Playing again with #mftstamps Sketchy Flowers Card Kit. I've only bought a few card kits and this one is perfect! I'm having so much fun with it! Please ignore the puppy photobombing this shot in the background!

Sketchy Flower Card Kit: 1st Card

Why don't I put supplies away as I use them in my craft room. That is the source of the chaos that eventually surrounds me as I work away on any project. The more supplies I use the smaller my work space becomes. For example, yesterday the My Favorite Things Sketchy Flower Card Kit arrived. I opened the kit after work in my then clean and orderly craft room. 

Hours later I came back into the craft room to take just a last look before bed. That's when it started. I had to try the stamps. That resulted in a bunch of ink pads being brought out and spread around one side of the desk. Later I needed to figure out the paper. That resulted in paper being spread out. Finally I decided to die cut the stamps...more supplies out and lastly I decided an embossing folder was all I needed to add dimension to my card. 

By this time I'd forgotten it was late, that I was only going to try the stamps and that I needed to get up early the next morning. When the card was finished my memory returned! Sleepy morning here....but am loving the first card from this kit and how fast it came together!

#mftstamps

Another card made with the Wild Cuddly Critters

Thought I'd try a card with a more masculine theme. The strip on the left is a silver foil stripe but when I take a picture of it the light reflects off of it to make different colors! Just love this stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. Second entry in their May Wednesday challenge called Sparkle. #simonsaysstamp #ssswchallenge

I tried to get the silver foil a second time and it still reflected colors!

Oh and I have to show the back since I now have my personalized stamp from Village Impressions

More Wild Things....

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge called A Bit of Sparkle. This card features the Simon Says Stamp Wild Cuddly Critters set.This is take one..... #ssswchallenge

Dare 2B Artzy Girlie Challenge Cards

Raggity Rabbit Stamp Set from Dare 2B Artzy plus pattern papers. 

And entry two into the Dare 2B Artzy Girlie Challenge is:
Blooms

 and then the Be Yourself stamp set for entry 3

It's hot out today!

Finally time for a summery card. This one is made with the embossing folder Drapery by Tim Holtz and the stamp set by My Favorite Things called Soak Up the Fun colored with Copic Markers. Of course couldn't put down the Lawn Fawn Rectangle Fancy Scallopy Die so added that around the side. Sprinkled with some Pretty Pink Posh Sparkle Sequins. A bit of clear Wink of Stella on the water part and a die cut from Simon Says Stamp border hearts in foil to add more sparkle of course.

My first card with Dare 2B Artzy stamps

This company and its unique stamps and papers are new to me and intrigued me when I saw the products being used for cards. This is my first attempt and has been copied somewhat from one on their website. I made a few changes such as stamping the image a bit differently and using zig clear clean markers on  bristol paper. Then I cut out the top of the image and popped it up over an embossed panel with adhesive foam. The embossing folder is one by Tim Holtz and Sizzix also part of a two pack called Texture Fades Embossing Folders by Alterations, Time Holtz and Sizzix 2 piece Drapery and Woodgrain set. It was super hard to find only but I did find it still being sold at Creative Inspiration: https://creativeinspirations.ca/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_185_190&products_id=4717

Since I am usually run late on cards that need to be mailed I thought today I'd see if I could do a few last minute Mother's Day cards. These took all of thirty  minutes to make with a few simple stamps, dies and embossing folders. The dies, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle Stackables and My Favorite Things Sentiment Label Strip, We R Memory Keepers Bloom Embossing Folders, White Blizzard and Green Apple Nuvo drops plus a few stamps laying around. Oh and my first use of Dare 2B Artzy pattern paper.Two different sentiments were used, All Celebrations from Penny Black maybe and Message me from Clearly Besotted. Bunny stamps from Wplus9 Wishing You stamp set and boy from My Favorite Things Our Story Stamp set.

Just a few more Mother's Day Cards....

Cased this background from a card I saw somewhere online. Since I can't find it now I'm not certain it's the same. I wanted a clean and simple background for this Mother's Day card to focus on the image. The background layers are made with Lawn Fawn dies, Fancy Scallopy Rectangle and Stitched Rectangle Frames. The image is Wanderlust from A Random Fan and the sentiment is from one of the first stamps I bought which unfortunately I never labeled. I found a similar one to this from Craftin Desert Divas called Happy Celebrations. I also used Copic Markers to color the image and Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter Crystal Drops and Glossy Accents with a touch of Wink of Stella pen on the moped for clear glitter. 

This next card is also a combination of products. Again using the Lawn Fawn Fancy Scallop Rectangle Die with My Favorite Things Sensational Stitched Flowers and a tag from their Blueprints 13 Die. Sentiment from Essentials by Ellen: Amazing Women by Julie and image from Stamping Bella stamp: Maisy and Madeline Have Some Tea, colored with Copic Markers and embellished with Nuvo Crystal Drops: White Blzzard Glitter. 

And this is a new and improved design of the one above....

And then I saw these bears and couldn't resist trying a bit of neutral designs...

Finally getting around to using this Tim Holtz Crazy Cats stamp set. I'm still using some parts laying around on my desk to make these hopefully male appropriate birthday cards. Also playing with the offset design where the card is not symmetrical which really fits the looks of these slightly dizzy cats!

A Mother's Day card made with Lawn Fawn's Scallopy Pop-Up Box Die and an assortment of stamps including Lawn Fawn's Easter Stamps, Stamping Bella's Thank You Hoppy Poppy and MFT stitched flower dies.

A few fun Lawn Fawn treat boxes

And another birthday party card with Lawn Fawn Scallop Pop-Up Die, Party Animals Stamp Set and Year Seven Stamps Plus 12 x 12 double sided Perfectly Plaid paper.

The challenges for this year

Last year I did a personal challenge to make a birthday card for everyone in our extended family that I knew. By the end of the year I was sending out a lot of belated birthday cards. I tried hard to make each card in some way to fit what I knew about the person. The year ended with me doing the same thing for Christmas cards. This year I haven't sent out many birthday cards! I wonder why...

Instead I'm doing the same thing different ways challenges. I'm trying out different designs for similar stamps. When I'm not doing that I'm doing different design techniques. So far I've learned to make box cards, gate fold cards, belly bands and clasps, wobble cards, paper layering die cut cards and to use a variety of patterned papers, materials, sketches, and to use color combinations out of my comfort zone. I've also dabbled with chameleon markers and a variety of watercolor techniques.

For the last half of the year, before Christmas card season hits again, I want to make slider cards, pop up cards, better shaker cards and to use different materials such as fabrics, metal, mousse, sprays and oxide inks. I want to learn to stamp personal names on cards, use numbers in the designs and make shape cards. So much to learn, so little time. Sigh.I want to mostly use my stash and learn to stretch it after that. Mother's Day cards are done so now on to Father's Day cards.

As far as business ventures I am planning to try selling some of my cards from the past at a sale this next week. Also, I'm doing a de-stash and hope to enter more challenges in the future that point back to my blog. Which means I've finally gotten my blog up and working in a way that makes sense to me with a name I like. Now I'm ordering a personal stamp for the backs of my cards and have learned to put an overlay watermark on my photos. Next I hope to get business cards made. Below is a picture of the first card I posted with my watermark. I now can do this via my computer but still have to figure out how to do it with my phone on instagram.