Retro Rubber Challenge - Hiatus

Hi everyone!

The Retro Rubber Challenge Blog is going on hiatus until mid-January 2026.

The blogging platform we use gave all of us a 30-day notice that they are shutting down as of September 30, 2025. Unfortunately, we are already experiencing issues trying to access the blog.

The plan is to move to a new blogging platform and hopefully retain all of the posts and pictures.

This is going to take some time, but we are going to push through and plan to be ready for our first challenge of the new year.

Thank you all for playing along with us or just taking the time to enjoy the craftiness of our crew and the fabulous crafters that join us.

Keep up to date with news from us and potential sneak peeks of the January challenges on our Facebook page.

See you in January!

Retro Rubber Challenge #262 - Books books books...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a theme for you -

My Momma was a Librarian, so of course I love books. But these days, I am Kindle-based.

I love these two stamp sets by Avery Elle 'Feels like Home' and 'Feels Like Home Addition', I have had them both since 2022. How cute is that bunny with his/her carrot book :)

I stamped and die-cut all the stamps I wanted for my card. I used Big-sexy (Brother scan'n'cut) to cut the stamps. I CASEd a card I had seen, because I loved the blended background that anchors the whole thing.

I coloured the stamps using Altenew markers, and I played with the layout before I stamped my sentiment, which is from the stamp sets. I mounted everything with a skinnier foam tape to get a bit of dimension but not too much.

Love how this came out.

What book stamps do you have in your stash? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends September 5th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx 

Retro Rubber Challenge #261 - Tic Tac Toe...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

I'm getting excited as Momma arrives on Friday for her 70th birthday cruise with me!

We have a great tic tac toe board for you this time - 

Tic tac toe boards are always fun.

I chose the first vertical row - die cut or punch / stripes / washi tape - ribbon - twine.

I had an idea for a funky anniversary card. I started by creating stripes on a piece of white card using the fun heart washi tape. I die-cut this panel using a heart die. It came out so well, I am thrilled! I added a sentiment from a great set by Three Room Studio that I have had since 2023 - it has a bunch of essential sentiments.

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 22nd.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp; that's part of the fun of our challenge. Please only enter 5 challenges, including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #259 - Colour challenge

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a fun colour challenge for you this time.

I have had this card pinned for a while. I love the green and yellow colour combo, with the navy and grey acting as great neutrals.

I had to use this Unity Stamp Co. 'Erica Girl' stamp from 2016 for this challenge. I really wanted to colour a green jacket lol! The background stamp is by Taylored Expressions 'Shiplap' from 2019.

Show us your interpretation of the sketch, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 25th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #258 - Happy Birthday!

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

It's time for a Birthday theme -

I came across this stamp set while looking for something else, and I thought it would make a unique birthday card. 

The set is 'Stick with Me' by Jillibean Soup and I've had it since 2017. I cannot get over how cute the cactus is with googly eyes! I decided to draw an outline on the card blank and I am loving that as a detail.

I can't wait to see how you play with the theme. Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 11th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Newton's Nook Summer Challenge - June Week 3 - Floaty Goat

 

Hi,

I have been trying to play along with the Newton's Nook challenge this year and have failed miserably!

I finally found some space to join the June challenge - yay!

I love the water and I knew I wanted my card to be water-focused. I had totally forgotten about the amazing Floaty Goat stamp and it was perfect for this challenge.

I added some smooshed ink for water and clouds using a cloud stencil. The little water splashes are also from the stamp set, but my sentiment is from a different set.

I love this card, can't wait to send it to my BFF.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #257 - Tic Tac Toe..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a fun tic tac toe board for you this time.

I was spoilt for choice with this board. In the end, I went with the diagonal row, top left to bottom right - Sequins, Shaker Card and Die Cut.

I had cut this shaker card idea about a year or so ago, and it was just languishing on my desk! To create this card, I cut x2 panels of the pretty floral paper and affixed one of them to my card blank. I die-cut a circle from the other panel and added some acetate and foam tape to make it into a shaker panel. The sequin mix in my shaker is very cute, it has teeny tiny little butterflies in it too.

The sentiment is from one of my all-time fave stamp sets by Neat and Tangled 'Awesome' I have had it since 2016.

