Fusion - Bookshelf (or Cats)

For some reason daylight savings time really messed me up this year.  Before I knew it, Sunday was coming to an end and I hadn't accomplished much besides vacuuming up cat fur.  Not for nothing, but sometimes I manage to vacuum up enough fur to make my own cat. 😹  So when it came time to make my card for the latest Fusion challenge, there wasn't a whole lot of gas in the tank, so to speak.

I was pretty sure that I didn't own any book stamps but I rooted around in my stash to see if I could find something book-related just in case.  I stumbled on this cat-on-a-line die and thought that it would mimic the horizontal layer on the sketch.  Well, I guess it does but once I put it together I was very under-whelmed.  However, by now it was Monday night and I had no time to go back to square one so this had to do!  And wouldn't you know, the challenge at Addicted to CAS is feline.  That's serendipity!

Thanks for sticking around this long to make it to the end of the post.  I appreciate it!  And head on over to the Fusion challenge to see the beautiful cards cooked up by our design team.  

Supplies
Stamps:  You Crazy Cat (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  FeLine die (Penny Black)

Addicted to CAS Guest Designer

I am pleased as punch to be invited as a guest designer this week at Addicted to CAS!  I do love my clean cards!  The cue word is animal so, of course, I had to use a kitty on my card!

Now, I've got three cats but one of them in particular inspired this card because he is forever peeking at me from behind something.  Just look!

LOL!  He's my handsome boy!

Thanks for stopping by!  And huge thanks to the ladies at Addicted to CAS for inviting me along for this challenge.  It's a privilege to be designing alongside you!

Supplies
Stamps:  Kit 'N Caboodle (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Onyx Black (Versafine)

CAS(E) This Sketch 288

As a kitty-mama I'm always on the lookout for cute kitty stamps.  I recently got a new one and was happy to see that one of the images in the set was absolutely perfect for the circle on this week's CAS(E) This Sketch, which was designed by Donna.

Kitties are experts in resting up!  And I figure this little sleeping beauty will cheer up someone who's feeling a bit under the weather.  I chose colors based on the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays and they've got a simple Stamp On It prompt at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge so I think I'll add this over there too!

Thanks for stopping by!  My friends at CAS(E) This Sketch have got some beautiful cards to inspire you to play along with us this week.  So check them out and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Kit 'n Kaboodle (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Mint Julep (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Silverstone, Jet Black (Altenew)

Freshly Made Sketches 328

I can hardly believe it's Wednesday again!  But here we are with a new sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our sketch is brought to you by Linda - who is currently buried under many, many, many inches of snow.

Pets!  That's the challenge at Cupcake Inspirations so I just had to play along.  I've got a kitty or two in my house and I've also got one or two kitty stamp sets in my stash.  I chose this fun image from Tim Holtz and gave her a pink diamond background.  Meow.  That says it all!

Thanks for visiting.  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team has got some great cards to inspire you this week.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Crazy Cats (Tim Holtz); You Crazy Cat (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Bristol Smooth (Strathmore)
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Jet Black (Altenew); Worn Lipstick (Distress Oxide); Copics

CAS(E) This Sketch 237

Meow.  That is all.

Actually, that is not all!  It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch and I really wanted to do a fun design with some fun shapes with Chrissy's uber cool sketch but after looking through my stamps I was not very inspired.  Then I happened upon this cat themed stamp set from Concord & 9th (that I think is retired) and my MEOW was born.

Now in case you didn't figure it out, the lines radiating from the seniment are whiskers!  Cat whiskers, that is!  Before I started combing my stamping stash for some ideas on images I had seen the color challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, which is a very simple Kraft and White.  I didn't think I could pull that off with this sketch so I kept on looking for other inspiration.  I also noted that there was a One Layer challenge going on at CAS on Friday.  These two challenges must have been forefront on my brain as I started perusing my stash because as soon as I saw this stamp set with that sentiment I knew I could use those colors and create an embossed sentiment in white and then frame it with the whiskers in kraft and I'd have a fun take on the sketch!

For those of you who don't know I have two kitties myself.  They are my stamping buddies and their job is to supply the cat fur that invariably gets stuck inadvertenly to every card that I make.  I also like to post pictures of them on Facebook, just like every other proud pet-mama.  Well I happen to have an uncle that pretends to hate cats and is always following up my FB posts with some rude comment about my cats.  I responded last year by giving him a framed picture of my two kitties for Christmas.  He promptly put the picture in his bathroom (posting a picture of it on FB for all his friends to see).  All this in a round-a-bout way of saying that I think that I will send him this card for this birthday.  It's fun to keep our little "war" going!

Well, that's it for me.  A bit long winded don't you think?  Thanks for sticking around for my little story.  And don't forget that all important new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  We'd love to see you play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  You Crazy Cat (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Versarmark; Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  white embossing powder

Freshly Made Sketches 277!

I've been a very lazy stamper!  I haven't spent a lot of time in the old craft cave lately but I did manage to get my act together for the newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our hostess and sketch designer is Jen Timko.  Check out the beautiful blank canvas she's given us:

I found myself a bit undecided about that blank space - should I fill it with stamped images, use patterned paper, or something else?  As I searched through my supplies for the answer I stumbed on this patterned paper with wee stars and, inspired by the "cats" challenge at Cupcake Inspirations, I grabbed this fun kitty cat die.  After that the sentiment was a no-brainer!  There's a "critter" challenge at CAS on Sunday, and although my own kitties probably wouldn't like it if I referred to them as critters, I'm going to enter this card over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by.  Pop on over to Freshly Made Sketches to check out the beautiful cards made by the design team.  There are so many great interpretations of the sketch, you will surely be inspired.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  You  Crazy Cat (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Sea Glass, The Everyday Collection (Avery Elle); Black (Simon Says Stamp)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  feLINE die (Penny Black)