SSS Wednesday Challenge & SSS Flickr Challenge #37 - Anything Goes!

Hello, friends!  I'm stopping in today with several cards to share for the current Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog with the theme "Anything Goes."  I've been having fun playing with these Simon Says Stamp "Birthday Farm Animals" and I thought they would be perfect for this challenge.  I actually wound up making a set of cards...and I had a blast!

I am also going to link these cards up to the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #37: Anything Goes!  Have you checked out that group yet?  You really must...so much inspiration over there!

Anyway, here are close-ups of each card, paired up with some fun patterned papers (die cut with my WPlus9 "Sunshine Layers" and stitched rectangles).

I added black Enamel Accents and Glossy Accents to the eyes for fun.

Just a quick post today...off to continue the busy Saturday chauffeuring!  :)
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Judy

CASology #182: ADORE

Hello, friends!  It's that time again...time for our next CASology cue card!

This week we are sponsored by Concord & 9th, and I knew exactly what stamps I wanted to ink up for the cue card this week!  I won the "Tree Ring" stamp along with the "Grateful" set during the holiday season as part of the company's "12 Days of Christmas" giveaways on Instagram.  (Actually, my design teammate Tracey and I both won!)  I ADORE these stamps, and I would definitely give a card like this to someone I adore.  I'm thinking this simple note may go to my DH on Valentine's Day!

While I was at it, I made a second card.  I'd give this card to someone for a gift that I ADORE!

I stamped the tree ring using khaki ink, and then I spritzed both cards from a distance with Perfect Pearls Mist in heirloom gold.

So, what does ADORE bring to mind for you?  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time).  Check out our guest designer and design team blogs, too...you will ADORE their creative cards!

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jacquie Southas
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Sherrie Mannion
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Jenny

Our Sponsor This Week:  Concord & 9th

On another note, I have to say how excited I am that I have reached 150 followers!  I consider this a big milestone...and I am so happy to have you visit my blog, whether you are a follower or not!

I am planning on doing a special "I've Reached 150 Followers Give-Away," so stay tuned!
  
Thanks for visiting,

Judy

GSD: 14th Share Your Design Challenge & SSS Wednesday Challenge

Hello, friends!  Well, the "Blizzard of 2016" has arrived on the East coast and we are all home together, staying safe and warm, and relaxing.  All the kids' activities for the day have been cancelled (including SAT's, two different play practices, indoor soccer, stage crew, and a babysitting gig), and I am enjoying every minute of it!  Apparently it takes a blizzard for us to all be home at the same time with nowhere to go.

Here is a quick pic of our back yard this morning...we are expecting snow for the rest of the day, too, with heavier snowfall in the afternoon.  Sp peaceful...at least our back! Out front is a different story -- my husband and two sons are starting round one of shoveling!

I do have a long to-do list for the weekend (mainly laundry, cleaning, and work I brought home in order to play catch-up), but I gave myself permission to play a little bit and I wound up making five cards in the process!  I made them all for the current Gerda Steiner Designs 14th Share Your Designs Challenge.  I recently purchased these two sets ("Gopher It" and "Howl Are You? Puppy") and I couldn't wait to ink them up.

       

First up...this adorable gopher.  I am a sucker for a punny sentiment!  In my usual fashion, I filled up those glasses and his coffee mug with Glossy Accents for shine.  I'm also linking this fella up with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Create With Critters. 

Next up...grumpy dog!  His mug just makes me laugh.  Hoping this one will cheer up someone who is having a rough day.

Finally, I made three easy birthday cards to add to my stash.  I am always in need of birthday cards for kids, especially when my kids get invited to a bunch of birthday parties for classmates.  I figured these designs are good for boys and girls alike.  I filled up their noses with Glossy Accents so they would look wet!

I tried to make this one look like a beagle...tough from this angle, but I think I did it?

Here they are all of my cards together:

I just found out that Gerda Steiner Designs is holding a Guest Designer Call!  I am going to throw my hat in the ring with these cards.  I do love her designs and there are plenty of digi freebies available if you don't have any of her stamps yet but want to try your hand at it, too!  Check it out HERE!

I'm very hopeful to be back with more cards later this weekend...maybe in between laundry and shoveling!

