so proud of you

 hello!

Feeling crafty today - that's probably a good thing.  I thought a challenge would be fun and I found one that enticed me from the lovely people on PerfectlyCAS. 

The first challenge for 2021, #11: 

I like this CAS idea of using only 1/3 or less of the card, which suits my (emerging) style.  Not always, but I think the cards I like most are simple and surrounded by white space. I'll try to do more of them and see where it leads... 

I've always liked the look of a single leaf. There's something natural and powerful about it. It says 'This is me, just as I am".  No pretence.

Thanks for stopping by!

supplies: 

Craft giraffe stencil: circles

Altenew inks: dew drops, galactic stream

Altenew stamp: sentiment strips

Stampin Up! stamp: Loyal Leaves

you are strong

 hello stampers!

Today I have a clean, green card. I was inspired by the big Melia tree in our garden which is covered in new bright green leaves at the moment and wanted to capture that dewy greenness (is that a word?). I used this week's challenge at CAS(E) this sketch CTS #402 as inspiration for the design.

I think this design lends itself to many interpretations, but I thought I'd stick fairly closely to the elements. 

  

The Forever Greenery DSP from Stampin' Up! has some lovely papers so I used some as the background and then layered some fussy cut leaves on top to make it like a bouquet. A little shaded spruce card cut into leaves and intermingled gives it some dimension.  I added a few dew drops for that fresh dewy look and finished it off with bright white twine.

Green and white I think is my favourite colour combination - so clean and fresh. I hope you can find the time to spend relaxing in a garden today.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

cardstock: whisper white, shaded spruce

ink: balmy blue, shaded spruce, Altenew Sea Glass

paper: Forever Greenery DSP

stamp: Stampin' Up! Loyal Leaves

make a wish

Hello fellow stampers!

Surprised myself by managing to make a card today after just finishing one yesterday. Obviously my priorities are all straight...

The Paper Players presented a lovely challenge this week Color Challenge PP#521.  Silver, black and white were the colours and wow, do they bring the drama. Love it.

I think this is the last Christmas season card I'll most likely be making this year, given it's only 11 days to Christmas, but I do love any opportunity to use the Dasher stamp. He loves the drama too. 

I decided on a snowy white scene, set off by black night sky and a bright silver moon. Simple and elegant. I did cut a few layers of windswept snowdrifts to add a little interest, but the focus is squarely on Dasher.

A world away from me with our hot summer days at the moment, and I can only dream of snowdrifts and a bright silver moon. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

cardstock: basic black, whisper white

ink: Memento tuxedo black

stamps: Stampin' Up! Dasher, Altenew sentiment strips

for you

 I was inspired by the CAS(E) this Sketch #399 challenge design this week as it forced me to think non-symmetrically!  Doesn't sound too hard, eh? I don't think I realised that most of my cards are symmetrical.  I hope that I'm growing as a card designer, so creating more cards like this can only be good for me, right?

So my rambling ideas and thoughts led me at first to be thinking of Santa with the big black belt which would form the horizontal.  But I couldn't flesh out what the white part would be so eventually I decided I wanted to do something a little more... how to describe it... artsy? 

I came up with the idea of a shadow forming the black horizontal then found myself thinking of a full moon, shining in through an open window, casting a shadow from a Christmas present - Christmas is just around the corner after all. The present had to be a big rectangular box, with the shadow elongated out from it.  Quite the challenge to position the moon to achieve this! Now I am no physicist and the shadow angles had me befuddled for quite a while, but after googling how to draw shadows, and working out the shapes formed from a box, I came up with a shadow design I was happy with.  

The box itself is 5 layers of cardstock just slightly offset, to make it appear 3 dimensional, then popped up on foam dimensionals. The moon was stencilled in whisper white ink, then a slightly smaller whisper white cardstock circle glued on top, finished off with lashings of wink of Stella for a little sparkle.

Simple shapes, bold colours, and a clean card, but showing a little montage with more depth than you get from an initial glance. I like that. A little story is lurking there somewhere.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stampin' Up! supplies:

cardstock: night of navy, gray granite, real red, basic black, whisper white

ink: basic gray, whisper white

Wink of Stella, black & white twine

stamp: Altenew sentiment strips (part of)

Edit: Thank you so much to the CAS(E) This Sketch team - I'm thrilled to get an Honorable Mention for this card in the challenge!

tis the season

 Hello lovely friends.  I've got a Christmas card today. The wonderful people at The Paper Players presented a challenge this week that I found intriguing. "Use up all those little scraps" they suggested, so I did! 

Of course atm I have lots of Christmas paper scraps, but I decided to use neutral paper with a christmas stamp - just to keep you guessing! lol 

I mounted the papers on 3 layers of black cardstock, the same card as the card base. These were then arranged on whisper white card, to give the impression of shadow and make them pop! 

