CASology's Fifth Year Anniversary!!

Melissa, and her DT (past and present) are celebrating the Five Year Anniversary at CASology. I've loved CASology, and play as often as I can. Fun cue cards, fun team, fun CAS cards. Along with their 'regular' cue card this week, there's a sponsored hop with prizes going on. So head over, hop along, and make a card to help celebrate. All the details can be found on the CASology blog.

I've not had tons of time to create this week as DH is still recovering from some cellulitis, but in the early, early hours of the morning, I stole some crafty time. I've been experimenting with this design using various colors and decided that this card was 'worthy.' I actually like it quite much!

All the stamps are from one SSS set. The panel was cut with an AE die, and there's one bitty LF heart dipped in Delicata gold ink. I drew the balloons' strings. You may see other variations of this in the future. Congratulations, Melissa. What a wonderful accomplishment! 

Giving Some Love

Spent zero time in my craft room yesterday. Got myself up and organized fairly early, then got DH up earlish and took him up to an Urgent Care Clinic next to a really good hospital about half an hour from here. They, in turn, sent him to the ER next door to rule out a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in his lower left leg. As I assumed, it was cellulitis, which can turn nasty, but the antibiotics have already started to do their thing, and his leg looks much, much better. Just a smidgen of added stress yesterday. All's good today though. Spent my early, early morning FTing with a dear, sweet friend in the land of Oz, and then got crafty. I made about half a dozen card fronts, (4 x 5.25") which you'll see eventually. And since I felt DH needed a little extra loving, I made him a card. That's what we cardmakers do, after all, isn't it?! I used the recipe from Less Is More.

Nary a stamp was used in construction of this card...

All the hearts were cut with a set of LF dies using scraps of red. The "u" is part of an alphabet set from MB. Other than adhesive, that's all it took to make this card. My poor little honeylamb needs a little extra love, and I think this fits the bill nicely. Hope your weekend is lovely, and as always...

Before I Head Out...

Meeting up with a friend to do a little afternoon walking in just a bit. It's hot and muggy, and we're going to get rain later tonight. Granted, not the best of walking conditions, but I really need to get out there. Plus, I like visiting with Mary. We laugh and talk and walk a couple of miles. It's nice. It makes me happy. And you know I'm all about the happy.

Making cards makes me happy too. Had some time the other day to make a card for The Heart Desires, And after seeing the color palette over at Sunday Stamps today, I thought this would work there too! I also made a card this morning for The Flower Challenge and Where Creativity Meets C9.

First up:

It's a tri-fold card which was inspired by Jennifer McGuire. (her's is a mermaid's tail) The ocean's paper is all scraps, and cut with NBUS LF waves dies. The boat and sentiment are also NBUS and are by MFT. The clouds are by MB, and while it was a bit fussy, it wasn't difficult to make. I think it'd make a cute kidlet's card.

This next one refused to photograph nicely. It's now sitting in the corner having a little time out. 

I used C9's Wildflower set and masked and stamped three blooms in Versamark, then embossed them in gold. Yeah...you can't tell that from the photo, hence this card's punishment... The second reason this little card is in the corner, is because the ring and the sentiment are this rich gray/brown, and it looks black here.... The ring is made with two MFT circle dies, and the sentiment is a die cut from Studio Calico. I colored the blooms with some Copics and gave a little WoS to the sentiment, which also doesn't show up, but then again, it never does.... If you drop by, I'll show you how nice this looks in real life! And that's it for me today. Hope to get some commenting done after supper. Hope all is well with you!

Cooling Off

It's really not that hot outside. Only 81 degrees F., but I've spent the last hour and more vacuuming and dusting. Into the corners. Up on the ceiling. Behind and under things. And now I'm dripping down the back of my neck and my arms are sticking to my desk as I write this. Ugh. So I'm taking some time to post a couple of cards in order to cool off. That's my story and I'm sticking to it... Two pretty CAS cards. The first one will play at City Crafters, and the second will head off to SSS Work It Wednesday and Addicted to CAS.

Week 370 ~ Two Colors Only

I chose some pastel inks and kept it really CAS.

I stretched some flower stamps from Altenew, but used the backs to create some wonky overlapping circles. The inks are both from Fresh Inks found at Impress, and the sentiment is from Pretty Pink Posh. The panel was die cut with an Avery Elle die. *sigh*

The theme this month at Work It Wednesday is "Summer." 

I think watermelons are summery, don't you?

I saw Taheera's card over at the Winnie and Walter blog, and tried to replicate it. A whole front panel didn't work for me, but a small one framed by a die cut-out did. I smeared some Picked Raspberry on a sheet of watercolor paper, and pulled it up with some water. The 'rind' was made with a Zig marker and then pulled down with my water brush. I stamped some dots on it and added the sentiment which is from a C9 set. I'll show you Taheera's card so you can go ga-ga over it too.

And since I'm feeling less sticky, I've got other things to get to. Hope your weekend is wonderful. Blessings to you! 

This Little Cutie

Got a couple of cards today. One is a shaker card with a little cutie inside, perfect for a little girl's birthday. I used the sketch from MFTWSC, and the color scheme from Color Throwdown.

We're getting some serious rain today, so my terrible photography is even worse. The frame around the shaker is a pretty bright pink in reality. Love that gingham paper, and there was no manufacturer listed, so I can't share that...I die cut edges with a Mama Elephant border die. The frame was made with two MFT square dies, and the sweet little cutie (colored with Copics) and the sentiment are from MFT too. Various sequins and some pink beads fill the shaker.

My next card was inspired by Carol of Just Me C. I love her cards, and had the opportunity to actually meet up with her IN PERSON a while back. You all need to be very jelly right now...she's as sweet and as nice as you think she might be! Check this post out so see more of her cards, one of which I'll show you now:  

The loud sound you heard when she first posted this was my jaw hitting the floor. So naturally, I just had to do a little on line shopping... I'm going to play along at Seize the Birthday, with the toppings. And I'm also jumping into Happy Little Stampers July CAS Challenge.

Here's what I made:

I used an MFT Wonky Frame die. Those are my NBUS C9 sentiment stamps, and my NBUS SSS watermelon stamps. I adore this! Thanks for the inspiration, Carol!! I need to head off to switch the laundry, and then hopefully get to some commenting. Have a great day, and as always...

Taking My Cue From Darnell

Darnell, the effervescent and wonderful. She of acronyms and fun, has inspired me once again. I am taking my cue from her and creating with the goodie bits found in a box on my desk top. She's got an acronym for her latest creating venture; UCB's. Unfinished Card Bits. I went through my box of bits and found a couple of small pieces that I liked. They were cuts from an MFT set, and I figured I could find the rest of the card among scrap pieces in the credenza. I wasn't let down. After I looked at the current theme for the Sunday Stamps Challenge, it went together rather quickly. The base of my card is from a kit from Studio Calico. Long and lean. The base has been sitting around for more than a year...my bad. Time to un-neglect it.

 

I haven't made a tall, skinny card in I don't know how long, so this sketch was just the ticket.

I found both pieces of patterned paper in my 'yellow patterned' scrap file. I love that middle piece. The two smaller aqua blue die cuts are from MFT and the sentiment is from Jane's Doodles. There are a couple of navy blue bits, along with a navy button, but of course, they look black... A bit of twine and three sequins finish this one. Be sure to blow up the photo so you can get a good look at the flowery paper. I wish I had more... And I'm off. Hope to see what's on your blogs in the morning (been migraining, so haven't done much else these last three days. hoping for better days starting tomorrow!) As always... 

The Desire to Play

When life is trying, I get this overwhelming desire to play in my craft room. Does anyone else out there feel the same way? Now, that doesn't mean I drop everything, or disregard my duties to come in here, it just means that card designs start flying around in the old brain, and that as soon as I can, I make a mad dash for the card stock and stamps. There's a sense of calm and a sense of accomplishment in the creative process that pulls the stress right out of me. Even if I don't finish a project, just playing in my stash feels nice. I'm guessing that most of you can relate to this.

For a good part of this week, I've been 'stealing' a couple of hours in the mornings crafting or commenting or emailing instead of doing those quiet household tasks that I should be doing before DH wakes up. The same thing happened this morning, imagine that!!! I've made a little card that will play along with the CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge, as well as CAS on Friday.

Here's what I made:

I think that this flower bunch from Studio Calico is one of my most favorite flowery stamps ever. The sentiment, and the little butterfly (it's really some extra flower petals) come from the same set. Colored with Copics, and the die is an MFT rectangle. A little anal to make, but still fairly easy. Thanks Hannelie for the challenge to think out of the box (or in this case, 'rectangle')!! Have a great weekend and...

