Tuesday 31 July 2012

CASology4 - Bird!

This is my second post for the day - for my Dare to Get Dirty post, please scroll down.


This week's CASology cue word is Bird!




I know, I'm a rebel, but hey, it could have been a bird. If I hadn't cracked it open! lol!

I cut the egg using an oval nestability and a Papertrey rickrack edging die. I used a Copic marker to add some shading along the edge to make it look a little more dimensional. I used a circle die for the sparkly yolk and a Waltzingmouse sentiment. This guy's sunny side up!

OK, chickies (pun intended!) fly away and make some CAS bird creations this week - can't wait to see you on CASology!


Don't forget to see what the rest of the Design Team has for you:





Melissa Chipperfield

Rosemary Dennis

Tracey McNeely 

and Lindsey (CCC#2 (Happy) winner) - this week's Guest Designer



DTGD Day4, LIM78




This card is for two of today's Dare to Get Dirty challenges at Splitcoaststampers: Andrea  (AndreaEwan) and Joanne (basilefamily). (only orange, pink passion, whisper white cardstock, Memory box flower die, Doodlebug pink bling).


This card is also for Andrea's DTGD challenge and also for this week's Sketch challenge at Less Is More:


(Hero Arts sentiment, Papertrey dots coloured with copics and stickles)

Have you gotten dirty yet? It's fun! Come join the fan club so you can play along!

Monday 30 July 2012

DTGD Day 3, FS286




(Inky Antics kids, Lawnfawn sentiment, Creamy Caramel, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Soft Sky cardstock, coloured with Copics and Prismacolor pencil crayons)


(Verver sentiment, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Yoyo Yellow and Gina K Pure luxury cardstock, Sahara sand ink, MFT sun die, Cuttlbug Divine Swirls embossing folder)

Both of these cards are for Jeanne's (JeanneS) DTGD challenge at Splitcoaststampers. The second one is also for this week's  featured stamper challenge (FS286), inspired by this card made by "buzsy":



I love that funky diagonal layout!

Finally, for something completely different,  a card for Barbara's (Bar) challenge.


(Gumball green, Real Red, Whisper White cardstock, Papertrey Sentiment, ? Triangle - I masked the 'ground' and used the one triangle stamp to make the different sized trees - then I used Stickles to hide the fact that the masking wasn't perfect! lol! I used Gumball Green, Green Galore and Garden Green and Real Red ink)

 Wow! Dare to get Dirty is FUN, but there are so many challenges - it's hard to keep up with everything going on over there at Splitcoast.  I feel so lucky that we stampers have such a wonderful place to hang out and be inspired! Hope you're playing along!

Sunday 29 July 2012

OLW98 and DTGD Day 2



Saturday got away from me and I only had time to make one card, which qualifies for OLW98 (Summer) and Vicky's (vdutcher) Dare to get Dirty challenge at Splitcoaststampers.

I can see this is going to be a busy week not only making cards, but looking at all the amazing creations that everyone is coming up with!

For this card, I used a Unity flower stamp and a Technique Tuesday sentiment. Simply coloured with copics.

Don't forget there's still a few hours to play along with this week's CASology Cue Card - Fruit! Hope to see you there!

Saturday 28 July 2012

DTGD Day 1

I've managed to play along with three challenges for today's Dare to Get Dirty event at Splitcoaststampers:



The first one is for Lydia's (Understandblue) challenge. I used a Spellbinders snowflake and Papertrey sentiment. Shimmery White cardstock and Sahara Sand ink.




The second card is for Stacy's (Twinshappy) challenge. I used an Inkadinkado motorcycle and Stampin' Up! sentiment. Memento Tuxedo and Cherry Cobbler ink.



This card is for Lisa's (LisaLara) challenge. I used MFT's monogram alphabet and Papertrey "you're a great". Berry Blaze Kaleidescope ink and Raspberry Fizz and Crushed Concord cardstock.

If you want to know the details of these challenges and play along, sign up as a member of the fan club - we can't wait for you to play along! It's going to be a great week!


CFC63 - Colour Challenge





For this week's CASual Friday challenge:




I used Lucky Limeade, Midnight Muse and Cool Caribbean. I drew diagonal lines across my white panel with a pencil and marked 1/2 cm from the centre, in order to help me line up the Papertrey leaf die properly.
The sentiment is from The Stamps of Life.  In between the white cardbase and the top white panel is a layer made up of squares of the colours I used. The white panel is popped up using dimensionals.

Did you know that starting today (July 28), the annual Dare to Get Dirty event is revving up at Splitcoaststampers? Multiple challenges every day for a week, all hosted by Dirty Dozen design team members(current and alumni) with PRIZES (shopping sprees at some of your favourite companies!). I'm hosting a challenge later in the week - I hope you're a fan club member and will play along! I plan to play along with as many as I can, so watch this space!

Friday 27 July 2012

CAS180 - Let it snow






Can you believe I've never played along with Splitcoaststamper's Clean and Simple (CAS) weekly challenge? They've played 179 times without me, but I'm not letting another one go by!

This week's challenge is a sketch challenge based on this card by Darsie:



I used a retired Stampendous snowman and a Papertrey sentiment.

Ever since CASology started (have you made a CAS fruity card for this week's challenge yet?), I've been participating in a lot (A LOT) of discussion about the definition of Clean and Simple.

While there is some gentle disagreement about layers, and colours and embellishments, one thing pretty much everyone agrees on is white space. It's called white space in design, but it doesn't have to be white. There should just be enough space around your focal image to let it breathe.

After discussion with the CASology design team last week, Melissa came up with this list of guidelines for CAS cards, and posted it at CASology.


One thing I know for sure, is that CAS is just one style of cardmaking and design. There are many, many different styles and they all have their own beauty and require different skills. I love CAS, but I love other styles as well - what about you?

Thursday 26 July 2012

RS21 and CQC147 - Way to go Tracey!




Do you know my new friend TraceyShe is one of the four extremely talented ladies I'm getting to know on the design team at CASology (don't forget to play!!), and she's a fellow Canadian! 

She must be even more talented than I thought, because she is having one heck of a week - one of her cards was chosen for this week's RetrosketchPLUS, she's been named a member of the Royal Court at ColourQ. (you have to go there, just to see what Ryan Gosling had to say about this week's colours! lol!)




In honour of Tracey, I've combined these two challenges. Way to go, Tracey!


(Paper Smooches sentiment, Lawn Fawn flower with Doodlebug bling)


PS - Thanks for the book recommendations - I've added them to my 'to read' shelf at Goodreads, which is an online app that helps you track the books you've read, what you thought of them, and (most importantly to me) it tracks all the books you've seen that you think you'd like to read, so that when you finish a book, you have a whole list of new ones to choose from. My next book is The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom - highly recommended by a couple of my friends. Have you read it? What did you think?

Wednesday 25 July 2012

OLW98 - Summer!



This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, hosted by Cheryl, is to make a card about summer.

In Toronto, this summer has been hot enough to fry an egg on the road. We've had 9 extreme heat alerts and broken numerous records for daily high temps. So far. Having said that, today is lovely and cool, although we're expecting a storm later.

The egg and the road are Paper Smooches, the sentiment is Our Craft Lounge.

FTL200 - Happy Holidays





It's still pretty hot here in Toronto, so I thought I'd make something cool for this week's Fall to Layout:


I shaded the Technique Tuesday letters with various blue copics and then 'coloured' in with Stickles for some icy cold sparkle. This is a Lawnfawn snowflake - I wanted one that had a place to colour in, to tie in with the sentiment.

Anyone else reading "The Prisoner of Heaven" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? It's SO. GOOD. My very first bookclub book was "The Shadow of the Wind" (convinced me that I actually wanted to be in a bookclub) and I've also read "The Angel's Game". This third-of-a-four-book-series is so exciting and well-written (and translated, I guess, since I'm not reading it in Spanish!) and full of unexpected twists and turns - the perfect summer read. I can't wait to find out what happens, but I also dread getting to the end. And I think that is truly the sign of a great book. Any good recommendations for my next read?

Tuesday 24 July 2012

CASology3 - Fruit!



This week's CASology cue card is Fruit!

I feel like I've made a 'melon' watermelon cards this summer! One I made for my Dirty Dozen debut (you can join up to be a Splitcoaststamper Fan Club member to see it), and for One-Layer watermelons, see this post).  But, really, what's better on a hot sultry summer day than some cool, juicy watermelon.

I wanted this card to be different than my previous watermelon cards. I really thought about the essence of a watermelon - to me it's the pink and green colours, the round shape, and the seeds (although we don't seem to have watermelon with seeds anymore, do we?).

The watermelon and its skin were made by masking and then sponging with distress inks (Worn Lipstick is the perfect watermelon pink). I used a small flower petal stamp for the seeds and Lawn Fawn's Harold's Alphabet for the sentiment - this alpha is great to work with because it doesn't matter if you don't get it perfectly straight!

Don't forget to check out the blogs for the rest of the Design Team and see what they've made for you:




Melissa Chipperfield

Rosemary Dennis 

Tracey McNeely

and this week's Guest Designer Jenny (winner of CASology1 - Sun)



Now, off you go - be "fruitful" and link up to CASology - can't wait to see what you make!


Monday 23 July 2012

Featured Stamper 285 - Casing Sophie





This card was inspired by a card made by this week's Featured Stamper, Sophie LaFontaine:



I changed the font and the colour combination. I used a Stampin' Up single Happy Birthday stamp from 2007 (don't have the name). Lining up the dots was another matter completely. In the end I stamped the navy dots first, using a row of dots from (probably) an old Papertrey set and then used the same stamp to stamp the green dots in between the navy. MUCH easier than stamping each one free hand!

Sunday 22 July 2012

100 Followers!




Well, this little blog just hit another BIG milestone - 100 followers! WOW!

I just want to say thank you to every single one of you (and the rest of you who subscribe by email or just drop by occasionally). You are all so important to me!

While I make cards because I love to make cards, I also love hearing your comments and getting to know you a little bit through this amazing place known as the Internet.


I certainly hope to be around for a long time - here's to the next 100!

Pinterest Inspired - You Hold My Heart





This romantic card was inspired by this photo on Pinterest:


my hearts in your hands


I used Paper Smooches stamps for the hands, drew the heart myself (I KNOW!) and two alphabets from The Stamps of Life for the senitment.

Don't forget there's still (a little) time to play along with this week's CASology cue card - HAPPY! It closes at noon (CST) on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Saturday 21 July 2012

OLW97 - Practicing Lines







Scotch 1/6" masking tape placed on card, then sponged in various distress inks. Paper Smooches sentiment. Inspired by this photo on Pinterest:

Duct tape and spray paint- HAVE TO DO THIS



Papertrey outline shape, reverse masked and stamped the black lines. Coloured with Copics and Stickles, Waltzingmouse sentiment. Inspired by this photo on Pinterest:

web


These two cards are more "lining up" for this week's OLW challenge. One of the great things about CAS challenges (OLW, CASology, LIM, CASual Friday etc), is that they make you really focus on one thing. And then it's amazing how many different ideas you can come up with!

Tuesday Trigger - Triangles!





For this week's Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.

This Week's Tuesday Trigger


Thank goodness Cath had it run for two weeks because last week I tried several things, but couldn't come up with anything. I used Clear and Simple Stamps triangle dies and a Stampin' Up sentiment. My kids are both in French immersion at school, so I often buy sentiment stamp sets from Stampin' Up in french (or even in Spanish for making my church Christmas cards, due to the fact that many of our families are Colombians who have just arrived in Canada). It's great that Stampin' Up has these options available.


Friday 20 July 2012

CASual Friday - Back in Black


This week's CASual Friday challenge is Back in Black - use a black cardbase. I decided to go all-out dramatic with one stamp from Time from Uniko Studio. I embossed the flower on white cardstock in clear after stamping with Versafine Onyx and then coloured with Copics before cutting it out and adhering to the black layer. I love the stained-glass look of this!

OLW 97 - Line Up in Pink



While looking through my music stamps yesterday, I found this huge staff stamp. I can't even imagine what set this would have been from, but it is very useful when trying to stamp equally spaced lines. This is a simple variation on this card and I'm linking it to this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, to use lines.

Thursday 19 July 2012

OLW97 - Line up!



A quick post for a quick card. I was cruising through my stamps with no idea what to do for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge to use lines. I found this 'bravo' and my brain clicked to lines of a music staff. No it didn't hurt. Much.

I think this card took me 10 seconds to stamp, but I'm happy with it. It has a very clear message, which I hope is 'well done, you!'. But, being a piano player, most music stamps bug me - where's the clef? the time signature? the bar lines? I also try to play the music in my mind, to find out if it's 'real' or not (mostly not).  So maybe the message is 'I hope you're not a musician, catching me out with a "fake music" stamp!"

Or maybe I'm over thinking? Who, me??


Stamping for FUN!




Sometimes, I need a day off from all the challenges. Some days, I just want to stamp for FUN. Not that the challenges aren't fun, but every once in a while, I can't seem to get anywhere without hitting one of the challenge limits and then my brain melts and the recycling bin gets full and the whole scene gets UGLY!

Tuesday and Wednesday have been days like that for me. I've had a ton of fun watching the new CASology entries come in, and commenting on them. I've had fun looking at Pinterest, but somehow, the stamping just wasn't doing it for me. It could be the close to 45 degrees with the humidity weather (that's like 110 F, friends!) and the air conditioning that just doesn't seem to get up to my craft room really well (this doesn't bug my husband for some reason! lol!), or it could be that I'm just feeling lazy.

Anyway, once I gave up on the challenges, I did manage to put these 3 cards together, playing with one teardrop shaped stamp. I love geometric designs like this. (yes, I can see that the final one needs a 'shave' down the left hand side! lol)


Wednesday 18 July 2012

Falling in love with this week's Fall-to Layout!

Can you believe I have three more cards using this week's Fall-to Layout? It's so versatile and a lot of fun to work with!





I'm going to link the first card up to CASual Friday's challenge, to use strips. Stamps of Life (Faces4stamps) and Paper Smooches sentiment along with a flower punch.


Then I went in a decidedly "cooler" direction, using an old Stampin' Up set called Cold Play. This is the one I'll link to the FTL199 challenge.





Finally, I reversed the sketch - made my sentiment into the image and my image into the...... well, I guess it doesn't actually work both ways! lol! Both stamps are from Michael's.



Tuesday 17 July 2012

CASology2 - Happy!




Welcome to Week 2! Wow, we have been just completely blown away by the response to CASology - we had 86 entries and we're already over 100 followers! Melissa really had a great idea with this one!

This week's cue card:




For this week's card, I went ultra-CAS. Four little stamps - the Inkadinkado sentiment (I masked the rest of it - it says "You make me smile all over my face"), the large solid circle (probably a Papertrey stamp (when they're clear, it's sometimes hard to remember which stamp came from where!)) and the smiley face from The Stamps of Life (Smiles2Stamp). Crisp black frames for drama and definition and I'm done.

When I'm making a card with so few elements, I often use embossing to add some texture, shine and interest to an otherwise pretty flat card.

An important CAS element (sometimes one of the most frustrating) is placement. If you're off, even slightly, on a card like this, you see it right away. CAS can be very unforgiving, and precision is a necessity (but as always, there's exceptions to that rule, which I'll talk about another time).

Click over to the rest of the design team blogs to see what they've made for you:





Soooo - what makes you happy? We can't wait to see your happy creations at CASology this week!