Sing like no one's listening......

The new challenge at CASology is up and our word for the week is BIRD.  I didn't think too hard about this one - that word brings to mind the beautiful music that birds make.  I recently bought this Inkadinkado stamp and hadn't inked it up yet, so now was my chance.  Because I wanted to emphasize the musical aspect of my idea, I simply stamped it on some music paper.  I knew I wanted to keep it simple and uncolored, but it was so blah on all of the various neutral shades of cardstock that I held it against.  So I got out my tumbled glass distress ink and one of those little finger spongey thingies and colored in the "sky".  It matched exactly with this Hero Arts layering paper called shallows:

supplies: Hero Arts layering paper "shallows", Hobby Lobby's The Paper Studio music dp, inkadinkado bird stamp by Susan Winget (sorry I canNOT read the style #, it's so small), VersaFine onyx black ink, tumbled glass distress ink

You have no idea how hard it is for me to leave this as is, but because this is a CAS challenge, I will.  

Distress inks

Anne Gaal is celebrating her 4th blogversary with a giveaway of distress inks, either the Spring or the Summer limited edition sets!  All she asks is that we make something using distress inks, and join and load it into her flickr Gallery.  Here is my 2nd entry:

supplies: white and dark aqua cardstock, watercolor paper, Hero Arts G2991 Friends Background, CL430 Real Garden Petals, 657773 Antique Butterflies & Flowers stamps and dies, broken china and peeled paint distress inks, VersaFine onyx black ink

I used a Shari Carroll technique, to ink up an acrylic block with a mix of distress inks, spritz very liberally with water, and then stamp the block onto watercolor paper.  I like the way it squishes out around the edges, giving a nice uneven edge.  After letting that dry well, I overstamped it with the friends definition stamp in black, and the dill image in peeled paint, then trimmed it out and placed it on my card front, adding a stamped and die-cut butterfly.

Anne is an immensely talented artist and photographer and freely shares her ideas.  Happy Anniversary, Anne!  Here's to many more!

Buttons

The challenge at the Ribbon Reel this time is to use buttons and ribbon or twine.  I have no idea why I am so drawn to buttons - I have jars of them, but still "need" more!  Like so many others of my generation, I can remember my Mom's button tin, filled with buttons cut from clothing before they were recycled.  I even inherited my MIL's buttons.  Here's my card for the challenge:

supplies: PTI melon berry card base, dps from BoBunny Little Miss, PTI Beautiful Blooms II #1, crochet lace, peach and green buttons, crochet lace, hemp twine, Hero Arts  330053 Heydey Sentiments

Embellish color challenge with dry embossing

I haven't played at an Embellish Magazine challenge in ages......these colors looked like fun, and I always love to dry emboss. This stamp and this folder kinda "go" together...... Here is my take:

supplies: white, hot pink, and grape cardstock, Hero Arts CG247 Edged Fabric with Flowers, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, Memento pink and green markers, PTI  flower fusion #1, #6, and #12 leaves, Grass chalk ink, Verve #VS0144 Bloom & Grow, EKSuccess flower punch, Lawn Fawn Bright Side dp, purple buttons, Sizzix little flowers embossing folder

Posie Pockets

My sweet friend Nancy recently sent me some digital images that she had designed, and I had a good play with them.  Here are some of the cards I made using her "pocketful of pansies" images.

Since I have yet to figure out how to print on top of design papers, I printed out the various elements onto white cardstock, and then colored and/or overstamped them with various patterns to give that effect.  I love how they turned out!  Pansies are a sentimental favorite with me, and I love that they are digital so that I can make them any size I want! Thank you, Nancy, I love your idea!

Here's a collage of some other cards I made with her set:

Sunshine Makes Me Happy

Happy Wednesday, all!  It's time for another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog and it's everyone's favorite, Anything Goes!   This week my teamies and I have been playing with the new Simon Says Stamp dies!  I had a ball with these, and made 2 cards for you.  My first features the Fresh Daisies die:

And I also used this Hero Arts/ Studio Calico stamp set, HeyDey Sentiments.  So then, of course, I had to use yellows.  I die-cut the daisies once from the yellow gingham paper, and a 2nd time from white cardstock.  Then I colored in the stems and the yellow parts of the flowers on the white diecut and inserted it back into the negative die-cut of the yellow gingham.  

I used the negative of another die on my 2nd card, too, but this time I just let the background shine through to give the detail.

The colors on this card were pulled from the dotted panel from BoBunny's Little Miss paper pad.  I used the Oh Happy Day die - so versatile!  I paired it up with a partial Hero Arts sentiment from this set, framed up the panel and added a die-cut flower and leaves.  This pink, green, and brown/kraft color combination  is one I love

Please visit the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog to see what my other teamies have done this week with more of the dies.

Once again, the fabulous Heidi has given us another $50.00 gift voucher for the random winner of our challenge!

Coral, brown, and tan

Beautiful colors this week at CR84FN!  Coral is one of my favorite colors to wear, but I almost always pair it up with white - after playing with the browns and tans, I just may add them to my wardrobe, also.  Here's my card, using a previously stamped panel, done in tans and browns with a tiny bit of green.   The Doily was stamped and heat embossed, then the other elements were stamped over and around it to make my panel.   I just had to make the flower and the sentiment, and I was finished!

supplies: brown, tan and coral cardstock, Lawn Fawn Bright Side coral patterned paper,  Hero Arts CG168 Circle Doily, CL383 Antique Engravings, LL040 Woodland Ferns, H2141 Manuscript Background, CL491 Made with Love, Palette Burnt Umber ink, PTI Beautiful Blooms II #1, Basic Grey brad, 

CASE-ing Lisa

This card of Lisa Spangler's is the one that put me on the Washi Tape bandwagon.  It was the first time I'd seen "pretty" tapes, so I went on the hunt for some.....didn't have to look too far, as good old Martha had done most of the choosing for me (red plaid, wide floral, and skinny green dots).  I added the blue gingham one by Bella Blvd, and the bigger green dots came from Target.  Here's my card for the challenge at A Blog Named Hero:

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, tapes from Martha Stewart, Bella Blvd, and Target, Hero Arts CL569 Truly Grateful, Sizzix little flowers embossing folder, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper (LOVE this thing)

I really liked that Lisa also embossed her panel with a small pattern, so I followed suit there also.  

CASE Study #100

This is the 100th CASE Study challenge this week, so I really wanted to play.  Here is our inspiration from Kristi Lockart:

Isn't it darling?  And all stamped, too - to me, that's a huge plus!  I loved all the elements that Kristi used, the colors, her design.  My card uses all of them, but in a much, much simpler way.....this Hero Arts stamp had all the elements I loved on Kristi's in one stamping; all I had to do was color it and add my sentiment.

supplies: kraft card base, white and aqua cardstock, Hero Arts K5483 Tree Trunk, Memento and distress markers to color,  Papertrey Ink sentiment from Vintage Picnic Sentiments, EK Success diamond scallop border punch, red and white gingham ribbon

Pretty Pastels

Such pretty colors at the Play Date Cafe this week - I had fun with these!  I again used the same stamp as the card below in the next post, but this time I embossed it in white on pale yellow paper, then colored in the pink flowers and leaves, leaving the larger flowers alone.

supplies: white card, pale coral and tulip cardstock,  lawn fawn dp (on large flower), various other scraps of yellow and green dps, Hero Arts CG247 Edged Fabric with Frame, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, pink and green Memento markers, CL5527 Stitched Frame (large flower and leaves), CL496 Layered Flowers (small flower), CL130 Frames & Messages (sentiment), VersaFine onyx black ink, Basic Grey brad, Fiskars brackets border punch

Back with Black

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a clean and simple card using a black card base.  Black is not a color I use often, but I really like how this turned out.

supplies: black card base, white, pink and mint cardstock, Hero Arts CG247 Edged Fabric with Flowers, VersaFine onyx black ink and clear embossing powder, Memento pink and green markers, CL497 Find Joy, Tonic Daisy 2 Border Punch

The fabric stamp was stamped on white cardstock using black ink and clear embossed, then I colored in the flowers and leaves.  

Paper flowers

Making the card yesterday reminded me that one of the monthly challenges at the Hero Arts Blog is to make paper flowers.  I decided to use my newest Hero Arts flower and some Amuse papers that sweet Barb gave to me for my birthday, along with some pretty buttons.  I like that this is a way to "preserve" those pretty papers and buttons even after they've all been used up!

supplies: Amuse ginghams and dots, Hero Arts CL527 Stitched Frame, dotted buttons from The Ribbon Girl and others from my stash, wire

Here's a video and tutorial by Shari Carroll showing the same technique that I used to make my bouquet.

I put them in a little glass jar filled with sand, and the wire is on the flimsy side, so when the breeze hits them from my open window, they bob and move just like the real things!  

Happy

Challenge #2 at CASology is "happy".  This is truly the first thing that popped into my mind, a bunch of daisies.  But is it clean and simple enough?  Still too much "stuff" on it?

supplies: white cardstock, Hero Arts E3346 Zinnia Bloom, CL293 Scattered Leaves, CL520 Live & Laugh (sentiment), VersaFine onyx black ink, peeled paint distress marker for stems and peeled paint distress ink for stamping of leaves, doodlebug designs tangerine twine (thanks, Marcy)

Hope Flowers

It's Wednesday, and that means another challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog!

This week it's a sketch challenge and here's the sketch that our Dawny provided for us:

This week the design team is using products from My Favorite Things, one of my favorite companies - they make such fun stamps, not to mention all their wonderful dies, too!  Here's my card for this week:

I used 2 Pure Innocence stamps, Blooming Good Day for the little girl, and Daffodil for the sentiment, and I couldn't resist adding my favorite flower dies, these Mini Rolled Roses.   All of the printed papers are from the Little Darlings paper pad, and I also used Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Rectangles.

You can use any products you'd like as long as we can see the sketch in your creation - and of course your entry may win you a $50.00 gift voucher from the Simon Says Stamp Superstore!!

Please visit the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog to see what my teamies did with this challenge, and then link your creation there!

Hooked on Hexagons

I'm so glad that Cath decided to give us a hexagon challenge at Moxie Fab World.  It forced me to get out my new Die-Namics hexagon dies and actually use them.  For whatever reason this trend had me a bit intimidated.  But once I chose my papers and actually cut out a few hexagons, I had fun!  Here's my card:

supplies: white cardstock, BoBunny Little Miss and Gabrielle paper pads, plus some other scraps, The Crafts Meow Simply Delightful sentiment, VersaFine Vintage Sepia ink, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Hero Arts heart pearl

I originally had another hexagon in the place where the butterfly ended up, but when I started placing everything, that Gabrielle background paper had a little white butterfly right there, so I followed suit - happy coincidence!  

Inspired by Shari Carroll

At A Blog Named Hero, our challenge is to be inspired by the Hero Arts Artists.

I chose Shari Carroll, and specifically her Stamp Layering technique, which she taught us in March of 2011.  Here is my card using her method:

supplies: white textured cardstock, CL428 Earth Flowers, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, S5507 Envelope Pattern, broken china distress ink, CG172 Garden Bouquet, distress markers spritzed with water, CL156 Treasure the Moments, 657773 Antique Flowers & Butterflies stamp and die, VersaFine onyx black ink

I challenged myself to use her technique and mask the borders as well.  Here's how I did it:  I first masked my card around a rectangular piece of acrylic that I used as a shadow stamp.  Then I stamped and embossed the white "bush".  Next I inked my acrylic block with tumbled glass and broken china distress inks, spritzed it well with water, and "stamped" that in my open area over the embossed bush.   After that was dried, I overstamped the envelope pattern using broken china distress ink.  Then I inked my Garden Bouquet stamp using distress markers, spritzed that with water, and overstamped and let that dry.  Next I pulled off the masking, overstamped my sentiment, and stamped and die-cut the butterfly and popped it above the card.   So if you count the acrylic block stamping as a layer, there are 5 layers of stamping on this card.

Caribbean Sunshine Strips

supplies: white cardstock, strips from various design papers:  My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose pads: Hazel and Gertie,  Lost & Found Two: Breeze, Echo Park's Hello Summer, MME Six by Six Everyday Flair,  Basic Grey's Shine On, Hero Arts CL495 Blossom Art, CL511 Sweet Threads Thank You, mid-tone Pool ink, blue gems, Martha Stewart doily punch, Fiskar's edge punch

Here's a card I made for 3 challenges this week.  The Play Date Cafe wants us to use Caribbean Blue, Shoreline, and Sunshine:

And CAS-ual Fridays want us to use strips of color or pattern in a CAS card:

And I'd also like to enter this card into the Stamp It! Cards Thank You Challenge at Moxie Fab World.

Cards for Maddy and Melanie

I'm hoping to spread the word to help get some cards sent to Maddy and her family.  Simon Says Stamp had an article about this family from Columbus, Ohio HERE.  Maddy is 13 and has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and will be undergoing chemo to get ready for a  stem cell transplant from her 15 year old sister Melanie.  I think it's a wonderful thing for all of us to be temporary Chemo Angels and send the girls and their parents a flood of encouraging, uplifting cards.  Here is the address if you'd like to contribute:

Simon Says Stamp

Attn: Cards for M & M

44 Lazelle Road

Columbus, OH  43235

Cards are being collected beginning now through Friday, August 3, 2012.  Please help if you can!

