Anything Goes For Cute Card Thursday!

Hello friends! It’s Thursday and time for a new challenge over at Cute Card Thursday!

This week is an easy “Anything Goes” challenge! So please share with us what you are working on this week weather it be a card, a scrapbook page, journal page or altered item, etc. We look forward to seeing what you’re doing!

I’ve decided to use another newly released image from Whimsy Stamps (our sponsor this week) on my design today:

Vicki-CCT550-WS-Oct 4

Isn’t this cat just too stinkin’ CUTE?! I’ve used the newly released October digital stamp Scruffy Cat by Crissy Armstrong for Whimsy Stamps on my card today.

*Edited to Add Copic marker colors I’ve used! *

For hat: R59 for darkest shadows blended out with R29, R27 and R24. I’ve used a white Prismacolor pencil for some highlighting. I did use some B000 for shadows on the hat trimmings, but the loose glitter I glued on covers it up in the photo.

For cat: I used W5, W3, W1 and W0 and started with the darkest color along edges and flicked in with the other colors. R20 blended out with R00 for his ears and cheeks.

Collar: G07 and G05. I used a glitter gel pen for the tag.

I have used the Whimsy Stamps Notched Rectangles die set to cut him out with and mount him over a piece of red card stock. I’ve also used a strip of red card stock cut with the same die and white heat embossed the sentiment from the Whimsy Stamps Holiday Mini Sentiments clear stamp set and attached under the kitty.

Before attaching the kitty panel, I’ve used some of the Whimsy Stamps Christmas Cool Mix digital papers and added a white organza ribbon around it. I also sponged around the edges with some white ink using a sponge dauber and then I attached that to the front of a red top folding card base. Lastly, I’ve attached the kitty panel along with the ribbon bow underneath and finished the card with snowflake sequins and silver glitter in the centers.

Here’s a closer look at my coloring as well as the glittery details on the kitty collar tag and the loose fine glitter on the hat trimmings.

Please be sure to check out the challenge blog to see the details of the challenge and catch the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and look forward to seeing what you come up with! Thanks so much for stopping in!

Challenges:

QKR Stampede – Anything Goes #315
The Paper Players (PP412) – Tic-Tac-Toe: Green, any embossing, sequins/glitter
Crafty Animals – Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers – Lace or Ribbon

It’s New Release Time at Whimsy Stamps!

Hello friends! Can you believe that October has gotten here so fast?! I thank you SO MUCH to everyone that has shared about my give away and I really have been enjoying your comments about the way you share smiles through your creations. It is such an inspiration and joy to hear about this.

For my card today, I am sharing a sweet and fun festive image from the new release:

Vicki-PenguinElvesWorkshop-Oct2

Yes, I cannot get enough of the penguins that Crissy Armstrong makes up for Whimsy Stamps! This image is called Penguin Elves at the Workshop and I think they’re having lots of fun for Christmas! They’re colored up with Copic markers and then I’ve taken a white gel pen for highlights as well as a silver and gold gel pen for detailing. I took some fine loose glitter and attached with liquid glue on parts of the penguins’ hats and then a glitter brush pen on the bow the penguin is holding. I have used the Pierced Border Trio dies to cut the panel on the top and bottom of the image. I then took an ink blending tool to add some distress ink around the panel.

For the sentiment banner, I printed out the new released Penguin Christmas Sentiments 1 and cut out a banner and then went over it with a Copic marker so that it matched up with my design. For the front panel of my card, I also took the newly released digital papers called Christmas Red, Gold and Green and printed them out and trimmed it to size my A2 white card base. I also took my ink blending tool to distress more coloring on the edges to match my image panel. I then took that and mounted it over the papers and then glued some gold thin ribbon on the top and bottom of the image panel and added a bow along with some festive sequins filled with Stickles tinsel glitter glue.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today using the new digital release from Whimsy Stamps this month. Be sure to check back for other creations I make from the new release this month too!! Thanks so much for stopping by!

challenges:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge – Anything Goes with Christmas
Christmas Card Throwdown – Technique: Coloring
Crafting By Designs – Get Ready for Christmas
Aud Sentiments – Use a 2 word sentiment
Winter Wonderland – Anything Goes + Christmas
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes
Make My Monday – Animals

I’m Joining a Critter Challenge Design Team!

Hello friends! Welcome to October! There are so many fun and exciting things yet to come this month and I’m thinking it will probably fly right by me! But first, this exciting news is something that I will share with you first!

I have been invited to join the 2 Crafty Critter Crazies challenge blog as a design team member and I’m truly honored to be crafting alongside several of my blog friends already on the team! Thanks so much for welcoming me to this wonderful team! 🙂 If you are not already familiar with this challenge blog, please stop by and check it out! Obviously you must use a critter on your creation (any crafty style make), plus it’s an always “anything goes” as long as you use a critter and you have an entire month to enter! Of course I am a huge critter fan and love using those type of images on my creations…so I hope you’ll come along and play! – The challenges are always the very 1st of each month.

So for my creation this month, I have used a gorgeous image kindly provided by our sponsor:

Vicki-2CCC-Ching-Chou Kuik

I have used Flutter Butterflies Grey Scale digital image from Ching-Chou Kuik on my card for today. for this image, I decided to pull out my case of Prisma pencils to color it in as I thought it would be a good one to practice with. Including the background, I’ve colored the entire panel with pencils. It took some time to do the blending and such, but it was very therapeutic, and I enjoyed the process of it. I used a white gel pen for a few highlights in areas on the butterflies. (Some of it was also from a white pencil.)

I cut out the colored panel with a stitched rectangle die and mounted it onto a black scallop rectangle panel that I’ve popped up with craft foam. I’ve also added a kraft doily that I’ve cut in half on both the top and bottom of the panel. I found some pretty black and ivory design paper to mount her on. I took some sparkly black ribbon to go across that paper and then mounted it all over a top folding A2 sized black card base.

Lastly, I’ve cut out some extra butterflies in black cardstock to accent my image panel and then I’ve added some clear glitter Stickles along the edges of the image panel to finish it off. I really wanted the image to be the main focal of this especially since I spent so much time in the coloring.

Here’s a closer look at the image and coloring:

Looking at this photo, I also added some shimmer to the colored butterflies with a Spectrum Noir clear glitter brush pen. Sometimes you have to angle it just right to capture the shimmer on it.

I hope you have enjoyed my card today!

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

challenges:

Crafty Creations – Anything Goes #375
Fab ‘n’ Funky – All Creatures Great & Small
Creative Moments – Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts – Anything Goes

It’s Autumn at Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! It’s Cute Card Thursday again and we are going all Autumn over there this week! Sounds like a great challenge to me…hope you will stop over and check out the inspiration and add your creation in the gallery too! Looking forward to seeing your makes!

Here’s my card:

Vicki-CCT549-KindaCute

I thought this image was so darn cute! I’ve used an image from our sponsor this week called Girl with Wheelbarrow from Kinda Cute Stamps. She is busy gathering pumpkins in that wheelbarrow and looks to be on a mission with it too! I adore that sweet little bunny along for the ride!

I’ve colored the image with Copic markers including for the ground. I’ve taken a tiny sponge with some blue ink and very lightly sponged in a sky. The sentiment was stamped with brown ink from an older Lawn Fawn set. I’ve also used the Stitched Leaves die from Lawn Fawn to cut out some leaves with kraft cardstock and then sponged some color over the edges to attach to the design.

I cut out both the image panel and the orange design paper with a Stitched Scallop rectangle die set from My Favorite Things. I’ve also cut out a tiny brown banner at the top left corner from a die set from MFT as well. Lastly, I’ve added some gold sparkling enamel dots around the leaves.

Hope you are out and about enjoying the Autumn season! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today, I’m so happy to have you here! See you very soon!

Challenges:

Sweet Stampin’ – Dies/Punches (I stamped the sentiment-hopefully this qualifies)
Always Fun – Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps & More – Anything Goes #311
Crafty Gals Corner – Anything Goes + Fall
Mod Squad – Autumn Colors (Orange, red, purple, yellow, brown) I used all EXCEPT purple! – must use at least 3

Just A Girl and Her Pumpkin

Hello friends! Wow, I think Fall has begun over my way as the air has changed with cooler temperatures and I absolutely LOVE it! 🙂 Although I’ve been busy crafting away in my room, I like to get outdoors for a few breaks to walk around and see signs of the leave starting to change over.

Today, I am over at the Whimsy Stamps Inspiration blog to share my card with you using one of the really adorable images from this month’s release called “A Girl and Her Pumpkin” digital stamp by Crissy Armstrong:

Vicki-WSGirlPumpkin-Sept25-blogpost

Isn’t she adorable?! I really enjoyed coloring her up with my Copic markers. As I was coloring, it actually reminded me of going to a near-by apple orchid with my children as they were growing up. I would take photos of them with all of the pumpkins surrounding them as they would pick out which one they wanted to carve for Halloween. (My oldest was not a fan of “pumpkin guts” and so we always ended up doing that part for him! LOL!) But it must have made an impression with them because they still enjoy going as adults now! Besides, what’s better than apple cider donuts and freshly picked apples?! YUM!

So, after the reminiscing of memories, I cut her out with the WS Hand Stitched Nested Rectangles along with the card front base and attached to a white A2 sized top folding card base. For the sentiment, I took a piece of vellum and heat embossed a greeting from the WS Painted Sayings stamp set and I also took some of the splatter images from the same set and stamped them randomly in the background with white ink.

Before attaching the image panels onto the card, I’ve added some gold ink around the edges, attached some leaves behind it and popped it up with foam tape. The piece of vellum was hand cut into a banner and folded around card base and attached with glue behind the letters to hide it. I then put some burlap ribbon around the card front base as well as the image panel, vellum banner and gold sequins filled with gold Stickles.

Here’s a closer view of the image and how she’s colored. You can also better see the gold inked edges. And of course, the photo didn’t pick it up, but I took some Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen to go over the pumpkin with.

I’ve also used a cloud stencil to lightly sponge in a nice Fall sky behind her.

I think she would look so cute surrounded by a field of pumpkins…so there’s an idea! Maybe I’ll work on that for next time!

Thanks so much for stopping in today! I appreciate you taking the time! See you soon!

challenges:

QKR Stampeded – Anything Goes #314
Just Us Girls – JUGS459 photo week
Crafty Friends – Autumn Colors
Stamps & Fun = Creativity – Fall
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes

It’s a Monochromatic Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! Trying to work hard on projects and getting things ready for next month. So please excuse me if I seem a bit sporadic in my presence!

Stopping in to share a new challenge with you over at Cute Card Thursday! This week the theme is “monochromatic” or some people say “monochrome” which simply means that your project mainly consists of one color or tone. Stop by the challenge blog and be sure to check out the rest of the inspiration from the design team while you’re there! Here’s my project for the challenge:

Vicki-CCT548-monochrome

I absolutely fell in love with this flower image from the My Favorite Things card kit that they came out with! And I can’t say that I came up with this idea all on my own either, as it is very similar to one of the samples on the project sheet that comes with the kit.

It’s very simple to do, just white heat embossed the floral image and color areas in with a Copic marker and then I used a sentiment from Lawn Fawn to white heat emboss over vellum and the card stock again and then die cut the word out and attach over the vellum strip. I had been requested to make up some wedding cards and so I’m trying to make up a few of them as this is something that I’ve completely missed in my card creating. Taking mental notes for myself!

Thanks for stopping by friends! See you soon!

challenges:

QKR Stampede – #313 Anything Goes
The Flower Challenge – Anything Goes + flower(s)
The Creative Crafters – Anything Goes

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:

Vicki-ChristmasMermaid-Sept18

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

Fall is Here with Craft Show Projects

Hello friends! I was really hoping to post this yesterday, but hubby was around and I was trying to get many different things done at once. As you might guess, I am frantically running around trying to get a good start and handle on getting items made up for my up-coming craft table! I will have more on that below, but first, I’d like to share a card I made for the Lawn Fawnatics challenge before it expires too! LOL

Vicki-LawnFawn-FallisHere

As you may have seen in my past posting, I had gotten MANY Lawn Fawn items recently as I just adore Fall/Halloween and of course Christmas soon to follow! It’s hard resist so many cool things that come out each year! (If I worked myself ahead of time, then I would be less frantic and be able to actually slowly enjoy my new items! LOL)

So for this card, I have used the fun Thanks a Latte stamp set as well as the Forest Feast stamp set for accents and sentiment. I’ve stamped the tree stump in brown ink at the bottom of a vanilla panel that I’ve cut out using the LF Cross-Stitched rectangle die. I also used a cloud stencil to sponge in some clouds in the background behind the stump. I’ve stamped and colored with my Copic markers the other elements of the design and cut them out with the coordinating dies and arranged them on the stump panel. I stamped the sentiment under the cup on a strip of vellum with chocolate ink and then heat embossed it with clear glitter EP and wrapped it around the card base with the plaid paper as well as the twine with the white heat embossed sentiment that was cut from brown cardstock with a banner die strip. Lastly, I’ve added some shimmer over the liquid contents in cup as well as the leaves.

challenges:

Lawn Fawnatics – Mood Board

2. City Crafter – Fall Colors

3. Sketch Saturday – sketch 531

4. Words 2 Craft By (W2CB57) – “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – “Pop It Up” (Popped up cup, leaves and whipped topping)

6. Aud Sentiments – Fall + a sentiment

Now I’d like to share something that I’ve been working on for my up-coming craft show next month. It’s coming quickly and I have many things to get ready for it. I’ve not made these before for purchase, but I find that I am always in need of them and use them every year, so I thought these would be a fun way for someone to present a gift:

Vicki-ShakerGiftCardHolders-CraftShow

These are my “Shaker Gift Card Holders”. I had made one in a previous post that I did earlier this year, but you may already be familiar with my “Shaker Money Holders” which I did a tutorial for on Splitcoaststampers.com a couple of years back. CLICK HERE if you’d like to see that tutorial with a video I did.

As you can see, I’ve used the same Lawn Fawn stamp set that I’ve used on my card above as well as pulled in some other of those cute little images from other sets too!

I am going to be burning the midnight oil for a while, so I will probably have to wait to share more photos after my craft show finishes up, but I will take photos as I create so that I can also keep track of what I’ve made and how it all went over.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my post this evening and I’ll see you again soon!

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?

Vicki-CCT547-ADU-diesandpunches

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:

Vicki-PenguinFuninFall-Sept 11

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: