Friday, March 8, 2024

BYSHC March Sketch Challenge #43

 It's been a while since I posted a card for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers group on my blog.  I have been working through a housing transition and moving through a creative funk.  I am happy to say things are feeling more settled and the creative dry spell has lifted.  My collection of layering stencils and last month's Pinkfresh Studios Create & Connect event were instrumental in getting me back into the craft room!


This card came during my dry spell - and I found most of the elements for it in my stash. Crystal's great sketch and all of the layers helped me.  I think I have had the card base ready to go for more than three years!  The embossed white square was die cut for this card from  a time I was "playing" with a new technique.  I saved the paper, knowing it would be good for "something".  Santa was stamped and waiting to be colored (and then fussy cut).  The only element I created for this card was the tree.  It's from Taylored Expressions Through the Woods stamp set. 

I hope you are feeling creative and can play along with the BYSHC Sketch Challenge this month. It's a greta way to work on holiday cards, plus there are always prizes!!  Just add you card to the Sketch Challenge 43 album in our FB group.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  In kindness, Cathy









Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Let's Craft & Create Challenge #205 - Optional Theme: Thank You Card

 Back with this month's Let's Craft & Create Blog card. Challenge - #205 has an optional theme of "Thank You".  Thank you cards are so nice to have in my stash, so I love this theme.  


My card features a layering stencil and die set from Taylored Expressions, called Autumn Array.  This card was made specifically for my neighbor who delivered a bouquet of flowers to me in these colors last week.  It was a lovely surprise!!  Hope you have time to play along with us this month and post your card in the LC&C Gallery.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy


Monday, February 5, 2024

Let's Craft & Create - Challenge #204 Polka Dots & or Stripes

 Back with a card for the Let's Craft & Create Blog.  This month's optional challenge is to use polka dots and /or stripes.  I went to my stash and found some Deco Foil polka dot toner card front panels and combined them with Wild Cherry foil.  My image is a cutie from the talented imagination of Sandra Caldwell.  I had the privilege of being part of her design team several years ago. Sadly, cancer took her all too early.  This card is going to a friend who just received some bad news.  I think the "Ugh" die from Whimsy Stamps is perfect for this occasion!  I hope you have time to play along with us this month.



Friday, January 5, 2024

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Let's Craft & Create November - Challenge #201 Stitched Up (Real or Faux)

 Back after a hiatus on the Let's Craft & Create Blog with November's optional Challenge - Stitched Up (Real or Faux).



Wednesday, November 1, 2023

{BYSHC} Blog - November Sketch Challenge #39

November 1 - already!!! I am not sure I am ready for the cold weather we have recently had a taste of in MN! Yikes! The good news is I will have more time to hunker down in my craft room and create.  

Crystal has a fun sketch for us to play with this month on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog.  
I have been paper shopping recently and I actually cut it and used some of my new purchases on my first card this month!

 Both papers come with the gold foil, so I knew they would come in handy and made this card super-simple.  The deer is the reverse image of Woodland Reindeer Deco Foil Adhesive Transfer from Taylored Expressions and a sentiment strip from my stash.  I trimmed the border off of a different patterned paper scrap in my stash for the black border between the colors.  See - saving those papers scraps pays off!!

I hope you will give this month's sketch a try!  My mind of already rolling around what I will do for my second card!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.
In kindness, Cathy 




Friday, October 20, 2023

{BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2023 Linky Party - Day 1

 Hi {BYSHC} Friends!

It is hard to believe that the last holiday card making BYSHC Linky Party of 2023 is here already!! 

I have been in a state of transition with my home space since the middle of June, so I started making cards for this party in July.  It's not my typical pattern!  Can I tell you how happy I am that I worked ahead?!?  

If this design looks familiar to you, it may be because I used the sketch from this past August.  It's super versatile and there is lots of inspiration in the FB Sketch #36 Gallery.

For my first Linky Party card, I inked up Taylored Expressions Through the Woods stamp set.  I started by stamping the trees with Distress Inks on a piece of watercolor paper and then used a blender brush around the edges for sky.  I dripped water onto the panel and then splattered with white ink to give it a feel of light snow. I fussy cut one of the skinny trees to use as an embellishment.  The sentiment is from Unity's Feliz Navidad stamp set.  

The background paper is from a Tim Holz pad I was gifted in a destash exchange two years ago.  It's rustic feel went well with the trees!  I just added some ink to the sides of the background paper to give it a distressed look.  

Hope you are seeing your stack of holiday cards grow.  If not, play along with this week's Linky Party and get a head start on this year's cards!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.
In kindness, Cathy

Friday, October 13, 2023

{BYSHC} Blog - Sketch Challenge #38

 Back with a second card using Sketch #38.  I oriented the sketch vertically and adjusted the size of the vellum rectangles to fit the panel. The top layer of vellum was embossed with Taylored Expressions Confetti Embossing Folder.  The card's main image uses Papertrey Ink's Deer to Me stamp and Deer to Me Die sets.  All of those glorious stems and flowers come with the stamp and die set!  This is a set that is easier to die cut first and then line up the stamps. The Birch trees are dies from Newton's Nook, called Forest Scene Builder Die Set.  

Just one more week until the Fall Into Christmas Linky party!  Hope you can play along with our BYSHC sketch and the Linky Party!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.        In Kindness, Cathy 




Sunday, October 1, 2023

{BYSHC} Blog - October Sketch Challenge #38

 A new month means a new sketch on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog.  


For this sketch, I went super simple.  All of the layers and papers work together with Catherine Pooler's Belly Laughs Cover Plate.  I pulled out my white glitter paper to add a little more sparkle and mounted it. The sentiment strip uses a variety of leftovers on my craft desk mounted on a die cut flag of white glitter paper!  (Gotta love when that happens!!)  

Take a peek at the growing Sketch #38 gallery in the {BYSHC} FB Group or the weekly updates on the {BYSHC} Blog.  I hope you will be inspired to join us!  FYI - our third and final Linky Party is coming up later this month.  It's a great chance to get ahead or get a start on your holiday cards!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Friday, September 15, 2023

{BYSHC} Blog - September Sketch Challenge #37

 Back with my second card using the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmaker's sketch for this month.


 Today's card features a Julie Ebersol stamp I bought last year from Ellen Hutson, called Snow Angels. She is colored with Prismacolor pencils. 

It was one of those stamp sets I had to have when it was released, but never inked it up until this summer.  I created another card with the boy image using patterned paper during the Christmas in July Linky party. 


Friday, September 1, 2023

{BYSHC} Blog - Sketch Challenge #37

Happy first Friday in September and that means a new holiday card sketch on the {BYSHC} Blog.  

I combined Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers' Sketch #37 with Stamping Bella's Christmas Camper stamp. It's stamped on watercolor paper and then fussy cut after I was done coloring.  The background is made using Picket Fence Studios Falling Snowflakes Stencil with Taylored Expressions Glitter Grab adhesive.  I love how thin and smooth the layer goes on and then when it's dried, it is ready to run through my Mini-Minc machine with some silver holographic foil.  This was a trial to see how the process worked with foiling, but I decided to use it because the rustic edges were perfect for this card! 

The sentiment is a fussy cut Hero Arts Season's Greetings and the panel behind it is PTI's Snowflake Mix & Mat Die

I hope you have the time to play along with us this month.  You can see the sketch is versatile and can accommodate just about any shape you might want to use!  Add your finished card to the Sketch #37 folder in the BYSHC FB group.  You might be featured on the blog this month or win our monthly prize!  Thanks for stopping by to take a closer look at my card.
In kindness, Cathy