Take Time

This super cute sentiment was one of the freebies at Sentimental Sundays. The new Embellish challenge is to use the pink, brown and green with birds. I've used the W Plus 9 woodgrain on the brown and dressed up the edge of the green with a creative approach to my lack of border punches. I punched out 2 small circles with a Stampin Up circle punch and then cut the rest of it with my Fiskars rotary cuter with the scallop blade. Love it when I can think outside the box and make my "limited" stock go farther. I've paper pierced the bird, love how it allows the tail to go over the twine. So, let's add another card to the ABC Design Blog paper piercing challenge. Yes, I am a stamping fool!!! (See comment on another card).

Materials: Raindrop Echo Designs digital sentiment, W Plus 9 woodgrain stamp, Stampin Up circle punch, Fiskars rotary cuter with scallop blade, Stampin Up black ink, pink twine, Stampin Up Certainly Celery Card stock, Stampin Up chocolate Chip card stock, cream card stock, corner rounds

Black, white, green thank you

Trying to figure out how to photograph this one, here's a different take on the same card.

I saw LeAnne's post with the Stamping 411 sketch and was inspired to make this card. I know it's a bit of a loose take on the sketch, but when inspiration hits you might as well run with it right? I used the Play Date Cafe colors again and made a thank you card for Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Cat challenge. Stampin Royalty is having a KISS challenge (Keep it Simple Sweetie) and this card is right up my CAS alley. I paper pierced the stamps onto vellum and glued them on top, so I'll enter this in the ABC Design Blog challenge.

Materials: Stamping up stamps, Hero Arts sentiment, Brilliance Moonshine white ink, black card stock, American Crafts green ribbon, corner rounder, Versacolor bamboo ink, vellum, Stampin Up black ink

Carte Postale Tag card

The photo on City Crafter is just lovely, the theme is to pick one of the colors from the photo and make a card that has something to do with mail. I love mail and had far too many ideas. In the end I went for some fun patterned paper in a tag shape (thinking of the inspiration photo) and a lovely PTI sentiment.

Materials: PTI kraft, patterned paper, PTI sentiment, purple art paper scrap, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up Black ink, Silver Brad

Sunflower hello

I have been giving Kim at Off the Wall Craftiness a hard time for her colors, which is silly because I keep making cards even though I don't love pink and teal, but this week she, not only picked my card from last week as the winner (it's a random draw, but I like random prizes), but she has picked some colors that I like. I've used the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch. I have to admit that I am normally in awe of the coloring jobs I seen out there in the land of card blogs, but last night I had my girlfriend's set of watercolor pencils and I copied the exact coloring of this Hero Arts sunflower (how nice of Hero Arts to give me such a great coloring job to copy!). I think it turned out really nice (I made two, so be warned, another sunflower is waiting in the wings). Since I stamped the sunflower, I'm going to enter this in Jenny's Wee Memories challenge, it helps that Kim and Jenny are real life friends, congrats again ladies that your respective challenges are growing up and getting design teams, woo hoo!

Materials: Hero Arts sunflower, Hero Arts tiny background stamp, PTI sentiment, Stampin Up blue card stock, Spotlight yellow card stock, strips of yellow scraps, white gel pen, versamark, Stampin Up watercolor pencils and blender pen, Stampin Up black ink

Polka dot couches with bling pillows

I was having a serious night of indecision. I am a CAS girl who likes clean and simple cards and I can normally make a decision, stick with it (pun intended) and move on. Last night, something was in the air and I spent 2 hours making this card. Not sure why. I wanted to make something for the Cas-tastic Wednesday "bling it up" challenge and being a non- bling kinda girl I had to go digging. In the boys' craft box I found a long forgotten container of glitter glue. After getting glitter glue everywhere I remembered why I'd banished it to the bottom of the spare bedroom closet. So please note the sparkling throw pillows on the couch, I'm sure there are people out there who have sequins on their pillows? I have been having far too much fun with this PTI On The Couch set and I wanted to make a polka dot couch for the Treehouse Thursday Challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Challenge dot challenges. I love how Cosmo Cricket Early Riser paper looks, wouldn't it be fun to have such playful couches? I've paper pierced the couches, so I'll enter another card in the ABC Design Blog challenge (are you ladies sick of me yet?).

