*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

This week for the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are playing with our favourite spring flowers.

All of my most favourite flowers in the garden all bloom in the spring... so my garden is a little boring in the summer.  Here in Calgary, spring is a little later than other place in the world so I won't be seeing my tulips (they'll come first), peonies and lilacs for a while yet...

I chose to play with peonies today... I have 8 plants in my backyard of different colours and varieties.  While my stencil work for today isn't quite like my one plant, it was the one I was inspired by.... the blooms are white but they have an almost green tint to them.  I got a little heavy handed with the ink blending, but still love how my peonies turned out...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Altenew Gracious Peonies; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Hot Tub, Bay Breeze

*Stencil:  Altenew Gracious Peonies

*Dies:  Altenew Gracious Peonies; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls

*Addicted to CAS #279*

 It's a masculine challenge at Addicted to CAS this week... something I *really* struggle with.  

I don't really make cards for the guys in my life.  Sad, but true.  I had an idea to use a graphic style paper for my card today... and I like how it turned out!  Simple, not flowery.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! unknown

*Stamps:  Heffy Doodle Everyday Sentiment Duos

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  ATCAS #279

*CAS on Friday #306*

 We have a spring themed challenge for you at CAS on Friday this week!  While my card isn't full of spring colours, it does have a big spring daisy on it!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Bumblee

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbinders Floral Spray; A Jillian Vance Design Daisies

*This or That Instagram Hop*

This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between dark and light.  I chose to feature the spotLIGHT technique (see what I did there??!!!)

I stamped this background image on white with black ink and I coloured the big letters of BIRTHDAY with bright and fun colours.  I cut that strip out of the panel, did a matted black layer behind it and then added it back on top of the panel.  To finish it all off, I added some white gel pen dots to the letters.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Stamps:  Uniko Black Pary

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics; white gel pen

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Two Challenges*

 I had a lot of fun combining the fun colours at Color Throwdown with the fabulous sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterlies; MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean

*Stencil:  Lawn Fawn Paint Splatter

*Tools:  Perfectly Layers

*Challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches #678; Color Throwdown #829

*CAS Colours & Sketches #556*

 Today I'm sharing the sketch I designed for the current challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  I just LOVE a mini slimline card and I can't wait to see what others come up with using this sketch!

I played with a little ink blending for my card today... and even left my die cut flower WHITE so that it didn't compete with the ink blending.  I only used three colours of ink but allowed for them to overlap to create the other colours of the rainbow.

Card Info

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress Ink Picked Raspberry, Scattered Straw, Salty Ocean; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbinders Floral Spray

*Embellishments:  Picket Fence Studio Bright Blue & Soft Violet Pearl Mix

*Challenges:  CC&S #556

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch #621*

 We have another beautiful sketch to play with at Atlantic Hearts...

I saw the sketch and my first thought was to play with a large floral...  this is quite similar to another card I posted recently so maybe I should have done something different.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Altenew Bouquet of Love; Studio Katia Birthday Greetings

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics; white gel pen

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #621

*Freshly Made Sketches #677*

 I had some fun in my creative space this afternoon, playing with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I love the subtle look of this brick embossing folder on white cardstock...  I'm also entering the challenges at Just Us Girls and Simply Clean and Simple

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies
*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Brick & Mortar
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches #677; Just Us Girls #766; Simply Clean and Simple

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

The My Favorite Instagram Hop has us playing with our favourite shades of green.... I pulled out these fabulous leaf die cuts (thanks Pinkfresh Washi Tape!!) to make a quick and easy card...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  unknown gold foil
*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Verafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterlies

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles

*Challenges:  Just Us Girls #766; Simply Clean and Simple 

*Create It 3-Ways Instagram Hop*

 I've got three cards for you today, all part of the Create It 3-Ways Instagram Hop.  Each month, a group of us play with a common theme and create 3 cards using something same in each of our three cards.  Our theme for March is "get well soon" and I chose to use the exact same piece of patterned paper on all three cards.  This is a great idea to not only build your stash of cards, but to encourage your creativity with one (or more) items in your stash.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Full of Life

*Stamps:  Honeybee Best of Everything; MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles

*Embossing:  Spellbinders Leafy

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Tiny Iridescent Pearls

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*AAA Colourful #14*

What a bright and fun colourboard challenge we have for you this month at AAA Colourful...

 Aren't those colours fun?!  The yellow is not a colour I usually reach for so it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do.  I found this great patterned paper that had similar colours (although my yellow is a bit darker) and I cut it in to strips that made it look almost like bamboo!

Card Info

*Paper:  Stampin' Up Full of Life

*Stamps:  Honeybee Stamps Best of Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Slim Strips; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles; Honeybee Stamps Best of Everything

*Challenges:  AAA Colourful #14

*Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop*

 I'm participating in the Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop today... each month, a group of us posts a card of encouragement, a card that would hopefully brighten someones' day.  I hope that this bright and colourful card will bring a smile to someones' day...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*{BYSHC} Sketch #55 Take 2*

There is still a lot of time to play along with the March sketch at Build Your Stash Holiday Card Makers!  This is a super easy sketch, would be perfect if you wanted to mass produce some cards.

Both of my cards this month feature the same package of patterned paper.  For this one, the tree paper seemed to almost perfectly match this tree die!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Handsome Hunter

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Tidings of Christmas

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Holiday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbinders Bottle Brush Trees; The Ton Easy Expressions Holiday

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  BYSHC#55

*This or That Instagram Hop*

 Another instalment of the This or That Instagram Hop had me choosing between clover and flowers... I chose flowers!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Honeybee Stamps Best of Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Die:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Time Out Challenges #284*

The challenge at Time Out Challenges is a theme challenge...  our theme is "The Red Carpet".  I have officially become "old" and I don't pay much attention to celebrities and award shows any more.  I honestly don't have a clue who so many of "these people" are LOL!  I was going to sit out this challenge, but kept getting drawn to the pretty rainbow dress in the challenge graphic.  NOTE:  You don't have to follow the graphic... just show us something that was inspired by something you saw on the Red Carpet!

Like I said, I kept coming back to the pretty rainbow dress... so I used it as inspiration for this clean and simple card.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Highland Heather, Basic Black

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges: Time Out #284; The Paper Players #728

*White on White Instagram Hop*

 Once a month, I play along with a group on Instagram and we do a white on white instagram hop.  Each month we have a common theme and we make a card that is white on white. Our rules are a little loose in that you can use another colour in a small amount on your card... for me, that is usually just my black sentiment.

I wasn't sure how to make a white on white St Patrick's Day card... but I think I pulled it off!  A rainbow and a four leaf clover made with heart dies!

Card Info

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Lawn Fawn Rainbow; MFT Stitched Rectangles; Hero Arts Infinity Hearts

*Challenges:  Paper Craft Crew #612

*Just Playing*

 Today, I found myself at my craft desk with no design team deadlines that needed attention... so I decided to play just to play!  It's been a while since I've made a card that wasn't for a challenge or a design team.

I had a different vision for this card, but ended up hating it so I cut apart the card and created this instead.  I cut out a strip with the flowers on it, matted it on the black and added it to my card front.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black; Spellbinders Dahlia, Beeswax, Malibu

*Stamps:  Pinkfresh Studio Happy Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Pierced Blooms; Waffle Flower Nesting Squares

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 I had to think outside of the box for the My Favorite Instagram Hop for today.  I played so little last month and I wanted to participate in as many as I could this month.   Our prompt this week is our favourite fruit.  I don't have any fruit stamps...  I don't think I have any food images at all.  So how on earth could I participate?!

Well, I decided to play with the colours of my favourite fruit... which is raspberries!  So I chose some colours that came close to raspberries (including the leaves that grow along with the fruit) and created this card to share today...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Primrose Petals

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Essentials by Ellen Essential Circles; The Ton Easy Expressions; Spellbinders Floral Spray

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges: The Flower Challenge #100