Lemonade anyone?????

Hello everyone: The hot days of Summer are still around and, when it gets really humid, it's basically unbearable so, a good dip in the pool or better yet, the beach, does a body real good.

Over at SHOPPING OUR STASH, we have a new challenge for you to play with, we want to see something "HOT, HOT, HOT" in whatever way you can interpret this word. 

Even the little critters try to keep cool so, here one of the little mice from House Mouse, taking a dip on someone's lemonade, LOL!!  I can only imagine the shock to come back to take a sip only to find this little guy chilling out, I know of one dear friend who most definitely won't like this at all.  Me on the other hand, I will handle the mousey a towel and serve myself another glass.😉

I stamped the image with Versafine black ink, clear heat embossed it and colored with some Sakura Koi watercolors, the sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called Sunny Harvest, the sun on the corner was made with a circle die mask using a sponge dauber with Daffodil Delight.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is also from the "Sunny Harvest" set and the flowers from a retired Flourishes set, I can't remember the name, I apologize.

So I hope you come and play along with us over at SHOPPING OUR STASH, we can't wait to see what you create.  Stop by the blog to see my teammates awesome creations.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

House Mouse and Friends Challenge

Use Your Stuff Challenge

Cute and Crafty Challenge #7 "Animals"

Dream Valley Challenges #184 "Animals"

Heart 2 Heart Challenges "Cuteness Overload"

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.

Twofer Challenge #8.....

Hello dear blogging friends: I've been participating in the fabulous TWOFER CHALLENGE from the very beginning and I'm loving it so much, it's a fun and truly challenging challenge, because it gives your creativity a good workout trying to come up with two totally different cards, for two totally different occasions using the same stamp or die.

So here are my cards for this challenge, hope you like them and also, hope they inspire you to play along with the fabulous Darnelle and the rest of the amazing Designer Team.

And here are the cards individually, I will explain each one so you can see how I made them.

For this card I used a Honey Comb embossing folder and some of the totally adorable image of the retired Stampin' Up! set called "Just Buzzing By" from the 2009 Spring Catalog, I just adore the sweet little bees and the rest of the images on the set. I stamped the little bee and the Honey Jar on a die cut piece of watercolor paper with Stazon black ink and colored it with SU markers, I sponged "Hello Honey" ink on the embossed panel, the sentiment is from the set.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

I sponged some Hello Honey ink with a Honeycomb stencil on the top, the sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called SHORT STACKS and the images are from the SU set.

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Here is my Twofer card.

For this card, I die cut the circle with the same die from the first card but I embossed it with the Honeycomb embossing folder to make it look like a Soccer Ball, I painted the hexagons with a black marker. The paper is from my stash and the sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called AZALEA, I added a bit of bling to it with some Rhine Stones colored with a pink Sharpie.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

I also sponged the edges with the Honeycomb stencil with pink and black inks, the sentiment is from the Power Poppy set called SHORT STACKS.

So there you have it, my TWOFER cards, I hope you enjoy seeing them and decide to visit the TWOFER CARD CHALLENGE and give this fun challenge a try.

I'm entering this card to the following challenges.

Twofer Card Challenge

Cards 4 Galz Challenge # 78 "Dies or Punches"

Sweet Stamping Challenge "Sports"

Hiding in my Craft Room Challenge #366 "Use die cuts"

Penny Black and More August Challenge

I spy something beginning with the letter"B"

CCEE Stampers Challenge #1833 "World Honey Bee Day"

 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.

VIOLETS FOR THE FLOWER CHALLENGE OLC.....

Hello everyone: It's the half way on THE FLOWER CHALLENGE "One Layer Card" challenge so here I am with another card to inspire you to come and play along.

This image is from a very old and retired Flourishes set called "Sweet Violets". I stamped it on a folded watercolor card base with Versafine black ink, clear heat embossed it and colored it with Sakura Koy watercolors.  I wanted to frame the image with something so I grabbed a SU embossing folder called "Filigree", this kind of ground my little flowers.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The border is done with a SU set called "Delicate Details", the sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called SAGE ADVICE.

I hope you join my teammates and I at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE gallery and also check out the fabulous and beautiful inspiration cards from the rest of the Design Team, we can't wait to see what you create.

Please include our logo on your post when you upload your card, make sure the main image is a flower, you can participate in 6 challenges including ours.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #110 "No pattern papers"

Tiddly Inks Challenge #216 "Clean and Simple"

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.

Leaves for SOS.....

Hello, blogging friends: Autumn is kind of around the corner, which is fine with me since it's my most favorite Season of the Year. I love the cooler temperatures but most of all, I love the glorious colors on the trees.
The theme over at SHOPPING OUR STASH is LEAVES so here is the card I made to inspire you to come and play along with us.

These leaves were stamped and then heat embossed with gold and copper embossing powder with the "Vintage Leaves" stamp set from the 2015-2016 Stampin' Up! catalog (sadly retired) then I die cut them with the coordinating die set, (also retired😞), I sponged the leaves with distress inks to add color to them.

The panel with the gold design is from SU and the wood pattern paper from MODA SCRAP "WOOD EFFECTS" I adore this amazing paper and the great thing about it is that it's ONE SIDED!! so you don't have to struggle picking what side to use.

The ribbons are from my stash of bits and pieces, I was lucky I had that gold cord in the bag which was just about enough to make a bow, I need to get more, I really love how easy it is to make a bow with it.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Dahlias", the leaf from the same set.

I hope this card inspires you to come along and play with us at SHOPPING OUR STASH, for more inspiration stop by the blog and check out my teammates' beautiful creations.

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Southern Girls Challenge "Make your mark with Team Lou"

Try it on Tuesday "Inspired by a Song" 

The song that inspired my card is Autumn Leaves by Eva Cassidy.

The Paper Players

Cut It Up "Your Favorite Color" Mine are the colors of Autumn.

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.

Wonderful Autumn.....

Hello dear blogging friends: Here I am with a really fun TIC TAC TOE challenge at RETRO RUBBER, love this challenges because you have a lot of options to choose from.
I made my card with the vertical line on the far right, MASCULINE, ONE WORD, LEAVES. 
Here is my card, hope it inspires you to play along.

This leaves where die cut with a die set from Memory Box using watercolor paper and then sponged with distress inks, the branches were hand drawn and then fussy cut.

The sentiment both inside and out are from a 2013 set called Dahlias from Flourishes.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from an old Flourishes set called "Dahlias" and the Acorns are from a set from Our Daily Bread called "Autumn Blessings"

I hope you stop by the RETRO RUBBER blog and check out what my awesome teammates have created to inspire you and come and play along with us.

Remember that at least one of the stamps you use has to be 1 year old or older. 

I'm playing along with the following challenges.

Southern Girls Challenge Make your mark with Team Lou.

Try it on Tuesday "Inspired by a song" 

The song that inspired my card is Autumn Leaves by Eva Cassidy.

Happy Little Stampers August Challenge

Scrap from your Heart Challenge #24

"One for the Guys"

Craftaholics R Us Challenge #32 "Use Yellow"

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

Until next time, happy stamping.

Hugs from Maria.

Silhouettes for SOS #366.....

Hello dear blogging friends: There is a new challenge over at SHOPPING OUR STASH for you to play with, the theme is SILHOUETTES so look around your craft room for these type of stamps and come join us in the gallery.  This is my card and I hope you get inspired to come and play along.

This image was bought on Ebay but there was no information at all about it from the seller, but I love this sweet Fairy and the rest of the stamps on this set, there are a lot of small butterflies, some flourishes and flowers.  I stamped it on a Ninah Solar White panel with Versafine black ink and clear heat emboss it, then I sponged the paper with Distress Inks, the corners were punched with a "My Paper Studio" punch. The little charm says "believe", I hope you can see the word.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a retired Flourishes set called "Orchids".

So I hope this card inspires you to play along with us at SHOPPING OUR STASH, we can't wait to see what you create.

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 Beautiful Day OLC.....

Hello dear blogging friends: It's time for a new challenge over at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE and this time it's a ONE LAYER CARD.
I've been having a lot of fun coloring with my Prismacolor pencils and I love the way they look on Kraft card stock so, I cut a card base with it and stamped my images. I did a bit of masking to be able to accommodate my flowers on the edge of the panel.  I hope this card inspires you to come and join my teammates and me in the gallery.

This images are from an Altenew set called BEAUTIFUL DAY, stamped several times with Antique Linen Distress Ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils. I went over the stamens with a brown thin marker, the sentiment is from the set.

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This is how the INSIDE of my card looks like.

The sentiment is from a Power Poppy set called POTTED PRIMROSES, the border is from a retired SU set called "Delicate Details", the corner flowers from the Altenew set.

I hope you have a bit of time to come and play along with us at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE, my teammates and I can't wait to see what you create.

Please read our rules, they are few but important,  include our logo on your post when you link up your card to the gallery, you can only link your card to 6 other challenges, make sure FLOWERS are the main focus on your 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.