Addicted to Stamps & More #525 - Die Cuts or Stencils

 Using Die Cuts or Stencils is the theme of the newest Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge.

Color Dare Challenge #718

Today starts a new Color Dare Challenge, featuring four possible colors. For this card, I used all four colors, along with a few neutral choices for the splatters and white heat-embossed sentiment.

For the main panel, I used The Greetery’s Shortbread Shapes Embossing Folder. I inked the flat inside of the embossing folder with blue ink and then ran it through my embossing machine. The result was a fun reverse effect, with the embossed pattern appearing white against the blue background.

I die cut several florals from my stash and tucked them behind the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Label Die, which I cut from a scrap of patterned paper. For the blue and purple dashed border and the sentiment inside the label, I used Kristina Werner’s Bold Stripes Greetings Stamps.

I love how all the different elements come together to create a cheerful card using this week’s Color Dare combination!  Hope you can play along.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #524 - Any Occasion

 I’m back with an Any Occasion Challenge on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog!

For my wedding card, I combined a variety of products from The Greetery’s Capsule Basics collection. I used the card-shape die for the base, along with a detail embossing folder that add the double embossed lines and stamp for the outer gold embossed border.

The flower and sentiment are from Kristina Werner’s Long Line Roses stamp, die, and stencil suite. I heat embossed the design using Brutus Monroe’s Gilded embossing powder, which creates a beautiful gold that isn’t too warm or too cool. A few Pinkfresh Studio Gold Dust gems add the perfect finishing touch.

This card came together pretty quickly, and I love how the unique shape gives it an extra-special touch. I hope you’ll have time to join us for the challenge!  Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy

Color Dare Challenge #716

Another fun color challenge is up on the Color Dare Challenge Blog! This week you can add any color of your choice to the two colors provided. I chose navy as my third color and paired it with a new stamp and die set from The Greetery's latest release.

I have to admit I went a little crazy with this release and there are a few new additions to my craft room!  This card, made to celebrate my niece's engagement, features The Greetery's Canned Die along with the Something Fish stamp  and sentiment die set.

I made the mistake of watching the release unfold in real time—which is never good for my checkbook! I wanted almost everything they released, but I did manage to practice a little restraint. I also justified this purchase because, after all, it's not another flower set! Who would have thought a can of sardines could look so cute on a card?

I can't wait to see what color you add to this week's challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #523 - Birthday

 "Birthday" is the newest theme on the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge Blog.  It was the perfect time for me to pull out the Pinkfresh Studios Ribbons and Balloons Stencil that I picked up on sale at my local stamp store.  

After inking the balloons and ribbons, I added a layer of glitter gel for a little sparkle before die cutting a few framing layers.  To finish the card, I added a Concord & 9th sentiment and a few sequins.  

This was a relatively quick card to create, but it's full of color and shimmer!  I hope you'll have time to join us for the Birthday challenge! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams August Challenge - Beach or Seaside

Welcome back to the Dragonfly Dreams August Challenge! This month's theme is "Beach" or "Seaside," and I had so much fun creating a card for it.

For my project, I was inspired by a shadowbox pop-up card video from Jennifer McGuire and decided to make one to send to my granddaughter while she was away at month-long sleepaway camp. Since water sports are her favorite activity, an underwater scene seemed like the perfect choice for her.

I followed Jennifer's instructions for creating the shadowbox card, adjusting the dimensions to fit an A2-sized card. For the back panel behind the fish, I used Tim Holtz's Dotted Fade Texture embossing folder. After embossing, I inked the raised dots with a darker turquoise than the cardstock to add depth and dimension. The front panel is embossed with the Tiny Twinkles embossing folder from Taylored Expressions.

Like Jennifer, I used the Fun Fish Dies from Simon Says Stamp, along with a variety of greenery dies from my collection. I had fun ink blending the fish to create bright, colorful sea life while keeping the greenery simple so the fish would remain the focal point.

Two of the fish are adhered directly to the background, while the other three are attached to heavyweight clear acetate strips, allowing them to gently move when the card is handled. I think this is definitely a WOW! card, and I'm already looking forward to making more shadowbox cards in the future.

I hope you'll join us for this month's Beach or Seaside challenge! I can't wait to see what you create, so be sure to share your projects in the gallery.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, and happy crafting!

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Inkspiration #373 - Beach (Visual Prompt)

The Four Seasons - Anything Goes Summer

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie - Beach

Time Out #318 - Mother Nature

Color Dare - Surprise Challenge!

Teams A and B are combining this week for an extra Color Dare Challenge!  It's an opportunity for you to create a card choosing YOUR favorite colors

Earlier this month, I was asked to make a card for a celebration honoring the Community Manager in our building. The party theme was "You Are Our Sunshine," so I created two cards to give the party planners a choice.

This is the first card I made for Color Dare's Surprise Challenge, where you get to choose your favorite three colors for your card. I picked three of my favorite summer colors—turquoise, yellow, and pink.

I took the theme quite literally with this design, using a small sun die to cut 10 sunshine images. I mounted each one on a small square to create a fun background. The focal point is Lawn Fawn Stitched Sun Die, paired with a die-cut "you" and tall alphabet letters from Scrapbook.com to spell out the word "sunshine." Be sure to check out the second card I created for the celebration here. I'd love to know which one you like better!

I hope you'll join the fun and play along with both Team A and Team B in this Color Dare Challenge! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

 

Color Dare Challenge #714

I'm back today with a new challenge for the Color Dare Challenge Blog!

I did a little shopping during the Sizzix sale earlier this month and picked up the Brushstroke Flowers 2 dies at an amazing discount.  I thought this versatile set would make a wonderful addition to my craft stash, and I couldn't wait to put it to use.  

For today's card, I used all eight dies in the set, cutting the pieces from a mix of patterned papers and solid cardstock. I finished the flowers with a bit of ink blending to add depth, dimension, and a touch of texture. 

I hope you'll take a look through your stash, get inspired by our newest color challenge, and join us this week. I can't wait to see what you create! Happy crafting!  Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #522 - Christmas

This card is a bit of a two-for-one challenge for me! The theme for Challenge #522 at Addicted to Stamps & More is Christmas, and another design team I'm on, Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers, is in the middle of its Christmas in July Linky Party.

If you're making Christmas cards for the ATS&M challenge, I'd love to encourage you to pop over and upload your creations to the Linky Party gallery. There are lots of fabulous prizes up for grabs from some amazing sponsors!

For my card, I kept things fairly simple, letting the fun background paper take center stage while showcasing the delightful Mini-Oddballs on a Sled stamp from Stamping Bella. I dusted off my Copic markers and put my somewhat rusty coloring skills to work!

To create the snowy scene, I used a scalloped border die to cut a snow hill from silver shimmer cardstock. I used the same shimmer paper to die cut several snowflakes, adding one more from white glitter cardstock for a little extra sparkle. I finished the card with sentiments from Simon Says Stamp and a few Pinkfresh Studio pearls.

I'm looking forward to seeing your Christmas cards in both galleries! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I always appreciate your visit!                      

In kindness, Cathy

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Day 1

It's finally here! The first day of the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party! If you have been with us before you know we are in for a week of inspiration, sponsors, and prizes to give away.  

My first card is a shaker card, and I have to admit, it's one of my favorites! I started by creating the gorgeous poinsettia background with the Hero Arts Poinsettia Window Layering Stencil, blending traditional red and green inks for a classic Christmas feel.

Then the die cutting began! I reached for the Arched Stacklet Dies  from our wonderful sponsor, Taylored Expressions. The largest arch created the base panel, while three smaller arches became the green frame, the window opening, and the shaker element.

The shaker sits on the front of the card, with the shaker mix tucked between two pieces of clear acetate and 1/4-inch foam tape. 

For a fun interactive surprise, I used the smallest arched die cut on the inside of the card so it's visible through the shaker window when the card is closed and even more noticeable when it's opened.

To finish everything off, I added a beautiful foiled "Merry Christmas" sentiment from another generous sponsor, Gina K Designs, and a few sparkling red glitter jewels from Pinkfresh for the perfect finishing touch.

This card was such a joy to create! It's definitely a "looker" with all the sparkle and dimension, and I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the Linky Party than with a card that makes a big festive first impression!  I can't wait to see what you add to the gallery this week. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #521 - Make Your Mark

Welcome back to the newest "Make Your Mark" challenge at the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog!

For this challenge, I was asked to create a good-bye card for the Community Manager in my 62+ active living cooperative here in Minnesota. The theme for the card was "You Are Our Sunshine," and I had so much fun bringing that idea to life. This is one of the two cards I created, and I absolutely love how it turned out! I made this version a little less literal than the first card (which I'll post at the end of the month for a Color Dare Challenge) and had fun pulling together a variety of supplies from my stash.

I started with Waffle Flower's A2 Postage Collage Die and added several of the Postage Collage Wild Flower Stencil panels. To keep with the sunshine theme, I colored all of the flowers in cheerful shades of yellow.

The two bolder sunshine panels with the sweet smiling faces are from Concord & 9th's Pure Sunshine stamp, stencil, and die bundle. I also pieced together the sentiment from that same set.

The bottom right rectangular panel was created using candle flames from the Make A Wish birthday set by The Greetery—a fun way to create a unique sunburst effect! I finished the card with a layered die-cut sentiment from Cathy Zielske and Simon Says Stamp, using a contrasting salmon cardstock color. I think that pop of salmon adds just the right amount of warmth and dimension.

With all of the layered elements, this card ended up measuring just under 5" x 7", making it a wonderfully substantial card.  Can' wait to see how you "make your mark" in our latest challenge.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy