Just Us Girls #809 -- DIE Week

Join us! It is DIE week at Just Us Girls.  Sue is challenging us to make a card using HEART dies.  I do not make many valentines for the charities to which I donate cards, so I decided to adapt my use of a heart die.  I made a thank-you card that I plan to use to thank gift-givers. I made a very simple shaker with a LOVE die and added the stamped sentiment BEST.GIFT.EVER. I made a dozen of these cards with little effort.

Meet our featured guest designer for February, Denise Morgans. Please welcome her and check out her fabulous work over at The Crafty Den! 

Also, check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	My Favorite Things Love Centerpiece Essentials by Ellen Nice of You sentiments
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Bazzill solid color cardstock
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments	Little Things by Lucy's Cards sequins
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

Just Us Girls #808 -- CASE a DT Week

Join us! It is CASE A DT week at Just Us Girls.  Ina is challenging us to choose one of the DT members' cards and CASE (Copy and Share Everything).   CASE a Design Team [DT] member means you may CASE any DT member's card in the JUGS post. [CASE = copy & share everything].  In a nutshell, use what inspires you from the card you choose, and create your own. There is a wide selection of what the Team has created, with anything goes for their creations. 

If you need help in learning how to CASE a card, please check out Ardyth's post on her LIMES method.  CASEing others' work is a powerful learning tool that helps you solidify your own style.

I used an inlay die from The Stamp Market in today's card.  I love the efficiency of inlay cards. Five A2 panels yielded five cards with no waste... all that is required is a bit of patience.  I use a dryer sheet behind each die cut to keep the pieces together. I line the background panels with 4.25" Scortape, then reinsert all the small pieces...a simple process. The final touches are a vellum-backed, layered sentiment and glitter dots.

Also, check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	The Stamp Market Rainbows on Repeat Cover Concord & 9th Sending Smiles die
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Bazzill solid color cardstock Vellum
Ink
Embellishments	Pinkfresh gold glitter dots
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

Just Us Girls #807 -- ANYTHING GOES STENCIL Week

Join us! It is ANYTHING GOES STENCIL week at Just Us Girls.  Bobby is challenging us to use a stencil in our card creations this week. 

To create the card shown above and below, I used several products from The Greetery. The leaves are stamped; the flowers are stenciled. The ribbon frame, bows, and sentiment are die cut and layered. On the card above, I experimented with using a pale pink card base versus the white card base below.  I have been trying more colored card bases because they seem to add more vibrancy. What do you think?

As always, I made a half dozen duplicates for donation.

Meet our featured guest designer for January 2026, Laurel Seabrook. Please welcome her and check out her fabulous work at Seabrook Designs.

Also, check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	The Greetery Diamond Ribbons die The Greetery Bitty Botanicals stamp and stencil Simon Says Stamp Thinking of You die My Favorite Things Thinking of You die
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Bazzill solid color cardstock Stardream dark pink metallic cardstock Vellum
Ink	Simon Says Stamp dye inks Copic markers
Embellishments	Little Things by Lucy's Cards pearls
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

Just Us Girls #806 -- MOODBOARD Week

Join us! It is MOODBOARD week at Just Us Girls.  Vicki is challenging us to be inspired by the mood board above when creating our cards this week.  I was inspired by the number of magazines in the layout and decided to try the new Pinkfresh book die.  This is an unusual cover plate. I betterpressed the image, colored it with a stencil, die-cut it, and mounted it with foam tape on an A2 base.  The sentiment is better pressed and die-cut as well. The final touches were gold paint on the light bulbs and a few gems. Who doesn't need birthday cards? I made a half dozen.

Meet our featured guest designer for January 2026, Laurel Seabrook. Please welcome her and check out her fabulous work at Seabrook Designs.

Also check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	Pinkfresh Twilight Tales letterpress plate, stamp, and dies
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black Simon Says Stamp dye inks
Embellishments	Little Things by Lucy's Cards gems Liquidex gold paint
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

Just Us Girls #805 -- WORD Week

Join us! It is WORD week at Just Us Girls.  I am your host this week and am challenging you to draw inspiration from the word ENCOURAGEMENT in your card creations.  

As many of you know, I support Friends After Diagnosis (a local cancer support group) with cards that counselors and aides send to patients and survivors in the group. So I love making encouragement cards. This week is no exception; I made a dozen of the above card.  This is a new stamp from Stampingbella, Copic-colored and fussy-cut.  I mounted the image atop scrap pink papers and added a layered "here for you" sentiment. The final touch was several rhinestones.

Meet our featured guest designer for January 2026, Laurel Seabrook. Please welcome her and check out her fabulous work at Seabrook Designs.

Also, check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	Stampingbella Uptown Girl Loves Her Cardigan Simon Says Stamp Here For You die
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Scrap patterned cardstock Vellum
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black Copic markers
Embellishments	Little Things by Lucy's Cards gems
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

Just Us Girls #804 -- DIE Week

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Join us! It is DIE week at Just Us Girls.  I am your host this week and am challenging you to make a card using a COVER PLATE die.  This coverplate can be a die, a letterpress plate, or a hot foil plate.  

The category is broad this week because I received a Betterpress machine for Christmas and wanted to play with it. Jennifer McGuire said Betterpress is flawless, that our first card would be perfect. Well, I didn't find that to be true. I messed around with inks, paper, and plates for several days before I came up with a couple of cards that I like. The card above was not inked; it was just "pressed." In other words, I used the Betterpress plate more as an embosser. I stenciled the flowers, adding a bit of gold paint at the flower centers. I then letterpressed the hello sentiment over the design.  I finished the card by adding a few glitter dots.

The card below is another attempt.  I used Spellbinders Betterpress ink.  I think plates need to be conditioned first (not sure about this). This card took three tries. I made several attempts to color them, but there are a lot of details, and my hand isn't as steady as it used to be.  I have a feeling that I will just be "letterpressing" in single colors. Of course, this card is simplicity at its best, and the design is beautiful.

Hope everyone with Betterpress has had better luck than I have. Here's to better crafting as the year progresses.  I generally make multiple cards; this week, however, my multiples were all experiments.

Meet our featured guest designer for January 2026, Laurel Seabrook. Please welcome her and check out her fabulous work at Seabrook Designs.

Also, check out the design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Other	Spellbinders Layered Floral Celebration, press plate, and stencil Spellbinders Sweeping Script Sentiments Concord & 9th Just Saying dies My Favorite Things Blueprints 16 (embossed A2 die)
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Bazzill solid black cardstock Vellum
Ink	Spellbinders Letterpress black ink Simon Says Stamp dye inks
Embellishments	Pinkfresh glitter dots Liquidex gold paint
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape

The Paper Players PP767 - A Theme Challenge from Jaydee

Join us! It is THEME week at The Paper Players.  Jaydee is challenging us to create a card that incorporates the theme GIFTING.  What a fun way to build your Christmas stash.  Initially I thought I would make Christmas tags but I thought tags in card form would be more fun.  I am just starting to wrap all Christmas gifts I have to mail, I like the idea of adding a "gifting" card to each package.

I used Sizzix' Santa's Helper. In order to make more cards, I die cut the center square from the background piece.  By doing so I was able to get 2 cards out of each background panel; I made eight copies of this card. The primary sentiment is stamped, die cut, and layered on a silver glitter, pinked circle.  The sub-sentiment is embossed on silver DSP.  The present is layered and very glittery in order to be the card's focal point.  Glitter dots finished the card.

Check out our fabulous design team.  These ladies work hard to inspire you each week.  Drop by their blogs and leave them a little love.

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Anne Marie Hile

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier

Stef Perry

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:

 
1.  Create a new paper project

2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.

3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges in total.

Enjoy!  I am looking forward to your inspired creations in the gallery. 

Elizabeth

Project Details
Stamps/Dies	Tim Holtz Sizzix Santa's Helper Simply Graphic Happy Holiday Sentiments Anglais Waffle Flower Nesting Pinking Circles Mama Elephant Mini Messages Hero Arts Infinity Circles Hero Arts Infinity Squares
Cardstock	110lb. Neenah Solar Crest Memory Box 6x6 Christmas DSP My Favorite Things purple and green glitter cardstock Mirricard gold cardstock Simon Says Stamp silver glitter cardstock 80lb. Neenah Desert Storm Bazzill solid black cardstock Paperandmore.com striped silver cardstock
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments	Pinkfresh glitter dots
Desk Staples	Dahle Personal Rotary Cutter Scor Pal Mini Score Board Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Ranger Stamp Platform Bearly Art Precision Glue 3M ATG 714 Tape Adhesive 3M foam tape