Love You More Than Coffee

A coffee themed card seemed appropriate for the first day back at work after a long weekend!  This one is based on the current sketch at Match the Sketch and features stamps and dies from Lil' Inker Designs. 

I used the Coffee Cozy dies to make a to go cup for my focal image.  It's hard to see in the photo, but I shaded the cup and lid a bit with Copic markers to add some depth to the die cut pieces.  The cup's kraft sleeve is stamped with the heart from the Coffee Talk stamp set.  After assembling it, I used foam tape to adhere it to a red stitched circle die cut with a pair of Stitched Sentiment Flag die cuts arranged on it.

The image panel was adhered to a piece of grid patterned paper over kraft and red cardstock strips.  I stamped the coffee sentiment beneath the cup in brown pigment ink, using my MISTI to double stamp it so it would be extra dark.  The finished panel was adhered to a cream card base.

Materials Used:
Coffee Talk stamp set, Coffee Cozy, Stitched Circle, and Stitched Sentiment Flag dies (Lil' Inker Designs); Memento Luxe Love Letter and Rich Cocoa inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Chocolate Chip and Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Fresh Goods-Mom and Pop designer paper (Pebbles); foam tape

The Challenge 75-You're My Superhero

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge! *** 

The Challenge is back with a new challenge!  Since it's the fifth week of the month, this week's challenge is a wild card challenge--and it's a sketch!  I am crazy about the big-eared bunny from the new My Hero set from The Cat's Pajamas and knew he'd be perfect as the focal image for this sketch.

I colored the bunny image using Copic markers, then carefully cut him out using a combination of super sharp scissors and a craft knife.  The panels for the card were created using a traditional bold superhero color scheme--red, dark blue, and golden yellow.  The bunny was set in place on the cardfront using foam tape for dimension. I stamped the "you're my superhero" sentiment beneath the bunny on the rounded red panel in Versafine Onyx Black ink--my favorite ink for making sentiments pop.  A few silver enamel dots scattered around the bunny image completed the design.

Check out what the rest of the talented team at The Challenge has created based on this week's sketch.  Here's where to find them:

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins
Lee Ann Barrett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth
Rachel Bergfeld
Patti, May's featured designer

Materials Used:
My Hero stamp set (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Crushed Curry, Real Red, and Not Quite Navy cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections silver cardstock (Michaels); circle die (Spellbinders); silver enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Mojo Monday 450-Sending Birthday Wishes

Happy Monday!  It's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.  It's the last week of the month, so we're switching things up a bit and going with a tall and skinny layout.

I used the sketch to make a fun birthday card with a bold gender-neutral color scheme.  The card is built on an aqua card base.  I layered on a teal panel edged with a narrow red cardstock strip and a diagonal striped patterned paper scrap that pulls together all of the colors I used on the card.  The panel was wrapped with a strip of red satin ribbon before it was added to the card. 

I topped the card with a stitched fishtail flag panel.  Since the fishtail flag wasn't as long as I wanted, I created  a longer one with a bit of creative die cutting.  The "sending birthday wishes" sentiment from WPlus9's Sending, Hoping, and Wishing set was stamped on the fishtail flag with teal pigment ink.  To get a nice, solid impression, I used my MISTI to double stamp the words.  A pair of balloons from the Whole Lotta' Happy set were added to the top of the panel to finish the design.

Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for more inspiration from the design team and to add your own take on this week's sketch!  You can also find all of the Mojo Makers at their blogs here:

• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Justin Krieger
• Lori Tecler - you're here! 
• Marisa Ritzen
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Materials Used:
Sending, Hoping, Wishing and Whole Lotta' Happy stamp sets, Whole Lotta' Happy dies (WPlus9); Aquamarine and Cherry inks (Avery Elle); Aqua Mist and Tropical Teal cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); So Happy Together 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); Die-namics Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX dies (My Favorite Things); red satin ribbon (Target); twine (Hemptique); foam tape

You're a Lifesaver

Here's my card for this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I turned the layout into a nautical themed scene with stamps from Paper Smooches.

I stamped and colored the boat from the Wicked Nauticool set on a matching die cut to start the scene, then used die cuts to make a sun and a fluffy white cloud.  The pieces were arranged on a light blue card base over a wavy strip of cardstock.  I made the waves by using circle punches to cut out different sized semi-circular pieces from the cardstock strip--super easy way to make waves!  The set's "you're a lifesaver" sentiment was stamped on the left side of the wavy strip.  A few white sequins scattered around the scene completed the design.

Materials Used:
Wicked Nauticool stamp set, Nauticool and Clouds dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Lemon Tart cardstock, Lemon Tart patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); pinking circle dies (Spellbinders); circle punches (EK Success); white sequins; foam tape

Congrats

Here's my card for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.  I used the sketch to create a clean and simple design with both a classic and contemporary feel.

The classic comes from the traditional red, white, black and silver color scheme.  The contemporary is the inlaid hearts, courtesy of the Die-namics Staggered Heart Border die, and the modern font of the stamped sentiment.  I die cut the hearts first from a white panel, then filled in the panel's negative space with a red die cut strip.  The open space within the heart die strip was filled in with shiny silver hearts.  The "congrats" sentiment from the Whimsical Wishes set was stamped just above the hearts in black ink.

I edged the panel with a narrow strip of black cardstock, then used foam tape to adhere the panel to a cardfront with a strip of silver cardstock along the bottom.  I thought about adding some sequins or enamel dots to the cardfront, but in the end, left it clean and uncluttered.

Materials Used:
Whimsical Wishes stamp set, Die-namics Staggered Heart Border die (My Favorite Things); Real Red and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections silver cardstock (Michaels); foam tape

Have an Amazing Birthday

Here's my card for May's second Viva la Verve sketch.  I made another birthday card using the sketch.  This one features one of my current favorite sets, Verve's Simply Amazing.  Love the fonts and sentiments in it!

I die cut a tag from pink cardstock for my sentiment.  After stamping the "have an" and "birthday" words from the set, I completed the sentiment with the die cut word "amazing."  To give it dimension, I layered the word on a craft foam cut out.  The tag was placed on a green cardstock panel over a piece of chevron patterned paper and a girly paper doily.  I wrapped a bit of pink ribbon around the panel, then topped the tag with a piece of knotted ribbon for a finished look.  For a bit of sparkle, I arranged a trio of pink sequins around the words.  The finished panel was adhered to a pink card base that matches the tag.

Materials Used:
Simply Amazing stamp set, Amazing Adjectives dies (Verve Stamps); Memento Luxe Rose Bud ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Simply Chartreuse, Sweet Blush, and Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Splendid Sunshine 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); SugarCuts Gift Tag die (SugarPea Designs); pink sequins (Treehouse Studio); Curly Label punch (Stampin' Up!); pink grosgrain ribbon; white paper doily, craft foam

Go Get Carried Away

Here's my card for this week's sketch at RetroSketches.  I stretched the layout from a square to a standard A2 sized card for my birthday themed design.

I made a little scene using Mama Elephant's Carried Away stamps and the Landscape Trio dies.  The wavy edged die was used to cut a panel from shimmery white cardstock to use as clouds at the top of the scene.  One of the hill-like dies was used to cut green cardstock to place at the bottom of the scene. 

I filled in the scene with the set's little girl and balloon images.  They were colored with Copic markers and cut with the matching dies, then placed on the scene with foam tape.  I stamped the set's birthday sentiment at the bottom of the scene.  It was framed with a matching pale blue rectangle with a contrasting red mat inside.  The frame was backed with strips of craft foam for dimension.  I adhered the framed scene to an easy to write on white card base. 

Materials Used:
Carried Away stamp set, Carried Away and Landscape Trio dies (Mama Elephant); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Real Red, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); foam tape

Color Throwdown 394-Thisssss Much

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Our newest team member, Amy Rohl, is our hostess this week and she's shared a sweet color combination--blue, pink, and red.  I paired the colors with the current sketch from The Paper Players and stamps from Mama Elephant.

I kept things simple, using a blue pierced circle die cut as a background for one of the panda images from the Pandamonium stamp set.  I gave the panda a bouquet of two balloons.  The die cuts were arranged on a pink pierced rectangle panel that I layered on to a white card base. The set's love themed sentiment was stamped just beneath the pieces.  All of the stamping on this card was done with Versafine Onyx Black ink--it's my favorite for when I want to have crisp, true black image outlines and sentiments.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. Just be sure that the challenge colors are the dominant ones in your project. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD394. If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd394 and #colorthrowdown. You can find us on Instagram (and on Facebook!) with the username colorthrowdown. 

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our May guestie Jill Dewey Hawkins, and this week's Guest Star Stamper, Tenia Nelson.

** Amy Rohl **  Amy Rysavy ** Barbara ** Broni ** 

 ** Jodi ** Lisa ** Lynn ** Vickie ** Wanda **

** May guestie  Jill Dewey Hawkins  **
** Guest Star Stamper Tenia Nelson **

Materials Used:
Pandamonium stamp set, Pandamonium dies (Mama Elephant); Versafine Onxy Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Real Red and Blue Bayou cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Blueprints 21 and Pierced Circle STAX dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape

The Beary Best

I've had this sweet Cub Cuddles set from Mama Elephant for a while now, but this is the very first time I've inked it up.  I paired it with the current sketch at Match the Sketch for this perfect for Father's Day card.

I colored the bear duo with Copic markers, then cut the image out with the matching die.  It's adhered to a blue background panel using foam tape.  I die cut a strip of green "grass" using a border punch, then set that beneath the bears' feet.  The "you're the beary best" sentiment was stamped beneath the bears in black ink.

I made a background for the image panel from a navy cardstock panel topped with a piece of green gingham patterned paper from my scrap pile.  After stretching a strip of kraft twill across the top of the panel, I placed the image panel on top.  A golden yellow half circle, tucked beneath the left edge of the image panel, added a final contrasting pop of color.  The finished panel was adhered to a blue card base to match the image panel's background.

Materials Used:
Cub Cuddles stamp set, Cub Cuddles dies (Mama Elephant); Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Night of Navy and So Saffron cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Lakehouse and Green Acres cardstock (WPlus9); Recollections Green Gingham cardstock (Michaels); Grass border punch (Fiskars); circle punch (EK Success); kraft twill (Martha Stewart); foam tape

The Challenge 74-Congrats

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge! *** 

The Challenge is back with a new challenge!  Next up in our rotation is a masculine photo inspiration challenge.  I combined elements from the inspiration photo's color scheme and array of objects with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to create a congratulatory design.

I don't have many farm themed stamps, so I focused on the vehicle in the inspiration photo and used the vintage-ish Beetle from Papertrey Ink's Enjoy the Ride as my focal image.  I stamped the car's outline on a matching die cut, then filled it in with the solid image stamp in red ink.  To get a nice, deep color, I stamped the solid image twice.  The headlights and bumper were colored with Copic markers and to give the windshield a glass-like look, I coated it with some Glossy Accents.  This time, I was super careful and managed to not smear or smudge it before it was completely dry!

I used foam tape to adhere the car to a kraft panel placed on a red card base.  To bring in the farm theme from the photo, I added a gingham strip to the right side of the panel.  I filled in the scene with a cheery sun and a shimmery white die cut cloud placed along the top left edge of the panel.  The "congrats" sentiment from the Congrats All Ways was stamped on a banner die cut, then placed it on the cardfront beneath the card.  This one will be perfect for all kinds of occasions!

Check out what the rest of the talented team at The Challenge has created based on this week's inspiration photo.  Here's where to find them:

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins
Lee Ann Barrett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth
Rachel Bergfeld
Patti, May's featured designer

Materials Used:
Enjoy the Ride and Congrats All Ways stamp sets, Kraft and Harvest Gold cardstock, Lemon Tart and Pure Poppy patterned papers, Enjoy the Ride, Sketched Shapes, and Clouds 1 and 2 dies (Papertrey Ink); Memento Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug inks and Versafine Onxy Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Real Red and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections silver cardstock (Michaels); pinking circle dies (Spellbinders); circle punch (EK Success); Glossy Accents (Ranger); foam tape

Mojo Monday 449-Nothing But Happiness

Happy Monday!  It's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.   I had a request from a co-worker for some wedding cards, so I used the sketch to make one for her.

For my version of the sketch, I flipped it on its side to a portrait orientation.  I covered a pale gray card base with an elegant gray patterned paper panel, then added the sentiment panel on top. So that the pale gray stitched edge panel would stand out from the background, I matted it on dark gray.  The sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Propose a Toast stamp set was stamped on the panel in gray pigment ink.  I added a sparkly silver strip edged with gray along the bottom of the sentiment panel.  It's topped with a pair of contrasting red stitched heart die cuts.  I may go back and add a crystal flourish underneath the hearts . . .

Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for more inspiration from the design team and to add your own take on this week's sketch!  You can also find all of the Mojo Makers at their blogs here:

• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Justin Krieger
• Lori Tecler - you're here! 
• Marisa Ritzen
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Materials Used:
Propose a Toast stamp set (Papertrey Ink); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Steel Grey and Grout Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); designer paper (Michaels); stitched rectangle and stitched heart dies (Lil' Inker Designs); foam tape

Counting Down to Your Special Day

I used this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge to put together a fun space themed birthday card.  I love the traditional primary color scheme here--it must be the kindergarten teacher in me! 

I made the sketch's large circle into a moon by adding a debossed pattern to it.  After adhering it to a blue pierced rectangle panel, I added one of the rocket images from the Out of This World set on top.  The panel was adhered to a contrasting red panel, matching the red I used to color in the rocket.  I stamped the set's "counting down to your special day" sentiment on a silver cardstock strip, then adhered the strip beneath the images.  A few silver sequins completed the scene. I adhered the finished panel to a matching blue card base.

Materials Used:
Out of This World stamp set (My Favorite Things); Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Not Quite Navy, Real Red, and Crushed Curry cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections silver cardstock (Michaels); circle die (Spellbinders); Polka Dots embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts); silver sequins; foam tape

How Sweet of You

I still need a few more thank you cards, so I used this month's Reverse Confetti Sketch for You to Try to put together this floral themed one. 

I used a floral patterned paper panel I rescued from my scrap pile as the starting point for my design. I picked a thank you sentiment from the Sweet Thing set and stamped it on the right side of a cream panel in aqua pigment ink, leaving space for a rose banner strip on the panel's left side.  After adding aqua cardstock strips to the left side of the panel, I placed the sentiment panel on top.  

One of the flower images in the Petals 'n Posies set was a perfect match for the flowers in the paper, so I used it to make a pair of pink and red flowers.  The flowers were adhered to the banner strip using foam tape.  I dotted the center of each flower with an enamel dot for added dimension.  The finished panel was adhered to a pale aqua card base.

Materials Used:
Sweet Thing and Petals 'n Posies stamp sets, Confetti Cuts Tag Me and Petals 'n Posies dies (Reverse Confetti); Aquamarine ink (Avery Elle); Memento Luxe Angel Pink and Love Letter inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Hawaiian Shores and Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin' Up!); 100 Days of Summer-Simple Pleasures designer paper (Simple Stories); Recollections enamel dots (Michaels)

Some Much Needed Sunshine and Rainbows

So, it's rained here just about every day for the last three weeks.  And, if it hasn't rained, it's been cloudy and chilly.  That's highly unusual for the Washington, DC area in May.  Usually by now people are bemoaning the high humidity and super warm temperatures, but none of that is happening. So, in the absence of sunshine and warmth, I created my own, inspired by the current Card Concept and Paper Smooches challenges.  The yellow background and sunshine theme of the Card Concept challenge and the rainbow theme of the Paper Smooches challenge were perfect for bringing a bit of much needed cheer!

My clean and layered design features sunshine and rainbows courtesy of the Paper Smooches Spectrum stamp set.  I colored the rainbow image with Copic markers, then cut it out with the matching die.  For dimension, I stamped the image a second time on shimmery white cardstock, then cut out the clouds and used foam tape to adhere them to the colored image.  I stamped the set's sun image in orange pigment ink on golden yellow cardstock and cut it out with the matching die.

After putting foam tape on the back of both images, I adhered them to a yellow on yellow striped patterned paper panel.  The set's "wishing you sunshine and rainbows" sentiment was stamped next to the images in black ink.  I accented them with a trio of sparkly silver sequins.  The finished panel was adhered to a white card base.

Materials Used:
Spectrum stamp set, Spectrum dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Fizz ink, The Brights Collection 6x6 paper pad (Avery Elle); markers (Copic); Harvest Gold ink (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver sequins; foam tape

Triangle Thank You

I couldn't get the fab triangle patterned background in this week's inspiration photo from Inspired by All the Little Things out of my mind!  I used the background as inspiration for this clean thank you design.

I inked up the largest image from WPlus9's Just Geometrics:  Triangles stamp set in a trio of inks to match the inspiration photo.  I've had this set in my collection for a while now, but I think this might be the first time I've used it.  To make it easier to ink the image, which is composed of a bunch of groupings of triangles, I inked most of it with the lightest ink first, then went back and inked sections of the stamp with the darker orange and gray inks.  I stamped the image twice on the white panel to fill it in, then added the wood veneer thank you sentiment on top.  The panel was matted on orange cardstock, then adhered to a golden yellow card base.

Materials Used:
Just Geometrics:  Triangles stamp set (WPlus9); Memento Tangelo, Cantaloupe, and Gray Flannel inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Harvest Gold cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Orange Zest cardstock (My Favorite Things); wood veneer flag (Jillibean Soup)

Color Throwdown 393-With Deepest Sympathy

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Broni's our hostess this week and she's shared a soft, feminine color combination--blush, rose, gray, and white.  I paired the colors with the current sketch from Can You Case It? and stamps and dies from Reverse Confetti.

I created a simple sympathy card using the Petals 'n Posies and In a Big Way stamp sets.  The flower images were stamped in blush pigment ink, then die cut.  I added the centers with a rose colored ink.  The flowers were arranged on a white cardstock strip using foam tape.  I stamped the "with deepest sympathy" sentiment to the right of the flowers using rose ink.  After edging the strip with rose cardstock, I adhered it to a pale gray cardstock panel.  The finished panel was adhered to a white card base. 

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. Just be sure that the challenge colors are the dominant ones in your project. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD393. If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd393 and #colorthrowdown. You can find us on Instagram (and on Facebook!) with the username colorthrowdown. 

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our May guestie Jill Dewey Hawkins, and this week's Guest Star Stamper, Elizabeth Stewart.

** Amy Rohl **  Amy Rysavy ** Barbara ** Broni ** 

 ** Jodi ** Lisa ** Lynn ** Vickie ** Wanda **

** May guestie  Jill Dewey Hawkins  **
** Guest Star Stamper Elizabeth Stewart **

Materials Used:
In a Big Way and Petals 'n Posies stamp sets, Confetti Cuts Petals 'n Posies dies (Reverse Confetti); Pixie ink (Avery Elle); Bubblegum ink (My Favorite Things); Soft Stone cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin' Up!); foam tape

Tank You

I've been adding a few more thank you themed cards to my stash.  This one is based on the current sketch at Match the Sketch.  Love this layout!

I built my card around the fishbowl image from Lawn Fawn's Fintastic Friends stamp set.  I colored the image with Copic markers, then cut it out with the matching die.  The colored image was set on a pair of coordinating patterned paper panels I "fished" out from my scrap pile.  I arranged the panels on an pale aqua panel adhered to a darker aqua card base, then stamped the "tank you" sentiment beneath them.   A pair of coordinating fishtail flag strips were tucked underneath the fishbowl to complete the design.

Materials Used:
Fintastic Friends stamp set, Hello Sunshine-Sonny and Let's Polka-Mermaid Polka designer papers, Fintastic Friends dies (Lawn Fawn); Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onxy Black inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Orange Zest cardstock, Die-namics Fishtail Flag STAX dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape

The Challenge 73-Botanical Birthday

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge! *** 

The Challenge is back with a new challenge!  Next up in our rotation is a photo inspiration challenge.  I combined elements from the inspiration photo's color scheme and array of objects with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to create a feminine birthday card.

The first thing from the photo that caught my eye was the green leaf image.  I knew I had a die in my collection to match it, so I created a floral design that would allow me to use the leaf die.  I paired it with a layered Gerbera daisy die to create the pink flower for my focal image.  A glittered center adds an additional girly touch to the flower.

I covered the left side and bottom of a cream panel with a pair of scraps--one pink striped and kraft.  After adhering a piece of sparkly silver cardstock along the top of the kraft panel, I arranged the flower and leaves on top.  The "happy birthday" sentiment from the My Favorite Things Big Greetings set was stamped next to the flower in kraft pigment ink. A trio of cream enamel dots arranged around the flower completed the design. 

Check out what the rest of the talented team at The Challenge has created based on this week's inspiration photo.  Here's where to find them:

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins
Lee Ann Barrett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth
Rachel Bergfeld
Patti, May's featured designer

Materials Used:
Big Greetings stamp set, Pink Lemonade cardstock, Die-namics Gerbera Daisy and Wild Greenery dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Toffee Crunch ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Kiwi Kiss cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); silver cardstock (Michaels); Chalk Studio Basics 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); cream enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Mojo Monday 448-Teachers Count

Happy Monday!  It's time for a new Mojo Monday sketch.  A kindergarten teacher that I've worked with for years has won a district-wide award and I made this to give to her at the celebration on Friday afternoon.  I think the message from Verve's Teachers Count set is perfect for the occasion!

I made a chalkboard style panel for the sentiment by cutting out a square frame from kraft cardstock, then filling it in with a dark gray panel.  The sentiment was stamped in white pigment ink, then heat embossed in white for a chalk-like look.  I added the panel to a pink card base that I covered with a piece of number patterned paper and a coordinating piece of pink cardstock set on an angle.  The sentiment is accented with a pair of apples made with the set's apple images and cut with the matching Apples dies.
 
Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for more inspiration from the design team and to add your own take on this week's sketch!  You can also find all of the Mojo Makers at their blogs here:

• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Justin Krieger
• Lori Tecler - you're here! 
• Marisa Ritzen
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Materials Used:
Teachers Count stamp set, Apples dies (Verve Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Memento Luxe Love Letter and Pistachio inks, Memento Rich Cocoa marker (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Sweet Blush, Smokey Shadow, and Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Trendsetter 6x6 paper pad (Fancy Pants); Die-namics Pierced Square STAX dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge-Birdhouse

It's time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

We hope you'll play along!  The LEAD of this challenge will be invited as a Guest Designer in a future challenge!  Please visit the Curtain Call Challenge blog for all the challenge info and deadline.

For my take on the challenge, I focused on the striped background and the colors from one of the birdhouse images. The layout is from the current challenge at Paper Play Sketches.  

My birdhouse was created with the CutUps Birdhouses die from The Cat's Pajamas.  I cut the die from both cardstock scraps and craft foam to get a dimensional piece when assembled.  The tree branch was hand cut from a scrap of dark brown cardstock.  I assembled the pieces on a soft gray on gray striped patterned paper panel, then stamped the "hello" sentiment from the Show Me the Monkey stamp set beneath them in red pigment ink.  The panel was matted on kraft cardstock, then edged with a piece of cream trim.  I adhered it to a pale gray panel over a contrasting red cardstock strip.  The finished panel was adhered to a kraft card base.

Make sure you visit each of the designers' blogs for more inspiration:

Birdhouse Designers
Keeway Tsao, guest designer
Marcie Sharp, guest designer

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Laurie Willison
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler--you're here!
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Silke Ledlow
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Follow us:

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Facebook Page

Curtain Call Pinterest Boards

Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Birdhouse for the challenge details and to play along with us!

Materials Used:
Show Me the Monkey stamp set, CutUps Birdhouses dies (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Luxe Love Letter ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Real Red and Chocolate Chip cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Something Wonderful 6x6 paper pad (Teresa Collins); cream trim (Hobby Lobby); craft foam

Floral Thank You

Here's my card for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.  I needed some thank you notes, so I used the sketch to design a floral, feminine one.

The florals are from the Fall Florals set.  I used a pink and green palette for the images instead of a fall toned one.  After settling on an arrangement, I used a combination of adhesive and foam tape to attach the flowers to a pale gray panel.  The "thank you" sentiment from the Big Greetings set was stamped next to the flowers in bright pink ink.  I edged the gray panel with bright pink cardstock strips.  The one at the top was die cut with a stitched border and the one at the bottom has rounded corners to add interest.  The finished panel was adhered to a pale pink card base.

Materials Used:
Fall Florals and Big Greetings stamp sets, Pink Lemonade and Grout Gray cardstock, Die-namics Fall Florals and Blueprints 24 dies (My Favorite Things); Memento Luxe Rose Bud, Angel Pink, and Pistachio inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Raspberry Fizz cardstock (Papertrey Ink); corner rounder; foam tape

A Birthday Treat

Here's my card for this month's first Viva la Verve sketch.  I need a few birthday cards in May, so I used the sketch to put one together.

I went mostly monochromatic on this one, using various shades of pink.  The birthday sentiment from Verve's Small Packages set was stamped it on a white pierced circle die cut.  To accent it, I colored up a tiny cupcake from the same set.  After cutting it with the matching die from the Cupcake Frame set, I used foam tape to adhere it to the bottom of the sentiment panel.  The sentiment panel was adhered to a pink cardstock panel over a pair of patterned paper panels.  To bring in a little festive sparkle, I edged the long panel with a narrow strip of silver cardstock and added a silver fishtail flag strip extending out from beneath the sentiment panel.  The finished panel was adhered to a bright pink card base. 

Materials Used:
Small Packages stamp set, Cupcake Frame dies (Verve Stamps); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Pretty in Pink cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Raspberry Fizz cardstock (Papertrey Ink); silver cardstock, pink dotted patterned paper (Michaels); Birthday Wishes 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); circle die (Spellbinders); Die-namics Pierced Circle STAX and Fishtail Flag STAX dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape

Welcome, Little One

How cute are the airplane themed cupcakes that serve as this week's inspiration photo at the Inspired by All the Little Things challenge?  I couldn't resist creating a project based on the photo!

The layout for my design comes from Sunday Stamps.  I made a simple scene using a light blue background panel with a shimmery white stitched cloud panel at the bottom.  The plane is from Reverse Confetti's Here We Go stamp set.  I stamped and assembled it, then used foam tape to adhere it to the scene.  The flight trail is a section of a pearl flourish.  I searched through my sentiments a bit before deciding to make this a baby card with the "welcome, little one" sentiment from the Fancy Word Coordinates set. The finished panel was adhered to a contrasting red card base.

Materials Used:
Here We Go and Fancy Word Coordinates stamp sets, Confetti Cuts Here We Go dies (Reverse Confetti); Memento Lady Bug and Gray Flannel inks, Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Real Red, Bashful Blue, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Landscape Trio dies (Mama Elephant); pearl flourish (Want2Scrap); foam tape

Color Throwdown 292-Under the Weather

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Barbara's our hostess this week and she's shared a mostly neutral color combination with a pop of color--cobalt blue, kraft, light gray, and white.  I combined the colors with stamps and dies from SugarPea Designs.

The SugarCuts Whatever the Weather dies and the current sketch at RetroSketches helped me to put this card together pretty quickly.  I started off by die cutting the umbrella and clouds from cardstock scraps.  After using the set's stitched line "rain" die on the gray panel, I placed the die cut pieces, using foam tape for dimension.  The "sorry to hear you're under the weather" sentiment from the coordinating Whatever the Weather stamp set was stamped beneath the die cuts in black ink.  For a whimsical touch, I added a few clear sequins as raindrops.  I topped the panel with strips of blue and kraft cardstock, then adhered it to a (not seen) white card base.

To play along, just create a paper crafted project using these colors as a starting point and add a direct link to your finished project using the linky tool found at the end of this week's CTD post. As always, if you don’t have exact color matches, something close works just fine. Just be sure that the challenge colors are the dominant ones in your project. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD392. If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd392 and #colorthrowdown. You can find us on Instagram (and on Facebook!) with the username colorthrowdown. 

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, our May guestie Jill Dewey Hawkins, and this week's Guest Star Stamper, Valentyna Komisarenko.

** Amy Rohl **  Amy Rysavy ** Barbara ** Broni ** 

 ** Jodi ** Lisa ** Lynn ** Vickie ** Wanda **

** May guestie  Jill Dewey Hawkins  **
** Guest Star Stamper Valentyna Komisarenko **

Materials Used:
Whatever the Weather stamp set, SugarCuts Whatever the Weather dies, Sea Spray sequin collection (SugarPea Designs); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Ballet Blue and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Cement Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); foam tape

A Note of Thanks

Yes, Teacher Appreciation Week may have been last week, but it's not far until the end of the school year, so a few more school themed cards are in order!  This one uses stamps and dies from Reverse Confetti and is based on the current sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.

I stamped the outline alphabet block image from the Class Act set on a white panel in kraft pigment ink as a background.  While that set, I stamped and die cut the set's apple image.  I assembled it, then added it over the stamped text block with foam tape for dimension.  The set's "a note of thanks" sentiment was stamped in black on a red banner strip die cut using a die from the Tag Me set.  I adhered the finished panel to a kraft card base.  These would have been a perfect thank you card design to mass produce for my kindergarten students last year . . .

Materials Used:
Class Act stamp set, Class Act and Tag Me dies (Reverse Confetti); Memento Lady Bug, Bamboo Leaves, and Tuxedo Black inks and Memento Luxe Toffee Crunch ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Craft); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); foam tape

The Challenge 72-Best Buds Bouquet

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge! *** 

The Challenge is back with a new challenge!  Next up in our challenge rotation is a color combination.   This week's floral inspired combination features light blue, green, dark blue, and yellow.

I tried to resist creating a floral design, but in the end, I gave in!  My flowers are from the Paper Smooches Best Buds set.  I stamped them in black pigment ink on watercolor paper, then heat embossed the image before using Zig Clean Color markers and an aquabrush to color them in. 

After matting the image on green cardstock, I added it to a light blue panel over a piece of cheery yellow dotted patterned paper.  I accented the blooms with a wood veneer button tied with a bit of navy blue ribbon.  I thought about adding a sentiment, but decided not to.  I may add one to the inside of the card . . .

Check out what the rest of the talented team at The Challenge has created based on this week's color combination.  Here's where to find them:

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins
Laurel Seabrook 
Lee Ann Barrett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth
Rachel Bergfeld
Patti, May's featured designer 

Materials Used:
Best Buds stamp set (Paper Smooches); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Zig); Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, and Night of Navy cardstock, black embossing powder, navy grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Lemon Tart patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); watercolor paper (Ranger); wood veneer button (Michaels)