Mid Week Progress Report

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Happy Wednesday.  I am here to post a few cards I made over the past several days.  First up is a card using the techniqe from this week's Make it Monday #209:  White on White Die Cuts with a Pop of Color.  One of the take aways from this week's lesson is about choosing what die cuts will work with this technique.  The image should be recognizable even without the stamping on top.  I chose to work with one of the popsicles in Summer Sweetness.  I think those popsicles are pretty easy to see, although the pink one is definitely the most scrumptious-looking.   You can almost see the WOS in the photo.

I am also entering this card at Simon Says Wednesday Clean and Simple Challenge.

Better late than never...I am sending birthday wishes to a very sweet friend, Monika, who is hosting a birthday linky party.  The challenge is to CASE one of her cards, and she was even kind enough to point out her favorites.  I CASED the card in the lower right corner of her linky party graphic.  It is a little hard to tell, but I cut a square out of computer paper and used it as a mask for my big dahlia stamp from SU Regarding Dahlias set.  I just love that image, and I hope Monika will love it too.

I am also linking this up at Simon Says Monday Due Date challenge.  Even though my card is past due, the birthday wishes are sincere.

The challenge at Time Out #29 is "You can't make a rainbow without a little rain"  Well, I beg to differ.  We are in a terrible drought in California and so have no rain.  BUT, I was able to make a rainbow anyway, thanks to PTI Rainbow Stripes dies.  Yay for dies saving the day.  (If only we could water our plants with dies....)  I was inspired by this card by Lisa on I'm in Haven.

Last up is a card inspired by the sketch at this week's Retro Sketches #160.  I cut into a sheet of Happy Home paper by Bella Blvd. to make a new home card.  (Don't worry, I still have a pristine sheet of this paper for hoarding purposes).  I am also linking this card up at Addicted to Stamps and More #141 where the challenge is Anything Goes.

That's it for me today.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Thanks for Visiting

CASology Week 143: Ombre

Hello and happy Tuesday.  It's time for another CASology Challenge.  This week, our cue word is OMBRE.  Ombre is so trendy now--I'm seeing it everywhere, and I had a lot of fun thinking of how to incorporate it into a card.

I used PTI Ombre Builders stamps to make an ombre panel that covers about 1/3 of my card.  The rule of thirds is a great one to follow to help keep your card design CAS.

In case you were wondering, here are the inks I used in my ombre pattern in order left to right:  PTI Tropical Teal, Heidi Swapp Teal, WPlus9 Ocean Drive, PTI Hawaiian Shores, WPlus9 Lake House and PTI Aqua Mist.

I had a few dry runs of my stamping that were too pretty to throw away, so I have some bonus inspiration for you.

So, what do you think?  Will you play along this week and make something inspired by the word OMBRE?  Please remember to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Head on over to the CASology blog and gather some inspiration from the design team.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross  (Taking a Break!!)

Hazel Hodgkins

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

Kymona Tracey

May Park (Taking a Break)

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

Guest Designer: Vicki


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Sunday Update

Time to post what I've been working on this weekend.  It ended up being kind of a low key, lazy weekend, which was a nice way to end spring break.  I know my daughters are not ready to go back to school, but I think I am ready to get back to my usual routines.

First up is a card I have had in my head for over a week now--a tall and skinny birthday card for the toppings option of Seize the Birthday.  I am also linking this card up at Less is More where the theme is up up and away.

I don't know why I don't make more cards in this shape.  It is a nice change, and will fit perfectly in a standard A10 envelope.  I die cut and stamped a bunch of balloons in an assortment of bright and happy colors and used a birthday sentiment from SSS Handwritten Borders as the string.  I had the confetti die cut left over from an older project and I pretty much adhered it where it fell when I sprinkled it.

Next up is a fun little tag I made for Tag You're It #19.  My friend Jeanne is the inspiration this week, and so I had to play along.  I was inspired by Jeanne's use of die cuts and patterned papers--vintage classic Jeanne.  I even used the same Basic Grey paper as she did.  My stamps and dies are from PTI Songbirds.

Next up is one more card using the same stencil and sketch for Happy Little Stampers as I used on this card.  I went bright yellow and pink on white for this card and added some texture with the Linen Impression Plate.

Last up are two cards inspired by the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch #119.  I love this sketch.  I whipped up these two cards so quickly, and I have more ideas but no more time.

This first card is PTI Year of Flowers Gladiolus.  You can't see in the photo, but I sprayed shimmer over all the card, after water coloring the flowers and leaves with Distress inks.  I am also entering this card at AAA Cards #37 It's Springtime, Curtain Call Bouquet Challenge, and Paper Players 241: Clean and Simple Watercolor.

And finally, a more literal interpretation of the sketch--to replenish my stash of sympathy cards.  I cut the SSS All Season's Tree out of Spring Moss and perched a few Memory Box Resting Birds cut from Saharah Sand paper.

That's it for me.  Here comes Monday.

Thanks for Visiting

Spring Break Recap

This has been the busiest week in forever--my girls were off for spring break, and it seemed like someone needed to be driven somewhere all the time.  I did manage to make a few cards here and there, but no time to post until today.

The first card I started out with was a CASE of this gorgeous MUSE #113 card by Michele.  Isn't it stunning, and isn't she just brilliant?  I was inspired by her blue water colored flowers, and made my card using a Stampendous Ranunculus Field stamp.  I water colored the flowers and leaves with Distress Inks.  I really liked that line under Michele's flowers, so added that to my card as well.

I am also entering this card at AAA Cards #37 It's Springtime.

I whipped up this next card this morning, after seeing this tutorial on Betsy Veldman's blog.  She showed several examples of single color stamping, and I thought I'd give it a try.  I am very into WPlus9 inks at the moment, and used Fairy Dust for my wreath and Flamingo for my colored stamping.  The background stamped images are mostly from Rosie Posie, the sentiment is from Gatsby Glamour and the wreath, bow and a few of the tiny filler images are from the Lovely Laurels kit.

I am entering this card at Simon Says Stamp Monday In the Middle, because the raised bow on my focal point is in the middle of the card, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Make Your Own Background and Seize the Birthday without toppings.

My next card combines both the CAS stencil challenge with the sketch challenge over at Happy Little Stampers.  I found this skyline stencil I completely forgot about buying, and used white pigment ink on a black card front.

I am also entering this card at ColourQ #287 Black, Grey and a Spot of Color and Just Add Ink #259: Sequins.

Last of all, a pair of cards using the SU Hey There Buds stamp that I just can't seem to get off my desk.  I started playing around with different WPlus9 inks--Wild Mango and Flamingo, and mixed and matched my flowers.

I will enter this card at Curtain Call Challenge: Bouquet.

The mirror image of the flowers above, and I am entering this card at A Blog Named Hero for their Embossing challenge.

Bonus:  A bit of extra inspiration for this week's CASology challenge word:  SWEET. 

I had Petite Places Sweet Shoppe out and started playing around with ideas for some treat holders I might use for end of year teacher gifts.  I have small take out boxes that I bought at Smart & Final--50 for $5 or so--and I wrapped a band of Washi Tape and made a coordinating tag.

That's it for me this week. 

Thanks for Visiting

CASology Week 142: Sweet

Hello and happy Tuesday.  It's time for another CASology challenge.  I just LOVE this week's cue word--SWEET--honestly, I had so many different ideas about what to make, from a card for a sweet friend to the more literal sweet treat.  As you can see, I went literal, and inked up a brand new PTI set that I just got--Sweet Shoppe.  I created a sweet little village that I would move to in a second if only it were real.  

So, now it is your turn.  Will you play along this week and create something inspired by SWEET? Please remember to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Head on over to the CASology blog. and gather some inspiration from the design team.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross  (Taking a Break!!)

Hazel Hodgkins

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

Kymona Tracey

May Park (Taking a Break)

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

Guest Designer: Marika


Thanks for Visiting