*Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop*

 This month for the Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop, we are playing with stencils.  I don't have a lot of stencils and I don't play with what I do have too often.  I got this stencil from Kraftin' Kimmie about a year ago and decided to pull it out.  I used some stencil paste with the stencil to create my winter themed background.  Once I created the background I had no idea what to do next!  I played around with a few items in my stash and ended up with this.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery, Barely Blush; Spellbinders Windy

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Stacked Mittens; The Ton Easy Expressions Christmas

*Embossing:  Altenew Deck Planks

*Stencil:  Kraftin' Kimmie Wooly Winter

*Etc:  TCW Pearl White Stardust Butter

*Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop*

We are playing with die cutting for the Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop this month.  I bought this mittens die when I was in Ontario visiting my sister and I took my final trip to Stamp Art to shop.  This die was one of the ones that was used in their classroom and I got it for $5.  How can you pass up a $5 mittens die??

I cut the mittens out of white and then layered coloured cardstock behind the mittens to create these cute and fun little mittens.

This is a new favourite die in my stash... perfect for the challenge at The Paper Players

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink, Granny Apple Green, Soft Sky

*Stamps:  MFT Giraffes on Ice

*Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppystamps Stacked Mittens; MFT Filled With Joy

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  The Paper Players #764

*Build Your Stash Instagram Hop*

 This month, we are playing with gift card holders or gift tags for the Build Your Stash Instagram Hop.  I had some scraps left over from some other recent cards and decided to make a couple of Christmas gift tags.  I don't tend to make a lot of tags any more... maybe this is the year that will change.

Card Info

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Modern Christmas

*Stamps: Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Gold

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up!

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*AAA Colourful #20*

 There's a new colourboard challenge that starts today at AAA Colourful... you have a full month to play along with these fun colours!

Of course, these colours scream Hallowe'en to most of us... and while I wanted to resist the urge, I went with it...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Lavender Lace, Basic Black

*Stamps:  Studio Katia Meowy Halloween

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles; Poppy Stamps Squeaker Ghosts

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  AAA Colourful #20

*This or That Instagram Hop*

This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between Ice Cream or Ice Drinks.  I struggle to make the drink stamps look like drinks so I once again played with this little ice cream cone die.  I added a little ink blending behind the die cut to add a little something extra

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Strawberry Slush, Crumb Cake, Basic Black

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Distress Oxide Shaded Lilac

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Bitty Ice Cream

*Stencil:  Paper Rose Studio Big Drops

*Tools: Perfect Layers

*Holly Jolly Christmas*

 Good morning, creative friends... I am back with another Christmas card this morning.  I wanted to see what this embossing folder would look like with coloured cardstock... and I love it!

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Sage Shado, Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen

*Stamps:  Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies: Spellbinders Christmas Blooms
*Embossing:  Spellbinders Notched Corner Pointsettie

*Embellishments:  HAI Supply Gems

*Challenges:  Addicted to Stamps & More #497; BYSHC Christmas in July

 

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 I'm playing along with another week of the My Favourite Instagram Hop... this week our challenge was to make a card featuring our favourite sea creature.  I love dolphins, and have since I was a kid and watched the show "Flipper"... they seem so smart and if I could, I'd cuddle one.

I don't have a lot of water themed stuff, so I had to improvise...  I chose some water coloured cardstock and used a fun embossing folder on the strips to create the feeling of waves.  I cut the dolphin out of white cardstock and coloured up the majority of it with a grey Copic

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders Seaside, Breeze, Windy

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Noturne; Copics

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Dolphin; MFT Something for Everything

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves
*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  Just Us Girls #783; Simply Clean and Simple

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 For this week, the challenge for the My Favourite Instagram Hop was my favourite dairy product.  I wonder how many of us chose to use ice cream LOL!  

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake

*Paper:  assorted glitter papers

*Stamps:  Honeybee Best of Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Ice Cream Cone; MFT Stitched Rectangles
*Etc:  foam adhesive

*{BYSHC} Sketch #56 Take 2*

I'm back with my second and final card following the April sketch at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers. 

