BYSHC Spring Into Christmas Linky Party - Day 2!

Prizes, sponsors and fun - what could be better motivation to get a jump on building your stash of holiday cards?!?! Take a look at this list of sponsors Crystal has arranged for the April Festivities on the BYSHC Blog! 

Angie Blom Digital Designs

Brutus Monroe

Twiddler's Nook

Gina K. Designs

Not 2 Shabby

Unity Stamp Co.

Newton's Nook

Fresh & Renewed with Teresa

Taylored Expressions

Colorado Craft Company

Gina Marie Designs

Tawny Owl Paperie

My card features a few of the Sizzix Funky Nordic dies with patterned papers from my stash.  The candle flame and light have a little detail from MFT's Lined By Hand background stamp,

which is clear embossed and sponged with yellow ink.  An oldie from Memory Box, called Winter Scattered Flakes, is stenciled in the background.  Some sparkle and Reverse Confetti's, Sparkle & Shine Sentiment finish off the card!

Does the layout look familiar?!?  That may be because it is April's BYSHC sketch!  Feel free to use it (or any of the other BYSHC sketches) for your Linky Party card.  If you use a sketch, we'd love you to link it in the BYSHC FB group Album!

Hope you feel inspired to join us.  Thanks for stopping my my blog!                                                                 In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Addicted to Stamps & More #427 ~ Christmas

12 Months of Christmas #87 - AG

Christmas Craft Creations April - Plaid/Tartan

BYSHC - Spring Into Christmas Linky Party with Prizes!

I am so excited to announce the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Spring Into Christmas Linky Party!  It's a chance to get a start on your holidays cards and the best part is there are prizes from a variety of sponsors!! It's super simple-  all you have to do is link your card on the BYSHC Blog and check back after the 29th to see if you have won!  It's a two-fer!! You get ahead on your holiday cards and have the chance to win a prize!!  If you need any motivation, take a look at the amazing sponsors, prizes, and discounts Crystal has arranged!

In addition to this special event in April, you can always work on our monthly sketches and add them to the album in BYSHC FB Group

For my first Linky Party card, I found an old PTI die in my stash along with a tree I had stamped on white paper.  The two "finds" came together to create a shaker card with some ornament shaped confetti I bought last fall in the dollar section at Target.  The shaker element is mounted on a panel of patterned paper die cut from PTI's Mix & Mat Confetti Die and finished off with a bow.   Take a minute to check out the details on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog!  Off to create another card for the Linky Party!  Hope you are able to make the time to join us! 

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:  Addicted to Stamps & More #427-  Christmas

Birthday Vases

 

I spent some money during the latest Catherine Pooler release and bought the Gardener's Treasure Bundle.  It includes the Dried Treasure stamp and die, the Gardner's Notebook patterned paper and Tuscany sequins.  This is my first card with the set.  The flowers and vases are colored with Copics. I used a new CP Cross your X's Cover Plate Die and a Spellbinders Embossing folder in the background.  It's on kraft paper and has Scattered Straw and  Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks and then sprayed with Tumbled Glass  and some Picket Fence stain. The sentiment is silver foil and from a Pinkfresh Studios. I will have this set out again to play more with the flowers and vases!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.                                       In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Can You Handle the Pressure April 9th/ Embossing folder 

Seize the Birthday #236 - Signs of Spring

Three Rooms Studio #81- Pastels

Creative Fingers #229 - AG

As You Like It April 14th- floral or cute - floral - My collection of floral stamps and digital stamps will prove it!!  Can't seem to get enough of them!!

PPC&F - The Cat's Pajamas

 Coloring up this image, Aye Aye Captain from PPC&F sponsor The Cat's Pajamas, made me happy!  The digital bunny comes with two sentiments, a life preserver, and stars.  I just love the ears on this bunny; it is fussy cut and the top half is popped out with foam tape and the boat glued directly on the paper.

In addition to the TCP bunny and the sentiments, my card uses a variety of dies: Reverse Confetti's Stitched Rays Cover Panel, and Postage Stamp Cover Plate; Taylored Expressions' Rainbow Cloud Duo and a retired  stitched sun die from MFT.  The ocean is created using TE's Go with the Flow stencil and some Catherine Pooler sequins finish off the card. 

 

Pop over to the Passionate Paper Creations & Friends FB Group for the sale code for this special event from The Cat's Pajamas! Thanks for stopping by my blog.                                                                                                                                   In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:  

Die Cut Divas April - Tic Tac Toe (first row across)

Dream Valley #268 - Add Embellishments

Just Add Ink #599/ Favorite Animal (bunny)

NBUS #37 - That Stitched Ray was a "MUST HAVE" a couple of years ago - and it's been sitting in my die drawer just waiting to be loved!!  I still don't remember why I needed it so much!! (And the MFT sun is so old it's retired, I think I have used it twice!!)

Top 3 Honorable Mention

Stenciled Bouquet

 

I am working on a batch of birthday cards to donate to an auction for a local food shelf and pulled out Taylored Expression's Autumn Array again.  Truth be told, it wasn't put away from my last card here.  It's such a versatile stamp, plus it is one more way I can stencil!!  

In addition to inks, I added some light touches of my Prismacolor pencils to create some dimension and interest to the flowers.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!                  

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:  

Mod Squad Challenge April 6- AG

Crafty Catz #591/AG/April Showers

Creative Fingers #229 - AG

Can You Handle the Pressure April 9th/ Embossing folder -optional Easter

Sweet Stampin' April 9th/ Easter/Spring Mood Board

Seize the Birthday #236 - Signs of Spring/AG (On a walk in my neighborhood and seeing spring flowers burst through the ground!! What a lovely reminder of the peace and cycles of nature.) 

