CAS Colours & Sketches #288 - Colour Challenge

This week's CAS colour challenge was an easy "make" for me.  I decided to use You've Been Framed die and mini stamp set from Papertrey Ink and the card came together pretty quickly.  The yellow polka dot paper was even a scrap in my drawer!  The oval of the sentiment panel hides a wonky cut across the top and the Night of Navy rectangle was a great anchor for the backdrop.

Hope you will stop by the CAS Colours and Sketches blog to see the DT use of our colours and then come and play along with us!

My Time to Craft Challenge #371 - Circles

The latest challenge on the My Time to Craft Challenge Blog is all about circles!  I was kind of stumped and then starting out messing around with my circle dies.  My original idea was creating flowers with a circle within a circle - which morphed into offsetting the center circle to make  sunny side-up eggs!  The "yolks" are three layers glued together with some Nuvo Crystal Effects on top.  I didn't have the time or patience to try for a domed effect on the eggs, but you still see the shine.  The rim of the plate is layered for dimension and the surprise of the plate is my "doodled" strips of bacon! They are colored with Copics. (E11, 18, 25, 31, 33 - in case you ever find yourself needing  colors ideas for bacon!!)

 I'm indebted to my Misti for helping me "MacGyver" the sentiment from a variety of alphabets and sentiments in my collection.  I found the bacon and egg paper in my stash - which pulls everything together in a whimsical way.  (Who can pass up a 6x6 stack of paper for $2.25?!?)

Take a peek at the DT's take on the "circle" challenge HERE and then play along with us over the next two weeks.

Challenges Entered:
Crafty Catz #417/ - AG
Crafting with Friends #67 - AG
Aud Sentiments #203/ - Cute + sentiment
Star Stampz 5/10/ - 2 or more patterned papers
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge #380/ - AG
Inspiration Destination #150/ - AG
Craft Rocket #48/ - Use Embellishments

CAS Colours & Sketches #267 - Sketch Challenge

I did a little adjusting of Karen's fun CC&S sketch in order for the tag to work on my card.  A colleague just announce her retirement; the so happy for sentiment from SugarPea's Sweet Sentiment You stamp set was perfect with the Sugar Cuts You word die.  The flag just needed to be placed at the top rather than the bottom of the tag! My original thought was to use black paper and emboss the words in white, but it seemed to heavy and didn't enhance the design.  Using vellum solved the problem!

Hope you will pop over to the CAS Colours and Sketches Blog and check out how my teamies interpreted this week's sketch before you add your creation to the gallery!

Challenges Entered:
Just Us Girls #435/ - word week "bold"
Dream Valley #176/ - Dry Embossing
Stamps & Fun= Creativity #321/ - CAS
613 Avenue Create #208 - AG + optional twist- use vellum

My Time to Craft Challenge #368 - Box/Bag with Matching Tag

The theme for Challenge #368 on the My Time to Craft Blog
is to make a box or bag and a matching tag. I dusted off my rarely-used envelope punch board and searched for a video to help make by a gift box for cards.  (The SU designer paper was so old, it started cracking when I scored it! Must stop collecting paper and use it!!)  Thank you, Jennifer McGuire for the easy to follow video from 2014!!

I simply added a belly band using the opposite side of the paper. The tag and words is the Gift Tag Die from Sugar Pea Designs and the flower die cut is from Sizzix Funky Floral #1.  The turquoise ribbon and orange ribbons added a pop of color to the whole design.  Take a peek at the DT creations and then play along with our newest challenge.

Challenges Entered:
Alphabet Challenge/ - A for anything but a card
Creative Fingers #144/ - AG
Time Out Challenge #106/ - Photo Inspiration

CAS Colours & Sketches #266 - Colour Challenge

I had a great idea for working with the colors Karen gave us to work with on the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge Blog this week, but in the end it didn't feel CAS so back to the drawing board and this was the result.  (Here's my first card, in case you are curious!)

Ribbon is on my radar right now, so I pulled some out for today's card.  I did some purging (and cleaning) including three drawers of ribbon, limiting myself to 10 of each color.  (Each drawer has 4 sections - so that is still plenty of ribbon!!)  Remember when ribbon and buttons were the rage in card making?!?  My stockpile is healthy!

Two simple stamps - Echo Park's Flower Garden 4x6 Stamp is the background with a sentiment from PTI's Penned Elegance; a very old Spellbinders die backs the sentiment, and some enamel dots from my collection finished off this CAS card!

Karen is April's CC&S challenge-host.  Take a peek at the DT's make's HERE.  Hope you have time to join us this week.

Challenges Entered:
Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1813/ - AG
Stamps + Fun=Creativity #321/ - CAS
Just Us Girls #434/ - CAS

CAS Colours & Sketches #259 - Sketch Challenge

It's a sketch week on the CAS Colours & Sketches Blog.  I knew right away I wanted to use a stamp to represent the stripes on Patricia's fun sketch.  I masked a background stamp from Hero Arts to  show just three lines of the pattern and then used white embossing powder.  The tag was the most time consuming; I had two or three other tags all worked up, but in the end they didn't look as CAS or as sweet as this one.  Love the combination of Sahara Sand with white embossing powder and the soft pink.  The hearts on the tag are from an old SU! punch.  Thank you to my teamie, Karen for her card last week, it reminded me my spiral punch was sitting on a shelf collecting dust!  The little heart beneath the sentiment was sitting on my super-messy desk. Luckily, it was left from a card I made a couple of weeks ago and the extra pieces never made it into the waste basket yet!!

I hope you will check out the rest of the DT inspiration over on the CC&S Blog and then show us your take on the sketch in the gallery.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #254 - Sketch Challenge

Welcome to the first CC&S Blog Challenge of 2018!  Hurrah!  I hope your new year is off to a great start.  Our talented, new DT members for 2018 are with us this week.  I'm so excited to have them on board and look forward to their creativity. Beverly is January's challenge host with a sweet sketch for you to try your hand at for Challenge #254.

Two dies, some patterned paper, a sentiment, three sequins and a corner rounder are all that is used to create this CAS card (with lots of white space!!).  The envelope die is from Sugar Pea Designs - called Special Delivery Accents; the sentiment is from Lil' Inkers' Send Pretty Mail.














Take a peek at the DT makes HERE for a little inspiration.  You have until Monday, January 15th to play along with us.  Hope to see you in the gallery! 

Challenges Entered:
A Bit More Time to Craft #59/ - AG
Die Cut Divas January - Do/Use Something New
Happy Little Stampers January CAS - Friendship

CAS Colours & Sketches #251 - Sketch Challenge

Hope you had fun with our 5th Birthday Celebration Challenge last week.   The prize winners will be announced on the CC&S Blog on November 30th.

Samantha has a fun design for Challenge #251.  True to the sketch, I kept the sentiment the focal point and used some of my stash of patterned paper for the background.  Looking through my collection of sentiments, I found this one from MFT.  A die cut word "you" replaced the one in the sentiment.  I sampled around with lots of colors of stamps and embossing powders to find the right combination with the tangerine tango and ended up creating an aqua color by blending some Wild Wasabi with Tempting Turquoise.


This close up shows what you might expect from mixing the two colors, but the eye takes it in as one color - a little along the lines of Pool Party.


I am looking forward to seeing your creations in the CAS Colours & Sketches gallery this week.  Take a peek at the DT's inspiration cards here!

Challenges Entered:
Always Fun Challenges #34/ - AG
Cards in Envy/ - Only Paper (Nov. 20)
Use Your Stuff #290/ - Heat Embossing
Pile It On #136/ - Large Sentiment

Stick It Down - November Card Sketch

This month's sketch for Stick It Down was fun to play with.  When I was making my "Let It Snow" card for last week's CC&S challenge, I decided to use the negative space from the glittery paper from one of the sentiment die cuts for this challenge.   Embossing the top portion of the card back, adding the ribbon with a bow, and putting a border on the bottom of the card finished it off.












Hope you will add your card to the Stick It Down gallery!  I can't wait to see how you interpret the sketch!

Challenges Entered:
Paper Players #371/ - Warm & Cozy
Addicted to CAS #124/ - Bows
Crafty Catz #393/ - AG
Simply Create Too November/ - CAS

CAS Colours & Sketches #249 - Sketch Challenge

 Samantha has a unique sketch challenge for us to play with this week on the CC&S Challenge Blog.  I decided to use a die cut I've had since last winter and since it is a sentiment, I used a snowflake behind it where Samantha's sketch suggested a sentiment.  The card back came already embossed with snowflakes and was an after Christmas sale purchases I picked up at Michaels.  I think a pack of 10 cards and envelopes were less than two dollars.  Too good of a sale for me to resist!  You can't tell by the photo, but all of the white paper is glittery.

I hope you will try your hand at our sketch challenge.  I can't wait to see the creativity in the CAS Colours and Sketches gallery!

Challenges Entered:
Make My Monday #59- Snow Fun
Glitter N' Sparkle #265 - AG

CAS Colours & Sketches - Challenge #247

The fifth Tuesday of the month means the CAS Colours and Sketches Blog has a double challenge for you!  Emily has a lovely color combination and a very simple sketch!  I knew what I wanted to do from the beginning, but had trouble executing my vision.  I wanted to stamp the PTI sentiment directly on white paper, but I had trouble with the stamp and my Mini-Misty (and then there was the lining it up multiple times!!).  I had more success with strips of paper and then decided to heat emboss with white.  It's definitely a CAS looking card!

Hope you will play along with us this week.  I can't wait to see what you do with Emily's sketch!

CAS Colours & Sketches #242 - Sketch Challenge

I bet I am not the only person who loves using things that have been in my stash for several years.  Today's CC&S Challenge #242 card is one of those stash moments.  Anyone who is a Stampin' Up! fan will remember both the felt flowers and the corduroy covered brads and buttons from more than seven years ago.  When I saw Fiona's sketch, I immediately thought of the felt flower as the middle circle - and I happily created a card.  As I uploaded it, I realized the card didn't really match the sketch - so back to the drawing board making a card with the idea, but one more true to the sketch.

Even the pink polka dot paper is old stash supply from a PTI purchase.  The sentiment is from their Keep It Simple:  Happy Birthday  mini stamp set.  The card has a clunky feel in this photo, but looks better in real life.  I actually like the first version better (scroll down and you can see it below).  Both are super CAS, plus there's the satisfaction of digging into my drawers of stash and using supplies!!

Thanks for a great month of challenges, Fiona.  I hope you will join us this week.  Looking forward to seeing your card in the CAS Colours and Sketches Gallery!

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

CAS Colours & Sketches #233 - Sketch Challenge

It's a sketch challenge week on the CAS Colours and Sketch Challenge Blog and it's my last week as the challenge hostess.  I thought this one would be easier for me than it was.  All of that plain paper was begging for something else, but I stopped myself from sliding it through an embossing folder! The image is called Wondering Midge from Riley and Company and the sentiment is from Lil' Inkers. MFT provided the rectangle dies.

I hope you will join us this week.  Can't wait to see what you do with the sketch!  Take a peek at the DT's work for some inspiration!

CAS Colours & Sketches #231 - Sketch Challenge

It's a sketch week on the CAS Colours and Sketches Blog and we have a simple one for you.

My card features a sentiment from Right At Home's Grateful Heart stamp set.  It's embossed with clear embossing powder and then the oval is stenciled with PTI's Blueberry Sky ink and my blending tool.  The simple flower accent is from an old favorite, Fresh Cut Florals from W Plus 9.

A super-simple and fun CAS card!  Make sure you see what the rest of the CC&S DT has created HERE and then come and play along with us this week!

Challenges Entered:
The Flower Challenge #10/ - Embossing
WOW! Embossing Powder/ - July
Always Fun Challenge #14 /- AG
Crafting From the Heart #167 - AG
Just Us Girls #401/ - Technique/Blending
Sparkles Challenge #93/ - July/Embossing

CAS Colours & Sketches #229 - Sketch Challenge

Holy Hannah, Jane's sketch had me on the ropes and pushed my thinking a lot! I went through my stamps, but couldn't find anything that worked.  In the end, the card turned out, but it's not at all what I had in mind when I started!  When I uploaded it to the CAS Colours & Sketches blog, my design looked super-similar to Jane's card!  Crazy!

I used flower dies from MFT and made the centers with distress inks on watercolor paper.  After playing with ink placement, I sprayed it lightly with water and die cut it.  The variation added some fun interest to the flowers.  The background embossing folder is a larger one from Cuttlebug.  A simple color palette makes the white flowers and centers pop!

Hope to see you card in the gallery this week on the CAS Colours and Sketches Blog!

