a cheery birthday adventure

I've said many times that CASEing (Copy And Share Everything) may be my favorite technique - this one is from Heather Forgan, whose blog header icon and color choice makes me think we may be twins separated at birth:

 

I made a few selective edits (somewhere, I saw CASE explained as Copy And Selectively Edit, but I can't remember where...) to make my version fit a couple of  challenges.  I used the colors from The Paper Players

Then, I used twine instead of ribbon to make it more suitable for a teenage boy, according to the prompt at The Male Room

I think Heather's design is perfect for this versatile stamp set and her tutorial for using a Stamparatus makes it easy!

Wednesday work in progress adventure

 As I loaded my YouTube Watch Later list this morning, I noticed that two of the videos are titled #WorkInProgressWednesday.  I expected them to be related, but they're not.  I have a personal "rule" that if two unrelated people tell me to do something, that's my sign that I'm really supposed to do it.  Last week I spent some time with a friend (masked, and mostly six feet apart).  One of the things we discussed is having too much pretty paper, and as we made plans for another visit, she said, "We'll have some of that paper used up and can share our projects."  Lisa My Eclectic Life challenged us at the end of July to #UseThatPreciousStuff over the next few months.  That just happens to be what's on my work table this week:

 This is what's left of the first designer series paper "stack" (48 pieces of double-sided paper!) I bought, Sweet Pea (2010 Occasions mini catalog).  Some of it is "precious", including the last three sheets of Taken with Teal card stock it coordinates with.  Some of it (notice all the pink?) qualifies more for #NoPaperLeftBehind (started by Daniella Hayes)  because I don't like it and found it harder to use.  Both are being made into cards - here are some of the first ones, using the bigger pieces of paper:

And, two I already mailed away:

So I'm keeping up pretty well with #createveryday2020 and #keeponmaking this week.  There are three more cards in progress at the end of the work table, but just now it's cat-lap time.  Unlike people telling me to do something, it only takes one cat!

"I can't believe I forgot this" adventure

January 1 was my great-nephew's first birthday, and I forgot!  I can't believe I forgot, but there it is.  I needed a special card, and I've saved these  stamps for just this kind of occasion, but I needed a sketch, quickly.  A lot of the challenges I follow are on holiday break, but the sketch from Stick It Down was there to get me started:

stamp sets - Elebration (retired), Number of Years (retired), Balloon Adventures (retired, on envelope); ink - Basic Gray, Crushed Curry, Pacific Point, Emerald Envy (retired), Tangerine Tango (retired); Aquapainter; Stampin' Write markers - Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Emerald Envy (retired); Stampin' Blends - Smoky Slate light & dark; card stock - Crushed Curry, Watercolor, Emerald Envy (retired); designer series paper - Animal Party (retired)

I made some changes to meet my needs, but I think you can see the "bones".

I really like this sketch and wanted to use my new Stitched Stars dies, but the stamp set wouldn't fit.  I'd like to use the sketch again, with products you can still purchase.  Speaking of products you can still purchase, today is the LAST DAY for many of the items in the Holiday mini catalog, but tomorrow an entirely new mini catalog will be available, with lots of wonderful new things!  And, returning to the subject of things I forgot, evidently I've forgotten to restock my birthday cards, and the last two are going in the mail next week, so I had best get busy.

adventures with pretty paper

Like many paper crafters, I have a problem with pretty paper - there's so much of it, and it's so pretty, and I always end up owning more of it than I can use.  It's not that I don't use it, (well, ok, there is some I can't bring myself to use), but I can't seem to use it up.  I bought only one package from the current catalogs, the Wood Textures (my brother and I live in log homes, my daughter used log slices in her wedding decor; I *had* to have it).  But then a second package arrived as an incentive prize from my upline, and a third package was free with an order, and there was another incentive prize this weekend, and now there's a  fourth package in my storage drawer!  It's not my fault, really ;)

Since the newest prompt at Stampin' Up Only Challenges is to CASE a catalog project, it seemed like a really good idea to use some of that brand new paper, so I turned to page 4 in the Occasions catalog, where I found two great ideas:

stamp set - Birthday Wit; ink - Bermuda Bay, Berry Burst; card stock - Lemon Lime Twist, Peekaboo Peach, Bermuda Bay; designer series paper - Picture Perfect Party; Big Shot with Simple Stripes Textured Impressions™ embossing folder

I don't have the coordinating stamp set or the paper ribbon, so I made a few minor changes.  The candles on this card make it perfect for the optional topping at Seize the Birthday, but that challenge closed earlier today (not midnight tonight as I mistakenly thought).  It's a fun card, though, and since the usual theme at Seize the Birthday is Anything Goes, maybe one of these weeks I'll remember to link up while a challenge is still active!

stamp set - Amazing You (Sale-A-Bration); ink - Berry Burst; card stock - Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach; designer series paper - Picture Perfect Party

musical masculine adventure

When I think of masculine cards or designs, I think first of clean and simple.  So, when I saw the music prompts at Less is More and at Cardz 4 Guyz, I immediately thought they were meant to be combined:

stamp sets - Sheet Music, Birthday Wit; ink - Basic Black Archival, Dapper Denim; card stock - Soft Sky, Dapper Denim

It didn't take me long to make the connection between the two challenges, or even to decide what to do with it, but it's been in the works for a few days.  After I decided on a layout, I mis-stamped the designer series paper - if I had done what I intended, the card would be landscape.  It was fairly late in the evening and I was a bit tired, so I left it on my desk overnight.  The next morning (yesterday), I was more than just a bit tired, I felt really run down the whole day.  It was still sitting on my desk this morning, and I had forgotten it was there.  Fortunately, I'm feeling more myself today, and have it finished at the last minute for the Less is More challenge, which is for their birthday!

a four-generation adventure

My nephew and his wife have four children, and the youngest just turned one. They had a family birthday celebration yesterday, in the park.  We were happy to attend, as were many other relatives.  I made this for the celebrant (although she didn't seem too impressed, or even interested, really):

stamp set - Number of Years, Balloon Adventures (on envelope); ink - Crushed Curry, Emerald Envy, Pacific Point; card stock - Crushed Curry, Pacific Point; designer series paper - Party Animal; Big Shot with Large Numbers and Stitched Shapes framelits

I enjoyed chatting with my brother's family and my nephew's in-laws, as well.  Thinking back today, I realized my favorite memory is that my nephew and his wife each have a living grandmother, and both were at the party, wearing their winter coats and complaining good-naturedly about the cold, while the children were running around in light jackets, or just t-shirts, and some were barefoot :)

At Little Red Wagon this week it's Time to Celebrate; at Seize the Birthday, Anything Goes - I think this card fits well with both!

adventure of making it up as I go along

Making it up as I go along is one of my favorite ways to have an adventure, but I don't often apply it to card making - there are so many talented artists sharing their creations and ideas that I make most of my cards using the Copy And Share Everything (CASE) technique.  This card was in bits and pieces off to the side of my work area waiting for inspiration, which was exactly what the Sunday Stamps sketch provided:

stamp sets - Balloon Adventures, Perpetual Birthday Calendar; ink - Versamark, Emerald Envy; Stampin' Write markers - Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Emerald Envy, Pacific Point; mask (stencil) - Hearts & Stars; card stock - Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie; designer series paper - Party Animal; baker's twine - Crushed Curry; punch - Medium Star; Big Shot with Stars framelits

Off to the side of my work area were three punched stars I brought home from the table decor at the OnStage event I attended in November.  My table mates probably thought I was a bit odd (ok, so they were right), but I couldn't stand to think they might get tossed out with the recycling!  There was also a card base that got set aside during a Card Buffet because I'd cut and/or scored it incorrectly, and that last little bit of baker's twine.  Designer series paper for the inside of the card to peek out at behind the short front gave me a color palette to work with, but what to do with all that blank space?  I thought the stars mask would work but maybe Pumpkin Pie ink would be too dark?  I used my last clean sponge dauber to apply Versamark, but that was a bit too subtle.  Oh, and I was missing a layer from the sketch, too, so I found a piece of Pacific Point.  Then it seemed a little too bright.  Adding a piece of Whisper White would tone it down and allow the sentiment to stand out, but then there was too much blank space again.  I really liked the little cluster of stars in the Perpetual Birthday Calendar set, but I couldn't decide which color would keep it balanced.  Now you may understand why I usually CASE the cards I make!

corrected 1/20 because I forgot the link to Sunday Stamps - aack!

a bright adventure

Just a really quick post tonight so I can play along with the color challenge at Just Us Girls, since it seemed to fit so well with this sentiment:

stamp set - Flourishing Phrases; ink - Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride; card stock - Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight; Big Shot with Layering Ovals framelits

The inside sentiment is "so He made you.  Happy Birthday"  I should have taken another photo, but I'm hoping you'll trust me, so I can also link up at Seize the Birthday - thanks!

Please come back tomorrow if you can for the 3-year anniversary Watercooler Blog hop!

boxed-in adventure

Over at the Watercooler, I think Deb called it "boxed-up".  Boxed-in / boxed-up - those are not quite the same, are they?  Either way, I loved Marsha's box for a set of greeting cards, but I used Roni's instructions so I can be sure to fit in A2 cards with envelopes when I get the set completed.

stamp set - Party Wishes; ink - Basic Black; card stock - Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry; designer series paper - It's My Party

Wait, what happened here - no punches, no Big Shot?  No embellishments of any kind - that's not like me!  I love the positive/negative aspect of this paper, and didn't want to take away from it, but don't worry, the cards inside will be a bit fancier!  I'm thinking a set of eight, two each on Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand and Mint Macaron bases, so they can go to men or women.

pop-up Watercooler color challenge

I would never come up with this color combination myself, but it's fabulous - and I shouldn't be surprised at all, since I always love Kath's work.  She chose the colors for this weeks Watercooler Wednesday.  I chose to use both dies from the Party Pop-up set, but only the inside one pops up:

stamp set - Remembering Your Birthday; ink - Watermelon Wonder; card stock - Blushing Bide, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Watermelon Wonder, Whisper White; Big Shot with Party Pop-up thinlits and Confetti embossing folder

How fun is that?  It still needs something else on the inside, but I haven't decide what.  Or, I use it for a card from a group, and there will be plenty of room for notes and signatures...

no-number adventure

I recently bought the Number of Years stamp set (15% off bundled with the Large Numbers framelits!), so now I'm more likely to notice other cards on blogs and Pinterest that feature the set.  Several times I've seen a card with no numbers, and wondered, well, did they really use that set at all?  I didn't realize that there were flowers and other stamps in the set.  I put my new knowledge to work using Match the Sketch 117 for a clean and simple birthday card for Watercooler Wednesday:

stamp set - Number of Years; ink - Tangelo Twist, Mint Macaron, Perfect Plum, Watermelon Wonder; card stock - Whisper White, Mint Macaron; specialty designer series paper - In Colors evelope

I'm looking forward to creating some highly personalized anniversary cards with this set, and maybe some special-number birthdays, too.

pop-up party adventure

I don't know why I waited to get this die - I kind of love this card:

stamp set - Party Wishes; ink - Delightful Dijon, Calypso Coral, Night of Navy; Stampin' Write marker - Delightful Dijon; Big Shot with Party Pop-Up thinlits and Confetti embossing folder; sponge daubers 

I combined two different samples from the Handmade from the Heart Occasions catalog, and  The Colour Tree challenge:

I had a thought that I could make all the birthday cards I send from now on, with this die, and never buy another die or stamp set.  hahahaha - sometimes I just crack myself up!

white-on-white adventure with bling

I left work at 5 yesterday, which might seem like a normal time for an accountant or a banker to leave work, but it's not normal for me in January-February.  I was suddenly exhausted and achy with tenderness along the sides of my neck and into my ears, accented with a runny nose and scratchy throat. Yeah, it's flu season around here, and as usual I have been pushing myself a little too hard.  So I spent a quiet and completely non-productive evening in the recliner chair.  This morning I went in to the office, wearing a mask and latex gloves, just long enough to sign the checks that pay the bills, and now I'm home again.  But I can only spend so much time in bed or the recliner (unless I'm really, REALLY sick), so I had a little crafting time and finished one white-on-white Less is More card with Jingle Belles bling:

stamp set - White Christmas; ink - Versamark; Stampin' emboss powder - White, Silver; card stock - Whisper White (regular and thick), Silver Glimmer;  punch - Confetti Stars border

It's a birthday celebration at Less is More, and there are prizes, so you should join, too ♥  

It occurred to me that I started blogging so I could enter the challenges at their new blog, which I learned of just after I'd started entering challenges at the new Jingle Belles blog.  I'm pretty sure that means that all three of us might be celebrating five year blog birthdays!

Meanwhile, I'm going to head back to that recliner chair with a fresh cup of tea.  Where did I leave that book?

birthday adventures

This post may or may not appear on my website - my computer has been disconnecting itself from the internet approximately every five minutes for a week or two now.  I haven't had much luck finding what needs to be fixed and may have to take it in - aack!  With or without a blog post, though, I needed 3 birthday cards for this month and only had one ready.  As usual, I looked for a challenge to get me started and found a fun sketch at the Watercooler:

stamp set - Best of Birthdays (retired); ink - Tangelo Twist; card stock - Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Basic Gray; designer series paper - Confetti (retired)

I see I forgot the three embellishments for the right side, but that might have been a bit too busy.

The card that I did have ready had an envelope that was intended to coordinate, but it was stamped in the wrong color - I'm betting I mailed one to someone else with a similar mismatch.  I made a new envelope, and then I thought I should make a card that did coordinate with the envelope.  The paper on this one is retired, also, but the stamp set is current:

stamp set - Endless Birthday WIshes; ink - Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake; card stock - Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight; designer series paper - Epic Day; punch - scalloped circle; Big Shot with Circle Card thinlits; baker's twine - Calypso Coral (? retired)

In retrospect, it may have looked better if the cake were stamped in Crumb Cake and the sentiment in Calypso Coral, but I was concentrating on making it match the envelope. ;/  I didn't think it was bad enough to be pulled apart and corrected, anyway.  I kind of love this paper and wish I'd used more of it when it was still available, and bought a second package to hoard save for special projects.  :)

adventures in vertical

I have a great photo umbrella tree from Umbra that I fill half with vertical (portrait) orientation cards and half with horizontal (landscape) orientation cards for display.  This month the landscape half is full but there are several gaps in the portrait half.  I love Mojo Monday sketch 431, but I had to rotate it so I could display the card I made:

stamp set - Party Wishes; ink - Crushed Curry; card stock - Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Mint Macaron, Hello Honey; designer series paper - It's My Party; punches - Party Punch Pack, Scalloped Circle; Big Shot with Confetti embossing folder and Circles framelits; Baker's Twine - white

The sketch from Creating Pretty Cards is already oriented the way I needed it, I just needed a theme and colors.  I decided on Clean and Simple with a Star for Watercooler Wednesday and blue for Cardz 4 Guyz:

stamp sets - Party Wishes, Hardwood; ink - Smoky Slate, Night of Navy; card stock - Tempting Turquoise, Night of Navy; punch - Itty Bitty Accents Pack; Big Shot with Stars Collection framelits; Crystal Effects

I had a little trouble with my own mind-set when making this card, but I overcame my prejudice that clean and simple is soft colors and that shiny isn't masculine. Who knew card making would be mind-opening?  I just now noticed that I really had a strong subconscious grip on the Watercooler Wednesday theme logo -

adventures with bits and pieces

Yesterday I was putting away the extra kits after Card Buffet and decided it was time to do something with the extra bits and pieces I had stacked on top of my box o' bits and pieces.  I started with the discarded layer from the Grateful card I posted Tuesday, (which ended up being one layer with a tag) and added another layer and a lot more leaves:

stamp sets - Vintage Leaves, Perfectly Penned (retired); ink - Pumpkin Pie, Hello Honey, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler; card stock - Hello Honey, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie; Big Shot with Leaflet framelits

This is a great card for my brother-in-law's birthday (other than being a few days late) as well as for the Little Red Wagon fall challenge.

I found a leftover fall wreath from last year that didn't get used because I stamped the berries in Early Espresso and didn't like the effect.  I covered them with Gold Dazzling Details last week but I still didn't really know what to do with it.  Then I noticed the leftover die-cut "you" and thought they might work together with Rita's Freshly Made sketch. I added a leftover die-cut border (it's really the off-cut) for the Seize the Birthday challenge; now this will be going to a dear friend next month:

stamp sets - Crazy About You, Wondrous Wreath; ink - Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, So Saffron; card stock - Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer (retired), Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Crumb Cake; Big Shot with Decorative Dots embossing folder,  Wonderful Wreath, Hello You and Banners framelits, and Tasteful Trim die (retired); Dazzling Details - Gold; Crystal Effects

The "you" seemed a little bland on all that glitter, especially since the gold Dazzling Details doesn't match the gold Champagne Glimmer Paper, so I covered it in Crystal Effects to make it shiny.

Earlier this month I used some leftover die-cut label shapes for this card, which was inspired by Bev's photo at the Watercooler Challenge:

stamp sets - Wetlands, World of Dreams; ink - Pink Pirouette, Perfect Plum; Stampin' Write Markers - Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry; card stock - Perfect Plum, Whisper White; Big Shot with Chalk Talk framelits

I was kind of pleased with the hand-colored flowers, but I totally spaced on posting the card, so I hope no one minds too much if I post it for Marsha's Anything Goes challenge, instead!

birthday and other summer adventures

I needed a birthday card for my sister last week when I was in the throes of making snowflake cards.  I always associated her birthday with fall before, probably because we were just starting back to school then, but this year I'm insistent that this is a summer card.  Yellow, which is her favorite color, is a summer color, don't you think?  I used the Stick It Down card sketch, a little loosely, perhaps:

stamp sets - Remembering Your Birthday, Sprinkles of Life; ink - Hello Honey, Chocolate Chip, Real Red; Stampin' Write marker - Calypso Coral; card stock - Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, So Saffron, Hello Honey; punch - Tree Builder

Coincidentally, Stamp Ink Paper (where the lovely Tina picked my card as a winner last week!) has a Birthday theme this week. I wonder whether Justin considers his birthday to be summer or fall?

My next card started as a leftover kit from this Card Buffet option.  I already had the Island Indigo piece precut and scored for the joy fold (which I turned vertical here), but I didn't want to make another card the same and was trying to think of another color combination.  Bronwyn Eastley provided just the inspiration needed with her Color Tree (tct)#12:

stamp sets - Butterfly Basics, Sheltering Tree, Wild about Flowers; ink - Chocolate Chip, Island Indigo, Versamerk; card stock - Tip Top Taupe, Lost Lagoon, Chocolate Chip, Island Indigo; punch - Hexagon; Big Shot with Modern Mosaic embossing folder

