Birthday

Paper Players sketch #229: This card was made with papers from My Minds Eye and some Whisper Gray card stock (Close To My Heart).  The sentiment and stamping on the circle uses Close To My Heart stamps inked with pigment inks.

SSSC 253 Thanks

The Sweet Sunday Sketch with My Minds Eye papers and a Verve sentiment.  This is a wonderful sketch I will use often. 

Happy Birthday Chevrons

CASology Week 131 is 'Birthday' theme. I have been wanting to use the chevron stamps again and had them on my desk waiting for inspiration. The sentiment is from a new set that I inked for the first time with this card.  The Stamplorations sketch #26was just the thing needed!
The colors are inspired by the overwhelming passion for the Seattle Seahawks. A perfect birthday card for a friend who will celebrate her day Monday....after the Hawks celebrate their win on Sunday :-) of course.

Stamps:  Charming Chevrons, Happy to be Friends (Close To My Heart)
Ink:  Pacifica, Pear (CTMH)
Embellishment: Sparkles Chevron Shapes (CTMH)

Seasons

Here in the PNW we are having some of the warmest January days ever recorded....makes for some striking scenes - intense blue of the sky, winter browns, and an amazing variety of greens.  Across the country, winter January looks quite different! My hometown in Massachusetts all greys and lots of swirling white.

For this card I used a long-retired Close To My Heart set, Four Seasons,a brand new Verve sentiment, and the Less Is More Sketch #14 - except it was rotated and I took a liberty with sentiment placement. Each tree was inked in Champagne ink and tops sponged with various pigment inks. The winter tree snowflakes were dotted with a sparkling Gelly Roll pen which has a very subtle shine that doesn't show in the photo. The sentiment was inked in Cashmere ink. (CTMH)

Friend

CAS-ology theme this week is friend, and I finally had some time to do a bit of crafting last night. I made two cards... The first uses Freshly Made Sketch #170, a Sissix die and stamp set, with Close To My Heart paper (Scaredy Cat) for the front panel. 

 

The next card was a technique experiment that really became frustrating.

  I had been watching videos for using watercolor/resist technique, and wanted to try it again.  I have had a tough time getting my attempts to look right.  One video suggested using the heat tool to dry things right away.  That really helped the pucker-buckling issue I was having even with the more expensive watercolor paper.  I adore the look that others achieve, and will not give up yet.

The paper was stamped with Versamark and embossed with clear powder. Then I applied the watercolor.  I attempted creation of water spots...but it just wasn't working.  The image was so unclear, that I stamped over the embossing with CTMH Whisper ink which I had used for the sentiment.  A few clear sequins, and offset placement on Whisper card stock panel.

I am far from satisfied with this, but perhaps a lot more practice will help!

Fly Away CAS(E) Sketch #107

Still having fun with my new Papertrey Ink stamp and Die set.  This card used Close To My Heart Glacier paper and Glacier, Cranberry and Whisper inks. Two clouds are Fiskars punched, and the small one on top is part of the Papertrey set. Popped a small cloud and the airplane with foam, and sponged the edges with Whisper grey ink.  Used CAS(E) this Sketch!

 

World

Addicted to CAS #55 is the theme "World'
The panel was embossed with a folder from Darice, and ink distressed. I trimmed it slightly smaller than the Crystal Blue card base.
The sentiment (Close to My Heart) circle was stamped with Crystal Blue and Topiary inks.

Awesome NBUS

 Week 129 at CASology is NBUS...."Never Been Used Schtuff"  A fun phrase! And perfect for playing with my brand new things.  I was so excited to get the new Papertrey Ink stamp and die set Love You to Pieces: Airplane in the mail last week. My grandsons will adore creating the airplanes. They may not want to stamp them, but will color and design them their own way. Also new is the clouds embossing folder from Darice.  I used the awesome sketch #25 from Stamplorations. The sentiment just got lost on the embossed panel, so I edged it with a silver marker and went over 'plane' with a new sparkly Gelly Ball pen.

One for Two Valentine

One card: Two challenges
This card using felt and sequins for CFC 135 CASual Fridays and sketch from retrosketches #148 was lots of fun because I got to use some new products!  New embossing folder from Close To My Heart, new washi tape, and new clear sparkle sequins from Impress.  I had the felt heart left from a set of Christmas tags. A quick CAS card to start off the season of love.

Paper: White Daisy and Ruby (Close To My Heart)


 

Winter

While it hardly seems like it here in the PNW, January means it is still winter.  I have dear friends I enjoy sending notes to that live in upstate NY, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Now they know winter.  So I still need to enjoy my snow people and winter themed stamps.

This card was inspired by Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch #200.

Stamps: Little Snowman (From the Heart); Polar Bear Holiday (Close To My Heart)
Paper: Snowhaven (CTMH); Hey Girl! (Basic Grey)
Inks: Glacier, Chocolate
Baker's Twine; dimensionals; tag punch (Stampin'Up!)

 

Rainy Days

This is a card made using the Sweet Sunday Sketch #251, a Close To My Heart sentiment inside, Sissix stamp and die set for the typewriter on the front, and Graphic 45 patterned paper. The rainy days type was created using a very tiny alphabet set given to me years ago.  I added some liquid glass to each of the rain drops which looks pretty (and wet) in real life. Those and the burlap threads give a little dimension.

 

 

Viva la Verve

Verve stamps are wonderful, and at the very end of December when placing an order I discovered that they have a sketch challenge once a month.  I printed off the sketch pattern, but then life got busy and I didn't complete my cards in time to link them.  But they were great fun making, and I can't wait for the monthly Viva la Verve sketches to begin again in February. These are the cards I made and the sketch pattern.  Isn't it wonderful that the cutting directions were there!? How fun.  Four lovely cards with just a 6X6 piece in no time.

Paper I used was Graphic 45 'Come Away with Me', three of the sentiments are Verve clear stamps, the flower that I water brushed is from a retired Close To My Heart set. The 'thanks so much' with tiny flowers is Stampin'Up! from a long time ago. Three circles are 2" and the card on the upper left here is 2.5"

 

Little Snowman

Just got this happy 'Little Snowman' as part of the January Stamp of the Month challenge at        From the Heart Stamps.
The set includes a thank you sentiment and several winter themed sentiments.  You can't ever have too many snow people ♥  Check out the great digital images in their shop. 
 The hat and scarf were paper pieced. Papers for the card are Glacier card stock and Snowhaven paper from Close to My Heart.  The snowflake brad is from my CTMH stash of retired embellishments.  These were favorites, and I almost hate to use up the last ones.  I added some Liquid Applique as snow.

The sketch design is this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch #250. Love this clean layout.