CASology!

I decided I would join CASology's challenge this week: their trigger word for the week is 'furry,' haha!  How cute is that?  It was definitely a challenge, though, because I was not sure what to work with.  Then I remembered I had a really sweet stamp of a cat lounging on a chair, so I went with that and came up with this:

And watch out!, I actually dusted off my Copics and used a few of them to liven the image a bit!  Honestly, it's a shame I don't use my Copics more often; this was a good way to get re-inspired!

For the card base, I used Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select white cardstock, then stamped the cat image (by Harmonie) with Tsukineko's Tuxedo Black.  I used Martha Stewart's 3-in-1 hydrangea punch for the flower, then an Impression Obsession leaves die for the leafy accent.  Copic markers used: C3, C5, E39, YR24, and YR27.  Also, the sentiment comes from the Mini Blooms stamp set by Papertrey Ink.

Hope you like the card...enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

Time For A CAS-ual Fridays card challenge!

This week the folks over at CAS-ual Fridays are having a 'red,white and blue' challenge and I thought it would be fun to join along.  Now that my boys are nearing the end of the school year, things are surely hectic, but it's a casual kind of hectic without the worries of homework and long-term book reports.  YEAH!  I'd say I'm more excited about summer vacation than my boys are, which deserves a YEAH YEAH!!, because that means I have more time to do some serious crafting, heh!  I'm also in full swing with Project Life via Studio Calico, which I feel I've waited an eternity to become subscribed to, so things are chill, but good. :)

But anyway!  Here is the card I'm sharing with you today:

My card base is (heart!!) Papertrey Ink's rustic white, and all the patterned paper comes from Authentique's Pride collection (from the 6X6 pad).  I think the bold blues and reds worked really well for a clean-and-simple card.  Many times when I'm working with intense colors that have strong patterns in the paper, I get crafter's block and have problems finishing the project.  I'm pleased with how this card turned out - just a few elements on the card, along with a cute sentiment to finish it off!  Clean and simple!

Hope you like the card!  Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

(other items used: star border die by Papertrey Ink, doily details die by Papertrey Ink, sentiment from Year Round Sentiments by Hero Arts)

Stamping on DP

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is all about stamping on designer paper!  I do this kind of technique pretty regularly on my cards: sometimes it involves die-cutting from a designer paper, then stamping the image that corresponds to the die shape, or I stamp a sentiment onto it, or I simply fussy cut the stamped image.  

For this challenge, I used a lighter, then darker, stamped image from the Seeds of Summer stamp set by JustRite; my sentiment comes from the Life & Flowers set by Impression Obsession.  The patterned paper is an older fall collection (Harvest Lane?) by Simple Stories, but I bought several sheets of this light tan paper because it had a nice compact pattern, but wasn't too overwhelming (perfect for stamping onto it!).  The die-cut flower and leaves are both by Elizabeth Crafts.  And if anyone knows my cards, they'll be laughing when they notice that I have, yet again!, used the French Pastry doily die by Cheery Lynn (cut from vellum to give the card a softer look).

Hope you like the card!  Thanks for stopping by!

My challenge for today

Well, let's face it, I have several challenges that occur on a daily basis, but nothing too hateful (thank goodness).  The challenge I'm talking about is my second card that I'll be posting over at CAS-ual Fridays!  I have a feeling there won't be a third because of time restraints, which is no small matter!  Today is my middle boy's birthday, for starters (he turned the big Number Eight!).  His party is this Friday, so of course all the chaotic planning leading up to that day has been eating away at the hours, and you know the rest...blahblah, not enough hours in the day, and all that.  So here is the card I made for the challenge:

I decided I would do the polka-dot/square card/birthday combination for my entry.  The papers I used are by Memory Box and Papertrey Ink (heart paper is by BasicGrey, I think!). This was a great challenge primarily  because I was able to use up some of my scraps, rather than cutting at a new sheet (I'm patting myself on the back as I type that, heh).  The sentiment is from the Bountiful Banners stamps set by Papertrey Ink...and that's pretty much it!  Clean, simple, and a fun quick card to make!  Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge, oh my!

I haven't participated in an online crafting challenge in forever.  I think the last time I entered a card was when Papertrey Ink was having their crazy anniversary challenges back in March.  Then I got ridiculously sick with Bug Of The Century, which put me out for a few weeks (uncommon for my immune system).  Despite all that, I've been keeping track of what folks have been doing online, and I have missed out on several fun challenges that in hindsight, I wished I would have just made something and posted it.  Ah well, moving forward!

CAS-ual Fridays is having a great challenge that is ending soon (tomorrow, I think?  In my case, better late than never!!); a sort of tic-tac-toe-inspired grid where you have to incorporate 3 elements into your card.  I thought this would be a great challenge for me, all while keeping it clean and simple!  So much fun!  So here is what I came up with:

I decided to tackle the combination "polka dots-kraft-punches/dies."  I used Papertrey Ink's rustic white for the card base (great paper to work with, by the way, if you were ever wondering about PTI's paper), then used Cheery Lynn's Tiffany border die on kraft paper to accentuate the polka dot paper (Serenade by BasicGrey).  The sentiment is from the Chit Chat set by Paper Smooches.  The flower is by Prima.

I may try to make another card using another combination from the grid.....this was so much fun!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you like the card....enjoy, and have a great week!!

Finally May!

Ah yes, it is finally May!  That means only a few more weeks of school left for the boys, and possibly more time for lazy days, unscheduled trips to fun places and a little bit of traveling - my favorite thing to do during bright summery days!  Of course, my little secret wish is to have more time to just sit at my crafting desk and just ponder on cardstock and various inks to go with it, with even more time thrown in for some actual paper crafting!  What person out there like me wouldn't want all of that, and then some?  

Lately, I've been crafting in spurts: a little in the morning, then dipping into precious sleep time just to finish that one layout or that other card from the month before.  Sound familiar?  Of course it does!  So May is usually a great month for me as I look forward to doing my own little things at longer time frames without several days passing in between!

So, anyway.  On to my next card creation, which will be one of the demo cards for Demo Day at Photoscraps.

I thought I'd try my hand at using the die cut's negative space as my focal point, which has been a hot number in the crafting world for months now.  It was the first technique I thought of when I bought the 'hello' die from Memory Box: a very thin font that actually looks quite lovely regardless of whether you use the die cut or the negative created on the paper.  

The rose ensemble is another new die for me, again by Memory Box.  What I love about the rose is that you really need a rubber mat to impress the petal folds onto the cut, giving it an added texture.  It was kind of like a surprise "buy-1-get-1-free" die purchase, heh.  So in the event you're not a cut-n-stamp kind of girl, this die is a little gem worth investing in.  To accentuate the impression, I used my trusty Sakura Stardust pen in Clear Star (another go-to favorite of mine) to really give it an extra pop.

Hope you like the card - enjoy, and Happy Mother's Day Weekend to all the Mamas out there! :D

(Other items used: bird silhouette die and birdcage die by Poppy Stamps; English Tea Party doily die by Cheery Lynn; 'friend' stamp from the "Just Find Me" set by Hero Arts; patterned papers by Echo Park, My Mind's Eye, American Crafts and the fabulous Crate Paper!!)

Thanks for stopping by!

April Demo Day Cards

Since I started immersing myself in my Project Life-inspired endeavors, my current scenario has been that of focusing more on picture-taking and better documentation, rather than turning toward my computer and sharing my card creations.  I guess I could marry the two and document my Project Life layouts on the internet, but my process is so sporadic when it comes to deciding on how layouts are going to be that I'm not sure how well I'd be able to translate all that into a blog post.  At times that is also very true about my card-making process: a dizzying road to the final product.  

In any case, "real" life has been a little crazy, so internet life has taken a bit of a back-seat, which is what I said I would NOT do for this new year (back in January!).  My consolation?  Well, it's only April, heh.  If I was still trying to grasp on to my traditional New Year's Resolutions in October, well, then I'd say to give it a rest. :)  But for now, let's blog away as much as possible!

I wanted to share two Demo Day cards I'll be doing over at Photo Scraps on the 20th.  I vowed not to work 2 cards in one event because at times it has been confusing to keep instructions simple with the customers, but considering April will be the third time I show 2 cards, I suppose there's no looking back!

Here are my two cards:

I'm really happy with how both of the cards came out.  All the patterned papers are from Graphic45.  I have to say that both the French Country and the Secret Garden collections have been very inspirational, but the French Country really stole my heart.  Those warm tones are always a favorite - and apparently I never get tired of them because I have so many untouched patterned papers in greens, golds, and oranges...but you can never have too many, right?  There's always one more you can add to the stash. ;)

For stamps sets, I used 'Seeds of Summer' by JustRite, as well as 'Daisy Bouquets' by Inky Antics.  The mini doily is the Italian Flourish by Cheery Lynn (a new favorite!) and the labels are all by Spellbinders.

Hope you like the cards - enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!