Pet Sympathy Cards

Hello! Last month I started a part time job, so my crafting time is more limited than usual. It had been three years since my last job, and I didn't realize how difficult the transition would be. My cats aren't sure what has happened, but thankfully they are only home one day by themselves. 

Recently, I needed a cat sympathy card for a friend who suddenly lost one of her cats. I did a image search and found a card on Pinterest that inspired these designs. It was sad, but two weeks after I made the cat card one of my hubby's coworkers had a dog pass away. So, I made a dog sympathy card using the same design. I used different cloud paper, because I couldn't decide which one I liked better. The cat and dog silhouettes were made using punches by Stampin' Up! and the cloud borders were cut with a Lawn Fawn die. Everything was adhered flat and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Dragonfly Thank You Card

Good day! It's a nice sunny day here in Oklahoma. As I sit by my front window I can watch the dragonflies land on my bushes and wait for their prey. I have several different types of dragonflies, some large and some smaller. So, I decided to get out the Dragonfly Garden stamp set and make a Thank You Card. This stamp set has been in my stash at least two years and hasn't seen the stamping action it deserves. Everything used on this card is by Stampin' Up!. The patterned paper is from the retired Dandy Garden dsp and the splatter stamp is from the retired Timeless Textures stamp set. Current supplies include the Dragonfly Garden stamp set and ink colors in Pool Party and markers in So Saffron and Mango Melody. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Retro Rubber: Anything Goes with Stamps over 1 Year Old
• Unicorn: Summer Time

Dragonfly Card - TMS #615

Good day! This month is flying by and it's Tuesday again which means we are starting a new sketch challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I hope you will have time to play along this week. For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click HERE. For my Dragonfly Card I used some new and old supplies all by Stampin' Up!. This card was made for my grandmother, she is in a memory care facility and I don't get to see her very often. Hopefully she likes the colors and dragonfly. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day! 😊

Cat Missing You - TMS #603

Hello! It's been sad around our house for the last few days, our 16 year old cat crossed the rainbow bridge on Friday. Our house doesn't feel the same without her and we miss her very much. So, this week I used the Tuesday Morning Sketch to make something for a scrapbook. It's the size of an A2 card, but there is no card base. To take advantage of the rainbows in the patterned paper I swapped the triangle corner. The design team has created some wonderful inspiration and we would love for you to join us this week. Click HERE for all the challenge details. Thanks for stopping by!

"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become it's visible soul." ~Jean Cocteau

Sketch #603:

Thank You Card with Circles - TMS #548

Hello! This weeks sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches is a great way to help you pass the time if you're stuck at home during this virus outbreak. I definitely had fun making this Thank You Card with Circles. To give me a specific direction I decided to take the sketch literally. I used similar colors and circle sizes. It was a challenge to find papers I liked together and I punched several circles that went into my scrap pile. In the end I really like how it turned out. I hope you will give the sketch a try and join us this week! For all the challenge details and design team inspiration click HERE. Don't forget to link your creation by 8 pm EST on Sunday. Thanks for stopping by and stay safe!

Sketch #548:

Happy Easter Card - TMS #492

Welcome and happy Tuesday! Today at Tuesday Morning Sketches we are featuring Patti's favorite sketch of 2018 and she selected sketch #464 from last July. You can see the original post HERE. We would love for you to join our challenge this week! Just make a card using the sketch and link your creation by Sunday, 8 pm EST. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team inspiration.

When it comes to sending handmade cards for Easter, I usually make and send around eighteen cards. So, I decided it was time to get started. This Happy Easter Card was pretty easy to make and everything was adhered flat for easy shipping. The little bunny was created using a Martha Stewart punch that I've had for many years. I've used one of my favorite color combos of purple, yellow and green. The patterned paper is from the Cottontail Collection by Bo Bunny and the sentiment is from the You're Inspiring stamp set by Stampin' Up!. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Sketch:

Such a Deer Card

Good day crafty friends! Today I'm sharing this Such a Deer Card that I made using the Deer Friend stamp set by Newton's Nook. The colors used come from the Inky Paws challenge to use magenta, yellow, tangerine and teal. It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted to use the colors. I played around with several other ideas and finally this design evolved. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The little deer are so sweet! 

My edge punches don't get used that much anymore, so I decided to punch some yellow cardstock to mat the focal area to. All images are by Newton's Nook and the background patterned paper is from the Happy Campers paper pad by We R Memory Keepers. That's it! 

Challenges entered:

• Cardz 4 Galz: Dies and/or Punches
• Crafty Friends: Animals/Birds
• Inky Paws: Colors
• QKR Stampeded: Anything Goes

Hoppy Halloween Card

Do you love making cards for Halloween? It's one of my favorite holidays to make cards! To send to my family and friends I make at least a dozen cards, sometimes more. I love the colors, patterned papers and the fun dressed up characters. Last week Newton's Nook released several new Halloween stamp sets and my favorite is the Hoppy Halloween set. It's hard for me to resist anything with cute bunnies! Needless to say this set immediately went into my shopping cart. Stamp LOVE... it's a thing!!!

To make this Hoppy Halloween Card I selected some of my favorite Halloween patterned papers form the Boos & Brews paper pad by Doodlebug Designs. The image was colored with Copic markers and die cut with the coordinating dies. A spider web border punch by Fiskars was used with white cardstock for detail and the sentiment was heat embossed. That's it! I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps: Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Everybody-Art: Stamp 
• Watercooler Wednesday: Holidays

Cat Halloween Card

Happy Halloween! I'm sharing the last card I made for Halloween 2017. It features an image by Bugaboo digi stamps that I colored over two years ago and it was just sitting on my desk. It was already matted just begging to be used on a card. So... I used some patterned paper by Pebbles and made this Cat Halloween Card for my cousin in Texas. The spiderweb edge punch is by Fiskars, some twine by Stampin' Up! and the outside sentiment is from Newton's Nook. I decided to decorate the inside of the card with a die cut spiderweb with spider and sentiment both by Impression Obsession and and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Cat Halloween Card is entered into the following challenges: Use Your Stuff (Halloween), Always Fun Challenges (Halloween), Shopping Our Stash (Halloween), Cards and More (Halloween) and {PIN}spirational (photo inspiration).

Halloween Cat Card

Another card for World Card Making Day! This Halloween Cat Card was pretty easy to make. I started with a piece of Smoky Slate cardstock by Stampin' Up! and sponged on Basic Gray ink with a sponge dauber and a sky border die cut by Newton's Nook. Then I went back and sponged black distress ink to add more depth. The next step was using a sponge brayer and Smoky Slate ink over the clouds to add more shading. Crushed Curry cardstock was used for the stitched circle die cut moon and it was sponged with Crushed Curry ink. The cat is a new punch by Stampin' Up! and the grass is a Fiskars punch. Crushed Curry twine was added for detail along with a strip of Smoky Slate that was stamped Happy Halloween with a fish tail end. That's it! Thanks for stopping by!!!

This Halloween Cat Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Creative Knockouts: Anything Goes
• Hiding in My Craft Room: Halloween Colors
• Show Us Your Pussies: Furrything Goes + Meow-loween

Friendship Card with Bird

Are you like me and love your stash of older stamps? The current challenge at SU! Only is A Blast from the Past and the Inkspirational challenge is Oldie But Goodie. I was happy to use my older stash to play along. I started as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in 2012, so I dug out that old catalog for inspiration and decided to use the retired Language of Friendship stamp set. It's still a favorite of mine although it hasn't seen much action lately. Many demonstrators will sell their retired stamp sets when a new catalog is launched, but I just can't do it! I usually only buy what I really want and keep it.

Besides cardstock and Night of Navy ink everything on this card is retired. The retired Top Note die was used with retired Flowerpot and Blushing Bride dsp. The Bird Builder and Boho Blossoms punches were used and the finishing touch are three Blushing Bride sequins from the Fancy Frost sequins pack. That's it!

This Friendship Card with Bird is entered into the following challenges:

• SU! Only: A Blast from the Past
• Watercooler Wednesday: Anything Goes
• Inkspirational: Oldie But Goodie
• Cards und More: Anything Goes

Sentiment: 

The language of Friendship is not words but meanings. 

