CAS Christmas Nov. 2021 - Christmas Critters

Hello friends.  It's time for our last challenge of 2021 here at CAS Christmas, and our hostess Barb would like to see CHRISTMAS CRITTERS on our Christmas cards this month.

The hardest part of this challenge??  Deciding which CRITTER to use on my card of course!!  As much as I love all my flower stamps, I love CRITTER stamps too, so there was definitely no shortage of images to use!  Even though I have no shortage of CRITTER stamps, I tend to circle back around to MFT's Polar Bear Pals every Christmas...those adorable faces get me every time!  Here's what I did with one of the smaller images this year...

Kinda melts your heart, doesn't he?!!  I stamped, colored (with Copics), and die cut the little guy, and then set him aside while I stenciled my wreath using Pinkfresh Studio's Thrill of Hope onto a white panel, and then used The Greetery's Crimped Frame Dies to add a border to my panel.  

Although I couldn't seem to capture it with my camera, my sentiment was foiled with red foil using Pinkfresh Studio's Perfect Sentiments: Holiday foil plate and dies and added to the center of my wreath.  The sweet little bear was pop dotted for some dimension and added to the bottom of the wreath, and then I finished my card by adding a few green gems (also from Pinkfresh Studio).

The DT and our special GD Valerie have some awesome inspiration for you, so check it out and play along with us right HERE.  We'd love to help you get those Christmas cards done in time to send out this year, so play along with us!  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

PTI's Into the Blooms: Dahlia

Hello friends.  HAD to have the newest Into the Blooms: Dahlia dies from PTI's latest release, and then when Shauna Todd did a video using these dies to make a Christmas card, well, I just HAD to play along!  Check out her video HERE to see her BEAUTIFUL card and then play along making your own VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS card!

I actually have 2 cards to share with you today as I had die cut quite a few of the flowers and leaves out, and had more than enough to make a 2nd card.  Here's my first:

I have to admit that what excited me the most at first when I saw the Into the Blooms: Dahlia dies, was not the flower, but the leaves.  Both the pine sprig and the Dahlia leaves are gorgeous and have so much detail!  But after cutting out the 3 layer Dahlia, I fell in LOVE with all the dimension this flower has!!  I started my card just like Shauna did hers and taped off all four edges, but then instead of water coloring, I ink blended using Autumn Rose ink.  I used the All is Bright die to cut out my sentiment from a brushed gold cardstock, and then also decided to cut one of the pine sprigs from the brushed gold cardstock too.  The other leaves were ink blended with DOX inks, and the Dahlia's were die cut with Autumn Rose cardstock, and then ink blended with the matching ink around the edges.

Once I had all my pieces glued down I added a few crystal gems and this card was finished.

Using my left over pieces I started this card with a white on white card base using an older PTI die called Bold Borders: Polka Dot Die.  

Because the background is a little busy, I simply added my flower and leaves and then finished with a die cut sentiment from MB called Special Merry Christmas.  CAS and I love how this one turned out too!  Thank you Shauna for inspiring me for both of these cards.

Remember to check out Shauna's video HERE and then play along...there's a $25 gift card up for grabs if your card is picked. :0)

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

Happy Halloween

Hello friends.  I know it's not Halloween yet, but since I don't usually post on the weekends, I thought I'd share today one of the two Halloween cards I made this year (I know, I know...such a slacker this year!!).  I used bits and pieces from a couple of Lawn Fawn older die sets and a older PTI set to come up with this shadow box card.  Take a look...

  Turned out kinda cute, didn't it?!  My haunted house and spooky tree are both from MFT's Spooktacular Friends, the actual shadow box frame is from Lawn Fawn (Spider and web too), and rest is all from PTI's Tiny Town: Spookville Manor die set.

 I wish now I had used vellum for the ghosts, but I guess I'll just have to remember that one for next year!  I added some WOS to the spider web that added a nice sparkly touch too!

The Here For The Boos was from my sweet friend Michele who brought the die from SSS last week when she came to visit and I just HAD to use it somewhere on this card and it fit beautifully on the back of the box!  

Hope you all have a great Halloween, and have more treats than tricks! 

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

Playing Cards with Michele...AGAIN!

Hello friends.  Had another play day with my sweet friend Michele, and of course just had the best day using each others goodies, LOTS of laughing, and because it's cooler now, even a big pot of chili for lunch along with Michele's toasted cornbread...yummmmmm!  

I stamped and die cut enough of all the goodies Michele brought for me to play with to make 10 or more cards, but don't worry, I only have 3 to share with you today!  Haha!!  Seriously though, it is so wonderful to be able to share each others stamps, dies, & stencils so we don't feel as though we HAVE to buy everything!!  Michele brought a bunch of stamps and dies from The Stamp Market and Pinkfresh Studios that I had a great time playing with, and we both used my Holiday Botanical Background (also Pinkfresh Studios) stencils to create a card with.  So let's get started...

 

Let's start with this simple card using Michele's Holly Jolly stamp and die set.  I die cut the Holly Jolly with white and red cs and attached to a background using a SSS 3D embossing folder called Holiday Greenery.  Next I added the Holly Leaves that I stamped and fussy cut just under the tail of the Jolly, and then pop dotted the berries that were also stamped and fussy cut.  I used some WOS of the Holly Leaves and some Glossy Accents on the berries.  CAS and done!

