The newest challenge at Shopping Our Stash is Spring is in the AIR.
I chose to build my card around the Cardinal Washi Tape from Eyelet Outlet. I combined it with other red & black washi tapes from my stash.
And since Cardinals are thought to show up to give you comfort after the loss of a loved one, I added a Taylored Expressions Sympathy Sentiment from Simple Strips Background to complete my slimline card design.
I had fun creating for Day 2 of Taylored Expressions Stamp Joy, so I thought I would share a few.
I usually avoid what I would call cutesy coloring, but we learned how to add strategic white dots to really bring the images to life ... and I love how this little slice of watermelon turned out.
I also had fun ink blending and then stamping over the top for this cool background look.
I even had fun ink splattering (although I still hate embossing with white embossing powder ... it took several attempts to get one that I thought was good enough to use).
I tried using the Taylored Expressions Create-in-Quads Mistletoe Stencils for some non-holiday cards.
I used blue and purple on the leaves and Peaches & Cream and Toffee on the berries on Neenah Desert Storm Cardstock Leaves are Blueberry and Jelly Donut. I used a darker kraft cardbase.
The sentiments are from the December Taylored Expressions free-with-purchase stamp set Anytime Expressions.
I'm linking the next card at the Inspire.Create.Challenge Birthday Challenge.
I love how subtle the two-tone is on the leaves & the berries.
Love this sentiment set too.
I love how versatile these stencils are using different color combinations.
The September Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs is to create a background using Ink Cubes ... only one problem ... I love Gina K.'s inks so much, I own the collection in the full size pads.
After hunting through all of my extras, I found that I had a few neutral colored cubes, so that made my color combination challenge pretty easy to make. I did a half-sheet of white cardstock not entirely sure where I was headed.
I added a white ink splatter hoping it would unify the design a bit more, but I didn't quite get the look I was hoping for (but did manage to get white ink all over my floor and studio table, so an emergency cleaning session had to interrupt my design work).
I decided to go with a slimline design featuring the images from Botanical Blocks Mini, since I liked the idea of repeating the block design theme with my focal stamps.
I finished with and offset positioning of the sentiment in the set and a few scattering of smoky grey gems to finish the design.
The September Taylored Expressions #TEMaker Challenge are lovely autumn hues of the Napa Valley Color Combination.
I thought they would be pretty for the new Taylored Expressions Autumn Array Stamp, Stencils & Dies.
Though it's a bit hard to see in the picture, the Taylored Expressions Leafy Vine Embossing Folder for the Embossing & the something that begins with E parts of the Challenge (as well as a torn Edge). I finished with Merlot Bling in the center of the tiny Raspberry Sorbet blooms.
I used the layout from Atlantic Hearts Sketch and a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Beautiful Soul.
I'm also joining the Nature's Bounty Challenge at The Male Room, because men enjoy flowers too.
The current Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs is to use Sentiment Strips in your card design.
Unfortunately, I needed to restock my sympathy card stash, so that was my focus today. I started with the silhouette blooms from Gina K. Designs Natural Silhouettes.
For the first one I used sentiment strips from Gina K. Designs Spring Tulips Mini and Layered Eucalyptus Mini. Since the Layered Eucalyptus is from September 2019, I'm also linking-up at the Anything Goes Challenge at the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog.
Since the flowers were already on my MISTI, I stamped them in several colors for easy multi-card making.
These sentiments are from the Gina K. Designs Natural Silhouettes and Spring Tulips Mini.
I love how classic these designs are in the different palettes. I'm linking the final one up at the Summertime Blues Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.
When I saw this stained glass window while we were at a church for a funeral, it reminded me of the Essentials by Ellen Abstract Sunset Die.
I used it as inspiration piecing the die together using Alcohol Ink Roll-Off pages & prints from my recent gel press printing and a shaving cream marbled paper for the sky.
I spaced the die pieces to give the look of stained glass & finished with a sentiment from Essentials by Ellen Mondo Pansy.
When I saw this week's sketch at the Inspire Create Challenge, I really liked how several of the design team members used combinations of designer paper.
Rather than use papers from a single collection, I challenged myself to go through my massive scrap basket and find papers that would work for this week's Color Throwdown - Aqua, Ice Blue, and Pale Green.
These are the papers I decided to work with.
And this is the design I came up with. I used the natural shape of the paper along the top of my design.
I added a sentiment from Gina K. Designs Spring Tulips - Mini (this small stamp set has four awesome sentiments).
I finished with two butterfly punches topped with Ice Blue gems to bring in a bit more of that shade into my Sea Glass inspired design. I'm also linking-up at Simon Says Stamp Challenge to use dies and/or punches.
I had fun playing with Authentique's new Bird Watcher Collection papers and stickers that I pre-ordered from The Funkie Junkie.
I started with the layout from TGIF Sketch Challenge.
I combined two stickers with some glittery enamel dots and a stamped sentiment from Impress Everyday Word.
For the next one I used the layout from Hand Stamped Sentiments Paper Crafting Challenges.
I love the monochromatic look with the pop of the color from the sweet little bird.
My third card uses the layout from Paper Craft Crew Vertical Sketch Challenge.
I used another sentiment from the Impress Everyday Word Sentiment Set together with some Swirl Bling Flourishes from Eyelet Outlet.
If you're a bird lover (or have bird lovers in your life) this is a lovely collection.
It's been a long time since I started my Saturday with the SplitcoastStampers Inspiration Challenge. Today our inspiration is from Color Shot. I was drawn to this painted Rainbow Doormat.
Since the theme at Paper Smooches Challenge is also Rainbows, I used the Paper Smooches Rainbow Die to cut the six colors from the Door Mat - three shades of blue & three shades of peachy pink.
I used the sketch from CAS on Sunday and cut two strips of designer paper in the blues and peachy pinks. Since rainbows are often seen as a reminder that God is with us, I used this sentiment from the Paper Smooches Feel Better Sampler and finished with a pair of Eyelet Outlet Enamel Hearts.
And Just Us Girls are also doing the Rainbow Thing, so I'm linking-up there too.
Hope those of you in the US are getting to spend the holiday doing what you'd like ... I'd rather be with family, but I'm enjoying my plan B which is uninterrupted studio time.
