You're the Cat's Pajamas

 Happy New Year all,

It's been many weeks since I've posted a card. Partly due to being on the east coast for a month and partly because of a broken left wrist. Yes, while on the east coast, I fell and fractured my left wrist. After 4 weeks in a cast, the cast was removed this past Monday and I'm in a brace now while it continues to heal. As long as I don't put much weight on it, I can manage to do some things, and luckily, I am right handed.

As yesterday was the last Wednesday of 2025, I wanted to participate in Amy's Woodblock Wednesday Challenge. Using the layout from the current Freshly Made Sketches, I made my first Valentine's Day card for 2026.

The background is made using the SSS Holiday Grid Stencil Pack. I only used the grid stencil to make the pink and peach squares. Then using some small Stampassions Valentine's stamps, I randomly stamped hearts and sayings in the squares.

After stamping and coloring the cat image, I fussy cut it and added it as the focal image per Narelle's sketch.

There was a column of the grid left over after trimming it for the front of the card so I used it for the inside of the card along with a very old SU greeting.

Here are the wood mounted stamps used for this card. FYI, this Cat's pPajamas stamp is one of my all time favorites, and I use it almost every year.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season and I'm wishing you all a Happy and Crafty 2026!

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Woodmounted Cat from Uptown Rubber Stamps and Heart and Greetings from Stampassions Art Stamps

Paper: Gina K Designs

Ink: Simon Says Stamp Positively Saturated inks and Gina K Designs

Other: Simon Says Stamp Holiday Grid stencil, blending brushes, Gina K Designs paper heart embellishments, Gina K Designs circle dies, 

You're the Cat's Pajamas

 TGIF Peeps,

For some reason, since I retired a few months ago, Friday's seem to come much sooner than they did while I was working. Funny how that happens!

I hope you are having a good day, and if you are in the snow and ice zones, staying safe and warm.

When I saw the new Retro Rubber Challenge, I knew just what stamp I wanted to use for my card. This is one of my favorite Valentine's Day stamps. It is an old wooden block stamp from Uptown Rubber stamps, and the price tag is from a store in Las Vegas called Stamp Oasis. LV used to be part of my territory in the early 90s, so I probably got it sometime between 1991 and 1995. It is alway on the top in my "other holidays" drawer of wooden stamps. (The main holiday drawer is Christmas stamps.) I rarely go to my wooden stamps, but once in a while it happens, and I know just where to find this little cutie, LOL. (Don't you suspect she's off to bed to read her romance book?)

The image is colored with Copics and I used a Uniball Gold gel pen to color in the hearts in her pajamas. I used the oval and oval mat dies from the GKD Master Layouts 1 die set to cut it out. For the background, I used the SU plaid EF and using a brayer, added pink ink to one side of the folder, placed the paper in and ran it through my die cutting machine. I then used the scalloped die from the GKD ML 4 die set to cut that out. I found some Baker's twine with gold in my stash and added it under the popped up ovals and tied a bow to the side.

For the inside, I used a pretty old SU Valentine's Day set Called Meant To Be. I cut this panel out with the stitched die from the GKD ML 2 die set. 

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So, while I was looking through my older SU Valentine's Day sets, I found a few more that I decided to pull out and use. I was looking for something for my mom's card. I found the Take It To Heart set and decided to make something fairly simple. This is made with Vanilla card stock and stamped in GKD Kraft ink, which is Copic friendly. The images are colored with pastel Copic shades.

I stamped the banner first, made a mask, then stamped the larger heart image. The panel and mat are cut with, you guessed it, the GKD ML 1 dies. Honestly, I use these ML die sets ALL THE TIME! It makes the layering so easy, and perfect. The mat is GKD Kraft card stock and the base is one of the light SU pink shades, Powder Pink. I used some pink and clear glass beads for embellishments.  This would work for the Retro Rubber challenge as well, but I just love that cat in her pajamas!

Have a great Friday afternoon, and weekend to come.

Colleen

Supplies

The Cat's Pajamas stamp from Uptown Rubber Stamps, SU sets Meant To Be and Take It to Heart

Gina K Designs card stocks, SU card stock, Gina K designs inks, Copics, Gina K Designs Master Layouts 1, 2 and 4 die sets, stash Baker's twine and glass beads, SU Dimensionals 

The Cat's Pajamas

Hi,

I was looking through my drawers of old, and not used in forever, single, wood mounted stamps and came across a couple of Valentine's stamps that I'd totally forgotten. I decided to pull them out of the drawer and give them some love and ink. Since I wanted to get a card made for this week's Mojo Monday sketch, and time is running out, I used them to make this card.

I made the card 3.75" x 5.5" instead of the usual 4.25" x 5.5" for the "tall and skinny" requirement of the sketch. The background is stamped using the "heart abound" stamp with SU Strawberry Slush ink. The cat and his pajamas are stamped in Memento black and colored with Copics.

Supplies
Stamps: "Heart Abound" by Rubber Stampede and "Cats Pajamas" by Uptown Rubber Stamps
Paper: SSS white, TE light red, XPress-It Blending white card stocks and ??? patterned papers (I bought some 12"x12" papers a few months ago in single sheets, brought them home and cut them into  6" squares for storage. I forgot to label them)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Die-namics pierced fishtail flags STAX and Stitched oval dies, the Big Shot and dimensionals

Have a great Sunday evening, and if your attending any Superbowl parties, have fun.
Thanks for looking in,
Colleen