*Atlantic Hearts #651*

Today I'm playing along with the fabulous new sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges...

For many of you, my card will be clean and simple... but it's not.  The all over embossed background means my card is altered, almost entirely, which  means it is not a clean and simple design.  It is crisp and clean though, and that's what I was going for.

Card Info

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions
*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Washi Tape:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Embossing:  Spellbinders Leafy

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts Sketch #651

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 This week on the My Favourite Instagram Hop, we are each playing with our favourite stencil.

I'm not sure that I have a favourite stencil, but how could I resist playing with these beautiful snowflakes!  This is a Taylored Expressions Create In Quads stencil... a multi-layer stencil that you use on a full sheet of cardstock to create several different panels.  What a great idea!

Card Info

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Black Jack Skylight, Samba

*Stencil:  Taylored Expressions Create in Quads Snowflake

*Etc:  Nuvo Glimmer Paste Moonstone

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CASE It Instagram Hop*

 Happy Saturday, Creative friends!  It's time for the CASE It Instagram Hop... each month, a group of us chooses any card we've seen on Instagram and we use it as an inspiration piece to make something of our own.  Sometimes we completely copy the idea, sometimes we use it as a jumping off point.

For today, I was inspired by a card I saw by Vicki Dutcher.

This is the card I was inspired by...

I loved the embossing on the blue, the shade of blue, the pop of white...  instead of using leaves, I used snowflakes... and instead of a die cut sentiment, I went with a simple stamped one instead.  I also changed up the shade of blue (although I really love the colour she used!)

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders Windy

*Stamps:  Pink & Main Snowflake Sayings
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Picket Fence Studio Winter Snowflakes; MFT Stitched Circles

*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Embellishments:  Nuvo Aqua Shimmer

*Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop*

 Each month, I am part of a group on Instagram that shares cards that we would send to someone as a little piece of sunshine... a card of encouragement.

This month I used a bunch of items that were on my desk to put together a relatively quick card.

Card Info

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! True Love

*Stamps:  Altenew Gracious Peonies

*Ink:  Verasfine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterlies
*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*This or That Instagram Hop*

The choices for the This or That Instagram Hop this week are Soft or Bright... I went for bright!  And I decided to play with a little bit of a black to really make the colours pop!  I don't have any colour or die info for you as I once again used a bunch of items from my bin of extras for the card today.

*White on White Instagram Hop

 This month, the theme for the White on White Instagram Hop is Halloween.  I had fun with a ghost die and a little shadow of black behind him.  I also added the soft waves texture on a panel behind my ghost, but in a vertical pattern instead... it felt kinda spooky that way LOL!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Stamps:  Studio Katia Meowy Halloween

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Hey Ghoul

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week for the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are playing with our favourite fall flower.  Honestly, I don't have a favourite fall flower... I am just SO happy to see any flowers still blooming in the fall!  I coloured a flower from a piece of patterned paper in some fall colours and FUSSY CUT it out to share this card for you!  I FUSSY CUT!  My Mom would be so proud.  It's 15 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! True Love

*Stamps:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines and Roses

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Addicted to CAS #293*

 Good morning, friends... I'm slowly transitioning in to making more and more Christmas cards... and today is one of those days!  I LOVE making Christmas cards.  Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge at Addicted to CAS.

The only sweater stuff I have in my stash are these great ugly Christmas Sweaters.  I bought a few sheets of this great pattern paper a few years ago and used my Brother Scan 'n Cut to cut them all out.  I'm getting low on them now LOL!

Card Info

*Paper:  Photoplay Tulla & Norbert's Christmas Party

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions Christmas; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles; MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #293

*Build Your Stash Instagram Hop*

 Each month, I play along with a group on Instagram as we try to build up our stash of cards.  Each month we have a theme to work with and we are encouraged to make at least 2 cards that fit that theme.  For October, we are playing with "get well soon"... 

I decided to play with a super huge floral, cut it in half and get two for the price of one...  I made one small change to one of the cards by adding the 1/16" black mat around it... which one do you prefer?

