Message In A Bottle

For this weeks challenge at QKR Stampede I used one QKR image (Q-digi10902-wish in a bottle) that you can find here stamponit.net

I printed the image onto white cardstock and colored it with chalk, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, and a white gel pen. I sized the card to fit into a regular sized envelope and sponged chalk clouds on the envelope to match the card front. I've had the message in my files for some time. It has always resonated with me, but I'm not sure of the source. I've done lots of web research and cannot find it so if anyone can provide that information, please let me know.  Will be sending this card to a dear friend that needs this important reminder right now. She is precious to me… and to someone who loves her even ore than I do.

PS Stop on by the QKR Stampede where the weekly challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are awarded (http://qkrstampede.blogspot.com)

 

Entered into:

Word Art Wed Challenge- #350-351 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes        (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Daily Marker Coloring Challenge                                        (thedailymarker.com/2018/08/14982)

A recent Friday Freebie at Bugaboo includes a wonderful sentiment that has Stella's sarcastic sense of humor. I used that sentiment from the set on my card… but used a different Stella image (bugaboostamps.com/products/stella-and-gus-socks-and-sandles). I developed the passport using images of passport stamps cut from scrapbook paper and reduced the headshot of Stella from the passport digi to a very small size to fit. The sentiment on the front of the card was computer generated.  (I added a close up of the front and inside of the card so that you can see the details).

Entered into: 

Bugaboo Stamp- Stella Says Sketch Challenge       (catchthebugblog.blogspot.com)

Bugaboo Stamps- Color Challenge                            (catchthebugblog.blogspot.com)

Wanted to make another card for Simon Says Monday Challenge "Fall/Autumn." Was fun to use a trio of digis from Bugaboo: Boo Ghost (printed on vellum), Halloween Window Cat (printed on kraft brown paper, fussycut just the image, added wood grain with a tan Tombow marker and a white gel pen) and an image from the Mini Set - Monster blocks (inside of the card.) I upcycled the die cut hello from a card I recently received from a friend. The inside sentiment is from an Inkadinkado clear set, but I added the dangling spider from Hero Arts spider to create a little EEEK action!

 

Entered into: 

Simon Says Monday Challenge-Fall/Autumn          (simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge)

Kitty Bee Designs-#126 Anything Goes                    (alohafridaychallenges.blogspot.com)

Had fun getting my Stampscapes wood mounts out again to make a fishing card for the current "If you give a Crafter a Cookie" challenge. Used a humorous definition that I've had in my files for a few decades. I don't know the source. Just spent some time trying to find it on the web with no luck. I anyone knows the source, please let me know. For instructions to make the braided edging, pattern: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o3tU8Sj66CQdXd-6OEyxpfjtwIFxcpHQ/view and video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDamx9R_uw&t=362s

 

Entered into: 

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie- #101 Goin' Fishin'      (giveacrafteracookie.blogspot.com)

Mod Squad Challenge-Anything Goes                            (modsquadchallenge.com)

Skatin' Cutie!

It's Wednesday! So time for another challenge at Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog. . Penny's challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are awarded from one or more sponsors.  Stop by the blog to check it out! (pennyschallenges.blogspot.com)

This week, I used a Dr. Digi' House of Stamp image named "Skater Stanley" (you can find it here- www.doctor-digi.com) When I saw the image I knew that I had to make a birthday card for one of my nephews who is a 32-year-old (soon to be 33 year old) skateboarder. I came up with the sentiment, and then my hubby came up with the idea to add yellow tennis balls to the wheels, aka like old people put on their walkers!  The skater image was colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and fussy-cut. Then, inspiration really hit and I added fuzzy yellow flocking to the tennis balls (which I'm glad I found in my stash. I added a larger image photo so you can see their bright fuzziness in all its glory!) I made the background with a free photo that I found via google (sk8parks.ch)

Am entering this card into a few challenges including The Daily Marker Coloring Challenge and The Cutie Pie Challenge, "Sporting Cuties." I personally think that Stanley is more than cute, he's adorable!

Entered into:

The Cutie Pie Challenge- #126 Sporting Cuties     (cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.com)

Daily Marker Coloring Challenge                             (thedailymarker.com/2018/08/14982)

Simon Says Wed Challenge- Anything Goes          (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Used a free digi from neatandtangled.blogspot.com/2014/09/pumpkin-everything.html to create this simple card. Made the background by printing the image times in light grey. Printed a larger image of the digi in black, on white cardstock, traced the pumpkin and leaves with a fine-line permanent marker on orange and green plastic document folders.  (They come in a pack of assorted colors and you can find them in office supply stores. They are often cheaper than colored vellum and are more translucent.  They are also easy to fussy-cut with a nice, sharp pair of scissors.)

Entered into: 

Simon Says Monday Challenge-Fall/Autumn                               (simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #350-351 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

I found another wonderful illustrator that creates coloring books and occasionally offers free downloads of her design. Her name is Smitha Katti and this is one of her free downloads. (You can find it here- smilingcolors.com/2017/06/peacock) I loved the image, partly because it seems like the perfect fit for the current Calling All Sistahs color challenge. This challenge has special significance for me because I know so many people right now that are battling various types of cancer.  I love sending them encouragement cards, and this challenge provides me with the inspiration to make those cards. This month's challenge is to make a card that represents the rainbow of ribbon colors for the many types of cancer. I actually used ALL of the colors in my card on the word COLORS in the digi. Finished the card off with a bit of sheer lavender ribbon because it also includes bling. The dotted lavender background was added because it also looked great with the ribbon and image. Will be sending this to my sweet sister who just endured stem-cell replacement surgery. In spite of the hair loss, bone pain and almost two weeks of vomiting, Carol is maintaining her gentle and generous spirit. She is my SHEro (that is a hero with a capital SHE!)

Entered into: 

Calling All Sista’s- Color Challenge #16      (callingallsistahs.blogspot.com)

Mod Squad Challenge-Anything Goes         (modsquadchallenge.com)

Fun Folds

I wanted to make my last entry for the current Food and/or Drink challenge a special one. So… I made a card that depicted chocolate And, to add to its charm, I had to force myself to eat a handful of Hershey's kisses to create it! Oh… the horror!  I used the wrappers, and one of the little labels, to create an iris fold work of art. (I found the template here- stampingwithbluemooncreations.com/Kisses%20Iris%20Folded%20Template.jpg)

Flattening, cutting and then folding the foil wrappers was a bit tedious, but I do love the results. Because the iris fold needed a thick backing, I used a scrap of glossy red cardboard that I upcycled from a notebook. I attached that to a black and white patterned card front with a stapler, which worked well with the silver foil and the pattern in the background paper. Am not sure if I'll make this into a Valentines Day or wedding shower card. Might depend on which one I need first. Now, I need to go and hide the rest of the bag of kisses. Or, better yet, I'd better ask my husband to hide them. He's much better at that than I am! 

Entered into: 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Food and/or Drink          (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

We Craft Cards Monday Challenge- Let It Shine                       (wecraftcards.com/forum)

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge                            (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

When I saw the theme for the current Cute Card Thursday challenge, I knew that I had to pull out my origami dress pattern again. What little girl doesn't like dressing up? (You can find the pattern here delyscram.com/2012/04/05/dress-card) I used a feminine flowered paper to make the dress and added a delicate embossed floral frame on pink vellum behind the dress. Haven't used my brass stencils for, like, EVER. But it added the perfect touch here. The computer generated sentiment also seemed like a perfect fit.

 

Entered into: 

Cute Card Thursday- #544 Just For Girls                                      (cutecardthursday.blogspot.com) 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #348-349 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Di’s Digi Stamps- Fancy Folds                                                         (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

I love fall so was fun to make a card for the current Simon Says Monday Fall and Autumn Challenge. My husband always loved fall, but for a different reason. He and our Brittany Spaniel used to spends hours and hours hunting pheasants in rural South Dakota. So I made this card for him. Used an upcycled calendar page (for the background), fussy cut a photo of a pheasant from a brochure that my hubby gets when you buys his hunting license, and then tucked a few pheasant feathers behind the photo to add some extra fun. Will be giving it to my hubby as a "just because I love you" card in the coming weeks.

Oh, and the fold is a little different. I made a variation of a double z-fold gate card. Started with the information here: stamptilyoudrop.com/2016/09/29/double-z-gate-fold-card-using-merry-mice but at 5:30 in the video, instead of adding the strips of embossed colored panels, I used a stop-sign shaped stencil to sketch the shape onto the front of the card. I trimmed off the excess, leaving the eight-sided shape onto which I attached the pheasant photo. I then added the strips of upcycled calendar page behind the eight-sided shape. I didn't add any sentiment since the photo speaks for itself ! Our sweet pup has been gone now for nearly 20 years, and my beloved hubby has MS so is unable to hunt, but I think that this card will bring a smile to his face.

Entered into:   

Simon Says Monday Challenge-Fall/Autumn                               (simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge)

My final card this posting is a CAS card for the current challenge at Tiddly Inks. I used one of their freebies named "Annies Art" plus paint splotch background paper (actually a scrap of wrapping paper). I wanted to leave lots of white space to qualify as CAS but also wanted to show more of the paint splotches and yet now overpower the little artist. So, I cut an oval in the white cardstock and added a scrap of vellum between Annie and the background paper. The sentiment is a freebie from desertdiva-hannelie.blogspot.com

Am entering the card into a few challenges including Tiddly Inks, Power Poppy (oval window), Bugaboo color challenge (shades of green, teal, and aqua are included), Calling All Sista's (card includes many of the ribbon colors and the sentiment is perfect for the challenge) and Daily Coloring Challenge.

Entered into: 

Tiddly Inks- Clean & Simple                                            (tiddlyinkschallenge.blogspot.com)

Bugaboo Stamps- Color Challenge                                 (catchthebugblog.blogspot.com)

Calling All Sista’s- Color Challenge #16                        (callingallsistahs.blogspot.com)
Daily Marker Coloring Challenge                                   (www.thedailymarker.com/2018/08/14982)
Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Geometric Shape    (powerpoppy.blogspot.com/2018/08/welcome-to-creative-confetti.html)

Fall & Winter

This sweet digi, named "Fall Hedgehog" is from Little Scraps of Heaven (LSOH). You can find it here- lshdesigns.blogspot.com. I made it into a back to school themed card (teacher thank you) and used the color palette of the current LSOH Color Challenge.  The sentiment is a freebie from lovesvg.com.

 

Entered into: 

Little Scraps of Heaven- Color Challenge  (FB)      (lshdesigns.blogspot.com)

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge         (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

My final card for this post includes two Bugaboo images, Jack and Comfy Chair. I printed, colored and then fussy cut the images and adhered them to a vellum oval, and then to a card front made from chalkboard lettering in a Christmas theme. The sentiment on the card front is from QKR Stampede (stamponit.net, Thinking Digital Stamp, Q-digi16108) and the inside sentiment is from Bugaboo (bugaboostamps.com/products/mini-set-winter-bears)

Entered into: 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #400 Anything Goes  (craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

Happy Little Stamper- Christmas-Anything Goes                        (happylittlestampers.blogspot.com)

Daily Marker Coloring Challenge                                                     (thedailymarker.com/2018/08/14982)

Another card for this week's Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says stamps titled "Food and/or Drink." This time my image is actually upcycled from a pretty napkin (I had coffee with a friend and asked for a spare napkin since I knew I could do something creative with it! I carefully separated the layers of the napkin to obtain an almost tissue thin image. Added a scrap of scrapbooking paper behind it to provide some color and pattern. Added a strip of the same paper along the fold of the card, then layered on a few more items- doily, black ribbon, and a sentiment from rub on letterings. The final touch was a bow that I colored and then fussy cut from a Whimsy Stamps digi image "Basket of Bunnies."

 Entered into: 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Food and/or Drink          (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #348-349 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Oodles of Variety

This is my final entry for the current Paper Shelter challenge. I used their adorable digi image named "Well Wrapped Up." Although each of TPS digis includes a coordinating background image, I created my background with two embossed scraps of paper so I can enter it into the wecraftcards Monday Challenge. The center of the card includes a wonderful folded heart embellishment (I found it here cornishkat.blogspot.com/2018/08/top-knot-filled-with-love.html) The front sentiment was upcycled from an old greeting card. The inside sentiment is a freebie (decossesdynamitedoodles.blogspot.com) Am entering this card into a few other challenges including the Sporting Cuties (because she is cute, and the way she is wrapped up I'm thinking she is going sledding or gearing up for a major snowball fight!),the Just for Girls Challenge (because she's not only looking warm, she's stylin' that winter wear! But, she did forget her leggings. Oops!) and Fancy Folds (hope that the heart chain qualifies.)

Entered into: 

The Paper Shelter- #350 Digital Image                   (thepapershelter.blogspot.com.ar)

We Craft Cards Wednesday Challenge-Two-fer    (wecraftcards.com/forum)

The Cutie Pie Challenge- #126 Sporting Cuties     (cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.com)

Cute Card Thursday- #544 Just For Girls               (cutecardthursday.blogspot.com) 

Di’s Digi Stamps- Fancy Folds                                   (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

Sketch Saturday- Week #528                                          (sketchsaturday.blogspot.com)

Word Art Wed Challenge- #348-349 Anything Goes   (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com) 

I decided to make a CAS type card that highlights a freebie image from milkcoffeestamps  (milkcoffeestamps.blogspot.com/2012/04/freebies-glass-of-champagne.html) for Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge. Colored the image with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, and added tiny bubbles with a white gel pen. Decided to extend the "bubble" illusion outside of the glass with sequins. The computer generated sentiment on the inside is made with a fun font named Bonnie. And a added a scrap of a red checked napkin and a few sequins, to add some texture and match a bit of color and bling from the front of the card.

 
Entered into:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Food and/or Drink     (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Daily Marker Coloring Challenge                                             (www.thedailymarker.com/2018/08/14982)

I love making unusual cards. So when I saw this great pop-up fish card on Pinterest, I had to make one! It is a little tedious, but has a nice "wow" factor that makes it worth the time. I found video instructions (frenchiestamps.com/2017/05/big-mouth-fish-with-seaside-shore-how-to-video-blog-candy.html) or step-by-step Tutorial (lestutosdemanou.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/petit-poisson) I used a fishing lure image that I cut from scrapbook paper, and attached a few pheasant feathers to add some realism and texture. The sentiment is computer generated using a fun font named "Chiller."  I used lots of textures and patterned papers on the card. The wonderful blue paper on the inside, which reminds me of murky water, is actually a scrap of wallpaper, and the map on the front is from a trip that I made many years ago to Canada. There is lots of fishing, for BIG fish, up in those waters. I couldn't believe the size of the fishing hooks that they used!

Entered into: 

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie- #101 Goin' Fishin'        (giveacrafteracookie.blogspot.com)

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge                (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)