CAS Christmas September 2022 Reminder - Sparkle and/or Shine

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge, where this month our hostess Hideko is looking for CAS Christmas cards with SPARKLE and/or SHINE.

                                               

                                                                  

The past year or so I have fallen in LOVE with the foiling techniques, and the fabulous SHINE it gives to a card!  It is so different than the shine you get from embossing with gold or silver, and unless you really see it in person, photographs don't really do it justice!  With that being said, I still made a card with foiling, and you're just going to have to trust me that the SHINE factor on this card is incredible!!  Take a look...

 I used a Spellbinders hot foil plate called Holidays Floral Background and Aura Foil on black cardstock, and the colors this foil gives when the light hits it is SO pretty!  In very little light it looks silver, but when you turn it just right, or the sunlight hits it, it goes into this multi-colored image that's like looking at colored lights on a Christmas tree at nighttime. I matted my foiled image with white and then adhered to a black card base (4 3/4 x 4 3/4).  Really a very easy card to create and I love the dramatic look of it!

Make sure you check out all the beautiful inspiration from my talented teammates, and then play along and get going on those Christmas cards!  Just remember to keep it CAS and also to add some SPARKLE and/or SHINE to your card.  We look forward to seeing YOU in our gallery!!  You can play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Christmas Sept. 2022 - SPARKLE and/or SHINE

Hello friends.  It's time for another CAS Christmas Challenge, and this month Hideko is our hostess, and she would like to see SPARKLE and/or SHINE on your CAS Christmas cards!

 

For REAL SPARKLE, I like to pull out my glass bead gel (Faber Castell) and a stencil, and I just happened to have a new (to me!) stencil from Trinity Stamps called Tree of Lights that I thought would work beautifully with the glass bead gel.  Take look...

Can you see the SPARKLE??!!  This is a 4 step stencil and it was definitely made for a regular size slimline card, but I like the mini-slimline size sooooo much better, so part of the tree is cut off at the bottom, but it still worked beautifully with the smaller size!  I used PFS's set of 4 green ink cubes to do my blending over the 4 stencils, and then went back to stencil #3 to add my glass bead gel.  Once it was dry, I used Gina K's Master Layouts #7 die set to cut my stenciled layer and the black layer behind it, before attaching it to my card base.

  To finish my card I simply added a pre-printed sentiment strip (Gina K) with foam tape on the back for some dimension.  A pretty simple card...the hardest part of this one was waiting for the glass bead gel to dry (over night)!!

Have you started your Christmas cards yet??  Let us help by joining our challenge...you can find all kinds of FABULOUS inspiration from our talented DT and Special GD, and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th. 

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

CAS Christmas August 2022 - Reminder - PINE

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge where our hostess Trina would like to see PINE on our CAS Christmas cards.

I have used a few of my favorite stamps and dies from The Greetery to come up with this inspiration for you...

 I started with a white card base and added the largest Crimped Circle Die cut also in white.  I attached my watering can from the Sprinkled with Kindness stamp and die set (also The Greetery) in shades of brown, and then started adding the pine branches from the BotaniCuts: Pine Bough dies from The Greetery.  The pine branches were all cut from white cardstock and then inked up with DOX inks.

The pinecone also is part of the BotaniCuts: Pine Bough die set and was cut from kraft cardstock and sponged with Soft Suede ink (SU!).  I finished with a sentiment in Cranberry ink (C&9th) from a PTI set called Christmas Blessings and a few Sparkling Champagne Metallic Pearls from PFS.

You have until the 24th to play along with this challenge, and if you need more inspiration, check out all the beautiful cards from my talented teammates right HERE.     

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

CAS Christmas August 2022 - PINE

Hello friends.  It's time for a new challenge at CAS Christmas, and our hostess Trina would like to see PINE (tree, branch, sprig??) on our CAS Christmas cards this month.

                                                 

I used an older Penny Black cling stamp (red rubber) and came up with this...

I used my SU! markers and colored directly onto the Berry Speckled stamp, small areas at a time, huffed on the stamp to moisten up the ink on the stamp, and then pressed onto my cardstock.  Once I had the whole image colored, I spritzed lightly with water onto the stamp to release the rest of the ink still on the stamp, and then pressed into my cardstock again, which left me with more of a water colored look.

Next I trimmed my layer down a bit and then used Spellbinders Essential Dual Lines foiling plates to add the gold foiled framing around my image.

A little hard to tell in my photo, but I also gold foiled my sentiment which is from Yana's Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), and then die cut the sentiment shape 3 extra times to stack my sentiment on so it would stand out a bit on the card.

We have all kinds of beautiful inspiration for you from our talented DT and Special GD that you can check out right HERE, and then play along with us and get those Christmas cards started!  Remember to keep your cards CAS!!  This challenge is open till the 24th, and we can't wait to see YOU in the gallery!! 

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

CAS Christmas July 2022 Reminder Post - SANTA

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge where our hostess Barb would like to see a SANTA on your card.

 

I have a very simple card to share with you using another older wooden stamp from Paper Inspirations called Telling Santa.  Take a look...

Doesn't that image just make you feel all warm inside?!!  I stamped the image in Basic Gray ink (SU!) and then layered it to a Basic Gray panel and a Matte Silver cs layer (Gina K).  

I embossed the front of my card base with a FSJ Evergreen ef, and then added a sparkling white ribbon (SU!) before attaching my stamped image, which is raised up on foam strips.  I finished by simply adding 3 red gemstones to add just a tiny pop of color to my card.  I left off a sentiment on the front of my card as I felt the image was busy enough as is, and I don't think anyone will mistake it for anything other than a Christmas card!  :0)

There's still a week left to play along with us, so check out all the fabulous inspiration from our DT and Special GD, 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!

CAS Christmas July 2022 - SANTA

Hello friends.  It's time for a new challenge over at CAS Christmas, and our hostess Barb would like to see SANTA on our CAS Christmas cards. 

I had fun inking and coloring up an old wooden stamp from Rubber Stampede called Santa Collage, and came up with this card...

I stamped my image in black, and then used a B34 Copic to color Santa's eyes (a little hard to see in my photo, but they really are BLUE), a gold pen to outline Santa's glasses, and then lightly added a bit of pink chalk with a q-tip to Santa's cheeks, nose, & mouth.  I also used a WOS pen to make the snowflakes in his beard sparkle.

 I made a frame by die cutting a rectangle from the center of my 4" x 5 1/4" panel, and then embossed it using a SU! ef called Winter Snow.  I used foam strips on the back of the embossed panel for a bit of dimension, and then added a pre-printed sentiment strip from Gina K.

Let us help you get a head start on those Christmas cards by pulling out your SANTA stamps and joining the DT and our special GD over at the CAS Christmas Challenge...this challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Christmas June 2022 - WREATH Reminder Post

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge, where our  hostess Linda is looking for a WREATH on our CAS Christmas cards.

My WREATH comes from an older SU! set called Feeling of Christmas, and because I loved the greens and purple I used on my first card, I stuck with the same color palette here:

I used Soft Succulent for the first inked layer of the wreath, and then Evening Evergreen for the leaf layer.  I used a couple of Copics (BV08 & BV17) to color in the berries.

My bow (The Greetery - Fit To Be Tied) was die cut three times (for dimension) from Elegant Eggplant cs, and then I put a few coats of WOS on the bow for some shimmer & shine.  The sentiment is from the Feeling of Christmas stamp set also.  I matted this layer with a piece of Elegant Eggplant cs and then adhered both to a top folding white card base.

We hope you'll dig out those WREATH stamps (or dies or stencils) and play along with us right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Christmas June 2022 - WREATH

Hello friends.  Welcome back to CAS Christmas ..we're SO excited to be back with you and helping you get those Christmas cards done in time!  Linda is our hostess this month, and her challenge is to use a WREATH on your card.  

 

 In the past year I have fallen in LOVE with all the wonderful layering stencils that are out there, and today I'm using Pinkfresh Studio's Thrill of Hope wreath stencils for my card.  Take a look:

I am loving the simplicity of this wreath and used just 2 green inks (SU!'s Evening Evergreen & Soft Succulent) and Elegant Eggplant ink for the berries.

My sentiment was foiled using Spellbinders JOY Glimmer Plate and Aura foil...I'm loving the different colors this Aura foil gives depending on the light!  I matted this layer with a panel of Elegant Eggplant cs and adhered both to a top folding white card base.  Very simple but I'm thrilled with the way this card came out!!

Make sure you check out all the wonderful inspiration the rest of the DT has to share with you, and also welcome our newest DT member Lisa Elton (My Paper Tales).  You can play along with us until the 24th right HERE.

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

CAS Christmas Feb. 2022 Reminder - WINTER SCENE

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still a week left to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge, where Christine is hosting and would like to see a WINTER SCENE on our Christmas cards.

Last month my cousin and I met up to exchange late Christmas gifts and then went to a little shop she knew about that was a crafters dream shop!  This little shop carried a brand of stamps that I had never heard of before called Nellie's Choice, and I found this beautiful Wintery house stamp that worked perfectly for this WINTER SCENE challenge!  Take a look...

Isn't this such a peaceful wintry scene?  I love the line drawn image of this stamp...so simple but conveys so much!  I stamped the scene in Concord & 9th's DOVE ink and then mounted it to a Basic Gray (SU!) matte and then adhered both to a white card base.

  Here's a closer up shot so you can better see the line drawing of this image.  I used WOS over all the snow on the trees, house, and drive, so this card really sparkles in real life.  My sentiment uses MB's Special Merry Christmas die and I die cut it from Real Red (SU!) cardstock to make it pop against the gray.  

We would love to see you in our gallery and help you get a head start on those Christmas cards so you're not scrambling at the last minute in an already busy time of year!  Check out all the inspiration from our amazing DT and our Special GD (Izzy) and then play along with us right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Edited to Add:  I'm also adding this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge as I had never used the Nellie's Choice stamp before.

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

CAS Christmas Feb. 2022 - WINTER SCENE

Hello friends.  It's a new month and time for a new challenge at CAS Christmas, where this month our hostess is Christine and she would like us to create a WINTER SCENE on our CAS Christmas cards.

I have a very simple card to share with you for this challenge using a stamp set from PTI (Deer To Me) that was gifted to me this past Christmas by my sweet friend Michele!  Take a look:

I started by ink blending with Blue Raspberry and Blue Denim inks (Gina K) through an oval stencil, and then splattered some snow using white acrylic paint.  Once the splatters were dry, I ran the panel through my die cutting machine with The Greetery's Nordic Frame Die, and then attached to a top folding white card base.  

For my 2 deer, I stamped a piece of kraft cardstock with an older SU! background stamp called Hardwood, and then die cut the 2 deer from the Deer To Me set.  I love that the deer dies already have  a woodgrained surface to them so that you get a bit of dimension with them!  I stamped antlers with a darker brown ink and then used a black glaze pen to add the eyes.  The deer on the right was added with foam dots behind him to add even a bit more dimension, and the sentiment was stamped in black (also from the Deer To Me stamp set).  

There is lots of inspiration for you from our DT and Special GD Izzy, so check it all out right HERE and play along with us to get a head start on those Christmas cards...you KNOW Christmas comes faster and faster every year!!  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Christmas Reminder Jan. 2022 - Silver & Gold

Hello friends.  Just a reminder that there's still still time to play along with the SILVER & GOLD challenge over at CAS Christmas.

I have another quick and simple card to share with you today...

I used Poppystamps Noel Snowflake die and die cut it once in gold mirror cardstock, once in silver cardstock and cut off just the snowflake to glue over the gold snowflake, and then die cut twice from white cardstock just to add some dimension and sturdiness to this very fragile die cut.  (Have you all discovered Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue yet??  It has a precision tip that never seems to clog and is just perfect for gluing fine die cuts together...it has been one of my greatest finds of 2021!!)  

I dry embossed a snowflake background using SU!'s Winter Snow ef, and then matted it with a piece of gold mirror cardstock, and then attached both layers to a top folding white card base.  I added a single silver metallic pearl (PFS) to the center of my snowflake, and this card was finished.  

You have until the 24th to play along with this challenge, and if you need some inspiration, check out what the talented DT came up with using SILVER & GOLD right HERE.  

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

CAS Christmas Jan. 2022 - SILVER & GOLD

Hello friends.  Welcome back to another year at CAS Christmas...the challenge where we try to help you get a head start on those Christmas cards!  Our hostess for this first challenge of the year is Julia, and she would like to see SILVER & GOLD on your CAS Christmas cards.  (Are you hearing Burl Ives in your head right now??  I sure am!!)

 

I have a super CAS card to share with you today, using just two die cut trees and a foiled sentiment, and I LOVE the way it turned out!  Take a look:

 I started by dry embossing a panel with SU!'s Subtle embossing folder, and then added my two die cut trees using Tim Holtz Woodlands dies.  I die cut one is gold mirror cardstock and the other one in silver holographic cardstock.  

My sentiment was foiled with gold using PFS's Perfect Sentiments: Holiday foil plate and die.  I also die cut a couple layers in just plain white cardstock to put behind the foiled sentiment to add a little dimension to the card.  I finished with 3 crystal gems.  

We hope you'll play along with us and get going on those cards for next December!  There's lots of BEAUTIFUL inspiration for you from our talented DT and also our special GD Lisa Elton, so check it all out right HERE, and then play along with us.  This challenge is open till the 24th. 

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

CAS Christmas Reminder Nov. 2021 - CHRISTMAS CRITTERS

Hello friends.  Just a friendly little reminder that there's still time to play along with us this month at CAS Christmas.  Our hostess this month is Barb, and she would like to see CHRISTMAS CRITTERS on your CAS Christmas cards.

I used an older image from Penny Black (you can always tell it's older when the stamp is mounted on a wood block, right??!! ) that I actually just picked up last year after seeing someone make a card with it and knew I had to have it to add to my critter collection!  Take a look...

 Can you see why I had to have it?!  I think this overdressed duck image is just too CUTE, and I had fun coloring him simply with a few of my Copics, and then matting him with a thin layer of red foil cardstock.  My sentiment was also mounted on a thin piece of red foil cardstock and is from TE's Modern Holiday stamp set.

My background is a new to me embossing folder from SSS called Holiday Greenery, and I think it finished off my simple card rather nicely!

You have until the 24th to enter this challenge, so check out the inspiration from the DT and play along with us right HERE.

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