AAA Cards and a Happy Holidays card

 The theme for AAA Cards this week is using blue for a Christmas card.

 I love creating winter or Christmas cards in unexpected colors and using this chilly aqua blue just seems to fit with a big white snowflake. 

My card uses several different strips of washi or paper tape making for a very fast and fun creation.  That really neat and dainty snowflake uses a Simon Says Stamp die with a couple buttons for the center.  The sentiment is a Printworks stamp.  

Be sure to play along at AAA Cards.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

O Christmas Tree

Pulling out the Holiday stamps and supplies is so much fun.

 I wanted to make another tag for the CAS-ology Festive challenge so I actually went to one of my newest purchases, a set of Tim Holtz stamps.  I picked up the mini set at our recent stamp convention.  

 First of all I created a background on a manila tag.  I used a stencil and some Distress Stains.  The tree was stamped on a separate piece of cardstock.  I colored it in with Copic markers.  I stamped that same tree again so I could cut out portions and add them over the original tree with foam tape.  The red strips under the tree piece are pieces of paper tape.  

 Here is the CAS-ology Festive challenge.

This also fits the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of Seeing Stars.
AND....

This is what I made for dinner tonight, Simple Chicken Tortilla Cassorole.  Go here for the recipe.  Let me tell you, make it TONIGHT!!!! You will want to drink the sauce.  The recipe does call for canned chicken.  I used chicken tenders for mine.  I cut them in thin strips and fried them, then added them to the mix. I could also see this spooned over rice or mashed potatoes.  

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

First AAA DT card

Let the fun begin! I was asked recently if I wanted to be a part of the AAA Cards team and since I am over the moon in love with challenges, I knew right away I wanted to play along with the team.  This week is my first card, being part of the team.

 It was so much fun to approach this challenge because of the little bit different angle.  Looking at the inspiration photo, I see a kitty cat, a book or newspaper and some yarn or string.  

 I knew I didn't have anything kitty cat related so that really was my first challenge!!! I did the next best thing and turned to A Day for Daisies shop for a digital image.  I love using digital images because I can print them out as many times as I want and in the sizes that I need.  I colored it with Copic markers.  This adorable image has the cutest little kitties and some yarn or string. The cloud die cuts are from Paper Smooches.  

 I stamped the newspaper image piece, making it into an banner.  A colorful piece of paper tape added some great interest.  Do you love that background!? I created it with a Tim Holtz stencil and some Ranger Distress Stains, Mustard Seed and Squeezed Lemonade.  The stencil and the Distress Stains are available at Blue Moon Scrapbooking. Be sure to check out this online store with it's great prices and selection. 

 I also wanted to create a card for the Addicted to CAS Texture challenge.  

 I used only a portion of a stencil and the Ranger Emboss It Dauber - embossing liquid in a dauber bottle.  I then embossed that with white embossing powder.  To add the color, I smashed down a pink Distress Stain onto the paper over the embossed design.  I love the little splatter that comes with the smashed ink.  The sentiment is from Mama Elephant.

Can you see the texture and the coloring?  That pretty flower and the leaves are stamps and matching dies from Wplus9 Designs. The center is Distress Glitter in pink. 

This also fits a new-to-me challenge blog, Inkspirational Word Prompt.  

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

A Flower Here and a Flower There

Yeah! More fun online challenges!

 I first off wanted to use the Fusion challenge.  It is a sketch and a color combo and you can use both or either.  I did decide to use both.  I started out with a fun background with some Distress Inks and other good stuff. I always like how these turn out.  These are some drops of Heidi Swapp gold spray, that stuff is so cool. 

 In order to create those little banners that are hanging down, I used some Paper Tapes that I had.  I added the tapes to white cardstock so they were sturdier.  The stamps for the label, the flowers and the sentiment are from PaperTrey, Inc.  

 Here is the Fusion challenge.

 I also wanted to create a card to go with the Less Is More "One Layer" challenge. I don't know why but this seems to be such a hard challenge for me.  I think it is because I just want to add "stuff" so much!!!

 I created a simple background with a stencil and some Distress Inks.  Over that I stamped the solid flower and embossed that so the black was more vivid.  The flower and the sentiment are from PaperTrey, Inc.

Here is the Less is More challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Using Paper Tapes

Paper Tapes or Washi Tapes are so popular and really so much fun to use. 

 The Paper Players challenge for this week was to use tapes so of course I had to play along since I love these things. I love how fast and easy they are to use and you can combine patterns so easily. 

 After I had my variety of tapes on my white cardstock, I used a PaperTrey, Inc "LOVE" die cut word and cut that out of the larger, black pattern. I then cut the word again from red cardstock and put that into the cut out area of the word. The "you" is a die cut from Simon Says. My tapes are from Recollections and Queen & Co. 

Here is the Paper Players challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

It is about the DOTS

A fun challenge at CASology this week is to make a project using dots. 

 This turned out easy when I pulled out some of my paper tapes! I used a Hero Arts heart stamp and a PaperTrey, Inc. sentiment to finish my card.

 I so love using this stuff.  They make for such a quick little accent and they are so easy to combine tapes and patterns.

Here is the CASology challenge.
I also thought this fit the Paper Issues "You are just my type" challenge. 
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Not ready for Fall

Yes, today is the first day of fall but I am holding onto Summer, screaming, throwing a little tantrum!!!

 Now, I really do love the colors of fall and with that I always find it fun to create fall projects but I love the longer hours of sunlight that summer brings so I don't let hold of that easily but no one ask me and fall is marching on. I did want to create a card to celebrate fall arriving today. I used the new retro sketch and some Paper Smooches stamps. The black striped piece is a piece of Paper Tape. I love Paper Tape so I wanted to create another project using that.

 The patterned paper is from a mini pad from Echo Park.  This was so easy with these really cute, fall themed stamps.

 Here is the retro sketch.

 Another card I wanted to share is one that I created to go with the 10 minute craft dash.  This super adorable set of stamps from Paper Smooches and a variety of Clearsnap stamp pads made this really fast and easy.

 The little cups actually stamp solid and I added the leaves and the smoke with stamps.

Here is the 10 minute craft dash.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Stamping and Die Cutting

You know I love stamping so for this first card I turned to the Colour Q combination for my inspiration.

 I also turned to a set of Hero Arts stamps, I love this leaf stamp.  I picked out some Distress Stains that I felt fit the color combination.  Each leaf was stamped in a different color by simply inking the feather in each of the colors.  The Distress Stains are so easy to use and give a neat watercolor look.

 I also added matching dots to each leaf.

 

 

 Here is the Colour Q combination. 
(ETA) I am adding the following card to the Moxie Fab challenge to use paper tape.

 I love dies too and I wanted to use this great word "thanks" from Paper Smooches.  I also wanted to use some of the great paper tapes that I have.  I think they are so fun to use and easy too.

At first my thought was to just cut the word out of the white cardstock and then back that paper with black so the negative of the word showed off well.  For some reason I placed the cut out word back into the space it was cut out of and I really liked that look, the black background still gave a neat accent. 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Boy stuff - Girl stuff

I have managed to complete a few layouts recently and I wanted to share one of them with you.

 I created a collage of my favorite photos from this park visit, Picassa makes that so easy.

 Notice my Target Paper Tapes as my decoration? They look great against white cardstock.

 I picked up some chipboard pieces by October Afternoon as accents.

 This little sentiment is from a sticker set by Echo Park.

 Gotta share a girly card too. LOVE these products from My Little Shoebox.

The cloud, the little girl and the flowers are all cut from patterned papers.

And for a few photos...

I was walking in my backyard this week with my camera.  Have you ever seen the blossom on a Passion Fruit plant? They have to be one of the weirdest creations. One of those wonders of God's creation that just amaze me as they all turn out identical and very strange!

More of my fushias too.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

What's Love Got to do with it?

First love - a card created for a Paper Smooches challenge using a sentiment about LOVE plus I used The Play Date Cafe color combo.

 Kim gave a challenge to create a card with just cardstock. Sometimes that is a hard one for me, today it was easier for some reason. I used a piece of glitter cardstock by Core'dinations and cut my card base out with a Cricut cartridge. The cut I used cut the card base and the window opening. I also cut the matching gray frame.

 I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and placed that behind my window opening.  For my light pink like in the color combo, I stamped the gingham border twice with pink ink.  Next I stamped the rose over that. I did a little bit of accenting with some pink Copic markers and I colred the leaves too.

 Here is The Play Date Cafe combo - isn't it yummy?

 Next up, is my youngest grandson, he is soooo easy to LOVE! He can also be a comedian like in the photo.  I wanted to play along with Cath's Spectacle challenge at Moxie Fab. I took a little artist license with how I interpreted the challenge!  I thought this photo would be a pretty cut focus on a card. 

I used some paper tape by Queen & Co to accent my card along with some triangle shapes. I just punched out squares and cut them in half. Easy-peasy!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)