Twofer Challenge #6

Are you ready for the Twofer Challenge #6? This month we want to see what you can do with trees!

I love trees. For me that's reason enough to buy every tree stamp and die I can! Just for fun I counted all the tree stamps I own and the result was 62!!!! And I was NOT even counting Christmas trees or any trees I might have in my NBUS box... Wow! I didn't expect that! Do you think I need therapy?
Of course that made the decision which tree to use really hard. What helped me was that I needed a retirement card and had this idea to use all four seasons on one tree. So I thought of this tree from Sarasota Stamps that comes with an extra foliage stamp (picture further down).

Stamps: Sarasota Stamps (tree and foliage), Avery Elle (sentiment), Impression Obsession (nest, apples)
Other: Snowflake (punch)

I used the foliage stamp to create a border. The card is 5 x 7 inches.

Stamps: Sarasota Stamps (tree), Hero Arts (cat, bats), Impression Obsession (spiderweb background)

On this card I used glossy paper for the panel and Distress Inks to create the background.

This is the tree stamp with the foliage stamp from Sarasota Stamps. I bought it many years ago at a convention I used to go to with my friends. I googled it and it's still available! 

Here is a reminder what this Challenge is all about. For the exact rules and to check out the creations of the fabulous design team plus our guest designer Maria Rodriguez please click here.

Looking very much forward to seeing your cards in the gallery!

Be well and keep in touch!

The Twofer Challenge is Here!

Is your Mojo still snoring in a corner from all the feasting during the holidays? Do not fear, help is near! The brilliant and funny Darnell has come up with a new challenge that is just the thing you need to get out of your post holiday slump! It's called the Twofer Card Challenge and it starts today! For more information and the rules please click on the link and be sure to also read the FAQ section which is extremely helpful with this new kind of challenge that Darnell dreamed up!

Basically you will get a prompt each month and need to use the same stamps or dies to make two cards for two different occasions that should show the stamps or dies used in a very different way. (Darnell explains it so much better than me...)

This month the prompt is "FEATHERS" and as soon as I learned that I thought of breaking out a stamp and die set that a dear friend gave me a while ago. Here are the two cards I made (another important thing to keep in mind is to take a picture of both cards together and only post this one picture):

Stamps: My ArtC (feathers), Winnie & Walter (love)

Dies: SSS (stitched rectangle, you, tiny hearts), Avery Elle (scalloped border), WPlus9 (heart for mask)

This first card I made for Valentine's Day (which is right around the corner, ... just sayin'). I cut out a heart shaped mask, stamped and clear embossed one kind of feather, sponged, and stamped the other feathers. Then I added the you and tiny hearts cut from gold foil paper, stamped the love, cut the white panel with a stitched rectangle die, then with a scalloped border die, mounted it on a piece of patterned paper, and that on a white card. 

Stamps: We ArtC (feathers), PSX (feather background), Stampabilities (background)
Dies: We ArtC (feathers), Gina Marie (oval)

This is actually the second version of this card. A die on the background panel with the white feather background ended up being crooked so I started over and made the card I had in mind. A few days later the crooked panel was still sitting on my desk (I don't like making even "pretty" trash and love recycling). So I had the idea to cut out an oval, mount it on a dry embossed white panel (first stamped with the sentiment), add thin green strips on both sides, some baker's twine and the same feathers I used on the first card (stamped and white embossed on vellum, and cut out with the matching dies) and mount everything on a kraft card base. It makes me happy that I combined the new feather set with a very old PSX feather background on this card. Let me know if you ever had or still have that stamp!

I hope I have inspired you to join us! Can't wait to see what you come up with! Please also check out what the rest of the talented Design Team has created!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Be well and keep in touch!

Purple Best Wishes

It's a very busy time of the year - I am sure you all agree. For me that means very little time to play and blog, don't know how you all do it... Maybe you are better organized than I am...

Amidst all the gorgeous holiday cards in blog land I dare to show you a birthday card!

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (background), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: My Favorite Things (flowers and leaves)

Clear embossed the background on watercolor paper and watercolored it. Die cut the flowers, the purple one is watercolored, the smaller one is cut from a scrap of shimmery vellum. Stamped the sentiment on a strip of vellum.


Sending this to

CAS Watercolor December Challenge






Just realized it would work also for

CAS Mix Up December Challenge
I used heat embossing, watercoloring, and die cutting

Be well and keep in touch!

Stars Just For You

When I saw Heather's color combo at the August color challenge at Winnie & Walter I knew I wanted to create something using them. These colors together make me so happy! 

Stamps: Winnie & Walters (stars), Uniko (sentiment)
Die: Avery Elle (border)
Other: Schmincke Watercolors


This month's theme at CAS Mix Up is watercolor wash. I watched all the videos that Loll recommended and learned a lot! I tried one of the ways to do a color wash in the background and like how smooth it came out. Thanks Loll for always providing links to technique videos! That was very helpful!


Winnie & Walter August Color Combo Challenge
ETA: This one was a favorite!






Winnie & Walter Rerun #23
Unfortunately I don't own " A Tree for all Seasons" but I was inspired by Vanessa's card.






CAS Mix Up September Challenge 
I am not sure if my card is CAS enough for the challenge - if it isn't please just ignore it.

Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember Wednesday Challenge "Stamp It"







As always, thank you so much for your visit and comments! If you have any questions let me know (my email is in the "Contact Me" page).

