How Are You

We are going halfway into the year and we have a new challenge
today at Word Power, the challenge where your BIG sentiments
draw the eye to them first thing, no tiny sentiments for us here!

You have heard me mention it several times, but back in 2025
at Simon Says stamps they had numerous 99cent sales
and I was lucky enough to get to be in a few of them,
mostly when I saw them they were already sold out.
That is where my Birch Press Design Jumbo Hello came from.

I used a paper from the basket of papers I am trying use up that
sits on my work desk (and there are many of them), along
with the small Spellbinders Betterpress sentiment.
The little butterfly is from my 'spare parts' box of already cut die cuts.

We would love to see your BIG sentiments at our Word Power challenge.

Let's Get Spooky

 Hello friends, it's a new month and that means a new
mood board at Two Old Bats to inspire you to play along!
You don't have to use the mood board and can create anything
as long as it is Halloween.

I was totally inspired by the witch in the bottom left corner.

Last year during the fall season I went a little overboard in purchasing

a lot of new Halloween goodies to play with.
Brutus Monroe came out with 36 3x4 card fronts that were ALL witches.
Some were pretty, some a bit spooky.  I went with a rather pretty one

for this card framed with a Hero Arts wood frame.

I used a scrap piece of designer paper from my Halloween scraps bag
and a sentiment from Whimsy Stamps.
She might be 'pretty' but I still don't think I would trust her...hah!!

It might be July, but we celebrate Halloween

all year long at Two Old Bats!!

Tomorrow's Forecast

It's July 1st on the first Wednesday of the month and that means a new challenge
beginning today at Double D!
Our fun theme is POTPOURRI
meaning you can create with anything you see on our mood board below.
It can be the images, objects, colors, shapes
just let your mind go wild, but make sure to tell us
what inspired you from the board

OMGosh you all, I cased the cutest card from Pinterest HERE.
I mean the layout/design is the same but the products used are very different.

Before we get into that, this blog where I saw the card has the cutest designs ever
but has nothing on her blog or instagram since April 2024.  Do you ever

wonder why they quit, I mean her creations are so very NICE, I sure hope

everything is okay in her life.

Back to MY card.  I used for the first time a Kat Scrapiness Slimline rainbow/clouds die
I have had in my stash for quite sometime and this is it's debut.
Aren't hose puffy clouds just the cutest?  I decided to make an A2 card instead

of a slimline, so after die cutting I adhered each piece to the front then cut off any

extra hanging over the edge of the card.  Each rainbow piece
was colored in with the broad tip of my Copics, worked

perfect on each strip. 

My cloud background was made with a  Lawn Fawn Cloudy stencil.
I gave the link as this stencil is only $7 and worth every penny!
The sentiment is an oldie from Flourishes and the glitter hearts are

stickers from my stash.

I think this card will be great for someone that has had a bit
of turmoil in their life or even for someone not feeling well.
Come over to Double D and join us for some Potpourri FUN!!

Entering the following challenges:

The Paper Funday #89 .... ATG
Path Of Positivity #142 .... ATG Positive

Spark-Tacular

Hello All,
this month at Colorful Options we have a 'playful' challenge:

Option 1 — Red, White & Blue

Create a project featuring red, white, and blue. 

Option 2 — Pick Your Color

Prefer to focus on a single color? Choose one color family from the palette:

Red (crimson, cherry, deep red)

Blue (bright blue, navy, deep blue)

White / Neutrals (white, soft cream, light neutrals)

Let your chosen color take the lead—clean and simple or layered with tone-on-tone variation.

As you can see I strictly went with Option 1 with 
red~white~blue for my card using Waffle Flower Postage

4th of July stencil along with a variety of inks,

Dew Drop Memento Nautical Blue, Distress Festive Berries,

Lisa Horton Cloud Nine Solid Gold and Memories Unicorn.
The perfect card for the 250th celebration of our country.

I have to admit I almost bought a new patriotic stencil to use and now

am so glad I didn't as this one is 'perfect'!!

Come and have some 'colorful' fun with us at
Colorful Options!!

Entering the Following challenges:

Simon Says Monday ....Stars and/or Stripes
Just Us Girls #829 .....Stencil Week

If You Gave A Crafter A Cookie .... Red~White~Blue

Birthday Flowers

We are in the SUMMER season at The Four Seasons
and have a 'summery' mood board for inspiration. 

Last year I seemed to purchase several stamps and dies with a bee theme.

So I guess I can say I was totally inspired by the bee in the upper right corner.
After looking through all my new and never been used sets,

I settled on this plump and fun bee from Craft Consortium

'Amongst The Hedgerow' Buzzing stamp.
The honeycomb paper is Brutus Monroe Sweet Honeybee die cut with
Sunny Studio's Fishtail Banners II.  The flowers are Katy Sue 3D
that I put together last year.

Come on over this month to The Four Seasons
and have some SUMMER fun with us!

Entering these fun challenges"
Fab N' Funky .... Something That Starts with a B (my bee)
Allsorts #852 .... Bees, Blooms and/or Birds 
Seize The Birthday .... Birthday

Birthday Wishes

 Get those embossing folders out as it's time for a new challenge
at Can You Handle The Pressure
and our OPTIONAL theme is PURPLES!

I created a super easy card this time around starting with a
store bought 6x6 card base that I embossed with a 
WeR Memory Keepers Quilted EB folder, so pretty.
I topped it with a Stamps By Me Violet Hues 5x5 topper.
There are eight designs in this set and 2 of each!
The sentiment is a Spellbinders Glimmer sent to me by a
kind blogger friend.  This card came together in less then five minutes
but so pretty!

Hoppe to see YOU over at Can You Handle The Pressure
the challenge where embossing folders are required!!

Entering the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge .... E is for Embossing Wet or Dry

Oh Happy Day

 It's Amy's Woodblock Wednesday time and for once I have a card, yeah!!

I saw where House Mouse & Friends had a 'Water Fun' challenge so

what was more perfect then to use a woodblock house mouse stamp
to combine the two challenges!

This stamp is a Happy Hopper official House Mouse stamp Bunny Cruise 2008 stamp,

one of many I received when a friend honored me with all her woodblock stamps.
The sentiment stamp doesn't have any name on it anywhere so I have no idea of
whose stamp it is, but it seemed fitting for my fun bunny stamp. 
I colored  the image in with various Copic's and Olo's.

The background paper was a scrap leftover from a 12x12 piece I have previously used.

I die cut the image with a Tutti Designs scalloped rectangle and the cloud is
Impression Obsession stamped with Distress faded jeans ink.

My relaxing bunny hopper:

It was fun to actually sit down and make a card again, it's been awhile!!

Also entering the following challenges:
Little Red Wagon .... Feather, Fur & Fin
Simon Says Stamp .... ATG