Merry Cactus!

Hello everyone - time for my Die Cut Diva inspiration post! I'm sharing the first card below at the Divas HERE but you can only find the details, plus bonuses, right here!!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White; 

Paper Studio Holiday

Digi - Whimsy Lounge Lizard 

Stamps - Hero Arts Merry Cactus to You (retired)

Dies - AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;

Hero Arts Tag Frame Infinity Dies (retired)

Other - Copic Markers; foam tape; 

Hero Arts Sparkle Lacquer; Glossy Accents

The Divas have no "sponsor" this month but Whimsy has donated a lovely $15 gift card to their online store. Thanks Whimsy!! We will award the prize by random drawing on February 3rd. 

I love Whimsy & have enjoyed seeing their digital releases but hadn't been able to buy any until now. Now that I finally have a new printer - woo hoo, I invested in a few of them. I downloaded Lounge Lizard last week and it's getting first play here - so fun to color!!

Sized the image in Word and printed. Allowed to dry thoroughly, then die cut with a stitched rectangle. Colored with Copics and added sparkle to the star & Glossy Accents to the light bulbs and the lizard's eyes. Stamped an old HA cactus sentiment on a scrap of white & die cut it with a label, plus a shadow. Assembled on an A2 card - done!

I'll add my card to Darnell's January NBUS Challenge #70 since Lounge Lizard is newly used. My card will also go to Merry Little Christmas Challenge #60 (my 3rd entry). 

Ready for a couple bonus cards? You saw a tag card with penguins for Craft Roulette early this month. Well, I made several sets of penguins in one sitting with my new Whimsy Penguin Pals set and used a couple of them on cards I needed:

Supplies: Paper - Recollections A2 card; Neenah white;

scraps; dotted paper by unk

Stamps - Stampabilities (Hobby Lobby) Birthday

Dies - Whimsy Stamps Penguin Pals; 

Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders;

Sunny Studio Layered Snowflake Frame;

Spellbinders Balloon Birthday Wishes (DOML-May23)

Layered Mix & Match Sentiments (retired) 

Other - Copic Markers; foam tape; gems

Besides the penguin set being new, the label was from a Spellbinders subscription box from May 2023 that got first play. Funny thing though, I found it on sale in Arizona & bought it for my sister's stash - so it was newly used there. My own set is around here somewhere... Also newly purchased for my sister's stash - the Sunny Studio snowflake frame set which included the sentiment Winter Wishes. I squeezed in a Spellbinder's birthday die cut to make this a winter bday card for my great-niece, Annika. Stamped and fussy cut the cupcake and gift, then colored with Copics. The dotted paper was in a make & take we did in Arizona; I didn't catch the brand. My sister liked part of the make & used it, but not the dotted paper. I repurposed it here.

Update: thanks to Gundi for the referral, I'll link my penguin birthday card to Dream Factory Challenge #135 - Surf's Up. The movie is about penguins so you can take inspiration from that critter, not just surfing.

Here's another penguin card; the Whimsy set makes three different sizes.

Additional supplies - BoBunny Tuxedos & Tiara's patterned paper

Dies - Doodlebug Designs Many Thanks (retired)

label by unk

Other - Diamond Stickles

That's it for today friends. Happy crafting & I hope to see you in the January Diva gallery!

Happy Easter & last day for the March Die Cut Diva Challenge!

Happy Easter wishes to everyone celebrating today!! Most of my immediate family will celebrate in Arizona but I was going to take my friend/sister by choice Connie and her hubby to Easter buffet at Afton House Inn. We did the Thanksgiving buffet once and it was very good. I ended up coming down with a bit of a sniffle so we'll have to reschedule. Boo hoo!

I'm sharing at Die Cut Divas today along with the rest of the end-of month team. It's Anything Goes for this month at the Divas - just remember to use a die cut &/or embossing folder & get your last entries in by 9pm Pacific time today.

First I have some darling Easter treat boxes made using a new Lawn Fawn die set:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb;

Lawn Fawn Fruit Salad Petite; Graphic 45 Time to Flourish;

Scraps of green

Dies - Lawn Fawn Carrot Treat Box

Stamps with Dies - Carrot 'bout You (coordinating dies HERE),

Carrot 'bout You Banner Add-On (coordinating dies HERE)

Other - Copic markers, Memento Tuxedo Black ink;

Hero Arts Ultra Pink & TE Pumpkin

Lawn Fawn has generously donated a $25 gift card to their online store 

for our random winner. Thanks, Lawn Fawn!

The box was just released for Spring 2024 and so were the stamped/die cut additions. So easy to put together and Kelly Marie has a great tutorial video on the product page. I simply die cut the box from patterned papers and the carrot tops from some green scraps & assembled per the video. Stamped, die cut and colored the bunnies, sign & banner and added to the assembled box. Both are filled with Easter candies - yum!! I'll add my carrot treat boxes to Darnell's March NBUS Challenge since they're new. 

For my bonus today, I made some little chick boxes - so cute for Easter!

Supplies: Paper - Lawn Fawn retired & 

scraps of Neenah white, black and orange

Dies - Lawn Fawn Tiny Gift Box &

Tiny Gift Box Chick and Duck Add-on

Other - White gel pen

Simply die cut and assemble the box following the video tutorial Kelly Marie shares on the product page. Die cut and add the chick elements form the add-on set. These boxes had room for two Dove candies each. I will link my chicks to the current Dream Factory Challenge where no bunnies are allowed on your project. And my yellow chicks fit the current I Spy with My Little Eye Challenge to included something yellow.

And I can't forget to wish Hilary (fiddling about) a happy birthday today! Here's the card I sent her using Spellbinders Spring Reflection (DOML-Feb23) and a bunch of snippets along with a background of MFT's colorful canvas in a fave color of Hilary's - green! The sentiment came from a Betterpress set You are Everything Sentiments. Hilary received the card a while ago (you never know about the post) but waited til today to open it!

Happy Birthday, Hilary!!

That's it for today. Hope to see you in the March Diva gallery by 9pm Pacific time today! 

Thanks for visiting & enjoy your Easter!!