I feel like the white rabbit

So much to do and so little time today. Won't bore you with the details, and will get right to the cards. Two more cards for a few challenges. The first up will go into City Crafter Challenge blog, with this as an inspiration photo:

Can you just picture this room in a cottage over looking the beach? Yum.  This is my interpretation of this: (Think beach cottage in winter...)

It's nearly a one layer, Ardyth...but not quite. So alas, no OWL challenge for this one. The base is some kraft from Gina K. onto which I schmeared some Studio G pigment ink. The stamps are all from My Cute Stamps. The snowflakes were stamped with PTI Aqua Mist, and the sentiment with VersaColor Sand Beige. Three little pearls on some of the snowflakes, and even though you can't see it, I brushed on some Wink of Stella in different areas. QACAS.

This next card is very CAS, and will go into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, as well as the Muse. 

Here's the card:

The ever fabulous Laurie Willison is our inspiration this week, and what a treat for a card she's made. I'm sure you'd all agree. Since this is my second card for the Muse, I decided to go in a different direction than my first...to a degree anyway. No pretty greens like Laurie's card, but I did try to keep to her overall design. After it say on my desk for a day or two, I tried adding some stars, and more enamel dots. Just didn't look right, so I left it alone. That's some washi tape across the bottom, and a hand drawn line in black with one MME black enamel dot. PTI's birthday die cut out of a red scrap, and LF masked sentiment. That's it. EZPZ. Love those kinds of cards don't you? Happy dances everyone

Why I hate heat embossing

Okay...maybe hate is a strong word. Intensely dislike might fit the bill well enough. Anyway...I hate, er, intensely dislike heat embossing because of its warp factor. I even took Ardyth's advice about holding it against a square piece of chipboard. Still warped. Don't get me wrong, I love the effect. Love the glisten. But I'm going to limit my heat embossing...there are plenty of other techniques out there that I want to try. And every now and again, I'll heat emboss something just to reinforce my opinion of it.

I actually do have a couple of cards to share. This really isn't just a whiney post about embossing...Both cards will go into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog, and one will go solely into OWL165 - No Red/Green found this week over at Ardyth's blog, MASKerade.

Now this is a crummy photo...you can't see the sparkle from the Ranger holographic embossing powder I used on this card. And it's bland looking here too. But I think you get the idea. IRL, it's pretty pretty. The stamps are from My Cute Stamps, Memento pink ink, and Jenni Bowlen gray ink. One layer. Might try this in aqua without the embossing....

Next up is my second card for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge:

To quote Darnell, this card was a "QACAS", (quick and clean and simple). The paper are scraps (!), the stamps are from ME, LF, and NN. I used black SU ink for the sentiment and line, and pink HA for the little heart. For such an easy card, I used three different stamp sets, and just a bit from each one. Still, it's kind of nice to get good use out of them. And that's all I've got for today. Do a little Friday happy dance today!

YKW & Pings

So far, I've been free of YKWs today for the first time all week. YKW is an acronym for "You Know What". That's what I call my migraines. I have chronic intractable migraines. That means lots and lots of them. All the time. Really painful ones. But today is a good day! And I've spent it well. Catching up on household chores and card making. Last night, while basking in the pain and stupor of a YKW, I had a big Ping!! So see, some good does come from those stupid things! I used my ping on two of the three cards I'm posting today. Curious? Okay, I'll cut to the chase...

First use of ping is going into CAS-ual Fridays. Embossing. Easy, right? Well, I wanted to make something unique for me. And I think I did.

So what did I come up with? Here 'tis:

What's "unique" about this you ask? Well, I'll tell you. The MFT die cut was cut then embossed with my Cuttlebug dotted swiss folder, and slid into into the negative space cut into the gray. All the papers are scraps! I masked an MFT stamp for the 'birthday' portion using gray ink from Studio G. And the enamel dots are from MME. The gray is actually more gray & the green is less garish, but lighting troubles today due to rainy and overcast skies.

My next pingy thing is for the current Dynamic Duos Challenge. I haven't played there in a while, and thought I'd give it a shot today. Might play again with these colors before the challenge expires.

And my card:

I see some flaws. I hate flaws. Really hate them. I will remake this, then edit this post tomorrow in hopefully better light too! But you get the general idea.... Again, all the paper is from my scrap box - woohoo!! Once again I embossed the MFT die with my Cuttlebug swiss dot folder and reinserted it into the negative space on the blue portion. The "Christmas" sentiment is masked from my NBUS stamp set from Lawn Fawn, and the snowflakes are old wooden one from Stampabilities, both using Studio G ink. A little bling and that's it for this one.

And my last card is going into the Muse Challenge. Have you seen Laurie Willison's card over there????!!! Totally in love with it, and I'm so glad we can CASE it. Check it out:

I was inspired by everything about this card. And I made one in similar colors. Then I pinged a bit, and went with it. I kept the washi tape along the bottom and the ampersand. It's a bit different, but I think you can see Laurie's influence here:

So easy. I might be making this over and over again using different washi tapes and letters. John will soon have his stash of Christmas cards if they all go as quickly as this.  Just some washi, Thicker glitter letters, and a masked off sentiment from Mama Elephant. SU black ink. With that, I'm done, and am going to head to the kitchen and start dinner. Go and do a little happy dance today. See you all soon.

Guest Designing for CASology

As you know, this card won top honors over at CASology when the Cue Card was "Country".

How much fun is it to be GD over there for this week's Cue Card?!

I chose to go straight to the color, and give it a punch up with some blue. Robin's egg blue. Love these colors together. Very non-traditional Christmas card. Thanks to Melissa and the DT at CASology for having me as GD this week. CASology so rocks! (can I get an Amen!?!)

It's a very CAS card. I found a large brown scrap in the cardstock scrap box, and a small one of the blue. I die cut the letters with my MB alpha dies (love! them!), added a legless brad, then topped it with an old semi-clear snowflake sticker. Done and done! Happy dances everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACEY!!!!

(...a little bit late.) As you all probably know by now, yesterday was Tracey McNeely's birthday. And I missed linking up on the day. Oh Shoot! However, I didn't miss the entire party. Joyce, over at Cards-by-the-Sea is keeping the party going all week long, so I'll link up today. Thanks Joyce! A week-long party... Very cool!

So this part in the italics is for you Tracey. Happy Birthday. You have been an inspiration not only to me, but so many of us in this card-making blogworld. Your cards are gorgeous. Period. And you always have the kindest, sweetest words of encouragement for us all. I am grateful to 'know' you. I hope you were able to celebrate your birthday with all those you love, and that Joyce's little linky party helps to make your whole week special. You deserve it! Happy Birthday!!!

And if you have been off-planet for some time, Tracey's blog is In My Creative Opinion. Go. Visit. Enjoy! I did make a card for this auspicious occasion. I CASEd one of her cards, hopefully, in tribute to her. This is her card (and dang!, it was nearly impossible to choose just one!!!):

And here is the card I made to help celebrate:

Other than the sequins, ink, and cardstock, everything is Lawn Fawn. 

Now, everyone...go do a little happy birthday dance for Tracey!

Some thank yous are in order

I have a few thank yous to get out this morning. This card was chosen by Muse voters as a Featured Member this past week. So thank you for choosing this one. I am humbled and honored (in all seriousness, not even a speck of sass) that you liked it. It's winging its way to Marilyn, who is feeling a bit better this week.  I have to say that there were soooo many amazing cards inspired by Darnell's lovely creation, and I'd like to offer my congratulations to the other Featured Members, as well as the HMs; your cards are an inspiration to me and to everyone.

The next thank you goes to Jen and the DT over at CASology for choosing this card as the winner for week 67. I was totally surprised as there were so many fun and great cards in the running. What a wonderful way to start my week. Thank you; it means so much.

It's been a busy week, but I have spent some time in my craft room. I managed to finish two cards yesterday, but since DH and I were headed to Milwaukee for a movie and dinner with friends, there was no time to post. We went to the early show, so as not to miss the entire (what turned out to be the last one too) World Series game. Not a great (heck, not even a good) movie, which I won't deign to mention in this post, but great company and good dinner following the film. We're hoping to get together again in a week or two to go and see the new film Twelve Years A Slave. Looks like a winner in my book.

Now the cards and challenges. My first card is for Muse. After perusing my stash of Christmas stamps, I found I really don't have very many. As you know, I don't really make many Christmas cards. But I guess it's time to make a small investment in a few... Janet Ribet is the Monday Muse this week and has a great card. Love the blues and the layers and the embossing, and the glitter...well, the whole card is sweet; see for yourself:

I kept to the blues and whites for mine. They remind me of Christmas Eve night.

I kept it simple. I used an Avery Elle frame stamped in blue Studio G ink and fussy cut. The bulbs are stickers from an old open pack. And the SU sentiment is stamped in the same blue ink.

My next card will go into the Inky Paws Challenge. The makers of Newton's Nook stamps runs this challenge. And if you haven't seen their stamps, take a little run over there. Cute stamps, and boy!, they are some of the best stamping stamps ever. There's a nice sketch going on, and I had to play. Got a ping right away for this one. Here's the sketch:

It's also going into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. It's an Anything Goes challenge this week, and according to my little brain, my card fits! It's always fun to play along. There are always lots of participants, and what inspiration in each and every card!

And my card:

All of the stamps are from Newton's Nook (dang cute too!). The papers are scraps - yippee!! I colored and fussy cut the wagon. I stamped and colored two sets of presents, one right on the card, one I fussy cut and slipped in the wagon. Stamped in Stayzon and colored with Sharpies and Copics. You'll notice there's a bow on the sketch, but I used the wagon handle in place of that as I didn't think there would be enough room. This will make a sweet kiddie birthday card!

