There's a new clean and simple sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches today... you have to weeks to play along!
I had a scrap of patterned paper on my desk and decided to use it to create my card. My torn edge isn't quite as dramatic as the one on the sketch.
There's a wonderful new sketch over at Atlantic Hearts today... I hope you'll play along!
Since I've been back to non-Christmas cards, I have found myself repeatedly reaching in to my bin of extras and using the die cut Pinkfresh Washi tape quite a bit... my card for today is no different.
I had a little time yesterday and my mojo decided to let me play for a little while too... so I made a card following the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, using the colours from Color Hues.
I'm here today with my three cards for the Create it Three Ways Instagram Hop. This month, our theme is birthday cards. Each month, we create three cards using something the same (layout, paper, colour combo, stamps, techinque) to show how we can use our supplies to do different things within a theme.
This month I had some fun with those beautiful Pinkfresh butterflies and a pretty embossing folder from the Spellbinders 2024 Advent Calendar. I used exactly the same products but in three different layouts... I will share as three different photos so that you can see the detail in each card, but the products used are the same in all three cards.
I've really been having fun with the This or That prompts this month. This week, our choice is big or small.
Now, as the self proclaimed Queen of Clean and Simple (LOL), I was for sure thinking of going with small... but I don't know if you've noticed but I've been doing a lot less clean and simple lately. I was looking at my stash and there was nothing calling my name, screaming at me to use it to make my card for this prompt.
So I turned to one of the largest stamps in my stash (and it's corresponding layering stencils and die) and created this card for you instead.
There's a new challenge at Time Out Challenges... and it was a struggle for me! But first, let's see what the challenge is.
See? What on earth does that challenge graphic mean? This is one of our new challenges that we've put in to rotation... it's an "inspired by" challenge. Each of these challenges will be "inspired by your favourite..." and for this challenge, it's your favourite things to do in January.
Well, I live in Western Canada where the temperature in January can be a little above freezing to way below freezing. The periods of darkness at this time of year are long, and even when the sun shines, it might be cold outside. I am not an outdoorsy person by any stretch... and while I have hobbies and things I enjoy doing, I don't have things in my stash that reflect those things in my life.
My card, I think, truly represents what I like to do in the winter... watch the snow fall (it is pretty afterall) and stay warm!
I embraced the white on white for my card today.... used a cableknit embossing folder to show that warmth. I cut the snowflake 3 times out of white cardstock to really make it pop up against that textured background.
There's a beautiful new colourboard challenge over at AAA Colourful... I can't wait to see what you create this month!
This colourboard is very much a Valentine's theme, but since I don't give out Valentines cards to anyone, I decided to play with the colours to make a birthday card instead. I was inspired by a card by Verena Shapiro on Instagram. I cut some different sized strips of cardstock and then adhered them to a white panel. I played around with the placement and then trimmed it up.
Today's the day for the monthly CASE It Hop on Instagram. Our little group has grown by a few members this month! Each month, we each find inspiration from another creator on Instagram and we make a card inspired by that creation. We don't want to copy it completely, but we want to use their idea to make something of our own.
First, the card I was inspired by... this is a card by Jean Doeringsfeld. I loved that rainbow strip on the smaller card!
I decided to play with some patterned paper for my rainbow strip.... I took some patterned paper that had squares of rainbow colours and I cut each one out and adhered the little scraps to a piece of printer paper. I then trimmed it down to be the size I wanted. Instead of hearts, I used some white flowers as my focal point, using a bit of red on the centre of one of the flowers much like her little XO on the one heart.
See, I was inspired by her card, but I didn't outright copy it!
It's time for another fun challenge at Addicted to CAS...
There are so many things you could do with this prompt... I chose to make a card featuring the colour blue! I received a set of blue Hero Arts Inks as a door prize from a crop in the fall that I had never opened, so that's what I used for my card today.
I am part of a group of creators who post cards of encouragement once a month on Instagram. This is an off-shoot of the group who got together to share cards during Suicide Prevention Week in 2024. We hope to spread a little sunshine, one card at a time.
I hope that my card today, will one day put a smile on someone's face...
I am playing along with the monthly sketches at Build Your Stash Holiday Card Makers again this year... a great way to get a jump on your Christmas cards. And for me, it's a great way to keep giving love to my favourite supplies on a regular basis.
For my card today, I chose to use my favourite patterned paper package again. Did you know that I've purchased about 3 of these packages from people selling on Facebook Marketplace? I might never run out at this rate LOL! Funny thing is, I am still not tired of these patterns!
It's a Winter themed challenge over at CAS on Friday.... and I think I managed to make a winter card that could be a Christmas card, a card of hello or even a birthday card...
Thursday again, which means it's time for another This or That Instagram Hop. This week we had to choose between circles and squares. I honestly thought I was going to go for circles... but then had this idea for some squares. I'm glad I switched it up!
I joined the White on White Instagram Hop, a brand new monthly hop where we make white on white cards (we can use a hint of another colour) following a theme. For January, our theme is winter snow and ice. I chose to make a snowflake themed card, using lots of texture (which is, to me, the key to making white on white cards).
I joined another Instagram hop... but this time it was under duress LOL! The host of it called me out in a public chat for not joining LOL! So here I am, bowing to peer pressure to join the Just for Giggles monthly Instagram Hop. There is no theme... just a group of us getting together each month to post a card that hopefully brings at least a few laughs!
I was going to pull out the big guns for my first card and use some swear words, but I decided on this card instead... I have a friend who proved what a hot mess she is over the holidays, but I love her anyways LOL!
Now, my card is a really quick card that I threw together yesterday afternoon. I had made another card on the weekend, but when I went to schedule my post, I realized just how much I hated the card LOL! So I cut it apart and used part of it for this card.
A new year means some changes over at CAS Colours & Sketches. After many years, Patricia has stepped down from being the moderator of the challenge and Rachel has taken over. Not much should change for you as a player... still going to see us with a new challenge every two weeks, alternating between colours and sketches.
Today we have a colour challenge, with colours chosen by Rachel. I struggled with a design for today because the colours feel very "fall" to me"... They could also be super retro if you think back to kitchens and decor in the 60s and 70s.
It took me quite a while to come up with an idea, but when I did, I ended up quite happy with my creation!
There is a beautiful new sketch to play with at Atlantic Hearts... and they are still looking for some new design team members! Click HERE to find out more about the design team call!
I love all of the Atlantic Heart sketches. They are beautiful and well thought out sketches and I find that many of them can be me to be somewhat clean and simple or as ornate as your heart desires.
Here is todays sketch:
I chose to do my card somewhat clean and simple. In the true sense of clean and simple, my embossed background does not make this a clean and simple design... but to most card makers, it will be considered clean and simple.
Happy Sunday friends! I hope that the first few days of 2025 have treated you all kindly. I've been at work for a few days and Calgary has been back to some colder temperatures. We aren't 30 below, but it's not warm out LOL!
It's time for the first of many My Favourite Instagram Hops! This is a weekly hop on Instagram that I hope to participate in more often than I don't. It's a great way to look at my stash a little differently as I follow the "my favourite" theme each week.
Our challenge for this week is to make a birthday card using our favourite snowflake stamp, stencil or die. Now, I am not sure that what I used is my favourite, but I sure do want it to be! I used the Taylored Expressions Create in Quads Snowflake stencils, which I've used a few other times. But to be honest, I never quite get the look I want. I *want* these stencils to be my favourite and maybe with some more practice, they will be.
I did manage a non-Christmas look by choosing my favourite Tim Holtz Distress inks to use with my stencil... and of course added a little of my favourite embellishment (sparkle) to finish it all off...
Yup, I've joined in the fun of a new Instagram Hop.... Build Your Stash is a monthly hop where we "build our stash" of everyday cards. Each month we will create 1-4 cards following a specific theme to help us build up our stash of cards we might end up needing. The cards can be the same or different designs... and some months I will make more than other months. (don't confuse this with the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers sketches I do each month!)
This is our first month, and our theme is engagement or wedding. Honestly, I made my card and thought "done"... but then re-read that we could make 1-4 cards so I went back and made a second LOL! You know me - I don't often make multiples of the same card unless I have to.
My first card I went with a simple wedding card. In my head, the black circle is the masculine to the white heart's feminine. I was going to add some colour, but decided I loved it, just as it was.
My second card is once again, very simple and only two colours... but this time I used a pop of red mirror cardstock as my other colour.
