Tuesday 29 July 2014

CASology 106 - Rainbow


This week's CASology Cue Card is Rainbow!



I love using the full rainbow of colours! But when we make CAS cards, we usually limit our colour palette. The trick with using lots of colours for a CAS card is to make sure there's LOTS of breathing room. I used my new Impression Obsession heart border die and an old Stampendous sentiment. I cut it out, coloured each heart and then laid them back in to the card front, in rainbow order (I took some liberty and added a couple since there were 9 'rows' in this rainbow).

Now it's your turn - I can not wait to see the colourful gallery this week - you guys always impress me, but when it's my favourite cue card (I really think this is probably my favourite one ever!), I just know you're going to blow me away!

But before you do, please check out the inspiration from the rest of the DT:


Monday 28 July 2014

Cutting Edge #5 - Happy Birthday!


All around blog land yesterday, I kept coming across this amazing inspiration for The Cutting Edge #5 by Melania Deasy.





I haven't played along with this new challenge yet - sometimes it's so hard to keep up with everything you want to do, right? But this card is just so pretty, and it's such a great idea to use a negative die cut with a positive die cut laid over top. I knew my time had come!

I chose a Papertrey "Happy" (negative die cut) and a Simon Says Stamp "birthday" (coloured, positive die cut) and added a few mini-sequins.


Sunday 27 July 2014

Happy Birthday, Geri!










Today is my friend Geri's birthday! Lately, Geri's been off climbing mountains in Peru and checking out Machu Picchu with her daughter (can't wait to see all the photos!).

Anyway, I hope she slept in today, because I'm a little late to her party! Bev is hosting (and you should see all the lovely men she's invited!!) and somehow, in my butterfly frenzy, I completely forgot to make a card for Geri. Of course, I could have said that any one of those was for Geri, but I would have known that I hadn't actually made it with her in my mind.

So I went back to some inspiration I had from Winnie & Walter. Their logo and visual identity catches my eye every time. The almost-rainbow of colours (no purple) in that wonderful font and the black script - YUM!



I used MFT's monogram alphabet and a Dark Room Door 'happy birthday'. And since I knew this one would be going in the mail to Geri ASAP, I figured I'd make another one to keep and admire for a while longer. This one I matted on black for a slightly different look.



And then finally, I changed it up and made the 'happy' colourful and used a Simon Says Stamp 'birthday'.




CTS86 - Happy Birthday


The other day, I went a little crazy (who me?) with my new butterfly stamp set and dies from Papertrey Ink. I made a number of cards, casing in different ways my favourite card that Nichole made when they released them.This one ended up as my CAS(E) This Sketch entry.




I cut the bigger butterfly outline in white and sponged it with various distress inks. I then layered it over the black solid butterfly. I added some score lines to the left size and added a Clearly Besotted sentiment. I love the drama of the black against the bright colours.

Here's some of the other cards I made:





Saturday 26 July 2014

Muse 77- Birthday Wishes


Here's my card for this week's Muse challenge, where our inspiration comes from Marion:



This card is proof that the only way to come up with an idea is to sit in your crafting space and keep trying things. I had absolutely no idea it would end up where it did!

I love the whimsy in Marion's card, and the doodled frame with the coloured edges.

I went through all my stamps (and that's getting easier thanks to a big purge I've been working on!) and realized that in its original form, this Stampin' Up butterfly has an attached sentiment in a similar font to the one Marion used. I thought I would simply remake Marion's card with the butterfly instead of an owl.

And then I stamped the butterfly and my brain 'pinged' (as my friend Bev would say!). The butterfly has a frame built right in! AHA! So my butterfly's body is unusually coloured to mimic the owl's body, and in the end, I used a completely different sentiment. I finally doodled the black frame and called it done.

I have so far neglected to mention that a week ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to get together with 3 other stamping ladies in my 'neighbourhood' (actually, 2 out of 3 of them really are!): Natasha Kara, Emily Leiphart and Tracey McNeely.


Here we are, all smiles, after 5 hours (yes 5) of NOT crafting. I managed to make a few die cuts with some dies that Tracey brought along, as well as comparing some of my favourite old, discontinued Stampin' Up inks with various other companies' offerings, to determine what I can replace them with when I need to (ie Summer Sun almost equals Memento Dandelion, Green Galore almost equals HA Grass, and while MFT's Red Hot is gorgeous, it isn't quite as 'blue' as Real Red). Beyond that, we were chatting, laughing, snacking (oh yes, Natasha is a wonderful and generous hostess!) and planning for our next get together!

Phew, this is a long post, but I still have to say that there is still time to play along with us a Muse - the deadline is Monday morning at 8:00 am EDT. Voting will begin at that time (and you can vote even if you didn't link up) and continue until Tuesday morning at 8 am. Results will be posted at noon.  And a little birdy told me that my daughter Kate will be linking up for her first time!

Friday 25 July 2014

CFC134 - Tic Tac Toe

This is my second post today. For my Festive Friday/Holiday Inspirations Group post, please scroll down.


It's hard to believe, but my term as a Girl Friday is over with this challenge. I was so thrilled and honoured when Michele asked me late last year whether I would be interested (um, YES!) and the time has gone so quickly!

But in addition, Michele has decided to take a break from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge for a while (bad news for us), to focus on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps that she has been creating so that we can all get some of Michele's creativity in our hot little hands! (good news for us!)

This somewhat-final challenge is really fun. Michele has given us a tic-tac-toe board and you choose 3 in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) and make a card with those 3 elements.




I really chose the top horizontal row - chevrons, black and sequins. But I accidentally also ended up with the middle vertical row - black, white and grey!


And even more good news (for you) - there's prizes! If you leave a comment here, you will be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps! Plus, the winning card linked up to the challenge will receive a $50 gift certificate. All winners will be posted on the winner post on August 25 on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog.



The deadline for this challenge will be August 22 - I can't wait to see how your tic-tac-toe card turns out!


FFC36/Holiday Inspirations Group - Christmas in July


Hot summer days are the perfect time to stay indoors and focus on cooler days by making Christmas cards! And that's just what the Holiday Inspirations Group has done!

We're making projects we like, using products we like. Be sure to check out all the blogs. Some of the ladies are offering prizes!!


Ardyth Percy-Robb (that's me!)


This card is also my mid-challenge inspiration card for the current Festive Friday challenge where our inspiration is this photo:


I focused on the grey-ribbon-wrapped gifts and the snowflake cookies. I created my ribbon with the MFT Grosgrain texture plate and nestled my little Stamps of Life sentiment in between the arms (is that right? arms?) of the stacked and glittered snowflake die cut.

The deadline for this challenge is Wednesday at midnight. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday 23 July 2014

The Card Concept #15 - Thanks!


Time for the next Card Concept Challenge! This time it's a colour challenge:



Aqua and lime are fresh - add in white and you get fresh and crisp! I chose Aquamarine and Green Galore as my two shades and added in the white with a Paper Smooches die. Colour blocking is a great technique for graphic cards - the big blocks act as 'white' space and keep everything very clean!

Now it's your turn!

Our Rules
  1. Use the Challenge to create a card.
  2. Choose one of the design team "styles" to create your card. Click HERE for the different styles summary.
  3. Explain in your post which style you used.
  4. Link up your blog post here, not your whole blog.
  5. Comment on the card ahead of you and behind you in the linky. Everyone loves comments!
This challenge will end on Monday, August 4 at 3:00 pm EDT.

Tuesday 22 July 2014

CASology 105 - Run!


This week's CASology Cue Card is Run!



Run is not my favourite word in the world - I walk quickly (a lot!) but I only run if someone's chasing me! Still, it's an interesting cue card and will inspire a lot of amazing creations, I'm sure. I went back to an old favourite - an image from Bareback from Stampin' Up. To take it up a notch from plain black and white, I stamped the horses using Royal Satin Kaleidecolor Ink. This adds a subtle punch of colour and some interest. I didn't 'frame' the horses - leaving the ends white so that there is no limit to how far they can run!

Now it's your turn. Before you go, make sure you check out the blogs of the rest of the DT members for more inspiration!

Sunday 20 July 2014

OLS7 - Wave the Flag(s)!


Look what happened when I started (finally!) playing around with Heather's One-Layer Simplicity Wave the Flag challenge. I started with Japan:


And then I tried to figure out how to do Canada, my home country:


Turns out it wasn't too hard. I didn't even need to change stamps! lol!


Both stamps are Stampin' Up! - the flower is from Mixed Bunch and the sentiment is from Banner Banter.


Saturday 19 July 2014

Muse 76 - Thanks!


Here's my take on this week's Muse challenge by Therese.


 I dug out my old Orchid Opulence ink pad so that I could focus on the various shades of purple (I also used Grape Jelly and Lucky Limeade). I used a Simon Says Stamp thanks, and then added in this scripty Lawnfawn die cut inlaid in black.

I hope you'll join us this week - the deadline is Monday at 8 am EDT. At that time, voting will open, and you can vote even if you didn't get a chance to link up. Voting closes at 8 am Tuesday morning and the results will be posted at noon.


Friday 18 July 2014

FFC36 - Joyeux Noel


Time for the next Festive Friday challenge! Here's the inspiration:


I combined a number of the elements in the photo - the silver frame (I created it with embossing powder so that it would match the rest of the card), the branch with silver ornaments (I used a Penny Black stamp) and the 'Noel' on the table. I popped up the sentiment to mimic the mantle shelf. 

ETA - the 'frame' is a separate layer of white cardstock. I smooshed my Versamark ink around the edges and then embossed it (twice) with silver ep. I adhered the white 'tree' panel on top, so the rough edges of the frame are hidden.

This is another one of those really amazing photos - it appears simple, but the more you look at it, the more inspiration comes to you! Meredith is really talented at finding these photos! I can't wait to see where this one takes you! The deadline is Wednesday July 30.



