Stock Your Stash

A new month means that Jen has a new theme posted for the Stock Your Stash Challenge on the Reverse Confetti blog! She's chosen a "hello/just because" theme which gives a gazillion possibilities to play along.  I'm hoping to send my card out to a friend...just because.  No holiday or special occasion is needed to send out cards which makes this type of card even more special to the recipient!

I haven't used these Big Notes sentiments much and wanted to make it a focal point on a tag.  I chose one of the Pierced Round Top Layers dies and added the tag hole from the Tag Me die set. I saw a card on Pinterest using aqua, red, kraft and white and wanted to see if I could create a striking balance of these colors.  I love the texture that the Stitched Rays Cover Panel die gives to a background.  It's one of my current fave cover panels!  I used RC's Stamped Note die for the next layer then accented with an aqua Wreath die - also by RC. Some Leafy sprigs were paired with flowers from the Build A Bunch set.  

So, that's it for my first card today!  It's grocery shopping time and my floors need mopping.  Afterward I hope to get some more stamping time in the schedule.  Hope you're having a super Saturday!

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

JUNE 2 - "Ignorance is not saying, I don't know. Ignorance is saying, I don't want to know."                      --Unknown

Color Throwdown Challenge

Another Wednesday means it's time for another Color Throwdown challenge! Jodi is hosting and has a unique color combo - navy, burgundy and gold...perfect for a masculine birthday card I needed to make! 

I decided to dust off my neglected Cube Builder stencil by Altenew and used Hello Honey, Night of Navy and Purely Pomegranate inks by Stampin' Up.

The sentiment, stitched rectangles and star dies are all by My Favorite Things. 

I can't believe this is the last Wednesday in May which means we have to say goodbye to our May guest designer - Rachel Alvaredo. Be sure to stay tuned when we introduce the June guestie with the next CTD challenge. 
  
To play along with us, please go to the Color Throwdown Challenge blog for all the details!  For more inspiration from the rest of the design team and our talented guest designer for May, click on their links below:
Amy Rohl 
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders   
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins 
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put  
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here) 
Rachel Alvaredo - May Guest Designer

Get Well Wishes

I'm squeaking in under the wire for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge! Paper piecing is such a fun technique with the images in MFT's "Feel Better" stamp set with matching dies.

The background patterned paper is from MFT's Roses All Over 6x6 pad.  The sentiment was white embossed on black. 

TIP: After fussy cutting your images (cup and pill bottles), use a black marker to run over the edges to give it a more definitive look!


                           Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:
MAY 29 - "Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see."   --Mark Twain

Make It Monday

Taking a wee break this afternoon before more prepping for our family cookout this evening. Hope everyone is enjoying this special commemorative holiday!  Though I didn't go with a patriotic theme, the Make It Monday Challenge over on the Papertrey Ink blog is to create a card with cascading die cuts, so you know I was definitely going with florals!  I already had the watercolor panel in my leftover pile, so I quickly die cut the postage frame and layered this lovely stamped image from PTI's Garden Grace stamp set with matching dies. 

I stamped four of the individual flowers so I could add dimension by popping them with foam tape.  Here's what else I used...

STAMPS: Garden Grace, Tiny Tags (PTI).
PAPER: Aqua Mist, White (PTI).
INK: Bright Buttercup, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet, New Leaf, Aqua Mist (PTI); Versafine Onyx Black.
DIES: Garden Grace, Tiny Tags, Mix and Mat Postal die (all PTI).

PTI Candles

I added another birthday card to my stash using these candle images and happy frame die by PTI. I hand colored the inside of the flames with a yellow Tombow marker then flicked a tiny bit of orange marker at the base of the flame. 

The background was created by smooshing Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed distress inks on acrylic blocks, spritzing with water, then picking up the ink by blotting a panel of watercolor cardstock over it (be sure to dry each color with a heat gun before you change colors).  

STAMPS: Polka Dot Parade #12 (PTI) - candles; Wreath for All Seasons (PTI) - sentiment.
INK: Blueberry Sky, Bright Buttercup, Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise (ink cubes by PTI); Ranger distress inks as noted in description; Versamark.
DIES: Phrase Play 5 Die (PTI); Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-Namics by MFT; Polka Dot Parade #12 (PTI) - candles.

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder: 

MAY 28 - "Just love life and it will love you back."                   --Madeline

 

Transformation Tuesday

I wanted to play along with Papertrey Ink's Transformation

Tuesday Challenge since I'm needing a boatload of masculine birthday cards in June.  I went back into my archives and found this card on the right and transformed it to a more masculine feel (cooler colors, sentiment on black instead of vellum).  I already had this panel of Yupo paper that was covered with alcohol inks (green, blue and metallic silver) and used that as my starting point.

I am finally getting around to inking up PTI's Butterfly Folk set using Tropical Teal and Green Parakeet inks (also by PTI).  They were die cut with matching dies and popped with foam tape.  The sentiment is from PTI's Direct Messages stamp set. The Yupo panel was adhered to a panel of Hawaiian Shores cardstock.

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

MAY 27 - "Your actions are all you can own."          --Flynn

Fusion Card Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone! I haven't been in my crafty space for several days, so decided to get inky after our daughter went back to her latest "home" in Spartanburg, SC, where she works as a traveling nurse. I really loved both the sketch and the inspiration photo for the current Fusion Card Challenge, so played along with mostly Altenew products.

This Bitty Big: Sweet Blush patterned paper by PTI was perfect for the background.  I layered up some die cut scraps using the Peony Dream 3D die (Altenew) and white embossed the sentiment from Altenew's Painted Greetings stamp set.  The scallop edge is Reverse Confetti's Double Edge Scallop Border.  I used my SU corner frame punch to create the notched ends on the sentiment strip.

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder: 

MAY 26 - "A single conversation across the table of a wise man is worth a month's study of books."            --Chinese Proverb