Fusion – Fruit Challenge

Hi, everyone!

Just swinging by with another card inspired by a challenge. Today’s card was inspired by the latest Fusion Card Challenge, Fusion – Fruit!

This was a fun card to make! A good challenge too! The Fusion Card Challenge features a sketch and a photo. You can draw inspiration from the sketch or the photo… or both. It’s really up to you.

For my card, I drew a little inspiration from both the sketch and the photo. I used the sketch as the basis for my design. I did rotate it, making it vertical rather than horizontal. The photo inspiration was there, although I guess one could argue was a bit weak, but I did purposely use critters with watermelon (from the Sealiously Sweet stamp set from Sunny Studio) because of the photo.

To make the little fussy cut critters stand out, I sponged a little black ink underneath them. I also added a few stamped hearts (stamped with a heart from the Beach Babies set) and white dots.

The rest of the card features a dry embossed background (created with a folder from Sunny Studio), as well as a few patterned paper scraps and a sentiment strip (stamped with the Fabulous Flamingos set, which really is fabulous, in my personal opinion)!

So that’s what I have for you. A big thanks to the Fusion Card Challenge crew for the challenge. It was a really nice way to get to my creative juices flowing today. Thanks, guys!

Be back again later, gators.

 

Lawn Fawnatics Challenge 82

Hi, friends!

Just sliding in under the deadline for the latest Lawn Fawnatics Challenge (no. 82).

My friend, Ashley, and I vowed to each other to attempt the challenges way more often as we both dig Lawn Fawn and each have a hefty stash of LF goods. So, in full disclosure mode, let me confess that this card is not my best.

The good thing about challenges is trying something out of your creative comfort zone. The bad thing? Sometimes, you try too hard to make it work and find yourself just going with it. So, yeah, that’s the story of today’s card and this challenge card.

Let’s start with what went wrong for me. It was the color combo. I found myself stressing way too much on the color scheme of the challenge and spent way too much time, trying to create the perfect background with Lawn Fawn’s Cloudy stencil.

And things kinda fell about from there as I messed up my inking (this is actually the third background I did, friends) and then got fixated on trying to cover it up. Way more  fixated on trying to cover it up than the  actual cute birthday scene with the Hay There critters.

So rather than talk about it falling apart and not coming together perfectly, let’s just say I trudged on, trying to make the best of it and ended up with this card. Not the best for me, but not the worst. Just not what I really planned on. And that really is how it goes sometimes.

Onto the next challenge. 😉

Thanks for stopping by, friends. I’ll be back again later.

Toaster, Toast and Cute Barn Animals

Hi, friends!

Back with another card to share. Today’s card is a bit unusual but it was sure fun to put together.

There was a food-inspired card challenge over with Lawn Fawnatics recently. In ended a few weeks ago, but I still wanted to give it a go and make something with my Lawn Fawn food-themed stamp sets so I did. This is what I came up with.

It’s kind of a breakfast scene of sorts. I started out with the toast, butter and toaster from the Let’s Toast set.

Then I felt like it just needed some cute critters added to it. And I had a few critters left over from last time I played with the Hay There set so I pulled them out and added them to the scene.

It’s totally a goofy card but it’s kind of fun … and kinda made me giggle as I made it. Hope it does for you too!

The sentiment was actually created by pairing together words from both stamp sets. I thought it was pretty neat that they had words that worked so well together. That doesn’t always happen with stamps.

For the coloring everything on this card, I used markers. I borrowed a little inspiration too from Kathy Racoosin and pulled my pencils to do a little shading to the toast and toaster. I feel like it really made a difference. Thanks for the inspiration to play and try things, Kathy!

Alright! That’s it for me. I’ll be back again later with another card.

By the way, I’ve got a post over on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog that you might want to check out. It’s a super easy tutorial on how to make tiny skinny cards. They are a great way to use up your patterned paper scraps, plus they are a ton of fun to make.

I hope you’ll check it out!

See you again soon, friends!

Sealiously Awesome Card

Hi, friends!

I guess I’m on a bit of a seal kick as I’ve got another seal card to share with you today. Meet today’s card.

I once again used one of the seals from the Sealiously Sweet stamp set from Sunny Studio. I colored this guy in with markers and then added a layer of clear glaze to the float and glasses. I think it just adds a little something.

I created the plaid panel with cardstock and the Buffalo Plaid embossing folder (also from Sunny Studio). I kinda just wanted to give a hint of water so I took an cosmetic sponge (old school, I know) sponged some blue ink onto the panel. It’s subtle but it does the trick!

The sentiment is also from the Sealiously Sweet stamp set. Let’s be frank. It’s a hot mess underneath. I used a combination of adhesives (Double-Sided Tape and Permanent Dots) to anchor the seal and sentiment together and then add the thread. For kicks, I present you with Exhibit A.

To anchor it on the panel, I had some leftover pieces of 3D Foam Creative Sheets on my desk from other projects I’ve been working on. I cut up a piece and slapped it on the back of the sentiment and seal. I present to you Exhibit B.

Yep. They aren’t going anywhere. Wink.

Oh, by the way, those tiny strips of cardstock. Little trick. I just cut strips of cardstock and then used my markers to try to match the colors I used on the seal’s inflatable.

That’s it for today. I’ll be back later! See you again soon, friends. Thank you for visiting my blog!

Paper Smooches Blog Hop

Hi, guys!

Paper Smooches turned NINE in February! Time flies! Seems like just yesterday that Kim launched her company! A big happy birthday to Paper Smooches and continued good vibes for Kim!

The anniversary means it’s time to share the NEW Paper Smooches’  FEBRUARY 2020 release with you! (Hot diggity dog!)

There is ONE new stamp set, TWO new dies, and ONE new ephemera die-cut pack! Yay! The new products are now available to purchase here.

To add extra fun to our blog hop…there is a prize!  The prize – a $50 gift code to use at the PS online store.

Here are the details:

• TWO winners will be chosen at RANDOM from any of the blogs below
• Leave a comment on any of the blogs listed  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify but it will increase your chances of winning)
• Deadline: You have until midnight Central time on February 8th to leave a comment. 
• Please check the Paper Smooches blog on February 9th to see if you are one of the TWO lucky winners.  

Paper Smooches blog

Design Team:

Teri Anderson

Karin Akesdotter

Savannah O’ Gwynn

Alice Huang

Jill Hawkins

Michele Boyer

Here are some ways to increase your chances of winning:

• Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop.  If you don’t already like the PS FB page, please do https://www.facebook.com/PaperSmooches
• Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop (follow PS on Twitter – https://twitter.com/papersmooches)
• Share our blog hop on Instagram @papersmooches
• Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

Enough blog hop talk. Let’s get to the card!

Created this guy with the brand new Happy Hellos stamp set and Happy Hello Icons dies. I also added some hearts cut with the Tiny Hearts dies. (By the way, did you take Kathy’s Coloring Road Trip class on Online Card Classes? I applied some of her tips from to color in the bees. Boy, I sure love the end result! Thanks for tips, Kathy!)

Created the background paper myself with the ink and the Buffalo Check Stencil. I have made so many background papers with it. It’s so darn fun!

Alright! That’s all I have for you! I’ll be back again later, gators! Thanks, as always, for hopping with us… and for stopping by my blog-a-roo!

PS! Don’t forget that Paper Smooches wants to see your work! Did you know that Paper Smooches offers up a fun challenge each month?  Keep an eye on the PS blog for details.

 

Coffee Loving Cardmakers + Paper Smooches Collaboration Hop

 

Hi, guys!

I’m happy to be blog hopping today with the Paper Smooches design team and Coffee Loving Cardmakers team today. We’re sharing some card ideas that are sure to “buzz” your creative juices… or maybe even “perk up” your day.

Without any more delay, here’s my card for the hop!

Ta-da! It’s a new card, created just for the hop. I used a couple different Paper Smooches stamp sets: Daddy Yo 2 and Hot Concoctions for all the images.

