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!

a Christmas driving by adventure

 The Jingle Belles have asked, at the beginning of their 12th! season, "What did Santa bring you?"  My favorite gift this year was new ink pad & marker storage units but I couldn't imagine how to incorporate them in a card.  The rest of my new stampin' goodies came from the January-June mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs that start tomorrow, and they will make great Valentine and spring/summer occasion cards, but Christmas?  Not so much...

Leena Girsa posted some great ideas for the Driving By set - FREE during Sale-A-Bration with any $50 purchase! - that I was CASEing.  I kept thinking all 3 vehicles are just adorable, but something seemed off about the little VW.  Finally I realized that the gifts on top of the car evoked Christmas more than birthday for me!

stamp set - Driving By; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blends - Gray Granite combo, Cherry Cobbler combo; Stampin' Write markers - Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent; card stock - Basic White, Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent; designer series paper - Tidings of Christmas; Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine with Word Wishes and Layering Circles dies

The other two cards I made (only slightly different than Leena's) really showcase the "not so much" Christmas vibe of this set:

stamp sets - Driving By, Birds & Branches; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie; Stampin' Blend combos - Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay; card stock - Basic White regular and thick, Pumpkin Pie; designer series paper - Pattern Party; Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine with Tasteful Labels dies

stamp sets - Driving By, Special Moments; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark; Stampin' emboss powder - Basics White; Stampin' Blend combos - Smoky Slate, Poppy Parade; card stock - Basic White, Basic Black, Poppy Parade; designer series paper - Pattern Party; Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine with Layering Circles dies and Tasteful Textile 3D embossing folder; Banners Pick a Punch

The greetings in the Driving By set, in addition to "you've got style" are "awww, thanks" and "DRIVING BY just to say hi" - the convertible with its balloons make me think of a wedding or anniversary - is it just me?

Twofer NBUS Challenge adventure

 Recently, I've been working through my overly large and growing collection of Never-Before-Used-Stuff, and I had just decided that this stamp set was next, when the Twofer Card Challenge prompt #31 ~ Trees appeared in my feed reader (which I'm also working through).  Well, obviously this had to happen:

Can you tell which one I colored first? (lol)  I made the one on the left as a Thanksgiving card, but I haven't stamped the inside yet, so it could end up as a birthday card, since this set includes a Happy Birthday stamp.  Or I could just write a note inside, but I'm not much of a note writer anymore.  The cabin stamp has trees, but to be sure, I also used the same embossing folder on both cards - no one said the trees had to have leaves, right?

stamp set - Rustic Retreat; ink - Balmy Blue, Cinnamon Cider, Shaded Spruce, Stazon Saddle Brown; Stampin' Write markers - Cinnamon Cider, Shaded Spruce, Misty Moonlight, Bumblebee, Seaside Spray; Stampin' chalk marker; Stampin' Blends - light & dark Smoky Slate; card stock - Very Vanilla, Bumblebee, Cinnamon Cider, watercolor paper; Stampin' Emboss folder - Woodland; Stampin' Cut dies - Stitched Nested Labels

stamp set - Rustic Retreat; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive; Stampin' Blends - light Crumb Cake, dark Old Olive, light & dark Smoky Slate, light & dark Soft Suede; card stock - Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Old Olive; Stampin' Emboss folder - Woodland; Stampin' Cut dies - Layering Ovals

I've mentioned before that I live in a log home in a clearing in the woods, so you KNOW I couldn't pass up this stamp set.  It made this challenge nearly non-challenging, as it includes several sentiments and more images, also.  Embarrassingly, I bought it in January and today is the first time I used it.  

I've been trying to decide what happened to me - I stopped reading blogs (over 2000 unread posts in the stamping and card making category alone!) and I made ZERO Christmas cards from February through July.  It's not as if I haven't had time - we've been home since March, and there were no Card Buffet events to prepare for.  Then I realized that's what happened.  With no events to prepare for, who was going to care if I wasn't making cards?  If I weren't making cards, why would I be looking for inspiration?  And, I think I had a subconscious reaction to everything being cancelled that made me feel as if Christmas would be cancelled.  So now it's September, and I need more than 100 cards in less than 3 months.  I guess I better quit typing and get back to stamping!

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!

adventure with something new

At Try It On Tuesday this morning, the prompt is for something new or something old; at Cupcake Inspirations, the theme is all about something new.  I used the new sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments.  I also used a new stamp set which has been waiting on deck (on my counter top) since last month, and I used an old kit that I pre-cut for a Card Buffet offering from last year.

stamp sets - Nature Sings, Itty Bitty Greetings; ink - Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow; card stock - Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

adventure in blues and browns inspired by nature

I find the Rooted in Nature stamp set really inspiring, and can't seem to stop using it - I made at least three more cards with it this week, in spite of having other sets that have never been used!  This one is in blues and browns for the challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz; I would also like to enter it at That's Crafty:

stamp set - Rooted in Nature; ink - Early Espresso, Crumb Cake; card stock - Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue; Linen thread; Big Shot with Nature's Roots framelits

The next one I CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from one of my favorite stampers, Susan Horr.  I changed the sentiment, and the colors just a bit, so mine is more monochromatic, for Use Your Stuff:

stamp sets: Rooted in Nature, Flourish Phrases; ink - Shaded Spruce; card stock - Soft Seafoam, Call Me Clover, Shaded Spruce; Big Shot with Nature's Roots framelits

Susan said she learned the Step Back Stamping technique from Jennifer McGuire; I learned it from Susan, who explained it clearly and succinctly!

adventure with new FREE stuff

The everlasting Lovely as a Tree stamp set was one of my early Stampin' Up!® purchases, which I'm sure you've heard before, here and elsewhere.  The newly released Rooted in Nature set was the first thing on my wishlist from the 2018-2019 catalog.  Lucky me, it was one of the table giveaways at OnStage and still available when it was my turn to choose!  I've used it to make many cards already; this is the latest, for which I referenced yesterday's Sketch Saturday offering:

stamp set - Rooted in Nature; ink - Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Versamark; card stock - Sahara Sand, Whisper White

I'm as surprised as you are that the Big Shot didn't appear in my tools list! There is a coordinating set of thinlits (and of course they were on my first order), but the cross-section piece is easy enough to hand cut, and the set is big enough (12!) as it is.

I also received the Animal Outing set at OnStage, as all attendees did.  It wouldn't have made it to my wishlist, so I had to work a bit harder to put it to use.  For this one I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge:

stamp set - Animal Outing; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black Soft Suede; Stampin' Blends - Crumb Cake light & dark, Smoky Slate dark, Old Olive light, Bronze; Stampin' Write marker - Soft Suede; card stock - Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, Whisper White; Big Shot with Layering Circles framelits

adventures in procrastination

Last week, I was ahead of "schedule" for #365somethings2018 (the only real schedule is to complete 365 by December 31), and then I lost all motivation and didn't make any cards for ten days!  It may be related to the upcoming OnStage Local event this weekend; I'm excited about seeing the new catalog, and play with new stamps and ink colors!  I've also been procrasti-thinking about reorganizing and cataloging my stamp sets.  The ones in the second row of the cabinet are too easy to forget. I think it would help to have a notebook, but I'm not sure if I'd just be wasting time putting it together.  And, there's no sense cataloging the stamps that are going to retire if I decide it's time for them to find new homes.

But speaking of things that are going to retire, I still have some paper from the share I won at Buckeye Inklings (thanks, again, Chris!) so I felt I should put some of it to work, and share it with you, while it's still available for purchase:

stamp set - Guy Greetings; ink - Tranquil Tide, Crumb Cake; Stampin' Write marker - Tranquil Tide; card stock - Very Vanilla, Tranquil Tide, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake; designer series paper - True Gentleman; Big Shot with Bunch of Banners framelits

Since I was using designer series paper and the colors it contains, I just needed layouts, and Sketch Saturday offered nearly 300 choices this week!  I settled on these two, although you can tell I made some adjustments - there's almost too much inspiration in those archives :)

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!

adventure of feathers

Twofer Card Challenge #1 posted - hooray! - and the prompt is "feathers" on two different cards for two different occasions:

I made a masculine birthday card using the sketch from TGIF Challenges:

stamp set - Feather Together; ink - Versamark; Stampin' Emboss powder - white, copper; Brusho colour crystals - Moss Green, Prussian Blue, Yellow; card stock - Watercolor, Vellum, Vary Vanilla, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim; punch - Best Badge

And, a multi-color striped Thank You inspired by the deliciousness pictured at Give a Crafter a Cookie:

stamp set - Feather Together; ink - Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight; Emerald Envy, Pacific Point, Elegant Eggplant; Stampin' Write marker - Daffodil Delight; card stock - Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie; punch - Best Badge

Do you think I get extra credit for using the same punch, as well as the same stamp set?  OK, me neither, but it was still out on the table.  It probably would have been easier to just snip the ends (and possibly also more symmetrical).

adventure of CASE-ing Christmas with metallics

The current prompt at Jingle Belles is metallics, and I had ordered metallic sequins so I could replicate the card in the lower left photo on page 119 of the Stampin' Up!® annual catalog.  I didn't really think sequins alone would qualify for "focuses on metallics", so I decided the reindeer should be metallic as well:

stamp set - Santa's Sleigh; ink - Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate, Versamark; Stampin' emboss powder - Silver; card stock - Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White thick; designer series paper - Be Merry; other - Window Sheet, Silver 1/8" ribbon, metallic sequins; Big Shot with Layering Circles framelits 

Last week, I glued a card front on a white base and didn't like it.  I carefully removed it and put it on a colored base, and saved the white base - glue line and all - for another card.  White bases look particularly nice when you're using metallics, and I had pinned this card of Daniela's which I ♥love♥, so I made my own version:

stamp set - Cookie Cutter Christmas; ink- Versamark; Stampin' emboss powder - copper; card stock - Copper Foil, Vellum, Whisper White (regular and thick); Big Shot with Softly Falling embossing folder, Card Front Builder thinlits, and Layering Circles framelits

I think it fits well at The Male Room for their Vellum challenge, also.

thankful for Christmas adventure

I made this card last week, thinking it would be great for a Thankful Thursday post - I don't know how it got to be Tuesday already!  Since then, both Jingle Belles and Tuesday Throwdown have prompted us for thankfulness, so it's time to get this card posted:

stamp sets - Flourishing Phrases, Marbled; ink - Tranquil Tide; Stampin' Write marker - Tranquil Tide; card stock - Whisper White, Whisper White thick; punch - Pretty Label; Big Shot and Card Front Builder thinlits 

I'd also like to play along with the Christmas tree prompt at Cardz 4 Guyz.

creatures of Christmas adventure

All the creatures are stirring at Jingle Belles this week, and of course, the first one I think of is reindeer.  Here's one on a background my Star Struck Stampers teammate Deb taught us:

stamp set - Nature Sings; ink - Old Olive, Pacific Point, Garden Green, Memento Tuxedo Black; card stock - Glossy White, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla Thick

It's a variation of the polished stone technique, we just swiped the swabs with rubbing alcohol and reinker rather than dotting with them - so pretty!

And here's a tinier one (can you seem him there, in front of the sentiment and the single tree?), in silhouette for The Male Room:

stamp sets - Christmas Pines, Carols of Christmas (on the envelope); ink - Basic Black Archival, Old Olive; card stock - Basic Black, Champagne Foil, Old Olive, Whisper White; designer series paper - Merry Little Christmas, Merry Music; baker's twine - Whisper White; Big Shot with Card Front Builder and Pretty Pines

This card is completely CASEd from the Holiday catalog (page 14), although I changed the color and some smaller details.

drinks for men adventure

Marsha's challenge this week at the Watercooler is anything masculine; at Creative with Stamps it's boys to men and at The Male Room it's drinks.  The samples and entries so far at The Male Room are alcoholic, but a lot of the men I know don't drink alcohol, so I went in a slightly different direction:

stamp set - Coffee Café; ink - Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake; card stock - Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz; designer series paper - Coffee Break; Big Shot with Coffee Cups framelits

The gatefold design may also qualify as a fancy fold for the challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz, although it is a pretty simple fold; maybe more of a fun fold than a fancy one :)

adventures with feminine/masculine

I'm preparing for a card-making party, for which the hostess requested a Mother's Day card.  I knew I wanted to use Beautiful You and Blooms & Bliss, but I didn't have a layout in mind. I looked through the challenges I'm familiar with, and I think Hand Stamped Sentiments had exactly what I needed:

stamp sets - Beautiful You, Circle of Spring; ink- Basic Gray, Sweet Sugarplum; card stock - Whisper White, Sweet Sugarplum, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride; designer series paper - Blooms & Bliss; Big Shot with Layering Circles and Wonderful Wreath framelits 

