Naughty or Nice?

The color combination at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown was my inspiration for this card. Admittedly my end result is a little odd, but my original thought in creating this is to have a choice of a green or a pink check on whether you wanted to be naughty or nice.

The little shaker with the options for the checks reminds me of one of those boxes where they say "Brake in case of an emergency." And behind the glass is a Snickers candy bar. 

I do we think we have times where we can pick between both checks, so maybe pick both?

I hope you find some time to be n........

Debbie

Supplies Used - Naughty or Nice

Stamps and Dies:  Gnomies Dies from Tulla and Norbert's Christmas (Photoplay); Nesting Circle Dies (Hero Arts); White Glitter Paper (Close To My Heart);

Ink & Embossing:  Midnight, Party Dress and Lime Rickey Ink (Catherine Pooler)

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock (Close To My Heart)' Black Cardstock (American Crafts); Tulla and Norberts Christmas Party Pattern Paper, Ghome Die Paper (Photoplay);

Other: Crater Lake Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs); Acetate (Newton's Nook); 

Woof! Bark!

When I saw the challenge at Little Red Wagon, I had quite the dilemma. The prompt was "Something You Love."

Tough decision . . . family? Friends? An emotion, feeling? My crafty supplies? Coffee? Pizza?

So I went with a card that depicts at least the family and emotion, and my beloved pets (who are family). 

My patio in my backyard is where I sit to watch the shenanigans between my three pups. They aren't big dogs, but they have big hearts and love to chase each other and romp and make noise. While I lounge in an adirondack chair, I watch them do all of the fun stuff. They make me smile. 

My grass is a knotted ribbon. My sky is a stenciled background. 

I hope you have something that makes you smile.

Debbie

Supplies Used -Bark

Stamps and Dies:  Watch This Stamp Set and Dies (Colorado Craft Company)

Ink & Embossing:  Tuxedo Black Ink (Memento); Various Copic Markers; Aquatini (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock (Close To My Heart); Rocky Road Cardstock (American Crafts); Scrap of Pattern Paper from Stash;

Other: Woof Stencil (Newton's Nook); Green Ribbon (The Stamps of Life);

Life is Brew-tiful

The challenge at Just Us Girls was Anything Goes Stencil, and I adore stencils and the great techniques using them. No question the pastes and mediums can be messy, but they add some amazing texture and pop to a card. I used Pops of Color as my medium for this one.

I also adore coffee. A cup of dark roast black coffee is my morning friend! With stencil in hand, I combined supplies from Catherine Pooler and Newton's Nook to create this card.

The Pops of Color was also used to color the flowers on the stamped coffee mug, so it matched quite nicely.

Color, dimension and shine. I hope you get a chance to get inky today!

Debbie

Supplies Used - Life is Brew-tiful

Stamps and Dies:   Life is Brew-tiful Stamp Set and Dies (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink:  Midnight, Sand Castle, In the Park (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper: White Cardstock (Scrapbook & Cards Today); Happy Mama Pattern Paper Pack (Catherine Pooler Designs;

Other:  Bitty Sparkles (Close To My Heart); Mugs Stencil (Newton's Nook); Pearl Lemon Pops of Color (Scrapbook.com); 

You Quack Me Up

The last of my creative challenge cards for a while, as I'm heading into a busy time with work, crafty classes and life in general.  This last one is for the Inky Paws Challenge.  

The rain boots in the inspiration photo sent me into my crafty closet to find one of my favorite stamp sets.  

I just love this set.  I stamped it on watercolor paper and then die cut and colored with some watercolor pencils.  I combined it with a background created with watercolor and then cut with a mini cover plate die.  Of course, I saved some pieces and will have another creation down the road.  

So many saved pieces, so little time.

Adore this set and that adorable little kitty and duck.  

Newton's Nook Goodness!

