You Are Lovely

Hello and Happy Tuesday!  Today's card features stenciling and stamping; 2 simpe technqiues that create a pretty card.

I started the card with a 5" square panel of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb. card and a new stencil I recently received; the Sweet Spring Stencil from Altenew.  Using Mint to Be and Aquatini Dye Inks from Catherine Pooler, I stenciled the rose bouquet.  This is a 2 layer stencil and very easy to line up and blend through.

I stamped the sentiment from the Maymay Made It All About You stamp set onto the card base but wasn't happy with the "are lovely"..it wasn't straight but an easy fix, I stamped again on a banner cut with a MFT Stitched Sentiment Strips die.  It's still not as straight as I prefer but the card is Handcafted, not Hallmark..right?  Lastly, enamel sparkle dots added for additional interest.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Outlawz Tuesday Color

Global Design Project

Avenue 613

DL Art

Your Scrapbook Place

NBUS

Crafter's Cafe

QKR Stampede

Happy Little Stampers

Alphabet Challenge

Cardz TV #142

CAS on Sunday

You Are a Beautiful Soul

Hello...Me again, back with my last post for this busy Monday to let you know today begins Challenge #19 at Make the Cards and it's a color challenge this round.  I've been invited to be a Featured Creator and I'm honored to participate in this fun challenge.  Following are the colors for this week:

I intrepret the colors as Gray, Navy Blue, Light Pink and White.  I seldom use the colors together as I'm drawn to bold colors so it was a nice challenge to use them in a design. I started my A2 sized card by stenciling a mat of gray card using the "Fizzy" stencil and Denim Blue Dye Ink from Gina K. Designs.  I set the panel aside to dry and proceeded to stamp and heat emboss a large bloom and leaves from the "Grand Garden" stamp set by Gina K. Designs.  I used Fine Detail Silver embossing powder and stamped the images on Strathmore watercolor paper.

I watercolored the images using Gansai Tambi watercolors and fussy cut the bloom and leaves.  I splattered the stenciled panel with White Gloss Spray by Dina Wakley, heat embossed the sentiment on vellum, mounted the images on foam pads and lastly added Gunmetal sequins for sparkle and shine.

Please stop by the challenge and have a look at the inspiration provided by the design team, they are a talented group!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Global Design Project

Gina K. Designs Monthly Challenge

A Place to Start - Elements are Card, Thinking of You or Encouragement, Sequins, Vellum and Embossing

Let's Craft and Create

Happy Little Stampers

Chocolate Baroque

Corrosive Challenge

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Calendar

Happy Little Stampers

Pammie's Inky Pinkies - The Cutting Cafe

Hello Again!  I'm back to announce today starts a new challenge at Pammie's Inky Pinkies and the gracious sponsor this week is The Cutting Cafe.  This sponsor has loads of SVG Cutting Files and templates for those without an electronic cutting machine.

For my design team project, I created a fun shaped card with the Crayon Shaped Card SVG file.  This card also comes in the following formats:  PDF, SVG, MTC and WPC.  The set also includes sentiments in PDF and JPEG formats. 

It's a cute, fun shaped card, easy to put together and I have a Cricut Machine so I opted to use the SVG file.  I cut a rainbow of card scrap and paper pieced the project together.  The sentiment is one included in the set.  I added White Gel Pen doodles and sequins to complete the project.

Please join us this week at Pammie's Inky Pinkies and until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Use Your Stuff

Cut It Up

Outlawz Festive Fridays

Simply Create Too

Rainbow Card Challenge

Creative Craft Cottage

Crafty Sentiments

Always Fun

Crafting Happiness

Avenue 613

Inspiration Station Challenge #7

Hello and Happy Monday!  I hope your weekend was wonderful.  Today begins a new bi-weekly challenge at the Inspiration Station with the following Inspiration Photo:

Yummmm.....this photo had my mouth watering and I knew instantly what I was going to create for my design team project.

Lemon Tart anyone?  Yes, Please!  I started my card by stamping the lemons and leaves from the Hero Arts "Zest Wishes" Stamp Set.  I cut the images with the coordinating dies and set aside so I could cut a circle in my patterned paper panel.  I backed the aperature with polka dot papers, popped 2 of the lemons and 3 leaves on foam pads, stamped the sentiment, which is from the same set, and put the design together on the card base.

Please visit us at the Inspiration Station.  We would love to have you play along and see what the inspiration photo inspires you to create!  See you there!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Crafting Happiness

Hero Arts Stay Crafty #23

Outlawz Monday Greetings

Dream Valley

Always Fun

Get Creative

Path of Positivity

Gem of a Challenge

CCC Digi Creations

Chocolate Baroque

You're a Limited Edition

Hello and Happy Sunday!  I trust you've had an enjoyable weekend thus far.  Today's make and share features watercolor, stamping, butterflies and heat embossing.

This card measures 5" square and I started with watercoloring a panel of Tim Holtz Watercolor paper with Salty Ocean and Cracked Pistachio Distress Inks.  After fully drying, I stamped butterflies from the Gina K. Designs Beautiful Butterflies Stamp set using Sea Glass Dye Ink, also from Gina K.  I was going for a monochrome background with a large focal Butterfly, which I heat embossed with Fine Detail White Powder.  

