All Occasion Card | Graciellie Design - "Love Kittens"

Hello!

I'm still creating with Graciellie's latest release, "Love Kittens", and I chose a Tortoiseshell cat for this design! I've had a scrap of this pattern paper for about 10 years and decided it was time to use it up - now I won't feel guilty throwing the remaining 3"x3" scrap piece away! (or maybe I'll keep it?!)

I printed, watercolored and fussy cut the cat image from 100# white card stock. The gold frame was created by gluing three die cuts together for a bit of dimension and the speech bubble sentiment was printed/die cut. I attached the pattern paper to a white card base, glued the frame in place and popped the cat/sentiment off the base with layers of foam tape. I added some gold sequins for a bit of shine to finish things up! 

Gracie's got a BOGO Christmas Sale going on right now...

 head over to her store and check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - #45

Crafty Hazelnut's Pattern Paper Challenge - December 2020

Sheep Ski Design Challenges - #45 - Feature a Creature

Take care and stay safe!

Rachelle ♥

Valentine Shaker Card | Graciellie Design - "Love Kittens"

 

Hello!

I've got a shaped Valentine Shaker to share with you today featuring this great new set from Graciellie Design, "Love Kittens." And I've also got a little secret to tell...since both my husband and I are highly allergic to cats, I'm not really a fan (not that I dislike them) but Gracie's new cute & punny feline sets are really adorable and 100% allergy free! I've already got about a dozen ideas for how to use these images (for all of the cat lovers in my life) and I'm starting with this simple shaker card! 

I sized the cat image to a 3" square and printed it onto 100# card stock; it was then watercolored and fussy cut. I cut and glued two extra images to the back just to give it some strength since it would be attached above the shaker.

I die cut the heart frame using the two largest sizes of  Lawn Fawn's Stitched Heart Stackables from red pattern paper and glued it to several glued/stacked white frames. This frame was backed with a piece of acetate and thin strips of foam tape. I chose a cream and pink pattern paper for the base, die cut that from the large heart and piled the shaker bits in the middle. The acetate panel was then attached to the base to finish the shaker.

The cat was glued onto the heart with strong glue and the fussy cut sentiment strip was adhered to the bottom with foam tape. I glued a blank heart die cut onto the back where I will write my greeting and gave his glasses a bit of shine with a Nuvo Shimmer Pen. The final card will fit into an A7 envelope and I just love how he is peeking over the top!

Here are the sets from Gracie's new release and they are on SALE NOW!

Love Kittens

Bow Tie Kitty (Add On)

Love Kitten Background (Add On)

Thanks so much for joining me...it was kind of nice to be looking forward to Valentine's Day! : )

Challenges:

Gem of a Challenge #26 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #603-4 - Sparkle and Shine

Crafter's Castle #36 - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles #51 - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday #665 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations #416 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments #204 - Anything Goes

Watercolor Wednesday #302 - Anything Goes 

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Alphabet Challenge - "S" is for "Snow Scene"

 

Happy Friday before Christmas!

I've got a great mixed product mash-up for you today as we start a new challenge over on the Alphabet Blog! This time "S" is for Snow Scene and this little yeti is chillin' with a warm beverage on a cold winter's day! 

There was quite a bit of prepping all of the pieces to get this card to come together because I pulled so many things from my stash! I stamped, colored and die cut the images from the now-retired "To My Beastie" from MFT Stamps and Ellen Hutson's "Lil' 'Squatch". The slimline panels from Sunny Studios were die cut/inked with Distress Oxides (Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass & Dusty Concord) and the sentiment was stamped onto the snowbank. I also ink-blended the front of a slimline card base with DO "Evergreen Bough". The scripty word from MFT Stamps' "Believe" Die-Namics and nativity star from MFT Stamps' "Little Town of Bethlehem" Die-Namics were die cut from heavy white card stock.

Then it was time to assemble! I glued all of the slimline panels together first, added a couple of smaller pine tree silhouette die cuts to the left side and then attached the large trees/yeti with foam tape. The scripty word/star die cuts were glued onto the sky panel and I added an iridescent gem to dot the "i". The completed front panel was glued onto the slimline card base to finish things up! 

We can't wait to see your SNOW SCENES over on the Alphabet Challenge Blog! Thanks so much for stopping by and stay safe!

Additional Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Christmas Critters

Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Goes - Christmas/Winter

Watercooler Wednesday #302 - Anything Goes 

A Perfect Time To Craft #12 - 2020 - AG

Crafter's Cafe #257 - Holidays

Sparkles Forum Christmas #119 - Non-Traditional Christmas Colors

Christmas With The Cuties #45 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Sparkles Monthly Challenge - #135 White on White + One Color for Sentiment

Hello!

We have a new challenge theme over on the Sparkles Monthly Blog - "White-On-White + One color for Sentiment." White color challenges have always been a bit tricky for me and this one was no exception! It was so fiddly and I ended up scrapping my first card and starting all over again! : ( 

But once I got a simple design figured out, it all came together! : )

I cut the snowflake shapes and the omit sentiment rectangle with the Cricut from white pearlized card stock. I stacked 4 sentiment cuts together to give it some dimension and backed it with red card stock as my one extra color. All of these pieces were adhered onto a stitched scalloped rectangle and then glued onto an A2 card base. I added white pearlized confetti to finish up the card...whew, you'd never know it, but this took me two fulls days to complete!!!

I really can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge - link your projects up in the Sparkles Monthly Challenge Gallery! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting!

Challenge Submissions:

The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog #154 - White Christmas

Make My Monday #137 - Christmas Theme

The Paper Girls #213 - Snowflakes

Use Your Stuff #412 - Winter/Christmas/Snow

Crafty Calendar Challenge December 2020 - Christmas

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Graciellie Design - "Start Anew" Magnolias

Hello!

I'm finishing up a few final Christmas cards this week and decided to pull out this beautiful image from Graciellie's recent release, "Start Anew" Magnolias, and spend a pleasant hour painting while watching a Midsomer Murder episode! (Can't get enough of those British murder mysteries!) This dark plum card stock really contrasted well with the white magnolias and dark chocolaty sky! This coloration looks exactly like the magnolias that grow in my neighborhood - plummy on the outside with snowy white interiors!

The image was printed on 100# white card stock, water colored, spritzed heavily with pearl shimmer mist and set aside to flatten in a heavy book. Once dry, I trimmed the image to 4.75" square and lightly spattered it with white opaque paint. The painted shimmery background has a lot of plum & espresso undertones and those flowers really pop off the white card stock!

I attached the floral panel to a slightly larger square of white card stock and glued that down onto the 5.5" square plum card base. Using Lawn Fawn's "Scripty JOY" word die, I stacked 4 die cuts together for dimension and cut tiny little pieces of foam tape to attach the word to the front panel. I applied a heavy layer of Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen to the die cut to up the shine factor just a bit more!

Thanks so much for joining me today and for taking the time to comment! Hope you are finding time to enjoy the season and are having fun finishing up your Christmas projects! Stay safe and take care!

Challenges:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #85

Make My Monday #137 - Christmas Theme Card

Use Your Stuff #412 - Winter/Snow/Christmas 

Sunday Stamps Challenge #245 - Winter Warmth

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Alphabet Challenge - "R" is for Rainbow | Picket Fence Studios - Sunshine Friends "Great Day"

Happy Fri-YAY!

We have a positively radiant theme beginning today over on the Alphabet Challenge Blog - "R" is for RAINBOW! We can't wait to see your interpretation of a multicolored project! I chose to color one of Picket Fence Studio's Sunshine Friends - "Great Day" - with rainbow-inspired petals!

I stamped, colored and fussy cut the image. The sunny background was ink-blended onto the front of an A2 top-folding card base and spattered with gold watercolors; a strip of pattern paper was added at the bottom.

I stenciled a sunray pattern onto a piece of white card stock measuring 4 x 4.5" and die cut the circle opening. This panel was backed with craft foam and adhered onto the card front. The rainbow girl was popped into place with layers of foam tape and the heat embossed sentiment strip/sequins were added to finish the card. I think we could all use a some rainbows in our lives right now and this little cutie fits the bill perfectly! We hope to see lots of color in our Alphabet Challenge Gallery!

Additional Challenges:

Cute Card Thursday #663 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks #536 - Stamp Act

Watercooler Wednesday #300 - Anything Goes - Feminine Twist

Crafty Sentiments - December Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread #134 - Anything Goes

Rachelle ♥ 

Christmas Card | Graciellie Design - "Festive Poinsettia"

Hello!

I'm sharing a shaped card today featuring some images from Graciellie Design's "Festive Poinsettia" Stamp Bundle! This huge digital stamp set has so many great components and I chose to combine the pine cones with the holly leaves/berries as the main focus of this layout! 

I designed the cluster in PowerPoint, printed it on 100# card stock and watercolored the image. It was then fussy cut and backed with craft foam. Using MFT's "Elegant Rectangle" Die-namics, I die cut the card base from speckled kraft card stock with the largest die from the set. The red frame and white panel were die cut with the next smaller stacked dies. I glued two of the red frames together to give it some depth and attached it to the center of the card front.

I stenciled a snowflake pattern onto the white die cut panel using Nuvo "Moonstone" Glimmer Paste and when it was dry, it was glued inside of the red frame. The sentiment was printed, cut with a skinny banner die and glued into place. The pine cone cluster was attached with foam tape and the card was finished with some baker's twine. 

I love the color combination of red, green, white and kraft together so this card was so much fun for me to make! Thanks a million for stopping by and for taking the time to comment during the start of this busy season!

Challenge Submissions:

Cardz 4 Guys #259 - Traditional Christmas 

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #84 - Anything Goes

Country View Challenges - December - Anything Christmas 

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog #140 - Winter Wonderland

Dream Valley Challenge #238 - Christmas 

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Shaped Project

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - December 2020 - "Anything Goes"

Hello!

It's the perfect time for an "Anything Goes" Christmas Challenge and we hope to see an overflowing gallery at the Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog! I tried an updated vintage look combining lots of die cuts, antique lace and a bit of eyelash ribbon to complete this card...but let's not forget about the beautiful pattern paper I've been hoarding from a really old Basic Grey release!

Rudolf looks mighty sparkly and I hope we can fill up our December Merry Little Christmas Challenge with tons of festive shine!!! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comments!

Additional Challenges:

Allsorts Challenge #600 - Christmas Flowers, Wreaths and Trees

My Time To Craft #446 - Christmas Animals

Creative Knockouts #378 - Christmas Delight

Krafty Chicks #535 - All Occasions

Creative Craft Challenge #135 - Christmas/Winter

Sweet Stampers Challenge Blog #50 - Christmas

Rachelle ♥

One Word Wednesday - "Peace" | MFT Stamps - "Little Town of Bethlehem" Dienamics

Hello!

Thanks so much for stopping by today - I haven't done a "One Word Wednesday" for a while and decided to share this die cut Christmas card featuring the "Little Town of Bethlehem" Die-namics Set from MFT! I created the scripty "Peace" frame in the Cricut Design Space to highlight the die cut layers and that image is shown below for you to copy and paste for your own use!

I began by doing some very basic ink blending on a piece of medium gray cardstock using Salty Ocean and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide Inks. The A2 panel was spritzed with shimmer mist and flecked with white pearlized paint in the upper right corner. The Bethlehem layers were cut from three values of brown card stock and glued to the blue panel. 

The white script frame was attached on top of the scene and a pearlized die cut was added to accent the star. This panel was adhered to a top-folding A2 card base and a few sequins finished up the card. This night sky really sparkles down onto the city below! Here is the frame image:

Thanks so much for stopping by today and for sharing your comments - they truly brighten my day! : )

Challenge Submissions:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #84 - Anything Goes 

Dream Valley Challenges #237 - Lots of Layers

Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas / Winter

Daisy Chain Challenges #47 - Christmas is Coming

CAS on Friday #193 - Use a Big Sentiment 

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #43 - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Alphabet Challenge - "Q" is for Quote

Happy Friday!

We are up to the letter "Q" at the Alphabet Challenge and this time it stands for "Quote" - which means we would like to see a quote or quotation featured prominently in your project! I chose an old sentiment stamp that I think I've had for over 15 years - "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." This quote sums up all the hopes and fears I have been feeling this year with the pandemic, the racial unrest and continuing election worries. I just have to pray and trust that He knows how to handle all of my fears.

I began by loosely watercoloring the main image from Graciellie Design's "Grateful Heart" digital stamp set. I heavily spattered the image with diluted paint, die cut the panel and attached it to a top-folding A-2 olive green card base. Here is what the full image looked like before I added my quotation on top - almost too pretty to cover up!

The quote was stamped onto a circle die cut and popped up with foam tape in the center of the card front. I added some sequins to finish it up!  

Per Michele Ferguson's request, here's a post edit which includes a second version with a different sentiment from the "Grateful Heart" digital stamp set!

I can't wait to see your "Quotes" over in our Alphabet Challenge Gallery!

Additional Challenges:

Cute Card Thursday #661 - Sentimental

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #466-467 

Make My Monday #135 - Elegant Fall/Autumn

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Guest Designer Spot - Retro Rubber Challenge #148 | Ellen Hutson - "Snow Buds"

Yippee!

I'm the Guest Designer over on the Retro Rubber Challenge for #148 - They Said It's Your Birthday - and we would love to see your birthday cards! I went for a Brrr-thday Card this time with Ellen Hutson & Julie Ebersole's 2018 release of "Snow Buds"!

I wanted a lot of texture on this card so I ink-blended & spattered the background panel and die cut it with Pink Fresh's Braided Tag arch.  The next card stock layer was embossed with Sunny Studios' Cable Knit pattern and adhered to an A2 stitched rectangle die cut panel. I die cut/ink blended the snowflakes from Ellen Hutson's now-retired "Pop-Up Mittens" and glued/stacked several together for dimension. A little glitter was added for extra shine!

I die cut the bottom stitched hillside strip, stamped the sentiment, coated with edge with glitter, backed it with craft foam and attached it to the front. The snowman and Lawn Fawn's "Happy" sentiment were stamped, colored and die cut. I assembled/adhered all of the remaining pieces with glue, attached the silver string around the snowflake birthday "balloon" and wrapped it around the snowman's arm! This card is really bright and sparkly since I used two kinds of glitter! : ) I can't wait to see your BIRTHDAY projects over at the Retro Rubber Challenge and just remember to show some love to those older stamps in your collection!

Thanks so much for joining me today and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! 

Additional Challenges:

Always Fun Challenge #189 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley #237 - Lots Of Layers

Star Stampz #16 - Winter No Christmas 

Bastel-Traum Challenge #95 - Winter

Dragonfly Dreams - Christmas / Winter

Creative Knockouts #376 - Snow Much Fun

Craft Rocket #76 - Christmas / Winter

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Embossing (Wet or Dry)

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Sparkles Challenge #134 - "Use A Stencil"

Hi!

Our November theme over at the Sparkles Monthly Challenge is one of my favorites - "Use a Stencil"  and  I decided to use one of my tried-n-true patterns...a random dotted snowfall in this pink and green winter scene! 

The pink background was blended with Spun Sugar Distress Oxide Ink, the dots with Picked Raspberry and the entire piece was spritzed with shimmer mist. Once dry, I attached the circle die cut panel on top and glued everything to the front of a top-folding A2 card base. 

The mouse and tree were stamped, colored and die cut. I added a paper-pieced present to the mouse instead of the basket that is attached to the original image to fit into my Christmas scene! The die cut sentiment strip was glued to the front and the tree/mouse were adhered into place on top. I glued an iridescent star to the tree top and die cut snowflakes/assorted gems were added last.  

We can't wait to see your stencil projects in our Sparkles Challenge Gallery!

Additional Challenges:

A Gem of A Challenge #23 - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments #264 Christmas/Winter Animals + A Sentiment

Craft Rocket #76 - Christmas/Winter

Creative Knockouts #376 - Snow Much Fun

Cute Card Thursday #660 - Wintry

Krafty Chicks #533 - Christmas

Little Red Wagon #575 - Non-Traditional Christmas Colors

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Alphabet Challenge - 10th Year Birthday "P" is for PARTY!

 

Oooh La La - It's PARTY TIME!!!

We are celebrating a giant milestone at the Alphabet Challenge - it's our 10th birthday and we're still going strong!!! So our "P" is for PARTY and we hope that you will celebrate with us for this special challenge! I "Cased" my friend Michele Ferguson over at "I Card Everyone" for this French-themed scene! Michele is on the Ellen Hutson Design Team and she created this adorable Frenchie Dachshund entitled "Bone Jour" - - - -> 

I decided to take it one step further so this "Clever Sausage" is enjoying a sunny day in front of the Eiffel Tower! I combined the now-retired MFT Stamp Set "In Paris" (released in January of 2018) with Ellen Hutson's "Clever Sausage" for this slimline card. The black scallop panel was cut with the Cricut and glued to the white 9" x 4" card base. I ink-blended the background with Distress Oxides, trimmed it to size and glued that onto the scallop panel. All of the images were stamped, colored and die cut - then everything was adhered onto the blended background. I also added my own beret and red handkerchief to this dashing dachshund! : )

I die cut/glued on the "Oooh La La" letters, added the heat embossed sentiment and a scattering of turquoise sequins to bling-up the finished card! 

Thanks so much for joining me today and I hope that you will come to our PARTY over on the Alphabet Challenge!

Additional Challenges:

Crafty Creations #415 - Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon #574 - Colour Me Happy!

Cardz 4 Guys #257 - Birthday for an Adult Male

Retro Rubber #147 - Anything Goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #44 - Anything Goes

Mix It Up Challenge #43 - Make Your Own Background

613 Avenue Create - November 2020 - AG/Opt Twist - Cute Critters

Krafty Chicks Challenge #532 - Stamp Act

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Graciellie Design - "Live For Today"

Yippee!

I've got some exciting news to share...I've been invited to join the Graciellie Design Team! I'm so honored to be creating projects for Gracie and to be included with her remarkable group of designers! So I'm thrilled to be sharing this inaugural DT post featuring her latest 2020 Holiday release, "Live For Today."

I sized/reversed the bird image in PowerPoint and printed it on 100# cardstock. I needed a slightly longer tree branch for my layout and so I just drew that in with a permanent marker after printing. The final image was then watercolored and fussy cut. When I fussy cut directly on the printed line, I always go back in and add either black marker or watercolor along the edge to finish it off - it makes all the different in the world to the image!

When I was thinking about this design, I wanted to create a snowflake ''bokeh" effect with Distress Oxides and so I used Speckled Egg, Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean as my base palette. Once the background was blended with a mix of all these colors, I sprayed it heavily with shimmer mist. Using several snowflake punch images as simple stencils, I blended these shapes into the base with varying degrees of transparency to create the snow field. This panel was spattered with white opaque paint and pearlized watercolor. Here's a photo of just the finished background - I couldn't quite capture the overall shimmer but take my word for it, it's really sparkly! 

I figured out the sentiment location on the background panel, designed it on PowerPoint and ran the blended cardstock piece through the printer (with my fingers crossed!) and VOILA it printed exactly were it needed to be! All that was left was to cut it to size, add the bird image to the front panel with foam tape and finish the card with some turquoise sequins! Popping up the bird image with the foam tape really adds so much dimension to this card!

Thanks so much for joining me today and for leaving your comments! They brighten my day and I love reading each and every one!

Challenge Submissions:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies #44 - November 2020

Christmas 24 Challenge #21 - Christmas Landscape

Crafts Galore Encore - November 2020

Digi Doodle Studios #33 - Christmas or Winter

Pearly Sparkles Challenge #57 - Christmas Critters/Winter 

Dragonfly Dreams - November - Christmas or Winter

My Time To Craft #444 - Clean and Simple Christmas

Jingle Belles - Not A Creature Was Stirring

Krafty Chicks #531 - Anything Goes!! 

Crafty Animals Challenge #44

Rachelle ♥

Christmas Card | Merry Little Christmas Challenge | Graciellie Design - "Wonderful Winter"

Hello!

Well...all of the Halloween stuff has been stashed away and I'm in full Christmas mode from this point on! (At least for the next few weeks so that I relax and enjoy the season when it actually gets here!) This card features the "Wonderful Winter" Set from Graciellie Design.  I actually made this card before I was asked to be a guest designer last month for Graciellie! We hope that you will join us for our November Anything Goes Challenge over at the Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog!

As you can tell by checking out the original floral/pitcher image above, I was a cropping maniac with this design! I pulled the png into PowerPoint, sized it and printed it onto 100# card stock. I decided to go with a bright plummy jewel-tone palette, which gives this card a softer, less-traditional feel! The image was watercolored, spattered with gold paint and fussy cut. 

I chose a stencil (I liked how this pattern echoed the 5-point shape of the poinsettia), ink-blended it with Distress Oxide Inks and used this to make my background pattern by running it through my die cutting machine. This technique leaves both color and the imprint texture on the card stock! I spattered this panel with diluted ink/paints and set it aside to dry in a heavy book! This background was trimmed to 5" x 3.75", backed with craft foam and adhered to a top-folding A2 card base; the poinsettias were backed/adhered in the came way. The stamped/die cut sentiment and sequins were glued in place and a touch of Diamond Stickles was added to the winterberries to finish off the card!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for keeping me inspired by your comments! ♥ 

Be sure to share your Christmas projects in our Merry Little Christmas Challenge Gallery!

Challenges:

Just Us Girls #560 - Wild Card Week - Word Die Cuts

Cute Card Thursday #658 - Sparkles

Krafty Chicks Challenge #531 - Anything Goes

CAS Mix Up Card Challenge - Watercolour

Rachelle ♥

Halloween Shaker Card | Ellen Hutson - "Happy Haunting" & "Pumpkin To Talk About"

Happy Haunting!

Today's Halloween card features two great sets (released in August 2019) from the Essentials By Ellen Line & Julie Ebersole - "Happy Haunting" and "Pumpkin To Talk About!" This CAS shaker card was easy to put together and those shiny embossed ghosts look too cute to spook! After creating the little spirits, I die cut the spider web and hemstitch circle onto a double-thick panel and backed it with clear acetate. A foam tape circle was added just to the outside of the hemstitching, my shaker bits were piled onto the card front and the window die cut panel was adhered into place.

I added a heat-embossed sentiment strip tied with halloween baker's twine, my little ghosts and assorted sequins to finish up the card! I just love the spider web shaker window!

Thanks so much for joining me today and have a very Happy Halloween!

Challenge Submissions:

Cute Card Thursday #658 - Sparkles

Creative Craft Cottage #134 - Spooky and/or Cute

Crafty Gals Corner #212 - Halloween Colours

Little Red Wagon #573 - Halloween

Double "D" Challenges - What Does Halloween Mean To You!

Retro Rubber Challenge #146 - Scary Colors

{PIN}spirational Challenges #274

Always Fun Challenges #186 - Halloween Fun

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Hallowe'en

Rachelle ♥