Spring Flowers Heart.........

Hello everyone: Every time I post on my blog I'm hoping that each one of you who come to visit me, are doing well, all I can say is that we must observe the guidelines of staying home, protect ourselves and keep our distances, I know it's hard but these guidelines are there for the good of everybody.

Stay healthy and safe.

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My teammates over at RETRO RUBBER want to inspire you to join us in our gallery with lots and lots of Spring flowers, here is the card I made for this challenge.

This stamp is from a 2018 set from Power Poppy called Always Here, a beautiful image with lots of lovely sentiments, and it happens to be on sale right now, just saying.

I stamped this flowery heart with Stazon black ink and colored it with Prismacolor pencils, I love how all of these flowers form a sweet heart and that little snail is just adorable.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The border is from a 2017 SU set called "Delicate Borders", the sentiment and the little snail are from the Powe Poppy set, and the tulip leaf from a 2013 Flourishes set called "Tulips for Friends".

I hope you stop by the RETRO RUBBER challenge blog and join us in the gallery, remember to use stamps that are older than a year, all our rules are at the top of the page.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

The Paper Girls Challenge

Use Your Stuff

"Flowers and/or Butterflies"

Always Fun Challenges

#161 "Female or Mom"

Thank you for stopping by today.

Stay safe and healthy.

Cyber hugs.

Maria.

Tulips are Red..........

Hello everyone: I hope you and your family are doing well, I know it's hard to stay indoors and observe all the guidelines that seem so restrictive, but we must remember it's for our own safety and well being and also, to help the amazing caregivers out there who are in the front lines caring for the sick, we help them by staying inside.

THE FLOWER CHALLENGE has a new one for you for the month of May and it's fun and, I think, easy to play with, MONOCHROME so you can choose any color for your images, white, black and cream are also allowed.
This is my card and I hope it inspires you to come and play along.

This is an image from an old Flourishes set called "Tulips for Friends", stamped with Versafine black ink, clear heat embossed it and colored with my still juicy Stampin' Up! Real Red and Basic Black markers. I added some Rhine Stones to the pitcher for a bit of bling.

Some twine for the bow, the sentiment is from the Tulips stamp set and was die cut with the Spellbinders "Hemstitch Squares", (nbus), pattern paper from stash.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called "Sassy Succulents", the tulip from the "Tulips for Friends" set.

I hope you come and play along with us at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE, remember to read our rules and to make Flowers the main focus on your cards.

Visit our blog to get more inspiration from the rest of the awesome DT.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Stay healthy, safe and keep on crafting.

Hugs.

Maria.

The Angry Rat............

Hello everyone: I hope everyone is doing well, I know it's hard to stay inside and not being able to do what we used to do before this whole thing started, but we just have to stay strong and remember that, staying home helps a lot, especially those in the front lines, they are the heroes, God Bless You All.

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I've been having a lot of fun using the rats from the Katzelkraft set called Les Rats des Villes, these critters are a riot, love them all. 

Yes, it is!!! Hahaha!! 

I stamped this fellow on a scrap piece of gray card stock and just added a bit of color with my Prismacolor pencils then fussy cut it, I put painters tape on the delicate parts like the ears, teeth and his tail just to give the paper a bit more sturdiness when I'm cutting it, the hole on the wall is a stamp of unknown origins, I've tried to find it "out there" but I couldn't, I'm sorry.

I stamped it on the brick pattern paper and then cut out the middle and glued my rat in front, I attached this panel to a dark gray panel with foam tape.

The sentiment is handwritten by me. 

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like. 

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called "Sassy Succulents" (retired), and I stamped the bottom half of another rat to give the illusion it's like running away, LOL!!

I want to play with the following challenges.

Day of the Month Challenge

World Rat Day.

Little Red Wagon

Challenge #547 "White (or any other color) Space.

Try it on Tuesday

Black and White + one color, Pink on my rat.

Unicorn Challenge

#53 "Furry Friends"

Thank you for stopping by today.

Stay healthy, safe and keep on crafting.

Cyber hugs.

Maria.

A Robin's Mother's Day..............

Hello everyone: I hope all of you are doing well, I keep hoping that soon things will go back to a new "normal" for us, although I feel for all of the thousands of people who have lost loved ones or are sick themselves with this virus.
I also want to thank all of the caring doctors and nurses around the world who are taking care of everyone who's affected, God Bless You!!!!!
I'm thanking also the workers at grocery stores, the post office, pharmacies, gas stations, etc., we are eternally grateful for your selfless service.
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Now, my teammates and I at SHOPPING OUR STASH have a new challenge for you for the next 10 days, with Mother's Day approaching, we want to see cards for Moms, here is mine and I hope it inspires you to play along.

This card was created with 4 different Stampin' Up! sets, I really love it when I can combine my stamps on my cards, I really SHOPPED MY STASH to find each of these sets, they are part of my most cherished ones.

Thank goodness for the MISTI, it helped me position each image to create this sweet, little Spring/Mother's Day scene.

The nest is from a 2009-2010 SU set called "Nature's Nest"

The Robin, the little eggs on the inside of my card  and foliage are from a 2011 SU set called "Nature Walk"

The sentiment is from a 2009-2010 SU set called "Teeny Tiny Wishes"

The butterflies are from a 2012-2013 SU set called "Papillon Potpourri"

Each image is stamped by applying the marker to the rubber stamp on the MISTI using different colors, (Check out this video by Virginia Lu) it's a great way to give your images a watercolored look. 

I added some shading with my Prismacolor pencils.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

 

The sentiment is from a 2012 Stampabilities greetings set called "Card Phrases"

I hope you hop over the SHOPPING OUR STASH challenge blog and check out my teammates' creations, get inspired and come join us in our gallery.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Artsystamper Challenge

#14 "Springtime"

Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge

#55 "Spring Things"

Thank you for stopping by today.

Stay healthy, safe and keep on crafting.

Sending lots of love and cyber hugs.

Maria.😷

I'm Here For You!!!!!!!

Hello everyone: I hope all of you are doing well, I know I say it every time I post here but it's my most heartfelt wish, stay healthy and safe, please.

Anyway, when this whole pandemic started, there was not one roll of toilet paper to be found, and I mean it!!! People ran to the stores and clear up the shelves, thank goodness it's not like that anymore, but my daughter next door and I shared some rolls when we were in dire need.

So here's a card I just made to remind all of us to help each other when possible.

This little rat is from a Katzelkraft set called Les Rats de Ville and they are hilarious!! This one can hold a few things in her hand so it's great for a lot of occasions.  The toilet paper roll was drawn by hand on heavy watercolor paper to give it some texture, I brought a roll to my craft room to look at it but it took me a few attempts to get it right because I wanted it to look kind of real, LOL!! I was going to make it with a straight edge at the end but I think torn looks better. It's a bit wonky on the top, I don't know why I just couldn't draw a straight line, sheeesh!! 

My rat was stamped with Stazon black ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils, the sentiment is written by hand.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called Daffodils, which happens to be on sale right now, absolutely gorgeous images.

I want to play along with the following challenges.

Day of the Month Card Club

Challenge #14 World Rat Day

Addicted to CAS

Challenge #183

 

Just Us Girls

Unicorn Challenge Blog

Challenge #53 "Furry Friends"

Creative Craft Cottage

Challenge #128 "CAS or Fully Loaded"

Thank you for stopping by today.

Please stay healthy and safe.

Cyber Hugs.

Maria.

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone: I hope you and your families are doing well, staying indoors as much as possible and handling the confinement the best way you can, I know it's hard but it's for the best.

So, when I was thinking about what to do for the new RETRO RUBBER challenge it occurred to me to maybe shake things a bit and create something totally unexpected, especially at this time of the year but, as our challenge says, it's "Anything Goes" so here's my card to inspire you to play along.

LOL!! I bet you were not expecting a Halloween card now that we're welcoming Spring, but like I said, I just wanted to stir things up a little.

This amazing image is from a 2006 Stampin' Up! stamp set called "Best Friends", the other 4 images plus 2 sentiments are equally fabulous!!

I came across a card on Pinterest created with the Witch from this set, the lady who created that card gave all of the information for it on her blog post so,  needless to say, I went on a hunt and found the stamp set on eBay, in pristine condition so I bought it on the spot, I just love it.

To create this card I sponged some distress inks in black and purple on a piece of yellow card stock leaving the bottom with no ink to create a "sunset" sky for my little bats (background stamp) that were stamped with Versafine black ink and clear heat embossed, the line of houses is cut with the retired Stampin' Up! "Sleigh Ride" dies, my Dracula was stamped on Strathmore Bristol paper with Stazon black ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The sentiment is from the set and I added some googly eyes to his "bouquet" of eyeballs.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

I stamped more bats and a sentiment from Inkadinkado, the owl is from a punch from Martha Stewart, super old.

So, I hope you liked my Halloween surprise on this fine Spring day.

Please be sure to go to the RETRO RUBBER challenge blog to check out my teammates' fabulous cards and while there, don't forget to read our rules, the most important one is to please use stamps that at least ONE YEAR OLD, this challenge blog is dedicated to giving our old and forgotten stamps another chance to shine.

I'm playing along with 

Lost Coast Portal To Creativity

Challenge #97 "Mith and Magic"

Thank you for visiting me today, please stay healthy, safe and keep on crafting.

Hugs.

Maria.

  

World Rat Day!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone: I hope all of you are doing well, staying indoors and being careful if you go out, please be safe.

So, most of you know I love little mice, not inside my house but, definitely love seeing them out there among the bushes, running from the bird feeders to their little burrows underneath the brush.

Rats, on the other hand..........well, let me put it this way..........the only ones I love are the Les Rats de Ville from Katzelkraft, no questions asked.

I used the VIDEO TUTORIAL from the fabulous Therese Calvird (her blog's name is Lost in Paper), once I found a big enough acrylic stamp to stamp my reverse image, it was easy peasy.

I colored my rats with Prismacolor pencils, the field of flowers are from Art Impressions, (I forgot the name), the word "sending" is from another set from Art Impressions called Doggie Kisses, sooo cute!!

The sentiment on the banner was handwritten.😁

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

Both sentiments are from a Power Poppy set called "Serene Scenes", this is a Christmas set but these sentiments are perfect for this card.

The worried looking rat at the bottom is also from the Katzelkraft set.

I want to play along with the following challenges.

Day of the Month Card Challenge

"World Rat Day"

Thank you for stopping by today.

Stay healthy, safe and keep on crafting.

XO
Maria.