Retro Rubber Challenge #269 - Tic-tac-toe...

Hey,

Welcome to the latest fun Retro Rubber challenge.

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

I went with middle horizontal row - Ribbon - Your Choice (tag) - Holly.

The funky holly die-cut is part of a stencil/die set by Taylored Expressions 'Play on Words - Holiday' I got it in 2025. I stamped my tag using the fun Taylored Expressions 'Trendy Tree Farm' background stamp that I have had since 2023. The ribbon is from my scraps bag.

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

Challenge ends April 17th.

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 #264 - Sketch time!

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 needed a hello card for a friend, and I thought this awesome set by Avery Elle 'Stuck on You' would be perfect. I used a scalloped circle die to add a bit of interest and the sentiment is also by Avery Elle 'Speech Bubbles'. I love the little faces you can add to the cacti! I coloured them using Altenew Markers.

Supplies: Avery Elle 'Stuck on You' and 'Speech Bubbles' - I have had both since 2020. Scalloped die is by The Works.

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 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 5 challenges including Retro Rubber.

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 #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 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 #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

2024 Hops: Fall Friends Part Two...

 

Hey,

Here is the 7th and final post in my blog hop series and part two of the fall friends hop.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a year of makes. It has been a lot of fun hopping with Kelly and the gang, I am looking forward to joining them again in 2025.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing the final 5 cards I made for the Fall Friends hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed two weeks.

Themes for these cards are fall sports, sweater weather, baked goods, gratitude/fall flowers, fall feels (a moodboard). My cards are shown in order, the main one being fall sports.

I enjoyed showcasing the 2024 hops, I had fun digging around in my stash.

This will probably be the last time I see you in 2024. Have a wonderful Christmas and wishing you a very Happy start to 2025.

Cx

2024 Hops: Fall Friends Part One...

Hey,

Happy Friday to you! 

Here is the 6th post in my blog hop series and part one of the fall friends hop.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing the first 6 cards I made for the Fall Friends hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed two weeks.

Themes for these cards are A Latte fall fun, mushrooms/leaves, fall hayrides, fall gnomes/wreaths and non-trad fall leaves. My cards are in the correct order, A latte fall fun is the main photo.

I was thrilled to finally use the fiddly coffee dies. I bought them because I saw this awesome card -

But honestly I hadn't realised how small they were! Cue 3hrs, tweezers and lots of small pieces of foam tape and I got the most beautiful card ever! Non-trad fall is a fave, as I got to use some new dies by Concord & 9th, so pretty - but again, super fiddly.

Hubby and I are heading off on our cruise this weekend, I am super excited and hope that he enjoys his first cruise experience!

Cx

2024 Hops: Summer Soiree Part Two...

Hey,

Here is the 5th post in my blog hop series and part two of Summer Soiree.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing the final 5 cards I made for the Summer Soiree hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed one week.

Themes for these cards are Winter in July, don't bug me, hello sunshine, Summer roadtrips, Summer food & drink and Rainbows. My cards are in the correct order, Winter in July is the main photo.

I actually CASE'd my own card for Christmas in July, as I loved it so much. Rainbows were my theme choice and I finally got to use this gorgeous die by Sizzix & Jen Long.

Cx

2024 Hops: Summer Soiree Part One..

Hey,

Here is the 4th post in my blog hop series.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing half the cards from the Summer Soiree hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed one week.

Themes for the first 6 cards - Polka Dots, Great Outdoors, BBQ/4th July, Summer Beach Reads and Gardening (I made x2 cards for this one. My cards are shown in order, the main photo is Polka Dots.

These are so summery and I got to use some very old stamps from my stash for Great Outdoors, BBQ/4th July, Summer Beach Reads, and Gardening (Hello).

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 #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 Challenge #233 Tic Tac Toe..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a tic-tac-toe board for you.

I went with the middle vertical row - Gems/Sequins-Embossing Folder-Stitching.

It's 50th birthday central in my life right now. As I was born in September, the school system opted to make me wait a year before I went to Secondary School (High School) and so most of my friends are a year younger than me!

I love these number dies, I have no idea who they are by, I bought them second-hand from Cheiron. I use them SO much. The embossing folder is ancient, I think I bought it on my very first trip to Joann's when we moved to the US back in 20213.

I love using the sentiment stamp for milestone birthday cards, it's pretty much how I feel about getting older. It is from a set by The Ink Road 'Just a Number' I have had it since 2018. I added a little bit of bling to each side of the sentiment - didn't want to overdo it, as this card is for a dude!

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 May 3rd.

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

Memory Pockets Monthly - April 2024 - Genuine - Cards part 1...

Hey,

Happy Good Friday to you!

My office is closed today, so I am planning on spending most of it at my craft desk.

We have a new MPM release over at The Lilypad today - 'Genuine', it's gorgeous! 

I was inspired to create cards that use journal cards as the focal point.

Journal cards are so pretty, sadly I am not a journaler, but I figured out a way to incorporate them into cards.

Main photo - I used a 4x4 journal card, die-cut using a square stitched die from my stash. I anchored the card using a strip of paper from the kit and popped it up using foam tape, the sentiment is by Ellen Hutson. I made x2 of these. I think you could easily hand-cut these out and skip the stamp or handwrite a sentiment.

Photo above - I used x2 different journal cards here and I let them help me choose the backgrounds. The bird card has 'hello' on it and that inspired my stamp choice. The 'go your own way' card made me think of arrows, so I used a Dyan Reaverly stencil to create the background. Also very easy. You could also use papers from the kit for the backgrounds if you prefer.

Photo above - I went with a small square card, mini square cards are very cute! Again used 4x4 journal cards. I used dies to cut the cards and the larger paper squares. The papers are from the kit. You could always cut the squares by hand. 

I used -

MPM April 2024 - Genuine Kit

https://the-lilypad.com/store/GENUINE-April-24/

From my stash - stamps, dies, stencils, Distress Oxide inks, black ink, foam tape, die-cutting machine, paper trimmer, double-sided tape.

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