Search Results for: challenge

“Thinking of You” Challenge

November 10, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge last week is the theme of Thinking of You.

Well, hi!

Here’s a new batch of challenge cards from the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog. The theme from the most recent posting is “Thinking of You.”

I don’t have a ton of stamps that imply that sentiment. In fact, I believe you are seeing all of them in the image above. The one on the truck is printed from my computer.

All of this challenge’s cards are pretty simple, and that was by design. I wanted to focus more on the sentiment so I kept everything else pretty clean.

I’ll list a close up image of each of the cards below, going from least to most favorite.

Thinking of You at Christmas

Using a greenery stamp from Sunny Studio and an ornament stamp from Stampin’ Up!, I created a simple layout. However, there was so much white space that seemed very empty. So I used an ink blending tool to create shading around the edges of the card. The sentiment stamp is also from Stampin’ Up!

Fall Tree

Four stamps make up this design and are all from the same Stampin’ Up! set (I have lots of Stampin’ Up! as I used to be a demonstrator). Patterned paper and metallic tape complete the design.

Fall Tree with Baker’s Twine

Same tree, stamped with darker leaves. And I added more patterned paper behind. The very simple design is completed with brown and white baker’s twine.

Pick Up Truck

This stamp comes from an inexpensive stamp set I bought on Amazon. It comes with various items that can go in the back. I figured the class blue truck with pumpkins would look nice. I used ink blending to create a ground of grass, and also added light blue shading for a hint of sky.

As stated previously, I printed this sentiment from my computer.

Watercolor Flowers

Another Stampin’ Up! stamp set and the sentiment is from them as well (although from a different set). I stamped the flowers using Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto watercolor paper. I then used a very loose watercolor technique to color in the flowers and leaves.

This is my favorite of all the cards because the technique itself is so liberating. I love painting outside the lines and allowing the paintbrush to go…just….wherever. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable process for me!

Okay, there you go! A few more cards to add to my collection, ready to be sent to a friend or loved one who needs a little boost!

Make sure you check out my other challenge cards. I try to post entries twice a week on the blog, so keep checking back.

Y’all take care!

Christmas Tags Challenge

November 6, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards, Holiday Cards

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week is Christmas Tags!

Well, hi!

Welcome to another post with entries to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week’s challenge involves making Christmas tags. It’s coming, you know.

The ideas for these came together pretty quickly. They were fun to make, but one card gave me a struggle. Can you guess which one?

The Gift Box Tag

I thought it might be fun to make a tag for a gift that looked like, well, a gift with a tag!

I cut out a rectangle in the size I wanted and snipped off two opposite corners at an angle. I applied patterned paper to what would be the “sides” of the box (left side and bottom). Then I added paper to the “top” of the gift box.

I stamped the ribbon twice on cardstock using an old Posh Impressions stamp I have. One of the images serves as the main part of the ribbon and the other image I cut up to finish off the ribbon going around the gift box.

I applied a little tag with a to/from inside, and it was done. A fun, quick, cute little tag I think.

The Stained Glass Tag

I’ve been having fun stamping on vellum and coloring in with alcohol markers to see what happens. After stamping this stained glass stamp (Stampin’ Up!) with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a patterned vellum, I allowed it to dry but eventually used a heat tool to finish the drying.

I colored it in with my Ohuhu markers. What’s interesting to me is that when you apply a second layer of marker the color kind of does this weird thing that ends up looking more like stained glass. Kind of hard to tell in the picture, but it leaves an uneven blend which I think mimics a rustic stained glass pretty well. In the picture below it’s most noticeable on the tree trunk.

The Lighthouse Tag

I thought it might be fun to do something less traditional. Well, at least not your typical Christmas snow scene. So I pulled out this lighthouse stamp from Stampin’ Up!

Things were going great at first. (By now, you have guessed that this is the problem child of the group.) I stamped it with Memento and colored in with my alcohol markers. No problem. Everything was looking great.

Then I used my white gel pen to add snow.

And that went pretty well. For everything that was NOT burgundy.

I tried doing multiple coats. I tried adding glitter. I tried adding matte snow pieces. I tried acrylic paints. Nothing would completely cover up that hot pink that resulted from trying to top burgundy with white!!

But I just kept adding layers until I could get it MOSTLY under control. So my next question is….HOW ON EARTH DO YOU ADD SNOW TO ANYTHING RED? I’ve never had this problem before!

You may not be able to tell from the picture below (I photographed it immediately after topping with another layer of acrylic paint!). But it’s so small, maybe nobody will notice!

The Ornament Tag

I used stamps and dies from the Hero Arts monthly kit from this October to make this shaker tag/ornament. Tags like this are fun because the tag becomes a gift too!

It was the quickest shaker I’ve ever put together! Having the dies from the kit really helped the layering to go fast. You can see another shaker card I recently made here.

You could add an additional small tag to the string (so as not to write on the ornament) or just write the to/from on the back.

The Hutch Tag

I think this one is my favorite. I love the colors and the homey feel. This hutch and accessories stamps are all from Stampin’ Up! and it’s been a good long while since I’ve used this style. These were purchased during the “country” decor phase of rubber stamps back in the 90s. But I can’t part with them. Good memories.

Giving these stamps new life in a tag was a good way to dust them off. I stamped everything separate….no masking…and fussy cut them out after coloring them in with alcohol markers.

Though it is hard to tell in the photo, there are gold accents on every piece. I added the accents after gluing the pieces to the hutch. I backed the hutch door area with some white cardstock after cutting along the door lines. Then I backed the whole thing with a pretty green cardstock.

You can see the surprise stocking and the to/from inside the cabinet. Kind of a fun tag to make!

Okay. These Christmas tags are done and done! Hope you enjoyed taking a peak at these tags. And I sure hope you have a solution to my burgundy/hot pink snow problem! If so, please…..advise!

Y’all take care!

“Movie Inspiration” Challenge

October 30, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards

The Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge that almost didn’t happen. I didn’t think I could make “Movie Inspiration” work….

Well, hi!

Each Monday and Wednesday I eagerly check the Simon Says Stamp blogs to see what our newest challenge will be, and then hunker down to plan. In fact, planning/executing/shooting/blogging for these challenges are automatically built into my planner each week.

This week, however, the “Movie Inspiration” challenge them didn’t, well, inspire me.

I mean, sure, it sounded fun. But I immediately assumed that I wouldn’t have any suitable stamps to create for this challenge. Because I use these challenges as fodder for blog posts, I was naturally disappointed. “Guess I won’t have a blog post for this one,” I lamented.

Then one night, as I was finishing up all my tasks from my planner, I noticed I just had one more: plan SSSMC projects for this week.

I was so tired and wanted to just stop. But I’ve been trying hard lately to really honor commitments to myself! So I figured, hey, I can just look around my stamps and see if anything happens.

Wow!

So many ideas came to me! I quickly wrote them down and went to bed. As I lay there trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep, each card planned itself in detail in my mind and I found myself feeling impatient for morning to come so I could make them!

What I’ve realized is that, while I do enjoy challenges that are more in my wheelhouse, the challenges that are really satisfying are the ones that really challenge my creativity! Coming up with something original and then bringing it to pass? So fulfilling!

So here they are. My Movie Inspiration Challenge entries….I love them all, but I’ll list them in order from least to most favorite.

Movie: Beaches

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie, Beaches. But I remember vividly the strong friendship between the main characters. I loved the parts that showed them in their youth.

And this stamp from Delafield Stamp Company (no longer in business) reminded me so much of those two young girls at the beach. I’ve had this stamp for almost 30 years. Wait, what? Sigh. Yes, it’s been that long.

I stamped them first, masked them, and used ink blending tools to create the sand dunes, sea, and sky. A Printworks sand fence stamp and Happy Stamper sea oats stamp complete the scene. (I think both of those companies are also not in business anymore.)