Challenges Entered:
Stemplegarten #62/ - CAS
Sparkles Forum Challenge #93 July - Embossing
International Art & Soul #11 - Flowers
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #60/ - AG
Creatalicious Challenges #117 - AG/ dies or punches

CAS Colours & Sketches #227 - Sketch Challenge

Beverly has a great sketch for us to play with this week on the CAS Colours & Sketches Blog.  This one pushed my thinking a bit.  I used a little creative license with the larger circle, trying to keep my layered flowers and bottom leaf to mirror a circle-ish shape.  The flower representing the smaller circle is stamped directly on the card front the others are layered on top using foam dots.  The strip of paper along the left side was in my scrap drawer and really pulls in all of the colors from the flowers.   The card to the right is actually my second card, and one I went back and remade because I decided my original (seen at the bottom of my post) wasn't really CAS because it was too layered.  Maybe I was obsessing too much; maybe Patricia, Beverly, or Karen were channeling me - for whatever reason, it was a good exercise to go back and revise!

The stamp set, Abstract Florals, is from a new-to-me company, called Right At Home.  The sentiment is from a different set, called Grateful Heart.  I was super impressed with the quality of the clear stamps.  The solid shapes stamped perfectly from the first time I inked them - no matter what kind of ink I used!!  I have a feeling I will be ordering a few more stamps from Right at Home!

Hope you will play along with us this week and you find inspiration from the other DT creations!

My original, layered design.

Challenges Entered:
Addicted to Stamps #150/ - Flowers
Crafty Catz #374/ - AG with a die or punch
Jo's Scrap Shack #192 /- AG
Crea Chicky's #11 - Flowers

CAS Colours & Sketches ~ Challenge #225 - Double Week!

The fifth week of any month is always a double challenge week!  Patricia has created the color combination and the sketch for you.  My card is a male get well card, so I featured the blues with just a pinch of Purely Pomegranate.  The stamp and "That blows" sentiment is from Technique Tuesday, called Fan-tastic.  It's been in my stash for a while and never been inked up (whoops!!) - but this is the perfect card for its debut!! The fan is done in white embossing powder with white paint splatter on the background.  The "get well" is from MFT's Label Maker Sentiments stamp set.

Take a peek at the CAS Colors and Sketches Blog to see what the DT has cooked up this week.   Can't wait to see what you create with our double challenge.








Challenges Entered:
Path of Positivity #49 - Present, not Perfect
A Gem of A Challenge #195 - For the Boys/Men
Sweet Stampin' Challenge 5/27 - Use Your Old Stash
Creative Fingers #131 - AG

CAS Colours & Sketches # 212 - Sketch Challenge

This is a sketch week on the CC&S Challenge Blog.  I had fun with this one!  No coloring - just a whole lotta paper piecing!  I used Paper Smooches' die, Cute Cluster and an old giant ric-rac border die.  I die cut the flower several times and inlaid the pieces within the frame.  Once the frame was die cut, Stick-it paper and tweezers were instrumental in completing the flower.  The last step was to fussy cut around the outside of the frame.  It was easy to make two or three flowers with all of the pieces, so I have a couple more flowers ready to trim and use.  PTI's Just A Note mini stamp set was used with white embossing powder for the sentiment.

Stop by the CC&S Blog and check out how the rest of the DT interpreted the sketch!  I hope you play along with us this week!

Challenges Entered:
Inkspirational #129 - "Connect"
OLLCB #223 - Embossing
Use Your Stuff #253 - use A Sketch

CAS Baby Card

Babies, babies, and more babies!  Between relatives and siblings for children at the school I teach at - it's been a fall of new births!  Here's a CAS card for a little boy.  I've flipped this week's sketch from CAS Colours and Sketches to design the card and pulled out at old die from PTI, some papers from my stash, and a Darice embossing folder provided the details.

The gold patterned paper is a scrap from a package of SU! Patterned paper - and more than 7 years old.  The other papers are from this year's Crate Paper's Oh, Boy! 6x6 paper stack.  Not that we paper hoarders need a reason, but just sayin' - major satisfaction when I open that paper draw and find an old scrap that is a PERFECT match for some new paper.  Can I get an AMEN from any of my people?!?!


Challenges Entered:
CAS Colours & Sketches/ - #199
Tuesday Throwdown #319/ - All About the Words