It's TWO OLD BATS time once again!

Hello friends !

The Two Old Bats Halloween Blog is BACK IN ACTION!

After a 'winter break', Diane (yep, my Old Bat partner) and I have decided to resurrect the blog for some Halloween fun ... never too early to get those spooky creations started.  Diane has created this fabulous inspiration board for us ... let the fun begin!

And here's what I have to share with you today . . .

I have pulled this card together using some NEW and VERY OLD stash.

My background paper comes from the Pink & Main 'Not Too Spooky' 6x6 paper pad.
My flying bats are from a very old Inkadinkado stamp set called 'Halloween Trails'.
And my other stamps are from another old set from Crafty Secrets (sadly no longer in business) called 'Halloween Fun' (circa 2008)

I hope you'll come join us and have some fun too!  

Once again ... here's a recap of how things are done on our new blog . . .

• Monthly Challenge
• Start on the 2nd of the month
• Ends on the 28th of the month
• Winners chosen by the DT
• Winners announced on the 1st of the month prior to start of next new challenge.
• We will be accepting Guest Designers ... let us know if you're interested.
• There will be PRIZES if we have 50+ entries.
  

Well that's it for me today!

I hope you've enjoyed today's share and thanks so much for stopping by!

REMEMBER ...

You have until March 28th to enter.
Hope to see you there!

Have a WONDERFUL DAY!!

Darlene

Make The Cards Challenge - Sketch

 

Welcome back friends!
It's time for a new challenge over on  Make The Cards Challenge. 

Today we are having a sketch challenge.  Here's the sketch we are following . . .  

 

We are excited to have a guest designer today:  Brandi Mahon - Stamp Me Some Love

 I don't know about you, but I love a good sketch!  It really gets my creativity started.  Now remember, you can follow the sketch 'to the T' ... or you can go off on your own ... just be sure you can SEE the base sketch in your design.  

The only extra liberties I've taken today are in my background panel.  Which I spritzed with TH 'Picked Raspberry' Distress Oxide Spray and also a few drops of 'Antique Bronze'.

My focus flower comes from the Hero Arts January Kit (MH0121C) which I've stamped onto watercolor paper then used watercolor paints and a fine artist brush.  A few highlights were done with a white gelly roll pen.

Unfortunately the kit is sold out, but you can still purchase some awesome coordinating stamps & dies ... check it out HERE.   This is what the kit looked like and I'm SO HAPPY I jumped on the chance ... it sold out REALLY FAST!

 

My sentiment die is by Sue Wilson - 'Thinking of You' (CEDSS006).

I hope you'll come join in our challenge fun ... here's the link for you one more time ...

Make The Cards Challenge

 As always . . .

Mix It Up Challenge - Inlaid Die Cut

 Hello my friends!

A new month means a new challenge over on the Mix It Up Challenge Blog.

Remember, this is a monthly Anything Goes challenge but with a fun twist that you can choose to join in on ... or not!  This month's theme is:

 

 Anything Goes + Inlaid Die Cut

  Today I've created a card using a die set by Sue Wilson balled 'Happy'. 

My base card is Navy Blue (not black) and the designer paper I've used is from The Paper Boutique and is called 'Winter Wonders'.  I also used a balloon die from one of my other birthday die sets for a finishing touch.

I do hope you'll pop over to the Mix It Up Challenge Blog and join in the fun!

You have until 6 PM EST the last day of the month to enter!

I'm so inspired by the rest of our amazing DT 

and I can't wait to be inspired by YOUR project!

 

As always, thanks SO MUCH for taking the time to stop by!

Dies R Us Challenge - Anything Goes with Dies

 Hello Friends!

It's time for a new challenge over on the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.
Remember, our challenges are now ANYTHING GOES as long as you used dies carried by companies at the Dies R Us Store!

Before getting into the details of today's card, I wanted to let you know that Dies R Us is having a DT CALL for their INSPIRATION DT ... details HERE.

Today I've used a fun stamp/die set that I think I've only used once before.  This set is perfect for any little girls birthday ... or just a card to cheer her up.  Kids are struggling through this pandemic just like we adults are!

This is Mama Elephant - Unicorns & Rainbows

Stamp Set

 

 Die Set

I've also used the Tutti Designs Scallop Stitched Nesting Circles to create the background for my little magical scene.

 

 Coloring was done with Prisma pencils and the background paper is by Doodlebug called 'Fairy Tales'.

 Don't forget to check out sister store in Canada . . .
Dies R Us now has a sister store with warehouses in USA & Canada called Didi Crafts.  

It will ship to both the US and Canada. Didi Crafts will carry some of the same products as DRU, but most will be different. Now our Canadian friends don't have to worry about huge taxes or shipping fees. How great is that!?!

Scrapbooking & Cardmaking Store

  

 I hope you will come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  

 For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below. 

click below for:

STORE 
 CHALLENGE BLOG
  FACEBOOK
  INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

  Hope to see you there!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
  

As always . . .

Tutti Designs - Proposal

  Hello Friends!

Today I'm sharing a card of love for a recent proposal.  Back on January 27th Tutti Designs was showcased on the UK Hochanda TV Show.  Today's card and the cards I will be sharing with you in weeks to come were created for that event, using a variety of dies available at the Tutti Designs Store.

 

Today's card was created in a SLIMLINE design and used a variety of Tutti dies. 
First of all what do you think of this Slimline Flower Background  #670 die?  I think it's fabulous and can be used directly over your base card or as I have done today, over a panel of designer paper to add just a touch of color for the background.  So many ways you can use this die!

Another die showcased on the Hochanda TV Show is this sweet die called Proposal.

 

 

Other Tutti dies I've used for my card are as follows:

 

Scallop Stitched Neting Squares  

 

 

Scallop Stitched Rectangles  

 

 

Love Word Set 

 

 

Please be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store and check out all of the fabulous dies available. Need more inspiration?  The team has something new to share on the Tutti Designs Blog  EVERY DAY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY!  

Pop in often and see for yourself ... what a talented group of designers!!

For your convenience, here are all the Tutti Designs quick links you will need:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

Wishing you all an AMAZING day ahead! 

As always, thanks SO MUCH for taking the time to stop by!

 

Merry Little Christmas - Snowflakes

 Hello Everyone!

It's a new month and that means the start of a new monthly challenge

over on the Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog.

 

 

 Today's card was really quick & easy!

Using a dark royal blue panel and a new (to me) Penny Black 'Snowflakes Sentiments' stamp set, I first stamped the sentiment in the center then the snowflakes across the top & bottom using white craft ink.

Like I said ... EASY PEASY!

 

   I hope you've enjoyed today's Christmas card and I can't wait to see what you create and share over at the Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and wishing you a fabulous week ahead!

As always ...

Life is an Adventure

 

 Hello again ... this is my 2nd post for today but I just HAD to get in on this fun sketch challenge before it ended tomorrow.  I'm referring to sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge Blog.

I took the liberty of flipping the sketch to landscape to allow me more room for the sentiment.  I've had this The Stampers Cafe stamp for years and the sentiment came from a 'Fun Stampers Journey - Wild About You' stamp set that I've never inked up and have had for quite some time!

Challenges to share in:

 Addicted to CAS Challenge #192 - Animal
Crafty Catz Challenge #540 - ATG twist/Africa
Creative Crafting Uncles Challenge #14 - Wildlife
Girls Creative Crafts Challenge #10 - Use an Animal

 

 Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Stay safe & healthy ... PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASK!

So happy to say I got Vaccine Shot #1 today! 
One down ... One to go!

 As always . . .

Turner Syndrome Awareness Blog Hop & Card Challenge

LAST DAY TO PLAY!!

Just a quick reminder of the Blog Hop & Card Challenge going on over on the Turner Syndrome Awareness Blog.  If you're not familiar with this disease, PLEASE pop over and give it a quick read then join in the Blog Hop (only 12 stops) and/or play along in the Card Challenge.  EASY PEASY and lots of prizes so generously being offered by 23 Vendors as well as the ladies along the hop.

ONLY A FEW HOURS REMAINING . . .

I sure would appreciate it if you'd take a minute to pop over to check out this worthy cause and play along.  LOTS OF PRIZES being offered and we could use your help in spreading the word about Turner Syndrome.  

Turner Syndrome Awareness Blog

Winner's will be announced on the blog on March 13th.

As always ... 

 

Clean Up Card . . .

 Happy Saturday Everyone!

A quick card to share this morning as I'm doing some clean up in the cave today ... sure needs it!  LOL  I had all these bits and pieces laying on the work table from previous projects so decided to see if I could use some of them on a card design vs putting them all into the 'whatnot' box.

As you can see, there's a remnant die cut left over from my Valentine's cards.  And the Altenew tulips as well as the Spellbinder rose are test stamping flowers created while working on some future design team projects.  I didn't think they turned out too badly so they survived the trash bin.

 

I'm sure I could pop this in the mail to a friend, with a loving message inside and it would be well received.  With the way things are in the world right now ... receiving happy mail gives any of us something to smile about.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay healthy!
Hubby got his 1st vaccine yesterday and I get mine tomorrow! 
Things are LOOKIN' UP!!!

Birthday Wishes

 

Hello my friends . . .

There is a sketch challenge I've been trying to find time to join in on for weeks now!  I figured yesterday I'd better hurry or I'm going to miss the deadline so here we go!

I was thrilled to have my January card for this challenge blog selected as a 'Top Sprout' and couldn't wait to join in on this month's theme.  I'm referring to the A Place to Start Challenge Blog and here's their sketch for February ...

 

 I knew right away I wanted to use a panel of P13 'The Four Seasons - Summer' designer paper as the background and build off of that ... so that's exactly what I did. 

I've used  . . .

Tutti Designs BIRTHDAY and Best WISHES
Tutti Designs Dotted Nesting Circles
Altenew Exotic Tulips Stamps & Dies
Sue Wilson Stitched Flags (CED4317)
Nuvo Yellow Crystal Drops
Pink/White Bakers Twine

 

I hope you've enjoyed today's card share and find inspiration in my designs.
Can you tell by my colors and I'm SO READY for Spring?  LOL

Challenges to share in:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #269 - Spring + a Sentiment
Creative Knockouts #390 - AG
Time Out Challenges #182 - Birthday Celebration

Through the Purple Haze Challenge #177 - Recipe: 1 ribbon (I used twine), 2 word sentiment, 3 layers.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - AG

 Stay safe & healthy!  Thanks for stopping by!
As always . . .

 

 

BEE - Happy!

 Hello Friends!

Welcome back to my blog ... I hope today finds you healthy & happy!
I spotted the latest Memory Box challenge on another crafters blog and when I saw the theme of the challenge, I just HAD to play along.  

Yep ... you know me and my love for the color purple!  LOL

I don't have a lot of NEW Memory Box dies but I do have several older ones, so here's what I've used to create today's fun BEE Happy card  (did you catch that pun?  lol).

Memory Box Glorious Gerber Daisies (98904)
Memory Box Dogwood Blossom (98475)
Memory Box Dogwood Blossom Outline (98481)
Memory Box Share the Happiness (30007)

Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Frames (30117)

Hero Arts January Kit (MH0121C) - BEE
Sue Wilson Hobnail Vase (CED1486)
 

 

The design paper I've used for the background is called Lavender Fields by The Paper Boutique.  As you can see in the close up (above), I die cut the word Happy twice and off set them to create a shadow effect.  And I've popped up my BEE with a pop dot!

Challenges to share in:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - AG
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #399 - Any Occasion
The House that Stamps Built Challenge F2421 - AG

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
I hope you've enjoyed today's crafty share!

As always . . .

Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Goes

 

Hello my friends!

Today I have a card for the new challenge over on The Sisterhood of Crafters!
You'll want to come join in the fun as our theme is a very easy one ...

ANYTHING GOES

 Last month I purchased the fabulous January kit from Hero Arts.  Unfortunately the kit is sold out, but you can still purchase some awesome coordinating stamps & dies ... check it out HERE.   I don't typically go for 'kits' (I figure I have enough stash to create my own kit lol) but when I saw Jennifer McGuire using this set I just had to have it.

 This is what the kit looked like and I'm SO HAPPY I jumped on the chance ... it sold out REALLY FAST!

 I first stamped my flower branch & bee then began coloring.  I must admit the color is not what I originally had in mind but I love how it ended up.  Once I had my coloring done then I could figure out my base card & background.  For the background I was just going to go with white but that was too 'stark' for me so I went rummaging around my background stamps and came up using a VERY OLD Stampin' Up stamp called 'Crosshatch' (has to be from the early 2000s).  Since I decided on a purple base card I inked up my stamp using Tim Holtz 'Wilted Violet' Distress Oxide ink.

When trying to decide what sentiment to go with I remembered a friend had ordered some blank inside 'Thinking of You' cards so I decided on one of stamps in another very old stamp set.  This time by Stampendous and it's called 'Friendly Messages' ... perfect!  I finished off my design by popping up the flower branch & bee using dimensional tape. 

 I hope you'll come join in our challenge fun at The Sisterhood of Crafters!

Challenges to share in:
Unicorn Challenge #62 - Use Flowers
Lost Coast Monthly Challenge #116 - Winged Things
Country View February Challenge - First Signs of Spring
Happy Little Stampers February Challenge - AG w/Dies

My 'sistahs' have created some fabulous creations to help inspire you ... 

be sure to pop over and check them out!

As always, thanks SO MUCH for taking the time to stop by!

Thinking of You

 

 Good Morning Friends ... I hope today finds you well & happy!

Once again BFF Diane (Nellie's Nest) spotted a challenge that we both thought would be fun to participate in so here we go!  That challenge is the Less is More Challenge.

 Anyone who knows me, knows my love for the color purple so this challenge gave me the opportunity to create with my favorite color and play more with my new Altenew Exotic Tulips stamp set.

 

 The sentiment I chose today is from a Simon Says Stamp Set called 'Thoughtful Messages'.

 

 I'm having so much fun perfecting the use of these layering stamps ... I love the outcome!  Needless to say, you'll be seeing more of these Altenew stamps on DT projects in the near future.

I've also tried my hand at using the masking stencil (need more practice with that) that came along in the 'bundle' (stamps, stencil & dies).  Oh dear ... I feel another addiction coming on!  LOL

Challenges to share in:
Krafty Chicks Challenge #547 - CAS
Ellebelle's Crafty Wednesday February Challenge - Hearts or Flowers (entry #2)
We Love Chocolate Baroque February Challenge - Flowers, Butterflies or Birds

Anyways ... I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday!
I'll be jumping on the local County Covid Website at noon today trying to get an appointment.  Wish me luck!  Hubby was able to get his for this Friday ... fingers crossed!

As always ... thanks so much for stopping by today!