Hello there!  It’s sketch week at CAS Colours & Sketches and Bev, our January hostess, has come up with a nice one for us this week.

I tossed a few ideas around in my head but none of them were really appealing to me.  I decided to check out the card needs at Send a Smile 4 Kids and noticed that the shipper I frequently send to is still in need of Valentines.  So I looked through my Valentine stamps and thought I could make this cute cupid work with the sketch, with a few changes.  I’ve substituted a heart for the circle, and basically used the mirror image of the sketch so that the one arrow takes the place of the small rectangular element.

I started out by cutting a heart from an index card and using the card as a mask on my white cardstock panel.  I stamped the cupid into the center of the heart, covered it with a mask, and then blended pink ink into the heart shape.  Then I removed both masks so I could color the cupid and stamp the flying arrow and the sentiment.  I added some clear Wink of Stella pen to the cupid’s wing and to the heart-shaped points of the arrows for a little touch of magic.  If you look closely, you should be able to see it in the photo.  After I mounted the main panel onto a pink cardstock base, my card was finished.

CASCAS256

sketch 256

Since this clean and simple card fits into the “Love Notes” theme at The Paper Players, I’m entering it into that challenge.

What will you do with this sketch?  I hope you’ll try out something and share what you create with us!  If you need more inspiration, check out what the rest of the CC&S Design Team has made.  Then link your work to the CC&S blog by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday, January 29.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Edited on January 28, 2018 to add:  Thank you to Claire at The Paper Players for selecting my card as “A Cut Above”!  It’s an honor!

 

Supplies:
Stamps: Love from Above (Mama Elephant)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette (Stampin’ Up); Solar White (Neenah)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Pink Pirouette (SU)
Other: markers (Copic); mini ink blending tool (Tim Holtz); clear Wink of Stella pen (Zig)

Wow – it’s October already!  The start of the month means we have a new hostess at CAS Colours & SketchesEmily has come up with some great challenge ideas for us, and we hope you’ll join us for the fun and creativity!

The first challenge of the month is a color challenge, and Emily has picked some great colors for the fall season.  I was able to combine them with the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  I die cut a wreath from kraft cardstock and used that as the base for the other two colors.  I stamped the flowers and leaves and used re-inker with water to color them.  I added some Wink of Stella to the small flowers to give them a little sparkle before I fussy cut all the flowers and leaves.  I used a piece of green seam binding for the wider horizontal element of the sketch.  Since The Paper Players has a theme of “Autumn Florals” this week, my card fits into their challenge, too.

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CC&S color243-001

How will you choose to use this week’s CC&S colors?  Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team and our October Guest Designer have done with them.  Then link your own card to the challenge site.  You have until 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday, October 9 to share your card.  Thanks for stopping by today, and happy crafting!

Supplies:
Stamps: Flutter By (Lawn Fawn); Trendy Trees (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla textured, Kraft (SU); Artistico Extra White watercolor paper (Fabriano)
Ink: Crumb Cake (SU); Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Other: Pear Pizzazz and Pumpkin Pie reinkers, Pear Pizzazz seam binding (SU); Grapevine Wreath die (Memory Box); Wink of Stella pen (Zig)

Hi there!  Today’s post is just a really quick one before the current challenge at The Paper Players ends.  They wanted to see clean and simple styled cards that incorporated coloring.  I also wanted to make something for the current Cards in Envy challenge to use a thought or speech balloon on a card.

I’ve put together a card from bits and pieces left over from other projects.  The penguin was already stamped; all I did with him for this card was color him and cut him out.  I found a scrap on my desk that was just the right size for the speech bubble.  I painted some shimmery white paint on another scrap of cardstock that I’d cut for the snowbank/ice for the penguin to stand on.  And the card base was a half sheet of cardstock left over from another card.  So yay for using up stuff!

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Thanks for stopping by today!  Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Supplies:
Stamps: Critters in the Snow, Sophie’s Sentiments, A Birdie Told Me (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Cool Caribbean (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: markers (Copic); Frost White shimmer paint (SU)

I have a quick post today to share a card made for an important man in my life – my dad.  He’ll be celebrating his birthday this weekend, and I’ll be lucky enough to visit with him on his special day.  He’s not one to turn down ice cream when it’s offered to him, LOL, so that’s why I thought he’d like the cute little ice cream cone.

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I’m combining several challenges here:  Less Is More, Freshly Made Sketches, AAA Cards, and The Paper Players.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Here’s the Scoop (Lawn Fawn); Cake & Candles (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pure Luxury White, Pure Luxury Ivory (Gina K. Designs); Close to Cocoa (Stampin’ Up); scraps from Blush 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)
Other: birthday embossing folder (ProvoCraft)

Hello there!  It’s color challenge week again at CAS Colours & Sketches.  I’ve combined the color challenge with one of our recent sketch challenges, #224, taking the liberty of using the mirror-reverse of the sketch.

The card is pretty straightforward so there’s not a lot I can say about it.  I used Versamark ink to stamp a bit of texture on the kraft-colored strip.  The flower is raised up from the card base with some scrap cardstock shims to add a bit of dimension.

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CC&S color226-001

Since the theme at The Paper Players and at AAA Cards is “birthday”, I’m going to enter this card in those challenges.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CC&S design team did with this sketch. Then show us what you can make with it! You can link your creation to the challenge blog until 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday, June 12.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Delight in Life, Canvas (Stampin’ Up); Cake & Candles (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Kraft, Very Vanilla (SU)
Ink: Calypso Coral, Soft Sky (SU); VersaMark (Tsukineko)

Hello!  This week is sketch week at CAS Colours & Sketches, and I think this week’s sketch is a very sweet and simple one.

I have to confess that my post for today is late because this is my second take for my card.  I had my first idea all figured out in my head last night, using a sentiment stamp to fill in the focal panel.  The stamp I had in mind was from a set I’d never used before.  I tried it with two different types of ink and cleaned the stamp well but I just couldn’t get a good, clear, crisp image with it.  Lesson learned – just because a stamp set is inexpensive, it doesn’t mean it’s a good buy.  🙁  After about an hour of trying to figure out a work-around and browsing online for challenge ideas that I could combine with the sketch, I decided I should give up for the night and go to sleep.

So, this morning I went back to the proverbial drawing board.  I looked through some of my older stamp sets and settled on this sweet little one that combines a sentiment with an image.  I had a small background stamp that coordinated with it, and I felt that the colors from this week’s Paper Players challenge would work well with this new idea.  I hadn’t planned to mat the long narrow rectangular strip, but when I held the green to the card base, there wasn’t much contrast and it didn’t look so great.  The plum mat was definitely an improvement.  And I got to use a few more of the tiny brads and Prima flowers I’ve collected over the years.  I don’t know if it shows well in the photo, but the card base is textured cardstock.

CASCAS218

sketch 218

What will you do with this sketch?  There are so many possibilities!  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 Monday, April 17.   Thanks for stopping by today!

All supplies except the accessories are from Stampin’ Up.
Stamps: For a Friend, Background Basics
Cardstock: Sahara Sand textured, Perfect Plum, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
Ink: Mint Macaron
Other: dimensionals; flowers (Prima); mini brads (Recollections)

Hello, and Happy Valentine’s Day!  It’s time for a new sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

I’ve turned the sketch on its side and used the color palette from this week’s Paper Players challenge.  The blush color isn’t really a stereotypical “girly” pink, so I thought the colors would work well for a more masculine love-themed card.  I embossed the blush panel with an argyle embossing folder.  I don’t have copper foil cardstock, but I do have a stash of the brushed copper cardstock that Stampin’ Up used to sell, so I die cut the hearts from that.  I’ve layered different sizes of hearts for a little extra interest.  The copper cording and the sentiment stamp are also retired SU products.

CASCAS210

sketch 210

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to check out the CAS Colours & Sketches blog to see what the rest of the design team has done with this sketch.  Then make your own card and link it to the challenge post.  You have until 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday, February 20 to participate.  We hope you’ll join us!

Supplies:
Stamp: Short & Sweet (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Blushing Bride, Brushed Copper (SU)
Ink: Copper (ColorBox)
Other: copper cording (SU); hearts dies (Lawn Fawn); argyle embossing folder (Darice)

Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American visitors!  It’s time for another challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches and this time we have a very simple sketch for you to try.

I’ve turned the sketch 90° on its side for my card.  I swiped three shades of blue gel sticks onto a card base of shimmery white cardstock and blended the gel sticks with a damp paper towel.  Then I flicked some white shimmery paint over it, thinking it would look like falling snow, but on second thought maybe it looks more like stars in the sky.  I cut a narrow scrap of the shimmery cardstock to neaten up the top border of the blue part of my card.  For the bottom, I die cut a border of trees using another piece of shimmery cardstock.  I added a simple sentiment and then glued the panel to the card.  I had thought about using cardstock shims to raise the white panels over the blue for a little extra dimension, but supporting the trees would have been difficult without cutting more of them and layering the die cuts.  So the white panels are adhered directly to the card base.  Getting the shimmery cardstock to show in the photograph wasn’t easy.  I wanted to brighten up the photo to show the whiteness of the cardstock, but that washed out the shimmery-ness.

CASCAS201

sketch 201

When I started out with this card, I didn’t intend to use the color scheme from last week’s CC&S challenge!  I tried out a few other sunset-inspired color combos with my gel sticks, but I liked the blues the best.

The Paper Players has a CAS Christmas card challenge going, and I’m also planning to enter this card into the Ombre challenge at Addicted to CAS.

What will you create with this sketch?  Share your work with us at the CAS Colours & Sketches site by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, November 30.  Be sure to check out what the other design team members have made, too!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamp: Holiday Script (Lizzie Anne Designs for Gourmet Rubber Stamps)
Cardstock: Cryogen White (Curious Metallic)
Ink: Pacific Point (Stampin’ Up)
Other: gel sticks (Faber Castell); Wide Open Spaces die (Memory Box); Frost White shimmer ink (Tsukineko)

Hello!  It’s time for another color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches!  This time we have a great color combo that’s a small step off from the traditional Christmas red and green, and mixed it with a great metallic.

Although the colors seemed Christmassy, I’m not quite there yet mentally, so I decided to go with something more autumnal.  The current challenge at The Paper Players is to create a clean and simple styled card with the theme of leaves, so I’ve tied that into the color challenge.  I turned to the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge for the layout of my card.  After choosing my color scheme for my card, I stamped the sentiment on the card base and heat embossed it.  The “thanks” stamp is a freebie I received in an order from Lawn Fawn about five years ago.  The embossing didn’t turn out as smooth and “clean” looking as I would have preferred, but in the end I decided it had a rustic look that complemented the leaf idea.  I stamped some leaves onto watercolor paper using Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green inks.  Then I softened the color inside of the leaves by “painting” them with a slightly damp paintbrush.  I cut the watercolor paper in strips to go along with the sketch and attached them to the card.  Next I die cut a larger leaf several times from copper cardstock and stacked them together.  When I placed them on the card, I wasn’t quite pleased with the look, so I decided to use dimensional adhesive to lift the die cuts from the card base.  That was better, and I called the card done then.

CASCAS196

CC&S color196-001

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll join us over at CAS Colours & Sketches with your own take on these colors!  You have until 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, October 26 to link your card at the challenge website.  Also, we’re looking to add some new members to our design team, so if this is something you’re interested in, be sure to add the letters “DT” to your name when you link your card, and play along in next week’s sketch challenge, too!

Supplies:
Stamps: “thanks” (Lawn Fawn); unnamed leaf stamps (StampCraft)
Cardstock: Kraft, Brushed Copper (Stampin’ Up); watercolor paper (Artist’s Loft)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green (SU); copper (ColorBox)
Other: copper embossing powder (Ranger); Stitched Leaves die (Lawn Fawn); dimensionals (SU)

Hello!  Today I took a crafting break simply to create.  I wanted to join in the color challenge at The Paper Players before it expired, and I decided to combine that with the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!  I’m trying to get a few more cards done before I send a shipment off to Send a Smile 4 Kids, so I decided on a cute love-themed card that would work well for a kid of any age.  Even though the sentiment and the image came from two different stamp sets, I thought they worked well together.  I snipped the edges of the two green designer papers really closely to resemble grass.  It’s been so long since I’ve used my grass-shaped dies that I’d forgotten I had them until I was taking the picture of the card.  As Homer Simpson would say, “D’oh!”

CTS194

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a terrific weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps: Critters in Costume, Love ‘n Breakfast (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Naturals White (Stampin’ Up); Solar White (Neenah); scraps from Bright Side petite paper pack (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: markers (Copic); Stitched Rectangle die (Lawn Fawn)

It’s time for a new challenge at Cards in Envy!  I have to admit that the full title of the challenge, “It’s a Great Day for a White Wedding”, has had me hearing Billy Idol in my head for the last several days.  (I know the actual lyrics say “nice day”, but close enough.)  Although the challenge title references “wedding”, we’re also accepting anniversary cards as part of the challenge.  Just make sure that your celebratory card is flat enough to fit in an envelope so that it could be mailed at the standard first-class postage rate.

I suppose my card really could go either way – wedding or anniversary.  I haven’t put any sort of sentiment inside of it yet.  It was really quick and easy to make.  I started by coloring a scrap of white cardstock with a metallic pink Gelato and blending the color with a paintbrush dipped in a mix of water and bright pink reinker.  When it was dry, I die cut a heart from it.  I embossed a panel of white cardstock, stamped my “congratulations” sentiment on a scrap of pink cardstock, and attached the pink to the bottom of the embossed white panel.  I attached the panel to a white card base, using scrap cardstock shims behind the panel for a little bit of dimension, and adhered the die cut heart in place.   The layout comes from the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  I’m also entering this card into this week’s challenge at The Paper Players.  It’s their 300th challenge – WOW!  Congrats to them for such a successful challenge blog!

CIE 06-20-2016

The Cards in Envy team has come up with some other great ideas, so be sure to check them out!  We hope you’ll share your own wedding or anniversary card with us before the challenge closes.  You have until 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, July 3, 2016 to link your card at the challenge post.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamp: Oh Happy Day (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Melon Mambo (SU)
Other: Gelato (Faber Castell); Melon Mambo reinker, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder (SU); heart die (Lawn Fawn)

Hello!  It’s the first Monday of the month, which means it’s Cards in Envy challenge introduction day!  A few weeks ago we had the theme of “Just Us Girls”.  This time we’re turning the tables with the theme of “No Girls Allowed.”  Make a card suitable for a boy or a man, and make sure it’s flat enough to be mailed at the standard first class postage rate.

Since Father’s Day will be coming up soon, I’m sharing a clean and simple Father’s Day card.  It was a quick and easy one to make.  I laid strips of designer paper on a diagonal, trimmed off the ends, added a sentiment, and attached the main panel of the card to a base of coordinating cardstock.  It really doesn’t get much simpler!  And it fits into the theme of the current challenge at The Paper Players.

CIE 06-06-2016

So now it’s your turn! Check out the Cards in Envy site for all the challenge details and to see what the rest of the design team has made. Then share your creation(s) with us by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, June 19. We’d love to have you play along with us!

Supplies:
Stamp: Father’s Day sentiment (Purple Onion Designs)
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up); designer papers from Pyrus 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Cajun Craze (SU)

Well hi there!  It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for a new challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  This time we have some nature-inspired colors for you.

I’ve decided to combine the color challenge with a few other challenges.  The Paper Players challenge is to use at least one butterfly on a clean and simple card.  At Less is More, the challenge is to use three stamps; my three are the butterfly, the wordy sentiment, and the “happy birthday”.  Since I didn’t want the ends of the chocolate brown ribbon to show, I’ve attached the turquoise card front to a blush pink card base.  The butterfly was stamped onto a scrap of white cardstock, colored, and fussy cut.  The left side is attached directly to the card front, but the right side is adhered with dimensional adhesive to add a little visual interest to the card.

CASCAS170

CC&S color170-001

Be sure to see what the rest of the CC&S design team has done with these colors!  Then create your own card and share it with us at the CC&S blog.  You have until 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, April 27 to enter the challenge.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Flutter By (Lawn Fawn); Birthday Greetings (Gina K. Designs)
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (GKD)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Other: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, dimensionals (SU); markers (Copic)

Hello!  Today I’m sharing the card I made for my younger son’s recent birthday.

Those of you who know me well know that my son plays the bass drum in his high school’s marching band.  You may also know that I’ve been searching for band-related stamps since my older son first started in marching band in 2009.  So when I finally found a set a few months ago, I just had to get it.  I’ve kept it hidden away until I needed it for this occasion.  I colored the drummer to resemble my son in his band uniform as closely as possible.  I did take the liberty of adding blue to the drum, to help set it off visually from the drummer.  I had the current Paper Players challenge in mind as I made the card.   It’s a tic-tac-toe challenge this week, and I’ve gone straight across the middle of their board with something blue (the card base and the coloring of the drummer boy), something sparkly or shiny (the shiny silver star), and embossing (the musical score background).

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I’ll admit that I was worried that my son might find the image a bit childish looking.  After all, he’s 17 years old.  LOL  To his credit, if he was offended, he didn’t say anything about it to me.  He did seem pleased about the personalization, and his girlfriend seemed to like the card, too.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s a win!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Band Camp (WPlus9 for Simon Says Stamp)
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Basic Black, Silver Foil (Stampin’ Up)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Band Camp die (WPlus9 for SSS); Nesting Starburst die (QuicKutz); markers (Copic); Allegro embossing folder (ProvoCraft); silver paint pen (Zig)

Hello there!  It’s the first Monday of the month, which means it’s time for a new challenge at Cards in Envy.  Our challenge theme for the next two weeks is Gratitude.  There are so many things in our lives for which we can be thankful – so make a card showing your thankfulness, and share it with us!  Keep in mind that cards for our challenges must be A2 sized (4.25″ x 5.5″) and must not have any thick embellishments that would prevent the card from being mailed at the standard first-class postage rate.

It’s been a long time since I made a starburst card, so I picked out some designer papers in colors that I felt represented the autumn season and went to work with them.  Since the papers had a lot of blue in them, I chose to stamp a bird in the circle element so I could color it to coordinate with the papers.  The sentiment is from a long-retired stamp set.

CIE 11-2-2015

The Paper Players also has a thankfulness theme going on, so I’ve decided to enter my card in their challenge.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Cards in Envy design team has made!  Then we’d love to see your creativity!  Share your card using the linky tool at the Cards in Envy site by 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, November 15.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Love Quotes (Mama Elephant); Simple Sayings II (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory, Blue Bayou (SU); designer papers from Pyrus 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Early Espresso (SU)
Other: markers (Copic); standard circle and petite scalloped circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders); sponge

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