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

{BYSHC} 2025 Spring Into Christmas Linky Party - Day 3

Back with a card for Day 3 of the

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Spring Into Christmas Linky Party. 

This card actually uses products from three of our Linky Party sponsors!  

I took advantage of Angie Blom's BIG 60% off sale which is running through today, Sunday, May 4th.  I loved the Christmas Mailer digital stamp set 

and promptly put it in my cart with a couple of other images! 

 

Angie provides a variety of formats for all of the images in the set. I used a background version of the images to create a card base and layered three of the images to create the "stamp" version of the tree. I printed them with toner ink and then used Therm O Web's

Silver Deco Foil to foil them in my Mini-Minc. The tree is colored with Copics. The foiling doesn't really show up in the photo. I had to chose between seeing Angie's fun artwork or the silver shimmer!

 Gina K Design's Master Layouts 2 was perfect for framing the background image with its red border on top of the "Ho, Ho, Ho" patterned paper.  I finished with one of the flag die cuts in the Master Layouts set, a red gingham bow, and some silver pearls. 

 

I hope you are enjoying playing along with the {BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas Linky Party. The gallery is full of inspiration and the sponsors are amazing!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

  

Spring Into Christmas Linky Party! - Day 2

 Today is Day 2 of the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Linky Party.  

My card features the same Poinsettia and Pine embossing folder from Taylored Expressions I used in yesterday's card.  I just used a little ink blending on the embossed side, highlighting some of the pattern's elements. The trees are Poppystamps Nordic Treeline Die cut from patterned paper.

Making holiday cards and playing along with us during the week is the perfect chance to build your collection for the holidays!  Plus, there is the extra incentive of prizes from one of our Linky Party Sponsors!  Make a card, add it to the gallery and you might win one of them in the drawing.  Here's a list of the sponsors and prizes:

A Colorful Life Designs >>> ONE $25 Gift Code

Angie Blom Digital Designs  >>> TWO $15 e-Gift Certificates

{NEW} Club Scrap >>> ONE $30 Gift Certificate

Fresh and Renewed with Teresa >>> THREE Mystery Christmas Collections {$10-$12 retail value each}

Gina K Designs >>> ONE $25 Gift Card

Gina Marie Design >>> TWO $10 Gift Cards

Jaded Blossom >>> ONE $25 Gift Certificate

Lawn Fawn >>> ONE $25 Gift Card

Newton's Nook Designs >>> ONE $20 Store Credit

Not 2 Shabby >>> ONE $25 Gift Code

Pink and Main >>> ONE $25 Store Credit

Rachelle Anne Miller Stamps >>> ONE $10 Gift Card

Tawny Owl Paperie >>> ONE Christmas Prize Package {$30 retail value}

Taylored Expressions >>> ONE $30 Gift Card

Therm O Web >>> TWO $25 Gift Cards

Twiddler's Nook >>> ONE $20 Gift Code

Unity Stamp Co.  >>> THREE $25 Gift Cards

Hope to see you in the gallery this week!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Spring Into Christmas 2025 Linky Party - Day 1!

Today is the first day of the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Spring Linky Party.  If you have never joined us, it's a week of fun, inspiration, and a chance to make a dent in your holiday cardmaking!! Aside from the creativity and beautiful cards, there are prizes from sponsors!  To have a chance at one of the prizes, all you have to do is enter a card in the gallery.  Just a little motivation to play along!
 

My first card features two products from Taylored Expressions, one of our wonderful sponsors.  

 The background is a gorgeous embossing folder, Poinsettia & Pine.  It creates a deep embossed image that looks elegant when using white paper.  The reindeer is a adhesive transfer sheet that was a product collaboration from TE and Deco foil.  It's been in my stash for a while and doesn't appear to be available on either site.  The "Joy" die is from Penny Black and I have gotten a lot of use out of it.  I love using it with something in the middle.  For this card, I glued 4 layers of white die cuts under the patterned paper to give it some dimension.  Come back tomorrow for another look at a card using the TE embossing folder!

Hope you make the time to play along with us this week!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #491 - Make Your Mark

 I pulled out my Copic markers for the newest challenge on the Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge Blog.  It only seemed appropriate for a "Make Your Mark" challenge - especially because my Copics have been sadly neglected since I discovered a love for layering stencils!  

This year for Easter, I looked for character stamps and then added a Tim Holtz bunny ear stamp on the head (with the "Don't judge me" sentiment to create a novel creature such as this Little Miss Muffet Broasca the Frog stamp.  It's an oldie in my collection, but perfect for this occasion!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking a closer look at my card!  Hope you are able to play along with our "Make Your Mark" challenge.  The challenge is all about using something that can make a mark. . .alcohol markers, colored pencils, paint, stenciling, chalk, etc.  Can't wait to see your take on the challenge!

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #490 - Die Cuts and/or Stencils

  Using die cuts and/or stencils is the newest challenge on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog.  

The background of my card features a freebie with purchase layering stencil from Taylored Expressions that I have had in my stash for a couple of years.  I die cut it with a Reverse Confetti die that I purchased around the same time.  The vase is die cut from a scrap of patterned paper and the sentiment is another TE freebie with purchase.  I fussy cut the tulips from the background paper and used some Pinkfresh Studio greenery die cuts behind them.  I love the way this came together - it's fun and fresh and spring-like!  I hope you have a chance to play along with our newest challenge.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy