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