Cool Cats Cards

Hello!

I've been playin around a little at a time with my new MFT BB Cool Cat stamp & die set. It's sooooo cute! I just love it! I'm a big cat person but rarely (if ever) find cat stamps that speak to me like this one did. It's just so cute! :) I spent time time paper piecing most every cat in the set when it first came in. I was able to cut several out while my sister was hanging out with me. Then later, when I had free time (What's THAT?!) I put a couple on cards.

 

I made this card based on the MFT Card Challenge sketch.

 

The cute little kitty is paper pieced with a light taupe colored damask print pattern paper. After adhering over the stamped image that was on white cardstock, I added some accents with Copic markers and a little clear Wink of Stella to her necklace. I used paper scraps for the elements of the sketch and the Scattered Paw stencil on the scalloped circle accent piece.

 

I'm also playing along with the  Simply Less Is More Challenge - "Use a Stencil" and Stampin' Royalty "Use a Die" challenge.

I made my next card based on the sketch at CAS(e) This Sketch challenge.

 

 

I used very similar supplies for this card, including the Scattered Paw stencil behind the cat and his background. This kitty was pieced from a tan cardstock with large monochromatic polka dots. I cut a Stitched Circle with white cardstock and paper scraps trimmed to layer over the circle.

 

I'm also entering this card in Simply Less is More "Use a Stencil" and Stampin' Royalty "Use a Die" challenges, as well.

 

 

Ok! That's all for me today! I have more of these cute kitties calling my name. :D Thanks SO much for stopping by to visit!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

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Christmas Card Challenges - #30 - Anything Goes

Hello crafty friends!

I'm popping in this lovely (but super, really hot) afternoon to share my card for the latest Christmas Card Challenge. This week is Anything Goes. A great time to join in the fun and work on your stash of Christmas Cards for the upcoming year. :)

 

 

 

 

 

I used my PTI O'Tannenbaum stamp set for the tree, MFT Blueprints 13 for the houndstooth tag, MFT Scalloped Oval Frames, and MFT Diagonal Stripe background stamp on the card base. The sentiment is from WPlus9's Merry & Bright stamp set.

 

 

Please check out the other DT Inspiration and the fun gallery over at Christmas Card Challenges!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

God Bless,

Mandy



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ABC Christmas Challenge - M is for Mice

Well! Up to the letter "M" already in the ABC Christmas Challenge for 2016! Yikes. Where has the time gone? I love the unique challenges each week and strolling through the alphabet to seek inspiration every two weeks. It's just different and keeping me on my toes. :) Hee hee.

The sponsor of this challenge is

Lawn Fawn
with a stamp set and a 6x6 paper pad of the winner’s choice

This letter M got me! I don't have any mice crafty goodies and couldn't find any I could get happy with for my Silhouette. That's always my go-to. I'm used to scrubbing up something I can trace and cut or buy in the Silhouette store. But not this time. I could not be appeased. I had to shoot for printable clip art and printed this goodie from dreamtimes.com. SUPER cute!

I kept it clean and simple with the printable and my sentiment stamped below from MFT Hug in a Mug stamp set. (LOVE). After I was finished, I wished I hadn't gone quite so CAS and used patterned paper behind my main panel, but it was too late. I was afraid I would tear it up pulling that off to change the background of my card base. (Not like it's never happened before, but still. I try to avoid casualties when I can.) :D

There you have it! Super simple, but super cute! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. Please come back again soon and head on over to the ABC Christmas challenge for more inspiration from my teamies. They have some fabulous projects whipped up to share, I promise!

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Addicted to Stamps & More #199 - CAS

Hello crafty mates!

It's time for another fun challenge over at Addicted to Stamps & More. This time it's a Clean & Simple challenge -- one of my favorite design styles. (When I can manage to pull it off.) ;)~

 

Our amazing sponsor today is

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor of Addicted to Stamps and More. Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion.

The prize for our winner is 3 digital images

 

 

I used my MFT Penguins in Paradise set to make a card for my dad with his annual Father's Day restaurant gift card. Ha. :) That always works for him!

 

 

 

 

I also used the Inside & Out Stitched Square Dienamics and MFT patterned paper pad. I paper pieced the cutie's trunks, but the rest is colored with Copic markers! I really love coloring with my markers and want more! I've been planning to order a few more to add to my meager collection, but with kids' summer camps and new home/moving expenses, I feel guilty spending on something like that. :( boo! Hopefully, it will calm down soon and I won't feel so bad squeezing in an order or two.) ;)

 

 

Hope you like my card! Please hop on over to the ATSM challenge blog for more DT inspiration and the fun, fabulous gallery that never disappoints!

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

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Christmas Card Challenge - Week #29 Color Challenge

Hello!

Hope everyone is enjoying a fantastic weekend. I'm shooting for a day of rest after a full Saturday of household chores and outside work wreaked havoc on my defunct sinuses rendering me uncomfortable and unable to sleep most of the night last night. Yikes. Not fun. Still not 100% today, but, then again, am I ever 100%?! HA! I kid! (Not altogether though.)

I wanted to share my card for this week's Christmas Card Challenge. We have a color combo to try out this week.

 

 

 

Such beautiful, non-traditional colors, doncha think? :) I decided to color up a Bugaboo digi stamp I've had for a while but never used. So cute!

 

 

 

I colored the cute little "reindeer" with Copic markers and die cut the image using the Stitched Circle Dienamics. I stamped the sentiment from my Gift Card Greetings stamp. I layered strips of patterned paper from my Warm & Cozy Chevron paper stack (all items MFT). The stencil is Tim Holtz and I used Broken China Distress Ink. I finished it off with a button tied on with twine and a few sequins.

 

 

Thanks SO much for stopping by to visit! Please come back again soon!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

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Addicted To Stamps Challenge #129 Anything Summer

Hello crafty friends!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. It's such a pretty summer day here in Middle TN and I'm enjoying some quiet time out on the front porch rocking chair.

I wanted to share the card I made for the current Addicted To Stamps Challenge, "Anything Summer".

 

 

I pulled out my LJD You're The Sweetest stamp and die set to make a fun little popsicle card.

 

 

 

I also used Mint pigment ink by Avery Elle to stamp the circles background and the Oval Stitched Scallop frame using some CTMH scraps in a similar color to make my shaker. I used scraps that were hanging out on my desk and needing TO GO inside the shaker. :D~ The popsicles are die cut using Summer Breeze (MFT) and Raspberry Fizz (PTI) cardstocks and then inked on the edges with similar ink colors to make it show up a little better. The sentiment is from the same set and I layered it up on a Stitched Circle die cut.

 

Thanks SO much for stopping by to visit! Please hop on over to the ATSC blog for inspiration and please play along! :)

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 





 

 

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Playing in my Craft Space

Well hello!

I'm trying to sit down and decompress after a morning of running The Piglets around to activities and running errands. Phew. It frazzles me a little bit. Especially when they are both back in the car together and start arguing AND/OR a quick run into the grocery and they ask for tons of junk. Ugh. Calgon take me away!

I made a couple of cards Sunday afternoon and hung out in my office pretty much the whole afternoon. I just wasn't feeling all that great and doing my best to resist a nap, knowing it would keep me up all night! :)

First I wanted to give some of my Paper Smooches goodies some much needed love. I've missed them so. ;)~

For the "Layers" challenge over on the PS blog, I was inspired to make this card with about 2,000 die cut roses stacked and glued together for dimension. :D

 

 

 

I used the Single Rose die and black cardstock to create the layers and pop up my polka dotted roses for dimension. The polka stripe on the side of my card (My Mind's Eye) is the same paper I used to die cut each rose layered over the top. In reality, I think I have 3-4 layers of black cardstock under each one. I then sponged Worn Lipstick Distress Ink over a Hero Arts chevron stencil and then sponged Spun Sugar Distress Ink over that. I stamped the sentiment from PS's Spiritual Sampler, then added some twine and sequins to finish it off. (Tip: I cut a small slit in the top fold of my card to thread the twine through and have it going the direction I wanted.)

 

 

My next card I wanted to play around with some of my MFT goodies that I've bought and not broke in just yet. The Blueprint 27 (large scallop rectangle) and Typewriter Text background has been well loved already, but not the rainbow stamp and die set. I didn't actually use the rainbow die like I had originally planned, but went with something simpler and more CAS. I used the Wonky Windows dies to cut my shaker window and stamped the sentiment on the card base. The Rainbow text is die cut out of white cardstock I colored up with PrismaColor Pencils before cutting. I used a kraft knife to cut a few slits in my card to thread my ribbon through to match the sketch in this current Sketch Challenge. I combined the inspiration of the Text challenge over at Inkspirational Challenge #110. 

 

 

 

 

 

My ribbon and cardstock are all PaperTrey Ink (Soft stone, Kraft, and Vintage White). I stamped the text in Latte dye ink from MFT. I love that combination Kraft on Kraft combination for backgrounds. 8-)

 

 

Well thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you can come visit again soon! :) It's off for more laundry, housework, and a quick workout! (When I really want a nap. Ha!) ;)

 

God Bless,

Mandy

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Digi Box Designs - Get Well Soon Bear

This is my second post of the day. To check out my Christmas Card Challenges post, click here.

Hello!

I made a fun card using another digi stamp from Digi Box Designs yesterday and wanted to share it with my crafty friends today. :D

I used the Digi Get Well Bear and resized and printed him using my Silhouette software again. Other software can be used, I'm just more comfortable with my knowledge base in the Silhouette. ;)

After I printed him, I colored using Prismacolor Pencils and then cut using my Pix Scan mat. From there is was just a matter of layering up some cute Fancy Pants Design papers over the Large Grid stencil from MFT and Fossilized Amber Distress Ink.

 

 

I didn't use the "Get well Soon" sentiment that comes with Mr. Bear here because I fell in love with this stamped sentiment in conjunction with the image/Band Aid. (It's from MFT's Get Well Wishes). I finished it off with a button, jute twine, and a few sequins.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! It's so hot and humid here today, I foresee a lazy Sunday afternoon ahead of me. .....Well, either that, or doing some crafty/bloggy catch up. Hmmm. It could go either way!

 

 

Have a great week,

Mandy

 



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Christmas Card Challenges - #28 - Word Prompt

Hello!

It's already time for another fun challenge over at Christmas Card Challenges. Whaaaaattt??? I know! It's going by so fast. I don't even want to think about how fast this year has been! Sniff.

This challenge is a word prompt:

 

 

 

I am recycling again. ;) I used my MFT Tag Builders 4 dies and the front of a Christmas card from this past year. I used the star and banner from the same die set. I also embossed a panel using the Jumbo Polka Dot cover plate. The sentiment is stamped from Paper Smooches Christmas Sampler set.

 

Please hop on over and play along! Check out the gallery and DT cards for more inspiration. :)

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

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Addicted to Stamps & More #197 - Make Your Mark

Hello!

I'm popping in tonight after an exhausting week! Wow. I've been running kiddos all over and spent most of my days in the car between their summer activities. Thankfully, this isn't going on all summer (I wouldn't allow it, for one!) and it has been a good week. We are just all worn out. :) We will probably crash tomorrow!

I wanted to share my card for the current Addicted To Stamps & More Challenge - Make Your Mark.With all the craziness, I didn't schedule my post! Eeks!

There is also a super fun sponsor:

We have a lovely sponsor from A Day For Daisies:

 Prize is: $ 12.00 Gift Certificate

 

 

 

 

I played around with a Flourishes stamp set that is new to me. I colored it with Copic markers, used my Silhouette Pix Scan to cut it out, and mounted it with foam tape. The sentiment is Simon Says Stamp die and stamp. I die cut about 1,000 "prayers" from scrap brown cardstock and layered them together for more dimension. ; )~   I stamped the rest of the sentiment on a small strip and layered it up over the edge. The background is stamped with MFT's Typewriter Text in Daffodil ink and die cut using the MiniScallop rectangle from MFT. The very back panel is die cut using Blueprints 13.

 

 

It turned out super cute. The lighting really didn't show it off properly in my photos (even after several attempts. Drat. The struggle is real!) ; )

 

 

Thanks SO much for stopping by to visit! Please check out the fun over at the Addicted To Stamps and More challenge!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

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ABC Christmas Challenge - 'L' - Things Beginning with L

 

Hello!

It's time for another fun challenge over at the ABC Christmas Challenge! This time we are all about things beginning with the letter L. It could be lime green, laughter, lists, lollipops - anything Christmas-y with letter L is good to go. So fun to stretch and try to think of something new!

We have another fun sponsor with this round, also. One lucky winner will receive 3 images of his/her choice from the fabulous Etsy shop:

www.drawnwithcharacter.etsy.com

 

 

 

For my "L" card, I'm featuring a Lamppost spreading Light in a snowy background. :) This is SO fun but I can't take credit for the idea! At least one of the MFT DT made a card like this when the die was released (I think Barbara Anders) and I fell in love with it. I've been meaning to use my die for a similar design and just now getting around to it!

 

 

 

 

 

I sponged my background with Distress Inks Salty Ocean and Fossilized Amber. I die cut 6 of the lampposts from scrap black cardstock and glued them together before adhering to the colored panel. The stitched snow drifts are also MFT and cut from PTI Soft Stone cardstock. I glued them to my panel and cut with the MFT Double Stitched Rectangle Die-namics. I stamped the sentiment from PS Christmas Sampler and masked it off before adding light weight spackle (poor girl's embossing paste) over the SSS Falling Snow stencil. I double matted using Pure Poppy and black cardstocks before placing on my Vintage White card base and securing a red twine (Recollections) bow to finish it off.

 

 

Please hop on over and join in the fun! We'd love to see what you create using this challenge letter. :)

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit! Please come back again soon!

 

God Bless,

Mandy



 

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2 Creative Chicks Showcase #11

Hello!

I've got a card to share today for this month's showcase over at 2 Creative Chicks. It's always Anything Goes so it's a great chance to play along and check out some fun and motivational inspiration in the gallery.

I played with my Silhouette and cardstock to make this little cutie: (I really should play around like this more often!)

 

 

These are all CTMH neutral colors (probably some are retired I've had them so long!) but they worked out perfectly. I stamped the sentiment from WPlus9's Strictly Sentiments 2 stamp set and trimmed the strip into a little banner, secured with tape and a button with twine bow. It really doesn't need anything else and that's kinda the fun part. I did gently ink the edges of the light colored fur with brown ink. But no embellishing otherwise.

 

I hope you come over and play along and check out the fun!

 

  

Challenge#11

Starts June 1, 2016

Ends June 30, 2016

Click HERE to link up!


God Bless,
Mandy

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Christmas Card Challenges - #27 - Photo Challenge

Hello!

I'm popping in to share my card for the latest Christmas Card Challenge. :) This week we have a fun "jingle bells" photo inspiration.

 

 

 

 

I used another kind of Christmas bell from my PTI Enclosed: Bell stamp and die set. I also recycled a Christmas card that I had saved from this past year. Some of these cards are so fun to die cut parts of the pattern. Last year, I made a whole stash of Christmas gift tags using old cards that someone had given me. It was so cute and a great way to use up and recycle. 8-)

 

 





The die cuts are layered over a panel of striped paper from Lawn Fawn's Let's Bokeh  6x6 pad. I added strips of PTI Pure Poppy cardstock to frame it up. The stamped sentiments are from the Enclosed: Bell stamp set and coordinates with the Joy die cut.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit! Hope you are enjoying a warm, sunny afternoon with clear blue skies wherever you are. :)

 

God Bless,

Mandy

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Digi Box Designs - Sending Snail Mail

Good morning!

I'm still here! :) My blog is hanging on by it's poor little tattered cuticle fingernails, but I'm still here.  I like to point out occasionally, that just in case I've somehow given off the impression that I'm on the ball, I'm really not. Ha! Actually, it's going really well. We are pretty much settled into our new digs and now tackling some DIY projects we have on our "list". I really need to write "The List" down. I seem to think of new items I'd just "love to do" every day! I'm not sure I even remember them all. ...And don't think The Hubs's list isn't growing, because it IS. I really need to write his down.

Now for the FUN part. I'm excited to be joining the Digi Box Designs DT! Whoo-hoo! Super fun! Today, I wanted to share a card I've made using one of the ADORABLE digi stamps I got from the online store. You simply must check it out if you haven't already. ADORABLE, I say!

 



For my first card, I used the "Snail Mail" digi stamp and went CAS. (One of my favorite design techniques....but I have to be channeling the CAS mojo.)

 

 

 

 

I don't really, well, I don't have any photo editing software, but I'm turning into a Silhouette nerd (thanks to Middle Sister), so I opened this little cutie in my Silhouette software for sizing and editing. I knew I wanted him off the edge of my main panel and being the tightwad that I am, I didn't want to waste my good expensive cardstock I used for Copic coloring. ;) I created a rectangle the size of my accent panel in the software and then could place and resize the snail as I wanted it to look on my card. I used the knife tool to cut "Snail Mail" sentiment and move to the side, so that it would also line up the way I wanted on my card. I printed then colored with Copics before I trimmed it down. "Sending" is stamped from a Simon Says Stamp stamp set (Sending and Wishing). It fit perfectly.

 

I layered my panel over a slip of patterned paper (My Mind's Eye scrap that was in my stash) for interest and used foam tape for dimension. I love this technique for then slipping some embellies slightly under the panel. Adds some interest without taking over the image because they are just peeking out. Just don't do what I did and place your foam tape so close to the edge you can't slide your goodies under the edge the way you want. Haha! (Typical.) That's it. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

 

If you want to try something similar and need some adorable summer images, you're in luck! Five new images were just released and are available now. Plus there's a sale going on and it's a great time to try out something new and take it for a test run.

 

 

 

Just for kicks and giggles, I have a couple of photos to share of our latest project around the house. I thought it'd be fun to share even thought it's not cards. It's still creative, just involves a different medium. ;)

 

This is the before picture......

(well, almost before. We forgot to make one before we removed the "Sunset" inserts from the windows. You can see the last two remaining on the left hand side. There was one in each window forming the sunset pattern with the biggest openings in the center.)

 

 

 

 

 

Annnnnnnd, the after:

 

We stained the doors, painted the trim a soft, warm white (That took two trys to find the right color. The poor man door trim has 4 coats of paint on it! HA!), and added the hardware. (Handles and decorative hinges on the garage door. It's hard to see in this pic.) We will lack painting the light fixture and doorknob, but I plan to make The Hubs do that this weekend. Oops! Look at that! Something else for his list. ;)-

 

 

 

Well, thanks SO much for stopping by to visit! I hope you will come back again soon and that you will check out the fun over at Digi Box Designs! And if you haven't already, be sure to like the Facebook page to follow along with the DT's artwork and other's who share their creative projects!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

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