ALPHABET CHALLENGE - K is for KITTENS

 

Hi friends, and welcome back to my new ALPHABET CHALLENGE DT card!

The theme this go-around is K is for Kittens / Cats. 

You have two whole weeks to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the current theme!

DETAILS

Cats were colored in with alcohol ink markers. 

Sentiment was heat embossed in white detail powder.

Card base was dry embossed with SU’s Subtle folder. 

*TIP*

If tying a bow isn’t your thing but you’d like to add ribbon to your project, try adhering a straight length to your panel, attaching only on the reverse. Then simply tie another piece on as shown, either in matching or corresponding ribbon. Adding a blob of glue on the back side of the knot will keep things from shifting, and tacking the ends down with strong double-stick Glue Dots is helpful when sending out via post. 

SUPPLIES

cat stamps - Rare Image Rubber Stamps, Pets sheet

word stamps and oval die - Taylored Expressions

embossing folder - Stampin’ Up! Subtle

alcohol markers

red card stock

ribbons

Thanks for stopping in today, I can’t wait to see what you create!

VINTAGE GLAMOUR, SOMEWHAT ENTITLED

 

Hi friends, and welcome back to another Alphabet Challenge J is for Just Kidding/Funny card.

You still have plenty of time to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the current theme!

Playing along with this LITTLE RED WAGON Challenge 

#875 - Use a Stamp (ends 9/15)

and this 613 AVENUE CREATE September Anything Goes with Optional Twist:

 Bright and Breezy challenge  (ends 10/2)

I’ve always loved the movement in this image - I’ve tilted her even more to really get that skipping-along vibe. And of course the high fashion of the wealthy of the era - no athleisure out-and-about for those ladies! Fabrics were light and flowy and more beautifully colored than the black and white photos would ever indicate. 

SOME DETAILS

Our gal was stamped in black Memento ink, and colored in with Copics. Some gold metallic pen was added to the purse where brass rivets are. The purse was colored to mirror the fruit tones on her hat. 

Random fact: reddish-brown leather handbags were common in this era, often hand-tooled with patterns, and accented with small amounts of metal trim. 

Just a dash of gray marker helped ground her foot in the white space. 

The swirly under her purse was added as an after-thought to fill a too-blank space without filling up the white space! I thought it mirrored the flow of her hat ribbons nicely. 

Sentiment was stamped on yellow card stock and trimmed into rectangles to reflect her collar shape and color. The stamp came with the words in rectangle borders but it would be easy enough to get the same effect with a fine-line black marker. 

The white panel was corner rounded with a punch on opposite corners.

SUPPLIES

female stamp - B Line Design #BA816E On the Run

sentiment stamp - probably Dylusions by Dyan Reaveley

swirl stamp - Inkadinkado #97634 Dot Flourishes

rounded corner punch

alcohol markers

metallic gold pen

textured green cardstock

Thanks for stopping in today, and I can’t wait to see what you create!

ALPHABET CHALLENGE - H is for HORTICULTURE

 

Hi friends, and welcome back to my new Alphabet Challenge DT card!

The theme this go-around is H is for HORTICULTURE. You have two whole weeks to play along, and you can enter up to three times any handcrafted items featuring the current theme!

I had so much fun finding a different way to use this old favorite stamp! I colored it basically the same as the indexing sticker (wood mounted stamps were a thing of beauty 20 years ago!) but wanted to extend the scene out as much as possible and as cleanly as possible for a light airy feel. 

THE PROCESS

To start: I stamped the scene centered in black ink on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 white panel. I cut this down to the size shown to allow for a large border on the white card base. 

Next: I colored the scene with alcohol markers, and highlighted with a white gel pen. I used the cloud die to cut a stencil from heavy weight scrap card stock, and blended ink over it for three clouds that would run over the edges. I then laid the image panel with clouds centered on the card base and gave it a washi tape “hinge” on the bottom edge. This allowed me to stencil clouds on the base card to match up exactly with the top. To soften things, I swished the mostly-empty brush over all of it, and then trimmed the merest sliver off the top and sides of the image panel to make sure there was no line of demarcation. I did the same light application of ink with a blending brush to simulate the extension of the hill at the bottom edge. 

Finishing off: The image panel is mounted on a rectangle of fun foam. The sentiment is triple-stacked for dimension. 

*TIP OF THE DAY*

If you need a stencil image you don’t have, check your dies stash. You can use heavy weight scrap card stock to cut both positive and negative pieces!

SUPPLIES

scene stamp - Uptown Rubber Stamps Birthday Topiaries #H23036

cloud die - Stampin’ Up! Sunshine and Rainbows

Happy Birthday sentiment die - Memory Box Happy Birthday Chic Script #94872

white gel pen

SU & Distress ink pads

alcohol markers

fun foam

Thanks for stopping in today, and I can’t wait to see what you create!

HAPPY EASTER CHICK.

  Hi friends!

Playing along with this AAA CARDS CHALLENGE

(ends 4/11).

and this INKSPIRATIONAL CHALLENGE 

#364 (ends 4/10).

and this TRIPLE B APRIL 2026 CHALLENGE 

 Yellows Inspiration Board (ends May 4/30).

and this COLOURFUL OPTIONS CHALLENGE 

Yellow (ends 4/28).

Sun rays and grass were stenciled in lightly. Bird was stamped in black Memento ink and filled in loosely with alcohol ink markers. This panel was cut down and fitted inside the stitched border of the embossed white panel. I was not planning to add gems, but… black ink smudges 😂 I love Versafine black ink for sentiments but it does require more than 30 seconds drying time.

SUPPLIES

bird in flowers stamp - Penny Black Dancing Chick! #2564F

sentiment stamp - Stampin’ Up! Glorious Gift set

embossing folder - Crichton Cuttlebug Pinking Stitch

grass stencil - Taylored Expressions Set the Scene Grass #TESN66

sun rays stencil - MFT My Favorite Things #ST-170

Thanks for stopping in today!

IT’S YOUR DAY BALLOONS.

  Hi friends!

Playing along with this ADDICTED TO CAS CHALLENGE (ends 4/3).

this I LOVE PROMARKERS & OTHER MEDIUMS CHALLENGE

#604 Cute & Whimsical or Anything Goes (ends 4/12).

and this TRY IT ON TUESDAY CHALLENGE Make It Cute (ends 4/13).

and this SEIZE THE BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE #323 Add a Tag (ends 4/7).

and this CARDS FOR GUYZ CHALLENGES #384 Light Blue & Brown (ends 4/19).

I have a post on how to get this type of easy striped circle HERE  I used an old loyal Cropadile tool to set the rivet for tag purposes and added some waxed twine. 

I did some alcohol marker coloring and die cut him out, then covered the balloons with clear glaze. His head was foam mounted and his shoes were glued down. Sentiment was stamped in Tempting Turquoise. 

SUPPLIES

boy with balloons and sentiment stamps - Pink & Main

Diamond Dots silver circles - Stampendous

dotted embossing folder - unknown

Copic alcohol ink marker

Thanks for stopping in today!

NIFTY CHAIR.

Hi friends!

Playing along with this FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES CHALLENGE (ends 4/6).

UPDATE:

Thanks to Donna for naming me a Pricess of Clean! 😃

These unmounted red rubber stamps were made long before many of us dreamed of die cutting images in our own homes! So lots and lots of fussy cutting. But I love them so they get to stay :o)

The border stamp is 7 squares long so I stamped that repeatedly - pretty easy to line up as one end has a connecting line and one doesn’t, and I still have some ProvoCraft acrylic mounting blocks with grid lines incised. Then I used an Exacto style pen knife to trim the edge of the panel - not as torn as the sample but close enough, I think, and more in keeping with the overall style. The rest is pretty straightforward - just some alcohol marker coloring and some accents with the gold pen on the lamp and chair legs to coordinate with the matte gold panel behind the main white one. Sentiment was stamped in SU Blue Bayou. 

SUPPLIES

chair, lamp, border, sentiment stamps - Paper Candy

enamel dots - Echo Park New Day

Copic alcohol ink markers

gold pen - Pentel Slicci

The inside of the card, which is as white as the outside square, but keeps photoing yellow-toned because there is no daylight to work with. The “picture” frame is gold, as are the chair legs. 

Thanks for stopping in today!

CHICKEN THANKS.

Hi friends!

Playing along with this CREATIVE INSPIRATION CHALLENGE #37 Anything Goes (ends 4/30).

and this DL.ART CHALLENGE April Anything Goes (ends 4/30).

A quick and easy card made specifically to send along with a package today to a Penny Black fan. 

I stamped the image in Memento black ink, and colored it in with alcohol markers. Some days I really appreciate the colored index stickers on wood mounted stamps as coloring guidance. Today I probably couldn’t ring the bell on the creativity meter if a jumbo carnival prize depended on it :o) I loosely covered the image with a torn Post-it and blended Yo-Yo yellow ink through the stencil as shown. I attached a flat back faceted heart gem to the envelope part of the image. Torn chicken wire was stamped in gray ink to make it more silvery feeling. 

SUPPLIES

 chicken stamp - Penny Black What a Day! #2350F

chicken wire - Stampendous Chicken Wire #CRR318

ray stencil - My Favorite Things

heart gem - Park Lane

Thanks for stopping in today!

 

MERMAID CHRISTMAS

Hello!

TECHNIQUES

stenciling (background)

ink blending (background corner)

masking (mermaid)

alcohol markers (mermaid)

heat embossing (banner)

foam mounting (banner)

glitter glue (hair)

SUPPLIES

mermaid stamp - American Crafts Head in the Clouds clear set #356231

snowflake stamps - TAC (The Angel Company) set #T2162

small sentiment - Stampin' Up! Merry Crittermas set 

stencil - random from pack on Amazon

inks - Distress Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass and Dusty Concord

glitter glue - Stickles Waterfall

Sharing this card with the following Challenge Blogs:

Perfectly CAS #21 Tropical  (ends 12/12).

CAS on Friday  (ends 12/22).

AAA #204 Along the Edge, Optional Snow  (ends 12/11).

Thanks for visiting!

 

BE YOU

Update:

Sharing this card in the last challenge of the year at The Card Concept, where the theme is a favorite card created this year.  This card just makes my heart happy :o) and I am such a fan of Jane Davenport's images

 

This stamp is new to me.  I was so taken with the sass and purchased the phrase at the same sale to make sure she had a great message to go along side.  

SUPPLIES

STAMPS  

girl - Jane Davenport Giraffe Wisdom #JDS-053 clear set 

words - Picket Fence Studios It's Peopley Out There #S-150 set

pennants - Simple Stories Always in My Heart #10739 set

INKS

Memento Tuxedo Black

Versafine Onyx Black

EMBELLISHMENTS 

crystal stars - Park Lane Adhesive Gems #1734-6597

PATTERNED PAPERS  

assorted older Stampin' Up! and random

CARDSTOCK 

textured gray, white - random

MARKERS

Copic

STEPS  

1.  Cut gray cardstock to card front size.

2.  Adhere patterned paper panel to center of gray card.

3.  Using Memento black ink, stamp figure on white cardstock scrap and color skin and hair with markers.

4.  Stamp figure on various patterned paper pieces and fussy cut.  Adhere to image panel.

5.  Edge entire image with a neutral gray marker.  

6.  Trim panel into diamond shape and adhere to gray card front over dot paper panel.

7.  Using Versafine black ink, stamp pennants and words as shown.

8.  Stamp pennant flag on various scraps of patterned paper and fussy cut.

9.  Adhere pennant pieces to card front as shown.

10.  Apply flat back gems as desired.

Playing along with the following Challenges:

Try Stampin' on Tuesday #488 (ends 1/17)

Allsorts #607 Something New (ends 1/21)

Shopping Our Stash #436 What's New with You? (ends 1/18)

Creative Knockouts Something to Say (ends 1/20)

Timeout Challenges #179 Be You (ends 1/27)

We Love Chocolate Baroque Feminine Theme (ends 2/3)

 Thanks for stopping in!

Nancy