I stamped the sentiment in navy ink as I thought it would fit better with the colours of the paper.

Fun card, I so rarely make shakers, which I might need to correct :)

Which row will you choose? Pop on over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends June 27.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #256 - Time to get sketchy...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch!

I decided to make my card a mini slim. I love Taylored Expressions cut-to-size Kraft card stock panels. I used one here and a Tim Holtz heart stencil with Festive Berries Distress Oxide ink. I splattered a bit of water over the stenciled hearts for a bit of interest. 

I knew when I saw the sketch that I would dig out the awesome Vertical Greetings set by Stampin' Up, which I've had since 2016. I cut my panel to fit the sketch and added the fun sentiment. 

Show us your interpretation of the sketch, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends June 13th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #255 - Colour challenge..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a fun colour challenge for you. 

These are my kind of colours!

When I was digging through my stash, I found the amazing piece of patterned paper that you see on my card, it's like the colour palette for the challenge was built using this!

I stamped the sentiment (by Stampin' Up 'Best Butterflies' I've had it since 2022) onto a piece of coordinating solid cardstock using Altenew Lagoon ink. I dug out an ancient set of Happy dies by WPlus9 - I've had them since 2014 and they were my most overused dies for a while. I cut the Happy from lime green to coordinate with the palette.

Simple, easy card. That I tucked in my bestie's luggage before she left on Sunday :) She has been here for 3 weeks and it was lovely to have her here for so long!

How will you use the colours? Be sure to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends March 30th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber #254 - Spring Flowers..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a spring flowers theme challenge, created by me.

As I am now a gardener I am all about spring flowers :)

I decided to use this awesome stamp by Spellbinders 'Fabulous Friend' I've had it since 2023 and it's one of my faves. I coloured the flowers to match the inspiration image because it feels like the colours I get in my garden.

A pretty simple card with a lot of very relaxing colouring.

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the theme, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 16th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #253 - Tic Tac Toe

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a tic-tac-toe board for you.

These are always so fun, as even if you chose the same row as someone else, your cards are totally different!

I went with the 1st vertical row - green/ribbon/thank you.

I love this stamp set by Taylored Expressions 'Cherry On Top' it was a gift from my friend Lisette in 2022, she knows I have a thing for cherry stamps, but dislike real cherries!

I added a small strip of green cardstock to my mini slim card blank. I wanted it to act as an anchor for the postage strip. I love using these blank postage strips, they are so impactful.

I created a little cluster at the bottom for my cherry stamp, sentiment and the cute little ribbon bow I found in my stash! I literally have not been in the drawer where the ribbon bows live in about a year!

Cute card, I can't wait to send it!

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 2nd.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #252 - Get your sketch on...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch!

I thought I would turn this one into a Christmas card! I love the Woodware 'Scratched Background' Stamp that I have had since 2023; it looks great when stamped in festive colours. Here I decided to use black ink, as I thought it would be a nice contrast for my green and red layering. The embossing folder is a giant one by Spellbinders 'Scattered Christmas' and this was its first use! I replaced the circle in the sketch with one of my fave Cardinal stickers and opted for no sentiment, since the background stamp is all Christmas words.

I might make a few more of these in different colours..

Show us your interpretation of the sketch, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends April 18th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #251 - Anything Goes..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

Anything goes is always a popular challenge, it gives everyone a chance to dig deep into that retro stash!

I recently got my 'new' stash organised and so I now swing by there first before making anything. Some of it is shamefully quite old...

Today, my stamp set is by Concord & 9th 'Umbrella Turnabout'. I bought it on sale in 2023, and I have never used it. Which is such a shame, as it's gorgeous.

I stamped it using my Altenew stamp wheel, which is perfect for turnabout stamps. I used Altenew inks too - Mountain Pine, Pink Diamond, Eastern Sky and Rocky Shore. I used my colorcube cards for inspiration and blended 2 cards -

I love these colorcubes, the first one was bought for me as a gift and I use them for cardmaking and quilting to get perfect colour combos.

To finish my card (which I made for my Aunt), I added a piece of glitter cardstock and a Hello die-cut (by Simon Says Stamp).

I love how this turned out and I ended up with a large leftover piece of the umbrellas, perfect for another card.

What will you find in your stash to play with? Pop on over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends April 4.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #250 - Under The Sea + giveaway

 

Hey,

Welcome to the 250th Retro Rubber challenge.

I can't believe that we are at our 250th challenge!! I have been here since the beginning and I am so thankful to consider Jane who runs the team a friend, she is a legend.

We have a fun under the sea theme for you this time.

I believe that I saw a similar version of my card somewhere, but I can't find it now, so this might technically be a CASE.

I loved the idea of an unusual take on under the sea and this set by Newton' Nook 'Shrimp Cocktails' (I've had it since 2019) was perfect for this silly card!

I drew x2 lines to mark off my light source, then I masked and blended the blue and the yellow panels. I spritzed it with water to add a bit of a sea feel.

I found the perfect table stamp from an Avery Elle 'Feels Like Home' set that I have had since 2021.

I added the sentiment from the set and some bling as the finishing touches.

Honestly, I couldn't love it more!

As we are at the 250 mark how about a giveaway?! Enter the challenge and leave me a comment here or on Instagram and I will pick a winner for a little prize :) Sadly due to high postage costs, giveaway is only open to US residents.


Show us your interpretation of the theme, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends March 11th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #249 - Tic Tac Toe...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a Tic-Tac-Toe challenge for you.

These are always so fun and it's great to see what other people make using the same row that you chose!

I went with the diagonal row from bottom left to top right - Bold Sentiment/Your choice (hearts)/Die-Cut.

I got the Xoxo die last year and thought it would make fun vday cards. It's by Lawn Fawn. I added my fave Hero Arts Tiny Hearts Background stamp, I am surprised that this stamp is not worn out, as I got it in 2018 from a Jenn Shurkus destash! I used Altenew Pink Diamond ink. The cute little Love Cupids by Mama Elephant work so well here, I love this set I've had it since 2023 and it was NBUS!! The sentiment stamp is my fave vday sentiment stamp by Avery Elle from their Peacock set that I have had since 2019.

I made a bunch of these in time for Valentine's Day, as they were so fun and easy to make.

We can't wait to see which row you use, and pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends March 7th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #248 - Sketch challenge

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time, created by me!

You know how much I love a sketch!

I got to play with my Pink Fresh Studio strip dies here. I love these dies, they also come with a skinnier size. I die cut a tag and stamped hearts all over it. I really wanted to use this particular Valentine's Day sentiment stamp and as it was a bit big, I fussy cut it and mounted it to my tag using foam tape. I love how pretty this card is and it is going to be Hubby's vday card.

Stamps used - Clearly Besotted - Confetti Hearts, I have had it since 2017. Jane's Doodles - Pucker Up, I have had it since 2023.



Show us your interpretation of the sketch, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends February 21st.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #247 - Colour Theme

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

I am super excited, my parents arrive on Thursday and we leave for our family cruise on Sunday!!

We have a colour challenge for you.

I decided these were the perfect colours for a monster card!

It was also an excuse to break out a favourite turnabout stamp for the background. I love using these stamps for colour challenges because you can use 4 different colours on them. I used Altenew inks for my background. I coloured the monster in similar colours. I love how the peachy colour breaks up the purples and adds interest.

Stamps used - Concord & 9th - Semi-circle Turnabout I have had it since 2020, Taylored Expressions - Candy Monster, I have had it since 2018.

Show us how you use the colours, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends Feb 7th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #246 - Winter Theme...

Hey,

Welcome to the 10th year Retro Rubber challenge and the first one for 2025!

We have a theme challenge for you this time.

Tampa is doing winter right now - which is annoying, but 4 weeks of cold I will take!

I forgot about this beautiful stamp by Stamping Bella - 'Oddball Mini Snowflake' it has been in my NBUS pile since 2022 (the shame), but I used it for a couple of Christmas cards and thought it was perfect for our theme! I kept it simple and just coloured her and added some stickles to the little snowy dots that are part of the stamp.

Which winter goodies will you use? pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends January 24th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 5 challenges including Retro Rubber - a change for 2025 from 10 to 5!

Cx