*Time Out Challenges #322*

 It's time for a new challenge at Time Out Challenges...

The colours of fall here in Calgary are kind of boring.  Our trees turn yellow and orange and not much else.  We already have trees that are turning yellow and it's only the middle of September!  Fall is short here!

I chose to do some ink blending in yellows and oranges to create a simple card for the challenge...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Gina K Crazy Daisy

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Mustard Seed and Festive Berries
*Stencil:  Gina K Mandala Brust

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Time Out #322

*CAS Colours & Sketches #594*

 Hello friends... it's time for a new colour challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches. I hope you'll play along with us with this challenge!

Let's start with the colours you need to use...

These colours made me dream of spring (I am NOT a fall loving girlie)...  so I went with some beautiful flowers.  I will admit that I saw a card very similar to this on Pinterest so it's not totally my idea

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Peaceful Pine, Highland Heather, Bubble Bath

*Stamps:  Concord & 9th Big Day Birthday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Stiched Blooms
*Tools:  Scor Buddy

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #594

*AAA Colourful #32*

 It's time for a fabulous new colourboard challenge at AAA Colourful.  Let's have a look at the gorgeous photo...

There are some wonderful colours in there!  I chose some inks that came sort of close to these colours and did some ink blending with a multi-layer stencil.  My colours feel a little too light.... I should have deepened the ink blending I guess...

Card Info
*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Candied Apple, Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron
*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions Birthday; Gina K Fancy Florals
*Stencils:  Gina K Fancy Florals
*Embossing Folder:  Stampin' Up! Brick & Mortar
*Challenges:  AAA Colourful #32

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch #699*

 Every week, Atlantic Hearts publishes a new sketch for you all to play with...  I am on the design team but only post once every two weeks.  This is my week to share the sketch!

This card came together quite quickly for me as it's similar to a go to idea that lives in my head.  I love using a fun strip of something on my cards!  For this card I used a small strip of this gorgeous gold and black pattern paper.

Card Info

*Paper;  Stampin' Up! Modern Christmas

*Stamps:  Waffle Flower Sweet Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Rainbow Daisies
*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Rainbow Daisies; Waffle Flower Sweet Birthday Sentiments

*Embellishments:  Picket Fence Studio Day & Night Gem Mix

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #699

*CASE It Instagram Hop*

 Every month, my friends and I do a CASE It Hop on Instagram.  We each find a card on Instagram that inspires us and we use it to create a card of our own.  We can copy it directly or we can take elements of it to create something of our own.

To start with, let me show you the card I was inspired by... it was created by @karen_crafts10

The first thing that drew me to this card was that beautiful blue!  Like WOW!  I also liked the gold accents as well as the texture in the background.  I switched things up a little.  I kept the three leaves, the three colours and the gold accents.  Instead of a textured stamp, I used an embossing folder.  I also chose to use a small black die cut sentiment instead of a large gold one.

*Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop*

 Every month, a group of us creative friends gather on Instagram to spread a little sunshine... we make cards of encouragement, meant to brighten someone's day.  I wanted to see what these gorgeous washi tape flowers would look like against a black background.  After I put it all together, I wished I had done some embossing on that black layer.

*Clean and Simple Instagram Hop*

 Hello friends... this month, we are playing with a "fall" theme for the Clean and Simple Instagram Hop.  When I chose the themes for this hop, I didn't anticipate how sick of the "fall" theme I'd be at this point.

I did a simple card with some printed (and die cut) washi and a simple sentiment.

*This or That Instagram Hop*

 I haven't played along with the This or That IG Hop much in the past few weeks... but here we are with week #2 in a row!

This week, our choices were Sunflowers or Leaves. I was going to do leaves but I realized just how sick I was of playing with my leaf stamps and dies... So I coloured up this daisy to look a bit like a sunflower.

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 It's been a while since I've played along with the My Favourite Instagram Hop.  I took a break last month because the themes didn't inspire me right away and I've started giving myself permission to skip hops and challenges that don't speak to me.

But the challenge for today speaks to me!  We are playing with our Favourite Pattern.

I love both flowers and stripes, so I used both!

Card Info

*Paper:  MFT Black & White Stripes
*Stamps:  Hunkydory Crafts

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Dies:  Hunkydory Crafts; Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Scraps Only Instagram Hop*

 This month for the Scraps Only Instagram Hop, we are digging in to our scraps and left over pieces to create fall themed cards.  I have a bunch of cut leaves in my bin of extras and while they aren't quite fall coloured, I thought the leaves worked with the theme.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Garden Green, Basic Grey

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbiners Be Bold Blooms; MFT Stitched Rectangles; unknown stitched squares

*Addicted to CAS #316*

Happy Saturday, my friends!  It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to CAS!  This is one is right up my alley since purple is my favourite colour!

I started with a stencil and did a light coloured ink blending over it to create a little pattern in my background.  I die cut the leaf die out of two shades of purple and layered them on to the card front.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather

*Stamps:  Pinkfresh Studio Happy Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape; Memento Tuxedo Black

*Stencil:  Tim Holtz Mini Stencil Set #13

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Fern and Flora

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  ATCAS #316

*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