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

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog - April's Theme is CAS

Back with Dragonfly Dreams April’s Challenge, and this month’s theme is all about Clean and Simple (CAS)!

I started my card by inking up a rectangle masking stencil from my stash, creating a focal area. Within that inked space, I layered a few stamped images to mimic a subtle mixed media look while still keeping things clean and uncluttered and then added water droplet splatter.

For the focal point, I added a die-cut butterfly from Waffle Flower’s Mix-n-Match Butterfly Collection, which brings just the right amount of dimension and detail. To finish the card, I included a foiled sentiment from Taylored Expressions for a touch of shine.

I love how this design balances a hint of mixed media with a CAS aesthetic—perfect for this month’s challenge!

Hope you will make time to join our CAS challenge this month.  I am looking forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy