When I did a recent card as a guest designer for the Make the Card challenge site, I was left with a small piece to use on a different project. It was on my desk waiting for ideas. While playing yesterday I found these dragonflies that I’ve had forever and only used one or two in the past. Firstly, I decided to use the edge of some paper ribbon down the side of the stamped panel. Very hard to attach but I managed it and then added it all to the card front. I had the stamped sentiment already done so I added the tiny dragonfly to that and popped it on top. Then I added the larger dragonfly above. I wasn’t making it for any challenge at the time but this morning saw the latest one at Make the Cards and realized the colours worked. I finished the card by adding a few gems and am posting it for the challenge.

My last card for today because it is almost time for me to begin meal preparation although I would prefer to stay in my craft room. Its my first entry for Double D since early this year and I was determined to participate this week. While on Pinterest I came across a very pretty leaf card and this is my take on the one I viewed – mystampspaperandink.blogspot.com. I used various Distress Oxides, squeezed lemonade, rusty hinge, scattered straw, dried marigold and finally a few dabs of frayed burlap. Initially I just the 2 lightest inks to get my panel covered. Then I randomly stamped leaves using VersaMark ink and a GKD set called Stitched Leaves which I clear embossed. I added more leaves and a florish from the same set along with a tiny leaf from SSS set. Once happy with the result I went over it all again with the darker shades of inks. Added some ink spatters and water drops then dried it. I also had some paper ribbon strips on my desk so I added them to the sides before adding the main panel on top. Using VersaMark and Cosmic shimmer powder I heat embossed the word on vellum. Original intention was to wrap this around the main piece but I forgot so it was added at the end. During my unpacking I came across the popped up leaves, purchased a long time ago, and these are the last two. Decided to use them as shown and am happy with the result. I think this is leafy enough for this challenge don’t you?

Well I know they said they weren’t expecting perfection, but I’m sure they would prefer a project that didn’t have ink smears all over it. LOL! After thinking about what to make and laying out the idea so I could see if it would work, I gathered all my supplies, set out the timer and began. First I cut the frame a mixed edge rectangle set by Essentials. Then I cut my PP (a 6×6″ origami paper) to the correct size and glued it to the card front. I then glued the frame leaving the center piece ready for stamping. The larger sentiment was stamped on a scrap piece, heat embossed then cut and added underneath. So far so good and I am way ahead of my time schedule. Easy peasie, Ha – famous last words actually. So I stamped and heat embossed my dog and the small sentiment even remembering to use my eb buddy which I, oh so often, forget to use. I still managed to get powder where I didn’t want it and no time to fix properly. Still ahead of schedule and thinking this is going well … I managed to colour in the little dog and pizza slice using pencils and Sakura Glaze and I’m well within the time frame. Here is where it went wrong – I stamped 3 tiny hearts on one side of the pup and 2 more on the other side. Completely forgot to dry the ink, turned it over to add glue started to add it inside the frame and OMG, horrified to see I had smudged the ink. 1 minute left to go and I can’t get rid of the smudges so I stamped a few more hearts to try to cover it up. I also added 2 hearts to the bottom sentiment. 43 seconds left on the clock and I decided to leave well enough alone as, for sure, I would have ended up with rubbish had I tried to erase any marks. If the card isn’t humorous my efforts certainly are!

For this card I went through a box of scraps and pulled out the 2 layer pieces. I cut them to the size I wanted and added to the card front. Using a skeleton leaf set by GKD and another scrap piece, I stamped the 2 biggest leaves with rusty hinge and scattered straw, mixing them together as I inked the stamps. After clear heat embossing, I fussy cut them out and added to the card front. I then stamped two sentiments together in vintage photo and fussy cut that before adding in the middle. It is a struggle for me to not add more, but I am resisting the temptation. A really quick card to pull together.

With purple being one of my favorite colours you would think doing a card would be easy, but it wasn’t. And try as I might I could not get a nice photo of this card either. I think that there is so much going on in the house all the time that I am not truly settled into creativity, but I’m getting there slowly.

I had the dry embossed piece on my desk and decided on a small slimline for it. I cut the pink CS and added the panel. Using a stencil I added the hearts down the side along with the small gems. Now what? Originally I thought of die cutting several hearts in different shades of the purple and pink and adding those, but I couldn’t find the dies. While looking for them I found the poinsettia Editions by Creative Expressions and thought okay, a Christmas card it will be. Took forever to get a good die cut of the top section of the flower and I had to try 3 times before it cut and came out of the die intact. I used a paper pad called floral fantasy for this and a scrap piece of the pinky purple solid die cut underneath. The PP had a silver stripe in it which I thought added interest. As I also have a stamp and die set on my desk by Lawn Fawn I used the sentiment from this set. I heat embossed in black then used the matching die to cut it out. I do like the font of this word.

As I haven’t had that much opportunity to use some of my newer purchases, I am doing my best to try to get some of them inked before putting them away in their new home. This set is from MFT You Gnome Me and is cute too. I added the various smaller stamps to the background piece and added that to the card front. I hand drew the border around this piece, although in retrospect should have probably used a ruler. After stamping, colouring and die cutting the 2 gnomes I used a sentiment from the set to pull them together. Went over part of the sentiment in Sakura glaze as I forgot to heat emboss it before I glued it. Didn’t want to redo it as I would likely have spoiled the card front. Used some Sakura glaze and glitter pens to add interest to the gnomes.

I had the SSS unfrogettable set on my desk along with a few paper scraps and decided to use them to create a cute and simple card. After all what is cuter than a frog sipping through a straw. After stamping him I carefully coloured him with InkTense pencils and some Sakura Glaze pens. I added the white background behind the leftover frame from a previous project and stamped some water, a lily pad and the butterflies. After fussy cutting the frog I popped him up on the corner added the pp strip across the bottom and stamped the sentiment above that. The challenge time was running out so I had to hurry and hope that I get it uploaded in time.

Finally had a moment to create something and sat down to begin. Brain freeze – I couldn’t think of anything initially so I looked through the posts from the design team and remembered this new die that I’ve only used once since its purchase. Cut the red and another in black and offset them slightly. Decided on the Kraft CS but still had no firm plan in my head. Looked through all my scraps of paper to see what was there and decided on the green pp and a small piece of cs. Cut the banners using 2 sizes of die and added them together then cut the strips and added those before adding the banner on top. Decided I liked it so adhered it all but thought it needed a bit more so I used the bird stamp I’ve just gotten from The Cat’s Pajamas and stamped it on a small white scrap which I then fussy cut. Took the heart stamp from same set and randomly stamped it and added the small row of gems across the banner top. Sometimes a card evolves even when my brain isn’t fully engaged in the design and I quite like how this one looks.

As most of my Stamp buddies know, Halloween isn’t my thing, but once in a while I do make one of two. I started this card before my craft room install and before my guests arrived, but didn’t have time to finish it so it has been sitting on my desk for about 8 days. I originally intended it for the 6 item challenge over at JUGs, as well as for this challenge, but missed the deadline, so instead of adding 6 bats I decided to do a witch and a couple of bats. Stamp set is from GKD called Wicked. I stamped the railings first and heat embossed then sponged, brushed in the background colours after masking off the moon. Added the colour to that after the rest was finished and dry. The witch was stamped on a scrap piece, heat embossed then fussy cut. I popped her up on top of the moon, added the bats and then the sentiment which I cut into 2 pieces. Considering my lack of interest in Halloween I’m happy with how this one turned out. I don’t have anything skeleton related so a witch is the best I could do.

It is an honour to win a challenge, but even more of one to be able to add a card to the design team list. With this weeks theme being a Tic-Tac-Toe I chose the top line of the choices given.

The products used are as follows: Itty Bitty Basics from MFT, Gina K Designs Peach Bellini CS, PP from StampinUp, Harmonius Hibicus background stamp from MFT, A single flower Hibiscus rubber stamp from Card Craft Stamps #48452, Embellishments from my stash, white and gold heat embossing powders with Distress Oxide inks – abandoned coral, scattered straw and twisted citron, perfect pearl powder and a shimmer water colour from ColourArt called Moonbeam.

After using my Misti to stamp and heat emboss the background, I then added the inks blending the coral and scattered straw together. Twisted Citron was used for the stems and leaves. Once the inks were dry I proceeded to add the blue watercolour to the background keeping it as soft as possible. I left the panel to dry before cutting it down to add to the CS. I heat embossed the single flower in gold and then added inks in the same colours as the rest but keeping the flower center a bit stronger in colour. I fussy cut this flower added some foam tape so it could be popped up onto the PP belly band I had added to the background panel. I stamped, cut and added the sentiment pieces as shown and finished it off with some gems. I have a small strip left over from the background piece to make another card.