Mid Week Crafting Update

It's a good week when I can sneak into my craft room off and on and get 4 cards made by Wednesday.

I used my new PTI Stuck on You die to create a rainbow of bandages for this vibrant and fun get well card.  Obviously, I could only send this card to someone who wasn't seriously ill.  I am entering this card at Make it Monday #314: Color Wheel and CAS-ual Fridays #194: Beautiful Rainbows challenges.

With bright colors on my mind, I created a card using the PTI balloon stencil that I am entering at Just Us Girls #340: Balloons and Seize the Birthday Anything Goes.

It seems like I am always needing sympathy cards--when I invite my family and friends to help themselves to cards from my stash, sympathy cards are amongst the most popular.  I was inspired by the challenge at Less is More #366: Monochrome and CAS on Friday #127 One Layer Wonder to create the next two cards. 


This card is Memento Grey Flannel and Versafine Onyx Black ink on PTI Soft Stone Paper.

This card is Versafine Onyx Black ink on kraft paper.

That's it for me today.  Sherlock and I are off to visit the patients at our local nursing home.  Come back tomorrow to see what I have for our current challenge at Time Out #104.

Thanks for Visiting

Two Birthday Cards

I've got 2 birthday cards to share today.  First up is my feminine card.  I used a NBUS Stamploration Bold Florals Stencil and sponged several colors of Distress ink.  Then I cut my panel (to get rid of the unfortunate smudge) and made a place for my sentiment.  I was very pleased with how the flowers turned out, which was just as I imagined.  I sponged the outer part of the petals with Spun Sugar and the inner part with Worn Lipstick.

I am linking this card up at Just Us Girls #275, Simon Says Monday Inky Background Challenge, Stamplorations Stamps & Inks Challenge and the Stamplorations Anything Goes Challenge.

Next up is a masculine birthday card--always good to have those in my stash.  I used Lil Inkers Long and Stitched Rectangles as well as PTI Small Sketched Stars.  Both are NBUS for me.

I am linking this card up at Colour Me Striking #54 as well as Simon Says Wednesday It's a Guy Thing.

Finally, would like to remind everyone of the NBUS challenge going on this week at both CASology and Darnell's Playhouse.  If you've got something NBUS on your clean and simple card, please head over to CASology and link up.  And, you can link up any style of card using NBUS over at Darnell's Playhouse.

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Three Cards: NBUS

I have three cards to post today, and they are all made with NBUS--lots and lots of NBUS.  If you don't know what I am talking about....run, don't walk...over to Darnell's playhouse, where she will tell you all about how we should be using some of the craft supplies we buy.  What a concept?    Darnell is even running a very fun challenge designed to get you to use your NBUS.  Now, I already exceeded the maximum number of entries (sorry, Darnell), but I didn't realize it.  So, these cards are just for fun, and I am including this link so you can join in on the fun, too.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is to use a stencil, and I have two cards using the SSS Extra Large Dots stencil that I just got.  I was inspired to get the stencil and make this card by this card of Laurie's.

Other NBUS on this card are the sentiment stamp from Verve and the Heidi Swapp spray mist.  Everything else has been used at least once.

I used the same stencil on this card, but sponged and blended various Distress Inks over the stencil.  My sentiment is NBUS from Avery Elle Brushed--stamped in Memento Luxe Nautical Blue and clear embossed, and the stars are from Mama Elephant Make a Wish.

My last card uses NBUS from Avery Elle Balloons and colors from ColourQ #245.  I am also entering it at Seize the Birthday without toppings this week.

AND...in a first for me...I am playing along at Addicted to Stamps in their #99 Clean and Simple challenge.  I am entering all three cards into that challenge.  How have I missed this one?

That's it for me today.

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My Crafty Weekend

My last two mini notebooks for this week's Make it Monday #167...This was a really fun project, and I think I learned some tricks along the way.

The next four cards are all for different challenges, but they all have one thing in common--NBUS!!!  If you have not been living under a rock, you are probably familiar with Darnell, her fabulous creations, her friendly blog, and her obsession with NUBS (never-before-used-schtuff).  Darnell is celebrating 500 followers with a challenge to encourage us all to get out our new schtuff and USE IT.  So, I used something new in each of my four cards.

First up is this birthday card that uses a brand new stencil and several new colors of Distress Ink.  I am entering it at Simon Says Monday Magic challenge, because I do think that the way the Distress Inks blend and fade off is pretty magical, and I was able to surround my sentiment without actually masking it off--just had the blending kind of fade off near the sentiment.

Edited to add that I am also linking up to Paper Crafting Challenges for stencils.  

This next card uses some brand new-to-me Verve stamps that I was lucky enough to pick up on sale a while back, and foolish enough to keep sitting on my desk for months.  I am entering this card at Time Out #7:  Summer with Optional Twist of Flowers.  I'm not quite sure, but this might be my first time playing at Time Out.

It has been a long time since I have played in the Fusion Challenge and I don't think I have ever been able to pull off one card with the photo and the sketch--but that is what I did here today.   My NBUS on this card are the Verve Poppy Birthday stamps.  I was inspired by the colors and the flowers and that little bit of newsprint I could see under the flowers.  I am also entering this at Time Out #7.

My last card today uses this sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch #79.  My NBUS for this card is this 'hello' stamp from Hero Arts Live Life.  All the inks are Memento Luxe pigment inks. 

That's it for me today.  One more week of school for my daughters and then we can finally start summer.  Yay!!

Thanks for Visiting

Retro Sketches, Make it Monday, One Layer Simplicity, Simon Says Monday and Less is More

This is my second post today.  Please click here if you are looking for my CASology post.

I had some crafty time today and I was lucky enough that my cards came together quickly, so I was able to make three cards today.  First up is my card for this week's Retro Sketches rs#114, where my bestie Kim is Headliner all month (yay Kim!!).

I used three of the dies from PTI Sweet Speech to make this little Thank You card.  I pulled out Memento Luxe inks in Rhubarb Stalk and Pear Tart for these stamps--the pigment really does give much better coverage with these stamps.  I used Waltzingmouse Off Beat Backgrounds to stamp a plaid behind the die cut speech bubble.

I could not help myself--I made another card for Make it Monday #164:  Cluster Stamped Sentiments.  I used a variety of flower images from Flower Fusion (I store them all together in a TH folder, so I never know which set I am using), a sentiment from Wet Paint, and white embossing powder.

I am also entering this card at Simon Says Monday:  M, since my card uses a Make it Monday technique, One Layer Simplicity Challenge #5:  Fabulous Flowers, and Less is More #171:  One Layer Thank You.


My last card is also for Simon Says Monday:  M, since my card uses a Memory Box Modern Flower Power stencil, One Layer Simplicity Challenge #5:  Fabulous Flowers, and Less is More #171:  One Layer Thank You.  I decided to break out one of my new stencils and some new Distress Inks, too. 

I masked off an area for the sentiment using a piece of computer paper cut with the Photo Finishers die.  Then, I sponged Distress Inks (Dusty Concord, Shaded Lilac, Crushed Olive and Peacock Feathers) over the stencil and mask.  I stamped the sentiment after removing the stencil and mask, and then put the die back over the sentiment area and embossed the die into the card.  I was surprised how quick and easy stencils are to use.  I will definitely do this again.

That's it for me today.  Off to pull something together for dinner.

Thanks for Visiting