I colored the girls with my Ohuhu markers, which I also used to add some shading to the sand. A white gel pen was used to make the waves.

The quote is just a quote on friendship that I thought fit the mood. This was printed out from my computer using Canva.

Movie: The Water Horse

I admit for this one that I’ve only seen that movie once. But I’ve had this InkaDinkaDoo stamp trio of the Loch Ness Monster for…..okay, can I just say a long time and not say the years? It’s a little depressing. 😉

Anyway, my point is that I don’t know that I have ever used these stamps and I really wanted to. The three stamps are head, hump, and tail. I stamped the hump multiple times to make her longer.

So I figured I’d make a night scene with my monster gliding along peacefully. I used some moon/cloud stamps from an old Stampin’ Up! Halloween set (that I also used in one of the entries here). Everything else is Ohuhu markers.

Unfortunately, you can’t see the glitter on all Nessie’s spikes, but it’s there!

The sentiment was printed off from my computer using Canva.

Movie: Mona Lisa Smile

Interestingly, the stamp that inspired this movie choice only got a cameo role in my next card. From Posh Impressions (also out of business….sheesh!…I’m showing my age here) the blank easel stamp sparked an idea in my head.

“Artwork…what movie was it where they all painted a picture based on the same famous work….Mona Lisa Smile!”

Yes, so I found some children’s coloring pages online of one of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers paintings. I shrunk them down and printed them off onto cardstock, much like you would for a digital stamp.

I chose four images that were each a unique interpretation of the original. Then I chose four media to use, one on each: markers, watercolor, colored pencil, chalks.

Though the sentiment is not a movie quote, I think it fits nicely. Printed from my computer using Canva.

Movie (star): Lucille Ball

No, I did not pick and actual movie for this one. But I have a couple of Lucy stamps and I never use them! (My other one is from “The Chocolate Factory” episode of I Love Lucy….love that show!)

But hey, Lucille Ball was a MOVIE star, so that counts right?

(correct answer = yes)

I wanted to use one stamp, lots of bright color, and a quote from the lady herself!

I think it turned out fun. AND it’s a quick card to make.

Movie: Dances With Wolves

Yes, my favorite entry, finally!!

It wasn’t my favorite idea. I had a teepee stamp from PSX (guess what? out of business) and really wanted a way to use it.

Side Note: why do I have so many stamps I’ve never used that are kind of random? Whenever we’d go to visit my husband’s family in California I would always head to the rubber stamp stores in the area. It was option overwhelm and I would just pick stamps I thought looked cool. I got home, though, and could never figure out how to make them work!

I do love the movie, Dances With Wolves, though. My husband and I saw it as newlyweds. Great times!

I stamped the teepee, masked it, and stamped again. The rest of the card is all marker, except for some grass texture stamps.

My favorite part of the card is the sky. I googled different sunset pictures to find the one I wanted. And then I did my best to pick the right colors. The blend is so much prettier in person.

As soon as I picked this movie for one of my entries, I knew exactly what the sentiment would be. That line, spoken by the character Wind in His Hair, always gives me chills and makes my eyes get all prickly with tears. Printed off from my computer using Canva!

Okay, folks. That’s another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge in the books! So curious to me that it went from being my least favorite theme to my absolute favorite so far. It really sparked my creativity!

See you next time. Y’all take care!

“Layer It Up” Challenge

October 27, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards

My examples for the Simon Says Stamp Layer It Up Challenge

Well, hi!

Each week for the Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenges, five projects can be entered. This week I’m recovering from sickness so I was thinking that I wouldn’t have five completely different projects. I ended up having exactly 7 different cards! I guess I’ll have to pick my favorite five!

No stamping in these! (Well, unless you count the stamping on the birthday card envelope flaps and the digital stamp in the baby card.) Just die cuts and paper.

