Featured lavenderhousecreations

Celebrating Twins

Made for the ModSquad challenge to use patterned paper and also for a friend whose daughter has had twins. I cut out a large heart for the background and then using a Spellbinder die called Layered Happy Birthday, I cut out some balloons from other PP and added them to the heart. Using an unbranded double stitch rectangular die I cut the main panel and added a small scrap of marbled paper on top. I fussy cut two matching little bears from another small piece of PP, after stamping them and colouring in certain parts. I popped them up onto this and added a small fussy cut fairy above. Stamped the sentiment which I also fussy cut out. Added a few small gems here and there. Stamps and card stock all from Gina K. Designs my main go to place for ideas and purchases.

Featured lavenderhousecreations

Heart Bloom – My sentiments Exactly challenge.

Used another of my gifted stencils to create this one. First brushed colour in circles using distress oxides. Sprinkled a bit of water and let dry. Using Mowed lawn I sponged through stencil to get design. When dry I added nuvo glimmer paste through stencil. I used a versamark pen and ruler to draw a line around edge of card stock and then added an old glitter embossing powder on top. heat embossed to give the shine at edge. Added sentiment to a piece of vellum and heat embossed in black. Two black gems added to each end. added entire piece to turquoise sea card stock.

Featured lavenderhousecreations

A new beginning

I’ve been thinking about creating a blog for over a year now and am finally getting around to actually doing it. In order to showcase some of my cards I needed a place to upload them and display them for others to see so here is my first card for the year.

This card has been created for the monthly challenge at Gina K. Designs. We have to showcase a sentiment and cannot use others stamps on the card.

I stenciled Distress Oxides in several pinks using a lovely hand made heart stencil given to me by a great on line friend. I first masked off the area where the sentiment heart is. I stenciled the butterflies using another stencil from the same friend. I stamped the sentiment onto the die cut heart and traced over it with a gelly roll pen to add a bit of sparkle. I popped it up slightly offset over a black heart which I then glued in the masked off space. Added a few tiny bling gems in places. I added main panel to a black piece of card stock and then adhered it to the card front.

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Through the Window

Being in need of a masculine birthday card for a special friend, I set about creating this one. First I created the die cut window, using an older Art Impressions die set. I like that the window can be folded open. To give it some strength and dimension I cut several and glued them together.

Setting the window aside I took a small piece of watercolour paper and inked it using speckled egg Distress Oxide ink. When it was fully dry I stamped the image using two stamps from an Inspired by Stamping set that I won years ago. I used weathered wood ink for this as I wanted a softer impression than black ink would have given. I placed this piece behind the window gluing it and then cutting around the edges so it fit perfectly. I wanted a weathered look to the card so I took some wood grain CS and swiped the same ink so the grain stands out. I found the striped scrap of paper in my stash and cut that to the same size adding both to the card front. Using a white scrap I added it so the join was covered, after which I added the window.

As I didn’t have the right size stamp for an anchor, I searched online and found the one I’ve used here as it was a free download. This I then fussy cut and punched a hole at the top so the cord could be pushed through. I had the piece of net in my stash so I cut it to the size I wanted and added it. Then I added the anchor and twisted the cord gluing it here and there so it would stay attached. My sentiment is from Open Studio and I used the tiny fallout heart from the window underneath it.

I quite like how this card looks and am pretty sure our sailing friend will love it. He is always fascinated with my card designs. Although I wasn’t creating this card for any specific challenge it seems to work for the one at Sunday Stamps #SSC397 and it also works for the Anything Goes at: Ally’s Angels #111 Anything Goes theme + #110 brags for 15 Oct 2026 – a first time entry into this challenge for me.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you, your time and any comments you may leave.

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Feeling Wicked

The orange and black theme at Color Hues #143 – Orange and Black seems to have triggered me into another Halloween card.

For this one I used a black note card and some textured orange CS cut smaller allowing a border. I had some strips left from a spooky photo from last year and wanted to use them up so I cut them to size and added them in an L shape. The bat comes from a Vinyl Sticker package that I acquired in Michaels. I used 2 sentiments and a star stamp from an old GKD set. One was added at the top directly onto the orange layer and the other on a white piece that I stamped some orange stars on first.

He kind of looks evil, but I’m probably not being kind to bats when I say this as they are, in general, harmless and beneficial to the environment. They are endangered around here, but we can’t add a bat box as the orientation wouldn’t work for them. They need specific conditions to thrive.

A couple of gems finished the card. It was a fast and easy one to do and my hubby was quite taken with it.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time as well as any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

Orange and Black

In general I make very few Halloween cards, but the challenge at Color Hues #143 – Orange and Black seems to lend itself to Halloween. As my card fits into the challenge at https://twooldbatshalloweenchallenge.blogspot.com/, I’m adding it there as well.

Why the colour changes when I do a photograph is beyond me, as here is looks more yellow than orange, although in reality is is a very bright orange.

My card is a CASE from something viewed on Pinterest. I used 2 different EF’s, one from Craft Concepts and one from Lifestyle Crafts. Both are ancient and not 3D. After embossing the background piece, I figured out the head section for my owl cut it and then embossed that piece too. We recently received a box of handmade chocolates as a gift and the box had this amazing orange belly band so I cut it into pieces to be used. A couple of the pieces had a silvery pattern on them. Fortunately I also had some card stock that was close in colour, which I used as the card base.

Using Hero Arts infinity circle dies I cut circles in different sizes to make the eyes. Once they were glued together I added them as you see and then added the head/beak section on top. I also added an orange piece to make the beak stand out. The layers were then added to the card base. An old Halloween set had the sentiment from GKD and I stamped in Versamark and then heat set black. A few gems were added on this piece after I had adhered it to the black layer.

I’m happy with how this turned out which is always a bonus for me, as so often I don’t like a card immediately it is finished. Thanks for spending time with me today, it is appreciated.

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Celebrate Loud

As I needed a congratulations card for our surrogate daughter, I decided to create this pocket style card using a tutorial at Stamptastic Designs. Of course now I need the actual link I can’t find it so I apologize. I’ve been a bit tired lately and I guess I forgot to save it.

I searched my stash of StampinUP DSP and found this one that I really like both sides of and used it along with a CS from GKD that integrates the colour tones. Cutting the paper gave me some additional pieces that will be used on other designs soon. When the cutting and folding were done I added adhesive to close it properly. Using some cream lightly textured paper I stamped the sentiment from Spellbinders and heat set it clear, then the flower stamp is from Crafters Companion and this too was heat set clear. I filled in the flowers using a fine gold pen. This piece was cut so it would fit onto the precut wine coloured background and then I cut a hole for the ribbon to fit through. With the insert done I cut an oval from the same CS and a shaped piece from the cream and added them together. The shaped die cut is a very old die and I have no idea of the brand. The sentiment here was die cut from sparkle CS and uses another very old word set from Sizzix. A few small gem embellishments and the card was finished.

The card seems to fit two challenges, October 2026 – Fall Challenge at Sisterhood of Crafters and the other TB October 2026 Challenge at Triple B. The paper seems to be very fall like even if the colours are less so and the addition of the floral sprig certainly fits in the Triple B challenge.

Thanks for spending time with me, I really appreciate it and also any comments you may leave. Now it is posted here, I can mail the card so it will be waiting for our girl when she and her hubby return from there trip to Japan. She told us that she feels as if she is out of prison now that the studying is done, and yes she did pass and has her new designation for her job.

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Trumpeting Birthday Wishes

Welcome to our latest challenge here at cardz4galz. Billie has chosen a theme asking you to add an animal and this gives you lots of choice in designing your own cards.

My little raccoon is fussy cut from some older StampinUP DSP and I popped him up using foam tape. I purchased a new paper pad and the background here uses a piece from the pad. The arch frame is a leftover piece from a something cut a while back and I added another arch that I had stenciled with gold paste hearts. I also added some tiny fallout hearts that came from an unbranded border die set.

The foiled sentiment is from Open Studio. This has been a very simple, easy and quick card to make. Now it is your turn and we look forward to seeing your designs in our gallery. Have fun creating.

Many thanks for stopping by, you, your time and any comments are appreciated.

lavenderhousecreations

“Leafin’ It Up To You”

Welcome to another 3-2-1 challenge recipe. You need 3 colours using Combo Colour Wheel #3, 2 Autumn images, 1 metallic or glitter element. Thing 3 by Twisted Sister is to have the option to add pumpkins, gourds, harvest fruits, vegetables and/or Halloween images. Thing 2 is a Double Dare to use and enter the sketch challenge #706 at TSOT. One caveat here is to watch for back linking. My card cannot be entered due to that rule.

The large die cut leaf is from an unbranded die and I’ve had it on my desk since it wasn’t used in a different project. Too meet the glitter element I back it with some glitter which allows the deer image to show up. The other leaves are also left over and I believe are from an Altenew die. The sentiment is from Spellbinders and it was stamped and then heat set. As a member of the design team for Double Trouble, I’m required to use all the optional parts of the recipe and occasionally I forget. Fortunately, I remembered but only after I had completed the card. I had the pumpkins die cut and coloured as they weren’t used on a previous card to I tucked them in under the leaves in order to fulfill the recipe properly.

My card base is a textured CS to which I added a strip of glitter CS and some metallic gold bits. I then added the larger leaf using some foam tape and the smaller leaf underneath without any dimension.

Now it is your turn and we look forward to seeing your interpretation of the challenge in the gallery. Above all, have fun!

Many thanks for stopping by, you are appreciated in a big way.

lavenderhousecreations

Recipe For Fall

Once in a while I manage a card that works for more than one challenge and this card fits two. First is Challenge #383 – Recipe for Fall Ambience at As You See It and the second is at Seize the Birthday #336-Double Frame.

I decided on the die cuts first and used the tree dies from MFT adding the gingham as the shading. Then I decided on how to display them and use double framing to do so. The dies used for this are from an unbranded Amazon set and I used some scraps from my stash. These met the double frame part of Seize the Birthday. I added the trees, using foam tape, to the glitter layer and then added twine finishing it with a little bow. This was then added to the other die cut layer and in turn onto the card front. The little embellishments are something I purchased recently, when in Michaels waiting for my hubby. He was buying framing board leaving me to wander. A dangerous thing because I also bought a small wheeled cart for my craft room, but he paid without complaint, lol.

As per the recipe, I needed a pumpkin and I knew I had a perfect button so went searching, which took some time. Too many buttons to go through but I found it eventually. I cut the loop from the back so it would be flat and added it in the corner. And as per the requirement for Seize the Birthday I made sure to have a Happy Birthday sentiment.

Thanks for spending time with me today, I appreciate you and your time.

lavenderhousecreations

Cozy Cabin Days

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to purchase some 49th and Market products and this card features some of my purchase. With the seasons obviously changing many of us are starting to think of cozy things especially with the cooler mornings and early evenings. The challenge at Double D Windows Challenge 2026 is all about windows so I used one of the laser cut rustic images along with some transfers for my card.

I backed my window image with foam tape to lift it up from the page and in behind it I used a transfer depicting a fall bouquet. I added a few pinecones and berries to the top of the window. Taking the plaid transfer I added it to the bottom of the cream layer. And then added the sentiment transfer on top. After adhering the window where I wanted it to be, I then adhered the layer to the metallic copper note card. Some Nuvo Crystal dots finished the card. Although the dots look okay, I wish now that I hadn’t added them along the sides but I can pretend it is fall wallpaper I guess.

It is Thanksgiving for us in Canada, and I am looking forward to getting together with some much loved friends tomorrow. Since moving to the island we don’t see them so often these days. For those celebrating in Canada have a lovely Thanksgiving and for everyone else have a great weekend.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.

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Challenge #286 – Easel Card

Welcome to another challenge here at Cardz4galz. The theme is to make an easel card and this is my take on the challenge.

Using GKD card stock I created the base card first and added the purple paper as you can see. Then I created the 2nd piece and added more PP on the front and a white section inside for writing a personal message. I think this card style is called a double easel. Taking a die set from StampinUP along with some of their DSP I added a circle with a second smaller one in white on top.

The sentiment is from Spellbinders and the Hummingbird is ephemera that is 3D when put together. The front flap is an easel and it tucks behind the sentiment. The base wouldn’t stay put so I added a small strip underneath that ensures it won’t collapse.

The card is quite vibrant and I’m reasonably happy with it. Now it is your turn and we look forward to seeing your creations. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and any comments.

lavenderhousecreations

Happy Fall

The latest 3-2-1 recipe is all about Fall here at Double Trouble. use 3 colours from Combo Wheel #3, a 2 worded sentiment, and 1 autumn image. Thing 3 – Twisted Sister has the opt of adding pumpkins, Gourds and/or other harvest fruits and vegetables. And thing 2 is a Double Dare Opt: use the TSOT sketch #705 and enter your card there as well. Be aware of the backlinking rule. My card fits the sketch but cannot be entered.

As you can see I followed the sketch using strips of colour from my scrap pile. Once these were glued I used a YNS stamp and added colour after heat embossing the edges so they wouldn’t bleed. Initially I used pencils, but I wasn’t happy so I added Spectrum Noir markers over the top. I had seen a red squirrel photo, but no matter what I did, my colouring skills couldn’t recreate it. Sentiment is from the same set and I heat embossed it in gold. The tiny leaves and acorns are also from YNS as they came from a background plate. The pumpkin is from a GKD set and I fussy cut around it and did the same with the squirrel image. I scattered the leaves and then glued them where they fell except for in front of the pumpkin and along the right edge. These were placed. Oh and by the way, an acorn is considered a fruit according to my research.

Its a shame that so many red squirrels have been lost due to the introduction of the gray ones. In the U.K. I don’t believe there are any left at all, but here we do see one or two very small ones occasionally. We also have black ones. They are so brazen and the dog has made it her mission to get them away from the bird feeder if she can.

We look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery and hope you have a lot of fun creating. Thanks for stopping by, your time is appreciated.