52 Christmas Card Throwdown - January stash challenge

5 Responses »
Jan 302016

Hello!  This week is stash challenge week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  The idea of the stash challenge is to use those products we have in our craft rooms but that we might not use too often.  Our hostess, Deborah, is asking us to use foils or gilding on our cards this week.

I had to think for this one.  I knew I didn’t have any gilding flakes or any of the foils that are heat set that I’ve been hearing about over the last few months, and I didn’t want to go to the expense of buying something that I may not use again.  Finally I remembered I had some gold foil stickers that I’d bought a few years ago.  I asked Deborah if they would be all right and she said they would count.  So I dug them out and had a go with them.  Well, technically, I had a go with one of them.  Whew.  These particular ornament images are pretty fragile to work with.  But I held my breath and used tweezers to help and I got it down on the cardstock without ripping it.  I did have a small ripple in it, but I was able to work the tip of my Cutterbee scissors underneath it, cut it, and smooth it down pretty seamlessly.  Sigh of relief!  I decided to color in parts of the ornament with my Copics.  Adding in the gold cording was a little tricky but I got it to work.  A layer of shiny gold cardstock between the focal layer and the card base adds a bit more shine.

52CCT 01-30-2016

Since this is “holiday” week at Addicted to Stamps and More, I’m going to enter this card into their challenge, too.

Check out the 52CCT blog and see what the rest of the design team has made.  Then share your own card using foils or gilding by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday, February 5.  We’d love to have you join in the fun and creativity!

Supplies:
Stamp: More Merry Messages (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Gold Foil (SU); Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Calypso Coral (SU)
Other: gold ornament sticker (Elizabeth Craft Designs); markers (Copic); gold cord (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Addicted to Stamps and More, Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Stampin' Up!

CAS Colours & Sketches #158

10 Responses »
Jan 282016

Hello!  I’ve been enjoying hosting the challenges throughout January at CAS Colours & Sketches, but today marks the last challenge of the month.  This time we have a sketch that I think leaves a lot of possibilities for fun.  It has one big tilted panel that can be dressed up in whatever clean and simple design you desire.

My area of Virginia got hit with about 19 inches of snow from the “Snowzilla” storm last weekend.  Although the roads are all pretty clear now and students are back at school, the ground is still white in most places.  While I do enjoy a good snowstorm, my cardmaking thoughts have been leaning toward something more spring-like.  I don’t know if that’s left over from my years of making cards for Operation Write Home, where we used to plan for seasons in advance, or exactly what.  But anyway, I decided to use a flowery designer paper and chose my color scheme around it.  I originally planned to do the tilted panel similar to the card shown here and pair the flowery paper with a polka dot paper in the same colors.  Then I felt that would be too busy.  So I ended up using only the flowery paper.  I used one of the dominant colors in it for the card base, and another for die-cutting the sentiment.  Oh, I’ve also turned the sketch 90° on its side, so that the sentiment is mostly right side up.

CASCAS158

sketch 158

Don’t let that tilted panel stump you when you try the sketch.  Simply cut a panel the size of your card front, add whatever CAS design you like to it, then angle it when you attach it to the base of your card.  Trim off the excess and there you have it!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CC&S Design Team and our January guest designer have made.  Then make your own card following the sketch and link it to the challenge site by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, February 3.  We’d love to have you join in the fun and creativity with us!  Thanks for stopping by today!

All products used for this card, except the sentiment die, are from Stampin’ Up.
Stamps: none
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Watercolor Wonder designer series paper
Ink: none
Other: Simply Said Hello die (Avery Elle)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Avery Elle, Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Stampin' Up!

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - January theme challenge

11 Responses »
Jan 232016

Hello there!  It’s theme week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  This week, we’d like to see your Christmas cards featuring candles or lanterns.

For my card, I printed off a digital image of a candle with holly, and colored it with markers.  I used the current CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge for the layout of my card.  The main panel of the card is attached to the card base with dimensional adhesive to help accommodate the thickness of the ribbon and the backs of the brads holding the sentiment frame.  I also wanted to play along in the current “3-2-1” challenge at Shopping Our Stash, so I’ve used 3 metal embellishments (the frame and two brads), 2 words in the sentiment, and 1 ribbon.  Because I colored the image with markers, I can submit this card to the “Make Your Mark” challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, too.

52CCT 01-23-2016

 

Be sure to check out what the rest of the 52CCT design team has made.  Then share your own card with us at the challenge site.  You have until 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday, January 29 to link your card.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Digital Image: Christmas Candle (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Sentiment Stamp: Christmas Tags (SNSS)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: printer ink; Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Wild Wasabi ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware, dimensionals (SU); markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Digital images, Stampin' Up!, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

CAS Colours & Sketches #157

8 Responses »
Jan 212016

Hello!  It’s time for another color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches, and we have some yummy colors for you to use this time.

Unfortunately, my creative energy still hasn’t returned from its Christmas break, and I was having a lot of trouble coming up with ideas for using these colors.  Finally I looked around the internet for inspiration and found the current CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge.  I decided to give it a try with the CC&S challenge colors.  I broke out a never-before-used stamp set and managed to make the challenges work together in a one-layer card (which is a pretty unusual thing for me to do!).  I doodled a couple of lines around the edge of the card.  The crayons were stamped onto scraps of cardstock in each of the three challenge colors, fussy cut, and adhered to the card.  I used two of the challenge colors to stamp the sentiment, which seemed to fit better once I turned the sketch on its side.  I have to admit that I don’t love the card, but it’s all right.  I think it’ll be a cute one to donate to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

CASCAS157

CC&S color157-001

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CC&S design team has made with these colors.  Then create your own card using them, and share it with us at the challenge site by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, January 27.  We’d love to see what you make!  Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Stamps: Color My World (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Rose Red, So Saffron, Soft Suede (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Rose Red, Soft Suede (SU)
Other: So Saffron marker (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, CAS(E) this Sketch!, Lawn Fawn, Send a Smile 4 Kids, Stampin' Up!

Cards in Envy - White on White

7 Responses »
Jan 182016

Hi there!  It’s the third Monday of the month, which means it’s time for a new challenge at Cards in Envy.  For the next two weeks, we’re asking our challenge participants to share cards that are mostly white.  Remember, though, that the “in Envy” part of our challenge name means that cards for our challenges must be A2 sized and flat enough to be mailed at the first class postage rate.

I’ve kept my card all white except for the sentiment.  For the main panel, first I die cut the heart from white cardstock before using an embossing folder to give it some design.  The sentiment is stamped on the card base, and the main panel is attached to the card with dimensional adhesive.  Really, it was quite quick and simple to make!

CIE 01-18-2016

I’m going to submit this card into the current challenge at The Paper Players, where they are asking for clean and simple Valentines.

We hope you’ll have fun with this challenge and join in the fun and creativity!  Link your card at the Cards in Envy site by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, January 31.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamp: Delightful Dozen (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Strawberry Slush (SU)
Other: Paisley embossing folder (ProvoCraft); heart die (Sizzix); dimensionals (SU)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Cards in Envy, Stampin' Up!

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - January color challenge

5 Responses »
Jan 162016

Hi there!  This week is color challenge week at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  Deborah, our hostess for the month of January, has chosen a somewhat unusual one for Christmas cards:  she’d like to see shades of orange!

I will admit that this had me stumped for a while because I really don’t use orange very often, mainly just for autumnal cards.  I was browsing through my computer, looking for ways I’d used orange in the past, and rediscovered a card I’d made a few months ago.  I decided to rework it to make it suitable for the holiday season.  I scribbled red, orange, and yellow gel sticks on a piece of white cardstock and blended the colors with a slightly damp paper towel to create my orangey background.  I used shimmery white cardstock to resemble snow covering the ground and trees.  (It’s hard to get a photo that shows off the shimmer really well.)  My son helped me choose the sentiment; he picked this one because he felt the scene looked tranquil.

52CCT 01-16-2016

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to check out the 52CCT blog to see what the rest of the design team has made.  Then link your own card to the challenge post.  You have until 7:00 Eastern time Friday, January 22 to play along with us.  We can’t wait to see what kind of orangey Christmas card you create!

Supplies:
Stamp: Holiday Script (Lizzie Anne Designs for Gourmet Rubber Stamps)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Shimmery White (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: gel sticks (Faber Castell); Wide Open Spaces die (Memory Box)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Lizzie Anne Designs, Stampin' Up!

CAS Colours & Sketches #156

6 Responses »
Jan 142016

Hello!  Today marks the start of the first sketch challenge of the year at CAS Colours & Sketches.

A couple weeks ago, I was saddened to hear that one of my stamping acquaintances had passed away.  Although I had never met Leslie in person, I had worked with her during one of the Hope You Can Cling To challenge seasons at Splitcoaststampers.com, and we “chatted” fairly frequently through comments we left on each other’s blogs.  Both of us were supporters of Operation Write Home.   She occasionally participated in the challenges at CC&S, and she had started up her own sketch challenges last year at her blog, The Crooked Stamper.  So when I was forming my CC&S sketch challenge ideas for this month, I decided to honor Leslie by combining elements from her first two Crooked Stamper Sketch Challenges into one sketch.

I have to confess that I had more trouble with this sketch than I thought I would!  My first attempt got an ink smear that couldn’t be covered up.  I had a few other ideas, but couldn’t come up with color combinations that I liked for them.  I did finish an actual card late last night, but I really didn’t like it.  I had one other idea that kept spinning around in the back of my mind, so last night when I was trying to fall asleep, I decided I’d get up early this morning and try to get it worked out before the challenge went live.  So I did… and this is the result.  I still had a bit of a fudging around with the colors.  I wanted to use textured cardstock for the main panel, to give it a little bit of visual interest, but I didn’t have textured cardstock in the color I wanted to use.  So I had to go with the grey.

CASCAS156 heart

sketch 156

I hope Leslie realized how fabulous she was.  She had a wicked sense of humor that frequently was in line with mine, and her cards brought smiles to many people, not just me.    The story of how she adopted her cat is pretty amazing.  I will miss seeing her work around blog-land.

So, go make a card of your own using the sketch, and share it with us at the CC&S blog by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, January 20.  We’d love to see what you create!

Supplies:
Stamps: Where You Should Be (Unity Stamp Company); Priceless (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Strawberry Slush, Going Gray textured (SU); watercolor paper (source unknown)
Ink: Strawberry Slush (SU)
Other: pierced oval Die-namics die (My Favorite Things)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, Stampin' Up!, Unity Stamp Company

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - January sketch challenge

7 Responses »
Jan 092016

Hello!  It’s time to get back into the swing of challenges again at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  The purpose of our challenges is to allow our participants to build up a supply of Christmas cards to have ready to send once December comes around.  Plus, it’s just simply fun to create holiday cards all year long! 🙂

We’re starting off the month with a sketch challenge.  I’ve stretched the sketch from a portrait-oriented rectangle to a landscape-oriented rectangle, but otherwise I’ve kept pretty true to the way the sketch was drawn.  I’ve also kept my card rather clean and simple in design.  I did take the liberty of omitting the embellishment type thing that’s drawn like a postage cancellation stamp.  I couldn’t figure out what to use for that element that wouldn’t detract from the rest of the card.  I guess if I’d used an image other than the penguin I may have come up with something, but I feel like my creativeness is still trying to rebound from the holiday break.

52CCT 01-09-2016

What will you make with this sketch?  Be sure to check out what the rest of the 52CCT design team has made, and meet our newest team members, at the 52CCT blog.  Then link your own card to the challenge post by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday, January 15, 2016.  We’d love to have you join us!  Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Stamps: Warm Penguin (Lizzie Anne Designs for Gourmet Rubber Stamps)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Season of Style designer series paper (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Regals candy dots (SU); markers (Copic)

Posted by PH in VA at 1:00 am Cards, Christmas Card Throwdown, Lizzie Anne Designs, Stampin' Up!

CAS Colours & Sketches #155

10 Responses »
Jan 072016

Hello!  Happy 2016!  I will admit that I enjoyed a nice break from crafting over the holidays, but now I’m ready to get back into it again.

Unfortunately, I feel like my card for the first CAS Colours & Sketches challenge of the year shows that my card making skills got a little rusty over the break.  I had a few other ideas, but the more I thought about them, I felt they either weren’t CAS enough or were just a second take on some of the previous cards I’ve made.  Finally I decided to try the CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge that ends later this morning.  I stamped the “H PPY” part of the sentiment twice so I could use die-cut balloons in both of the blue challenge colors to fill in for the letter “a”.  The lower, lighter color balloon is attached with dimensional adhesive for a little bit of visual interest (and to accommodate the string of the other balloon beneath it).

CASCAS155

CC&S color155-001

Come meet our new Design Team members at CAS Colours & Sketches, as well as our January Guest Designer!  Then show us what you can create with our challenge colors.  You have until 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, January 13 to share your card at the challenge post.  We’d love to see what you can make!  Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fill in the Blank (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Marina Mist, Whisper White (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Smoky Slate (SU)
Other: Icon Fill in the Blank die (AE); Oyster twine (Really Reasonable Ribbon)

Posted by PH in VA at 8:00 am Avery Elle, Cards, CAS Colours & Sketches, CAS(E) this Sketch!, Stampin' Up!
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