Getting back to it

Hi friends,

After what seems like weeks of hot humid heat, today is a cool softly rainy day.  The windows are all open and the house is getting a nice breath of fresh clean air and it's time to create.

But first I had to convince the neighbor's visiting cat to give up her view as she plotted the day's hunt. She ignored me.  So, I picked up my phone to photograph her...she never sits still for photos.

After getting my crafty space back, I had to play along with Casology's 5th Anniversary celebration.

 

I used one balloon cut from gold vellum with an MFT die, and the sentiment is courtesy of Impression Obsession .

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Casology Wish

This week at Casology the code word is wish.  A friend has moved to Florida recently.

Inside it reads: Wishing you happy days and friendly neighbors.

Thanks for stopping by.

Beach

I have been mojo-less since I got back from Ohio, I had a few cards I made before I left that have recently been posted.  I made my Paper Smooches cards for the Guest Designing gig, but other than that my creativity had flatlined.

Best thing to do, is to just jump in and get warmed up!  Casology's cue is Beach.

 

One of the things I love about the beach is 1 hour watching the water is like 2 hours at a spa.  I also love to pick up seashells.  Those thoughts inspired this card.  And I kept it simple...cause I need lots of man cards.

The relax die is from SSS, and the shells come from Close to My Heart.


Thanks so much for stopping by.

P.S. Don't forget Wednesday is my next installment as Guest Designer for Paper Smooches. I'd love you to see what I made.

Guest Designing at Casology

I was so pleased that my dizzy dog card won over at Casology, last week.  Thank you so much, Judy, for picking my card.

So then, I get an email from Melissa asking if I would like to Guest Design...well YES of course.  So I am thrilled to be able to do this again. Thank you so much for the invitation.

This week the cue is:

My CAS designed card uses a neutral background that isn't white with pops of color tied to the sentiment. There is texture on the card but not a lot of clutter.

Parties are FUN right!

Thanks so much for stopping by, now go play with the cue word!  I'd love to see your creations in the gallery.

Casology Chevrons

Happy Friday!  I am getting a card in this afternoon for Casology's cue Chevron, before hubs and I head out for a free summer concert.

Supplies: Papers-Stampin Up, Stamps-Fresh Squeezed Stamps, Die- MFT, Nuvo Crystal Drops, scrap of glitter tape, glossy accents and spectrum sparkle marker(clear) Hero Arts Ink, Versafine Ink



Have a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Row of Color

Hello!

This card is for Casology Week # 204  cue word ROW, and Color Throwdown #399.  The graphics for both challenges are at the bottom of this post.

I send my Dad cards weekly with the find the difference puzzles from the Washington Post Sunday magazine. Sometimes coming up with a masculine card is difficult.  Color choices make that a bit easier.

When I saw the prompt for Casology, I knew I wanted to use Simon Says Stamp's Medium Dot Row die in some fashion.  Checking out Color Throwdown gave me a good set of colors that can go either masculine or feminine.

I die cut the bottom of the card front panel, then colored each of the dots with Memento markers and then clear heat embossed them for the color to hold up.  Each dot was then replaced on a small foam square into its space.

                                   

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Egg over at CASology

click to go to challenge

I wanted to try some no line coloring.  I bought this Avery Elle stamp last year too late for the Easter creations. So this is my first shot playing with it.  I stamped it in SSS Fog ink and colored with copic markers.  Then I cut around the image with an oval die from MFT. The card based was dry embossed and a couple of epoxy hearts frame the main image.


Thanks so for stopping by~

Kitty Love

I really need to get Valentines made!  I am trying to find the mojo to get it done.  I started with this card,  I used the inspiration from Casology's cue word this week.

This card is for my Dad from his two adorable bundles of fun and fur Digger and Jack. They absolutely adore my Dad so this card is a perfect Valentine from them to him.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Casology 181

The cue at Casology 181 this week is:

I thought about this one. Shaker card, Acetate card, hmmmm...around about midnight I had an idea that involved neither acetate nor shaker bits.

I have a friend who could use a pick-me-up. I know she's been feeling like she is living under a cloud lately.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Open

The cue at Casology this week is:

 

I so struggled with this one, but I am posting them anyway.

Thanks for stopping by, really thanks!

early morning crafting

This might be a first. I am awake and crafting at 8 am eastern time. There is no scramble, no alarm clock, no reason I can think of that I would be awake a mere 4 hours after going to bed...and wide awake at that.

I scrolled through the challenges I had saved but not played and found three that might play nicely together.

But first the card:

Stamps- Hero Arts S5654, CL342, Inks- SSS High Dive, Hero Arts Soft Pool

I wanted a masculine card to send to my Dad. The sketch from Freshly Made Sketches #218 really caught my eye.  This also was a really simple card to make so I am also submitting it to Casology #179 code word Simple. Lastly it is definitely a masculine card and anything goes at The Male Room #26.  Man cards are often tough for me, but this one works and my Dad will love it.

       

You can visit the challenges by clicking the written links or the icons above. Now I just might need a little nap!  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

A different Vehicle

This week the prompt at CASology is vehicle.  I wanted to do something different so I looked up the definition of vehicle and found this:

ve·hi·cle 

/ˈvēək(ə)l/

noun

1. a thing used for transporting people or goods, especially on land, such as a car, truck, or cart

 

 I have a new stamp set and I have been playing with it all weekend.  The main portion of the set is a wheelbarrow.  I am calling it my vehicle for a pile of gifts this week and am entering it to CASology.

Stamp Set : Clearly Besotted - Giving Thanks 

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by.

Guest Designing at CAS-ology 154

I was floored -- when I  found out Kimberly had chosen my card as the winner  at CAS-logy - Cue Nautical. (Thank You!)

Then thrilled! (because those CAS cards are so darned hard for me!)

Then terrified -- after I excitedly accepted Melissa's invitation (Thank you!) to be a guest designer for this week's theme at CAS-ology.

Then excited when I found out the cue for this week :

A card design popped into my head immediately!  I chose to make a square card, then repeat circles throughout the design.

Supplies: Dies by SSS (Smile, Bubble Parade), Stamp by SSS (Happy & Smile), Cardstock SSS-Sunshine, Patterned Papers - Doodlebug. Size 4.25" by 4.25".

Thanks so much for stopping by, and head over to CAS-ology  by clicking on the cue card above and give it a try!

Find your Happy

I just opened my new SSS card kit for July, and I am so in love with these stamps! I love boat rides and being out on the water (but not in the water...I still haven't recovered from Jaws all those years ago).

I've used the sketch form Freshly Made Sketches 192  and the theme from CASology-152 Nautical for my card.  I used a lot of white on white which I love, but is difficult to photograph.

Supplies: SSS Clear Sailing, SSS Happy Everyday, SSS Stitched Circle, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens, Darice Clouds Background EF, HA Silver EP, Versamark, SU Cardbase, Neenah Paper, DCWV Glitter paper.

 

Tropical

I've been contemplating all week what to do for CASology's challenge "Tropical".  I contemplated too long, the collection closed at noon, and I am about 12 hours too late.  I love the card, so I am posting it anyway.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies:
Distress Inks - Dried Marigold, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry
Wink of Stella - Clear and Black
Glossy Accents
CK Nouveau Font

Easter Wishes

I have a couple of posts today, for two challenges.  First up CASology Week 136 - Basket.

There is absolutely no basket anywhere in sight on this card...but if you look closely you can see the wonderful basket weave embossing on the card panel.  I don't know the name of the folder or the brand-the sheet was part of a blog candy win; and I have been saving it for the perfect card.  I think this is it.

My sentiment comes from A Muse Studios, and the jelly beans are cut from DCWV glitter paper with a Paper Smooches die. The vellum and the card base are both from Stampin Up.

You can reach the casology challenge page by clicking the link in the first paragraph, or the cue card above.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Many Thanks

A second post today with another down to the wire challenge entry. This card is for CASology - Mini and the colors were inspired by Color Throwdown 331.

My main image was colored using Memento Markers on a Denami Designs Rosebud Trio stamp. I decided to color in the design to get the four colors for the CTD challenge. The greeting is from Hero Arts -Petite Messages.

I have a hard time with Clean and Simple ...that white space just freaks me out...but this one works for me.

ETA:  an honorable mention for this card...what??? a CAS card...wow so thrilled. Thanks Tracey!

Thanks for stopping by!

  

Scrambling and a couple of challenges

Today's Hero Arts Scramble was hosted by Barb, and her theme was white on white. A neutral/mettalic was allowed for the sentiment.  I love the look of white on white...but wow was it difficult to get  a good photograph.

I used Hero Arts Stamps - Butterflies for the main image, Sat it all for the sentiment- and heat embossed them with white powder on vellum. I dry embossed the card base with a Cuttlebug embossing folder Victoria.  To the panel with the embossed vellum pieces I added some pearls, and ribbon and then took 8 photos before I was okay with the picture.  I am submitting this one to A2Z's February Challenge - Embossing.

Since I still had this stamp out, I wanted to try it for CAS-ology's cue card Monochrome. These clean and simple cards are so hard for me.

 I started with some Dove Grey cardstock by WPlus9, and inked up the dogwoods from the butterflies set with Versafine Smokey Grey, I also stamped and embossed the set's smallest butterfly in smokey grey on vellum, then heat embossed with clear powder.  I kinda like the very delicate look that gives the butterfly.  The same thanks from Say it all was added.  It is difficult to see but there are 5 embossed lines under the sentiment for a touch of texture along with an outline debossing around the main image.

 My last card is the third of three that I need for a swap in early March. I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for inspiration. 

My first task was to mask off that diagonal stripe area, I added Tiny Leaves with embossing paste colored with lime green glimmer mist over the Gormet Rubber Stamps stencil. I added some Distress Glitter in White Rock Candy over the stenciled leaves.

While that dried, I stamped and colored with Copic's my main image from Newton's Nook Basket of Wishes stamp set.  I put together several words from that set, and Newton's Nook set Simply Sentimental to get my sentiment. I die cut my main image circle using MFT's stitched circles. 

I wanted to tie in the yellow just a bit more so I added a bit of yellow ric rac over the embossing paste leaves,  The panel when complete was mounted on some Certainly Celery Stampin Up cardstock. I added just a bit of clear Wink of stella to the bow and the eggs, and then covered that with glossy accents.

Friend

The first of my valentines was made for CAS-ology week 130 - FRIEND.

It was the most fun of all the cards I made today, and I think it shows.  I started with watercolor paper, and free hand drew a heart with a wet brush.  Then I touched that space with a very wet watercolor loaded brush.  I let the color go where it wanted to inside that heart. I added a bit more clear water to help it fill out the shape.  Then I LEFT IT ALONE.

My laptop sits on a cooling pad with little fans, and that is up a bit from my table top giving me the perfect little place to slide my wet card panels. They dry more quickly than sitting in the open, and I get fewer mishaps than drying with a heat tool.

The silver embossed sentiments came next, and because white space makes me itch...I added a tiny bit more of that vibrant pinky-red by cutting a curve on my watercolor panel and mounting it onto the cardstock off set just a bit.  And, since I wanted that silver to make more of a statement  I added some glitter paper at the bottom of the card.  I am not sure if it is still a CAS card, but I do love it and I could easily reproduce it.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

ETA- also submitting to SSS Flickr challenge#11

Supplies:

Watercolor Paper - Canson

Watercolors - Koi

Embossing Powder - Hero Arts, Versa Mark Ink
Stamps - Simon Says Stamp Friendship Messages, PTI Keep it Simple Valentine Mini

Die - Simon Says Stamp A2 Card Curved Edge

Glitter Paper - DCVW