Retro Rubber Challenge #278 - Theme - Off to the tropics

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a fun theme for you this time - use tropical flowers on your card

I had a few more tropical flower stamp sets than I thought, so this was a lot of fun!

I started by blending a panel onto a piece of card stock, using some tropical colours. I then stamped all my flowers in slightly darker coordinating inks, over the blended panel.

I decided I wanted to add the little Chameleon somewhere on my card and I thought he looked great hanging off the sentiment banner. So I blended the banner to match where it touched my blended panel and the Chameleon.

I used the following sets - MFT 'Tropical Flowers' and Concord & 9th 'You're my Person' - both of which I have had since 2016 and I also used MFT 'Polynesian Paradise' that I have had since 2019.

How will you use tropical flowers on your project? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 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 #271 - Colour Challenge - Cotton Candy Spring...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a colour challenge for you - pretty springy candy colours!

These colours were so much fun to work with!

Of course, I had to grab my fave MFT Mini Cloud Edger stencil to create a pretty sky for the card I had in mind. I added a Taylored Expressions grass die-cut and then die-cut the whole panel using a stitched rounded rectangle die.

I love this Mama Elephant 'Little Line Agenda' set (I have had it since 2024). It's always so cute. I coloured one of the lines using the colours from the challenge and added a bit of grey for the bunnies. It's very easy to fussy cut, so I did that and popped it up with some foam tape. I mixed a couple of sentiments to get what I wanted.

How will you use the colours? I can't wait to see! Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 15th.

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 #245 - Tic Tac Toe...

Hey,

Welcome to the final Retro Rubber challenge of 2024! How quickly did this year go?

So much has happened to me this year personally and professionally, but it is ending on a high. I have a new job, that so far is more than I had hoped for. Hubby and I will be heading on our FIRST cruise together (this is my 5th cruise) in 2 weeks. 

I would like to say a big thanks to Jane who runs our Retro Rubber team for just being an amazing human and keeping us together and on point.

For our last challenge we have a Tic-Tac-Toe board for you - 

I wanted to play with all of the rows on this board! But I went with centre vertical - Texture, Greenery, Tag.

I love this tag die by MFT 'Trendy Tag' it is quite large, but it makes such pretty tags and it also comes with a scalloped piece that you can add to the front. I stamped Santa and the sentiment before I die cut the tag - the stamps are by Ellen Hutson 'tis the season' set that I have had since 2021.

I decided that I wanted to just colour Santa's hat, as it adds a nice pop of colour. I cut the second tag from an embossed piece of red card for the texture part of my tic-tac-toe choices. I have a big box of embossed pieces ready to go. Basically if my mojo is blah, I emboss cardstock :)

I was a bit stumped about the greenery part and then I realised that I have these beautiful scrapbook.com papers that I got as part of SCT this year so I used one of those for the background. My final touch was a little bit of ribbon that I tied into a surprisingly neat bow - my bows are always a bit of a hot mess.

Such a fun card, I think I might have to remember this idea for 2025 Christmas cards!

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

Challenge ends December 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 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Happy Holidays to you and yours, we will be back on 14th January for our 11th year!!!

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #239 - Colour Feeling Fallish..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have some lovely Fall / Autumn colours for you..

I thought palette would work really well with a Concord & 9th turnabout stamp. I settled on 'Wreath Turnabout' - this is their OG wreath turnabout and I love it, I bought it in 2020 when Jenn Shurkus was having a destash. Autumnal colours are lovely, I don't really get these colours here in Tampa, I do miss that.

I used inks by Taylored Expressions (Lavender Glaze, Jelly Donut) and Alternew (Marigold, Chamomile).

I was a bit stuck about what to do for a sentiment and I settled on the hello die by MFT from their 'Hi, Hello, There' set that I have had since 2021.

I'm thrilled at how pretty this is and it was SO easy, I love turnabouts, especially when I use the Altenew stamp wheel which is perfect for these stamps.

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

Challenge ends September 20th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #238 - Theme - The Great Outdoors...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

A bit late posting this, but I got sidetracked last week when I got back from my solo cruise, which was a blast!

This is such a fun theme, but I was a bit worried, as I had just used my ONLY camping set for another challenge lol.

