October Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : True Friendship

 Happy October!! October is one my favorite months of the year! It's fall and the smell of rain and wet earth is in the air, and hot cider or coffee and apples are on my mind. Every year, I attempt to try to make a better apple pie or Apple Cinnamon Rolls than the year before. I've got miles of room to grow and get better in those departments!

This month's challenge photo is full of beautiful reds, golds, and oranges. Marigolds are a humble flower, but they make quite the colorful, fall impact.

I stamped out Altenew's Oriental Poppy onto some water color paper, in Staz-On "Timber Brown" ink. I used my Kuratake water colors and Spectrum Noir watercolor markers to color in the flower images. I cut out the flowers using MFT's "Double Stitched Rectangle" dies, keeping the right side open for the sentiment. I chose to use Just Rite Clear stamps "Good Friends" stamp set, also stamped out in Timber Brown. Then I layered a dark brown and a peachy orange cardstock under my main image, and then added some champagne colored gems to finish my card.

I love to watercolor and just felt that these colors would be so lovely water colored in instead of using alcohol markers. I think I made the right choice. I just love how vibrant they turned out. I just played with the colors until I felt it looked right.

Thank you for joining the Beautiful Blossoms Challenge team this month. We hope our examples both inspire and challenge you to create something lovely to submit. We love to see everyone's inspirations! 

September Classic Design Challenge : Alex Syberia Designs and Goha Digital Stamps

 Hello and Welcome back to another monthly Classic Design Challenge! Boy, am I excited to share the Cuuuuute image I colored in from Goha Digital Stamps!! I chose to feature Goha's Peaking Unicorn because it's so stinking cute!!

Honestly, just how cute is that?!?

I printed off my image and colored it in with a mix of Copics and Altenew alcohol markers. I cut out my main image scene with a Stitched Rectangle from MFT and stamped an old sentiment from MFT along the bottom. I chose to use a pink gingham background paper from Bo Bunny, and a solid pink cardstock from Bazzil. The decorative bottom edge is cut out by a long discontinued die from MFT that has no name, and I dressed it all up with some simple pink pearls from Honey Bee Stamps. Simple, Simple, Simple, so the main image stands out.

I love, love this image and how it all came together! Would you believe I was hesitant to color the mushrooms in? I couldn't decide if I wanted to go "Magical Woodland" and color them in pinks, purples, blues and yellows, or natural colored. I decided to go natural so that the unicorn would stand out more as an oddity in the setting.. But even then, getting the natural colors are tricky for me.. So I took a deep breath, trusted myself and the process and gave it a shot. I'm glad I did! I'm so proud of the mushrooms, their colors, and shading! Is it the best? No, but it's MY best! :) Don't doubt yourself, always push yourself to try. It's only paper! 

I can't wait to see your inspired creations this month! You always inspire me and make me push my art further and try new things, after I see all your ideas and creative inspirations! Thank you crafty Friends! See you next month!

September Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: You Are On My Mind

 Happy September everyone! We are heading into cooler weather, and I'm looking forward to all the fall activities! Bring it on!

This month the challenge photo offered so many colors to showcase and choose from. I love it when the challenge photos offer so many different ways to be inspired, don't you?

I stamped Gina K's Geranium on watercolor paper and used water colors to paint it in. I cut out my image using Papertrey Ink's "Scalloped Ovals", then added thick foam squares behind it and matted the image over Spellbinders "Infinity Punch & Pierce Plate" I used Bazzil's "Celtic Green" Swiss Dot cardstock under the Spellbinder plate background, and used some Gina K white cardstock as my base, under the green matting cardstock. And to finish my card, I added green jewels from Honey Bee Stamps, to elevate the card and offer some pizzaz.

Thank you for joining me and the Beautiful Blossoms Design Team this month. We are looking forward to seeing how you were inspired and what you've created! See you next month!

Congrats

 Hello Crafty Friends! I'm just popping in because I randomly had a few extra minutes to toss a card together! Yay me! I love it when I get to do that :)

I challenged myself to create a card, using a challenge or two to jump start my ideas, and created something that I love.

I used quite a few items and dies to create this card. I cut a lacy rectangle base in Bazzil's "Peach Cream" with Lawn Fawn's "Lacy Rectangle" die, and layered Carta Bella's "Cowgirl" design papers over that, cut out with The Greetery's  "The Frame". I placed MFT's "Congrats" die over the lower half of my top base, and die cut it out, then placed more Carta Bella's "Cowgirl" design papers under it. After that, I cut a knit heart with Concord and 9th's "Knitted with Care" die set in the same "Cowgirl" papers. Then I layered a silhouette couple using Picket Fence Studio's "A2 She Said Yes", and added some burnished gold pearls from Honey Bee Stamps "Warm Pearls" collection. To complete my card, I randomly added some sponged "Crackling Campfire" Distress Oxide ink on parts of my card, for interest.

I'm submitting this card to the following challenges :

Simon Says Stamp - Get In Shape

Addicted to CAS - Anniversary 

Shopping Our Stash - Let's Get Sketchy

AAA Birthday - Use Patterned Paper

August Classic Design Challenge : Fred She Said Designs & Sheepski Designs

 Good morning and welcome back to another fun monthly Classic Challenge! This month we have a fun surprise, because we're featuring TWO digital artists, and as always, our theme is : Anything Goes.

This month, we're featuring samples from both Fred She Said Digital Designs and Sheepski Digital Designs.

I chose to feature Emma in the Strawberry Patch from Fred She Said Designs, and Beach Hut Holiday from Sheepski Designs. Both are equally well drawn, and so fun and easy to color in. Sometimes you just want an image that's easy to color in that makes a big impact, and these two do it for me.

First one up is Emma in the Strawberry Patch, from Fred She Said.

I decidedly chose to keep her simple and followed the same coloring format too, by coloring her with less drama, trying to keep it soft and fresh. The first attempt I made at coloring it in resulted in too much color and drama, and felt it detracted from the cute and over all innocence the image is portraying. So everything was kept light after that.

Next is Beach Hut Holiday by Sheepski.

Isn't this a great image of a beach and boat houses all in a row? I grew up in Northern Minnesota, so I've always loved a lake front beach, and this scene is the best! I can just see myself enjoying a good book, with a tall iced tea, and a popsicle, after I wade in the water looking for neat rocks.

I kept this card clean and simple just to keep the focus on the image. The sentiment is from an old MFT travel stamp set, and the stitched diecut rectangle cutting out the main scene is the only adornment I gave it. 

I am also entering my card in the following challenges :

1. Anything Goes - Word Art Wednesday

2. Water - Addicted to CAS

3. Water - Just Us Girls

4. Summertime Blues - Simon Says Stamp

5. Anything Goes - A Cut Above

I hope you head on over to Fred She Said Designs and Sheepski Designs to check out their images for sale and see what else you may like. And thank you for joining us again this month in our Classic Challenge, as we feature different digital image creators each month to help inspire you in our Anything Goes, monthly challenge. We love and appreciate all your submissions and look forward to seeing the gallery, showing us how you were inspired each month! See you next month!

August Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Get Well Soon

 Welcome back, Beautiful Blossom Challenge Friends! This month we have a beautiful challenge photo! I absolutely love this image! It's so pretty and inspiring!

I literally made three cards, just trying to match the beauty and those gorgeous colors. Nothing I made was good enough, I felt. They weren't as pretty as the image was inspiring me. Or so I thought. Sometimes you just get a great inspiration piece that pushes you to try harder and do better!

I stamped out my image from Flourishes "Tulips" stamp set. I cut the main image into a rectangle shape, then used an old Spellbinder border die on the bottom edge, and placed some I placed some thick foam tape under the image to lift it off the background design paper. I used an old piece of scrap design paper for my green background under the tulip image, then cut out a scalloped background edging using Spellbinders "Heartfelt Thanks and Scallops" die set. I chose a sentiment from Say it with Stamps "Get Well" set, then added some dark forest green pearls from Honey Bee Stamps "Pacific Northwest" pearl collection, for beauty and interest.

I love the colors on the flowers. I really tried to keep it light colored because the challenge photo shows light colored flowers. I also decided to feature the image vertically and cut in half using a border die for more visual interest just to see how it looked. I'm glad I tried it!

Thank you for joining me for this month's Beautiful Blossom Challenge, I really enjoy your comments and views! Have a great month and I can't wait to see your submissions for this month's challenge!!

July Classic Design Challenge : Rachelle Anne Miller

 Hello July Crafty Friends!

This month, the Classic Design Team Challenge is featuring challenge designs from none other than the amazingly talented : Rachelle Anne Miller. Her images is absolutely cuter than a button and just as fabulous to color in! I chose to feature her Unicorn digital stamp, because why not?

I printed off the image and colored it in with a mixture of Copics and Altenew alcohol markers. I used a  diecut to cut out the main image, then, while the image was still in the die, I sponged on Tattered Rose, Shabby Shutters, Salt Water Taffy, and Carved Pumpkin Distress Dioxide inks to give it a light pinky-orange sky and green grass. The sentiment is from Pink Fresh's Hibiscus stamp set, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink. After stamping the sentiment, I matted the main image with Simple Stories Textured Cardstock in Mint, and layered Bazzil's Aqua cardstock cut out with MFT's Stitched Rectangles under it. Then, placed my layered stack over my Brutus Munroe Thick Cardstock in White, just for a tiny white border around the card.

Isn't she the cutest image? Who wouldn't love to color in that image or receive such a whimsical card? It definitely brings a smile to my face when I see it.

Thank you for stopping by and please join the Classic Design team in this month's Anything Goes challenge! We love to see what inspires you and what you upload to submit to the challenge! I know I do! Have a great July and I'll see you in August!

July Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Just A Note

 Hi again, Friends! It's time for another monthly Blossoms Challenge. I just love them, don't you? I love how inspiring the challenge photos and examples are! I just keep getting inspired every month!

Speaking of challenge photos and getting inspired, let's take a look at July's inspiration photo.

This was a tough one. I love bold and sassy flowers! But how do you go so color bold without looking garish? That's the hard part.

I chose to use Flourishes "Orchids" set, using the Iris flower. I stamped it out on Gina K paper and colored it in with Copics. I chose to frame the image to centralize your eye on the bold flowers and coloring. I used Spellbinders A2 Rectangles and a Spellbinders Oval shape to frame the image. I chpse to use Simple Stories "Front Porch" design papers, and matted under that with a Bazzil cardstock in "Aqua", then added one more cardstock layer in white under that to highlight the clean white background behind the image. To finish my card, I added a sentiment banner from Anna Griffin's "Garden Fountain Embellishments" collection, and enamel dots from My Minds Eye, in their "Sweet" collection.

I genuinely enjoy the clean and simple look on cards and this card is no different. The only difficulty I had was deciding what papers I wanted to use to showcase the image and the sapphire blues in the flower! LOL!

I hope you enjoyed seeing our Blossom team's inspiration examples as much as we enjoyed making them! We always look forward to inspiring you each month! And, speaking of, until next month, I'll see you all back here for another monthly inspiration photo. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing all your creations this month!