Thursday, July 28, 2016

Share Joy Celebrate!


What a week!  Between Bible School and recovering from an allergic reaction that just about put me in the hospital, I totally missed playing along with last week's Share Joy Challenge.  Sigh!  So I decided I would do it first thing when I got back from VBS today. : )  I decided to use the inspiration photo for my colors, although you can probably see the sketch in there, too.  My mojo is out playing in mud puddles because of my week, but this lion from Taylored Expressions' Mane Event set is cute enough on his own, even if I'm not very creative today and I need another birthday card to send out next week. : )

Here's the Share Joy picture for this challenge..


Thanks for dropping by!

Tricia

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Sugar Pea Designs Mix It Up Challenge #9

Hi friends!

Doesn't time fly?  It's already the end of the month and my last week guest designing with the Sugar Pea Designs Challenge team.  It's been so much fun!!

So, here's this week's challenge...


And here's my card using the sketch...


I think this is one of my favorites from the month.  I just love this sweet little girl and her kitty from the What's Mew set, don't you?  I stamped the image twice, so I could pop up the kitty and his branch outside the window.  I love the depth it gives! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope to see you over at the Challenge!

Tricia


Saturday, July 23, 2016

Meecy Mice


Aren't these little mice from Your Next Stamp just the cutest?  Look at those faces!  And the one with the flower on its head??  Acck!  OK, so I would definitely scream if I actually saw this in my cupboard, but I had SO much fun watercoloring them this morning!  I was hoping that I'd be able to use them on my challenge card for this week, but by the time I realized that the stamp was too big for the sketch, I had already used the wrong colors to go with the color challenge.  I guess that just means that I need to make another card with them in the color challenge colors later this week, huh?? : )

So not really for anything special today, except to say Hello and thanks for stopping by!

Have a mice day!

Tricia

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Troubled?


I colored my little bunny (a retired stamp from Lili of the Valley - sorry!) with copics and used the 
sketch from Tuesday Morning sketches for my layout.  The verse is also retired from Clear Dollar Stamps.  Do you have your favorite retired stamps that keep finding their way onto cards?  I have a basket with all of my favorites.  I need to print out a basket of my favorite digis, too.  They are being slighted lately!!

I just love the verse on this card.  It is SO easy to be "troubled" about everything happening in the world today, isn't it? And, while cute bunnies with flowers might be a stress reliever, only God's Son - the Lord Jesus - can calm our soul as we trust in Him.  I've proved Him again and again!! :)

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  You make me smile. : )

Tricia

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Sugar Pea Designs Mix It Up Challenge #8

Hello!

Are you ready for another Mix It Up Challenge at Sugar Pea Designs??  I actually used the sketch this week! :)


I decided to get a jumpstart on my Christmas cards with today's card, so I pulled out the Lost Without You set and colored the little shepherd with Copics.  I added a red paper pieced coat to the little lamb to keep him all warm and toasty.


Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll play along with the challenge!!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Be Comforted

One of my least favorite types of cards to make are sympathy cards.  It is so hard to know what to say, isn't it?  But I need one this week, so I pulled out the beautiful Blessings / Beatitudes I set by The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store and a gorgeous silhouette stamp by Gina K Designs and followed the inspiration of a couple of challenges that are in my feed... Paper Players - CAS Watercolor and Sunday Stamps - using a number of the colors provided.  There is no greater comfort I can give on a sympathy card than to point someone to Scripture and to encourage them to find comfort in God's word.  After my mom's death and my husband's brain surgery I can attest to the fact that God's comfort far surpasses any that another person can give.  It truly is able to touch the heart.


I sponged my watercolor paper with Tomato Soup, Peach Bellini and Sweet Corn inks from Gina K Designs after I cut it out with my favorite stitched rectangle die from Your Next Stamp.  I embossed the flowers into the corner while the paper was still in the die and dripped some water on the inked area for some dimension.  The sentiment is stamped in Tomato Soup ink, and I added a few sequins and stars to go along with the ethereal look.




I'm also going to tuck this in at Word Art Wednesday in their Anything Goes challenge.

Be comforted!




Monday, July 18, 2016

Cupcake Inspiration Phoebe

Today was one of those days.  You know the sort?  I didn't even look at my to do list today.  Of course I forgot something fairly important that I should have done, but other than that it was a nice day of little things.  I got my hair cut, I did the dishes, I talked to my daughter.  I cross stitched, I gave piano lessons and I stamped.  Ahhhhh.... : )  I knew that I wanted to play with the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge and since they are being sponsored by Your Next Stamp this week, I figured it was a perfect reason to ink up Phoebe again.  As if I need a reason...  Do you have favorite sets or characters like that?  Phoebe and I have bonded.  I love her little dresses and the cute extras that are in the sets I have.  I love her hair.  I love that she just looks sweet.  

OK, enough rambling!  I stamped Phoebe in Versafine ink and watercolored her with distress markers, using the colors from the inspiration picture as my guide.



The patterned paper is from Gina K designs and the sentiment is from another Your Next Stamp set Waddles - Happy Brrr-thday.  

 Have a splendiferous day!

Tricia

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Share Joy Challenge - A Sunny Day


I have an older friend from church who just had knee replacement surgery, so I thought I could share some joy with her this week with this clean and simple card.   I used Taylored Expressions "Watson" for the flower and puppy.  (I hope that she likes dogs!) The sentiment is from another Taylored Expressions set - "Wildflower Bouquet".

Sorry for the darker picture today, but every time I would brighten it that rose colored enamel dot turned bright orange!  LOL  Apparently it has a mind of its own. : )

Thanks for dropping by!

Tricia



Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Sugar Pea Designs - Mix It Up Challenge #7

Hello Friends!

It's Wednesday, and that means that I get to show you a card for this week's Mix It Up Challenge at Sugar Pea Designs.  Here is our challenge for today...


And here is the card I made with the Everyday is Christmas and What's Mew sets, as well as the Gift Tag and ZigZag Stitched Dies.


Wow!  That is two weeks in a row for me using the inspiration photo!  Next week I am definitely going to have to use the sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to swing by the Sugar Pea Designs blog for more great inspiration!

Tricia

Monday, July 11, 2016

Verve Diva Inspiration Challenge - Clean and Simple


Did you see the pretty colors in this month's Diva Inspiration Challenge


I went with a clean and simple color blocked card today.  I attached strips of cardstock to a piece of typing paper and used a Stitched Rectangle die from Your Next Stamp to cut it out.  Then I stamped flowers from Verve's Beautiful You set in Versamark ink, and finished off with a sentiment from Verve's Surely Goodness stamped in Versafine Black.  I popped it up on a white card base using 3D foam squares.

Thanks for dropping by!

Tricia

Saturday, July 09, 2016

Clearly Besotted You Colour My World

Did you see the Clearly Besotted release last week?  I hardly ever - EVER - order on release night from any company but I sure did this time!  I abso-posi-lutely fell in love with these adorable chameleons!!


And if anything could make them cuter, it would be the British spelling of 'colour'.  I feel all Jane Austen-ish now!! I colored my chameleon and his ladybug friend with Spectrum Noir markers and popped it up over a forest of fronds from Verve.  Of course, we caught the chameleon in the act of changing colours. : ) I embossed the word colour in black on the red swash to make sure it stood out.

I'm playing along with the Color Throwdown challenge...


Thanks for stoping by!

Friday, July 08, 2016

Another Brr-thday Card

Hi everyone!

I'm making birthday cards right and left this month!  Today I'm playing along with the Sketch and Color Challenge at Your Next Stamp.  I used the colors today and colored up Waddles.  He is so easy to color and makes for such a happy card!



Have a happy day!

Tricia

Thursday, July 07, 2016

Wish Big

It's time to join in with the Share Joy Challenge and play tic tac toe! : )  I love those kind of challenges!  I went with stripes, red and gradient for my card...


I colored the sweet lion from the Mane Event stamp set with copics and then made a balloon with a circle punch, a triangle of cardstock and some twine to hold the sentiment that I embossed in white.  And easy background, a stitched die and some enamel dots pulled it all together and I have another card for my Birthday Club!! 

Thanks for stopping by! 





Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Sugar Pea Designs - Mix It Up Challenge #6


Hi again!

I am so thrilled to be playing along with the Challenge DT at Sugar Pea Designs for this month of Mix It Up Challenges!!

Here is today's challenge...


I couldn't resist the polka dots, bright colors and palm trees for my first card of the month!

I used the Prehistoric Pals set for the images, the What's Mew set for the sentiment, and dies from both the Gift Tag and the Zig Zag Stitched Circles sets.


I hope that you'll play along with us!  

Check out the Sugar Pea Designs Blog for all the challenge info!!

