Masculine 50

My husband turned 50 this summer and for his milestone birthday I made two cards (one given to him by us and one by my parents). For the first card I used the gorgeous new Classic Car die from Spellbinders and number dies by Studio Light. The background is created by masking a rectangle and ink blending Distress Oxide inks to it before splattering some water and inks to the rectangle. The sentiment is a sticker and it translates basically as 'Congratulations'.

For the second card, I used Bold Numbers die by Spellbinders. I die cut the numbers several times, once from gold cardstock and then a few times from black cardstock, and adhered them on top of each other to make the numbers a bit bulkier. I used the Woven Lattice Texture die (also by Spellbinders) to add a bit of interest to the background. The two panels are die cut with Pinkfresh Studio's Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies. The die cut sentiment is Finnish for 'Congrats'.

I'm entering this to:

* Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Die Cut Bouquet

I wanted to create an arrangement/bouquet with some die cut flowers and this is what I made. I used my favourite Spellbinders floral dies, Fresh Picked Anemones, along with Spellbinders Gorgeous You Florals dies for the smaller flowers. For the background, I die cut a panel with Scored and Pierced Rectangles die and added a bit of interest with Woven Lattice Texture die, both by Spellbinders. The die cut sentiment is Finnish for 'Congrats'. Lastly, I embellished the card with some gems.

I'm entering this to:

* Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

* Inkspirational Challenges: Challenge #346 - Word Prompt 'Birthday'

* Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #498 - Birthdays

Cherries

I made a couple of cards using Pinkfresh Studio's Cherry Bliss stamp set. I coloured the images with my trusty Copics and die cut them with the matching die. For the first card I then used Stitched Scallop Circle dies and Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies, both by Pinkfresh Studio, to die cut the elements for the background. The sentiment I used is Finnish for "For [my] Friend" and I embellished the card with black gems. For the second card I die cut the elements in the background with Spellbinders' Scored and Pierced Rectangles dies and the sentiment with a Simply Graphic die. I embellished the card with pretty gems.

I'm entering this to:

* Pinkfresh Studio: July 2025 Challenge - Summer Splash / Anything Goes

Floral Fields

I have to admit I've not been too keen on colouring with stencils as I love my Copics and watercolours -- but I think I'm changing my mind now. I had so much fun with this Floral Field die and stencil combo from Pinkfresh Studio! I'm hooked! I loved trying different colour combos, just ink blending to my heart's content. While I was at it, I made three different cards using the Floral Field die and stencils with Distress Oxide inks. For the first card, I also used the Dotted Scallops coverplate die by Pinkfresh Studio as well as heat embossed and then die cut sentiment (it says 'Congratulations' in Finnish) along with some black gems. For the second card, I used Hexagon Tiles coverplate die (Pinkfresh Studio) and a die cut sentiment ('Hello' in Finnish). For the last card, I die cut a frame using two different sizes of rectangle dies and a heat embossed and then die cut sentiment ('For You' in Finnish).

I'm entering this to:

* Pinkfresh Studio Challenge: July - Summer Splash/Anything Goes

I'm entering this to:

* Just Us Girls Challenge: Challenge #785 - Anything Goes Stencil Week

I'm entering this to:

* The Paper Funday Challenges: Challenge #78 July 2025 - Anything Goes with the optional twist of Fun with Stencils

Feminine 50

A co-worker had her milestone birthday earlier this summer and I made her this card for all of us at work to give her.  I used these beautiful blooms from the You're the Best stamp set by Pinkfresh Studio for the card, coloured them with my Copics and used the matching dies to die cut them. I also used Ornate Oval Frame die and Intricate Stitched Ovals coverplate die for the elements in the background. I die cut the numbers and the sentiment (it says 'Congratulations' in Finnish) out of gold cardstock, and embellished the card with some clear sequins.

Beautiful Branch

I made this card for the current challenge at The Flower Challenge which has a fabulous colour inspiration photo to get inspired by. I used a Pinkfresh Studio stamp called Beautiful Branch and coloured the image with my Copics, trying to get as close to the inspiration colours as possible. I then die cut the panel and the coloured cardstock behind the panel using Pinkfresh Studio die Diagonal Stitched Rectangles. The sentiment is from the stamp set Beautiful Blooms, also by Pinkfresh Studio, as is the coverplate die Dotted Scallops that I used in the background. I embellished the card with some sequins.

I'm entering this to:

* The Flower Challenge: Challenge #104 - Colour Challenge

Hot Air Balloons

I love hot air balloons, I think there's something very tranquil and dreamy about them. I'm just very, very afraid of heights so I would never go into one but on paper? Yes, please! I wanted to play along with the July challenge over at Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero and make a card for a friend and thought that these balloons from the Hero Arts set Sky's the Limit Balloons would be perfect for a little summery miss you card. I stamped them onto watercolour paper and coloured them with my Karin markers before die cutting the panel and ink blending some Distress Oxide inks (Old Paper and Brushed Corduroy) to the edges of the panel to give it a bit of a vintage-y feel. I then matted the panel onto a piece of dark brown cardstock, used a piece of patterned paper on the background and attached the panel with foam adhesives. The sentiment I used is from the Here For You stamp set by Hero Arts, heat embossed in white and die cut with the matching die. As embellishment, I only used a bit of twine.

I'm entering this to:

* Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero: July - You're My Best Friend (Make a Card for a Friend)