Thought it would be fun to dress up the coffee cups. To save on time though, I stamped them on patterned paper before cutting them out with a die.

The sentiment was created by pairing together words from the Caffeinated stamp set.

Alright. So that’s it for today’s card.

Don’t forget to keep buzzing along and blog hopping for more card inspiration… plus you’ll also get a chance to win a prize for leaving comments along the way. .

Visit The Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog to begin the hop or click on any or all of the links below.

Paper Smooches blog 

Paper Smooches Design Team

Alice Huang
Jill Hawkins
Karin Akesdotter
Michele Boyer
Savannah O’ Gwynn
Teri Anderson

Coffee Loving Cardmakers 

Amy Tsuruta

Kerry Urbatch

Helen Gullett

Lisa Bzibziak

Robyn Jordan

Lori Turner

Annette Allen

Dana Warren

Erin Thiem

Katie Brooks

Kathy Schweinfurth

Lisa Golzbein

Happy hopping! Thank you, as always, for stopping by!

Paper Smooches September Blog Hop

Hi, friends! Let’s hop! It’s Paper Smooches Blog Hop time once again! The gang’s all here  And the gang is banding together to share a sampling of projects made with the NEW Paper Smooches September 2019 release with you!

• 2 NEW STAMP SETS

• 4 NEW DIES

• 2 NEW STENCILS

Eight new products will be available to purchase here at 10 am Central time on September 7th. Hooray!

To add extra fun to our blog hop…there is a prize!  The prize – a $50. gift code to use at the PS online store.

Here are the details:

+  TWO winners will be chosen at RANDOM from any of the blog links below

+ Leave a comment on any of the blogs listed below (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify but it will increase your chances of winning) 

+ Deadline: You have until midnight Central time on September 8th to leave a comment.

+ Please check the Paper Smooches blog on September 9th to see if you are one of the TWO lucky winners.

Paper Smooches blog

Guests:

Amy Rysavy

Lydia Fiedler

Design Team:

Alice Huang

Jill Hawkins

Karin Akesdotter

Michele Boyer

Savannah O’ Gwynn

Teri Anderson

Ways to increase your chances of winning:

• Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop.  If you don’t already like the PS FB page, please do here.
• Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop (follow PS on Twitter – https://twitter.com/papersmooches)
• Share our blog hop on Instagram @papersmooches
• Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four extra chances to win on each blog…. can I get a woohoo?)

Alright! So let’s get on with the project.

Created this one with a couple new products. Made the background with new Buffalo Plaid stencil. Simply plopped the stencil on orange cardstock and then sponged dark orange on top.

The leaves were cut with the brand new Linked Leaves die. It’s so dang fun. I cut it a couple times from white cardstock. I stacked them on top of each of each other and then used markers to add some color to the inner pieces.

For a little extra pop, I added some dots and lines with a white pen. I also added some white thread behind the leaves. Always love that look.

Alright. That’s all I have for today. Thanks for stopping by! I’ll see you again.

 

August 2019 Paper Smooches Blog Hop

Hello again, friends! It’s the best day of the month. It’s Paper Smooches Blog Hop time. And the gang is banding together to share a sampling of projects made with thethe NEW Paper Smooches AUGUST 2019 release with you!

• 2 NEW STAMPS

• 4 NEW DIES

• 2 NEW STENCILS

Eight new products will be available to purchase here at 10 am Central time on August 7th. Yeppers! That is tomorrow! Woo-to-the-hoo!

To add extra fun to our blog hop…there is a prize!  The prize – a $30. gift code to use at the PS online store.

Here are the details:

• Leave a comment on any of the blogs listed below (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify but it will increase your chances of winning) 
• FOUR winners will be chosen at RANDOM from any of the blog below
• Deadline: You have until midnight Central time on August 8th to leave a comment.
• Please check the Paper Smooches blog on August 9th to see if you are one of the FOUR lucky winners.

