I love a Green Gnome? and a freebie sentiment

Hello, everyone! 

Back in December 2025 (yikes!) I enjoyed a wonderful playdate with my friend Ana. She brought this cute Woodware Gnome Stamp which she had won. Hoping to make some St. Patrick's Day cards for friends, I stamped off a few and got to coloring. Then Life happened, and the cards were not completed until mid April! LOL But I'd still like to share them. No reference to St. Patty's Day, so they COULD be used for other occasions, but they are pretty green! I DO enjoy monochromatic cards, so these were fun to make. First, I colored with Copic Markers:

Then a visit to the scrap box was in order for layering. For the first card, I used a couple Martha Stewart edge bunches. I really do miss EK Success and Martha Stewart! 

After flocking the beard, a heart of gold was glittered up, because after all, it is a person's heart that is so beautiful, not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Products: Stamps: Woodware Gnome Rainbow set, Dies: Tutti Stitched Rectangles, MS Traditional Scallop Edge, MS Daisy Edge, MS embossable Zig-Zag Edger,Other: White Flocking (beard), Glitter (clear mixed with green for the sky), Gold mixed with green for the rainbow and heart, Inks: DO mowed lawn, Copic Markers, Cardstock - 3 greens, 110lb Neenah Classic Crest CS white, My Favorite Things Cloud stencil.

Next came two cards made with more scraps and Spellbinders Grand Labels Four. A stencil helped create a fun background. To sparkle the clouds up, I applied Art Institutes fine point glue and added clear glitter mixed with pale green. Even the horizontal pieces have been glittered:

In real life, they are quite sparkly!

(Honk! if you love glitter!) giggle

Products: Dies: SB Labels Four Grands, Tutti Stitched Rectangles, MS Lace Heart Edger, MS embossable Zig-Zag Edger, Other: White Flocking (beard), Glitter (clear mixed with green for the sky), Green, Gold mixed with green for the rainbow and heart, Inks: DO mowed lawn, DI rustic wilderness Copic Markers, Cardstock - Bazzill green, K&Company pattern, 110lb Neenah Classic Crest CS white, My Favorite Things Cloud stencil.

A couple more using the same techniques, but with different scraps, and SB Grand Scallop Ovals:

With all the "old beloved goodies" from my stash, I also stamped a cute leafy image to complement the sequined cardstock. The dots were colored after running through an embossing folder.

Products: Dies: Tutti Stitched Rectangles, SB Big Scallop Ovals Grands, Leafy Image Starving Artistamps (2004) stamped with Mowed Lawn DO, MS embossable Zig-Zag Edger, MS Lace Heart Edger, Darice 5x7 dot EF, Green Sequin cardstock, My Favorite Things Cloud stencil.

Thanks for enjoying my 5 cards that took 5 months to put together! LOL Slowly but surely, right? In the meantime, here is the interior sentiment if you would like a digital (click to make full size before saving):

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. Paper Funday Challenges #86 AG with die cuts and punches (I have used both on each card - the products are listed beneath the photos) 5/4 (sep post)
2. All Sorts Challenge #847 AG in the Garden - the products used are listed under each card with Woodware Stamps being the main feature 4/24 (sep post)
3. Heart's Quest Fantasy Challenge #4 AG Fantasy 5/2
4. Crafty Catz #711 AG 4/23
5. Craft Rocket Challenges #135 Layer it Up 4/28
6. Shopping Our Stash Weekly #571 "I don't sweat, I SPARKLE 4/21 (the sky background is hand glittered, the rainbows are hand glittered, the hearts are hand glittered, some of the layers are glittered, some of the layers are sequin paper, very sparkly in person!) sep post.
7. A Perfect Time To Craft April 1 #4 - 4/26
8. Heart's Quest Challenge Blog #84 Anything with a heart - this rainbow protects a heart of gold rather than leading to a pot of gold! Thanks for the fun challenge. 4/27
9. Inspiration Station Challenge #84 AG with inspiration photo below (green, "shoes/feet", flowers) 5/4

On the Homestead here in Florida:

Like the rest of you, we have been experiencing strange weather. Here in central Florida, an early winter blasted its way through last Autumn, bringing unusual freezing temps down in the low 20s. The farmers had a rough time of it. Then we had early hot weather this Spring, breaking records with the 90s in March! 

