Red, white and blue love

Here's a patriotic card for today...well, kind of. I started out using a Paper Studio heart punch on some Echo Park papers and moved on to cutting them out with a Spellbinders circle. Those circles are popped on tiny little pieces of dimensional adhesive. The Hero Arts sentiment is perfect for the circles, don't you think? If you're interested, the card idea can be found here.

Scraps with gratitude

I was ready to get rid of some of my scraps, so I looked through my Pinterest boards and found this card to help me out. I used a Darice folder for the background and added a Paper Smooches sentiment.

Bright and cheerful blessings

Today I have a simple card for you. The bright striped paper is Echo Park and the sentiment is Hero Arts. I used a circle Spellbinder for the black circle, and the yellow is a Bazzill embellishment.

God Bless

This card is much brighter in person with its Memento Lilac Posies ink popping against the white and black. The circles are from SU "Circle Circus" and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches. After placing the baker's twine and sentiment square, it still needed something else. I chose to place a black Triveni rhinestone on each circle and it looked much better. The idea for this particular layout can be found here.

Circles to Celebrate

Here's another CASE from Pinterest. I did a masculine and feminine version. My Stamp-a-ma-jig was essential in placing all of these SU circles close together. After coloring a few details with Copics, I added a couple of black Triveni rhinestones along with a Paper Smooches sentiment.

Sparkly Christmas

I was in a mojo slump, but needed to make something. This bright, fun Best Creation paper with it's build in glitter was a perfect place to start. Since SU Rich Razzleberry is one of my favorite colors, I used it for all of my layers. The ivory is some Core'dinations. With my Rich Razzleberry ink, I stamped a Lawn Fawn snowflake and a Mama Elephant sentiment. The circles are done with SU punches, not Spellbinders!

Birthday Monsters

Here's another card using the EK Success border punch and square Spellbinders. I'm really enjoying the variety of cards I can make with this basic window idea. For this one, I used Recollections "My Little Monsters" set and colored them with Copics. They were practically begging for some googlie eyes and I simply couldn't say no. With a Paper Smooches sentiment, they're ready to make someone smile.

Make a Wish

I truly love Paper Smooches...their images and their sentiments. So when I saw this card, I just knew I had to CASE it. I did some masking to stack the images then used Copics to color them. That's some scrap DCWV paper they're standing on. Since I didn't have the cupcake stamp, I used my SU cupcake punch and some SU papers. The sentiment is stamped in SU Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive with matching background layers. 

A shiny birthday

I like how this shiny Reminisce paper helps show off those shiny JoAnn Craft Essentials embellishments, don't you? I did the borders with an EK Success punch and the sentiment is Hero Arts.

Geometric Mom

I found this card and wanted to try it with some different colors. I layered the pretty Stampin' Up papers that I cut with Spellbinders onto a piece of DeNami grey. It was then run through my Cuttlebug with a Darice folder. I added some matching pretty pink ribbon and popped up the Fiskars sentiment.

Thank you banners

I wasn't sure all of these patterns worked together, but the hubby said they did. I used a Darice folder on some Core'dinations paper then sanded it to bring out the red from the black. The banners are made with DeNami silver paper and a scrap piece of Basic Grey. The Inkadinkado sentiment is layered on a piece of DCWV chevron paper. All of the sentiment layers were cut with Taylored Expressions. The black ribbon is from my stash. Oh, I CASE'd this card here.

Golfing without you

I thought this was a cute card to make into a Miss You card since most of the people that I know who play golf, always golf with someone else. It has a lot of pieces but is pretty easy to put together. I even made it into a kit for a card making party.

I started by choosing the Best Creation plaid paper and worked from there. The Hero Arts sentiment is on a piece of ivory paper instead of a harsher white. The brown pole is scraps and the Bazzill flag was cut with a Spellbinder. You can't tell from this picture but the background behind the embossed golf ball has a very small square pattern on it to add more texture. I cut the grass with some Martha Stewart fringe scissors.

Birthday Butterflies

At first glance, this looks like a pretty boring card, no sentiments or embellishments. However, this card is made from a napkin. That's right, a napkin! 

I recently went to a three day crop at an LSS and they had this cool free demo. It involves napkins and beeswax and an iron. You divide the napkin up until it's only one layer and then iron it onto paper using wax as your adhesive. Then you add more beeswax on the top to give it a great texture and you can trim it to whatever size you want. 

This card was a birthday card for my brother's girlfriend. Not only is it the wrong size for Operation Write Home, but it also uses wax which would melt too easily in some locations that cards are sent to.

Keeping it simple

I wanted a simple card for any occasion and this is what I came up with today. The brown is Bo Bunny and the red is Bazzill. I used some ivory paper and a Martha Stewart punch for the loopy border. The Stampin' Up circle was stamped with Stampin' Up Real Red on more ivory paper. I used Spellbinders for the circle and scalloped circle. The ivory ribbon is from my stash.

Nature for Dad

This card has so much detail, but I simply love how it turned out. It really looks like a fall card, but it can be sent any time. I started out using a Darice honeycomb embossing folder. Next was all of the stamping with the SU Lovely As a Tree set. I used several colors in a ColorBox Cat's Eye ink stack. Then it was time to choose all of the other colors. The red is Darice red pearl, the orange is basic card stock and the green is Bazzill. For the circles, I used two different Spellbinders circles and mounted two of them on dimensional adhesive. I needed a small sentiment for that little circle and chose one from Paper Smooches. The American Crafts chestnut brad seemed like the perfect color to finish everything off.

The original card can be found here.

Thanks for always being there

It was fun picking out paper to make my version of this card. I used papers from a DCWV 6x6 pad that I bought on Black Friday last year. The Inkadinkado sentiment and its layer were cut with Spellbinders. This is just so dang spring-y looking that it makes me smile.

Sucker for you

This Endless Creations sentiment cracks me up! So when I saw it at a recent craft show, I had to have it. I used some paper from a GCD Studios 6x6 pad that I got on clearance for $2. The heart was done with a Spellbinder. That piece of bling is from Triveni. I really like how this turned out, even though the color is a little off in this picture. 

OWH Sketch Challenge #219

This was a fun OWH sketch to play with, even if the reason for the card isn't fun. The design paper is Me & My Big Ideas and the teal and dark pink are Bazzill. I used Spellbinders for the circles and filled it with Paper Smooches sentiments. The black bling is Triveni Craft. 

Hugs and Kisses x3

This clean and simple card is courtesy of this idea. The rusty brown swipe is from a ColorBox Cat's Eye. I wanted a pretty contrasting color so I chose SU Elegant Eggplant for the Hero Arts hearts and sentiment. It looks purple in person, I promise. I wanted a bit of shine so I added some clear rhinestones.

Masculine Thank You

I used one of my favorite OWH sketches to show off this masculine Karen Foster tool paper. The sentiment is two different stamps by Fiskars. One stamp is the "thank you" and the other is the square with dots. The card looked plain so I added some Triveni Craft bling at the bottom.

Bright Thank You

Here's another card that was inspired by Pinterest. I used some very old SU bright paper and a stamp from SU Circle Circus. It's embossed in white so it really pops in person. The sentiment and punch are also SU. I used bling from Triveni.

Heartfelt Birthday

This was fun to make, even with all of those circles I had to cut out with my Spellbinders. Trust me, it was a lot of circles because I made it into a card kit. The little heart was punched out using a Paper Studio punch. The little hole was done with a standard hole punch. I used a Hero Arts sentiment stamped in SU Real red and added a red piece of Triveni bling. The inspiration for this card can be found here.

Inspire

I found this Art Impressions Inspire stamp at a huge crafty garage sale and had to get it for a dear friend. Her life is a constant inspiration to me. Of course, I had to make a card with it before I sent it to her lol. The "you" and "me" are from a Hero Arts set and the background paper is Authentique. 

It's Your Birdday

This DCWV paper fits Freshly Made sketch 129 really well. I like the two different tones of matching papers. The image and sentiment are both Hero Arts and I colored the bird with Copics. With a bit of Triveni bling, the card was finished.

Circles, dots and many thanks

I've had this 6x6 Authentique pad for awhile and finally found a card to use it on. My inspiration can be found here. The circles were done with Spellbinders and the border punch is EK Success. Those dots are Pearl Pen done with a very light touch. I used an Inkadinkado sentiment on the banner.

A Swipe of Thanks

I love the simplicity of this card I found on Pinterest so I wanted to try it myself. With my new ColorBox Cats' Eye brown ink stack, I chose a soft brown for the swipe and a brick brown for the Lawn Fawn chevron stamp. The Inkadinkado sentiment is stamped in Fresh Ink Chocolate. I added some American Crafts chestnut colored brads. It's mounted on a piece of Darice Pearl Red paper.

Just a note

I've never understood the whole mustache fad, but I did fall in love with these Momenta embellishments and the Me & My Big Ideas mustache paper. There's no sketch or challenge for this one, just a fun masculine card. Thanks for stopping by!

Ice Cream Time!

I really like this Stamps of Life spinner set my friend let me borrow. For the fun sentiment sections I used three inks from SU: Real Red, Pacific Point and Old Olive. The background paper is from Authentique and the brads are American Crafts. 

Age...just a number

I've been looking for a sketch that would let me showcase this Lily Bee bicycle paper and I found it in OWH bonus sketch 18. The A Muse sentiment seems to go perfectly with those blue bicycles and helps remind us that we're only as old as we feel. The circles were cut with Spellbinders and the clear bling is from Triveni.

Many Butterfly Thanks

Today I have a card using OWH bonus sketch three. I mounted some Me & My Big Ideas paper on some purple Bazzill then cut out some shapes with a Spellbinders die. Those shapes were cut in half and stamped with an Inkadinkado sentiment. The card still looked a little plain, so I added some Triveni bling.

Wish Big

I found the ice cream cone Spellbinders set on clearance and couldn't resist buying it. I thought it was a perfect use for this sentiment. I used two embossing folders, one for the cone and one for the background. The cone was also edged with some light brown ink to make it pop a bit. The striped and polka dot papers are both papers from SU. I used a Paper Smooches sentiment.

Swirly Birthday

I wanted to make a simple, yet elegant, birthday card and found this one on Pinterest. I took the design and adapted it to the Fiskars swirly stamps I have and used a Hot Off the Press sentiment. The lines were made with a clear ruler and my Copic Multi Liner. To add a bit of shine to the card, I used some small silver Stampendous stickers on some of the dots.

Summer flowers...and a bug

I had this partial piece of Dena Designs paper I wanted to use up and went browsing through the OWH sketches. Sketch 52 worked great for using this colorful paper. The flowers are Prima and held with a brad from my stash. The circles are done with Spellbinders. That dragonfly is from Queen & Co. and the sentiment is Paper Smooches.

Baseball Miss You

I'm using some more Me & My Big Ideas paper today. I love the stitches with grey stripes. I also found some Hot Off the Press paper with lots of little baseballs on them and figured they were a perfect match. The layout is OWH sketch 3. I used a Paper Smooches sentiment and finished it off with three little American Crafts brads.

Juggling Penguin Note Cards

I was obviously in a washi tape mood when I started these cards. They were originally going to be all the same, but since I ended up with 16 card fronts I decided to make four note card sets. The juggling penguin stamp is by Memory Box and I used Triveni bling to make the juggling balls. Those stripes of washi tape are from Queen & Co. and the sentiments are all Paper Smooches. I used an orange Copic to color the beak and feet.

How great is it that these fit perfectly with the current Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge?

OWH sketch 234

When I saw OWH sketch 234, I knew I wanted to use this piece of The Paper Studio patterned paper. It has lots of basic colors on it and goes great with the color blocking I wanted. I used all kinds of scraps for this card and it worked out great. The blue was embossed with a Darice folder and I added some Triveni bling on the circle.

Seize the Sketch 25

Oh my! When I saw the newest Seize the Sketch, I knew it was the perfect way to display this adorable Paper Studio bunny paper. I added a pair of googlie eyes to the one bunny that didn't have any decoration. The eggs were done with a Sizzix die and Cuttlebug folders. I used some Recollections Snow embossing powder to heat set the Fiskars sentiment. The ribbon is from my stash. (I have no idea why I have tons of orange ribbon!)

STAMPlorations sketch 16

I found this sketch challenge through one of the blogs that I follow. When I saw it, I thought it would go perfectly with an Easter card I needed to make for a project I'm working on. I started with embossing the background with a Cuttlebug folder and layering The Paper Studio paper on some yellow Bazzill. The eggs were done with my new egg Sizzix dies. The sentiment and its layers are all by Stampin' Up. 

Love you forever

This is my take on the card you can find here. I didn't add extra bling on the hearts for two reasons. One: It would've make the card too thick for Operation Write Home since the hearts are all popped up with dimensional adhesive. Two: I wanted to keep the card more clean, simple and masculine. The hearts are done with Spellbinders and the sentiment is Impression Obsession. I used a ruler and my Copic Multi Liner for the black lines.

If I had to choose...

I went way back to the first OWH sketch to make this card. The baseball paper is from Me & My Big Ideas and perfectly matches the SU Real Red ink. The sentiment is brand new! I picked it up at a recent paper crafting show. It's from Rubbernecker. To finish it off, I used some American Crafts brads.

Embossed birthday

When I saw this card on Pinterest, I thought it would be perfect to use up some scraps of patterned paper. I cut out the center with a Taylored Expressions die and placed the scraps in the right spot so none of the background blue could show through. The Stampendous sentiment and Mama Elephant stars are heat embossed with black.

Scrappy thanks

I had some scraps left over from using some 6x6 Creative Imaginations paper and figured they'd be perfect for a banner card. I just added some Taylored Expressions die cuts and an Inkadinkado sentiment to finish it off.

AEIO...U

I did two cards for today using OWH sketch 175. I had to think for a few seconds to make sure I rounded the right corners for the patterns to go the direction I wanted but it was worth it.The Echo Park papers look great with the lines going where I wanted them. The Hero Arts sentiment and Triveni bling give them the perfect finishing looks.

 

Woody Gears

I often wonder how the two sides of paper are chosen. Don't you? One side is so pretty while the other is some horrendous pattern in equally horrendous colors. While this paper isn't that bad on either side, I wonder why they chose a wood grain to go with the gears. The gears on this Echo Park paper are why I bought it. I decided to use the other side of it to make my version of the inspiration card. The border punch is EK and that red circle is embossed with the Darice Steam Punk folder. I used a Stampendous sentiment.

Chevron Thank You

This card is inspired by this card. It was simple to make. All I needed was an EK border punch, some paper scraps and a stamp. Oh, and ink! The stamp is Stampendous stamped in SU Basic Gray and Powder Puff Lemonade.

Work of Art

Does this look like a watermelon? Because it's supposed to! Watermelon always makes me think of summer and my new SU Work of Art set was perfect to make a slice. How convenient for me lol. I used Distress Inks Spun Sugar and Peeled Paint. For the seeds, I used my handy dandy hole punch and some black scrap paper. The fabulous sentiment is part of the same set. The inked edges are done in Peeled Paint. This is actually a get well card for a friend's mom so I used one of my rarely used get well stamps on the inside.

OWH VCMP Challenge Cards, Day 3

Here are my cards for day three of the OWH VCMP.

Sketch Challenge 232
AND
Critter Love: Use furry creature to make a love card.

Teen Time: Make a card for a teen.

AND

clean & simple 298: Use the sketch.

Faux Challenge: Use a faux technique. (Clear embossing powder for tile look.)

AND

Inching toward Christmas: Make a Christmas card using inchies.