Christmas in June? Oh My!

My finished rendition of the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #685 turned out totally different from where I started out.  Originally I planned to make a card with a floral design or grouping of animals.  But somewhere along the way I took a detour and finished this challenge with my first Christmas card for the season. A little early, I know, but I think it's a worthwhile starter.  When do you start making Christmas cards for your stash? I'd love to hear about your plans. In the meantime, here's the sketch:  

Here's  My Card:

While searching for the "right" designer paper, I opened a paper bin and right near the top was a 5 1/4" x 4 piece of red, beige and white striped designer paper.   It was sitting there all on it's own, and practically screaming at me to pick it up and use it for my card.  So what was I supposed to do?  I took the hint and here's what I came up with for this challenge: 

Instead of flowers I chose a well loved retired stamp set called Family and Friends for the focal point on this card.  I didn't include a bow in the bottom left hand corner as it just didn't look right.  The family and the trees have some dimension.

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Family and Friends SU#159779 (R) 
• Christmas Gleaming SU#150464 (R)

Cardstock and Designer Papers:

• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Basic White cardstock for card base scored at 4 1/4"
  
• 5" x 3 7/8" piece of Basic White for inside matte and a scrap for stamping the family and sentiment.
• 5 1/4" x 4 Striped SU designer paper for the first matte
• 4 7/8" x 3 5/8" Real Red matte
  
• 4 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece of cardstock from the  October 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit called "Home for the Holidays".  The card stock had a beautiful image of trees, snow and starry sky.  
• I added two ephemera trees from the kit elevated with cardstock instead of Dimensionals were added.
• I stamped the family image on the illustrated matte and then stamped it again on Basic White Cardstock and fussy cut out the whole image. Before colouring and attaching it with dimensionals. 

Note:  To achieve the dimension with the family I began by stamping and colouring the image directly onto the cardstock.  I then stamped and coloured it again on a scrap of Basic White and fussy cut the whole image.  I used a light Mint Macaroon Stamping Blend and coloured all the remaining card stock around the edges of the cutout.  Small mini dimensionals were used to adhere the cut image on top of the stamped image on the card matte.  

To give dimension to the two trees that were added and the sentiment I cut small strips of card stock and adhered them behind the image before gluing them to the matte.  They don't stand out as high as when you use dimensionals, however it adds a bit of texture. 

Ink and Blends:

• Memento Black Ink for Stamped Family image. 
• Stampin Blends light and dark :  Blueberry Bushell, Memento Black Ink, Pool Party, Mint Macaroon, Sweet Sorbet, Boho Blue, Granny Apple Green, SU600, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.  

Accessories:

• Dimensionals
• Crystal Stickles on the trees to add some sparkle. 

Thanks for dropping by my blog and checking out my challenge card for this week.  Is it too early to be starting to thing of Christmas?  What do you think? 

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop

Time to Celebrate Birthday #AHSC679

What a busy week it’s been! I didn’t have a chance to make any cards until this past weekend, so I missed last week’s Atlantic Hearts Challenge. However, the good thing about their sketch challenges is that they happen every week. With that in mind, please take a look at this week’s sketch: Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #679

Here's my card:

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies: 

• Perennial Birthday - "Happy Birthday" sentiment SU#145757 R
• Round We Go  - "Time to Celebrate" sentiment SU#163724 R
• Tags to Go Dies SU#165576 R

Every now and then, you come across true treasures on the clearance rack. I had overlooked this set several times because I wasn’t fond of the stamp set included with it, but when it dropped below $20, I couldn’t pass it up. At first, I purchased it for the key dies, which I plan to use on Christmas and housewarming cards, but then I grew fond of the stitched triangle tag.

Cardstock and Designer Papers:

• Basic White 10 1/2" x 5 1/4" scored at 5 1/4" for base
• Inside matte - 4 3/4" x 4 34" 
• 2 3/4" x 1 12" for stitched tag
• Blueberry Bushell cut two mattes - 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" 
• Wildflower Birthday - SU#164591 R

The papers in the Wildflower Birthday DSP feature gold foil on the leaves, dots, and other background elements, which truly highlight the lovely patterns on the paper. The Ephemera pack for this collection is filled with images of cakes, cupcakes, and flowers. The small gold foil banner was trimmed from a larger banner in this set and is attached to the front of the card using dimensionals.  I love this paper and I'm happy every time I use it.  Click here to check out another card I made in December featuring this paper. 

Ink:

• Blueberry Bushell

Accessories: 

• Dimensionals
• Genial Gems - green SU #155500 R
• Ephemera and cut fussy cut images from Wildflower Birthday DSP
• flower on tag, cupcake image on dsp square, gold foil banner, flowers on inside of card and small cupcake on back of the card. 

Thanks again for visiting my site and for your comments on my cards.  It simple makes my day when I get a notification someone's looking.  Make sure to check out the design team and participants samples on the AHSC blog as there are some really cute cards for this challenge.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online shop

Peaceful Place Shaker Christmas Card #AHSC651

 Hi and welcome to this week's sketch challenge by Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges.

I really love the layout of this sketch which features multiple layers and  opportunities to add texture.  Making it into a monochromatic shaker Christmas card meant I didn't have to colour the cute little garden cottage, which kept things simple and I was able to keep the sparkle and shine in the shaker portion of the card.  

Here is my card:  

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies: 

• Home for the Holidays Oct 23 Paper Pumpkin Kit stamps
• Snowman Magic  #159816 sentiment stamps
• Stitched Circle Dies 

Cardstock and Designer Series Paper:

• Basic White 
• 1/2" x 4 1/4" for sentiment strip
• 3 x 3 for stitched circle cut out 
• 3 3/4" x 5" for inside layer
• Smokey Slate
• 3" x 4 1/2" for front matte
• 4" x 5 1/4" for inside matte
• DSP Stampin' Up!: 
• Peaceful Place 12 x 12 #156394 (R)
• 1st matte 4 1/8" x 5 3/8"
• 2nd matte 5 1/4" x 4" 
• Window Sheet 
• 2 3/4" x 4" for shaker window cover 

Ink:

• Pebbled Path 

Accessories: 

• Foam Adhesive Strips #141825
• Frosted Sequins #135835 (R) SU
• Subtle Shimmer sequins #156407
• Dimensionals
• Snowflake Sky Embossing Folder #162026

The Peaceful Place DSP was one of my all time favourite Christmas papers when it came out a few years ago. There's such a rich blend of silver foil and images on each of the pages. The first mat is a mix of foil snowflakes and basic gray background while the second matte has rows of snow capped trees making it the perfect background for the winter cottage. The basic gray layer worked really well for creating a shaker card. 

Well that's it for this sketch and I've lost count, but I think this is the 101st of 150 cards for this season. Please leave me a not to let me know if you liked the style of this card.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store 

Masculine Birthday - AHSC #650

Here's this week's sketch from Atlantic Hearts Challenge #650  I really like the diamond focal so decided to do the same for my card.  I don't know about you but October is such a busy month.  Almost every day there another' birthday and most of them this month are male friends and family.  This clean and simple sketch presented me with another opportunity to get a masculine card in my stash.  

Here's My Card:

Supplies and Instructions:

Stamps and Dies:

• Happy Hour #126642
• Brewed for You Stamps #159087
• Brewed Dies #159092 
• Stitched Squares Dies 

Cardstock and DSP:

• Whisper White 
• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" for card base 
• 3" x 3" scrap for Whisper White Diamond and 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" for inside circle 
• 5" x 3 3/4" for inside matte 
• scraps for glasses and mugs 
• Basic Black 
• Cut 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" for front matte 
  
• Tartan Foil Designer Series Paper #162332 
• Cut two pieces 5 1/4" x 4" for front and inside mattes. 

Inks and Blends:

• Pebbled Path 
• Merry Merlot
• Crushed Curry 

Accessories:  

• Dimensionals 
• Nuvo Clear drops to add shine to wine and beer mug. 

Well, there you have it.  Nothing like a clean and simple design to make the focal point stand out.  Thanks for dropping by and checking out my card this week.  Make sure you stop by the Atlantic Hearts blog as well, the designers really outdid themselves this week.   

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Atlantic Hearts #649 - Top Three!

 Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge - Top Three #649 

I just checked out last week's sketch challenge top three over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and I'm thrilled to say my "Feeling A Little Beachy" card was selected.  How awesome is that!  A big thanks to the design team.  Make sure you check out Patti Dolan from P.S. Papercrafts and Stefani from Stamp with Stefani the other two Top 3 Winners, their designs are awesome!  

Have a great week and make sure you come back to check out my next AHSC Card #670! 

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Feeling a Little Beachy - Masculine Birthday Card #AHSC649

 Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #649

What a lovely little scene. I liked the beach theme and decided to use it for a male friend's birthday.  He's heading off to Mexico shortly so this card will be perfect to send him off with happy wishes.  

I love creating layered scenes, and my retired Oceanfront and Paradise Palms provided the perfect stamps for my design.  Enjoy! 

Here's My Card:

Stamps and Dies:

• Paradise Palms #157716 (R)
• Oceanfront #157862 (R)
• Mountain Majesties - Paper Pumpkin May 2025 (Seagulls) 
• Cheers and Sip (Sentiment Let's Celebrate) 
• Deckled Rectangle Dies (R) 

Cardstock and DSP:

• Whisper White cardbase 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 scored at 4 1/4" 
• Stamped layer 3 1/2" x 4 7/8"
• Inside layer 5" x 3 34" 
• Mango Melody Layers 
• 4 7/8" x 5 1/8" 
• inside layer 4" x 5 1/4"
• Coastal Cabana 3 5/8 x 5"  - Deckled Rectangles cut from this layer 
  

Inks and Blends:

• Pecan Pie
• Memento Tuxedo Black
• Coastal Cabana
• Summer Splash (R)
• Mango Melody (R) 
• Garden Green, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Markers for Palm Tree

Accessories: 

• Dimensionals 
• Adhesive backed Sequins Coastal Cabana

Well I hope you enjoyed today's masculine birthday card and will leave me some kind words or come back another day.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Masculine Birthday Card for AHSC #629

Welcome to another card sketch challenge by Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #629 created by Michelle Stewart and digitized by Brandi.  

I'm constantly in need of masculine cards, and this sketch seemed just perfect for the card I had in mind.  

Here's My Card:

I used beer steins instead of flowers for the focal on my card.  In reality, although I'm making this with males in mind, this card design could be gender neutral by simply changing up the glasses from beer mugs to wine or cocktail glasses. 

Such a quick and easy card to make especially since the last time I used the Brewed for You set, I had stamped, coloured and die cut at least 20 of the drink glass images and they were ready to just pop onto the card. How cool is that?  I think the hardest decisions I had were in choosing the background designer paper and which glasses to add to the focal point. 

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• Brewed For You #159087 (R) 
• Perennial Birthday 

Cardstock and DSP:

• Basic Beige card base 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• Pecan Pie Matt x cut two 2 - 4" x 5 14"   
• He's The Man DSP #159068(R)

Inks and Blends:

• Memento Basic Black for images 
• Pecan Pie
• Crushed Curry

Accessories:

• Dimensionals
• Blending Brushes
• Foursquare Decorative Mask - Stencil #161285d
• Nuevo Drops - clear for the beer mugs 

Thanks again for stopping by this week and checking out the card I created for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #629.  These are such fun challenges, and hopefully in the future you'll also participate and share your talents.  In the meantime let me know what you think of my card design, and have a really good week ahead.  

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006 

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Darling Dino Birthday - AHSC #625

Welcome to my blog and Happy Easter weekend!  Today I'm using the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #625 to make a child's birthday.  This little guy loves  loves dinosaurs so I created a scene by replacing the rabbit in the sketch with a dinosaur coming out of its egg.  I flipped the sketch on it's side so I had room to get all the little elements together.   

Here's My Card: 

I am really falling in love with the Basic Beige cardstock Stampin' Up! began stocking this past year.  When you compare the rocks which are in Crumb Cake cardstock in this photo to the Basic Beige there is such a significant difference.  I really like this lighter tone, and it's such a fabulous neutral.  It works perfectly with the Timeless Plaid dsp matting on this card. 

