Just Us Girls #658 - Trend Week

Do you ever make matching envelopes for the cards you send?  This week at Just Us Girls, LisaK has asked us to do just that.

I have done it a few times and should do it more because it adds a special touch to your mailing.

The Doodlelbuds from WPlus9 were colored with Zigs, using a few of the new colors I recently purchased.  The stems and leaves were stamped directly on the card base while some of the flowers were popped up.  The sentiment is from the same set. 

The flowers were masked and stamped in the corner of a pink envelope.

I hope you'll join the Design Team and our guest designer Karren Johnson in making a matching envelope for your card and enter it into our gallery. 

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Just Us Girls #653 - Trend Week

Sue is the host for Trend Week at Just Us Girls and she has chosen one of my favorites.

I received some stamps from a friend who was purging and thought this one from Penny Black would make a great CAS card.

It's stamped on Bristol and colored with Zigs.  The sentiment is from Altenew and try as I did I couldn't get a straight line.  That's okay.  It slants up just like my handwriting. LOL  

I hope you'll join the Design Team and our guest Lynne Jardine in making a CAS card this week.  We'd love to see you in our gallery.  And who knows?  If you win,  you could be our next guest. 

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Just Us Girls #649 - Trend Week

Carol Mayne is the host for Trend Week at Just Us Girls and this is what she chose:

This should be an easy one.  All you have to do is repeat an image or sentiment a few times and it's done.  I chose a NBUS die cut that I got on sale from MFT.

I smooshed some Distress Inks to get the look of Superman ice cream.  My colors aren't quite as bright as the real thing.  For some reason my sons used to ask for this flavor when they were young.  I'm not sure what flavor it actually is.  lol

I lightly inked the cones, added Glossy Accents and a sentiment from another MFT set. 

The rest of the Design Team and our guest Julie Beech have some cards featuring repetition for you to see on the blog.  Take a look and then make a card for the gallery.  You have a chance of being a future guest designer. 

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Just Us Girls #645 - Trend Week

I'm hosting Trend Week at Just Us Girls and I have what I think is a good one that should bring in lots of  cards to the gallery.

So many companies are coming out with stencils now that can be used alone or over stamped or embossed images.  You can also use one for your background.  Whatever tickles your fancy.  

I used Altenew's Tranquility Rose stand alone stencil, with a blending brush and Altenew Inks.  The sentiment is a hot foil plate and shadow die from PinkFresh Studio.  

Our guest designer Cathy Roffey and the rest of the Design Team have some wonderful stenciled cards to inspire you.  Take a look and then make a card for the gallery.  You may have a chance to be a future guest designer. 

Thanks for dropping by.

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Just Us Girls #640 - Trend Week

I didn't really know what a rocker card was when Carol Mc picked that as her theme for Trend Week at Just Us Girls.

So I did what everyone does.  I googled it!  And there were a LOT of videos telling me and the world what to do.  I had so much fun I made three cards.

This was the first one.  I cut a circle from MFT in white that was large enough to accomodate the Lacy Scalloped Circle from Reverse Confetti that was cut in yellow.  Once you fold them in half you have the rocker portion of your card.  I knew I wanted to use my neglected Forget-me-nots from The Greetery and so I colored them with DI and placed them on a Bubble die from CASual Friday, adding a sentiment from  Stampendous. 

Then I decided a rocker would make a great kid's card so I went looking for something fun.  I didn't originally find what I was looking for but I did run across this PTI die that hadn't see light in a while.  I inked it up in primary colors and used the same base in reverse.

Then I remembered who made the die I was looking for and went to my EbyE stash and there it was.  I think it was a gift with purchase.  Here's card #3.

I used ancient patterned paper  for the base and banner adding in scraps of yellow and gray. 

You don't have to make three rocker cards but we sure hope you'll make one and join us in this challenge.

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Just Us Girls #632 - Trend Week

It's Trend Week at Just Us Girls and our host Carol M has chosen 

I was making things ahead and forgot I had already made a shaped card so I have two of them to show you.  I'm showing you the second one first.

I had forgotten about this set from The Stamp Market.  It's a Christmas set and a gift card holder but I turned it into a simple card using a heat embossed sentiment and letters from SSS.

My other card is a more complicated one from Concord and 9th.

This set includes a number of images that can be stamped, colored, die cut and layered onto a background panel so that it's three dimensional.  The celebrate die is part of the set and I've cut it with black foil paper so it would stand out.  Here's another view so you can see the sides.  The card folds and fits into an A2 envelope.

There are a number of video links on the blog to give you some ideas and of course the design team and our guest designer have cards to inspire you.  We'd love to see your card in our gallery.

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Just Us Girls #623 - Trend Week

Our host Vicki has chosen this for the Trend Week at Just Us Girls.

There are so many things you can do with an embossing folder so there's no reason to not have a ton of entries in our gallery this week.  I hope you'll be one of them.

I tried a new technique with the Pressed Flower folder from Altenew.  I clear heat embossed the background by pressing VersaMark to the flat side of the folder before running it through my Big Shot.   Zigs were used to color the images.  

The Design Team and our guest JoAnn Burnham have cards to inspire you.  Pull out those embossing folders and make a card.  You may have a chance to be a guest designer.

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Just Us Girls #619 - Trend Week

It's Trend Week at Just Us Girls and our host Sue has chosen this trend for us to use. 

There are a number of videos that can help you with this technique.  I happened to see one by Jennifer McGuire that inspired my card.

I used Altenew's Craft-a-Flower Poppy to cut my dies from vellum.  I used Distress Inks with blending brushes, adding a sentiment from Penny Black and a black border.  I got a little heavy handed with my splatters. 😬

I'm anxious to see what the Design Team has done with this trend.  Join me at the blog for plenty of inspiration and then make a card for our gallery.  You could be chosen Chic of the Week and a possible  guest designer invitation in the future.

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Just Us Girls #614 - Trend Week

I bought a number of Distress Sprays a while ago and I'm glad I get to use them in this next challlenge for Just Us Girls, hosted by Vicki.

I used Antique Linen and Old Paper.

The flowers are from Altenew's Pen Sketched colored with Distress Ink and the sentiment is from Penny Black.

I hope you'll join us at Just Us Girls where the Design Team and our guests Chrissie Stokes and Stef Perry have some wonderful inspiration for you.

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Just Us Girls #610 - Trend Week

The Trend for this week at Just Us Girls hosted by Elizabeth is

This really is a BIG trend and although I don't make many slimline cards I love the look of them and they are great for certain images. Like this:

If this card looks familiar it's because I made a similar one earlier, embossed in gold with no coloring.  For this one I decided to use non-traditional colors although sometimes they can actually become tradtional too.  The ornaments are from STAMPlorations, stamped in black and clear heat embossed on Bristol so I could color with Zigs.  The sentiment is from Waffle Flower.

Need inspiration?  The Design Team and our guest Rachel Davis each have a slimline card waiting for you on the Just Us Girls blog.  Check them out and then enter a card in our gallery.  You could have a chance at being a guest designer.

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Just Us Girls #605 - Trend Week

Sue has a wonderful trend for us this week at Just Us Girls and the results can be stunning.

There is a video link to the technique on the blog and you should definitely check it out if you haven't see this done.  You will also find plenty of inspiration from the Design Team and our guest this month, Nora Noll.  

I recently got the Altenew Project Kit called Hello Beautiful and this 3D embossing folder was part of it.  I inked the flat side with VersaMark, ran the folder through my machine, poured Altenew Rose Gold embossing powder all over and heated it.  I only wish I had some colored powders but I thought the gold would make a great anniversary card paired with GinaK navy cardstock.

Will you be adventurous enough to try this trend?  I hope to see you in the gallery.

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Just Us Girls #601 - Trend Week

It's the new gal on the block's turn to host Just Us Girls.  Elizabeth Stewart joined us recently and for  Trend Week she has chosen this:

I have a love/hate relationship with shakers but the newest trend is a full panel shaker which makes them a lot easier.  That's what I've made.

No I didn't make that background.  I wish.  It's patterned paper from Honey Bee Stanps.  The sequins are from the July SSS card kit and the die cut sentiment is NBUS from MFT.  

I hope you'll go check out the shakers that the Design Team and our guest designer Loll Thompson have made.  I'm sure they will inspire you to play along.

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Just Us Girls #597 - Trend Week

It's time for Trend Week at Just Us Girls and Vicki has selected this:

I love a good black and white card.  They can be clean and simple or very dramatic.  Mine is more on the simple side thanks to a background stamp from Erin Lee Creatives.

All it needed was a heat embossed sentiment from Waffle Flower and it was done.

Sadly our teammate Maria Levine had to step down so we are welcoming a new member to our Design Team - Elizabeth Stewart.   You will love seeing her wonderful creations.

Elizabeth, the rest of the team and our guest designer Claire have some outstanding black and white cards to inspire you.  Please go take a look and make a card for our gallery.  You may have a chance to be a future guest.

Just Us Girls #592 - Trend Week

 Sue is our host for Trend Week at Just Us Girls and she has chosen

I decided to use an old book page for my card.  I glued it to cardstock for some stability and then cut it with a deckle edge die from HoneyBee.  I did some ink blending with Distress Inks, then stamped the MFT wildflower silhouettes.  I mounted it on my last piece of this green paper that I love, inking the edges of it too.

The Design Team and our guest designer Chrissie Stokes have done some wonderful recycling and you need to head over there to see what they did.  I hope they inspire you to enter a card in our challenge.

Just Us Girls #588 - Trend Week

It's Trend Week at Just Us Girls and our host Carol has chosen this for our challenge.

This gave me a chance to use my Altenew Cosmos Craft-a-Flower.

I watercolored the flower and leaf pieces with Distress Ink, assembled the blooms and put them on an inked panel.  The sentiment from Poppystamps was also watercolored and layered.

Fran Wing is our guest designer this month and she and the other designers have some wonderful cards to inspire you.  Take a look and then add your card to our gallery.  You may be chosen Chic of the Week with a chance to be a guest designer.

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