Circle of Spring

One of my favorite things to do with cardmaking is to combine challenges. This card combines inspiration from both a color challenge and a sketch.

1. Color Throwdown #384








2. Pals Paper Arts #292

The wreath was stamped, colored and die cut, popped up with foam and then adhered to layers of DSP and cardstock. The inside was decorated with a strip of the green DSP. Clear Wink of Stella was added to the flowers. No sentiment has been added because I use many of my cards for general correspondence to family and friends.



Techniques: Stamping, coloring, die cutting, CAS
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted -
Stamp: Circle of Spring
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wister Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Real Red
DSP: From scraps in stash
Die: Wonderful Wreath Framelits
Misc.: Dimensionals foam, Wink of Stella (clear)

Warm and Cozy Wishes Coffee Card

This card is for Day Two of the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog Hop. Lots of great giveaways!

It has taken me years to cultivate a taste for coffee but I love it... hot or cold. And the coffee trend seems to be growing all the time. The cup and sleeve (cozy) were die cut from coordinating DSP along with a cardstock lid. The floral DSP, in addition to the aqua color, also has a dark green leaf so two swirls were die cut from cardstock. A large tag was die cut and the swirls and coffee cup were adhered. The cup was popped up on foam. The large tag was backed with foam for dimension and popped up on a panel of coffee themed DSP adhered to a card base

in dark brown. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of cardstock and decorated with a strip of DSP to match the cup sleeve. The bow was added along with the stamped sentiment.

Be sure to join in the fun at the blog hop!

Techniques: Stamping, sponging, die cutting, CAS
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Mossy Meadow
DSP: Pretty Petals 6" x 6" stack
Misc.: Dimensionals foam

Other Materials
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs "Coffee Cozy"
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs "Coffee Cozy"; Reverse Confetti "Swirlies"

Misc.: Ribbon



Turning in Circles - CAS

This CAS card came to be because I was inspired by two separate biweekly challenges:

1. Sunday Stamps Sketch Challenge #122:

2. Inkspirational Color Challenge #104:

All of the images were die cut from two shades of gray cardstock and one shade of pink cardstock. (The Smoky Slate appears to have a light blue cast in the photos, but is actually a light gray.) The pieces and the "negatives" were adhered to the card. A few were popped up with foam tape. The inside of the card was lined with pink cardstock, stamped with a circular birthday sentiment and a few more of the die cut elements were added.

Take a look at the blogs and enjoy the SSC122 and Inkspirational104 challenges!

Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, CAS
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials:
Ink: Basic Gray
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Blushing Bride
Misc.: Dimensionals foam

Other Materials:
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp "Circle Sayings"
Dies: Simon Says Stamp "Dotted Circles"

Fruit Basket Upset

3/23/2016 Update: This card was a Top Three pick at the AHSC sketch challenge!






Fruit Basket Upset is actually a child's game but I thought it worked well as a name for my card. The layout was inspired by the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #151. The design was inspired by the citrus trees in my neighbor's yard. They are heavy with ripe fruit because of the Arizona weather.

The fruit was all stamped and fussy cut. The card background was stamped on the left with chevrons. On the right side, flourishes were stamped using a stamping off technique. A vertical strip of cardstock was added then the fruits were arranged and adhered, popping up some of them while others are adhered flat. The sentiment was stamped and popped up on a banner. The inside was stamped with some orange and lemon slices.

Join in the weekly challenges by visiting the AHSC blog.

Techniques: Stamping, stamping off, fussy cutting
Size: A7 (5" x 7")

Materials
Stamps: CTMH "Taste of Summer"; SU! "Flowering Flourishes"; Lawn Fawn "Chevron Backdrop"
Inks: SU! Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Watermelon Wonder; Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: SU! Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Slush
Misc.: SU! Dimensionals foam

Treat Yo' Self Coffee Card

It's time for the spring Coffee Loving Cardmaker Blog Hop! This is an extremely popular event and there are prizes to be won!

The colors were inspired by The Paper Players Challenge #286. I discovered I did not have Bermuda Bay cardstock or matching ink pad so used Tempting Turquoise as a substitute.

The front of the card base was stamped with the "steam" image then texture embossed with diagonal stripes. A scalloped heart and then a smaller classic heart were die cut and adhered. The scallops were decorated with white dots and a touch of the turquoise was added using Candy Dots. The coffee cup and lid were die cut. The cup sleeve was die cut and stamped with the sentiment and flowers. The cup was popped up with foam. The inside of the card was

lined with a panel of white cardstock stamped with the same flowers and the expression, "Life begins after coffee."

