everything's coming up CAS and rainbows

Having some fun for a couple challenges. How could I not participate when the themes are:
AAA Card Challenge - Geometrics

 Addicted to CAS - Rainbow

Here's what I made.

Aha Arts Geometric Borders stamp

Paper Smooches Quote Tag die

Altenew inks

Had this die cut square (geometric) laying around. So I pulled out some geometric stamps and rainbowed them with eight Altenew ink colors in rainbow fashion. Added a Paper Smooches sentiment in bold black. CAS pure.

And then flipping through my Paper Smooches dies looking for that "hello" above, I ran across this cutie that may well be NBUS. Not any more. 13 Copic markers later this rainbowed die cut was adhered to a 4" circle (geometric) card. Fits perfectly into a normal envie. Voila!

 Paper Smooches Cute Cluster die

STAMPlorations Trendy Spring Blooms stamp

Copics

I'm joining these challenges too:

Pinspirational - #217 (card #1)

 CAS Colors and Sketches - #276 (card #1)

coloring and aha arts

In my quest to improve my coloring skills thanks to the #thedailymarker30day challenge, I went searching for more images to color. Not in the mood for florals yet, I discovered I don't have a lot of cute animals (who seem to be the fave for coloring). My stamp arsenal is full of graphic or nature images. But I found this little gal in an Aha Arts set (designed by Ashley Goldberg - love her).

Aha Arts Girls stamp

Avery Elle Storybook sentiment

Polychromos

What did I try? Imagining my light source over my right ear which would create highlights on the top of her head and her pocket. And consequently shadows on the left and under her chin. And applying light layers. With super sharp pencils. Cuz I watched this video.

What did I learn?
1. You can use only two colors (light and dark blue, light and dark gray) and hit the darkest areas with  a tiny bit of black. Especially on small images.

2. You can color a face with only one pencil (cuz my set only has one rosy tone) and blend it a bit with a white pencil.

3. An eraser can be used to lighten up an area. I did this to highlight a bit of her hair on the right side. I had a problem figuring out where to highlight/shade her hair. I'm OK with the top of her head but don't like the transition to the side. Maybe it's the way the image is illustrated.

I'm joining these challenges:

The Color Throwdown - #476

Addicted to Stamps - Baby it's Cold Outside (I've used cool colors)

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes/Something New (new is that I'm coloring- with shading)

AAA Cards - Chilled (my colors)

anniversary a la flora fauna

Had a request for an anniversary card. So I made one , a couple, many. And you get to see them all.

Today's was inspired by this cool card using Flora Fauna stamps. Don't have them but I tried my best cuz that design is just so cool.

Meet my card.

Die cut a mask. Stamped graphic images within heart. Then stamped black images. Voila!

Aha Arts Painterly Shapes stamp 

Hero Arts All Occasion messages stamp

Amuse Heart Trio die

Thanks for looking. I'm hooking up at:

Basteltraum - colors

Creative with Stamps - it's an anniversary "celebration"

bold and graphic plus pink

This inspiration photo caught my eye. Bold. Graphic. Pink. And very, VERY symmetrical.

 Well I can do all of the above - minus symmetric, that is!

It's very hard to catch in the photo, but the sentiment sticker and the bit of sheer fabric with stars on it (in a nod to all the textiles) are both mirrored gold in a nod to the mirror. Isn't that pink luscious - pink, purple and orange Dylusions ink smooshing happened for that.

But I decided to make a less busy BG so made a second card.

Kept this one super CAS, just coloring a scrap with Copic RV04 and heat embossing half of the sentiment ("birthday" is on the inside). And the row of hearts is die cut from silver mirrored CS.

diamonds stamp

flower die

dot stamp

sentiment stamp

hearts die

Come by tomorrow. I made another card that picks up on the neutral beiges in the photo ...

Besides linking these CAS cards to Card Concept #75, I'm joining the fun at AAA Cards, Stempelkueche and The Flower Challenge. Happy Birthday AAA Cards!!!

so the planets aligned

I don't really have a system for following challenges. Or to be more exact, for getting cards created on time to take part in challenges. But I had just pinned this photo which I love and immediately thought of some stamp sets that I wanted to use to create a card with it and lo and behold, I went and did it and there are even a bunch of challenges I can play in with it too. Thanks, planets!

Image Source

So I pulled out a few Aha Arts sets that I have from Ashley G, and just let myself be inspired by the elements, style and colors of the photo.

Used some Hero Arts shadow inks and yellow and mint pigment inks from Avery Elle. Started with the chica and the birdie and went from there. Did some masking. Did some stamp kissing on the "m" (personalizing this for DD). Die cut a cloud opening and a sentiment.

Ha! Just realized I was going for a one-layer card for a couple challenges and I'm not sure that my card counts cuz of the sentiment. (I was actually trying to die cut tulle, backing it with a piece of scrap paper - the tulle fell apart but the scrap paper looked cool so I stitched it on instead!)

Joining these challenges:
A Blog Named Hero - OLC (that little birdie is from an ancient HA set too)
Craft Stamper, Take it Make it - January
Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes
One Layer Simplicity - Sky's the Limit (which I tried to portray with the die cut cloud)
CASology - Open (thus the die cut cloud)

Have a great Sunday. You've still got time to check out the STAMPlorations new release hop. And to CASE Laura B. over at the CASEplorations challenge!

rockin' geometric

Do you love all the geometric patterns floating aroud the blogosphere lately? If you can't get enough of 'em, you must check out Taheerah A.'s Gossip Column over at Winnie and Walter. And then join the challenge like I did.

Kinda crazy, eh? In my mind I planned to use this little gal from Aha Arts, backed with a bit of the Multifaceted die cut from pink metallic CS and some big sentiment all attached casually to a white card. Ha!

The purple glitter CS caught my eye, which led to the purple cardbase and incorporating touches of yellow, and this card was born! Notice how the corner with the heat embossed sentiment (inside reads "birthday girl") looks pinker? That happened when I heat embossed. Hm. What up with that?

The challenge at Mod Squad is to use stamps from two or more stamp sets. I've got two Aha sets and two Winnie and Walter sets (Mini Scenery: Multifaceted and My Precious) on this card!

Wanna see something cute? DH and DS had to solve a problem in my laundry room which involved me having to move my craft stuff out of a whole corner of the room for them to be able to work. When they were done I found this. Notice the boxes which hold my dies...

See what DS added to the chalkboard panels - normally there are only the letters (I have them sorted by manufacturer). Is he a charmer or what?!?

Have a good one.

Mixed Media Card Challenge #9

Spring has sprung. Not. But we're wishing for it at The Mixed Media Card Challenge #9 for March! This month's theme is "Hints of Spring" with the optional element of "Bird".

I went "butterfly". Cuz these wonderful Tim Holtz Easter Blueprint stamps were in my NBUS basket waiting to be inked up.

So what's mixed media about this card? Well, I've got stamps and inks. And...

TEXTURE - heat embossed butterfly, embossing paste through a stencil
DIMENSION - distressed and curled edges
TECHNIQUE - ink and paste through stencils

Here's another view of the wonderful dimension of the wonky layers.

Products used: 

stamps: Aha Arts (Border and Pattern, Flower Set), Tim Holtz Easter Blueprint

ink: brown Memento, yellow Adirondack, pink Aladine, Versamark

paper: polka dot Basic Grey, vellum Ursus

stencils: ARTplorations (Bubbles and Hello and Company), Crafters Workshop (Mini Spotted)

Mixed media and Spring. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Join us -the challenge is open until March 25th.

CASEplorations march

It's the first of the month so time once again for a dose of CASEplorations from the STAMPlorations Inspiration DT. This month we have CASEd the one and only Loll Thompson of Stamping with Loll - a worker of wonders with stencils and white space. This is the gorgeous card of Loll's which we are CASEing.

source: Loll Thompson

Hang on to your hats. Here is my CASE.

Whaaaaaat? you ask. Well, take another look at Loll's card. It's got red, gold, green and white and black. It's got embossing paste. It's got circles and a gold die cut. It's got candles and leaves. So does my card :)

I stamped the cake from STAMPlorations Sketched: Birthday Cake in red. Watercolored some of the frosting red. Used a Sharpie to color the candles red and the flames yellow (plus gave them a Wink of Stella too). Die cut the wreath (Poppystamps Chocitlan Wreath) from gold CS and adhered it. Stamped the sentiment (PTI Keep it Simple: Birthday) and the wonky dots (Aha Arts Geometric Borders). Then I used an old Pink Paislee stencil and white embossing paste slightly overlapping the green dots.

I'm callin' it a CASE! Hope you agree. And I hope you will join us. CASE any DT card from the Inspiration posts during March and link it up on the CASEplorations Playground. You could be the random winner of a $15 GC!

welcome new baby

Here's another mixed media card I've made following the "New" theme of the challenge #7 at The Mixed Media Card Challenge. Babies are definitely new. And life changing :)

Used pink ink and Aha Arts Border and Pattern to stamp my cardbase before adding a layer of the "optional challenge element", crumpled pink tissue paper (using a thin layer of Multi Matte Medium). Smushed pink ink onto my craft sheet, added a dollop of metallic embossing paste, mixed and stencilled a few random hearts onto my card. Die cut a balloon from PP and softened it down a bit by generational stamping white pigment ink circles onto it using SSS Lots of Dots.

Then I stamped "welcome" with a tiny alpha set and a bit of one of the borders from the Aha Arts set to draw a bit more attention to the "welcome". Added the stacked "baby" die cut and some gold thread and voila! Now we just need a baby girl in the 'hood!

The challenge is open thru the 25th. Remember, TEXTURE, DIMENSION, and TECHNIQUE make for a mixed media card. Join us, wont't you?

I'm joining the Happy Anniversary party over at The Card Concept #26. With my baby card. Go figure. But those soft pinks of the bouquet scream baby girl! I'm hanging out in the mixed media corner with the new DT members ;) Congrats to all on a successful year.

CAS CASE

Revisited another design of mine for this set of cards. I decided to make a set as a hostess gift, and of course waited til the last minute, so another CASE was in order.

Grabbed the wonderful Geometric Borders from Aha Arts and went all Christmassy with it. Paired it with some of my favorite Christmas sentiments from Technique Tuesday's Jingle All the Way. Picked two different red/green combos andused them with some Delicata Gold. Easy peesy.

Joining the CAS fun at:

CAS on Sunday #49 - Christmas
Addicted to Stamps and More #126 - Anything Goes (with a love twist - I didn't twist)
Stempelkueche #9 - Stretch your Stamps

Ready for Christmas?

oh christmas tree... which isn't

actually a Christmas tree stamp.

See the Sweet Stamp Shop Sparkle and Shine set?

 Meet my card.

Started with a stitched rectangle die cut stamped with that gem (once in Adirondack Bottle and once in Lettuce and then swiped lightly with my water brush) and given white embossed dot trunks. Balanced with a die cut Impression Obsession cardinal and a Technique Tuesday sentiment, stamped onto the base and die cut for interest.

Now, See the Aha Arts Geometric Borders set?

Meet my card.

Get the picture.

Squeaking in before the gates close at Craft Stamper's Take It, Make It for November. Use a non-Christmas stamp to make a Christmas card. OK :)

Also joining the fun at Stempelkueche #8 Untypische Weihnachtskarte. I think this qualifies as a non-typical Christmas card.

And cuz I really do love red and green at Christmas and that's what Bonnie wished for over at Merry Monday.

Thankful... for your visit. Have a lovely Thanksgiving.