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Altenew Gracious Peonies; MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Jelly Bean Green, Grass Green, Wild Lilac, Lovely Lavender

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS on Friday #319*

 The challenge at CAS on Friday is to make "anything but a card"...  

I've been seeing a lot of people talking about Artist Trading Cards lately.  They aren't new, but they aren't something I've really ever made before.  I don't understand the whole idea of trading them LOL.  I discovered that they are a super fun size to play with.  I know that in my photo, they look like cards... but I promise you that they are 2.5" x 3.5" in size!

I plan on making these in to cards in the coming weeks because I will never use them as ATCs

I don't have any card info for you today as all of the pieces I used on my trading cards were from my bin of extras.

*This or That Instagram Hop*

 This week on the This or That Instagram Hop we got to choose between fantasy and reality.  When I have a choice, I always choose fantasy LOL!  I love unicorns so that's what I played with today...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Grey

*Paper:  MVP Designs

*Stamps:  Gerda Steiner Moody Unicorns; The Ton Easy Expressions

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

*Dies:  Gerda Steiner Moody Unicorns; Revolution Nesting Stars; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Mini Slimline Instagram Hop*

 It's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time for the Mini Slimline Hop over on Instagram.  I host this hop each month where some of my creative friends and I play with the mini slimline size of card.

For my card today, I chose to play with some of the papers from MVP Designs.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Paper:  MVP Designs
*Stamps:  Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles, Additional Circles

*{BYSHC} Sketch #62*

 Happy October, my creative friends!  I am here today as part of the design team for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers challenge!  Each month, we post a sketch and challenge you to make a few Christmas cards to help build up your stash and relieve the stress that happens as we get closer and closer to Christmas!

Here is the sketch for October!

Canada Post was on strike last year leading up to Christmas so I didn't send any of the huge pile of Christmas cards I'd made over the year.  I gave several by hand delivering them, but I still have a bunch of cards from last year.  And I've been adding to my stash by a few each month since then.  I'm going to have way too many Christmas cards!  But I won't stop making them because my Christmas stash is my favourite part of my stash.

Oh... and did I mention that postal workers walked off the job again last week?  I wonder if I'll be sending Christmas cards this year...

My card for you today was super simple to put together thanks to a fabulous 6X6 paper pad... Everything but the pink cardstock (and my card base) came from that paper pack!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Bubble Bath

*Paper:  Simple Stories Winter Wonder

*Challenges:  {BYSHC} #62

*CAS Colours & Sketches #570*

 It's a rare month that we ended up with an extra Tuesday so there is another challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  And it's still my month for hosting so the sketch is something I dreamed up...

My first thought when I revisited this sketch was what I went with... a Christmas card.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  assorted glitter paper; Bazzill Gold Foil

*Stamps:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Holiday

*Ink:  Verafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Holiday; Catherine Pooler Jolly Trees

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenge:  CAS Colours & Sketches #570

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #649*

 There's a gorgeous new sketch at Atlantic Hearts that starts today...  such a pretty sketch...

In other news... this is the 300th card I've made so far in 2025... I am on track to have a record breaking year in terms of number of cards made.  Some have been not so great, but I have shared all of them with you.  I love creating and I LOVE knowing that I've inspired someone else to be creative!

For my card today, I wanted to use this fabulous label die, but it doesn't have anything to be able to add a shadow to it without fussy cutting (boo!) so I carefully traced around the edges with a gold gel pen to highlight the gold in the washi tape.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Verafine Clair Nocturne; gold gel pen

*Washi Tape:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses; Stampin' Up! Tasteful Lables; MFT Something for Everything

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #649

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week on the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are playing with our favourite vehicle.  Let's be honest, I don't have a favourite vehicle... so I just decided to play with a favourite paper that has hot air balloons all over it.  

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Azure Afternoon

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Lighter Than Air

*Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Hot Air Balloon

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Tasteful Labels

*Tools:  Perfect Layers