Garden Gnome

One of the first challenges I entered were by Mark's Finest Papers, which are now , sadly, out of business. My first win was this Garden Art stamp set. The sunny spring weather motivated me to pull this old stamp set out and make an ATC. The background is by Lost Coast Designs from their ATC backgrounds set, and I added a grasshopper image by Papertrey Ink. I was able to use small scraps of plain cardstock for my stamping and background, then fussy cut to create my garden scene.

Pixie's Snippets challenge 373. All stamped images were stamped on scraps, and I even used a scrap of patterned paper for the dirt
Lost Coast Designs challenge 94, make an ATC. I used a stamp by Lost Coast Designs for my background

Allsorts challenge 562, Anything with wings. Grasshoppers have wings!
SSS Monday challenge, a bit of green
CHN March PP challenge
DL.Art March linky
Penny Black and More March challenge, spring flowers
Stamplorations March theme, stamps and nature

Let Yourself Go!

I decided to make a couple of ATC's this week, but only ended up finishing this one so far. I used a stamp by Club Scrap from the Mosaic Twist set, and a stamped sentiment from my stash. I stamped the mosaic strip in both Forest Foliage and Poppy Parade inks by Stampin'Up, then cut out the middle image from the Poppy Parade to pop up on foam squares for a little dimension.

 Lost Coast Designs challenge 94, ATC's or coins

DL.Art's March linky
SSS Monday, bit of green

Celebrate

This U-fold turned out to be so easy, as I followed Mrs. A's tutorial on the Butterfly Spot challenge blog, that I made another one today. I used ivory cardstock, more beautiful floral patterned papers and a wood mounted butterfly stamp, which I stamped and fussy cut  . The sentiment die is by Impression Obsession and the stamped sentiment is by Anna Griffin.  This is a great way of using up those scraps of paper that you have in your stash. Also, the best part about this card design is that it folds flat for mailing, which I didn't realize until I made one.

Butterfly Spot challenge 138. I used the U-fold, unbleached and umber colors, dies, and patterned paper.
SSS Wednesday challenge, feminine
CHN March PP challenge
Creative fingers challenge 181: AG
Allsorts challenge 562, Anything with wings
Crafty Calendar March challenge, more than one fold
DL. Art March linky
CRAFT Challenge 547 , feminine card
Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday, spring

Butterfly U-Fold Card

I rarely make cards that use a fancy fold, but this one from the Butterfly Spot challenge caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. Mrs. A, who runs the Butterfly Spot challenge  Butterfly Spot Challenge 138  gives the best tutorials on cards folds that I've seen, so it was easy to put this together.  I used papers from K&Co, a cream colored cardstock, butterfly dies by Jen Hadfield for Pebbles, A sentiment die by Simon Says Stamp, leafy die by Sizzix, and cream colored seam binding. I also pulled out a scrap of heavy weight vellum to help the butterflies stand out against the floral background. When I first saw this fancy fold I thought that it wouldn't be mailable, but it actually all folds flat by just folding everything over to the right. The recipient can just open it up, prop it up and display.

Butterfly Spot Challenge 138. I used all elements of the butterfly wheel (unbleached, umber, ultimate pink, floral patterned paper, dies, and U-fold)
DL.Art March linky
SSS Wednesday challenge, feminine
CHN March PP challenge
Creative Inspirations March challenge, pastels 
As You Like It challenge, favorite flower and why. My favorite flower is a salmon colored rose that grows in our front yard. I love it because it's unique, and because my husband bought the rose bush as a gift to me.
Creative Fingers 181, AG
Allsorts challenge 562, anything with wings
Crafty Calendar March challenge, more than one fold
CRAFT Challenge 547, feminine card. What could be more feminine than pink and butterflies?!

Butterfly Garden

This week has been sunny and warm, and it's starting to really feel like spring, so I pulled out another butterfly stamp set (this one by Craftwork Cards) to make this. I stamped several butterfly images and adhered them to the card, but they looked very plain. So I used another image in the same set to stamp and fussy cut...then layered them on top of the original butterflies. Much better. The leafy die is by Sizzix, and I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and oval die by Gina Marie. A little bit of twine and some rhinestones ..and I'm done. Trying to make myself use some of those rhinestones that I've been hoarding, but it's hard!

 Butterfly Spot 137. I used tea rose ,two rhinetones, and twine.
DL.Art March linky
SSS Wednesday, AG
Double Dare #383. I used Ballerina, Pixie, Lilac and Mint
Cardz TV challenge 109

Butterfly Birthday

I always mean to enter the Butterfly Spot challenge each month but somehow the month goes by and I have forgotten to do so. This time I jumped right in and pulled out some butterfly dies by Tonic Studios that I won in a blog giveaway, and even got rid of some snippets from my scrap stash along the way. I pretty much keep all my scraps, down to the smallest strip..and they have been piling up. So, once or twice a year I pull out those strips and make backgrounds with them. I tackled the bag of pink scraps to make this one. I had the idea of stamping onto the strips once they were glued down, and you can see the faint hint of that stamping if you look closely. The stamp that I used is a delicate butterfly background that was only 2x2, which meant a lot of lining up and stamping over and over. I was disappointed in the final result because it just didn't look right. Sooooo....embossing folder and ink to the rescue. The embossing folder is by Cuttlebug and I lightly inked over the raised design with some new Delicata pigment ink in Pink Shimmer. The circle dies are by Spellbinder and I used ink blenders to color it mint green. Two pearls  and three rhinestones are the finishing touch. I made about 10 paper strip backgrounds in all colors and will be using those on future cards. Why is my scrap stash still as large as it was before I started??

Pixie's Snippets challenge 372. I deep into my snippets stash to make the background, as well as the die cut circles and the butterfly
Butterfly Spot 137. I used the color tea rose, and two pearls     
Color Dare 383, Ballerina, Pixie, Lilac, and Mint
D.L. Art March linky
SSS Wednesday, AG

Comfort and Sympathy

Here is another sympathy card that I made.   This one is for a friend who lost her father-in-law this week. I used paper by K&Co, dies by Kat Scrappiness, a sentiment by Stampin'Up, and a stamped motif by Fiskars.

CHN Feb. PP challenge
SSS Wednesday, AG
DL.Art Feb. linky party
Cardz TV 109

They Are Not Gone

I had to make two sympathy cards this week, and so pulled out a sympathy stamp set by Stampin' Up that a friend loaned to me. I try to make several sympathy cards at a time because it's sometimes hard to make one on the spot when they are needed. I used paper by K & Co, and dies by Spellbinders for this one. Snug Hug seam binding in Oatmeal, and some fussy cutting from the background paper finished this off nicely.

CHN Feb. PP challenge
SSS Wednesday challenge, AG
Elliebelle's Feb. challenge, add a sentiment
The Creative Crafter challenge 25, AG
Cardz TV 109

Merry Christmas

Here is another card that I made with some really old patterned paper elements. I think it used to have coordinating patterned papers to go with these tags and labels but they were either used up or give away. Since I don't have the coordinating paper to go with these, I'm combining them with solid cardstock for CAS designs. I used an embossing folder by Darice, and paper punched hearts. All I had to do was make a little twine bow and attach.

February Rudolph Challenge, AG with Christmas
CHN February PP challenge
CHNC challenge 478
12 months of Christmas Feb. challenge #62 
Christmas Kickstart Challenge #28 , use red

Big Dreams

This is the graduation card that I made for my niece, who goes to the same high school. I didn't want it to look to similar to my nephew's card so I used lighter papers from the same TCP Studio paper pad, and added blue to the yellow and black school colors. This sentiment is also by MFT from the Chalkboard sentiments set and I added a stitched rectangle by Lawn Fawn and star die by Paper Smooches.

MAWTT Challenge 115, no image..just text
SSS Wednesday, add a sentiment
CHN Feb. PP challenge
Craft Stamper Feb. challenge, AG with stamping
Elliebelles Feb. challenge, add a sentiment
The Creative Crafter challenge 28, AG
DL.ARt Feb. linky