Materials: PTI couch and sentiment, Cosmo Cricket Early Riser patterned paper, silver glitter glue, Stampin Up Black ink, Silver brads, vellum, Stampin Up blue card stock, white gel pen, Stamping up black embossing powder

Truly black, white and spash of green

I think this week's colors at Play Date Cafe are lovely, and you've got to go check out the DT stunning cards. I was inspired by their butterfly theme. I've included a few other challenges too, the sketch from Unscripted Sketches (I know they're flexible, so it's a rough take on the 50 yard line sketch card. I've paper pierced out a butterfly, so here's another card for the ABC Design Blog paper piercing challenge. Cute Card Thursday is "texting crazy" and I've printed out the Hero Arts digital Friendship sentiment.

Materials: Black card stock, white card stock, vellum, green art paper from stash, Stampin Up butterfly and flourish, Hero Arts digital Friendship sentiment, Making Memories white eyelets, Brilliance white ink, Stampin Up black ink

Keep New Zealand Beautiful

This card uses Greener Pastures patterned papers and a Hero Arts sentiment. I was thinking of a making a card to celebrate travel/New Zealand. Thanks Karen for the positive feedback, I was going to put this card in the to be recycle/re-crafted pile. The sketch is from Critter Sketch Challenge Blog.

Materials: Greener Pastures patterned paper, Hero Arts sentiment, white/yellow/black card stock, Brilliance Moonlight white ink, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

Dad Card

I know already said how much I love CAS cards, but can I say it again? I tried another version for the Waltzingmouse Sketch challenge with ribbon, and it's pretty, but it wasn't quite working (I may try to fix it), so I went back to the kraft on the messy table and made another dude card. This one uses Practicing Creativity's You're The Man bolts (thanks Karen) and a Studio G Dad sentiment. Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Cat challenge this week is masculine cards. I've already made one today, click here, why not make another? ABC Design Blog is celebrating paper piercing and I cut out the bolts, so here's another entry for their challenge.

Materials: PTI kraft card stock, Practicing Creativity Bolts, Studio G Dad sentiment, black card stock, Stampin Up black ink

Potato Optional

I think it's pretty obvious that I just love CAS cards... I think this one could use a little bit more, but I made it for Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge (square with a outline stamp). I'm open to suggestions on how to dress up a one layer card, I tried a few other ideas (which might become another card a bit later), but didn't find anything that stayed true to the challenge theme. Since Susan is on the Mark's Finest Papers DT I thought I'd make a masculine card for their Speedy Cat Challenge at the same time. I think kraft works so well for a guy card. Sentimental Sunday's is asking for something funny and I think this sentiment is great, makes me laugh.

Materials: PTI couch and sentiment, PTI kraft, Stampin Up black ink, cheap black marker, Corner rounder

Happy Birthday LeAnne

Happy Birthday LeAnne! Here's a CAS birthday card for you with this week's ColourQ colors.

While we're celebrating birthdays, might as well share the love with a few more challenges, Terrifically Thrilling Thursdays, Party Time Tuesdays, Totally Stampalicious, The Crazy Challenge.

Materials: Paper Source birthday cake punch, PTI sentiment, Hero Arts dot swirl stamp, Stampin Up black ink, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip card stock, Stampin Up Kiwi Bliss card stock, other scarps from my stash

Hello

I love this Lawn Fawn set, so cute and I think it looks great on kraft too. I went digging through my bag of random mix of art paper scraps and think these papers are fun. I've used the Simons Says Stamp sketch and am entering it in Jenny's Wee Memories "stamp" challenge (because she's also giving away a Simon Says Stamp gift certificate, double my odds of winning?). And there's just a tiny bit left of time left in the Paper Crafts style inspired challenge (with a typewriter for one of the photos).

Materials: Lawn Fawn Just My Type typewriter and sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, PTI kraft card stock, various scraps of art paper from my stash

Home Sweet Home, take 2

After I posted yesterday's card I realized that I really didn't like it. After stewing over it for awhile I decided to remake the card. I like this version a lot better (and it's okay if you comment and say you do too!). I've used the Jazzy Paper Designs sketch again and will enter it in the ABC Design Blog paper piercing challenge.

