Color Dare Challenge #706

Back with another color palette to play around with at the Color Dare Challenge #706! This is such a fun challenge — you are given two colors, and the third color is your choice. The only catch is that it needs to be something other than the free colors of black, white, neutrals, or gold!

I added a turquoise-green as my third color, which may have been influenced by the three colors in my last Color Dare challenge!  But these saturated colors needed another bold partner and paired perfectly with the fun Garden's Edge Stamp, Stencil & Die Set from Concord & 9th. A bonus for me was that this set also includes two “friend” word dies! I used the script version for my card. The stamp set includes two border designs, and it’s intended to have a whimsical, flowy feel, so the stencil and stamp are not meant to line up perfectly.

Once I finished creating the floral pattern, it was time to assemble the card. I went to some oldies in my stash for help.  The card base is a hand-drawn lines background stamp from MFT. To bring in more of the orange, I pulled out my “splatter” stamp from Stampin’ Up!. The verdict is still out on whether I like the splatter, but the clusters of gems and the inked edges seemed to tone all of those little dots down a bit!

I hope you’ll join us for Color Dare Challenge #706 — I can’t wait to see what you choose for your +1 color! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

ATS&M Challenge #518- Birthday Theme

“Birthday” is the next theme over at the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge Blog!

For my card, I used Kristina Werner’s Audrey Blooms Stencil Pack, a layered stencil set that actually creates two card fronts filled with these fun blooms. I may have gone a little “splatter crazy” by picking up some of the stencil ink colors with salmon, blue, green, metallic Distress spray, along with a bit of plain old water for extra texture and interest!

The little scalloped frame is from Kristina's A2 Detailed Frames Dies. I glued together three layers of cardstock to give the frame some added dimension, then created the sentiment using a “happy” die cut paired with the “birthday” portion of a letterpress die from my stash.

To finish the card, I added a few enamel dots for the perfect final touch.

I hope you’ll have time to play along with us over the next two weeks! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy

Color Dare #704 & A New DT for Me!

 Happy to announce that I’m now part of the Color Dare Challenge DT! I’m on Team B and will be posting every other week. I absolutely love a good color challenge, and these palettes are so inspiring!

For today’s card, I used a new-to-my-collection Altenew layering die set called Botanical Waltz. I made the mistake of watching one of Altenew’s new release videos a couple of months ago, and somehow this set magically landed in my cart!

The layout featuring the three blooms was inspired directly by the Altenew inspiration folder. It’s a simple design, but it really showcases the three colors from this week’s challenge beautifully. I added some stenciling to the card base, a sentiment, and a few gold pearl accents to finish everything off. 

Honestly, this card practically made itself, and I just love how it turned out! I hope you’ll play along with these fun colors—I can’t wait to see what you create in the Color Dare gallery. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! 

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More #517 - Christmas

“Christmas” is the new theme at the Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge Blog! My card features the Cozy Toes Stamp and Dies from Concord & 9th. I created the look of stockings hanging from a fireplace mantel and kept the design festive with a variety of patterned papers paired with the stamped stockings.

To finish the card, I added a sentiment along with a few embellishments for some extra holiday sparkle. I hope you’ll take advantage of this challenge as a fun way to get a head start on the holiday cards you’ll need in December! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog - May Theme: Layers

Welcome to May’s layer-themed challenge on the Dragonfly Dreams Blog! This month’s theme was my pick, so I really leaned into it—I love layering anyway, but this card might take the cake. Even without counting all of the flowers, there are 8+ layers here!

A couple of months ago, my sister-in-law lent me the Into the Blooms: Fun Flowers die set from Papertrey Ink. I went a little overboard (in the best way!) and die-cut a ton of flowers from white cardstock, then brought them to life with ink blending. It turned into quite the project—I’ve made over 10 cards so far and I’m still adding the finishing touches like sentiments and sequins. It feels great to finally clear some space on my craft desk!

For this card, I paired the florals with the Vases 13 die from Papertrey Ink to anchor the arrangement. Behind that, I layered three of Altenew’s Nesting Arch dies to create a soft, grounded backdrop. I’ve also been making a real effort to use up my patterned paper stash—you’ll spot a few in the layers here, including one that’s been sitting in my scrap drawer for over 10 years!

I hope you’ll take some time to join this month’s challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #516 - Make Your Mark

The challenge for the next two weeks at Addicted to Stamps & More is “Make Your Mark”—use inks, markers, watercolors, or any coloring medium to bring your image to life.

I came across a white embossed floral panel sitting in a pile on my desk and decided it was finally time to finish it. I reached for my Distress Oxide inks, which felt like the perfect choice to add soft, layered color to the flowers and leaves. After building up the color, I experimented with splattering water over the inked areas. The effect didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped, but it still added a bit of texture.

Once the panel was complete, I trimmed it down and mounted it onto a piece of light pink cardstock, then layered everything onto a white card base. To finish the card, I added a simple sentiment and a few sequins for a touch of sparkle.

I hope you’ll join us and play along with this challenge!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #515 - Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Challenge #515 on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog is all about die cuts and/or stencils, and I couldn’t resist using both for my card!

I started with a fun, loose-patterned stencil from my stash to create the background, blending it in shades of yellow to complement the center of the daisy. The focal point is the  Simon Says Stamp Charming Daisy  die cut—such a sweet and versatile design!

The brown panel behind the flower is actually the inner piece from a scalloped frame I used on another project—always love finding ways to stretch my supplies. A sprinkling of gold sequins gave the card a little shine.

I hope you’ll join us for this latest ATS&M challenge. Let your creativity shine! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

{BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas Linky Party - Day 4

Back with a card for Day 4 of the BYSHC Linky Party.  It's been fun to see the creativity on the gallery.  Using one of our older sketches inspired today's card for me.  I knew I wanted to use some supplies I had in my stash from sponsor, Gina K Designs on my card, and looked at the album of sketches in our FB Group and settled on Sketch #19 (from 2022!).

Once I settles on the sketch, I got to work.  I had the strand of lights from Gina K Designs Let Your Light Shine suite of stamps, dies, and stencils already die cut and colored from a different project, so I decided to use it as the diagonal line in the sketch.  As opposed to other cards I have been making for this Linky Party - I ended up cutting a fresh sheet of 12x12 paper for the bottom half of this card!! The top was a leftover scrap.  I put the card front together, die cut a scalloped circle, and used one of the bold sentiments from the same stamp set inside of it as a focal point. I decided to inset the circle by using foam strips on the card front panel. In the end, the dimension was a little hard to see, so I die-cut a gold foil broder and placed it on the green portion of the card front.  I added a few red sequins and a second foiled sentiment to give some visual interest to the green plaid layer.

{BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas Linky Party - Day 3

Day 3 of the {BYSHC} Linky Party is here, and today’s card was inspired by DT member Nancy Elrick, whose beautiful designs always feature stunning white space. I wanted to let this gorgeous Angie Blom Digital Designs Santa from the Let’s Be Merry Collection truly shine as the focal point. (As a Party sponsor, Angie's Shop is running 40% off sale right now!!)

I began by creating a clean white card base using the Poinsettia and Pine embossing folder from our sponsor, Taylored Expressions and rounded all four corners. The Santa image was printed with toner ink and foiled in gold using my Mini Minc machine for a touch of elegance. To add detail, I used DecoFoil’s Champagne Mist Metallix Gel with an Echo Park stencil to create a subtle pattern on his robe, and also applied the gel directly to his hat for extra texture and shine.

I colored his face with Copics and tried to reconstitute a dried-out E81 marker to softly shade his beard, giving it a bit of depth without overpowering the white. The sentiment is also foiled, and I finished the card by adding two small scraps from a leftover foiled image along with three Pinkfresh gems for a hint of sparkle. Lots of shine and texture on this gold and white card!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Hope to see you in the Linky Party gallery!

In kindness, Cathy

{BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas April Linky Party - Day 2

It’s Day 2 of the {BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas Linky Party!

For my card today, I used this month’s sketch as the base and featured a candle die cut from Memory Box’s Merry and Bright Candles set as my focal point. The photo actually does a nice job of capturing the subtle patterned paper I chose for the outer layer of the candle.

Continuing with my goal of using partially finished items from my stash for this Linky Party, several elements were already on hand—the red foil outer circle, the vellum circle behind the candle, the sprig of greenery, and even the “peace” die-cut sentiment.

I wasn’t quite sure how to approach this sketch at first, so I followed the suggestion of using longer paper strips on a half sheet and then cutting it in half to create two cards—and it turned out to be a brilliant idea! With my collection of paper scraps, it was easy to pull together a mix of traditional Christmas colors that coordinated beautifully. Each card base ended up slightly different thanks to the random placement of the strips, which made the process even more fun.

If you ever find yourself stuck for Christmas card inspiration, be sure to check out the sketch gallery in the BYSHC Facebook group. There’s so much creativity there—I’m sure something will spark your imagination!

I hope to see your card in the Linky Party gallery. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

{BYSHC} Spring Into Christmas 2026 - April Linky Party

Welcome to the first {BYSHC} Linky Party of 2026!  

For those of you who are new to the Build Your Stash Blog, in addition to the monthly Sketch Challenges, we have three Linky Parties throughout the year with PRIZES.  All you have to do is link up your card in the gallery on the blog during the party week. Playing along is such a fun and motivating way to build up your stash of holiday cards. 

The design of my card was inspired by this month’s {BYSHC} sketch, which encourages us to dig into those paper scraps we all tend to collect. I really embraced that idea for this card! Every component was either previously made for another project or left over from experimenting with a technique.

The background is one of those technique “adventures,” created using platinum-colored paste with two different stencils. The main image had been partially colored during a creative play session with Blessings Poinsettia digital image from sponsor Angie Blom Digital Designs—I think it had been sitting in my stash for over three years!

Staying true to the “use what you have” theme, the red foiled sentiment was already fussy cut and waiting, and the small “Christmas” word was foiled using sponsor, Gina K Designs’ O Christmas Tree Poly Glaze sheets. Even the red strip was a pre-cut scrap!

I finished the card with gold pearls, Ruby Glitter Drops, and a touch of Stickles for some extra sparkle. It feels so good to give these forgotten elements new life on a fresh, festive card!

Hope you will join us for the Spring into Christmas Linky Party!  You have until April 17th to get crafty!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy