Pumpkins Challenge

 Today is a new start to our challenge at
Can You Handle The Pressure
where our embossing folders are our stars!
The OPTIONAL theme is PUMPKINS!

I used a leafy Park Lane EB folder for my background on my card
though being I embossed it on black card stock it is not very photogenetic.
I also used a Honey Bee stamp set for my pumpkin but this was a
trial and error for me as when I bought the stamp set I had every intention of using
my scan & cut to cut my pumpkin panels, but then noticed that there were no
solid lines around the stamped panels so no way would that work! 
So I fussy cut each panel but that made the panels not concise to line up
correctly, I have since purchased the matching die set so I can 
properly make good use of this awesome pumpkin stamp set.
Live and learn as they say!

This is the actual embossing folder I used, it is so pretty IRL on my card!

I hope you can find some time to get YOUR embossing folders out
and have some fun with us at

Can You Handle The Pressure!!

Fall

 It's time once again for the challenge at 
The Sisterhood of Crafters
and our theme is Fall/Leaves.

I did a very simple card out of things I already had in my stash
just waiting to be used up.  I had pulled a stack of paper pads
that just have a few sheets left to use and that is where my
burlap background came from, a DCWV (2016) Mixed Media 
6x6 paper pad, leaving me now with just one more sheet to use!

The frame was a precut die cut from Impression Obsession,
the leaves were stickers I mounted on white card then fussy cut out and
the FALL was from an ephemera pack., a few enamel dots were added to finish.

I encourage you to come on over to
The Sisterhood of Crafters
and have some FALL fun with us!

Peace On Earth Challenge #74

Can you believe how fast this year is speeding by?
Geez, it seems like it flies by the older you get!

It's also time for a new challenge at Peace On Earth and we have a
fun inspiration/mood board but you can create anything you want as long
as it is Christmas themed and just think, it puts you closer to getting those
holiday cards done without all the hustle and bustle pressure!! 

What fun are these critters above and who could resist not using them for
inspiration, I know I couldn't!!

I have a never been used before die that is from scrapbookdotcom
that I just felt  was perfect for this challenge.
I used a few other dies that seemed to fit well with him, the stump is
from Cottage Cutz (it seemed just perfect to plunk him on) and the tree is
Magnificent Pine from Memory Box and of course my sentiment dies and stamps
are from The Ton Holiday Expressions.

Isn't he just the cutest plump bear?
Take a peek over at Peace On Earth and see all the fun
and fabulous creations from the teams, join in with us too!!

Hey Pumpkin

Our challenge at Double D is all about
PUMPKINS!!
We have a pumpkin infested fun mood board for you
to add to your inspiration,
so get those pumpkin stamps, stencils, or dies out and come on over
and have some PUMPKIN fun with us!! 

I used a fabulous pumpkin die/stamp set from Honey Bee stamps.
This stamp set comes with so many different variations to
use for this fun pumpkin and also a stencil for even more fun!
When I first started I didn't have the die set, but to me it is almost
required to get the 'perfect' stamped pumpkin, 
so I quickly ordered it and it saved my day!
I do have another pumpkin created with the stamps for another
DT challenge but it is not near the shape it should be
as I didn't have the much needed dies yet!!

I stamped my pumpkin with Pink Fresh 'punch' ink,
the stem and tendrils with Altenew Shadow Creek ink, and the leaves with
TH Black Soot then colored in with Copics. 
The flower is from one I had made earlier and save
just for things like this when I need them!

Come on over to the Double D challenge blog
and see all the amazing inspiration from the design teams!!

Two Old Bats Reminder October 2024

 We are halfway through our October challenge at
Two Old Bats but still plenty of time for you to join us
and remember we are a year round Halloween challenge
so you can have some spooky Halloween fun ALL year!!

Here is this months inspiration board:

I went pretty easy with my reminder card letting my papers do most of the work.
My background paper is a favorite from LDR Creative Haunted Halloween.
The spooky haunted house is from a set of paper I purchased
from Ella and Viv  Very Strange Things and mounted on a
die cut square, they sure have come in handy for quick cards.
The flying witch is a MS punch.

Hope to see you at Two Old Bats
for some spooky Halloween fun!!

Beautiful Blossoms October Challenge

Hello Friends, today is the new start of the month long challenge at
Beautiful Blossoms with the floral color board below for inspiration
but you can create anything any color as long as blooms are you main focus! 

I used a die, stamp stencil combo from Pink Fresh Studios
Wonderful In Every Way set.
This is one of those sets that I could use over and over as it is so easy and turns out
beautiful every time.  This is the second time I have created with this set 

(it sure feels good to say that)!
I used all Altenew inks for my stenciling and after die cutting placed it
on a piece of black cardstock.  The sentiment is part of the same set
and has been cut three times and stacked.

Come on over to Beautiful Blossoms and have some floral fun
with us and see all the other beautiful Inspiration there as well!!

Entering the following challenges:
The Flower Challenge .... Add A Stencil

Monsters/Halloween Challenge

 Hello friends, it's a new challenge at
Can You Handle The Pressure
with an OPTIONAL theme of Monsters/Halloween!

I have a young grandson with a birthday this month so
I went with the 'monster' optional theme as I thought he would get a kick out of it!
In my HUGE stash of embossing folders I actually had a never
been used before Cuttlebug Monster folder that I embossed on
a bight lime green card stock.
I had a few monster stickers in my stash that I added to white card stock
then fussy cut out.  The balloon was from a nesting set of balloon
dies from scrapbookdotcom and the sentiment was computer made.

Come on over to Can You Handle The Pressure 
an have some monstrous Halloween fun with us!

Orange~Black~Purple Challenge

Hello friends, at The Sisterhood of Crafters
we have a color theme this time and it is
Black~Purple~Orange.
You can use one color or two or all 3 if you prefer.
As you can see below, on my card  I used all three.
All my flowers came out of my 'already' created container of flowers
that I made in our summers at the beach house.
The various flowers and greenery dies are Spellbinders Bold Blooms, 
Concord & 9th Picked Posies and  Pretty Pink Posh Spring Foliage
the sentiment is Pink Fresh Studios.

You can't really tell much but I used a Simon Says leaf EB folder underneath!

To see even more inspiration and maybe even join in with us,
head on over to The Sisterhood!!

Entering the following challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday....   Add Texture ( EB folder for mine)
Word Art Wednesday .... ATG
The Paper Funday .... Colors of Autumn/ATG
Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday .... ATG

Guest Designing At A Cut Above

Hello friends, today I am a guest designer at

 A Cut Above Challenge
who in turn is doubling up with
Double Trouble.

A Cut Above this month is Anything Goes as long
as you have used a die cut on your project.
Be sure to read the rules tab that explains what a
die cut is at the A Cut Above challenge site!

Want to have even more fun?

Then read below how you can enter your card into
both A Cut Above and Double Trouble!

For my card to qualify for all of the Double Trouble 'things', I used one
of my favorite Halloween dies from Cottage Cutz 'Trick or Treat Ghost'.
He is one of the easiest of their dies to work with.  I cut him from a
white card stock scrap then colored him in with my Copics and/or Olo's.
I used 4 of the 3 colors required for the challenge,
purple, yellow, orange and blue!

Come on over to A Cut Above and Double Trouble (links above)
and have some
Halloween/Fall die cut fun with us!

Special Notes:  A Cut Above defines their die cut as the result of using a die-cutting machine, manual or electronic, not a purchased pre-fabricated die cut, ephemera cut-out or a punch.  

Both Double Trouble  and A Cut Above closes this challenge on Monday October 28th.

Entering the following challenges:
Double Trouble .... Thing 1, 2 and 3 Fall Bat Theme

Daisy Chain .... Autumn or Halloween
Halloween Crafts & Other Occasions .... Halloween 

Peace On Earth Challenge #73

 Peace On Earth is going strong and we have a fun .October'  Christmas
inspiration board for you, but we are an anything goes
challenge as long as it is Christmas themed!!

The gift exchange:

I couldn't resist the bottom left photo to inspire my card today
as I knew I had this super cute stamp set Colorado Craft set Gift Exchange
that I hadn't used yet and this was the perfect time to pull it out!
I stamped my image on a Spellbinders die cut label
then colored it in with Copic markers,
added a few sparkle-y gems and then was done!
Aren't they just the cutest??
They remind me of my dog Mack and my cat Violet!!