Tricia

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Your Next Stamp DT Dare - Frame It

Hi everyone!

Welcome to this month's Your Next Stamp DT Dare!  I feel so blessed to be able to play along with the design team gals today, sharing another card featuring Picnic Phoebe.  Has she fallen into your cart yet??

The dare this month was to "Frame It" - so I decided to make a scene in a frame.  Original, huh?? : )



To make my frame, I used two Stitched Square Diesone layered inside the other.  After I ran it through my Cuttlebug in a woodgrain embossing folder, I drew in some mitered corners and nails to help it look more authentic.  Then I watercolored Picnic Phoebe and the tree and the apples and made my scene.  The images are cut out with the matching Picnic Phoebe Dies I stamped some stars from Phoebe with her Wagon on my sentiment layer with red ink to add some dimension before stamping the sentiment in a dark brown ink.

Wouldn't this make a fun teacher card?  And here's a fun tip.  See the little cloud over Phoebe's head?  I trimmed the antennae from an ant die cut and flipped it upside down.  Heehee!  Use what you have is my motto!!

Thanks for stopping by! And thanks to Your Next Stamp for letting me play along during the release!

Oh! And be sure that you leave a comment over on the Your Next Stamp Blog today.  You may just win a stamp set of your choice from the Your Next Stamp store.  WooHoo!!!

Rejoice!

Hello friends!

I'm playing along with the Mojo Monday sketch and the Cupcake Inspirations theme of flowers today...


I used a Verve Plain Jane and the flowers from the newer Verve set called New Beginnings.  The little sprigs are from Verve as well. : )  Thanks for stopping by today!





Sunday, July 03, 2016

Sharing Joy

** Looking for the Your Next Stamp Blog Hop??  Click HERE **


Hello friends!

I'm playing along with the Share Joy Challenge today following this week's sketch.  I've been having fun sending out lots and lots of birthday cards this year, and I don't necessarily care if they say Happy Birthday outside, so this one will go to someone special in a week or two. :)

I used Taylored Expressions Watson for the images and Woodland Cuties by Your Next Stamp for the sentiment.  Clean and simple and sweet!

Thanks for dropping by today!

Saturday, July 02, 2016

Your Next Stamp New Release Blog Hop



Hi friends!!

Today is SO fun for me!!  I have the extra special pleasure of playing along with the DT gals from Your Next Stamp to show off one of the new sets of stamps with coordinating dies that are available right now in the Your Next Stamp store!  If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know how much I love Phoebe from YNS, well, guess what??  I now have another Phoebe to love!! : )  Here she is...

Picnic Phoebe (complete with ant friends!)


Doesn't that look like a fun picnic?  I cut out a panel with a YNS Stitched Rectangle Die, but left the paper in the die while I sponged a sun, some grass and some sunshine for a background.  I used the Picnic Phoebe dies to cut out my elements, and colored and/or paper pieced them before attaching them to the main panel.  I embossed the sentiment in white on a black cardstock strip and attached it and a couple of hand-cut clouds before matting the panel with red and attaching it to the cardbase.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Be sure to leave and comment and continue on through the hop for a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate from Your Next Stamp.  And don't forget that Karen is offering a sale as well, so you can pick up some of your new favorites right away!!





Friday, July 01, 2016

Your Next Stamp Sneak Preview!

Hi everyone!

I have a special treat to share with you today... a sneak peek of one of the sets being released later tonight at Your Next Stamp... and it is another Phoebe!! :)  Can you imagine how excited I was when I found out that this was the set I got to use as a guest designer??  I have had SO much fun!!


Isn't she sweet??  She is giving her little ant friends a birthday party!  The set is called Picnic Phoebe and I know you'll just love it.  There are matching dies, too! (The link will work after the set is released this evening!)



Be sure to come back tonight at 10 EST and go through the blog hop.  Besides the fact that there is a prize involved, I just can't wait to see the other stamps being released!  For now, though, head over to the Your Next Stamp blog for a list of all the sneak peeks.  I'll follow you over! : )

See you tonight!

Tricia

Ellie Loves...


Ellie loves....Lattes!!

I was feeling in the mood for fall, so I pulled out some warm colored paper and this sweet Ellie stamp from Your Next Stamp and put together a bright and cheery card. 

7 Kids College Fund carries a nice assortment of Your Next Stamp stamps and dies, did you know?  I'm playing along with their Anything Goes challenge with this card!