CASology "SILVER" Week 125

This will be my last post for 2014 with this card for CASology and the theme of silver. First I just want to thank all my blog friends for their comments and words of encouragement. Participating in card challenges is my passion, as well as teaching. I have learned so many techniques from other card makers (like Karen Dunbrook) and pass on the information I have acquired to my card making group. I know I have grown as a card maker because of women (men) who share my passion. Any recognition I have received  with my cards are so appreciated.

This particular card took a couple of attempts. I wanted to use both these NBUS materials the embossing folder and the stamp. I chose SU! almost amethyst paper and it is almost the last piece I own, but I love the softness and I think it pairs perfectly with silver. The stamp is from Michael Strong who taught a class to my card making group back in October and we had a great time. This is a SU! embossing folder. I did stamp, heat emboss and fussy cut the tree and manually wrote joy with a Versafine pen and then heat embossed. Lastly I added bling to the tree top.

Stamp - Michael Strong "Cloisonne Christmas Tree"

Embossing Folder - SU! "Filigree Frame"

Ink - Color Box "Silver," Zing! Clear Embossing Powder (tree)

Paper - SU! Almost Ameythst, PTI White Card Stock

VersaMarker Watermark Pen, Stamp A Mania "Silver Satin Pearl" Embossing Powder (joy)

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH

This old laundry basin came from my in-laws home in Iowa and it adorns our front door. At Christmas the poinsettias (two pots) from Costco fill the tub and the flowers last for a couple of months. Grandson Jake (age 5) asked grandpa if the flowers were real.

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/12/week-125-silver.html

Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Today on a very wet and rainy day in Southern California I am submitting a card for my very first blog hop. Honestly I was not going to enter a card but all the blogs I subscribe to the ladies were showing off their cards and I love coffee type stamp sets. So very early this morning before the sun (ha ha), or rain came and while it was still dark outside I decided to make a card and chose again this new set from PTI.

The image was stamped and heat embossed and colored with copics. Next I die cut with a warped die and I do not know how to unwarp it. I chose a lightly printed base card and a snippet of blue paper and assembled the card but no mounting tape. I did use some Glossy Accents and Glitthttp://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/2014/12/holiday-coffee-lovers-blog-hop-details.htmler Glaze and a little bling. The photo is not good but without sun I relied on my Ott-lite.

Stamp Set - PTI "Latte Love"

Paper - Neenah, Lasting Impressions, snippet

Ink - Versafine, Copics

Other - Glossy Accents, MFT Glitter Glaze/Sheer Sparkle

Die - Lil Inkers "Stitched Rectangles"

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes

All my December birthday cards have been made so now I start on the January list. This card will go to a friend who fell off a low stool, collided with a plastic trash can and broke her femur and is in the hospital. When this birthday card arrives I hope it perks her up. My first attempt at this card was to paper piece but it didn't look good so I worked in my comfort zone of copics. It may sound silly but coloring is relaxing and I feel creative deciding which colors to use. My friend is a purple girl so it was easy to choose my color scheme.

Like many of you I keep buying and I am somewhat embarrassed about all the things I have purchased recently. My NBUS box is filling quickly so today I used three new products, two die cuts and the stamp set.

Stamps  PTI Latte Love

Die-Namics  (MFT) Rectangle Frames, Stitched Squares

Paper  Neenah, Lasting Impressions, snippet

Other  Versafine, Copics, Wink of Stella, Glossy Accents

http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2014/12/anything-goes-birthday.html

CASology: Week 124 'OLD'

Old to me is a birthday. Sure old can be antique furniture or cars, and I have both. But honestly as each birthday approaches it means one is getting old. In the month of December I have so many friends and family members with birthdays. My aunt will be 99 on December 27th, which is the same day as my brother and one of my daughters-in-laws. New Year's Eve is another daughter-in-law's birthday and would have been my sister's.  Friends of over fifty years and friends of less than a year and my sister in law and a nephew all have December birthdays. So my take on old is birthday. I really love this image from an old stamp set and the wonky cake tells it all. 

The image was stamped and heat embossed and colored with copics and gold Gellyroll pen on the candle flames, and then die cut. How many times have I said this? The card base was embossed with a cuttlebug folder and I attached baker's twine. In viewing other cards a couple ladies wondered if they should send funny old cards to mother's in law or mother's and I think yes. However as one approaches the 100 mark I think not and a sweet card would be more appropriate.

Stamp - Our Craft Lounge "Granny's Secrets"

Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug "Numbers"

Ink - Versafine, Copics

Die Cut - Lil Inker's StitchedRectangle

Other - Gellyroll pen, embossing powder, baker's twine, mounting tape

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/12/week-124-old.html

The Card Concept 24 - Snowman (Make a Tag)

First time submitting to The Card Concept and the style I am using is clean and simple. Honestly this morning I just finished my Christmas cards and all that is left is to mail them. But I know as early as it is in the month I will need a few more. This card I put together for my card making group and everyone loved it. The dotted background paper is not a part of the card, the card stops with the white base card.

This is a die cut and embossing folder set from Sizzix and I used PTI white card stock and some copics. On the embossed parts I used Wink of Stella and then his face and heart buttons I used Glossy Accents, and the center of the snowflake is a rhinestone. He was mounted onto a piece of glimmery aqua paper and then attached to the white base.

Die and Embossing Folder - Sizzix "Snowman and Hat"

Paper - PTI, snippet of aqua

Other - Copics, Wink of Stella, Glossy Accents, rhinestone (Michael's), baker's twine (Anthropologie)

http://thecardconcept.blogspot.com/2014/12/challenge-24-snowman-make-tag-theres.html

Paper Smooches SPARKS "anything goes"

This is my first time participating in a Paper Smooches challenge. I have been working on my Christmas cards and I love Jerome who looks like the Travelocity gnome. First I stamped him on white card stock and then using several pieces of paper snippets, including an embossed piece, I stamped the image again and then paper pieced all but his face and shirt which I colored with copics. The image piece was die cut and then attached to the base card which also was die cut. I attached the holly and added bling and then stamped the sentiment.

Stamps - Paper Smooches "Jerome," "Warm Hearts," MFT "Christmas"

Die Cuts - Lil Inkers Rectangle

Paper - Neenah, snippets

Other - Copics, Michael's rhinestones, mounting tape

http://papersmoochessparks.blogspot.com/2014/11/november-30-december-6-anything-goes.html

Merry Monday #137 "Feathered Friends"

Today I am finishing my Christmas cards and addressing envelopes. The mister wrote the Christmas letter again this year and I am ever so grateful as he does a splendid job. This card, maybe the last of the year, is for Merry Monday requesting birds. I have used a Lawn Fawn stamp/die cut set which I inked and heat embossed and colored with copics. The tree branch and leaves are from a MFT die set and so is the sentiment tag. My embossing folder is from a set that coordinates with a Cricut cartridge and I like that it is so unusual.

Stamp & Die Set - Lawn Fawn "Winter Sparrows"

Die Cut - MFT "Branch with Leaves," Die-namics "Sentiment Strips"

Embossing Folder - Cricut "Give a Hoot"

Paper - Neenah (white), SU! Old Olive, Kraft, Chocolate Chip

http://merrymondaychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2014/12/merry-monday-137-feathered-friends.html

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #53

This card is for ATCAS with the code word dots. For some time I have had a photo from a Crate & Barrel catalog of a plate and knew one day I would case it and this is it. I used stamps from a few different sets to create the card. First I inked the stamps with SU! markers and spritzed water on the paper. The dots are from a stamp I purchased a long time ago at a rubber stamp show and it is red rubber and you have to mount it. The flower and sentiment are from Unity and the leaves from Gina K. The sentiment was stamped with Memento and the paper is SU! naturals ivory. 

Stamps - Unity "...wish with your heart," Gina K "Blossum," and unknown

Inks - SU! markers (total of 8), Memento Rich Cocoa

Paper - SU! Naturals Ivory

Other - mounting tape

http://addictedtocas.blogspot.com/2014/11/challenge-53-dt-call-dt-call-dt-call.html

CASology Week 123: EAT

I chose this stamp set from Purple Onion for this week's CASology challenge. When coloring I thought about my favorite ice cream flavors and it made me think of my childhood. Growing up in Portland, Oregon there was not always snow every year but when there was my father would make snow ice cream and the flavor was always peppermint. Now living in Southern California the stores showcase peppermint ice cream during the Christmas holidays and I am in heaven. As a young girl I would often go to the local ice cream store and choose one scoop of coffee ice cream and one scoop of rocky road. Can you see the smidge of marshmallow? Popsicles were not my first choice of treats but I loved banana. I don't even know if they make it nowadays. I also love banana cream pie.

So typical of my style of CAS I inked and heat embossed the image and then colored with copics. On the rocky road ice cream cone I first used white crayon before coloring with brown. That is it a CAS birthday card which I may send to my childhood friend of 54 years. Yikes! We have sent cards to one another for all these years as our birthdays are four days apart.

Paper - Neenah, PTI white cardstock

Stamp Set - Purple Onion

Ink - Versafine, Copics

Other - embossing powder, mounting tape

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/11/week-123-eat.html

Freshly Made Sketches: #164

In the month of December I have several birthday cards to make and one anniversary. Fortunately I have finished my Christmas cards so today I am starting one of eight birthday cards to make.

When I use techniques that require sponging onto paper I clean the sponge or dauber onto a blank piece of paper and then recycle it as it makes for a great background. This background piece is an example and it is watercolor paper and I have no idea what colors were used. I chose a Unity stamp set and inked with Versafine and heat embossed. I chose black cs for the mat and then decided I liked pink for the base paper. I inked and embossed the sentiment, added some bling and some pink/white baker's twine. One card down and seven to go.

Stamp Set - Unity "...wish with your heart"

Paper - SU! Regal Rose, Black and watercolor paper

Inks - Versafine, unknown

Other - Black crystals (JoAnn's), Baker's twine Queen, mounting tape

http://www.freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/2014/11/freshly-made-sketches-164-sketch-by-jen.html

Merry Monday Challenge #136, Red, Green and White

For this week's Merry Monday challenge Bonnie selected the colors red, green and white and I just happened to make such  a card yesterday. This stamp was given to me and I chose to make all three images and will give them to the little kids. As I often do I stamped and heat embossed the image and then colored with copics. Personally I like to emboss because the image stands out and also I can begin coloring immediately. When I use memento ink I like to let it sit, sometimes overnight. Also I like the boldness of Versafine ink. After I colored I die cut the image and then attached to a piece of green cs.  I attached a piece of dsp to red cs and mounted the pandas with mounting tape. The sentiment on the flag was also colored with copics. I used a gellyroll pen on the snowflakes and wink of stella on the heart.

Stamp - Crafter's Companion "Christmas in Mulberry Wood" (a freebie in a magazine),

Paper Smooches "Warm Hearts," (sentiment)

Die Cut - Lil Inkers rectangle

Paper - Neenah and snippets

Ink - Copics, Versafine

Other - Gellyroll pen, Wink of Stella pen, mounting tape

http://merrymondaychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2014/11/merry-monday-136-red-green-and-white.html

Merry Monday Christmas Challenge #135 BELLS

This card is for Merry Monday Christmas using bells. I must admit my cards are finished but yesterday in a class we learned how to do this technique of wrapping twine around the scalloped circle and I wanted to make a card showing this technique to my bestest friend. The background paper I think is hand made and it is tissue that has been embossed - it was not easy to work with. I added the silver ribbon to camouflage the cardstock that did not cover. In a way this is a hand-me-down card as the aqua paper was a gift, as was the tissue paper and the sentiment. 

How I made this card, which did not photo well, was stamp and emboss the bells and then die cut. The twine was wrapped around 4 points and then 3 until the circle was covered. The tissue was attached to white cs, then I attached the bells with mounting tape and lastly stamped/embossed the sentiment and punched it.

Stamps - Bells (no name), sentiment Crafter's Companion

Die Cut - Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circles

Paper - Unknown

Twine - Tool Bench Hardware (Dollar Store)

Ribbon - JoAnn Stores

http://merrymondaychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2014/11/merry-monday-135-christmas-bellsreminder.html

Seize the Birthday: Topping "Leaves"

The last time I submitted a card for Seize the Birthday with the topping of orange I made an orange card with leaves. This challenge topping is leaves. Great. I spent three days trying to come up with another card and below you will see my attempts at using different stamps, embossing powders and background. I was ready to give up today but I looked in one more stamp location and found this stamp (NBUS). Also viewing Kylie's latest post I decided to go back to swishing ink on my craft mat and spritzing with water. First I stamped and heat embossed the leaf and then I rubbed distress ink on the mat, spritzed with water and then placed the paper on top. After trimming the image I set out to find the right color paper and none of my SU! were a good fit but then I remember a Gina K set I had not used and this turquoise is perfect. The designer paper is from the same set. I mounted the leaf and added some black bling. The sentiment was also stamped and heat embossed. Honestly I love the card and the hard part is who am I going to give it to for my long list of friends/family with December birthdays.

Stamps - Hero Arts "Leaf Flourish," MFT "Occasion Sentiments"

Inks - Distress Ink (crushed olive, peacock feathers, persimmon)

Paper - Gina K "Spring Parade Stamp TV Kit)

Other - Versafine, embossing powder, watercolor paper, DCWV rhinestones

Here are seven attempts at trying to create a card with leaves, all failures.

http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2014/11/leaves.html

Freshly Made Sketches #163

I made this card for Freshly Made Sketches. The  image is a very old (2005) Stampin Up stamp which I bought at a garage sale. The image just stops and as such it seemed perfect for this sketch. I stamped the scene with memento ink and colored with copics and added wink of stella on the water wheel and some glossy accents on the flowers. Snippets of paper were attached to the textured MFT kraft paper. The photo does not show that the yellow is brighter like the roof, and the paper is embossed with swiss dots.

Stamp - SU! name unknown, MFT "All Occasion Sentiments"
Paper - MFT Textured Kraft, Neenah, snippets
Ink - Memento, Copics

http://www.freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com/2014/11/freshly-made-sketches-163-sketch-by.html
  

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #52 Sketch and Happy 2nd Birthday

This card is for ATCAS and there is no code word instead this sketch. I chose this Penny Black stamp and the finished card will be for our dearest friends who celebrate their anniversary next month. The image was stamped with memento ink and colored with copics and I put a dab of wink of stella in the flower center. I used a die cut for the image and for the sentiment flag. The card base is SU! lovely lilac and a snippet of designer paper. On the snippet of designer paper I added three crystal lavender gems.

Paper - SU! Lovely Lilac, Neenah,  DSP snippet

Stamp - Penny Black "Hugs!", SU! "Teeny Tiny Wishes" (sentiment)

Die Cuts - MFT "Stitched Square," Lil Inkers "Sentiment Flag"

Other - Copics, Memento ink, mounting tape, Paper Studio Gemstones

http://addictedtocas.blogspot.com/2014/11/challenge-52-sketch-and-happy-2nd.html

CASology: Week 122 "FLAG"

Honestly this may be one of the more difficult cue words. I thought long and hard what to create and I thought of a stamp I had but it was one I gave away. This is the stamp I chose and it and the sentiment stamp are both NBUS. I stamped and heat embossed onto whisper white card stock and die cut it. Next I die cut with the next larger size die the red and blue card stock.  Blue, red and white are the colors of the French flag. The three pieces were attached and mounted onto the base card and lastly I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment.

Stamps - Stampers Annoymous "French Market," My Favorite Things "Up, Up & Away"

Paper - SU! Whisper White, Real Red, Brilliant Blue

Die Cut - My Favorite Things "Jumbo Fishtail Banner Stax"

Other - Versafine ink, embossing powder, mounting tape

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/11/week-122-flag.html

Seize the Birthday: Seeing Orange and a Farewell

This card for Seize the Birthday with the toppings using the color orange uses some of my favorite card techniques. The first thing I did was the embossing folder, distress ink and water technique. I used PTI white card stock, Sizzix chevron folder and spiced marmalade Distress ink and I let this sit overnight. Today I chose pumpkin pie paper, and snippets of really rust and ruby red and used a very old cuttlebug die cut set. The leaves looked bland so I embossed them with another embossing folder swiss dots. The leaves were attached to white cs and attached to another piece of pumpkin pie and this was attached to the base piece with mounting tape. I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment. Because this card is for a friend's birthday I chose to add a little bit of crystal bling.

Paper - SU! Pumpkin Pie, (snippets of pp, ruby red, rust), PTI white card stock

Embossing Folders - Sizzix "Chevron," Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots"

Die Cut - Cuttlebug "Leaves:

Ink - Distress "Spiced Marmalade, VersaFine "Onyx Black"

Other - Recollections rhinestones, mounting tape, clear embossing powder

Stamp - MFT (unknown name)

http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2014/11/seeing-orange-and-farewell.html

CASology: Week 121 "Festive"

This tag is for CASology with the cue word of Festive. The stamp is NBUS which I received recently from My Favorite Things. I stamped the flower onto kraft paper using Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I die cut the red paper with a Nestabilities die. The poinsettia was fussy cut and attached to the red paper with mounting tape. The sentiment was also stamped and heat embossed. I used gold Stickles and gold sequins for the center of the flower. While pressing the sequins into the Sickles a couple of gold droplets appeared, so I took a small amount of Stickles and using a small stylus added additional droplets. The gold ribbon and hemp cord were attached to the top of the tag.

Paper - Snippets of red and kraft cardstock

Ink - Versamark

Stamps - MFT "Holiday Botanicals," "Christmas"

Other - ribbon (Michael's), Stickles Gold, Recollections "Snow" embossing powder

Die - Nestabilities "Curved Rectangles"

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/11/week-121-festive.html

Addicted to CAS: Code Word TAG

This tag was made for ATCAS with the code word of tag. This stamp which is NBUS is from Paper Smooches and all of the paper used are snippets of paper. I stamped the image onto white cs and then stamped the various parts of the image onto scraps of paper, and the beard is previously embossed. I used the holly from a second paper Smooches set and added bling. The second layer of the tag is also a snippet. The beard was mounted using mounting tape and lastly I used grosgrain ribbon and baker's twine.

http://addictedtocas.blogspot.com/2014/11/challenge-51.html

CASology: Week 120 SEA

Visualize that you are looking out of a porthole on a ship. Guess that is pretty far fetched but that is what I am portraying. This Christmas the mister and I are taking a cruise to Hawaii and this must be my Christmas tree. This stamp set is one from Our Craft Lounge which is no longer in business. The embossing folder is NBUS. As usual I stamped the image and colored with copics. The top panel after being embossed was trimmed and attached to the base card. Both the image and sentiment were attached with mounting tape.

Stamps - Our Craft Lounge "Sea-sons Greetings"

Die Cut - MFT Pierced Circle

Embossing Folder - Provo Craft "Candy Cane Stripe

Inks - Memento, Copic markers

Other - Neenah paper, mounting tape

http://casology.blogspot.com/2014/11/week-120-sea.html

Seize the Birthday - Seize the Toppings 'WASHI TAPE'

The Seize the Birthday challenge requests washi tape - that works for me. I love washi tape, I guess I love lots of card making supplies, but washi tape is really fun. My granddaughter just started her freshman year in college and she said she decorated her portion of the dorm room in washi tape. (Boy I hope it peels off the wall easily.)

Today I am cleaning and reorganizing the craft room and found my assortment of handmade background paper and I decided to use MFT butterfly stamp and die. I chose my washi tape colors based on the background paper and added a touch of Summer Sun ink with a SU! stamp. The sentiment is from Paper Smooches. I added some GellyRoll ink pen onto the butterfly (which I heat embossed), the sentiment ,and a hit or miss on the splatter. Both the card front and butterfly were mounted with mounting tape.

Stamp and Die - MFT "Winged Beauties", Paper Smooches "Sentiment Sampler"

SU! "Gorgeous Grunge"

Ink -  Stampin Up!, Versafine

Other - Washi Tape, mounting tape, embossing powder, GellyRoll pen

http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2014/10/washi-tape.html

CAS(E) this Sketch - Challenge #98

I planned to finish my Christmas cards for my charities but somewhere during the course of the day I began to re-organize, something I like to do. While going through plastic SU! stamp boxes full of images I found some previously colored pieces that I could make into cards. I made a sympathy card and a thank you card and this image, which I love, I decided to make for CTS.

The focal image was made using SU! markers on glossy paper. Once I scribbled ink on the stamp I  spritzed with water and then applied to the paper. Then the fun begins and using a blender pen and the markers I had to work at finishing the image because it was not a clear image. But that is the fun part like finishing a puzzle. I embossed the blue paper and cut the lake image and the left side covered up a previously stamped sentiment. A couple of weeks ago I made two sympathy cards and I could not get a good image and 2 1/2 sheets of paper later I decided it was not me but the stamp - I changed the sentiment. I added some gems to the card and stamped the sentiment. One more image from my UFO stash finished.

Stamps - Stampscapes "Lakeside Cove", Avery Elle (sentiment)

SU! Markers and blender pen

Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug (name unknown)

Paper - SU! glossy, Soft Sky

Other - mounting tape, Gemstones (Paper Studio)

http://casethissketch.blogspot.com/2014/10/case-this-sketch-98.html

Merry Monday #132

I liked the concept of the latest challenge at Merry Monday and I used some of my favorite products namely embossing folders, kraft paper and embossing powder. This elegant folder from Sizzix  Snow embossed on PTI white card stock. I made two panels one kraft paper and the second dsp. I die cut two separate tags and punched two separate snowflakes. The sentiment was stamped with Versafine and heat embossed with white embossing powder. The smaller snowflake was punched with a gold paper that was given to me. I tied a piece of grosgrain ribbon and jute on the top of the tag.

Paper - PTI white cs, MFT kraft textured paper, Close to My Heart dsp

Embossing Folder - Sizzix  "Snow Cap"

Die Cut - PTI Tag Sale #8

Punches - Marvy, Martha Stewart

Stamp - Paper Smooches "Warm Hearts"

Other - SU! ribbon, jute, gold paper, mounting tape

http://merrymondaychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2014/10/merry-monday-132-snowflakes-neutral.html