In(k)spire Me Celebrate You

I hadn't played with the In(k)spire Me challenge for a while, so I thought I'd give it a go!  It's got colors and/or sketches, so I decided to use both...and the colors were a challenge:

I searched my stash for some DSPs, took Sailing Home off the shelf and went to work:

I stamped the lighthouse in Pretty Peacock and added some "light" with some Crushed Curry ink, and colored in the water with Seaside Spray.  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays was also stamped with Crushed Curry ink.  I added some "rope" embellishment from the matching die set too:

The colors were a challenge, but I loved the sketch!  I am also entering this in a new-to-me Make The Cards challenge, which is Masculine!   

Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Sailing Home, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pretty Peacock, Crushed Curry DSP, Plaid Tidings DSP (ret), Seaside Spray DSP (ret)
Ink	Crushed Curry, Pretty Peacock, Seaside Spray
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Smooth Sailing Dies

Birthday Sprinkles

Happy Monday, peeps and Happy March!  No challenges today, just a quick card I created with Sweet Ice Cream...such a great set for birthdays or any sweet greeting!  And it was a chance to use some brighter colors, which I really needed on a dreary weekend!  So here we go:

I stamped the popsicles in Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Flirty Flaminto, Poppy Parade, Mango Melody and Pumpkin Pie, then stamped the sticks in Soft Suede and Crumb Cake:

I added some sequins and a couple of sentiments, diecut with the Stitched Rectangles die.  It all went on a Soft Seafoam card base and DSP layer!  The sentiments are from Itty Bitty Birthdays and Sweet Ice Cream, stamped in Flirty Flamingo.  Yummy!  Thanks for popping in today!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!  Come back tomorrow for a new Retro Rubber challenge too!

TCC149 Happy Day

 Hi everyone!  Wednesday brings us a new challenge from The Card Concept, where we share specific concepts of creating!  Here's the prompt Julie has for us today:

Isn't that a fun child's room?  I was inspired by the colors....in my high school yearbook under "favorites", I listed the color orange...and it's still one of my favorites, in any shade!  I pulled out the new Sweet Ice Cream stamp set (ice cream is a favorite, too, LOL!) and went to work:

I used the sketch from TGIF to get me started:

I stamped three ice cream scoops in Coastal Cabana, Pumpkin Pie and Crisp Cantalope (ret), stamping the cones in Baked Brown Sugar, then punching them out with the matching punch.  I stamped the sprinkles in Versamark, then coated them with Heat and Stick powder and added some glitter for fun:

I used some DSP from Peony Garden, matted with Pumpkin Pie and a piece of the retired Birthday Bonanza, then added a sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays and some retired twine:

Finally, on the inside, an explosion of confetti and another sentiment from Sweet Ice Cream:

As usual, I would say my card follows the "Clean and Layered" style!  You can see all the styles on The Card Concept's blog and I hope you'll be able to play with us as well!

On Sunday after the family finished celebrating Dana's birthday, we decided to do some impromptu sledding!  It was perfect weather...not too cold or windy, even though it was overcast, and the snow from a few days ago was still "sleddable"!  Cassidy and Lee decided to have a race; I think Cass might have gotten a wee bit of a head start:

Great form....she's making good headway!

She's ahead so far!

Uh oh! Lee's a little heavier and is catching up!

He hits the swamp first....I believe he's the winner!

Crash!!  Cassidy runs into him and they both topple over!  But you can see by the smile, they were both laughing hysterically!

Thanks for popping in today--enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Sweet Ice Cream, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Peony Garden DSP, Birthday Bonanza DSP (ret)
Ink	Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Coastal Cabana, Versamark, Crisp Cantalope (ret)
Accessories	Dimensionals, Crisp Cantalope Twine (ret), Heat and Stick Powder, Martha Stewart Glitter
Tools	Heat Tool, Ice Cream Cone Builder Punch, Tasteful Labels Dies, Big Shot

FF205 Bright Birthday Wishes

Happy Saturday, everyone!  I have a bright, cheerful birthday card to share today!  Sometimes during SAB or the holidays, we forget the pretty things we have in the regular catalog!  So today I'm highlighting Positive Thoughts and Flowers for All Seasons DSP with the sketch from Fab Friday!  First, here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

My natural inclination for cards is to use colors that are more subtle or earthy, so to use Magenta Madness really stretches me!  But using it in a small amount, like on the butterflies, the banner, and in the background DSP, makes it a little easier for me!  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays was heat-embossed in white and cut with the Banner Punch:

And I used the Nature's Thoughts dies to diecut the butterflies; I also used the Little Treats dies to diecut a stitched circle from So Saffron and the Stitched Shapes dies to diecut one from Magenta Madness.  I like how they look layered together!  My final embellishments were some rhinestones and gingham ribbon!

Since I used several dies, I am also entering this in the Little Red Wagon challenge, which is to use dies!  This card is already in the mail, winging its way to a special friend from church!  Thanks for popping in today---be sure to come back tomorrow for a new Paper Players challenge!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Positive Thoughts, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Magenta Madness, So Saffron, Flower for All Seasons DSP
Ink	Craft White, Magenta Madness
Accessories	Noble Peacock Rhinestones (ret), Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Dies, Nature's Thoughts Dies, Little Treats Dies (ret), Heat Tool, Banner Punch

A Plethora of Purple

 Happy Monday, friends!  I have a very purple card for you today!  Purple hues are always a challenge for me, but I have a friend who loves purple and her birthday is coming up, so I made a very purple card for her, using the pretty All Things Fabulous bundle!  So here we go:

I used shades of Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Blackberry Bushel for my three-step stamped florals and Mint Macaron for the leaves.  Before adhering all my flowers, I embossed a Highland Heather card base with one of the Greenery embossing folders, and added some Highland Heather DSP and a torn edge of Gorgeous Grape: 

My sentiment is from Itty Bitty Birthdays; the florals were assembled on a large Stitched Nested Labels die, and the final embellishment was a sprinkling of Iridescent sequins!  Hope she likes it!

I am entering this in the Festive Friday challenge--I've got florals, embossing, diecuts and a sentiment:

and the Krafty Chicks, which is anything goes to celebrate their 10th birthday!

Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Up another level....a red and white belt!

"Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.  Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true." Psalm 118: 150-151

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Itty Bitty Birthdays, All Things Fabulous
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather DSP
Ink	Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss, Mint Macaron
Accessories	Iridescent Sequins, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Greenery EF, Stitched Nested Labels Dies, Fabulous Florals Dies, Tasteful Labels Dies

IB147 Fall is Sweet

Hi stampers!  Happy Thursday!  It's time for  a new Inspired By challenge....look at these yummy goodies!  I wouldn't mind eating every one of these, LOL!

And here's our optional sketch:

 

As much as I love a sketch with three elements on it, I opted not to use it this week!  I did use a couple of retired fall favorites, Merry Cafe and Pick a Pumpkin, to make my sweet fall birthday card:

So even though it might not be noticeable right away, there's a lot going on on this card!  My Early Espresso base is embossed with a swirly die; the Old Olive layer is stamped with the Buffalo Check background stamp, and the Terracotta Tile layer is stamped with a sprig from Banner Year.  The coffee cup was stamped on some patterned paper and fussy-cut; I then hand-drew the sleeve and added some stamping to it:

I added a few fall pumpkins just for fun and mounted it all on a layer of Very Vanilla that was embossed with the Cable Knit embossing folder.  And I carried the colors over into the inside with some birthday sentiments from Itty Bitty Birthdays:

I am sorry they retired this set so quickly, it has a lot of fun coffee and tea-themed images for the holidays and I am happy when I can use it again!  And I did use a challenge sketch; it's from Tuesday Morning Sketches:

And I am also throwing this into the ring at Festive Friday, because I've got a hot drink, plaid, cream, brown and diecuts!

Be sure to stop by the Inspired By blog to see what the DT has created...they're a talented bunch of stampers and I always love to see how their creative minds interpret the challenge!  Thanks for popping in today!

School picture...one of the nicest!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Buffalo Check, Banner Year, Itty Bitty Birthdays, Merry Cafe (ret), Pick a Pumpkin (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Terracotta Tile, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Old Olive DSP, Nightfall DSP (Authentique)
Ink	Memento Black, Pear Pizzazz, Terracotta Tile, Old Olive
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shots, Patterned Pumpkin Dies (ret), Cable Knit EF (ret), Blends, Swirled Dots Embossing Plate (Altenew)

GDP262 Bloom and Grow Birthday

Happy Tuesday, peeps!  I have a pretty little slim-line birthday card for you today!  It uses (loosely) the sketch from Global Design Project:

I wanted to make something in non-fall colors, so I pulled out Bloom and Grow and stamped it and heat-embossed it in white, then watercolored it before diecutting out the pieces:

I used Marina Mist, Mint Macaron and So Saffron inks to color it and and I realized I used Pool Party DSP as the background....but I still think it coordinates nicely!  To create the sentiment piece, I stamped the birthday greeting on the white organdy ribbon from Flowers for Every Season pack and adhered it with some glue dots:

I also made a little envelope for it since it's a non-standard size!  This will be going out in the mail tomorrow!

Cassidy had off school yesterday and sent me this picture; it's a little faint, but I think you can read it!💗 (I love her too!)  Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Itty Bitty Birthdays, Bloom and Grow
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pool Party DSP
Ink	White Craft, Marina Mist, Mint Macaron, So Saffron
Accessories	Flowers for All Seasons White Ribbon, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder
Tools	Big Shot, Budding Blooms Dies, Heat Tool, Aquapainter

RRCB138 Country Best Wishes

Happy Tuesday, peeps!  Wow, can you believe it's the last day of June!  July, here we come!  But first, it's time for another Retro Rubber challenge:

Anything goes!  Well, that means it's wide open, just as long as your stamps are at least a year old!  I went country/vintage today with a stamp from 2010 called Countryside:

I stamped my images on Very Vanilla cardstock in Stazon Black ink and colored them in with an aquapainter and inks.  I just want to give you all a BIG WARNING/HINT if you purchase the new SU Water Painters....they are very similar to the Aquapainters, (and a great product, of course) but the top portion of the brush that screws off to fill the barrel is LEFT-TURNING.....it is the opposite of the way the Aquapainter opens.  I almost broke my hand trying to get it to open, and finally had to call SU.  DUH....all I had to do was turn it in the opposite direction. What genius designed that?  Anyway, just a heads-up if you decide to invest in a new set...be forewarned, LOL!  So after coloring all my little pictures in, I over-stamped the images with the Linen background stamp (2006) with Sahara Sand ink, diecut them with some tag dies and sponged around the edges for a more vintage look:

I gave each one a little Linen Thread doodad, mounted it on some red barnwood DSP and added a diecut sentiment (oops, not a year old) along with some candy dots, then stamped the inside with another sentiment and the truck from the Countryside set:

I hope you'll play along with our Anything Goes challenge...just remember your stamps have to be a year old or older, and be sure to tell us how old they are!  We can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for popping in--enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Countryside (2010 ret), Linen (2006 ret), Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Frontier DSP (Authentique)
Ink	Stazon Black, Cinnamon Cider, Garden Green, Cajun Craze, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Accessories	Candy Dots (ret), Linen Thread, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Tags & Labels Framelits (ret), Sponge Dauber

Two Masculine Cards

Happy Monday, peeps, hope you all had a great weekend! And happy June!  I've got two masculine cards today for two friends at church who'll be celebrating birthdays real soon!  The first one uses the FMS sketch; at first I was totally at a loss as to how to use this sketch:

But one of the cards that I needed was for my cousin, who is a carpenter, and I remembered these little Tool Charm dies from MFT, and I went to work:

This is a notecard-sized card; each tool was diecut from Brushed Silver cardstock and diecut again (except for the wrench) with some colorful cardstock, trimmed and adhered:

I added a sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays, stamped in Call Me Clover, and mounted on a Pinewood Plank-embossed piece of Whisper White, then mounted on a Call Me Clover notecard.  I used a Cornish Heritage Farms sentiment on the inside, along with a stamped image from Totally Tool:

My second card uses the sketch from Sunday Stamps:

The stamps from Rooted in Nature both fit those squares on the sketch so nicely!  

I stamped them in Mossy Meadow, added a strip of DSP from Magnolia Lane, another Pinewood Plank embossed background and another sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays:

To add a little interest to the sentiment, I added a little burlap ribbon behind the Stitched Rectangle:

Thanks for popping in today---enjoy it and be blessed!  And here's a little more critter action from our back yard:

First Card Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Itty Bitty Birthdays, Totally Tool (ret), Birthday Centers (ret, Cornish Heritage Farms)
Card stock & Papers	Call Me Clover, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Ink	Call Me Clover, Smoky Slate
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Pinewood Planks EF, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Tool Charm Dies (My Favorite Things)

Second Card Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Rooted in Nature, Itty Bitty Birthdays, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow, Magnolia Lane DSP
Ink	Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Burlap Ribbon, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Sponge Dauber