At the Watercooler, Gail requested masculine cards, and I've made quite a few flowery feminine cards lately; I needed a break, and an excuse to test out my new dynamic (extra-deep) embossing folder.  This time, I needed a color palette, and again went browsing through challenges - this one is from Create with Connie and Mary:

stamp set - Nailed It; ink - Smoky Slate; card stock - Whisper White, Emerald Envy, Crushed Curry; designer series paper - Party Animal; Big Shot with Hexagons Dynamic textured embossing folder

a winter adventure

I remembered to pull out my January birthday calendar before the cards were going to be late, but found the only card already prepared is the one for the 31st; I need masculine cards for the 12th and 17th!  I thought the cold prompt at CASology and the sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments would work well for a Michigander:

stamp sets - Flurry of Wishes, Guy Greetings; ink - Lost Lagoon (retired), Soft Sky; card stock - Whisper White, Lost Lagoon (retired), Soft Sky; designer series paper - All is Calm (retired); punch - Snow Flurry; Big Shot with Banners framelits 

I seem to have mirror-imaged the sketch - I hope that's not grounds for disqualification, but even if it is, I like the card and think my nephew will, too.  He may not really believe it's from me if it's not late, though. ;)

Since it qualifies, I'll link up at The Male Room and Seize the Birthday, both having anything goes challenges right now!

adventures with new paper

Today is the last day you can order from the Stampin' Up!® Holiday catalog, although some of the great products will be carried over.  Tomorrow is the first day you can order from the Stampin' Up!® Occasions catalog, where you will find the great "guy" set I used for Match the Sketch 157:

stamp set - Nailed It; ink - Basic Gray; card stock - Whisper White, Watermelon Wonder, Night of Navy; designer series paper - Carried Away

The banner is made from designer series paper that was free with a $50 purchase from Sale-A-Bration, which also starts tomorrow.  Contact your demonstrator to get your copies of the catalogs; if you don't already have a demonstrator, please consider me - I'd love to help you!

While I was flipping through the paper for something I thought would work here, I found this sheet and was inspired to pull out the coordinating stamp and thinlits bundle, too:

stamp set - Lift Me Up; ink - Night of Navy; card stock - Smoky Slate, Mint Macaron, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Night of Navy; designer series paper - Carried Away; Big Shot with Up & Away thinlits and Project Life Cards & Labels framelits

Christmas challenge combination adventure

Earlier today I signed, sealed and addressed the last of the Christmas cards I expect to mail this year. (You know, until I discover who I forgot.)  So I did a little cleaning/organizing in the craft room to make space for gift wrapping, and then I sat down to look over some card challenges.  At Cardz 4 Guyz they're looking for CAS Christmas and Kath's color challenge at the Watercooler is perfect for a masculine card, especially when combined with the sketch from Paper Craft Crew:

card stock - Whisper White, thick and regular, Early Espresso, Gold Foil, Silver Glimmer; Big Shot with Swirly Scribbles and Christmas Greetings thinlits and Brick Wall embossing folder; Silver Glimmer ribbon, Gold baker's twine, Metallic sequins 

adventures with stash paper

I've been using older designer series paper to make my own planner pages this year, since I signed up for the Documented Life Project™ 2016 at Art to the 5th Academy™.  For October I decided on Sweater Weather, but I printed the month of September!  Since I had delved nearly to the bottom of the drawer to find the paper, I didn't want to put it away without CASEing some older Pinterest finds, and I certainly needed to use the reverse side of the design I printed incorrectly.  It's a great masculine color scheme, so it will fit in at the Watercooler, where anything goes this week:

stamp sets - The Wilderness Awaits, Sunshine Sayings, Thoughtful Banners; ink - Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango; card stock - Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango; designer series paper - Sweater Weather (retired); punch - Duet Banner; Big Shot with Lots of Labels framelits

Only the designer series paper is retired, everything else I used is currently available.  This would look just as good (maybe better) on one of this year's designs, which are buy three, get one free the whole month of October!