Tag You're It Retrospective

Back on December 8, 2017 we announced that the Tag You're It challenge was ending.  I was so sad to see it end (after 79 wonderful challenges) since I LOVE to make tags.  When Tracey asked me to join the design team way back at #14 I was thrilled to pieces.  I've loved every minute of my time there and as a way to wrap things up the design team has decided that we will each show you our most favorite tag.  Plus I've included a little montage of some of my other faves.

My all-time favorite tag is this little number featuring my favorite super girl.  I love how this girl stands so confidently, arms akimbo.  I gave her some sunny rays and a few lightening bolts as a background because she's a bit electric! 

Here are some snippets from some of my other faves.

I really enjoyed making a variety of tags for this challenge:  from cute and whimsical to floral to Christmas.  Each time a new challenge debuted I was challenged to think outside my usual creative box and to use images and themes that I wouldn't necessarily think of on my own.  And I'll always be grateful to my fellow Tag You're It design team members for their constant inspiration.

Farewell old friends!

CAS(E) This Sketch 253 Meets Fusion

Today is special for so many reasons.  First we're back at CAS(E) This Sketch with our first challenge of 2018!  Second, I am pleased as punch to be joining ladies at Fusion for their anniversary challenge as the guest of my good friend Karren.  And third, there's a big old-fashioned blizzard busy pounding outside today and the concensus is that we're all going to lose power.  (I'm typing this on Wednesday night so I don't know for sure)!

But, like the US postal service, I deliver in rain, snow, and sleet.  So let's get to it!

It's retro sketch time at CAS(E) This Sketch as we bring you an oldie but goodie once again.  My design is based on the colors of the Fusion inspiration photo and I used simple geometric shapes so that this card was a bit more of a man-card.  Those cards are pretty rare for me so when inspiration strikes I run with it!

Thanks for stopping by.  And if you are in the path of this storm as it heads up the east coast then I hope you stay safe!  I hope to see you at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion!

Stamps:  Sohcahtoa (Altenew); Sentimental: Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Soft Stone (Papertrey Inkn); Cement Gray (My Favorite Things); Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up!); Scarlet Jewel, Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink); Cement Gray (My Favorite Things)

CASology 281

Well, it's been a while since I've posted a card here.  I think the Christmas holiday really threw me for a loop and I must have needed some time to regroup.  But I'm back today with a special post.  I'm joining the design team at CASology this week as a guest designer and our cue word is Encourage.

Sometimes I really like to take the whole "white space" theme and kick it up a notch by making it....not white.  In this case a bright colored background frames the glittery die cut YOU and the linear sentiment that I layered over it.  Super simple and so fun.  I love how the glitter paper makes this a bit special!

And special thanks to Melissa and the entire design team at CASology for inviting me to join them this week!  I'm thrilled to pieces to be here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  All About You (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Melon Mambo, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); silver glitter (Recollections)
Ink:  Jet Black (Altenew)
Accessories:  You Trio die (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 252

It's our last challenge of 2017 at CAS(E) This Sketch.  And hang on to your hats folks because this one will really get your creative juices flowing!

I figured that using patterned paper for all those rectangles would be a good idea.  So I went into my stash and grabbed the first pack of Stampin' Up! DSP I could find and started cutting.  I knew that the patterns in it would be complementary but different enough to give this an eclectic design.  Fun!

My teammates at CAS(E) This Sketch have created some super creative cards so be sure to check them out.  This is a two week challenge so there's lots of time to play along!

Supplies
Stamps:  Keep it Simple:  Just a Note (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Twitterpated (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Jet Black (Altenew)

Freshly Made Sketches 318

Hello hello!  It's Wednesday so that means there's a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  This is our last challenge of 2017 but don't be sad - there's lots of time to play along.  We're leaving the challenge open until January 8th and our first challenge of 2018 will debut on January 10th.  To finish out the year we've got a classic sketch designed by Linda.

I decided to do a kinda-sorta one layer card.  There's a feather challenge going on at Less Is More so I thought it would be fun to stamp a feather and sentiment then draw a box around it a la the sketch.  For that vertical layer I used some embossing paste and a stencil of small circles to create a line above and below the box.  I'm pretty sure it's hard to see in the pic but trust me it's there!  The philosophical question here is if I use embossing paste (plus I heat embossed some gold accents on top of the feather) does this meet the technical definition of one layer?  Does bumpy stuff negate the one layer aspects of a design?  Cue the stamping police for a definitive ruling!

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't forget there's plenty of time to play along with our sketch.  Check out the Freshly Made Sketches blog for all the details about our current challenge.  I hope you can round out your year by joining us for our last challenge of 2017.  And I'm sure we'll see you in 2018 too!

Supplies
Stamps:  Feather Finery (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Catherine Pooler)
Ink:  Dusk, Desert Night, Jet Black (Altenew); Golden Glitz Delicata (Tsukineko)
Accessories:  Bokeh Lights stencil (Simon Says Stamp); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver); gold embossing powder

CAS(E) This Sketch 251

We've got a new challenge for you at CAS(E) This Sketch and I managed to pull it off by making a card that has nothing to do with Christmas!

I've had my eye on this stamp set for quite a while and I actually pushed the button recently and bought it.  Little did I know that it would be perfect for this sketch!  Look how perfectly that happy little bomb mimics the circle on the sketch!  I used some colors that I think are good for a man-card because those always seem to be lacking in my stash.

Thanks for stopping by!  And don't forget to check out our challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!'

Supplies

Stamps: Boom! (Your Next Stamp)

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Lemon Lime Twist, Pacific Point (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Copics

Accessories: Boom! die (Your Next Stamp); Wink of Stella

Freshly Made Sketches 317

Well it seems I did, in fact, have another Christmas card in me this year!  It's not really my fault though.  There's a bunch of challenges going on right now with Christmas themes and they really got me in the mood!

Today, of course, is time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  And it's a nail biter because I am the hostess!  I created a square sketch (of course) but feel free to use another shape if squares give you the heebie jeebies!

I used some oldie-but-goodie colors from Stampin' Up! on this card.  I think some of these are the very first "in colors" that they came out with many moons ago - and they are still my faves.  I especially love using them on Christmas cards.

As I mentioned there are a bunch of Christmas challenges out there but I didn't want to go crazy!  So I'm adding this to Cupcake Inspirations and Fab Friday.  They are both Christmas-paloozas!

Thanks for stopping by.  And go check out the amazing creations from our super-creative design team.  They will inspire you to play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches, I'm sure!

Supplies
Stamps:  Jingle All the Way (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!); Cloud White (Reverse Confetti); Bristol Smooth (Strathmore)
Ink:  Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up!); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Copics
Accessories:  Jingle All the Way die (My Favorite Things); Sprinkles enamel dots (Doodlebug Designs)

CAS(E) This Sketch 250

As reported yesterday I think I am done with Christmas cards for 2017.  So to celebrate I made a thank you card for the newest challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  After all, when the Christmas is said and done, I've got some thank you cards to send out!

Our sketch is designed by Leigh and although I was originally leaning toward using floral images for my card I thought it would be fun to use geometric shapes instead.  I settled on using these dotted circle images stamped in colors inspired by the challenge at Sunday Stamps.  I used a dark gray to stamp that sentiment but it's a REALLY dark gray so it looks quite black - even in real life!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a chance to check out the amazing cards that my CAS(E) This Sketch teamies have made for this challenge.  They are going to knock your socks off!  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dot Spot (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Catherine Pooler)
Ink:  Coral Berry, Ruby Red (Altenew); Blackberry Bliss (Stampin' Up!); Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink)