Butterfly Garden

Hey y'all, happy Friday!  I did NOT do laundry yesterday but maybe I can put it off until Monday, ha.  I have a bunch of things to do today and laundry is not on the list.

Anywha, here's my card for today:

I busted out the now-retired Sketched Butterflies and some (slightly) older DSP for this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

Which I paired with the Creative Colour Challenges palette:

Hey, since the Color Throwdown is no longer throwing down, maybe I should make this challenge my weekly pairing for FMS.  There's a thought.  Anyway, something about these colors made me think of butterflies in a garden, so I went with it.  At first I was going to do the card base in Cajun Craze, but I traded it out for Garden Green instead, though I think the Cajun would have looked good too.  I didn't worry about really blending the colors on the butterfly, just did a quick color job and called it good.  Some Cajun Craze + Gold Dots to match the Wink of Stella on his wings and it's done!

Have a great day, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Berry Burst, Cajun Craze, Basic Black
Paper:  Garden Green, Basic Black, Thick Basic White, Garden Green & Berry Burst DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, Cajun Craze & Gold Dots

Thinking of Butterflies

Mornin' y'all!  I actually meant to post this card yesterday afternoon/evening, but I got distracted because we went to Ryan's swim lesson and then I made dinner for Taco Tuesday and then I worked on my current stitching project and I just forgot.  So here it is now:

I made this for the Paper Players' CAS challenge of things that fly, but I think I ran past CAS on this one considering there are four layers and quite a bit of pattern.  But I did hit a couple of other challenges, starting with the Creative Colour Challenge:

I stamped the butterfly with Versamark + Night of Navy, then embossed with clear embossing powder so I could use Pumpkin Pie and Poppy Parade to watercolor the butterfly; I thought if I used Blends that it would be too overpowering for the card.  I paired that with the Atlantic Hearts sketch for this week:

I really like this one.  It gave me an excuse to use my new favorite Textured Notes dies : )

Time to get Ryan off to school and today he has his extracurricular class after so I get extra crafty (and laundry) time.  And I'm making a dessert for a function at the hubs' work tomorrow.  Have a great day, peeps.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Versamark, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade
Paper:  Thick Basic White, Countryside Inn DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Textured Notes dies, Dimensionals, Clear EP

Non-Halloween Butterflies

Mornin' y'all.  I have definitely come down with another cold and I feel like I am single-handedly keeping the companies that make Kleenex and Dayquil/Nyquil in business.  Ugh.  But I do have a happy card to share today.

The Creative Colour Challenge this week screamed Halloween to me, so I challenged myself to make a non-Halloween card with the colors:

And this week's CASE-ing Tuesday Sketch made me think of butterflies:

Here's the catalog inspiration:

I used a pattern from the Refreshed Beauty DSP for my card background and kept the butterfly theme from the inspo pic.

And now I think it's time to go take a nap.  Cheers, y'all, and stay healthy out there.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Gorgeous Grape, Stampin' Blends in Pumpkin Pie & Smoky Slate
Paper:  Gorgeous Grape, Thick Basic White, Refreshed Beauty DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Purple Shimmer Gems, Mini Dimensionals

Berry Lime Butterflies

Mornin' y'all!  For reals, when are we going to get smart and abolish daylight savings?  I'm over this nonsense.  It's the same amount of sunlight regardless of what the clock says.  *grumbles*

Maybe some brightly colored butterflies will cheer me up.

When Sketched Butterflies first debuted, I wasn't going to buy it.  I mean, I have a lot of butterfly stamps already, right?  But somehow I bought it anyway and I've had a great time with it since then.

Two challenges today, starting with CAS Colours & Sketches:

I used Lemon Lime Twist for the card base, the sponged circles, and details on the butterflies; Granny Apple Green is used for the greeting and the butterflies' bodies, and of course Berry Burst is the main color on their wings.

And here's Freshly Made Sketches:

I followed the sketch but used the retired Stitched with Whimsy dies instead of adding another layer to my card.  I think I still kept it CAS enough to count for the first challenge.

That's it for now, peeps.  It's 8am and I want a nap now.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green, Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Lemon Lime Twist, Thick Basic White
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies (used as a mask), Dimensionals

Sunny Coral Butterfly

Mornin' y'all!  Ryan has a two-hour delay today (again) so we're off schedule here.  But I have a sunny day type of card to share anyway!

I made a different card with this sketch and the same colors but I disliked it so much it ended up in the round file; this one is much better.  So let's do the challenges in reverse alphabetical order because apparently Blogger just likes going backwards.  Up first is Just Add Ink:

I used Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral Blends to color in the butterfly and used the Thinking of You greeting from the same stamp set.  Check!  Next up is Color Hues:

As I said, I used Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight.  The Rainbow Dot next to the greeting is supposedly Flirty Flamingo, but I thought it matched the stripes pretty well so I went with it.  And now for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch:

I used a different (smaller) round decor item to make my curved shape today and decided to use some small die cut butterflies for the three circles on the left of the sketch.  I skipped the stitched element because I thought it would make the card too busy with the two background patterns I used.

Alas, my tea is gone and it's time to get Ryan ready for school.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Daffodil Delight & Calypso Coral
Paper:  Calypso Coral, Thick Basic White, Bloom Impressions DSP, Calypso Coral DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Nested Essentials dies, Wink of Stella, Rainbow Dots, Dots for Days, Dimensionals

SUO Challenges Spring CASE

Mornin' y'all!  We spent the weekend in Breckenridge and just got home yesterday : )  The hubs and Ryan went skiing; I enjoyed wandering through all the shops and napping with Daphne.  Yep, she had her first road trip...and it turns out she gets carsick.  Poor pupper!

Anyway, today it's time for a new challenge from SUO Challenges!

This time around, we are CASE-ing the catalog:

I chose the card on the top right corner and this is what I made:

I switched out pastels for deeper purples and I discovered that I am down to teeny scraps of the gold foil paper so I need to put that on my next order.  This is the first time I've cut into the Bloom Impressions DSP that is a Sale-a-Bration option, I love all the colors in that paper and I'm looking forward to playing with it some more.

Anyway, there are lots of options for cards to CASE and I hope you'll join us!  Don't forget to upload your creation at the SUO Challenges blog.  Have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Versamark, Pretty in Pink & Petunia Pop Stampin' Blends
Paper:  Thick Basic White, Petunia Pop, Blackberry Bliss, Bloom Impressions DSP, gold foil
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Inspiring Snapdragons dies, Everyday Arches dies, white EP, Purple Shimmer Gems, Dimensionals

Get Inspired with SUO Challenges

Mornin' y'all, it's time for a new challenge at SUO Challenges!

And this time it's all about inspiration, check out this photo:

Lots going on there to pick and choose from!  My eye was drawn to the blue wall, the quilt in the back with the butterflies on it, and the purple flowers in the front left.  I mixed those up and got this:

Can't wait to see how you use the photo to inspire some paper crafting goodness!  Don't forget to upload your card at the SUO Challenges blog and have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Early Espresso, Boho Blue
Paper:  Boho Blue, Thick Basic White, Refreshed Beauty DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Spotlight on Nature dies, Wink of Stella, Purple Shimmer Gems, Dimensionals

Hopeful Butterflies

Who else has a blizzard happening?  I can't really tell how much snow is coming down because the wind is so strong that it's just kicking the snow everywhere.  Poor little Daphne tried to nope right back into the house when I let her out this morning.  We get snow blowing inside every time I open the door for her, I feel like we're on Hoth, but luckily I haven't seen any wampa around.  Hubs asked what my plans for today were, and I said they include standing at the window with a giant cup of tea, talking about how bad the weather is, and not being out in it : )  I was very surprised that they didn't cancel school for Ryan today.  Well, probably the roads are just fine because the wind is keeping the snow from settling at all.

Anyway, I have another springy butterfly card to share today.

Check out the colors from Hand Stamped Sentiments:

And the sketch from Atlantic Hearts:

I really wanted to do butterflies instead of greenery but it took me a couple of tries before I ended up with the die cuts and I'm not sure how much I like it.  Ah well, not every card can be your favorite.

Think I might order some tea while I'm sitting here at the computer...I mean, what if it snows for days and I run out of tea???  Okay, so we'd have to be snowed in for like a year and it probably still wouldn't happen, but WHAT IF.  Thankfully I already have enough unread books to keep me busy for about 10 years and lots of paper crafting and stitching projects, so I can keep myself entertained.  And I have a cute little Daphne to snuggle with.  Okay, I'm going upstairs to the craft room for a bit.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies, Sketched Plaid
Ink:  Lemon Lime Twist, Pebbled Path
Paper:  Petunia Pop, Pebbled Path, Lemon Lime Twist, Highland Heather, Thick Basic White, LLT DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Nested Essentials dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, Purple Fine Shimmer Gems

Spring Butterflies

Hey y'all, how goes your Wednesday?  We ended up with a couple of inches of snow yesterday but to my relief, Ryan still had school today : )  Daphne loves the snow, she keeps asking to go outside every 10 minutes so she can play in it again.  I was smart this time and shoveled off the back patio so it won't be all icy and slick there.

Anyway, there may be snow on the ground outside, but it looks like spring in my craft room.

I bought Sketched Butterflies when SU! had a sale on bundles last fall and I got two other ones that I don't think I've even inked up yet, but I've enjoyed this one.  I started out with the AAA Challenge:

Butterfly in the skyyyy, I can fly twice as hiiiigh!  Okay, I might be stretching the CAS part just a little bit, I felt like the patterned paper block needed that thin mat to offset it from the Petunia Pop card base.  Even for CAS cards I like to do colored card bases.

Speaking of colors, check out the Sunday Stamps challenge:

I translated that to Lemon Lolly, Peach Pie, Petunia Pop, Pebbled Path, and Basic Black (which is the only one I didn't use).

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Pebbled Path, Stampin' Blends in Lemon Lolly, Peach Pie, Petunia Pop
Paper:  Petunia Pop, Pebbled Path, Thick Basic White, Unbounded Beauty DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Yesterday I got an email from Daphne's foster mama, who had Daph and her litter mates when they were just 4 weeks old.  Look at this adorable potato!

She said that all the puppers had a bad case of fleas and they were so young that the only treatment was a bath with Dawn dish soap, which Daphne absolutely Did Not Like (and I can confirm that she still doesn't like baffs).  So apparently things started out tough for poor Miss Daph.  We know she was adopted by someone else and then returned to the Humane Society months later, which is when we got her.

And here's what she looks like at 10 months old:

Ryan thinks she's even cuter now than she was as a baby potato.  And now our baby girl has a loving home, lots of toys, and absolutely no fleas.  And I for one am very glad to have her : )

Wintry Butterflies

Mornin' y'all!  How are you enjoying this weird time-outside-of-time that is the week between Christmas and New Year?  Hope you're relaxing and only doing fun things : )  I will be doing some baking today and we're going over to our friends' house tonight for fun and games (read: Uno).

I said I thought I might take some time off and I didn't do it because I kept finding challenges to play with and here's my card for today:

I used the Atlantic Hearts sketch:

My circle is a bit smaller but it was already cut out and in my Balmy Blue file folder so I went with it.  I also used the Color Hues challenge:

I decided to go more on the pastel side and used Balmy Blue and Highland Heather.  Of course you can't tell from the picture but I highlighted parts of the butterflies' wings with Wink of Stella to go with the sparkly purple gems.

Well, I'd better take Daph-Daph for her daily neighborhood tour so I can get started on baking after that.  Maybe there will be time this afternoon for a bit of crafting, we'll see.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Balmy Blue & Highland Heather
Paper:  Highland Heather, Balmy Blue, Thick Basic White, Balmy Blue DSP
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Nested Essentials dies, Purple Shimmer Gems, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Brighten Up Autumn Butterfly

Mornin' y'all!  It was definitely a busy day yesterday, I made cherry cobblestone cake, cranberry crumble pie bars, and pumpkin white chip macadamia nut bars (I usually make these as cookies, but bars were quicker) for the hubs to take in to the potluck today, and last night we prepped the stuff for Hawaiian chicken with pineapple and crock pot rice.  Hope they enjoy that at lunch today.

Yesterday I also got a Stampin' Up! order because I couldn't resist getting a couple of bundles and some cardstock from last week's seasonal sale, and I immediately inked up my new Sketched Butterflies set to make this:

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

I made my card a standard A2 size because I don't like making square cards.  Once again I may be a minority of one but I don't care, I just prefer the standard size.

As usual, I paired that with the Color Throwdown:

I used Peach Pie, Cajun Craze, and Pecan Pie for my challenge colors, plus Early Espresso because I felt like I needed a nice, dark neutral in there.  At first I was going to go with either Crushed Curry or the retired Bumblebee for the first color, but I just got that In Color Glimmer Paper and couldn't resist using it for my card.  There's also some Wink of Stella along the edges of the butterfly's wings, but of course that doesn't show up in the picture.  I was going to do fall leaves with these pretty colors, but I'm happy with my fall butterfly instead.

Daphne is poking me in the elbow so I'm going to take her for a walk.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Early Espresso, Versamark, Stampin' Blends in Peach Pie, Cajun Craze, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Early Espresso, Pecan Pie, Thick Basic White, Cajun Craze DSP, Peach Pie Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Iridescent Foil Gems, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella