Guest Designer at DigiStamps4Joy

Hello, everyone!  I'm delighted to announce that I am a Guest Designer at DigiStamps4Joy this month! Our challenge for May is Buttons, Bows, and Bling. We are halfway through the month, and I am guesting for the mid-challenge reminder. I hope you will head over and join in the fun - there is still plenty of time to enter - the challenge runs until May 31. For my card, I chose the adorable Leggy Lilly and Kitty, which I coloured with Prismacolor pencils.

I die-cut the image with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles. You've probably noticed I use these dies on a lot of my cards.  Here's a tip:  If the stitched rectangle die isn't the right size for your image, die cut it anyway and then die cut it a second time using the outside edge of the die to make the rectangle any size you like, and it's still stitched!

Since our challenge is buttons, bows, and bling, I will point out these items first.  The metallic silver buttons are from my stash, and I've had them for many years, originally found at a thrift store; the ribbon and bow are from Little Scrap Pieces (thank you, Karen); and the bling is from Simon Says Stamp and Dollarama.

I added a lot of fun die-cuts too:  Poppystamps Walking Cat, Cheery Lynn Ivy Strip, Spellbinders Moroccan Accents, and Spellbinders Scalloped Borders 2.  The patterned paper is from MME In Bloom 6x6 paper pad. The ticket sentiment is from Digital Delights, and the butterfly charm is from my stash.  The flowers are from I am Roses (pink), Scribble and Scrap (white), K and Company (small yellow), and Dollarama (large yellow).

Please head over to DigiStamps4Joy and join our fun challenge of Buttons, Bows, and Bling! The rules can be found here.  You might also wish to check out the DigiStamps4Joy Shop and then hop over and Like the DigiStamps4Joy Facebook Page. Thank you so much, Margy, for having me as your Guest Designer!  It was my pleasure!

I would also like to support these fun challenges:  Bunny Zoe's Buttons and Bows UE; Clique Kits AG 2/3; Come and Get it Flowers 1/3; Craft Your Passion AG 1/3; Crafting by Designs May AG 2/3; Crafting by Designs Flowers 1/3; Crafting from the Heart AG 1/3; Crafty Gals Corner May Flowers 1/2; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper May UE; Crafty Ribbons Animal with Ribbon; Cuttlebug Mania Ribbon 1/3; Deep Ocean Flowers UE; Di's Digi Designs Load on the Flowers 1/3; DL.ART May AG UE 1/day; Dragonfly Dreams Lauralcraft How does your Garden Grow UE; Fan-Tastic Tuesday AG Add Some Flowers 1/4; Fresh Brewed Designs Use Twine or Ribbon 1/5; Get Creative For the Ladies or Mother's Day 1/3; HIMCR Super Scraps Saturday (all die cuts from scraps) 1/3; Incy Wincy The Great Outdoors 1/5; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Kitty Bee Aloha Friday In the Garden 2/2; Ladybug Crafts Favourite Colour (pink) 2/3; Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday 1E; Love to Scrap A Stitch in Time (see stitched rectangle die) 1/3; Loves Rubberstamps Add a Sentiment UE; Mema's AG 3/3; Natalie and Amy's Animals 2/3; Not Just Cards AG UE; Our Creative Corner April Showers Bring May Flowers 1/3; Paperbabe Stamps AG; Papertake Weekly In the Garden 1/5; Party Time Tuesdays AG 1/3; Pile it On Cute Animal UE; Pixie's Snippet Playground All die cuts from snippets 2/3; Poppystamps It's All About Her UE; Scrapy Land AG with dies sold at Scrapy Land 2/3; Scribble and Scrap AG 2/3; Scribbles Designs B is for... buttons, bow, bling, blooms, butterfly 1/3; Sentimental Sundays Mother's Day or Really Girly 1/3; Simon Says Stamp Monday Simon Brand Products 1/5; Simon Says Stamp Work-it Wednesday Yellow 1/3; Sister Act (Cards Only) AG UE; Sparkles Monthly Spring - Use At Least 5 Flowers 1/3; Squirrel's World Antiques Roadshow (most items on this card are older than one year, but the buttons are many years old, as are the yellow flowers) 2/3; Stamp and Create May Flowers 1/3; Stamping Sensations Flower Power 2/3; Suzy Bee's Bloomin' AG Add Flowers UE; The Crafter's Cafe Feminine 1/3; The Outlawz Twisted Thursday Add Flowers 1/2; The Paper Girls Cute Critters 1/3; Wags n Whiskers Lots of Layers 1/2; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5; Your Scrapbook Place May AG 2/3

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Edited July 31, 2015:  Joining Imagine That... Digis by Kris Any Vendor Embellishment Contest.

Happy Anniversary (Foil)

Hello, everyone!  I haven't been in my craftroom much lately, but I wanted to try some Thermoweb Deco Foil that I got in a bargain bin at Michael's.  It's so trendy right now and I thought it might look nice on an anniversary card. This is my first attempt at using foil, and although it's hard to photograph, it looks fabulous in person.

The foil is green so I decided to go with a tone-on-tone look. I stamped Hero Arts City Map CG649 in Versamark and heat-embossed in clear, added the green foil, and sent it through my laminator.  I die-cut this panel with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle and mounted on black cardstock.  

For the sentiment, again I stamped it in Versamark, heat-embossed in clear, added the green foil, and used the laminator. I die-cut the foiled sentiment with Spellbinders Floral Oval and affixed to the card. I added two black butterflies to finish it off.

I was inspired by Leslie's sketch over at The Crooked Stamper. I don't think I've ever made a sentiment-focused card before so this was a real challenge for me! Here's the sketch, which I rotated.

There's a Clean and Simple challenge over at A Blog Named Hero that I will link to, and I would also like to join the anniversary challenge at Dies R Us.  It's a month-long challenge to celebrate their first anniversary!  

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Watering Can Tulips (ITDK image)

Hello, everyone!  Before I share my card, I would like to extend a warm welcome to my new Bloglovin' follower - Candice Fields - so nice to have you here!

Today I'm sharing a card I made with the May Digi of the Month from Imagine That... digis by Kris. There are two digis this month, and I chose to make my card with Watering Can Tulips. This is a progressive challenge. Since I participated last month using the April digi, I received the May digi for free! You can join at any time; see details here.  Thank you, Kris, for your free digis!

I like to use pre-coloured images when I don't have much time to spend in my craftroom, like this week!  I die-cut the image with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Squares and used an inlaid die-cut technique to keep this card one layer, flat for mailing.  The turquoise panel was embossed with Cuttlebug Simple Flowers.  I stamped a thank-you sentiment from Impression Obsession Sentiments 1 clear stamps, added a butterfly charm, and finished it off with a decorative corner of tiny pearls (Flourish with a Bling).

I would also like to support these fun challenges:  Craft Your Passion AG 2/3; Crafting by Designs One Layer 1/3; Creative Fingers AG 3/3; Deep Ocean Flowers UE; DL.ART May AG UE 1/day; Dragonfly Dreams Lauralcraft How does your Garden Grow UE; Fussy and Fancy Lots of Flowers UE;  HIMCR HIMCR03NSD May Flowers 2/3; HIMCR HIMCR02NSD Let's Get Digital 3/3; HIMCR HIMCR05NSD Die Cuts 3/3; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Jo's Scrap Shack FFC AG 1/3; Kitty Bee Aloha Friday In the Garden 1/2; Loves Rubberstamps AG UE; Mema's AG 2/3; Not Just Cards AG UE; Paperbabe Stamps AG; Papertake Weekly AG Optional Twist No Patterned Paper 2/5; Penny's Paper-Crafty AG 1/3; Scribbles Designs Spring has Sprung 3/3; Sister Act (Cards Only) AG UE; Suzy Bee's Bloomin' AG No Patterned Papers UE; The Outlawz Twisted Thursday Add a Charm 1/2; Tuesday Throwdown Flowers for Her 1/3; V's Sweet Ideas Emboss It 2/2; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Dad's Day Off (Deedee's Digis)

Hello, everyone!  I'm back again tonight to share a masculine card I made with the May Digi of the Month from Deedee's Digis. This is a progressive challenge. Since I made a card last month using the April digi, I received the May digi for free! You can join at any time; see details here.  Thank you, Deedee, for your free digi!

I like to use pre-coloured images when I don't have much time to spend in my craftroom, like this week!  I die-cut the image with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles and then layered it at an angle on an embossed panel (Cuttlebug Herringbone).  I added three buttons and some twine from my stash.

I would also like to support these fun challenges:  Brown Sugar AG 2/2; Craft Your Passion AG 1/3; Creative Fingers AG 2/3;  Cute Card Thursday Use a Sentiment UE; HIMCR HIMCR02NSD Let's Get Digital 2/3; HIMCR HIMCR05NSD Die Cuts 2/3; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Let's Craft and Create AG Male 1/3; Loves Rubberstamps AG UE; Mema's AG 1/3; Not Just Cards AG UE; Papertake Weekly AG Optional Twist No Patterned Paper 1/5; Send a Smile 4 Kids For a Dad or Special Male (from the kids) 1/3 (TOP 3); Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 2/5; Sister Act (Cards Only) AG UE; Suzy Bee's Bloomin' AG No Patterned Papers UE; V's Sweet Ideas Emboss It 1/2; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Bot Buddies Birthday (Deedee's Digis)

Hello, everyone!  I would like to extend a warm welcome to my lovely new follower - Kelly 0:) - thank you for joining me!

Today I am sharing a boy's birthday card!  I used an adorable set from Deedee's Digis called Bot Buddies.  I fell in love with these cute robots!  I don't have much time for crafting lately so I used the precoloured version.  I die-cut them with my Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles.

Deedee's is having a fun challenge for National Scrapbooking Day and I wanted to join in!  The challenge is to lift some inspiration from the DT samples provided. What caught my eye was the beautiful embossed backgrounds in Kathy, Carol, and Tamara's cards so I decided to lift that.  The embossing folder I used is Cuttlebug Coolio.  To finish off the card, I added some silver and gold sequins.

I was also inspired by the Iron Giant challenge over at Red Carpet Studio. The robot in the poster is a bit frightening so I made my card more light-hearted.  Here is their poster inspiration:



I would also like to support these two fun challenges: 
Cute Card Thursday Use a Sentiment UE
DRS Designs Put it in Neutral UE

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Glitter n Sparkle DT - Anything Goes

Hello, everybody!  Before I share my card, I would like to welcome two lovely new followers - Annett (aka Kuni) and Noelle Martin (Quick Cards) - so happy you joined me!

It's Sunday, so that means we have a new challenge for you over at Glitter n Sparkle Challenge Blog! This week our challenge is everyone's favourite: Anything Goes.  Just take a look at the adorable image I chose this week, from one of our generous sponsors, Lacy Sunshine.  She's called Sleepy Lamb Agnes - Stitched Collection and I coloured her with Prismacolor pencils. She's perfect for a baby card!

I die-cut the image with Simon Says Stamp Stitched Squares, mounted on a mauve panel, and stamped a sentiment (Clearly Besotted A Little Sentimental clear stamps) in Brilliance Pearlescent Coral.  The patterned paper is from my stash from many years ago. I added a gorgeous flower from Flourish with a Bling (thank you, Lucy) and some smaller flowers (Offray and Floralux).  The die-cut leaves are Cheery Lynn Ivy Strip.  The star/moon banner is Memory Box Night Sky Border.  I added a number of other accents from my stash: flower-shaped buttons, sparkly duck (Glitter Max), pink pearls (Want-2-Scrap, thank you, Diana), ribbon flower/bow, and charm.  

Please come over and join us at Glitter n Sparkle for our Anything Goes challenge. We have some fabulous prizes up for grabs again this week!

I would also like to support these fun challenges:  613 Avenue Create AG w Optional Twist Feminine 1/3; Allsorts April Showers May Flowers 1/3; Brown Sugar AG 1/2; Bugaboo Stamps Catch the Bug AG 1/3; Cheery Lynn Lots of Layers 1E; Clique Kits AG 1/3; Come and Get It Female 1/3; CRAFT Charm or Metal 1/5; Craft Your Passion AG 1/3; Crafting by Designs May AG 1/3; Crafting from the Heart AG 1/3; Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper May UE; Crafty Ribbons AG w Ribbon 1/5; Creative Fingers AG (used sponsor image) 1/3; Creative Inspirations Cute Critters 1/3; Cute Card Thursday Use a Sentiment UE; Cuttlebug Mania Use Stamping (stamped sentiment; image is digital stamp) 1/3; DL.ART May AG UE 1/day; Fussy and Fancy Lots of Flowers UE; HIMCR HIMCR02NSD Let's Get Digital 1/3; HIMCR HIMCR03NSD May Flowers 1/3; HIMCR HIMCR05NSD Die Cuts 1/3; Kitty Bee Aloha Friday Girly 2/2; Inspiration Destination AG UE; Ladybug Crafts Favourite Colour (pink) 1/3; Little Claire's Digi Flowers 3/3; Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday 1E; Love to Scrap AG 3/3; Loves Rubberstamps Use at Least 2 Dies UE; My Time to Craft New Baby 1/3; Natalie and Amy's Animals 1/3; Not Just Cards AG UE; Paperbabe Stamps AG (RANDOM WINNER); Pixie's Snippet Playground Patterned paper and all die cuts from snippets 1/3; Scrap and Craft Use Ribbon or Twine 3/3; Scrapy Land AG (Cheery Lynn and Memory Box) 1/3; Scribble and Scrap AG 1/3; Simon Says Stamp Monday AG 1/5; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5; Sister Act (Cards Only) AG UE; Squirrel's World Antiques Roadshow (patterned paper and glittery duck many years old) 1/3; Stamping Sensations Flower Power 1/3; The Corrosive Hip to be Square 1/3; The Outlawz Twisted Thursday AG 1/2; The Ribbon Girl Mother/Female Themed Card UE; Wags n Whiskers Banner/Bunting 1/2; Word Art Wednesday AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5; Your Scrapbook Place May AG 1/3

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!

Throwback Thursday #8

Hello, everyone!  Before I go any further, I would like to extend a warm welcome to my newest follower - Violette - so happy you joined me!  By the way, Violette is having a giveaway on her blog. She is working towards 100 followers, so if you'd like to check it out, please tell her that Kitty sent you!

I've had a busy week and have not been crafting at all, so I am reviving a past card and blog post so I can join Bibiana's Throwback Thursday Challenge. See all the details here. Anyone can join, and there are still 11 days left to enter, according to the linky at Stamping with Bibiana.

There is an optional theme of Mother's Day but I chose this card instead.  I originally posted it on my blog in September 2013.  It did end up going to my Mom, not for Mother's Day, but "just because." My parents aren't getting any younger, so I often send them cards for no reason other than just to let them know I'm thinking about them. As I was browsing my old cards trying to decide which one to bring back to share, this one said "pick me, pick me" so I did!  I really like the colours I used!

You can read all the details about my card on my original blog post.  Below is the challenge badge but you can also find it on my left-hand sidebar.

Challenge #8

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joyful day!