Big Hit Birthday

My first example is a card design I woke up thinking about. Actually, I woke up thinking about the stamp set, which I proceeded not to use for the card design.

I die cut circles for the records and the labels and used a tiny hole punch for the center hole. Before attaching the record labels, I inked up the black circle records with Versamark ink. After applying clear embossing powder I heated each record until the powder melted. Voila! Shiny record!

After adding patterned paper and a sentiment I created on the computer, my unique birthday card is done! These are currently available in my Etsy shop.

simon says stamp wednesday challenge layer it up

Front Door Welcome

Recently, very recently, I saw Spellbinders Instagram post on their October Large Die of the Month. Yeah, I was spellbound…so good company name! I signed up right away for their Die Hard kit (both the large and small die of the month). So glad I did because that kit sold out only a couple of days later! (You can see all their monthly kits here.)

It took a little figurin’ to get this project going, but once I understood how all the pieces worked together it was a breeze! So satisfying to go from little pieces to completed work!

Seemed like a good idea to work on a few different color combos just to get the creative juices flowing. I really do like each one. The blue door is sweet with it’s vellum floral window and soft autumn colors. The red door is striking with its brass mail slot and Christmas card. And the black door is elegant with its vellum stained glass window. Such fun!

These are also currently available in my Etsy shop.

Welcome Baby Twins

My niece asked if I could make a card for her friend who just had twin girls, and if I could customize it with their names. I thought this project was an excellent candidate for digital stamping!

I have been playing around with digital stamping a bit over the last couple of weeks. Digital stamping is basically line drawing clip art. All you do is download it, arrange it in a program like Word or Photoshop OR use it in an online design tool like Canva or Picmonkey. Save it, print it out onto cardstock and then move forward as if you had stamped it by hand…color it in, add embellishments, etc.

Because I want to put cards in my Etsy shop, I always make sure to order from sellers who allow limited commercial use of their images. So far my favorite Etsy shop for digital stamps is Lily of the Valley.

I created my card design on Canva. I placed the twins image that I had already downloaded on my computer, then added the “Welcome” and the names of the twins. Print, color, and layer onto a card. I think that this might be a nice new feature to offer in my shop! Custom cards with the baby names!

Stripy Birthday

I really needed to add some birthday cards to my Etsy inventory. Admittedly I am mostly smitten with Christmas/winter cards right now. but I forced myself to work on something different!

Since I’ve been wanting to try using scrap paper to make backgrounds I thought making a stripy background for a die cut birthday sentiment would be just right. I covered my card front with adhesive and then just added random strips of colored paper to create my own custom background paper.

I also decided to use the letter die cuts in two ways. One with the traditional cut out letters. But I made sure to line them up well so that I could use the negative space to create a block sentiment where the empty space shows through to the paper strip background underneath. You have to be careful and keep all the little bits so that you can add those back in later, but it’s a great way to get double duty for your die cutting.

So those are my entries from the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge “Layer It Up.” Cross your fingers that I get the $25 gift card in the random drawing!

You can see my most recent challenge blog post here.

Y’all take care!

“Not a Card” Challenge

October 23, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards, Uncategorized

My examples for the Simon Says Stamp Not a Card Challenge

This week’s Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is “Not a Card.”

I have to admit that I was not excited about this one because I’m super focused right now on making lots of CARDS for my Etsy shop! So “wasting” time on something not card-related seemed like a bother.

But I actually had a lot of fun working on these projects.

Candy Bag Topper

Having recently cleaned out my candy, cookie, and cake stuff I knew I had some treat bags waiting to be used. Halloween candy seemed the perfect match for these, and timely.

I grabbed a notecard just a little wider than the bag and folded it in half. I stamped the front of the card with an old stamp set from Stampin’ Up! And I mean from back in the 90s!! It’s always been a fun set to use.

I filled the bag, placed the card over top, and stapled it in place. Easy!

Recipes

Okay, technically this is a card…but it’s not a greeting card so I say it counts!

Another oldie but goodie from back in my Stampin’ Up! demo days, this recipe card stamp is pretty cute and came with all the basic recipe category stamps too.

I stamped the main card stamp onto cream cardstock. Then I used the Main Dish stamp in the bottom right corner. I just did some simple colored pencil work….it’s too detailed to do much more.

This is a great idea for when you need to take a meal to someone. Why not share the recipe, if it’s one of your best? And doing it with stamps is more fun!

Planner Embellishment

I love, love, love my planner. Took me years to find one that works for me.

I thought it might be fun to embellish it a little. Not necessarily to make it pretty because I have come to be a firm believer in kind of a messy planner. Or should I say well-filled?

I just wanted to add a little visual to my upcoming week.

So for a youth campfire I added a flame stamp. For my daughter’s bone marrow donation day I added a gift stamp (what a gift she is giving! so proud of her!). For family game night, I added a confetti stamp in multiple colors. And for my day to work on Christmas cards, I stamped a little tree.

I actually think I may do this on a regular basis. Because I block my time off with highlighters and have some repetitive items, sometimes I forget which week I’m on. Having a visual reminder–“oh yeah, this is the week with the campfire night”–will be helpful for my brain!

Gift Tags

Can I make a confession here? I don’t do gift tags.

Why? Well we have this fun tradition I started a few years ago where I don’t label the gifts to the kids. I pick a different paper to represent each person each year and my kids have to figure out who is who! It’s really fun. One year I even decoy wrapped everything–I wrapped it once in the correct paper for that person, and then again in a “decoy” wrap to confuse them.

Yes, I am looney.

But really, they were getting too good at guessing based on what people had on their lists. I add extra padding, coins, etc., to throw them off base.

Anyway, I digress.

Even though these tags will not be used for the family gifts, I will have fun using these for gifts to friends. Die cuts used for some, stamps for others.

Christmas Card Log Book

And now to my favorite result of this challenge!

I’ve had this Christmas Card Log book for YEARS!!! I think I got it free. I know I’ve always hated the cover. Just not my style at all.

It happened to be sitting out on my stamp desk, and I thought, “Hmmm…can I make it cute?”

Answer: Yes. Yes, I can.

Many of the stamps I own I have had since the early 90s. I remember thinking when I saw the stamp of a blank card, “Oh, that’ll be fun to use!”

Yeah. I never used it.

But now I have! I really enjoyed just making this up as I went along. I made lots of little Christmas cards to adorn this new log book. Then I masked them off with Post-Its and did some ink blending around them. That really made them pop!

Now I’m excited to mark off who I’ve sent cards to and who have sent cards!

So there you have it. All five of my entries into this week’s challenge. And I have to say, these ideas were fun and pretty fast! While I enjoy making a beautiful card to send, it can take a while. It was fun to make some things that were quick!

Check out the last Simon Says Stamp challenge I did.

Matching Card & Envelope Challenge

October 21, 2020 Challenge Cards, Handcrafted Cards

My examples for the Simon Says Stamp Matching Card & Envelope Challenge

Well, hi!

Simon Says Stamp runs two weekly challenges. One is on Monday. The other on Wednesday. I’m going to try to make examples for those and post them here on the blog. You can link up to five entries for each challenge, and I think that’s a great way to get creative and have some fun! Plus, winning a $25 gift card is a pretty sweet incentive.

Last Wednesday’s challenge was to make cards with matching envelopes! Since I needed to add some inventory to my Etsy shop anyway, I figured this fit my needs pretty well!

My recent post on the We Go Together Wheel Card qualifies for the challenge as well. You can go read about it here. Shoot, I guess that makes six cards! Someone is gonna get left out! Oh well.

All these cards, minus the We Go Together card and the Bunny Love card, are currently in my Etsy shop!

