Addicted to Stamps & More #527 - Christmas

 It's a Christmas Challenge for the next two weeks on the Addicted to Stamps & More Blog.  Love these weeks because they help me get ahead on making Christmas cards.

I started with a square card base using a very old SU embossing folder for the border.  I kept lots of white space and used color on my Mini Snowflake Oddball from Stamping Bella.  I love the texture and sparkle of this card.  I hope you will join us for this challenge.  Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

In kindness, Cathy 

   

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #522 - Christmas

This card is a bit of a two-for-one challenge for me! The theme for Challenge #522 at Addicted to Stamps & More is Christmas, and another design team I'm on, Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers, is in the middle of its Christmas in July Linky Party.

If you're making Christmas cards for the ATS&M challenge, I'd love to encourage you to pop over and upload your creations to the Linky Party gallery. There are lots of fabulous prizes up for grabs from some amazing sponsors!

For my card, I kept things fairly simple, letting the fun background paper take center stage while showcasing the delightful Mini-Oddballs on a Sled stamp from Stamping Bella. I dusted off my Copic markers and put my somewhat rusty coloring skills to work!

To create the snowy scene, I used a scalloped border die to cut a snow hill from silver shimmer cardstock. I used the same shimmer paper to die cut several snowflakes, adding one more from white glitter cardstock for a little extra sparkle. I finished the card with sentiments from Simon Says Stamp and a few Pinkfresh Studio pearls.

I'm looking forward to seeing your Christmas cards in both galleries! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I always appreciate your visit!                      

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 

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

BYSHC Sketch Challenge #43

 Here is my second card for this month's sketch #43 on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog.

This one uses Stamping Bella's Bundle Girl with a Winter Branch and a stencil from Simple Stories called Rustic Trees.  I used Taylored Expressions' Glitter Grab on the stencil and when it was dry ran it through my Mini Minc with silver foil.

Try your hand at the sketch and add it to the BYSHC Sketch #43 FB Album.  One random winner will be chosen for a prize at the end of the month.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

{BYSHC} Blog - Sketch Challenge #37

Happy first Friday in September and that means a new holiday card sketch on the {BYSHC} Blog.  

I combined Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers' Sketch #37 with Stamping Bella's Christmas Camper stamp. It's stamped on watercolor paper and then fussy cut after I was done coloring.  The background is made using Picket Fence Studios Falling Snowflakes Stencil with Taylored Expressions Glitter Grab adhesive.  I love how thin and smooth the layer goes on and then when it's dried, it is ready to run through my Mini-Minc machine with some silver holographic foil.  This was a trial to see how the process worked with foiling, but I decided to use it because the rustic edges were perfect for this card! 

The sentiment is a fussy cut Hero Arts Season's Greetings and the panel behind it is PTI's Snowflake Mix & Mat Die. 

I hope you have the time to play along with us this month.  You can see the sketch is versatile and can accommodate just about any shape you might want to use!  Add your finished card to the Sketch #37 folder in the BYSHC FB group.  You might be featured on the blog this month or win our monthly prize!  Thanks for stopping by to take a closer look at my card.

In kindness, Cathy

Easter Gnome!

 I am participating in a Rediscover Your Supplies Hop over on IG.  The challenge theme this time is "Easter" so I went to my stash and found Stamping Bella's Gnome On An Egg and Easter Sentiments (retired) stamps that rarely get any love.  To keep with the theme, I also pulled out my Kuretake watercolors (remember when they were the rage?!?) It's another item from my stash that hardly gets used because I put my time and attention into my Copics! Silver embossing powder on the image helped make sure the watercolors didn't bleed into each other. I wanted the egg to have a design, so I went to my stencils and found these fun polka dots, which I inked with two colors of Distress Oxide inks.  

I am in love with the colors and the pattern of the floral around the gnome - and it was a "free with purchase" layering stencil from Taylored Expressions.  What a great addition to my stash for some spring cards!!  I broke it open for this first time for this card because I was inspired by another crafter for the color combination.  The quilted backdrop is TE's Pierced Lattice cutting plate.  A few splatters and TE Drip Drops finished off the card!

Playing along with challenges that encourage digging into the stash of supplies I have on hand has become a favorite past time.  If you have the same idea, take a look at the IG Hop and join us!  Darnell's NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff!) challenge is another one to check out each month! Thanks for stopping by my blog! 

In kindness,

Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Happy Little Stampers March Stencil Challenge (So glad you are back!!)

March NBUS 

BYSHC Christmas in July Linky Party - Day 5

We are at the half-way point of the BYSHC Christmas in July Linky Party!  Four more days to load your Christmas creations into the gallery for a chance at the prize drawings.  Did you see there is also a random drawing with a prize for one lucky person who leaves comments and another one for a hashtag user?  The hashtag is #christmasinjuly2022byshclp

Today's card uses some new purchases - a cute Holiday Snowglobe stamp from Stamping Bella and a 12x12 Frosted Floral from Echo Park Paper's Winter collection.  I wanted some help when it came to my card, so I went into the BYSHC album to look at the sketches.  Sketch #17 from last winter was perfect!  I love using sketches as a framework and Crystal's sketches always deliver!! The big, bold graphic of the patterned paper helped make the image shine and anchored it with non-traditional Christmas colors.  Some TE Drip Drops, another one of her Sentiments in Reverse- Christmas strips (the best $4.50 I have spent in a long time), Distress Rock Candy Glitter and some gold foiling on MFT's Lined By Hand stamp finish off the card.

Remember to add your card to the BYSHC Linky Party! You have time to make more than one before the festivities close on Friday night!  Hope you are building up your stash of holiday cards along with us!  I know it will make the holidays easier for me this year - plus I might get my cards in the mail before December 20th!!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.                                     In kindness, Cathy

Dogs & Donuts!

 If you are my granddaughter, not much is better than dogs and donuts, so I made this card for her 11th birthday!!  It's a blend of new products on my craft desk.  The dog was purchased for this occasion and is Stamping Bella's Golden with A Sneaker; the die is Lawn Fawn's Giant Happy Birthday die. The background is from Taylored Expressions Donut Days release - I bought the whole package. . . Donut Days Cling & Clear Combination stamp and stencil; I also added two of the Mini Strips- Donut Worry.  If you look closely, you might see some sparkle on the happy birthday die cut - it's TE's Happy Medium Iridescent Gel.

Copics used:  E31, 35, 42, 44, YR31: BG 72, 32, 11: RV 55

Challenges Entered:  A Place to Start January- AG; Love To Craft #66- AG; NBUS#34; Watercooler Wednesday #333 - Occasions 

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  In kindness, Cathy

Starting Ahead with 2022 Christmas Cards

 Retiring last June made me think I would have plenty of time to make Christmas cards this year,  but I am not a planner, so it didn't quite work out that way.  I am determined to do better, so I have been watching for Christmas card challenges to motivate me to "chip away" at the task!  The Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog has monthly sketches, which is just what I am looking for!  

For this card,  I colored up my Stamping Bella Mini Oddballs on a Sled for the first time and cut into a fresh piece of 12x12 patterned paper for the background! (That is three since the new year started for anyone keeping track!!). I also used a scrap of white glitter paper for the snow, an already stamped and heat embossed FaLaLaLa stamp from Ellen Hutson, and the red banner was a discard in my scrap drawer.  I added three faceted jewels, three tiny hearts, and a sentiment from Papertrey Ink.

Copics: Skin- E35, 33, 31, 11, 00, R20; Clothes - E09,07, R24, BG72, 72; E04, N2, 0, BG72; Sled- E42, 41, N1 

Hope you feel inspired to join me in starting ahead on your Christmas cards.  Thanks for stopping by my blog!  In kindness, Cathy

NEW DT - Try Stampin' on Tuesday - Sketch #536

 
I am thrilled to have been invited to join the Try Stampin' on Tuesdays DT, a weekly sketch challenge blog.  This week's sketch:

Optional theme:  Let it shine

Playing with sketches is one of my great joys because it gives my mojo a  boost, I love to be creative with the sketch, and I use stamps in my collection!!   I had so much fun with this sketch - it checked all three boxes . . . mojo, creativity, and  NEW products!  My "Something New" is the Mini Snowflake Oddball from Stamping Bella's November release.  LOVE her!!  I know she will be colored again!!  The card base color is mushroom from Taylored Expressions Premium Cardstock.  The other elements are oldies from my stash including the snowflake die and a discontinued EF from Taylored Expressions, called Burlap. The snowflakes are cut from white glitter cardstock and clear sequins embellish the image.

Copics used:  Hair- E 51, 53, 555, 37; skin- E11, 000, 00, R 20; jacket- RV69, 19, 17, R81; ruffles BG75, 72, 70, B60

The sketch challenge will run for the rest of the month with winners posted January 1, 2022!  Hope you join us!

In kindness,  Cathy

Waiting is SO HARD!!

 

I am the kind of person stamp companies love - I see an image and NEED it!!  For a while, I got around my impulses by deleting the emails about new releases without even reading them. My system didn't work very well lately, because the combination of amazing sales and images/ideas sucked me into a buying streak.  I am now waiting on three orders from three different places!  And waiting for these amazing new goodies is really hard!!  As I tell my five year old granddaughter, it's a chance to "practice patience", but it's not easy!   I bought a bunch of oddballs from Stamping Bella's new release and colored up this cutie to help pass the time.  

True confession - this is the first time this stamp  (Owliver Loves to Celebrate) was inked; unfortunately, I discovered it is discontinued.  Does that give you a little idea about why I stopped looking at new releases?!?!  The speech bubble sentiment is from MFT, called All the Encouragement.  (The link is to Ellen Hutson because it doesn't appear on MFT's site.)

I know, there is a labor shortage and the USPS post office is a crap-shoot with deliveries; cross your fingers that my purchases arrive before I explode! 

In kindness, Cathy