Be well,

Inlaid 60th Birthday

Quickly popping in to post this card before both challenges close...

Stamps: My Favorite Things (flower background), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (numbers), PTI (edge)


It's hard to see that I covered the numbers with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents after coloring them with Faber Castell Polychromos.


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

My Favorite Things Camp Create 2017 "Inlaid Made Easy"






The Flower Challenge #11 "Focus on Background Stamping"

ETA: Thanks to Christine I am sending this also to

Kreativ Durcheinander #42 "Buchstaben und Zahlen"

Be well and keep in touch,

Marbling with Shaving Cream

I LOVE making backgrounds. Almost more than making cards. There, I said it. There are so many decisions involved when you make a card...
Anyway, the marbling technique with shaving cream is quite easy and tons of fun. A couple of weeks ago I made a card to enter at the current CAS Mix Up but when it was all finished I realized there was no stamping on it! Might not have been CAS enough anyway. I'll show it to you some other time. A couple of days ago I made another card with stamping.

Stamp: Sentiment (Verses Rubber Stamps)
Die: Avery Elle (stitched scalloped border)

Just used a strip of marbled paper to keep it CAS. The yellow dots are made with nail polish. Read about this months ago somewhere on this world wide web. You make them on a craft sheet and after they are completely dry you adhere them to the card with a drop of glue.
By the way, the colors of the background piece and the border are a little different in real life (nicer) but no amount of editing would change them.


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration):


CAS Mix Up Challenge - September 2016
So excited that this card won "Outstanding Design"!






Addicted to CAS #97 "Stitched"






Be well,

Susanne

Happy (belated) Birthday, Sandie!

Between the end of school year activities and starting a new job I have even less time to create. After an especially crazy week I really needed to recharge my batteries on Sunday by getting crafty...

I am terribly late (possibly the last) in wishing Sandie from London Days a very Happy 50th Birthday! But better late than never, I always think, and hope that Sandie will enjoy celebrating a bit longer!

Stamps: Happy Little Stamper (Happy Birthday), Avery Elle (belated)

My collection of washi tape has been whining that I keep forgetting about them and they were right, so I pulled them out. I honored Sandie's love of lot's of white space, CAS, and purple. The sentiment (in black) is from a set that I recently won from Happy Little Stampers. Love all the different fonts in that set! I added an assortment of purple washi tape and some flower gems.

There are two parties going on for Sandie and I am sending this card to both of them:

Time Out "Extra"

CAS with the optional twist of purple


Kylie, owner of Happy Little Stampers






Sandie, I hope this coming year will bring you lots of wonderful things and always enough time to create and do what makes you happy!

Hugs,

Uniko - Mother's Day

It's late and I really need to go to bed but a challenge closes soon and wanted to enter the card I made for it!
Recently I was lucky to win a very generous prize from Uniko. I couldn't wait to play with my first stamps from this sweet company. I started with the set called "Beautiful Blooms III". They stamp beautifully and are very easy to align. I had lots of fun creating this card!
ETA: I feel like I have to point out the gold strip, splatters and "happy" because the photo doesn't really show it!

Stamps: Uniko (Beautiful Blooms III, Simply Said), SSS (happy)
Die: Avery Elle (stitched zigzag border)


Challenge:

Uniko #30 "Spring/Easter"
Mother's Day is in spring...






That's it from me today! I am sooo tired!
So happy you came by for a visit!

Be well,

Flowers on wood background

The Pin Sights Challenge over at Ellen Hudson and Marika's card over at Time Out inspired me to make this:

Stamps: MFT (wood background), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: Ellen Hutson (flowers & leaves), SSS (heart)


Die cut the flowers and leaves (NBUS) from watercolor paper and then watercolored them (to avoid the white edges). Stamped the background (NBUS) and the sentiment. Die cut the little heart, watercolored and applied WoS and foam mounted it.


And now look at this gorgeous inspiration board! Don't you love all that deep red! I was inspired by the red flower bouquet on the top left and by the layout of Marika's card.




















       


Also sending this to Uniko where "Anything Goes" with an optional "Love"  (check!)






and Addicted to CAS #80 where the challenge is "Red"







By the way, the card for my sister (see last post) finally arrived after almost three weeks! I guess the postal workers were exhausted after the holidays and took it very easy... But at least it didn't get lost! Hate when THAT happens!

Thanks for your visit and please come back!

Hugs,
Susanne

Mother's Day for Happy Little Stamper Sketch

When I saw the sketch for April at Happy Little Stamper I was attracted to the rainbow stripe but then went a different route (besides there are already several gorgeous rainbow cards in the gallery - check them out). Here is my card:

Stamps: Autumn Leaves (flowers), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Die: MFT Dienamics (mom)

The MOM is cut out from a nice shade of burgundy that works well with the red ink but looks brownish on my screen.

Challenge:

Happy Little Stampers April Sketch Challenge








That's it from me for today! Need to go to bed and get my beauty rest...

Enjoy your weekend,
Susanne

SSS Wednesday Challenge - All creatures great and small / CASology #133

Quickly popping in to share yet another love card...

Stamps: Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (branch, bird)
Paper: Marco's Paper (cloud paper)


Challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - All creatures great and small





CASology - week 133 - Love





ETA: This card was a "Favorite Pick" at Stamps at Play's Valentine special!

Have an amazing weekend,
Susanne