Addicted to Stamps and More: Any Occasion

Addicted to Stamps and More is back with the latest challenge: Any Occasion! Sometimes the occasion can be a sad one, and I have a sympathy card this time around: 

I pulled out these layering daffodil stamps again, since they seemed appropriate for a cancer-related death. I kept the colours a little more muted than my last daffodil card. The lighter shade of green I picked for my leaves seemed a little too light, so I darkened it a bit with a green pencil crayon. I added a little interest to the cardbase with some subtle patterned paper and an embossed strip of green down the left side. The sentiment banner even manages to cover a bit of a layering booboo on one of the leaves. 

With my spring daffodils, I'm adding my card to these challenges: The Four Seasons Challenge: Anything Goes Spring and Just Us Girls word week: flowers. 

Lots of inspiration for many occasions from my ATSM teammates. Make a card for any occasion and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Stampin' Up garden green cardstock, Pinkfresh Studio patterned paper, Sunny Studio Daffodil Dreams & Hero Arts With Deepest Sympathy stamps, Stampin' Up garden green & Catherine Pooler tiara, sauna & garden party ink, Darice diagonal stripe embossing folder, Prismacolor pencils

 

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Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthdays

It's birthday card time at Addicted to Stamps and More! When I sat down to make mine, I wasn't particularly in a colouring mood. Fortunately, there are stamps for that: 

I hadn't used this ice cream cone layering stamp set before, so out it came. Strawberry is not my favourite flavour (and neither is pink) but I thought it would look more fun than a chocolate one in brown. I lightened the darker pink layer by off-stamping it first. I at least added chocolate sprinkles! The two cone colours show up better in person than in my photos. 

Since I haven't used this stamp set before, I'm linking it up to Darnell's April NBUS challenge. 

Lots of birthday inspiration for you over on the ATSM blog! I hope you'll join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white & Amarican Crafts pink cardstock, Hero Arts Color-Layering Ice Cream stamps and dies, Versamark, Memento angel pink & rose bud, MFT biscotti, PTI fine linen, Catherine Pooler Icing on the Cake & spun sugar distress ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Tim Holtz burlap & STAMPlorations oval flexi-template stencils, Studio Katia pink tourmaline crystals

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Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthdays

It's time to make some birthday cards at Addicted to Stamps and More! I hadn't had a chance to use a background stamp gifted to me by my friend Glenda, so out it came: 

 

I wanted an undersea look, so after embossing the jellyfish in white on watercolour paper, I added blue and purple watercolour powders, trying to add the purple where it would highlight a few of the jellyfish. The blue powder I used has a shimmer that didn't want to appear in my pics. Once the panel was dry, I die cut it and wrapped my torn-vellum sentiment around the edges to avoid any pesky adhesive showing through. I mounted the panel on a purple mat and added everything to the card base. 

Beautiful birthday cards made by my ATSM teammates can be found on the blog - take a look and then I hope you'll join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Memory Box purple cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, vellum, Hero Arts Jellyfish Party & Poppystamps Whittle Sealife Sentiments stamps, Versamark & Versafine onyx black inks, Wow clear gloss & opaque white embossing powder, Cosmo Cricket pool pixie paint, Magenta Nuance violet watercolour powder, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die

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Addicted to Stamps and More: Any Occasion

Welcome back to Addicted to Stamps and More, where our "Any Occasion" challenge is ready to go! Right now, if I have a choice, I am all about the Christmas cards. And yet... I was a bit at a loss for what I wanted to do. So I decided to try out a Sheetload of Cards, by Call Me Crafty Al! Here are my two favourites: 

If you're not familiar with Sheetload of Cards videos, each month Alicia (Crafty Al) designs a card sketch using patterned paper with a minimum of waste. For the November sketch that I used, she takes six sheets of patterned paper to create six cards. For the two above, I decided to add a stamped image to each one, as well as the stamped sentiment - the extra stamping might be why they're my favourites! ;) Making these made me think back to the early days of the pandemic, when I thought the SHORT TIME of lockdown would be a perfect time to use up lots of patterned paper on my cards! And here we are, so many months later, and still so much paper. ;) Here's a look at all six cards: 

Regardless of the occasion, we would love to see your cards in the ATSM gallery! Visit the blog for lots more inspiration from my teammates. 

Supplies: Neenah white, Stampin' Up real red, Memory Box stormy blues & American Crafts white glitter cardstock, Echo Park Keeping Cozy patterned paper, Catherine Pooler Nostalgic Season, Studio Katia Happy Snowmen & Taylored Expressions Simple Strips - Christmas stamps & dies, Hero Arts Snow Much Joy stamp, Versamark, Versafine onyx black, Concord & 9th dove & Catherine Pooler rockin' red & juniper mist ink, Wow clear gloss & opaque white embossing powder,  Copic markers, Cat's Pyjamas snowflake & MFT wonky stitched rectangle dies, Studio Katia & Hero Arts gems, Glossy Accents, frosted lace Stickles

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Seize the Birthday: Stitching

It's time for a new Seize the Birthday challenge, and this time around, we are all about STITCHING!  But don't forget, we always welcome all birthday cards in our gallery! Here's what I came up with: 

This card started with the hill - I decided I wanted a hill with stitched lines. It still seemed to need a little more texture, so I also stamped a background pattern all over it. For the sky, I used two colours of distress ink and a blending brush. Stitching shows up on the sun and cloud as well! The cloud was one of many sent to me by a friend a long time ago, and the white was not the same as my celebrating lamb. A good coating of sparkle marker fixed that! 

A lot of my teammates used real stitching - sewing machine or embroidery - on their cards, so be sure to check out the StB page! We also have our continuing surprise party guest, Jenny. Hope you'll join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white, SU garden green & scrap yellow cardstock, Paper Smooches Party Posse & Hero Arts envelope pattern background stamps, Versamark, Versafine onyx black & tumbled glass & broken china distress ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Paper Smooches stitched, Lil' Inkers small sun & MFT blueprints 29 stitched rectangle dies, Spectrum Noir clear sparkle shimmer marker, foam tape

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Happy Little Stampers: Stencils

It's time for the September Happy Little Stampers STENCIL challenge! My generous friend Barbara recently sent me a pretty stencil she happened to have a duplicate of (happens to us all!), and I thought I'd show my appreciation by using it for a card: 

This is a full background stencil, but I decided to isolate two of the flower images on it for the opposite corners of my card panel. (By coincidence, my teammate Swapna used this same stencil, and you can see how it looks as a background on her card.) I adhered my panel to a neutral card base, and added the die cut sentiment and some clear Nuvo drops. Quick and easy! 

The design team's cards are a great showcase of the many ways stencils can be used, so I hope you'll visit and be inspired! 

Supplies: Neenah white, Papertrey Ink soft stone & scrap black cardstock, Hero Arts Large Lotus Pattern stencil, fired brick distress ink, Paper Smooches Thanks & Winnie & Walter Katharine Cutaways pierced rectangle dies, Nuvo clear drops

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ABC Christmas Challenge: P, Q and R

It's the first Wednesday of <gasp> August, and that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge! We have three prompts for you this month: P for PLUMP, Q for QUALITY STREET and R for RIBBON. There are more details on the blog if any of these seem a little confusing. ;) (Probably not ribbon... :D) And since I am hosting the challenge this month, I have a prize up for grabs for one lucky participant: 

I own this set as well, and you can
see a card example here. 

First up, P for Plump, and I went with a plump little snowman: 

I love this line of snow peeps from Unity, and don't use them nearly often enough. He is stamped, embossed and coloured with Copics - and as you can see, embellished with Stickles and Glossy Accents. 

Next, Q for Quality Street. Apparently the purple-wrapped chocolate is one of the most popular, so there's my reason for a purple Christmas card! 

I foiled this large sentiment onto a dark purple cardstock panel, then backed it with, as it turns out, the same patterned paper as I used for one of my cards last month! Which means I must be almost out of it, sigh. I thought the stripes echoed the colourful candies in the tin. A bit. :D 

Last up, the Straightforward R for Ribbon. I mostly use ribbon for tags, but decided it would be fun to create a card with a ribbon element: 

This starts with a 6"x6" background stamp, that I embossed in gold on watercolour cardstock before colouring with Twinkling H2Os. I took just one section of the finished panel, topped it with some off-white cardstock, and added the sentiment, ribbon, and crystals. 

I have a nice section of the panel left for another card, but I also had a smaller off-cut just begging to be made into a tag: 

Now I think I should have incorporated black into my card! ;) 

My first and third cards are off to the current challenge at Jingle Belles, Red & Green All Over. 

Don't forget, I have a little prize on offer this month! And be sure to check out all the beautiful inspiration from my ABC teammates. 

Supplies: (be merry) Neenah white & Fabriano grey cardstock, Echo Park Times & Seasons patterned paper, Unity Gifts Galore (snow peep Nicholas) & Hero Arts Family and Friends stamps, Versafine smoky grey ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Spellbinders circles & MFT blueprints 29 stitched rectangle die, icicle & frosted lace Stickles, Glossy Accents; (merry Christmas) Fabriano purple cardstock, Doodlebug Frosty & Friends patterned paper, Picket Fence Merry Christmas foiling die, Crafters Companion silver foil, MFT double stitched rectangle die; (joy & love) Bazzill marshmallow cardstock, Fabriano hot press watercolour paper, Simon Says Stamp Outline Winter Floral & Furry Christmas stamps, Versamark ink, Simon Says Stamp antique gold embossing powder, Twinkling H2Os, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle die, May Arts ribbon, Studio Katia gold crystals; (tag) Recollections black cardstock, Fabriano hot press watercolour paper, gold pearl paper, Simon Says Stamp Outline Winter Floral & Unity/Jillibean Soup Christmas Eve Chowder stamps, Versamark & Catherine Pooler rouge ink, Simon Says Stamp antique gold embossing powder, Twinkling H2Os, CUTplorations manila tag die, Recollections ribbon

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The Sisterhood of Colourful Stampers

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is here to wish you a very COLOURFUL Saturday with our latest challenge! I am thrilled that Lee, in making our graphic, gave a nod to her Canadian teammates with the badge spelling. Here is my rainbow take on our new theme: 

Apologies for this first photo - it was taken on a thunderstormy day! You'll see a better representation of the colours in my close-up below. (Sad to say, I didn't realize how bad this one was until I went to write the post.) Anyway - this is my first time using this fun alphabet die set from Concord & 9th! The funky font is fun, and as you can see, can easily use up the majority of a card front. I made sure I left room for a bit of snark with the secondary sentiment. Since it comes from an older Hero Arts set, I'm adding this to the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge, Out With the Old and In With the New. 

So much colourful inspiration from my sisters in snark and our latest guest designer, Queen Stef! Hope you're feeling colourful and will join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white, Memory box blue & assorted scraps of cardstock, Hero Arts Irreverent Birthday stamp, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Concord & 9th Tall Type & Winnie & Walter Katharine cutaways pierced rectangle die

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Seize the Birthday: Wheels

It's a Seize the Birthday Thursday! We have a brand new topping for you - WHEELS. It's funny, I was expecting to see lots of car cards from my teammates, but by and large, we seem to be a two-wheeled group. 🚲 Here's mine: 

Yes, I had a few vintage car stamps I could have used, but I went all the way back to the days of the penny farthing. :D I used a mask so I could sponge my square, then added the bicycle over top. Added the sentiment, and wow, I actually made a one-layer card! Both stamps I used are well over a year old, so I'm adding this to the Anything Goes Retro Rubber challenge. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is also Anything Goes. And of course I'm going to link up to AAA Birthday's 2nd Birthday challenge! (You know, it's the "other" birthday card challenge. ;) ) 

There are bicycles and other wheels galore on the Seize the Birthday blog, from my teammates and our current surprise party guest, Lynda! Remember, we love to see all birthday cards in her link-up, so come and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Maya Road Cycle-gy & Hero Arts Irreverent Birthday stamps, Memento Paris dusk & blueprint sketch distress ink, ARTplorations Squares Flexi-Template

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Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

It's already time for a new Addicted to Stamps and More challenge! We're onto "Make Your Mark", and for this card, I chose to make my make with watercolour powders: 
 

I am also working my way through a few more of my bought-it-haven't-used-it supplies, and so I'm using this Dahlia stamp and die set for the first time. To start, I die cut the flower - it's a turnabout die! So my alignment for all the turns wasn't scientifically precise, but definitely close enough for a first attempt. Cutting the flower first let me see where I wanted to have my colours on the watercolour panel - after looking at a few dahlia photos, I decided on yellow for the centre and red around that. Of course, with the powders, I get lots of fun variations in colour, too. While the panel dried, I picked my sentiment and stamped and embossed the two parts. Then it was a simple matter of putting it together and adding a little bling! 

Since it's my first card with this set, I'm adding the card to Darnell's May NBUS challenge. 

Whether you decide to make your mark with your favourite medium, or experiment with a new one, I hope you'll make a card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & scrap fuchsia cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Concord & 9th Dahlia Turnabout stamps & die, Versafine onyx black ink, Hero Arts clear sparkle embossing powder, bright yellow & red Magenta Nuance watercolour powders, Hero Arts gems

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Seize the Birthday: Make It a Bouquet!

Welcome to a new Seize the Birthday Thursday! Our newest optional *topping* will likely turn out to be a popular one: Make it a Bouquet! 💐 I turn to flowers less often than some cardmakers, so it was good to have that little push to make a floral card.

My friend Chris recently made this card, which inspired me to grab the same stamp set. I stamped the flowers twice by rotating the panel in my Misti - at the time, thinking I was leaving the right space between the two for a sentiment banner across the middle of the card. I need to get serious about refilling some of my Copic markers, but I did the best I could and kept blending to a minimum. As I thought about a sentiment, I realized I had the perfect "swoop" between the flowers for this curved sentiment! I rounded the corners of my panel, added it to a yellow card base, and threw on a little bling. 

Beautiful bouquets from my StB teammates and our current surprise party guest, Lynda! Whether you choose the bouquet option or not, I hope you will make a birthday card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & American Crafts textured yellow cardstock, Paper Smooches Blossoming Buds & Best Buds stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, My Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, Hero Arts clear gems

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ABC Christmas: J and K

It's the first Wednesday in May, and that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge! We are almost halfway through the year, and so in the alphabet, we are up to J and K. First up - J for JEWELS: 

This layering set by Hero Arts is still my favourite wreath stamp, and so out it came again. I used just one colour of green ink, but varied it by using second-generation stamping for the first two layers. I added a sentiment from the same set, and some scoring on the sides of the panel before adhering it to a panel of patterned paper on a card base. Three colours of jewels add decoration to the wreath. 

Next up is K for KIDS: 

I decided on a card with a kid/girl, and a card that would be suitable for a kid. (Of course, you know if I had baby goat stamps, I would have used them.) To begin, I blended a cardstock panel with distress inks, and both sprayed and splattered it with shimmer mist. While that dried, I stamped, embossed, coloured and cut out my girl riding a polar bear. I die cut a sparkly hill for her to ride on, and added an embossed sentiment to the ink-blended panel. Some additional sparkle is added to her outfit with Stickles. 

I highly recommend working on your holiday cards early to relieve some stress come holiday time! For more inspiration, check out the terrific cards made by the rest of the ABC design team, and then join us! 

Supplies: (warmest wishes) Neenah white cardstock, Stampin' Up patterned paper, Hero Arts Colour Layering Wreath stamps, Stampin' Up garden green & Colorbox cranberry ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Multicrafts jewels; (beary happy Christmas) Neenah white cardstock, American Crafts glitter paper, Penny Black Arctic Antics stamps, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox cranberry & mermaid lagoon, faded jeans & chipped sapphire ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Tsukineko clear sparkle shimmer spray, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle & Sugar Pea Designs card front element builder dies, frosted lace Stickles, foam tape

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