I kept the inside of the card fairly simple.  Again I used  a matte from the Timeless Plaid DSP and I stamped the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from Perennial Birthdays, one of my most favourite birthday celebration stamp sets.  

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• Darling Dinos #164728
• Balloons x 3
• Dinosaur
• Flowers x 4 
• Grass
• Rocks x 2
• Sentiment on front - "Hope Your Birthday is DINO-mite!"
• Perennial Birthday - sentiment inside matte "Happy Birthday"
• Darling Dinos Dies #164734
• Three Balloons
• Rocks
• Dinosaur
• Egg Shell top and bottom

• Perennial Postage Dies #162607 - "Happy Birthday" inside card
• Decal Rectangle Dies (R) #159173 - Basic Beige matte on card front

Cardstock and DSP:

• Basic Beige 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" for card base
• Basic Beige 3 3/4" x 5" for inside matte
• Basic Beige scrap for dino egg shell
• Mossy Meadow 3 1/2 x 4 3/4" for postage stamp layer 
• Basic White scraps for balloons and dinosaur
• Designer Series Paper:  Timeless Plaid #164678
• Inside Matte - 4" x 5 1/4" 
• Outside Matte - 3 3/4" x 5"
• Crumb Cake scraps for rocks

Ink:

• Mossy Meadow Ink 
• Momento Black ink
• Blends:  Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Boho Blue, Mossy Meadow, Cajun Craze, Old Olive
• Black Fine Line marker for balloon strings

Accessories: 

• Dimensionals 

Stamp sets like Darling Dinos are perfect for creating fun background scenes along with the main featured stamps.  All of the stamps on the card front come from that set.  What do you think?  Do you like to make cards with scenes?

Thanks for dropping by and checking out my card.  I look forward to your comments. 

HAPPY EASTER AND
HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Zoo Crew Birthday Wishes - AHSC #624

This has been such a busy week, with very little "me time" or "stamp time". Yesterday I was cleaning and busy getting ready for dinner guests but it was such a dismal rainy day, I didn't mind puttering about and cooking.  

I made one of my favourite meals of Mississippi Pot Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, yellow mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and a Caesar Salad.  We finished off the meal with a tart lemon meringue pie for dessert.  What a treat and especially on a rainy day!  

Today I have some time for card making, so I'm using the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #624 as my inspiration. This challenge ends on Sunday April 6th Eastern Standard Time.    Here's the sketch: 

Here's My Card:  

By moving the card stock strips over to the opposite side of the sketch I was able to have the fox in my focal point riding his motorbike in the right direction. The fox was cut from one of my favourite designer papers called Zoo Crew.  What fun! To add some interest I drew the little road squiggles and puffs of exhaust with a black marker, and I glued on the little daisy embellishments.  

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• Paper Pumpkin March 25 Kit (Happy Birthday)
• Deckled Rectangles Dies (R) #159173
• Stitched Oval Dies (R)
• Unknown Birthday Greeting Stamp - Stampin' Up!

Cardstock and DSP:

• Zoo Crew 12 x 12 DSP #161304 (Fox on Motorbike)
• Whisper White card base 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• 3 3/4" x 4 3/4" matte for card front
• 3 3/4" x 5" matte for inside 
• 31/2" " x 3 1/2" scrap for stitched oval
• Peach Pie 4 x 5 1/4" for front and inside mattes.  Cut 2.
• 1/4" x 3 3/4" strips for design element in Peach Pie, Petunia Pop, Shy Shamrock and Pretty in Pink

Ink:

• Petunia Pop
• Blends
• Light Smokey Slate
• Petunia Pop
• Fine Black Marker 

Accessories: 

• Loose Daisy Embellishments (R)
• Dimensionals  

What a fun card to make and a terrific way to use up your scraps. Whenever I see the characters from the Zoo Crew paper I smile, they are so sweet.  

Well that's it for today.  I hope you enjoyed this card and will leave me a comment.  See you next time.......

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNYTOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

 Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store