RS #83

Have you seen this sketch?

This one is from Retro Sketches but I've seen some cards with a similar design on other blog posts.  It's simple and can be used for a variety of cards with either stamping or DP.

I made a birthday card since I use them most of all.  The printed paper is from the May stamp kit from Simon Says Stamp.  The sentiment is from My Craft Spot, stamped with HA charcoal and embossed with clear embossing powder.  My stamping was a little lopsided so I added a few pearls to balance it out.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day.

FM #105

I got a chance to make a few cards this weekend and it felt sooo good.  Things just seemed to flow.  Even though my heavy cardstock got stuck in the printer and I had to rethink my sentiment on one card, my stamping came out well on another one.  I get so excited when things go well, it makes me want to keep working.  But now to post today's card before the noon deadline.  It's for Freshly Made.

I have this old 8 x 8 pack from Colorbok that I thought had wonderful colors for a card.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts stamped in their charcoal ink.  I don't often make square cards but this sketch called for it and I think I may do a couple more, especially since I have the measurements worked out.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

CTS #37

Hexagons are all the rage now, so is it any wonder CAS(E) this Sketch put them in this week's challenge.

I have the Happy Hexagons cover plate die from PTI and they are smaller than in the sketch but I wanted to use them anyway.

I had a leftover piece (the outsides) from a previous project that I cut apart, leaving the five hexagons.  I used it as a stencil and rubbed on Tumbled Glass and Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks. When I was done, it looked rather bare so I added water to the inks and splattered the paper, also adding in some Shabby Shutters. I've seen a lot of splattering lately and I rather like the look.  I auditioned a number of inks for the sentiment and they were either to dark or too light.  Just like Goldilocks, I found just the right thing. A marker on a Hero Arts stamp.  It still looks rather light in the photo but looks good IRL.

I did get some cards made yesterday and I will show them in a later post.  I will also have to do homework for the last week of Summer Camp 2.  I never enjoyed homework as much as I do for this kind of class.

Have a wonderful day and keep crafting.

Happy Fourth!

Happy 4th of July to all my blogger friends in the USA.  To those of you in other countries, Happy Day!

I have two very different cards to show you today.  First up is the one I made for Mojo Monday.  They are celebrating their 300th challenge with a whiz bang giveaway for those who link up.  This is one of the sketch challenges I used to do all the time when I first started my blog.  I still do it now and then but got away from it on a regular basis when I started making CAS cards.

The quilter in me loves to mix patterned papers and it's easy when they all come from one stack.  This one is from Cosmo Cricket.  I used the Distressed Stripes embossing folder on the banner piece and lightly inked the edges of everything with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.  The sentiment from Hero Arts "It's Your Day" is stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa.

ETA:  Thanks to Joyce, I'm also entering this into Moxie Fab World's Mixy-Matchy Challenge.

This next card is for the CASology challenge.

These little bursts where the closest thing I had to a firework.  They are from the Accent Essentials cartridge.  I cut them from white paper, ran them through my Xyron and poured glitter all over them.  Now I know why I'm not a glitter girl.  I had that stuff everywhere but up my nose.  The back panel is embossed with the Baby's Breath folder because I thought they looked a little like bursts themselves.  The sentiment from PTI's Big Birthday is stamped in Hero Arts Navy.

I'm also entering this into the gallery at the Online Summer Class.  They had a pre-class sketch challenge that I based the above card on.

We're off to the lake tomorrow for the weekend so unless I get another card made tonight, I won't be back on until Monday.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

MUSE #23

Have you ever had so many things going on that you forgot what day it was?  You really knew but things just seemed wrong somehow.  I was that way yesterday.  I spent the morning going through my parents papers to gather information for some benefits I'm applying for in their behalf.  When I went into my craft room to put together my card for Muse, I looked at my watch and it was 1:00.  I thought "Darn, I've missed the deadline."  I had it written on my chart for Saturday noon and I thought it was Saturday.  This morning as I was writing down today's challenges, I realized today is Saturday and I could still do the Muse challenge. I quickly put my card together and came to post it.  Then I  saw it -  the notice that the time had changed and I had until 8:00 am Monday to enter.  The notice was posted before but I totally forgot about it and didn't change my chart.  Something must be telling me that I am supposed to enter this card.

The inspiration card is by Anita (in France).  Isn't it lovely?

The reason I was so late in getting a card together was because I was having trouble deciding what to do.  I tried several things and nothing really spoke to me.  I mainly saw the black lines, brightly colored balls and celebrate sentiment.  I know, I know.  That's pretty literal.  Okay, I know that, too.  Literal refers to words but I don't know what word to use for a picture besides "copying" and to me copying means "exactly the same" and mine definitely isn't.  The same, that is..

I cheated and used striped paper for the bottom of the card.  I punched the sparkly dots from a variety of glitter paper.  I didn't have any pink so I embossed some pink paper with sparkle embossing powder and then cut it with a paper punch.  The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Bash and I used an extra dot for the "o".

It's a rather dreary day today so I'm hoping that after I get a couple pair of jeans cut into shorts and hemmed for my husband, I can do some more card making.  It's a perfect day for it.

Thanks for stopping by.  I enjoy your comments so I hope you'll leave one.

Monday and Friday

Now I can relax and get back to card making.  I played my hammered dulcimer in church today so I've been practicing and learning new music.  Since my instrument only plays in certain keys, I had it all set with the organist to transpose a couple of the hymns that the congregation was going to sing.   She forgot how to do the one, so I played "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" by myself for them to sing to.  It isn't the key that's in the hymnal but they did a good job.  I also played for special music and the offertory - three songs each.   I love playing but being in front of a group is a different story.  Now I can just play for my own enjoyment.

