The 12 Kits of Occasions: August 2014

Here we are at the very end of August, with the first day of school literally around the corner.  I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.  I am posting just a few hours late due to some poor time management on my part.  But, better late than never.  This month is all about birthdays, and our host is Kara from K and R Designs.  Kara sent is a wonderful kit full of all sorts of fun die cuts, stamped images and colorful patterned papers.  Here is a picture of Kara's kit:

Photo by Kara

Did you see that Kara included an entire stamp set in her kit?  Want one of those stamp sets for yourself?  Head on over to Kara's blog and enter her giveaway contest.

I made 4 cards from Kara's kit, and have so many leftovers and ideas, that I cannot wait to get some free time (perhaps when the kiddos are back at school) to make some more cards from Kara's kit.  Thank you so much, Kara, for sending out such a wonderful kit.

Well, that's it for me for today.  I cannot wait to look to see what every one else did.  Here are links to all the other designers. Please click here for a complete supply list.  And, don't forget about the contest going on at Kara's blog.

Joyce (that's me)

Cathy

 Jeanne

 Jessica

 Kara

 Kelly

 Kim 

Marybeth 

Renee

Sharron

 Tracey

 

  and our guest designer:  Alanna

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MUSE #82

Hi there.  I have a quick post today to share a card I made for this week's MUSE #82 challenge.  The inspiration this week is provided by Bobby from Bits and Pieces, and you can click over to her blog to see all the details about how she made her gorgeous card.  

I was inspired by the swirls and the color gradations I saw in those swirls.  Bobby tried to encourage us not to be afraid of our embossing paste, but I have to admit that I am still too afraid to open my jar up.  I immediately thought of PTI Fancy Flourishes when I saw Bobby's card, so that is what I went with.

I stamped lots of flourishes on my card using Versamark ink, and then heat embossed in clear.  I randomly sponged a couple of different blue and green Distress inks over it all--inspired by Bobby's color gradations in her swirls.  I also went with a sentiment on a popped up circle.

That's it for now.  I spent some time this week with Kim and Marybeth, and will come back later or tomorrow with a post showing everything we made together and hopefully a picture of the three of us.

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CASology Week 110: Letter

It's time for another cue word at CASology.  This week, our cue word is LETTER.  Ok--so do I do something clever with a letter of the alphabet, or should I go for the kind of LETTER that arrives in the mail.  Well, I decided to go with happy mail.

I was thinking Operation Write Home again when this idea came to me.  I cut a bunch of die cut envelopes using a WPlus9 Love Notes die, and then laid them out in a way that I hope suggests the US flag.  My sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Borders.

Now, it is your turn.  What do you think of when you see the word LETTER?  Have some fun with the cue word LETTER, and then please link up your creation on the CASology blog by Monday at noon (CST). 

Check out the beautiful designs from the CASology Design Team members and see how they were inspired by LETTER.  

Don't forget to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

May Park

Meghan McMillan

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

 

 

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CASology Week 109: Java

It's time for a new cue word at CASology.  This week, our cue word is JAVA.  What do you think of when you see the word JAVA?  I thought of coffee, Java Chip ice cream (which was my favorite flavor, but I don't think they make it any more), and even the programming language, Java.  In the end, I decided to go with coffee, which is good because it is the only one of those that I had stamps for.

I loved this paper pad by MME, and thought that the sheet of quotes went especially well with my sentiment.  My design is pretty simple--one of my 'go to' designs, actually, with a strip of patterned paper on the left and my focal point in the lower right.  I used an impression plate on my front panel to add a little interest to the white space.

Now, it is your turn.  What do you think of when you see the word JAVA?  Have some fun with the cue word JAVA, and then please link up your creation on the CASology blog by Monday at noon (CST). 
Check out the beautiful designs from the CASology Design Team members and see how they were inspired by JAVA.  
Don't forget to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

May Park

Meghan McMillan

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

 

Guest Designer:  Kate

 

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Get Well Soon

Hi there.  I was able to use some of the Beautiful Brushstroke die cuts I stamped the other day for another card.  I am playing along with the second row at CAS-ual Fridays CFC134--houndstooth/white/emboss.  The bottom panel of my card covered that whole row in one fell swoop.  I used the sketch at Fusion, and the sentiment is from Avery Elle Petals and Stems.

Not much to say about this card except for the fact that I am still in love with Beautiful Brushstrokes.






Edited to add that I missed the Fusion posting deadline, but I will still show the sketch in this post, since the sketch is what inspired my design.
 

