Sweet Birthday

Hi!  Today's card was created using the sketch from Retro Sketches, the Inkspirational Challenge to use 5 or more stamps, the Anything Goes Challenge at Seize the Birthday and the Anything Goes with Dies at HLS.

This card clears out 2 more sets from my box of NBUS - I'm now down to cough, 32 cough unused stamp sets!  Luckily I don't treat dies as NBUS or I'd be totally overwhelmed ha ha!

This card uses Baked With Love and Sprinkled With Joy by Lawn Fawn.  I just love these images and wanted to use them in a card, but didn't really feel like creating a "kitchen" on my card.  So I used the sentiment banner as the counter-top and that was much less work :)  The images were stamped, Copic-colored and die-cut and then arranged the elements and popped them up with the sentiment banner on foam tape.

The card base is a 5" square Soft Stone base and on top of that I used a white panel die-cut with a stitched die.  

All in all, I used 9 individual images, including the sentiment!

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Baked With Love, Sprinkled With Joy (Lawn Fawn)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Versamark
Cardstock:  Soft Stone (PTI), White, X-Press It
Dies:  Baked With Love, Sprinkled With Joy (Lawn Fawn), Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT), Stitched Mats Square (Lil' Inkers)
Accessories:  White EP, Copic Markers

Cheers
Karren

Elephant Shaker

Hi!  I'm popping in really quickly with a card I made using the soon-to-close Retro Sketch as well as the Spectacular Shakers challenge at MFT Stamps Camp Create.   I'm hoping by the end of the weekend to have completed all the Camp Create challenges.  Wish me luck!  As Seize the Birthday have an Anything Goes challenge, I'll link up there too.  This card also meets the challenge at CAS Mix Up and this is my second entry there (stamps, die-cuts and acetate/shaker)

I used the vertical panel in the sketch to make a fun shaker card for a little girl.  I die-cut the white panels and adhered acetate between them  I then white-embossed the sentiment and adhered that behind the acetate and that's where the foam tape sits to stop the sequins falling out the bottom of the card as the acetate goes right to the bottom.

Once I'd completed the shaker component, I worked on the embellishments.  Some of the gorgeous Homespun Gingham paper was used along the top along with some pink striped baker's twine.  The aptly-named adorable elephant and two butterflies were stamped, colored with Copics and die-cut.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Adorable Elephants (MFT)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Acetate, X-Press It, Cotton Candy (SSS)
Dies:  Adorable Elephants, Basic Stitch Lines (MFT), Stitched Scalloped Border (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories:  Sequins, Copics, White EP, twine

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Seize the Birthday.

Purplicious

It's Friday evening here and I spent some time in my craft room tonight making this card for a few challenges:

I colored up Blanche using the colors from Color Throwdown and to meet the Aging with Attitude challenge at Art Impressions.  I also used the sketch from Retro Sketches and the Summer Fun theme at Cardz 4 Galz.

I used a white card base and on top of that a white panel die-cut with Wonky Stitched Rectangles.  I also cut a Wonky Stitched Rectangle from Raspberry Fizz cardstock and a Wonky Circle from Royal Velvet.  For the crossed over lines, I cut thin strips of Melon Berry cardstock and die-cut them with a die from the Basic Stitch Lines set.

I finished the card with some sequins and a fun sentiment, also from Art Impressions.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Blanche, sentiment (Art Impressions)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid

Cardstock:  White, Royal Velvet, Raspberry Fizz, Melon Berry (PTI)

Dies:  Wonky Stitched Circles and Rectangles (MFT), Basic Stitch Lines (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, sequins

Cheers

Karren

Tons of Fun

Hi!  After spending all my crafting time for the last two weeks on DT commitments, I finally had some time today to sit down and make something for a few challenges.  I decided to make a card using the sketch at Retro Sketches and I'm also linking this up to Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes and Seize the Birthday.

I had a few false starts with this card and it's not my best card by a long shot, but it'll do :)  I colored the little elephant, flowers and kite with Copics and die-cut them.  The hill and cloud were die-cut and sponged with Twisted Citron and Tumbled Glass ink respectively.  I smile when I look at the blank space in the centre because it reminds me of kids' drawings where there is sky at the top, grass at the bottom and a big nothing in the middle!  But I wanted a light look to this card, so left the centre blank.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Adorable Elephants (MFT)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It

Dies:  Adorable Elephants (MFT), Stitched Hills & Slopes (SSS), Stitched Cloud Edges (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Retro Sketches.

Pawesome

And it's Friday evening... :)  I took some time this evening to do a bit of coloring and once I was finished, I decided to make it into a card.  This card is for the cat/dog challenge at Paper Players, the sketch at Retro Sketches and the colors at Sunday Stamps.

I stamped and colored the wee dog using Copics, then used an old towel and some colorless blender to give him some texture.  He was then mounted onto a white panel using foam tape, onto which I'd stamped part of the sentiment and die-cut the rest.

The Schoolhouse Red layer was sponged with a stencil to add some interest.  When I originally went to write my blog post for this card, I realised I'd forgotten the flags in the top right corner of the sketch, so I quickly went back to my craft room to rectify that problem.  The close-up photo was taken before that correction:

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  You Are Pawesome

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid (MFT), Schoolhouse Red

Cardstock:  Desert Storm, Dark Chocolate, Schoolhouse Red, X-Press It, White, Slate

Dies:  Cat and Dog Pawsome, Stitched Flags (SugarPea Designs)

Accessories:  Scribble Script stencil (Donna Downey), Copics, button

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Paper Players and Retro Sketches.

Doodlebud Wishes

Hi and welcome!  Today's card was made using the current sketch at Retro Sketches and the Just Add Nature theme at Just Add Ink.  And I need to add that my flowers were heavily inspired by this card made by Shari Carroll.  I saw her card and wanted to try and recreate the loose watercolored look of the flowers.

I started by stamping and coloring the flowers onto watercolor paper, purely for practice.  Once I'd finished, I went looking for a sketch challenge where I could utilise them.  As soon as I saw the Retro Sketches challenge, I knew my flowers would work.  I cut a rectangle and rounded opposite corners and popped it up on foam tape onto a white cardbase onto which I'd adhered a strip of striped paper.

I then spent an inordinate amount of time trying to work out the best shape for the other element in the sketch!  In the end, I settled for a small tag with just the end poking out behind the flower.  This was cut from Summer Sunrise cardstock to match the orange flower at the bottom.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Doodlebuds (WP9), Sending and Wishing (SSS)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock:  White, watercolor, Dots & Stripes Neutrals (MFT), Summer Sunrise (PTI)
Dies:  Doodlebuds (WP9), Tag Builder 4 (MFT)
Accessories:  Zig markers, corner chomper

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Retro Sketches.

Shake it Up

Hi!  Here's another card using one of my NBUS Girlfriends stamps from Art Impressions.

I love coloring these girls because they're pretty easy to color, with no real thought to shading.  As these chicks are dancing, I've put them in very sparkly clothes using copious quantities of Wink of Stella :)

After coloring them, I die-cut them with a circle die, cutting the front lady's foot out using the Out of the Box technique.  I then put the layers together, using Papertrey Ink cardstock that most closely matched the Copic colors.

I used the sketch at Retro Sketches as well as the Sparkle theme at Simon Says Stamp.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Dance it Out (Art Impressions)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  Hawaiian Shores, Limeade Ice (PTI), white, X-Press It

Dies:  Horizontal Stitched Stripes, Pierced Circle STax, Stitched Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Wink of Stella, Copics, PPP sequins

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Retro Sketches.

Oooh, Shiny

This is my second post today, as I'm cranking out some cards for challenges on this, the last day of my long weekend.

This card uses the stars theme from Cupcake Inspiration Challenge, as well as the black/white/glam theme at Verve October Inspiration Challenge and the sketch from Retro Sketches.

I started with a white card base, then added a smaller white panel with silver glitter paper top and bottom.  In the middle of that is a black panel, on top of which I adhered the sentiment, also cut out of the silver glitter paper.  The stars I found in the packet with the glitter paper and I think they are cut from Verve's Starry Dies.  These are popped up on foam tape.

A pretty simple but shiny and glittery card - the only way I like glitter - firmly adhered to card :)

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Good Times (PTI)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, black, silver glitter paper

Dies:  Good Times (PTI), Starry dies (Verve)

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Cupcake Inspirations and Retro Sketches.

Pumpkin Girl

Hi!  I'm sneaking in quickly to post this card before the linky closes at Retro Sketches!  I'm also linking up to the challenge at ColourQ, Addicted to Stamps, who have a Halloween inspired picture and Simply Create Too, who are asking for Halloween colors.

I stamped and colored my pumpkin girl before fussy cutting her out.  I then dug out some Kiwi Kiss cardstock and layered a strip onto some black and adhered that down the center of a white card base.  The sentiment is white embossed and popped up on foam tape.  Finally, the girl is also stuck down on foam tape and "sitting" on the sentiment strip.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Greeting Card Kids (SU), Sweet Little Sentiments (Clearly Besotted)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, Black, Kiwi Kiss, X-Press It

Accessories:  Copics, white EP

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at ColourQ.