Think of All the Craft Supplies I Could Have Bought...

I've got a crew downstairs and outside this morning installing a new air conditioning unit. Ugh. All that craft supply money going into something that we rarely think about and only need about 4 months a year. However...I wouldn't be without it this close to Lake Michigan; the added humidity is wretched! So, I guess I'll stop complaining and once it's in, I shouldn't have to think about it again. Hey! How are you? Did you have a nice Independence Day celebration? I sure hope so!

On this post, I mentioned my friend Kylie. Well she's got a personal blog (Studio 4490), and one called Stampers Workshop, and on the latter, she's posted a card that just blew me away. Talk about inspiration.... You need to go and check it out. Seriously. I used her card as inspiration for the card I'll show you in a minute. This one will go and play at City Crafter's Challenge, and The Flower Challenge.

Week 369 ~ Black and White

Now. If my embossed sentiment doesn't qualify for The Flower Challenge, I hope the DT will remove it.

Here's my card:

Pretty simple to make, actually. Those are the Altenew Peonies, and the sentiment is from PTI. A little embossing, and a black scrap for a mat. I'd better get this posted now, in case the A/C guys need to shut off the power soon. Have a good day, and...

Red, White, and Blue

Happy Fourth of July Eve. It's all about the red, white, and blue in the US right now. Already in some places around the country, there have been Independence Day celebrations complete with picnics, parades and pyrotechnic displays. Here in my hometown, we'll be having all that 'on the day.' I can walk West half a block and see the parade if I want, and in the evening I can walk the four houses to the East with my lawn chairs and watch the fireworks go off over the Lake. Since DH is not feeling quite up to snuff, we'll probably just stay home which is fine with me.While he's still in bed this morning getting some healing rest, I had time to make a pretty QAEZ (quick and easy) card. One card, three challenges. But I'll bet if I searched all the challenges out there, I could find several more with similar themes, but I think I'll just stick to these three: Less Is More, Curtain Call, and Time Out (without the topping of one-layer).

Here's my card for today:

I thing this has a bit of a masculine flavor to it as well. The stripes are from AE with Apple ink from ME. The starts are RC with navy ink, and the SSS sentiment is cut with an MFT die. One scrap of red to make that panel shine a bit more, and popped up for funsies. And now, since I have some NBUS (naughty me) sitting on my desk calling my name, and since DH is still sleeping, I might just do a bit more crafting! 

White on White

Last night, I was chatting via FB with Kylie while I was working on a card for the current challenge at Addicted To CAS. Kylie is just so sweet, and if you want to see her mad coloring skills, then stop over at her blog. Seriously, she's quite amazing. I'll wait right here while you head over and ogle her blog....

See.... I was right, wasn't I? She is a fabulous cardmaker!! And speaking of fabulous cardmakers, Lynn from The Mango Boys and Me is GD at ATCAS, where she's got a gorgeous card up.  I won't gush, but her card is CAS perfection if you ask me! And since it's an "Anything Goes" theme at SSSWednesday Challenge, I might as well play along there too!

My card is fairly CAS. It's all white on white on white, but should the DT think this is not quite CAS enough, I hope they remove it from the gallery. Here goes...

I cut the center out of a white panel with an MFT rectangle die, and made a shaker with clear and white sequins and a smattering of AE die cut stars. The sentiment is from Hero Arts with some Fresh Inks Sicilian Blue ink. EZPZ for a shaker card! And now I have to run. Time to check on DH...

Hello Again

Stopping back in before I have to get to the housework (blech!). I've wanted to play over at CASology for the last several weeks, but haven't had the opportunity to do so until today. DH slept in, and now he's having his breakfast, so things are working out pretty well this morning. While he's occupied thusly, I can get a post written. Later I hope to get to a little commenting...

This week, CASology has this cue card:

 

A while back, Jen sent me an envelope chock-a-block full of little birds. And birds, well most of them anyway, fly, don't they? Had to use one here:

Actually, I used two birds. There's a brown one acting as a shadow beneath the blue one. I stamped a pattern in brown over the top of that sweet little blue bird, and I like the way it turned out. Those are Altenew's alphabets stamped in the same brown, and a few enamel dots just for fun. Pretty CAS. You all have a fun weekend, and Happy 4th to my friends in the US. As always...