*Just Add Ink #738*

 I spent this afternoon crafting with a couple of my friends.  I was successful in that I created 5 cards... but I couldn't finish them because I managed to not pack my black ink pad.  As soon as I got home I added my sentiments to the five cards I made.

The last card I made is the one I am sharing with you today...  following the sketch at Just Add Ink.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
*Washi Tape: Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterlies

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

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Just Add Ink#738; AAACards #284

*AAA Colourful #13*

 It's a special challenge over at AAA Colourful because this is our first challenge of our new year!  Hard to believe we've been doing this for a year already!

And what a beautiful colourboard we have this month...

We all know how much I love a good rainbow....  I used some pretty patterned paper from my stash to create my card for today..

Card Info
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Melon Mambo
*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Full of Life
*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles; MFT Something for Everything
*Tools:  Perfect Layers
*Challenges:  AAAColourful #13

*AAA Colourful #12*

 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.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Sweet Sorbet, Melon Mambo, Polished Pink, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; A Jillian Vance Design Daisy

*AAAColourful #5*

It's time for a new colourboard challenge over at AAA Colourful.  We want you to take inspiration from our colourboard and create something wonderful.  You do not need to use all of the colours, but make sure that the idea of the colourboard is visible in your creation.

My blue isn't quite as deep as the colourboard, but I hope you can see the idea behind my design...

Card Info
*Images:  DRS My Wish For You

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Salty Ocean

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies

*Stencil:  Lawn Fawn Slimline Cloudy

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies

*Challenges:  AAA Colourful #5

*AAACards #238*

It's time for a new clean and simple challenge at AAACards...  we want you to create a ripped or torn edge on your card, using ink.... so I guess a faux ripped or torn edge!

For my card, I took some mint tape from Scrapbook.com and ripped it down the centre, creating hills and valleys as I went along.  I adhered that to my front panel, rotating it so that I had a ripped edge both at the top and bottom of the area I was going to ink.  I added more tape above and below to protect my white panel.  I then ink blended in the are between the ripped edges.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Images:  Studio Katia It's Your Birthday
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Ink Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  Unknown clear bubbles

*Challenge:  AAACards #238

*AAACards #237*

 There's a new challenge at AAACards... and it's going to be a fun one!  We want to see your shaped cards!  By shaped, we mean something other than a square or a rectangle.  The optional twist is to make a clean and simple (shaped) Easter card.

I know I could have done an Easter egg shape, but I had another idea in my head....  and then I realized I couldn't do exactly what I wanted to do.  Let me show you the card, and then we'll talk about what my vision was...

Isn't he cute???

My first thought was to make place cards for the Easter table, but I don't have little alphabet dies, I didn't want to add a layer and I didn't want to mess up my design team card by trying to hand letter something on this little cutie.  So I did a simple "hello" card instead... but imagine if it said "NANCY" where it says "HELLO"... wouldn't that have been cute?!  I still might do these for my table...

How did I create this cutie?  I found a simple Easter Bunny image on the internet and put it in to Silhouette Design Studio and traced it.  I got it to the size I wanted and then copied the image and flipped it.  I lined it all up so that the ears overlapped just a little, clicked on weld and cut it out with my Silhouette Portrait.  I added a little marker to the insides of his ears and did some poorly placed whiskers on his face before stamping the "hello" around his neck.

I can't wait to see your shaped cards!

Card Info
*Images:

*AAACards #236*

It's time for a new clean and simple challenge with the team at AAACards... create a clean and simple card that is inspired by a movie, song or book!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!!

The last time I had this as a theme challenge with a different design time, I went with "Happy Birthday"...  and while this is a birthday card, my inspiration was the song "Rainbow Connection" (you know, the one Kermit sings).  I went with a floating rainbow (and I hope you can see that in this photo).  Instead of using a sheet of acetate to create this look, I used foam adhesive on my rainbow strips and did my best to line them up on my rectangle.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pacific Point, Highland Heather

*Images:  MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Tools:  Paper Trimmer

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  AAACards #236

*AAACards #235*

It's time for a new challenge at AAACards...  for the next two weeks we'd love to see your clean and simple cards that are decorated only "along the edge"... you can add the optional twist of ink blending if you'd like!

