Taking Care of Loose Ends

With summer activities, yard work, and canning, my time in my craft room has been very minimal.  Consequently, there are lots of printed images and papers that have been accumulating.  When I receive images and paper from the design teams I am on, I print up a variety but then end up using only a few in order to show you, my followers, some of the release.
Well, it is hot outside (and inside!) so I am in my craft room with the fan on, trying to box up some cards for OWH and make some cards with some of the pieces that are piling up.  Here are three cards I made, using the sketch at Sketch Saturday:

These are in order of my favorite to least liked.
The owl,striped paper, and fun paper brads are by Diane's Daydream Designs.  I cut out all the brads with the Silhouette Portrait.  On the second card, the owl is cut out with a Spellbinder die and the Cuttlebug.   Inside I will print a  message to one of our heroes, expressing my thanks for their service.
Here is the sketch:

Challenges:
613 Avenue Create - anything
Simon Monday - "J" = jiggly eyes
Die Cuttin Divas - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Simon Wednesday - anything
Penny's Paper Crafting - anything

Here's Lookin At Ya

Here is another darling Teddy by Bugaboo.  This image was just shouting "window" so I cut out a window from the front of the card and popped her paws onto the front of the window which I lined with ribbon.  I said "she" because I added a bow.

The "hi" is cut out with Cuttlebug alphabet dies but the dot above the "i" is a candy dot.  Card base is GKD Tomato Red.  DP was a piece I had on hand. The image is colored with Prisma pencils.
Here is the inside:

 

There are a few more days for the button/ and or bow challenge at Die Cut Divas .  Bugaboo is the sponsor.

Challenges: 

Penny's Paper Crafting - anything 

Crafter's Cafe - anything 

Suzy Bees - anything 

Word Art Wednesday - anything 

Pink Gem - spots and stripes

Great Impressions - animal friends 

Without Words - cute and fluffy 

Paper Creators - for a child

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge 

Retro Vacation

We used to go camping several times each summer when our kids were young.  Unfortunately, we had a record number of trips in the rain.  Several years we were able to borrow an RV.  Wow, did that ever make a difference.
Diane's Daydream Designs just released some travel related digital images, sentiments, and papers.  Love this retro trailer. 

The big brads are digital brads which I covered with a liquid glaze.  Really look like real brads.
Stop by Diane's Daydream Designs and check out all the cute travel digis.
The sketch I used is at Seems a Little Sketchy:

Challenges:
Simon Monday - summer
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Loves Rubberstamps - summer fun
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything
Crafty Catz - hot summer
Suzy Bees - anything
Penny's Paper Crafting - anything
Crafter's Cafe - anything
Crazy Challenge - dies, punches

Monster Birthday

One of the things I love about Doodle Pantry is how easy it is to combine sets or use papers from one set with images of another.  A while back I printed out several turquoise monsters from the Monster Mash set to be used whenever.  I also had printed paper from the Carousel Seahorse left over.  The colors are perfect and love the zig zags as BG for the monster.

     Some of the other papers are just scraps from various stack packs.
The "happy" sign is a dollar store stamp.  After stamping, I fussy cut it out and pasted it onto the monsters hand.  Of course he had to have googly eyes!
Fun birthday card for a little guy, maybe even one of my grandsons.

Challenges:
My Craft Spot - for the boys
Crafter's Cafe - birthday
Suzy Bees - anything
2 Cute - anything
Craftyhazelnut's Pattern Paper
Paper Creators - for a child
Word Art Wednesday - anything 

Berry Season

 We live in a county where berries are big business.  Last year 63.4 million pounds of raspberries were harvested.  90 million pounds of blueberries are expected this year.  Strawberries are taking a back seat to the first two berries mentioned but there were over 4 million pounds picked a few years back.
 Our blueberry plants are loaded this year so I won't go anywhere to pick.  We have everbearing strawberries so they come on all summer.  Next year we are planting some raspberries so we don't have to go pick the berries and pay an ever increasing amount per pound.  Needless to say - it is jam season!
 I love these digital sets by Diane's Daydream Designs - all the fun papers, colored images, cute sayings.  This is the last full size card that I will be making with these sets for awhile.  Next I will be making tags to go on jars of jam that I will be giving as gifts this Christmas.  The tag on this card comes ready for a sentiment.  The big brad is a digital.  It looks so real!  With all the berries to pick and process, you might have to wait until December for the tags because that is probably when I will get around to making them!
Thank you BERRY much for taking a look and for any SWEET comments you might leave for me.

Challenges:
Simon Wednesday - spots and dots
Sister Act - anything
Stamping Boutique - fussy cut
Suzy Bees - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Cards Galore - use stamp or digi
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper  Challenge

Unexpected Surprise

When I was least expecting it, the Die Cut Divas asked me to join their DT.  Here is my first card as a team member.

We are using images by the sponsor for this month - Bugaboo.  This little bear is just the cutest.  After printing the image on blue cardstock, I printed the bear two more times, one on textured brown card stock by GKD and one Kraft.  After cutting out the bear, I fussy cut the snout and inner ear.  The paw pads are cut out with a punch.  Lots of fussy cutting on this card because I cut out the ladybug wings too. 
At the "Diva's that cut Paper" challenge, we are asking for buttons or bows or both.  And of course some element done with a cutting machine.
I cut the "hi" out with my Silhouette Portrait adding a button for the dot.  The clouds are cut out with a die and my Cuttlebug.
Come join the challenge.  There are several weeks left.

Challenges:
Great Impressions - animal friends
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Stamping Boutique - fussy cutting
Suzy Bees - anything
Sister Act - anything 

One Of Those Months

July is one of the months that has a ton of activity in our family.  Lots of birthdays - one daughter, four grandchildren.  Here is the one I made for my daughter.  Good thing she never checks out my blog because I haven't sent it to her yet!

I really like how this one turned out.  Good thing too because I chucked the first one I made.  The flowers are Verve which I stamped then cut out.  I have the die cuts to go with them but I like cutting close to the lines rather than having an offset cut.  Four different cardstocks to match the colors of the designer paper.  The cut edge was done with a Recollections punch.   Because there is sparkle embedded in the dp paper, I added some Stickles to the center of the flower. 
Sketch is Mojo Monday

Challenges:
Suzy Bees - anything
Stamping Boutique - fussy cut
Sister Act - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
My Craft Spot - birthday
Crafty Creations - let's party
Stamp and Create - birthday

Make A Splash In Vibrant Color

One of the new digital sets at Doodle Pantry is the Carousel Seahorse.  I used a pre-colored image and matching papers.

Also used on the card is sea shells from the set by that name.

The sketch is Mojo Monday

Challenges:
My Craft Spot - birthday
Sister Act - anything
Word Art - anything
Suzy Bees - anything
Pink Gem - animals
Open Minded - water
Crazy Challenge - by the sea
Crafty Cardmaker - under the sea
Your Next Stamp - photo inspiration
Paper Creators - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything 

Stars and Stripes But Not RWB

While digging through my scraps, I found some strips of stars in green and blue that I forgot I still had.  So how fun to use them for the challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketch where the twist is to use blue, green, black.

Here is the sketch:

The sentiment is Doodle Pantry.

Challenges:
Simon Monday - from scratch
Papertakes - stars and stripes
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Brown Sugar - anything
Stamping Boutique - stars and stripes
Suzy Bees - anything
Cards Galore - use digi or stamp
Crafty Catz - stars and stripes

Eggstra Ordinary Person

Is this just such a cute image and sentiment?  I made it for someone as an encouragement but it could so easily be used for a "thank you" card too.
 All the papers, sentiment, and image are by Diane's Daydream Designs.  You know how much I love pre-colored images and then to have the hen already "paper pieced" - bonus! 

I've been tempted lately to buy a chicken wire background stamp but now I don't have to because Diane has this digital. Love it. And like that it can be printed on any color or patterned paper and still come out distinct.

 Challenges: 
Word Art Wednesday- anything
Sister Act - anything
Brown Sugar - anything
Suzy Bees - anything
Pink Gem - animals
Love to Scrap - anything
Cards Galore - digi
Paper Creators - anything
Craftyhazelnut's Pattern Paper

Christmas Readiness

I am never ready for Christmas in December and I really have a hard time thinking about Christmas in July.  Maybe if I did more, I would be ready in December!    OWH needs Christmas cards by October 10th.  Maybe this one card will motivate me to make some more this summer.
Doodle Pantry's Challenge this month is "Make a Splash" or "Christmas".  This is a Doodle Pantry image, sentiment, and papers from the set called Deer Wishes.

The sketch is at Tuesday Morning Sketches:

I was going to use red heart brads but I had forgotten that I used all those up.  Blue looks okay too.
Instead of layering the image circle onto the Kraft scallop, I cut the Kraft into a frame and put it on top of the circle.  Fun to do that sometimes just to change the look a tad.

Challenges:
Tuesday Morning Sketch - sketch
Papertakes - anything
Sweet Stamps - snow
Tuesday Throwdown - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Brown Sugar - anything
Suzy Bees - anything
Paper Creators - anything
Pink Gem - animals
Sister Act - anything
Craftyhazelnut's - patterned paper

Splish Splash - It's Summer

 Summer is in full swing which means busy.  I hardly have time to create any cards.  Yesterday I went shopping and replaced my little wading pool and slippy slide for my grandkids.  They always have so much fun sliding down that thing.

  Here are some other little critters that love to slip and slide:

 Very simple because, as I said, I am sooo busy right now.  But I did take time to color the image with Prisma pencils.  There is also a pre-colored version at Doodle Pantry.

Can you see the glaze on the water spots?  I love doing that for water.  The word "Summer" is a piece of designer paper.  It had ants around the edges but I ended up just using the word.

 The July release for Doodle Pantry is up and ready.  It is smaller than usual (life does get in the way of designing sometimes) but I know you will like what is released.  Here is a message from Laurie, the owner and design.     AND......

There is a 40% sale from July 1 - 7, (some exclusions do apply).

The Doodle Pantry Challenge is Splish Splash or Christmas.  It begins today, July 3,  at noon eastern.  Hope you will have time to make a card and enter it into the challenge.

 

Have a safe, happy fourth of July, a safe and happy summer. 

 

Challenges: 

Papertakes - anything

Through the Craft Room Door - anything 

Tuesday Throwdown - anything

Word Art Wednesday - anything 

Sister Act - anything

Frosted Designs - photo inspiration 

Crafty Catz - anything 

Suzy Bees - anything 

Paper Creators - anything 

Chocolate, Coffee, Cards - summer days