Yellow and red

Here's the photo inspiration for the color challenge at CR84FN

:

Such happy summer colors!  Here's my entry:

supplies: white and yellow cardtock, design paper from Little Yellow bicycle "Snuggle Bug" and My Mind's Eye "Gertie", Hero Arts CG247 Edged Fabric With Flowers, butter bar mid-tone ink, CL495 Blossom Art, Technique Tuesday AE This is the Day, VersaFine onyx black ink, yellow sunshine pearls from Queen and Company, Sizzix Sizzlits Branch with Leaves die

Fresh Fruit

Hey, bloggers, it's Wednesday and that means another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog!

This week our theme is Let's Get Fruity! Fun, huh?  One of my favorite things about summer is all the wonderful fresh fruits we can get at this time of year.

I used the Hero Arts clear set called Simply the Best, and tied a twine bow around the apple.  Then I distressed all the edges before putting it together.

As always, one random winner of our challenge will receive a $50.00 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Have you really looked through the store?  It has EVERYTHING; truly is a one stop shop!

Please come visit us at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog to see lots of ideas from my fellow team-mates, and then make something to share with us!

CASology challenge #1

There's a new Clean and Simple challenge blog starting up called CASology.  Our first challenge is "sun"; we are to do whatever we like with what that word brings to mind, and keep it clean and simple.  Here's my entry:

supplies: white cardstock, sun stamp from Our Craft Lounge "Sunshine Cheer", sentiment from The Crafts Meow "Baggin Some Rays", VersaFine onyx black ink, Memento markers, PTI cloud dies, design papers from Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl" and "Togetherness"

Blue and green

The challenge at the Speedy Fox & Friends challenge is to make a blue and green card.  They are two of my favorite colors, together or apart, so I had to play!  I decided to use a shade of blue that is almost impossible to find nowadays - everything has gone to the green-blue, aqua tones, instead of this sky blue, Wedgewood blue, country blue that I so love.  I have a few ancient printed papers with this color and that's what I used, pairing them with this fresh spring green.  Here's my card:

supplies: blue, green, and white cardstock, DCWV blue stripe, various blue printed papers, flowers from Hero Arts CL527 Stitched Frame and CL496 Layered Flowers, Memory Box Meadow Leaf die, sentiment from Northwoods stamps, VersaFine onyx black ink, Martha Stewart doily edge punch, Sizzix little flower embossing folder

More text

Here's another entry for this weeks CAS-ual Fridays "Text Me" challenge:

I used 2 old Hero Arts stamps for this: E2823 Petals with Stripes, and E3374 Summer Memories, along with some mid-tone inks: bubble gum, butter bar, green hills, and spiced marmalade distress ink

Text Me

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays this week is to use text in a Clean and Simple Card.

I've always been drawn to cards that incorporate text into the design, so I couldn't wait to start playing!  After trying various things, I remembered this pretty pink text paper from Jillibean Soup's Blossom Soup papers, and I decided to use it for my flowers.  

supplies: white cardstock, design papers from Jillibean Soup Blossom Soup (flowers) and Echo Park Hello Summer (leaves), Hero Arts CL527 Stitched Frame, AR137 Script Messages, VersaFine onyx black ink, yellow buttons, yellow embroidery floss

And, I think "Sending Smiles" is a way of saying "Hello", don't you?  So I'm also entering this into the Moxie Fab World's Stamp It! Cards "Hello" challenge.

Tuesday Trigger

It's been awhile since I played at the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World; but I was really inspired by Cath's photo inspiration this week:

My mind went immediately to this beautiful poppy stamp by Hero Arts:

supplies: white and red cardstock, Hero Arts CL449 Delicate Blossoms, VersaFine onyx black ink, Letraset Amaranth Red and Bright Green Flex Markers, CL491 Made with Love, Adirondack cranberry ink and clear embossing powder, Nestabilities circle and scallop circle dies

This works also for the Love Card Challenge at Moxie Fab World's Stamp It! Cards Week challenges.  And it works for Virginia's challenge, using her tip to use just a part of a stamp in your design.

Just Saying Hello

Here's another card for the Stamp It! Cards Hello challenge at Moxie Fab World:

supplies: white and blue cardstock, BoBunny Mint Dot design paper, Hero Arts 657765 Birds n Trees stamp and embossing folder, CL267 Card Messages, CL479 Dictionary Greetings, Hero Hues Grass chalk ink, VersaFine Lagoon Blue inks, Memory Box Perched Reed Bird die, Offray green ribbon, foam adhesive 

These stamp and embossing folder sets by Sizzix and Hero Arts are really fun!  I hope they continue to collaborate with some more of them in the future.