Beautiful Blossoms Dec 2023

Hi friends! Welcome to The Beautiful Blossoms Dec. 2023 Challenge where we love all things floral. I've made 2 cards, very similar but not quite the same.

Here is our lovely inspiration photo:

I was inspired by the pine cones. I knew I had a Sizzix Thinlit #666067 called Holiday Brushstroke #3 which I haven't had a chance to use yet. I just cut it from red, green and yellow card stock in my stash for a pleasing design.

The pine cones were die cut from Honey Bee Winter Bouquet Honey Cuts out of brown card stock and ink blended a deeper brown around the edges.

The 2 background panels are retired, one from A Jillian Vance Designs and one from MFT Stamps. I layered them over gold glitter card stock.

The sentiments are from my stash, one is foiled and one is stamped in brown and sprinkled with clear embossing powder.

I tried to capture the pretty gold peeking through the dots.

Easy cards to make, but I think they are eye-catching!

Thank you for stopping by, staying to the end and I hope we will see your lovely work at the Beautiful Blossoms Challenge!

I will also be submitting my card to NBUS Challenge for as I mentioned the Holiday Brushstroke #3 is new to me.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

HLS Stencil Challenge

It's December 2023 and as I write this blog, sadly, I understand it will be the last month for the Happy Little Stampers Challenges. The challenge will close indefinitely.

For my last design team card, I choose A Colorful Life Designs Marvelous Masks Deckled Rectangles Stencil. I used the smallest size and ink blended 3 windows with Ranger Ink's Distress Oxides colors: Twisted Citron, Spun Sugar and Salvaged Patina.

Our cuddly little cats and dog are from MFT Stamps Peace Love & Paws with coordinating dies which, as I look now, appear to be retired. I used this MFT set many times. Just love these guys.

Colored with Olo alcohol markers which I am also enjoying for their ease of use.

The sentiment is from Altenew - Happy Holidays which has great versatility!

Thank you for joining us for our last month of a stencil challenge...Have a wonderful holiday and best wishes to all!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Happy 5th Birthday Paper Funday

Happy 5th Birthday to The Paper Funday Challenge!

We are celebrating with giveaways....

I created this card with a stenciled/watercolor project gone bad. Never throw out your mistakes for they can be die cut and turned into something good! I used MFT Stamps Big Birthday Wishes Die-namic for this card. The great thing about a die like this is that you can make 2 cards using the positive and negative. Today I only made one. Shocking, I know!

The balloon die also comes from a retired MFT set called Balloon Besties.

The background is from Concord & 9th - Stitched Stripe Card Front Die.

I love the blues with silver stars!

Happy 5th Birthday Paper Funday and I hope you have many more!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Christmas Hearts

It's December and always a special time of year. I enjoy The Paper Funday Challenges for there is always something fun and unique:

The sponsor I choose this month was Jan's Digi Stamp Shop and the digital image called Caroling:

You know I always make at least 2 cards! That is because 2 digital images fit on one 8.5" X 11" watercolor paper. For the first card both the sentiment and images are from the digital set, but for the second card I used my own sentiments from a Simon Says Stamps Stamptember 2022 set by La-La-Land called Fabulous Holiday (no longer available).

As always, I printed the images with my laser printer onto Ranger Ink's Tim Holtz Water Color Card Stock - the smooth side since I was coloring faces. I don't like the bumpy side for faces.

I colored both cards with my Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers except for the fur - I used Altenew's Metallic Watercolor 14 Pan Set.

I debated about turning these into "lighted" cards with Pear Blossom Lights, but felt they would be too thick to mail without a lot of extra postage. Of course, they would be perfect to give the card in person with a gift.

The die cut stitched edge is from Pretty Pink Posh's Stitched Torn Rectangles Dies. I like not only the torn edge look, but the stitching, too.

Thanks for joining me today and thank you to Jan's Digi Stamps for being our generous sponsor and gifting us with this wonderful image and sentiment!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.