Take a look at the blogs for CLC and PP286!

Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, dry embossing
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials
Ink: Calypso Coral
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Calypso Coral, Tempting Turquoise
DSP: Pretty Petals 6" x 6" stack
Misc.: Candy Dots, Dimensionals foam, TIEF

Other Materials
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs "Coffee Talk" and "Coffee Cozy"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Dies: Spellbinders Scalloped and Classic Hearts; Lil' Inker Designs "Coffee Cozy"
Misc.: Uniball Signo Gel Pen (white)

Celebrate You with Poppies

As a child, I remember my grandfather's garden being full of large Poppies - a riot of red, orange and pink. In later years I discovered that Poppies are also grown in yellow, called Golden Poppies, and are the California State Flower. The colors of Smoothie and Canary for the Color My Heart: Color Dare #184 reminded me of those poppies.

I used a fun fold that is known by several names so I'm just going with calling it a zigzag-fold. I decided to cut it freehand to give it a wavy look. Small circles were cut to attach the ribbons to the card. The four inside panels of the card were decorated with cardstock and DSP. The fourth panel was decorated with a stamped and matted rectangle and three fussy cut flowers, colored black in the center and dotted with a white gel pen. The first outside panel was decorated with stamped flowers in two colors and a sentiment. The third outside panel was decorated with a poppy stamp. The stems and pods were colored and the flowers were stamped onto Canary cardstock and fussy cut. The three flowers that can be seen when the card is closed were popped up with foam, the centers colored in with black and white dots added with a gel pen.

See the beautiful and creative cards and scrapbook pages at the Color Dare blog!

Techniques: Stamping, sponging, coloring, die cutting, fussy cutting, freehand cutting
Size: 2.75" x 6" (when closed) and 11" x 6" (when open)

Close to My Heart Materials
Cardstock: Smoothie, Canary

Stampin' Up! Materials
Stamps: Birthday Blossoms, Pleasant Poppies
Ink: Pear Pizzazz (exact match to Sweet Leaf)
Cardstock: Whisper White, River Rock (exact match to Flaxen)
DSP: Pretty Petals 6" x 6" stack
Misc.: Dimensionals foam

Other Materials
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers
Die: Spellbinders Classic Circles (as ribbon holders)
Misc.: Canary grosgrain ribbon from stash

Bluebird Wreath

Have you ever hung a lovely natural wreath on your door only to have birds make a nest in it? I have had that experience with Mockingbirds. At the time it was a bit of a nuisance having to clean the front porch constantly while mother bird set forth an attack as I approached the nest but in the long run, it was a fun experience watching the eggs hatch and the chicks mature until they left the nest. The wreath was ruined by the time it was all over and was discarded.

When I saw the inspiration photo at Inspired by All the Little Things #6, I was reminded of my Mockingbird experience so created a card with a bluebird nest in a wreath.

The wreath, flowers and tags were all die cut from either cardstock or DSP, the bird was stamped, colored and fussy cut. The nest and eggs were also stamped and fussy cut. The bird, flowers and nest were all popped up with foam. Everything was adhered to wood grain DSP and trimmed along each side with DSP onto a card base. The inside of the card was decorated with flowers and a stamp, "Have a beautiful day!"

Visit All the Little Things blog for fabulous ideas!



Techniques: Stamping, coloring, die cutting, fussy cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Pistachio Pudding
DSP: Adventure Bound Collection
Ink: Soft Suede (nest)
Misc.: Dimensionals foam

Close to My Heart Materials
Stamps: "Happy Birds"

Other Materials
Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy "Love Birds" (nest and eggs)
Dies: Memory Box "Grendon Wreath"; Reverse Confetti "Flower Wrap Cuts"
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers
Misc.: Hemptique Beige Hemp

Live the Sweet Life

My neighbor's lemon trees are heavy with ripe fruit, signaling we are well into spring in the Sonoran Desert. I have not seen peach trees since retiring in Arizona but I had this stamp set that I've used before and was inspired to use again when I saw the colors at the Color Throwdown Challenge #383. While posting this card, I also saw the card challenge at Can You Case It? #111, which is a "pick your own three colors" challenge.