Paper Smooches blog

Guests:

Laura Williams

Laurie Willison

Design Team:

Alice Huang

Jill Hawkins

Karin Akesdotter

Michele Boyer

Savannah O’ Gwynn

Teri Anderson

Ways to increase your chances of winning:

• Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop.  If you don’t already like the PS FB page, please do here.
• Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop (follow PS on Twitter – https://twitter.com/papersmooches)
• Share our blog hop on Instagram @papersmooches
• Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four extra chances to win on each blog…. can I get a woohoo?)

Alright! So let’s get on with the project.

I had a blast creating the cactus plant for this card with the new Cacti dies. These dies allow you make all kinds of cactus.

I’m not from a cactus-friendly place so be kind to any creative liberties take with this cactus. (Wink!) In card land, everything is possible, right?

I created the custom sentiment for the card by pairing together words from two stamp sets – Kindness Sampler and Delightful Greetings. The little heart? It, too, is from Delightful Greetings. It just… appropriate… for this card.

The background for this card was creating by mixing together a bunch of paper scraps from my never-ending bin of scraps. (Can you relate?)

Alright! That’s it for this card.

But got a question for you. Do you have a pile of Paper Smooches stamps and dies? Don’t forget there’s a chance for you share what you are making with them. Paper Smooches offers a fun challenge every month. Watch the blog for details. Kim LOVES and I MEAN LOVES seeing what you are creating! 

Thanks so very much for checking out the hop today! I appreciate all your kinds words! See you again soon.  

A Super Duper Card…

Hi, everyone!

Me again with another handmade stamped card to share with you. Today’s card is super… well, it features some super duper heroes. Super heroes, that is.

Meet today’s card.

I just had fun the other day, coloring in these two heroes from the new  Super Duper stamp set from Sunny Studio Stamps. In full disclosure: I’ve been on a big super hero kick for awhile so I totally gravitated toward this set!

I stamped the two heroes on cardstock, colored them in with markers and fussy cut them with my scissors. My fussy cutting wasn’t exactly perfect so I used a trick from one of my friends: I took a black marker and ran it along the edges. Easy peasy. And a super nice way to cover up the boo boos. 

The clouds are some I stamped and die-cut while working a bit back with the Sunnyville stamp set from Paper Smooches. Always fun when you can mix and match different products together.

Oh, you might be wondering about the background! It’s one I made awhile ago while messing around with watercolors and watercolor paper. I added a couple stamped stars to it when I put it on the card. I used a colored pencil to add a little color to each star as well.

Alright. That’s it for now. I’ll be back later, gators. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

It’s Been Awhile: All Inside Stamp Set

Hi, friends!

Back again with a card that uses a stamp set I’ve not given a lot of love to in awhile, All Inside by Julie Ebersole from Ellen Hutson.

I feel like saying, “Hello, old friend,” when talking about this stamp set. I have loved this stamp set for so long, but it just hasn’t seen a lot of love lately from me. And since I’ve been trying to give a little more love to those stamp sets I’ve had for a long time and haven’t inked up in awhile, I decided it was a good time to bring it back to my craft table.

I didn’t go super crazy on coloring the bear. Instead I grabbed a couple gray markers and added a few highlights (or shadows) on to the bear’s fur. It’s subtle and a fun look I think.

It was sure fun creating this little scene for the card. The bear’s basket and flowers were stamped with the Bear Ware stamp set (and coordinating dies). It’s a really a fun way to sauce up the bear and make him (or her) unique.

I felt like this little bear just need something extra so I added a dog. I love how the little dog is looking up so lovingly! Hehe! I stamped the dog with the Animal Sweaters set from Flora & Fauna. Yes, it’s a Christmas set… but so many images can easily be used to make cards all year round. I love that.

The card’s friendly sentiment is also from the All Inside stamp set. A little secret: I cut the panel a little too big and had adhere it to the card so I fixed it by stamping a few polka dots with Patternology stamp set from Paper Smooches. I had to do a little masking off the end of the panel to make sure no stray marks ended up on my card, but it was well worth it!

Alright. That is it for me today. I hope you enjoyed checking out this friendship card. I’ll be back again later, friends.