Dragonfly Dreams August Challenge - Lots of Layers!

 The first Sunday in August means a new challenge rolls out on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog!  This month's challenge is "Lots of Layers!"  My card has four layers. I almost went for a 5th behind the flowers, but decided the background would be lost and I wanted it to play into the card design.

I tried a technique I saw on the Altenew blog with a 3D embossing folder and colored cardstock. I ran a piece of orange through my machine and then swiped white pigment ink across the raised part of the image.  After letting the white ink throughly dry, I came back in with other inks and a blender brush to create a colored image. I cut the orange panel out with an old Reverse Confetti die in my stash and mounted it on a dark teal background.  This gorgeous vase has been sitting on my desk for over a year - just waiting to be colored and it was the perfect image for the background.  I pulled in the yellow, orange and some of the darker blues from the background into the bouquet.  I finished it with a white die cut frame from Taylored Expressions, popped on a birthday sentiment and a few yellow-gold sequins.

I hope you find time this month to join the Dragonfly Dreams "Layers" Challenge.  I am looking forward to the gallery! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #498- Birthday

 The next challenge on the Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge is a Birthday challenge.  I created this card with an old Greetery stamp set for my granddaughter's 16th birthday.

Lots of stamping took place to get those 16 candles in place!  It's been a while since I last pulled out this set and I forgot how much fun this stamp is to use! I bet if a company made this now, it would come with a layered stencil set rather than so many stamps!! I hope you are able to join our challenge and pop your birthday card into the ATS&M Challenge #498 gallery.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Day 1 of the 2025 BYSHC "Christmas In July" Linky Party!

Today is the first day of the 2025 Christmas in July week of fun, inspiration, and prizes on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog! We have a list of fabulous sponsors for the random prize drawing at the end of the week! 

My first card features a the Nordic Forest Gnome and Nordic Wispy Trees from Poppy Stamps.  I bought both dies last year and am just getting around to using them.  This little gnome is so darn cute!  The photo doesn't show the clear glitter I used on parts of the trees and the gnome, so you will have to take my word for it!  It is there to add some fun sparkle! 
 

I hope you can join in the fun over the course of this next week.  There will be lots of inspiration and it's another good chance to get a start on your holiday stash.  Just add your card to the linky party on the BYSHC Blog! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #497 - Christmas

What could be better than a Christmas in July challenge?!?  If that's your jam, we've got you covered because the theme for  Challenge #497 on the ATS&M Blog is Christmas. 

I pulled our my Waffle Flower Postage Collage dies, stamps, and stencils for my card.  I fell in love with the Postage Collage Christmas stencil last season and started working on this card - only to finish it up months later! Has that ever happened to you?!?  I hope you feel inspired to join us for this challenge.  There sure are a lot of Christmas in July sales, products, and challenges on the web!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy 

Dragonfly Dreams Blog July Challenge - Use Polygons

 Welcome back to a new monthly challenge on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog! This month's theme is to use polygons.

I had the perfect die in my stash for this challenge - one I picked up on my travels to Arizona a few years ago and it paired perfectly with this sweet Bundlegirl Beekeeper stamp from Stamping Bella.  I colored her with my Copics and used a scrap of patterned paper for her dress.  Did you notice the way I used the cut out pieces from the hexagons as part of my design?  I love how this one turned out.  

I'm looking forward to your take on this month's challenge! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy 

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #496 - Make Your Mark

 Challenge #496 on the Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge Blog is called "Make Your Mark". This is the one where you use inks, markers, colored pencils, paint, chalk, etc. to make your mark!

The image for my card is Stamping Bella's Peony Baby In A Pot - which happens to be in the sale section of their website for just a few dollars right now!!  I just love this stamp and needed to have it, but truth be told - I have had it in my stash for YEARS and not inked her up until now. This little cutie is colored with Copics. I have been out of the coloring habit for a while and have to admit, I am pleased with how this turned out.  I used an embossing folder on the card base for texture. Another oldie from my stash, MFT's Lined By Hand background stamp is heat embossing with white to create the panel she sits on. I popped on a Betterpress sentiment and a few clear pearls to finish her off.  I may make another one, just to have in my collection of cards!  Hope you have some time to pull out something to make you own mark and enter it in our challenge.  Thanks for stopping my my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #495 - Die Cuts or Stencils

 Challenge #495 on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog is using stencils or die cuts.

Concord & 9th's Triple Step Happy Day Stamp Set and Die was just the ticket for my card. The set comes with lots of useful dies including that great script "happy" and that adorable flower.  I hope you are able to make the time to play along with our challenge for the next two weeks. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #494 - Any Occasion

 The "Any Occasion" theme of  ATS&M's Challenge #494 was just the motivation I needed to get a card made for my oldest granddaughter's graduation from high school.  I decided to make this one a shaker with sparkle.  It's a pretty simple design and I love how it turned out!

I used a variety of products from my stash including my new purchase of the Iceland Poppies die from SSS.  I used some Delicata Golden Glitz pigment ink at the bottom of each of the letters to soften the black and incorporate them into the color scheme, too!  Waffle Flower's Sweet Plaid Texture die as a card base gave this the right amount of visual interest for my eye!  Hope you have time to play along with our "Any Occasion" challenge on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams Blog June Challenge - Butterflies

 June's theme on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog is butterflies.  I decided to pull out my never-inked Wings & Petal Ledger Stamp from Unity for this card. (The stamp happens to be on sale right now!). I wasn't sure what I wanted to create, so I stamped it on three different card fronts - one with brown ink, one with black ink and the third one I heat embossed on watercolor paper to be ready to faux watercolor with inks.  In the end, I decided to pull out my Copics and color!

Blending pinks and oranges seems like such a pretty summery combination, so I got started coloring this beautiful stamp.  I added some W2 around the butterflies to give them depth and blended some blue ink to seem like sky with some brown added to the edges to distress it.  When it was finished, I die cut the panel with a large postage stamp die and mounted it on an salmon-orange cardback.  The sentiment panel is foiled in black and glued to a vellum flag. Pinkfresh's raspberry jewels give it some extra bling.  I hope you have the chance to play along with us this month!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #492 - Christmas

 "Christmas" is the theme for Challenge #492 on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog.

I went to my stash and found the negative image of red glittered paper from the "Joy" die cut.  It's a Penny Black die that I have had in my stash for a while.  I used two sizes of the same Echo park paper for the rest of the card.  The larger scale bird paper looked better for the die cut and the smaller scale worked for the border on the bottom.  Love how simple and quick a card goes with this die - and actually, you can make two cards with the same papers!  Hope you have time to play along with our challenge!  Thanks for stopping my my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams May Challenge - Sea Life

 May's challenge on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog is all about sea life - and what could be cuter than these two sweet mermaids?

They are colored with Copics and an extra sea star is popped out to give some dimension.  I have had these sweet digital images in my stash for a while and this challenge was the perfect opportunity to bring them out!  Hope you can play along with our challenge this month. Remember to link your card in the Dragonfly Dreams gallery! I can't wait to see your take on the challenge.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy