Just Us Girls Challenge #547~Word Week: Travel...Reveal Wheel Car Critters

Hello,

August...already! 'Nuff said!

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #547, where our sweet Ina has selected 'travel' as this week's word prompt. I don't know if much travel has happened in your lives of late (zippo in mine...have stayed home since mid-February and plan more of the same for the next while), but...we can still dream right? A little armchair - or craft table - travel is good for the spirit!

Joining us as this month's guest designer is Lisa Elton from mypapertales. Her card is fantastic; after seeing it you'll be sooooo tempted to pack your suitcase and head off...somewhere! Please, enjoy gazing at and admiring her sweet card, as well as all the smile-making creations by the rest of the team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to leave comments, that would be a real treat.

While I'm not inclined to travel, I have some adorable LF bears who are ready to hit the road in their cutie patootie car!  A trio of reveal wheel cards; again, when the supplies are out, might as well get on a roll! These little bears are darling; the one with the map...oh my stars!  So cute! I'm sure that they likely have a GPS on board, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned paper map *grin*

That little bear waving her arms is me...probably wondering why my husband turned 'that direction' instead of the 'other direction'! Fortunately, as the wheel is turned, the map does appear and the destination reached.

That's it from me; looking forward to where 'travel' steers you this week!

Thank you for dropping by!

Inkspirational Challenge #218~Photo Inspiration...Squid Shaker Birthday

Hello,

Welcome to Inkspirational Challenge #218, where we have this whimsical, quirky photo to spark creativity!

At first glance, you may find the photo a tad 'odd' (which I certainly did) and a bit daunting as a prompt (which I also did), however...it is filled with a plethora of possibilities! Polka dots galore, tentacles galore, red/pink/white galore...and that's just a start. Sunglasses, a purse and pops of colour along the right edge are visible, too.  Loads of entry points!

As for me, I brought out my Studio Katia dots stencil, Under the Sea squid, Kobi gift and hat and the shell shaker die.  Put them all together and here's what happened....

Quirky and whimsical! I didn't add a sentiment, as the images make clear this squid is off to a birthday party! Such fun!

My wonderful teammates have interpreted the photo in most delightful fashions. Please visit and leave them some love, which I know will be deeply appreciated:

Marina, Shauna, Pia, Marlena, Nonni, Lindsey

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge #546~Photo Week...Avery Elle Peek-a-Boo Fair and Jungle Pals

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #546, where our lovely Lisa has selected this amusement park photo for our inspiration.  We may not have opportunity to enjoy fairs and corresponding rides this summer but we can still have fun with our festival stamps and dies...or whatever sparks your imagination!

We're so grateful to have had Trina Pham as our July guest designer. Her cards have been outstanding and the one she created for her finale is no exception! Please, enjoy gazing at and admiring her sweet card, as well as all the smile-making creations by the rest of the team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to leave comments, that would be a real treat.

Once again, I had a big ol' play date with my Avery Elle Fair and Jungle Pals sets! Their cuteness makes resisting them a challenge *grin* Hope you enjoy my critters enjoying their bumper car and ferris wheel rides!  They even treated themselves to ice cream!

That's it from me! Looking forward to seeing your photo-inspired cards/projects in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by!

Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration: Inspired by Twofer Challenge Card #29~Butterflies...English Country Garden Note and Birthday

Hello,

Welcome to my Uniko Brand Ambassador post, where I'm defaulting to what I do in missing-mojo situations: drawing inspiration from other designers or, in this case, from challenges.  Today, my muse is none other than Twofer Card Challenge #29, where this month's theme is Butterflies!  A perfect opportunity to use the lovely English Country Garden stamps & dies to create two cards, with two different designs, for two different occasions.  

Here they are....

My first card features an alcohol inked background, with some gold alloy added for extra shimmer, as a canvas for a gold-embossed three-layer vellum butterfly. The sentiment, also gold embossed, is from Simply Said.

I am completely (as in totally, full-on) smitten with slimline cards, so I *had* to make one! Here, I prisma pencil coloured three butterflies, die cut and positioned them inside the circles, then added a birthday sentiment from Simply Said.

Here they are again...the shimmer of the alloy and pearlized inks is soooo pretty!

Hopefully, I've inspired you to use your Uniko butterflies in different ways, for different challenges/occasions! They really are wonderfully versatile!

Thank you for dropping by!

Playing in Challenges: Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #164~Z for Zebra and Seize the Birthday #195~Non-Neutral Card Base...Hey, I Think You're Fabulous and duo of Car Critter Happy Birthday

Hello,

We had a most wonderful Friday thru Monday this week, with the arrival of my brother's family, who we haven't seen since Feb. 14th. We had a blast with my niece and nephew: walks with Lily, bike rides and home-made pasta making with my husband, lots of crafting (my nephew - 8 - mastered my ScorPal and adhesive gun and put together 15 cards for me!), blueberry muffin baking...and much, much more. The days flew...and now they've left and we're back to our bubble of three. Hopefully, more visits, within shorter time frames, to come...

Anyway, dashing in to share some cards made for a couple of challenges.

First, for SOSS #164 - Z for Zebra I brought out my Uniko Zebra stencil, slathered it with black glitter gel, added a sentiment and done....a shimmery, glitzy card that, I hope, will brighten someone's day!

Second, Seize the Birthday #195 is asking for a non-neutral card base, so that's what I'm bringing to the party...

Lawn Fawn's Car Critters x two! Those cars and bears are beyond adorable! 

Laundry calls...Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge ##545~Colour Week...Plaid Stencil Thanks So Much

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #545, where our lovely Cecile has selected Mustard, Teal and Light Gray for this week's palette.

Joining us once again is super talented, super sweet Trina Pham, from Phamtastic Designs. She has created an absolutely adorable card with these colours; so imaginative! Please, enjoy gazing at and admiring her sweet card, as well as all the smile-making creations by the rest of the team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to leave comments, that would be a real treat.

While the others on the team were super innovative with this colour trio, I, alas, had a creativity slump! So...I went with very simple: my The Stamp Market plaid stencil (first time used...it's awesome), inked with Tropical Teal (TSM) and Mustard Seed (distress ink). And the gray? Those three enamel dots from Your Next Stamp. The sentiment is also from TSM.

Easy, not particularly innovative but...I like it!  What YOU will like will be all the cool interpretations by my teammates!

Looking forward to your mustard, teal and light grey creations! See you in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by!

Uniko Studio July/August Challenge #60~In My Garden (optional twist: Hot Summer Colours)...Peony Happy Birthday

Hello,

Welcome to Uniko Studio July/August Challenge #60~In My Garden (optional twist: Hot Summer Colours)....

Joining us as our guest designer is Anushree; you'll be dazzled by her beautiful card that showcases a delightful mix of Uniko products! 

As you likely know from previous posts, I am full-on, 110%, completely addicted to slimline cards, so that's what I have for you today.  Adorning the PFS panel is the Pure Florals: Peony, which I've coloured a la the style of inventive, innovative Yana Smakula, found here.  I've always been a nervous Nelly when it comes to colouring florals, especially larger images, but Yana's blending-free technique, with its clear colour delineations to create shadows/highlights, has eased my anxieties (a bit, anyway) about 'realism'.  I believe I've found my go-to floral style! A sentiment from Anniversaire Arts Décoratifs and Studio Katia clear gems...ta dahhh! Done!

Same card, just a different view...

That's if from me...now your turn to play along.  As always, prizes are involved!

  

THE PRIZES

Main Winner Chosen By the DT - £15 eGift Certificate

Random Twist Winner - £5 eGift Certificate

Random Uniko Stamps Winner - £5 eGift Certificate

Top 3 Chosen By DT - 150 Loyalty Reward Points

The link will be open until midnight (GMT) on Friday 21st August 2020. Plenty of time to join us!

Thank you for dropping by!

Seize the Birthday Challenge #194...Red, White & Blue Hooray Ribbon Happy Birthday

Hello,

Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday, enjoying sunny skies and warm temperatures. We are... but given the grey clouds looming on the horizon, things are sure to change. I think we've had rain pretty much every day this month so far. At least we're not sweltering...yet!

I'm enjoying playing with challenges 'just because', and today's card is for Seize the Birthday Challenge #194, where we've been invited to use red, white and blue. 

I brought out my Concord & 9th Hooray ribbon set (retired; so glad I have it!) and paired with a stars turnabout background. The pleating of the ribbon is simple, as the die creates wonderful score lines.

I still have the stars turnabout in my Misti...off to create a few more backgrounds!

Thank you for dropping by!

Inkspirational Challenge #271~Designer's Choice (Painting/Colouring)...Slimline Congratulate Your Selfie

Hello,

Welcome to Inkspirational Challenge #271, where our wonderful Shauna has invited us to use painting/colouring as her Designer's Choice.  Perfect timing for the current 30 Day Daily Marker Challenge!

A while back, I coloured up several of MFT's Picture Perfect critter selfies and put most on single cards. I wanted to do something different with the remaining three, so a quick wander through blog-land brought me to this fabulous card here and I pretty much cased it (minus the monkeys and hamsters).  Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with slimline dies? I am...big time, so this card makes me super-duper happy!

That's it from me!

My wonderful teammates have interpreted the prompt in most delightful fashions. Please visit and leave them some love, which I know will be deeply appreciated:

Marina, Shauna, Pia, Marlena, Nonni, Lindsey

Looking forward to seeing what you paint/colour for the challenge!

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge #544~Trend Week: Long & Skinny...Kites and Florals

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #544, where lovely Vicki has selected *Long and Skinny* (also known as slimline) as this week's trend.  And what a trend it is!

Joining us once again is super talented, super sweet Trina, from Phamtastic Designs. Please, enjoy gazing at and admiring her sweet elephant slimline card, as well as all the smile-making creations by the rest of the team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to leave comments, that would be a real treat.

I have fallen head-over-heels into 'obsession' with slimline cards and already have more dies than what a normal person needs! Sheesh! I'm blaming it all on the pandemic, in addling my brains and causing random acts of craft-shopping splurges!  So many slimline options...and I want them alllll!

Anyway, a foursome today: two featuring the new Kites from Concord & 9th on Mama Elephant's slimline....

and two using all things Pinkfresh Studio...

And I still have a several more cards done...and more dies (I know, I'm pathetic) on the way! Girl's gotta have fun, right? Right!

Looking forward to seeing your *Long and Skinny* creations in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge #543~Word Week: Rainbow...Your Make the World More Colourful & You Make It Rain Rainbows

Hello,

Happy 4th of July to my USA friends! Celebrate wildly...but be SAFE, please!!

I'm delighted to be hostess for Just Us Girls Challenge #543, where I've selected RAINBOW as this week's word prompt. We all love rainbows, and given they come in such a wide range of styles, I'm hoping to see the gallery bursting at the seams with your ROYGBIV creations!

Just a note: you don't have to make a 'rainbow'; rainbow colours are totally a-okay, which is the direction taken by some of the design team! Be as creative as you please in interpreting the prompt!

New month = a new guest designer! We're thrilled to welcome super talented, super sweet Trina, from Phamtastic Designs to Just Us Girls for July! Her cards are always wonderful works of art and, as you'll see below, this rainbow delight is no exception! Please, enjoy gazing at and admiring her card, as well as all the smile-making creations by the rest of the team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to leave comments, that would be a real treat.

After sitting in my 'never before used stuff' pile since last summer, my Avery Elle Rainbow dies finally make their debut. Here, two rainbow sporting-rainbow shaped cards using distress inks, spritzed with Perfect Pearl water for a little bit of  'rainy' sheen. I have another 7 more using cardstock. Those will make an appearance down the road. Aren't the sentiments sweet? Love them! 

That's it from me!

Looking forward to seeing your RAINBOW creations this week!

Thank you for dropping by!