Materials: Kathy Martin digital houses, PTI sentiment, Stamping Up Kiwi Bliss card stock, black card stock, PTI kraft card stock Stampin Up Kiwi Bliss designer paper (Baja Breeze & Kiwi Bliss houses), Anna Griffin patterned paper (kraft colored house) Stampin Up black ink,

Kiwi Bliss Home Sweet Home

I enjoy all these challenges, they help feed my card addiction. I like this week's Curtain Call colors and I like the Jazzy Paper Designs sketch (Kim made me do it!). But something about this card isn't working for me, too much Kiwi Bliss? The uneven grass? I'm not sure. I tried... I put the sentiment on the inside, something I don't do very often. There's always tomorrow's card. ABC Design Blog is celebrating paper piercing and I find myself cutting things out over and over again, so I'm sure I'll enter this challenge more then once.

Materials: Kathy Martin digital houses, PTI grass and cloud, PTI sentiment, Stamping Up Kiwi Bliss card stock, Stampin Up Kiwi Bliss designer paper, turquoise scrap, Versacolor bamboo ink, Stampin Up black ink, red marker, versamark

Papertrey July Blog Hop Challenge

I only recently received my first sets of PTI stamps and so I'm very excited to join their blog hop on Nicole's {capture the moment} blog for the first time. The theme is office supplies. I used PTI Mailbox Greetings for the envelopes, PTI Daily Designs for the sentiment and Lawn Fawn Just My Type for the scissors, paper clip and push pin. Thanks for checking out my card, can't wait to see what everyone else has made....

Materials: PTI Mailbox Greetings for the envelopes, PTI Daily Designs for the sentiment and Lawn Fawn Just My Type for extra office supplies, PTI kraft card stock, Cream card stock, vellum, Versacolor Camellia ink, Stampin Up black ink, Making Memories red eyelets, Fiskars tag punch, twine, Stampin Up red card stock

2 takes on the same sketch

This sketch is from Just Add Ink and I thought it would be fun to take the large Big Bloom from the Waltzingmouse Stamps set and punch it into four little squares. Then I thought, perhaps I'd try it the opposite way (i.e. white ink on red paper) and kept it a bit cleaner. I like the thanks card better, but it was a fun experiment.

Materials: first card, Waltzingmouse Big Bloom flower, Hero Arts dot background, PTI sentiment, Stampin Up square scallop punch, Versacolor Camellia, VersaMagic Night Sky

Second card, Waltzingmouse Big Bloom flower, PTI sentiment, American Crafts ribbon, Stampin Up red card stock, Brilliance Moonlight White ink, Stampin Up black ink

The Sky's the limit

I saw this week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday trigger and I thought balloons, even if they're paper lanterns... and many thanks to Karen for inking me part of the Practicing Creativity Look Up set.

Materials: PTI kraft, Practicing Creativity Loop Up balloon and sentiment, PTI cloud, cheap makers, orange paper scrap, off white card stock from Paper Plus, Fiskars rotary scallop cuter, Stampin Up black ink

welcome to the neighborhood

Have I mentioned before how literal I am? I saw these photos for this week's Play Date Cafe and I immediately wanted to make something just like it... so please note the striking similarities between my card and the bottom left photo. I'm going add yet another card to the Moxie Fab World Clean and Graphic challenge, I've found my style and I'm sticking to it!

Materials: PTI On the Couch stamps, PTI Daily Designs sentiment,PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up grey card stock, white card stock scraps, Stampin Up black ink, Making Memories eyelet punch

let's get together for coffee

I'm not sure why this card took me an hour to make. I love CAS cards and I love it when the card magically appears. For this card I stamped the coffee pot on pink with black ink, then I stamped it on white with black ink, each time paper piercing it out and then I stamped it on white with pink ink. After I finished the card I thought perhaps I should've cut out the handles on the mugs too... oh well. I'm using the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch and the Off the Wall Craftiness colors (Kim, please forgive me when I say again that these are not my colors, yet I keep making cards for you...). I'll also enter this in Hero Arts July food challenge. Did you guys know that those lovely Hero Arts hostesses are awesome at commenting on cards? They blow me away... every time. Thanks gals.

