Addicted to CAS #130

Doni is the host for this Addicted to CAS challenge and she chose this as her code word.

Until recently I didn't have any cat stamps.  I don't have Copics and wondered how I could do critter images justice.  Then I fell in love with a couple of PB cat and dog stamps and gave it a whirl. Here's not one but two little cat valentines.

This kitty is colored with Inktense pencils.  To compliment the DSP I cut some tiny hearts and stamped them with sentiments from PTI.

This is the same design in a different color way with the exception of the sentiment which came from PTI.

Our sponsor is Happy Little Stampers who will award a $20 voucher to the winner.  Come on over to the blog to see what the Design Team has made to inspire you. If I can make two cards, surely you can make one for our CAT challenge.

Just Us Girls #428 - Color Week

Here are the colors for this week's challenge at Just Us Girls as chosen by Angie.

I often have difficulty with color challenges but the first thing that popped into my mind was 'berry'.  If the color is berry why not make berries.  And so I did.

These are the summer berries from PTI stamped with Altenew Ink and shaded a little with colored pencils.  The sentiment is from PB.

Our guest designer this month is Tenia Nelson and she and the Design Team have some colorful cards for your inspiration over on the blog.  Please go take a look and then link your card up in the gallery.  You may be chosen Chic of the Week and be eligible to be our guest in April.

Merry Monday #277

Finally a card for Merry Monday.  I played around with a number of ideas and none of them was worth the effort of finishing.  In desperation I leafed through my UFO drawer and found a "Brusho through a stencil" panel that I did a long time ago.  The colors worked well for a Christmas card.

The PTI sentiment was cut from glitter paper and inlaid into the panel. I'm not crazy about what looks like a tomato in the center of the O but trying a piece of plain white looked even worse, so it is what it is.

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope you have a great weekend.

CASology #287

We're better together and so we make our together cards for CASology.  Mine is about as CAS as you can get.

The clocks embossing folder speaks to the sentiment from a GinaK exclusive for CPD.  I can think of a number of people this would apply to.  If only all my cards were this easy. ;) 

Thank you for spending a little time visiting and commenting.

Papertrey Ink Stripe Challenge

I found a need for a more masculine get well card and the stripe challenge at Papertrey Ink gave me a great format for one.

Watercolor Wonder was used to make the stripes with Cracked Pistachio.  The Psalms quote was added on top with the fussy cut feathers.

Thanks for dropping by.

Inspired By All the Little Things #79

I have a fairly literal take on the Inspired By All the Little Things photo but when you have a bicycle stamp you have to use it.

This turned out even better than I imagined.  You can see the mixture of stamps below.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for dropping by.

Stamps: SSS Beautiful Ride, Sending Happy Thoughts, Ornaments and Presents; PB Happy Snippets
Dies: Beautiful Ride, Sugar Pea HB2U (CPD exclusive), SSS Stitched Rectangles
Stencil: MFT
Inks: Zigs, Altenew Evenng Gray and Crimson, DI Black Soot

CAS(E) This Sketch #258

Sketch challenges are one of my favorites and I love playing along with CAS(E) This Sketch.  This is the sketch for this week.

It was like a lightning bolt hit when I thought of the idea for my card.

I've long neglected the PTI Garden Gate set (that I HAD to have) and those hollyhocks seemed like the perfect image for my card.  A little grass die from MCS (closed) and a sentiment from HA grounds them.

Stately flowers hollyhocks are but I remember making dancing ladies out of their blossoms.

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope flowers bring fond memories for you.

Addicted to Stamps and More #279

Here's another Addicted to Stamps and More challenge for those of you who love a clean and simple card.  Here's mine.

I did this a while ago right after I got the darling Gerda Steiner dogs and it was just waiting for a challenge.  He's colored with Zigs and popped into an MFT peekaboo cut.

The Design Team has some fabulous cards to inspire you and we hope you'll make a clean and simple card for our gallery.

TIME OUT #102

I was waiting for an order before I could finish my card for Time Out.  It arrived yesterday and here's my card.

It was the N&T 'love' die I was waiting for and it's cut from gold textured paper.  The striped paper is old, old but the heart is from shimmer paper I found at Walmart last Fall.  You can't see it in the photo but it does give a little extra something to the card.  I fiddled with several options for the 'you' but decided on this label from N&T and offset it.    Do you want to see the inspiration? 

Thanks for dropping by.  I love it when you do.

Inspired By #6

I was waiting for my dies to arrive for the Gerda Steiner squirrels so I could make a card for the Inspired By. . . challenge.  I probably could have done a one-layer card but that's not what I had in mind.

I'm not quite sure this is what I had in mind either. ;)  I colored this cutie with my new PolyChromos, cutting off the acorn so I could have him holding his love letter.  This is the photo that inspired me.

Thanks for dropping by and a hug to you for doing so.

Less Is More #364

It must be that February is a good start up month because several stamp companies and challenges are celebrating birthdays.  It's the 7th birthday for Less Is More and I wish them many more successful years as a wonderful CAS challenge.  Their theme for this challenge is Music. 

The staff is from PB and I added some red Stickles to the heart.  I couldn't believe how beautifully the sentiment from Altenew fit my card.

Thanks for dropping by.  You and your lovely comments make my heart sing.

PTI Anniversary Challenges

Happy 11th Anniversary Papertrey Ink!

I found a couple of the Papertrey Ink anniversary challenges compelling and went right to work to make cards for them.  The first one I saw was the Transformation Tuesday Challenge where you make over a previous card.  Here's the first one I made using Beautiful Blooms almost three years ago.

Here's the updated version.

The second card is brighter, with some of the petals overlapping.  While the first one was part of a doodling requisite for Make It Monday, the second one has some colored pencil shading.  Even my photography (or editing) has improved.

Another of the challenges is the Retirement List Set Challenge.  I found the Confetti Garland Borders Mini Stamp on the list and created a valentine.

The sentiment is from PTI's Wet Paint and the card base is their Lovely Lady cs.

I'm hoping to find time to do a couple of their other challenges.

Just Us Girls #427 - Trend Week

I was going through tag withdrawal after the Tag You're It! challenge closed.  Nancy gave me a chance to make one with her choice of trend for Just Us Girls this week.

I put my tag on a card.

Concord and 9th gave me all the elements I needed for my card, including the tag die.  The only added piece was the yellow cardstock for lack of an actual ribbon to use. 

You can make only a tag, or put a tag on a card.  We just hope you'll join us this week.  If you are chosen Chic of the Week you will be eligible to be a guest designer like this month's guest Tenia Nelson. Come and see what Tenia and the rest of the team have for your inspiration at Just Us Girls.

CASology #286

I've heard a number of people say it.  We have so many butterfly stamps it's difficult to decide which one to use for the challenge at CASology.  I chose this one designed by GinaK for Stamp of Approval. The flourish is part of the same stamp set.

It's clear heat embossed on Dove Gray and colored with my new PolyChromos.  Yes, I finally took the plunge and bought some colored pencils other than my Inktense.  I think I'm really going to like them although the shading I did on the wings doesn't show up as well as I'd like in the photo.  It will take practice but I'm looking forward to playing with them.

Thanks again for dropping by.

Fusion, CASual Fridays #192, AAA #108 and HLS/CAS

The one thing about February is that with Valentine's Day a lot of the challenges are all about hearts.  I have four challenges for today's card and I'm sure there are more that I haven't found.

My inspiration was the challenge at Fusion. The PB stamp is embossed with Black Sparkle and the hearts watercolored and topped with Glossy Accents.

It will go to CASual Fridays.

AAA Cards

and Happy Little Stampers February CAS Challenge.

A storm is moving through so I'm looking forward to a day in the craft room.  Don't I always?  lol
Thanks for dropping by.

Merry Monday #276

So far I think I've only missed one Merry Monday challenge but then it's only six weeks into the new year. :)  This week is a photo challenge.

I was inspired by the frosty window and pine boughs.

Instead of just frosting the window panes, I made a shaker card.  When I reached for a bottle of glitter I found out it was micro beads which was even better.  I know the Christmas tree is a little hidden but if I had my tree in a window it would be centered and so this one is.  The TH boughs were heat embossed with Sparkling Snow and the sentiment from PTI is stamped with Altenew Evergreen.

This is the first shaker I've made in a while and I must say that the Scor-Tape worked beautifully to hold it all together.  Much better than the glue I had been using.  Instead of foam strips, I used extra thick fun foam which is a good depth, at least for these beads.

Thanks for taking a peek through my window.