Dog Sympathy Card

Hello! On Monday I learned of the tragic passing of a dog from the apartment complex where I work. So, I made this Dog Sympathy Card for the owner's. Losing a pet is heartbreaking and sometimes the little things help to get us through.

This Dog Sympathy Card is pretty simple to create. The cloud paper is by Kaiser Craft from the Little Treasures Collection. A die cut cloud using a Puffy Cloud border die by Lawn Fawn. The heartfelt sympathy sentiment is by Unity Stamps from the No Better Words sentiment kit (December 2020). A dog silhouette die cut made using a Cricut machine and then three blue heart sequins added for detail. That's it and thanks for stopping by.

  

Tenth Year Blogiversary

Wow! Today marks the tenth year since I started this Savvy Handmade Cards blog. I want to thank all of my followers! As of today I have 196 followers and 622,484 page views. It's amazing how much has changed in the past ten years. When I started making handmade cards I used a lot of stickers for images and sentiment stamps. Over the years my stamp collection has grown and now I color a lot of my images with Copic markers and use coordinating dies to cut them out with my Big Shot. I still love using patterned paper! There is just something about pretty/cute paper that makes me happy. I don't know what's in store for the next ten years, but I've enjoyed sharing my handmade cards with you. 😊

This Tiger WOWzers Card was made for my niece. She is a senior in high school and has decided to attend East Central University, where I graduated, to pursue her education. The university mascot is a tiger, so I couldn't resist using the Tabby Tigers stamp set from Whimsy Stamps. To add some detail I used the Connected Rectangle die from Whimsy Stamps. Everything was adhered flat and three sequins added for some sparkle. That's it! I'm so glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. 

Challenges entered:

• Cardz 4 Galz: Zoo/Safari Animals
• Crafty Animals: Anything Goes with an Animal
• Crafts Galore Encore: Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes/Colours of Spring Option
• Critter Crazy: Anything Goes with a Featured Critter
• Dragonfly Dreams: Something to Make You Smile

Forest Christmas Cards

Hello! Now that Halloween is almost behind us I've been working on Christmas cards. These Forest Christmas Cards feature a darling stamp by Stampendous. I adore the critters peeking out of the tree. To color the image I used Copic markers and then Stickles was added to the snow for a little shimmer. Both patterned papers are from Echo Park. I only had one piece of the holly paper, so I picked red polka dot papers to coordinate. The Merry Christmas sentiment is from Hero Arts and was punched with an oval punch and matted to a scalloped oval both by Stampin' Up!. To finish the cards three small punched snowflakes were added and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!🎄

Challenges entered: Addicted to Stamps and More (Christmas), Aud Sentiments (Christmas Sentiment), Crafty Catz (Anything Goes), Jingle Belles (Not a Creature was Stirring) and The Holly and Ivy Christmas (Anything Christmas Goes).

Christmas Critter Card

Hello! The month of July is almost over and I finally made this Christmas Critter Card for a few Christmas challenges. At the beginning of the month I intended on making several Christmas cards, but I just couldn't get motivated. So, I guess one card is better than none. 😊

This Christmas Critter Card features images from Hello Bluebird. Every image except the bunny is from the Christmas is Coming stamp set and the bunny is from the O Christmas Tree stamp set. Copic markers were used to color the images and the coordinating dies used to cut them out. Everything was adhered flat onto a piece of snowflake paper from the Winter Market paper pad by Carta Bella. Well, that's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Anything Goes + Sentiment
• Crafty Gals Corner: Christmas in July
• Dream Valley: Christmas in July
• Krafty Chicks: Anything Goes
• Simon Says: Anything Goes

Thanksgiving Card with Critters

Good day! Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States and I'm still busy making cards to send to family. My crafting speed definitely doesn't keep up with the calendar and I'm also easily distracted. So, I'm a little behind schedule.😊 This Thanksgiving Card with Critters features the Giving Thanks stamp set by Pretty Pink Posh. The critters were colored with Copic markers and then die cut with the coordinating dies. Colors were selected from the leaf paper by Echo Park (Happy Fall paper pad). To frame the little scene two narrow stripes of patterned paper were added and then I used the sewing machine to add stitching. Everything was adhered flat and that's it! Thanks for stopping by.

Challenges entered:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: Anything w/ Critters
• 613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes- Option: Critters
• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes 

Thanksgiving Card - TMS #578

Good day crafty friends and welcome back! Today is the start of a new sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches and I know you're going to love this sketch designed by Melissa Craig. It's perfect to use scrap papers or to cut that new paper pad you just bought. I did a little of both. The Happy Thanksgiving sentiment was already stamped left over from last year, so I started with that and then picked papers that went with the Bugaboo image.

We would love for you to play along this week! The design team provided a variety of inspiration and you can find their designs and all the challenge details HERE. We look forward to seeing your creations! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

Autumn Critters Card - TMS #520

Happy Tuesday! I hope you're ready to play along with this weeks sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches. It has some fun angled panels which I always enjoy. The design team has a variety of inspiration for you this week and we are lucky to have two guest designers joining the fun. Click HERE for our inspirational creations and challenge details. To play along with the challenge you'll need to link your creation by 8 pm on Sunday.  😊

To create this Autumn Critters Card I decided to rotate the sketch. I've had this critter image by Bugaboo Stamps printed for awhile and thought it was a good opportunity to use it. The plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and the leaves are from the Fall Break paper pad by Carta Bella. To finish off the card nine glimmer stickers were adhered to follow the sketch and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

Challenges entered:

• Allsorts: Autumn
• Catch The Bug: Anything Goes
• Crafty Friends: Autumn Colours
• Dream Valley: Autumn Colours

Sketch #520:

Otterly Amazing Card

Hello! I hope all is well in your world today. This afternoon I read the challenge at Simon Says Stamp was to make your own background, so I decided to play along. After finding a couple of masculine challenges at Watercooler Wednesday and Use Your Stuff this Otterly Amazing Card was in the works. The stamp set used is called Otter Friends by Hello Bluebird and I totally feel in love with it the minute I saw it. After coloring the images with Copic markers they were die cut with the coordinating dies. To make the background I used distress inks in Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Chipped Sapphire. The outer paper started with Sahara Sand cardstock by Stampin' Up! and it was inked with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap distress inks. Water was spritzed onto the inked papers and some color dabbed away. The heat gun was used to help speed the drying process. A Memory Box die called Underwater Collage was used and the images positioned onto the card. The final addition was the heat embossed sentiment and that's it. I'm also entering this card in the anything goes challenge at Word Art Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Here is a closer look at these adorable otters:

Loss of Pet Sympathy Card

For those of you who have lost a pet you understand the heartbreak it brings. My friend and her hubby lost their 14 year old Yorkie yesterday and I know they are devastated. He was sweet and cute and went everywhere with them. They, like us, have no children and their dog was the center of their lives. I made this card for them in the hopes that it will help in some small way. 💔

The layout and design for this Loss of Pet Sympathy Card was based on a card I made in 2013 (click here). I moved the twine and used a different paper and embossing folder, but the sentiment and paw print stamps are the same. Thanks for stopping by and give your fur baby and extra hug today.

Challenges entered: Just Add Ink (Just Add Embossing), Make My Monday (Make it Krafty) and The Creative Crafters (Anything Goes).

Otter Anniversary Card

It's been a few days since my last post but it's been pretty busy around my house. This week my hubby and I are celebrating our Twentieth Wedding Anniversary. It has really gone by fast!!! I wanted to make a special card to celebrate and I bought the Christmas Like No Otter stamp set for Simon Says Stamp by Lawn Fawn for the occasion. We love to visit the otters when go to the local Tulsa Zoo. They are fun and charismatic creatures!

To make this card I started with a piece of watercolor paper and oxide inks in Broken China and Salty Ocean for the water and Antique Linen and Vintage Photo for the sand. After inking the paper it was spritzed with water and a heat gun used to speed the drying process. Then the panel was die cut using a scalloped frame by Taylored Expressions. The outside frame was then darkened with more Salty Ocean distress ink. I went back and stamped the waves and little circles in the water. Then the otters and images were stamped with Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. They were then die cut with the coordinating dies. The sand was die cut with a small wavy scallop stitches die by Simon Says Stamp. Everything was adhered flat to a piece of natural cardstock and that's it! Thanks for stopping by!

This Otter Anniversary Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Use Your Stuff: Old and New
• Sweet Stampin': Cute and Cuddly
• Retarte: Anything Goes

Plant Smiles Card

This summer I had the privilege and joy of watching a baby cottontail rabbit grow up right outside my back window. Although I worried about it everyday because we have several Red-tailed Hawks in our area, I'm happy to say it is still hanging out in our backyard. It brought many smiles to my face and it was the inspiration for this Plant Smiles Card.

The image is from the retiring Garden Whimsy stamp set by Newton's Nook. It's currently on sale and once it's gone... it's gone. Copic markers were used to color the image and then it was cut 3.25" square and matted to a piece of Audry Blue cardstock by Simon Says Stamp. The polka dot and red patterned paper is by American Crafts (2012) and the blue stripe is by Echo Park. Everything was adhered flat for easy mailing and the final touch was the die cut sun by Lil' Inkers. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Polka Dots
• Alphabet: M for Make Your Mark
• Jo's Scrap Shack: Anything Goes

My backyard cottontail rabbit I named Bun Bun sleeping in the sun. It lived in the Sage Bush behind where it's laying. July 2017

Bun Bun peeking in my window after it checked out the freshly planted petunias I planted knowing this cottontail would eat them. June 2017

Happy Pig Card

In case you didn't know... I grew up in the country. My grandfather lived next door and he raised cattle. Our neighbors down the road raised pigs and when the wind blew just right you could smell the pig farm from our house. In the spring when the babies were born we would would go visit the cute new piglets. When I first saw the new This Little Piggy stamp set by Stampin' Up! I knew it would be on my first order. I also love the new Petal Garden Designer Series Paper Stack. This Happy Pig Card was inspired by the Out in the Garden challenge at SU! Only. You probably won't find a pig in a city garden but in a country garden, you betcha.

First, I stamped the pig image onto watercolor paper using Staz On Jet Black ink. Then using Aqua Painters and Classic Stampin' Pads the image was watercolored. Colors include: Pool Party, Old Olive, Powder Pink (new in color), Sahara Sand and Calypso Coral. After the image panel dried it was matted to a slightly larger piece of Calypso Coral cardstock. The patterned paper is from the Petal Garden dsp and the pool party twine is new. The final touch was adding the bitty butterfly. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Happy Pig Card is entered into the following challenges:

• SU! Only: Out in the Garden
• Addicted to Stamps: Animals
• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Raccoon Rascals Kindness Card

Sometimes a project keeps getting pushed because of other priorities and this Raccoon Rascals Kindness Card is one of them. There is wildlife rescue and rehabilitation here in Oklahoma called Wild Heart Ranch and I follow them on Facebook. They do a wonderful job sharing their animal experiences and videos with their followers. Their work is inspiring and at times heart breaking! They recently rescued a raccoon from the side of the road and it had a broken jaw. The pictures were painful to look at and my heart hurt for the little raccoon. That's when I knew I needed to send them a card using the Raccoon Rascals stamp set from Newton's Nook.

To create this card I started with a piece of watercolor paper and sprayed some Mister Huey's color mists along with Tattered Angels glimmer mist. The sky was darkened with Broken China distress ink. Once dry the tree from the Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree stamp set was stamped using Memento black ink. Then the sentiment from the Thoughtful Branches stamp set by Stampin' Up! was heat embossed with white embossing powder. The image was colored with copic markers, fussy cut and adhered with dimensionals. A scalloped frame by Taylored Expressions was added along with a few punched stars. That's it!

This Raccoon Rascals Kindness Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Color Inspiration: Hand Colored Image
• Cards in Envy: Thank You
• Sunny Day Crafting: Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Animals Give Thanks Card

Although all my Thanksgiving cards are in the mail, I thought I would make a few more to get a jump on next year. I like using animals or cute images on cards I make the youngsters in the family. This image is by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's called Autumn Critter Stack 02. It comes with a pre-colored version, which I have used. The image was die cut using a frame by Taylored Expressions. The layout is simple and everything was adhered flat for easy shipping. To play along with the Catch The Bug November Bingo Challenge I selected the diagonal: Embossing (heat embossed sentiment), Thanksgiving Theme and Bugaboo Image.  The brown plaid paper is by Lawn Fawn and the acorns are from the Woodland Forest paper pad by Pebbles. Three espresso colored sequins finished off this card and that's it! Another simple and easy handmade Thanksgiving card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Animals Give Thanks Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: November Bingo
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes
• Dragonfly Dreams: Autumnal Colours

Down Under Stamp Release

Good day crafty friends!!! Today is the launch of a new stamp set by Jessica Lynn Original called Down Under. I had a lot of fun making my cards using the new stamp set. The images came out really crisp and were easy to color with Copic markers. You will definitely want to check out the design team inspiration! Jessica has some amazingly talented ladies who have created some awesome cards using the Down Under stamp set. Click here for the design team blog list.

My first card features the kangaroo image, I really wanted to use my sentiment that says "You are my sunshine," but it was too large for the sentiment area. So, I went with the sentiment "Hey there, Sunshine!" by Verve Stamps. The die cut stitched 1.5" sunshine is by Lil' Inkers and all the patterned paper is from the retired Cherry on Top paper stack by Stampin' Up!

For my second card I used the darling koala image. When selecting my papers I went with more earthy tones from the Autumn Crisp paper pad by American Crafts. The layout is simple and the Miss You sentiment by TPC Studios was stamped directly onto the patterned paper using Memento black ink. Three green sequins were added for some sparkle and that's it!

Jessica is having a giveaway, so make sure you check out the blog for all the giveaway details. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day! 

Wild Wishes Card

Happy Tuesday! It's time for a new challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and this week our theme is Exotic Animals. It was a lot of fun getting a little wild with these Jungle Animal Faces images provided by our sponsor MyGrafico. There were several animals to choose from and I used the panda, giraffe and zebra. We would love for you to join us this week in our Exotic Animal Challenge. You have until mid-day next Monday, July 11th to play along. Click here for all the challenge details and wild design team inspiration.

When I first started making cards I loved using zebra patterned paper. It's been awhile since I've made anything with it, so I was happy to see this challenge. To create my card I adhered the giraffe paper by Bella BLVD and the zebra paper by The Paper Studio to a piece of black cardstock and then adhered directly onto the white card base. For the offset white focal panel I decided to add some gold texture paste by Heidi Swapp using the Dot Fade stencil by Tim Holtz. The images were printed, colored with Copic markers and punched using a 1 1/2" circle punch. The images were then layered with a 1 3/4" scallop circle with black cardstock. I used the computer to print the sentiment and that's it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your Exotic Animal creation in the gallery at Tuesday Throwdown. 

Sweet Hedgehog Birthday Card

Today we welcome the month of June and the launch of the new Stampin' Up! catatlog!!! Have you found your new favorite product yet? There are lots of wonderful new items to choose from! Click here to check out the new catalog.

To make this Sweet Hedgehog Birthday Card I've used the new Affectionately Yours dsp and the sweet hedgehogs from the hostess stamp set called Love You Lots and they were colored using Copic markers. The layout is from Paper Play Sketches and I combined it with the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge at The Paper Players. I used the top row across for Yellow, Twine and Birthday. The yellow panel was embossed using the decorative dots embossing folder. For a little more detail I added a butterfly charm and three yellow sequins. The green really overpowers the yellow but hopefully there is enough yellow on this card for the challenge. I'm also entering this card in the Ooh La La Creations challenge for Critters with 4 Legs.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Hippo Cycle Feel Better Card

Hello! Today I have a quick post to share this Hippo Cycle Feel Better Card. The Hippo Cycle stamp is by Stampendous! and I colored the image with Copic markers. In case you're wondering, I didn't search for an image of a hippo on a bicycle, it's one of those finds where you see it and it makes you laugh so you buy it.

For this card all patterned paper is from the Garden Party paper pad by Pebbles. The image was die cut using a cross-stitch oval by My Favorite Things and matted to a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock that was cut using a pair of Fiskars deckle scissors. Using Memento black ink the Feel Better sentiment from the Sassy Salutations set by Stampin' Up! was stamped directly onto the patterned paper. Everything was adhered flat to the card for easy shipping and the final touches were three sequins and some Seaweed twine from The Twinery. That's it!

This Hippo Cycle Feel Better Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: Bicycle
• Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes w/ Twist Showers/Rainbows

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Watercolor All Occasion Card

Good day! I hope you are doing well! This week has been a long one for me starting with an emergency room visit early Sunday morning with severe abdominal pain. I'm just now starting to feel somewhat "normal". If normal is possible?

This afternoon my goal was to make a cute all occasion card. I knew I wanted to do a little watercoloring and use a new to me stamp by Penny Black called So Kind. The image is large, so I finished the scene by adding a die cut tree branch which helped fill in the top portion of the card. After the main panel was complete it was adhered to a piece of Pool Party cardstock. That's it!

I'm entering this Watercolor All Occasion Card into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Throwdown: Furry Friends
• 4 Crafty Chicks: Scenic
• Make My Monday: Watercolor
• Crafting With An Attitude: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Zoo Animal Winner

Another bi-weekly challenge has come to a close and I want to thank each of you for sharing your Zoo Animal card creations. It's a good thing the winner was randomly selected because picking would have been an absolute challenge! The winner is:

Debra Miller from Cream City Angels

Debra's panda anniversary card is super adorable and the colors really grabbed my attention. Thanks for playing along Debra! In the next few days I'll send you an email requesting your mailing address to send you the challenge prize.

Come back tomorrow for the start of another photo inspiration challenge.