CAS Christmas ~ Peace

Hello, friends! It's the first of the month and that means a new challenge at CAS Christmas. Julia, our hostess, is looking for Santa's Sleigh. Here's my take on it!

Now I have to admit, I had no sleigh in my stash. Sled, yes but no sleigh! I found this retired Poppystamps little cutie on Etsy. Isn't it fun with those swirls! I added a trio of gifts (also Poppystamps), some touches of glitter and a tiny sentiment by Morningstar Stamps. I think it all looks so sweet against the snowy embossed background. It's a square 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" card.

Your turn now. You have the whole month to get crafty! Stop by the blog for some inspiration from the team!

Just Us Girls #834 ~ Sending a Handmade Hug

Hey there! It's CASE the Design Team Week at Just Us Girls. Just pick one of the design team cards and CASE it. Super easy and we sure hope you'll play along! Here's what I have to share.

This pretty frame is another of my recent PTI purchases. It's cut from marshmallow cardstock and popped up with foam tape. I added some sweet flowers from The Stamp Market along with one of their sentiments and a trio of Martha Stewart punched butterflies. I finished it off with pink pearl centers on the flowers. 

Okay, my friends just pop over to the Just Us Girls blog pick a card and get crafty. You have a chance to guest design with us if your card is chosen as this week's winner! 

Just Us Girls #833 ~ For God so Loved the World

Sue is hosting our Stencil Week challenge at Just Us Girls and it's Anything Goes! That's an easy one. Be sure to pop over to the blog for inspiration from our guest designer Bonnie and the team. Speaking of Bonnie, it's been a pleasure to have here with us this past month! 

My inspiration was the gorgeous sun and sky we had the other evening. I think I pull this Altenew Golden Days stencil set out once a year. It's such a beauty and I love that it fills the card front. I used peach, orange and red inks this time with a Scorched Timber for the flower center and sentiment. My wonderful sentiment is by PTI. I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate recently and this was among my purchases. My hubby really liked this card!

Alrighty, pick out a stencil and come join us!

Poppystamps

Have you seen the latest release at Poppystamps? It's called Holiday Cheer and is filled with cute fall and winter dies. I'm sharing a card on the blog today featuring a few of them. It all began with this adorable new Nordic Birdhouse. Christmas in July, you might say! Pop over to check it out!

You're Pretty Darn Amazing

With the smoke from wild fires drifting down to Ohio, it was a good day to stay indoors and get a little crafty. I made a card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches and Tic, Tac Toe challenges. 

I used a trio of some favorite retired Poppystamps products. The Whittle Frame, Whittle Lizard and Daisy Trio worked perfectly with a sentiment by PTI. Everything went onto a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" base. This works for a few of lines on the Tic, Tac Toe board. The left and center vertical or the center horizontal. 

My prayers go out to those impacted by the fires in Canada and those dealing with the smoke. Several activities and businesses closed in our area today. Take care, my friends.

Just Us Girls #832 ~ Oh Happy Day

Hello, my friends! Bobby has a fun summer Mood Board for you this week at Just Us Girls. So many options from the mix of photos and colors. I went with a simple card using a cute summer treat. Take a look...

I picked the popsicle treat from the photo and used my cute polka dot version from Impression Obsession. It's framed in a polaroid die cut (PPP) made from PTI paper. Red gingham is always so summery to me! I added a trio of little red blooms to mimic the poppies on the board and an embossed background to mimic the gingham. Everything went onto a light blue card base as a nod to all of the pretty blue skies in Bobby's photo. A simple sentiment by Carta Bella finished it off.

Okay, it's your turn now. Have fun!

Blogger issues...

Just curious if anyone else is having an issue with blogger? First up, my blog header has disappeared, not sure when that happened. Also, my email, Facebook and Pinterest buttons are just colored circles. Then there are the blogs that I follow. So many are not showing up in my reader. I know I can follow with email, and there are several blogs that I do, but even some of those aren't showing up for me. Ugh... technology...

Just For You

While hubby was working on some action softball photos of Sweet P's team, I had a little play time and put together a card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. Take a look...

My idea was to use a postage theme with my die cuts and stamps. I made a postage stamp using a Spellbinders die and a pretty little hydrangea stamp. Old Precious Remembrance Shop stamps were added too. Then I realized the graphic was a rectangle ~ OOPS! Sooooo, I added a couple of little banners to elongate my square postage stamp. What do you think, did it work? Hopefully the ladies at FMS will see the sketch in my design!

Thanks for stopping by!

Just Us Girls #831 ~ What a Wonderful World

Vicki is hosting WORD WEEK for us at Just Us Girls and she's chosen the word PLAY. It took a little thinking and rooting around in my crafty nook, but I came up with something fun!

My interpretation of PLAY is music! My parents really enjoy the music activities at their new Assisted Living home. Mom especially likes when they play Name That Tune! I think I bought this 12x12 sheet of paper when JoAnn was going out of business. All of those pretty colorful guitars paired well with my song lyric sentiment. I stamped the sentiment onto a rustic white card base then topped it with the PP. It was cut with the circle die and the largest SSS scalloped arch... I know, I'm obsessed!! A few retired Poppystamps blooms cut in coordinating colors topped it off. 

What does the word PLAY say to you? Sports, recreation, music... so many options! Put your thinking cap on and come join us this week. Card making is playtime too, right? Oh, there's another idea, crafty supplies!

Poppystamps

I'm sharing a fun CAS birthday card over at Poppystamps today. Stop by to see how I finished off this sweet vellum frame!

Have a blessed day, friends!

Thinking of You

Dang... it's been HOT as HOT can be around here all week. Storms yesterday evening and this morning too. Time to stay in and get inky! That's just what I did and I created this little number for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge.

I used a delicate leafy rubber stamp by IO for the two tall rectangles in the sketch. A scrap of patterned paper for the horizontal rectangle and retired Poppystamps geraniums for the circle portion. I topped those blooms with a sweet hummingbird by PPP. I colored him to match the little ruby throated fella that has been frequenting our feeder. 

Off we go to the FMS gallery. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it!

Just Us Girls #830 ~ Laugh Every Day!

     

Hey there, thanks so much for stopping by today! It's a new month at Just Us Girls and we have the fabulous Bonnie Klass joining us as our guest designer! Ina has a fun challenge for DIE WEEK. She wants us to use a FORGOTTEN FAVORITE. If you're like me, you have a few of those in your stash! I went waaaaay back to my early days of blogging when I was all about Papertrey Ink. I would visit their blog daily and frequent their online store. Their challenges and blog hops were my reason for starting a blog. Today's card is all PTI, I'm still a fan! 

Remember their Flower Fusion series? This one is #10 and I think I bought it in 2012. The sentiment is from the set too but the little bees came from another oldie: Tag-it's #3! Berry Sorbet, Orange Zest and Green Parakeet for the inks with a Berry Sorbet mat added. I popped up the die cut flowers with foam tape. Cute huh! Oh and BTW, I almost ALWAYS use their white cardstock for my whites and card bases. I do use a couple of others, but their's is my go to. 

Okay, dig deep and break out some of those old favorite dies. Pop over to the blog for loads of inspiration from the team and our guest, Bonnie!

CAS Christmas ~ Let It Snow

We're sending cooling thoughts your way with a new challenge at CAS Christmas! Making a snowman in July would be impossible in Ohio with our usual hot humid temps. But the paper kind can always be done! I pulled out an old woodblock stamp for today's card. Take a look...

He's a tall skinny frosty fella from Art Gone Wild. I tucked him into a Reverse Confetti arched die cut that was adhered to a teal card base.  A sprinkling of snowflakes (also an old woodblock stamp; no company markings) were stamped with white ink. I used a simple sentiment tab by Memory Box to finish it off. A couple of layers, but still very CAS!

Okay, your turn to build a snowman. You have the whole month and can play more than once if you want to!

Just Us Girls #829 ~ Happy Birthday

Well hello there! We have our new challenge up at Just Us Girls. It's stencil week and I'm hosting! I have a cutie patootie birthday card for your inspiration. Take a look...

I started with a stenciled panel using a WF stencil set. I cut it with the largest SSS Scalloped Arches and, as you can see, left off the scallops. Next, I die cut an oval from the center of the panel. Everything went back together on a white card base. My cutie patootie little lion from Stamps By Judith is the focal point. He has a glittery chest and whiskers. I opted for an oversized sentiment tab from MB and rounded the top corners of the card base to echo the big arch. I liiiiike it!!

Pull a stencil set from your stash and come play along. 

We love it when you do!

Poppystamps

 

Brace yourselves... I've made somewhat of a masculine card and I'm sharing it on the Poppystamps blog today! Pop over for all the details!

Just Us Girls #828 ~ Wishing you the best day

 

If you're a flower lover, this week's challenge at Just Us Girls is for you! Denise has given us a pretty Mood Board with a great mix of blooms and colors. I picked a few of the colors and whipped up this little number for you. 

I used the pretty Be Fearless press plate, stencil and die set by Pinkfresh Studio. I created a wreath of sorts with a PPP Scallop circle die to arrange the blooms on. A PPP label die holds my sentiment. Everything was popped onto a floral embossed panel sent to me by my sweet friend, Greta.

This gallery is sure to be a pretty one, hope your card is in it!

**EDIT**

Just saw this works for the new Tic Tac Toe Challenge.

Floral, Pink, Birthday or Floral, Dry Embossing, Summer.

Off she goes to the gallery!

Just Us Girls #827 ~ You're Sweet

Hello, my friends! It's time for a new challenge at Just Us Girls. Vicki is hosting word week and she's looking for SUMMER on your cards!

This sweet little girl in her polka dot bathing suit makes an appearance on my blog just about every summer. She's too cute not to share! This time she went onto a PTI tag set. The pink lemonade paper seemed a perfect fit. Homemade lemonade is a must for those hot summer days! Everything went onto a white card base and was topped off with a polka dot bow (TSM) and a few little rhinestones. 

What kind of summer goodies do you have in your stash? I can't wait to see what you make. You are playing along, aren't you?

Poppystamps

Peek a boo... this sweet little bunny is peeking out with birthday wishes over on the Poppystamps blog today! Pop over to see what else went onto the card I created for my cousin.

Just Us Girls #826 ~ Wishing you...

 

Hi there! We're happy to have a new guest designer joining us for the month of June at Just Us Girls. Welcome Kellianne! Carol is looking for BUTTERFLY DIES this week. I had several to choose from but finally decided on this little cutie from The Stamp Market.

After pulling some patterned paper from my stash, I cut two strips with a PPP border die. They went onto the horizontal card base followed by a sentiment from The Rubber Cottage. The sweet polka dot butterfly was adhered next and I gave her a little pearl head. Cute, huh!

Okay, what butterfly will you pick out to use? 

When you decide, be sure it flutters into our gallery!

CAS Christmas begins again!

In case you haven't heard, my sweet friend, the fabulous Loll Thompson, has decided to start her CAS Christmas challenge up again! She also invited me back to the design team ~ YAY! The challenge launches today with Loll being our hostess with the mostess. First up: BIRD.

My card began with a pretty dove die cut.

The dove die cut (Memory Box, I think!) was sent to me by a friend. I added some Copic coloring to the bird, along with a bead for the eye, and nestled her into my stamped PTI Rustic Wreath. The sentiment, also from the wreath set, was stamped in PTI Autumn Rose ink. I added several more little dots to the wreath using this ink as well. A few Simply Graphic pine branches helped to ground the bird along with some punched dots. Simple and pretty. The hubs loved it!

Okay friend, it's your turn now. It's never too early to start working on that Christmas card stash and this challenge is a great way to get you motivated. Pop over to the blog for more inspiration from the team along with all of the challenge details. Thanks so much for stopping by!