let your dreams....

Hello friends!  I have a little card to share.  I actually made this several days ago, but haven't been able to post it until now.  I used the current ColourQ colors, as well as the current sketch from CAS(e) This Sketch.   This is my second attempt with the ColourQ combo.  The first attempt didn't end as a complete disaster, but I wasn't at all happy with it and so decided to not bother posting it.  The same cannot be said for this card because I absolutely love how it turned out!!



 

The first card I made was sort of a more is more type of card and that was the problem.  There was just way too much of certain colors from the combo.  This is defintely a less is more card and as such makes me very happy!   As I contemplated the CTS sketch I remembered that I had purchased some Washi Tape when I made my recent trip to Impress Rubber stamps and I thought some of that tape just might work for the color combo and Yay... it did!!!  So I adhered a strip of the Washi tape to my panel.  I then die cut the bird from the orange polka dot patterned paper and the leaf from pink pirouette.  After arranging them I realized that something was missing so I ran the leaf through my woodgrain embossing folder to add some texture.  But something was still missing... so I grabbed a dark red button and some dark pink bakers twine and created the little perch for my bird and it all fell into place.  Once everything was adhered in place I stamped the sentiment from the Taylored Expressions set Make it Amazing.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; SU! Pink Pirouette; PP:  SU! Polka Dot Parade; Stamps:  Taylored Expressions; Dies:  SU!/Sizzix Autumn Accents & Memory Box Perched Reed Bird; Button:  PTI; Washi Tape:  Impress Rubber Stamps; Bakers Twine:  The Twinery

me & you....

Hello friends!!   Here with a card for the current Less is More challenge.   This week is the dreaded one layer challenge.   Thank goodness this time I double checked what the challenge was before starting my card.  Last month I made a card the one layer challenge then realized that my card wasn't one layer as required!!  As well as having the requirement that the card be one layer it needs to have a musical element on it.

I don't often use masking on my cards, not sure why... I just don't.   It is a rather simple technique that can result in some really stunning effects.  I decided to do some simple masking by cutting a piece of Eclipse tape to fit my card front and then die cutting a heart in the center.  Once I did that I placed the mask on the card front and stamped the front with the Hero Arts Musical Background cling stamp using grey ink.  After I removed the mask I stamped the "me & you" from the HA clear set "You & Me" using red and black inks.  Three little clear rhinestones finished things off.

Thanks for stopping by....  On the Less is More front we got some sad new... Mandi, who founded LIM with Chrissie, has had to stepped down from her LIM post.   Several months ago she purchased a wedding planning business and must devote all her time to growing that business.  She will be sorely missed by everyone!!   But there is some good news as the fabulously talented Jen will be continuing on as a designer for LIM!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Rustic White; Stamps:  Hero Arts; Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, London Fog & Ladybug; Rhinestones:  Stampin Up!

there is no one like you....

 Hello friends!!  As many of you probably know, PTI is celebrating it's 6th anniversary and there have been some fun contests going on.  I missed one of them and wanted to get a card made for today's contest which is to make a project using one of PTI's Year of Flowers sets.  I have six of them and for the very first time (yep... very first time... so sad!) I inked up the YOF Larkspurs set.  I used the color combo for this week's CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge.    I have to say that I'm super excited about today's PTI announcement.  PTI is now going to offer dies that match each of the YOF sets!!!  I'm planning on picking up the ones that corresponde to the sets I have.

Because I wanted to make sure I got the card done before 7:00 am est on Saturday I kept my card very simple.  I stamped the image on Vintage Cream cardstock using Memento Tuxedo black and then colored it with Copic markers.  Once I was done coloring the image I trimmed it to fit the card front as you see.  I then stamped the sentiment from the Larkspur set on Vintage Cream and die cut the fishtail banner using my MFT Fishtail Flag Stax dies.   The banner was trimmed down and the corners rounded.  I tied some kraft bakers twine through a Plum Pudding button and adhered it to the banner. 

Thanks for stopping by

CCC #30... love you always

Hello friends!!  Tuesday is here and that means time for a new CASology challenge!!  YAY!!!  Yet, again, I was completely blown away by the creativity to be found in last week's challenge!  There were so many clever takes on the cue word that time after time I found myself saying "doh! why didn't I think of that????"   I know this week is going to be just as creative!!  The cue word for this week is "fairytale" and all the details can be found here.   Our guest designer this week is none other than the super creative (as well as hiliariously funny... check out her blog!) Darnell!! 

