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CAS Colours & Sketches #143

Sep 242015

Hello there! It’s the fourth Thursday of the month, which means at CAS Colours & Sketches, we have a new sketch challenge for you to try. This one is open to interpretation in different ways – any shape can be substituted for the star shapes, and the sketch may be rotated or flipped or manipulated to a rectangle if you desire.

I’ve stretched the sketch into a landscape-oriented rectangle. You might remember that a couple weeks ago I shared a card with some leaves I had die cut from cardstock colored with a watercolor wash. I had about half of that piece of cardstock left over, so I’ve put it to use for today’s card. Once again I’ve die cut leaves from it, and I arranged them on my card front in place of the star shapes. It doesn’t show in the photo, but the vanilla cardstock for the card front is textured. The maple and oak leaves were stacked with additional cardstock underneath, so they have a bit of dimension, which was also hard to capture in the photo. I thought this sentiment went well with the brightly colored leaves. The stamp has the sentiment all in one line, but due to the space on my card, I’ve broken it up into two lines, which also allowed me to highlight the last two words in a different color. I thought it was a good positive attitude type sentiment for a card to send to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

I had die cut an extra leaf when I was making my card a few weeks ago, so I put it to use to brighten the inside of the card. This photo shows the dimension of the two larger leaves a little better than the other photo.

I’m submitting my card to a few other challenges. AEIHeartU is looking for cards with a non-white base, Addicted to CAS would like to see cards with leaves, and Retro Rubber is asking their participants to show off an ombre effect like I’ve done with the leaves. (Edited after I received Katy’s comment to add – I’ve had this stamp set for about 15 months. Thanks for the reminder to note that for the Retro Rubber challenge!)

Challenge 28

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What will you do with this sketch? There are so many possibilities! Be sure to go see what the rest of the Design Team has made. I hope you’ll try out something and share what you create with us! Link your work to the CAS Colours & Sketches blog by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, September 30. Thank you for stopping by today! Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Supplies:
Stamp: So Happy (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Marigold Morning, Very Vanilla textured (Stampin’ Up); watercolor paper (Artist’s Loft)
Ink: Marigold Morning, Real Red (SU)
Other: Riding Hood Red and More Mustard reinkers (SU); Stitched Leaves dies (Lawn Fawn); corner rounder punch (EK Success)

deerly loved

6 Responses »

Aug 122015

Sorry… I just couldn’t resist the punny post title! This is a card I created to combine a few different challenges.

I’ve taken the color scheme from the current challenge at The Paper Players. I would not have thought to combine these colors, and I had a little trouble working with them, but I suppose it turned out OK in the end. I will readily admit this wasn’t one of my best coloring jobs, but I think the marker colors match the specified colors pretty well. The embossed clouds tie into the current AEIHeartU challenge. The layout is from the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge that ends tomorrow morning. The two butterflies are adhered with dimensional adhesive for a little visual separation from the background. The narrow strip of kraft cardstock is stamped tone-on-tone with a subtle texture stamp.

Challenge 27

Thanks for stopping by today!

Edited on August 15, 2015: What a happy surprise it was to see that Nance of the Paper Players Design Team chose this card as “A Cut Above”! Thank you so much!

Supplies:
Stamps: Storybook, Simply Said: You (Avery Elle); Linen (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Kraft (SU); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: markers (Copic); clouds embossing folder, dimensionals (SU); standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)

CAS Colours & Sketches #120

5 Responses »

Apr 162015

It’s color challenge week again at CAS Colours & Sketches, and we have some bright cheery ones for you this time. I have to admit it took me a while to decide how I wanted to use them on my card. I finally decided to combine the color challenge with a couple other challenges and make a birthday card.

The current challenge at Less is More is to make a one-layer card incorporating splatters of some sort. So I masked off an area on the front of my card, stamped the balloons (masking each one as I stamped them), and splattered some Coastal Cabana ink over the area with an old toothbrush. Then I removed all the masks, partially colored the balloons with Perfect Plum and Rose Red watercolor crayons, and used a paintbrush and water to spread and blend the color over the balloons. It’s been a long time since I’ve participated in a challenge at AEIHeartU, and their current one is to use watercoloring, so the balloons qualify this card for that. Using the corner rounder on the bottom corners of the card was a last-minute decision to do something a bit different. I think it ties in with the roundness of the balloons. And there you have it – one layer, splatters, watercoloring, and the three CC&S colors.

Challenge 23

How will you use our challenge colors? If you want additional inspiration, be sure to see what the rest of the CC&S design team has made. Then link your own card to the challenge post by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, April 22. We’d love to have you join us! Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Stamps: Storybook, So Happy (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: watercolor paper (Artist’s Loft)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Coastal Cabana reinker, Rose Red and Perfect Plum watercolor crayons (Stampin’ Up); corner rounder (EK Success); paintbrush, water

CAS - Colours and Sketches #100!

5 Responses »

Nov 132014

Wow! Today marks the beginning of the 100th challenge at CAS – Colours and Sketches! What a milestone! Lizy, our challenge hostess for November, has drawn up a nice little sketch for us to work with this week. You’re welcome to change up the shapes a bit or turn the sketch on its side, just so long as we can recognize the general idea of the sketch. I’ve stretched it into a rectangle for my card.

I’ve been on a bit of a kick lately to use up some older supplies, and that carried through on today’s card. I had one remaining red poinsettia from a package of paper flowers, so I decided to use that as the focal point of the card. The red cardstock is a color that’s been retired for a while, and I already had this card base cut to size, waiting to be used. The green and vanilla cardstocks used here were scraps left over from other projects. I just dressed them up by cutting the vanilla into the banner shapes and by stamping some small starbursts on the green. The only “new” things here are the stamp sets I used and the package of pearls I opened to get the sizes I wanted for the center of the poinsettia.

I’m also entering this card into the current challenge at AEIHeartU. It’s been a while since I’ve played along there.

Challenge 18

I hope you’ll join us at CAS – Colours and Sketches! Go check out what the rest of the design team has made. Then link your own card at the site by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, November 19. Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Storybook, So Happy (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Gumball Green (SU)
Other: poinsettia (Making Memories); half pearls (SU)

hello... I miss you

2 Responses »

Aug 172014

This is just a quick post to share a card for the current AEIHeartU challenge to use kraft cardstock. Really, the card is pretty self-explanatory. I die cut the red and blue cardstock and the “hello” sentiment, added a stamped sentiment, and assembled the whole thing together. I figure it’s a good any-time-of-year, gender-neutral and age-neutral card for Operation Write Home. I have to admit that I was pretty heavily inspired by this card and I’ve been wanting to do something similar to it for a while now.

Challenge 13

Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂

Supplies:
Stamps: Handwritten Notes (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Pacific Point, Real Red (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Crumb Cake (SU)
Other: Simply Said Hello die and Custom Panels die (Avery Elle)

how you doin'?

1 Response »

Aug 032014

Just a quick post to share the card I’ve made for the current AEIHeartU challenge. This time they’re asking challenge participants to use dies. I had fun with this one. I figure it makes a good any occasion card for Operation Write Home. In retrospect, I wish I’d thought to die cut the stars from the blue cardstock so that the yellow showed through, rather than cutting the stars from the yellow and adhering them to the blue. Oh well. The card just looked too plain without the stars.

Challenge 12

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Simply Said Hello (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Crushed Curry, Island Indigo (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Island Indigo (Stampin’ Up)
Other: Simply Said Hello die, Storybook dies, Custom Panels Dies (Avery Elle)

CAS - Colours and Sketches #83

4 Responses »

Jul 172014

Hello! It’s been a pretty quiet week around here, but today it’s time for a new challenge at CAS – Colours and Sketches. This week Jacqueline, our challenge hostess, has come up with a color scheme using some deep, rich colors.

I decided to go floral with the colors, using the two shades of purple for flowers and the green for leaves. Yes, that very dark color is actually purple, although it tends to show up a lot like black. It’s really hard to tell in the photograph, but the background is textured cardstock. I stamped the flowers and leaves on smooth cardstock, fussy cut them, and then adhered them to the background. The sentiment panel is also smooth cardstock, and it’s attached with dimensional adhesive so it sort of “floats” over the flowers. Opposing rounded corners add a little extra interest to the card. The layout is from the CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge that ends today, and the inspiration for the sentiment comes from the current AEIHeartU challenge.

Challenge 11

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CC&S Design Team has done with these colors! Then share your own card with us by linking it to the challenge post by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, July 23. We’d love to have you join us! Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
Stamps: Oh Happy Day (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Mossy Meadow, Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla textured (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Mossy Meadow, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum (SU)
Other: dimensionals (SU); corner rounder punch (EK Success)

CAS - Colours and Sketches #81

3 Responses »

Jul 032014

Hello! We’re starting off a new month of challenges at CAS – Colours and Sketches, and this week we have a color challenge of two neutrals and a pretty pink for you to try.

I puzzled about how I was going to use the gray and tan colors together and finally decided I could make it work if I kept them minimal. LOL This week’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge provided the layout for my card. I wanted to add another thank you card to my stash for Operation Write Home, so that was the inspiration behind this sentiment, which is stamped on a scrap of vellum that I’ve had for years. Hopefully the little star brads will be enough for this card to qualify for the current AEIHeartU challenge to use gold.

Challenge 10

Supplies:
Stamps: Oh Happy Day (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs); Basic Gray, Kraft, Strawberry Slush (Stampin’ Up); vellum (source unknown)
Ink: Strawberry Slush (SU)
Other: gold star brads (The Paper Studio); For the Record 2, Documented die (Sizzix)

CAS - Colours and Sketches #75

4 Responses »

May 222014

Hello! This week’s CAS – Colours and Sketches challenge is a sketch challenge. Although the sketch has hexagons drawn on it, you’re welcome to use any similarly sized geometric shape. So long as we can see the basic elements and layout of the sketch, it’s all good.

I’ve combined the sketch challenge with the current AEIHeartU challenge to use botanicals. My most recent Avery Elle purchase arrived earlier this week, so I was able to put the floral stamps to use right away! These flowers are actually kind of accent stamps for a sentiment set. I originally planned to stamp the flowers, fussy cut them, and mount them on die-cut hexagons. But the sizes of my hexagon dies were either too large or too small to look right. After searching through the rest of my dies, I finally chose to use scalloped circles. I sponged the edges of the circles so they’d show off better against the textured white background. Once I mounted the flowers onto the circles, I realized that the scalloped shape and the sponging inadvertently make the circles look like they are part of the flowers. But I view that as kind of a happy accident. The sentiment comes from a different Avery Elle set. It’s amusing to me that I’ve used some of my newest stamps with some of my oldest cardstock and ink – the purples and green have been retired for several years now. But I think they combine nicely for a card suitable for Operation Write Home.

Challenge 7

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you’ll join us over at CAS – Colours and Sketches with your own take on this sketch! You have until 1:00 p.m. eastern time Wednesday, May 28 to link your card at the challenge website.

Supplies:
Stamps: Oh Happy Day, Simply Said Hello (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Whisper White textured (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, Green Galore (SU)
Other: Big Scalloped Circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)

thankful...

3 Responses »

May 112014

This is just a quick post to say “thank you” to all the mothers in the world for everything they do! I thought I’d share the Mother’s Day card I’ve made for my own mom. She is pretty awesome in her own quiet, humble way, and I love her lots!

I’m submitting this in the current AEIHeartU challenge just in the nick of time…

Challenge 6

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies for this card:
Stamps: Handwritten Notes (Avery Elle); Just Vine (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (SU)
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Other: paper flowers (Recollections); half pearls (KaiserCraft)

simple little flowers

1 Response »

Apr 272014

Here’s a quick late night post adding in a card to the AEIHeartU challenge just before it closes. This time they have presented a color challenge. I’ve used one of the Avery Elle digital images and kept my card very clean and simple. I did print a couple extra of the flowers so I could color and fussy cut them and then adhere them to the card front, giving a bit of dimension, even though it doesn’t show well in the photo.

Challenge 5

Thanks for giving my card a closer look! Have a terrific day!

Supplies:
Digital Image: Digi Stamp 2 (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: printer ink
Other: markers (Copic)

dynamic watercolored thanks

4 Responses »

Apr 092014

Just a quick post to share a card combining Dynamic Duos challenge #97 with AEIHeartU challenge #4. I created a randomly watercolored background with the Dynamic Duos colors, added a sentiment and a couple die cuts with a brad, and corner mats – and there it is. As much as I love the look of watercoloring, I don’t like the way the water makes the cardstock wrinkle, and I just wasn’t in the mood to pull out the iron to try to flatten it. Even if this isn’t one of my favorite cards I’ve ever made, it’s still a good one for Operation Write Home.

Challenge 4

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Fill in the Blank (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Naturals White (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise ink refills (SU)
Other: Icon Fill in the Blank die (Avery Elle); black brad (Making Memories); dimensional adhesive (Scotch)

really gradient love

1 Response »

Mar 302014

Just a quick post here to share a card I’ve made for the AEIHeartU challenge. They want to see gradient/ombre colors, so I’ve chosen some shades of blue to carry that out. I could have used pink and red to go along with the love theme, but that seemed too obvious, so I went with something different. I think this stamp set is a fun one with its little words with the carets to add some adjectives and adverbs!

Challenge 3

Thanks for visiting my blog today! Comments are always read and appreciated.

Supplies:
Stamps: Handwritten Notes (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs); Soft Sky, Baja Breeze, Blue Bayou, Not Quite Navy (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Not Quite Navy (SU)
Other: heart from Icon Fill in the Blank Die set (AE)

sending love... and flowers

4 Responses »

Mar 142014

I haven’t had the chance lately to play along regularly in the Freshly Made Sketches challenges, but I really like the simplicity of the current sketch so I made sure to make time for it. I’ve combined it with the current AEIHeartU challenge to use embellishments. Putting some of my Prima flowers to use felt good! The brads also count as embellies. I used an embossing folder on the bright pink panel to keep the card from looking too plain. And there’s another card for my Operation Write Home stash.

Challenge 2

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Fill in the Blank (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Pink Passion, Whisper White (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Pink Passion (SU)
Other: flowers (Prima Marketing); mini brads (Making Memories); Dot Matrix embossing folder (Sizzix)

happy balloons birthday

6 Responses »

Mar 012014

Tonight’s card combines a couple of challenges right before they close. The layout is from Seize the Sketch, but I’ve turned it on its side. The theme is from a brand new challenge blog, AEIHeartU. It’s really a rather straightforward card so I’ll just cut the chitchat and get right to it:

Thanks for stopping by! I read and appreciate every comment – and I apologize for the spam catcher’s tendency to flag comments from blogs outside the United States.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fill in the Blank (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: River Rock, Basic Black (Stampin’ Up); designer papers from Out of Print 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Icon Fill in the Blank Die (Avery Elle); standard circle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders); dimensionals (SU); twine (Really Reasonable Ribbon)

CAS Colours & Sketches #143

deerly loved

CAS Colours & Sketches #120

CAS - Colours and Sketches #100!

hello... I miss you

how you doin'?

CAS - Colours and Sketches #83

CAS - Colours and Sketches #81

CAS - Colours and Sketches #75

thankful...

simple little flowers

dynamic watercolored thanks

really gradient love

sending love... and flowers

happy balloons birthday

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