  

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Create With Critters

Hello, friends!  I'm stopping in this evening to share a birthday card for the current Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog with the theme "Create With Critters."  According to the dictionary, "critter" is an informal word for a creature, a living animal. I recently purchased these Simon Says Stamp "Birthday Farm Animals" and I thought they would be perfect for this challenge!

I stamped and masked the images so that they could send birthday wishes as a group. The sentiment is from the SSS "Handwritten Borders" set...I masked off the edge so it would not extend beyond the stitched border.

I am also going to link this card up to the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #37: Anything Goes!

I have a feeling I will be playing with these cute birthday animals more in the near future...especially as a snow storm hits our area and I sneak in some crafting time!

Thanks for stopping by,
Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop {Inspire Me Friday}

Hello, friends!  Just a heads up that today I'm sharing a card for the "Sweet Pea" stamp set release over at the Precious Remembrance Shop blog. 

I hope you'll go check out my first installment of {Inspire Me Friday} for this release and the "totally sweet" card I'm sharing today...I channeled my "inner Lisa!"

We are gearing up for our first major snow storm to arrive tonight...I love snow, and I'm hoping I can make lots of cards this weekend!

Thanks for visiting,
Judy

CASology #181: CLEAR

Hello, friends!  I'm happy to be here today with my card for the next CASology cue card!

So, here's the deal.  I have worn glasses (or contact lenses for some time in high school) for many, many years.  However, over the past few years, my vision has been changing and, alas, I had to go to "progressive lenses" last year.  Ugh!  It seems to me that I'm constantly moving my glasses up and down so I can see things more clearly. When I saw this cue card, the first thing I thought of was my desire to have clear vision!

When I was a kid, there were very few glasses frames from which to choose.  Today it seems that glasses are an accessory...there are so many cute styles!  Wouldn't these red polka dot frames be fun to wear?  They do make quite a statement!

Supplies Used:

Paper Smooches "Glasses" die

Jane's Doodles "Big Sentiments!"

Darcie "Oblong Doily" embossing folder

Patterned paper, Glossy Accents

I hope you will join us and link up your clean and simple CLEAR card by noon on Monday (Central time).  Check out our Design Team and Guest Designer blogs for more inspiration!

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jacquie Southas
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Sherrie Mannion
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Natalia

Our Sponsor This Week:  STAMPlorations

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

Precious Remembrance Shop New Release & Giveaway!

Hello, everyone!  I am so excited to be here today to share the newest release from Precious Remembrance Shop!  This adorable set was designed by our very own lovely and talented design team member, Lisa Elton.  If you have ever visited her blog, you have undoubtedly read about her adorable granddaughter to whom she lovingly refers as "Sweet P."  She was the inspiration for Lisa's first exclusive stamp set!  

Introducing "Sweet Pea Stamp Set!"

I was immediately drawn to the beautiful flowers and sweet, scripty "love you" sentiment, especially as Valentine's Day is approaching.  

Be sure to hop along to see all the wonderful cards made by the design team for this fun new release!  Here is a list of the entire hop, from start to finish!

• Lisa Elton

• Melissa Chipperfield

• Sue Lelli

• Judy Marino -- you are here!

• Rosemary Dennis
• Kim Bell

• Precious Remembrance Shop 

There is also a give-away!  One lucky winner will win the Sweet Pea Stamp Set + Sweet Pea Sequins Mix (Lisa's exclusive mix over at Pretty Pink Posh).  Heads up -- Lisa is also doing a giveaway at her blog, too!

Giveaway Details:

Leave a comment to the shop's blog post and each designer's blog for a chance to win.

• One lucky winner of the Sweet Pea Stamp Set + Sweet Pea sequins mix will be chosen randomly. 
• To keep updated with our projects, join us on our Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram if you haven't already.
• Giveaway will end on January 21, 2016.

Thanks for stopping by...and happy hopping!

Judy

Gerda Steiner Designs January Challenge - Happy Valentine's Day

Hello, friends!  I am so happy to be here today to share another card I made for the current Gerda Steiner Designs January Challenge - Love You Kitten.  There are so many cute cards in the pool over there this month...you really should check it out!

I will be adding this to the set of cards I'm sending to Winter Sims for the 7th Annual Valentine's Day "Cards from the Heart" Card Drive.  Check out Winter's blog, Winter Wonderland Designs, for details on how to send in your Valentine's Day cards for kids in a variety of hospitals and orphanages.  There are some specific rules, so be sure to read the details, and there are also sponsors and prizes!

For my card, I printed out the "Love You Kitten" image onto card stock, colored with distress inks and Copic markers, then fussy cut.  I filled in the big pink heart with Glossy Accents, then popped up the image on a heart-patterned designer paper.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.  Once again, I avoided gems, sequins, and embellishments since they are considered a choking hazard for this card drive.

I love that shine...I think it makes that heart look like candy!

That's it for me tonight...thank you for stopping by!

Judy

Gerda Steiner January Challenge - Be My Valentine

Hello, friends!  I am so happy to be here today to share three cards I made for the current Gerda Steiner Designs January Challenge - Love You Kitten.  Have you played along with these challenges?  If you play along, Gerda generously shares the image for the next month's challenge with you for free!  There are a few really cute new releases in her shop, and she has clear stamps, rubber stamps, and digital images available.  I really like her sweet illustrations...and this sweet little kitten is no exception!

I will be sending in these cards to Winter Sims for the 7th Annual Valentine's Day "Cards from the Heart" Card Drive.  I absolutely love this idea, and I have participated for six years now.  I wouldn't miss it!  Check out Winter's blog, Winter Wonderland Designs, for details on how to send in your Valentine's Day cards for kids in a variety of hospitals and orphanages.  There are some specific rules, so be sure to read the details.  There are also sponsors and prizes!  

For my cards, I printed out the "Love You Kitten" image onto card stock and die cut.  I colored in with Copic markers, added shading with distress inks, added Glossy Accents to the eyes, and arranged the images on various patterned paper layouts.  The white embossed sentiment is by Inkadinkado.  I avoided gems, sequins, and embellishments since they are considered a choking hazard for this card drive.

Here they are together...

And here they are individually...

Be sure to check out the Gerda Steiner Designs Monthly Challenge as well as the Share Your Designs contest (but know you can't enter your card in both at the same time).  And if you do make any extra Valentine's Day cards this month, consider sending them in to the Cards from the Heart Card Drive...it is such a worthy cause!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Judy

CASology #180: OPEN

Hello, friends!  It's time for our next CASology cue card!

So many ideas went through my mind when I saw this cue.  Obviously, open space on the card is a great interpretation for a clean and simple card challenge like CASology! I also thought of open house, open heart, open mind, open window/door.  Open your wings and fly.  Opening presents.  Opening bottles...and jars!  

Whoop...there it is.

I used a Paper Sweeties stamp and die set, and I paper-pieced the cloth cover of the lid for some extra interest.  The gingham-embossed card base helps keep white space open but also adds some interest to the card.  The jar is mounted on foam tape for a little dimension.

Supplies:

Paper Sweeties Mason Jar Bundle and twine

Cuttlebug "Gingham" embossing folder

Copic markers, patterned paper, corner rounder

I can't wait to see how you interpret the cue this week!  Be sure to link up your OPEN card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will also be inspired by the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue, so be sure to check out their blogs for more inspiration!

While I'm at it, I want to extend a warm welcome to our newest Design Team members: Deidre, Jacquie, and Sherrie.  We are so lucky to have these three talented ladies joining our team...be sure to leave them some love!

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Hazel Hodgkins
Jacquie Southas
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Sherrie Mannion
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer: Rachel

Our Sponsor This Week:  Craft Classes Online

Thanks for stopping by,

Judy

Little Tangles #64 & The Card Concept #46 - Hello (Again)

Hello, friends!  I'm stopping by today with a second card I made for two challenges.  My first card can be seen HERE.  It is not uncommon for me to make two or three similar cards while I have out my supplies (including multiple printed digital images, patterned papers, and dies).  I try to be efficient!

First challenge: Little Tangles Challenge #64: Hello.  

Second challenge:  The Card Concept #46: A Warm Heart.  I was once again inspired by the red cup and the red and gray colors.  I think this card's style is clean and graphic...too many layers to be considered clean and simple.

For my card, I used two digital images from the Neat and Tangled shop.  The "hello" sentiment is a digital freebie (with the border scrolls cropped out), and the cup image is from the "Warm Wishes" digital stamp.  I paired them with a pretty Nordic-style patterned paper and some fun stitched dies for a quick, simple card.

I really love how Glossy Accents add some interest and fun to this relatively simple card.

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy