Happy Summertime

I love purses, beach bags and other sorts of accessories. This tote bag set from Papertrey Ink is an older one that I did not use the past two to three summers, but for our Just Us Girls Die Week #830 "Forgotten Favorite" I decided I had to get it out to play. Here is the beach bag I came up with for the challenge, which is a gift card holder as well! The team has a big variety of cards for you with stories that go along with them, so be sure to visit their blogs and read up on each card. Bonnie Klass is our Guest Designer for the month of July, so visit her blog as well!

What I used:

• Papertrey Ink Go-to Gift Card Holder: Beach Bag dies
• Simon Says Stamp Summer Sentiments
• Patterned papers
• Hero Arts Hero Hues Core ink pads
• Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads
• Vellum
• Foam tape

The longest part of the process is choosing colors and papers for the bag and accessories. I started with the gray tropical patterned paper, then chose the rest of the colors by pulling out colors in the paper.

I used a favorite tropical leaf patterned paper for the background, but covered it with vellum to soften the look and not fight with the bag's pattern. I cut some sand, ink blended it, and stamped off some granules of sand on it.

I love seashells and had to add a few, so those were die cut and ink blended too. Tassels are in fashion these days on purses, totes, wallets, so I added one to the bag.

This was a fun card to put together and I hope you will get out some older dies that you haven't used in a while, but still love. See you in the gallery!

Carol

You Are Beautiful

I'm slowly adding to my Concord & 9th inks and I am in love with this Dragonfruit color! It's all I wanted to use for the stenciled flowers on this card, along with my oldies: Sprout, Parsley and Grapefruit. At Just Us Girls #829 it is Anything Goes with a Stencil this week and this C9 stamp, stencil and die bundle is so fun and versatile. Be sure to check out the team's blogs and that of our guest designer Kellianne, whose last week is this one. She as been a great guest!

What I used:

• Concord & 9th Filled with Joy stamp, stencil and die sets, ink pads
• Altenew Obsidian Black ink pad
• Black gems

I stenciled the whole scene (4 out of 5 stencils), then stenciled three flowers again to pop up on foam tape for dimension. I cut a 5" x 7" white card base, but cut it down to 6 1/4"from 7" to have even borders all the way around.

Get out your stencils and join us this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Time to Relax

It's a Photo Challenge at Time Out #316 and I took the photo for this challenge about a year ago. For my card I tried to recreate the scene in the photo, and the team has made a variety of fantastic cards inspired by the photo! Be sure to visit their blogs to read about their wonderful projects. We are in full summer mode now and the seasonal weather is here for outside fun!

Lawn Fawn is generously sponsoring us with an offer of a $25.00 store credit as a prize for our Challenge Winner, who will also get an invitation to join us as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

I used quite a few My Favorite Things Outdoor Decor dies and their pool water stencil, an Avery Elle Splash pool die and a Simon Says Stamp stamp set for the sentiment. There is stenciling on the outdoor rug, pillows and pool water. I ink blended the sunset sky on the card front. The die cut frame (MFT) is popped up on foam tape to make a diorama of sorts. When white string lights are on a patio I just smile, so I had to add them to my scene. (The Rabbit Hole Designs matte enamel dots) I added a pale gray pool deck for the outdoor rug and lounge chair to sit on next to the pool.

I can't wait to see how you are inspired by the photo and that you share your cards with us! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm also playing along at The Paper Players PP791 Weather.

P.S. The screened-in pool is a "thing" in Florida to keep mosquitos, flies and "critters" out of the pool and patio area. It is not glass. That would be horribly hot! we call it a lanai down here.

Carol

 

Father's Day 2026

Happy Father's Day to all the dads who work hard for their children and families. I made this card from my daughter and me for her dad and it did not turn out at all like I wanted it to, but a masculine card for my husband who isn't a cardmaker...and I know he will like it.

I used Papertrey Ink's Build a Sailboat die set and modified this version from a year ago which I was really happy with for a bigger project. It's a card box with gold edges to look like gold edged pages of a book. See photos below and the details in my link at the top of this paragraph.

Here is the card box from last year.

As for the other products I used, the sentiment is from SU! from eons ago and I used my trusty Altenew Obsidian black ink pad. I ink blended the sky, sail, tiny flag, sun, water and boat and I actually watched a video to make the knot in the rope in the photo. It's the overhand knot. LOL.

Hope you have a nice day!

Carol

Hi Sunshine

I just noticed that Inkspirational Challenge #370 Word Prompt - Leftovers was their latest theme and just two days ago I saved a piece of card stock that was the die cut negative piece of a floral card I was making. My intention was to use it in the future for a stencil. What are the chances that today this challenge popped up? So I got to work using it. Here is my card.

I have saved the die cut negative before when I notice that it could make a good stencil. This one has some spaces that needed a space filled in so I moved the stencil to add a flower with an existing die cut opening. The die that made this stencil is one piece and it quickly made what ended up as a stencil.

What I used:

• Poppystamps Nordic Scatter Flowers 2773 die
• Concord & 9th Basket Weave Card Front die
• Waffle Flower A2 Nested Domes dies, Overlapping Hello Additions stamp and die sets
• Ranger Distress ink pads
• Pink and Main Glitter Enamel Shapes
• Catherine Pooler Queen for a Day ink pad

After stenciling, I decided on a dome-shaped card and die cut the stenciled panel, then added the basket weave pattern to it with that die. I die cut a hot pink, orange, and two white arches in graduated sizes to form the mats and card base. (For the card base I like to die cut two, score one close to the left side, then adhere together with tear tape on the skinny scored edge to join them into a foldable card.) The stenciled panel is popped up on foam tape for dimension.

I assembled the card and layers, then stamped and die cut the sentiment with purple ink. Last, I added the enamel dots for more texture and sparkle!

And that is it! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

A Floral Thank You

Hello! I hope you are enjoying some summertime weather and activities! Today I have a floral thank you card I made with a new Poppystamps die set called Nordic Scatter Flowers. I paired them with two other Poppystamps die sets: Heartfelt Pinpoint Frame and Thank You Tender Script dies. The hearts remind me of a trellis with flowers are growing along the side of it.

What I used:

• Poppystamps Heartfelt Pinpoint Frame die, Nordic Scatter Flowers dies, Thank You Tender Script dies
• Distress ink
• Concord & 9th ink
• Stampin' Up! ink

I die cut the heart panel on aqua card stock and cut it off on the left side to make a partial cover plate "trellis" for my card front.  I adhered it to an A2 darker teal panel which I added to a white A2 card base. I die cut lots of the Nordic Scatter Flowers in white and ink blended the centers. After gluing the centers to the flowers, I scattered them along the heart panel's edge. Last, I die cut and layered the sentiment, then added it to the card front.

I hope you will stop by the Poppystamps blog for more photos and info on this card!

Thanks for visiting,

Carol

Sending Joy

If I somehow had reservations to a destination on the water, with colorful flowers everywhere and beach views, I would be very joyful! Having just returned home from being at a faraway beach wedding on an island, I am really missing the views there. So I got out this die set to make this scene for our Just Us Girls Moodboard #828. I was inspired by the moodboard's bright colors for everything on my card, including the flowers that adorn the doorway and potted plants. Be sure to visit the team's blogs and that of our guest Kellianne to read about their ideas taken from the board.

What I used:

• Spellbinders Beyond the Door die set, sentiment
• Ranger Distress ink pads
• Silver card stock
• foam tape

After die cutting all the parts needed for this scene, I assembled the flowers in terracotta pots and the bright archways. I ink blended a sunset and layered the die cut clouds, water and stone path on top of that panel.

I popped up the stairs and archway on foam tape, as I did for the potted plants. One of my favorite parts of the interactive design (I think Jennifer McGuire came up with this fold for the set) is the two-sided lantern that hangs on the front archway. It flips over when you open out the card. It was fun to adorn the arches with vines and flowers and to pretend that there is a courtyard between the two archways.

We hope to see your cards that take inspiration from our colorful floral moodboard this week!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Carol