I did some ink blending with only three colours of Distress Ink, overlapping them to create more of a rainbow effect.  I set it aside to dry a bit before cutting out the word "happy".  I cut three extra layers of the word out of just white cardstock and layered all four layers of letters together before adding the letters back in to where I had originally cut them out.  I placed the "insides" of the letters flat on to the original panel and finished it all off with a stamped "birthday".

Card Info

*Images:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Ink Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean

*Dies:  Hello Bluebird Happy Birthday Words

*Challenges:  AAACards #235

*AAACards #234*

The team at AAACards is playing with Circles for this challenge... and we hope you will too!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I decided to play with a stencil I have in my stash...  and I added some shimmer to it too!

Card Info

*Images:  Pink Fresh Studio Happy Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Salty Ocean and Twisted Citron

*Stencils:  A Colorful Life Merry Circles

*Embellishments:  Nuvo Glimmer Paste Moonstone; Studio Katia Sparkling Crystals

*Challenges:  AAACards #234

I even created a video with how I made this card...

*AAACards #223*

It's time for a new challenge with AAACards... a clean and simple colour challenge!  For this challenge, we want to see your cards using teal and gold.

I do like these colours together but I did struggle with making my card... in the end I paired the colours with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and came up with this...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Island Indigo; Spellbinders Gold

*Images:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Pink Fresh Studio Slim Strips; Spellbinders Yana's Layered Script Sentiments

*Challenges:  AAACards #223; Freshly Made Sketches #571

*AAACards #232*

It's time for a new challenge with AAACards... and this one could be a tough one!  We are hosting an all white challenge!  You can't have any other colours than white on your card.

I almost always put a sentiment on my card front so I wasn't sure what to do with this.  I decided to try to opal foil on white cardstock to see what would happen... and while it's very subtle, I think it worked.

If you want to play along, I have one tip for you... layers!  I probably could have done more layering to create a little more interest with my card front.

Card Info

*Dies: Scrapbook.com Nested Hexagons; Stampin' Up! Pierced Blooms; Spellbinders Yana's Sentiments

*Dies:  Spellbinders Yana's Sentiments

*Hot Foil Plates:  Spellbinders Yana's Sentiments

*Foil:  Spellbinders Opal

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls

*Challenges:  AAACards #232

*AAACards #231*

 It's time for a new clean and simple challenge with AAACards...  we have a moodboard for you to get your inspiration from for this challenge...

I took my cue from those cute little trash pandas (what many North Americans lovingly call raccoons).  It looked like his little hands needed to be holding something so I stole the red colour from the gummie bears to give him a balloon.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Real Red

*Images:  Trinity Stamps Autumn Forest Friends; Studio Katia Birthday Greetins

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

*Dies:  Lawn Fawn Party Balloons

*Etc:  embroidery floss

*Challenges:  AAACards #231

*AAACards #230*

It's time for the last challenge of 2022 with the team at AAA Cards... we will be back in January with a new clean and simple challenge, but we are leaving you with a Moodboard challenge.  Take whatever you want from the moodboard below to create your clean and simple card and share it with us HERE.

I took my inspiration from the cool winter image on the bottom and created this glittery snowflake card.  To add some dimension, I cut the snowflake out of cardstock two times and layered those all together with the one cut out of the glittery cardstock.  I added a glitter paper matte layer and a little sentiment that seemed absolutely fitting.

Card Info

*Paper:  assorted glitter paper

*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Chrsitmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Picket Fence Studio Lydia Snowflake

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  AAACards #230

*AAACards #229*

Happy Sunday creative friends!  I'm here with the latest challenge from AAACards.  As you know, this is a clean and simple challenge that has a main theme as well as an optional twist.  For this challenge, the theme is "small and few" and the optional twist is "baked goods".  I hope you'll play along!

I had exactly the right stamp for small and few with baked goods... and it worked out well since I used little gingerbread men and I'm working on Christmas cards right now!  I stamped up the line of gingerbread people, coloured them quickly with some copics, added some embossed lines and a red border and put the cookies on the card front with some foam adhesive.  Easy Peasy!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampmin' Up Cherry Cobbler

*Images:  Lawn Fawn Simply Celebrate Winter; Simon Says Stamp Good Cheer

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

*Dies:  Lawn Fawn Simply Celebrate Winter

*Embellishments: White Opal Liquid Pearls

*Tools:  ScorBuddy; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  AAACards #229

*AAACards #228*

Happy Sunday my creative friends... it's time for a new challenge with AAA Cards... it's a clean and simple challenge with the requirement being that your design is "along the edge"... the optional twist is to use a rainbow.

Of course, you are all well aware that I am deep in to Christmas card creating (my favourite cards to make!) so I decided to make a rainbow Christmas card!  A little untraditional, but why not?!

I started out by taping off just the edge of my card front and ink blending my rainbow through my snowflake stencil....  I kept the stencil in place and added some Glimmer Paste to make it sparkle.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Granny Apple Green

*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips, Simple Strips Backer

*Stencil:  Simon Says Stamp Scattered Snowflakes

*Embellishments:  Nuvo Glimmer Paste Moonstone

*Challenges:  AAACards #228

I hope you'll check out the blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with... and of course share your "along the edge" cards with us as well!

*AAACards #227*

It's time for an Anything CAS Goes challenge at AAACards....  I took inspiration from the challenge graphic and made a Halloween card (which I'll probably never send because I don't have any littles in my world to send cards to).  We'd love to see your creations!  Share them with us HERE!

My card looked so much better in my head... I cut the Essentials by Ellen (Got Candy) ghost out of the black sparkly circle and layered the circle on the card base with foam adhesive.  I stamped the ghost face on to the card front.  It does kind of look like the ghost is floating.

*AAACards #226*

 We have a clean and simple sketch challenge for you this week at AAACards with the optional twist of Thankful.  I struggled with this sketch.... in fact, my card today is card #3... the other two were so bad that they hit the recycling bin!  I hope you have better luck than I did!  I know that the design team came up with some fabulous ideas so I hope you'll check them out!

Like I said, this was take #3.  I ended up rotating the sketch as I found that there was just too much blank space with how the sketch was oriented.  Everything felt so very bottom heavy.  And I managed to use a few extra die cuts from another project in my creation!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Pale Papaya, Sahara Sand, Calypso Coral, Merry Merlot

*Paper:  Stampin' Up!

*Images:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Pierced Blooms

*Challenges:  AAACards #226

*AAACards #225*

It's a 1 of 9 rectangles challenge at AAACards with the optional twist of gnomes... We'd love to see your cards where you use only one of the 9 rectangles found if you divide a rectangular card in 9ths.  Be sure to keep it clean and simple and share it with us HERE!

You KNEW I'd have to use the optional twist!  I used a non-Christmas gnome stamp set but added a tiny holiday wish to it to make it a Christmas card.

Card Info

*Images:  MFT Hanging With My Gnomies; Simon Says Stamp Clean Line Christmas

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics, Tim Holtz Salty Ocean

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  AAACards #225

*AAACards #224*

 We have a colour challenge for you at AAACards this week... with the optional twist of spots and dots.  Use the graphic below to get your colour inspiration for your clean and simple cards.

The colours were a bit tough for me because while they look fine on this graphic, I had trouble getting them together on a card.  I tried three different things before this one stuck...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black,  Parakeet Party sparkle

*Ink:  Tim Holtz Salty Ocean, Kitsch Flamingo, Candied Apple, Mustard Seed

*Dies:  MFT Cheers

*Stencils:  A Colorful Life Dot Duo

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  AAACards #224

*AAACards #223*

It's time for a no layer card challenge with AAACards... that's right... just the card itself!  The optional twist is to make it a sympathy card.

Sympathy cards are not a card anyone wants to make... but they are necessary to have in our stash.  I personally like to make my sympathy cards subdued... I was curious to see how the silver foil would look on grey cardstock so that's what I played with for my challenge card.  While my card looks to be just the card, I cheated just a bit and cut my grey cardstock to the same size as a folded white card and attached it to the front.  The only way you might know this isn't a true no layer card is that the inside is white.  I like to do this as I prefer white on my card interior.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Grey

*Foil Plates:  Pink Fresh Studio Simple Gestures; Spellbinders Mini Everyday Sentiments

*silver foil

*Tools:  Glimmer Hot Foil

*Challenges:  AAACards #223