CTS10 - Happy Birthday!

Welcome to the first CAS(E) This Sketch challenge of 2013!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are ready to get back into the CAS swing of things!

Here's this week's sketch by Lisa Arana:

Look at all that white space! For my card, I used a Michael's present stamp and a Papertrey sentiment. To match the handdrawn look of the presents, I doodled the frame around the focal point and then I added some pops of red and Stickles for some sparkle!

I can't wait to see your interpretations of this sketch! Don't for get to link up before the deadline, next Tuesday at noon!

LIM101, CFC84 - A splash of Thanks!

Kate's piano teacher has asked me to make a couple of sets of music-themed thank you cards for her to give to her friends.  This is my first design sample - 'minimalist piano'. I'm thinking I could make these in all sorts of different colours.

I'm linking this up to Less Is More's challenge for the week - black and white with a splash of colour, and alos CASual Fridays' challenge, to make a CAS thank you card.

Tomorrow's the day for the first CAS(E) This Sketch for 2013 - don't forget to drop by at 10:00 am!

PC1 - Happy Birthday!

I found a new challenge blog - Pinspired Challenges. You know how I love Pinterest! There is no CAS requirement, but you can bet that I'll be staying true to my CAS style!

Here's the inspiration photo for their first challenge:

I focused on the fun, bright colours, the different sized dots and the big number. My daughter's friend turned 10 yesterday, so we'll deliver this to her at church on Sunday.

I used MFT's Vanity Plate Alphabet for the numbers, The Stamps of Life sentiment and various solid dots picked up over the years. I used various colours of  ink, then coloured the dots with a Versamark pen and embossed with iridescent embossing powder for sparkle!

ETA (January 21): Look, I'm a PinPal! This card was chosen as one of the Top 3! Woohoo!

Can't wait to play again!

CASology 26 - Winter

This week's CASology Cue Card is Winter!

This card looks so calm and peaceful, doesn't it? But don't let it fool you! After nearly two weeks of very little crafting time, I had absolutely no mojo and no idea what to make for a winter card. Once Christmas is done, I think winter should be too! I went through all my stamps over and over, looking for inspiration. Trawled through Pinterest, hundreds of blogs. Made 3 or 4 different card front panels, feeling clumsy with my cutter and my Copics (lack of practice!).  Finally as the light was fading, I came back to this stamp. It's an old Stampin' Up Hostess set called Gently Falling. I threw caution to the wind and stamped it in the middle of the panel without even using a stamp positioner. The sky is inked with my blue Kaleidecolor ink pad and the sentiment is black. And in the end, I think it really does convey the silent, peaceful feeling of heavy snow falling on a dark winter night. Fortunately, it doesn't convey the hurricane that went through my craft room getting to this!

Now it's your turn to play along and show us what winter means to you. Don't forget to link your card by Sunday at 4:00 CST. Before you go, here are links to the blogs of the other members of the design team - go take a look and see where the cue card took them:

Tracey McNeely

 Rosemary Dennis

Melissa Chipperfield

Meghan McMillan

Maureen Merritt

Judy Marino

Jen Wills

and this week's Guest Designer, Marlou

OLW 121 - Snowy Day (Part 2)!

 This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is being hosted by Susan. It's an inspiration challenge called "Snowy Day" based on December 30's posting on a site called Cake Wrecks. This posting has about 6 photos, and I couldn't possibly choose only one!

I chose this photo for inspiration -

I used an old Stampin' Up! snowflake, embossed in blue pearl and then masked and sponged the 'ribbons' on, using Tumbled Glass ink before stamping the unknown clear sentiment in Broken China.

We're off to visit my parents for a couple of days (hoping to see Les Mis with an old friend!) so it may be a while before my next post. Enjoy your weekend!

OLW121 - Snowy Day!

This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is being hosted by Susan. It's an inspiration challenge called "Snowy Day" based on December 30's posting on a site called Cake Wrecks. What a fun site - lots of inspiration there!

I chose this photo for inspiration -

I took the colourful row of stockings and the silver all-caps lettering to make this Christmas thank you card (still on our to-do list to write these!).

CASology 25 - NEW!

Happy 2013, everyone!

Appropriately, this week's CASology Cue Card is New!

My first attempt at this Cue Card was published yesterday. As I was making that card, I was looking through my dies and saw a butterfly die. What better symbol of NEW than a butterfly - talk about a new outlook on life! lol!

I used a Stampin' Up butterfly and part of a Stampendous sentiment. (The full sentiment is "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it". I bought it in Madison last November, thinking it would be a wonderful graduation sentiment).

In order to add some interest, I stamped the butterfly so that part of its wings are over the edge of the square layer. I cut around its upper wings so that they are free, but still attached at the body. I then rolled them around a pen to lift them from the card and add some dimension. If you look under the wings, you see the pink layer.

So now it's your turn to tell us what's NEW with you!

Before you go, take a look at the blogs of the other design team members (including our three NEW members, Judy, Meghan and Maureen! Congratulations, ladies!)

Tracey McNeely

 Rosemary Dennis

Melissa Chipperfield

Meghan McMillan

Maureen Merritt

Judy Marino

Jen Wills