CAS Colours & Sketches #236 - Colour Challenge

Welcome to this week's CAS Colours and Sketches blog.  Karen has some fun, happy colors for our challenge this week.  I pulled out an old PTI stamp, Modern Basics, by one of my favorite designers, Mailes Belles, for my main image and added a newer set from Lil' Inker Designs, called Whoops for the sentiment.  Fortunately, I had all three ink colors in my collection and once I settled on  the stamp set, decided to make a one layer CAS card.  My Misti was so helpful in making sure everything was well-inked!  The Calypso Coral looks a lot more orange in the photo than it does IRL.  Lots of white space and judicious use of the Bermuda Bay to keep your eye moving over the card helps this design!

Check out how the rest of the DT played with this week's colors and then join the CC&S challenge this week!

Challenges Entered:
Cards Und More #191 - One Layer Card
Stamping Senstations August - AG
Addicted to CAS #117 - One Layer Card

A Day for Daisies #128 - Use Sequins Challenge

The ADFD DT is back with another look at Tammy's gorgeous August releases.  My card features a lovely addition to the Timeless Beauty collection called, Vintage Lipstick.  She was such a joy to color!  I love those lips and the big eyelids to play with creating a "dusty eye"!!


















 I made the background paper by stamping with Versa Mark and using clear embossing powder on top of patterned paper. You rub ink on top of the embossed paper and the clear embossing powder lets the patterned paper show through. My original patterned paper was white with green polka dots.  I used SU!'s Early Espresso ink.  The combination created a vintage look that went with the image.  

The sentiment is from Little Inkers.  I masked off the second part - which says, "a little smart assy!" and added it to the inside. I have the perfect friend to give this card to for a birthday card.  The sentiment is so her!

Take a peek at the DT inspiration and play along with our Sequin Challenge on the ADFD blog. You need to use an ADFD image to enter the challenge, so Tammy generously provides free images for you to use.

Challenges Entered:
Clear It Out 8/11 - Use brown
Addicted to Stamps and More #157 - Make Your Mark
Crafting By Designs 8/12 - 3 or More Layers
The Paper Shelter #214 - Lace or Ribbon
Cute Card Thursday #386 - AG
Little Miss Muffet #118 - AG

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #355

Sketch Saturday is sponsored by Sami Stamps this week.  Sami's work has long, beautiful, sweet lines as you can see in this image, Butterfly Flower.

I decided to keep my design very clean-lined and minimalistic, using a favorite color combination - gray, white, and yellow.  The circle border and image are imbedded into the gray background paper.

















I knew right away that I would use yellows for my flower and when deciding on my butterfly, decided to get a little help from Google images.  I found this photo and knew I wanted to use the top, right butterfly.  The shape was perfect, the butterfly was interesting and it helped keep the color orange moving around the card.  I then fussy cut a mate and doodled its antennae.

Come and join our sketch challenge this week.  Here's what the DT has created to inspire you with Deb's wonderful sketch.



Challenges Entered:
House of Cards  April Challenge - Add a butterfly
Curtain Call/ - Beginnings
Corrosive Challenge #221/ - Spring
Craft Your Passion #255/ - AG
Cards in Envy/ - Spring is in the Air
Creative Inspirations/ - #307
Creative Fingers/  - #74
Simply Papercraft #1/ - AG

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #345

Happy Saturday, Sketch fans!  We have a great new sketch from Alex with a fabulous NEW sponsor for you this week.  Sami Siemers Ratliff is the artist behind the Etsy shop, Sami Stamps. I've used her image, Wildflower Beauty to create a birthday card for my granddaughter's 4th birthday.

As is the case with most little girls in the U.S., she is all-about anything having to do with Elsa and the Disney movie Frozen!  This image reminded me of Elsa so much when I saw my pal, Marilyn use it last June, it was a no-brainer of choice for me.  I love how this card came out!  The sketch was a perfect way to keep this beauty the focal point while adding a bit of little girl princess paper as one of my paper choices.  I inlaid my Lil' Inkers stitched circle mats and used sparkly glitter paper for the snowflakes and the band across the bottom.  Elsa's hair is fussy cut at the bottom, so I could crop the image a little closer to the left side.




I sampled around with my Copics for her hair colors, starting with the E50s, but found them too golden as a base.  Elsa's hair is the white blond, so then I moved to the E40s because they are a taupe-brown.  My colors are a bit all over the place - but I loved the combination.  In the end I used E41, 42, 50, with bits of 000 and 33. Her skin uses my favorite combination for caucasian skin - E00, 21.  I added just a touch of 11 and some R11 on her cheeks.  I usually use more Ell and R20 on the cheeks, but Elsa is more fair than that; she's a queen after all!  I planned to use rhinestones as an accent for the snowflakes, but surprisingly, pearls looked better.  The shimmering dress is achieved by heat and stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds.

Take a look at the rest of the DT's work on the Sketch Saturday blog and then join us for this week's challenge.  If you have an Elsa-lover in your house - you'll find the image at Sami's Etsy shop, here.








Challenges Entered:
Creative Inspirations #297/ - Pretty Pearls
Creative Moments #60 /- AG
Cute Card Thursday #57/ - Colorful
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards #83 - Color inspiration
Crafter's Cafe #100/ - Stitching
Craft Your Passion #245/ - AG
Sister Act Challenge #90/ - AG
Creative Fingers #63 /- AG
Naughty or Nice January - New (digi & glitter paper)
Sami Stamps Challenge (#21- Jan.) - A Touch of Glitter

Sketch Saturday - Sketch # 322

Saturday means a new sketch for this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge.  Simon Says Stamp is the sponsor and Deb's the designer.   A great sketch and the combination of paper and image led to a fun card to compose.  I've found that having the right paper makes all of the different in the world when creating a card.  At least that's what I keep telling myself to justify buying paper when I have stacks of 12x12 and 6x6 pads at home!  I saw a sign that read, "I'm one sheet of designer paper away from being considered a hoarder."

















I've been a fan of Lil' Inker Designs lately and have gotten such good used of their stitched dies.  The last time I made a purchase, I took a closer look at their stamps and was drawn to the set I've used called, Snarky Lady.  I loved the prim and proper looking woman and the "snarky" sentiments such as You had me at Merlot,  Happy Birthday! Remind me how old you are pretending to be? and My dreams of being thin are often interrupted by the sounds of my own chewing.  I hope there is another set coming in the future!

Challenges Entered:
Inky Chicks #35 - Photo inspiration ( the skin and the bg paper)
Crafting by Designs - Vintage/Shabby Chic