Thursday 17 July 2014

Colour Q 250 - Happy Birthday to You


A simple card for the current Colour Q challenge - I just love this dress!



I chose this big Mama Elephant sentiment because it has a similar feel to the pattern on the dress, and did my best to match the colours with copics.

ETA - July 29 - this card was selected as a Courtier! Woohoo!

Wednesday 16 July 2014

CS199 - Butterfly Thank You

Last chance to link up to Darnell's birthday party. The link will close tonight at midnight. Thanks to every one who linked up!


Look who finally got her PTI butterfly dies?! ME! So excited to finally join 'the club' and be able to make pretty cards with these dies! This week's CASE Study is the perfect opportunity! Here's the inspiration:


I focused on the colours, the circles, and the butterfly (YAY!) I coloured the dots of the wings with copics before laying them back in (using tape on the back to hold them) and then added some glossy accents for dimension and shine.

ETA: Well, I missed the deadline, so this card is not in the CASE Study gallery. Still, I'm glad I made the card - it's definitely different than my usual!

Tuesday 15 July 2014

CASology 104 - Pet

  Click to link up to Darnell's birthday party before July 16. 


This week's CASology Cue Card is Pet.


Many of you know that one of my sisters is an equine surgeon. Since she was big enough to know what a horse was, she knew what she was going to do with her life! I make horse cards for her to give to her clients and friends, and I collect horse images and sentiments. This Whippersnapper Designs image is really a fantastic one - it clearly shows the joy that a horse can inspire.


But I felt that it was a little big to use on a CAS card. Solution? 'Crop' it by cutting out only a portion of the image and create lots of white space. I finished the card with an old Stampin' Up sentiment (a quote from Frankenstein's monster, actually!).

And now it's your turn - but before you go, make sure you drop by the other DT members and see what they came up with for your inspiration!







Saturday 12 July 2014

Muse #75 - Thanks so much!

Click to link up to Darnell's birthday party before July 16.


One of the benefits of running the Muse challenge is that I get to see the cards in advance. And that's how, even though I'm at Music camp right now, I was able to make this card for this week's challenge and schedule the post! I admit it feels a bit like cheating but I would hate to miss a week - Muse really is one of my favourite challenges, because I always end up making cards that I would never have thought of on my own!

Here's Vicki's Muse for this week:


I focused on the sponging, the black frame (PTI) and sentiment (Momenta from Michaels). I added 3 little Simon Says Stamp hearts.

There is still time to play along - the deadline is Monday morning at 8 am EDT. At that time you can vote for your top 3 favourites until Tuesday at 8 am and results will be posted on Tuesday at noon. Hope to see you there!

Friday 11 July 2014

FFC35 - Mid Challenge Inspiration

Click to link up to Darnell's birthday party before July 16.


Time for some mid-challenge inspiration for the current Festive Friday challenge. Here's a reminder of our inspiration photo:


Again I focused on the plaid and this time I used a technique to add glitter to my Savvy die cut that I learned in this video from Jennifer McGuire (it's really one of those a-ha moments - you'll wonder why you didn't do this before) .

Don't forget to link up by midnight on Wednesday - hope to see you there!

Thursday 10 July 2014

Paper Crafter's Library - Featured Designer

Click to link up to Darnell's birthday party before July 16.



Today I'm being featured at Paper Crafter's Library. Here's a sneak peek of my project - pop over to see more!

Tuesday 8 July 2014

CASology 103 - Glow

Click to link up to Darnell's birthday party before July 16.

This week's CASology Cue Card is Glow:



CAS is perfect for masculine cards - men don't need (or even notice!) lots of embellishments or layers and you know simple really is just better for most of them! lol!

For this card, I used a mod-looking Inkadinkado car, an old Stampin' Up! sentiment and then masked and sponged the glow of the headlights. I cut the focal panel and sponged the two yellow lines underneath to add definition.

Now it's your turn! I'm not around much this week, so please don't worry if you don't see a comment from me - I will do my best to catch up when I return!

Before you go, check out the inspiration from the rest of the DT:



Saturday 5 July 2014

Fusion - Poppy Thanks!

Click to link up to Darnell's Birthday Party before July 16.


This is my card for the current Fusion Challenge.


I decided to combine the sketch and the photo and came up with this graphic thank you card.  I used Simon Says Stamps flower dies to create my poppy and a Paper Smooches thanks die.

We visited Struan briefly this afternoon. He's done 19 flights so far and is really enjoying himself. Today he'll be learning how to recover from a spin. Well I certainly hope so! And in the next day or so he'll be doing his first solo flight.

Interesting fact - in a field near the gliding club, they breed/keep bulls for bull fighting (I have no idea where any bull fighting is done in this province, but now I know where they get the bulls!). The kids have been told that if they end up landing in a field with a bull (this is definitely not the desired outcome!), stay in the glider until someone comes to get you. We don't want angry bulls running after the air cadets!