Oddball Turtle

 I love this quirky and fun image that just makes me smile. It's called the Oddball Turtle from Stamping Bella and I used this to make a fun birthday card for another slowpoke like myself. I stenciled the background with a GMD bricked stencil on some tan cardstock with a darker brown ink. I stamped the turtle and colored it with Copics, adding a die-cut stitched frame in matching green designer paper. I split the sentiment and backed each piece with matching cardstock and called this one done. At my age, this is how I feel most days LOL

I'll share this with the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stencil it

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #446 - Make your Mark

(use pencils, markers, inks, paints, anything that makes a mark)

Critter Crazy Challenge #85 - A/G featuring a critter

the April Stencil fun Challenge - A/G using a stencil

with an optional theme of Spring/Flowers

We Love Stamping April - Spring theme or alternative of A/G

Thanks for stopping by and  keep moving forward regardless of your speed 😄

Carol

Grateful

 I love this Stampendous stamp and use it often because it reminds us to always be grateful in spite of our hardships and difficulties. I found a few leftover strips of Lawn Fawn autumn themed papers and added them to the side of the card, adding some die-cut Lawn fawn leaves cut from more snippets of autumn colored papers. The little bird was cut with a snippet of black and a SnSS die, dotting the eye with a white gel pen. The tiny sun is a die from Lawn Fawn and was made from snippets also.

I'll share this with the following challenges:

The Snippets Playground #478 - must use snippets

the Triple B April 2024 Challenge -  use 1,2, or 3 of Birds, Blooms, Butterflies

or if you choose, use all 3

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope your day is just perfect

Carol

Spring Floral Birthday Card

 I've always been fond of this Mark's Finest Papers (now closed) floral stamp so I made this simple birthday card in shades of blue and green with touches of yellow for the flower centers. I colored the image with Copics, adding a pre-printed sentiment from SSS and 3 matching gemstones. It was quick and easy but I love how it turned out.

I'm sharing this with the following challenges:

Allsorts Week #776 - It Has to be Spring

the Four Seasons April 2024 Challenge - A/G Spring

the Sisterhood of Crafters April 10 - Showers or Flowers

the Triple B April 2024 Challenge - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms

We Love Stamping April 2024 - Spring or A/G

Seize the Birthday#281 - Any Color and Green

Thanks as always for stopping by and I wish you the best possible weekend with spring finally being in the air!

Carol

Masculine Birthday Card

 I'm pulling older supplies from my stash and having fun with them. 

I found a half-used pad of Black Magic cardstock if anyone remembers that gem from years gone by? It's heavy black cardstock on one side with pastel colors on the other side. If you emboss and then sand it, those pastel colors magically appear on the black side. I found one piece that was white on the reverse side so I embossed that side with a CB diamond plate EF and lightly  swiped an ink pad of Brilliance Platinum Planet ink over it to add a touch of shimmery glow to the raised portions of the embossing.  Next I took a piece of that same cardstock and flipped it to the black side, cutting it with a Gina Marie Designs Venetian label, embossed it with the same EF, then sanded it to show the off-white colors. I die cut the GMD Birthday sentiment with gold mirror card and added the small deer head done with a DiesRUs die and a snippet of light brown cardstock.

I'll share this with the Male Room Challenge #185 - embossing

Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day!

Carol

You Amaze Me

Through the kindness and generosity of two wonderful friends, I received this beautiful die-cut image along with the fantastic embossing folder that I used to make this card. I sponged this intricate image lightly with some chalks to add just a touch of color to the eyes and lips and the flowers in her hair, adding some crystal Nuvo drops to the centers. I covered the entire image with clear Wink of Stella and added a tiny eye to the bird with a marker. The SB hand-drawn scallops EF was done on an old blank notecard that belonged to my mother. It was printed with her name at the top so I cut that portion off with a Lil Inker stitched rectangle die.  It has a neutral color and a subtle texture that seemed to work well with everything. The stitched sentiment die is by Gina K Designs and has an Altenew sentiment stamped in chocolate brown. I put everything on a brown cardstock base and called this one done. Thanks to everyone for sharing your wonderful crafting items with me - I'm always grateful for everything!

I'll share this with the Allsorts Challenge Week #775 - the theme is "For the Love of Animals" or - the A/G option. 

the Can You Handle the Pressure? challenge - A/G  embossing

with a twist of "birds." (There is a bird in her hair 😉)

NBUS Challenge for April #61 - never before used schtuff 

(This is the first time I used this EF)

I hope things are well in your corner of the world. I'm patiently waiting for Spring to arrive so that I can start complaining about how hot it is after this long stretch of rainy, gloomy, cold weather! 😏

Keep smiling, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Blue and Green Birthday Cards

I don't know what this design is called but I enjoy making cards like this. I found an old retired SU! paper pad with green and blue colors so I die-cut 3 circles in different sizes, cut them in half, and placed them in a circle pattern with a sentiment strip across the front. The embossing folder is an older retired one from SU. The sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy.

 Here's a slightly different card with the same papers and colors, but made with a Darice embossing folder. I added 3 tiny blue and green gemstones on both cards for the finishing touch.

I'll share the first card with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge which is "Happy Birthday."

Thanks for stopping by on this Wednesday and I wish you all a happy and crafty day!

Carol

Easter Treats

I always make little treat containers on holidays that I give to friends and neighbors, as well as cashiers, bank tellers and those I deal with on a regular basis. I love to surprise people with an unexpected treat, so I've done this for years. I'm sharing photos of some of the treats I made this year using an assortment of bunny dies, stamped images, and cardstock along with ribbons and twine. These tiny bags are a great little hand-out for people and a good way to use up all those wonderful snippets of pretty paper and cardstock. Instead of naming each item, I'll just share the photos and if you want to know any particular brand I used, ask in a comment and I'll be glad to fill you in.

I decorate both the front and back of each little "bag."

A very thoughtful blogger (Thank you so much once again) sent me some die cuts of this long-legged bunny after I mentioned how much I liked them. When I showed them to another friend of mine, she searched for the die, found it, bought it and sent it to me! (Thank you once again for your kindness and generosity) I've had more fun with this cute bunny than I can put into words. I put him on many of these treat containers and had so much fun dressing him up in different suits. He just seems to make everyone happy, including me 😊

I made a little blue Easter box with paper from an older Tim Holtz pad, adding a die-cut Easter greeting on one side...

along with one of his die-cut bunnies on the other side.

This basket/box holds 8 of the little treat bags and this one went to the employees of my bank.

Here's another bunny box I made with some grey colored  paper from the same TH pad. This box went to my neighbors who always have family over for Easter dinner, so she loves setting her table with these little treats for each one of her guests.

This box was made for my neighbor who lives below me. He is single and has a beautiful dog, so I included treats for him in one carton and dog treats in the other, and then tucked an Easter card inside the box. The carton containers were made with a TE die (a gift from a very thoughtful and generous friend - thank you again) and I cut down a couple of those TH bunnies and put them behind snippets of grass just for fun.

Here are the cartons tucked inside the little box.

With all of these snippets I used I'll share my treats with

the Snippets Playground #477.

Thank you again to all my fellow bloggers and friends for being so generous, caring and sharing with me. You all helped me put quite a few smiles on people's faces with these little treats.

I hope everyone who celebrates Easter had a great day yesterday. I had friends and neighbors stop down and bring me so much food I'll have to freeze most of it, but I was so happy to see everyone and get to chat with them for a while too. 

Beware everyone - today is April Fool's day so use caution! LOL I used to prank my husband years ago by putting salt in the sugar bowl and watch for that sourpuss face when he took that first sip of morning coffee. 😝 Somehow it got funnier each year because he never seemed to remember when it was April Fool's day. 😉 

Have a fantastic Monday and keep smiling!

Carol

Happy Easter

 Happy Easter everyone!! 

May your day be filled with many blessings

and joy.

Carol

Easter Bunny

 I found this older Penny Black stamped image in my stash and pulled it out to make an Easter card. I colored the image with Copics, adding white gen pen accents to the flowers and some fluff to his tail with liquid applique. The sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy stamps and the basket weave embossing folder is from SU!. I added 3 tiny lavender gemstones for the finishing touch.

I will share this card with these challenges:

The Sisterhood of Crafters March 27th - Bunnies or Chicks

the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for March -

A/G with an optional "Easter" theme

The Allsorts Challenge # week 773/4 - keep it simple or A/G

(I hardly ever make anything simple, so it's A/G)

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge - A/G using an embossing folder

with an optional twist of "birds"

Here in PA it's yet another rainy day, but I wish you some warm sunshine wherever you live. Make it a great day whether it's rain or shine.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Thank You Card

 I needed to make a thank-you card so I pulled out a big black and white paper pad I bought a few years ago and made this card. All the papers are from that huge pad and I used a Lil Inker stitched diagonal die along with a die-cut Gina Marie Designs Venetian Label for the TE die-cut THANKS. I added 3 sparkle stickers randomly although you can only see one on the black panel

I'm sharing this with the Sketch Saturday Challenge #747 which has a twist to use black and white

Also sharing with the Word Power #3 challenge where the sentiment is to be the focus of your card.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you the best possible day.

Carol