I remembered having this fun set 'Forest Friends' by My Favorite Things (I've had it since 2021). I am a Star Wars fan, so I loved the sentiment I used here, it made me chuckle and later this year, I will be repurposing this card for my Daddy's birthday, as he is a big Star Wars fan too.

I used all of the animal and tree stamps to create my background, coloured with Altenew markers. I decided to use a Taylored Expressions Shaker infinity panel because then I don't lose too much of the background.

It's such a fun card, I love it, hopefully Daddy will too.

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

Challenge ends September 6th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #237 - Tic Tac Toe

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

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

I went with the diagonal row from top left - Rectangles - Heat/Dry Emboss - Your Choice

My choice was the fun mermaid stamp - 'Bubbly Birthday' by MFT and I have had it since 2022. I do not have the dies, so it was cut using my Brother scan n cut aka Big Sexy. I chose all my papers for a kind of ocean vibe! I die cut them all using rectangle dies and stacked them up.  I used a fave big spot embossing folder for the top rectangle.

It is so cute and I love all the layers.

I realised that I also fit the bottom row, as my base paper has gold flecks throughout it! A rare twofer!

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

Challenge ends August 23.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #231 Colour challenge...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a pretty colour challenge for you.

I was very excited by these colours and then I made my card and covered the shaded spruce!!

I used two oldie but goodie sets by My Favorite Things - Flashy Florals and Large Desert Bouquet, I have both of them since 2016.

I created the background using distress oxides and flowers from both stamp sets. I added some leaves.. that are foolishy covered by my sentiment (eye roll). I like to add a piece of vellum, when I create my own backgrounds. I want to show them off as much as possible LOL. The sentiment is new to me and I think it's Mama Elephant, but I bought a cardmakers stash on eBay and some things were not labeled!

I am super happy with my card and I hope you have as much fun with the colours as I did.

How will you use the colours? Join in and show us and don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 31.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber. And you don't have to have a blog, you can enter using Flickr, Instagram and Facebook.

Cx

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #225 - Tic-Tac-Toe

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a fun Tic-Tac-Toe board

I think everyone loves a Tic-Tac-Toe.

I went with the last vertical row - Pattern Paper - Gnome - Floral.

I have had the 'Spring Gnomes' set by MFT since 2022 and this is the FIRST time I have used it!! I am not normally a Gnome fan, but I love Easter stamps so I remember really wanting these! 

I stamped and coloured my cute little Gnome using Altenew markers, I actually cut him out using my Brother Scan n Cut, I don't normally do that for just one stamped image, but he was too cute to mess up with my dodgy fussy cutting LOL.

The Gnome Grown sentiment is from a set by Stamping Bella 'Oddball Gnome Family Sentiments' from 2022. I love the pun here and I added 'gift for you', which I created on my computer and then printed out.

The papers are both from my stash and I have no idea who they are by, because 3 years ago shortly before the move to Tampa, I started cutting my papers to 4x6 so I would use more of my ENORMOUS stash.

So that the heart and the floral paper didn't clash too much, I added a piece of die-cut vellum. I like this as a trick.

A super cute card that will accompany a gift for a friend.

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 March 8th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #217 Anything Goes..

Hey,

I am back, after my birthday hiatus. My birthday was crazy fun and I'll write a post about it soon.

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time it is everyone's fave - Anything Goes.

I love these 'Mod Birds' stamps by MFT and it has been a while since I got them out for a play! I have had them since 2018 and I love bird stamps! these stamps are super easy and fun to use, you stamp the main outline and then pick a colour and stamp the detail parts.

I mixed and matched the sentiments for these simple cards, they are 2 stamps, one by Hero Arts 'Take Note' from 2017 and the other by Simon Says Stamp from a 2016 cardkit (I think..).

Can't wait to see your anything goes cards, don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends October 20th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #213 - Colours of the Rainbow..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we are all about the colours of the rainbow.

If you look at my card carefully, you will see I used every single colour of the rainbow LOL.

I love the 3 Ellen Hutson sets I used (Over It, Unicorns & Rainbows, Pure Magic) - I have had them since 2019 and I am really sad that Ellen is closing her doors, but I get it.. retirement looms.

I created the background using a fave MFT Cloud stencil and distress oxides. I stamped the rainbow over the top and coloured that using Sakura Gelly Roll Starburst pens.. these pens give all the shimmer.

A fun easy card with the perfect sentiment.

How will you use your stash and the colours? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 25.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #212 - Anything Goes

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge. Can you believe it is August already?! And today is my Momma's birthday!

It's everyone's fave 'Anything Goes'.

I have had the MFT 'Martini's on Me' set since 2013 and I can clearly remember thinking 'should I spend this much money on a small set'. LOL now 10 years later and so much use, I think we can agree it was a great investment.

It recently got a new lease of life, as I got these Mama Elephant 'Birthday Messages' (2021) and they have perfect sentiments for this set, including the one I used here.

The cards are so simple, just stamp, colour and mount onto the card blank. I gave one of them to a friend and she loved it. I think these will be becoming a staple in my birthday card box.

What are you going to dig out of the archives? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 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 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #211 - Tic Tac Toe!

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

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

I love these boards, so many ideas!

I went with your choice (bling) - die cut or punch - stencil.

I love stencils and I am a big fan of these 'create in quads' ones by Taylored Expressions, you layer the stencils over letter-sized paper and end up with x4 different stenciled panels. Clever.

The one I used here is from the TE Quad monthly club and is called 'Pattern Party'.  I decided it was the perfect background for one of my fave Monsters by 'Your Next Stamp' the set is 'Way Cool Monsters' and I have had it since 2019. I am sad to say goodbye to YNS as they are closing their doors after 14 years, they are the reason for my love of Monster stamps. I added some googly eyes to my Monster.

My die-cuts are obviously my Monster and the yellow panel.

I stacked the sentiments, because I wanted to use the Favorite Human stamp by Technique Tuesday, I find that this sentiment always works well with Monsters! It is from their 'Favorite Human' set and I have had it since 2017.

Because the background is so busy, I didn't want the 'your choice' element to get lost, so I went with large blingy gems, so they would stand out and not get lost.

A fun cheery birthday card.

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

Challenge ends July 28th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #210 - Sketch time!

Hey,

Happy 4th of July if you are in the USA!

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch!

I used coordinating papers to match the sketch and create a bright sunny background for my girl. All the papers are by Recollections at Michaels. I used a new to me Concord & 9th stitched cover plate die on the yellow paper for some interest.

My girl is one of my fave MFT Pure Innocence girls and this one is 'Heart Bouquet' and I have had her since 2017. I added a sentiment strip by Taylored Expressions.

I am really happy with the matchy-matchness of my card :)

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

Challenge ends July 14.

Remember to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #208 - Sweet Summer Colour Challenge...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

June already!

This time we are all about sweet summer colours - we want you to use at least 3 of the following 5 colours - yellow, pink/red, green, orange or brown.

These colours are so fun! I used yellow, pink AND red, green, orange and brown. LOL.. all of them in fact.

I used an MFT wave stencil with distress oxides to create the waves for my Octopus. I added a few bubbles for a little bit of added interest.

I love Octopus stamps and this one is one of my faves from the 'Mr Octopus' set by Sweet Stamp Shop (who are sadly no longer in business), I have had this set since 2017. The ice cream and lolly and sentiment are all from the Avery Elle set 'Skating By' that I have had since 2016 and I love all the small elements in this set.

He's so kooky I love him!

Will you be like me and use ALL of the colours? Can't wait to see your creations, don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends June 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 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #200 - Let's get Sketchy...

Hey,

Welcome to the 200th Retro Rubber challenge!!! 

Can you believe it! I have been on the DT since the beginning and I LOVE Jane our fearless leader and all my teamies - past and present. It is such a great way to use my huge stamp stash.

As it is our 200th post, if enter the challenge AND you comment on my post, I will pop your name in a hat, pick a winner and send you some random crafty stuff :)

This time we have a fun sketch for you this time.

You know I love a sketch!

I made this card when my OG craft buddy JT was in town last week, it was so much fun to craft with her.

I used a fave MFT background stamp 'Pineapples' that I have had since 2017, it is one of the most used things in my stash. I got the awesome MFT/Pure Innocence 'Pineapple of my eye' girl last year and this is her first outing, I feel like she is going to get a lot of use, as I love pineapples! I coloured her using my Altenew markers and added a couple of paper strips to match the sketch.

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

Challenge ends February 24th.

I'll be MIA until the 20th, as my Daddy is here in Tampa and we are going on a cruise later on this week - whoop!

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #199 - Tickled Pink!

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

It was fun to see so many people in the gallery for the last challenge. I hope you will love this one too. This time we have a colour challenge for you.

I went with pink, white, and silver (I am using creative license here with my grey cat counting as silver).

This is one of my fave stamp sets - 'Pawsome Love' by Simon Says Stamp, I have had it since 2020. It has a great range of sentiments and critters. I really like the Palentine's Day idea, as I love to send Valentine's cards to my girlfriends.

I got all fancy and created my OWN folding banner using an ancient MFT banner die.. I have always felt the banners are too long and finally learned to fold my own!

Which colour combo will you use? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends on February 10th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge - #197 - Merry Christmas - photo inspiration...

Hey,

Welcome to the last Retro Rubber challenge of 2022!

Where has the year gone?! I just got back from 17 days in London and it feels like boom Christmas is nearly here. 

I hope you have had fun playing along with us this year.

We have a Merry Christmas photo-inspired challenge for you this time.

I love mugs and cups in any form, so I was always going to be inspired by the mug in the photo.

I used a NBUS Unity Stamp Co stamp 'Warm Fall Hugs' that I got in September 2021! I think with the move last year it just got forgotten about! I decided to heat emboss it onto black watercolour paper, so I could use the amazing Iulie watercolours. If you have never used them, get a set on sale you will not regret it, the shimmer is amazing!

I then painted in all the details using the watercolours and then fussy cut it out. I wasn't sure what to do for a background and then I remembered the awesome Spellbinders wreath die that I had, it always elevates everything! I added a little bit of red bling and a tiny sentiment (die by MFT, sentiment by Clearly Besotted).

It is so pretty, it made me super happy when it was finished.

Here is a close-up, because I just loved all the little details.

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

Challenge ends December 16th and then we will be on our Christmas break returning in January with more fun challenges for you.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Fusion Card Challenge - Autumn Leaves...

 

Hey,

Welcome to another fantastic Fusion Card Challenge.

This time we have 'Autumn Leaves' for you! As always both the sketch and the inspiration image are awesome.

Which will you try?

I loved both, so I fused them!

I was inspired by the colours and the leaves in the inspiration photo. I love this set by MFT 'Harvest Mouse'. It gets a lot of use!

I coloured the leaves to match as closely as I could to the colour palette and then used fun Autumnal coloured patterned papers to create my background. I finished it off, by adding a little glitter strip and one of the sentiments from the stamp set, which I cut up to work with my card layout.

Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration by the DT over at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation! When playing along you may use the sketch OR the photo to inspire your makes. OR, if you are feeling adventurous, you can fuse them together (see what I did there!).

Can't wait to see your makes. 

Challenge ends on October 11th

Cx

Fusion Card Challenge - Colour Palette - Seagull Beach

Hey,

Welcome to another fantastic Fusion Card Challenge.

This time we have 'Colour Palette - Seagull Beach' for you! As always both the sketch and the inspiration image are awesome.

Which will you try?

I did not use the sketch, instead I was inspired by the image and the colours

I dug out an old fave by Newton's Nook 'Hey Gullfriend' and then created a background of clouds and sea using MFT cloud and wave stencils with distress ink. This sentiment always makes me laugh. I love punny cards.

SUCH an easy and fun make!

Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration by the DT over at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation! When playing along you may use the sketch OR the photo to inspire your makes. OR, if you are feeling adventurous, you can fuse them together (see what I did there!).

Can't wait to see your makes. 

Challenge ends on August 30th.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #189 - Gnarly...its the 80s...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

It's time for another fun colour challenge - this time 80s colours!

I love these colours!!

I used pink, mauve, blue and grey. I stepped out of my comfort zone with a little bit of paper piecing!! The background stamp is 'Looped Flower' by Hero Arts and I bought it second-hand from Jenn Shurkus around 2015!

I stamped the girl from the 'Jane Girl' set by Unity Stamps that I have had since 2018. I masked her off and added Altenew inks in my chosen colours to the background stamp and stamped it onto the white panel, over the masked girl. I then coloured her with copics and stamped her onto the grey chevron paper for my final colour choice. The chevron paper is 'Calm & Cozy Chevrons' by My Favorite Things.

The sentiment is one of my favourite go-to Taylored Expressions sentiment strips, I have a container of these and they are so handy.

How will you use the colours? Pop on over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends August 26th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx