Spring Rain

Spring is really beginning to show itself even though the temperatures have dropped back down toward freezing.  I'm crossing my fingers that the beauty that is emerging around us won't get bitten by Jack Frost before steady warmth arrives!

This month over at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog, we're to make spring cards using pastel colors.  Our sponsor this month is Meljen's Designs, an online shop with a ton of adorable, heart warming images!  The prize this month is four (non-colored) digital images from the store!

For my card this week, I chose to use this little umbrella, called Heart Strings Parasol.

I used some decorative paper from my retired Stampin Up! stash and some coordinating cardstock.  The cloud is actually the top of the cupcake from the Stampin Up! cupcake punch!  (I love it when things can be used for more than what they were originally intended!)  The little pink dots are tiny pink gemstones, but the photo doesn't show them very clearly, unfortunately.

**I am also entering this card in the I {Heart} 2 Stamp April Sketch challenge.

Sittin'

It's CAS (Clean & Simple) time over on The Stamping Boutique Challenge Blog!  That just tickles me pink!  LOL!  Head on over and submit your CAS card for a chance to win some freebies!

Here's my card for the challenge, a simple chair!  Can't you just see yourself sitting there, reading a book or magazine?!  I can dream, can't I?

Supplies:
Stamps -  The Stamping Boutique (Audrey's Chair - digital), Paper Trey (sentiment)
Paper - SU cardstock (Basic Grey), Paper Trey cardstocks (Kraft, white)
Ink - SU (Basic Black)
Accessories - SU marker (Basic Gray - faux stitching), paper piercer, corner rounder
Coloring - Copic markers

Prickley Pear February Sketch

It's time for a new sketch challenge over at Prickley Pear Stamps!  Here is this month's sketch:

Link your creation to the Prickley Pear Blog by February 29 for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to the online store!

I used the brand new Mini Butterflies Clear Stamps Set and the coordinating Mini Butterflies Die to create this simple card:

Supplies:
Stamps - Prickley Pear (Mini Butterflies Clear Stamps Set)
Paper - SU Basic Gray & Tangerine Tango cardstocks, Paper Trey white cardstock
Ink - SU Tangerine Tango & Basic Black
Accessories - Prickley Pear Mini Butterflies Die, gemstones, foam dots (popped up butterflies), SU Basic Black grosgrain ribbon

Prickley Pear Monday

We've been busy at Prickley Pear lately!  Today is Prickley Pear Monday, so I'm sharing another Prickley Pear creation, a valentine using the new Love stamp!  I used one of my favorite color combos:  red and turquoise.  I just love bright colors on valentines!

Supplies:

Stamps - Prickley Pear (Love)

Paper - My Mind's Eye DP, SU Whisper White, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise CS

Ink - SU Tempting Turquoise

Accessories - SU Real Red polka dot ribbon, gemstone flower, Cuttlebug embossing folder, sponge

How've You Bean?

I've been wanting to create a CAS (Clean & Simple) card.  I really do love CAS cards!  Everyone has their own card style and, though I'm not completely sure what mine is, I'm thinking it tends to be at least clean in design.  Not too much fluff.  Clean lines.  I play with color, shapes and patterns more than embellishments, I guess.  Style evolves though, so who knows what my cards will look like five years from now.

I played along with this week's Clean & Simple Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.  The challenge is to use die cuts.  With the new year arriving and the cleaning/organizing/decluttering spell it tends to cast on me, I've been digging in my stash.  Let me tell you!  If there's a good way to cut your spending way down, just go through what you already have once in a while!  I have so many goodies to play with that I didn't even remember putting in the box!  I'm humbled, yet excited to dig into them!

Supplies:

Stamps - Fiskars

Paper - SU textured CS (Whisper White, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake)

Ink - SU Early Espresso

Accessories - Quickutz die, Nestabilities (ovals), linen thread, brown pearls, foam dot (popped up coffee cup)

Inspiration Challenge

It's time for a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique!  This time, it's an inspiration challenge using the image above!  Can you believe that's a cake?!

I was inspired by the shape and colors on the cake, so chose the Birthday Hot Air Balloon digital stamp for my clean and simple card.  I have to tell you, this particular image was so fun to color!  I placed a star shaped gemstone on the center flag and added some sparkle with a Copic Spica pen on the circles just above the banners/ribbons.  Though the photo doesn't show it very well, I fussy cut the balloon and popped it up with foam dots to give it a little dimension!

Supplies:
Stamps - The Stamping Boutique (Birthday Hot Air Balloon), SU sentiment
Paper - Paper Trey white CS
Ink - SU Regal Rose (sentiment)
Accessories - star gemstone, foam dots (popped up main image)
Coloring - Copic markers

Prickley Pear Monday

It's time for another Prickley Pear creation!  I am loving their stamps and every time I browse their store, I find more stamps that I add to my wish list!  Thank goodness for wish lists!  :)

Today, I'm sharing another simple holiday card using a pretty wreath stamp from the Birdcage Winter 2 clear stamp set.  I chose my decorative paper first and then colored the wreath stamp with markers before stamping the image.  I then cut it out with my favorite little fine pointed scissors.  I used a circle punch to punch out the middle, making it easier to cut out the inside of the wreath (...rather than injure myself with my scissors while attempting to pierce through the middle to get started...lol!).

I used clear and red Stickles to add some sparkle and then popped the wreath up on foam adhesive pieces to give it dimension.

Supplies:

Stamps - Prickley Pear (Birdcage Winter 2 clear stamp set)

Paper - SU Certainly Celery & Garden Green CS, My Mind's Eye DP (Holly Jolly)

Ink - SU Garden Green (sentiment)

Accessories - SU Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Stickles, foam adhesive (popped up main image)

Have a Happy Monday!

Tis the Season

Time marches on!  Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we're off and running toward the end of the year!  We'll probably be sledding toward it here shortly and that is something I am not looking forward to!  I think the older I get, the less I like snow.  Maybe I just need to go out and play in it more often!  :)  Driving in it is just something I'd rather not do, but this school year that's not going to be an option as I am the bus this year for our kids!

Today, I'm sharing my first winter card using some of the newest stamps from Prickley Pear!  I just love this image!  I added some glitter to the pine cones for some winter sparkle and then popped the whole main image panel up to give this clean and simple card a little dimension.

 

Supplies:

Stamps - Prickley Pear (Pinecones ATC & Tis the Season)

Paper - SU Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla cardstocks

Ink - SU Chocolate Chip

Accessories - SU Chocolate Chip & Always Artichoke markers, SU Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, brown pearls, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter, foam dots (popped up main image panel)

Very Merry

It's 2 Cute Rubber Stamps day and today I'm sharing a card that I made using one of the 6 new stamps that are now available!  They're the cutest winter/Christmas images!  Go take a look!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!  I'll be back after the holiday with my first winter card of the season!

Supplies:

Stamps - 2 Cute Rubber Stamps (Holiday Tree - digital), SU sentiment (Short & Sweet)

Paper - Recollections textured CS (Jolly & Bright), SU Real Red & Whisper White cardstocks, Copic Blending Card

Ink - SU Basic Black

Accessories - Stickles, Cuttlebug embossing folder, foam dots (popped up 3 panels)

Coloring - Copic markers

Thanksgiving Thanks

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that Thanksgiving is just two days away!  We're celebrating the holiday with DH's family this year for the first time in quite a few years.  We usually spend time with them around Christmas time, but this year we decided to change things up a bit!

Today is the beginning of a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique!  The theme?  Thanksgiving!  Come join the fun and the chance to win some free images!

Supplies:

Stamps - The Stamping Boutique (AJ the Pilgrim, Verve Stamps - sentiment)

Paper - Bazzill white textured CS, SU Pumpkin Pie textured CS, Copic blending card

Ink - SU Basic Black

Accessories - Nestabilities (pumpkin & oval), black gemstones, foam dots (popped up main image)

Coloring - Copic markers

Simply Thinking of You

This week's Clean & Simple Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers is to use Chocolate (colored paper, of course), Ivory and Red.  I also found a fabulous sketch to follow over at Freshly Made Sketches (see sketch below card image), so I was all set to create a card!  Getting my mojo back is beginning to look hopeful, so starting out with this clean and simple card is a good thing!  Little by little...

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Circle Circus, Trendy Trees (sentiment)
Paper - SU Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Very Vanilla cardstocks
Ink - SU Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Accessories - SU scalloped circle & 1-inch circle punches, smaller circle punch, SU red gemstone brad

Halloween Greetings

It's time for a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique!  This time around it's a "Spooky, Scary Halloween" theme!

I chose to use the A Crowded Mash digital stamp for my card and what a fun image to color!  Next time, I'm thinking I'll use some fun flock on those fuzzy feet!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps - The Stamping Boutique (A Crowded Mash, digital)
Paper - SU Wild Wasabi, Basic Black & Elegant Eggplant cardstocks, Gina K white CS
Accessories - green buttons, SU Basic Black wide grosgrain ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stickles (on purple boots)
Coloring - Copic markers