Die Cuts. Sooo many die cuts...

 When I first envisioned this project, I never dreamed I would put this many die cuts on one card.  

But once I got started, I couldn't stop myself!  The Gina Marie chick is cut from Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody, the grass is cut out of Pear Pizazz with a Lawn Fawn die.  The eggs are scraps of Rose Red, Mango Melody, So Saffron, etc.  Texure added with old Sizzix texture plates.  Created for The Paper Players Colour Challenge:

Soft colors for Easter

 I like to send a lot of Easter cards,  As much as I love this one, I don't have the patience to create very many of them!

Lots and lots of die cuts!!  Kat Scrappiness base die, I think the others are Gina Marie?  Anyone?

Sharing this with The Color Throwdown # 635.  I used the colors, but in a much softer palette:

Little Lambs

Lambs to me mean babies and Easter, so the Twofer Spring Animals challenge is perfect to break out my Gina Marie Easter Lamb die. 

Our niece's baby shower was today (no judgement for attending, please), and I needed a baby girl card.  She loved it!  I am thinking, though, that maybe they needed a bow around their necks?!?  Floral background is from Echo Park Easter Wishes.  Chevrons from a really old American Crafts My Baby paper pad.  Probably one of my earlier purchases on my crafting journey. 

Jingle Belles Red Challenge

I'm slowly getting back into the crafting groove, but my photography skills have not improved :(.  The Jingle Belles Have a Red challenge this time around. 

Loved playing with the different patterns and textures.  The Divine Swirls embossing folder makes the die cuts look "quilted".  While I like the tiny polka dots paper, the pieces are so small that the polka dots look too big!  The labels are adapted from Spellbinders and the sentiments from SU!.  The other sentiment is Clearly Defined. 

Easter Egg

The Fusion challenge this week is:

As soon as I saw the image, I thought of a Gina K die that doesn't get enough love:

This Bazzill embossed paper is the perfect background for the Gina K die and grosgrain ribbon.  On the inside, I included a Gina K Happy Easter die cut in the same dark purple as the egg. 

Thinking of You

Loving the Color Throwdown shades of the ocean.  

And they led into the perfect response to the Try Stamping on Tuesday's Tic Tac Toe, striaght across the middle row:

The card base is white, the circles holographic silver, and the circles aqua and bright blue, sentiment from Gina Marie.  I really hate trying to take picture of metallic papers, but I love this card!!!

Twofer Card Challenge - Trees

I love entering the Twofer Card challenges.  They really make me stretch my creative thinking.  This round, I used the same stamp in very different ways. 

First up, the image is heat embossed in white glitter on navy pearl and paired with an elegant Merry Christmas:

CAS, but still has enough depth and texture to keep things interesting.

This is my third attempt at a spotlight card:

I have needed WAY too many sympathy cards recently.  Love how the lone tree in the center reflects how alone we feel in grief (no matter how many people are there to love and support), yet there are others nearby in love.

SU! Lovely Trees.  First sentiment from Creative Station, second from Gina Marie.  The latest Words 2 Craft By challenge runs from June 13 through July 4.  Come play along with us!!

Sympathy Cards - the hardest of all

I HATE making sympathy cards.  Regardless of circumstance, losing a loved one (furry or human) is hard.  My card stash is in dire need of these, as they are needed more and more often.  Must be a life stage...

Tuesday Morning Sketches has a perfect layout:

Here are my versions:

I used beautiful matte silver paper for the focal points embossed with Darice and Gina Marie folders, and layered them on some yummy slick card stock embossed with more Darice folders.  The sentiment is from Unity.  Can you tell I got a new (old) Sizzix?  Found a new in clam shell packaging Big Kick on eBay for $65 with shipping.  I will keep my repaired one as a back up. 

I will be in and out of the blogosphere for a while longer.  My college kid had major knee surgery this week, and we are expecting a rough few days ahead.  Best news - he is expected to regain 90%+ function.  For an athlete, that is a great outcome.  He is hoping that he will be ready to compete this season, starting in December.  We are hoping that he can walk without pain for many years.  Oh, the perspective age provides!

Chocolate Bunny

Try Stampin On Tuesday has an Easter sketch challenge:

Here is my version using a Gina Marie die and Simple Stories papers:

Also sharing with Shopping Our Stash Peter Cottontail challenge and the Creative With Stamps Bunny challenge.  Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By for our Phenomenal Women challenge, ending April 4!

White Wedding

I finally made something worthy of posting (I hope!).

Copper heat embossed sentiment one the card base, Gina Marie embossing folder.  I am sharing this with 3 (yes, 3!) challenges.

Less is More Sketch Challenge 20:

Addicted to CAS #144 and Cards in Envy White on White challenges.

Come play along with us at Words 2 Craft By Love challenge!!!

Christmas Quilt

Last Christmas, every card I sent was hand made by me.  I want to be able to do the same this year, so I am trying to play along with different challenges, and make Christmas cards.  This way, I will have a diverse stash of cards and won't be pressured at the last minute.  

I made two cards using two different patterned papers with green "sashing".  For the quilting, I embossed both quilt squares with a snowflake folder.  For the first card, I stamped the sentiment in ink, then in VersaMark, and heat embossed with clear powder.  I am really enjoying this Gina Marie die!!!  I am sharing this with the Jingle Belles Flake challenge, and the Mod Squad TEXT(urize) challenge. Lots of time to play with us at Words 2 Craft By - Let's Celebrate!!

Quilting with Paper

In a moment of weakness, I bought a Gina Marie quilt die from Wholesale Crafting Supplies (NAYY).  Great price, low shipping, received 2 days after I ordered.  I thought the Color Throwdown and House of Cards challenges were the perfect opportunity to break it in.

Here are the inspiration images and my version

:

The quilt pieces are subtle patterns from K & Co, and I embossed the block with Divine Swirls to mimic quilting  The pink layer on the card base is a parchment pattern, it doesn't show up in the photo.