Do you know what a staghorn fern looks like? Ours were a good 6-8 feet wide when the freezes hit. This is what happened after the awful blizzards made their way to Florida:

This is the east part of our front pasture, coated in ice. The grass matches the hues found in the hanging Spanish Moss and the gray dirt of the drive way coming up from the gate!

Normally, all that gray stuff is bright green (west front pasture)

I know these scenes are trivial compared to what most of you endured this past winter. Nevertheless, it severely impacts the wildlife (especially migrating species), the environment, and economic endeavors for the state.

Hoping you are doing well this spring. I am completely homebound except for doctor appointments. Wishing you Beauty, Love, and Patience always...

Kitties for a Friend

 Hello, dear blogging friends. Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day - and for those of you who did not raise children of your own, thank you for the nurturing impact you have had in our world - in all our communities - where life would not be the same without your specialness.

A kitty-loving friend's birthday is coming up, and I've made a card for her, in addition to some extras for her personal use later.

Having lost some abilities, I chose to use forgiving techniques by using Versafine Clair ink, Distress inks for coloring, clear EP to make those shiny eyes, and lots of scraps including OLD OLD OLD designer papers.

First is a vellum strip, dry-embossed on the edges and heat embossed with gold EP for the sentiment. Eyes, ears, etc were colored with Prismacolor Pencils.

The black sentiment is from my Brother Label Marker, using black background and white font:

Products: Starving Artistamps Kitty Cat, Warm Breeze Versafine Clair, Scattered Straw & Wild Honey DIs, Versafine Marker for eyes which were clear embossed. Tutti scalloped stitched rectangles, Martha Stewart border punch (black), stash designer & glitter papers. Eyes, ears, etc were colored with Prismacolor Pencils.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:

Please forgive my inability to visit and leave comments as I once did to your dear blogs. One of my diseases has progressed into the severe stage. Cognitive abilities are crippled as a result. If I "think too hard" it throws me into a severe body-wide flare and can cause me to be "bedridden" for weeks with the strangest of symptoms. Thank you for understanding that it's beyond my abilities, and NOT because I don't care.

Here is a fun puzzle we recently put together. Check out the book titles this snoozing kitty loves! (click on the photo to enlarge LOL)

Sending you my love and best wishes for a beautiful and safe May.

Challenges:

1. Crafty Animals #94 (AG with animals) 5/28
2. Critter Crazy Challenge #98 (AG with animals) 6/1
3. Love Those Pretty Papers (May 3) AG with pretty pattern papers 6/7 sep post

hugs,

Remember Those Cute Bugaboo Characters?

Hello, my friends! Another post from me! (giggle)

Today's cards are doubly sweet - made with fond thoughts of Jodie (former owner of Bugaboo Stamps), and also for a dear friend who loves her little white mischievous puppies! Her birthday is drawing near, so it was the perfect opportunity to showcase Jodie's silly images for a person who will appreciate them. 

Copics, inks, paper-piecing techniques, and recycled ribbon comprise this 5 inch square card. 

Does anyone know the name of this fun fold card? 

I think it might be called the Triple Panel Pop Out Fold?

Anne Buckingham taught me the mechanics in making the fun fold last year, but I don't know the name of the fold. It's really simple to make. Cut a piece of cardstock that matches the card base - 4 inches wide by however tall your card is (in this case, it is 6" tall). Score the piece at one, two and three inches. Fold into a "square tube". Apply adhesive to the two ends of the "tube" - first and last segments - and adhere both on either side of the card base fold. Be sure to fold the card while your glue is drying to make sure you have placed it perfectly on either side of the card fold. NOTE: It was easier adhering the sentiments after the tube was in place. Decorate with all sorts of ephemera, images, sentiments, die cuts - so cute ~ !