~Henry David Thoreau

Give Thanks Card with Edward Fall Pumpkins

Hello and happy last day of November! To finish off this month I've made one more Give Thanks Card using the photo inspiration at the Catch The Bug Challenge. The image on this card is by Bugaboo and it's called Edward Fall Pumpkins. Copic markers were used to color the image and then it was die cut using a stitched circle die by My Favorite Things. I played with some neglected corner punches and a leaf border punch by Fiskars. The Give Thanks sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder. Both plaid papers are from my scrap bin. The brown is by Lawn Fawn and the orange is from DCWV. Three sequins finished off this card and that's it. I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

This Give Thanks Card with Edward Fall Pumpkins is entered into the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Photo Inspiration
• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Scrap-Creations: Give Thanks

Big Butterfly Birthday Card

Good afternoon! I've got a quick post to share this Big Butterfly Birthday Card I made for the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: Colors
• Everybody-Art: Birthday
• The Paper Shelter: Flowers Everywhere

When I use the Swallowtail stamp by Stampin' Up! I tend to make a square card. This one is 5.25" square. The background paper was hand stamped using the Painted Petals stamp set along with the challenge colors: Melon Mambo, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie and Mossy Meadow. Using a Happy Birthday sentiment by Hero Arts it was stamped with Mossy Meadow and punched with a 1 1/4" circle punch and layered to a slightly larger scalloped circle. To add more flowers I used the Petite Petals stamp set with Melon Mambo and punched with the coordinating Petite Petals punch. The final touch was three Soft Sky Candy Dots and this card was done. 

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

Gingham Flower Mother's Day Card

Good day crafty friends! This morning I was up pretty early for me and I decided to remake a Mother's Day card design I originally created in May of 2012. Click here for the original post. For this Gingham Flower Mother's Day Card I used completely different colors and added a butterfly but otherwise kept everything else the same. I love seeing the same card with different colors, it really does change the look. This one is definitely bright and cheerful.

Gingham Flower Mother's Day Card Supplies: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz and Daffodil Delight cardstock from Stampin' Up!, retired Gingham Garden dsp from Stampin' Up!, Fiskars Three Petals corner punch, Blossom punch by Stampin' Up!, Cricut machine, 1" circle punch, 7/8" scallop circle punch, corner rounder, Honeydew twine from The Twinery, Papillon Potpourri stamp set and Bitty Butterfly punch by Stampin' Up!, Mother's Day sentiment stamp by Paper Inspirations, Classic Stampin' Pad in Island Indigo and Crushed Curry, Basic Pearls, Night of Navy Candy Dot and Stampin' Dimensionals.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Clear it Out: Theme- Springtime, Stash- Add a Flower
• Always Playing with Paper: Colours
• Simon Says Stamp: April Shower bring May Flowers
• My Sheri CRAFTS: Mother's Day Flowers

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

Bunny Peep Card

Hello! I hope you've had a great day! It's rained most of the day at my house which made the perfect excuse to play in my craft room. I decided to make another card using the My Kind of Peeps stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. Click here for the other card I made. This Bunny Peep Card is a little brighter but equally as cute!

All patterned paper are from the Hello Sunshine paper pad by Doodlebug Designs Inc. I used Bermuda Bay cardstock as the base layer and Bermuda Bay twine for detail. The grass was punched with a Fiskars punch. That's pretty much it!



This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Cards und More: Spring
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff: Lace, Ribbon or Twine
• Clear it Our: Patterned Paper over a year old!

Thankful Forest Friends Card

Happy Friday!!! This week my mojo has been running a little low but I finally made this Thankful Forest Friends Card from some of my new favorite Stampin' Up! products. I absolutely love the little rabbit from the new Thankful Forest Friends stamp set. I stamped him using Soft Suede ink and then used a 1-1/2" circle punch which was layered to a 1-3/4" scallop circle. The patterned paper is from the Into The Woods dsp and the cardstock colors include: Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Tangelo Twist and Mossy Meadow. To ink the sentiment stamp, I masked the foliage areas and used an Early Espresso stamp pad. Then used an Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker on the foliage areas. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

This Thankful Forest Friends Card is entered into the following challenges:

• SU-Only: Cards for Friends
• 4 Crafty Chicks: Fall
• Cute Card Thursday: Autumn Leaves
• Daring Cardmakers: Elemental Inspiration (leaves, woodgrain and colors)

Tangerine Flower Hello Card

Happy Friday! Today I have a fun bright card to share with you. I was immediately intrigued with the colors from the challenge at Create with Connie and Mary to use: Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango. These colors are very happy together and I thought they would make a nice Hello Card. This Tangerine Flower Hello Card is also entered into the Bright and Beautiful challenge at Crafting for all Seasons.

Sometimes when working with three bold colors I find it easier to keep the layout simple so the colors can really shine. I used a fun patterned paper that wasn't too busy. Then decided to use the tangerine flower for a pop of color and silver sequin ribbon for some sparkle. So even though the layout is simple it's definitely not a boring card.

All supplies used are by Stampin' Up! and they include:

• Paper: Whisper White, Cucumber Crush and Pacific Point cardstock. Patterned paper from Pretty Petals paper stack. 
• Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, Petal Potpourri and Watercolor Wishes. 
• Inks: Stampin' Pads in Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango.
• Other Stuff: Flower Medallion punch, silver sequin ribbon, Tangerine Tango candy dot, large scallop edgelit and stampin' dimensionals.

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

Challenge colors:

Follow Your Dreams Card

Sometimes the ideas in my head just don't jive with my supplies, so I have to work with what I have. That was the case with this Follow Your Dreams Card. I love the color challenge at Color Throwdown and I wanted to incorporate a flower in my design but I couldn't get it to look right. So, I took the opportunity to use a new to me swirl die cut by Impression Obsession with silver glimmer paper instead. The background paper was from Stampin' Up! sale-a-bration called Irresistibly Yours and I sprayed it with black and pink Tattered Angels glimmer mist. Then I decided to sponge on some Lavender ink by Hero Arts and darken the edges with Black and Melon Mambo ink. The sentiment is by Hampton Art and was punched with a 2" circle punch and matted with a 2 3/8" scallop circle punch. To add some bling details I punched two bitty butterflies and added colored rhinestones along with a strip of silver sequin ribbon and three purple sequins. This card definitely has some sparkle! It may not be what I originally envisioned but I think it turned out okay. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

This Follow Your Dreams Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Color Throwdown: Lilac, Pink & Black
• Crafty Friends: Use a Punch
• Fairy Tale: Bling Bling!
• Crafting With Friends: Anything Goes

Celebrating 700 Posts!

Hello! This post brings my published post total at Savvy Handmade Cards to 700!!! It's really exciting to see how quickly they add up. I started this blog on March 13, 2012 and HERE is my first post. At the time I had NO idea there were card challenges and I had never heard of Stampin' Up!, my how things have changed. I'm happy to be supported by 147 followers and over 217,000 page views. To share my creativity helps fill a big space in my life and I appreciate all the support. In celebration of 700 posts I am giving away some blog candy with a selection of Stampin' Up! supplies (see below photo). To win you need to comment on this post, the winner will be picked at random and announced at the end of June 2015.

The Thanks Card I'm sharing today was made using the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches. All supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up! and here is the list:

• Paper: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Soft Suede and Soft Sky cardstock. Patterned paper from the Cherry on Top paper stack and retired Subtles paper stack.
• Stamps: Sprinkles of Life, Petite Petals and Another Thank You.
• Inks: Classic stampin' pads in Soft Suede, Garden Green, Watermelon Wonder, Crushed Curry, Wild Wasabi and Lost Lagoon.
• Other Stuff: Tree Builder punch, Bird Builder punch, Petite Petals punch, basic pearls and stampin' dimensionals. 

Here is the blog candy:

12 sheets cardstock (2 each color), Cherry on Top paper stack and Watermelon Wonder dotted lace trim.

I'm entering this Thanks Card into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Cute Card Thursday: Summer Colours!
• Aud Sentiments: Bingo + Sentiment (middle row across)
• Sister Act: Anything Goes

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

Floral Sympathy Card

Good day fellow handmade card enthusiasts! I have a new Floral Sympathy Card to share with you. To create this card I combined three challenges: The Paper Players (color), Retro Sketches (sketch) and SU-Only (flowers).

All supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up!. Some are current and some are very retired but still loved. Here is the list:

• Paper: Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding and Sahara Sand cardstock. Patterned paper from the All Abloom paper stack. 
• Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, Bloom for You, Bloom with Hope (hostess), and Language of Friendship.
•  Inks: Classic Stampin' pads in Lost Lagoon, Pistachio Pudding and Sahara Sand.
• Other Stuff: Polka dot embossing folder, Fun Flower punch, Boho Blossom punch, 7/8" scallop circle, scallop edgelit die, stampin' dimensionals and basic pearls.

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