Friday 31 August 2012

Richland Horse Show


We've been away in Michigan the last few days, primarily to see my sister ride in a Three-Day Event. It included Dressage (we didn't see her do that - we were still driving), Stadium Jumping (above) and Cross Country (below)




From the time my sister was old enough to know what a horse was, she knew that her life would include them. She is now an equine surgeon at the Wisconsin Equine Clinic in Oconomowoc, WI.  She has not ridden in a show in many years, but this was her second one this year. After the three days, she finished 4th in her class - we're so proud of her!

This photo is my sister with her husband and my two children (and the ribbon, of course!).


Most of our family was able to come to the show, including my parents, one of my other sisters (I have 3 sisters in total, one couldn't make it) and her family. Plus it was a treat to see my great-aunt and uncle, who live in Grand Rapids and drove down to Kalamazoo to have dinner with us one evening.

We also had an opportunity to see some CIC 3-star riders (Olympic level) - their jumps were bigger and their cross-country course was longer. It was really exciting to see how such a big show (about 500 horses!!) was run and put together. The whole thing was really impressive and fun!

So no card today, but on our way home, I found a number of new horse stamps to make some cards for her (she likes to send them to her friends and clients), so keep watching.....

Thursday 30 August 2012

OLW103 - I scored!


This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is hosted by Karen. The challenge is to use scoring on your one layer card.

It's amazing how adding a little texture to a card front by scoring it, can make such a big difference! I simply stamped the Michael's sentiment and a clear star, embossed a circle with a nestability and then scored the sun rays. I say "simply", because the idea was really so very, very simple. The execution, however left me with a very full recycling bin! I stamped wrong, scored wrong, embossed wrong - (but never all on the same card) - you name it! But in the end, it turned out how I pictured it (although now I'm thinking maybe the Stickles take it a little too far? I'm not starting over! lol!)

It took me about 4 tries to figure out that if  I drew lines on the back of the card where I wanted the scoring, it would be much easier to get it right! And it really did!

(Edited to add: The circle was embossed with a nestability, not really scoring)

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Simple Birthday


This idea came to me in the night. It didn't look exactly like this (I can see why now, so I may try this idea again someday....), but I think the almost random little pops of colour are kind of fun. I used a v from an alphabet, and a sentiment from Stampin' Up! (Made for you). Stickles, of course, although I don't think they're really visible (little dot in each v).


Tuesday 28 August 2012

CASology8 - Relax!



This week's CASology Cue Card is Relax!

It may surprise you (or not!) to know that I am one of those people who does not react well (at all) when I am told to "relax". Especially if the person telling me is my husband! lol! Don't worry, he knows better now!

I don't know if sailing is relaxing, in fact, it looks like pretty hard work to me, but I associate this card with 'relax' for two reasons:

1) all the white space and the cool calming colours, achieved with Copics;

2) I love Pierce Brosnan. And one of my favourite PB movies is "The Thomas Crown Affair", where Dennis Leary comments to Renee Russo that Thomas Crown "just trashed a hundred-thousand dollar boat because he wanted to feel the rush" (or something to that effect). I am always relaxed when I'm watching a movie with Pierce - Thomas Crown, James Bond, or After the Sunset are my favourites!

So now it's your turn to get all zen-like and make a Relaxing card.

Don't forget to check out the other members of the Design Team:




Monday 27 August 2012

Birthday "Balloons"


This card was inspired by the stamp I used in this card, and a Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass design.

My daughter Kate told me that they don't really look like balloons. I told her that they are stylized balloons. What's stylized, she asked. Balloons like this, I said! lol!

The Stamps of Life Basics4ABC, various outline circles and a black Copic Multiliner and a ruler to make the strings.

Sunday 26 August 2012

Blue Christmas




It's like deja vu all over again! Same stamp, two more cards! These ones were a little more involved.

For the first one, I stamped in Versamark and embossed in clear before sponging with Tumbled Glass, then stamping the snowflake in Tumbled Glass and Broken China.

For the second one, I cut a mask of the new Stampin' Up snowflake die and then sponged the panel with Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Stormy Sky. I removed the snowflake mask and then stamped the sentiment in Midnight Muse, backed it onto a white panel and then a Midnight cardbase.

That's it for this stamp! For now....

Saturday 25 August 2012

Easy Christmas!




Last week I got a box from Scrappin' Great Deals, my favourite local/online store (they ship to the US, too!). It had a couple of the new Memory Box Dies and this HUGE Memory Box stamp. I immediately made 4 cards with it (I'm saving the other two for tomorrow!).

For the first one, I used my Kaleidecolor Fruitcake inkpad and for the second, I masked it with Scotch tape (so easy because the words are so big) and stamped in different colours (I always find using markers on a stamp very unsatisfactory, unless you want a look that is not solid, more like watercolour).

So simple, and yet clean and modern looking!

Friday 24 August 2012

Simon Says Stamp Children's Challenge



My 9 year old daughter Kate and I found a challenge for her to play along with - it's the Simon Says Children's Summer Holiday Challenge (wow, that's a mouthful!).

Kate wanted to play along and has been working on various cards, to get one just right for the challenge. This is her submission.

Stampin' Up orange slice, unknown Happy, birthday (chosen to fit the circle). Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White cardstock, Wild Wasabi ink,  Stampin' Up Red Satin Ribbon (!!!unbeknownst to me - and she used about a yard of it to get this!) and lots of Yellow, Orange and Lime stickles (where does she get that from?!).

I cut the 4.25x4.25 card base, and scored it (and took the photo) but Kate did everything else herself.

Thursday 23 August 2012

CAS184 - School!


Wow, it's really time for school, isn't it? No complaints here! (at least not from me!)

 The inspiration for this week's Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple challenge is school. Almost all of the challenges this month have had a challenge with a school-related theme, and I've played (or hosted) quite a lot of them, so I thought I'd go with a different kind of school this time.

This adorable fish is from Lisa Lara's digital set Splash. I have loved this guy since he first appeard and this is the card I had in mind. The sentiment is an old A Muse stamp.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

OLW102 - While we're on the subject...


It's my turn! My first time hosting One Layer Wednesday - I'm so excited - this has been one of my favourite challenges for a long, long time, and to be one of the hostesses is just amazing!

Since it's that time of year, today our challenge is school-based, but with a twist.

Make a one layer card inspired by your favourite school subject. 

My card combines two subjects  - Math (my favourite because there is always a right answer!) and Art (I didn't actually take art in high school, but I'm sure it would be my favourite now!). The math part is obvious, the art part is shown by adding blue and red to get purple. Plus the silly sentiment reminds me of the end of school ritual of signing year-books - remember how much fun that was?

I used MFT Coolvetica alphabet, Papertrey Faux Ribbon for the line and the plus sign. Not sure who made the numbers.


Rules for OLW 102
1. A one-layer card is defined as a single layer of card stock folded in half. No other layers allowed!
2. Make a card inspired by your favourite school subject. Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum and NO ADDITIONAL LAYERS of card stock.
3. Post your card online and link it to the InLinkz button to the right.  If you link to your blog, please link to the specific post, not your blog’s main page.
4. HAVE FUN! I can't wait to see what you all come up with! 



Tuesday 21 August 2012

CASology 7 - Green!


This week's CASology Cue Card is Green - and the possibilities are endless - money, eco, St Patrick's Day, Kermit, Yoda - it just goes on and on.



My first thought was grass. Although ours has been crunchy and brown for most of the summer, I dream of a lush green lawn that feels so wonderful on your bare feet. I just don't dream of the water bills that come along with that lush lawn! lol!

I used a Martha Stewart punch and Whisper White cardstock for the grass. I coloured the grass with upward strokes of different colours of green copics and then rounded the edges. I found this tee (Michael's OLD, OLD stamp) and the ball and sentiment (unknown). I embossed the ball with white embossing powder to get the dimply texture and popped it up on dimensionals. Then it came time to mount the white panel onto the card. Green seemed to be the obvious solution but I knew I would never match my grass to a solid green cardstock, so I created a grassy border using the copic markers just on the edges of the white card base (I didn't worry about being too messy, because I adhered the white layer on top - I suppose I could have masked it and saved a layer, but the potential for disaster was too high!). My daughter assures me that it looks nothing like grass, but I'm happy with it anyway!

Now, grasshoppers (another green thing!), it's your turn to go green!

Here are links to the blogs of the other Design Team members - go see what they've come up with to inspire you!






Monday 20 August 2012

Late Summer Butterfly


It's getting late in the season for butterflies, I know, but I just had to case this super cute pen holder by psydor from Splitcoaststampers:


I love the bright colours against the craft background, and the pops of white and bling. The butterfly is cut using an MFT die, and outlined in Stickles, of course!


Sunday 19 August 2012

FTL204/OLW 101 - Bubbly Birthday



For this week's Fall-to Layout:


and, since I used a Stampin' Up duo of colours from my Colour Coach (Baja Breeze and Not Quite Navy), it also qualifies for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, Feeling Blue.

And Stardust stickles for sparkle, of course!

Saturday 18 August 2012

CFC66 - Splish Splash


A while ago, I went through all my stamps and sold a whole big bunch of them at garage sale that our local stamping store hosts twice a year. Before I took everything in, my daughter went through the boxes and 'rescued' a 'few'. In her part of the craft room, I found a whole set of High Hopes sea creatures that I thought were long gone, including this little oyster. (glad they're not!).

I coloured him simply with copics, trying to achieve that iridescence of 'mother of pearl' on the inside of the shell. I made up the sentiment using part of a Papertrey valentine and Lawn Fawn's Harold's Alpha. Finally, I added a half-pearl.

This card is for this week's CASual Friday challenge - to use something you would find in or at the ocean.

Friday 17 August 2012

OLW101 - Feeling Blue!


This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge is being hosted by Heather. The challenge is to make a card using blue (have you seen what that woman can do with one colour, one piece of white cardstock and a sponge? WOW!).

In honour of Heather (the queen of masking and sponging, in my humble opinion), I used a mask on this card. I used various blue inks, lots of different sized dots and a sentiment from Clear and Simple Stamps set called Baby Sentiments. I love the Art Deco feel of the font. I coloured it in with a copic marker and then very, very carefully added Stickles for sparkle. Here's a tip for 'Stickling' small spaces - I used a paper piercing tool to push the Stickles back into the outline when they sometimes didn't land in exactly the right spot.


Thursday 16 August 2012

LIM80 - Definitely Furry



 A last minute card for Less Is More 80 - to make a one layer card with Fur or Feathers. I was organizing some of my stamps and came across this adorable little Sam from Inky Antics - I almost forgot that I have him! He was one of my early purchases and still one of my favourites. In fact, we call him Coconut (any other American Girl fans out there?)  The grass/flowers and butterfly are also from Inky Antics and the sentiment is an old A Muse stamp (from back when they actually sold product in Canada, but don't get me started on that subject! lol!)



LIM80 - Fur or Feathers



Are horses furry? The more I think about it, I have to wonder if a horse qualifies for this week's Less Is More one layer challenge - to use fur or feathers. I guess they're kind of furry - and their noses are so soft! But I was reminded this week that I have not made many horse cards and my sister, the equine surgeon, needs some (she sends them to clients and friends).

This is a wonderful sentiment from Starving Artistamps, and the horse is from an old Stampin' Up! set called "Wanted". Stamped with my Spectrum Kaleidecolor ink pad (again!), I think it shows the magic in this horse!

Wednesday 15 August 2012

CAS183 - Channelling the 80's



This week's CAS challenge at Splitcoaststampers is a sketch challenge.

Remember the 80's, and all that colour?! Remember George Michael (when he was in Wham!) and "Wake me up before you Go-Go"? Well, that's what I've got here. The colours remind me of all the ski jackets we wore way back in the "old days" (as my kids call them) and the sentiment reminds me of the "Choose Life" T-shirts that George and Andrew (whatever happened to him?) wore in the video. Oh, my! I could just keep rambling down memory lane all day! lol!

I used a Michael's stamp, and I created the colourful banner with copics. I used the wide side of my sketch markers so that the stripes are pretty uniform in width. I was inspired by a card my 9 year old daughter made.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

CASology 6 - SCHOOL!


Here in Ontario, our kids don't go back to school until after Labour Day, but it doesn't mean we're not longing for, (oops, did I say that out loud?), I mean dreading, but valiantly getting ready for Back to School.

This week's CASology Cue Card is SCHOOL!

I can never resist a good rainbow - whatever form it takes - and crayons are the perfect way to include a lot of colour into a black and white card. I chose to use only the tips of the crayons, to leave lots of white space and keep the card feeling very open. I often use a black card base to provide definition and contrast - I line the inside of the card with another white panel, so that it's easy to write a message to the recipient.

I used Stampin' Up's Crayon Fun alpha, and a crayon from an old clear set. I coloured the crayons with copics, and used shading on the labels to create the illusion of dimension.

Now it's your turn to give us a lesson in your creativity!

Don't forget to drop by to see what the other Design Team members have made:







Monday 13 August 2012

OLW100 - Transportation


A second card for this week's OLW Challenge, hosted by Cheryl - Transportation.

This card would be almost cheeky, if it wasn't so holy! lol! I'm sure it's not what Cheryl had in mind, but these camels are clearly providing transportation (for that matter, you could make a card with Mary on the donkey, too!)

For my colour scheme, I remembered a previous OLW challenge, where we could only use black ink on cream cardstock - it's so elegant!

It's so much fun to think outside the box, don't you agree? I also had a stamp out that has two kids on a toboggan, and a baby carriage......but we're running out of time! Don't forget to play along before the end of Tuesday!

FS288 - Casing Jean


You're wondering if you're in the right place, aren't you? Yes, it's me, Ardyth. And here's a card with no white space at all! And so much bling!

It's fun to try something different - and the Featured Stamper challenge at Splitcoaststampers is always an insight into different styles and techniques.

I chose this card that Jean made as inspiration:

I love the bright colours on the black - they are always eyecatching, don't you think?

Sunday 12 August 2012

DeNami Design - Bright, Bold and Beautiful Blog Hop





Good morning! 

This is another first for me - I'm participating in DeNami Design's Bright, Bold & Beautiful Blog Hop! There is quite a large group of us participating and we hope that you are inspired by our fun DeNami Design creations. 

PLUS you have the chance to WIN a mini shopping spree for DeNami Design products! Two $20 gift certificates will be awarded to people who comment along the hop!  You have until August 13, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize). 

If you're following along the whole blog hop, you should have come from Linda Carpenter.
If you want to start at the beginning (or if you got lost along the way), start here, at the DeNami Design blog.

I love this little face stamp, part of this set - positioning him differently on each dot gives a different, goofy look. The overall effect is a big group of guys having fun - I also think it almost has a 3D look! I also like the 'random' empty spaces - I just made sure I left two empty spots on each row, not worrying about whether they ended up being together. This card reminds me of a video game - in fact it was inspired by a t-shirt worn by a boy I saw on the subway this week.





For this second card, I couldn't resist going really bright and really bold - I used my new Neon ink and cardstock to really pack a punch of colour on this otherwise silvery card, using this stamp.

Next, onto Deanna Dean's  blog for some more DeNami goodness!  


Enjoy!

Friday 10 August 2012

CFC65 - Hip to be Square



This week's CASual Friday challenge is to make a square card. I love square cards - I think they look modern and cool, and if you make them 4.25 x 4.25, they still fit into a regular envelope and don't require extra postage (does anyone actually pay that extra postage? But I digress....)

This card was inspired by yet another photo on my Inspiration Board on Pinterest (except I used squares not rectangles). I used a square nestability to draw two squares and then connected the points and coloured it in. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!


Menorca Jazz Fest Posters

PS - did you see that my jet card was chosen as a VIP for last week's CASual Friday challenge? It's so exciting to be chosen from so many amazing cards!

LIM79 - Blue and Green



A quick, last-minute post for this week's Less Is More challenge - to use blue and green. (and my second post of the day - scroll down for my OLW card that was posted earlier.)

Hey - I could use it for CASology, too - this globe shows both sides of "The Pond"! lol! You've got until Sunday at noon CST to play along! We'd love to see you there!



OLW100 - Transportation


This card is for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, hosted by Cheryl - Transportation.

No planes, trains or automobiles here, they're implied. Subtle stuff, don't you think? LOL!

I used Stampin' Up's new Road to Happiness set for the sentiment and my trusty sun ray stamp (Practicing Creativity Designs) to create the road in Sahara Sand and Daffodil Delight.






Thursday 9 August 2012

(Christmas) Trees of the USA


This CAS Christmas card came from this photo titled Trees of the USA by Katie Holten, which you can find on my Inspiration board on Pinterest:

trees of the U.S.A. III, 2007 // katie holten



The stark trees reminded me of winter and I just carried on from there. The tree I used is from an old Stampin' Up! set and the sentiment is from Papertrey.

Wednesday 8 August 2012

CAS182, LIM79 - Happy Birthday!


This card is for this week's Splitcoaststampers  Clean and Simple challenge to use Dark Blue and White. I love the crispness of navy and white together! As I was stamping all those 'happys', I wondered what it would look like simplified:


I added a pop of green to this card and it can now be linked up to this week's Less is More challenge, to use blue and green.

My Stamp Box 'happy', Papertrey Ink 'birthday', Midnight Muse, Whisper White and Sour Apple cardstock, Midnight Muse ink.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

CASology5 - Pond!


This week's cue card is Pond!





Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of pond, I do not immediately think "clean and simple". I think of teeming insect life, slimy water and all sorts of yucky stuff like that. I'm not much of an outdoor girl, lol!

I put my thinking cap on and decided to use this deNami waterlily stamp and make it the focal point of the card. I coloured that in with pretty pinks and then felt that it needed to be sitting on a lily pad. I don't have a lily pad stamp, though, so I ended up using one of the small long oval nestabilities and a Copic multiliner pen in the same line-width as the flower. I coloured the lily pad and then felt that the whole thing needed to be sitting in a pond. I used the same trick with another oval nestability and am very happy with the result. I finished by adding a little sparkle, like the sun reflecting off the water.

Now it's your turn - and if you want to make a card with bugs and fish and frogs and stuff like that, I'm sure that's just fine! lol! Can't wait to see them!

Don't forget to check out  the samples that the other members of the design team made:





Monday 6 August 2012

Pinterest Inspired


After a week of a lot of challenges, I'm ready for a Pinterest-inspired day. Quite often, Pinterest photos that are in no way clean and simple, still  inspire me. One way to 'CAS-ify' designs like these is to eliminate repetition and focus on one element.

This card was inspired by this photo, which is on my Inspiration board:


bottle caps <3

I love the colours and the arrangement of the bottlecaps in the bottom of this tray. I decided to make it CAS by only using a set of 7 bottlecaps. I used Cool Caribbean, Pure Poppy, Lucky Limeade and Whisper White. I stamped The Stamps of Life sentiment using Island Indigo ink. Stickles (surprise!) for sparkle and contrast between the white circles and the background.



This one is inspired by this photo, which is also on my Inspiration Board on Pinterest:

Cute Flower Cake


For this card, I was really attracted to all the bright colours, but I focused on the white flower with the pink and yellow centre. I used Papertrey dies for the flowers and the leaf, a circle punch for the centre and a nestability for the turquoise background. Papertrey sentiment.