Flutterby Wednesday and Divas By Design Challenges

The challenge this week at Flutterby Wednesday is open as long as you use a butterfly, angel or fairy, and Anything Goes at Divas by Design. I found this colored notebook paper at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts and thought it would be fun on a card. I cut three strips of different colors and lengths and attached them to a white card. I stamped the butterflies twice (Inkadinkado). The edge of the front of the card was cut off to show the blue butterfly border (Memory Box) and then I added some of the butterflies with pearls to complete the card.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Crafty Sentiments and Die Cuttin' Divas Challenges

The challenge at Crafty Sentiments this week is to use our punches and/or diecuts and at Die Cuttin' Divas anything goes using diecuts. I as inspired by this card I found on Pinterest to make this fun bunny behind with my diecuts and punches. I used circle and oval diecuts and the tail is a punch from Stampin' up. If you click the link for the card, it will take you to the blog where the punches used and sizes are listed. I think it is sweet and am loving all the ideas I am finding on Pinterest.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Designers Choice Challenge at Repeat Impressions

It's time for another Designers Choice challenge at The House that Stamps Built and Miriam is challenging us to use heat embossing in our cards. For awhile last year my heat gun sat unused for the longest time, but lately I have been heat embossing more and more again. This card has two different heat embossed areas. The Sunlight Cat is embossed with black detail embossing powder. The embossed back piece is a new technique I tried for the first time here. You apply versamark directly onto the embossing folder (Sizzix), put your paper in and emboss. Then you put embossing powder all over the embossed paper and heat with your heat gun. I used holographic embossing powder and the piece is all sparkly and shiny. (The sample I saw on line explaining this technique used clear embossing powder.) Hard to see in the pix, but maybe a little more visible in the pix below. Real pretty in real life. I finished with a ribbon and sentiment (Repeat Impressions) cut and embossed with a nestabilities, and raised with mounting tape.

I am entering this card in the challenge at Karen's Doodles for Cute and Cuddly. I think cats are cute and cuddly- atleast mine is:)

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stamp Scrap and Doodle and Quirky Crafts Challenges

Anything Goes at Stamp Scrap and Doodle this week and at Quirky Crafts, they want us to stamp a scene. I recently pulled out some of my Raisin Boat sets that I have been neglecting and had such fun designing some CAS cards with them. I love the brush strokes and the sentiments of the Strokes of Wisdom set and I added some beach chairs and the sand from the By the Beach set to create this sunset scene.

Two things I love about Raisin Boat (besides their awesome stamps) are: you can RENT sets from them! So if you want just make a few cards with a set and send it back and then get another one, you can! Just like Netflix. And if you get published using any of their sets, they reward you with $50 in product or $35 in cash! I was lucky enough to get four cards in the recent Just Cards and one of them was with Raisin Boat stamps, so I was the lucky recipient of this great reward. Other companies also reward you for publication- the ones I know of are Repeat Impressions, Hambo and Mark's Finest Papers. So I encourage you to send in your cards and then if you are picked, you get a free magazine and you can contact the stamp company to see if you rewarded by them too.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Simon Says Stamp and Digi Doodles Shops Best Challenges - and a New Addiction

Anything Goes is the theme of the challenges this week at Simon Says Stamp and Digi Doodles Shops Best. I was inspired by this card I found on Pinterest here to make this card. I am thrilled with how it turned out. Of course I started with a set of lovely stamps from Raisin Boat and some great ink colors and an embossing folder from Cuttlebug. The center embossed piece is raised above the white card.

So I have a new stamping addiction - Pinterest! You can check out my boards here or click on the Pinterest button on the side of my blog. It is an awesome way to keep all your stamping ideas (or for that matter any link or picture you want to keep) for future reference in one place. And you can search other boards and repin their ideas to yours. To get on you need a Facebook or Twitter account. Once you are there you can create your boards and start pinning the ideas from the blogs you like, to save them in one place.

I am just thrilled with the great ideas I have found already and am pinning all the time now. Check it out if you haven't already, but be prepared - it is addictive!

Stamping smile, Karen

Celebrate the Occasion and Digi Stamps 4 Joy Challenges

At Celebrate the Occasion the challenge is Masculine Birthday and at Digi Stamps 4 Joy the theme is "For the Boys". I really had fun designing this card and I love how it turned out. I started with an old page from a book and a brass stencil of a buck from Lynell Harlow. I embossed the buck onto the book page using my No More Shims thick pad, and while the stencil was still on the page, I sponged Rusty Hinge Distress ink on the buck. I also distressed the sides of the paper piece with a lighter distress ink. The kraft card was cut to be 3 1/2" wide when folded, so the card fits into an A2 envelope, and I embossed it with a CB folder. I cut the brown strip and added some baker's twine around it. The sentiment on the tag is an old one from TAC and I hung it from the baker's twine with a small green pin.

I am off for a weekend of smiles and fun visiting my grandson and daughter. Will be back Monday with more ideas to share. It is so fun being a Grandma:)

Stamping smiles, Karen

Here Come the Boys and StampsRUs Challenges

The challenge this week at Here Come the Boys is Dinosaurs and at StampsRUs they want to see Cards for Kids. I made this card for my grandson. I punched the dinosaurs border (ek success) and embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug.) I created a circle border out of patterned paper and a corner punch also by ek success. The stamp in the middle is from Inkadinkado.

Stamping smiles, Karen