Debbie

Supplies Used - You Quack Me Up

Stamps and Dies:  A-Maze-ing Mini Cover Plate Die (Catherine Pooler Designs); Newton's Rainboots Stamp Set and Dies (Newton's Nook);

Ink & Embossing:  Kitsch Flamingo Distress Ink (Ranger); Midnight Ink (Catherine Pooler Inks); Brilliantly Vibrant and Hair & Skin Tones Colored Pencils (Nuvo);

Paper: Solar White (Neenah); Watercolor Cardstock (Ranger);

Other: Salt Lake City Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs);

XOXO Inspired!

This card was inspired by the XOXO challenge at Alphabet Challenge.  

 I've had an XOXO die on my table for a year, and when I saw this challenge I knew I had to play along.  But I had to find some images in the theme.  I dug into my bag of Lawn Fawn images and found this cute little skunk who was near the top because I had just created a card with skunks a few months ago.  So I set out to color him and make him "real". 

 

I ended up digging into my Lawn Fawn stencils to create my background.  I tried a sort of screen print watercolor technique that I like to use.  Essentially I pick up the water and color onto my stencil, and then flip it to get the stenciled images to show.  The water collected near the heart openings, and I managed to get a few good impressions of some hearts.  I stamped some XOXO's into a few of them, and then set out to create my scene.  

Hardest part of this card was finding the XOXO die, because while I had that nice pink sparkly one on my table for a year, I felt my skunk deserved a shadow behind the XOXO to tie him into the scene.  

This was a fun one - especially that background.  Inky fingers!

I hope you find some time to ink up those fingers.  

Debbie

Supplies Used - XOXO

Stamps and Dies:  Giant XOXO Die, Scent with Love Stamp Set and Dies and Valentine Hearts Border Die (Lawn Fawn);

Ink & Embossing:  Jet Black (Lawn Fawn); Rockin' Red (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper:  Water Color Paper (Tim Holtz/Ranger); Accent Opaque Cardstock; Gray Cardstock and Glitter Paper (Close To My Heart); Acetate (Newton's Nook);

Other:  Lots of Hearts Background Stencil and Chunky Glitter (Lawn Fawn)

HB2U

The challenge at Little Red Wagon was another Beatles inspired, and this time was "Let it Be".  

And so the letter B is the focus.  A Brown card base with a Background that includes some Blue stenciled Bones.  A Bottom Border with some Bark patterned paper.  A pup on a Ball that says HB2U.  He's rolling forward to grab a Bone off the ground.   

And the sentiment . . . Its Your Birthday.  Have a Ball!

I adore this stamp set and can't wait to use it again.  I hope you find some time to get Busy!  

Debbie

Supplies Used - HB2U

Stamps and Dies:  Watch This Stamp Set and Dies (Colorado Craft Company); Grass Die (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink & Embossing:  Tuxedo Black Ink (Memento); Various Copic Markers; Aquatini, Grass Skirt and Icing on the Cake Ink (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock (Close To My Heart); Rocky Road Cardstock (American Crafts); Scrap of Pattern Paper from Stash;

Other: Woof Stencil (Newton's Nook); Twine (Lawn Fawn);

 

Never Before Used

Guilty!

That's me.  Guilty of seeing a stamp set, die set, technique involving product and jumping to buy but not use for months and sometimes years.  Does that sound familiar to you.  

When I saw the NBUS challenge at Little Red Wagon, I looked at my craft space and there was a jar of Transfer Gel Duo and and Deco Foil on a side table.  They've been there for months with the intention to create a card, and so I did.  

I do love mixing products from different companies.  For this one I used a stencil with that gel, let it dry, and then ran the foil through my die cut machine.  I was surprised by the result and a little sorry I hadn't tried this technique sooner.  Look at that shine! 

I paired this up with a stamp from a different crafty company.  Love the end result.  

And I won't lie . . . I have a "hot foil" system which is also unboxed.  If I could only quit my day job.  

I hope you find some time to create today.  

Debbie

Supplies Used - Shine

Stamps and Dies:  Mug Shots Stamp Set and Dies (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink & Embossing:  Midnight, Pixie Dust and Garden Party Ink (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper: Solar White Cardstock (Neenah);

Other: Loveladies Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs); Mugs Stencil (Newton's Nook); Transfer Gel Duo (Deco Foil); Lime Craft Foil (Deco Foil);

Merry Christmas - Gnome Shaker

I have a few gnome stamps, but decided to go holidays for this one.  This card was inspired by Shopping Our Stash.  And not just one gnome . . . but three.  Two are posing as elves.  One is posing as an elf in a tree costume?  

I decided to angle them and pop them into a shaker as if they are all trying to give silly greetings.  

 

I hope you find some time to create.  

Debbie

Supplies Used - Merry Christmas Shaker

Stamps and Dies:  Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set (Simon Says Stamp); Picture Frame Dies (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink & Embossing:  Midnight (Catherine Pooler Ink); Copic Markers;

Paper: Kringle & Co. Pattern Paper (Photoplay); Schoolhouse Red Cardstock (Simon Says Stamp); Midnight Cardstock (Catherine Pooler); Solar White (Neenah);

Other: Acetate (Newton's Nook); Merry Confetti Mix (Pretty Pink Posh); Very Cherry Sprinkletz (Buttons Galore & More);

It's All About Family for SOS Challenge

This card is my attempt at "it's all about family" which was the prompt at Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge Blog.  

I had to do a Christmas card because this stamp just screamed family to me.  It made me think of Christmas when my girls were little and the enjoyment we had from watching them open gifts. 

My background piece was stenciled, and I used Copic Markers in varying colors/shades to color my images.  

Using stuff I have!  I hope you find some time to use up your stash.  

Debbie

Supplies Used - Merry Christmas

Stamps and Dies:  Newton's Christmas Kittens (Newton's Nook)

Ink & Embossing:  Midnight and Hot Tub (Catherine Pooler Inks); Copic Markers

Paper: Solar White (Neenah); Black Cardstock (American Crafts);

Other:  Pop Art Stencil (Catherine Pooler Designs); Celebrity Confetti Mix (Pretty Pink Posh); Cincinnati Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs);

xoxo

The challenge at The Paper Players was Hearts or Stars.  It's February . . . so of course I went all Hearts!  

And I went 100% cardstock!  No pattern paper for this one.  Used a stencil and embossing mousse. 

Mmmmm . . . mousse!  

I stacked my sentiment . . . layers to do my white on white.  

I hope you find some time to cut some stuff, spread some stuff using a stencil, layer some stuff upon other stuff, and then layer and glue some more, and then and apply some sequins!  

Debbie

Supplies Used - xoxo

Stamps and Dies:  Hugs and Kisses Word Dies and Nested Stitched Heart Dies (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink & Embossing:  Mother of Pearl Embossing Mousse (Nuvo);

Paper: Real Red Cardstock (Stampin' Up); Daisy White Cardstock (Close To My Heart);

Other: Tumbling Hearts Stencil (Newton's Nook); Crater Lake Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs);

All Dressed Up . . . Hello Their Friend

All Dressed Up was the theme this week at The Daring Cardmakers.  And so I decorated a sweater on a polar bear and made a little shaker card.  

 I love the retro colors on this card.

And so, Hello There Friend!  I hope you find some time to create.

Supplies Used - Hello There Friend

Stamps and Dies:  Best Dressed Critters Stamp Set and Dies, Finishing Touch Stamp Set and Shaker Tag Die (Catherine Pooler Designs);

Ink & Embossing:  Midnight, Sangria, Pink Champagne, Hot Tub, and Orange Peel (Catherine Pooler Inks);

Paper: Premium White Cardstock (Catherine Pooler Designs); Acetate (Newton's Nook)

Other: Cincinnati Sequin Mix (Catherine Pooler Designs); White Ribbon (Close To My Heart);

Chasing Summer for The Paper Players

Sharing a card I made using the sketch from The Paper Players. 

