a CAS landscape

I started with a color scheme. Add trees and a special word to that and I got enough ideas to make a card. 

Here are my initial supplies: inks and watercolors and some stylized tree stamps. 

What looks like three identical dark watercolors are in fact three very different shades.

I did some ink smooshing for the background. The  oxides went down smoothly, but I had trouble with the watercolors, they pooled up. Nevertheless, the background had its merits and I did not add more water.

I then die cut the background with a elongated oval die, glued it down and stamped the images and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. The sentiment reads "With Lots of Love".

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

AAA Colourful: #30 Colourboard

 

Addicted to CAS: #313 Trees

 

Shopping Our Stash: #SOS579 What's the good word?  - Mine is Love

We Love 2 Create: # 7 AG 

Trust your crazy ideas

 Today's inspiration was color. A call for pastels, popsicle colors and a wonderful mood board formed the starting point to which I wanted to the prompt 'up' and make it a card for a friend. Who doesn't need a friendly nudge or encouragement in the form of a card once in a while.

My supplies were very simple: a shiny new die set, a gelli print and a pastel colored paper pack.

 

I started by die cutting the shapes. This is my first die set which requires serious assembly. I think I am not made for it, I can spot several boo-boos, but I can only hope my friend doesn't see them.

The sentiment came from TH Chit-chat booklet. I combined two partial saying to a (for her) fitting whole.

 

Entering this in these great challenges that served me well today:

Just Us Girls: #832 Mood board week 

 

Shopping Our Stash: #578 Popsicle colors 

 

Tic-Tac-Toe: #279  I used the row "Friendship- Any color - Any shape die"

 

Addicted to CAS: #312 Code word Up 

 

Just Add Ink: #790 Dies, stencils (or both) - I used both if you count the mini strip of gelli print at the bottom.

 

Hello friend

 Again I got inspired by a couple of challenges and wanted to see if I could combine them to a pleasing whole. Male greeting cards are difficult for me, I admit, but one does need them in one's stash.

This is what I worked with today: a stamp set (whose wrapper is long gone so I have no idea of its maker), but where the animals have beautiful patterns, alcohol markers, card stock in various colors, hexagon dies and 'dusky violet' embossing powder.

 

I stamped the bird, embossed it with purple (which turned out surprisingly dark despite its name) and colored the pattern it in with markers. Then I die cut two hexagons and laid them topsy-turvy over each other and placed the bird on them. I then stamped the sentiment and embossed it as well. At this point the card didn't seem quite finished so I brought on three enamel dots.

 

 

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

Alphabet Challenge: E is for embossing (wet or dry) - I went with heat embossing (which is wet?)

CAS Colours and Sketches: #588 Colors

 

Addicted to CAS: #311 Code word: Pattern - I used a bird stamp with a pattern

 

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #826 Masculine

Two hours later...

I have eyed some challenges for a while. They are not easy ones to combine by any means, but I have been feeling brave lately. Take a sketch, vellum, fruit, a frame and stripes and combine them freely. I chose my title by sheer exhaustion. In my head it is spoken in tinny robot voice. Because, let's face it, some cards are easily made and others ... not so.

First I thought these supplies would be enough. Two dies, a lovely pear stamp and vellum.

 

I hadn't thought of the pear. It had to be colored in. This was done with Ecoline markers, I like the fact that they are water soluble.

 

The striped round die-cut needed to be backed with vellum. The vellum needed to be colored in. Enter alcohol markers.

 

For sentiment I used another die and glittery green card stock.

I am entering this into these wonderful challenges that got my brain going:

TGIF: #tgifc581 sketch 

Addicted to CAS: #310 Codeword Frame  

Lost Coast Portal: #210 Fruit, flowers, foliage

The Paper Funday: #88 AG, polkadots or stripes optional - I went with the option of stripes

Seize the Birthday: #328 Use vellum or acetate - I used vellum

Rainbow leaves

 Today I took inspiration from a couple of challenges and created a rainbow card. Something I have never done before. As nice as a rainbow of colors looks on other people's cards I have never really taken to it. But there's a first for everything and a lot to be said for challenging yourself!

Here is the process. I was considering using a sticker for greeting, but in the end they were too big, even the smaller ones, so I wrote my own.

And the finished card:

Entering this into the challenges that inspired me:

Addicted to CAS: #240 Rainbow colors

Sparkles Forum Challenges: #165 No stamping allowed

Happy Little Stampers Die Challenge: AG with dies

CAS Colors and Sketches: #514 sketch 

Thank you for your visit! 

Easter Wishes

A restricted palette in creams and whites featuring a stamped image and die cuts.

 

The hen was stamped with Fossilized Amber distress ink, the berries using an old ink cartridge that produced a suitably small circle. I then colored the berries and the cheek and the bill of the hen in with Picked Raspberry distress ink.

 

 I'd like to enter this in:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Easter / Spring

Paperminutes: #738 Ostern / Easter

Perfectly CAS : #25 Die Cuts 

Addicted to CAS: #217 Animals

Cut it Up Challenge: #249 Easter / or create your own background

The splendor of autumn

 Autumn is by far my favorite time of year: misty mornings, crisp air, the fabulous colors and the smell - yes, the sour, and very exciting odour that comes from the fallen leaves. Spring takes only a week or so where I live, but autumn stretches on for a few months.

Now is the most vivid time, and I wanted to portray it on my card. I was inspired by one challenge to use hexagons, and I find they add a nice counterpoint to the organic form of twigs and leaves.

The sentiment reads: The small, lovely things of life. It fits with my love of autumn.

 

Entering this in:

As You Like It: What's your favorite: Autumn or winter and why 

Less is More;: #452 Hexagons

Try it on Tuesday: Autumn blessings

Addicted to CAS: #207 Code word Autumn

Allsorts Challenge: AG / option Nature - I chose that option
 

Congrats

I seem to alternate between color and no color. Right now I prefer quiet and laid back designs. This card moves colorwise in a very small sector: pure white, creamy white on a lemon chiffon card base, framed by the palest sand and quietly accentuated with straw yellow lettering.

The background has die cut white leaves that I arranged to fill in the rectangle. The letters are glued onto a vellum.

 

Entering this in:

Watercooler Wednesdays: #323 Feminine

Bastel-Traum: #104 Pflanzen / Plant

Addicted to CAS: #205 Nature