simon says stamp - celebrate you with drinks

Howdy! One good thing about the rain in our area slowing down the grape harvest is that I have time to be in my craft room playing again with this great stamp set from the Simon Says Stamptember release. It's called Celebrate You. You may have seen this series of birthday cards I made with it.

So this time I've moved on to the alcohol themed offerings in the set ;) It truly is a very versatile set.

I've been asked to make a couple 60th birthday cards. So I started with this CAS masculine version. I love the sense of movement you can achieve with the images in the set.

 SSS Celebrate You stamp

MFT High Rise Numbers die
Liquid Platinum embossing powder

Liking the look of the embossing on creme, I created this card. I love the simple flow of the elements. And I say "cheers to you" all the time. Fun having it as a sentiment now.

 SSS Celebrate You stamp

Liquid Platinum embossing powder

Chose the "This calls for drinks" sentiment and lined up a few drinks on a super CAS card. Decided to add spots of color using the little filler images in the set. How fun!

SSS Celebrate You stamp

Catherine Pooler Spa inks

Looking at that martini, I decided to rainbow some olives! Opted for Catherine Pooler inks so the rainbow became a bit subdued and definitely feminine, but fitting for a fall birthday. I can imagine this in stark white with bright rainbow tones too. I like the fun touch of the tri-color sentiment (thanks to my MISTI).

SSS Celebrate You stamp

Catherine Pooler Spa inks
patterned paper

Whew! Thanks for coming by. Hope you liked what you saw.  Check out the release if you haven't, and all the makes with it in the Stamptember gallery at Simon Says Stamp. Thanks mucho, Simon. I really like this set.

I'm dropping by a couple challenges:

AAA Cards - One Layer with option of Autumn

Addicted to Stamps - For a Girl

CAS on Friday - Masculine card

The Paper Girls - Birthday

and more fish

But this is the last. I promise ;)

Here are the last cards I made with the stamped panel I created for this card. This version is probably my favorite/standard design for randomly stamped backgrounds. Just give it a heat embossed sentiment (from Mia's Stempelkueche) on a contrasting color and voila! I actually added a bit of Tim Holtz Mixed Media die cut too. And dry embossed the stamped panel with Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die.

Went for a twofer with the last panel. Sliced it in half diagonally and added PTI Happy die cuts, accompanied with a stamped or a sticker sentiment. The netting BG stamp is CHF.

Sure enjoyed working with WPlus9 Fish More - it's a set you really should have in your arsenal ;)

I'm taking these cards to:
Cards in Envy - No Girls Allowed
Lawnscaping - Off Kilter

Craft Stamper - Take it Make it June - Let's Get Inky

starry winter wonders

It's an oldie, but a goodie the Autumn Leaves Winter Wonders stamp set.

Took some watercolor paper, smooshed Distress Inks in Shaded Lilac and Evergreen Bough onto my craft sheet, spritzed with Perfect Pearls water and created my background piece.

Heat embossed the wonderful sentiment and hung a strip of sheer ribbon on the panel before adhering it to my cardbase.

I'm entering these challenges:

Stempelkueche #29

AAA Cards #49 - Word Play

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - CAS Christmas (am I pushing it here?)

Not really ready for the holidays yet, but I guess they'll be here before I know it! Have a lovely day.

now you're vintage

Someone in the neighborhood is turning 50 this weekend! Welcome to the club. Or as my card says - "Congratulations. Now you are vintage."

I jumped on the glittered blues bandwagon at House of Cards January challenge. Those certainly look like milkweed pods to me. Milkweed and I go way back. As a kid on the shores of Lake Huron I would watch big, fat, green caterpillars disappear into and emerge from cocoons dangling on milkweed plants as Monarch butterflies. And at summer's end I would tear open those pods and blow the seeds to high heaven. Now? Now I spend a week pulling all the weeds on the beach every summer when I am there. Adios milkweed.

Back to the card at hand. The glittery blue was easy. Some bottles cut with my new SSS Adult Beverages die and labelled with personalized vellum labels. Just love this touch. And I'm playing at A Blog Named Hero - Personalise too.

The front panel (Stampendous Wine Labels) and the clear embossed, ombre stamped sentiment strip (Stempelküche Grüße II)) were inspired by the Heat Embossing challenge at Stempelküche.

Distress inking over the heat embossed panel with ombre blues was also inspired by Inkspirational #74.

And the entire theme of the card was inspired not only by the recipient (we've emptied many a bottle together) but by the great Cheers challenge over at City Crafter.

Phew! Just wanted to squeak this one in here. Do come back later today for the last installment of the STAMPlorations release.

winnie and walter mojo overload #3

Four cards for the Winnie and Walter birthday bash today. Let's get right to it.

First up, Shay's "One" challenge. I may be stretching it a bit here but ignoring black, I used only one color of ink - Delicata gold!

Next, think-outside-the-box Kelly's In Rotation challenge. Basically CASEd myself here, but added some interest with dry embossing after my images were stamped.

I'm joining the Anything Goes #10 challenge at Stempelkueche with this CAS card.

How about some ombre? That's what Vanessa challenged us to do in her Gradient challenge. She's shared some wonderful inspiration photos on the W&W blog. I chose to work with Antique Linen, Old Paper and Pumice Stone distress inks for a change. Embossed the sentiment with Liquid Platinum and strategically placed a few sequins next to the camouflaged die cut and stacked heart.

And lastly today, the master of Distress Inks, Mayuri, challenges us to use them to create a pattern. I put a slight twist on it by including masking. (Told ya I love those leaves from The Big, Bold and Extras!)

I'm taking this card to Virginia's View - Clean Slate. Sure there are some bright colors, but a whole lotta white too!

Appreciate your visit. If you come by tomorrow you'll see my last two cards for the birthday bash and on Sunday my 2014 Faves post. Have a great day.

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.

first time fusin' (Fusion, Moxie Fab, Amusing)

First off, green and purple go together.  The proof is in... my front yard.  (Darnell K., notice the dandelions... so much for your theory!)  BTW, this is what I see when I gander out the window as I'm sitting on the floor photographing my cards perched on a dining room chair.  And the sun even came back today - YIPPIE.  Well, not so yippie for photographing cards...

It took awhile but I've finally taken the Fusion Card Challenge.  Another challenge idea from Jackie R.  This time it's to see whether a sketch or an inspiration OR the combo of both is the most popular among cardmakers.

My concoction went about 85% sketch, 15% inspiration photo.  Must admit I added my own constraints since this is to be a thank you card for DD to send to Oma and Oma knows what DD's confirmation card looked like. Now you do too...

Sooo... keeping it themed...

I stamped and watercolored some more of these blooms and die cut a circle.  I heat embossed the sentiment, applied a couple brush strokes over it and ironed off the embossing when it was dry for a cool batik look.  The little heart embellie evolved after a peek into my purple scrap drawer!

Playing in the Wonder of Watercolor challenge at Moxie Fab.  Again. (Blushing).  And it's Anything Goes at Amusing Challenge.

Supplies vielen dank:

Paper: cream CS Bringmann, watercolor paper Herlitz

Stamps: Scenic Route,  sentiment Mia's Stempelküche

Ink : Memento, watercolors, Versamark

Tools: water brush, iron & scrap paper

Other: clear embossing powder, fiber, heart sequin