So my paper, all cardstock  Kraft cardstock for my background, my image mat and sentiment strip.  Watercolor paper for the rest.  A watercolor background, and a watercolor image. 

We will be chasing summer into the winter. 

Go create! 

Debbie

Supplies Used - Chasing Summer

Stamps and Dies:  Dog Days of Summer (Newton's Nook); Catching Rays House Mouse (Stampendous); Stitched Rectangle Die (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink & Embossing:  Black Onyx (Versafine); Clear Embossing Powder (Wow); Various Distress Inks (Ranger); Versamark; Sand Dune EP (Wow);

Paper: Watercolor (Canson); Smooth Watercolor paper (Close To My Heart); Desert Storm (Neenah);

Other: Lemon Yellow and Orange Color Burst (Ken Oliver)

Stay Cool Beachy Dude

I had so much fun creating this card, exploring techniques using Distress Oxide inks, and creating a beach scene for a few challenges including Try Stampin' on Tuesday and this week's challenge at StampNation. 

So first, my card . . .

=

I used Neenah Desert Storm cardstock, and started by layering the distress oxide inks over a stencil.  I love that these inks layer.  I then created the torn strip at the bottom . . . prompted by Try Stampin' on Tuesday's challenge, ran some versamark over it, and used Sand Dune EP from Wow to creates my sand.  I popped this over the stenciled piece.

For my dog, I stamped on the same Neenah Desert Storm, embossed the outline, and then used the distress oxide inks to watercolor.
 

Look at that little dude standing on the sand.  And what's really cool . . . those sunglasses . . .

This was a fun card.  I would definitely try this technique with distress oxides on kraft cardstock again. 

I hope you were able to create today. 

Debbie

Supplies Used - Stay Cool

Stamps and Dies: Dog Days of Summer Stamp (Newton's Nook);

Ink & Embossing:  Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral, Twisted Citron, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon, Gathered Twigs Distress Oxide Inks (Ranger); Midnight (Catherine Pooler); Versamark; Sand Dune EP (Wow);

Paper: Desert Storm (Neenah); Midnight (Catherine Pooler)

Other: Sunscape Stencil (Newton's Nook); Blueprint Sketch Distress Stain and Glossy Accents (Ranger);

Tangled Kitty for Merry Monday and Freshly Made Sketches

Hello friends . . .

If you're looking for the CASE a Card Blog Hop - Click here to continue on the hop. 

And if you didn't know about the hop, highly recommend you check it out as it's a great hop that shows the progression of card as it is CASE'd from one person to another (and there is a prize). 

So today I have two cards to share.  The first is for Merry Monday  where the challenge was to use a cat or a dog on your card.  Here is my card . . .

Lots of white space on that card, which I love but don't do often.  I used Copic markers to color the lights, and then put a touch of Stickles on them. 


My second card is for Freshly Made Sketches.  The sketch is noted below with the supply list.  Here is my card . . .

Love these adorable House Mouse images.   One of the challenges at StampNation this week was to create a card using one of your favorite snacks during a crop.  I love chocolate, but I try to stick with eating a single serving of Jelly Belly jelly beans.  Those little things pack some flavor.  So that was the inspiration for the card. 

Look close for that shimmer of Wink of Stella on all of those beans.  Hope you find some time to create today! 

Supplies Used - Light Up the Holidays

Cardstock:  Neenah

Stamps:  Newton's Holiday Mischief from Newton's Nook

Ink:  Memento and Copic Markers

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Gems from Close To My Heart and Stickles Diamond

Supplies Used - House Mouse

Cardstock:  Neenah and Bazzill

Pattern Paper:  DCWV

Stamps:  House Mouse Jelly Bean Nap by Stampendous and Stamp Set from Life.Love.Paper for Studio Calico Sandlot Card Kit

Ink:  Memento and Copic Markers

Other:  Black Shimmer Trim from Close To My Heart, Washi Tape from Queen & Company, Pretty Pink Posh sequins and Wink of Stella

Deck the Halls for Merry Monday

A card with a wreath was the challenge for this week's Merry Monday Challenge.  I had a holiday stamp set from Newton's Nook just waiting to be opened and inked up.  

 For this card I went with three layers of dimension in my image.  I stamped the image three times.  I colored the kitty's lower body on the base image.  I cut out and colored the wreath for my second layer.  The kitty's head and paws were layer number three. 
 

Instead of coloring the bow on the image, I tied a little bow of my own. 

One card closer to the holiday season!  

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Neenah and Xpress

Pattern Paper:  Stampin' Up

Stamps:  Newton's Holiday Mischief from Newton's Nook

Ink:  Memento and Copic Markers

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Pretty Pink Posh Sequins

Merry Monday to All

Another Merry Monday challenge, and this one was to use buttons and ribbon. I don't use a lot of buttons, but I was up for the challenge. 

So there is a collage in the corner of buttons, ribbon, a sentiment and a die cut circle that is grounding all of them.  My sentiment came from inside of the cover of a 6 x 6 Authentique paper pack.  It was the first thing that called to me, and it was my starting point.  I grabbed the pattern papers that went with the sentiment.

I have to say that I'm getting a bit hooked on my Wink of Stella pens.  I only have five colors, but I know that could soon change.  I can never capture that sparkle in my light box, so here it is on my counter . . .

Still a bit hard to see . . . but you get the idea.  I white embossed the ornament strands and used my "Wink" to color them and add some interest.

Hope you find some time to create today!

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Bazzill

Pattern Paper:  Authentique

Stamps:  Holiday Wishes from Newton's Nook

Ink:  Versamark, Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder and Wink of Stella Pens

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Buttons from Creative Cafe

Inky Paws Challenge - Purr-fect Day

A little something for Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge, which was a challenge to add texture to your card or project. 

I stamped my sentiment on a pinked circle of cork.  I considered coloring my image, but on the black and white background, I decided to stick with black and white images.  

Supplies Used - Purr-fect Day

Cardstock:  Bazzill and Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Simple Stories

Stamps:  Newton's Antics (Newton's Nook)

Ink:  Ranger Archival

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other:  Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Pinked Cork Circle from Little Yellow Bicycle

Merry Monday - Flowers

It's been weeks since I've created a Christmas card, so I challenged myself with this week's Merry Monday challenge.  I found this one to be a struggle . . . Christmas and flowers are just hard for me.  I couldn't find any stamps with poinsettias, and I have loads of stamps (there was a sign).   But I forged ahead. I dug out a Cottage Cutz die that I had in my stash.  I cut the dies using white cardstock, and then I colored using distress stain and distress markers before piecing them together.  Here is the result . . .

Lots of tiny pieces.  I started by coloring with the distress stain, and then shifted to the markers to add some contrast.  The stain soaked in a bit and gave some of the pieces a bit of a velvet texture. 

Yes indeed . . . flowers and Christmas were a challenge for me (and that's why they call these challenges). 

Supplies Used

Cardstock:  Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Authentique

Stamps:  Newton's Nook Designs

Dies:  Cottage Cutz

Ink:  Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Stains and Markers, Ranger Archival

Ribbon:  Close To My Heart

Other:  Little Yellow Bicycle Pearls

Discovering Newton's Nook

I love to discover new stamps, and last week I discovered Newton's Nook Designs.  In honor of the discovery and on being the owner of a few new Newton's Nook sets, I played along with their sketch challenge . . .

I chose the Doodlebug paper, as it was bright and cheerful for a birthday card.  Matching up my Copics did prove to be a bit difficult, as my collection has not grown.  The stamp set is so adorable!  

Supplies Used - Newton's Nook Birthday

Cardstock:  Neenah

Pattern Paper:  Doodlebug

Stamps:  Newton's Nook Designs

Dies:  Spellbinders

Ink:  Memento and Copic Markers

Ribbon:  Stampin' Up

Other: K I Rhinestones