CAS(E) This Sketch 365

I had to think long and hard about our latest challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  The obvious choice to me was to use patterned paper for those fun angled layers...but which patterned papers should I choose out of my extensive stash?

I went with a dark one contrasted with a colorful patterned one and capped off with a white one.  I love the juxtaposition of the colors and patterns.  A bold die cut sentiment finishes this off nicely.

Thanks for stopping by.  My fellow CAS(E) This Sketch teammates have got some great cards to inspire you to play along with us.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  All About You (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Gingham Linen Rainbow Petite Prints (Doodlebug Designs); Sweet Sorbet DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  You Trio die (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 428

The world has turned upside down but I've very grateful that I can retreat to my stamp room and get crafty now and again.  Today I've got a card to show you that I made for our newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Out hostess this week is Amy and I predict that you will love her sketch!

I hope that Amy forgives me because I completely missed an entire layer on my card - I'm obviously not paying attention!  The colors I used were inspired by the Sunday Stamps challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow design team members at Freshly Made Sketches have made some amazing cards to inspire you to play along with us.  I hope you do!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dream Big (Verve); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Basic Black, Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist (Stampin' Up!); True Black Gingham (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Orange Cream (Altenew); Lemon Lime Twist (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Petite Scallop Circle die, Standard Circle die (Spellbinders); Dreamy Leaves die (Verve)

CAS Colours & Sketches 363

I'm late again for my CAS Colours & Sketches post. 😞Work is crazy - I'm an essential worker amid the COVID-19 crisis - so sometimes I get home and all I have time for is a quick meal, a cuddle with my fur babies, and I'm off to bed.  But I am determined to get back on track and first up is the sketch from CAS Colours & Sketches - and special thanks to the ladies there for inviting me along this month and for being so patient with me.

Often when I see a circle on a sketch I reach for a floral stamp.  Well this sketch was no different!  I used a sunflower stamp inked with colors not usually associated with a sunflower - the colors at Less is More inspired me to think outside the box on this one.  Raspberry and red on a flower and some gray leaves fit the bill.

Thanks for stopping by!  And special thanks to CAS Colours & Sketches for inviting me as their guest designer this month.

Supplies
Stamps:  Painted Harvest (Stampin' Up!); Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink); Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 364 Meets Fusion

Hey all!  It's that time again when I get to combine the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch with the inspiration challenge at Fusion.  This week at CAS(E) This Sketch we've got a retro one for you:  all the way back to the first challenge ever!

I actually played along with that challenge that debuted on October 11, 2012 and my card was a Christmas one.  At the time I was convinced that CAS cards were going to take over the world - my prediction wasn't necessarily true but I'm pleased to say that those cards are alive and well and I'm happy to add one more to the pile!

The colors on the Fusion inspiration are absolutely gorgeous so I made my card using those colors.  I made a line of circles accented with a wee flower and a simple gold enamel dot.  Easy peasy and so pretty!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 427

In keeping with my recent tradition of posting my cards late, I bring you my card for our newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  😀Our hostess and sketch designer this week is Narelle.

I took a little bit of liberty with the sketch but I love this snowflake die so much that when I came across it in my stash I figured I could sort of-kind of make it work.  Don't judge me, it's been a long week!  This die also gave me the opportunity to play along with the challenge at Happy Little Stampers.  This card is super sparkly in real life and I love it!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some outstanding cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  December Typed Words (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); glimmer paper (Recollections)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Snowflake Cluster Fancy die (Hero Arts)

CAS Colous & Sketches 362

I'm so late with my post for the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge!  This virus issue has been wreaking havoc with my time -- not because I have it but rather because I'm part of the team at work responsible for making sure that my fellow employees and customers are safe during this crisis.  So while I'm grateful that I managed to carve out some time to escape into my craft room and get creative, the other side of the coin is that I'm a bit off schedule with my blog posts.  But better late than never, I present this card I made for the latest color challenge.

I was intrigued by the sketch at FabFriday, which I thought was perfect for using up some of my old patterned paper.  A big square filled with the patterned paper and a small square with a colorful flower!  A perfect match I say to myself!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you can join us at CAS Colours & Sketches for this color challenge!

Supplies
Stamps:  Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Pure Ivory (Gina K); Naturals White (Neenah); So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Vellum, Spring Flowers DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Sprightly Sprigs die (Verve); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn, My Mind's Eye)

CAS(E) This Sketch 363

We've got a great new challenge for you at CAS(E) This Sketch this week!  The sketch has some adorable paw prints on it and I really wanted to make a card with a few paw prints of my own (my kitties would be so proud) but alas, flowers called my name instead.

The color challenge at The Paper Players were just too good to pass up and lent themselves well to my wee flowers and chevron stripe.  And speaking of flowers the AAA Birthday challenge gave me the inspiration for the flowers and the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!  My CAS(E) This Sketch teammates have made some great cards with our sketch to inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Birthday Messages (Mama Elephant); Best Blossoms (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana (Stampin' Up!); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  washi tape

Freshly Made Sketches 426

Hello!  We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  This week our hostess is Karren and her sketch is perfect for any design you can think up.

I chose the colors at Color My Heart Color Dare and the "anything with wings" challenge at Allsorts to complement the sketch.  On my card the circle made a perfect butterfly that I made with a die cut using some patterned paper and a complementary solid color paper. 

The sentiment that I used is an old Stampin' Up! one that I've had for ages which brings up an interesting point.  Lately when I've been making my cards I've been digging through my extensive inventory of supplies for ideas and inspiration.  It's amazing the things I've got in there that have been neglected for years!  And what I've discovered is that I've got a whole lot of supplies that are perfectly good.  So I'm on an unofficial mission to show those supplies some love.

Thanks for stopping by.  My teammates at Freshly Made Sketches have got some great cards to inspire you to play along with us, so I hope you do!

Supplies
Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Poppy Parade, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Vivienne Butterfly die, Darla Butterfly die (Memory Box); enamel dew drops (Freckled Fawn)

CAS Colours & Sketches 361

It's week two of my guest spot over at CAS Colors and Sketches and this week we've got a sketch for you.  I will confess that when I see a circle on a sketch I tend to think of some kind of flower.  The double-layer circles on this sketch had me thinking of some patterned paper and a die cut flower.

The die cut flower is, of course, my favorite poinsettia die so this quickly became a Christmas card.  And those two horizontal layers were a great spot to put a sentiment.  The colors of my card were inspired by the challenge at TGIF Challenges.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Fa La La (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black, Holiday Treasures DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia die (Penny Black); Petite Scallop Circles die, Standard Circles die (Spellbinders); enamel dot (Freckled Fawn)

CAS(E) This Sketch 362 Meets Fusion

Hello!  It's been a while since I've added a Christmas card to my 2020 stash so I decided to combine the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch with the inspiration at Fusion.

I love the colors of the Fusion challenge - they are so beautiful.  So I grabbed a turnabout stamp from Concord & 9th and used purple, blue, green, and silver to ink it up.  The colors are unusual for a Christmas card and I didn't start out intending to make one but something about the wreath that turnabout stamp creates put me in mind of a holiday card.  I added a bold sentiment and hand-drew some lines around it to mimic the CAS(E) This Sketch. 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll join us at CAS(E) This Sketch or Fusion!  Our design teams have some great cards to inspire you!

Supplies
Stamps:  Wreath Turnabout (Concord & 9h); The Big The Bold and Merry (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Persian Blue, Ultraviolet (Altenew); Tropical Teal (Papertrey Ink); Silvery Shimmer (Delicata)

Freshly Made Sketches 425

Hello!  We've got a brand new challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Cécile is our hostess this week and she has given us a superb sketch.

Normally when I see three of anything I run for the hills, but those three banners on the sketch got me thinking.  I have a grungy little stamp in my stash that was the approximate shape of those banners so I inked it up then added a pretty dragonfly - all in colors inspired by the challenge at Fab Friday.  A fun card I say to myself!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some fantastic cards this week so be sure to check them out.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Brushed Off (Papertrey Ink); Pocket Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Whisper White, Regal Rose, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Tropical Teal, Mint Julep (Papertrey Ink); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Libellules die (4enscrap); Pink Party sequins (The Ton)

CAS Colours & Sketches 360

I am pleased as punch that the ladies at CAS Colours & Sketches asked me to join them this month as their guest designer!  The first challenge is a color challenge so let's get to it!

I loved the sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday that debuted a couple of weeks ago.  Although the sketch challenge was technically "closed" I used the sketch anyway - must embrace inspiration no matter where it comes from!  And at AAA Cards there is a challenge right up my alley...Maxi White Space.  Ta daaa!

Thanks for stopping by!  And special thanks to CAS Colours & Sketches for inviting me along this month!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Call Me Clover, Mint Macaroon, Blushing Bride (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Button Stacks die (Papertrey Ink)