Bunny Love

The first card to show you is a simple one that uses some…well…some cheap stamps I found on Amazon (see note below). The bunnies are a cute little grouping and I love doing simple shading above and below just to give a hint of a scene. A coordinating bunny stamped on the envelope flap completes the challenge! The inside sentiment says, “Somebunny loves you.”

(Side note: I don’t recommend the off-brand photopolymer stamps and dies on Amazon because they are not great quality. It was an experiment purchasing a few sets…an experiment I won’t repeat. I can use these stamps, but they have ZERO stick, so they won’t stick on their own to a block or stamp tool. The dies are not super accurate either.)

Typewriter Hi

The second card to share with you is this simple but very clean Typewriter “Hi” card. I worried when coloring this image that it would be boring, but I have to say that I love the open white space around the typewriter. And the way the black cardstock behind it sets it off against the patterned letter paper. The stamps are from Stampin’ Up!…all from the same set.

It makes a nice, clean lines card.

Floral Quote

Next I’ll share this more inspirational card. One of my sisters recently requested that I stock my Etsy shop with some cards she could send people at church. So I thought I’d take a spin in that direction.

To make this encouragement quote card, I used a very intricate die from Tim Holtz. It was a bit time-consuming to punch out all the negative space, and a challenge to glue down. But I really like the effect of the white on blue cardstock. I die cut some leaves and used sponge daubers to add some shading with a dark green ink pad. The quote is just printed onto cardstock from my computer.

I used the green cardstock that I die cut the leaves from as a stencil for making the coordinating envelope back. I used the sponge dauber and that same dark green ink pad to lightly swirl over the stencil.

I’m looking forward to making more of these, incorporating quotes from spiritual leaders as well as scriptures.

Santa and Reindeer

I saved my favorite two for last. I love the bright sky behind this Santa and reindeer card. I’ve really been enjoying using my alcohol markers to work with blending color. While I’m still learning, I find that each time I work with the markers, I’m willing to be a little more daring and use more and more contrast. I just signed up to take the Copic Jumpstart class from Sandy Allnock’s Art Classes site, and can’t wait to level up my skills with all her amazing classes!

The stamps for this card are from Stampin’ Up!.

Polar Night

Night scenes seem to have become a favorite for me with my markers. This night time polar bear scene was fun to create. When I look at it, I totally get the cold, snowy mood going! Simple masking for the bear helped created some depth in the scene. And using a white gel pen for snow in the air and on the trees really makes the whole thing pop!

The Matching Card and Envelope Challenge was fun to do and helped me get some inventory into my shop!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you got some card inspiration. I’d love to hear your comments on your own favorite ways to coordinate your envelopes with your cards! Or maybe you can do your own Matching Card & Envelope Challenge.

Y’all take care!

Catching Up

May 21, 2021 Handcrafted Cards

After a break, I’m catching up on family event cards this week!

Well, hi!

Unfortunately, it’s been about a month and a half since I’ve posted to the blog. Wow, had no idea it was that long! I’ve been busy. Jumping rope, going on an amazing anniversary trip (30 years, woohoo!), starting a new business, surviving!

As a result, I completely spaced on keeping up with family birthdays and anniversaries! It just completely slipped my mind. And I am bound and determined to keep my commitment of doing all the family birthdays and anniversaries in 2021!

Therefore, this week, in an effort to catch up, I’ve made a couple of simple cards and looked through my stash of already-made cards to see what I can do to get all of May taken care of. I have four cards to share with you this week.

The striped “hello” card and the heart punch card are from previous challenges, and you can see more about them here and here.

The birthday wishes card is made using a Hero Arts background stamp with a rainbow stamp pad from the same company. The birthday sentiment and animals is from an Avery Elle stamp set. The tissue paper accents add a punch of color and tie everything together. And it’s fun!

The Cutie card is made using stamps and stencils from a My Monthly Hero kit. Because I’ve always loved the color combo of orange and pink this was a fun card for me to make.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some June cards to get to!

Happy Crafting! Y’all take care!

Spring Window Card

March 5, 2021 Handcrafted Cards

Just anxious for spring and sharing this Spring Window card I made with the most recent Simon Says Stamp card kit

Well, hi!

It’s normally my day to post challenge cards from the Monday Simon Says Stamp challenge. But, since the challenge this time is “Anything But a Card,” and I mostly do cards….well, I thought I’d just make this cute Spring Window Card instead.

We got a little taste of spring a few days ago and now it’s back to wet and cold. I’m so ready for warmer weather and some flowers. And a break from rain! So, I thought this nice Spring Window Card would brighten things up a bit.

I used stamps from the most recent S imon Says Stamp Card Kit. I just got it the other day.

simon says stamp card kit spring window card

So much stuff in this kit. Markers, paper, envelopes, patterned paper, stamps, dies, embellishments.

I used the brick stamps to create a background and colored some of the bricks in with some neutral colored pencils. The window is stamped on cardstock, colored in with colored pencils, and mounted with foam tape onto the card base.

Confession: the sentiment is actually from the previous month’s card kit. (All of the cards in this post feature something from that kit.) But all else is from the March kit.

I paired the card with a matching envelop and now it’s ready to be sent to a loved one!

Y’all take care!

Simple & Sweet Donut Card

February 3, 2021 Handcrafted Cards

This simple and sweet donut card uses minimal supplies to make a clean but fun design!

Well, hi!

Recently I shared a donut card I made and I promised a video to show the basic technique. It’s a little late, but I have delivered nonetheless!

The card design for this video is not exactly that of my recent post, but the basic concept is exactly the same. You can arrange the final card any way you like. I’m pretty much just showing you how to make the donut and the sprinkles!

I think the original inspiration for this card was from something I saw on Pinterest. I see all kinds of ideas on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for beautiful cards. But, as I explain in the video, I’ve only just recently re-entered the card making world. The supplies I kept from the 90s are not always up to snuff. And I don’t have the budget to run out and get every stamp and die that I want. (Man, would that not be awesome?!)

Anyway, this card is an attempt at making something fun with what I already have. It’s a challenge to make something from the basic supplies that already exist in my little craft studio. I already had the circle dies and the markers and just about everyone who stamps has some kind of sentiment stamp that will work.

I think it turned out great! And it’s a wonderful way to get into card making if you’re new to it.

So watch and enjoy! Y’all take care!

The Sims 4: Converted Chapel Home

Well, hi! Welcome to my Sims 4 Converted Chapel Home tour!

Recently I shared on my Instagram that I was going to get back into Sims 4 builds and share them on some Saturdays. Definitely doing that today, but my first project into it…well…I bit off more than I could chew! So I’m starting with an oldie today that I haven’t shared before….the Converted Chapel Home.

Every time I pass an little old church I always think how cool it would be to buy it and convert it into a quaint home. Don’t have the budget or time for that, but I do have the “motherlode” cheat (to get Simoleans or money in the game) and enough time to build a fictional converted chapel home!

Here’s a view from near the back of the house with a lovely pond surrounded by lush greenery. By the way, these pics were taken in the fall in the game. So everything is colored accordingly.

Here’s a more elevated view from the back of the property.

The home is basically a large studio space with a bedroom suite loft. It’s open and airy inside with some fun and eclectic decor. I love the greenery along the loft wall. Here’s a view with the roof off!

The first floor only view shows you the kitchen, dining, and living areas, as well as the sun porch.

Here’s another view from the loft down into the living area. The archway leads to the sun porch.

And here’s a Sims-eye view looking into the kitchen area.

I love the playful mix of prints in this Sim’s house. So bright and cheery!

Well, I’m off to work on my cute (but very large) Bed & Breakfast in Brindleton Bay. I’ll post some other old creations soon while I finish. I’d also love to participate in some build challenges, but I’m not really in the loop on those very much. Maybe I’ll just pick some old ones.

To see a list of my Sims 4 builds published here to date, visit this page.

Y’all take care!

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