Thanks for popping by!

Products: Baxter Puppy from Bugaboo, digital sentiments, Dies: Darice Nested Ornate Rectangles, Surprise Creations Large stitched rectangles, Tutti Stitched Rectangles, LaLaLand Flag Banner, Spellbinders Fleur de Lis, Embossing Folder: We R Memory Keepers Next Level Woven 2, Coloring: Copics and Distress inks, Patterned Papers and cardstock from stash, Glitter, Ribbon

ALWAYS THANKFUL FOR THE DESIGN TEAMS AND HOSTS OF ON-LINE CHALLENGES:

1. Critter Crazy Challenges #95 (final challenge SOB!) AG with Featured Critter 2/25
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2508 AG 11/25
3. CD Sunday Plus #152 Anything Goes (3 digital images, several digital sentiments as shown on the fun fold card - I hope it fits the rules of your challenge). 2/25
4. Snippet's Playground Challenge #500 CELEBRATE 500! (in the fun fold card I used snippets for interest in the bottom portion of card front, and lots of snippets from scraps of designer papers in the flags/banners. The yellow glitter border is the "negative" left over portion of a die cut. The interior also uses several snippets of left over lengths of cardstock and pattern paper - thanks for the fun challenge! 2/25 (playing JFF for top 3 spot)
5. Love those Pretty Papers (a D&D challenge) Feb 1 Use pattern papers 3/1
6. Creative Fingers Challenge #295 Anything Goes 3/8 (products I used are listed above - hybrid layering. Thank you!)
7. Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love Challenges Blog #2 (Feb2) BEWAS - using birthday cards, one is pop out. 3/2
8. Halloween & Other Occasions Crafts Year Round (Feb 1) Birthdays and Dogs 2/28

Stamping Hugs,

House Mouse Gingerbread Decorating {Christmas Bingo Challenges}

NOTE: My Jan's Digi Stamps design team project is also published today here.

Yippee! I'm so excited to share a brand new Christmas Challenge for blog land!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! A brand new challenge blog for Christmas lovers all year long! 

Named Christmas BINGO Challenges, a new bingo card is available for each challenge. But this bingo is a bit different. Only columns may be used (not rows or diagonal choices). Each column includes a FREE SPACE, which you may also use. Please utilize three or more squares in the column of your choice. (more details on blog)

In this case, I have chosen the "B" column.

Tags (in the upper right of my card)

Dots (in the background papers)

Green (papers are pine needle green)

Stamped Image (House Mouse & Hero Arts)

and I even can say "free" because I've used some other "stuff" on the card (giggle)

Remember, you only have to use 3 squares in one column, and FREE can be one of your choices!

Colored with Copic Markers, this darling House Mouse stamp is now retired. Fortunately, I had stamped a few from a friend several years ago.  

The sentiment is stamped in Rain Forest VersaFine Clair and heat set with clear detail embossing powder. 

The House Mouse line is one I never tire of coloring. 

How about you? Do you have certain favorite stamps or stamp lines that you enjoy? Or do you find yourself going through cycles of certain styles and techniques?

I tried balancing the gold glossy die cut with the brass bell in the image:

Come on over and show us what you can do with the bingo card at Christmas BINGO Challenges.

Products: Stamps: Stampendous House Mouse Frosting Gingerbread Man from 1997 (it's long been retired),  Hero Arts Clear set CL722, Green Digital Paper by LianaScrap (free, thank you), Dies: Tonic Mixed Edge Rectangle set, Surprise Creations Double Stitch Tags die set, Tutti-123 Arched Fir Branch die, Memory Box Precious Gingerbread Men Inks: Rain Forest VersaFine Clair, Oxides in Pine Needles and Lucky Clover, Copic Markers, Clear Detail Embossing Powder 

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. Outlawz Twisted Thursday AG with theme COLOR IT (colored with Rain Forest VersaFine Clair, Oxides in Pine Needles and Lucky Clover, Copic Markers) 5/4 (3 of 5 allowed entries)
2. Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #4 AG (entry 3 of 3) 5/12
3. My Favorite Things Christmas Challenge (April 20) ends May 17
4. House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge (5/1) AG HM ends May 13
5. Classic Design Challenge #5 AG 6/1
6. A Perfect Time to Craft #5 AG (check 7/1)
7. Girlz Creative Christmas Challenge #18 Everything Goes 5/6
8. Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge #38 AG option mood board 5/4 (D&D - I hope I understood the challenge properly) 
9. Christmas With The Cuties #69 Something Hand Colored ends May 14 check 5/29
10. Critter Crazy Challenges #74 FEATURE a critter 6/1
11. Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog #50 AG Christmas 6/15

Stamping Hugs,

Inspiration Time at Beautiful Blossoms Challenge

Welcome, Blogging Friends! I'm so happy you are here! It was ALMOST more fun WRITING today's post, than it was to make the card - but I really laughed a lot through the makings of this project, and I hope you will laugh through the post.  YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY MY BLOG IS CALLED CREATIVE SMILES.

First things first: let me tell you about our new challenge blog:

 Last month we kicked off a Brand New Challenge called Beautiful Blossoms . 

It is a fun "mood-board-inspired" monthly challenge which features Flowers as the main focus. 

The Mood Board is a starting point, and your artwork is where your imagination takes you! You do not have to follow the theme of the Mood Board, but you do need to use it as inspiration.

Details are on the blog. Hope to see you there! 

I was inspired by the petals, pinks, and blue background in this mood board.

Have you ever had one of those projects where not one single thing works out as anticipated, yet STILL, you plug along, expecting the next step to cover up the problem, but then THE NEXT STEP becomes a problem, too? Until your whole project is one blunder after another?

Well, THAT is this card. NOTHING happened the way it was supposed to, AND that was after throwing away two-partially-colored and/or cut out items for this card! SIGH - and yet, I really did have fun making a  mess and playing with just about everything in my craft room. (What a mess to clean up afterward!)

I couldn't even take photos as I went along because it was one boo-boo after another, including:

1.  throwing away two backgrounds
2.  ruining the embossing powder, 
3.  refilling the Copic marker with the incorrect color reinker, 
4. restarting from scratch, 
5. NOT ruining the EP the 2nd time, 
6. NOT using Copics the 2nd time, 
7. dropping the markers repeatedly on the card front, 
8. warping my cardstock by spilling water on it (the SAME water I was using for cleaning my brush, so it WASN'T EVEN CLEAN WATER), 
9. dropping the card several times and TWICE rolling over the card front with my chair, 
10. having the super-duper adhesive stick my card front to the guillotine cutter because I had forgotten that I die cut a small hole in the back..
11. and WHY would I do that? Because I had run out of pink cardstock for the sentiment.
12. Picking a brad that would cover a mistake. Using a Copic on said brad to change the color, only to have my hand spasm and the color ended up on the sentiment. Went to look for a larger brad, and found one - it gaudies up my sentiment satisfactorily. LOL

DARE I GO ON? 

Speaking of boo-boo's:

OKAY, OKAY -- Those are a few of my boo-boo's. I figured, at this point, no matter what I tried to do, blunders were GOING to occur, so I pressed on... 

Jack came in and asked, "Is there anything I can do?" All I could do was laugh at that point, because he could see all the little piles in my room where I had each small boo-boo isolated to fix the mistakes. 

At the VERY END, I almost glued the completed topper onto the card UPSIDE DOWN.

BUT I PERSEVERED AND WON!

sorta...

               kinda...

After ALL THAT, 

wanna see what I made?  (giggle)

Products used: Beccy's Place Cherry Blossoms clear stamp set, Sue Wilson Lattice Arched Adornment die, Tutti-680 Stitched Rectangles, Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight, assorted distress inks, Zig markers, Tombow markers, pink EP.

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. Ally's Angels #67 AG 3/9 (1 of 3)
2. Beccy's Challenges (February) Beccy, I hope I followed your directions - please forgive me if I misunderstood. 3/1
3. Creations in Pink #54 AG in Mainly Pink
4. Colorful Options (Feb 2) Celebrate Pink 2/28 (sep post)
5. A Perfect Time to Craft Open Challenge #2 AG 3/1 (winners on 3-28)
6. Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #2 AG 3/12 (1 of 3)
7. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2306 AG 2/20
8. The Paper Funday Challenge #50 AG with lots of layers 3/1

Thanks for popping by today!

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Divinity Designs

Hello, my friends!

First - thank you for staying with me - it's been a rough few months, and I'm slowly recovering. My fumble fingers are beginning to coordinate with my Mojo, and my strength is kind of getting normalish. I had a body-wide exacerbation which then triggered an unexpected, unpleasant infection. The ways our bodies respond to certain "stimuli" is just amazing (as many of you know first-hand). The most difficult thing is being patient with myself and flexible enough to be satisfied with what can be accomplished, even if it is, seemingly, a big Nothing.

Enough of that!

Today begins a new challenge at 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin'!

My brilliant teammates have fantastic samples to share! The challenge is ANYTHING GOES for ANY Christmas theme craft project. June's Challenge is open until July 6 and has an optional theme of non-traditional colors.

My non traditional color is BROWN.
How fun! I used a Christmas Tree Collage image that has been in my stash for 4-5 years and has never seen ink! How could I be so cruel?
I'm so pleased with the quality and details in the stamp, that I'll be buying more from this company.

My first brown card has an oval frame.



I began by creating a background paper with this beautiful poinsettia stamp, embossing powder and Ken Oliver Liquid Metal Heavy Metal Brushos. I both painted and splattered with them.

Here's a close up of the "Heavy Metals". I painted them around the tree's star halo, and a little on each ornament:

The frame is glittered, of course, and covers portions of the stamped collage:

The second card features the Cracked Glass technique. The image was stamped and distressed with inks. The background paper was also stamped with a Music background stamp. Here are the pieces before assembling:

I smeared Judikins embossing ink on the dried image, and heat set several coats of clear EP on it. Next it was put in the freezer for 45 minutes, and then "cracked". Black Soot distress ink was smooshed into the cracks. 

You can see the glassy effect here. The entire panel shines like that:



Hopefully you can see some of cracks here:



I love this stamp! How could I have neglected it for so long?

Will you come play, too? Remember, the non-traditional color is optional.

Two cards, one stamp, one brown color:

Some Products:

• Stamp (on both cards) Divinity Designs Christmas Tree Collage with VersaFine Clair Acorn Brown Ink

Oval Card:

• Me and Carrie Lou Poinsettia (apparently they are only sold at Violette's a brick-and-mortar store in Lakeland FL)
• Ken Oliver Liquid Metals Heavy Metals watercolors
• Vintage Brown Cosmic embossing powder
• SB Classic Oval die set
• SB Fleur de Elegance 5x7 oval die set

Rectangle Card:

• Embossing Ink (for cracked glass technique)
• Clear embossing powder (for cracked glass technique)
• Scattered Straw, Aged Mahogany, Black Soot Distress Inks
• Tutti 123 Arched Fir Branch die
• Tonic Studios English Picnic Rectangle die set
• MS Doily Trim punch
• Judikins Music Background Stamp

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. Merry Little Christmas Challenge #11 Anything Christmas Goes 7/1
2. The Holy and Ivy Christmas Challenge #51 Anything Christmas Goes 6/16
3. Christmas Cards All Year Round (June) Garland-Leaves or Christmas Flowers (one card has stamped poinsettias, the other has golden garland die cut) 7/1
4. Classic DT Open Challenge #6 June  AG for DT 7/1
5. Love to Craft Challenge Blog #35 Anything Goes 7/1
6. Crafting by Designs (June) Anything Goes 7/1
7. Artistic Inspirations #216 Anything Goes 7/2
8. Use Your Stuff #362 "Vintage" 6/17

Stamping Hugs,