Mixed Media Florals Birthday Card - FMS#685

Spring has arrived and that yearning to get out in the garden has taken over. I've spent lots of  time weeding and planting my flower beds, while my husband was busy pressure washing our two decks.  The bottom one was in pretty rough shape, so he was able to get it painted and the patio furniture set up. We had a great morning visiting local nurseries, picking out baskets and other greenery.  What fun!  Just a little bit more tweaking and we'll be set for enjoying our yard and deck time.

Speaking of fun, I've just checked out the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, #685 hosted by Linda Callahan.  The Design Team has out done themselves with their designs.  So make sure you check them out, because there's so much inspiration.  Here's the sketch:

Here's My Card:
Following in the garden theme, I chose a combination from the Mixed Florals

Memories and More card pack for the images on my card.  Honestly with this sketch and the predesigned rectangle cards, the most time consuming part was choosing the images and sentiment for the front of the card.  

I was really surprised at how quickly this card came together and I like the placement of the sentiment and the striped paper piece.  I like the length of the sentiment which is from the Sending Love stamp set.  The fonts are lovely.

I cut down a pink striped Memory and More card that coordinated with the strip on the card front to 5"1/4  x 4" and used it as a matte.  A layer of Whisper White measuring 3 3/4" x 5" made up the sentiment layer.  As I often do, I stamped the Perennial Birthday "Happy Birthday" sentiment, this time in Misty Moonlight ink. The flower motif was easy to fussy cut from another memory pack card and some randomly placed sequins really finished the inside of this card. 

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies: 

• Sending Love #162873 (R) -sentiment "A Little Love from me to You"
• Perennial Birthday (R) - sentiment "Happy Birthday" inside matte 

Cardstock and DSP:

• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Whisper White card base scored at 4 1/4"
• Boho Blue Matte for front 3 1/8" x 4 1/8"
• Whisper White Matte inside 3 3/4" x 5" 
• Mixed Media 4 x 3 Floral design Memories and More card - front
• Pink Striped Mixed Media card 1/4" x 4" for front matte
• Pink Striped Mixed Media card 4" x 5 14" inside matte

Inks and Blends:

• Misty Moonlight Ink for sentiments 

Accessories:

• Trimmer
• Purple Self-adhesive backed sequins #164970

Well that is it for today's Freshly Made Sketch card.  I think I'll make some more cards using the Memories and More Pack.  I have a tendency to forget how easy they are to work with and they take the guesswork out of layering.  Let me know if you have used these card packs and whether you like them.  For $16.00 these packs are a great addition to one's stash.  Have a great week ahead and come back again. 

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Store

Daisy Daydream Alternate Cards - Paper Pumpkin March 2025 Kit Part 2

I'm back today to share some more of my Daisy Daydream Alternative cards that I made last week (see original post here).  

Card No 9: 

This card design started out by cutting down one of the beautifully designed white envelopes, to 5 1/4" x 3 3/4".  I left the envelope flap on the panel and the crease line became nearly invisible after embossing it with the Hexagon embossing folder (R).  Before I embossed this panel, I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from Perennial Birthday (r) in Mossy Meadow ink.  This matte layer was mounted onto a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Crushed Curry which in turn was adhered to the card basic white card base. I adhered two daisies and the bee to the flap portion of the envelope piece and added a few gold gems to finish it off.

  Card No 10: 

Card No. 10

Personally this was one of my favourite cards that I made from this kit.  I used the three of the Everyday Arches (#164623) dies to cut arches from Whisper White, Always Artichoke (r), and Crushed Curry card stocks.  Before layering these onto the base I stamped some delicate leaves from the Textured Notes stamp set randomly across the card front.  The sentiment "Thank you for always being there for me" is also from the Textured Notes stamp set.  To decorate this card I added some gold self-adhesive backed sequins, two daisies, some honeycomb and a bee to the white panel.  

Card No. 11: 

This card is made from another one of the envelopes from this kit.  I liked the contrast between the soft grays, the vivid yellow flower centers and comb and the crisp white background of this card.  I started with a Smokey Slate card base and die cut the "thanks" sentiment in the same cardstock.  The Crushed Curry matte was cut out with a 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" decal rectangle die.  The sentiment is from a previous Paper Pumpkin die cut kit.  I cut and layered three of the word images before adhering it to the card front.  It's very bold but it works. One daisy image was popped up in the daisy cluster on the bottom half of the card and the second one was just adhered about the sentiment. 

Card No. 12:

This card began with a standard white card base and then I added a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" matte of Lost Lagoon cardstock.  The next layer was a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of white followed by the final layer cut down from one of the blue envelopes.  It measured 5" x 3 7/8" and I was careful to cut it so the single daisy stem was placed properly.  I stamped the large honeycomb image in Lost Lagoon ink in three corners of this matte and added one large daisy image.  Once again I stamped the Perennial Birthday sentiment in Lost Lagoon in the center of the card.  The final touch was to add some brass bees both large and minis.  

For the inside I cut a 4" x 5 1/4" matte from the blue card stock in the kit.  I cut a Whisper White layer using the 3 1/2: x 4 1/4" decal rectangle die.  This piece was decorated with a large daisy a sentiment and more honeycomb.  

Card 13:

For card number 13 I used the flap portion of an envelope adhered to a piece of 4" x 5 1/4" Always Artichoke cardstock that I embossed with the Hexagon Embossing folder.  The cardbase is a standard 8 1/2" x 5 12" that's been topped with a Crushed Curry matte measuring 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  The brass bee on the sentiment is from the original Brass Bee accessories that were available several years ago through Stampin' Up!  I must say I pre-fer this size to the newer mini ones.  At least you can tell it's a bee.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the Perennial Birthday stamp set (R) 

I kept the inside pretty simple for this card using an old sentiment stamp that I like and some strips of cardstock left over from some of the cuts.  

Card 14:

Well that's it for this Paper Pumpkin kit series on alternatives.  I've made twenty-two cards so far from the kit and can probably stretch that out to 30, however for the time being I'm moving on.  

I'd love to hear from you about these cards and which are your favourites.  If you have any questions regarding the Paper Pumpkin kits and subscription just send me a note and I'd be happy to go over it with you.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT!

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Sending Smiles Note of Thanks

This week I am pairing up two challenges.  The first is a sketch challenge from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge  created by Michelle and digitalized by Brandi.

The second challenge is from "The Paper Players" challenge blog, and the premise is to combine something old with something new.  

Across Canada there is the possibility of strike action by Canada Post employees sometime in mid-May, so I'm busy trying to get all my  birthday cards completed and mailed before that occurs.  I also wanted to make some note cards for folks I haven't been in touch with for a while so both of these challenges will work perfectly for my themes.  I'm starting with the note cards.  

Here's My Card:

Quite a while ago I purchased a beautiful stamp set from Stampin' Up! called Sending Smiles. It's retired now, but it's still a favourite on my list because of all the wonderful sentiments, the florals and the coordinating dies. 

I'm pairing the Sending Smiles floral design and sentiment with a brand new background stamp set called Elements of Text, one of Stampin' Ups! current while supplies last Online Exclusives.   

I wanted these cards to be easy mailers and clean and simple so I didn't die cut and add an overlay of daisies for the note cards.  

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• Sending Smiles #158701 (R)
• Elements of Text #164774 (Online Exclusive)

Cardstock:

• Basic White card base - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4"
• Basic White Matte - 3 1/2" x 3 3/4" 
• Pecan Pie Matte - 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" 
• Granny Apple Green Matte 3 3/4" x 5"

Ink: 

• Crushed Curry
• Granny Apple Green
• Pecan Pie 

Accessories:

• Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins #16348

Thanks for dropping by today and I hope you'll come back again.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this card.  

HAPPY STAMPING

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Life's A Journey - Masculine Birthday Card FMS#681

Hey everyone.  Welcome to my blog and thanks for taking a look at my entry for this week's Freshly Made Sketch #681 hosted by the very talented Amy O'Neil. 

This sketch is so simple, yet so great.  If you haven't attempted to do a sketch challenge before this would be a perfect starter.  Remember to make it your own design.  And, while the sketch has a pocket shape for its focal, you can substitute any shape you want.  This sketch is open until Monday April 14th 3pm EST so if you've got a minute why not join the fun and play along.

Click here to check out the Design Team and participant entries. Awesome!

 Here is My Card:

I'm always on the lookout for sketches that have a masculine appeal. This sketch with it's clean lines and the pocket instantly conjured up the badge in the "One Wild Ride" stamp set.  So, with that image in mind, I began to design my card.

While looking through my stash of masculine papers I found the remainder of a kit called Easy Rider, by Reminisce. A piece of grey dsp with motorcycle treads across it caught my eye so I paired it up with a basic black card base. I stamped the motorcycle from One Wild Ride in Momento black ink across the bottom of the dsp. I also found a silver cardstock die cut from a bundle called Geared Up Garage, added some texture to the card front.

The next step was to stamp the badge in Momento Black ink on a scrap of Whisper White and punch it out with a coordinating punch.  The badge was mounted with dimensionals to the pocket die cut.  I used one of the medium sized dies from the Stitched Nested Labels dies to create the basic grey pocket.  To get the pocket shape I merely measured a 1/4" past the badge and cut across the die cut with my scissors. It worked perfectly. In this photo you can see a little more of the card's detail including the splotches, gears and the black stud embellishments I added.

I kept the inside of the card fairly clean, only adding the sentiment from another biker themed set called Legendary Ride #160754 and a few dark grey splotches using the very old Grunge stamp set. 

For the base mat I cut an additional piece of the Easy Rider dsp. Using dsp instead of cardstock is a great way to not only use up your paper stash, but it reduces the overall weight of the card for mailing.

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• One Wild Ride (R) #141724 - badge and motorcycle
• Legendary Ride #160754 - sentiment for inside 
• Geared Up Garage (R) dies #148590 - gear image in silver cardstock
• Gorgeous Grunge (R) #130517 - splotches on card front
• Stitched Nested Label Framelit Dies #149638 - pocket

Cardstock and DSP:

• Card Base Basic Black - 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2"
• Cut two DSP mattes 4" x 5 1/4" for front and inside from Easy Rider Kit - Reminiscence Designer Paper
• 3" x 3" Basic Grey for Badge
• 2" x 2" Basic White for Badge
• 3 3/4" x 5" Basic White matte for inside
• 4" x 3 1/2" flat silver scrap for gear die cut

Ink:

• Momento Black ink
• Basic Grey for splotches 

Accessories:  

• Dimensionals
• Adhesive Backed Studs black #160767

I'm really happy with the way this card turned out.  All in all once I located the supplies in my stash the rest of the card came together pretty quickly.  I love that.  

How about you, do you keep a stash of materials that work for your masculine cards?  I'd love to hear if you do and how you keep those materials together.  I have one of those 12 x 12 plastic  containers from  the big box store and keep my dsp, neutral cardstock and masculine style stamps and dies in it.  This works really well for me.  

Okay that's it for this week.  Don't forget to leave me a comment before you move on, and come back again.  I love having visitors and I so appreciate your feedback on my cards.  Cheers and happy week ahead!

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo Since 2006 

Click here to shop or browse in my 24/7 Online Store

Masculine Birthday Card - AHSC #623

Update:  Top 3 for Sketch Challenge #623

I just found out my card was chosen as one of the Top Three at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  I love this validation!  My card placed along with ones by Donna Scholtz and Christy Stanford.  

________________________________________________________________

Take a look at this great sketch challenge from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #623. 

This week I'm needing a few more masculine cards for birthdays that are coming up so I designed my card with that theme in mind and since the sketch reminded me of a "gate fold" card, I went with that design.

Here's My Card:

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

Best Catch (SU) R #148598
Arched Everyday Dies #164629 Online Exclusive Feb 2025

Cardstock and DSP:

Basic  Beige:

• Card base 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 score at 2 1/8" on left side then rotate and score at 2 1/8" on left side. Burnish fold lines. 
• Cut one 3 7/8" x 5" for arch on inside of card
• Cut one 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" for smaller arch on front panel  

Soft Suede (Retired): 

• Cut two panels for front of card 2" x 5 3/8"
• Cut one matte 4 x 5 1/4" for inside matte 

Woven Textures DSP #165560 SU Online Exclusive Feb 2025

• Cut 2 pieces 1 7/8" x 5 1/4" for front panels
• Cut 1 piece 3 7/8" x 5" for inside matte

Additional Cardstock Scraps: 

• Mossy Meadow - small scraps for grass front and inside card and for Happy Birthday die cut
• Crumb Cake for ball cap die cut 
• Copper Clay for fishing sign die cut 
• Very Vanilla for fishing sign 

Ink:

• Mossy Meadow 
• Soft Suede
• Momento Black for fish 

Accessories: 

• Dimensionals 
• Rustic Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots #159082

Thanks for visiting my blog today and I hope you enjoyed my masculine birthday card design.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006

Seaside Adventures with AHSC #621

Update:  Top Three Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #621

A big thanks to Brandi for entering my card into the AHSC #621 challenge when I was late getting it entered.  Also a big shout out to the Admin team for choosing my card along with Brigits Easter Eggs and Deb Horst's Blueberry design as Top Three Badge Winners for this Challenge.  You made my day!  So appreciated! I loved all the card entries!  

Penny Hanuszak
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot !

This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge was designed by Michelle. This sketch is a throwback to when this challenge blog first started. Over the coming months they will be doing a look back at those old sketches on the third Monday of each month and will post a new challenge based on one from that time period.  Here is the latest challenge: 

Here's My Card: 

The circles on this sketch had me thinking of bubbles and fish so I dug through my stash until I found some cute fish stamps and went to work on a summery seaside card. I hope you like my interpretation of the sketch.  

Supplies:

Stamp Set and Dies:

• Seaside Shore #141625 (R)
• Shore Thing (R)
• Friendly Seagulls #164961

Cardstock and DSP:

• Card Base in Whisper White 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" and 
• 5" x 3 3/4" for front matte, scraps of white for fish and seaweed.
• Petunia Pop Matte 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"
• Summer Splash 5 1/4" x 4" 

Ink:

• Summer Splash for sentiment
• Pool Party for water and bubbles
• Crumb Cake for Sand
• Petunia Pop, Orchid Oasis, Peach Pie for large fish
• Blends for seaweed, small fish and star fish:  Granny Apple Green, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Just Jade, Mango Melody

Accessories:

• Scissors for fussy cutting fish
• Stickles for Sparkle on fish
• Adhesive and Dimensionals
• Iridescent Faceted Gems 

If you've ever snorkeled in an area with tropical fish, you've probably been amazed at all the activity below the surface. There are big fish, teeny tiny fish and they all seem to be going in different directions.  I used that concept for creating the scene for this card.  I only had a few stamp sets with seaside images to use for my design. 

The larger fish, bubbles and seaweed were from a retired Stampin' Up! set called Seaside Shore. The cute little crab was from another retired set called Shore Thing. When it came to the small green fish I used a stamp from a very old set that had a school of fish in a square. I wanted them to be individual and look like they were swimming amongst the bigger fish, so I coloured them and then fussy cut each of the images out.  Yikes that was time consuming! I also used Stickles to add some sparkle to these little fishies, the seaweed and two of the larger fish.

Well that's it for this week's post, which was somewhat out of my comfort zone, however was fun to make.  I hope you enjoyed it and will leave me a comment about your snorkeling experiences and the most colourful fish you spotted. Cheers and have a good week.   

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006