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CASology Week 108: Magic

Happy Tuesday.  It's time for a new challenge at CASology.  Our cue word this week is MAGIC.  I think this is a very fun cue word, and subject to many different interpretations.  I thought back to the first time I was exposed to card making--I was at Paper Source, and I saw a demo of heat embossing. That was magic to me, and I still think it is a bit magical every time I do it.  I like to watch the image change as it is exposed to the heat source...slowly at first, and then all at once.  

My card this week incorporates the magic of heat embossing along with another technique that I think is a bit magical--emboss resist.  I stamped my sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed with clear.  Then, I used my Inktense Water Color Pencils to water color over my embossed sentiment.  The embossed sentiment resists the water color, and my sentiment magically appeared.  Also, I think that those water color pencils are pretty magical themselves.

Now, it is your turn.  What do you think of when you see the word MAGIC?  Have some fun with the cue word MAGIC, and then please link up your creation on the CASology blog by Monday at noon (CST). 

Check out the beautiful designs from the CASology Design Team members and see how they were inspired by MAGIC.  

Don't forget to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

May Park

Meghan McMillan

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

 

Guest Designers:  Jane and Shelly

 

 Thanks for Visiting

Hello and Sympathy

Hello there.  The weekend is winding down here, and I have two cards to share today.  I finally broke into the stamps from last month's Make it Market kit--they are so pretty, I think you'll be seeing a lot of them around here.  I am playing along with the top row of CAS-ual Fridays CFC134: Tic Tac Toe challenge--chevrons, black & sequins.  I am also entering this card at Simon Says Wednesday Make it Sparkle.

I made another entry for this week's Make it Monday #175, and I used Meadow Greens for this card.  I always prefer to make sympathy cards before I need them, so this one is for my stash.

My daughter came home late last night, and it is good to have her back.  I never thought I would welcome the familiar sound of my girls bickering, but today it sounded pretty good.

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Three cards to Start the Weekend and A Great Honor

Hello and happy Saturday.  I am finally getting a chance to post some cards I made over the last day or so.  My first card is for this week's Addicted to CAS challenge where the code word is GOLD.  I must say that I am extra excited to be playing in this particular challenge because I learned that I have been inducted into their Wall of Fame.  Wow--what a great surprise.

I was inspired by the sketch at this week's Seize the Sketch STS#26.  I really wanted to use Mehndi Medallion in Brilliance Galaxy Gold.  The scale was off when I tried my design as a one layer card, so I made my focal point on a smaller scale, and popped it up on my card front.  I hope this still qualifies as using the sketch.  A trio of shiny gold sequins finishes off the card.  I am also entering this card at Simon Says Wednesday Make it Sparkle.

I have entered at Seize the Birthday a couple of times already this week, but I am finally entering with the weekly toppings option--Monochromatic Yellow.  I've had paint on the brain this week, as we are re-doing my daughter's room, so I grabbed a yellow paint swatch for my card.

Last up is one more card for this week's Make it Monday challenge for creative card borders.  I used Mat Stack 4 and Modern Wood Mats along with some die cut wine glasses from Paper Smooches.

Here is what it looks like open:

I am very excited because my older daughter is coming home late tonight.  She has been in Rhode Island all summer studying art.  It's the longest and furthest away she has ever been alone, and I would have to admit that she handled it better than I have.  I am so very excited that she will be back home before long.  I think I will try to make a few cards while I am waiting for her.  That always makes the time pass so quickly.

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Birthday Cards and More

I am playing along with CAS(E) this Sketch and Tag You're it, who have joined forces this week.  How fun is that? 

I made a card with a tag, and then a coordinating tag to wrap up a little parcel of cards as a birthday gift.

The challenge at this week's Make it Monday is all about creative card borders.  I used Topiary Trio stamps and dies for my card.

I loved the colors of this week's ColourQ cQc #253 and immediately rushed to make a card inspired by these cards by Lisa of Lisa's Life Lines.  She called them "split cards" and I just thought they were so cool.  Lisa used patterned paper, but I decided to stamp my own patterned paper using Circle Scribbles.

Part of the front is cut away, and the pattern is actually on the base.

4 layers of Wet Paint die cut word 'happy'.

Here is what it looks like opened up.

Fun, right?  I could see making a set of these with a bunch of the Wet Paint die cut words.

I am going to enter all three of these cards into this week's Seize the Birthday--anything goes without toppings.  I sure hope I have a chance to make a yellow birthday card before the linky ends on this challenge.

Last is a card I made using a Cottage stamp from Serendipity.  I thought that the theme was CAS, but when I looked again (after I already made the card), I realized that the theme is actually I Miss You.  I think this card could  probably work for that theme--I miss you and want you home sweet home.  I stamped the Cottage Image on water color paper cut with a stitched rectangle, and then water colored it.

That's it for me today.

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