Come on over to Peace On Earth and have some fun with us!!

Pretty Papers October Challenge

Hello friends, we have an OPTIONAL theme at
Love Those Pretty Papers for October and it is
HALLOWEEN COLORS!
You can create anything though as long as you
have used your pretty papers as your focus!

Before card making I used to scrapbook but don't do it at all 
anymore, just lost all interest in it, and though I got rid of
anything that was used mostly for just that I did keep lots of 12x12
papers I thought I could use for cards.
The paper I used for my slimline card is one of those papers.
The design you see goes all around the entire edge of the
12x12 paper so I thought it would be a good fit for a slimline or two.
I winked the spider web though you can't see it, but IRL
it does add some 'brief' sparkle/shine as do the sequins.
The sentiments are all from Echo Parks 2 Cute 2 Spook stamp set.
I kind of liked them all stamped down the front for some spooky fun!

For my anything goes card I pulled out a pack of paper I bought in the early Spring,
Brutus Monroe Butterfly Beauty.
This gorgeous 6x6 paper pad is full of double sided luscious bright and colorful
butterflies, 12 designs, 24 sheets  and is the first time I have used it.
I saw a design on Pinterest for this card technique but changed the measurements
and the front slightly to make it more the way I wanted.

When I watched the directions she had the last front panel not meeting up with 
the back panel and I wanted the card to stand on it's own so I adjusted that 
and a few other measurements to make it work for me!
The 3D embossing folder is a Honey Bee 'Spring Medley'
I purchased this Spring and also
the first time I have used it, I think it is a gorgeous folder!
The sentiment is Stampendous and die cut with a round punch, I added a bit of
Soot Distress ink around the edges.

Here is a side view that shows how the front panel is.

This card is just slightly shorter than an A2 card.

So grab those pretty designer papers of yours and come on over to
Love Those Pretty Papers
and have some fun with us!!

Black & Purple Challenge

Hello friends, at Simply Clean & Simple we have an 
OPTIONAL theme of black and purple
but you can create anything as long as it is CAS!

My first thought being October and the theme being black and purple
was to create a Halloween card, but then I knew I had a huge stock of Halloween cards
and zero sympathy cards so thought I would go that route, which I did!

I used some Distress inks in the purples and did a little inking then an
older stamp from SU's Just Believe set and for the sentiment
Warmest Regards (2006), felt kind of good to pull out these older sets
for a change and ink them up, simple, but that is what we are all about!!

Come on over to Simply Clean and Simple and have some 'clean' fun with us!!

Triple B October 2024

 Hello friends, can you believe we are already into OCTOBER?
The year seems to have flown by and it brings us to anther challenge at
Triple B, where we are all about Blooms!Birds~Butterflies!
You can use one, two or ALL three, but at least one much be used!

We have a colorful board for inspiration!

I did a relatively simple card by putting my Betterpress to work with the
Spellbinders letter 'D'.  I used a red ink to press my plate with
and Echo Park paper underneath, if you look real close you can see tiny ladybugs on the paper..  I added a ladybug brad
(yippee, I used up one more brad)!
The sentiment is part of the press plate.

  Stop on over and Triple B and have

some birds~blooms~butterfly fun with us!!

Word Power #10

It's our 10th challenge at Word Power starting today
where we want to see your sentiments take center stage!
No little one word sentiments for us, we want to see big and bold!

I started my card with a piece of scrap paper covered
by an orange piece of vellum, just letting the pumpkin
design peek through.
The spider web big BOO is from Tutti Designs.
I added a few lots of sequins to cover up
the glue showing thru on my vellum.

Come on over to Word Power and have some fun with us,
don't forget, we want the sentiments to be the focal
of your card!!

Two Old Bats October 2024

 It's truly Halloween time at
Two Old Bats
and we have a spooky fun inspiration board for
you to get creative with
but just that, inspiration, you can create anything Halloween related!

I let the upper left corner inspire me with my fun stamp set from
AI's Fright Night set.  I sat one afternoon in the fall and stamped myself silly
with as many Halloween stamps I could, this set being one of my favorites!

I pulled a couple papers from my scrap bag and ran a stitched banner die between the two.
I added a Cheery Lynn Design spider web corner die at the top, geez, I have had that die for years! 
The sentiment and the stamped web in the bottom corner are
from a Woodware Skull & Roses set.

I also have a second card from Art Impressions stamp set
using a cute little witch owl trick or treater!! 

Come on over to Two Old Bats and have some spooky fun with us,
we would love to have you!!

To Spook Or Not

 We are having some October fun at Double D
and our theme is:

To Spook or Not
either Halloween or
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Pink)
You can choose to create a Halloween project OR a Pink project

(in supporting breast cancer awareness month...anything pink)
as we know not everyone likes/loves Halloween.
We have a fun mood board representing both below
for your inspiration pleasure!

I took both Halloween and Pink into consideration when making my card.
Using a bokeh background paper I added a spooky window with shutters
a pink cobweb in the corner and some fun PINK ghosts!
The sentiment is a Tonic die that I layered three times.

For more pink and Halloween inspiration be sure to head on over to
Double D and see all the 'pretties' from the design teams!!

Colorful Options October 2024

 Hello friends, it's a new month and that means a new color challenge at
Colorful Options and this month our color is ORANGE
but you can always use rainbow colors too if orange isn't your 'thing'!!.
Below is a very orange mood board for inspiration!

I decided being October I would go the Halloween route and made a very
large Halloween tag.  The tag itself is from a tag package by Prima.
Speaking of Prima that is where my witch girl came from, one of the many many
girl stamps Prima came out with several years ago.
I owned several myself then a friend that gave up card creating
gave me all hers, so I added about 12 more to my already big collection of them
and thought it was about time to pull one to use again!
This one is a bit smaller then the first ones they came  out with
but she is still plenty big.  Her name is Giulia.  All her clothes were paper pieced from
scraps, the hat I stamped from the Stamper Anonymous Crazy Birds Accessories 
and fussy cut it out.  The sentiment is Echo Park, stamped on a Lawn Fawn Banner.
I die cut a TH Alterations Rosette and cut my bats from a Prickley Pear die.
The black leaves came out of my black bin of die cut scraps.
The candy corn paper is from a very old scrap piece in my Halloween stash!

Come on over to Colorful Options for some colorful fun with us!!

Stencil Fun October 2024

Hello Friends, it's time for a new challenge at
Stencil Fun with an OPTIONAL theme of
Anything Halloween
but we are an anything goes challenge as long as a
stencil has been used!

For my Halloween theme card I used a fun stencil
from Pretty Pink Posh called Spooky Sky.
Spooky it is with the bats, clouds and stars!
The sentiment is from Tonic
and cut from a scrap of glitter paper.

For my anything goes card I used one of four background stencils from
Spellbinder February 2024 Stencil club.  A few gems were
added to the flower centers and the sentiment is 
Pink Fresh Studios.

Come on over to Stencil Fun
and have some stenciling fun with us!!

Four Seasons October Fall 2024

 Hello friends, it is FALL at The Four Seasons and we have a
pretty FALL inspiration board just to inspire you to
play along with us!!

My card was pretty simply made using a P13 plaid background paper,
an eyelet die cut oval from Cottage Cutz and a stamp
from Deep Red Sunflowers & Pumpkin.  A few Pink Fresh Studio gems were added.

We would LOVE to have you join us over at our
The Four Seasons FALL challenge!!

Sentiment Challenge

 Hello friends, today is the start of a new
OPTIONAL challenge theme at
Can You Handle The Pressure
where we are all about using an embossing folder.
Wet embossing is okay but an embossing folder MUST be used!
Optional theme is to use a sentiment.

I guess I took that theme to heart as my birthday EB folder
from Sizzix has LOTS of happy birthday/party sentiments all over it!
Once it was embossed I inked it with
Distress Salvaged Patina, making the sentiments really stand out.
I added two scraps of card stock down the sides
and a couple pieces from my 'spare parts' bins.

It's really prettier IRL, aren't they all?
Come on over to Can You Handle The Pressure, get those EB folders out
and join in our fun with us, plus there is a fun prize up for grabs to
one lucky random player!

Happy Halloween

 Hello crafty friends,  I had some fun joining in with
Woodblock Wednesday where using a woodblock stamp
is required.  I think a lot of card makers got rid of their woodblock
stamps but there still are lots of us that keep everything, like me!!

I had a 'brainstorm' for this month by using six of my smaller
Halloween woodblock stamps on a Waffle Farm postage die.
These are really oldies but fun just the same!
I first used a WF stencil to color in my postage die cut
using Distress Inks Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey.
I liked how the wild honey toned down the yellow ink
and gave it a more fall feel.

The stamps used were Inkadinkadoo (hat), Stampabilities (bat),
Stampendous (spider), Hero Arts (cat w/pumpkin), Penny Black (witch),
and unknown (?) for the sentiment.

So, get out those neglected woodblock stamps and come on 
over to Amy's blog for some challenge fun!!

Hello Challenge

 Hello friends, it is a new challenge theme at
The Sisterhood of Crafters and the theme is
HELLO.
We want to see all your beautiful hellos!!

Since I am a  hoarder of beautiful papers it seems,
I decided this would be the perfect challenge to pull some out!
  The paper is from a most gorgeous pack of 6x6 
Paper Rose Purple Haze.  Each and every sheet in this pack is
downright gorgeous.  I pulled out a few already cut die cuts
from Tutti designs and a sentiment from 
Stampendous True Friend.
A few gems were added to the butterflies.

It's a simple card but a great way to show off that pretty paper.
Come on over to The Sisterhood of Crafters and see all the beautiful
creations from my 'sistahs'

Fall Leaves

 Hello friends, our Double D challenge is all about Fall Leaves
with the colorful inspiration board below!

I used an Impression Obession Maple Leaf and die
cut in several different colors
from several scrap pieces of card stock,
the very last leaf is actually a darker gold color and does have the leaf veins in it,
it's just my darn camera and editing program that doesn't pick up the true picture!
The sentiment was cut three times and stacked.

Come on over to Double D and check out al the pretty
inspiration from the teams and have some fall leaf fun with us!!

Two Old Bats Reminder September 2024

 Halloween has passed us by but NOT at
Two Old Bats where we celebrate with a year round Halloween
challenge giving you an entire year to play with your fun spooky goodies!
We have have a fun creepy, spooky inspiration/mood board
but you can create anything Halloween themed you want!

I used some fun Halloween papers for my card from my scrap bag
along with a spider embossed with SNS Midnight EB/glitter powder.
He is an OLD stamp from Paper Studio (2016).
I saw a similar sketch layout to this one on Pinterest and changed it a
bit to make it my own.  I really loved how it showcased all the pretty papers!

Come on over and have some year round fun with us at Two Old Bats!!

Beautiful Blossoms September Challenge

 Hello friends it's once again that time for a new challenge at
Beautiful Blossoms and we have a mood board for inspiration
but you can create any color as long as blooms are your focal point!

 I tried to stay within the fall colors of the board for this one
and chose an old designer paper of black and gray from my 12x12 stash.
Using a Pink Fresh Studios Seamless Floral Panel I stenciled my
card with mostly Altenew inks.  It's kind of embarrassing of  how many
Pink Fresh Studio stencils, stamps and I dies I have,
oh well, they will all get used all in good time (if I live long enough..hah)!!
I also die cut a The Greetery Big Beautiful Bow die.  When you cut these you cut
in two colors which gives you two different contrasting bows in the end,
I've been getting quite a little collection of them for later use.

We hope to see YOU over at Beautiful Blossoms with your floral creation,
plenty of beautiful inspiration there too!!

Peace On Earth Challenge #72

Time for a new challenge and a new mood/inspiration board
at Peace On Earth! 

It's pretty colorful so plenty of inspiring colors here
but you can create anything as long as it is Christmas themed!

As always, design team members normally go with our inspiration boards
and I was no exception as I pulled out my Dew Drop inks and an old (2015)
Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamp set. These stamps are on a dowel like piece
so you can stamp however you want, I used two of the three stamps included.
Trying to keep within the colors of the rainbow, the fun colors I used were 
Dandelion~Bahama Blue~Tangelo~Love Letter,
stamping in the shape of a wreath!!

Check out all the 'pretties' from the design team at
Peace On Earth!!