C4C614 - Sketch Challenge

The final Crazy4Challenges challenge of 2021 is a sketch challenge, with a bit of a twist.  We were to select our favorite "crazy" sketch from this year to create our card.   As I had joined the team in the middle of the year, I decided that I would choose a sketch from before I joined.  So I selected C4C580, which was the sketch for April.

My card is another Christmas card using dies from both Honey Bee Stamps (poinsettia and foliage) and Karen Burniston (labels).

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see which sketches the rest of the team chose.  As this is our final challenge for the year, I will wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  See you in 2022.

C4C611 - Sketch Challenge

It's time for the Crazy4Challenges sketch challenge.  This month's challenge is a slimline card.

I'm still making a few Thanksgiving cards, and today's challenge card is one of them.  I used a digital image from Paper Nest Dolls and sized her to fit the white panel in the sketch, adding some autumn patterned paper, an appropriate sentiment, and some trim using one of Karen Burniston's Border Blends dies.

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team handled this sketch.
 

C4C602 - Sketch Challenge

The sketch for the Crazy4Challenges for this month is a standard A2 layout.

However, I took a bit of artistic license and made a slimline card, adjusting the circles just a tad.

Be sure to check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team handled this sketch.

Crazy4Challenges Sketch Challenge 598

This week the Crazy4Challenges team is again working with a sketch.

I took this sketch and elongated it for my slimline card.

I used a cute digital image from Paper Nest Dolls for the focus of my card.

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team handled the sketch.

C4C589 Sketch Challenge

The Crazy4Challenges sketch this month is a tall slimline layout.  

My Honey Bee Stamps For the Record stamp/die set was the perfect choice for these shapes.  These were the first of many Honey Bee Stamps products in my arsenal.  And I found some patterned paper in my stash which worked very well with the theme.

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team worked around this layout.

C4C548 Sketch Challenge

The Crazy4Challenges challenge this week is a sketch challenge.

I decided I didn't want to make a card with flowers this week, so I substituted gears for the flowers in the sketch.  I now have a guy card in my stash!

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team handled this challenge.

Blue Vase/Pink Flowers

It seems that it has been raining the entire month of May.  Of course, that helps the garden flourish -- rain is so good for the flowers.  I'm not much of a gardener, so most of my flowers are on my cards.  Today's card is no exception.  Once again, I started with a layout from one of the Splitcoaststampers sketch challenges.

This layout lent itself to some coordinating patterned paper, as you can see on my card.  It was a pad of two-sided Stamps of Life designer paper I recently bought at a local stamp show.

To start my card, I cut the pieces for the vase and flowers, using two CottageCutz dies -- Vase Collection and Botanical Garden 2.

Using several Copic markers I colored the die-cut pieces . . .

. . . and constructed my vase of flowers.

I then cut my cardstock and patterned paper as follows:

Gray  - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"

Black - 3 3/4" x 5", 2 1/4" x 4 1/4", and 3" x 2 1/2"

Patterned paper - 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" and 2" x 4"

White - 2 3/4" x 2 1/4"

Using the sketch challenge layout, I constructed my card.

I then added my vase and flowers.

At this point I decided I wanted some kind of a sentiment on my card, so I stamped a small sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock, using navy blue ink.  I punched it out with a 1 1/4" circle punch and then punched a black 1 3/8" circle on which to mount it.

I added the sentiment using some foam pop dots and my card was complete.

CottageCutz dies used on this card are:

Sand Castle Pop-Up

I'm a member of the Sketch Challenge Team on Splitcoaststampers.  This week's sketch is a relatively simple one.

I made a horizontal card rather than a vertical one -- using pattern paper to create the beach feel of the card..  For Element #2 I found a K & Company die cut sea shell the same shape.

BUT . . . the best part of this card is on the inside.  I recently bought a Karen Burniston Castle Pop-Up die.  Using shades of brown, I made a sand castle for the inside of my card.  I included some more of those K & Company die cuts to decorate the inside also.

My daughter, who loves everything beach-related, will wind up with this card.

Orchids for Mom

CottageCutz has a brand-new release of Mother's Day's dies -- words, flowers, and more.  They are currently 25% off, so you might want to check them out.  I featured one of the sets, Orchids, on my card today.

Again I used one of the old Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenges for my layout.

This is the card I created using that layout as a guide.

Orchids are such delicate-looking flowers, so I wanted my card to show that.  I took some vellum and colored it with a pink Copic marker before I cut the flowers.

Then I cut out the flower petals. I decided that one layer of the orchids needed to be darker, as shown in the packaging, so I colored them with a darker pink.   The rest of the pieces I cut from white cardstock.

I then colored the white pieces in appropriate colors and built my image.  You can see how the orchids have a delicate look.

I cut my cardstock and patterned paper as follows:

White cardstock for base - 8 1/2" x 11"
Pink cardstock - 4" x 5 1/4", 3 1/4" x 3 1/4", 3" x 4"
Patterned paper - 3 7/8" x 5 1/8"

Using the 2nd largest Double-stitched Square die and the 2nd largest Double-stitched Rectangle die, I cut two smaller white panels.

Using the sketch challenge layout, I constructed my card base.

I then cut the Mom sentiment from pink cardstock using another one of the new dies.

I glued the sentiment at the corner where the star appears in the sketch and popped up the orchid with foam pop dots.  I added a few soft green enamel dot stickers, and I was done.

CottageCutz dies used on my card are:

Potted Cactus

My card today uses part of one of the dies from the CottageCutz Llama and Botanicals release, which are currently 25% off.  You might want to check them out.  The die I used, Potted Cactus, actually has two plants included in the set, but I'm using only one of them.

I keep some small notebooks with layouts from Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenges.  When I'm stuck for a layout, I pull out one of the notebooks and try to find something that will inspire me.  This is the case today.  I found this layout, which dates back to a 2007 challenge.

This is my card, based on that sketch.

To start my card I cut out the pieces with the die.   I'm not going to use all the pieces that were cut, so I just chose the pieces for the right-hand cactus on the packaging.  I'll save the other pieces for another card.

Using Copic markers, I colored the die-cut pieces and assembled my cactus, succulent and pot.

The paper I used for the card is as follows:

Yellow cardstock - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"

Rust cardstock - 4" x 5 1/4" and 2 3/8" x 3 1/8"

Cream cardstock - 2 1/4" x 3"

Rust checkered patterned paper - 3 3/8" x 3 7/8"

Yellow plaid patterned paper - 1 5/8" x 3 7/8"

I glued the two pieces of patterned paper onto the rust cardstock, using the sketch for positioning.  I sponged a bit of Ranger Rusty Hinge ink onto the small cream piece of cardstock, adhered it to the small rust piece of cardstock and glued on the cactus.

I then placed some foam pop-dots behind the panel and placed it on the card.  I then added three enamel dot stickers, and I was finished.

Here again is my card:

The CottageCutz die used on this card:

SCS Sketch Challenge - Flowering Dogwoods

I recently rejoined the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge team for the next six months.  Today's  sketch was designed by Diane Carpenter.

I substituted some pretty dogwoods from Heartfelt Creations for the stars in the sketch for my card.

I used seed beads in the centers of the dogwoods. I'll share a little secret with you for adding the seed beads.  I put the flowers in a coffee filter, added the glue, and then poured the seed beads all over the flowers. When the glue dries, I just shake off the excess beads, which all stay in the coffee filter -- instead of flying all over the place.

Heartbeats

Crafters are always working months in advance, so today I'm bringing you a relatively simple Valentine's Day card, using some CottageCutz dies (an old one and a newer one).  I'm a fan of the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoaststampers, so I used last week's layout and varied it just a bit.

This is my card.  I stretched out the three images further across the center and added a sentiment.

When I started my card, I did not have plans for the extra panel (the black one), so I cut the cardstock I thought I would need.

Red - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"

White - 4" x 5 1/4"

Red/White gingham - 1 1/2" x 5 1/4"

After lining the back of a piece of red cardstock with a section of Scor-Tape two-sided adhesive sheet, I cut the die-cuts.  Because of the adhesive back, the die-cuts were a bit wonky when I took them out of the dies, but I knew they would straighten out once I added them to my card.

I then constructed my card . . .

. . . and added the die cuts.

At this point I didn't think there was enough contrast on my card, so I pulled up the white panel, cut it down by 1/8" on both sides and added a black layer, which I had cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  I then added some small black sequins.

I was much happier with this version.  CottageCutz dies used on this card are: