Aqua Stars

I was burning the midnight oil after getting off work last night and created this card for two challenges.  First off, I have to give Amy Kolling the credit for inspiring me after seeing her gorgeous card on Pinterest!  I used a solid CS instead of DP and stamped stars instead of snowflakes, but the layout is the same.  This is a sneak peek of a new set being released by Our Daily Bread Designs on Nov. 1. There are 4 different sized stars and I've used all but the largest size to create the background.  Today's Ways to Use It challenge on SCS is to use our favorites and for me, it's the color and the use of embossing - both dry embossing for texture and heat embossing for the shimmer and shine!  It's also for Susie's HYCCT challenge to create your own background.

STAMPS: His Birth (ODBD)
PAPER: Coastal Cabana, White
INK: Coastal Cabana, Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Tag die by WPlus9, ODBD Sparkling Stars dies, Snowflake EF by SU, Silver cording.

Hey, Sweetie!

Loved Karen's fun sketch for the current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and combined it with 2 SCS challenges: the Color Challenge (Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake) and Misti's HYCCT challenge to use a sweet treat image on our card.

Here's what I used...
STAMPS: Let's Chill (Reverse Confetti)
PAPER: Fresh Prints DP (SU), Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, White
INK: Real Red, Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Let's Chill dies by Reverse Confetti, Enamel dots by Recollections, Circle Nestabilities, Flag It die set by Verve.

Never Give Up

This CAS card is for Susie's Hope You Can Cling To challenge on SCS (Heart Song theme - use music, birds, hearts, words of encouragement) and for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge.  I fussy cut the hexagon "circle" from designer paper then popped with foam tape over some looped thread.

STAMPS: Hope Blooms (Verve).
PAPER: Follow Your Heart "Be Happy" by MME, White.
INK: Versafine Onyx Black.
ACCESSORIES: Clear embossing powder, Wood veneer heart (Studio Calico), Enamel dots (Teresa Collins), Black thread, Corner chomper, Fishtail Flags Die-Namics (MFT).

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart.  Sing anyway."  ~Emory Austin

Blooming Good Day

October 1 starts the "Hope You Can Cling To" challenges on SCS to benefit the breast cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.   Over the past five years, the papercrafting community has sent thousands of handmade cards for patients and their families, bringing joy and art to people who need it the most. My card is for Dina's challenge with the clever theme to "Hold Onto Your Hope" by incorporating some kind of handle on our card.  I thought this sweet little Pure Innocence image with the watering can would work well for this challenge! I dusted off some Copic markers to color the image, then fussy cut and popped with foam tape.  My layout uses the current Retrosketches Challenge sketch.  

STAMPS: Blooming Good Day PI by MFT
PAPER: Simple Stories "Vintage Bliss" 6x6 pad, X-Press It Blending Card
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES: Stitched Rectangle dies and border scallop die by Lil Inker Designs; Fishtail Flags Die-Namics by MFT; Copics.

Color Throwdown #215

Another Wednesday has rolled around and that means another Color Throwdown Challenge! Lori found this super fun photo of these adorable monster cupcakes to inspire our colors, so I knew I wanted to use this digi image from Birdie Brown!

I colored with Copics then added some Stickles and Crystal Effects to the monster eyeballs and added googlie eyes to the spider.  I die cut three grass strips and layered them to "ground" the image.  I'm also playing along with Judy's Monster Mash HYCCT challenge and thought this might bring a smile to a young cancer victim at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX - the destination for the cards in this month's series of Hope You Can Cling To challenges!

Here's hoping you'll play along with us! For more details about the CTD challenge, please check out the Color Throwdown blog or you can stop by each of the DT members' blogs and leave them some love. 

