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.

CAS(E) THis Sketch #257

It's another retro sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch and I'll show you my card for #156 but first the sketch and the updated version.

I knew I wanted to keep this light so I used my Clarity brush and some Tumbled Glass DI as the background for my PB flowers.  They're stamped three times and colored with Shaded Lilac DI.  The flowers needed centers so I pulled out my long forgotten Liquid Pearls. The SSS sentiment is popped up on foam after giving it a brush of ink too. 

This is the card I made two years ago when the sketch first aired.

Coincidentally the flowers are from the same stamp set.  I was trying my hand at no-line watercoloring.  Needless to say I don't think I've done it since.

I'm glad you dropped by today and I hope you come back again.  I love it when you leave comments, too.

Inkspirational #153 and CAS Mix-up February

How would you be inspired by this word that's the challenge at Inkspirational?

For some reason the first thing that came to my mind was paper clips.  Yes, that's how I was inspired.

I have a number of shaped paper clips and used this circular one to hold my note to the cork board. 

Cork is one of the elements in the CAS Mix-up Challenge so I'm sending my card to their gallery having stamped the sentiment from PTI (on some ancient PTI paper),  embossed the background and used metal.

My desk is covered with partially finished cards and stamps ready to start new ones so I'd better get busy.  Have a great day!

The Card Concept #85 and Seize the Birthday

This is my third post today but I need to get this card in before the deadline.  It's for The Card Concept inspired by their photo.

My eyes gravitated to the Queen Anne's Lace which some people consider weeds and other are allergic to. I love the look of them and so PTI's Meadow Greens is one of my favorite stamps.

I combined them with Altenew's Beautiful Day.  The background is some DSP  that I inked with Frayed Burlap DI to tone it down a little.  Here's what it looked like after and before.

I'm always neglecting to send my birthday cards to Seize the Birthday so I'm going to remedy that and send this one to them - without the candles topping.

Off to watch the Super Bowl and maybe do a little knitting while I watch to get a prayer shawl done.  It's been hanging around partially done for too long.

HLS Christmas - February

It's time for the February Christmas Challenge at Happy Little Stampers. 

I almost forgot I was on the team and had to hurry to get a card done.  Fortunately I had the perfect stamp for the optional twist: hearts.

The image and sentiment are from Woodware, stamped on Bristol and colored with Zigs.

Now it's your turn.  Make a card for the challenge and you could win a $20 coupon to the HLS store. If you are the random winner and used stamps by HLS that amount will be doubled.  The Design Team has plenty of inspiration for you over on the blog.

Inspired By: lovely purse

Laurel has her Inspired By. . . challenge up and running with a wonderful design team to support her.  This week's photo to be inspired by is

I knew right away I had some pink striped paper from a long ago PTI kit and used that as the base of my card.

I added the gold (no, they're not black) hearts from RC and filled them with PTI's Lovely Lady cs.  The little tag is from MCS (closed) and the sentiment from PB.  I'm going to have WAY too many valentines by the time the day is here.

I just saw the challenge at Tic Tac Toe and think this card works for the diagonal line of heart, die cut, ribbon.  I do hope that gold cord qualifies as ribbon.

The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing but I can weather the storm - as long as I have crafting to keep me warm.  Just a little paraphrase, friends.  Now keep on singing.

Addicted to CAS #129

Susan is our host at Addicted to CAS and she's picked a color for our challenge.

I wanted to play with my alcohol inks and used them to make this card.

The bottle calls it 'Patina' but I'm calling it teal.  I mixed in some silver and pounced with a blender pad which gave my panel a marble-y look.  The leaf is from PB and the silver embossed sentiment is from HA.

I wanted the teal border to be just a tiny peek and cut my first panel too small so I used it to make a second card.

This time I backed it with a panel using the tissue paper technique that I had in my drawer.  Although I hate to think about it, I am always needing sympathy cards.

Happy Little Stampers is our sponsor at ATCAS and the winner of the challenge will receive a $20 voucher to their store.  The Design Team has plenty of inspiration for you over on the blog.  Why not take time to make a "teal" card and enter it in the gallery.  Just be sure to keep it CAS (clean and simple).

Just Us Girls #426 - Word Week

What better word for me to pick when you're all making valentines.

This is Bobby and the Design Team at Just Us Girls would like to see your cards based on love, whether valentines or for some other occasion.  I did a valentine.

I colored these darling RC pups with Zigs and put them on some PP.  The pun-y sentiment has been clear heat embossed for shine.

If you enter a card in the gallery you may be chosen Chic of the Week and be eligible to be our Guest Designer for April.  Our Guest Designer this month is Tenia Nelson.  Come and see what she and the rest of the team have for your inspiration.

Merry Monday #275

I'm still getting a handle on my Christmas cards with another one for Merry Monday.  This week it's pastels.

Altenew Ink was used to stamp the poinsettia from Sunny Studio.  The third layer is silver heat embossed as is the sentiment.  Too bad it doesn't show up in my photo. 

I'm glad you dropped by.  I love it when you do.