Crafty Gals Corner #279 ~ Anything Goes w/twist - Summer Vibes

    Hello crafting friends and welcome to our monthly challenge

 at Crafty Gals Corner! I hope you're all enjoying the end of your Summer!

  The theme for our challenge this month is

~ Anything Goes w/optional twist - Summer Vibes ~

It was my daughter's birthday last week and since she loves everything to do with the sea, I created this easel card for her.

When closed for mailing, this card measures 5.5" x 5.5".  There is a little bulk to it with the sea shells but since I hand delivered it, it was not a problem.  If I had planned on mailing it, I would have used sea shell dies instead of using the real small shells.

These are the crafty supplies I used to make this card:

Marianne Design - Sea Shells Stitching Border

DMC Embroidery Floss - various colours used (3 strands)

Cottage Cutz - Sand Dollar

Memory Box - Seahorses

Sue Wilson - Aquatic Plants

Joy! Crafts - Bille's Coral

Cardz TV - Mini Messages

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  We would love to see you play along with us.   You have until noon, CST, on 8 September 2026, to link your project to

our challenge.

Hugs,

The Paper Shelter #573 ~ Favourite Colour Combo!

    Hello friends! Welcome back to our newest challenge at the The Paper Shelter. 

Team A - our challenge this week is Favourite Colour Combo

To be honest I didn't know where to start on this challenge.  I have so many favourite colour combos 😀  There are the reds, greens and golds, and the blues, silver and white for Christmas, and all the colours of Fall, and of those of Halloween and let's not forget the Valentine and Easter colours ... well, I obviously have lots of favourite colour combos, but the one that first came to mind was the aqua, sand and coral.  I love tropical colours at any time of the year, so although Halloween is just around the corner, I hope you enjoy this trip to the tropics with me.

To go with my chosen colour combo, I picked this "Pretty Mermaid" digi set from The Paper Shelter.  Isn't she just gorgeous? I used a card base die I recently got and started putting all the bits and pieces together. I uploaded the mermaid and the beautiful background, that also comes in this digi set, to the Silhouette. Next I cut out all the elements and printed a large square of the background so that I could use my dies to cut out the different mats.  I duplicated and cut out the seaweed several times.  The mermad was cut out twice and layered using foam squares.

Here is a close up of this beauty, and a few of the seaweed.

I felt like the card needed a few embellishments, so I went thru my "Tropical" stash and die cut several elements.  Here is a close up of the left side of the card.

And here is a close up of the elements on the right side of the card.  I have listed all the supplies I used, further down on this post.

I created another couple of mats for the back. I added a few left over seaweed and a shell.  The Happy Birthday was computer generated.

Crafty supplies used to make this card:

The Paper Shelter - Pretty Mermaid

Studio Light - Card Shape (cut twice and put together) - SL-ES-CD-123)

Marianne Design - Nautical Rope, Coral

Impression Obsession - Seashells (Small)

Karen Burniston - Cruise Charms (anchor)

Memory Box - Seahorses

Amy Designs- Ocean Animals, Sea Life

Cottage Cutz - Crab

Well, I don't know about you, but after making this card, I want to head off to a tropical destination somewhere for Christmas.   It's just too long to wait till Summer again.😀

Before I go, I would like to remind you that The Paper Shelter offers a $30 gift certifcate for one lucky winner.  In order to get this prize, you must use a product from The Paper Shelter.  However, if you have not used a product from The Paper Shelter, you still stand a chance of winning 3 digis of your choice. 

I hope  you will come join the fun and share your projects with your favourite colour combo.  You will find our challenge blog HERE.

Crafty hugs,

Easter Bunny Box Card

Hello crafting friends and Happy Easter!!! May your day be blessed with love, good health, and chocolates!

All my Easter cards have now been hand delivered or received by mail, so I will be sharing them with you in the next few days.

I'm starting today by sharing the card I made for my daughter and son-in-law. 

  The base of this card is a die by Kat Scrappiness, called 3D Box Die set.  You can get add-ons for this pop-up, I used the Grass Add-ons die to cut the grassy landscape. I cut the bunnies, chicks, flowers and Easter eggs from a few different files from the Silhouette store.   I used a cloud from Memory Box, to stamp my greeting which is from a stamp set by Cardz TV. Not only did the box die make it very easy to put together, but it made the perfect landscape to create my Easter scene.

Crafty Ingredients:

Kat Scrappiness - 3D Box Die Set

Kat Scrappiness - 3D Box Grass Add-ons

Memory Box - Puffy Cloud

Silhouette - Bunnies, Chicks, Easter Eggs, Flowers

Cardz TV - Happy Days Stamp Set

And that was it, one Easter card done.

Kat Scrappiness has a few new releases, a clearance sale, and an Easter sale going on right now.  There are amazing sprinkle sets for all your shaker cards and gorgeous paper packs to match any occasion or theme you're working on.  There really is something for everyone!

I'll be back tomorrow to share another Easter card with you.

Wishing you and yours a very Blessed Easter!

The Paper Shelter #541 ~ Lace &/or Flowers

  Hello friends! Welcome back to our newest challenge at the The Paper Shelter. 

Team A - our challenge this week is Lace &/or Flowers.

This means you can make a project using lace, flowers or both!

Using the Adorable Dutch Girl digi set, I created this card.  It has one of my favourite flowers, tulips, and a lace doily 😀 In case you're wondering my favourite flowers are orchids, followed closely by tulips, daisies, lilies, roses and pansies.  Yes, I love most flowers 😀 

I began by importing the image to the Silhouette and cutting it out two times.  Next I cut one of them into the different elements so that I could layer the image by using foam squares, and thereby giving it a little dimension.

Once this was done, I adhered it to the original background, which also comes in the digi set.

I die cut a white picket fence and some tulips and added them to each side of the cutie, in the hopes of creating the illusion that she had just been picking flowers.

On the inside, I reduced the little girl in size and placed it on the background to add a little more interest.  I also added another fence from the cut offs I had from the front of the card. I think it ties it all in nicely.

Here is a close up of the Adorable Dutch Girl.

And here is a photo showing the different layers pop dotted for dimension.

This little girl is close to my heart as it brings back fond memories.  When I was a child, we lived in Portugal and to celebrate Carnival, children dress up in various costumes.  When I was 7 years old, I dressed up as one of these cuties.  I still remember the pains my mom and grandmother went thru to starch and iron the little lacy hat so it would stand up and out on the sides.  It paid off as I won the local costume competition that year 😀  But this is not the end of it -- as most of you know by now, hubby is Dutch.  On one of our trips to Holland we did the very touristy thing to do and took pictures dressed up in these costumes.  Well, I didn't look as cute as I did when I was 7 but it's still a very fond memory.  

Needless to say, I had to bribe my son with the sun, moon and stars to get him to take this pic with us 😁 (Sorry about the glare in the photo. I took a pic of the original photo which is in a scrapbook. No digital prints given out in those days 😀)

Okay, now that I have turned this post into a novel, let me list the additional supplies I used to make this card:

Elizabeth Crafts Designs - Tulip Garden Edge

Memory Box - Picket Fence

The Paper Shelter offers a $30 gift certifcate for one lucky winner.  In order to get this prize, you must use a product from The Paper Shelter.  However, if you have not used a product from The Paper Shelter, you still stand a chance of winning 3 digis of your choice. So come on, come play along with us.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you to see you again next time.

Crafty hugs,

Dies R Us #196 ~ Minion Card

 Hello and welcome to another challenge, starting today, at Dies R Us.

Challenge #196 ~ Anything Goes

(as long as you use a die that is sold at Dies R Us)

My little grandson recently turned 5 and at the moment his life is all about the Minions movies. He loves them, so I thought I would make him a Minion birthday card.

After watching a "punch-out" tutorial on how to make this card, and not having all the punches necessary, I decided to get busy with a few of my nesting dies.  I think it came out just as it should, very Minion-ish 😀

On the inside, I kept if very simple by just adding a sentiment die cut.

Once I figured out what dies to use, it didn't take very long to put together and it was fun to make. It was even more fun to see how happy my little guy was.  Although he did tell me that Bob has one green eye and one brown eye, to which I replied that this is not Bob, just one of the Minions   The little dude is just too smart for his own good and mine!!!  😀

Now for the list of supplies used to make this card, each linked to the

Dies R Us store for your convenience.

Memory Box Slim Basic Rectangles

Karen Burniston - Snowman Twist Circle

Karen Burniston - Happy Birthday

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little of your day with me.  I hope I was able to inspire you to create a project, and  play along with us at the Dies R Us Challenges for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the 1st and 15th of each month.  There is a prize to be won with every challenge, you could be the lucky winner! If you have a minute, please visit our challenge blog, where my team mates showcase their creations to provide you with some wonderful inspiration.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Pinterest too.  

And don't forget to visit our sister store, Didi Crafts.  It has warehouses in the US and Canada. This means that our Canadian friends no longer have to worry about huge taxes or expensive shipping fees.  It has some products that are the same as Dies R Us, but in addition, it carries international dies,  and other crafty supplies for a variety of crafts.  Go take a peek and be pleasantly surprised!

Till next time, 

crafty hugs

Dies R Us #191 ~ Spring/Flowers in Collaboration with Double Trouble Challenges

  Hello everyone and welcome.   There is a new challenge starting today at Dies R Us, plus we have an extra little fun for you to enjoy ... read on 😀

Challenge #191 ~ Flowers/Spring 

We are partnering with the Double Trouble Challenge Blog again this year and having a joint challenge collaboration.  It's fun and easy and you have a chance to win prizes on the DRU Challenge as well as the Double Trouble Challenge #108! The Double Trouble Challenge runs from April 18 - May 1 and their theme is "Frame It" - use a basic metal die in your project.

Here are the options to include if you want to join the Double Trouble challenge. You can enter the Double Trouble "Frame It" challenge #108 here.

Thing 1:  Trouble Maker (Double Trouble Challenge)

says, "How many of us have a Cricut or similar machine that sits idle?  Since the world of metal dies has emerged how often do you pull out your Cricut to cut a basic shape?  It seems most of us have accumulated some dies and now use a die cutter (Cuttlebug, Big Shot, Gemini).  I'm challenging you to select a basic-shaped metal die from your stash and use it on your project, e.g. frame, square, rectangle, triangle for your image and/or sentiment...  you get the idea.  

You can stop here... 

OR  

play along with Twisted Sister's optional twist below to earn another chance in the Double Trouble random draw.  

Thing 3:  Twisted Sister  (Double Trouble Challenge)

says, "It isn't difficult for me to pick out a shaped metal die for a frame and/or sentiment but I have accumulated so many other pretty metal dies.  

"Mother's Day is around the corner... this is a good time to honor your Mom or someone special who has had an impact on your life.  My optional twist is to include flower(s) and/or butterfly(s) on your project. I'm going to use some of my pretty dies, however, if you don't have floral or butterfly dies, just use patterned paper, stenciling, or embossing.   

Optional Twist:  If you have included flowers and/or butterflies on your project you will earn another chance in the Double Trouble Random Draw. 

Thing 2: Double Dare (DRU Challenge)

says, "If you have included at least one metal die on your project you are eligible to enter at Dies R Us #191 HERE. There is a limit of three entries and make sure you post your entry on or before April 28th and you will be eligible for an extra Double Trouble random draw chance. The theme is Flowers/Spring.

      
AND... 

If you have used any brand of dies that Dies R Us sells in their store, you will be eligible for an extra Double Trouble random draw chance as well as a chance to win the DRU $10 gift code prize.  Your die may already qualify. Click HERE to view the dies on their left-hand sidebar. Be sure to mention in your post if you used a die that is sold at DRU's store for a chance the DRU random draw. 

So basically the options for winning prizes are: 

  Thing 1: Use a basic shaped metal frame die to enter the Double Trouble challenge. 

  Thing 2: Use a metal die that DRU sells and include the theme Spring/Flowers to enter the DRU challenge and the random draw from Double Trouble. 

  Thing 3: Use a metal frame die and add a flower or butterfly to your project for another entry to the Double Trouble challenge.

If you used a metal die to join our DRU Challenge and it's a basic frame shape, you have already completed all the requirements for both challenges.  If you've only used a die (but not a basic shape), you are still eligible for our DRU Challenge, but it won't qualify for the Double Trouble Challenge. 

Also remember that you MUST use at least one metal die to qualify for the DRU prize... and please tell us the die company you have used in your project, and that our challenge this month is all about Flowers and Spring!

So here is my project for this challenge.

I love the new release from Karen Burniston, mostly because I love interactive cards.  I made this card for my mom's 87th  birthday.  I wish I could have celebrated with her, but hopefully next year.

For this card I used the Heart Collage Pop-up, the Butterfly Collage Add-on, and the Happy Birthday dies, all from Karen Burniston.  I also used the Darla Butterfly and the Vivienne Butterfly from Memory Box.  The patterned paper and cardstock I used are from The Paper Boutique, called Tropical Dreams.

Now, I could try to explain to you how I made this card, but I think that giving you the link to Karen Burniston's video tutorial is a much better and safer bet 😀

This is one of those cards that really is so much prettier in person ... with the movement of the butterflies as you open the card ... just beautiful!

I made a panel, using the same papers, and adhered it to the back so that I had a place for the greeting and to write my personal message.

I love the way this card came out.  In fact, I loved it so much that I ordered the Balloons Add-ons as well, so be on the look out for that card, coming soon-ish 😀

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little of your day with me.  I hope I was able to inspire you to create a project, and  play along with us at the Dies R Us Challenges for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the 1st and 15th of each month.  There is a prize to be won with every challenge.  And don't forget to join the Double Trouble Challenge Blog too, for an extra prize.  Be sure to take a peek at our blog, where my teamies showcase their beautiful projects for your inspiration.  Also follow us on Facebook and Pinterest too.  

And don't forget to visit our sister store, Didi Crafts.  It has warehouses in the US and Canada. This means that our Canadian friends no longer have to worry about huge taxes or expensive shipping fees.  It has some products that are the same as Dies R Us, but in addition, it carries international dies,  and other crafty supplies for a variety of crafts.  Go take a peek and be pleasantly surprised!

Crafty hugs,

Dies R Us #189 ~ Stitched Ice Crystals Border

 Hello everyone and welcome.  A new challenge begins today at Dies R Us.

Challenge #189 ~ Anything Goes 

Our only requirement for you to play along with us, is that you use a die on your project that is sold at the Dies R Us store.  And, of course, that your project applies to our monthly theme 😀

Since this month the theme is Anything Goes, I had to try out my new dies I recently purchased during one of the International Dies sales events.  I'm sure you know by now, but in case you are new to my blog, the best way to know about these special order events is to subscribe to the Dies R Us newsletter HERE.

I started with a piece of 12" x 6" cardstock and scored it at 2", 4", 8" and 10".  This gives you a 4" x 6" card when closed.  Next I die cut the Ice Crystals border on both end flaps of the card and got busy stitching the snowflakes. So much fun and you can make them in so many different patterns and colours, the possibilities are endless! I'm really loving these stitched border dies.  Can't wait to get my hands on the newest ones 😀  I used 3 strands of the DMC embroidery floss to stitch the snowflakes.  I'm a little disappointed that you can't see the silvery shine of the white satin floss on the pic.  It really does look so much prettier in person.

On the inside I made a winter scene without adding too many layers, as this would interfere with the closing of card.  If you do add a few layers and see that your card no longer stays closed nicely, you can always make a belly band.  I just didn't want to take away from the beauty of the stitched border.

I made a double mat at the back  so that I will have plenty of space to write my personal message.  As you can see it fits perfectly in a regular A7 envelope.

Here are the supplies I used to make this card. I have linked what I could to the Dies R Us store, but remember that some of the dies I used are only sold during the International Dies sales events which happen every so often.

Marianne Designs - Ice Crystals Stitched Border (Special Order Event)

Memory Box - Charming Snowman Collage

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Snowglobe Scene

(Currently out of stock, but any small tree and tiny snowflake dies would work)

Hunkydory Moonstone Dies - Christmas Wishes (Special Order Event)

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little of your day with me.  I hope I was able to inspire you to create a project, and  play along with us at the Dies R Us Challenges for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the 1st and 15th of each month.  There is a prize to be won with every challenge.  Visit our challenge blog, where my team mates showcase their creations to provide you with more inspiration.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Pinterest too.  

And don't forget to visit our sister store, Didi Crafts.  It has warehouses in the US and Canada. This means that our Canadian friends no longer have to worry about huge taxes or expensive shipping fees.  It has some products that are the same as Dies R Us, but in addition, it carries international dies,  and other crafty supplies for a variety of crafts.  Go take a peek and be pleasantly surprised!

Crafty hugs,

May you always have love to share,
health to spare, and friends that care! 

Dies R Us # 187 ~ You're Roar-some!

 Hello everyone and welcome.  A new challenge begins today at Dies R Us.

Challenge #187 ~ Valentine/Love! 

(Our only requirement for you to play along with us is that you use a die,

 sold at the Dies R Us store, on your project.) 

This year I made a little something different for my grandson. The cutie pie is 4 years old and loves dinosaurs.  So with this in mind, I came up with this Valentine card for him.  

A quick card, it was not, but I think it turned out really cute, so it was worth all the time it took to die cut all the little bits and pieces and put them together to create just the scene I wanted.

On the inside, I followed the same theme and made an arrangement using tropical leaves, berries and sticks to create the sentiment. Although it turned out larger that I had first planned, there is still plenty of space for me to write my message.

Here is the list of crafty goodies I used to make this card, each linked to the Dies R Us store for your convenience.  A few of the dies I used are not in stock right now because I purchased them during one of the International Dies sale events that Dies R Us has every so often.  The best way to know about these special order events is to subscribe to the Dies R Us newsletter.

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Slimline Adventure Edges

Lawn Fawn - Slimline Tropical Leaves

Marianne Designs - Dinosaurs (COL1400) - International Dies Sale Event

Marianne Designs - Dinosaurs (COL1499) - International Dies Sale Event

Marianne Designs - Hibiscus & Tropical Leaves - International Dies Sale Event

Sue Wilson Dies - Elegant Arrangements

Memory Box - Puffy Clouds

So what do you all think about my out of the norm Valentine card? The little guy loved it, so this grandma's mission was accomplished. 😀  Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little of your day with me.  I hope I was able to inspire you to create a project, and  play along with us at the Dies R Us Challenges for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the 1st and 15th of each month.  There is a prize to be won with every challenge.  Visit our challenge blog, where my team mates showcase their creations to provide you with more inspiration.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Pinterest too.  

And don't forget to visit our sister store, Didi Crafts.  It has warehouses in the US and Canada. This means that our Canadian friends no longer have to worry about huge taxes or expensive shipping fees.  It has some products that are the same as Dies R Us, but in addition, it carries international dies,  and other crafty supplies for a variety of crafts.  Go take a peek and be pleasantly surprised!

Crafty hugs,