Dragonfly Dreams November Challenge - Embossing

Welcome back to the November challenge on the Dragonfly Dreams Blog! This month's theme is “Embossing.”

For my card, I decided to use both heat embossing and an embossing folder. I pulled out a suite of products called Sweet Pumpkins, which I received at Altenew's Cozy Comfort Retreat in 2024. I have to admit, this collection has been collecting dust since the retreat, but the arrival of fall weather put me in the mood to finally do something with those pumpkins!

I decided to keep things simple. I started by stamping the pumpkins with VersaFine ink and heat embossing them with gold embossing powder. Once the embossing was complete, I placed the card front into an embossing folder to add some dimension.

To get that lovely pale sage color, I inked the flat side of the embossing folder before running it through my die-cutting machine. This technique left the pumpkins white while adding a soft wash of color to the background.

I brought out my Copics to color the stems and add just a touch of shading to the tops and bottoms of the white pumpkins. I love how the subtle shading adds a little extra dimension!

For the card base, I used a piece of patterned paper that has been sitting in my stash for at least 10 years! I cut it up and was able to get two cards out of that one piece. It was the perfect complement to this design, and I love finally putting some of that older stash to good use!  I heat embossed one of the sentiments in the set and finished it off with some enamel dots.

I hope you'll play along with us this month and share your own embossed creations. We would love to see what you make! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams October Challenge - Sentiment as the Focus

This month’s theme on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog is to keep focus on the sentiment, and I had so much fun creating this birthday card for my brother, who is one year younger than me!

I wanted to keep the card simple and let lots of white space be part of the design. I used an Altenew embossing folder for the background, along with a combination of products that have been in my stash for quite a while. The sentiment is from the Taylored Expressions Big Grumpy Birthday stamp set, paired with the Hero Arts Tiny Star Background stamp and the Whimsy Stamps “Ugh” Word and Shadow die.

I’m pretty sure my black embossing powder is at least 15 years old! It’s always fun to pull out those well-loved supplies and give them another chance to shine.

I added a few black rhinestones for a little sparkle, along with a Pool Party-colored die-cut frame that had been sitting in my “pile” for several months. Sometimes those bits and pieces just need the right card to come along!

I love how this card turned out, and I’m hoping my brother gets a good chuckle out of it! After all, what are younger brothers for? 😊

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll join us for this month’s Dragonfly Dreams Challenge! Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge - Monochromatic Colors

I’m back with the September Dragonfly Dreams Challenge, and this month we’re creating with monochromatic colors!

I recently added some new “toys” from The Greetery to my craft room and have been having lots of fun using them on my cards. For this card, I featured the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Tiles embossing folder and BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die cuts.

I started by inking the flat side of the embossing folder with a soft yellow ink and then ran it through my die-cutting machine. This technique allowed the raised images to remain white while adding a wash of yellow to the background. I then inked around the edges for a little contrast and added splatters using gold, yellow, and just a touch of brown.

After trimming the embossed piece into a square, I mounted it onto two layers of white cardstock and added it to a soft yellow card base. I tied the pussy willow branches together with a ribbon and placed them next to the die-cut sentiment. A few yellow-gold sequins finished everything off with a little extra sparkle.

I hope you’ll join us for this month’s challenge! I’m looking forward to seeing your monochromatic inspiration. Thanks so much 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

Dragonfly Dreams July Challenge: Christmas with Glitter or Sparkle

I'm back with my July card for the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog. ! This month's theme is Christmas with Glitter or Sparkle, and I'm always happy to make Christmas cards in July.

For this card, I pulled out the Pine Trees Stencil from Simple Stories. I ran it through my Platinum 6 using the embossing pad to add some texture before blending green ink over the raised design to create a festive background. I finished it with splatters of white and gold Distress Mica spray paint for a snowy, shimmery effect.

To incorporate this month's sparkle theme, I layered the strand of lights from the Let Your Light Shine Stamp and die set from Gina K Designs and added gold glitter paste over the stenciled light bulbs for lots of festive sparkle. The Concord & 9th sentiment was die cut from gold glitter cardstock and layered onto a white backer to help it stand out against the background.

To finish the card, I added a few gold and silver glitter dots, keeping the sparkle going and adding the perfect finishing touch to this Christmas-in-July creation. Hope you are able to join in the festivities this month!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams June Challenge: Masculine Theme

 Today's card is for the Dragonfly Dreams June card challenge.  It's a masculine theme, so I made a birthday card for my brother's 70th birthday.  He is celebrating by having visiting us and spending a week playing golf.  

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

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

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog - March Theme: Butterflies

 The theme for March on the Dragonfly Dream Challenge Blog is Butterflies. I don't have many butterfly stamps in my collection, but luckily I remembered this Wings & Petals Ledger Background Stamp from Unity Stamps. I seriously need to pull this one out more often because I absolutely loved working with it!

I started by stamping the image onto white cardstock. Then I reached for my much-neglected Copics and had so much fun coloring in the flowers and butterflies. There’s something so relaxing about bringing a detailed background like this to life with color.

Next, I pulled out a stencil and lightly inked over the entire image with a soft, pale blue. This added just the right touch of texture without overwhelming the stamped design.

To finish things off, I inked around the edges with brown ink to give the card an aged look. I love how the brown blending softened the pale blue stenciling and gave it more of a gentle green tone. Such a happy accident!

I completed the card with a simple Happy Birthday sentiment to let the background really shine.

I hope you’ll find time to join us this month! I’m so excited to see all of the beautiful butterflies fluttering into the Dragonfly Dreams gallery. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams February Challenge - Fun Fold or Shaped Card

Welcome to February’s Challenge at the Dragonfly Dreams Blog!

This month’s theme is all about fun-folds or shaped cards, and I had so much fun creating my project.

For my card, I used a Z-fold design, adding patterned paper to the back panel for extra interest. The front features Altenew’s Blooming Branches suite of products. I glued three layers of the branch together to give it some lovely dimension and depth.

One of my favorite things about this fold is that the inside of the “Z” leaves plenty of room to write a message, making it perfect for this birthday card.

I hope you’ll join us for this month’s challenge—I can’t wait to see all the creative takes on this fun theme! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, and happy crafting!

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams January 2026 Challenge- Flowers

"Flowers" are the theme for this month's Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog.  My card features a single stem of flowers and I am taking inspiration from Ardyth Percy-Robb by trying a new size card!  This one os 4.25 x 4.25 and I absolutely love it!

Kristina Werner's Long Line Roses suite of stamps, dies and stencil from Concord and 9th is the star of my card.  I started with an A2 card base and trimmed it to a 4.25" square.  One of my square nesting dies created the perfect frame.  

The rose image was stamped and heat-embossed with gold embossing powder, then stenciled with blue-greens and pinks before being die cut. The sentiment was also embossed with gold embossing powder and die cut to match. To finish it off, I added a few gold embellishments for a touch of sparkle.

I hope you will join the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge this month.  Thanks for stopping my my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams December Challenge - Tags

December’s Dragonfly Dreams Challenge is all about tags — create a tag or add a tag to your card! 

For my project, I made a festive tag using Pretty Pink Posh’s Holiday Birds Die Set. I inked the bird in a rich red to resemble a cardinal and tucked it into a bit of greenery so it has a cozy place to perch.

I’m so happy with how this turned out! The tag really helps the cardinal stand out and gives the whole card a warm, wintry feel. ✨

I hope you’ll join us and play along with this month’s challenge — I can’t wait to see what you create!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams November 2025 Challenge - "Feminine"

The November Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog theme is “Feminine,” so I decided to focus on a few classic, feminine-inspired touches—soft colors, ruffly edges, and of course, a little pink!

For my card, I used the Layered Mistletoe Bundle from Gina K Designs. I love finding ways to get more mileage out of seasonal sets, so I challenged myself to create something that could work year-round. By varying the colors of the berries, softening the greens of the leaves, and using an everyday background paper, this holiday set takes on a whole new look. I even flipped the ribbon over to show its softer side!

To start, I used one of Gina’s Poly-Glaze Sheets with silver foil—so pretty and delicate! Then I added stenciled details to build some texture and depth. The leaves are a gentle sage green, the berries a yummy blue, and the bow a sweet blush pink. The mistletoe cluster is popped up with foam for a bit of dimension, and I finished it off with a few sequins and a foiled sentiment for sparkle.

A soft, feminine design that still feels fresh and versatile—perfect for this month’s challenge!

I hope you have time to join us this month!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams October Challenge - Shaped Card (Not a Rectangle)

 This month's Dragonfly Dreams Challenge is all about at shaped card.  I pulled out my arched stack nesting dies and inked the edges around the card.  Pinkfresh flowers and sentiment from their most recent Craft and Create class are layered on top of an Altenew die cut background.  I hope you will play along with us this month!  Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge - Birthday

You may notice a pattern on the backgrounds of some of my previous blog posts!  I recently, went a little crazy layering ink colors over dark colored papers and used this blue one for my September Dragonfly Dreams Birthday Challenge card.

One of the things I love when I get in the mood to "play" is that ideas keep generating and I find joy in the, "What if I try ___" mindset!  Those sessions often lead to a pile of papers on my craft table.  This card is no exception! 

I think the Altenew embossing folder "sings" with this Simon Says Stamp coneflower die.  Adding the white frame, sentiment and gold sequins finished off the card!  I hope you have some time to "play" yourself this month.  Can't wait to see your make in the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog gallery.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams August Challenge - Lots of Layers!

 The first Sunday in August means a new challenge rolls out on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog!  This month's challenge is "Lots of Layers!"  My card has four layers. I almost went for a 5th behind the flowers, but decided the background would be lost and I wanted it to play into the card design.

I tried a technique I saw on the Altenew blog with a 3D embossing folder and colored cardstock. I ran a piece of orange through my machine and then swiped white pigment ink across the raised part of the image.  After letting the white ink throughly dry, I came back in with other inks and a blender brush to create a colored image. I cut the orange panel out with an old Reverse Confetti die in my stash and mounted it on a dark teal background.  This gorgeous vase has been sitting on my desk for over a year - just waiting to be colored and it was the perfect image for the background.  I pulled in the yellow, orange and some of the darker blues from the background into the bouquet.  I finished it with a white die cut frame from Taylored Expressions, popped on a birthday sentiment and a few yellow-gold sequins.

I hope you find time this month to join the Dragonfly Dreams "Layers" Challenge.  I am looking forward to the gallery! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Dragonfly Dreams Blog July Challenge - Use Polygons

 Welcome back to a new monthly challenge on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog! This month's theme is to use polygons.

I had the perfect die in my stash for this challenge - one I picked up on my travels to Arizona a few years ago and it paired perfectly with this sweet Bundlegirl Beekeeper stamp from Stamping Bella.  I colored her with my Copics and used a scrap of patterned paper for her dress.  Did you notice the way I used the cut out pieces from the hexagons as part of my design?  I love how this one turned out.  

I'm looking forward to your take on this month's challenge! Thanks for stopping by 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

Dragonfly Dreams April Challenge - Animals

 April's theme on the Dragonfly Dreams Challenge Blog is animals.

My card features a layering stencil and stamp from Taylored Expressions for the chickens and a second TE layering stencil and die for the flowers around the border.  This is a birthday card for my sister in law who turned 60.  

Hope you break out your animal stamps, stencils and dies to join the Dragonfly Dreams Blog this month!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness,  Cathy 

Dragonfly Dreams February Challenge - CAS

 This month's Dragonfly Dreams Challenge theme of CAS was chosen by Francesca. I have gotten out of practice with CAS cards so I had to really pull back from adding things to my card!

The flower die cut is called Cheerful Flowers from Concord & 9th.  I die cut it from white paper and a second time from a scrap of patterned paper.  I then did some shading with inks.  The "thanks" is from Gina K and is foiled in gold and backed with white.  I added a little bit of ink behind the flower and a strip of patterned paper to ground the flower. Three pink sequins finish it off.  I am not sure if this is Francesca's version of CAS, but there is lots of white space on this one!!  Hope you have a chace to play along with us this month.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy