Another sympathy card

It's bad enough that you need them. But to have to make one for a good friend who's just lost a beloved fur baby, those are even harder. Those types of sympathy cards especially suck. This is the card I made for her:

 a simple inside:

Rest in peace Rascal. ♥

CAS#139  - sketch
Addicted to Stamps and More #159 - Clean and Simple

Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Paws for a Cause; MFT - More Essential Sentiments
Ink: Memento - Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, Bamboo Leaves, Paris Dusk, Elderberry; Hampton Arts A La Mode - Lavender
CS: Darice
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares

JUST US GIRLS #308 - Wild Card Week!

Hello and good morning! Since there's an extra Saturday this month, JUST US GIRLS has a Wild Card Week! Nancy is your hostess this week and she came up with a great sketch for you to try! Here is my take on it:

 And the inside:

So the only stamping done is on the inside. But that's ok. I used up some of my Christmas stockpile, and I feel really good about that. You can't really see it from the photo, but all the stickers have bits of glitter added for some subtle shimmer. Awesome!

I hope you find some time this coming week to play along at Just Us Girls! Please be sure to check out what my teammies created and leave them some bloggy love. Also, it's our GD, Karen Bourke's last post with us. Thank you, Karen, for guest designing this month with us! Your card creations were amazing, and I hope to see you playing along with us in the future!

Just a reminder, if you are picked as Chic of the Week for any of our August challenges, you'll be in the running to be our Guest Designer for the month of October. Have fun and get crafty!

I'd like to enter this at Merry Monday #169

Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black

CS: Bazzill; Darice

Accessories: GC; Avery Elle - Double Stitched Rectangle dies; Anna Griffin - 3D stickers and holly border; Kaisercraft EF

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, thin 3D foam squares

SHOPPING OUR STASH #216 - Splish Splash!

Hiya crafty peeps! It's Tuesday, which means a new challenge starts at SHOPPING OUR STASH! We are calling this one Splish Splash, and we'd like you to use some kind of wet medium on your project. (ex. water color, acrylic paint, distress inks, etc.) Since water coloring is a big trend right now, this should be easy peasy for many of you. ☺ Here's the card I made:

 Here is the inside of my card:

I can't take credit for this card, as I pretty much CASEd this incredible card made by Heather Pulvirenti. (Thank you Heather, for the inspiration!) I die cut a pierced border panel from water color paper, then stamped and heat embossed the flowers/leaves using white embossing powder. After that, I just went to town using different Distress Inks. I stamped and heat embossed the banner and sentiment onto black card stock, again with white embossing powder, fussy cut, and adhered with foam squares. Some clear sequins were added for some shine. On the inside, I inked the word celebrate in spiced marmalade, then just the bottom in abandoned coral before stamping on the card stock panel. Added the bottom sentiment and was done!

Now it's your turn to make a splash! Just link up your project at Shopping Our Stash! While there, please check out the amazing talent of my teammates and leave them some bloggy love! Thanks for hanging out with me. I hope you have a great day!

I'd like to enter this at the Friday Mash Up #222: Birthday card/water color technique.

Supplies:

Stamps: Winnie & Walter - In Bloom: Addie's Garden, The Big the Bold the Extras & the Party

Ink: Versa Mark; Ranger DI: Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Evergreen Bough, Iced Spruce, Mowed Lawn, Tumbled Glass; Memento - Tuxedo Black

CS: Strathmore water color paper; Darice

Accessories: GC; Avery Elle - Double Pierced Rectangle die; Stampendous - white EP; heat gun; water brush; paint brush; Darice - sequins

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares; Scotch scrapbooker's glue

Freshly Made Sketches #200 celebration

Always late to the party, but I have arrived. Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating their 200th sketch. Congratulations! And there are sponsors! And prizes! Here is my contribution:

 And the inside:

The top panel was die cut and popped up with thin foam squares. Then I die cut and layered the snowflakes from shimmery white card stock and vellum. The sentiment was first inked with Versa Mark, then red ink, so I could heat emboss it with clear embossing powder. Some rhinestones finished it off.

There's (barely) some time left to enter your project. Why not play along? Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketch #200

Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Fresh Snow, Christmas Sampler
Ink: Versa Mark; Simon Says Stamp - Lipstick Red
DP: American Crafts - Jack Frost
CS: Bazzill; Darice; scraps
Accessories: GC; Paper Smooches - Borders 1 & Snow Flakes dies; Hampton Art & Recollections - rhinestones; vellum scrap; Stampendous - clear EP; heat gun
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares; Ranger - Glossy Accents

SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS #41 - I is for Image Only

It's time for a new challenge at the SISTERHOOD OF SNARKY STAMPERS! Image only. Seriously? This was a challenge for me, as I love putting sentiments on the front of my cards. I really had a hard time figuring this one out, and here is the crappy card I wound up with:

 Here's the inside:

I scribbled a few markers onto one of my stamp blocks, misted it with water and smooshed it on some white card stock. That panel, and the fussy cut googly eyed fishes I like. Not really liking anything else about it. (This is what happens when you wait until the last minute, because you can't decide what to do, then try to make something immediately after jumping out of bed, before you even have caffeine in your veins.) Don't be like me, people. 

Anyway, I hope you find some time to play along at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers this fortnight for the Image Only challenge. When you link up, please be sure to check out the much better creations that my Sistahs, and our dual Queens: Indy and Stef, made and leave them some bloggy love. Thanks, and I hope you have a great day!

Stamps: Paper Smooches - Birthday Buddies, Surf and Turf

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black

DP: scraps

CS: Darice

Accessories: Marvy Uchida markers; mister; Nicole - googly eyes

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares; Ranger - Glossy Accents

JUST US GIRLS #307 - Photo Week

Hello crafty peeps! I'm hosting at JUST US GIRLS for Inspiration Week! Yes, I know I probably should have gone with a back to school theme, but that's being plastered all over blogland right now. Plus, I love this picture with the water drops on the colorful leaves! Here's the card I made:

 Here is the inside:

I tried my hand at quilling again. (Only the second time I've attempted it.) I kinda like how this came out. ☺ I didn't have all these colors in quilling strips, so I cut some of them with some thin card stock and my paper trimmer. (Yes, I am that crazy!) 

I hope you get a chance to play along for this week's inspirations challenge at Just Us Girls! I can't wait to see what you come up with! While there, please check out the fabulous designs the other gals and our August GD, Karen Bourke, have made and leave some love on their blogs. Remember that if you are picked as Chic of the Week for any of the August challenges, you'll be in the running to be our Guest Designer for the month of October! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - First Aid Kit, Forest Whimsy, Eco Friendly
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Paris Dusk
DP: scraps
CS: Darice, scraps
Accessories: quilling paper from my EDMT - Jessi Fogan; GC; Paper Smooches - Borders 1 & Trees Dies; Fiskars corner rounder
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner; Ranger - Glossy Accents

SHOPPING OUR STASH #215 - Layer it on Me

Good morning and welcome! We have a fun new challenge starting today at SHOPPING OUR STASH! This week it's all about adding layers to your project! Here's the card I made:

 Here's the inside!

I've had this stamp set for at least a couple years, but this was the first time it's been inked. (Shame on me. Have you ever bought stamps from a company going out of business, then put said stamps in a safe place....and forget where that safe place was?) Yeah, that is me. Looking for something else, I found these. So I immediately decided to use them. (NBUS, and even a tad bit snarky!)

I have several layers on this card (8 on the front, if you include the rhinestone strip), and two on the inside. I love layers on a card. Of course layers add weight, and that most likely means extra postage when sending these cards out, but I'm ok with that. ☺ 

I hope you find some time this week to make a layered project and link up at Shopping Our Stash! Please be sure to check out the eye candy that my teammies created for your viewing pleasure, and leave them some love on their blogs! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day!

My card is based off of Sweet Sunday Sketch #277.

Supplies:

Stamps: Totally Stampalicious -Bugaboo Stella & Gus love is blind

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Nautical Blue; Ranger DI - Abandoned Coral

DP: Carta Bella - Sew Lovely

CS: Crafter's Companion; Bazzill; Darice

Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; GC; SB - Sm Std Circles & Classic Scalloped Circles Nesties, Fleur De Lis Border; Ranger - Glossy Accents; Nicole - rhinestone strips

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares; Scotch scrapbooker's glue

One card, three challenges....

I know. It doesn't happen that often, combining multiple challenges. But the planets must be all aligned or Jupiter must be passing through Orion's belt, or something, so, here you are:

 Here's the inside:

 In hindsight, I should have embossed this in white or black. Oh well.

Gus in a Speedo. And now you can't un-see that. You're welcome. LOL! I started coloring again after what seemed to me like a long hiatus. It felt good to break out my SN markers again. I mixed and matched word stamps for the inside. I had to use alpha stamps for the word fart because I don't own a stamp that says that. How do I not have a stamp that says fart? And who sells one, I'd like to know.

Anyhooo, I'll be entering this card at Tuesday Morning Sketches #313, Naughty or Nice Challenge #18, and The Male Room #16.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Supplies:

Stamps: Totally Stampalicious/Bugaboo Gus-At My Age; Paper Issues - Ahh Real B-day sentiments, Freaking Sentiments; Studio G - Alphas

Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black

DP: Graphic 45 - On the Boardwalk

CS: Crafter's Companion, Darice

Accessories: Spectrum Noir markers; GC; Lg classic oval Nesties; Ranger - Glossy Accents

Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares

JUST US GIRLS #306 - Color Week

Hello and happy Saturday to you! Ina is your hostess for Color Week at JUST US GIRLS, and she's picked a fantastic color combination for you to create with: Red, Black, and Grey! Here's my take on this color scheme:

 And the inside:

I could have die cut that fancy flower frame out of red card stock also fussy cut and paper pieced the flowers over the white. But noooooo, I had to go over all the flowers with a Versa Mark pen, and emboss them with red glittery embossing powder....twice! (Because the first go around didn't get very good coverage.) I stamped and embossed the sentiment, then glued the flower frame on. I finished with some tiny rhinestones on the larger flowers because: bling!

This is such a fun color combination, I hope you have fun making something with it! Just link up your card or project at Just Us Girls! While there, please visit the blogs of the other ladies, and our August Guest Designer - Karen Bourke, and leave some love! Remember that if you are picked as Chic of the Week for any of our August challenges, you'll be in the running to be our Guest Designer for the month of October! Now go and have some crafty fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampendous - Party Invite, Birthday Wish
Ink: Versa Mark; Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: Echo Park - Metropolitan Dots & Stripes
CS: Recollections, Darice
Accessories: GC; Memory Box - Fairytale Flower Frame; Whisper's - red glitter EP; heat gun; Wow!- clear EP; Ki Memories - rhinestones; Versa Mark pen
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner; Scotch scrapbooker's glue

Getting inky....again.

Hello all and happy hump day to you! I recently made the 45 minute trip to the closest LSS in my area, and did some retail therapy. I went there mostly to get my hands on some new dies by Memory Box. (So the next few cards I post may have one of them incorporated into my design. Just sayin.) Anyhooo, here's one of them:

 Here is the inside of the card:

I'm so very behind making Christmas cards. But it's been a rather crappy first part of the year, what with my FIL passing away, my Dad's health getting worse due to Dementia, and my fur baby being diagnosed with Epilepsy, well, cards didn't get made. So, I'm endeavoring to try to catch up as much as possible. 

I used a couple distress inks for the background, nice light colors, then misted it with pearl Glimmer Mist, to add some shimmer. (Gotta have shimmer!) Once that dried, I used a stencil and embossing paste to add some 'falling snow'. That panel, once dried, was adhered to the card base. The top panel was die cut with one of the new dies I mentioned above, and adhered with foam squares. All the white space around it was making me all itchy, so I framed it with some rhinestone strips. (I was so relieved when I realized the as of yet unopened pack of rhinestones came in strips! Can you imagine how friggin long it would have taken me to add them around the die cut?!!!) A simple sentiment finishes the inside.

I've made this card based off of Merry Monday #168 - Use pastels and also Can You Case It #81 - use green, blue, and purple. 

 

So, that's it for now. The maid needs to go and do some more housework. (Me being the maid.) Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Merry Christmas Message
Ink: Ranger DI - Shaded Lilac, Shabby Shutters
CS: Bazzill, Recollections
Accessories: GC; Memory Box - Woodland Oval die; Heidi Swapp stencil; Dreamweaver embossing paste; Nicole rhinestones; Tattered Angels pearl Glimmer Mist
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, 3D foam squares

SHOPPING OUR STASH #214 - Make a Spectacle of Yourself

Hello crafty peeps! It's Tuesday and that means a spankin' new challenge starts at SHOPPING OUR STASH! This week we'd like to see how you incorporate glasses (a.k.a. specs/shades/Foster Grants) into your card or project. But, since we love options, you can use the spotlight technique instead of glasses. Cuz that's how we roll! LOL! Here's the card I made:

 Here's the inside:

I stamped and masked the glasses-with-big-nose-and-stash stamp, then stamped over it with that cute little chubby bear. Then of course, I thought "Wocka Wocka!" and couldn't get that out of my head, so I decided that was going to be my sentiment. He's colored up with SN markers and I added Glossy Accents to the specs. 

Now it's your turn to break out those SPEC-tacular stamps/paper/dies, or try your hand at the spotlight technique, and make something fun! Be sure to link up at Shopping Our Stash! While there, please check out the fabulous designs my teammies created and leave them some love on their blogs. Thanks for stopping by!

I'd like to enter this card at:

Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge #281

Cas-ual Chic #2 - Pretty Patterns

 

Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Chubby Chums Pals, Incognito
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: American Crafts - #Summer
CS: Crafter's Companion; Darice
Accessories: GC; Lg & Sm Std Circle Nesties; Spectrum Noir markers; Ranger Glossy Accents; Sakura white Gelly Roll pen; Recollections alpha stickers
Adhesives: SA by 3L - tape runner, thin 3D foam squares