CAS Christmas Reminder - POINSETTIA

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us here at CAS Christmas, where this month we are looking for a POINSETTIA on your Christmas card!

My card is one of those that started out SO differently in my head, but turned out completely different in the end!  And then I wasn't even sure I liked it and was totally ready to scrap it and make something else, but then the card started growing on me...ever have that happen to you??!!  Take a look:

My cousin Sue had gifted me this Tim Holtz 3D Poinsettia embossing folder this past Christmas and I've seen some absolutely GORGEOUS cards done with it, but I've been a little intimidated by it!  I would love to paint it, but just too chicken that my skills aren't up to snuff for that!  So anyway, I embossed the Poinsettia twice...once on white cardstock, and once on red.  Next I lightly ran my Versamark pad over the raised petals and leaves and then added gold embossing powder.  It looked really pretty at this point but I just wasn't sure if it would look CAS, so I used a small stitched rectangle die to cut out just a portion of the red piece, and then matched it up to the coordinating white embossed panel (hope that makes sense??).  I adhered both to a Real Red cardstock layer, and then to a white card base.  My die cut "JOY" comes from PTI's Bold Borders: Flurries and was cut from gold matte cardstock (Gina K).  I also die cut the joy a few times from white cardstock to give some dimension to it.  I'm not sure what it was that I didn't like about this card when I first finished it, but it truly did grow on me and now I really like it!! 

We would love to help you get going on your Christmas cards (yes, even though it's the middle of Summer!!), so check out the rest of the inspiration from the DT HERE and then play along with us.  This challenge runs till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Twofer Challenge #40 - BIRDS

Hello friends.  It's time for another Twofer Challenge and this month the prompt is BIRDS.

Remember that this challenge requires you to create two DIFFERENT cards for two DIFFERENT occasions using the same stamp, stencil, or die with the given prompt for the month.  If you need a refresher on how to play along with this challenge, make sure you check out the side bar on The Twofer Challenge site (HERE) where there are all kinds of helpful tips!

So let's get started!!  I chose to use a Flamingo for my bird, and used an older PTI set called Some Like It Hot.  Take a look:

My slimline card with the rainbow flock of Flamingo's is an encouragement card and my other card is a birthday card (birthday sentiment is on the inside as I ran out of room after using the RWE quote on the outside).  Let's take a look at them separately...

I know there's no such thing as all these colorful Flamingo's in real life, but don't they all look so prettyfull all lined up together!  And who wouldn't be cheered up with a lineup like this?!!  I started with a torn strip of dsp (thanks Michele!!) that looks like sand on the bottom of my layer, and then started stamping from the center out so I could space them as evenly as I could.  Once I finished stamping the colorful flock, I mounted the panel to a black piece of cardstock and then adhered to a white card base.  My sentiment was embossed in white on a black strip (SSS - Tiny Words) and then I added foam tape to the back before mounting to my card.

My 2nd card uses the same Flamingo from PTI's Some Like It Hot set, and I coupled it with a stenciled wave from PTI's Sun & Surf Stencil Collection and a sentiment from Gina K's By The Sea 1 stamp set.  I once again matted it with a piece of black cardstock before adding it to a Ocean Mist card base.  The ocean waves also have WOS on them, so they really shimmer in real life!!  I was trying for a more masculine card with this one, but I'm not sure I succeeded...maybe????

So there you have my twofer...an encouragement and birthday card that both use the same Flamingo!  We can't wait to see what YOU come up with using the BIRD prompt this month!  Check out what our DT and Special GD's have for inspiration, and then play along with us right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Inspired By #180 - Slip into Something more Comfy

Hello friends.  Slipping in at the last minute to play along with the Inspired By Challenge where they want us to celebrate Summer and Slip into Something more Comfy!

Isn't that a yummy looking photo?!  And it totally gave me a reason to use a sweet little die set from Gina Marie Designs that I've had for years and years and NEVER used!!  

I die cut 4 different pairs of the flip flops in PTI's Raspberry Fizz, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, & Parakeet Green cardstock and Bitty Big DSP and glued them together before adding to my sunburst stenciled background (PTI's Sun & Surf Stencil Collection).

I used WOS on the sun rays and it even showed up in my photo this time...YAY!!!  My sentiment comes from MFT's Summer Days Ahead stamp set.  Pretty simple card but it definitely says SUMMER!!

If you need some more SUNSHINE in your life, check out all the AWESOME cards from the DT and if you're really quick, even play along right HERE.

I'll also be adding this card to Darnell's NBUS #28 Challenge since the flip flop dies made their first debut after all those years in the bin and never having been used!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #21 - RED & BLUE

Hello friends.  HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!  I have a fun little card to share with you today that I'll be adding to the Color Hues Challenge where they are looking for cards with the colors RED and BLUE.

Here's what I came up with...

Isn't that little bunny just the sweetest?!  Since this is more of a birthday card than a 4th of July card, I started with a neutral white on white background using The Greetery's Delightful Digits Die and attached to a white card base.  I added a partial Crimped Circle die cut (also The Greetery), and then added a couple RED and BLUE stenciled pinwheels (The Greetery's Pinwheel Party stencils and dies).  Next I added the sweet little bunny from Colorado Craft Company's SUNDAE FUNDAY stamp and die set and left him uncolored so that the pinwheels were what stood out!  The "celebrate" was die cut and stamped (with shades of blue for an ombre look) and is from The Greetery's Birthday Blooms stamp set.  To finish I added a couple clear gems to the centers of the pinwheels.  

Hope you all have a HAPPY and safe 4th of July (for those of you who celebrate!), and if you have time, be sure to play along with the Color Hues Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Christmas July 2021 - POINSETTIA

Hello friends.  It's time for another challenge at CAS Christmas and this month our lovely hostess Linda would like to see POINSETTIA's on our Christmas cards.

Even just a few years ago I would have told you that Poinsettia's are either red or white, but these days they come in every color under the sun, and I'm totally loving that!  Loving it so much in fact that I've got a Poinsettia card to share with you in PINKS and GRAYS!!  

I have many, many Poinsettia stamps, dies, and stencils, but I must admit that one stamp set that I go back to again and again is Stamplorations Layered Poinsettias.  I just love the simplicity of the shapes of the Poinsettias and leaves, and how modern looking they are.  (Which surprises even me as I'm mostly an old fashioned gal!)  I used Concord & 9th's Ballet Slipper and Honeysuckle inks for the Poinsettia flowers, and Mushroom ink for the leaves and sentiment.  

I actually stamped the centers of the flowers with the Mushroom ink too, but then ended up deciding to add some dark gray Prills that my sweet friend Bonnie sent me a loooooong time ago...I think it adds a nice little touch to the flowers!!  My sentiment is from SU!'s Watercolor Christmas.  I matted my stamped layer with a piece of Ballet Slipper cardstock before adhering to a white card base.  CAS and non-traditional, and I love how it turned out!  Might have to make a few more of these to add to my growing stash to make sure I have enough cards this year!!

Make sure you check out all the GORGEOUS Poinsettia cards from my teammates and also our Special GD Sandra for more inspiration, and then play along right HERE.  We can definitely help you be ready on time this year by playing along with us each month...just remember that this is a CAS challenge and to include a Poinsettia on your card!  This challenge is open till the 24th.     

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Monday FUNday

Hello friends.  Today is a Monday FUNday, and I have a very picture heavy post for you today as a result of watching a Jennifer McGuire video, and like Jennifer, I couldn't seem to stop at just one or two cards!  She calls this a Faux Metal Technique and you can watch her video on how to achieve this look right HERE.

You can get two cards from one quarter sheet of metallic or mirror cardstock and an embossing folder, and my first two cards start out with a piece of rose gold cardstock from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby).

 These were done with two different embossing folders, and here's a close up...

And here's the two cards using the other halves of the quarter sheet of rose gold cardstock...

And now let's change up the color a bit...

Isn't that blue so pretty?!!  I've used SSS's Vine Canopy 3D Embossing Folder for a lot of my cards on both the metallic cardstock and my card bases.

The other half of the quarter sheets of cardstock, and here's another close up...

These next two cards were done with a quarter sheet of Curious Metallic cardstock (thanks Birgit!!!) from CutCardStock, and it has more of a shimmer than metallic look to me, and very hard to photograph, but trust me, these two cards really do shimmer in real life!!

I used Tim Holtz's  3D Poinsettia embossing folder to create these two.

These two were embossed using a sheet of Mylar Shimmer Sheetz from Elizabeth Craft Designs.  I had bought a package of this stuff years ago to die cut with, and could not get it to cut worth beans!!  So I put it away and forgot about it!  But let me tell you, it embosses beautifully, and I wish I could have done justice to the shimmer and sheen you get with this...it's almost holographic!!  

And I finally found a partial sheet of red metallic mirror cardstock to create these two.  And here's a close up...

Are you still with me??!!  These cards were SO easy to make, and just plain fun!  I had to keep going so I could try the different types of metallic cardstocks I had on hand, and with each quarter sheet making two cards, well you can see why I ended up with so many cards and photos now!  Any favorites??  Personally I like them all!  If you have any questions about the dies or folders I used, just message me, and thanks for hanging out with me this morning on this looooooong post!  Happy Monday everyone!!  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #20 - AQUA & BLACK

Hello friends.  Today I'm playing along with the Color Hues Challenge where they are looking for cards with the colors AQUA and BLACK.

Such a pretty color combination!!  I love AQUA, and BLACK just totally pops off of it!  I could have made a 100 cards with this color combination, but unfortunately I only had time for one!!  Take a look:

I used The Greetery's Tartan Builder Diagonal stencils to make my plaid background with Gina K's Sea Glass and Ocean Mist inks.  I only used 3 of the 5 stencils that come with the set, but it really didn't need anything else as I wanted the background to stay soft looking.  I cut the panel down a little and matted it with a black mat before adhering both to a top folding white card base.

I used a couple Memory Box dies for my sentiment (Just a Note Posh Script) and the butterfly (Vivienne Butterfly) with black cardstock, and then finished simply with some glitter on the butterfly wings, a few clear gems, and a piece of black & white baker's twine.  Easy and simple but I love the way it turned out!

Make sure you check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT right HERE and then play along with this lovely color combination!!  :0)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!