Merry Monday #283 - Puppy Time!

Whoo hoo - time for Leanne's Challenge #283 at Merry Monday. She would like to see a puppy on our Christmas cards this week. Isn't the little white pup in the inspiration photo the sweetest?!

I've put a dog image on various cards but never a puppy on a Christmas card. I found the perfect pup on a Stamp & Cut set by Hero Arts.

Supplies: Paper - BoBunny Merry & Bright 6x6, scrap of Authentique yellow
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Red Pepper & Green Apple
DCWV Ms Sparkle green card
Stamps - Hero Arts DC220 Fluffy Stockings Stamp & Cut
CL907 Color Layering Wreath (sentiment)
Dies - Hero Arts DI337 Nesting Infinity Oval Dies
My Favorite Thing Blueprints 13, 26 & 23 (retired)
Other - Copic Markers, foam tape, Hero Arts Red Royal ink; red nail head

I love Hero Arts Stamp & Cut sets - they're in the 200s of releases now. I don't have them all but I managed to pick up a few new Christmas sets from last year's catalog. The Fluffy Stockings set has both a puppy and a kitten in stockings - so adorable!! The puppy reminded me of the one in the inspiration photo. I colored him with Copics and decided to feature him on an oval,.rather than try to do a fireplace with mantle. The sentiment came from a Hero Arts set I used a couple weeks ago on this card which included my pup's daddy - LOL. What do you think of the yellow scalloped border? It matches the yellow snowflakes in the paper perfectly so I couldn't resist it.

Hope you have a chance to play along with us this week - can't wait to see your puppy creations! Check out all the sweet Design Team cards, along with challenge details HERE. Thanks for stopping!!

Take Two for the Blossom Twofer Challenge

Post #2 for today - crazy huh? Anyway - earlier I played along with the Twofer Card Challenge that ends today and used a tulip die. It screamed the need to be inlaid for a stained glass look. After I finished my first blossom twofer and blogged it, I got to work on the stained glass piece. I had some outline pieces left over and suddenly had an idea for another card. Thus another twofer was born and I finished before the deadline - woo hoo!!

Hopefully the photo isn't too nasty - it's full dark here now and I did the best I could without a light box....

Supplies: Paper - Poptone Snowcone card; DCWV shimmer green A2 card;

Lawn Fawn Spring Perfectly Plaid; Michaels orange/yellow/green

Stamp on It! shimmer blue vellum; Paper Studio glitter

Dies - My Favorite Things Die-Namics Blueprints 13

Die-Namite Tulip Trio (retired?)

Spellbinders Back to Basics Tags (retired)

Poppystamps Poised Faerie; Hero Arts DI199 Circle Infinity Dies

Hero Arts January 2018 My Monthly Hero (corner flourishes)

Stamps - Lawn Fawn Eggstra Special Easter

Hero Arts CL661 It's Your Day

Other - foam tape; May Arts ribbon; Hero Arts sequins

I cut the tulips four times - used the black outline with yellow, orange and green pieces inlaid. Snipping off parts of the orange and green outlines, I had what became wings for the fairy. Poppystamps sent me the fairy on the right as a sample - thanks much!! She arrived with a detached set of white wings which I saved for a future project. Still need a few more Easter cards but was delighted to get two done today, along with two birthday cards.

Thanks for stopping and I'd better head off to comment on some more of the Twofer gallery. Nite!

Twofer Card Challenge #3 - Blossoms

Happy Saturday! I'm glad I had time to squeak in a pair of cards for the Twofer Challenge ending today!!

I was out of town helping my parents and, on the way home, stopped at CF Stamps Etc. I couldn't resist a tulip circle die that I thought would work for this challenge. Here's my twofer:

Supplies: Paper - Poptone Snowcone; Michaels green, yellow & orange; 

Paper Studio glitter; Basic Grey Kelly Purkey Second City (striped)

Stamps - Hero Arts CM136 Birthday Messages; 

Taylored Expressions Many Minis - Holiday

Dies - Spellbinders Back to Basics Tags (retired); Die-namites Tulip Trio

Hero Arts Color Layering Fuchsia Frame Cuts;

My Favorite Things Die-namics Blueprints 13

Other - Hero Arts Foliage gems/pearls; May Arts ribbon

I made the first cut of the tulip die with some black glitter paper laying around my table. Big mistake as I was dusting bits of black glitter out of the die and off the cutting plate - oh well... I used the entire outline for the card on the right. Not sure why I was drawn to the striped paper for the bottom but, there you go. I pulled one of the strip colors and cut a tag to match for the sentiment. I decided to use the petals cut from the die on the second card (at left). At first I tried the black glittery petals but decided to make a second cut from yellow card stock. The rest of the blossom was cut using a freebie die I got with a UK magazine "Simply Cards and Papercraft (issue 173)". The stem was from the Hero Arts fuchsia set.

