March : You Bake Me Happy

 Happy March, Ya'll!!! Is it spring yet?! Not so much here, but it hasn't been the worst winter, so I can deal.

This month, the Classic Design Team is featuring Dr. Digi's designs again. Dr. Digi has a huge selection of great images to choose from, and at a reasonable price, too. Take a look at the store here : Dr. Digi

I chose to use Bertha's Bread Baking Bonanza image. I chose it because I struggle and look as lost as Bertha, when I make homemade bread!!

I printed off the image and coloring it in with Copics. After coloring the image in, I taped off the edges of the image and sponged Antique Linen and Weathered Wood Distress Inks around the edges. I used Taylored Expressions Easy Edgers die to cut a pinking edge on some soft brown gingham paper from Simple Stories, from their "Gingham" collection. I adhered the gingham paper to a heavy Kraft cardstock, and added a ribbon from Maya Arts to the base. After tying the ribbon on the card, I placed the image over the front of the card base, then stamped my sentiment from Honey Bee stamps, then added three pearls from Honey Bees "Warm Pearls" collection.

I really had a hard time picking an image to color in, but I love how nice Bertha turned out!

I hope you're having a great spring and enjoying the warm weather!! Or I hope it's at least headed your way, soon! :) 

March Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : I Am Here For You

 It's March. No way, it's March already! Hopefully winter will be over soon... I hope!

Until then, it's more days inside for us to craft... right?! LOL! 

Well then, lets see this months Beautiful Blossoms Challenge photo and you can play along with us!

Pretty yellows and greens, right?! I love how springy it looks! It makes me excited for Easter to arrive!

I stamped out my image from Flourishes (store closed) "Botanical Bookplates" stamp collection, and colored it in using Copics. I cut out the image using MFT "Stitched Rectangles", and stamped my sentiment from Say It With Stamps "Thinking of You" stamp set. I cut a yellow piece of cardstock in Bazzil's "Cornmeal", again using MFT's "Stitched Rectangles" dies. Then I cut out my bottom "base" using MFT's "Double Stitched Rectangles" in Simple Stories "Warm White" design paper (it has little light yellow polka dots all over it).

I deliberately kept my card simple and pretty, like the image evokes. Uncomplicated, unfussy, and pretty. Just clean and simple like the bouquet. 

I hope the challenge photo and the team's examples inspire you as much as they did for me! I can't wait to see all of your creations, and until next month, keep crafting, Friends!

February Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Love & Thanks

Happy February fellow "Bloomers"! Welcome back to another Beautiful Blossoms Design Challenge! 

Let's just jump right in, shall we? I'm so excited because this month's challenge photo because I love how cheery and spring-y it looks! I'm so ready for spring and summer to come back around again. This month's photo has purples, yellows, whites, and some blues. 

I didn't want to get too many bold colors going on, but try to create a softer approach while featuring all the colors I could, without making it color chaotic! LOL!

I chose to stamp out my image using Gina K's "Let's Celebrate" and coloring it in with Copics, then die cutting it out with the coordinating die. Then I cut out a decorative "banner" using Studio Light's "Slimline & Label" die so I can put the flower wreath image on it. Then I stamped the sentiment from Power Poppy's "Nice Things To Say" stamp set. I cut out the base of the card using Kat Scrappiness's "Mini Slimline Fancy Scalloped Die" using the 49 & Market's "Tranquility" design paper. Under the decorative middle piece, I placed popdots, to give it some lift and dimension off the design paper, and under the wreath too, to give some depth. Then I added some purple & blue colored gems from Honey Bee Stamps "Perfect Petals" gems.

I try to learn something new with each card that I make and I really love how the sentiment font seems to really go with the wreath. I learned that sometimes you can choose a different sentiment for the card you created, that often goes better than ones that usually goes with the stamp set. I also realized something else, fonts and illustrated image styles matter. Mis-matching the styles often look...odd. That is why some images and sentiments just seem to give off an odd vibe. Have you ever notice that? Am I the only one?

Oh well. Sometimes the things I figure out are only important to me. LOL!

Have a great month and I will see you back here next month for another Beautiful Blossoms Challenge photo and inspiration!

January Classic Design Challenge : Patties Creations

 Happy New Year, Crafting Friends!! Can you believe it's another year down?? I feel like every year just blitzes by even faster than the year before!!

This month we're featuring digi's from Patties Creations. I had so many great images to choose from!! In fact, I bought a few other images along with the one I am featuring today! The image I chose to feature is Flamingo Happy Hour. It's just so happy, vibrant, and quirky that I HAD to play with the image! LOL!

I printed off the image and colored it in with Copic markers, then cut out a border at the bottom of my image with a long since retired Spellbinders borders combinations dies. After cutting out the border and trimmed my image sides, I sponged some Distress Oxide ink lightly around the image in various areas, in Carved Pumpkin. I didn't want it dark, just a highlight around the image. I put popdots under my main image and placed that over Bazzil's "Mint" cardstock. Then I placed the image & polka dot Bazzil cardstock over some A2 card-backs from Mintay Papers. Then, I placed a "Celebrate" rub-on from 49 & Market and some clear enamel candy dots from Bo Bunny.

I had SO Much FUN coloring this image in!! So easy and effortlessly fun! I hope it inspires you to color in a fun and quirky image for a card, even if it's just for the fun of it! :)

Have a great day, and I'll see you next month for another Classic Design Challenge!

January Beautiful Blossoms Challenge : Thinking of You

 Hello Blossom Friends! It's 2026!! Oh my goodness, 2025 went by so fast!

I'm back with a Beautiful Blossoms Design Challenge inspiration card for you, based on this challenge photo. Isn't it gorgeous?! Love those colors!

I really struggled to decide on what color I wanted to focus on or if I wanted to use all the shades of pink and peach I see. I love all those colors and colored in quite a few images with them all, but ultimately decided to focus on one color for more impact.

I stamped out Gina K's "Single Peony" on thick vellum, and colored the image in with Copics. Then I cut a frame to frame my flower image in, using Spellbinders A2 Filigree Delight. Then I cut my image out using the frame die, then glued the vellum to the frame diecut. I matted that with some design paper from Prima's "With Love" 12x12 paper pad, cutting my matted DP out with Spellbinders A2 Rectangles die, then placed more white cardstock behind the DP to add some weight to the card. to finish my card, I added a few decorative details from Anna Griffin's "Garden Fountain Embellishments" package.

I really enjoyed the process of making my card and it gives me a few other ideas for future cards using vellum, dies and textures. Don't be afraid to try new things, tools, techniques and ideas - you just never know how it might turn out!

 Thank you again for joining me and the rest of the Beautiful Blossoms Challenge team, please join our fun monthly challenges; we can't wait to see what you create with each new theme! Have a great day and see you back here for next month's challenge photo! :)

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