Cup o' Coffeeflies -- Coffee Loving Cardmakers' Spring Blog Hop

Happy Spring! A new season means a new Blog Hop with the Coffee Loving Cardmakers, and I always enjoy playing along.

I adapted cut files I used for a coffee mug pocket card to make this punny, interactive card. You could also tuck a gift card in there!

The butterfly stamps & punch are from Stampin' Up! and the coffee beans dies are from Elizabeth Craft Designs. I stamped the butterfly backgrounds with Tea Due distress ink & heat-embossed them with a stash mix of white, gold, clear & shiny powders. I ink-distressed the edges & also used my Ingvild Bolme/Prima distressing tool on the edges.

The sentiment on the front is a stamp from Art Impressions, and I computer-generated the inside sentiment using the Bradley Hand typeface. I created the frame stamp by die-cutting foam with flower & circle dies. I used the foam stamp with purple ink to stamp the frames.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes 
Spring 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop: Spring + Coffee/tea (I was, by chance, the 1001 entry in the link-up. Thanks to Karen for pointing that out!)

Thank you for visiting!

Punctuate! with the Unstampabelles

The UnstampaBelles March challenge is Punctuate with the optional twist of being Amusing. You can make whatever you like without using any stamps. We do allow printables from CDs as well as self-created sentiments.

I'm actually a bit of a punctuation nerd... and I especially enjoy a reason to use an interrobang! I was inspired by a popular grammar joke: "Let's eat Grandma‽ /  Let's eat, Grandma! / Punctuation Saves Lives."

To make the punctuation embellishments, I painted some cardstock with white puff paint to create a frosting-like texture, before cutting the shapes with a QuicKutz die.

Be sure to check out the fabulous projects by my teammates and hope you'll join us this month at UnstampaBelles!

Thank you for visiting,

More than 2 Folds at Crafting with Dragonflies

Our challenge this fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies is to make a card with more than 2 Folds. I love fancy folds, partly because I always find them challenging!

I kinda sorta followed the directions for a double pop-up card by Rosietoes, but my final card is 4.25 x 6 inches.

Graphic 45 papers are so fun to use for cards like this. I used two different collections, plus a fun paper from Jillibean Soup.

The library card on the front is from Kraft Outlet. I stamped the image (ClearArt Stamps) with a mix of Antique Linen and gray inks, and then stamped the sentiment (Stampin'D'Amour) on top. Both sentiments were stamped with a mix of purple & black inks.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Frilly and Funkie: Fold 'em + Vintage
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Layer it up


Thank you for visiting,  and hope you'll join the fun at Crafting with Dragonflies,

Ewe're the best! -- Pilin' on the Puns and Plaid

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Humor/Puns and/or Plaid. The only really rule is to be inspired by more than one papercrafting challenge. We're sponsored by Dr. Digi's House of Stamps, and I used his Pride and Joy digi stamp.

The image was colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, and placed onto a photo background that I got from a magazine. The border was made with a cork sheet & a QuicKutz die. The mats and base card are cut from the backing paper that came with the cork sheet! I've had this plaid DP in my stash forever, and it was perfect for this project. I made the silly sentiment & backed it with some wood tape. I didn't do anything to the wood veneer embellishments, except for putting a bit of wood tape behind the star, because I thought it would distract. I used a ZIG glue pen to add white flocking to the sheep.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Dare2BArtzy: Lots of Layers
Die Cut Divas: For the love of animals + die cuts
The Male Room: Wood from my Stash
Shopping Our Stash #294: Mostly green
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bit O' Green
Sketch-Tanten (Sketch Aunts) Challenge #30: Sketch + Digi stamp as focal point

Update: This was chosen as a Top Pick for Sketch-Tanten #30. Thank you, Andrea!

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting! Hope you'll join us at Pile It On,

Sweet Birthday Wishes - Embossing at International Art & Soul

Our theme this fortnight at the International Art & Soul Challenge is Embossing. One of my favorite themes! I decided to focus on dry embossing, to showcase some of the lovely Core'Dinations Whitewash paper collection. A nail file was all I needed to bring out the color.

The "candles" are popped up with foam tape, so all the elements end up being a bit popped up. I used circle dies to create the shaker from foam, scrap plastic, and patterned paper. I used a cupcake embossing folder to create the indentation on the top piece of acetate. The back of it is also clear, but I added another cupcake that I "stamped" with the same folder & green ink & colored with Copics.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Connie Can Crop #56: Sketch
Deep Ocean Challenge #150: Dots and/or Stripes
Southern Girls # 155: Pop It Up With Foam


Update: This was chosen as a Top 3 Pick for Connie Can Crop's Sketch Challenge!

Thank you for visiting! Hope you'll join us at International Art & Soul,

Simply Rainbow

I found this little bit of rainbow-ish ribbon in my stash and I wanted to make the most of it. I put the ribbon through the front aperture and then glued in the shaker portion, so that the ribbon wrapped around the inside too.

The card base is from the cloud shaker card kit by Jillibean Soup. I filled the shaker with plastic confetti (Recollections) and sealed it with a piece of acetate. The sentiment (Scrapmaster's Paradise) reads, "May your days be filled with color," and is stamped on the inside with an ombre ink pad (Recollections).

I used a cloud embossing folder and coasterboard for the front. I inked the embossed piece with white chalk ink, which is barely noticeable but brighten the natural color. I traced the cloud shape & hand-cut it out. The birds were stamped with an Artsy Fartsy stamp (3 little birds) and a ColorBox ink pad set. I added little bits of ink each time to create a rainbow look. I heat-embossed them with clear powder to make the colors pop.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #169: Off the Edge
Crafty Addicts: CAS
Double D Challenges: Things That Fly + Mood Board
Make My Monday #41: Colors of the Rainbow
The Ribbon Girls: Anything Goes with Ribbon

Thank you for visiting,

Under the Sea at Crafting with Dragonflies

Our theme this fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies is Under the Sea.

The crab is made with an Echo Park die set.




Thank you for visiting, 

Everybody's a clown -- Pilin' on the Humor

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Humor/Puns. The only really rule is to be inspired by more than one papercrafting challenge. We're sponsored by Dr. Digi's House of Stamps. I used Strongo the Magnificent, Graphic 45 papers, and a VLVS rubber sentiment stamp. I made a tri-shutter card, based on the tutorial at Beccy's Place.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Color Inspiration Monday #14: Hand-colored image
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything Goes with Patterned Paper
The Paper Girls #122: Stars and Stripes
Sketch-Tanten (Sketch Aunts) Challenge #29: Sketch + stamps
Sweet Stampers: Add a Sentiment

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting! Hope you'll join us at Pile It On,

24-carrot advice -- Fancy Borders at International Art & Soul

Our theme this fortnight at the International Art & Soul Challenge is Fancy Borders. I used grass dies (QuicKutz) to create borders for this spring-y card.

I've had this Penny Black clear stamp set for many years, and I can never get enough of these cute hedgehogs! They seemed to go so well with the sentiment too; the paper I have that has this sentiment & gave me the diea didn't work for this card design, so I made the wordart myself. I made three versions and ended using my first idea anyway! The carrot border was stamped with a StudioG stamp, and I used the natural rainbow of carrots for the color palette. I colored it & the PB stamps with Copics. I also used Copics to edge all the pieces & to color the gold border stickers. I embellished the pieces with green vellum, grass decorative scissors, border stickers from Elizabeth Draft Designs, mulberry flowers, and liquid pearls.

I used this bow tutorial with an angel food cake fork to make the bow with a translucent ribbon.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craft-Dee BowZ: Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Di's Digis Designs: Die Cuts and/or Punches
Paper Shelter Challenge: Animal Magic
Penny Black Saturday Challenge: Bright & Cheerful Colors
Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch #392

Thank you for visiting! Hope you'll join us at International Art & Soul,