Challenge #679 here at Double Trouble is to make a doodle style image card. You may hand draw, use a stamp or die as long as it looks like a doodle. You need 3 doodles, 2 layers including card base and 1 sentiment. If you wish you can take the optional thing 3 by Twisted sister and do a pop of colour and thing 2 is to use the sketch and enter into TSOT as long as you take care not to backlink.
As you can see I used a clown image as my doodle and it is from an old wooden block stamp from Stampers Choice. I also chose to do a pop of colour which I added using pencils and some glitter Sakara pens. My sentiments come from SSS. The background PP is from Simple Stories.
Have fun doodling and we look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.
Thanks for stopping by, your time and comments are always appreciated.
I was honored with an invitation to participate as a Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday and this is the first of five cards I have made. The day the email arrived I was so surprised and delighted that I almost fell of my chair.
This challenge features embossing and I have done both dry embossing and heat embossing. The idea for this card came from a lovely design done by Marie SanFilippo, but I’m unable to link, as it was part of a private group held by Spellbinders. I used a folder from Taylored Expressions for my background and added swipes of metallic gold ink from Scrapbook.com to add some colour. My sentiment and the sun face are from Spellbinders and my flowers are from Memory Box. I used some yellow pop of color from Scrapbook.com for my flower centers. And I used gold CS to cut a background piece for the sentiment so I could offset the main part on it.
Although I do like my card, I wish I was allowed to show you the one done by Marie as it was truly an amazing card. Mine is quite different but the idea of hers is here.
Thanks for joining me today. I appreciate you and any comments you may leave. Have fun making your own cards featuring embossing.
September 2025 Peace On Earth Challenge #95 which is an anything goes Christmas challenge although there is a mood board for anyone needing a boost for ideas. I had the stocking already done as I was playing with this die a few posts ago, and I decided to use it here.
The stocking is from a small die by Marianne Designs, purchased in the Netherlands and I cut it using different PP so I could paper piece a little to give it more definition. PP is from a Recollections pad. The background layer is actually from a store bought card received last year that I thought would work for something else one day and it works well here I think. The tiny sentiment is from a GKD set, and the star banner is from Scrapbook.com. The lacy piece is a border die from Crafters Companion that was poorly cut. I layered it with another poorly cut piece and decided it would work as a kind of mantlepiece to hang the stocking from. The twine is from my stash and it took me forever to tie it into a satisfactory bow. The threads kept separating but I managed in the end. I added some sparkle to the snowflakes in the stocking as well as some red dots to the leafy area.
This card is a fairly simple one and although there are layers its still flat enough to be mailed as regular postage, although not to the USA, as their regulations have changed and anything that isn’t paper means it has to go as a package, which is becoming expensive.
Our latest challenge here at Double Trouble is to have an aperture in your design. The recipe is to use 3 layers not including the card base, 2 images of your choice, it can be a die cut or ephemera as well as any stamped image, and last but not least an aperture. If you choose to follow the # 678 sketch at TSOT make sure you don’t post until after that challenge starts else you would be backlinking. My card follows the sketch but isn’t entered due to backlinking.
My Paper is from StampinUP and the aperture die is also from a set by them. In fact the sentiment base is another of the the dies from that specific set, called Everyday Details. The floral image was stamped and is from a new to me set by Inkadoo. I had done this floral some time back and didn’t use it at the time. As it was ready to go I fussy cut it and added it inside the aperture. I deliberately kept this card fairly flat as recently postage has gone up and it is becoming costly to mail anything that is thicker or that has embellishments. It has more than the 3 layers of the recipe but nothing has been popped up on foam tape. I think the little butterfly is also from StampinUP but cannot remember for sure but I definitely used some scrap DSP to die cut from. Sentiment is from a SSS set.
We sure hope to see your creations in our gallery and look forward to seeing them. Above all have fun and enjoy the process.
Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.
Yesterday I posted to the As You See It speed challenge and after I had, I realized that perhaps I hadn’t met the challenge properly. The Challenge #355 – Lively Leaves clearly says speed stamping on the image and my card had no stamping on it at all. Given that AYSI is one of my favourite sites to enter I decided I had better make another one and this is it.
I started by using some inks on a plastic sheet and a wet brush and swiped the brush across the panel in curves at the corners and not bothering to be careful. Then I took the Altenew leaf sprig stamp and stamped the leaf over the top. This took several tries as my inks weren’t quite dry. Sentiment is from the same set. Using a new die set from Amazon, I proceeded to cut the layer and then did a second one in gold. Why dies don’t cut properly when we are hurrying always puzzles me, as I had to repeat the cut and then spend more time than I wanted on getting all the bits out of the gold layer. I did take time to add the enamel dots but they were easy compared to poking out the gold piece. Had the die cut properly my card would have been finished in 6 minutes (a record for me) but hey ho, it took more time and I finished the card in 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
I’m not sure I like the end result, as my colours are a bit darker than I wished, but when doing something for speed it is not easy to fix or change.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope your Sunday has gone well. Ours has been so hot being outside was virtually impossible, but we shall do a BBQ tonight and eat on the patio.
It has been a while since I had the time to enter into a Sunday Stamp challenge, but today I managed it. SSC367 Put A Bow On It is the theme and because I had been playing the past two days with using kitchen foil, alcohol inks and some leaf printing, in a way this card almost made itself.
I placed the leaf panel into a stitched rectangle unbranded die and cut it to size although it required some replacement of the die to achieve the length I wanted. Yesterday I had added some crumpled kitchen foil to some card stock and earlier today I played with adding inks to it. I quite liked how it ended up so using an Altenew die, I cut the leaf sprig you see here from part of it. After adding foam to the back I added it to my leaf print panel. The little tag is from a set that my hubby bought many moons ago and I didn’t keep the info on the 2 sets he gave me. The sentiment is from a SSS set and I heat embossed in gold. I found the red and gold thread in my box and by pulling the threads apart I was able to combine both and make a bow. A lot of blue air, as my fingers would not cooperate, but I managed in the end. After adding a bit of colour to the tag I attached it and using tweezers pulled a bit of the thread through the hole.
While playing I hadn’t really thought about a design for the finished panel, but I did have the Sunday Stamps challenge open on my computer and when I took another look at it, I realized I had the makings of a card to meet the challenge. As you can see I added a border of some CS that was similar in hue to the colours in the leaf and then using the leftover piece I added it to my card base so it fit the sketch. Once the top layer was added it met the theme perfectly.
I’m pleased with how it turned out and had fun playing with the inks although if you had seen the mess I made of my glass mat and fingers you would laugh. Fortunately a little alcohol on a sponge helped me to clean it all up easily. Many thanks for stopping by, your time and any comments you leave are truly appreciated.
On a dog walk yesterday I found a beautiful fall leaf that was mostly intact so I brought it home. Not having the time to play with it, I set it aside with a damp cloth on top so it wouldn’t dry out too quickly. This morning I decided to use it and while thinking about it, I also checked out the latest challenge at Double D. They were calling for butterflies so I decided to combine my leaf with a butterfly.
I cut a 6X6″ card then spent some time painting the back of my leaf with colour, which when done, I spritzed slightly before laying it in position on my card. Using the tool I generally use to press stamps in my Misti or Stamping wheel, I carefully ensured it was pressed fully onto the card. I left it for a minute or two and then gently peeled off the leaf and what you see here is the result. I did stipple a little bit of green with a brush. There was enough colour left that I was able to do another much smaller piece for use later. The sentiment comes from a Joy Clair set and my butterfly is die cut using scraps and a StampinUP set. I chose to use some green embellishments from my stash that came from a package purchased at Michaels a long time ago.
My hubby was so enamored with the leaf print that he stole the card from me before I put it together and proceeded to take photos of it. When I got it back I went around the edges with a brown Spectrum Noir marker and then added the rest. I have to say I’m quite pleased with the end result and the leaf sure makes an interesting texture on the card.
Thanks for spending time with me today, I appreciate you and your time.
above showing card standing upright left side it is lying flat.
Our friend, who is always so generous with her time and talent, has a birthday coming up soon. She is a keen gardener and I wanted to make her a special card. Having done a bench style card for my hubby earlier this year, I had the idea of making another in a garden theme. I returned to Sam at https://mixedupcraft.com/2020/06/13/cute-bench-fold-card/ and this time CASE’d her card. In my case I don’t have a garden stamp set or dies, but I did have some pieces cut from a store bought card that I had saved and with my new Spellbinders kit could make florals and some pots. The gloves, rake and shovel were Internet sourced which I resized, printed and fussy cut. Like Sam I created a tray even including handles and I added some tiny flowers I’ve had forever and incorporated a few die cut leaves as well. The window is an A.I. die and the scene in the window is cut from another item I saved, which I think came from a chocolate box or similar. The wood grain paper is a dollar store product and the counter top is from my stash. I hand made the sign adding some cord and a tiny gem to hang it from. I did the same thing with the gloves and also with the saw hanging on the inside right panel. The planter is from my stash and I cut it down to make it work better and disguised the section where I added the piece together, with flowers. My flowers and leaves were sponged with distress oxides and I coloured the two pots with a copper marker and then some Sakura gel sparkle. I figured out how to add the watering can so the card can still be folded flat although as we see our friend often I’m hoping to give it to her rather than mail it.
When I began the card, I wasn’t really thinking about adding it to any challenges, but after checking a few I found that it does fit into some themes so I’m going to add it to the following:
As you can see from the above graphic, the challenge specifies no flowers at Seize the Birthday.
Having seen something like this on Instagram recently I wondered if I would be able to create something similar and this card is the result. Prior to adding the angled masking strips I used some tape to mask off an area that would become the sentiment space. Then using Gina K masking strips I masked off each section in angles. With some additional paper to mask as I was sponging, I proceeded to add colour in each space. Even with masking carefully I still managed to mess up a couple of edges, but not badly enough for me to have to begin over. The card I saw, had the artist using markers to fill in colour and then different colours in circles over each area creating a kind of Bokeh effect. In mine I used inks and sponges and then a stencil from TCW called crazy waves and sponged white pigment ink through the sections. Although it was visible I felt it needed a lift so I brushed Perfect Pearl powder in white over the top and the ink caught the shimmer really well. My butterflies are from Scrapbook.com and I used a pale lavender shimmer piece for the bodies with gold mirror for the pattern pieces. I also used a small body die from StampinUp to create the bodies for the butterflies as to my eyes they needed it. I used a Hampton Arts stamp to add the sentiment, masking off the unwanted word before stamping as the sentiment was too long and I didn’t want to cut the stamp. I backed the rainbow layer with foam tape and then added it to the card front. A few small clear gems and my card was finished. The most work was creating the masked off areas before adding colour.
I’m quite pleased with the end result and because I had inks and sponges out I did another slim line piece for a different card you will see in a future post. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.
We’ve had 48 hours of rain, which has lessened the fire danger dramatically and enabled fire fighters to keep a handle on a bad one burning up island. It has also ensured a lot of the smoke has dissipated which is good for all of us, but in particular people with chest conditions. I feel a sense of relief and although more sunshine is coming it isn’t likely to be as hot as the past couple of weeks have been.
The latest challenge at Seize the Birthday #310-Use Your Favorite Color. My favourite colour is almost always purple in any variation and I like it paired with yellow and or gold. I wasn’t too sure of what I might make for the challenge so decided to just play around with a few scraps and some dies. This card is the result of playing. I had no real idea in my head, except that I wanted it simple. My card front is from GKD, the dies used are from Essentials Mixed edge rectangle layering basics and a heart shape from Hero Arts infinity dies. I cannot remember which stamp set the sentiment is from as it was one of several I had in my stash of oddments although I suspect it is from a dollar store stamp set. The purple paper is from StampinUP and was sitting around on my desk for several weeks. I didn’t like the patterned side but I love the variation in tone on the purple side. The yellow is what I have in my stash. I cut another heart from gold which I then cut in half and added behind the purple one to give an edge to it. This was then popped up with some foam tape and added after I had glued the rectangles in place.
This is quite a simple card, and I like how it turned out. Using this die set was also a good idea as I’ve had it for some time and not used it nearly enough. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.
Lavender House Creations 