 Barbara Anders   
 Broni Holcombe
Denise Marzec
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Lori Tecler  
Lynn Put  
Tammy Hershberger
Wanda Cullen  (<--- you are here)
Dawn Easton (October Guest Designer)  

STAMPS: Monster Trio digi image by Birdie Brown; Boo sentiment by Craftsmart (Michael's $1 bin), Spider by Hampton Art

PAPER: Jen Yanok pad by K&Co, Black, White

INK: Versafine Onyx Black

ACCESSORIES: Oval and Oval Scallop Nesties, Copics, Crystal Effects, Googlie eyes, Diamond and Yellow Stickles, Grass border Die-Namics by MFT.

Clearly Hopeful

Peggy has some great colors for the SCS Color Challenge (Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Primrose Petals, neutrals of choice with dessert option to use lace) which combine well with the series of HYCCT challenges! I chose to go with TexasGrammy's Clearly Hopeful challenge to use clear elements on a card - in this case...a ghost flower shape.  A great Verve sentiment and some yummy papers and another card for the UT Cancer Center in Texas!

STAMPS: Wonderfully Made (Verve)
PAPER: The Lake House DP by Kaisercraft, Vintage Cream (PTI), Primrose Petals (SU)
INK: Versamark Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Heidi Swapp flower ghost shape, Hand-crocheted flower by my late mother, Button by SU, Doily Die-Namic by MFT, Circle Nesties, Lace from Flourishes.

Mojo Monday & HYCCT

It's time to get your mojo flowing by joining us for another great sketch on the Mojo Monday blog! This time, Teresa is the designer and it's a great one! I combined this with Bridget Finlay's "Hope is the Thing" HYCCT challenge to be inspired by words by Emily Dickinson. Thought this Verve Plain Jane was the perfect sentiment to highlight!  I paper pieced the sweet birdie and loved forming the floral spray in the opposite corner!

For more inspiration, you'll want to check out the creations by the other mojomakers HERE.

STAMPS: With Love (Verve)-bird; Hope Perches (Verve)-sentiment.
PAPER: Lost and Found "Madison Avenue" by MME, Vintage Cream (PTI).
INK: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive (to sponge leaves).
ACCESSORIES: Blossom Nestie, Olive branches die by Cheery Lynn Designs, Rose leaf punch by MS, Mini rolled roses Die-Namics by MFT, Chocolate pearls. Small heart border punch by MS, Satin ribbon.

Friday Mashup Challenge & HYCCT

I'm playing along with the Friday Mashup Challenge... 

1. Make a project with a "Christmas Ornament".
2. Or make a project with some "Sparkle".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Christmas Project with some Sparkle" 

And...I'm playing along with BevMom's HYCCT challenge to "Shine it Out"and use lots of sparkle!

I used Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday layout and tweaked it a bit. The layered flags on the top left of the sketch were not balanced with my larger ornament, so I moved the ribbon flag to the right.

STAMPS: Vintage Ornaments (Waltzingmouse Stamps), Tiny Tags (PTI), Delightful Dahlias (PTI) - leaves
PAPER: Carta Bella "Christmas Day" pad, Vintage Cream
INK: Versamark, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
ACCESSORIES: Glitter dots, Poinsettia die by SB, Tiny Tags die by PTI, Brad, Ribbon.

HYCCT Vital Signs

Another quick card...this one for Ardyth's fun Vital Signs challenge for the HYCCT challenge yesterday!  The chevron border reminds me of an EKG rhythm strip and the snowflakes are a reminder of subnormal temperatures.  The layout is for the current Retro Sketch #33.

STAMPS: Winter Mittens (Verve)
PAPER: Real Red, Black, White, Text Styles Distressed Dots by PTI
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Tim Holtz' Ornate die, Snowflake punches, Fishtail Die-Namics, Snowflake EF, Silver brads, Chevron Die-Namics by MFT.

A Pink Birthday

I'm just now getting around to playing in the HYCCT challenges...yes...I'm embarrassed to admit that! I won't bore you with busy excuses, but hope to play "catch up" when I'm off the next 2 days.  Cindy (aka Mothermark) has a pink birthday card challenge for us today.  I can't believe I stuck the vertical flag down before I embossed it...Grrr!  I used the layout for Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #74.

It's pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just list what I used:
STAMPS: Flags and Tags Stamps by Lil Inker Designs, Borderlines by Verve (cross-stitch border)
PAPER: Text Style In Blossom DP by PTI, Raspberry Fizz and New Leaf (PTI), White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Fishtail Die-Namics (MFT), Flags and Tags dies by Lil Inker Designs, Mini rolled roses Die-Namics by MFT, Olive Branches die by Cheery Lynn Designs, Black pearls, Vintage Floral border punch by MS.

HYCCT Collage

Patty has challenged us to create a collage card for her HYCCT challenge on SCS and I chose to do an inchie collage BG. I combined 2 BG stamps for the inchies (the floral and the french script - both retired from SU) then cut them into 1 1/4" squares. The flower is my first attempt to use the Spiral Blossom One die by Spellbinders...so easy to work with! While it was still in the die, I sponged the petals with Melon Mambo ink (hard to see it in the photo). I rolled it using my petal roller tool, then used the ball tip of the tool to curve the petal edges under. The leafy flourish die is by Cheery Lynn Designs.
STAMPS: Great Greetings (SU)-sentiment; Floral BG & French Script BG stamps by SU
PAPER: Melon Mambo, White, Black
INK: Melon Mambo, Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Cheery Lynn Designs' Leafy Flourish die, Tiny tags die by PTI, Satin ribbon, Spiral Blossom One die by Spellbinders.

HYCCT meets RTB

It's Friday and that means Joni has a new challenge posted on the Raise the Bar blog! This time we're remembering that October is breast cancer awareness month and we are to create with the color pink. I wanted to combine this with one of SCS's HYCCT challenges and chose Lee's inspiration photo with the fun boobies to spur me on. Normally, I cluster flowers in odd numbers, but in keeping with the "boobie pairs", I kept it to 2 flowers on this card! I also used DP with pairs of birds in the design. I wanted this great sentiment from Verve to be the focal point and continued with using Jen Del Muro's super sketch for her monthly Sketch For You To Try challenge. This also fits for the Ways to Use It challenge on SCS to use pink, pink, pink. Whew! Think I covered all 4 challenges adequately! TGIF and I'm off work today and tomorrow! Have a fun trip planned tomorrow with a stamping buddy...have a good day everyone!
Supply List...
STAMPS: Believe (Verve)
PAPER: Happier 6x6 pad by MME, Pink Pirouette, White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Wonky rectangle Nesties, Primas, 2-step bird punch by SU, fern punch by MS
Grosgrain ribbon, Bow Easy.

HYCCT Brave Heart

My good friend, Teresa Kline, is the hostess for today's HYCCT challenge on SCS and her theme is "Brave Heart". This card is the sample I created for her post. I used 3 of Verve's dies for this one...the heart, sprig and frame dies. Here's my supply list:
STAMPS: Love Notes (Verve) - sentiment; Sunny Days - sprig leaves.
PAPER: Stella & Rose "Hazel" papers by MME, Basic Gray, Vintage Cream.
INK: Old Olive, Basic Gray, Antique Linen distress ink.
ACCESSORIES: Prima, Crimper, Baker's twine, Pleated satin ribbon & lace trim, Rectangle scallop die, sprig die & heart die by Verve, Distressing tool, Sponge.
If you haven't been joining in the Hope You Can Cling To challenges on SCS, you'll want to check them out! There are some awesome prizes to be given away!

HYCCT Encircled With Love

A really quick post before heading out to work...this is a simple circle card for Beate's HYCCT challenge. The circle represents friends and family who encircle a person fighting cancer with love and support.

STAMPS: Tiny Tags (PTI)
PAPER: DeLovely Mini Deck by Cosmo Cricket
ACCESSORIES: Tiny tag die (PTI), Lacey circle & Circle Nesties, Daisy die by SU, Button, white twine, Raspberry Fizz ribbon by PTI, Brad.

HYCCT H.O.P.E.

Victoria's HYCCT challenge is to (H)ave (O)nly (P)aper (E)lements. Now THIS was a true challenge, because I could hardly restrain myself from using twine or ribbon at the top of this card - lol! Papers are all from MME's 6x6 "Happier" pad on a Vintage Cream base. I used Julee Tilman's great layout for the Mojo Monday Sketch challenge.
Here's what else I used:
STAMPS: Love Notes (Verve)
ACCESSORIES: Ornate die by Tim Holtz, Floral border EF, Little leaves Sizzlit by SU, Fern punch by MS, Mini rolled roses Die-Namics by MFT, Little tags dies by Verve.

After seeing the multitude of dies used for this one, I guess you could say this card is to die for! :-)

HYCCT Bosom Buddies

Tammy Hershberger is hostess for Monday's HYCCT challenge which focuses on friendship. I immediately thought of an oldie but goodie set from SU called Pocket Fun. Can't you just hear the one friend reminding the other that a yearly mammogram is a must?! DP is from SU. The roses were made using MFT's mini rolled roses dies. It's past my bedtime, so am saying goodnight and keeping this post short and sweet!

HYCCT Looking Up

All my fave challenges are piling up on me, so had to combine 3 in this one card to move things along faster!
HYCCT "Things Are Looking Up" on SCS - Bridget asked us to use something we would see if we looked up in the sky and I chose to add butterflies for this one.
MFTWSC - another great sketch...used MFT's Flowers 3 stamp set. Be sure and check out the MFT teams' gorgeous samples in the forum!
SCS Technique Lover's Challenge - Joan asked us to stack up the BG by combining at least 2 different BG stamps. I have loads of these stamps and tend not to use them much, so was thrilled to be pushed to dust them off!
I stamped the floral BG in Blushing Bride and the French Script BG in black. The morning glory was colored with the following Copics: RV10, RV11, RV13, G82, YG25. I used a Martha Stewart doily tag and MFT's doily lace Die-Namic die and finished it off with some rhinestone accents.
Hope you have a great Monday! The sun is out and our huge maple tree is blazing with brilliant fall colors!

HYCCT Bling it On!

I'm playing "catch up" with my goal to complete all of the HYCCT challenges on SCS! This card is for Lori's challenge to use bling.
STAMPS: You're Lovely by Waltzingmouse Stamps
PAPER: 5th Avenue 6x6 pad by Melissa Frances, Black, White
INK: Versafine Onyx Black
ACCESSORIES: Kaiser silver pearls, Lace trim, Small flower punch from $1 bin at Mike's.

HYCCT Hang in There

Today's the day I'm hostess for the Hope You Can Cling To challenge on SCS and my theme is Hang in There! You are to use a hanging image or element on your card and in my case, I hung a Hope charm on my seam binding. My second card is for Jimmi's HYCCT sketch challenge. This one was really quick to put together since I had the die cut leaves already in my leftover pile. The papers are from MME's "Honey Cake" 6x6 pad. Sentiment is from Verve's Hope Blooms set. We are having the most ideal fall weather today...sun is out...it's warm and the trees are showing off their bright change of "dress"! I'm off to work this evening but will be off tomorrow again. Have a great w/e!

HYCCT Colors of Hope

I have another quick post for another HYCCT card...this time for Lori's challenge to use the colors of hope: green, yellow & brown. I ran the script panel through the Big Shot using a square lattice EF. Here's what I used:

STAMPS: Believe (sentiment), Making a Statement (yellow BG grid), Sunny Days (sprigs), Hope Blooms (flower) - all by Verve.
PAPER: White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight.
INK: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
ACCESSORIES: Sprigs dies by Verve, Square lattice EF, Brad