Beary Best Card Sketch Challenge

This card was a happy accident. I had measured some pieces for Mystery Monday Stamping with Sharon Armstrong on YouTube, but it turned out the clues she had given us from yesterday's email were supposed to be for next week, so she showed us the card we were meant to make tonight and then ended the episode. I decided to use some of the pieces I had already pre-cut, and then I stamped the bear, the campfire, and the sentiment from a retired Close to My Heart stamp set. I die cut the sentiment with a Spellbinders die and then fussy cut the bear and campfire. I just love the camping pattern paper I recently found, and it seems perfect for the Time Out challenge this time that has a camping photo as the inspiration. I embossed the blue background paper using a Craftwell embossing folder. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

Sketch Challenge 663 Is Here — Play Along for Your Chance to Win $50 i – MFT Stamps: Following this sketch: 

TIME OUT Challenges: My card features a campfire like in the photo and is also a camping-themed card (2/5; ends 9/27/23) C5

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 4/10 for the challenge; ends 9/27/23)

Can You Handle The Pressure? (cyhtp.blogspot.com): ATG with embossing with an optional twist of trees (2/3; ends 9/20/23)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting (doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com): Thing 1 Use a punch or die (I was drinking some Decaf Toasted Marshmallow tea with Marshmallow Nut Pods non-dairy creamer) (1/4; ends 10/2/23

No more challenges 

Welcome, Baby Pop Up Frame Cards

Recently there have been several babies to celebrate among friends and family members, and I had a fun time crafting 3 new baby cards this weekend. I was looking for inspiration and found a video by Jennifer Maguire on how to make pop up frame cards. If you'd like to watch the instructions, you can view the video here: Easy Pop-Up Frame Cards! - YouTube. I immediately thought of using my new Papetry Ink Cover Plate: Mighty Jungle frame die for the frame. I die cut the jungle frame three times for each card. The first and last die cuts were just green card stock, but the middle die cut is out of a much heavier card stock to give the frame more stability. I reversed the back frame when I adhered it so that the vines go the other direction and fill in the top a bit more. 

To create the scene behind the frame, I stenciled a cloud background and cut out and stenciled some grassy hills to showcase my little jungle animal die cuts I created using my ancient but very handy dies from Provocraft. The cloud stencil is by Trinity Stamps and the grass stencil is from Maker Forte. 

I did a print and cut of the sentiment on the front of the card using the new babies' names on the two who have been born already. For the baby we are celebrating at a shower this coming weekend, the soon-to-be parents aren't telling people the name they've chosen yet, so I just wrote, "Welcome, baby" for that one. 

For the back of the cards, I used Jeremiah 1:5 to create a print and cut file using my Silhouette Design Studio software. I added the verse to some blue card stock and glued that to the back of the cards. Then I added some extra die cut animals from the same set of Provocraft jungle animal dies.

These cards are a cinch to make, and they fold flat to mail and fit in an A2 envelope. I have several A2 frame dies I would like to try with this fold in the future. 

A look at all three cards:

Each card:

 Anything Goes With A Fun Fold for Creative Creases #66 (secretstamper.com): ATG with a fun fold (unlimited entries; ends 9/29/23)

Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! (stencilfun.blogspot.com): ATG with a stencil with the option of Fall (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Cute 

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Favorite color: This is a tough one since I love so many colors, but green is so versatile for card making! I use it a lot with floral cards, but it's also great for jungle backgrounds like this card uses. (1/5; ends 9/25/23)

TIME OUT Challenges: Inspiration photo: This camping scene is a sweet outdoor scene with blue sky peeking out from behind the trees. My card also has a blue sky peeking out from behind the vines and is an outdoor scene as well. (1/5; ends 9/27/23) C5

No more challenges. 

You're The Best Teepee Card

I just want to say that I have the best mom in the world, and I'm so grateful God blessed me with such a loving Christian mother who is also an amazing grandmother and great-grandmother. I try to let her know how much I appreciate her frequently, but since I'm a card maker, I also make special cards for her on a regular basis. Last week she came up from Indiana (I live in Michigan) to take me out to a movie and then stayed the night and treated me to some shopping and eating out along with my daughter who lives locally and my daughter-in-law while my husband, sons, and soon-to-be son-in-law were away on a wilderness camping adventure. That was so sweet of her, and I definitely needed to make a special card to thank her for all the fun, so I took out my new Tonic Splendiforous Corsage stamp, die, and stencil set and got busy in my craft room! 

I've been wanting to make a teepee card for some time now, and one of the card designers I follow on YouTube and FB just posted her take on this card style, so I decided to give it a try. Her FB group is called Di's Den for Stamping Crafting and Tutorials, and the video tutorial for this card is here: (2) #195 (23)Teepee Card - YouTube. Di posts free written tutorials for all her cards in the FB group, also. I generally print the written tutorials, cut and score the card pieces according to the instructions, and then craft along with the videos the first time I make one of her cards. Thanks, Di! 

I wanted to play in the Colorful Options Challenge this month, and the color of the month is "Outrageous Orange." I used two shades of orange card stock for the base and layers and then chose shades of orange inks to stencil the flowers on the stamped image. I used the same stamp to do some tone-on-tone stamping of the teepee layers, also. I added some orange Crystal Drops and Glitter Drops from Tonic Studios for some of the detail layers of the stenciled flowers to give them a bit of dimension and shine.

The tiny die cut hearts and most of the sentiments were made with elements from the same Tonic Studios Splendiforous Corsage set, and the set comes with coordinating dies and tags to cut out the sentiments. The "You are Such a Blessing to Me" sentiment is from a Simon Hurley stamp set and was die cut with a SU! die from the Painted Poppies bundle. There's also a puffy heart sticker at the top of the second side of the teepee and a few butterflies I die cut from Papertrey Ink's Color Pop: Butterflies set. I used foam tape to pop up the "Thanks" sentiment on the front of the card, and I also used foam tape on some of the layers where I needed to hide the magnets that I used to keep the sides of the card together so the card stands up. I was debating between Velcro dots or magnets, but I went with the tiny magnets I had purchased on Amazon because I could hide them completely.  

To complete the card, I added 2 jeweled butterflies and 3 orange gems to the centers of the flowers on the front of the card.

Front of the card:

                                   

Close up of the stamping, stenciling, and embellishments:

Second side of the teepee:

Third side of the teepee:

View of the back:

View from above:

When the card is flat:

 Challenges I'm entering: 

Anything Goes With A Fun Fold for Creative Creases #66 (secretstamper.com): ATG with a fun fold (unlimited entries; ends 9/29/23)

Colorful Options: Outrageous Orange (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (3/5 for the week; 3/10 for the challenge; ends 9/27/23)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 9/19/23)

Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! (stencilfun.blogspot.com): ATG with a stencil with the option of Fall (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG Option: All that glitters (I used some scraps of orange glitter card stock for some of the die cut hearts and some glitter drops in the centers of the flowers) (unlimited entries; at the end of the month) Rising Star Pick for 9/11-9/17

Butterfly Challenge (butterflyspotchallenge.blogspot.com): ATG with butterflies (I have butterflies on all three sides of the card😀) (unlimited entries; ends 10/3/23)

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog: Thank you card (1/5; ends at the end of the month)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends 9/22/23)

The Paper Shelter: Autumn Colors (2/2; ends 9/20/23)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (ends at the end of the month)

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focal point (1/6; ends 10/14/23)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting (doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com): Thing 1: yellow, orange and green from the color palette Thing 3: entered Inspiration Challenge (ends 9/18/23)

Inspiration Station (inspirationstationchallenge.blogspot.com): The photo prompt includes yellows, oranges, and greens, which I have used in my card (1/8; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog:ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog (cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (3/3; ends at the end of the month)

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge -1st to the 25th every month: Colors of autumn +/or not a square or rectangle. CLOSES SEPT 30th 2023.: Colors of Autumn and/or non-square/rectangle card (3/5; ends at the end of the month)

Triple B (dd-tripleb.blogspot.com): ATG with birds, blooms, and/or butterflies (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Take flight (1/5; ends 9/18/23)

Sweet As A Peach Card

Peach season just ended here in Western Michigan, and when I mentioned to my daughter who is in the Navy that I was canning peaches and also making peach jam, she let me know how much she missed peach season back home. I decided to make her a peach care package, and I gave her a peach jam, a spiced peach jam, a pint of canned peaches, a pint of canned pickled peaches and some homemade peach fruit roll-ups. I have found that Pringles containers will hold two jam jars and that a particular brand of bread crumbs I use comes in a container that will hold a pint jar. I add some bubble wrap around the jars before putting them in the containers, and then I also pack the box with the packaging I save from our Amazon packages to make sure everything is packed tightly and won't shift around.  I also save all my plastic grocery bags and use them to fill in any small gaps. My oldest son was in the Marines for 5 years, so I picked up some packaging tips from other military parents during that time. Pringles containers are great for shipping cookies, too! 

To go along with the peach care package theme, I knew I needed to create a peachy card of course! I found some A2 card bases with fruit on them and cut pieces of them down to decorate my 2, 4, 6, 8 card. Here's a link to the instructions for the card base: Video for a 2 4 6 8 Fun Fold Card - Patty Stamps. I chose an orange card stock for the card base and then adhered the fruit-themed pattern paper onto the base and did a print and cut of the peaches using my Silhouette Design Studio software and an SVG file from Miss Kate Cuttables. I had a set of metallic fruit stickers that included a peach with the "Sweet as a peach" sentiment, so I just stamped and cut "You are" from a Simon Hurely stamp set to add to the inside of the card with the metallic peach sticker. I added a smaller print and cut peach to the writing panel on the back of the card, and that's where I wrote my note to my daughter. Being a Navy "nuke" (she helps maintain one of the nuclear reactors aboard the aircraft carrier she's been assigned to) is a tough job, and I'm very proud of how my daughter is handling the challenges and difficulties she faces. She really is as sweet as a peach, but she's also strong, hardworking, and incredibly capable. 

I forgot to get a picture of the peach roll-ups, but here's a look at the jams and canned peaches:

Challenges I'm entering: 

Anything Goes With A Fun Fold for Creative Creases #66 (secretstamper.com): ATG with a fun fold (unlimited entries; ends 9/15/23)

Colorful Options: Outrageous Orange (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG Option: All that glitters (I used a metallic peach sticker that is shiny) (unlimited entries; at the end of the month)

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (1/3; ends 9/18/23) C10

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (2/3; ends 9/22/23)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 2/10 for the challenge; ends 9/27/23)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Make it cute (1/5; ends 9/21/23)

Concertina Pocket Fold Card for Creative Creases

I'm back on the Creative Creases Challenge blog again today for the start of the new challenge, and I've chosen a concertina pocket fold card this time. If you'd like the measurements and instructions for the card base and layers, here's a link to the video by Di's Den: (3) #182 (23) Concertina Pocket Fold Card - YouTube. Di has a FB group where she posts a download of all the instructions for her fun fold projects for free, so if you enjoy fun fold cards, boxes, etc., be sure to check it out here: Di's Den for Stamping crafting and Tutorials | Facebook. If you'd like to make a similar card or any other fun fold card, please be sure to link it up to the Creative Creases Challenge here: https://secretstamper.com/2023/09/anything-goes-with-a-fun-fold-for-creative-creases-66/

A missionary friend of ours is home from Thailand undergoing chemotherapy for his lymphoma right now, and I'm signed up to bring out a meal to him and his family soon and wanted to make a special card to give him when I drop off the meal. His three children have only ever lived in Thailand, so starting school here in the US this fall has been an adjustment. They are used to visiting the US in the summer some years but going back to Thailand by the time school starts, so I'm praying they will quickly make some wonderful friends and be able to enjoy this opportunity to see what school is like here. 

I don't make many masculine cards, but I have the Stampin' Up! "Ringed with Nature" bundle, so I thought that would work well for a masculine card. I love bundles that have a hybrid embossing folder that can emboss and die cut at the same time. This bundle has a really cool embossing folder with a tree ring pattern, and the tree rings can be die cut with the coordinating dies while running the EF through the die cutting machine. 

Once I chose the stamps, dies, and embossing folder, I picked out some papers and got to work. I watched Di's Youtube video and had a print out of her instructions that I was also following along on as I made this card. It's not complicated, but there are a lot of pieces to cut with all the layers. Once I had all the papers cut and scored, I glued everything together and then started adding my embellishments and stamps. I used 2 colors of ribbon and some twine for closing the card and for the two tags inside the card. The cream colored ribbon used to close the card has a touch of sparkle that doesn't really show up in the photos. The "Just for you," "thinking of you," and "Get well soon" sentiments came from the Ringed with Nature stamp set, and the three verses I've included on the back of the tags and on the back of the card itself are all from Verve stamps. The two tag and banner dies I used are from Tonic Studios. 

Here's a look at the inside of the card:

Front of the card when closed:

Close up of the stamped and embossed elements. All the tone-on-tone stamping on the red tag was done with stamps from the SU! Ringed with Nature set, and the embossing folder I used for the tree rings as well as the leaf trinkets are also from SU!:

Here's the back of the card:

Close up of the verse:

A few more pictures of the card:

A look at the right side. You can't really read the "Get" very well, but that's the start of the sentiment panels that say: "Get well soon."

A closer look at the right side of the card:

With the front of the tags displayed. The mushrooms were die cut using dies from the Ringed with Nature bundle:

With the back of the tags displayed. The mushrooms were stamped tone-on-tone onto a scrap of the blue pattern paper I used for some of my layers on this card. The stamps for the stems and mushroom tops were also from the Ringed with Nature set:

Close up of the back of the tags:

Here's the back of the card when opened. You can see it has a spine like a book:

View from above to show the thickness of the card. Definitely glad I'm going to hand deliver this one!

If you are interested in purchasing the Ringed with Nature stamp set or Tree Rings hybrid embossing folder and coordinating die set and don't already have a SU! demonstrator, here's a link to my friend Debbie Mageed's SU! shop:

Ringed with Nature Stamp Set by Stampin’ Up! (stampinup.com)

Tree Rings Hybrid Embossing Folder | Stampin’ Up! (stampinup.com)

 Challenges I'm entering:

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 2/10 for the challenge; ends 9/27/23)

We Love Stamping: Trees and/or leaves or ATG (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

Stamping Sensations: Garden delights or ATG (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG (2/8; ends at the end of the month)

Scribble Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): ATG (1/5; ends at the end of the month)

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge -1st to the 25th every month: Colors of autumn and/or not at square or rectangle (1/5; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog (cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends October 10 and new challenge starts Oct. 15)

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): Die cut divas: ATG (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

https://cyhtp.blogspot.com/2023/09/anything-goes-with-twist-of-trees.html?m=1: ATG with an EF; optional twist: trees (1/3; ends 9/20/23)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 9/19/23)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG Option: All that glitters (I used metallic leaf trinkets) (unlimited entries; at the end of the month)

http://asyoulikeitchallenge.blogspot.com/2023/09/favourite-autumn-or-winter-and-why.html?m=1: Favorite: fall or winter and why: I love fall so much! Where I live (the state of Michigan in the US), the fall colors are AMAZING! Rich reds, bright oranges, dusky yellows…so many gorgeous colors to enjoy! 

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends 9/22/23)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Make it cute

(I hope the cute little mushrooms count 😀) (2/5; ends 9/20/23)

The Paper Shelter: Autumn Colors (1/2; ends 9/20/23)

Charcuterie Board Tri-fold Circle Card

A friend of mine does charcuterie board making classes, and I've been wanting to make her a card with these adorable stamps and dies from HoneyBee Stamps for awhile now. I bought the stamps and dies with my daughter in mind since she is a manager at a cheese shop and also does charcuterie board making classes, but I'm getting extra use out of them here in this card for my friend. She's about to start her first year as a teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship, so I wanted to let her know I'm praying for her. I'm going to be a Children's Leader in my BSF class, and I'm excited to meet my students when class starts next week. We are studying the gospel of John this year, so if you're looking for an in-depth Bible study, I'm including a link to the BSF website. There are evening classes as well as day classes and even online classes available: Bible Study Fellowship (bsfinternational.org)

To make the card base, I used a Silhouette Design Studio cut file graciously provided by Sabine Harris in the Silhouette Card Making and Paper Crafts FB group I'm part of. I chose some pretty purple card stock colors because the "marble" cardstock I chose for the charcuterie boards has a bit of purple in it. I stamped and die cut all the cute little fruits, nuts, cheeses, bread, crackers, meats, olives, and garnishes and then colored them all using my Ohuhu alcohol markers. I used Press N Seal to help me keep everything in place as I glued all the elements down. 

For the sentiment, I used Black Cherry and Big Pumpkin fonts to write: "Praying it will BRIE a great year!" Then I sized up the lettering and placed it where I wanted it on the white circle and did a print and cut of it. Besides the stamped, die cut, and colored slices of brie, pistachios, and the garnish, I also added some sparkly purple gems to embellish the sentiment panel. 

Close up of the sentiment panel:

Here's the card when laid out flat:

Left side:

Middle:

Right side:

Here's a look at the card when closed:

Challenges I'm entering: 

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold Challenge #65 (secretstamper.com): ATG with a fun fold (ends 9/15/23)

Papercraft Challenges (papercraft-challenges.blogspot.com): Shaped cards  

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG or all the glitters (I used glittery purple gems by the sentiment) (ends at the end of the month) Rising Star for the week of 9/4/23-9/10/23

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 9/12/23)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 3/10 for the challenge; ends 9/13/23)

Gem of A Craft Challenge (pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com): ATG (2/3; ends 9/15/23)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (2/2; ends 9/15/23) Top 3 Pick 9/23/23

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): ATG with die cuts (including the use of electronic cutting machines) or an embossing folder (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

We Love Stamping: Trees and/or leaves or ATG (2/4; ends at the end of the month)

Stamping Sensations: Garden delights or ATG (2/4; ends at the end of the month)

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG (3/8; ends at the end of the month) 

Scribble Challenge (rabiscochallenge.blogspot.com): ATG (2/5; ends at the end of the month)

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge -1st to the 25th every month: Colors of autumn and/or not a square or rectangle (2/5; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog (cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends October 10 and new challenge starts Oct. 15)

Allsorts challenge blog: ATG or use die cuts (1/3; ends 9/15/23)

The Corrosive Challenge Blog!! (corrosivechallengesbyjanet.blogspot.com): ATG (1/2; ends at the end of the month)

digidesignchallengeblog (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.com): Die cuts and/or punches (1/3; ends 9/15/23)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (ends at the end of the month)