Happy Little Stampers: CAS

Happy whatever day it is here in Stay-at-Home land! I do know that today is the beginning of another new challenge at Happy Little Stampers - the CAS Challenge! For April, we are looking to see feathers as part of your project. I was CAS with my card, and with my use of feathers: 

Yes, I took a prompt to use feathers and turned it into a cat card. :D I think I only have one feather stamp in my collection, and no feather dies - so I thought outside the box and back to an ATC I made in February. For my card-sized version, I inked up one of my Crazy Cats, and watercoloured him. I added strips of washi tape down each side of the card base and adhered my main panel. I hope my one little feather gets the message across. ;) 

My CAS teammates have used the feathers prompt in a variety of different ways - visit the Happy Little Stampers challenge page and be inspired! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Ranger watercolour cardstock, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Crazy Cats & Technique Tuesday Dear Santa stamps, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Zig markers, Queen & Co washi tape, fly-tying feather

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ABC Christmas Challenge: H & I

Hello, April! Time will tell if it's as surreal a month as March was. In the meantime, it's also a Wednesday, which begins a new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge! We are up to H & I - and for me, they were both a little challenging! 

Let's start with H for Hand Drawn - what??? That concept totally froze me for a few days. So of course I ended up with two projects. For the first, I drew my own plaid background with Copic markers: 

I used some graph paper for alignment and a drafting triangle to draw my plaid - it's not perfect, but then again, if it was perfect, even I wouldn't believe I had drawn it. :D I tried to add lots of other interest to take the focus off the imperfections. In other news, it's great how a photo of your card can show you where you still need to brush off some die cutting "hairs". 

I didn't want anyone to think I'd copped out on the challenge prompt, so I did DRAW something else: 

I drew my little Santa, coloured him, then added lots of Stickles. This time I got to stamp the background. ;) 

Our second prompt this month is I for Inside. I almost always stamp a sentiment inside my Christmas cards, but I thought this called for something more. First, the outside: 

Three little North Pole selfies! (And yes, I'm holding it closed with a paper clip. It's a little bulky inside.) I had already decided that this trio would feature on the inside of my card. 

It's a pivot pop-up card! The great thing about making a Christmas card at this time of year (and hey, especially this year) is that you have the time to do more complicated things. For me at least, in December it's all about how many you can crank out. After I made my little pop-up scene, I added the two sentiments and a strip of the same patterned paper as on the front. 
Are you ready to devote a little self-isolation time to Christmas cards? Lots of inspiration on the ABC Christmas Challenge blog, and you have the whole month to play along! 

Supplies: (Merry Christmas) Neenah white & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, CUTplorations Merry Christmas word art die, Copic Markers, MFT stitched rounded rectangle dies, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch; (Santa tag) Neenah white & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, Uniko Background Builders stamp, Stampin' Up real red ink, Copic markers, Cutplorations manila tag die, frosted lace & icicle Stickles, Michaels ribbon, foam tape; (pivot pop-up) Neenah white cardstock, Lawn Fawn Snow Day Remix patterned paper, Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together stamps & dies, Lawn Fawn Ho Ho Holidays & Holiday Helpers stamps, Versafine onyx black, Stampin' Up real red & tumbled glass distress ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Lawn Fawn pivot pop up, MFT blueprints 24 & precious Polaroids dies, foam tape 

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Addicted to Stamps and More: Holiday

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More - and the new challenge is HOLIDAY. Luckily for me (and maybe you), spring is here, so I was easily able to take a break from my fallback Christmas cards and make an Easter card: 

This card is my contribution to that age-old challenge of masculine holiday cards - and teenage boy cards in particular. This bunny is far enough away from the cutesy end of the spectrum that I thought he was just right. After I watercoloured him, it was a matter of what to do with him. I went for clean and simple (big surprise) with a big fishtail banner panel and some fun patterned paper. I used scraps of the same paper for my sentiment, witch is a mashup of two Clearly Besotted stamps. 

Do you need an Easter card, or just feel like making any kind of holiday card? Or maybe you can channel your current cabin fever into a holiday-away-from-home card. ;) I hope you'll join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white linen & Recollections black yardstick, Canson watercolour paper, American Crafts/Amy Tangerine Sketchbook patterned paper, Ellen Hutson Tree Farm stamp & die, Clearly Besotted Many Mini Messages, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Zig markers, Sunny Studio Stamps fishtail banners die, pop dot tape

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Happy Little Stampers: Watercolour

Welcome to a new Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge! Our optional theme for April is ⭐STARS⭐. It just goes to show my level of distraction in these unusual times that when faced with the combination of stars and watercolour, I did not immediately think Doctor Who. :D 

Funny thing about this card... the part that took the longest was a watercoloured galaxy sky that when dry, I stencilled stars on. When I was trying to decide what colour card base looked best, my Tardis landed on the black card base - and it stood out so much better than on the carefully constructed background! So I have a space sky for my stash, and the Tardis flying through the jet black sky. :D Luckily, the Tardis is watercoloured with distress ink. I don't think I've ever coloured it any other way. 

This card is perfect for the new Shopping Our Stash challenge, Under the Sun, Moon and Stars! I've had these Doctor Who stamps for approximately forever. 
You will love seeing the wide variety of cards that the design team has created using the combination of watercolour and stars! Don't forget, the stars are an option, so any watercoloured card is welcome! Why not join us? 

Supplies: Recollections black & Neenah white cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Viva Las VegaStamps Plate 925 stamps, Versamark, Memento Luxe love letter & chipped sapphire distress ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Zig ochre watercolour marker, MFT blueprints 29 sentiment banner, (?) home decor stars, foam tape

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Seize the Birthday: Cards for Kids

Hope this Thursday finds you well and staying at home! We have a new challenge for you at Seize the Birthday: Cards for Kids. I have a few stamp sets I've purchased specifically with younger humans in mind, so I pulled one of them out: 

There's absolutely nothing spectacular about this card, but I'm finding the current world situation is not overly conducive to imaginative card making. Which is too bad, considering how much extra time we all have on our hands. That being said, the majority of the single-digit birthday set aren't all that interested in fancy techniques anyway. ;) This card will be for a young nephew who loves all things Star Wars. (He knows his aunt is Star Trek all the way, though. :D) Yub Nub doesn't exactly mean Happy Birthday, but since it's all about celebration, I thought it was close enough. 

I'm going to add this furball to the current Shopping Our Stash challenge: Happy Birthday. as well as Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes Wednesday challenge.   

There is more inspiration on the Seize the Birthday blog, from my teammates as well as our current surprise party guest, Stef! Make a birthday card suitable for the younger set - or any birthday card - and join us! 

P.S. In one of those fun coincidences, the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is also looking for kids cards - join us there, too! 

Supplies: Neenah white & (?) green cardstock, The Ink Road Furball & Clearly Besotted Many Mini Messages stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memento espresso truffle ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, MFT cloud stencil, MFT Blueprints 24 & Grassy Fields dies. silver gel pen, foam tape

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Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: Kids!

We are back with a new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge, and this one is K is for Kids! Are you social distancing at home with your family? Perhaps it's been just long enough that you'll be ready to make a snarky kids-themed card. ;) 

Mine is not so much for kids, but has an image of a kid on it - close enough for me. 

Pairing a Tim Holtz paper doll with this sentiment seemed like a fun combination to me! I sponged some distress oxide through a stencil to give my boy something to sit on. Added a leftover strip of a Concord & 9th turnabout stamp to give him something to lick. Finally I added a strip of cardstock matching one of the ink colours down the left side for an extra bit of interest. 

I hope this is enough stencilling to qualify for the current Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge! 

For kids, about kids, goat kids - the choice is yours! We love to see some snark on your card, but even that is optional - so come and play along! 

Supplies: Neenah white, Recollections black & scrap orange cardstock, Rubber Dance Sarcastic Superpower & Concord & 9th Cool Treats stamps, Versafine onyx black & Altenew pink pearl, coral bliss, sunkissed & sea glass & fossilized amber distress inks, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic marker, Simon Says Stamp/Kelly Purkey stripes stencil

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