Sparkling Christmas

Dies: Large Geometric Rose (Clearly Besotted); Nesting Squares (QuicKutz)

Font: Trocchi, Cafe & Brewery

Other: Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provocraft); Wink of Stella

Michelle is having a break from CAS-ual Fridays; this is the last challenge until next year.  So I thought I'd do a Christmas card for the tic tac toe challenge.

I've chosen the dots-white-sequins line. But aaarggh, the picture doesn't show the sparkle!  The star is the centre cut out from the geometric rose die, stacked 3x for depth & covered with sparkly wink of stella.  Promise!

Plenty of white, which I hope compensates for the single solitary sequin.  Dots are by way of an embossing folder.

Am liking the sentiment - you may see more from that.

PS Have just realised that this card was subliminally inspired by this photo over at Festive Friday:

And another - Simon Says... Emboss It for this week's Wednesday Challenge.

Butterfly love

Stamps: Scripty Sayings (PS); Be Jolly (Technique Tuesday); Hello Sunshine (Lawn Fawn); Elzybells

Ink: Tangelo, Rose Bud (Memento); Soft Pool (HA)
Dies: Tiny Hearts (SSS)

A very simple card for CAS-ual Fridays today.  The challenge is to use hearts in summer colours.

Minecraft creeper card

Stamps: Rad (CAS-ual Fridays)

Ink: Staz-On

Has your house been taken over by MineCraft?  Mine has.  My boys speak a whole new language, & I find myself singing minecraft lyrics in my zumba class, instead of the originals!

 

I have been toying with making a creeper card for a while now, but I was going to do it using the tiny squares from the SSS grid die.  In truth I have put it off because it seemd like too much work & I am nothing if not lazy.

 

However, today I saw this on Ardyth's Pinterest board:

 

 

and remembered this from Mini Eco:

 

 

& my lazy genes rejoiced!

 

I have a whole load of 1/8" ribbon in a variety of colours.  Naturally none were the murky green required, but I soon fixed that wih a couple of pro-markers.  I used random splodges of darker green on top to get the pixellated look:

 

 

These were then attached to some square cardstock & the black ribbon woven vertically for the features.

 

 

Having framed & mounted it, I couldn't get any sentiment to look right, until I hit upon some washi tape.

Am now going to slip in under the wire for CAS-ual Fridays!



 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoppy Birthday

Stamps: Basic Borders (ME); Elzybells

Ink: Bahama Blue, Bamboo Leaves (Memento)

Font: Filbert Color, TW Cen MT Condensed

Other: Frog Die (Provocraft)

Did you ever have a rubber frog which, when you squeezed it, had a long red tongue that unrolled?  My kids did.  Whilst rooting around amongst my dies, this frog came to light, & lo a card was born.

CAS-ual Fridays are challenging us to make a card for a bloke, which uses a ribbon but no kraft, & I think this fits the bill.  Whilst not being overtly masculine, it is certainly not girlie.  Maybe I'll settle on androgynous!

 

 

 

 

Birdhouse hi

Stamps: Tweet Talk (Newton's Nook); Scripty Sayings (PS)

Ink: Soft Pool (HA); Tangelo, Morocco (Memento)

This stamp set was an impulse purchase last week from Make The Day Special.  I thought the birdhouses were too cute to ignore.  

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 170 ~ 3 colours
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC131 ~Three Thirds
Make the Day Special: Challenge 2 ~ Colour choice 2 (sorry, can't seem to copy the picture, whatever I try)

3 colours for Less is More

Stamps: Basic Borders (ME); Scripty Sayings (PS)

Ink: Soft Pool (HA); Tangelo (Memento)

Dies: Borders 1 (PS); Stars (MFT); Tag-a-long (Clearly Besotted)

Inspired by this week’s CAS(E) This Sketch & the colour challenge at Less is More, I came up with this card for one of my son’s teachers.  

Can you tell I’ve got a new toy? Yup, have finally succumbed to the temptation the is Wink of Stella.

Edit: have just realised 3 colours in the top third also make it eligible for CFC31.

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 170 ~ 3 colours

CAS(E) This Sketch#74
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC131 ~Three Thirds

Muse 64 / CFC131

Stamps: Geometric Style 2 (Clearly Besotted); It's Your Day (HA)

Ink: Tangelo, Dandelion (Memento); Tumbled Glass (Ranger Distress)

Dies: Lovely Layers (PTI); Borders 1 (PS)

Mojo has been a bit of a no-show this week.  This was inspired by Marion Vagg at Muse, & fits the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge too.

I discovered there is definitely an order to doing inlaid die-cuts.  Start at the back!

As usual, dithered over the sentiment.  Got as far as mounting on sticky pads before I made up my mind.  Still not convinced...  Who said CAS cards are easy?

Linking to:
Muse: Challenge #64
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC131 ~Three Thirds

Guesting at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps

Stamps: Rad (CAS-ual Fridays); Abstract Art (MFT)

Ink: Tangelo, Lady Bug, London Fog (Memento)

As part of my winners package from CAS-ual Fridays in March, I get to feature MY stuff on THE CAS-UAL FRIDAYS BLOG.  Me.  Where all the cool kids hang out.  How awesome is that?

I was sooooo excited when my parcel came through the post.  I had been planning this card ever since I chose the rad stamp set.  Still took me several attempts to get the inking right though.

I had an epiphany when it came to lining up the paint splatters on the 2 layers:

• temporarily adhere the top to the bottom, mark where it goes
• remove top & stamp splatters on bottom (not my bottom...)
• temporarily adhere acetate to bottom layer
• place top layer on acetate in previously marked position
• line up stamps so they fit over existing images
• stamp
• remove top & acetate (clean & save for another time), permanently fix top to bottom

And now for my next card, a much simpler affair...

Stamps: Bold Wishes (CAS-ual Fridays)

Ink: Lime Green, Soft Pool (HA)

Other:square punch; Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

Yup, just the 2 inks.  The lime green is a new purchase from SSS, with the other part of my CFC prize.  The pale green is a second generation stamping of the lime green (& if I'm being really honest, I think I prefer it).  The bluey green is a happy accident of the 'whoops-I-didn't-clean-my-stamp-properly' kind.  A couple of simple spacer pieces helped to keep the squares even & true.

Thanks again to CAS-ual Fridays for the great prizes & for the fantastic challenges that they keep coming up with which allow us all to share in the fun.

Scientist card

Dies: Rounded Tag, Geometric Style 2 (Clearly Besotted)

Font: Migraine Sans

Other: Anita's 3D Gloss

My brother-in-law is a chemist.  He keeps a whole wall of chemistry tomes in his spare room, along with his guests.  On a recent visit, I was inspired by the symbol on many of the spines.

 

I created & cut the ovals with my Silhouette SD, then added the electrons & nucleus from the dies listed.  A quick google of 'atom puns' gave me the finishing touch.  A geek of a card, but I know just where to send it!

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC130 ~ Good Egg

Brighter days ahead

Font: Halo Handletter

This idea came to me in the wee small hours of this morning, as I listened to the gentle snores emanating from the adjacent pillow.

 

All done using Silhouette Studio.  The acetate was a happy accident that rushed out of my scrap drawer as I rummaged for something completely different.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC129 ~ Using at least 2 shades of gray

CASology: Week 84 ~ Paint

Smile a rainbow

Stamps: It's Your Day (HA)

Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko)

Dies: Parker Alphabet (Memory Box); Postage Stamp (Provocraft)

This was originally conceived for Less is More, but I suspect it may have become a little too busy to be valid.  It was inspired by Kristina Werner's card here, & I will confess that I then added the sentiment 'subway art' to enter it into the Hero Arts Birthday Challenge.

 

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 157 ~ Rainbow

Hero Arts Birthday Challenge: Use a rainbow colour scheme

CAS-ual Fridays : CFC127 ~ Over the Edge

Fantastic Day

Fonts: Sunshine Poppy, Narkism, Cleanvertising, Trocchi

Now it's nice & quiet here, I can break out my Silhouette again.  It hasn't seen the light of day for a wee while, but I have re-furbished it with new mats & blade & it's now armed & ready to craft.

 

A very simple card inspired by CAS-ual Fridays & all the project life stuff I have seen on line lately.  I'm NOT a scrapbooker & probably never will be (in some part due to my terrible photography...), but I love the look of all the embellishments that are available.

 

 

I took a few different swatches from a book of Lidl cardstock that I have been hoarding saving for just such an occasion & cut them all out together, before layering up on the card.

I'm now looking longingly at the large pile of discarded letters, but they will have to wait for another time!

 

Linking to:
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC125 ~ In a Word
Less is More: Week 153 ~ Winter Blues
Addicted to CAS: Challenge #29 ~ Die Cuts  (thanks Kimberley for the heads up on this one!)

Chevrons & Sequins

Stamps: Gingham & Co (WM); Christmas Tags (Elzybells)

Ink: Soft Poll (HA); LadyBug (Memento)

Other: chevron fie (PTI); tiny hearts (SSS); photo frames (Sizzix)

I am exhausted.  This card has taken the best part of 4 hours to put together!  Too fiddly by far.  It was inspired by this card here, & by all the fab 'suspended tree' cards in the latest SSS release.  Part of the card front folds down to allow the chevron tree to hang in the middle of the card.

 

 

 

I tried a number of different methods to get the chevrons to dangle independently.  The most successful (& most fiddly...) was to make individual links out of thread.  I must have used about 5 metres of thread just to get these few links.

By sheer dumb luck, among the very few sequins in my possession were a handful that just matched the Soft Pool ink.  Hurray!  I strung these on (yet more) gold thread & held them in place on the line by a tiny dot of glossy accents.

The photo frame is an adjustment of the Sizzix dies.  I cut a piece of card the right width first & then put the die half way through twice, once from each side.  Hope that makes sense.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC116 ~ Chevrons & Sequins

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: We're going dotty

 

 

 



Father's Day

Dies: Stars (MFT); Pennants (Spellbinders)

Font: Ecuyer Dax, Stars from their Eyes

Eek.  Father's Day on Sunday & nothing suitable in my stash.  Quick - to the laptop.  The ombre HAPPY was a direct CASE from this week's Make it Monday at PTI.  (My son was looking over my shoulder at the time: "I know where you got THAT from Mum").  Printed out twice.  Die cut the spare & coloured with promarker.  No coincidence that this week's CASology is YELLOW.  Stick it all together, take a terrible photo, & there you have it.  Easy to replicate for the fil, too.

 

Linking to:
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC104~ Banners & Flags
CASology: Week 48 ~ Yellow

Birthday Banner

Stamps: It's Your Day (HA); Tin Types (PTI)

Ink: Tangelo (Memento); Versamark (Tsukineko)

Dies: Banners (Spellbinders); Parker Alphabet (Memory Box)

Promarkers: Cool Aqua, Buttercup, Honeycomb, Bluebell

Isn't it amazing how positioning the centres of letters to one side or the other turns a sober & serious font into a quirky one?  Discovered through ineptitude, as per usual.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC104~ Banners & Flags

7th birthday card - stripes & bling

Stamps: It's Your Day (HA); Fancy Phrases (WM); Basic Borders (Mama Elephant)
Ink: Rosebud, Lilac Posies, Tangelo (Memento); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Other:By The Numbers die (MFT); silver card; white e.p.; Diamond Stickles
 

Inspired by the sketch on this week's Fusion challenge:

I stamped the long stripe first, then applied the mask before stamping the other stripes, spacing them using the grid on my stamp press.

The number was die cut, then carefully fussy cut for just an outline.  Stickles were applied once it was stuck in place on the card.

Have realised is also fits a tic-tac-toe line for this week's CAS-ual Fridays ~ dies, bling, birthday.

Off to enjoy the sun now - gotta catch it while you can...

 

Linking to:

Fusion Card Challenge: Hypothesis #5
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC100 ~ Tic-Tac-Toe

Celebrate some more

Font: Migraine Sans MS

Other: Silhouette SD; Cuttlebug Snowflake die (Provocraft); Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

If you've visited this blog a few times, you may have got the hint that I LOVE words on cards.  Not just as a passing sentiment, but as the main event.  So imagine my joy to see that CASology have WORD as their cue card this week.  Amongst the words I use most frequently is celebrate.  It is so multi-functional (if it were a stamp set, it would be Teeny Trees!).  You're not confined to just a birthday, it fits so many occasions.  And today, I am celebrating my 1 year blogversary.  Hurrah.  Also I found a very small stamp that I thought was lost & gone forever, so now a set is complete again.  And that makes me happy.  See - you can celebrate anything!

I cut the word out 4 times with the  Silhouette, keeping the white negative.  Then I layered up the colours with a tiny off-set, fitting the bottom layer back into the negative.  A sprinkling of stars & sparkle & there you have it!

 

I also snapped the card without the stickles (just on the very small off-chance that something might go wrong...),

 

but nothing did (this time). Another reason to celebrate.

Linking to:

CASology: Week #40 ~  Word
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC98 ~ All That Glitters

 

 

 

Celebrate!

Stamps: It's Your Day (HA); Basic Borders (Mama Elephant)

Ink: Dandelion, Tangelo, Morocco, Rose Bud, Lilac Posies (Memento)

Other: flower die (Provocraft); Diamond Stickles; white glitter

Originally made for a Fusion challenge, but missed the deadline.  Luckily I used glitter (even if it is a little camera shy!) for the first time in yonks, so it qualifies for today's CAS-ual Fridays.  Serendipity.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC98 ~ All That Glitters

 

UR awesome

Stamps: Headline Alpha (SU); Fanciful Flowers (Elzybells)

Ink: Pale Tomato (HA); Lilac Posies (Memento)

Paper: Citrus Stack (DCWV)

Other: Spotted e.f. (Provocraft); Aharoni font; Silhouette SD; tracing paper

Well this is one design I won't be repeating in a hurry!  All those stamped flowers, never mind coaxing the letters out of the chevrons where my Silhouette blade is going blunt.

I've had the idea for the 'awesome' chevrons for a wee while now, but never had the opportunity to use them.  Initially I was going to try to make them with the Parker Alphabet, but the letters were just too big, so I dusted off my Silhouette.  The tag was inspired by this week's CASE This Sketch, & the tracing paper prevents the background making the letters look too busy.  I like the contrast of the flowers against the grey masculine chevrons - they soften the whole effect.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC97 ~ Chevrons & Flowers

CAS(E) This Sketch: Sketch #22

CFC94; CTS#19; ABNH#22; A2CAS#8

Stamps: Bitty Bird (PTI); It's Your Day (HA)

Ink: Stazon, Versamark (Tsukineko)

Dies: Parker Alphabet (Memory Box)

Other: paper tape (PaperChase); white e.p. (WOW!); yellow corner chomper

Following this post from Liz at Pink Petticoat, I visited our local PaperChase at the weekend.  I can't believe I have never thought of buying paper there!  Doh!  Came away with some lovely thick tracing paper for printing out digital papers & a packet of 6 rolls of washi tape.

And so the above card was born.  The aqua chipboard is packaging from a cuttlebug embossing folder.  In case you were wondering, I used the 'g' from the Parker Alphabet as the 'a', but cut through from the other side.

 

Linking to:

Cas-ual Fridays: CFC94 ~ Chipboard

CAS(E) This Sketch: Challenge #19

A Blog Named Hero: Challenge#22 ~ Freestyle

Addicted to CAS: ATCAS#8 ~ Wings