{BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2025 Linky Party - May your days be Merry and Bright

 Still "building my stash" of Christmas cards with the {BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2025 Linky Party!

These scraps are from a paper pack that is super old too! Authentique Retro Christmas from 2016! 

I followed the {BYSHC} Sketch 14 for this one! With scraps you don't usually have to do much cutting! I try to find a sketch that "matches" my scraps! Like a treasure hunt! I sort of cheated on this one....no actual stamping! I cut all the pieces according to the sketch, including the sentiment piece which I cut using one of the scallops and square nesting dies from Unity. Translucent green enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs to finish!

{BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2025 Linky Party - Happy Holidays!

 Hello again and welcome back! The Spring into Christmas {BYSHC} 2025 Linky Party is happening! 

My card was created with another scrap! I used My Mind's Eye "i believe" (circa 2010)! I used front and back of one scrap! 

I followed the {BYSHC} Sketch 42 (pictured below). I started with a previously printed image from Angie Blom Digital Designs, called blessings poinsettia. I colored with some KingArt Alcohol Markers, then attempted to watercolor the blue of the jar to look like water. Well it smeared the printed ink all over the place! LOL Luckily the sentiment can cover! I added a circle of vellum and popped the fussy cut image and sentiment up with foam adhesive and added some transparent green enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs as an extra little pop!

Life is Tough, but so are YOU!

 Hello friends! I was planning out another project and this stamp set had just been delivered…so I grabbed it and made it happen!

I just made a card very similar to this and I loved the tag and ribbons and torn edges so I recreated it! The brown background and the plaid torn piece are front and back of a sheet of patterned paper from My Minds Eye Good Day Sunshine (circa 2011)!!! As I was looking for paper for another project I started going through the older paper in the stash that has been neglected! I plan on using more of it from now on!! 

The brown piece and the Manila tag were both in a thank you gift from Unity Stamp Co.  I die cut the tag down a bit with the make a tag die set. I stamped this cute Highland Cow from the set called Little High Road in versa fine Clair nocturne. Colored with King Art alcohol markers. I added a few dots of white gel pen to his eyes. The sentiment was stamped onto a scrap from the tag I die cut and then cut into a circle. I distressed the edges with some vintage photo. I added some coordinating ribbon and fibers from my *ridiculously* large stash! I attached the tag and sentiment with foam adhesive. Enamel dots were added from Gina Marie Designs. 

 So freaking cute!!

Falling for the Holidays 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - merry making

 It's the last day of the Falling for the Holidays 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party!! Get your creations linked up by midnight tonight to be eligible for any of the fabulous prizes!!

I am scrounging around my desk to see what's left! I have bits and pieces, stamped images, printed images, sentiments, scraps of paper.....so much goodness! I have a couple hours before I'm leaving for the evening (HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY) so trying to get in as many as I can manage! Unfortunately it's 6:15 pm and it's getting dark so these next few entries will not be the best pictures!

This one is a few pieces of scraps that were already cut into the squares so I just needed to find something to go with it! The remaining Angie Blom Digital Designs set Christmas Joy Mugs that I printed a few days ago were just sitting here....so let's go! Colored with King Arts Alcohol Markers and then added some stardust stickles for sparkle! Die cut with the smallest scallops and rectangle nesting die from Unity Stamp Co. and then distressed with some vintage photo. Some blue enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs to finish it off! Used the TOPII Sketch #26 for this one!

Falling for the Holidays 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - Cup of Cheer

 Hello and welcome back to the Falling for the Holidays 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party! My plan for the week is to use up as many scraps as I can! My scrap pile is out of control! LOL

I found this pre-printed pre-die cut image in the stack, found some paper and went to it! Digital image is from Not2Shabby called Cup of Cheer, patterned papers from Unity Stamp Co. called North Pole Collection. Colored with Tombow ABT markers, I also distressed the edges of both panels with vintage photo and walnut stain. The focal image piece was distressed a little more with a distressing tool. 

As I've said before you can find all the {BYSHC} past sketches on their Facebook page under "media." I used sketch 20 from February 2022. 

I added some natural twine from Timeless Twine by BellaCreationz, some enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs and some die cut embellishments from FOREVER ago! Not even sure when or where I got these! They are by Dream Street Papers, called merry & bright. 

Don't be afraid to use what you have! I knew I wanted a little something in that bottom left corner, it was just a big blank space. So I went digging in my supplies! You just never know what you will find! 

Entering this one in the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge for coffee + whimsical winter!

Be sure to have your creations linked up before midnight on the 25th to be eligible for the amazing sponsored prizes! The sponsor list is on the blog! Have fun!!

Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - Merry & Bright

 Happy Wednesday! The Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party is still going! Friday at midnight is your deadline! Today's card combines two challenges!

The second challenge I'm talking about is at Hero Arts! Their challenge is called "color my world." I take that to mean lots of vibrant colors!!

I've taken their Flower Swirls Stencils, and the Merry Stamp & Cut to create this colorful card! The inks I used over the stencil are lumberjack plaid and twisted citron. After I removed the stencil I splattered some water on it to create a little distressing. The panel was then die cut with the largest scalloped and rectangle die from Unity Stamp Co. I then moved onto the sentiment. I die cut the "merry" from a scrap of white cardstock. Then stamped on the top and bottom part of the sentiment using WOW! Embossing ink and Gina K Designs white embossing powder. That black panel was then die cut with the scalloped and banner die set from Unity. Glued everything together then used some foam adhesive from therm-0-web to attach it to the background. Some green and red glitter enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs to finish it off!

Thanks for visiting!! Keep up the great work on these submissions! We are approaching a record number of entries!!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2024 Linky Party - Cup of Cheer

 Hello again! I have another card using up some scraps with an image from another sponsor! {BYSHC} have an amazing list of sponsors who will be providing prizes at the end of the party! Be sure to check the blog for the entire list!

Not 2 Shabby is the sponsor for this one! The digital image is called Have a Cup of Cheer. 

The red panel had been dry embossed (quite a while ago) with a 3d embossing folder from Stampin Up. I die cut the red and focal panel using the scallops and rectangles nesting dies from Unity Stamp Co. I colored the image with alcohol markers and then punched a few snowflakes from another scrap of cardstock! to the snowflakes I added some blue glitter enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

Thanks for visiting!

psssst....Not2Shabby discount code for 15% off (some exclusions may apply) BYSHC

Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - O Holy Night

 Hello again and thanks for visiting! The Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party is in full swing! 

I like to use the linky party to go through my scrap bin and use up as many scraps as I can! It's so fun to see what I've got left and what combinations I can come up with!

This card background is similar to one I shared previously, but this time (mostly because I forgot what I was doing ;) I placed the 1/2" strips on the diagonal first, then cut, then placed them straight across...basically reverse order! I'll link the post here where I talked about it the first time...with some instructions!

Most of these papers are from a Unity Stamp Co. paper pack called snowy winter greetings...it's one of my favorites! After all the strips were stuck down, I ran it through the die cut machine using the largest scalloped and rectangle nesting die. Not only does it make the edge nice, it also applies extra pressure to the scrap pieces to make sure everything is adhered well. The sentiment is also from Unity Stamp Co., an itty bitty called brightly shining. I die cut both circles using the scalloped and circle nesting die set. The yellow ink blending on the inside was a technique shared by Unity Design Team Member Lisa Arana...the blog post is here! Next I added some sheer ribbon and some white enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs to finish it off.

Don't forget to have your entries posted to the {BUSHC} Blog before the link closes on the 26th!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2024 Linky Party - Peace ~ Love ~ Joy

 Welcome back! The {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2024 Linky Party is a great chance for me to use up some scraps and build my stash of holiday cards to keep December stress free!

More scraps were used on this one! These scraps are mostly from a Stampin Up pack, that I have no idea the name! :)

Unity Stamp Co. was used a lot on this one! I cut the 1/2" strips of paper, adhered them together, then cut 1/2" strips to be laid on the diagonal to create this really beautiful background! I shared in a post earlier in the week that the technique came from a video I watched (but apparently did not save)! I love this technique! Maybe I will create my own video someday! :) The paper-pieced panel and the kraft background panel were die cut using the two largest scalloped and rectangle nesting dies. Definitely my MOST used nesting dies! The stamp set used for the tag (which was created using a piece of white paper, cut into a tag shape) is called Winter Cheer and Deer. The deer and the distress wording background are all one stamp! The words are also in the set and were stamped using lumberjack plaid and then cut out. Red enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs along with some black twine and fibers from my stash to finish it off. Mounted the tag using some foam adhesive from Therm-O-Web!

Be sure to give a look at the blog to find the list of sponsors who will be graciously providing the prizes for this linky party! Three of which I used on this card!!

Also entering this card into The Color Hues Challenge for July! #91 - Red and Green!

Thanks for visiting and hope to see you soon!!

Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - Happy Holidays

 I snuck one in today! The Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party has me trying all the new things!

This card came about with some fantastic Therm-o-web products! Easy Cut Adhesive sheets, easy-tear tape and deco foil transfer foils in Shades of Aqua!

I thought perhaps that the easy-tear tape would hold the deco foil, but I've never done it before so.....I looked up a video on YouTube! Of course! Stuck down the tape, pressed on the foil and pulled it off! I see a lot of room for improvement, but for a first time I'm happy with the result! I die cut the panel with the largest scalloped and rectangle nesting die from Unity Stamp Co. Next I stamped the forest of trees from the November 2023 KOM {Festive Flair} in broken china and embossed with clear embossing powder. I then die cut that piece and a piece of kraft using the tag builder die set. The sentiment was cut using the Greetings of the Season die set to create the sentiment. I used some of the easy cut adhesive sheets to make foil paper that I then die cut! I added some matching fibers, foam tape and glitter enamel dots to finish it off!

here's the video to show the shine!

Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party - Christmas Season

 Hello and welcome back to the Christmas in July 2024 BYSHC Linky Party! I have another scrap card to share!

We are still hopping along on the 2024 Christmas in July Linky Party and my goal is to use up a bunch of scraps! It's my weakness...scraps! I just have a hard time throwing away pretty paper! :) This technique is so fun! I wish I could find the video to share with you, but I've looked everywhere and can't seem to find it! It's a quilting technique that makes the most amazing backgrounds!

Most of the scraps for this card came from a paper pack by My Minds Eye called Christmas Wish with a couple solid cardstock colors thrown in. The main gist of this technique is to cut your scraps into 1/2" strips. The video showed using acetate sheets, but I used copy paper to keep the bulk down. Glue them onto the copy paper in straight stripes across with a slight space between them. Once everything is stuck down, take that background panel and cut it into 1/2" strips going up and down to create strips of tiny squares!  Arrange them as you like onto a cardbase panel, spacing them so a little white space shows between the rows. I chose to have mine go diagonal, but they can be placed any way you choose! After it was all stuck down, I trimmed the edges and used the largest scalloped and rectangle nesting die from Unity Stamp Co. to die cut it out (this also helps to mash it all together and make sure everything is stuck)! I had to add a little more glue to the tiny edge pieces that didn't get enough glue the first time! The cute little reindeer is from a Taylored Expressions set called Fluffy Friends - Holiday. This set also has a matching die set as well! The sentiment is from a cut apart sentiment sheet from Unity Stamp Co. that don't appear to be available on their website. I added some white enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs as well!  

Be sure to get your entries posted to the {BYSHC} Blog to be eligible for our fantastic sponsored prizes! You can find the list there as well!

I am also entering this cutie into a new-to-me challenge blog.....The Color Hues Challenge. The current challenge is #91 - Red and Green! Right up my alley!

{BYSHC} 2024 Christmas in July Linky Party! - Welcome!

Welcome to the 2024 {BYSHC} Christmas in July Linky Party! Looking forward to a fun and amazing week!! 

As you can see from the graphic....the party ends on the 26th! Be sure to have any and all entries in by midnight! The sponsor list is AMAZING! I've listed them below. Be sure to enter your cards on the {BYSHC} blog post to be entered! All of the sponsors and their prizes are listed there!

This card....I counted six of the sponsors represented here!! I think that may be a record or something! LOL I utilized a sketch from Tawny Owl Paperie. So many good sketches! It's my favorite go-to place to find great inspiration! I like to use the Linky Party as an excuse to clear out some scraps, it's a great chance to use up a ton of mixed matched pieces by making some amazing cards! There are a ton of sketches available that utilize all different size scraps! The scraps I used are mostly from Unity Stamp Co. as well as the sentiment (gotta love sentiments). I pulled a bunch of scraps that were mostly from the same pack (snowy winter greetings) and cut them as best as I could get to the sizes on the sketch. The thing with sketches....it's not an exact science! They are meant to be a starting place...a jumping off place....not written in stone! So I adjusted! The snowflakes are from one of our newest sponsors...Waffle Flower. It's called Winter Crystal Die. I had just been looking for the perfect snowflake die and I found this one! I utilized some Therm-O-Web products as well! First time using deco foil! To be honest....had to look up how to use it! :/ But the results speak for themselves! The color I used is iridescent. The die cut beautifully through the panel! So pretty and shiny! To finish this off, the sentiment was stamped onto cardstock with WOW! Embossing ink and sprinkled with Gina K Designs white embossing powder, mounted with 3D foam tape from Therm-O-Web and white enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

 The sketch I've chosen is pictured below!

As promised the sponsor list is below!

Tawny Owl Paperie

Unity Stamp Co.

Not 2 Shabby

Angie Blom Digital Designs

Lawn Fawn

Twiddler's Nook

Therm-O-Web

RAM Stamps

Gina K. Designs

Waffle Flower (NEW sponsor)

Colorado Craft Company

Newton's Nook Designs

A Colorful Life Designs

Jaded Blossom

Pink & Main

Gina Marie Designs

Like I said **WOW**

Thanks for visiting! Enjoy the week of fabulous inspiration and fun!!

Sketch 47 and Taylored Expressions

 Hello again! My latest card for {BYSHC} Sketch 47 is a sweet polar bear! Our sponsor this sketch is Taylored Expressions who is generously awarding a $25 gift certificate to the random winner at the end of the month!

This sweet friend is from a set called Fluffy Friends - Holiday. There is also a die set for this however my image was fussy cut! The blue patterned papers I used are from a pad from Photoplay called Gnome for the Holidays Christmas. I added a little bit of ink blending over a stencil behind this sweet bear for some interest! The sentiment is cut from a sentiment sheet from Unity Stamp Co. and the white enamel dots are from Gina Marie Designs!

Sketch 47 is below

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are inspired to give Sketch 47 a try! Be sure to join us next week for our Christmas in July 2024 {BYSHC} Linky Party! Oodles of sponsors and exciting inspiration to be shared all week!

Happy May! {BYSHC} Sketch 45

 Happy May! With the beginning of a new month comes a new sketch and a new sponsor at {BYSHC}! This month's sponsor is Newton's Nook Designs! 

Today's card features a retired (and unfortunately no longer available) adorable Llama set! It's called Llama delivery. I started with the snowflake background which is kraft cardstock, Snowflake Frenzy  background stamp from Unity Stamp Co., versamark embossing pad and Gina K. Designs white embossing powder. After the embossing powder had been melted I die cut it and a piece of red scrap using a Pink Fresh Studio edge die from the set called classic edgers (which also appears to no longer be available). The plaid paper is from a 6x6 pad from PhotoPlay called Its a Wonderful Christmas. I stamped and die cut the llama and then colored with Tombow ABT markers. I added a vellum circle behind to break it up a bit and then stamped and die cut the sentiment! Added some foam tape and enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

This sketch runs through the end of the month! As I said at the beginning....Newton's Nook Designs is our sponsor for this month's prize! $20 gift card to spend in the store AND a 15% off coupon code! Use the code BYSH at checkout for 15% off all winter and Christmas items!