Daring Cardmakers Challenge - Showers and Flowers

This card is for the Daring Cardmakers challenge, with the theme being "Showers and Flowers". I live in Texas and we have been getting more than our share of rain over the past few weeks with high winds that have knocked out the power lines too in some parts of Houston. I started my day with rain this morning but fortunately we did not lose power. I recycled this floral strip I used on this card from a last year calendar. Then I decided to add this little bird in the rain ( a stamp from Unity Stamps) to the mix. And of course I wanted to use bright color choices to usher in a happier mood that rain brings. However, that rain does bring us the beautiful flowers, so it's worth  a little gloominess. You can find the details for this challenge here:

https://daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/2024/05/showers-and-flowers.html

 

Jingle Belles challenge Tic Tac Toe

 

Here is my card for the Tic Tac Toe challenge going on over at JingleBelles  this week. I used the center vertical line for my Bingo. I embossed some red paper with a 3-D embossing folder from Sizzix. I mounted it onto a white card base. I die cut green paper to be the leaves on the wreath and I die cut red and dark red flowers for the poinsettias. The sentiment is die cut from silver chrome card stock. I added some faceted stones for the flower centers. It is so much fun getting some Christmas cards done early when the time crunch is not on and the java juices can flow more leisurely.

I was so excited to see this card got picked as one of the top picks for this challenge. Such an honor and I love the wonderful challenges this dynamic team duo comes up with for motivating creativity. You gals are the best!

AI - #379 All that Glitters

It's always fun stamping when you can pull out one of your cute stamps from sets by Art Impressions. This is my first chance to use this one, and now that I am a cat owner again, I have come to be a part of the arrogance so often displayed in their behavior. I decided to not give the background cats any color, as Miss Queen cat pays so little mind to them anyway!! I used a strip of silver glittered cardstock as the queen's  royal path of travel. I used some gold stickles around the star burst frame around her and added gold rays of stickle behind her" less than thrilled "audience of the commoners. I did color some of those "common" cats with green eyes of envy!!LOL

It's always exciting to join in on the fun over at the AI blog site to take part in their challenges when I am able. Here is where you can find the details:

https://artimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/2024/05/all-that-glitters-challenge-379-week-2.html

 

Color Thrown Down 795

 https://colorthrowdown.blogspot.com/2024/05/color-throwdown-challenge-795.html

I used a Stampin' Up set for this summery card and some great design paper along with some blue and red cardstock. My "go to" stamping ink is versafine clair black or the great coverage I ge with it. 

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #579

 

I made this card for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch challenge #579 this week. I love using up my scraps so I made a pieced background using up scraps from my scrap pile. This lovely sentiment is from My Favorite Things. I used a Sizzix leaf die for the greenery around the sentiment and added a few gems to give it a little sparkle.  

You can find the link to this challenge here:

https://atlanticheartschallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/sketch-579.html

4 seasons sketch challenge for May

I am entering this card in the 4 season challenge this month. You can find the details here:

https://4-seasonchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/reminder-challenge-80-sketch.html

I used up some design papers in my stash and used  a die as my main focus. The sentiment was stamped from a Stampendous stamp set. 

 

 

Allsorts Challenge 782

I love these Tim Holtz antique photos so decided to use this pair for the Blast From the past challenge this week on Allsorts Challenge #782. The kraft paper was an embossed pattern. I added a scrap of a piece of Basic Grey my stash and then punched these aqua circles just to add a little pop to the sketch design. The sentiment strip is from Tim Holtz as well 

You can find the details of this challenge here:

https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/week-782.html

 

As You See it - Wedding Bells #324

I love my new stamp from Unity. I think this is the prettiest bride I have ever seen on a stamp and I love silhouettes. I embossed the white background with a 3-D Sizzix embossing folder. I used versafine clair black ink for the stamping on a white piece of cardstock and fussy cut to add to the embossed background.  I used some subtle pastels for the flowers and leaves.  I am entering this card to the As You Like It #324 challenge and the theme is wedding bells.  You can find the details for this challenge here:

                                        https://www.asyouseeitchallenge.com/2024/05/324.html
 

Retro Rubber #231 - color challenge - lavender

 

This was a fun card to make for the Retro Rubber challenge#231. I used a wonderful rubber stamp from Unity that is that has been in my collection a few years now. I stamped it with versafine clair black ink, and colored it with alcohol markers. The background was stamp directly onto white paper using a mini ink block with heather ink. The sentiment is from Gina Marie Designs and done with a versafine clair black ink pad. I o mounted the front onto a lavender card base. The outside says: "Bless You Heart" and inside I wrote and your sole!!I added some little paper flowers that I colored with purple alcohol ink and glued over some of the roses from the stamp. 

You can find the details for this challenge here:

https://www.retrorubberchallengeblog.com/my-blog/2024/05/challenge-231-lavender-love.html

It was an honor to learn that this  card was picked as one of their 5 cards for the week. Thank you, Retro Rubber team. 

How does your garden grow?

 

I used an old stamp from the now out of business, Flourishes, who once had Marcella Hawley as one of their artists. She now owns her own company called Power Poppy. I stamped the image with Versafine clair black ink, and colored it with alcohol markers. The design papers are some oldies from my stash from a Basic Grey collection. I embossed the entire background with a Sizzix lattice embossing folder and then rubbed over it with a distress oxide honey ink pad. I used a punch for the oval for the sentiment and a die for the circle. So I think I met 3 different requirements for three different challenges. They are these:

 The Shop our stash challenge #522

 to use something from the garden and an old stamp that is over 1 year old (this one is probably over 10 years old.

 Can You Handle this? 

to use embossing and a fruit or veggie

And the sketch of this card is from the sketch challenge:
 Try a Sketch on Tuesday challenge 

K.R.A.F.T. Christmas 721

I did the Jacob's Coat technique on this 3-D embossed card using various distress oxide inks, and the rubbing over it with versafine clair black ink. I mounted it on a red card base and used a gold diecut sentiment cut from a Sizzix die.  You can find the details of this challenge here:

https://trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/challenge-721-christmas.html

I love having another Christmas card ready ahead of time. 

 

 

As You like It - a favorite sketch and why

I love patchwork backgrounds because they help me make use of my scraps of design papers that I have left over from other projects. I just can't throw a pretty piece of paper away. I added to this background one of Tim Holtz's paper doll photos, some die cut leaves, and some punched flowers, gems for the centers of the flowers, and the sentiment strip is from Tim Holtz as well. I mounted this onto a dark red card base.  

You can find the details for this challenge here:

https://asyoulikeitchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/favourite-sketch-and-why.html

 

Just us Girls 728 and Krafty Chicks 717

I made this card using 2 stencils layered over each other. I love using Distress Oxide inks for my stenciling. The flower I stamped on white paper and left it uncolored. The stamp is from Unity stamps. I fussy cut them and added them to the stenciled background. The sentiment is a die and I used colored card stock. The card  base if rose cardstock.

I will be downloading it to the Just Us girls challenge you can find here:

https://justusgirlschallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/just-us-girls-challenge-728-anything.html

and also I am entering it in the Krafty Chicks challenge #717 that can be found here:

https://kraftychickschallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/krafty-chicks-challenge-717-all.html

 

Daring Cardmaking challenge - M is for

The theme of the challenge for  the Daring Cardmakers challenge this week is M is for.....

so M for me is this new margarita stamp from Unity that I used. I tried to keep it somewhat monochromatic with the greens, and use distress oxide inks to make the mashed background.  I glued some white glitter around the glass rim to look like salt. I used some green liquid pearl as the lime rind. 

You can check the details for the challenge here:

https://daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/2024/05/m-is-for.html

 

Cut it up challenge #304

Love this die from Spellbinder that I used for this Cut It Up challenge with a flower theme. I used some plaid design paper for the books and looks of colorful scraps for he flowers. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz Ideaology sentiment pad. I used a light blue background cardstock for the image and a rust and lilac cardstock for the mat.  You can find the details for this challenge here:

https://cutitupchallenges.blogspot.com/2024/05/cut-it-up-challenge-304-send-me-flowers.html

 

Inspire.Create.Challenge #168

I made this cute card for the Inspire.Create.Challenge 168 using the color requirements of red, pink, and lilac. The stamp is from Unity and I colored it with alcohol markers. The sentiment is from Tim Holtz's idea-o-logy sentiment strip pad. The sentiment says:

"Relax, we're all crazy....it's not a competition." Thorn stripes of paper were used as well as ribbon scraps. The card base is lilac cardstock. 

 You can find the challenge details here:

https://inspirecreatechallenges.blogspot.com/2024/05/inspirecreatechallenge-168-colour_22.html

Crazy is our frame, stenciling is our game

This card was made for the Crazy is our fame, stenciling our game Challenge this month. I used a stencil for the lacy background. Then I used a stamp set from Gina K (Unity) for the flowers and sentiment. Distress oxide ink was used for the stenciling and alcohol markers used for the coloring of the image. You can find the details for this challenge here:

https://stencilfun.blogspot.com/2024/05/may-2024-stencil-fun-challenge.html
 

Christmas Kickstart challenge

I made this card for the Monthly Christmas Kickstart challenge using plaid papers. I love getting some of my Christmas cards done early. I used design papers for the plaids and dies for the deer and trees. The stampers are from Impression Obsessions for the sentiment and Rubberneckers for the gnome and matching die. 

 You  can find the details for this challenge here:

https://christmaskickstartchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/reminder-for-challenge-86.html

AAA card challenge #265 and HMFMC 415

I made this card to help the AAA card Challenge #265 celebrate their tenth anniversary.  It also will be added to the HMFMC #415: you can find the details for these challenges here:

https://aaacards.blogspot.com/2024/05/aaa-card-challenge-265-anything.html

and

 https://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/hmfmc-415-anything-goes-option-of-add.html

The image is from Stampendous, colored with Copic markers. 

 

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #415 - flowers

I really loved this color combo I came up with for this card for the House Mouse Friends Monday Challenge going on the remainder of this week. The optional theme was flowers. So, I started by using a flowered themed stencil and blended in a few of some distress oxide colors from my collection. Since orange was worked into it, I found a piece of design paper that I thought would contrast the patterns a little and would bring in more of the orange color. I mounted this onto a Pumpkin Pie card base. With a white paper I die cut this flowered frame die to use around my house mouse image I selected that included a flower in it. I colored the stamped HM image with copic markers. I used a piece of design paper for the inside of the die cut frame. After attaching that to the card, I added the aqua enamel dots for the centers of the die cut flowers that surrounded the frame.  My sentiment is one from a Tim Holtz pad that says: "Collect beautiful moments"

You can check out the details of the challenge and the linky here:

https://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/2024/05/hmfmc-415-anything-goes-option-of-add.html

 

House Mouse challenge #414 add yellow

I made this card for the Free 4 All challenge on Splitcoaststampers and for the HMFMC#414 to add a little yellow. House Mouse card make such cute birthday cards that everyone seems to love. I also made use of some of my many pretty scraps of paper left from previous projects. The card base is black.  I stamped the image in versafine clair black and colored it with copic markers. 

The details of the House Mouse challenge can be found here:

https://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/2024/04/hmfmc-414-anything-goes-option-of-add.html