I enjoyed this challenge and appreciate Darnell & company for offering it! Two more cards for the stash!! Thanks for stopping and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Merry Monday #282 - Inspiration Photo!

Merry Monday everyone! Linda offers a beautiful inspiration photo for Challenge #282. I just love all the rich reds with the pines, candles and pine cones!

Supplies: Paper - Poptone Black Licorice; Paper Studio Red
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
Stamps - Deep Red Holiday Candles; Tim Holtz Stamptember 2017
Hero Arts CL241 Three Tree Christmas (retired - sentiment)
Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 21 (retired)
Other - Versamark ink; clear & gold embossing powder, foam tape; Copic markers

I was drawn to the diamond pattern in the rich red ribbon in the photo. I found a cling stamp with rows of diamonds in last year's Tim Holtz Stamptember cling set. It has an added star to it but I figured it would work. Stamped and gold embossed it on a red card, then diecut into a pierced rectangle. Added it to a top fold A2 black card. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark and considered gold embossing but loved the watermark look. Clear embossed it to make it pop even more. I stamped and colored the candles, fussy cut and adhered with foam tape. Keeping it simple, I added nothing else.

See Merry Monday for the challenge details and the beautiful Design Team cards. I hope you get a chance to play along this week! Thanks for stopping!!

Merry Monday #281 - Inspiration Photo!

Hi all - time for another inspiration photo at Merry Monday - challenge #281 hosted by Kim. Talk about making me thirsty - this photo does it!

Time to get out my Cottage Cutz Hot Cocoa Cafe die set and make a cup of cocoa for this week's card:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio red, brown & 
Christmas Classics 6x6 (candy cane patterned); 
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; My Favorite Things watercolor 6x6
Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 (retired) & Oval Shadows; 
Hero Arts DI337 Nesting Oval Infinity Dies;
Cottage Cutz Hot Cocoa Cafe; Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes
Stamp - Hero Arts CL909 Merry Cactus (retired - sentiment)
Other - foam tape, Copic markers, Hero Arts Red Royal ink; DCWV gem

I bought the cup die back in 2016 when I was vacationing in Arizona and made this card with it. Sorta weird patterned papers, now that I look back, but hey - that's what I had to work with in AZ. This time I went with solid papers for the cup and like it much better! I considered stamping a pattern on my cup but decided to add a little snowflake with a gem. I created the layered saucer using MFT oval shadow dies - who knew, when I got these free with an order, that they would be so handy?! I shaded all the cup pieces with Copic markers, even drizzling some brown for cocoa like the inspiration photo :)

I formed the nearly A2-sized card by cutting two MFT scalloped rectangles. I scored the back one at 1/2" and adhered to the front panel. I diecut the patterned paper with a stitched rectangle & added a red mat before adhering it to my scalloped card. The inspiration photo has a lot of white so I stuck to a white sentiment "table" to hold my cup. Because the background paper was so busy, I put a pale green oval behind the cup which I adhered with foam tape. Done!

Can't wait to see what you create this week! Be sure to check the challenge details & the fabulous Design Team cards at Merry Monday. Thanks for stopping!!

Merry Monday #280 - Inspiration Photo!

Welcome to another Merry Monday post! This week Kelly hosts challenge #280 with an amazing photo to inspire us. Such an elegant dinner setting!!

I took away the silver stars dangling from the chandelier and gold stars sprinkled around the centerpiece. A rich black night filters through the windows so I included black in my color scheme. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Poptone Black Licorice; Tim Holtz Metallic Kraft; white by ?

Stamp - Hero Arts CG619 Chalkboard Messages (retired)
Dies - Hero Arts - DI331 Star Confetti Fancy Die
Other - foam tape; Tarnished Brass Distress Stain; Distress Embossing Ink; 
Ranger Superfine Black Embossing Powder; Wink of Stella; puffy sticker

Thanks to my dear friend Betty, I had some Hero Arts star panels in my stash. Betty cut them in white and all the bitty stars stayed stuck in the panel I picked - what a feat! I decided to pop some out in a few cascades and left the rest in. Then I painted the panel using brass stain. Once dry, I trimmed it to 4x5.25" and adhered to a silver mat. I didn't inlay the remaining stars, just let the silver show through. I adhered the layers to a black top-fold A2 card and added a black strip. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of silver, embossed in black, fussy cut it, and added to the black strip. The sentiment has an outline star but I put a glittery gel sticker right over it - perfect size - from the December 2017 My Monthly Hero kit!! Also added some clear Wink of Stella to the largest brass stars in the diecut panel. The photo doesn't do justice to all the shimmer.

How are you doing with your Christmas cards? It may be early March but time flies! Be sure to check out this week's Merry Monday for loads of inspiration from the Design Team and a spot to link your creation.

Thanks for stopping!!