*This or That Instagram Hop*

 This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we are playing with either apples or pumpkins.  I don't think I have anything that would work for apples, so I went with pumpkins.  What is it about fall themed stamps that makes me pull out the "thank you" sentiments?

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Stamps:  Waffle Flower Trick or Treat; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Mini Slimline Instagram Hop*

 Another post from me this morning... this time for the Mini Slimline Instagram Hop.  I play with a group of friends on Instagram each month, sharing a mini slimline card.  We have no themes... just a love of the mini slimline size.  I, personally, like to play with a 6X6 piece of cardstock folded in half.  It's such a fun size to decorate!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Waffle Flower Sweet Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Embossing:  Spellbinders Peppermint Strips

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses; Waffle Flower Sweet Birthday Sentiments

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop*

 Good morning...  I'm here with my first post of the day, sharing a card I created for the "Think Fall" theme I was faced with for the Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop.

I am not a fall-loving girl.  Sure, I like wearing hoodies, but fall to me represents the end of summer (which is my favourite season).  We don't get a long summer here in Calgary... and fall brings cooler weather, trees losing their leaves and the threat of snow.

I started my card with a simple leaf stencil and some fall colours (not that the trees in Calgary have these colours).  I added this adorable squirrel to finish it off.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Trinity Stamps Nutty Squirrel

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Memento Tuxedo Black; Tim Holtz Distress Ink Scattered Straw, Fired Brick; Copics
*Stencil:  Lawn Fawn Autumn Breeze

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Just Us Girls #838

*{BYSHC} Sketch #73*

 It's September and time for a new sketch at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers.  I love seeing how everyone interprets these sketches every month...

I had just gotten this new stamp and die set in the mail and I couldn't wait to play with it!  I love how crisp this snowflake stamped up!  I LOVE how this card turned out... not quite as thrilled with my second card that you'll see in a few weeks.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  American Crafts
*Stamps:  MFT Christmas Wishes; Simon Says Stamp Christmas Star Flakes
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Christmas Wishes; Simon Says Stamp Christmas Star Flakes

*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Challenges:  BYSHCardmakers Sketch #73

*CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #593*

How on earth is it September?!?!  Where did the summer months go?!  I am not ready to leave behind my capris and sandals... although I am looking forward to hoodies!

It's time for a new sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches... 

I had an idea about what I wanted to do with the embossed panels and turned to Pinterest for some colour combination inspiration.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions
*Dies:  Pinfkresh Studio Slim Strips; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Embossing:  Altenew Deck Planks

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #593

*One Layer Instagram Hop*

 The challenge for the One Layer Instagram Hop for this month is "Markers"...  Using Copics on a one layer card requires a little creativity on the one layer idea.  I stamped my floral on a card sized panel and coloured it with my Copics...   I wanted to overstamp the image but I was so afraid I wouldn't get a clean stamp!  I just felt like my cardstock wasn't quite in the right spot.  So I didn't do it.  I stamped my sentiment and then attached this panel to the front of a card.  It's the same size as my folded card so it works... without doing the panel, the ink would should through the inside of my card.

Card Info

*Stamps:  Concord & 9th Flower Field, Big Day Birthday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #697*

Hello creative friends... it's Monday which means there's a new sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges.  This sketch is honestly something like what I often lean to when I'm creating...

And even though it is something similar to what I normally lean towards, I struggled with this card!  I knew I wanted to keep it pretty clean and simple by using a lot of white elements, but then I struggled with what I wanted to do with the corner decorations.  I LOVE this Pinkfresh Washi (and the matching dies) but honestly, I struggle to know which way to play the pieces so that they make sense.

Card Info

*Stamps:  unknown
*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Dis:  Pinkfresh Studio Vinces & Roses; MFT Stitched Rectangles
*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #697

*Rediscover Your Supplies Instagram Hop*

 Each month, I participate in a hop on Instagram that encourages us to use what we have in our stash to create a card following a common theme.  I joined because I find myself grabbing the same things from my stash more often than not and this forces me to dig through a little more and find something that hasn't been used much.

This month, our theme is "birthday"... and I went looking for this fabulous background stamp from Uniko.  I stamped it on a white panel with Memento ink, did some simple colouring with my Copics and then overstamped the image with Versafine Clair to make the image more crisp.  

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Uniko Block Party Birthday

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Happy Birthday Andrea*

 My friend, Andrea, is celebrating her birthday today with a hop on Instagram.  She mentioned that she loves the colours of the rainbow so that's what I played with...