The sentiment was stamped on 3 layers of whisper white also. I finished it all off with rhinestones to add a little sparkle.  It is Christmas after all...  I hope I managed to make a smart and elegant card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Edit: Thank you so much for the "A Cut Above" recognition for my card! I enjoyed participating in the Paper Players challenge and am thrilled that you liked my card. Look forward to the next challenge!

Stampin' Up! supplies:

cardstock: whisper white, basic black

paper: neutrals designer series paper

ink: memento tuxedo black

stamp: retired stamp set

basic rhinestones

 

sentiment stamp: Altenew warm blessings

you're amazing

It's been warmer here the last few weeks, with the trees now in full leaf and sunny days more frequent. Sitting under a tree in the garden yesterday, enjoying the shade and gentle rustling of the leaves inspired the idea of this card.  The Just Add Ink challenge this week provided a simple template and the round birch leaf shape fitted perfectly.

The birch leaf is stamped in Garden Green on Garden Green card, then fussy cut to show off the lovely detail. Mounted on an embossed card showing the elegant trunks of birch trees forming the perfect backdrop. Some ink daubing on the sentiment toned down the whiteness, tying it in with the colours. Finished off with a couple of dewdrops to signify the soft supple new leaves of the season. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

card: Garden Green, Whisper White, Crumb Cake

ink: Garden Green, Crumb Cake

stamp: Loyal Leaves

embossing folder: Woodland 

clear epoxy droplets

stamp: Altenew Sentiment Strips

I know you have the strength

Today I made a happy card. 

I will enter it in the Just Add Ink challenge #530. 

Just card, paper, stamp and ink. No die cuts, no embossing, no embellishments.  Simple and happy.

Positivity through colour, and hope using bright beautiful bunting.  Don't you just love bunting? I aimed to convey positivity shining out from the rain, through myriad colours and a positive affirmation.  

I hope you find some joy today.

Stampin' Up! supplies:

cardstock: shaded spruce base, coastal cabana, pumpkin pie, cherry cobbler, garden green, rich razzleberry, cajun craze, crushed curry, real red

paper: Forever Greenery DSP

ink: Shaded Spruce

stamp: Queen Anne's lace stamp set

you made my day

I made a card to put in the Try Stampin on Tuesday challenge, because guess what?  It's Tuesday!  What better reason to spend the afternoon with paper and inks! 

 

The TSOT #482 challenge provided a calming, pleasing template, and I was happy to go along with the feeling. 

Don't you just looove the colour combination of Coastal Cabana and Shaded Spruce?  So pretty, so positive. I couldn't just have the banner in Coastal Cabana so I punched out some leaf fronds, and fussy cut the leaves from some Forever Greenery DSP (I just love that paper!) The circle is lifted on dimensionals and the sentiment finished with a few rhinestones. A simple but distinct card, I find the colours and sentiment lift my spirits. 

Stampin'Up! supplies:

cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Shaded Spruce

paper: Forever Greenery DSP

ink: Shaded Spruce

stamp: So Much Love stamp set

very very very merry

 

Happy Saturday!

I saw this retro CAS on CAS(E) this Sketch #397 and knew I had to do a card.  Such a fun idea lends itself to so many variations, it was hard to choose!

So... given I've been doing Christmas cards lately, and given my meagre stamp collection, Christmas trees won out as the flavour of choice. I love the repeating pattern idea as I immediately think of a surprise ending!  (is it just me?) 

Introducing very, very, very...and merry!

It was like a wallflower bursting into bloom!  lol what a standout after the stock standard green trees. I did get a chuckle out of that one. very very very merry.

stamps: Woodware 

ink: Stampin'Up! Garden Green and Real Red

card: Stampin'Up! Garden Green and Whisper White

here for you

Today I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge FMS460 as inspiration for this card. Love the simplicity and boldness of the design, so I thought I'd go with a 'dependability' theme. 

'here for you' uses a cardstock base in Whisper White. Old Olive and Garden Green strips were added as the top of the banner,  and some fronds from Forever Greenery DSP were fussy cut to make a leaf bouquet (is that a thing?) which forms the pointy banner ends.  The sentiment is stamped with Garden Green on a Whisper White strip. Dimensionals highlight the fronds and the sentiment.

I think the simple leaf fronds effortlessly posit themselves in the banner shape, conveying a dependability and generosity echoed in the sentiment. Just as leaves change from bright green to softer hues, the sense of the changing seasons is as dependable as an old friend.

Edit: Thank you so much for the "Honorable Mention" for my card - I enjoyed making it and look forward to the next challenge!

Stampin' Up! supplies:

cardstock: Old Olive, Garden Green, Whisper White

paper: Forever Greenery DSP

stamp: So Much Love stamp set

ink: Garden Green

dimensionals, stampin' seal

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you got some inspiration today!