Love is in the Air.....

Hello dear blogging friends: There is a new and fabulous challenge out there in Blogland called TWOFER CARD CHALLENGE, this is the second one and I'm playing along.

The theme this time is HEARTS and the purpose of this fun challenge is to make 2 TOTALLY DIFFERENT cards using the SAME STAMP IMAGE.

I'm telling you, Darnell who is the one who thought about creating this challenge, really want us to stretch our imagination and creativity and believe me, she has done just that!!

So, here is my TWOFER cards, hope you like them.

I used one of the images on the retired Stampin' Up! set called "Valentine Refined" to create both front panels on my cards.  On the one on the left, I die cut a wheel barrel with an Elizabeth Craft Design die set and sponged it with Baked Brown Sugar ink, then I stamped the little hearts image and placed the wheel barrel in front. The grass was stamped using an Art Impressions stamp.

I sponged the sky and grass with Distress Inks, the sentiment is from the set and it's stamped on a left over die cut cloud.

The card on the right was done using one of the dies from a retired SU set called "Ornament Keepsakes", I cut the ornament and then stamped the image, the "Peace" word is die cut using the Penny Black "Love and Joy" set. Pattern paper is from a retired line from Lili of the Valley.

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This is how the INSIDE of my cards looks like.

The sentiment on the left is from a discontinues Flourishes set called "From the Garden", the string of hearts on top is from the "Valentine Defined" set, the bucket and gardening tools are also from the Elizabeth Craft Design die set.

The sentiment on the right is die cut with a die set from Penny Black set called "Peace and Joy", the stamped sentiment underneath is from a Power Poppy set called SPICE IT UP, I just used the top.

I would like to play along with the following challenges.

Twofer Card Challenge

Stinkin' Inkers Challenge "Love is in the Air"

Tiddly Inks Challenge #210 "Give Love"

Unicorn Challenge #29 "Love/Valentines"

Crafty Sentiments Designs "Spring Challenge"

I had fun creating this cards, I love this challenge because it really helps you increase your stash of cards that are so ready to mail so, thank you so much Darnell, this challenge is awesome.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Home is where the HEART is.....

Hello everyone: The SHOPPING OUR STASH challenge have a new theme for you to play with this week and I hope you come and join my teammates and me in our gallery.

The theme is "HOME SWEET HOME", so we want to see some houses, any houses in your cards. 

People's house, doggie and kitty houses, bird houses, etc. you get the picture, right?

This is the card I made to inspire you to come and play with us.

This image is from a Stampin' Up! set called "Mediterranean Moments", I love the sketchy look of all of this beautiful images.  I stamped this one on a piece of watercolor paper that I die cut with a Cross Stitch die to give it that home feel. I colored it with some Sakura Koi watercolors and an aqua painter, the Pattern Paper is from my small stash and the sweet little key from a bag of about 30 keys I bought some 2 years ago from a second hand store in town. The whole bunch cost me only $5.00, woo hoo!!

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The row of sweet little bird houses was stamped with a stamp set I bought on Ebay some time ago, the stamp is longer than the image you see here, the houses on the bottom corner are from this same stamp.  The sentiment is from my old and fabulous stash of Flourishes sets.

So I hope you get inspired and come and play along, don't forget to go to the SHOPPING OUR STASH blog to check out my teammates creations for more inspiration.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Welcome Spring.....

Hello everyone: As one of the Guest Designers at the HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS MONDAY CHALLENGE with a theme of "Anything Goes or Spring Colors". I have a card to share today that will make you wish Spring was already here.

Here is my card and I hope you stop by the House Mouse challenge blog to check out the rest of the members beautiful creations.

This image is from a stamp called "FLOWER ARRANGING" and it's stamped on a piece of watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored with Sakura Koi watercolors. I just wanted this sweet image to be on it's own so I just framed it with the retired SU "Tulip Frame" embossing folder and I added a little banner I made with the SU "Flower Builder" punch, I stamped the word "Spring" with an old Alphabet set. I punched a little hole on the top of this leaves and ran a piece of twine to create the banner.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from Elizabeth Craft Designs, the bottom image was purchased on Ebay but I don't know what company it belongs to, I apologize for this.

I hope you get inspired to share any of your House Mouse, Happy Hoppers and Gruffies creations, for more inspiration, hop over the HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS MONDAY CHALLENGE 

I want to play along with this challenges.

A Gem of a Challenge #213 "Spring Flowers"

Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #85 "Spring Flowers.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

PEACE!!!!!

Hello dear blogging friends: I have a card to share today to add to my Christmas stash.  I like to participate in Christmas challenges because, once the Holidays approach, I want to be ahead of the game and be ready with a good amount of cards to mail to friends and family.

I will link this card to a few challenges at the end of this post.

This card is a CASE of THIS CARD BY THERESE CALVIRD, I just changed her flowers and added this pretty candles from Elizabeth Craft called CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT.  I stamped the image on a piece of watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored it with SU makers, I added a bit of Wink of Stella to the Poinsettias and the candles, hope you can see it, this stuff is really hard to photograph, as you might know.

The design on the back is done with an Altenew stencil called SPLATTER and some Texture Paste mixed with silver glitter.  The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called PONSETTIA.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from the same Poinsettia set and the little candle from another Power Poppy set called MERRY LITTLES.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Merry Monday

Addicted to Stamps and More

Christmas at Sweet Stamping Anything Christmas Goes.

Craftaholics R Us Challenge #7 RED

 The Artistic Stamper February Creative Challenge, use the color RED

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

A Little Reminder.....

Hello everyone: We've come to the halfway point at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE with the theme of PAPER PIECING not to be confused with PAPER PIERCING. 

This technique is really fun and it helps you use all of those scraps of pattern paper we can't seem to get rid of because they are so beautiful so this is your chance to do just that and come and play along with my teammates and me in our gallery.

The card I made was truly heaps of fun, this images are from a retired Stampin' Up! set called "Flower Shop" and it's perfect for this technique, the flowers are stamped with Stazon black ink on the different pattern papers and then, punched with the coordinating punch, I added some sponging to the edges and the centers are die cut also with scraps of pattern papers.

The leaves are punched with the Bird Builder Punch on paper scraps also.
The sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Orchids"

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from Paper Tray Ink and the small flower on the corner from SU "Petite Petals"

Now,  my teammates and I decided to add a group of cards from THE FLOWER CHALLENGE of 2017 that we created and that are some of our favorites, our dear friend and challenge coordinator Vivien Hodge was so sweet and helpful in making all of us this beautiful graphics with the cards so I hope you enjoy seeing them, hope you like them too. 

Don't forget to go check out my teammates blogs so you can see their cards too and leave them some comment love.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Ok, you used WHAT!!!??

Hello Stamping Friends: Well, as the title of this post indicates, the new challenge for this week over at SHOPPING OUR STASH is about using an image on your card front that is stamped with something other than an actual rubber or acrylic stamp.  You can most definitely use a regular stamp for your sentiment or to add to your scene but, some of the elements on your card MUST be created using other things that you might have around the house or in your craft room.

This is what I did here so here is my card that I hope will get you inspired to join my teammates and I in our gallery.

When I found out about this challenge, I immediately recalled watching THIS AMAZING VIDEO on UTube that left me speachless!!! This young man's name is Jay Lee and, one of the things I love about him besides the amazing way he paints with water colors is that, on most of his videos, he's got his little baby boy right next to him, whether sitting on the high chair or on a carry on in front of him, sometimes the baby is asleep in his crib in his room and his dad and us are watching him on a little pop up window on his computer screen. 

So, as soon as I knew what this challenge was going to be about, I set out to use the video to create my card.  And I had the perfect stamp for it, this cute little Hedgehog from the Penny Black set called HUGS who is blowing bubbles.

The ones I created are made with the cap of a re-inker for the big bubbles, the cap from a Stampin' Up! marker for the medium size ones and even the opening of a ball point pen for the smaller ones, I used ink pads to ink them up and, when I stamped the circles on the watercolor paper, I used a small brush to add water to the centers, being careful not to go outside the line.

The sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Orchids", the grass is done with a Purple Onion stamp. I sponged the sky and grass with Distress Inks.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called Best Day Ever, the flowers at the bottom are from the Penny Black set, colored them with Prismacolor pencils.

I hope you feel inspired to join my teammates and I in the SHOPPING OUR STASHgallery, I'm sure you can find a lot of things around the house or your craft room that are NOT STAMPS for your card, we can't wait to see what you can come up with.  Don't forget to let us know what you used, ok?

This is what I used, from left to right.....the bottom of a ball pen, the cap of a re-inker and the cap of a Stampin' Up! marker.

Thank you for stopping by, I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Seeing Dots!!!!!

Hello dear blogging friends: Yes, yes, my teammates and I are seeing dots in our new challenge over at RETRO RUBBER and we want you to come and play with us in our gallery.

Here is the card I made to inspire you to join us.

The image on this card is from a very old and beautiful Stampin' Up! set called "Apothecary Art" that came out in the 2012 Occasions Mini and it' has the companion die set and a piercing mat design too.

I chose this very bright yellow colors to perk me and you guys up during this very long and cold Winter season.  I stamped this image on watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored with SU markers, the dots on the background were made by inking one side of a dots embossing folder and running my panel through the Big Shot. I didn't have dotted ribbon so I created my own with a Daffodil Delight SU marker.  For the butterflies, I stamped some dots with Daffodil Delight and the "Gorgeous Grunge" stamp set (2013-2014 Annual Catalog) and then punched them out with the Butterfly punches that coordinate with the "Papillon Potpourri" (2012-2013 Idea Book and Catalog). I added a cut out doily sponged with Daffodil Delight for a bit of texture.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a set from Paper Tray Ink, the dots from Gorgeous Grunge.

So I hope you get inspired to come and play with my teammates and I in the RETRO RUBBERgallery, we can't wait to see what you can create.

For more inspiration, go to the challenge PAGE and check out the rest of the team's awesome creations.

Thank you for stopping by,  I always read every single comment you so kindly leave on my posts, I want you to know I appreciate them more than words can express.

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.