Challengerama!

Good morning!  I've got three cards to share with you today for a multitude of challenges.  I had planned to post a few of them yesterday but time ran away from me last night.  Luis and I recently started watching "Sons of Anarchy" and decided to watch "just one" episode after dinner.  Unfortunately an episode of SOA is like a potato chip - you can't stop with one.  Next thing we knew it was after 11pm and time for bed!  So I'm playing catch up this morning...

This first card is for the Colour Me…! Monochromatic challenge.  I stamped the Altenew bear in Night of Navy ink and then did a touch of watercolouring using just the ink from the image.  I've seen a lot of people do this to amazing effect but this was my first time trying it.  Definitely need some more practice.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Ranger, (Night of Navy) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (All from Geometric Menagerie) Altenew

Ink: (VersaMark) Tsukineko, (Night of Navy) Stampin' Up

Embossing Powder:  (Opaque Bright White Super Fine) Wow

Die:  (Nesties Standard Circles Large) Spellbinders

This second card is for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  This is my first time playing along with them.  I played with some NBUS Paper Smooches stamps with the initial plan of making a masculine birthday card but this could really be used for any sort of celebration.  And maybe it's not so masculine as I got a bit carried away with the bling…

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Pumpkin Pie, Not Quite Navy, Basic Grey) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (All from Beboppin) Paper Smooches

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Gems:  Recollections

And speaking of getting carried away with the bling the centre of this card has a lot going on in the gem department although I must say it looks far more understated in the photo that it does in real life!  This card grew out of inspiration from four challenges.  I was initially inspired by Vicki's card over at Muse.  I'm not really into shaped cards but I liked the bullseye look of the circles. It immediately made me think of this Hero Arts stamp that I've had for ages.  I stamped it on 3 different Doodlebug papers and then fussy cut it and put it back together.  I also added some hugs and smooches just in case anyone questioned the theme of the card!  LOL!  The love theme is a big one this week and Curtain Call, Addicted to Stamps and Just Us Girls have all asked us to create with love in mind. 

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, Smokey Slate, Basic Grey) Stampin' Up

Patterned Paper:  Doodlebug

Stamps:  Hero Arts

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Dies:  (Letters) Mama Elephant

Gems:  Recollections

Bacon Love?

I've got a bold, paper-pieced creation for the Just Us Girls Wild Card Week Challenge to use a sentiment as the focal point of our card.  I stamped the Sweet Stamp Shop sentiment onto Studio Calico paper and then paper-pieced each part of the banner and letters with different papers from the same collection.  I thought it was really fun and bright and was proud of myself for dipping my toe outside of my CAS comfort zone.  Then a co-worker said it looked like bacon.  And now all I see is bacon.  LOL!  That might have been cool a year ago but apparently the hipsters have declared that bacon and kale are out.  *Sigh*  I'm always late to the trends...

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill

Patterned Paper:  (Snippets 6x6) Studio Calico

Stamps:  (Sentiment from Chalkboard Sign) Sweet Stamp Shop

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Gems:  Recollections

Love Socks

Hi there!  I'm popping in with an entry for the current CAS(E) This Sketch challenge.  I've had this Lawn Fawn "My Silly Valentine" set for ages and it's never seen ink.  I finally pulled it out the other day and ended up making a few different cards with it.  The images are so darn adorable that I have a feeling I'll be going back to this set sooner rather than later.  Just have to carve out some time to get into the Craft Cave!  Okay, time to get ready for work now.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!





Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Real Red, Smokey Slate) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (Socks & sentiment from My Silly Valentine, Hearts from Belinda's Borders) Lawn Fawn

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Die:  (Stitched Rectangles) Lil' Inker Designs

Twine:  (Charcoal) The Twinery

Markers: (C-1) Copic

CASology #132

Welcome to Week 132 of CASology!  Take a look at the cue word for this week:

I'm sure there are a few of you scratching your heads about this one and thinking that I have really gotten my cue words mixed up this week.  However, I have taken the word "hot" in a truly Bermudian direction.  You see, here on de rock when you've had a couple of drinks and are tipsy you are "half hot" and when you are good and drunk you are "full hot"!  

I thought this stamp set from Skipping Stones Designs (sadly closed) would help me illustrate the idea perfectly.  However, it took me two tries to get it right.  One might suggest I actually was half hot when I made my original card as seen below:

Can you spot the error?  Here I used an image from Market Street Stamps (also sadly closed) along with the Skipping Stones sentiment.  I chose the image first and was so excited about my Stickles salt on the rim of the glass that I got my "m" drinks confused.  Yup.  While the sentiments speaks of martinis that drink is most definitely a margarita.  Whoops.

After some muttering of naughty words and scrambling around (I didn't notice the error until I was editing the photo of the original card) I got another card pulled together, photographed and ready for inspection!  

Now it's your turn to show us where the word "hot" takes you.  Be sure to check out the gorgeous creations from the design team and then get playing!  

 Ardyth Percy-Robb
Gillian Ross

Hazel Hodgkins

Joyce Mehrberg 
Judy Marino
Kimberly Wiener 

Kymona Tracey

May Sukyong Park

Melissa Chipperfield
Tracey McNeely

And this week's guest designer:

Penny

Link your creations to the CASology blog and remember that the deadline for entries is Monday at noon (CST).

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill

Stamps:  (All from Chic Martini) Skipping Stones Designs

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Marker:  (Old Olive) Stampin' Up

Gems:  Recollections

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill

Stamps:  (Margarita from Tiki Time) Market Street Stamps, (Sentiment from Chic Martini) Skipping Stones Designs

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Markers:  (Certainly Celery, Gumball Green) Stampin' Up

Gems:  Recollections

Glitter:  (Crystal Ice Stickles) Ranger

Flowery Vases

Hi there!  Today's card was originally made with two challenges in mind - The Colour Throwdown and The Paper Players.  Unfortunately I didn't get it posted on time for The Colour Throwdown but I figured I'd give a shout out to their colour palette anyway.  :) My vases look really blue in this photo but they're actually Tempting Turquoise.  This Paper Smooches set is one of the few that I use over and over.  I love those flowers and the vases.  I wish more of my other sets inspired me this much!  I'm also going to enter this card in the Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes challenge!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Tempting Turquoise) Stampin' Up

Patterned Paper:  (On The Bright SideTwo 6x6) My Mind's Eye

Stamps:  (Flowers & leaves from Crystal Clear, Sentimern from Chit Chat) Paper Smooches

Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko, (Pretty in Pink, Primrose Petals, Gumball Green) Stampin' Up

Dies:  (Crystal Clear 3) Paper Smooches

Gems:  Recollections

Brighter Days

Boy did I struggle with photographing this card today.  I could not get a good result using my little light tent and even after playing with it in Photoshop I still couldn't get it to look right - it was very lilac!  I finally broke down and took a picture in my kitchen.  Despite the photo issues I had fun putting it together and I'm going to enter it in the current CAS(E) This Sketch challenge.  I managed to mix and match dies from 4 different companies and used a fifth for the sentiment.  I love it when crafty goodies play so nicely together!  :)    

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (Pumpkin Pie, Hello Honey, Soft Sky, Smokey Slate, Basic Grey) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (Sentiment from The Birds & The Bees) WPlus9

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Dies:  (Small & large suns) Lil' Inker Designs, (Cloud base) Mama Elephant, (Small cloud) Paper Smooches, (Large cloud) Papertrey Ink

Gems:  Recollections

CASology #131

Welcome to Week 131 of CASology!  Take a look at the cue word for this week:

I can't believe we haven't used this cue word before but apparently we haven't and I'm fully expecting to be slammed by amazing entries for this week's challenge.  You can never have too many birthday cards right?  Check out the gorgeous gallery from the design team and then play along!  

 Ardyth Percy-Robb
Gillian Ross

Hazel Hodgkins

Joyce Mehrberg 
Judy Marino
Kimberly Wiener 

Kymona Tracey

May Sukyong Park

Melissa Chipperfield
Tracey McNeely

And this week's guest designer:

Hannelie

Link your creations to the CASology blog and remember that the deadline for entries is Monday at noon (CST).

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Strawberry Slush) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (Sentiment from Bold Wishes) CAS-ual Fridays

Ink: (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko

Die:  (Balloon) Simon Says Stamp

Twine:  (Charcoal) The Twinery