Coffee, Critters, and a giveaway...OH MY!

Today I'm hopping along on the Coffee Loving Card Makers Spring/Summer Blog Hop.  The theme is Spring/Summer and Coffee, of course!  I have 3 fun theme inspired cards to share with you and a give away (details at the end of this post).  So pour yourself a cup and let's get started...

The first card is all about SPRING!  I started with a pastel pink watercolor background (sorry it's hard to see it in the photo).  I cheated and used My Favorite Things Watercolor Wash patterned paper!  Next I added a circle die cut with MFT's Inside and Out Stitched Circle from MFT Bundles of Blossoms Brights patterned paper. Finally, I added a sweet little bunny and sentiment from Memory Box that I stamped in black and heat embossed with WOW clear embossing powder that I had quick colored with Copic Markers. I adhered all of that atop an A2 base cut from Ellen's Essential Cardstock in Slate Gray that I cut using Dotted Rectangle Stackables.  I'm thinking this card is definitely my cup of Tea!!!

For the second card I focused on Summer!  Summer makes me think of picnics and a red gingham tablecloth, so I started with a rectangle of MFT Tiny Checks Bright patterned paper and for my critter on this one I chose this cutie from Tree Farm from Ellen Hutson.  The sentiment in the sign is from Hot Mess Lady also from Ellen Hutson and I added some polka dots with a Barn Door Distress Marker.  I also incorporated 3 different Washi tapes and a strip of white cardstock to finish this one.

The final card is all about the COFFEE!...and that little bear of course!  My highly caffeinated bear is from the stamp set All Inside by Julie Ebersole, his thermos is from Tree Farm by Brandi Kincaid, and his little mug with a steamy heart is from Sock Monkey Surprise...all from Ellen Hutson. I created the background on Kraft cardstock using a cute little O Frap! coffee stamp from Art Impressions stamped in Dark Chocolate ink from Altenew.  I then did a quick color on the labels and lids using copic markers and finished with clusters of dots.  I toyed with the idea of adding a sentiment, but in the end wanted the cute little critter to stand alone!

I hope you are now thirsty for inspiration (and coffee) and will take some time to check out all the projects and great sponsors over on THE HOP! 

 To qualify for my giveaway follow me @cardhappyone on Instagram.  

One new follower will be chosen at random to receive a Hero Arts Shades of Gray ink cube set valued @ 9.99 plus a few fun surprises💕 (total value $25) The winner will be announce on my Instagram on Friday, June 8th...so follow now!

Seeing Black and White and Red all over!

Today I'm continuing the Black and White trend, but with a twist...RED!!!  As you know from my last post I'm crazy for black and white, but add in another strong color and its the bomb 💣.  My favorites are bright colors...especially turquoise, fuchsia, or yellow...the contrast is spectacular!

The first card mixes a technique I've been wanting to try for a while....creating a background with washi tape and a strong color palette.  I love washi tape almost as much as I love patterned paper (they come in so many color and print combinations). I just can't resist them and my collection of both continues to grow.  Is that a problem? if so...I'm thinkin it's a good problem😊.  Am I right?

So...I created my background using different widths of black and white and red and white washi tape on a red note card.  I used a criss-cross pattern and randomly added layers until I was satisfied with the overall look.  I also cut out some shapes from patterned papers and a few little critters that I previously colored with Copic markers. They were wearing red accessories...so of course they needed to jump on these cards!

For the Washi background, I decided on a red and white polka dotted hexagon using the Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Hexagons Die set.  Then I cut a circle out of it with the MFT Inside and Out Circle Stax.  I used the same die to cut out a black and white polka dot circle which I inset into the hexagon.

Finally, I added Birch the bunny from Purple Onion Designs with foam tape for dimension and a cute sentiment from the Koalifications stamp set from Neat and Tangled.  The finished product (although a little busy 😎) makes me smile.

I was having so much fun with this color scheme, I decide to make a second card using Blizzard the husky from Purple Onion designs.  Since the first card was a little busy🙈 I went for a more simplistic approach this time.

I began with the same red note card and added a stitched rectangle from MFT cut from black cardstock with a really subtle print on it.  I topped that with a red and white polka dot square with a pinked edged...and finally Blizzard!  Then I heat embossed a fun sentiment from the Essentials by Ellen set All Inside by Julie Ebersole and my second card was complete!

I encourage you to use a color palette as your inspiration and see where it takes you.  You might be surprised and delighted by your final destination...I know I was.  HUGS!!

Mad for Plaid!

Happy first day of spring...or is it?  Sure doesn't feel like spring to me.  Maybe this card will remind you that spring is just around the corner...or is it?  Wait...yes, it is!!!

I started with a cute little bunny named Birch from Purple Onion Designs stamped on Neenah Solar White Cardstock in Hero Arts Black ink.  I colored him with Copic markers and then cut him out with my small sharp craft scissors.  Next I chose a Lawn Fawn patterned paper from the Perfectly Plaid Spring collection.  I die cut a circle from the plaid paper with the Inside & Out Stitched Circle Stax and a rectangle from Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle Stax.

I adhered the rectangle to the bright blue note card which picked up the blue in the plaid.  Next I cut pieces of double sided foam tape and added them to the back of the circle die cut to give it some dimension.  ( And it's going to stay where I put it!  I may have been a little heavy handed with the tape😉)

This particular plaid paper is two sided, which allowed me to flip the circle to the plaid set on the diagonal (you'll see that in the final card).  I then added the sentiment Sending Hugs on pink cardstock that coordinated with another stripe in the plaid and my card was complete.  I love the way it turned out...it made me smile immediately.  I hope it does the same for the person who receives it!

Wishing you a HOPPY SPRING!!!

Mooooore Critters!

Happy Monday!  I'm home from vacation and have a cute little Congratulations card to share.  This card uses an image from MFT's The Whole Herd stamp set and coordinating dies .  I think this little guy is so adorable!

Below is a picture of all the components of this card.  An A2 white note card, a 2-3/4 diameter circle die cut from patterned cardstock,  a 3-3/4 x 5-1/2 piece of gingham cardstock, 1/8 inch strips cut from dotted cardstock, a 4-1/4 x 1-1/4 rectangle of purple cardstock, a 4-1/4 x 7/8 strip of white cardstock with a die cut stitched detail & last but not least my little moo cow that was colored with copic markers....soooo cute!

The little cow was the inspiration for the color palette...shades of gray with a pop of purple.  I played around with all the components until I had a design I liked and then adhered everything in place with double sided adhesive . Last but not least I stamped a sentiment on the white strip.  I went with congratulations, but this design would have worked just a well as a thank you or just a note...even a birthday if I had used one of the cute sentiments included in the stamp set.

Here's the final project...I hope it mooooves you to make something today!

Elepants on Parade!

Today we are continuing with the birthday fun...cue the elephants!  I'm using a darling stamp set from Avery Elle called Ellie designed by Heather Campbell. I am in LOVE with this little elephant and all her cute little accessories.  The balloons make it perfect for birthdays and the sentiments and accessories will be great for lots of everyday cards as well.  So many possibilities...and you know how I love sets that are versatile..More Bang for your Buck!💥