cards to share...

Hello!!  Stopping in with two cards to share.  First up is a card for the soon to be closing July Reverse Confetti Sketch for You to Try and Color Throwdown.   Every month I think I will get my card for the RC sketch challenge done early and then every month the same thing happens... I get it done days before the challenge closes!  Maybe one of these days I will get it done early, lol.  I used the super sweet RC Love Blooms stamp set and the matching dies along with the RC Topped Off Tag Confetti Cuts.  I stamped the outline flowers with the yellow and raspberry pink inks and then did second generation stamping for the solid portions.  Once that was done I stamped the leaves and die cut everything.  Strips of cardstock in the same colors were cut, adhered to a white cardstock panel and the die cut with a rectangle die.  Die cut the tag from white, the top part from yellow cardstock and then adhered together.  I stamped the sentiment and then adhered the flowers and leaves.  Layered everything up and I was done.

Next is a card for the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.  I used some of my favorite A Jillian Vance Design dies to create the diagonal portion of the sketch.  The dies I used are the Leafy Vine die, the Daisy die and the Wildflowers die.  Trying to use up more of the patterned paper I have so I used some older papers from My Mind's Eye.  I used the two smallest flowers in each die set to create my flowers.  The vine was die cut twice from different papers, the bottom one cut into two pieces and then adhered to the panel that was die cut from more of the patterned paper.  I layered over the intact vine and then added the flowers.  I really like how the two different flowers look layered together and played on top of the vines.  The sentiment is from the AJVD Darkest Night stamp set and was stamped in dark blue ink.

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, MFT yellow, green and dark pink, SSS fog; Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti and A Jillian Vance Design; Dies:  Reverse Confetti and A Jillian Vance Design; Ink:  Stampin Up! Night of Navy, Gumball Green, MFT Ripe Raspberry, Daffodil, Memento Dandelion, VersaFine Onyx Black

it's wednesday... it must be ajvd!

Hey... stopping by to let you know that my regular Wednesday post is up on the AJVD blog.  Here is a little peek:

I used some fun new AJVD products so I hope you will check it out!  Have a wonderful day!!

CASology 5th Anniversary Blog Hop!!!

Hello everyone!!  I am so excited to be a part of CASology's 5th anniversary celebration!!   I can't believe that CASology has been offering up amazing challenges for 5 years!!  But time flies when you are having fun, right???   I will never forget being contacted by Melissa early in 2012 about being part of the design team she was putting together for a new challenge blog that was going to be all about clean and simple.  Since I love clean and simple it didn't take me long to email Melissa back to say yes to her offer and for the first year and a half of the challenge I was on the design team.  It was one of the best
times of my crafting life!    So when Melissa contacted me about being a part of the celebration I had to say yes, again!!  All the fun starts on the CASology blog.  If you came from CASology design team member Joyce's blog then you are on the right track.  If not head over to the CASology blog for a list of all the hop participants.   The cue word for this challenge is appropriately balloon.    For my card I used the super fun Essentials by Ellen Up the Happy stamp set along with the matching dies.  I heat embossed red, aqua and pink cardstock with white embossing powder them and then die cut the balloons with the matching die.  The same thing was done for the clouds as well.  I then adhered the balloons and the clouds and added the balloon strings and the sentiment.

Now... since this is a celebration there will be lots of fun and prizes!!  Here are all the details:

To be eligible for the CASology prize, participants must comment on all stops included on the hop + link up a BALLOON themed card to the gallery.  Winner will be selected randomly using random.org.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, August 1.

And here is what you can win!!

CASology - $50 gift certificate to the online craft store of winner's choice

Altenew - $30 gift certificate to the online store

Sprinkle Berry - $30 gift certificate to online store

Avery Elle - $20 gift certificate to the online store

Cindy B Designs - $25 gift certificate to online craft store of winner's choice

Concord & 9th - $25 gift certificate to the online store

DeNami Designs - $20 gift certificate to the online store

Lawn Fawn - $35 gift certificate to the online store

Neat & Tangled - $25 gift certificate to the online store

Poppystamps - $20 gift certificate to the online store

Precious Remembrance Shop - stamp set of winner's choice

7 Kids College Fund - $20 store credit

STAMPlorations - $15 gift certificate to the online store

Sunny Studio - Color Me Happy set + matching Color Word Die

The Ton - $20 gift certificate (for The Ton brand stamps, dies, inks & gilding products)

Uniko Studio - an in stock clear stamp set of winner's choice

Waffle Flower - $25 gift certificate to the online store

Your Next Stamp - $20 gift certificate to the online store

How amazingly awesome is that???  Pretty darn awesome in my book!!  Your next stop on the hop is the blog of STAMPlorations one of the awesome sponsors of the CASology celebration!!

The color scheme for my card comes from the current Essentials by Ellen Pin-Sights challenge so I will be linking my card up there, as well.  When I saw the pin-sights challenge inspiration board I knew it would be perfect to use to create my card for CASology... just look at those fun colors and images!  They just say balloons to me!

Have a wonderful day and happy hopping!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  SU! Sahara Sand, pink, red and aqua; PTI white; Stamps:  Essentials by Ellen; Dies:  Essentials by Ellen and A Jillian Vance Design; Ink:  VersaMark watermark ink, VersaFine Onyx Black; Embossing powder:  Hero Arts white

your day to shine...

Hello!!  Stopping in with a card for a couple of challenges:  Where Creativity Meets C9 - embossing and CAS(E) this Sketch - layout.  I have fiddled around all month trying to decide what to make for the WCMC9 challenge and now it is crunch time.  Loved the fun sketch over at CTS so decided to pair it up with one of the first C9 stamp sets I bought Shine Brighter.  I started by stamping the light bulb in watermark ink and embossing it with white embossing powder.  I then stamped the little filament image with watermark ink and embossed with platinum embossing powder.  The top of the light bulb was also embossed with the platinum embossing powder.  All the images were embossed on watercolor paper and then colored with ZIGs.  Once dry I die cut them with the corresponding dies.   Because I wanted the sentiment on the light bulb I stamped it with watermark ink on vellum and embossed with black embossing powder.  I die cut it with the light bulb die, put adhesive only at the top and adhered it over the watercolored light bulb.  It mutes the watercolored light bulb, but you can still see what is underneath.  The stem image was embossed with white embossing powder and then I applied Squeezed Lemonade distress ink to the white cardstock.  Once I had the look I wanted I adhered everything to the trimmed down panel.   ETA:  I just realized that this card will also work for the current Time Out challenge to be inspired by the following sentiment:

'If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely' 

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  SSS fog, PTI white, vellum; Stamps and dies:  Concord & 9th; Ink:  VersaMark watermark ink, Ranger Squeezed Lemonade distress ink; Watercolor medium:  ZIG clean color makers; Embossing powder:  Hero Arts white, Filigree black

darkest nights...

Hello!!  Things have been a little crazy in my house, but I did find sometime the other day to make a card for a couple of challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - seeing stars.  I recently got some new goodies from A Jillian Vance Design and one of the items was the new Darkest Night stamp set.  I paired it up with the really fun AJVD Scattered Stars Strip die and the small star from the Stitched Dot Stars die set.  I die cut some black cardstock using the Scattered Stars Strip die and then die cut the piece with a square Spellbinders die.  Silver sparkle cardstock was die cut with the same Spellbinders die and then adhered behind the black square.  The sentiment was then stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Originally I was going to just adhere the square to the white cardstock base, but decided the add the light gray cardstock panel for a little extra punch.  I adhered the square and then added the little silver star to finish things off.

Have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:  Cardstock: PTI white, black, SU! gray, MFT silver glitter cardstock; Stamps:  A Jillian Vance Design; Dies:  A Jillian Vance Design, Spellbinders; Ink:  VersaMark watermark ink; Embossing powder: Hero Arts

sending you sunshine... friend

Hey... stopping in with a card for the current MFT sketch challenge, as well as the current MFT color challenge.   I pulled out the beautiful MFT Sketchy Blooms Two stamp set and the fun MFT Friend die.  I stamped the flowers using the coral and teal colors from the MFT palette and then die cut the piece.  I die cut the friend from the gravel gray cardstock four times and then stacked them.  The letters were then adhered to the card front per the sketch.  I die cut coral and black cardstocks with an angled border die, layered them as you see and then adhered to the card front.  Finished things off by stamping the sentiment from the cute MFT set Sweet Forest Friends in MFT's Tropical Teal.  Super happy with how this turned out... especially getting all the letters in friend lined up perfectly!!

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  light gray, white, MFT coral crush, gravel gray, black; Stamps:  MFT; Dies: AJVD; Inks:  MFT and Stamping Up!