Materials: Hero Arts coffee pot and mug stamps, Hero Arts dot background stamp, PTI sentiment, Stampin Up purple & pink card stock, teal scrap card stock, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, versamark, Stampin Up pink passion ink, teal ink from Spotlight, Stampin Up black ink

what's perking?

I think all you lovely blog happy card obsessed folks out there are awesome. I've been doing the happy dance for several days now- first from the package of stamps I bought myself and then from smaller goodies- like this Hero Arts What's Perking set from my blogging pal Karen. Many thanks for the goodies, I love that you're willing to share you blog candy with me, your coffee card making over sharing card obsessed friend. It all just makes me smile. Right, back to the card. I tried to use the Color Throwdown colors, please forgive the ribbon shades lovely ladies, now I if only I had a Stampin Up rep in my lady to upsell me on all sorts of color coordinating ribbon I would've been set.... 365 Cards has the challenge to use ribbon as a background and I thought a little square of it would be a fun textured backdrop for the coffee pot. Hero Arts is having a July food challenge, so very excited to add this to their flickr album.

Materials: white card stock from Spotlight, Stampin Up Certainly Celerycard stock, Stampin Up Almost Navy card stock, Stampin Up Baja Breeze card stock, Hero Arts stamp and sentiment, Stampin up water colors and versamark pen, Fiskars circle punch, Stampin Up Almost Navy ink, Misc ribbon (mostly American Crafts)

Come on over friend!

I love CAS cards, they make me smile and this PTI couch set is just far too much fun. I'm going to enter this in the Moxie Fab World Clean and Graphic Challenge (anyone know if there's a limit to how many times you can enter?). I'm also going to enter it in the Totally Stampalicious Best Friend challenge and the Stamp Simply 2 of anything challenge.

Materials: PTI couch and sentiment stamp, Stampin Up black ink, Stampin Up red designer paper

Happy Summer

Cas-tasic Wednesday, Wee Memories and Saturday Crafter are having summer challenges this week. Karen posted this lovely card and I thought on no I can't do one like that (same general idea, same Lawn Fawn set), but she said yes. So, I took note of her blog post that said the floss for her clothesline was messy and difficult, so I used zip ties and electrical tape. Karen, no mess here, it did exactly what it was told to do. And then she commented about the Practicing Creativity set and I thought, "perfect, I'll hang some flip flops just like that set." So thanks Karen for helping me sort out my card. So exciting to help celebrate summer after a morning of skiing in the snow with my lovely husband.

Materials: Lawn Fawn Swimsuit Season, PTI sentiment, PTI cloud (although I think it's suppose to be a clump of dirt actually), various scraps of patterned paper, white mini brads, electrical tape, Yellow and white card stock from Spotlight, Stampin Up black ink

Have Fun, drinks on Lawn Fawn

I think this card works for Moxie Fab World's Clean and Graphic, although it is kinda fun... Drinks are on Lawn Fawn this week, cheers. 365 Cards is having a food/drink challenge. Actually now that I've just posted that I realize that 365 Cards is having a challenge about cooking food... oops. Pam, I will confess that I am often cooking food with a glass of something in my hand, does that count? It helps dilute the sounds of whining hungry children... I know it's a bit of a stretch...

Materials: PTI kraft card stock, Lawn Fawn stamp and sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, Stampin Up Kiwi Bliss card stock, blue card stock from scraps

One Layer Couch Christmas Card

I have been eyeing this PTI eye set for awhile, and after a generous birthday card from my grandmother I decided to splurge (this isn't the only set, beware!). Susan at Simplicity is having a one layer Christmas challenge and I'm not really a traditional Christmas card kinda gal. Will you guys believe me when I say I don't make Christmas cards? So here's my take on a one layer Christmas card. Flourishes, Critter Sketch Challenge and Jill are also celebrating Christmas in July.

Materials: PTI stamps and sentiment, Versacolor red & green ink, Stampin Up black ink, corner rounder

Celebrate

A CAS card using the ColourQ colors and the clean and simple layout. I used a piece of ribbon for the sentiment and I like it, but I think it looks a little lonely, maybe I needed a thicker piece of ribbon? It says "celebrate" on it.

Materials: W Plus 9 flower stamp, Versacolor red ink, Versacolor brown ink, American Crafts ribbon, yellow twine, orange and yellow scraps, corner rounder, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter