Nuvo clear Crystal drops on the “holly berries” the critters are holding and then went over all of the fur trimmings with a shimmer brush pen.

To get the “texture” in the mermaid’s tail area, I just took my “0” Copic blender and dotted it which also helped to blend in the colors. Super cute and fun image to color!

Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today! Thanks so much for dropping in!

Challenges:

My Time to Craft – Christmas in August
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge – Anything Christmas Goes
QKR Stampede – Anything Goes (Challenge#311)

It’s Magical at Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends and happy Thursday to you! Tomorrow is Friday and we are about to get started on the weekend! I am ready for it too!

We have another brand new challenge up for you this week at Cute Card Thursday and the theme is “Magical“. This will be fun to see how you interpret this one! 🙂 Here’s the card that I made for the challenge:

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I have used one of the sponsor’s images this week from Oddball Stamps which is Kawaii Big Eye Unicorn (with and without ornaments) Twinkles. I have used the image without the ornaments on him, but it comes with both! I think it’s adorable!

I printed out the image and used a wonky stitch rectangle die to cut out the panel with the image in the bottom right corner. I printed it out a second time so that I can cut it out with some masking paper. I placed the cut out masked paper unicorn over my card panel unicorn and stenciled the colorful cloudy background. I colored the unicorn and the grass he’s sitting on with Copic markers. Lastly, I stamped a sentiment from a My Favorite Things stamp set at the top with black ink.

So looking at the unicorn from a different angle, you can see that I’ve added tons of shimmer and glitter to it. I used a glitter brush pen for the muzzle, the hooves, the inside ears and around the eyes. I’ve also went around the unicorn on the grass for a bit more shimmer too. I took some clear dazzling diamonds glitter to add to the rainbow horn and tail using liquid glue. Of course, there’s even more sparkle with the sequins. I had a couple of heart sequins to add around the unicorn as well.

Thanks for stopping in today!

Challenges:

Papercraft Challenges – animals
Addicted to Stamps & More! – Make Your Mark (stencil and Copics)
Crafty Gals Corner – Anything Goes

I’m Just Lion Around

Hello friends! It’s the start of the very last week for August already! Fall is quickly approaching, and no… I’m not “lying” around, but I have been playing with this really cute King Lion digital image from Whimsy Stamps:

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I really enjoyed coloring in this image! I’ve used my Copics to color it and of course I had to add some fun little details as you will see in the photo below.

I was trying to keep this design somewhat simple as the star of the show needs to be this image. To help with the design, I’ve printed out some Whimsy Stamps digital papers called Great Outdoors. Although the distress coloring on the edges of the image panel looks a little bright in the photo, it is more toned down on the card when seeing it IRL. I have also stamped the sentiment and some accents on the image panel from the Whimsy Stamps Painted Sayings clear stamp set. I added some ribbon through the center and then I added some wood veneer accents on each side of the image panel before popping it up with foam tape. I’ve also added a couple of gold enamel dots on each end of the sentiment above the image panel.

Here’s a closer look at my coloring of the image and you can also see that I’ve added some glossy accents to his nose, some shimmer on his crown as well as some red glitter Stickles in the center of the red gems on his crown. I’ve added even more glitter along the distressed edges of the image panel with some tinsel glitter Stickles. I used a distress tool to go around the edges.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today! I will be back again on Thursday for a new challenge! Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate you being here! 🙂

challenges:

Sketch Saturday – sketch #528

2. Crazy 4 Challenges (C4C449) – masculine

3. Crafty Friends – Animals/Birds

Living in the Wild Wild West

Hello friends! I hope that you are having a great weekend so far!

I’m stopping by to share my Whimsy Stamps creation that I made for my posting on the WS Inspiration Blog. It’s my first post as a Whimsy Stamps digital DT over there, but I’m also posting on my own blog, here, for my readers and in case someone would like more details about my card design. 🙂

I have to say that I have been enjoying my coloring with these digital images since I’ve joined the DT. It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve made cards like this for some reason and the feeling, I once had doing this is starting to come back, so I’m glad to be a part of the team!