The card base was dry embossed for texture with diagonal stripes. The white cardstock panel was also dry embossed, but with flowers. The next layer is yellow print DSP followed by the art piece, matted with orange DSP and popped up on craft foam. The sentiment was stamped and die cut, matted with DSP and popped up with foam. Candy dots were added to the sentiment banner and a butterfly to the peaches. To create the focal point, the peach image was stamped with black ink, masked and then stamped again. The images were colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock and

decorated with a matching butterfly. One peach image was stamped inside by stamping off, then the verse, "Live the Sweet Life," was stamped over it.

Visit CTD383 and CYCI111 to join in the challenge fun!

Techniques: Masking, stamping, stamping off, coloring, die cutting, dry embossing, punch cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz
DSP: Flowerpot (yellow)
Punch: Elegant Butterfly
Misc.: Dimensionals foam, TIEF (two)



Close to My Heart Materials
Stamps: "Sweet Life"
DSP: Taste of Summer (orange)




Other Materials
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers
Die: Just Rite "Vintage Labels Four"

Quad Shakers Painted with Coffee

Coffee has been a popular trend for a while but I've been kind of behind the times in using it as a theme. Recently I saw a card that had been painted with coffee HERE. As I looked for additional information, I found it to be gaining in popularity but it's been around for a very long time. I decided to start with something simple so purchased a small inexpensive brand of instant coffee and painted it onto a piece of watercolor paper for practice, which became the background for this card. It was like painting with watercolor.

My card was initially inspired by a sketch challenge but then I saw a shaker challenge so stepped it up and created four shakers units on the one card. The shakers are low profile for easy mailing.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #150






Just Us Girls #334 Trend Challenge

Four shapes were die cut to be made into the shakers. Before adhering them to the coffee background, they were overlapped and adhered to each other then covered with Glossy Accents. Once dry, the background was aligned with the shapes for stamping. The wonky rectangle was stamped, "everything is better with COFFEE." The oval was stamped, "& FRIENDS." The circle was stamped with a shaded heart. It was unnecessary to stamp inside the hexagon. Once the shakers were filled with sequins and adhered, the banner was die cut, matted and stamped with, "Let's get together for a cup." The banner was backed with foam to pop it up to match the level of the shaker shapes. Sequins were adhered to the front of the card. The inside was lined

with a panel of white cardstock and a cup of coffee, stamped and fussy cut. The label on the cup has hearts that match the one in the circle.

Drop by the AHSC150 and JUGS334 blogs to see the fabulous creations!

Techniques: Painting with coffee, multiple shakers, stamping, die cutting, fussy cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Stampin' Up! Materials
Inks: Soft Suede (for cup stamped inside card)
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Watercolor
Misc.: Dimensionals foam, Window Sheets (acetate)

Other Materials
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs "Coffee Cozy" & "Coffee Talk"
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Kroger's Instant Coffee (strong and cooled)
Dies: Gina K. Designs (stacking ovals); Spellbinders (Classic Circles, Hexagons, Wonky Rectangles, Ribbon Banners)
Misc.: 3M foam tape, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Glossy Accents

Thankful at Easter - CAS

With Easter only a few weeks away, I've been making a few Easter cards here and there for family and close friends. Instead of bunnies, eggs and flowers, I decided to focus on a new stamp I have with starfish. The starfish I used to see on the Florida beaches were all similar in color and size but when I went to Alaska on a cruise, I saw them in all sizes and colors. Our Creator is amazing, so why not use them on an Easter card!

The card is being entered into two challenges:

1. Always Playing with Paper "The Challenge" #63 -

2. Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge #233 -

On white cardstock, the two-step starfish was stamped three times and fussy cut. To achieve two colors for the two-step process, I stamped off with the coral ink for the first step and then used full color for the second step. On another panel of white, the background lines were stamped to symbolize seaweed and the spatter to represent sand. The starfish were fussy cut and backed with foam to pop them up. The sentiment was stamped and matted and slipped underneath the starfish leg. Three yellow toned sequins were added. This entire art piece was adhered to a panel of cardstock and then to the card base. The card base was stamped with a set of lines and the spatter and two Easter sentiments.

For fun challenges visit the challenge blogs at APWP63 and HSS233.

Techniques: Stamping, stamping off, fussy cutting, punch cutting, CAS
Size: A7 (5" x 7")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated:
Stamps: Picture Perfect, He Is Risen, Chalk Lines, Gorgeous Grunge
Inks: Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz
Punch: Curvy Corner Trio (for sentiment banner)
Misc.: Dimensionals and PPP sequins