As You Like It April 14 - Floral or Cute (Floral; I love coloring flowers and they are universal for so many kind of occasions)

When You NEED Lemons!

Last week I discovered that I NEEDED the April "free" with purchase stencil and stamp combo from Taylored Expressions - and I have to say, it doesn't disappoint!!  Squeeze the Day is a layering stencil (and clear stamp set) with the fruit as one layer and the leaves as the second layer. The stamp comes with sentiments as well as leaf details and a cluster of dots for the bottom of the fruit.  I stamped this on watercolor paper because I knew I wanted to spatter it.  After I finished stenciling,  I decided to ink up the lemons with Versa Mark ink and then use TE's White Pearl EP, which gives the lemons a pearlized sheen, plus it adds some texture to them!  I finished off the card by adding TE's Diagonal Stitch Rectangle Stacklet dies to the frame I cut and sprinkled it with some sequins.  The sentiment is heat embossed in TE's Copper EP and mounted on a Toffee card base.  Still going strong with stenciling and TE's layering stencils continue to keep me interested and cranking out cards!!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.                                         In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Make the Card Challenge #52 / Yellow

Sweet Stampin' Challenge/ April 9 - photo mood board

Paper Funday - April 2022 Challenge #40- AG

Colorful Options - April 2022 - Yellow

Dream Valley Challenge #267/ AG

Crazy for Stencils!

I have been obsessed with layering stencils these past few weeks, thanks to Taylored Expressions recent Stamp Joy event. I never really got the hang of ink blending before, but blending brushes and the tips I learned while creating cards that weekend, made it worth another try! 

The floral feature of this card is TE's Autumn Array.  Ink blending is more evident in the background stencil, Go with the Flow. The bold black sentiment is from a TE product that came with the Stamp Joy kit and hasn't been released yet, called Mod Sentiments.  I popped the floral array out on foam and added some Drip Drops for sparkle. 

My mindset with stenciling is more about "playing" and being curious than when I use my Copics.  Not sure why - but I am having a different kind of fun!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.                     In kindness, Cathy

         Challenges Entered:

613 Avenue Create April- AG

Make My Monday #171/ Use a Stencil

Mod Squad April - AG

Die Cut Divas April- Tic TacToe (1st column on left -layers, yellow, flowers) 

Time Out Challenges #211/ Photo Prompt (The lines and shading of the mountains in the photo reminded me of my new TE stencil)

PPC&F - Sponsored by Krista Smith

Krista Smith Stamps is this weekend's sponsor of the Passionate Paper Creations FB Group.  There is a special offer for PPC&F members, so ask to join if you aren't a member already! This sweet image is called Heart Craft.  She is colored with Copics in cheery spring colors since we are just coming out of winter, here in MN.  I made it into a mini slimline card with The Essentials Blanket Stitch border die from Pinkfresh Studios.  The "Hi"sentiment die is from the Greeting Farm.  

Hope you have time to craft this weekend!  

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Paper FundayApril #40- AG

Colorful Options April 2022- Yellow

Dream Valley #267 / AG

Make the Cards #52/Yellow

Inkspirational #262 / Photo (I kept my card simple like the photo with lots of white space and added a pop of yellow.)

PPC&F - Joy Clair Post 2

Back with a second card featuring PPC&F sponsor, Joy Clair's new release of the Count Me In digital stamp. The stamp set includes flowers and three sentiments.  

I decided to try and give a pastel feel to this card in honor of the approaching spring season (plus I tend to shy away from pastels, so it was a good challenge for me).  I fussy cut the image and used CC Designs Scalloped Rectangle Metal die for the frame and the two triangle side panels.  The card is finished with sequins, a wrinkled seam binding bow, and a very old SU button!!  Visit the Passionate Paper Creations and Friends FB Group to take advantage of the offer Joy Clair has in store for PPC&F members.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

PPC&F - Joy Clair

Joy Clair is the sponsor of the Passionate Paper Creations & Friends FB Group this weekend and there is a special discount for PPC&F members! 

 The flower and sentiment are from their digital set, Always in Style. The set includes another images and two other sentiments.  I colored the flower with Copics, fussy cut it, tied it with twine and popped it out in the center of my card front.  A second bud was used as an acccent for the sentiment tag.

Papertrey's Antique Wishes stamp is the backdrop behind the flower image.  I masked the center, lightly stamped SU's French Script, and blended Speckled Egg, Shabby Shutters, and a touch of Spun Sugar Distress Oxide Inks; splattered some diluted white paint and diluted Tattered Rose Distress reinker. The leaves in the corners of the PTI stamp have a little Shabby Shutters on them.  Pinkfresh Studio's Sparkling Champagne Metallic Pearls finish off the card. I think this flower has a lot of potential for cards!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges entered:

Dream Valley Challenge #266 / Springtime

Addicted to Stamps & More #426 - Make Your Mark

As You Like It March 31 / Buy New or Recycle (Buy new, I am afraid.  I wish I had the recycle mindset, though.)

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #155 / Far right column (flowers, coloring, green) 

 

BYSHC- April Sketch #21

It's April 1st and time for a new sketch on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog and FB Group.  Crystal has created another versatile sketch for us this month.  

On a recent shopping trip to a local scrapbook store, I picked up a 12x12 pack of Christmas papers on sale - which was my starting place for this card.  Vintage Ornaments from Reverse Confetti was an easy choice to go with the papers. It's stamped in red ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  The ornament top is silver heat embossed, popped out on foam, and then tied with some red twine from my stash.

I hope you will be inspired to join us this month.  Check out other DT inspiration on the BYSHC Blog and post your makes in the FB group!  I'd love to see what you do with the sketch!

In kindness, Cathy