Friday, June 26, 2026

Boo!

Cardz 4 Galz current challenge is CAS (clean and simple). 


 I know it is a little early to think about Halloween cards but I am getting a head start on my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids

This started out really clean and simple. I made an A2 card base in Highland Heather trimming off 1" on the front. The SU stripe paper is actually black and white. The polka dotted paper is the reverse side. So far so good. But it seemed to want some color so I strayed a little from the simple by filling in the spaces with SU Blends in Highland Heather, Pumpkin Pie, and Lemon Lime Twist. I was a little cross eyed by the time that was done! The ghost is an Impression Obsessions Die. The die cut leaves hole as the eyes and mouth so I punched a black circle and glued it to the back. Then I popped up the ghost on a wobbler. The kids really like interactive features on a card. The BOO! is an old wood stamp. I colored the BOO in the same colors as the stripes. It is popped up on diminsionals.

Inside, I added the white liner next to the polka dot and finished it off with a strip of Pumpkin Pie.



Cardz 4 Galz

Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge Blog



Monday, June 22, 2026

Row of Daisies

I found this piece of DSP in my scrap box and was thinking water or sky? Then I saw the The Paper Players  challenge of weather, I decided on sky. I made a row of daisies in the garden on a sunny day.


The daisies are die cut from an old SU die. I used a paper hole punch to make orange centers and dotted them with a fine black sharpie. The cloud is punched out and a punched circle sun glued behind it. The whole cloud is popped up on diminsionals. The sentiment is an old SU one.

I'll be putting this in my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids and entering in their challenge Summer Fun Cards for Kids.

Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge Blog

And linking up  on Let's Craft and Create challenge Penny for Your Thoughts (add a sentiment)

Let's Craft and Create

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Colorful Birthday

 It is sad that any child should be sick and in the hospital. Doubly so when it is their birthday. I am happy to contribute to Send A Smile 4 Kids mission to see that hospitalized children get cheer cards. Every child likes balloons and that is the theme of my card. What a fun, colorful card to celebrate a birthday.


The background paper is Berry Burst by Stampin' Up! The pattern papers are some left over pieces of Memories and More card pack by SU. I used a punch for the balloons and attached twine for strings. The orange and purple balloons are glued down and the yellow one popped up. The sentiment is from SU and stamped in Melon Mambo, then fussy cut and popped up with diminsionals. To bring out the green from the papers, I added a scrap green and white stitched ribbon. 

Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge Blog


Also posting to Lets Craft and Create challenge

Challenge #232 - AG + Penny for your Thoughts

Let's Craft and Create

Saturday, June 13, 2026

Beach Scene

Are you a beachy person or mountain person?  I like both but today it is off to the beach for Cardz 4 Galz


The card base is Cloud Cover. The background paper is from the Paper Medley pack from SU.  I used the curvy dies to cut the sand from Crumb Cake.  A Tim Holz Tea Dye ink pad was dragged across the sand to give it some depth.I used a small circle stamp to make the sun peeking out behind the palm tree. I think the palm tree die is My Favorite Things.  I die cut the palm tree top with Crumb Cake and then cut just the top with a green in my stash and glued it over the Crumb Cake.. Then I did highlights with Stampin' Blends. The fence is from a package of chipboard die cuts by Stamperia. Grass is a die cut from On The Horizon. The sentiment is an old one from SU.

I hope you will be able to enjoy the beach sometime this summer.

Cardz 4 Galz
I roughly interpreted this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches
The word week at Just Us Girls is Summer
Will add the TIME OUT challenges of pick two I actually have 4: summer, sun, water, vacation.

 

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Transportation

What pre-teen and teen boy doesn't like a skateboard. Our town even has a skateboard park for them to do their tricks. Send A Smile 4 Kids monthly challenge is Planes, Trains, Automobiles, or any form of transportation. For kids who can't drive yet, skateboards are a good way to get around. I don't think I would recommend playing a guitar while skateboarding though.


The DSP is from Stampin' Up!. The picture and sentiments are digitals. The digital was even colored, Gotta love that--no coloring. Quick card.

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Go to Sketch

Go to sketch. When stumped for design, I go to this sketch.


 The DSP if from SU (now retired) but I don't remember the name, Garden something. The base is Golden Glow. I had an extra strip of the DSP left over and made a  banner in the center which is matted with a piece that is the reverse side of the floral paper. 

The sentiment is SU as well as is the label punch. To emphasis the sentiment I surrounded it with 3 punched flowers centered with clear gems.

Just so happens that Freshly Make Sketches is featuring this layout this week.


Also playing with the tic-tac-toe chart from The Paper Players using the middle vertical row: flower, free, Patterned Paper.

Friday, May 29, 2026

Cheery Hello

This is the reason we never throw away even the smallest scraps. You can make really cute cards with even 1 1/2 inch squares.  


 The patter papers are from SU. I backed them with a black mat. I started with a plain white background but that was kind of boring so I used a large circle E/F from Cuttlebug. I think it coordinates well with the circle print. The card base is Lemon Lime from SU.

I don't know who makes the hello die cut. I have had it a long time and don't have the original packaging. I took a bunch of my word sentiment dies and put them together on a magnetic sheet. It is easier to find the one I want without sorting through a bunch of different packages. I used one layer of blue and one layer of black. I tried it at the bottom of the card and it just seemed unbalanced so I glued it across the squares. I repeated the blue and circles with 3 blue gems along the stripped pattern. 

I've used the sketch from Try a Sketch on Tuesday moving the sentiment up to the center

Also linking to Can You Handle the Pressure with embossing and embellishments.

I am adding this card to me stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids I think these bright colors and designs will cheer up a sick child.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Another Guy Birthday

The ongoing use of papers from my stash never makes a dent. There is always more. All the papers here are from that stash.


The white mat is embossed with circles with a Cuttlebug E/F  I added a 2" strip of patterned paper from SU that looks like bolts then added a strip of a silver pattern. I cut 2 "bolts" from a darker grey using 2 hexagon dies. I added a silver center to the solid center from the hexagon frame. The sentiment is SU matted on a strip of silver.

Made for Cardz 4 Guyz challenge is Squash It--use an embossing folder.


Saturday, May 16, 2026

Guy Birthday

 Our neighbor has a birthday next week. This is the card I made for him.

The linen paper and the basket weave are from Stampin' Up!. I added a narrow copper strip alongside the basket weave. The gears are from the Gears and Textures die cuts, also SU. This set is perfect for masculine cards. It comes with a variety of stamps as well as the die cuts. I did the sentiment on the computer and die cut it with a deckle circle. I think the edges look a little like gears too. Hubs on the wheels are 2 square faceted pewter brads from my stash. They are kind of thick for mailing but I will be hand delivering this card..
Inside I typed another sentiment and lined it with the basket weave paper.


I've used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Thursday, May 7, 2026

In the Mountains

Can you believe it is time to be thinking about Father's Day cards?  Paper Funday Challenge of anything goes with an option of mountains or coast gave me the perfect inspiration for my card.


This scene was created with SU's retired Wetlands stamps. I did a stamp off technique to give it a watercolor feel. The sentiment is an old stamp in my collection. The DSP is also SU. 

Inside I copied a sentiment from my home Hallmark program and repeated the pine tree stamp.