Happy Birthday Bev!

This is a long, multi-challenge post, so stick with me.  Firstly, let's deal with the celebrations - happy birthday to Bev of Happy Dance!  Sneaky emails have been circulating blogland, organising a birthday bash for Bev, and never one to refuse an invitation, I've made her this card.  Have a good one, Bev!

I used the colours from this week's Dynamic Duos challenge:

and the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch:

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I've been doing the Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101 online course in readiness for Creative Chemistry 102 which is coming out soon.  So while I had distress inks out everywhere, I used the same sketch and the same technique to make more cards for more challenges.

This card is for Less is More, where this week's challenge is to make a one layer card with the theme Get Well Soon.

The code word at Addicted to CAS is also Get Well:

And I'm also entering it into this week's One Layer Wednesday, hosted by Cheryl, to create a one layer card where the sentiment is the main focus of the card.

I also made another birthday card and a sympathy card:

and I was going to enter the whole set into the new challenge at A Blog Named Hero, to make a set of 3 or more matching or coordinating cards.  But the new rules require use of Hero Arts stamps (naturally), and I'd forgotten that and didn't use any.  But here's the group photo for you anyway.

I recently bought the Memory Box Winterberry Sprig die and this was its first outing.  But when I opened the packet, the die inside was Hayden Twigs.  Bit of a surprise there, especially as Hayden Twigs is almost double the price of Winterberry Sprig!

Join The Dots

When I saw the inspiration photo for The Play Date Cafe's new challenge, I was as much taken by all the white dots as by the colour scheme,

Grass ... Rose Petal ... Hibiscus

and suddenly I knew how I wanted to case Jen's card at Less Is More:

Here's a little close-up of my case.  I like how the white dots define the colours.

The image stamps are Paper Smooches Reflections (such a versatile set) and the current challenge at PaperSmoochesSPARKS is Picture Perfect using this image as inspiration:

So friends, that's your challenge--use this picture as your inspiration for your creation. Get inspired by the flowers, polka dots, cupcakes, or colors!!!  Follow it closely or use it loosely...just have fun! 

My interpretation is very loose - flowers!  And maybe dots, on a different scale.

And seeing as Michele of CAS-ual Fridays is still having her birthday bash, I'll add it to her many birthday cards.

Oh, and Addicted to CAS is still open, where the code word is Flower:

Blossom and Flourish

Me again, with another one that won't wait until tomorrow.  Scroll down  or click here for today's earlier post.

This one is for Hypothesis #3 at Fusion Card Challenge:

And Addicted to CAS where the code word is Flower:

And I've used the colours from The Play Date Cafe's current challenge:

Flourish from Indigo Blu

Flower from Rubber Stampede Wildflower Duet

Sentiment from Personal Impressions Marion Emberson Designs

For My Friend

A slight departure from the normal style (less stamping - more, er, bits), for the following challenges:

Play Date Cafe Naturals

Cappuccino...Slate...Burlap

Maybe my cappuccino should have had a touch more milk as it looks rather dark in the photo. But I don't drink coffee so, whatever ;)

Addicted to CAS Friend

The Paper Players recycle/repurpose (button in the centre of the flower from old clothing, twine, cappuccino mat cannibalised from another card)

Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder
Punched leaves
Magic Mesh
Waltzingmouse sentiment stamped in Memento London Fog
Flower - Prima? (not sure)
Button and twine - stash

Had a double surprise yesterday - MUSE featured member for this card (thank you, fellow MUSE voters) and Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Top 3 for this card (thank you, Craft Stamper team!).

Hello, I'm back!

I'm back from my travels around the world.  Actually, I've been back since mid-last week, but I think my mojo caught a later plane as it only arrived back today.  First, the card, then I'll tell you where I've been and what I've been up to.

The challenge at Addicted to CAS is Wings:

I've used the colours from The Paper Players challenge

And Craft Stamper Magazine, my favourite UK stamping mag, has its first blog challenge - Take It, Make It, where you TAKE a specified technique and MAKE something with it.  The technique for this first challenge is faux airbrushing.  The challenge is open for two months, so you've got plenty of time to join in.

The butterflies are masks using the large die from Clearly Besotted.  The script stamp is Hero Arts S1832 Italian Poetry and the Happy Birthday stamp is from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler.  The colours are all distress inks - Peacock Feathers, Victorian Velvet, Peeled Paint and Walnut Stain.

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So where have I been?  Hong Kong, Australia and Thailand.  Both our sons have settled in Melbourne, so we had a stopover in Hong Kong to break the journey, then a couple of weeks in (very hot) Melbourne (first time we've all been together for four and half years - aaah!), then a week in (even hotter) Thailand.  We were looking forward to the cooler weather back home, and today it's snowing!  And it's been quite a challenge to readjust to UK time, and stay up beyond 6pm!

While we were in Melbourne I met up with my lovely blog friend Jenny from My Paper Epiphany - hi Jenny!  It's so nice that this obsession hobby enables us bloggers to make friends all over the world :)

Must Pay More Attention

Ok.  I'm not big into pink.  I'm not big into hearts.  And I'm obviously not big into paying attention.  The challenge at Addicted to CAS is hearts.  Tick.

The challenge at ColourQ is pinks and brown.  Tick.

And here's the sketch at Addicted to Stamps and More:

Except that as I was making the card I was referring to the thumbnail on my blog reader rather than the full post, and this is what I saw:

I just thought it was an ultra-CAS sketch...

The guidance is: "You may flip or rotate the sketch and even replace the shapes. Please create with the sketch in mind." 

Out of sight, out of mind.  Bit of a shock when I came to do the post.

The heart was in my stash from a while ago. I'd made several out of a sheet of grungepaper covered in Fired Brick distress ink, then embossed through the Cuttlebug, then the raised area smeared with Versamark and heat embossed with clear powder, then cut out the heart shape freehand.

Sentiment from Paper Smooches.

Let Love Soar

The inspiration for this card came from the Runway Inspired Challenge:

I love the sheer floatiness of the dress and thought it would be good to create some spotted vellum butterflies.  And I was quite taken with the panelled wall in the background so I scored a panel to add to the base card.  Which means I can link it to Addicted to CAS, whose code word is:

And their big sister, Addicted to Stamps and More, is having a CAS party this week.

And at Hero Arts, this month's challenge is try something new.  Well I don't think I've ever die-cut vellum before.

Hero Arts F4136 Assorted Dot Border, sentiment from CL646 Happy Birthday.  Butterfly die-cuts from Clearly Besotted.

Christmas Cake, Anyone?

I made this card a few days ago when I was in border-doodling mode.  It's a great way of tying images and sentiments together, especially on a one-layer card.  And I like how the image and the sentiment can overlap the frame, which isn't as easy to do if you are matting layers of card.

The codeword for Addicted to CAS is Sweet:

And the challenge at Simon Says is:

MERRY CHRISTMAS !! :-)

Anything Christmassy :-)

The sentiment is from Paper Salon, and the Christmas Cake stamp is from Stamposaurus Stamps.

Merry Baubles

I'm getting way behind on making Christmas cards but, fortunately today's challenges easily fit with the Christmas card theme.  All the bauble elements are separate stamps: the hanging garland, the bauble tops, the double ring and the different inserts, so there are endless possibilities.  They could be making a return appearance very soon!

The codeword for the second challenge at Addicted to CAS is:

The challenge at ColourQ is to use these colours:

And Simon Says Anything Goes!

Merry Christmas stamp is from Hero Arts
Bauble stamps are from Paula Pascual.

Silver Snowflakes

I got some Mega Flake as part of a subscription gift to a magazine, for use with Flitter Glu, and does it flitter!!  It's lighter than glitter, and you just daren't breathe when you're using it for fear of decorating the walls with it.  You're supposed to make an inkpad with the Flitter Glu on Phat Foam, use that to stamp your image then coat the image with the Mega Flake, but I improvised.  I didn't want complete coverage with Mega Flake, so I stamped the image with Versafine Smokey Gray then dotted the image with a glue pen, and added the Mega Flake when the glue had dried.  No cleaning of messy stamps afterwards, no hardening Phat Foam pad.  Works for me.

The challenge at CASual Fridays is Winter Blues:

The challenge at The Paper Players is to create a CAS project with silver or gold:

And the first challenge for Addicted to CAS is still open, so this is my second entry:

The image is Penny Black, and the sentiment is Anita's.

My Favourite Snowman

I've got quite a few snowman stamps (haven't we all?), but this one is my favourite.  I love the sketchiness of the image, the expression on his face, and the movement of him trying to catch his hat in the wind.  And what about those mittens joined with cord?  Hands up who had a set of those threaded through the sleeves of your winter coat when you were a child? Hands up who still has?

The Black Tie challenge at Dynamic Duos this week is Marina Mist and Basic Black, together with a snowman for dessert.

The new challenge on the block is Addicted to CAS, and the theme for their first challenge is:

The snowman image is from Printworks, and the sentiment is from Paper Salon.