I used black foil and hot foiled this gorgeous floral on to a white panel.  I cut the letters from a rainbow of colours and added two more layers of cardstock behind each to pop them up more on the card front.  I layered on a simple sentiment to finish it off.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, Bumblebee, Shaded Spruce, Night of Navy

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Hot Foil Plate:  Alex Syberia Lush Peony Bouquet

*Foil:  Spellbinders Black

*Dies:  MFT Impact Alpha; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Rainbow Connection Instagram Hop*

 Good morning friends... I'm here today to share my card for the Rainbow Connection Instagram Hop.  Each month, a group of us play with the colours of the rainbow creating a somewhat clean and simple card.

I started with this beautiful butterfly, stamped on a white piece of cardstock.  I did a reverse mask and did some ink blending on it to create my rainbow  I then overstamped the butterfly to make sure that the outline was nice and crisp.

Card Info

*Stamps:  Paper Rose Studio Cleo Floral Butterfly; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Carved Pumpkin,Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Addicted to CAS #315*

 I'm here today with my design team card for the current challenge at Addicted to CAS...

I went with a basic black and white card for my Anniversary card today...  I love this heart die because it cuts but the inside heart and the outline as well.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' UP! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Concord & 9th Tall Type Alpha; Love From Lizi Sitched Circles; MFT Something for Everything

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #315

*CAS on Friday #341*

 The challenge at CAS on Friday this week is to make a round card.  I went searching for inspiration on Pinterestand found a card kind of like this one I made.  There was no name associated with the pin I found so I can't fully credit the creator, but click HERE to go see it...  It's gorgeous!

I started with cutting a stitched circle and cutting out the centre of it.  I folded the skinny circle in half.  I put the centre part back in to the whole I cut it out of and layered my elements on both the folded piece and the inset circle so that when you open the card, both pieces move...

Card Info

*Stamps:  Hunkydory Crafts

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies
*Dies:  Hunkydory Crafts; Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies; Love From Lizi Stitched Circles

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #341

*Pattern Paper Instagram Hop*

 We are playing with the theme of "black and white" for the Pattern Paper Instagram Hop this month.  I used some pattern paper as part of my focal point... and I love how it looks in all black and white!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  MFT Black & White Strips; Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Fern & Flora; Spellbinders Floral Spray; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Time Out Challenges #320*

 We have a photo inspiration challenge for you this week at Time Out Challenges.  Here's the photo...

Just look at that beautiful stained glass window!  WOW!  I saw it and immediately thought of the gorgeous holographic paper in my stash.  I paired it with a simple silhouette die...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black; Lawn Fawn Holographic

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Memory Box Dancing Dragonflies Collage; The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday

*Challenges:  Time Out #320

*Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop*

 This week for the Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop, the theme is "Leaf it to me".  I was recently in need of a few sympathy cards so I decided to use these pretty rainbow washi leaf prints to create a simple card for today...

Card Info

*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Tools:  Perfect Layers
*Challenges:  Paper Players 799; Simply Clean and Simple

*Happy Birthday Diane*

 Today we are celebrating my friend Diane with a birthday hop!  I hope you'll head over to see her Instagram profile to wish her a happy birthday.

I was inspired by Diane's two favourite colours... orange and teal! Not in my wheelhouse, but I like how it turned out!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Altenew Stamp a Splash of Colour; Concord & 9th Big Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Tiki Torch, Aquatini; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Embellishments:  Pinkfresh Studio Iridescent Clear Drops

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS Colours & Sketches #592*

 It's time for a new colour challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches... some more rich, fall feeling colours to play with for this challenge...  How will you use them?

I like the colours, but I'm not sure I'm ready to break out the fall themed cards quite yet... Instead I used the colours on some pretty butterflies!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Misty Moonlight, Pecan Pie, Berry Burst

*Stamps:  Pinkfresh Studio Happy Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Love From Lizi Stitched Circles; Paper Rose Studio Little Etched Butterflies
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #592

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #695*

 Hello friends... there's a brand new sketch today at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges...

This is such a versatile sketch... I can't wait to see what everyone creates using it!  I chose to keep my card clean and simple with a basic black and white theme.  My centre panel is embossed for a little interest.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Gina K Wreath Builder

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbinders Scallop Circles; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles

*Embossing:  Lisa Horton Peonies

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #695

*Happy Birthday Julie*

 Today we are celebrating Julie with an Instagram Hop!  Be sure to head on over to her account to wish her a happy birthday!

Some of her favourite things are shaker cards, the colour pink, dogs and sunflowers... I focussed on the colour pink!

Card Info

*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Bubble Bath

*Paper:  MFT Black & White Stripes

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday

*Dies:  Paper Rose Studio Alora Layered Butterfly; The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday; MFT Stitched Rectangles
*Tools:  Perfect Layers