In spite of my own insistence that this is also a summer card, I'd like to share it at Simplicity's Thanksgiving Crusade Challenge 2015, because Susan's idea is so wonderful.  I have a local friend who posts a daily Facebook Thanksgiving photo throughout the month of November for the express purpose of keeping Thanksgiving from being overlooked, and I agree with both ladies!  Thanksgiving is a sweet holiday, both because it is the least commercialized and because gratitude is so important in our lives.

fancy fold adventure

The very day that I posted my joy fold card the newly posted challenge at the Watercooler was for special folds, but I didn't read that until later in the week.  While I was debating whether to do another joy fold or something different, I went to a Star Struck Stampers team meeting where one of my fellow demonstrators taught us this beautiful twisted easel card:

stamp set - Butterfly Basics; ink - Crumb Cake, Soft Suede; card stock - Very Vanilla, Gold Foil, Crumb Cake; punches - Bitty Butterfly, Extra-Large Oval; Big Shot with Butterflies Thinlits

I ♥LOVE♥ this card!  I'm so lucky there are such very creative, talented women on our team!  If you live in our area, we'd love to have you join us.  You can just check back here to see the fabulous things I learn every month, but then you'll be missing the fun & laughter & give-aways :)

Tuesday Morning sketch adventure on a Sunday Evening

I sat down this evening (almost the first time today) to tell you about a completely different adventure, but it will have to wait for tomorrow, as Tuesday Morning Sketches closes in minutes and I made this joy-fold card using sketch #310, earlier this week:

stamp sets - Amazing Birthday, The Wilderness Awaits; ink - Early Espresso, (stamping) Soft Suede (sponging); card stock - Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla; Big Shot with Arrows textured impressions embossing folder

Well, it's that sketch, turned sideways, I meant.  Not long ago I tried to use this stamp set, specifically that little matted duck piece, for a card that ended up going in a different direction.  This color combination sets it off better, I think.  And I love the inside, too:

stamp sets - Happy Birthday Everyone; ink - Early Espresso, (stamping) Soft Suede (sponging); card stock - Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla; Big Shot with Arrows textured impressions embossing folder

The Wilderness Awaits is one of my favorite new stamp sets, so I'd like to link up at SU-Only Challenges, as well as Seize the Birthday, where anything goes this fortnight.  It's been too long since I've played along at both of those fun sites!

Star Struck Stampers masculine adventures

Our assignment for Star Struck Stampers team meeting today was Father's Day or masculine.  I thought I would take the leftover kits from Card Buffet for this card.  It was going to need a few minor changes to bring all the supplies to current, so I set about to do that this morning and discovered there were *no* leftover kits!  Card Buffets this month were busy, and so much fun - I love all the chatter and the new ideas I get from the creative participants!  

Since I needed to start from scratch, I used the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch to make it easier:

stamp sets - Crazy about You, Gorgeous Grunge; ink - Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey; card stock - Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon; bakers twine - Crushed Curry

I also needed a 3D (anything but a card or scrapbook page) swap.  I thought about a mini bag or box, but didn't have any treats to fill them with (with which to fill them). I considered a gift card holder (my husband and my grandson's fathers will all receive gift cards), but that seemed too card-like.  I settled for an old stand-by and re-covered little note pads, because I had them on hand:

stamp sets - And Many More, The Open Sea; ink - Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Night of Navy, Always Artichoke; card stock - Very Vanilla, Soft Suede; Stampin' Sponge

I've been totally captivated by collage-style stamping recently, and these were a lot of fun.  I may be a little too proud of myself for deciding on colors and stamp placement all by myself - no CASE-ing or challenge prompts involved!

And as a final visual treat, this is one of the cards we made, from a teammate's design.  It was a Father's Day card, but I need more birthday cards, so I switched the sentiment, making it perfect for the Seize the Birthday challenge Anything Goes:

stamp set - And Many More; ink - Pacific Point; card stock - Whisper White, Real Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black; punch - Modern Label; Big Shot with Arrows embossing folder