On the Block Happy Birthday

I realized this week that I need some more birthday cards in my stash that aren't in a cutesy style. The sketch from the current CAS Colours and Sketches challenge was perfect for putting together a clean and simple birthday card in just the style I need. The Taylored Expressions On the Block-Happy and On Repeat stamp sets were perfect for creating the "happy birthday" sentiment for the focal element. The "happy" was stamped in Versamark on pink cardstock, then heat embossed in bright pink embossing powder. I cut the word out with the coordinating On the Block-Happy Shadow die, then used foam tape to position the die cut on a berry cardstock panel. After stamping and embossing the small typewriter print "birthday" sentiment, I placed it just beneath the raised die cut. The text was accented with a pair of silver stars cut with TE's Seeing Stars dies. I adhered the berry panel to a pale pink card base matching the cardstock used for the sentiment pieces. I considered adding some accents around the stars--maybe silver sequins or some pink enamel dots--but in the end, decided to keep the design super simple and easy to mail.

Materials Used:
On the Block-Happy and On Repeat-Birthday stamps, On the Block-Happy Shadow, On Repeat, and Seeing Stars dies (Taylored Expressions); Versamark ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Silver cardstock (Recollections); Zing! Grapefruit embossing powder (American Crafts); foam tape

Happy Birthday

Here's my card for the current challenge at Global Design Project. I used the layout to create a monochromatic birthday card design with stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions.

I used a die to cut the aqua patterned paper and solid paper strips that I arranged on the teal cardfront. Once they were in place, I added the two piece sentiment. The first piece was the large "happy" with the solid letters stamped in watermark ink on a teal die cut, then heat embossed with a lighter aqua embossing powder. The second, smaller piece of the sentiment is the word "birthday" stamped in black ink on a small banner strip. Both pieces were added to the cardfront using foam tape for dimension. A trio of teal enamel dots were arranged around the words to finish the design. This would be an easy one to reproduce in a variety of color schemes to have a bunch of birthday cards at the ready!

Materials Used:
On the Block-Happy and On Repeat-Birthday stamp sets, On the Block-Happy Shadow and On Repeat dies (Taylored Expression); Versafine Clair Nocture and Versamark inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Ocean cardstock, Glacier embossing powder (Recollections); Aqua Mist cardstock, Aqua Mist patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Quick Stripes dies (Mama Elephant); teal enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

Stenciled Happy Birthday

Here's my card for the current challenge at Perfectly CAS.  This month's theme is stencils, so this was the perfect opportunity to showcase the fun Bokeh stencil from Taylored Expressions.

I masked off a section of a white card base, then went to work inking the three different stencils in three different coordinating colors of distress inks to get the bokeh look.  I topped the stenciled section of the card with a bold black "happy" die cut that was stamped and heat embossed in pink to go with the stenciling.  Used the On Repeat-Birthday stamp set and dies to create the tiny strip with the pink embossed word "birthday."  This was plced just beneath the bottom of the letter "Y" in "happy" to finish the card. This one would be a great one to mass produce in different color schemes...

Materials Used:
On the Block-Happy and On Repeat-Birthday stamp sets, On the Block-Happy Shadow and On Repeat dies, Bokeh stencil (Taylored Expressions); Versamark ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Abandoned Coral, Worn Lipstick, and Spun Sugar distress inks (Ranger); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); foam tape

Birthday Blues

Here's my card for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  The layout's large panel was the perfect opportunity to use the fun Bokeh stencil from Taylored Expressions. I used a different shade of blue/blue green distress ink for each of the stencil layers, then matted the panel on dark blue cardstock before adhering it to a light blue cardstock panel.  For the sentiment, I stamped the block "happy" on dark blue cardstock and heat embossed the text in lighter blue before cutting the word out with the matching die. I did the same with the smaller "birthday" sentiment, then adhered both to the stenciled panel using foam tape for dimension.  I die cut some stars from silver cardstock using an older TE star die and added them to the lower left and upper right corners of the stenciled panel as accents.  The finished panel was adhered to a blue card base matching the mat underneath the stenciled panel.

Materials Used:
On the Block-Happy and On Repeat-Birthday stamp sets, On Repeat, On the Block-Happy Shadow, and Seeing Stars dies, Bokeh stencil set (Taylored Expressions); Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers, and Mermaid Lagoon distress inks (Ranger); Versamark ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Ocean and Silver cardstock, Glacier embossing powder (Recollections); foam tape

Oh Happy Day

Here's my card for the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  It's a rainy day here today, so it seemed somewhat appropriate to share a rainbow themed design!

My rainbow was created with the Over the Rainbow dies from Taylored Expressions.  I arranged the bands on a light blue panel that I matted on the same dark blue as I used for the rainbow's smallest band, then adhered it to a matching light blue card base over a contrasting strip of red cardstock.  For the sentiment, I die cut a dotted cloud from shimmery white cardstock using one of the Rainbow Cloud Duo dies.  The "oh happy day" sentiment from the Over the Rainbow stamp set was stamped on the cloud in black ink before I adhered it to the bottom of the right side of the rainbow with foam tape.  A trio of silver sequin "raindrops" arranged beneath the cloud completed the design.

Material Used:
Over the Rainbow stamp set, Over the Rainbow and Rainbow Cloud Duo dies (Taylored Expressions); Versafine Clair Nocturne ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Bright Buttercup cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Red Punch and Ocean cardstock (Recollections); Soft Sky and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); sequins; foam tape

Be Merry

Here's my card for the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. I tried out some of the elements from the Taylored Expressions Frosty Kit for this wintery design.

My focal image is the set's adorable snowman.  I stamped the background with the variety of snowman heads on shimmery white cardstock.  After picking just one, I cut out the image with the matching die and colored it with Copic markers.  I stamped the body on another piece of shimmery white cardstock and cut it out, too.  I made a background for the image with a piece of light blue textured cardstock with a strip of torn shimmery white cardstock at the bottom.  To go with the image, I stamped a few silver snowflakes on the panel. The image was added on top using foam tape for dimension.  I had just enough room on the panel to stamp the "be merry" sentiment from the Winter Wishes stamp set in purple ink.  I matted the image on purple cardstock before adhering it to a darker blue card base with a strip of plaid patterned paper along the left side.
 

Materials Used:
Frosty Background Clear and Cling Combo and Winter Wishes stamp sets, Frosty's Head and Frosty's Body dies (Taylored Expressions); Versafine Clair Nocturne, Memento Grape Jelly, and Delicata Silvery Shimmer inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Winter Wisteria cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Brocade Blue and Bashful Blue cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Crystal Stardream metallic cardstock (The Paper Cut); patterned paper (Echo Park); foam tape

Color Throwdown 605-Rainbow Hello

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Jodi is our hostess this week with a fun mix of colors--red, coral, blue, and white. 

I paired the colors with the current sketch from Sunday Stamps.  My focal panel features a non-traditional rainbow created with the Make a Rainbow stencil from Taylored Expressions.  After stenciling the rainbow, I added a shimmery white stitched cloud die cut to the right side. The sentiment was stamped in black and heat embossed.  The stenciled panel was matted on red cardstock, then adhered to a dark blue panel over a wide coral cardstock strip and a dotted red whimsical panel.  For a touch of sparkle, I added a trio of silver sequin "raindrops" beneath the cloud. The finished panel was adhered to a coral 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 CTD605.  If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd605 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 and this week's Guest Star Stamper Jenny Martin.

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

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

** Guest Star Stamper Jenny Martin **

Materials Used:
Over the Rainbow stamp set, Rainbow Cloud Duo dies, Make a Rainbow stencil (Taylored Expressions); Fired Brick and Faded Jeans distress oxides (Ranger); Tangerine Twist ink (Gina K Designs); Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Dark Indigo cardstock, Pure Poppy patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Cameo Coral cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Red Punch cardstock (Michaels); Crystal Stardream metallic cardstock (The Paper Cut); black embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); silver sequins; foam tape

Have a Magical Day

Here's my card for the current challenge at Sunday Stamps.  I used the square layout to create a fun dragon-themed birthday design.

I used the layout's large square panel to make a simple scene, starting with an aqua base.  After adding a strip of die cut shimmery white clouds along the bottom, I added a dragon from the Taylored Expressions Magical Day set on top.  I colored the dragon with Copic markers and I meant to add a coating of glitter once I was done, but I forgot to do that before I took the photo . . .  The set's "have a magical day" sentiment was stamped in the upper left corner of the panel. A trio of white sequins arranged around the dragon image filled out the scene. 

I adhered the finished scene to an aqua card base covered with a dotted green patterned paper panel with a narrow darker green cardstock strip across the center.  A pair of fishtail flag strips in two shades of green were added to the top right side of the cardfront to complete the design.

Materials Used:
Magical Day stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse, and Ripe Avocado cardstock, Simply Chartreuse patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Landscape Trio dies (Mama Elephant); Fishtail Flag STAX and Fishtail Flag STAX Layers dies (My Favorite Things); white sequins; foam tape

The Challenge 85-You Make Me Happy

The Challenge is back!  Yes, that's right--we're back!  We'll be bringing you a new challenge each and every Thursday.  This week's challenge is an inspiration challenge based on this fabulous rainbow themed photo.

Just like in the inspiration photo, I had to make a rainbow the star of my card.  My rainbow is watercolored with the help of the Rainbow Cutting Plate from Taylored Expressions.  I used the plate to make a cardstock template, then used stencil brushes to fill in the bands of color.  After filling in the bands, I blended them with an aqua brush.  So pretty!

To bring in the fluffy cloud element from the photo, I die cut a stitched cloud panel from shimmery white cardstock.  The "you make me happy when skies are gray" sentiment from TE's C'mon Get Happy stamp set was stamped on the cloud in gray pigment ink. I placed the cloud at the bottom of the panel using foam tape, then matted the panel on sparkly silver cardstock.  The finished panel was adhered to a soft blue card base.

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

Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Kelly Lunceford

Lee Ann Barret

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Vicki Finger

 

June Guest Amy Tsuruta

Materials Used:
C'mon Get Happy stamp set, Rainbow Cutting Plate (Taylored Expressions); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Tumbled Glass, Dried Marigold, Festive Berries, Mustard Seed, Shaded Lilac, Shabby Shutters, and Broken China distress inks (Ranger); My Style Blueprint cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections Silver cardstock (Michaels); foam tape

Color Throwdown 441-Have a Magical Day

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Amy Rysavy is our hostess this week and she's sharing a soft, pastel-filled color combination--lavender, aqua, light pink, and white.

The layout for my card is loosely based on the current sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.  I started out with an aqua blue card base "sky," then added shimmery white die cut clouds and a fanciful dragon on top. My dragon is from the Taylored Expressions Magical Day stamp and die combo set.  I colored the image in soft pink and purple shades (probably not a traditional color scheme for a dragon!) using my Copic markers, then used the coordinating die to cut out the colored image.  I added it to the cardfront using foam tape.  The set's "have a magical day" sentiment was stamped to the left of the dragon.  A trio of aqua sequins scattered around the clouds and dragon completed the design.

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 CTD441.  If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd441 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 Amy Tsuruta, and this week’s guest star stamper, Maja Mihelj.

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

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

** May guestie Amy Tsuruta **

** Guest Star Stamper Maja Mihelj **

Materials Used:
Magical Day stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); stitched cloud dies (Lil' Inker Designs); aqua sequins (Treehouse Studio); foam tape

Color Throwdown 435-Flying By with a Birthday Hi

It's time for another Color Throwdown!  Jodi is our hostess this week and she's brought us a fun color mix--orange, turquoise, and yellow.  I used the colors for a simple birthday design based on the current sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.

My focal image is a dragon from the Taylored Expressions Magical Day stamp set. After coloring the image with Copic markers, I cut it out with the matching die.  I used foam tape to perch it over a pair of clouds cut from shimmery white cardstock.  The set's "flying by with a birthday hi" sentiment was stamped beneath the dragon and clouds in black ink.  I added a trio of shimmery turquoise sequins around the clouds to finish the design

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 CTD435. If you upload your projects on social media, go ahead and use the hashtag #ctd435 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 March guestie, Lisa Lara, and this week's guest star stamper, Tara Chaussee.

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

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

** March guestie Lisa Lara **

** Guest Star Stamper Tara Chaussee **

Materials Used:
Magical Day stamp and die set (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); stitched cloud dies (Lil' Inker Designs); aqua sequins (Treehouse Studio); foam tape

Love Always

Here's my card for the current Fusion challenge.  I used the sketch along with the heart theme from the photo as inspiration for my design.

I used the beautiful Floating Hearts cutting plate from Taylored Expressions to make my background.  After cutting the plate from red cardstock, I backed it with a pink panel.  With the simple gray panel at the center, the cutout hearts look like a frame, kind of like the quilt's border in the photo.  For the sentiment, I stamped "always" from the Love You More set on a cream circle, then added the die cut word "love" over it.  For dimension, I layered the die cut over a matching piece of craft foam before adhering it to the sentiment panel.  I accented the gray panel with a piece of cream satin ribbon, knotted at the top.  The finished panel was adhered to a cream card base.

Materials Used:
Love You More stamp and die combo, Floating Hearts cutting plate (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Cherry Cobbler cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Pink Lemonade cardstock (My Favorite Things); circle dies (Spellbinders); cream satin ribbon (Michaels)

Have a Magical Day

Here's my card for the current (for a few more hours) sketch at CAS(e) this Sketch.  I just got the Magical Day stamp and die set from Taylored Expressions and couldn't wait to try it out, so I used the sketch to make a simple scene for one of the set's dragon image.

I colored the dragon image with Copic markers, then cut it out with the matching die.  Nothing says magic like a little sparkle, so I coated the colored image with a bit of clear glitter from a glitter brush marker.  After placing a shimmery white cloud strip along the bottom of an aqua cardstock panel, I placed the dragon on top, using foam tape for dimension.  I arranged a few pink sequins around the image to fill in the empty space on the panel.  The "have a magical day" sentiment was stamped at the bottom of the panel in black ink.  I layered the panel on to pink and green mats to match the dragon, then adhered the panel to a pink card base to finish the design.

Materials Used:
Magical Day stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist, Limeade Ice, and Sweet Blush cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Landscape Trio dies (Mama Elephant); pink sequins; foam tape

Moo-chas Gracias

As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have the If Cows Could Talk stamp and die combo from Taylored Expressions.  For many years, my sister and I have sent each other cow themed birthday cards and this set will be perfect for making some of those . . . This card, based on the current Share Joy challenge, is a punny cow themed thank you that will be fun to give to a friend.

I stamped the cow on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then used the matching die to cut it out.  I went with a mostly blue color scheme for the design, picking up the gingham element in the challenge's inspiration photo with the blue gingham panel that takes center stage.  A strip of neutral twill along the left side of the card breaks up the blues a bit and adds some texture, too.  I used foam tape to adhere the cow image on top.  The set's "moo-chas gracias" sentiment was stamped on a white fishtail flag strip, then placed on the card with one edge tucked underneath the cow image.

Materials Used:
If Cows Could Talk stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Spring Rain and Enchanted Evening cardstock, Spring Rain patterned paper (Papertrey Ink); Die-namics Fishtail Flag STAX dies (My Favorite Things); khaki twill (Martha Stewart); foam tape

I Dig You

Here's my card for the current Share Joy challenge.  I used the Taylored Expressions Dig In stamp set and coordinating dies along with both the sketch and color combination on my card.

I used Copic markers to color the excavator (at least I think it's an excavator . . .), then cut out the image with the matching die.  To add dimension and a metallic shine to the image, I placed a silver brad at the center of each wheel.  The image was adhered to a light blue panel with a strip of torn kraft "dirt" along the bottom.  After adding a red banner strip to the top corner of the panel, I matted it on red cardstock.  The set's "I dig you" sentiment was stamped on a red cardstock strip and adhered to the bottom edge of the panel.  I added an aqua double ended banner strip beneath the image panel, then adhered it to a red card base covered with some coordinating dotted aqua patterned paper.

Materials Used:
Dig In stamp and die set (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Sno Cone cardstock, Die-namics Fishtail Flag STAX dies (My Favorite Things); Love Me Do "Love Takes Flight" designer paper (My Mind's Eye); silver brads (Michaels); foam tape

All the Fixings for a Great Day

I picked up the Taylored Expressions All the Fixings stamp and die set at a scrapbook expo earlier this summer, thinking it would be great for masculine designs.  I put this one together based on TE's current Share Joy challenge.  It incorporates both the sketch (not exactly!) and the clean and simple theme.

I started off by assembling the die cut hammer.  I die cut it three times, using black, silver, and kraft cardstock scraps, then cut the die cut pieces apart to assemble the hammer.  For dimension, I cut the hammer one more time, this time from craft foam.  I glued the cardstock hammer to the craft foam, then attached it to a pale gray cardstock panel, overlapping one end of a narrow dark gray cardstock strip adhered near the bottom of the panel. 

The set's birthday sentiment was stamped just above the gray cardstock strip in gray pigment ink.  To go with the card's tool theme, I added a single screw-looking brad to the dark gray cardstock strip.  The finished panel was adhered to a kraft card base.  I'm thinking I might put this one aside for my dad's birthday later this fall . . .

Materials Used:
All the Fixings stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions); Memento Luxe Gray Flannel ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Steel Grey cardstock (My Favorite Things); Kraft cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections silver cardstock and screw brad (Michaels); craft foam

Color Throwdown 273-Oh Snap!

It's time for our first Color Throwdown challenge of 2014!  Not only is this our first challenge of the new year, we're welcoming a new team member--Monika Davis-- and a new guestie--Linda McClain.  This week's challenge is hosted by Tammy.  She's chosen a pretty color combination--Tempting Turquoise, Smoky Slate, White, and Basic Gray--inspired by an adorable quilt.

During my marathon craft room clean up and reorganization, I "found" a lot of stuff, including the camera patterned paper I used as the inspiration for this card.  The paper is paired with one of the camera images from the Taylored Expressions Oh Snap! stamp set.

I colored the camera with Copic markers to match the challenge colors, then cut it out and used foam tape to attach it to the patterned paper panel over a gray film strip die cut.  I was thrilled to discover that my shiny silver washi tape was exactly the same width as the openings in the film strip die.  It looks great as a filler for the die cut border strip!  For the sentiment, I die cut a speech bubble from white cardstock and stamped the "oh snap" sentiment on it in gray ink.  A trio of white enamel dots around the camera complete the design.

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. And, if you upload your project to an online gallery, use the keyword CTD273.

Before you get started, here’s some inspiration from the talented Color Throwdown team, including our new member Monika, and our January guestie, Linda McClain.

** Barbara ** Broni ** Joan ** Melody **

** Monika ** Tammy ** Vickie ** Wanda **
** January guestie Linda McClain **

Materials Used: 
Oh Snap stamp set, white cardstock, and Film Strip Border die (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Day by Day 6x6 paper pad (Doodlebug Design); Bubble Talk dies (Papertrey Ink); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); silver washi tape; foam tape

I Dig You

Here’s my card for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. I couldn’t resist some of the adorable new petite sets from the recent Petiteapalooza at Taylored Expressions, so I put one of them to use for this card.

I ended up flipping the sketch to accommodate the image from the I Dig You set. I stamped the excavator (I looked up the name of the machine on Google to be sure!) on TE’s white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then used the matching die to cut out the image. It’s set on a round panel using foam tape. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I layered a pair of torn kraft panels to try to get the appearance of a pile of dirt!

I covered the right side of the card with a gingham patterned paper panel. The panel was wrapped with some twine before I attached it to the kraft card base. The image panel hides the twisted mess in the center of the twine. Once I had the image in place, I added the coordinating “I dig you” sentiment to the cardfront, overlapping both the image panel and the card base.  What a fun card for a special little boy!

Materials Used:
I Dig You stamp set, white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Terracotta Tile and Harvest Gold cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Desert Storm cardstock (Neenah); A Boy’s Life 6x6 paper pad (Echo Park); circle dies (Spellbinders); pierced circle dies (My Favorite Things); twine (Lawn Fawn); foam tape

I Only Have Eyes for You

Here’s my card for this week’s sketch at Retro Sketches. I used a fun die cut piece to put this one together.

I had these gray eyeglasses left over from another project, so I turned them into the focal image for this one. I used foam tape to adhere the glasses to a white panel, then stamped the sentiment from the Taylored Expressions Spectacular stamp set above and below them so that the die cut would fill in the missing word in the sentiment.

The panel is adhered over a piece of arrow patterned paper. I used scraps of coordinating blue cardstock to make the narrow strips for the corners of the card. Before adhering the patterned paper panel to a light blue card base, I wrapped the panel with some blue baker’s twine and secured it with a gray button.

Materials Used:
Spectacular stamp set, Spectacles dies (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Taken with Teal, Soft Sky, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Steel Blue cardstock, Steel Grey button (My Favorite Things); Seen and Noted 6x6 paper pad (Pebbles); Caribbean baker’s twine (The Twinery); foam tape

Oh Shoot

This week’s blogger challenge theme is “to die for.” I combined the challenge with the Taylored Expressions birthday tic tac toe challenge to come up with this clean and simple belated birthday card.

From the TE tic tac toe board, I chose the middle column, which includes washi tape, birthday card, and using two or more dies. I used the TE Oh Snap stamp set and the coordinating camera and filmstrip dies for my card.

I cut the filmstrip from black cardstock. It’s adhered to a green panel over a strip of multicolored dotted washi tape. Once the tape was in place, I added one of the cameras over it using foam tape. The camera was colored with Copic markers and accented with a bit of Glossy Accents for dimension. I stamped the belated birthday sentiment next to the camera. A few red enamel dots finish the design, picking up the dotted pattern from the festive looking washi tape.

Materials Used:
Oh Snap stamp set, white cardstock, Filmstrip and Oh Snap Camera dies (Taylored Expressions); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Sour Apple cardstock (My Favorite Things); Basic Black cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); decorative tape (Michaels); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); foam tape