The Best Day Ever (CD #666)

The color board is up on the blog for Color Dare Challenge #666, a biweekly challenge that runs through Thursday, September 4, 2025. The requirements are that all three colors must be included in your design. While you are free to use neutrals and gold metallics, no other colors may be introduced.

These gorgeous colors reminded me of autumn, but I wanted to go with a quick birthday card for a neighbor, so that's the direction I went. You are free to take these colors in any direction that you are led.

This card turned out to be a real scrap buster! Shopping my stash for patterned paper scraps paid off. I easily found patterned scraps in all three colors. 

The inside was lined with a panel of Very Vanilla, stamped with a few flowers as seen on the card front, and decorated with several strips of patterned paper.

I adore my cat, a dark gray and white male with tuxedo markings. His name is Sluggo. He helped me with this card, and I must give credit. Just look closely at the two horizontal strips. He tried to remove them from the card front while I was out of the room. He is so talented!

The Design Team invites you to join our challenge. Guidelines are available at our CD666 Blog, as well as an array of cards created by the Team.

Thank you for taking a look at my blog - I appreciate your comments.

Melanie

Materials

Stamp set: Stampin' Up! "Birthday Blossoms"

Ink: Stampin Up! Calypso Coral

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla & Pretty Peacock

Patterned Paper: CTMH Mix-in & "Crisp Air", Colorbok "Bright Splash" & CS "Inspired"

Dies: Paper Rose (stitched rectangles)

Misc.: SBC foam tape

Hallelujah Fall-elujah! (TSOT #677)

What an interesting sketch!  Try a Sketch on Tuesday Challenge #677 runs through Sunday, August 31, 2025.  You are free to interpret this sketch using your own imagination. 

 

There is, however, a fun fold design that can be partnered with this sketch. Instructions for this Fan Fold card in the A2 size can be found at Delight of My Art by Deb Joy Smeak. I found the card was not difficult and went on to make a second one with different papers and colors. That card can be found HERE. 

I noticed that there are several different styles of the card, as seen by the array of cards by the TSOT Design Team. Some of the angles are different, and the size of the triangular elements is different. But the results are all fabulous!

Autumn colors and patterned paper were used in this design. The products are listed below. The small leaf adhered to the sentiment was a die-cut scrap.

If you created a fun-fold Fan card, then you will want to check out two other challenges: Double Trouble #198 "Mix It Up" and Creative Creases #106.

The TSOT Design Team invites you to join in the challenge and share your creativity. Thank you for taking a look.

Melanie

Materials

Stamps: None (sentiment is computer-generated)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic White & Delightful Dijon

Patterned Paper: CTMH "Crisp Air" & Stampin' Up! "Color Me Autumn" (includes the green "washed" paper)

Misc.: SBC Foam Tape; Stampin' Up! Blooming Pearls (green)

Dance of the Dragonflies (DTC #198)

Thing 1: Troublemaker has been busy cooking up a challenge in the Double Trouble kitchen with Challenge #198. This biweekly challenge will run through Sunday, August 31, 2025. That's a full two weeks to make this recipe!

3-2-1 Recipe 

Servings - Unlimited Portions of Fun

Ingredients

AT LEAST

3 Layers

There are eight layers.

2 Patterns

There are three patterns.

1 Sentiment

A sentiment has been included.

Thing 3:  Twisted Sister 

It's August in Arizona, and Twisted Sister is trying to cope. She said she was thinking she could use a fan to stay cool. Her optional twist for you is to create a Fun-Fan-Fold card. The DTC 198 Blog has guidelines to assist you in creating this Fun-Fan-Fold card.

My Fan-Fold card is on display at the top of this blog post. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Thing 2: For some added fun, Double Dare dares you to create a card for Try a Sketch on Tuesday Challenge #677. The sketch is below. TSOT is a biweekly sketch that will go live on Tuesday, August 19, and will end on Sunday, August 31, 2025. For this challenge, you may also enter your card at Creative Creases #106, an "anything goes" challenge using a fun-fold.

The TSOT #677 sketch was used for the Double Trouble Challenge.

 

To finish my card, the inside of the card was lined with a panel of coordinating patterned paper, followed by a panel of white paper. A few tiny die-cut dragonflies from my stash were added to the inside.

Because this was the first time making this fun-fold, I followed the instructions provided by Deb Joy Smeak at Delight of My Art on YouTube. I reviewed several other YouTube videos, but I preferred hers.

The Double Trouble Design Team invites you to join the challenge using the ingredients and to view their cards at the DTC 198 Blog. Thank you for stopping by!

Melanie

Materials

Stamp: Sizzix Circle Sentiments Set

Ink: Stampin' Up! Emerald Envy

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic White; dark teal from stash

Patterned Paper: GCD Studios "Journeys" by Kathy Davis

Dies: Sizzix Circle Sentiments Set & Whimsy (stitched circles)

Misc: SBC Foam Tape

Size: A2

 

Thinking of You (CD #664)

Color Dare Challenge #664 is now open through Thursday,  August 21, 2025. Below is the color board, which is asking you to pick at least two of the blue tones and use them in your project. 

I selected all of them simply by using patterned paper that includes the colors. In addition, white was used for the card base and silver glitter paper provided a matboard. The inside is decorated with a single blue flower to match the card front, leaving sufficient space to write a message.

You are invited to view the Design Team's cards at the Color Dare Blog. Our challenges begin weekly on Friday and last for two weeks, so there is always an active challenge underway.

Thank you for dropping by my blog.

Melanie

Materials

Stamp set: Stampin' Up! "Blossoms in Bloom"

Ink: Stampin' Up Azure Afternoon & Versamark

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic White and Silver Glimmer

Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up! DSP "Whale of a Time"

Die: Paper Rose Stitched Rectangles

Misc.: Wow! Silver Metallic EP, prismatic gem stickers

Fall - A Second Spring (TSOT #676)

A new sketch is now available at Try a Sketch on Tuesday. This is #676, a biweekly sketch that runs through Sunday, August 17, 2025. The sketch is below.

I think the sketch and my card are simple enough that I do not need to explain the details as to how it was assembled. It's obviously an autumn card - my favorite season. The patterned papers are from a very old collection. The hexagon was die-cut, and all the images were fussy cut. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock, decorated with a fussy-cut image.

Thank you for playing along with us at Try a Sketch on Tuesday. Visit the TSOT676 Blog to review the guidelines. The Design Team cards are also on the challenge blog.

Thank you for stopping by my blog.

Melanie

Materials

Stamp: none  (sentiment is computer-generated)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic White, Cajun Craze, Sahara Sand

Patterned Paper: Dare 2B Artzy "Fall Harvest" 

Die: Spellbinders hexagons

Misc.: SBC foam tape, Jolee's adhesive gems (gold metallic)

"MERRY" - Pinecone Spotlight (DTC #197)

How I enjoyed creating my card for this challenge! It's been a few years since I used the Spotlight Technique. (Click here to see it.) There are several styles considered to be spotlight cards, so I just picked the one I preferred. 

This was going to be an Autumn card, but it developed into a Christmas card. I used red and gold glitter cardstock to achieve that. I get too many ideas cooking in my head when I make cards for challenges, and the result is usually quite different than the original vision.

Double Trouble Challenge #197 is live today and will run through Sunday, August 17, 2025. Following is a summary of the challenge titled "You're in the Spotlight," and what I did to play along. 

Trouble Maker is ready to stir up trouble with her 3-2-1 Recipe:

Servings - Unlimited Portions of Fun

Use AT LEAST

3 - Colors of your choice

My card includes gold foiled paper, gold and red glitter paper, and several shades of green. Neutrals include black, white, and shades of brown.

2 - Layers

There are five layers, excluding the card base.

1 - Spotlight Technique

This technique is included. The pinecone image was colored with Copic markers. The Ruby Red gems were added for color.

Twisted Sister wants to recognize that August is "Happiness Happens" month. Happiness is contagious, so let's promote happiness by using at least one of the following or any combination of birds, butterflies and/or blooms ... it's your choice. (My card was completed, photographed, and posted before I realized that I had overlooked the optional twist.)

Double Dare: Take a look at the Triple B Challenge. It's all about Birds, Butterflies, and Blooms and fits perfectly with our spotlight challenge. The challenge began on Sunday, August 3, 2025, and ends on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 8:00 PM (ET).

The inside of my card was decorated with a small, stamped, colored, and fussy-cut pinecone image and a die-cut bow in red glitter paper.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Melanie

Materials

Stamps: Colorado Craft Co. "Pinecone Branch" (BB264)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Copic Alcohol Markers

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Basic White, Basic Black, Foiled (gold), Glimmer (gold), and from my stash, pearlescent green and red glitter cardstock

Dies: Whimsy (stitched circle), SBC word die "Merry"

Misc.: SBC Foam Tape (2 mm); Honey Bee red gems