Today's card is for two challenges.  It would probably qualify for three but I'm not that crazy about it so will do something else I have in mind for the other one.  Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge was for a card with vellum flowers and there is a video on the link to show you how to do it.  I was at a distinct disadvantage because I have very few image stamps and only this one flower with an outline.

The rose is from the Simon Says Stamp "Best Mother Ever" set.  I stamped them with Versamark, embossed with clear powder and used Distress Ink in Squeezed Lemonade  and Mustard Seed to color the flowers and Peeled Paint for the leaves.  You have to use at least one PTI product on your card and I chose a stamp from their Healing Touch Sentiments, using Peeled Paint for it, too.

I cut back the edge of my card by 3/4 " and had the flowers hang off the edge.  This means I can also enter this card in CASual Fridays challenge - Over the Edge.

I love this look.  I just wish I had better flower stamps to work with. It seems every time I get out of my comfort zone, I'm not satisfied with my cards.  I love learning new techniques but I guess I need to apply these techniques in a different way to make it my own.  I also need to take my time and not rush through to make a deadline.  You know how that is, I'm sure.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope your day is wonderful and the week ahead gives you great joy.

FM #90

If you saw yesterday's post, you saw a 4 1/4 square card, not a size I usually make.  This week at Freshly Made they had a square sketch challenge.

I went with the smaller format again.

The printed paper is from The Paper Studio, a 4 by 6 pack I bought some time ago.  The sentiment is from PTI stamped in Mememto Tuxedo Black.  To add to the celebratory feel, I added some bling to the center of some of the "bursts".   This was an easy sketch to follow and I will be using it again I'm sure.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and please come back again.

PP #147

I have a chart I keep with the challenges I like to enter.  I write down the word, theme, colors or draw the sketch.  I don't leave myself much room for the sketch so sometimes, if I don't go back and check it, I have done my card a little differently.  Different doesn't always mean better either.  Case in point, today's card for The Paper Players.

This was a simple layout but in drawing it, I left out the border and got the proportions of paper pieces wrong.  Missing a border is okay on my card but I like the piecing better on the sketch.

I apologize for the bad photo.  I take my pictures in front of a big window and the sun isn't up far enough yet to get good light.  I'm afraid if I wait, time will get away from me and I'll miss the deadline.

The paper is all from a SSS kit.  I love mixing papers and know I will be using this sketch a lot (using the original proportions *wink*).  In fact, I made a Sympathy card at the same time I made this one. The leaf stamp is from the same kit and the sentiment from PTI, stamped with Hero Arts wet cement.

I hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by.

FMS #83

I've been trying to reorganize my craft room a little but had to take time to make a quick card for Freshly Made Sketches.  This sketch was simple so I could do it "fresh".

I ran across this colored digital print from pcCrafter while cleaning and it was perfect for this sketch but to use it I had to turn the card sideways.

The gray is a wood grain from DCWV's texture stack.  The green in embossed with the Floral Screen folder and the stamp is from Hero Arts.  Aren't they just the cutest baby robins?  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

STB 11

Here's the sketch for this week's Seize the Birthday challenge.  As you can tell by the pink background, it's to be a feminine card.

I went crazy at a scrapbook shop a year ago and this bright paper is one of my purchases.  I guess I liked it because it was fun, colorful and sort of girlie.  This challenge was the perfect time to bring it out.  The striped border was the backside of the print.   How fortunate was that?  I didn't have to go looking for something to match.  The sentiment is from My Craft Spot stamped in Dusty Concord Distress Ink.  The card is already in the mail to my DDIL.

Flower Power

Saturday I got a chance to go to Michaels with a 40% off coupon and bought a Recollections stack called Fashionably Chic.  It has some beautiful flower prints in it and I decided to use one to make a card for two challenges, both calling for ribbon.

 

This is how I used to make my cards before my Cricut, just focusing on the printed paper and mixing it with other papers and ribbon.  I did stamp the sentiment, though, which is not what I usually do.  My Distress Ink in Peeled Paint was the color that matched my ribbon so I decided that was the way to go.  I also had some pearls in the same color so added them for a little bling.  So simple.

I am entering this at My Craft Spot and Celebrate the Occasion.

Quick and Easy

Before I got my Cricut,  I purchased a number of DCWV colored cards with envelopes.  I sat down one day and made a number of quick and easy cards.   This one  uses a  green card.  Over it is a white layer cut at 5 1/4 by 4, with the sentiment printed at the bottom on the computer with green ink.  The argyle paper is from a 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 stack whose name I don't remember.  I love the way the pink ribbon repeats the white stitching in the paper.  The ribbon is Craft Essentials, purchased from JoAnn's.

My Design Studio has been down since Saturday so I haven't done any new cards and am anxious to get back to making some.  Thanks to the great - and I mean helpful AND friendly- customer service at ProvoCraft, it's back working now.  I'm sorry I waited so long to call.

You don't always need a Cricut to make great cards.  This one is made from a purchased card base in yellow and a scrap of daisy print mounted on gray.  The tag is printed on the computer and cut with a punch.  Add a little matching ribbon and voila, a quick and easy card.

I guess my next venture should be taking better photos.  They show up much brigher and clearer on the camera and in my folder than they do here.