Classic Design Challenge : Snowman

 Aaaand, it's December already! How did we get here so fast???! I feel like we just left summer..

Anywho, I'm back with another great Classic Design Team digi. This month, our team is featuring designs from Goha Digi Stamps. I chose a cute snowman, because it reminded me of all those snowmen I made as a kid, back in the day. 

I decided not to feature "Christmasy" colors, but use fun shades with a vintage feel and color palate. 

I printed off my image and colored him in with Copics, then, I decided to outline him in a black Pigma Micron 01 archival ink pen, just to "pop" him off my paper just a bit. Then I diecut my image out with a die I found on Amazon, and sponged a few various shades of Distress Inks around my diecut edge. After sponging, I matted the back of my image with a light Kraft colored cardstock. I found a "dirty" vintage paper from Carta Bella, and adhered my image, matting one last kraft cardstock paper underneath for stiffness. I added a cheap pink lace I bought for less than a buck at a craft store, some blue Maya Arts Ribbon for .50 cents a yard at my local scrapstore, then a small slice of a Gingham paper from Daisy D's, under the ribbon for interest. I added a double bow and a tag stamped "Just for You", on it.

This card turned out so cute! I love that I chose to use different colors, despite the colors in the image. I kind of like that juxtaposition and surprise. It just stands out in that way and I like it.

Thank you for joining me this year with the Classic Design Team, I'm looking forward to Next year and a new round of cards and inspirations with you!

Happy New Year!!

December Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Thinking of You

 Happy December!! We made it another year!! I can't tell you enough just how this year blew by me! And in a few days, we'll start 2026... 😬!

But enough about 2026. Let's talk about this month's photo inspiration challenge. I was surprised to see purple so predominantly featured, but I ended up enjoying the color switch up (I'm used to reds, greens, golds, etc.).

So, with that being said, I really started to think about which flowers can be purple. It's not like I have that many in my stash that could be purple. But then I found an old stamp from a company that has long since shut their doors, that I just knew would look spectacular in purple!

I chose Flourishes "Chrysanthemums" set and colored it in with Copics. I hit the flower with a few pink 'highlights' here and there, just to liven it up with a lighter color in it. Otherwise the purple was so dark, it was almost "black" in some areas. Then I die cut out the image with MFT's Stitched Rectangle die, then matted that on top of Bazzil's Admiral blue cardstock, then cut out a Scalloped Rectangle with MFT's dies again, to cut Tim Holtz's Silver Metallic Cardstock, to mat the whole card.

I have really enjoyed our year of creating together and I look forward to creating with you all next year! But until then, I'll be appreciating your inspired creations from this month's photo!

Happy New Year and I'll see you next year for some more challenges!!

Christmas Mail

 Hello and welcome back, crafty Friends! I had enough time to create another fun card designed from various blog challenges and a couple from Splitcoast Stampers. If you haven't checked out SCS, please check them out! So many challenges, tutorials, project galleries, supportive community, and so much more for any paper crafter to enjoy!

This is my first card using my new Color Cube #4. I picked the first color sample, number 751, as my inspiration sample.

I stamped out the images from Momma Elephant's "You've Got Mail" on watercolor paper, and chose watercolor the images in with Spectrum Noir's "Aqua" watercolor markers and my Kuretake watercolor paints. I chose to use Hello Blue Bird's Deckle Edge dies to cut out the main image. I fussy cut out the little bunny after watercoloring him in, and place pop dots under him to give him some dimension off the paper. I placed popdots under the main image diecut with foam tape for stability and dimension, then matted it with 49 & Market's "Little Dreamers" design paper. Under the design paper, I added a gray scalloped cardstock from Bazzil in "Ash", die cut with Taylored Expressions Petit Scallop Mini Slim Stacklets.

I'm submitting my card to the following blogs & challenges :

Addicted to Stamps & More - Christmas (my card shows a bunny receiving a Christmas card)

A Cut Above - Anything Goes w/ a Die Cut

A Place to Start - Anything Goes w/ Opt. Twist Winter Things 

Cupcake Inspirations - Challenge Image - Let It Snow & the color Blue

Path of Positivity - Anything Goes w/ Opt. Twist of Unexpected Animal

Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday Challenge) - Use Dies

Sweet Birthday Wishes

 Hello, Friends! I'm back with a card I made during Thanksgiving vacation, that I'm going to submit to a few online challenges. I Miss joining online challenges, but you know, working two jobs really takes all my extra free time away. So this is a nice and welcome bit of extra time I had to just play around with my little crafty treasures for a bit.

I created this card out of a "new-to-me" stamp set from Momma Elephant.

I stamped out Momma Elephant's "Yay A Party" and colored it in with Copics, then cut it out the main image with a stitched die from Paper Trey that has been long retired. I matted a yellow cardstock from Bazzil under it, called "French Vanilla", then matted that with a yellow chevron design paper, again cut from the Paper Trey dies from the same stitched rectangle set, but this one has scallops on the edges. There is no name on the Paper Trey dies, so I cannot name the set.

I kept everything simple and clean. I wish the lighting caught how soft the colors on the bunnies and the rest of the scene, are.

I'm submitting my card to the following online blog challenges :

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Pattie's Creations Challenge - Anything Goes

Just Add Ink - Add Dies

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

All Sorts Challenge - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin Challenge - Birthday

Color Throwdown - Color Challenge (chose to feature only Yellow)

Classic Design Challenge : Santa

 Welcome back again to this month's Classic Design Team Challenge! It's that time of year again where we start thinking about Christmas and making or sending out our Christmas cards. 

I have a great image from Dr. Digi featuring Santa himself, checking the naughty and nice list. Have you checked to see if your name is on his "nice" list? I'm sure it is! Here is a link to his digi store Dr. Digi and here is a link to my Santa image : Naughty or Nice. Dr. Digi has some great quality digi stamps in his store, and I hope you go check them out!

I colored my image in with Copic markers, then used MFT's Double Stitched Rectangles to cut it out with a decorative border around it. I then sponged some Distress Inks around the image to "age" it and tone down the white cardstock, as my design papers and lace panel is off white/cream. After sponging, I matted my image with a red cardstock from Bazzil. I layered a cream lace panel cut from a die by Stampin Up, then matted that under my image, over some design papers from The Paper Studio's "Old World Winter" collection. I completed the matting by adding one more cardstock layer of a reflective gold from Tim Holtz's Metallic Cardstock collection, then I added a few holly diecuts from Tim Holtz's Ideology "Christmas Botanicals" collection. My sentiment is from Fresh Pink's "Foiled Holiday Sentiments".

And there you have it. My take on Dr. Digi's Santa inspired digi stamp. I really love how it turned out. I'm not the greatest at coloring in people, but how can you mess up Santa?! LOL!

Thank you for joining us this month in our Classic Design Challenge! I'll see you here for next month's inspiration! And don't forget! Santa Claus is coming to town .... !

November Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Fuchsia Postcard

Happy November, Challenge Friends!! Can you believe the year is almost over! We've had so many challenges and inspirations together. I love it!

This month's November inspiration photo is my absolute favorite of the year!! Look at those deep blues, magentas, golds, and purples! So beautiful and what I'd consider quintessentially traditional fall colors. I love, love them!

As you can tell, I was completely inspired by the colors in the photo. But this time, I wanted to try to capture the color intensity in watercolors. So, I found an old postcard with watercolor paper, and decided I was going to go as intense with my shading as I possibly could.

To start my watercoloring, I taped off the edges of the postcard to create a "frame" for interest. I used Distress Inks and Aqua Markers to color my image in. My image is from Heartfelt Creations, called "Fuchsias". After coloring in my image, I sponged in some Antique Linen and Old Paper Distress Inks along the bottom half and around the image, I painted a blue 'haze' with the Distress Ink, then sponged just a little of the Old Paper Distress Ink around the top half of the card.

I love how it turned out! I just have to seal it so that when I want to send it out to someone, if it rains or gets wet, it won't smear. 

I can't wait to see all the creations submitted this month and see how you all used the colors! Until then, happy Crafting!

Classic Design Challenge : Fall Dance

 Good day everyone! Welcome back to another Classic Design Challenge! I'm looking forward to this challenge because it features my favorite season : Fall!! I love the colors, smell, feel, the weather and the need to bake!

This month, we're featuring RAM Stamps, by Rachelle Ann Miller, the owner. I have always loved her images for years and years. I have a few of her clear stamps, but didn't know she had a digi shop, too. I'm drooling over all the other images I had no idea she offered.

I chose to feature her "Fall Dance" image, because I absolutely Love, Love, Fall!!

I printed my image off on Gina K's copic paper, and cut out the image with one of AALL & Create's "Quirky Post" dies, then colored everything in with copics. After coloring the image, I sponged on Shabby Shutters Oxide & Rustic Wilderness inks on the bottom of the image, then sponged the sky area with Tumbled Glass Oxide ink. Then I cut out 49 & Market's "Botanical Buzz" matting with another AALL & Create's "Quirky Post" dies.

I kept it all clean and simple so the fun fall colors and whimsy would shine through. I believe that sometimes the simpler the card is, the better you can focus on the image and the handiwork in it.

Thank you for joining us today and enjoying our Design Team samples using the challenge images! We look forward to seeing all of your creations this month! 

October Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Celebrate You!

 Happy October everyone! This is my favorite month of the year!! Not because it's almost Halloween, But because Autumn is really in full swing by now, everywhere! Growing up in Northern Minnesota, October was very nippy out and either crisp and sunny, or damp & rainy. I loved them both!

This  months Beautiful Blossoms Challenge photo features orange predominantly, and looks very ethereal.

I really looked at this photo and wanted to make an orange card in the worst way possible, because orange is one of my favorite colors. But, I like what looks like a "blue" secondary color in the photo, and I decided to make a card based off of that.

Now, I know you say that this card looks nothing even close to the photo, but I want to remind you that these example photos are purely inspiration to help you. It's how YOU interoperate the design image :) 

I chose to stamp out Honey Bee Stamps On The Line : Succulents onto watercolor paper and lightly watercolor them in then diecut them out. Then I found a white paper doily and a blue doily from Doodlebug Designs and put them under my sentiment from Pretty Pink Posh. I matted some blue paper from Simple Stories "Vintage Berry Fields" over Simple Stories "Warm White" Textured cardstock, using dies from Pink Fresh and My Favorite Things. Then I diecut a Gold Metallic paper from Tim Holtz with their Stitched Eyelet Lace Rectangle and placed all my previous cardstock on top of that to frame it, then the paper doilys, the sentiment and watercolored succulents, and lastly, the blue pearls scattered around the card.

I love how it turned out, though I really fought hard not to make it an orange colored card or overly complicated.

I can't wait to see all of your unique creations and how you were inspired! And until next time, Keep Creating!