EVENTUALLY EVERYTHING CONNECTS

I have the honor over the next two weeks to be Guest Designer at Time Out Challenge #312 - "Photo Inspiration". As you can see below, the inspirational photo is a bridge over water.

TIME OUT Challenges: Challenge #312

I won't pretend that this wasn't challenging for me. I scratched my head for a good two weeks before finally giving up on the idea of actually building or fabricating some sort of bridge similar to that in the photo. Nothing worked for me, so I started thinking about bridges as connections, and came across an old AALL & CREATE (#197) stamp set in my stash with a small image hiding out with the sentiment "eventually everything connects" and I decided to follow through on using it.

I wanted to at least make a nod toward the water and sky elements of our beautiful inspiration photo, so pulled out a Hero Arts Color Layering Waves stamp set. I knew that in order to do a similar evening tone on my card I wanted to start with some orange card stock. What I found in my orange bin was two scraps of an old script-printed paper, each from different areas of the old sheet. I trimmed the larger scrap with a stitched rectangular die and mounted it to a dark warm gray card base. Then I over-printed the bottom portion of the smaller scrap with the layered stamps in gray tones, blocked it off, and blended gray and pinks for the sky. I added some birds and die cut an Alexandra Renke floral stem out of the inked and blended water/sky scene and glued several layers to give it some dimension. I stamped the wreath and sentiment on the larger panel with warm gray ink and then layered the smaller rectangle over the panel, lining up the script, and again stamped the sentiment. 

I stared at this card for quite a while, trying to decide if it was completed! It's a bit odd. I could think of ways to improve it, but alas, I have no more pieces of the orange script paper! So I just made a coordinating dark warm gray envelope and left it as is.

Here's the good news! DoodlebugsWA is offering a $25 store credit for the winner of this challenge! 

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:

Well, it's finally happening - I'm actually retiring this month! Yes, I know I said that six years ago, but I kept being called back into service, "Oh, Fran, just one more project for us." This time it's for keeps. I'm leaving behind a really nice project as my swansong. Everyone on the project was wonderful, from the client to the architect to all of the contractors. Most of the furniture arrived last week and is in place and I spent three hours yesterday with a framer to re-mat and frame a bunch of wonderful art pieces from the owner's collection. The space will be occupied formally the second week of May.

This is a view across the lounge from the espresso bar. The space is on the 4th floor of the building, so you can see that there's a wonderful view of the downtown. The darker area to the left is a glass wall with the board room beyond. The two small paintings  are now at the framer's being re-framed. When everything is completed, I'll share more photos.

FROM SNOWY SCRAPS TO WINTER SCENE

Good morning, all! I've been looking at the inspiration board at the current Peace on Earth Challenge and wanting to do a card with a red barn in the snow, and finally followed through on it this morning.

This small image is from an old PTI acrylic stamp set, "Winter Hills." I stamped it in black on a white paper scrap, colored it with pencils and markers, and trimmed it. Then I went through my Christmas scraps and found a white stitched panel with stars already die cut with Tim Holtz "Snowy Stars." I used the last bit of blue-gray printed paper purchased many years ago to line envelopes and trimmed it with a stitched rectangular die and glued it to the face of a white card base. I stamped the Hero Arts Greeting sentiment on the front white panel and attached the layers to the face of the card. The old PTI snowflake, cut out twice, was the final addition, attached with a bit of foam tape.

 Peace On Earth Christmas : Peace on Earth Challenge #110

Added May 2, 2026:

HOW DOES MY GARDEN GROW?

At the Seize the Birthday Challenge #342 we've been called to "Make a Spring Garden", so I had an opportunity to use a Memory Box die that came free with an order sometime last year. It's a fairly ornate die and not really my style, but I didn't use the border and opted for the center circular garden gate, which had been already cut from white cardstock and languishing in my stash.

I made a square white card base and cut a circular opening from a slightly smaller card panel and attached it to the face of the card base. On a scrap of pale blue card stock, I stamped this wonderfully whimsical garden with PTI "Pinefeather" ink and colored it with Copic markers and white gel pen, trimmed it out with a circle die, and attached it to the center of the opening on the card. I added about a hundred tiny pieces of dimensional foam to the back of the circular gate, tied on a PTI "Tiny Tag" with white heat-embossed sentiment, and glued it over the pale blue garden I had created. Having done all of that, it's now time to go out into my real spring garden and do some weeding!

Seize the Birthday: Seize the Birthday #324-Make a Spring Garden

Added April 24, 2026:

I'm also entering this card in the current Tic, Tac Toe Challenge #290, using the center down row - Embellishment/Free/Circles:

TTTC290- Featured Designer Rosanne - Tic Tac Toe Challenge

SENDING LOVE

This morning I was inspired by the sketch at Inkspirational Challenge #365 - Visual Prompt. I have a new-to-me die set with the cutest tiny envelopes from Altenew ("Fun Little Envelopes") that I've been wanting to use. I used one of the envelope dies for a Halloween card back in the fall, but the whole set is wonderful and unused!

I started with a 5-1/2" square card base and two smaller square panels attached to the face of it. I die cut the 4 tiny square envelopes and attached all of them to the front of the card, lining one of them with black and white printed paper. The sentiment was white heat embossed on black cardstock and attached to the front panel, slipping it slightly under the flap of the lower left envelope. Finally I added a couple of hearts and a postage stamp from the die set. The smaller hearts were from another die set. All fairly easy!

 Inkspirational: Inkspirational Challenge #365 - Visual Prompt - Sketch

Added May 2, 2026:

GHOSTLY GREETINGS

It's already mid-April, and there's still time to play along with us at Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge! We love cards, but you can share any Halloween project that you wish.

This time around I was inspired by the lower right quadrant photo of our mood board, with the candelabra and pumpkins. As anyone who follows me knows, I love making little miniature scenes. I started with a die-cut rectangular panel of white cardstock and die cut an opening with a stamp outline die. The sentiment is from a set of small images and words from LDRS Creative "Wicked". The cobweb, spider, and candelabra are all from various stamp sets and the pumpkins were fussy cut from printed Halloween paper. I added a bit of white gel pen to the candles and yellow Prisma pencil for some glow. These were all stamped and glued to a warm gray scrap, and everything mounted to a white card base.

Check out the inspirational cards prepared for you by our design team - you still have 2 weeks left on our rainy April challenge!

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge: April 2026 Mid Month Reminder

APRIL TWO OLD BATS HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE

It's April and time to get out the umbrellas - and your Halloween crafting supplies! Diane has a great 'stormy' mood board to inspire us. 

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge: April 2026 Anything Goes Halloween

The minute I saw this inspiration board, I knew to go straight to my Tim Holtz trick-or-treaters stamp - the only one I have with an umbrella. I dug through my stash and found very old Halloween paper from the very first 12x12 paper stack I ever bought, and I don't have a clue who manufactured it oh so many years ago. I thought it looked like it was raining ghosts on these poor kids and their cat!

I started with a top-folded black card base and glued panels of the ghosts and bubbles paper, then over-stamped the trick-or-treaters with black ink. It didn't cover very well, so I had to go back in with a black marker to fill in everything. This very simple card was finished off  with a layered die cut sentiment from LDRS Creative "Large Word Halloween." The custom envelope has been knocking around in my envelope stash for a very long time, waiting for the perfect time to use it.

You should go over and check out the rest of the ladies' umbrella cards for further inspiration! Remember, you can create 'anything' Halloween.