*Atlantic Hearts Sketch #689*

 It's time for a new sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges...

I fell in love with this sketch as soon as I saw it... I'm not sure if it was intended to be a full sized or a mini slimline, but I love the mini slimline so that's what I went with!  I just happened to have some extra cut up pieces from the Waffle Flower Postage set so I decided to use them...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Shaded Lilac, owed Lawn, Salty Ocean

*Stencils:  Waffle FLower Postage Collage Peony Stencil
*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Waffle Flower Postage Collage

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #689

*One Layer Instagram Hop*

 I'm here with my card for the Just One Layer Instagram Hop...  we are challenged each month to make a card that is just one layer following a common theme.  This month, our theme is stencil.

I grabbed this fabulous ink splatter stencil and created a rainbow through a portion of the stencil directly on the front of my card.  I then stamped my sentiment right on top.

Card Info
*Stamps:  Concord & 9th Big Day Birthday Stamps
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean
*Stencil:  Lawn Fawn Paint Splatter

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 This week for the My Favourite Instagram Hop, we are playing with our favourite tree themed items.  I will admit that this is not my favourite tree themed item from my stash, but the ideas I had for my favourite tree stamp weren't working out for me.  Instead I pulled out this stencil to create a simple sympathy card.

Card Info
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Grey

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Twilight, Black Jack, Midnight

*Stencil:  Artplorations Slimline Trees

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop*

 Hello Sunshine is the theme for the current Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop...  I played with a sunburst stencil and some raised panels to create my card.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Kraftin' Kimmie Birthday Bash Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Wild Dandelion

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Addicted to CAS #306*

Good morning friends... it's time for a new clean and simple challenge at Addicted to CAS...

I don't have much for postage related items in my crafty stash, but I did recently purchase some Waffle Flower postage themed items.  I played with some soft colours with the stencil and used one of the "stamp" die cuts to create my card.  To add a little extra interest, I used an embossing folder on a white strip.  I used a lot of newer stuff (to me) on this card... always good to use the new stuff you buy instead of ignoring it!

Card Info

*Stamps:  Concord & 9th Big Day Birthday
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Shaded Lilac, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocent
*Stencils:  Waffle Flower Collage Peony Stencil

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Postage Collage

*Embossing:  Altenew Ribbon Waves

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #306; Addicted to Stamps & More #515

*Addicted to CAS #305*

 We have a wonderful new clean and simple challenge at Addicted to CAS...

I don't have a lot of family themed stamps or dies...  but I was able to make a card for someone's Mom (since mine has passed).  I started with a stencil and three colours of Distress Oxide Ink and did a little partial blending.  I stamped this gorgeous butterfly on top of it and finished it off with the simple sentiment.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Paper Rose Studio Cleo Floral Butterfly; MFT All About Mom

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

*Stencil:  Paper Rose Studio Big Drops

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  ATCAS #305; Addicted to Stamps & More #514

*Mini Slimline Instagram Hop*

It's time for another Mini Slimline Instagram Hop... no themes for this hop... just sharing a mini slimline card each month.  This is one of my favourite card sizes to play with.  For my card today, I played with one of the left over pieces from the postage stamp die and stencil I used last week... I think it fit pretty well!  I added a little embossing for an extra punch.

Card Info

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Distress Ink Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawy

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Waffle Flower Postage Collage

*Stencils:  Waffle Flower Peony Postage Collage

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves

*Challenges:  AAA Birthday #82; Addicted to Stamps & More #310

 

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week on the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are playing with my favourite woodland scene. I don't do much with scene stamping, but I wanted to play along.  I sure hope that this works for the theme!

Card Info

*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic Grey

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Twilight; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Stencils:  Artplorations Trees

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS on Friday #326*

 This week for the CAS on Friday Challenge, we are playing with the theme of MONOCHROME.

Monochrome can be any colour as long as you only use shades of that one colour.  I've been fascinated by shades of grey in card making lately so I chose to do that for my card today...  I used two shades of grey ink using them at different intensities  for the different layers of my stenciled image and finished it off with black highlights.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Visible Image Best Birthday Ever

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

*Stencil:  Recollections Spatter

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #326

*Time Out Challenges#303*

 Today we start the last challenge of 2025 at Time Out Challenges.  We will be back in the new year to hopefully inspired your creativity!

We have an awesome photo challenge for this last challenge... be sure to tell us in your post how you were inspired by the photo below.