Next up is the Pinkfresh Studios Garden Roses stencil set that Michele brought, and I stenciled in Fall colors with yellows and oranges and outlined using the stamp set in dark brown.  I am totally in LOVE with the way this one turned out...even the brown leaves which I saw Lea Lawson do on a PFS live!  I used SU!'s Subtle embossing folder on my card base, and then stacked 3 of PFS's Ornate Oval Frame die cuts together to give some dimension and to lift my roses up off the card base. 

 The "happy" die cut is from The Greetery and I die cut that once from gold mirror cs and twice from white, before slipping my gold embossed "birthday" strip through the loops of the "p" and "y".  I finished with a few gold pearls (PFS) and just couldn't be happier with the way this card turned out!

My last card uses the Holiday Botanical Background stencils (PFS) that both Michele and I used, and I used a variety of Distress Inks to do my blending with.  I used The Greetery's Crimped Frame Dies on this stenciled piece, and then matted with SU!'s Mossy Meadow and Mellow Moss (retired) cs.

I also used The Greetery's new Abundant Joy dies (that I am totally in LOVE with!!) for the center of my card, and offset the Mellow Moss and Mossy Meadows base piece to match up with the layering of the card base and matting layers.  I finished this card up with some PFS gems to add a little sparkle, and love the way this one turned out too!

Aren't stamping friends truly just the BEST??!!  I feel so blessed to have made so many wonderful friendships through this craft!!  Thank you Michele for once again sharing your goodies with me, and most of all spending the day with me...I treasure your friendship!!  Make sure you hop on over to Michele's blog to see what came up with using some of my goodies...I know you won't be disappointed!!  

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

Color Hues Challenge #28 - Red & Kraft

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Color Hues Challenge where they are looking for RED & KRAFT on our cards.

These colors definitely say Christmas to me, so that's the direction I went with my card.  Take a look...

I'm kinda hooked on the mini slimline card size (6 1/4 x 3 1/4), and made this card using SU!'s Forever Fern stamp set and Real Red & Crumb Cake inks.  The dies are from Gina K's Master Layouts #7 set, and have been getting a workout lately!  The sentiment is an older PTI stamp and fit beautifully inside the circle die!  A few gemstones and a really, really old piece of sheer red ribbon finished off my card.

Lots of awesome inspiration from the DT that you can check out right HERE to play along.  This challenge is open till the 29th.

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

The Flower Challenge #61 - Use A Shape

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge today and they are looking for a card with a SHAPE.  And they are also celebrating their 5th Birthday...WOW!  Didn't realize it had been that long, and it's definitely worth celebrating!!

For my card I used a real imaginative shape...a rectangle!  Haha!  I had a Fall colored card in mind and the the die cut I wanted to use for my background was a rectangle, so that's how my card evolved!  Take a look...

I used SU!'s Basic Gray cardstock for my base, and then used the same cardstock for the die cut rectangle (PTI's Border Bling: JOY Frame), that I blended Basic Gray ink all around the decorative edges so it would stand out a bit from the card base.  Next I had fun stamping and fussy cutting all the flowers and leaves from PTI's Effortless Beauties stamp set, using lots of different Fall colored inks, and then arranging them over the frame.  

 I finished this card with a little Wren from The Greetery's Robin & Wren stamp set and popped him up over my sentiment that is also from The Greetery (Opposites Attract).  A few gemstones (Pinkfresh Studio) and some Distress Glitter added a little sparkle and shine to really finish this card off!

Lots of BEAUTIFUL inspiration from the DT and also in the gallery too, so check it all out right HERE and then play along!  And Happy, happy birthday to all of you at The Flower Challenge!!

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

CAS Mix Up Oct. 2021 - BOTANICAL PRINTS

Hello friends.  Playing along with the CAS Mix Up Challenge where this month the hostess Bonnie is challenging us to get out in nature (I walked into my front yard!) and collect some leaves to make BOTANICAL PRINTS with.  If you've never tried this technique, Bonnie has some great video links listed on the site to help you out.

 

I snipped off one of my Boston Fern leaf fronds, a leaf from one of my Hostas, and a collection of different colored leaves from our Maple tree.  The Boston Fern one turned out ok, the Hosta leaf just made a gooey mess, and the Maple leaves turned out pretty good.  Here's what I ended up with before turning them into cards...

And here's the 3 finished cards I ended up with...

I added Distress Ink to my leaves before putting them through my Big Shot, and this was from the 2nd pull, as there was still ink left on them after the 1st pull...I just spritzed with a bit of water and then ran them through my Big Shot again.  A much softer and muted result, but I like how it turned out!

 You can see the embossed lines from the actual leaves better in this close up.  My sentiment is from The Greetery's Bittersweet Bouquet.

I think this one turned out to be my favorite, even though I wasn't too impressed after I pulled it out of my Big Shot and peeled the frond off the cardstock.  It tore the cardstock in some places and that bugged me, but after it had dried out and I placed it in an embossing folder (SU!'s Time Worn), I really liked the CAS look it had.  I simply matted this one with some black and a white card base, and then added my die cut sentiment from Memory Box's Just A Note Posh Script that I popped up with some foam tape.

My last card uses the 1st pull from the painted Maple leaves...

Adding the ink to the leaves definitely adds a brighter look to the leaves after pressing them through the Big Shot, and I do like the look, although I like the muted shades of the first two cards much better!  

I finished up this card with a strip of embossed Pumpkin Pie cs (SU!) that I used a SSS 3D Falling Leaves embossing folder on, a bit of twine, and a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers.

The DT has outdone themselves this month with all their BEAUTIFUL Botanical Prints, so make sure you check out their inspiration, and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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