Once, again, I had a hard time with this cue word trying to figure out the direction I wanted to go in with the cue word.  So I hopped on the Google train and looked up some fairytales and found a couple of fairytales that I thought would work with my stamp collection.  But honestly, I just couldn't come up with any good card ideas.  Finally on Friday (as I was making a card for a completely different challenge) I remembered a fairytale that I had read as a child called Snow White and Rose Red (the fairytale can be found here if you want to read it). Yay!!  I had an idea.  Some of you have seen a version of my card on my blog before, but hey... if it ain't broke, don't fix it is what I say.  The card base and the jumbo fishtail banner are PTI's Rustic White and the rose was made from SU!'s Cherry Cobbler using the My Favorite Thing Mini Hybrid Heirloom dies.  The images (from the SU! set Vintage Fresh & PTI's Pretty Peonies) were stamped using Cherry Cobbler ink, but stamped in different intensities to provide a bit of contrast.  When using a bold color on a CAS design I sometimes like to vary the intensity so that there is that contrast.

Thanks for stopping by.... make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Tracey, Jen, Ardyth, Judy, Maureen, Meghan and this week's guest designer, Darnell. Can't wait to see what you come up with using this week's cue word!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Rustic White, SU! Cherry Cobbler; Stamps:   PTI and Stampin Up!; Ink:  Stampin Up!; Dies:  My Favorite Things Jumbo Fishtail Flag Stax and Hybrid Heirloom Rose die

the tiniest thing...

Hello friends... have another card to share.  This one is for the new LIM challenge and for the current CAS(e) this Sketch challenge.   Must pause for a moment and wish Chrissie, Mandi and Less is More a great big Happy Birthday!! LIM just turned two.. can't believe that Chrissie and Mandi have been putting forth a new challenge each week two years!!  And in that time I have only missed I think two challenges.  I missed the very first one because by the time I discovered LIM the challenge was closed and then I missed another for some reason that I don't remember.   Anywhoo... here is to many more years of fun challenges with Less is More!

The LIM challenge this week is to use kraft and cream (or kreme).  Didn't have to ask me twice to make a card for that challenge as I love to combine kraft with just about any color.  But there is something so very classic and elegant about kraft and cream.   For my card I used a newly acquire Penny Black stamp called "dreamy", as well as a Penny Black sentiment "tiniest".   I stamped the image using SU!'s Crumb Cake ink and then brushed on some Diamond Stickles. Unfortunately, you cannot see the Stickles in the photo.  I rounded one corner of the piece and then rounded the corresponding corner on the card base.   The sentiment was stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa ink to keep things monochromatic.  I created the little butterfly embellishments by threading some twine through the buttons and trimming the ends as you see.  The each button was adhered to a Studio Calico veneer butterfly and then adhered to the card.  I wasn't going to add the third butterfly embellishment, but I decided to go with the "rule of 3" and add the third one.  

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI kraft and cream; Stamps:  Penny Black; Ink: SU! Crumb Cake & Mement Rich Cocoa; Diamond Stickles; DeNami Design buttons; Studio Calico veneer butterflies; cream twine; corner rounder punch 

you're a doll...

Hello friends!!  Have a little card I made for the current MFT guest designer contest in keeping with my goal to participate in all the guest designer contests this year.  I love MFT products and participating in the challenges also gives me a good reason to use my MFT products!!  The challenge this month (as in past months) is to create a project using a fun sketch.   For my card I decided to use the super cute (well... all the PIs are super cute!) set Paper Dolls and the coordinating Paper Dolls border die.

Part of the reason I'm participating in the contests is to improve certain skills... like my coloring skills.  Usually when I work with a PI image I like to paper piece her clothes and then color her skin and hair with Copics, but this time I colored the entire image using Copics (RV32, RV34, G20, G21, E11, E15, E49 & E50).   It took me several tries to find a fairly good color match to the polka dot paper behind the image.  I also tried to find a good color match for the little paper dolls.  Times like these makes me wish I had just a few more Copics... ha!   Anyway after I got her colored I cut her out using a Spellbinders small plain circle die and then matted that with a circle cut from kraft cardstock using a Spellbinders large plain circle die.  The papers are from the My Mind's Eye Sweetest Thing Lavendar collection.   I made the rose using the recently released MFT Mini Hybrid Heirloom Rose die set.   The inside of the card was finished off with some additional paper, another paper dolls border and a sentiment.   Make sure you stop by the MFT blog because the current release is in full swing and there are tons of super cute new stamps and dies being offered this month!

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Rustic White; SU! Crumb Cake; Papers:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps: MFT PI Paper Dolls; Dies:  MFT Mini Hybrid Heirloom Rose dies, Paper Dolls border dies; Spellbinders dies; Diamond Stickles; Copic Markers