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The newest challenge is up at PINspirational Challenge. Hope you can join us for the challenge -- it's an opportunity to jump start your brain for a Father's Day card. Just create a project inspired by the inspiration photo (left).

I chose to use this sweet penguin image for my card. I like the black-and-white of the inspiration pin, but I wanted to add a little color as well. I'm not sure who made that penguin stamp (it's old). I stamped with Tuxedo black ink and added a little color with pencil. I chose to use the scalloped circle to add more color. The background is a snippet of a B&W printed paper (also old).

This card is entering these challenges:
Word Art Wednesday #388 -- anything goes
Crafts Galore Encore #64 anything goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1922 -- anything goes
Catch the Bug -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Crafting by Designs -- anything goes

Jingle bell, jingle bell

It's about 95 degrees outside, so yes, let's make Christmas cards.  This card features an old SU stamp, one of the first I ever purchased, embossed in silver. The sentiment is a Stamplorations/Cutplorations die, cut from silver metallic paper. Lots of sparkle on this card. I used a snippet of red to create a little frame and get more color into what is a very CAS card.

This card is for these challenges:
Winter Wonderland -- no squares
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #439 -- use some silver
ABC Christmas -- J is for jingle bells
Rudolph Days/May -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday -- Anything Goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1921-- anything goes

Flapping butterflies

Here's my latest card.  Mrs. A's Butterfly Challenge includes the element of doing a flap card, and I found a set of these white card bases among my stash, so it was just a matter of decoration.


I started with two snippets of a pale yellow and stamped flowers in a Distress pink on the diagonal on the larger piece.  The smaller piece is the perfect place for a sentiment. For the main image, I stamped the butterfly flitting, floating... on a snippet of white, colored the butterflies with colored pencils, and used the negative of a scalloped oval to create a frame (I'm almost embarrassed to admit I'd saved that as a snippet, too).
For a little clasp element, I used a die-cut flower in white and added one of these premade flower/gem combos on top. I added a few more flowers to finish the card off.

This card is entered in these challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #122: flap, flowers, colors (Pink, flax, firebrick)
Stamplorations -- Things With Wings
Die Cut Divas May challenge -- flowers
Crafting by Designs -- Feature a Creature (butterfly)
Pixie's Snippet Playground #353 -- use snippets
Word Art Wednesday #388 -- anything goes

Get Musical

A new PINspirational Challenge has been posted and hopefully, you'll be humming and playing along. All you need to do is create a project inspired by this week's inspiration photo.

For my card, I had fun with one of my fave images from Bugaboo.  The image is colored in pencils with very liberal use of a Spica pen to add some flash to those cool shades and the stars. The sentiment is computer generated and accompanied by an open star brad. The image is backed by a snippet of star patterned paper because this kid is going to be a star!

Hope you can join the fun at PINspriational Challenge -- projects don't have to be a card.

My card is entered in these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Crafty Friends #110 -- anything goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1920 -- anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #386 -- anything goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #352 -- use snippets (red layer and star layer both snippets

PINspirational Challege

     The newest PINspirational Challenge is live. The inspiration picture for this challenge provides you with plenty of directions to go in if you don't want to make a MOM card because it has a nice country feel to it.
     My card features an image from a company called Santoro, which Hazel Harris (craftyhazelnut) sent me when I won one of her Christmas card challenges. (The hanging element in the inspiration pic made me use it.) The woman is colored in pencils with a paper-pieced dress (the dot pattern on the dress is so tiny I'm not sure it even shows up in the photo).
     The sentiment is from Stampin Up and it's stamped in an SU ink, Baroque Burgundy, I think. I also used a die-cut flourish in a burgundy color and a really pretty piece of floral printed paper. The base is more SU product, cardstock in the color River Rock.
      I hope you'll find some inspiration to create a project and link it up at the PINspirational Challenge blog. You have two weeks to create.

My card is for these challenges:
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge -- use patterned paper
Word Art Wednesday #384 -- anything goes
Crafting By Designs -- May anything goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1918 -- anything goes
Crafts Galore #63-- anything goes

Take that, difficult stamp!

I believe this might be the first orange Christmas card I've ever made.  The image is a House Mouse scene that absolutely refused to stamp for me. I can't count how many times I re-inked it in the stamp positioner, but it wouldn't stamp the entire image. (There was a huge white spot just to the right of what you see here.) I set it aside for a while, and then decided to use what I could and have one bunny hanging carrots on a tree instead of two.

In addition to using the "snippet" created by lop off half the image, the image is matted on a dark orange snippet which is on a paler orange snippet. In keeping with the orange theme, I used orange baker's twine and orange ink on the sentiment.

This card is entered in these challenges:
Rudolph Challenge -- Christmas
Winter Wonderland -- cute Christmas
ABC Christmas -- H is for Hang it Up
Crafting By Designs -- Get ready for Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #434 -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #384 -- anything goes
Pixie's Snippet Playground #350 -- use snippets

World's best

Welcome to another PINspirational Challenge and I hope you'll find the inspiration photo of our home, planet earth, to be inspiring -- let's make every day earth day. If you would like to join the challenge, please make a project (it doesn't have to be a card) and link up on the challenge post.

My project is a card that uses a gorgeous piece of background paper I have avoided cutting into for years (yes, years).  I got it in a swap where everyone made and exchanged background papers, and I just loved the colors on this one so much. The blues and greens seemed like a good background for this theme.

The coffee cup is from a digi stamp from From the Heart, which  I colored with pencils and fussy cut. The sentiment is from the same set, and it's matted on a snippet of coppered colored metallic paper to play off the metallic paints used for the background. A couple of sequins add a little more metallic shine.

This card is entering these challenges.
Simon Says Stamp Monday -- Going Round in Circles
Word  Art Wednesday #382 -- anything goes
Crafty Sentiments -- anything goes