I wanted more texture to the piece so I inked the edges with VersaMark and sprinkled Oceanic Embossing Powder from WOW!  Happy with the edges, I mounted the panel on foam strips and placed on the card base.  The sentiment strip is a CZ Designs from Simon Says Stamp and lastly, placed clear water droplet gems for additional texture and interest.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

613 Avenue Create

Stamping Sensations - It's hard to pick 1 fav technique but I do love heat embossing

Gina K. Designs June Challenge

Happy Little Stampers Watercolor Challenge

A Bit More Time to Craft

A Bit More Time to Craft Extra

A Perfect Time to Craft

2 Crafty Critter Crazies

Classic Design Challenge

Crafts Galore Encore

Chocolate Baroque

Bugaboo Saturday Summer Sign

Hello and Happy Saturday!  Today begins a new bi-weekly Anything Goes challenge on the Bugaboo Stamps Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.  My design team project today is a card celebrating Summer.

Summer Dreams of Camping, Fishing, Swimming, BBQ'ing, Fireworks, Holidays and the Beach are filling my head.  

For my card, I colored the Summer Sign digital stamp with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, ink blended a sky using the Mini Cloud Edges stencil from My Favorite Things, Die cut rolling hills and blended all with Salvaged Patina and Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide Inks from Tim Holtz.  Please stop by the challenge blog and enter your design, we would love to see what you create!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Gem of a Challenge

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Calendar

Taylormade Cards 4 U

Polkadoodles

Creative Fingers

Send A Smile 4 Kids

Outlawz Festive Fridays

Cardz 4 Galz

Aud Sentiments

Bugaboo's Friday Freebie - A Fishing Monkey

Hello and Happy Friday Freebie Day at the Bugaboo Stamps Blog.  Today's Freebie is a Fishing Monkey and he would be a great image to color up for a Father's Day Card.

I've colored the Monkey with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, used DSP from the Paper House "Nautical" 12x12 paper pad and added Wink of Stella to the water under the boat (which cannot be seen in the photo).  Please visit the Bugaboo Blog for your Free image; it will be available for 1 week.  

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Crafty Catz

Polkadoodles

Cardz TV

Outlawz Festive Fridays

Scrapping 4 Fun

C.R.A.F.T

Cute Card Thursday

Cardz 4 Galz

Outlawz Twisted Thursday

Stinkin' Inkers

Sogando Scrap / Dreaming of Scrap

Wild About You

Hello and Happy Thursday!  Wow, this week has flown by and I've been a day behind all week.  Today's make and share features a sweet elephant and alcohol marker coloring.

The image and sentiment are from the Simon Says Stamp Wild Cuddly Critters Stamp Set. This set may be retired as I was unable to find it on the Simon Site, I purchased the set from an eBay seller.  

I colored the image and sentiment with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, masked and ink blended a halo around the image using Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide Ink, stamped hearts, colored and applied Clear Nuvo Drops for dimension, Lastly, mounted the focal panel on a mat of Gray card and called this project complete.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Cute Card Thursday

Krafty Chicks

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Inspired by Angela Nguyen; author of How to Draw Cute Beasts

Passion for Markers

Masculine Birthday

Hello and Happy Wednesday!  Today is the 1st Wednesday of the month and it's time for a new monthly challenge at the Paper Funday Challenges.  As always, the theme is Anything Goes with the Optional Twist this month of Sparkle and/or Shine.

The sponsors for this months' challenge are the wonderful Jan's Digi Stamps and Colour of Love.  For my design team project, I decided to go with the Twist and create something featuring Sparkle and/or shine...and I chose Shine.

I need masculine cards in my stash (don't we all) as I just don't think of making them and thought how can I create a masculine card that sparkles and/or shines.  I sat down and went through my dies and stamps and BINGO....I can make it shine!

I stenciled a background using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink and stamped the Timepiece image; which is an old stamp I no longer have the package for so unsure of the maker, tore the edges of the panel and place foam pads behind.  Still needing shine, I die cut gear pieces from gold mirror card and placed flat on a mat of wood patterned paper from P13, then adhered all to a mat of gold mirror card.  I heat embossed the sentiment using fine detail gold powder and out the design all together.  

I felt like the card needed something else and I'm a fan of bells and whistles but on a masculine card, I thought "what can I use?" then it came to me, the circle bits from the middle of the gears.  I adhered to the focal panel and they look like brads.  

Please join us at The Paper Funday Challenges, we hope to inspire you with our designs and look forward to seeing your creations.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Lil Red Wagon

Simon Says Stamp Wed. Challenge

The Male Room

Clever Dexter - favorite techniques are heat embossing and ink blending

Friendship Challenge

Pearly Sparkles

Sandee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge

The House that Stamps Built

Watercooler Wednesday

Double Trouble

Paperbabe

Scrapping 4 Fun

Outlawz Progressive Challenge - The Paper Shelter

Hello and Happy June 1st!  Wow...Summer is in Full Swing here in Florida and today begins Hurricane Season...shhhhhh...let's not say that too loud!  Today also begins a new progressive challenge at the Outlawz Challenges with the Paper Shelter providing the Free Image.  I've been invited to Guest Design and of course I was honored; my GDT project features the adorable Sharing is Caring digital image.

I've colored the image with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, fussy cut and mounted on foam pads.  The designer paper is from The Paper Shelter and matches the digital image.  I die cut the large "Love" and stamped the sentiment on matching card; both of which come from a Crafter's Companion Die and Stamp set.  This card measures 5.5" square.

Please stop by the Outlawz Progressive Challenge and read the directions how to get in on the monthly challenge, the image is provided to you and it's a lot of fun.  I thank the Outlawz for inviting me, it has been a true pleasure.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Donna

**Challenges Entered:

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Passion for Markers

Lemon Shortbread

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper

Color It Create It Show It Off

Ike's World