Inspired By Blue

 Back with another Inspired By challenge card, this time inspired by ... Blue!

Inspired By... Blue #IB272

I immediately fell in love with bright, bold blue in the inspiration photo, and the pattern screamed 'stencil' to me, so stencil I did...

I used Pinkfresh Studio Kaliedoscope stencils and two shades of Pinkfresh blue inks to create the pattern on the bottom of the card. The top of the card was ink blended in a light blue.

Another fun element inspired by the photo prompt was the background heart... I ink blended a panel in that yummy blue then die cut with narrow strip dies and adhered the strips to a die cut heart as a nod to the slats on the shutters :)

This was such a fun creative process!! Love Inspired By challenges :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Stencil: Pinkfresh Studio Kaleidoscope

Inks: Pinkfresh Studio sky blue, blue jay, sapphire

Stamp/Die: Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiments

Dies: Pinkfresh Studio Art Deco Frame; Hero Arts Nested Hearts Infinity dies; Simon Says Stamp Etched Linear Heart; LDRS Creative background strip dies

Other: heart embellishments

Techniques: stenciling, ink blending, die cutting, stamping

Inspired by Mittens

 Hello hello!

Playing along with the latest Inspired by Challenge... Inspired by Mittens

I guess it's pretty obvious I was inspired by the mittens... lol.... but also the texture.

I used an old chipboard mitten to trace the mitten shape on an embossed piece of cardstock that I fussy cut then ink blended in grey distress oxide ink colors.

Another great Inspired By challenge!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Distress Oxide Inks: lost shadow, hickory smoke, black soot, lumberjack plaid

Embossing Folders: Spellbinders - sweater weather, sparkling snow

Stamp/Die: Pinkfresh Studio folk snowflake 

Other Supplies: Ranger diamond Stickles; white pompom trim; wood heart embellishments; Cosmo Cricket chipboard mitten; Tsukineko onyx black ink; white cardstock; foam tape

winter greetings

 hello hello!!

Playing along with the latest Inspired By challenge - Inspired by - Snowman

I was inspired by the blue and the snowflake pattern on the jacket, and took a loose interpretation of the sketch.

Totally stepped outside of my comfort zone with this card, as I typically don't gravitate toward bold colored cards.... so I challenged myself with some distress oxide ink blending in an attempt to create a wintery sky.

The snowflakes were created with opaque grit paste and layering stencils.

I really enjoyed the ink blending here, I'm going to have to try this more often :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae

Supply List:

Dies: Pinkfresh Studio large snowflakes

Stencils: Honeybee Stamps snowflakes background stencils

Stamp: Pinkfresh Studio Folk Snowflake set

Distress Oxide Inks: salty ocean, faded jeans, wilted violet, black soot

Mediums: Ranger Distress opaque grit paste

Embellishments: Pinkfresh Studio ice clear drops

Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe alabaster

Other supplies: white glitter cardstock; white, black cardstock

Not a Day Over Fabulous

 Hello hello!

A clean and simple card from me today... 

I was inspired by sketch #256 at AAA Cards 

and the theme "Cheers to the Years" (PP671) at The Paper Players

Here is my card...

I started by stamping the candles with embossing ink, then heat embossing with gold embossing powder. The stars and sparkles were also heat embossed in gold.

The candles were watercolored with Distress Oxide Inks.

The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with white embossing powder.

I really enjoyed challenging myself to keep the card CAS, as my design style is typically more layered and embellished.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo ~ rae 

Supply List:

Stamps: Spellbinders 'Awesome Birthday'

Distress Oxide Inks: wild honey, spun sugar, kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, saltwater taffy

Other: white and black cardstock; foam tape

Embossing powder: Brutus Monroe gilded, alabaster

Recipe for Holiday Spirit - As You See It Challenge #311

 Getting in the holiday spirit with the latest As You See It Challenge #311

Here is my card...

It all started with the floral patterned paper that I found in my stash (hoard??lol) - I just love the non-traditional Christmas floral pattern! I added some berry die cuts over the embossed white cardstock, tied a little gold ribbon around the card front, and added a scripty sentiment... et voilà, my first Christmas card of the season was made :)

Supply List:

Spellbinders diamond plaid embossing folder

Simon Says Stamp pepper berry dies

Waffle Flower Essential Sentiments stamp and die

Pinkfresh Studios matte gold metallic pearls

The Paper Studio patterned paper

Other supplies: cardstock (black, white); gold metallic ribbon; Tsukineko onyx black ink; foam tape

Thanks for stopping by!! 

xoxo - rae

good things will find you

Hello hello!

Playing along with the latest challenge at As You See It Challenge #293 | pinks & pearls

And here is my card.....

I used Pinkfresh Studio’s Wonderful in Every way stamp/stencil/die and some of my favorite pink Altenew inks (Pink Diamond and Rubellite) to create the floral focal point. 

Challenge requirements met by:

• Embossing: I used Spellbinders diamond plaid embossing folder

• Pearls: I added some mango colored pearls to the flower center

• Blossoms: I just LOVE this new Pinkfresh flower stamp set and find I turn to it often :)

• Shades of Pink: I created different shades of the two pink inks through ink blending - shaded some areas lighter and some darker using the same color and then ink blended the two pinks to alter the pink shades even more.

• Distressed Paper: I dug out my very, very old Heidi Swapp paper distressing tool to distress the edges of the paper panel

This was a great challenge, LOVED it!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo- rae

thanks | Altenew January 2023 Inspiration Challenge

Back with another attempt at Altenew's January 2023 Inspiration challenge | spring inspired card

So inspired by these colors, just had to make a second card for the challenge, and here she is...

xoxo

Hadn't used the gorgeous Golden Days stencil a while, thought I would try to make it work for this color challenge. Since the flower is such a large element that commands attention, I opted for minimal additional elements - just added the die cut sentiment and some leaves cut from vellum and clear sequins.

Altenew Supplies Used:

Altenew Golden Days stencil

Altenew Inks: rose quartz, pink diamond, puffy heart, rubellite, limeaid

Altenew Bold Thanks die set

Other Supplies:

Prety Pink Posh simple strips dies

Spellbinders diamond plaid embossing folder

Simon Says Stamp outline clustered leaves die

Cardstock: white, black, lime green

Other: pearl vellum. clear sequins, foam tape

Happy to have played along with another great Altenew Inspiration challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

Pink Fresh Studio | January 2023 challenge

Back with another card for Pink Fresh Studio January 2023 challenge -

I chose the April challenge as my inspiration - geometric shapes and the colors coral reef, passion fruit, slumber, fresh pear, soft lilac

This is what I came up with...

I decided to use truly embrace the 'geometric shape' challenge by making a hexagon shaped card by using the largest Pink Fresh Studio hexagon shape die. I also challenged myself to use all of the Pink Fresh ink colors in the challenge.

The following Pink Fresh Studio supplies were used:

Inks: soft lilac, coral reef, passion fruit, slumber, fresh pear, olive

Butterflies stamp/die/stencils, Modern Script stamp/die, Fall Foliage stencils/dies, Nested hexagon dies, Stitched diamonds coverplate die

Other supplies: 

Brutus Monroe: Gilded embossing powder

Spellbinders: gold sequins

Other: white cardstock, metallic thread

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

hello | Altenew January 2023 Inspiration Challenge

hey there!

Time for another awesome Altenew Inspiration Challenge

Altenew's January 2023 Inspiration Challenge | spring inspired card

Who wouldn't be inspired by these colors?! This is one of my all-time favorite color combinations, so I was eager to get creating! Since I don't own any stargazer lily stamps... note to self, get some!!... I chose a flower that had a similar petal shape... can't help my literal interpretation of photo prompts sometimes! LOL

I chose Altenew ink colors that I thought most resembled those in the lily, and kept one of the flowers solid light pink as a nod to the pretty rose in the inspiration photo. 

The card layout is courtesy of the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches #570 - love the sketch, it made the card design come together easily!

I finished the card off with a bold black embossed sentiment - I'm always a sucker for bright, bold colors paired with crisp white and bold black... I'm all about that color pop ;)

Also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes :)

Altenew Supplies:

Stamps/Dies: Fabulous Florets stamps; Hello & Hugs stamp and die

3D Embossing Folder: checkered diamonds

Inks: baby pink, pinkalicious, rubellite, limeaid, lime, chamomile, marigold

Other Supplies:

PinkFresh Studios: stitched scallop rectangles

Brutus Monroe: raven ultra fine embossing powder

Spellbinders: gold sequins

Tsukineko: onyx black ink

Other: white cardstock, foam tape

Thanks so much for stopping by today, appreciate your visit!!

xoxo

rae

Real Growth

 hello hello!

Here today to share a card that I absolutely LOVED creating...

I played along with Pink Fresh Studio's January 2023 Challenge | Year in Review

.... which meant that I had a year's worth of challenges to choose from, so I chose June | Rainbow 

I was excited about the 'rainbow' prompt as I knew I wanted to do work with my new Pink Fresh Studio supplies that coincidentally arrived on my doorstep just yesterday :)

Lately I've been motivated to create CAS cards with meaningful and inspirational sentiments, and my new Pink Fresh Butterflies stamp/die/stencil set allowed me to do just that, take a peek...

|

I used gobs of Pink Fresh goodies on this card... layer upon layer of yummy die cuts. Although I added texture for interest, my goal was to keep the layered card base crisp, clean and all white so that the bold rainbow color ink blended butterfly would pop off the card. I added black for a strong bold contrast as well.

I did not use all of the stencils in the Butterfly set, choosing to just use the larger stencils and freely ink blending the colors in a rainbow color theme. The butterfly and sentiment strip were adhered to the card with foam tape for dimension.

The card layout came courtesy of the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches | FMS 569

I cannot tell you how much I truly enjoyed working on this challenge card, and look forward to making many more butterfly cards thanks to this great set! 

Supply List:

Pink Fresh Studio Supplies: 

Butterflies stamps/dies/stencils

Radiating Background die

Ornate Medallions coverplate

Fancy Oval frame

Inks: berrylicious, clementine, sweet mustard, grassy knoll, mermaid cove, regal kiss

Simon Says Stamp: stitched rectangles dies

Misc supplies: cardstock: white, black; Tsukineko onyx black ink; foam tape

Thank you for stopping by today, appreciate your visit!

xoxo

rae

love you like crazy

Hello!

Played along with the latest sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches | sketch 568

And Just Us Girls challenge #662

So apparently this weekend I had some major creative mojo issues... yesterday, my first attempt at this sketch challenge resulted in a very disappointing card, I literally laughed at the end result! 

And while making said ugly card, my tape gun ran out of tape and when I went to reload the tape (which I have done HOW many times over the years?!) ... I could not for the life of me remember how to do it?! lol After much head scratching, frustration, and a minor swearing fit, thanks to a kind soul with an ATG gun tape reloading YouTube video - I was finally able to figure it out and was back in business - but alas the creative juices were completely gone by that point!

Fast forward to today.... took a new stab at the sketch with a brand new concept and set of supplies, and voilà, here she is:

Much better than the scary card from the previous day! A simple card with lots of technique, this was a fun one to put together! I ended up flipping the sketch because I thought this sentiment would look better on the left side of the card.

I started with an embossed panel as the card base layer. I die cut the tag, stamped and embossed it with clear embossing powder - it's hard to see, but I used PinkFresh Studio's dainty plaid stamp because I thought it would go well with the 'basic plaid' (Altenew) embossed background. I then die cut the hearts and inked them with some Altenew inks (frosty pink, coral berry, ruby red). I die cut strips and adhered them diagonally across the tag and popped the hearts on top of the strips with foam tape. For a pop of bold black, I added the black and white striped ribbon, the fun bold sentiment, and small black enamel heart.

Supply List:

Altenew: Ink: frosty pink, coral berry, ruby red

Altenew: 3D embossing folder - basic plaid

Altenew: tag from Terrific Tags die set

Concord & 9th: Big on You stamps and dies

Pretty Pink Posh: simple strip dies

Hero Arts: heart die

Tsukineko: onyx black ink

Other Supplies: black & white striped ribbon, May Arts jute twine, black enamel heart, white cardstock, clear embossing powder

eta: also submitted this card for the Color Hues latest challenge 

Thanks for stopping by today!

xoxo

rae

hugs | Color Throwdown 725

hello hello!

I played along with the latest color challenge at The Color Throwdown - challenge 725 colors: red, green brown...

Talk about a challenge... lol! This card took waayyyyy too long to make, lots of trial and error with miscellaneous stamps and supplies, but I am glad that I stuck with it as I truly enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and working with a color combination that I don't normally work with.

Here is what I came up with....

I started by die cutting the hexagon from brown cardstock and then die cut a white hexagon for the center. I adhered that piece to an embossed white cardstock panel. Then came hours of playing around with random supplies until I ended up using some stamps and dies from The Greetery to create a little foliage collage. I die cut the hearts from red cardstock, and heat embossed the 'hugs' sentiment on the smaller heart. I wrapped twine around the panel before adhering the smaller heart to the card. All layers were adhered with foam tape to add dimension.

So glad this challenge truly 'challenged' me today, it feels so good when you come out on the other side with a card that you like!

Supply List:

Altenew: 3D embossing folder - Deck Planks

PinkFresh Studio: hexagon dies

Hero Arts: heart dies

The Greetery: Pine & Berry stamps and dies

Simon Says Stamp: Greeting Mix 2

Ranger: Distress oxide inks - peeled paint, candied apple

Other supplies: cardstock (white, brown, red), brown twine, white embossing powder, foam tape

Thanks for stopping by today, appreciate your visit!

xoxo

rae

Altenew November Inspiration Challenge

 hello hello!

Back today with another challenge card... my uber talented friend Tenia is hosting this month's Inspiration Challenge over on the Altenew blog - I swear I love every single card this girl makes, always so very inspiring! 

So here is the Altenew November Inspiration Challenge prompt

Here is what I came up with:

Not gonna lie, initially I struggled a bit with this challenge - I tried some background watercoloring with my Altenew watercolors, and it just wasn't giving me the results I was looking for, so I scrapped that idea and ended up going with the die cut strip background instead!

The cardstock strip colors were pulled from the inspiration photo and the stamped leaves are a nod to the beautiful trees... I ♥ fall!! I die cut the circle greeting into the card base then die cut it again out of Altenew's brushed metallic cardstock, then cut off the sentiment and adhered it to the card base.

Here are the Altenew supplies I used to make this card:

Altenew 3D deck planks embossing folder

Altenew Beautiful Day stamp & die (leaf)

Altenew Circled Greetings: thanks die

Altenew Hello & Hugs stamp set

Altenew brushed gold metallic cardstock

Other supplies: Distress Oxide Ink- ground espresso; gold sequins; gold cord; white cardstock; colored cardstock; strip dies

In the end, I think the card is a good reflection of the inspiration photo :)

Thanks for stopping by, appreciate your visit!!

xoxo

rae

sending hugs

 played along with the latest Fusion challenge

and here's my card....

So glad that I stumbled upon this challenge - both the sketch and the photo inspiration gave me the idea to use my new Pink Fresh Studio Fall Foliage stencils and dies. Lots of stenciling and die cutting here, but I just love the 'garland' look I created with the die cuts!

Supply List:

Pink Fresh Studio: fall foliage stencils and dies; perfect sentiments stamp and die; diagonal stitches plaid cover plate

Distress Oxide Inks: mustard seed, iced spruce, evergreen bough, bundled sage, peeled paint, shabby shutters, brushed corduroy, gathered twigs

Other supplies: Versafine onyx black ink; white cardstock; may arts jute twine; white orchid sequin mix Lucy's Cards; banner die; wonky circle die; foam tape

Thanks so much for dropping in!

xoxo

rae

happy autumn

happy autumn indeed.... I just love this time of year :)

played along with the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches

And here is my card.....

This sketch was a great excuse to use my new Fall Foliage stamps and dies from The Greetery! The leaves and sentiment were stamped with Distress Oxide Inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade, crackling campfire, ground espresso), then adhered with foam tape to a pattered paper panel. I used the diagonal stitched plaid cover plate from Pink Fresh Studio to create the card front panel. 

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

World Cardmaking Day 2022

Hooray for World Cardmaking Day!!!!

I spent WCMD playing along with 5 fantastic challenges offered at Scrapbook and Cards Today.

So, let's get started with the challenge cards...

Challenge #1: Stencil challenge

For this card I used my (new to me) Altenew's Golden Days stencil and just LOVE that big, beautiful bloom! Supply List: Altenew products: Golden Days stencil, Fancy celebrate die, mini ink cubes (sunray, chamomile, snapdragon, marigold, dark chocolate); Ranger Distress Mica Spray tarnished brass; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamp and die; May Arts jute twine; black cardstock; My Mind's Eye patterned paper

Challenge #2: Color Challenge

We were presented with this color inspiration photo:

Initially. I wasn't sure how I was going to mesh the blue and yellow, but thanks to distress inks, I think I found a way! I watercolor painted die cut leaves with distress inks and also created the blue panel using two different blue distress inks and an embossing folder. Supply List: Distress oxide inks: squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, frayed burlap, broken china, uncharted mariner, walnut stain; Simon Says Stamp: Tattered Leaves die, Sparking Facets embossing folder, kraft woodgrain cardstock, stitched banners die; Pinkfresh Studio Heart Smiles sentiment stamp and die; Cardstock: kraft, dark brown; May Arts jute twine; foam tape 

Challenge #3: One Stamp

Never have I ever created a stamped background... but thanks to this challenge, now I can say that I have!!! I used a stamp from Altenew's Simple Beauty set to create the background design on white cardstock. I knew I wanted to keep the design crisp and simple, so I just added a bold sentiment and solid cardstock pieces. Supply List: Altenew Simple Beauty stamp; Concord & 9th Big on You stamp set and die; cardstock: white, aqua, black; foam tape

Challenge #4: Layers

So, not gonna lie, this card is my favorite :) Love the gold, the soft muted colors, and I guess after making it I realized that my typical go-to style is definitely 'layering'! Supply List: Pinkfresh Studio products: diagonal stitched circles dies; modern script sentiments and die; dainty plaid rubber background stamp; Pinkfresh/Altenew Celebrate Us stamp and die; Altenew branches and berries die set; American Craft gold embossing powder; Echo Park colored cardstock; Simon Says Stamp white woodgrain cardstock; Other supplies: kraft cardstock, May Arts jute twine, Versafine vintage sepia ink, foam tape

Challenge #5: Paper

This challenge called for paper weaving... another new technique for me! After looking at the end result (weaving), I see some things that I'd change up next time, but all in all, it was definitely a fun challenge to attempt!! Supply List: Pinkfresh Studio: Shaker Hearts dies; Concord & 9th Big on You stamp set and die; Simon Says Stamp white woodgrain cardstock; Echo Park colored cardstock; Other Supplies: heart embellishments (for shaker heart), May Arts jute twine, foam tape

I am so grateful to have come across these World Cardmaking Day challenges, thank you Scrapbook and Cards Today for giving me a great reason to 'celebrate' OUR special holiday!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

think happy, be happy

 I immediately fell in love with the color scheme of the latest challenge over on the Inspired By blog...

and made a card based on both the inspiration photo and the sketch - here is my card...

Here is where having a patterned paper hoard comes in handy... lol... I was able to find a woodgrain patterned paper that matches the inspiration photo and some small pattern papers that reminded me of those sweet shoes from the photo. I knew I wanted to keep my image simple, so I just stamped the large floral design on white cardstock with black ink and placed it over the pattern paper strips to draw attention to that element of the sketch.

Supply List:

Altenew: Handpicked Bouquet stamp and die set

MFT: Wonky Stitched rectangle dies

CZ Design: 'happy' sentiment strip

Other supplies: white cardstock, patterned paper, twine, foam tape

The simple, clean design let me play with the patterns and texture to create interest ... love how this one turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo- rae