Friend to Friend and Get Well

I've got several cards to post today.  First up is a card inspired by this week's Muse #101.  I was inspired by the colored card base and the stripe of white embossed stamping.  I masked off a section of a red card base, and stamped a random grouping from Doodlie Do.  I scored above and below the stamping and added a sentiment in the reverse color scheme.

I am also entering this as another example for this week's CASology Challenge #130 where the cue word is FRIEND.  My design tip--white space can be red.  I am also linking up at Uniko  Studio #17 where the challenge is Love and Friendship and Less is More #207 where the theme is Friends.

I needed to replenish my stash of masculine get well cards.  When I saw this card from fellow CASology teamie Hazel, a lightbulb went off in my head, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I started playing around with On My Couch, Polka Dot Parade (the one with the easy chair) and some new Lil Inker dies.

I am entering the first of this series at Happy Little Stampers January Sketch Challenge, and the second at Colour Me #55.

Thanks for Visiting

CASology Week 130: FRIEND

Hello and happy Tuesday.  Before I get to this week's challenge, I have to say a big WOW!  You guys really had some fun with our challenge last week of NBUS.  It was great fun to team up with Darnell, and I felt better about some of my unused supplies after seeing all the amazing supplies that you all had sitting around unused.

OK, on to today's business--a new challenge at CASology where the cue word is FRIEND.  I pulled out a fairly new stamp and die set called Big Hugs.  It is turning out to be one of my very favorite stamp sets, and is the set I have been turning to when I want to send a little note to a friend--kind of just because/thinking of you/friendship card.

I took a small piece of water color paper and painted over it with Limeade Ice, Harvest Gold and Aqua Mist reinkers and lots and lots of water.  After it dried, I cut it with one of the Hugs dies and then used foam tape to mount the negative portion onto a piece of white card stock just a tad bigger than my water color piece.  I adhered the entire thing to a white card base and added a few clear sequins.

I'm also linking this card up at Happy Little Stampers CAS Watercolouring Challenge, Less is More, where the theme is FRIENDS, and Uniko Studio Challenge #17 Love and Friendship.

I used the die cut Hugs to make another card.

And, I still was not done playing with this die, and grabbed a piece of patterned paper that was still lying around from when I made this card.

I think I'm going to keep this set out for a while.  I've got a few more ideas for when I have some more time.

Will you play along this week?  I sure hope so.  What do you think of when you see the word FRIEND?   Check out the beautiful designs from the CASology Design Team members and see how they were inspired by FRIEND.  Don't forget to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross
Hazel Hodgkins

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey

May Park

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

Guest Designer: Ren

Thanks for Visiting

Mostly Get Well Cards

I've been in and out of my craft room all weekend, and am now ready to post everything.  I focused on restocking my Get Well cards this weekend.  I still need to make some masculine cards, as I realized that all the ones I made this weekend are quite girly.

I'll start with my favorite of the bunch.  I am entering this tag at Tag You're It #13, where I was inspired by the washi tape, layered die cuts, double layer tag and the tiny bow on Heather Campbell's pretty inspiration tag.

I decided to turn my tag into a card, and it will be sent off tomorrow.  The Washi Tape is NBUS--you still have a few hours to play along at CASology, where the cue word this week is NBUS, and you have a few days to play along at Darnell's NBUS Challenge.

I used the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches #169 for my next card.  I finally broke into my NBUS Cuppa Love by Papertrey for the flowers inside the circle window.

I used the Cuppa Love stamps again, along with the matching die, for my next get well card.  I stamped a stripe across the base of the card using one of the graphic stamps in the set, and then adhered my stamped cup on top.

I used this week's ColourQ #275 for my colors and the home made foam sticker technique from this week's Make it Monday #175 for my little take care tag.

My last get well card uses a technique I saw somewhere, and I think it is called baby wipe stamping--or something like that.  I can't remember where I saw it, or even if I did it right, but I tried it and made a card.  Something about putting reinkers (I used drops of liquid water color paint) onto a baby wipe and then having the colors run together.  I used Delicata Gold for the flower centers because I thought the card needed a little something more.

Here is a picture of what it looked like in process.

Switching gears entirely, I have two cards for this week's Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Soft Scarf.  I thought I'd pull out some holiday Hero Arts stamps, since they are the sponsor.  I had two ideas, both of them incorporating the colors from the scarf as well as the idea of a frosty cold holiday.

I made a shaker card using sequins in the same colors as the scarf, and my stamping is Silver on black card stock.

On my next card, I stamped a snowy neighborhood, then masked the houses so I could blend a sunset background in the same colors as the scarf.  I colored some of the white bits of the houses with colored pencils, and went over the snow with Wink of Stella.

Well, that's it for me today.

Thanks for Visiting

Happy Birthday and Well Wishes

Hello and happy Saturday everyone.  My weekend has started with some crafty time, and I was able to finish two cards I started yesterday.  I was playing around with Limeade Ice and Hawaiian Shores and ended up making two cards.

I used a NBUS stamp set I won from Clearly Whimsy Stamps--It's called Tremendous Triangles and it is chock full of fantastic graphic images.  I can tell I am going to have a lot of fun playing with these stamps.  I sliced my sentiment in two, after being inspired by this week's Papertrey Ink's Design Team Tips.

I am entering this card at Showcase your Style #6--so excited to play this challenge for the first time as well as CAS(E) this Sketch #106.

Darnell and CASology are partnered this week to challenge us to use our NBUS.  Grab something new and create a Clean and Simple card to play along.

I was not done with those colors or the sketch, so I made another card for Showcase your Style #6 and CAS(E) this Sketch #106.  No NBUS in this card below--all the supplies on this card have seen lots of love before.

I am also linking both of these cards at Simon Says Wednesday It's a Guy Thing.

Thanks for Visiting

Two Birthday Cards

I've got 2 birthday cards to share today.  First up is my feminine card.  I used a NBUS Stamploration Bold Florals Stencil and sponged several colors of Distress ink.  Then I cut my panel (to get rid of the unfortunate smudge) and made a place for my sentiment.  I was very pleased with how the flowers turned out, which was just as I imagined.  I sponged the outer part of the petals with Spun Sugar and the inner part with Worn Lipstick.

I am linking this card up at Just Us Girls #275, Simon Says Monday Inky Background Challenge, Stamplorations Stamps & Inks Challenge and the Stamplorations Anything Goes Challenge.

Next up is a masculine birthday card--always good to have those in my stash.  I used Lil Inkers Long and Stitched Rectangles as well as PTI Small Sketched Stars.  Both are NBUS for me.

I am linking this card up at Colour Me Striking #54 as well as Simon Says Wednesday It's a Guy Thing.

Finally, would like to remind everyone of the NBUS challenge going on this week at both CASology and Darnell's Playhouse.  If you've got something NBUS on your clean and simple card, please head over to CASology and link up.  And, you can link up any style of card using NBUS over at Darnell's Playhouse.

Thanks for Visiting

CASology Week 129: NBUS

Hello and happy Tuesday.  I am just so excited today because we have a special challenge going on this week at CASology.  We are teamed up with none other than Darnell of djkardkreations.  Our cue word this week is a word (more like an acronym) made up by Darnell herself--NBUS.  It stands for Never-before-used-schtuff.

So, grab something new, and start creating.  It can be something you just bought, or something you bought ages and ages ago--the choice is yours.  But, I'm sure you've got something on hand that you HAD to have at the time, and now is sitting unloved.  Pull it out and give it some love. Then, post your beautiful creation here and over at Darnell's, where she is hosting a NBUS Challenge #3.


I am ashamed to admit that I had a hard time deciding what to use, as I have many, many choices.  In the end, I decided to use a set of Impression Obsession cat dies, as I spoke to a good friend over the weekend, and she is about to say goodbye to her cat of 15 years.

Will you play along this week?  I sure hope so.  What NBUS will you pull out?   Check out the beautiful designs from the CASology Design Team members and see how they were inspired by NBUS.  You can link up at CASology as well as over at Darnell's.  Don't forget to keep your card Clean and Simple, if you are playing along with CASology.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross
Hazel Hodgkins

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener
Kymona Tracey

May Park

Meghan McMillan

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

Guest Designer: Ashwini

Guest of Honor:  Darnell

Thanks for Visiting