Don't go away just yet...I have one more card to show you. I own a few sets and some dies made by W Plus 9. Another killer awesome stamp company. They have a Monday Mood Board Challenge, and I've never had the courage to play along. This time, I really wanted to. On occasion, I like to add a bit of frou-frou to a card. It's not all that easy for me, but I gave it a shot! So here's the Mood Board:  

So soft and lovely. So many elements spoke to me and I knew that I could put something together. And here is what I came up with:

All the stamps are from W Plus 9. A bit of crocheted lace, twine, and Washi tape. Scraps of dp, and also a scrap of kraft. StayzOn white ink, HA Shadow Ink - medium pink, SU pink ink, Color box blue and brown inks. W Plus 9 Fresh Cut Floral die, and the tag die is from LF. A smattering of dime store sequins and that's it. So if you've made it to here, you're probably already happy dancing that the post is done! Happy Halloween. 

Happy Saturday

What a lovely day. It's sunny with blue skies, and in about an hour, I plan on getting out and cut all my flower beds back. Might even dig up a few ugly plants/flowers if it stays nice. I've got big plans for those beds next spring, and am anxious for them to be all prepped. But that's all happening a bit later in the morning.

Right now, I wanted to share a card I made for the Muse challenge. My dear friend, Darnell from djkardkreations is the Guest Muse this week, and boy, if you haven't read her post or seen her card for this challenge, I strongly encourage you to get over there. In fact, here's the link to the specific post, and another to Muse. She's right, you know...we 'super women' have way too much stress in our lives. I decided a while back to eliminate as much stress as possible (restructuring those flower beds will help with some of my gardening stress...) for so many reasons. It's a much nicer way to live. Here's the calm, sweet, and encouraging card that the sweet Darnell made:

For my card, I tried to stay with the light, airy look of her flower, and with the pink and green color scheme. And, I CASEd her sentiment, as you'll soon see.

The sage green base is from Color Mates, which is widely available at Archivers. A scrap of white Bazzill for the focal point. All SU inks, and as well as the little tiny pink butterfly stamp, which represents hope. The flower and greens stamps are from Technique Tuesday (a NBUS, Darnell!), which I have had stashed for several months but hadn't used these particular images. I wish you could see the smidgen of Wink of Stella I've applied randomly to the flower heads; not covering them entirely, but enough to make you move the card to make sure your eyes aren't deceiving you. I drew the line with my old marker, which I've had for years, and the sentiment is from CAS-ual Fridays. Isn't that a great font?! I like the way this turned out. I think that it pays tribute to my dear friend Darnell and her tremendous talent and kindness, and also lets those who are battling, or have battled the big "C" that they can (absolutely, positively) count on me. Today's Happy Dance is dedicated to all those who have won their battle, are in the midst of their battle, and all the families who rally round them. So go out and do a happy dance for them. Thanks!

ETA:

Just got word that my sil, Marilyn's cancer has returned with renewed vigor... Not the kind of news we wanted about her. This card will go out to her in Monday's mail, along with thoughts and prayers. 

Onto the cards

With the Disney scrapbook FINALLY DONE, (Christmas gift for some of the grandkids...) I was able to start making cards yesterday. Then I got a migraine, and well, that blew the rest of the day. So far so good today, and I got all nine of the cards for the little ones finished. Yippee!! I also managed to sneak a card for CASology in. And boy that one was EZPZ!

I promise to get to all of my neglected commenting too. I owe you all comments on your blogs, and apologize profusely for not getting to them before this. That darn scrapbook stole days of cardmaking and blog browsing.


CASology has a new cue card this week, and I was stumped for a day or two. Had a small ping, so then I thought, well, let's see if I can make the small ping work. I'm pretty sure that it does...

I kept it very, very clean and simple:

Can you believe I actually went online to learn how to tie a lasso? It is tied properly, at least according to the directions I found. I used my Cameo to cut out the speech bubbles and the "Howdy". The dp is from a 6x6 Kaiser Craft, and the brown cardstock is just a scrap. The base is some kraft cardstock.

My next card comes from my group of nine Halloween cards. I thought it would be nicer to show you the whole group, and then just an individual card I've made and will to pop into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  So first, the inspiration:

And next, the group of cards I made between yesterday and today:

Photo's not very clear, but these are all the cards for the little ones. I have cards for the college grandgirls, but they're not in the photo. This is the one I chose for the challenge:

Doesn't this just crack you up??! What a funny little doxie! All of the stamps are from Newton's Nook. And just let me say, Dang!, they are some of the finest stamping stamps I've ever used. Copics to color, and an MFT die. I wish you could see the Wink of Stella on the wings and tutu, but that part didn't seem to want to cooperate. Oh well...And now, if I'm to get onto comments, I had better shut up! Happy dances everyone!