Once again I turned to a package of patterned paper and chose some different patterns from the same package as I know that they should go together.  I liked the idea of the candycane stripes on either side and then chose a couple of other fun patterns for the two strips in the middle.  I added some traditional Christmas colours to finish it all off.  And that "Joy" stamp?  It honestly felt like it was meant for the centre of this diecut!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Garden Green; Spellbinders gold mirror

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Peaceful Prints

*Stamps:  Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Picket Fence Studio Holiday Gift Tags; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  {BYSH} #56

*This or That Instagram Hop*

 We've changed the name of the "Is It Fall or Is It Winter" Instagram Hop to "This or That"... each week, we will have two themes to choose from... a this or that, if you will.

This week, our choice was between sand and snow.  While in my real life, I much prefer sand (think beach!), I do love snowflakes and snow in my creative world.  I played with a lot of different snowy items from my stash for my card today...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Not Quite Navy; unknown silver sparkle

*Stamps:  Mama Elephant Little Snowmen

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Dies:  Mama Elephant Little Snowmen; Poppy Stamps Snowscape; Penny Black Christmas Wonderland; Impression Obsession Small Snowflakes

*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Tools:  Perfect Layers; Brother Scan 'n Cut

*CAS on Friday #291*

 It's a feathered friends challenge at CAS on Friday... and I don't know if you know this about me, but I HATE birds!  Maybe hate is too strong of a word.  I don't like birds.  I don't want birds around.  Birds creep me out.  So you can guess that I don't really have anything bird themed in my stash.

But... I do have a few feather options!

I decided to play with these teeny feathers and a scrap of patterned paper... and added a friend sentiment.  I took the "feathered friends" theme literally LOL!

Card Info

*Paper:  Paper Rose Studio Rainbow Twirl 2.0

*Stamps:  MFT Anything But Basic Friendship

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Tiny Feathers

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #291

*Addicted to CAS #264*

The team at Addicted to CAS is playing with a beach theme for our current challenge... I hope you will too!

I love this paper pack from Stampin' Up!  There are so many wonderful patterns.  I was trying to get an idea for this card and turned over a scrap of this paper and saw the shades of blues and greens and instantly though "waves".  I ripped the paper by pulling the part I'm not using towards me to create the white edges along my waves (the white caps).  I added a ripped piece of kraft cardstock for my beach.

I think I created a clean and simple (and pretty) encouragement card.  Not bad for a theme I don't do a lot of!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin Up! Crumb Cake

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Full of Life

*Images:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Sealife Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #264; Love Those Pretty Papers

**Create It 3-Ways Instagram Hop -- Summer*

It's time for the Create it 3-Ways Instagram Hop!  Each month, a group of us create three cards using a set theme... and those three cards have to have at least one thing in common with each other... a product used, colours, papers, tools, techinque, layout...  but something in common between all three of our cards.

For June, our theme is "summer" and I chose to play with an ice cream cone die I have.

For my first card I went with some bright and fun colours and a mix of fonts.  I created my colours by swiping inks on to white cardstock.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp Big Old Birthday

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Mandarin Spiace, Party Dress, Mardi Gras; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Ice Cream Cone; MFT Impact Alphabet

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challengs:  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

For my second card I cut a rainbow of ice cream scoops to put on the front of my card.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake, Mango Medley, Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Poppy Parade, Pacific Point

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp Big Old Birthday
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Ice Cream Cone; MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Challengs:  Just Us Girls #731; Addicted to Stamps & More #470; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

For my third card I wanted to go clean and simple.  I did some ink blending on a piece of white cardstock and cut my scoops out of that... and I happened to have a scrap of pattern paper that came awfully close to matching.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  Paper Rose Studio Rainbow Twirl 2.0

*Images:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, Salty Ocean

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Ice Cream Cone; Waffle Flower Nesting Circles, Additional Circles; MFT Something for Everything

*Sparkling Cones*

Thanks to a wonky work schedule this past week, I am once again struggling to get ahead of the game with my cards... I have a few to share with you but certainly not enough of a stash!  My work week finished about an hour ago and I am back in my craft room... and once I'm done writing this post I hope to find some creativity!

I saw a post on Pinterest a while back that had several scoops of sparkly ice cream on a cone and knew I wanted to play a little... so instead of one cone with lots of scoops, I did three sparkly scoops on three cones.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Crumb Cake; assorted sparkle

*Images:  Picket Fence Studio Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Ice Cream Cone

*Holly Jolly*

I am still absolutely in love with this embossing folder.  I have yet to use it on a slimline card but when you use it as a smaller front panel it works just fine on a regular A2.  There is just so much detail in this folder.  So much awesome detail that I didn't want to cover it up!  So I only covered it up a bit.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Handsome Hunter

*Images:  Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Embossing:  Lisa Horton Crafts Pine Cones

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Banners Framelits

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  unknown red crystals

*Less is More #473*

It's a black and white clean and simple challenge this week at Less is More... I hope you'll play along!

I used a portion of a great Poppy Stamps frame die to create the focal point on my card.  I'm not sure how I feel about the uneven white mat around my focal point... hmmmm 

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips, Simple Strips Backer; Poppy Stamps Adriana Square Frame

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Less is More

*AAACards #220*

It's time for a new clean and simple challenge at AAA Cards!  We want to see your cards with the design only along the edge (you can choose which edge) with the optional twist of "in the sea".

This was tough for me because I had two design team obligations that were a similar theme back to back!  And the themes aren't something I find easy to do in the first place!

For my card I ripped a piece of Post It Tape and ink blended my ocean before splattering it with water to create some interest.  I added a shark fin and a sentiment and called it done.

Card Info

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Hook Link and Sinker; Poppy Stamps Whittle Sealife Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Twlight; Tim Holtz Salty Ocean

*Challenges:  AAACards #220

*Unicorn Sparkles*

I knew when I bought this Whittle Unicorn die that it wasn't all that "whittle"...  but I sure wish it was.  This is just a little too large for me, but as you can see, I bought it anyway!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! shimmer white, Basic Black; Lawn Fawn holographic

*Images:  Pink Fresh Studio Happy Birthday Sentiments

*Ink:  Versamark; Tim Holtz Distress Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Whittle Happy Unicorn

*Tools:  Fricken Square Corners

*Etc:  Wow Silver Sparkle embossing powder

*Addicted to CAS #210*

This was a fun challenge for me this week.... the team at Addicted to CAS is playing with circles!  If you enjoy making clean and simple cards and would like the chance to be chosen to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge, please be sure to share you cards with the team HERE!  

We'd love to see what YOU create!I had an idea in my head and decided to give it a shot.... and somehow managed to get lucky with my first attempt and everything lined up just the way I wanted it to.  I mean, how lucky was that?!  I only wish that I had stamped up a few more before I took the stamp off my Misti...

Items Used

*Cardstock:  red foil from Michaels

*Images:  Lawn Fawn Yeti or Not; Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Tools:  Gina K Wreath Builder; Misti

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Additional Circles

*Embellishments:  gold crystals

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Sending Christmas Cheer*

I have had a VERY creative few days.  My work week ends on Saturday afternoon and I head back to work on Wednesday afternoons.  On my days off this week, I have created 16 different card designs!  I am sure that is a recent record for me!  A few of those cards I made doubles of as I was asked to make some cards for a friend and I figured I could make two and up my stash as well as hers.  Work smarter, not harder, right?!

Anyway, my good friend Bonnie was over for a few hours today and we crafted in person!  We started out on Zoom but then she grabbed a few things and came here for a few hours.  This is only the second time we've crafted together in the same room since Covid started (and we used to get together at least once a month).  It was so good to have her here!

I am playing along with the current sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches...  

I struggled a little with this sketch as I really like straight lines...  coming up with a non-geometric shape was tough.  But let me tell you, the struggle was worth it because I am in love with this card!

Items Used

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Evening Evergreen; red foil from Michaels

*Images:  Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Memory Box Point Pine Needle Sprigs, Dimple Ornament

*Tools:  Stampin' Up Punch

*Challenge:  CAS Colours & Sketches #443