I find photo inspiration challenges difficult... but here's my tip for how I approached this one.  I looked at the photo as individual elements...  colours, locations, shapes... so I was inspired by the red and gold I saw in the photo as well as these friends together making memories.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler

*Stamps:  Concord & 9th Winter Greenery; Mama Elephant Merry Greetings
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Cherry Red and Grass Green

*Stencils:  Concord & 9th Winter Greenery

*Foil Plate:  Spellbinders Plaid Tidings

*Foil:  Spellbinders gold

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  Time Out #303

*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

*Rainbow Connection Instagram Hop*

 Each month, a group of us gather on Instagram to share rainbow inspired clean and simple cards... we take the colours of the rainbow and make a clean and simple card that makes those colours shine.

This month, I chose to stencil my colours through a brick pattern stencil along the edge of my front panel.  I stamped a floral stamp over top of it and let it stamp off the edge of my panel.  Super quick and simple!

Card Info

*Stamps:  Altenew Flower Vine; Gina K Crazy Daisy

*Ink:  Versafine Claire Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilic

*Stencil:  Lawn Fawn Brick

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week for the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are using our favourite monochromatic look...  I saw some samples from Gina K where her hubby had suggested ink blending in shades of grey.  I LOVED how they looked so I thought I would play with the idea...  I did a full 6x6 panel and cut out a portion of it for my card today (you'll see the rest of it in about 10 days)

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

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

*Stencil:  Uniko Picked Posies

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*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

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch #663*

 There's a lovely new sketch at Atlantic Hearts that starts today...  And I decided to make mine rather clean and simple (although with the all-over embossed background it's not really clean and simple).

First, the sketch...

And here's my take on the sketch...

Card Info

*Stamps:  Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Wild Dandelion Wild Lilac

*Stencils: Gina K Bold Flowers

*Dies:  Gina K Bold Flowers; Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiments

*Embossing:  Lisa Horton Bold Daisy Background

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #663

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 The theme at the My Favourite Instagram Hop this week is our favourite colour.  This was both a tough choice for me and not a tough choice for me.  I always say that my favourite colour is purple, but I'm not honestly sure it is any more. LOL!  It probably is since I have purple in my hair, lot of purple tops... but I also love red and blue (depending on the shades). 

So I went with my first thought and used a product suite from Altenew with a pretty purple ink.  I achieved the different colours of purple by using a lighter hand in some areas and a heavier hand in others.  I kept the leaves neutral by ink blending a little light grey on them.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Stamps, Dies, Stencils:  Altenew Gracious Peonies

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Shaded Lilac, Hickory Smoke

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Birthday Bounce Instagram Hop*

 For the month of May, the Birthday Bounce Instagram Hop theme is flowers...  not a hard stretch for me LOL!  I played with a Gina K stencil for my card...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Studio Katia Birthday Greetings

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Wild Dandelion, Passionate Pink, Wild Lilac, Grass Green, Blue Lagoon

*Stencil:  Gina K Bold Flowers

*Dies:  Gina K Bold Flowers

Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Gina K Appreciation Hop*

 Today I'm participating in the second annual Gina K Appreciation Hop on Instagram.  We are a group of creators who love Gina K products.  We were all required to either use Gina K products or create a Gina K inspired card for today.  I chose to use all Gina K products...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders Lilac

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies

*Stencil:  :  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies Layering Stencil, Mandala Burst
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Blue Lagoon, Passionate Pink, Wild Lilac

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Just Us Girls #776

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch #627*

 We have a wonderful new sketch for you at Atlantic Hearts...

I decided to play with a stencil instead of a stamped or die cut image for my card today...  I hope you can see the sketch in my creation...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Honey Bee Best of Everything

*Stencils:  Gina Ki Mandala Burst

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry, Carved Pumpkin, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Wilted Violet

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  Spellbinders Opal Gems

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #627

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week on the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are creating sympathy cards with our favourite floral image.  I cheated a little bit as this isn't my favourite floral image that I have in my stash, but it is my favourite flower.  I had this piece left in my bin of extras from a card I shared a few weeks ago (it's a huge floral) and it seemed to be perfect for today...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Tranquil Tide

*Stamps:  Altenew Gracious Peonies; The Ton Easy Expressions

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

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Altenew Gracious Peonies

*Stencil:  Altenew Gracious Peonies

*Embossing:  Spellbinders Leafy

*Tools:  Perfect Layers