Double D Challenge: Signs of Love

Hello crafty friends!  A new Double D Challenge starts today with the theme of "Signs of Love".  The possibilities are infinite when it comes to love and I know you can imagine all sorts, subjects, and occasions, not limited to the awesome mood board prepared for you:

The DDs have a pretty great prize for a random winner.  As always, creative winners are by team vote.

It's just past Valentine's Day, but as I prepared ahead for this challenge I took the opportunity to make my Rich's Valentine.  I purchased the Penny Black I'm So Cute stamp in December and it didn't wait long to find its way onto a card.

Lots of sunshine on picture day made the dimension show up like crazy!

It's colored with Tombows and blender, cut out and popped up with all the good Valentine elements added around it.  The papers are older Echo Park Love Notes, including the sentiment panel.  It's packed full of joyful love!

I know it will remind him of our Wally dog.  I hope that doesn't make him feel sad.  Sophie and Ridley have worked so hard to win his heart, and I'm pretty sure it's working.  Here's a pic of our Wally in which you can see the resemblance to the stamp:

He was such a special guy.

There are two additional challenges I simply have to link to:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge -- Anything goes or optional "romance"
NBUS Challenge #83 -- My never before used schtuff is the Penny Black I'm So Cute woodblock stamp.

 

Now it's time to visit Double D if you haven't already done so.  The team has a lot of love to share with you today, and I hope you'll share some love with us in the player's gallery.

Take care, and have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Penny Black I'm So Cute  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, black cardstock, Echo Park Love Notes designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:  Tombow markers and blender  Other:  Precious Marieke Flower Border, Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets, Poppystamps Prim and Proper Bow, Stampin' Up 3 in 1 heart punch, twill ribbon

Jellyfish Blooms

Hello crafty friends!  I was excited to be stamping and coloring again in the new year... anything other than a Christmas card... so when my friend's birthday came along last month I felt I had just the right never been used stamp for her card.  This is a Creative Expressions stamp, Jellyfish Blooms, from their Designer Boutique collection.  The sentiment is a CZ Designs for Simon Says Stamp -- You 2.  It was a freebie with one of my orders.  Nice!  Lots of variations in the set.

I colored with Copics on Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, and added several spots of Silver Stickles for sparkle.  It's quite the little fantasy piece, but I do love this type of image that mixes flora and fauna.

As for the sentiment, I felt it fit both the image and my friend who has a beautiful spirit and amazing strength considering all she's been through in the last year and a half.  I stamped on SU Bermuda Bay and embossed in white, then hand cut around the "you" and cut the "amaze me" with a random rectangle die from my stash.

It's a 4 1/2" x 6" card with the image panel simply glued to a Bermuda Bay base which I embossed with SU's retired Subtle 3D embossing folder.  The last step was to embellish with some Hero Arts Seashells brushed with Wink of Stella which I tried to capture in the photo below, but it's so much glossier, cleaner, and more shimmery in real life.

My not yet used supplies are bountiful, including a wealth of gifts I was showered with for my birthday and Christmas -- all from the same friend for whom I made this card.  She knows what I like.

Sharing here:

NBUS Challenge #83 -- Never before used schtuff -- Jellyfish Blooms, You 2 sentiment, and Seashells

I'll leave you with a wish for a happy day.  Take good care of yourselves, please.

Stamps:  Creative Expressions Jellyfish Blooms, CZ Designs/Simon Says Stamp You 2  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Hero Arts Seashells, WOW Bright White super fine embossing powder, Silver Stickles, SU Subtle 3D embossing folder, misc. rectangle die

Celebrate Critter Style

Hello there!  It's another cutie pie Penny Black critter card today, sharing the last of the cards I made with the kit I created for the Time to Celebrate set.  Once I was settled in for Christmas I made three cards one after the other and there were plenty of grins and giggles in the process. The mouse with balloons drifted in from the Birthday Critters set to help the hedgie celebrate.

When I was having fun with this card sketch I found that Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles worked out beautifully in the way they fit with each other.  I used an oldie embossing folder for the background, and a flower punch for embellishment.  The "celebrate" die is another Cottage Cutz steal-of-a-deal recent purchase.  In the photo below I think you can see where the glitter is, but you know it's much prettier in real life.

I felt like I could go on and on with this basic card design, but this is the last of them for now.  It's such a great way to use bits of designer paper, and this particular paper is an ages old Memory Box pack I'm trying to use up.  I have so many new and/or not-yet-used pretty papers which I plan to break into, but the oldies must be used as well.

I love that you stopped by today and we'll do this again soon.  Take care!

Stamps:  Penny Black Time to Celebrate (hedgie), Birthday Critters (mouse), Enjoy Builder (stamped sentiment)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, Memory Box Brioche designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Celebrate Phrase, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles, extinct leaf die and tag die  Other:  Flower punch, Sizzix Flowers embossing folder, Wink of Stella, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, 1/8" circle punch for flower centers

Double D Challenge: Vintage/Shabby Chic

The Double D challenge is all about pretty today, friends!  The theme is Vintage/Shabby Chic and we hope you'll be inspired by the mood board:

The DDs are giving a lovely prize to a random winner and, as always, creative favorites are by team vote.

Whether vintage or shabby or vintage and shabby, I know the players' gallery will be filled with beautiful cards.  I have long loved shabby chic and created in this style a lot in the past.  I'm not sure why I pulled away from it because I sure enjoyed making today's card.

It's very feminine with birds, flowers, lace & pearls, lots of pink, and even a bit of designer paper showing in the corner.  I embossed Altenew's Loving Birds and smooshed with white ink.  I turned back one corner for a peek at the designer paper, and tucked the lace under.  The flowers are Memory Box Clara Blooms.  The "love" is an oldie from Frantic Stamper.  Before adhering to the card base I roughed up the edges of the image panel with my ages old Stampin' Up distressing tool.

A friend of mine needs at least three anniversary cards so that's the purpose of this card.  I added lace and designer paper inside, too, with a sweet sentiment.

I hope you'll visit the Double D blog to enjoy the team's cards, and then play along with yours.

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker and Stampin' Up sentiments inside  Paper:  Bazzil white for card base and "love", Hammerill Premium 100 lb white for flowers, Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Craft Consortium Belle Fleur designer paper  Ink:  SU white pigment, Pink Pirouette  Other:  Altenew Loving Birds 3D embossing folder, Memory Box Clara Blooms, Frantic Stamper Sending Love/Hugs, lace & pearls from stash, dimensional foam dot to pop up larger flower

Floral Hug in Blue

Hi friends!  I opened up another of my self-made card kits this week and commenced to coloring and making cards.  This kit's focus is on Penny Black's Floral Vines stamp set with matching dies.  I made three cards, but only sharing one today.  I let the Triple B Challenge be my inspiration this time. You can see their beautiful board at the end of this post.

The flowers are gold embossed and watercolored very simply with Stampin' Up inks.  All the die cuts are double-layered for a little extra dimension, and then placed against a leafy embossed background.

Two of the three cards I made with this kit are to be part of a gift set for a friend.  She likes pretty hand made cards with lots of room to write inside.

I thought I'd share a photo of the "kit", such as it is.  There's nothing especially clever about it.  All the stamps are embossed and ready to color, card bases prepped, and certain design pieces cut and ready.  I had a layout planned for all three cards.  Some of the parts were used for the other two cards, and certain finishing touches were added in later.  The larger single flowers were used for decoration inside the cards.

I have five remaining kits, all focusing on not-yet-used stamps, multiple cards per kit.  I look forward to playing with all of them!

Today's two challenges are as follows:

Triple B Challenge:  Birds, blooms, and/or butterflies
NBUS Challenge #82:  My never before used schtuff is the Penny Black Floral Vines stamp set

 

That's all for now.  I hope to see you again next week.  Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Floral Vines with matching dies  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White  Ink:  Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Watercolor with Stampin' Up Inks  Other:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, gold cord, Spellbinders Branching Out embossing Folder, SB A2 Devine Eleoquence and Labels Twenty Eight, Impression Obsession Medium Butterflies

Let's Party!

Hello, friends!  I know that you know I love my Penny Black critters.  Lately I've been loving the mice as much as the dogs and cats, and the little hedgies are stepping right up there, too.  Today I have another of my self-made card kit creations.

It's the Time to Celebrate set combined with a Cottage Cutz sentiment die, and using the go-to layout I was having fun with at Christmastime.  I changed it up a little with different dies and an embossed background.

There's lots of party time sparkle on the starbursts, punched circles, and party hats.  Coloring is Copics, including sentiment and stars.

Sparkle inside, too, with a Penny Black Birthday Love sentiment.

With all the spots and dots on my card today I'd like to play along in the following challenge:

Sisterhood of Crafters -- Spots & Dots

Well, that was fun!  I made one more card with this set, but I'll save it for later.  I do so appreciate having this craft and my big toy box as a diversion where all is well and happy.  Thanks for being here with me!

Stamps:  Penny Black Time to Celebrate, Birthday Love  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, retired Memory Box Brioche designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Fifties Phrases #1 and Nested Wacky Stitched Rectangle Set  Other:  Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, 1/8" & 1/4" circle punch, Diamond Stickles

Sweet as Honey

Hi there!  Last month after Christmas cards were finally made n' mailed I sat with my baskets of never before used stamps and made up a few card kits.  For each kit I stamped the images, chose papers and embellishments, and in most cases I prepped the card base to the point that all I had to do was add the focal panel and embellishments.  There are a few different reasons for doing this, but mostly it was just plain fun.

A few days ago I pulled this kit out of the basket and finished the card.  I paired a not-yet-used Unity stamp with an old favorite Spellbinders die combo.  It was all prepped and ready to go with ancient SU designer paper peeking from under the decorative die.  I colored with Copics, then glued the image panel to the card base and added the sentiment and gold sequins.  Sweet as honey!

I'd like to play in the following two challenges

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge -- Anything goes or optional mood board as shown below.
NBUS Challenge #82 -- Never before used schtuff (Unity Sweet as Honey stamp)

 

I'm so glad we could visit today.  We'll get together again real soon, okay?  Take care!

Stamps:  Unity Sweet as Honey, Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, retired SU designer paper  Ink:  Memento London Fog and Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other: Spellbinders A2 Divine Eloquence and Labels Twenty Eight, gold sequins

Double D Challenge: Friends 2026

Hello again!  Another Double D challenge begins today and it's all about friendship.  I cannot fully express how important my friends are to me.  Whether girlfriends, guy friends, dog friends... I love them all.  Check out our cute inspiration board:

Creative favorites are by team vote, and the DDs have a fun prize for a random winner:

I chose Art Impressions Laughing Set for my card today.  I've used this set so much I'm afraid I'll start sending it to the same people over again.  In the past I would keep a list with a stamp set as to the card recipients, but somehow that practice fell by the wayside, tsk.  At any rate, here they are again:

What fun!  I stamped in Ranger Archival Jet Black on watercolor paper and colored with Tombow markers and blender.  The Panalisa Honey Flower paper has been sitting not yet used in my overflowing paper cupboard too long, but here it is looking just right with the ladies.  I even had a daisy die to bring in for enhancement.  It's very old, but it still does the trick.  Lastly, I added punched circles coated with Diamond Glaze.  Can't help but smile!

The team has made some delightful friendship cards, so head over to Double D and have a look, then share yours with us.

Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Art Impressions Laughing Set  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor, Neenah white for card base and die cut, Panalisa Honey Flower designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black  Coloring:  Tombow markers and blender  Other:  Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets, die-namites Daisy Bunch, 1/4" and 1/8" hole punches, Scotch brand foam mounting tape to pop up image panel