A horse is a horse of course of course, but this one took on a different “spot” when coloring it. I have used this month’s release Western Pony digital stamp for my card:

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The inspiration for coloring in this horse came from this month’s release of digital papers called Animal Prints. The spotted papers reminded me of the appaloosa breed of horse and so I took my coloring inspiration from there. I found a photo online to help with some of the coloring details:

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It’s hard to see in the photo, but there are just a couple of spots of the brown/tan color in this horse. I decided to add just a bit more brown/tan spots on mine.

I’ve added some coordinating card stock for the accents which helped bring out the colors in the horse too! As you can see in my layout, I took a strip of those Animal Prints papers and layered it with a piece of black cardstock and wrapped some twine around it. I attached it over some other Whimsy Stamps digital papers called Ahoy, There from a past release. (Although the theme doesn’t suggest to use it for this type of card, I thought it complimented the overall design and brought out the blue colors from the blanket under the saddle.)

I took a paper pierce tool and added some stitching details around the image as well as the blue card front papers before attached it all down. The image panel and card stock layer were rounded with a corner chomper.

Because it’s a digital image that comes with 2 separate images, you can use them together or not and resize them how you’d like. So I printed the hat separately and then popped it up over the image panel to make it look as if it’s flying off in the wind.

I’ve added a silver foil star that I die cut from the Whimsy Stamps Pierced Stars die set, wrapped some twine around it and placed a bow with a button over top. Lastly, I white heat embossed a sentiment under the image panel on a banner with the Whimsy Stamps Everyday Mini Sentiment Clear stamp set.

Here’s a closer view of the image and how I’ve colored it:

I’ve colored this image mainly with Copic markers and then took a white pencil to add a couple of highlights in the mane and tail. I took my Copics to create the blades of grass and shadow for the ground. There are also places on the harness and saddle that I’ve used a glitter gel pen for a metal look.

I think this sort of reminds me of a Western Sheriff with the star! LOL! Thinking of that made me think this would be a fun card for a kid.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my creation today! If you haven’t stopped by the Whimsy Stamps Inspiration Blog to follow along, you might want to hop on over there to subscribe so you can get lots of inspiration using the Whimsy Stamps products along with information on new releases too!

Thanks for dropping in!

Challenges:

Send a Smile 4 Kids – Slimy, humorous or Anything Goes 4 kids
Try it On Tuesday – Take a Ride
Crafty Creations – Anything Goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies – Anything Goes + animal (2nd entry)

It’s Just For Girls at Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! Welcome to another Thursday in the month of August! Just stopping by to share with you my creation for the new challenge this week over at Cute Card Thursday. This week we’d like to see your “Just for Girls” creations.

We are still in August, and it will be pretty warm this weekend. Trying to think cooler thoughts lately, so my mind goes to that song from the movie “Frozen”…. even though I have never seen it, I really do enjoy the song!

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I have used this really adorable image from our sponsor this week called Princess Snow which of course totally reminded me of the movie I mentioned above! 🙂 I also used that movie for the inspiration to color the image. So I’ve kept her outfit and hair in the same color hues as the princess in the movie. (See below for a closer look)

I had some snowflake papers in my stash and used a strip of it to go behind the image panel. I added some pink and glitter turquoise card stock to accent with the image and also die cut a snowflake border with pink card stock as well. I’ve used some white glitter ribbon and a snowflake accent in the center of the bow and then added a turquoise rhinestone for the center. I took my corner chomper and rounded off the corners of the glitter paper and edges of card base.

Now with a closer view of the image, you can see how I’ve colored her and all of the shimmer and sparkle too. I’ve colored her hair band, stars in her hair and the trim on her dress with a pink gel pen. I’ve covered the snowball and the ground she’s standing on with dazzling diamonds glitter. I’ve also used both a white and glitter gel pen for dots around her hair and the swirl to the left of her. Her dress was covered with a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and please be sure to stop by the Cute Card Thursday challenge blog to see what inspiration the design team has come up with too! Hope you can join us this week for the challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges: