Inspiration Squad - Challenge 215

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #215.   Our theme for this challenge is ...

I have to admit I don't do a lot of dry embossing, so I created a very simple die embossed element for my card.   I die cut a tag and using the Treble Clef die, I created an embossed element on the corner of the tag.  I tied the Treble Clef die with Holiday music theme pattern paper and sentiments from the Mistletoe & Holly stamps set.  

My last card for this challenge is a simple thank you one using the "thanks" die from the Smiling die set.  This card goes out to Michele.  A simple, but heartfelt thanks for offering this newbie (me) a spot on this design team.  It's been a wonderful experience.    

Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - Challenge 214

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #214.   Our theme for this challenge is ...

The inspiration photo made me think of ornaments, so I created a card with a large ornament.  

I created a circle ornament from white glitter paper using the Ornament Tag die.  On red and green glitter papers I stamped and die cut a few flowers and leaves from the Pretty Posies stamp and die sets.  I glued my flowers and leaves onto the white ornament die cut and glued that onto my card.  I added the "Merry" from the Merry die set and a few Nuvo drops as my finishing touches. 

Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - Challenge 213

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #213.   Our theme for this challenge is ...

So for my card I used gold glitter paper and gold metallic paper.  First I positioned and die cut the Funky Flakes from the gold glitter paper that would become my card top panel.  I used score tape to attach this panel to my card base.  It was during this step that I kind of messed up.  the score tape was so strong that it didn't give me a chance to adjust the die cut flake openings, so when I added my metallic die cut flakes I end up with gaps that showed the white card base :(    

As you can see, I made some of the flakes dimensional by adding a second flake that was only glued at the base.  

Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - Challenge 212

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #212.   Our theme for this challenge is this sketch...

I created this card using the Bushy Tailed stamps set.  

the card front in raised on foam for dimension, under it distressed inked several colors to make the cute animals pop.  My banner is glued flat to the gray card front. 
Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - Challenge 211

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #211.   Our theme for this challenge is this photo...

Here's my interpretation of the photo...

I LOVE FALL and I loved the wood background of the inspiration photo, so I used wood-grain embossing folder for my cards main background.  Next incorporated the photo's single large leaf as several smaller leaves using the Pretty Posies stamp set.  I used the banner and the "thanks sooo much" sentiment from the Bushy Tailed stamp set to connect my two leaf groupings. 

I used metallic watercolors to color my stamped leaves and to "distress" my wood-grain backgound.  All the elements have a great metallic look to them, but sadly the pictures don't show it. 

Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - Challenge 210

Hello crafty friends...
Welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #210.   Our theme for this challenge is ...

A color combination of pinks and grays.  I love gray, but I have to admit I don't use pink too often.  So I took up the pink challenge and created two cards using stamps from the Peaceful Garden set.

here's a close up of card one... 

here's a close up of card two...

 
Remember... 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.   If the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye... until next time, take care.

Inspiration Squad - may2018 Challenge 200

Happy Friday crafty friends... welcome to CAS-ual Friday's Challenge #200!   For this challenge, we are celebrating the 8th birthday of the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog.  Michele has a great new stamp set called Celebrate that is yours for FREE with a qualifying $40 minimum purchase. 

I made three cards using the new Celebrate stamp set... of this first card, I stamped the words on my card panel in gray ink.  Next I did some ink blending with my Distress Oxide Inks.  To finish my card I added a white glitter paper die cut jack from the Jumping Jacks Fri Die set.

For my second card... I created a shaker element using the Jumping Jacks Fri Die.  Some pattern paper and Celebrate sentiment from the Celebrate stamp set.

My third project was  a quick and simple tag using the Happy and the B-Day stamps from the Celebrate stamp set, the jacks from the Jumping Jacks Fri Die and some Distress Ink purple.

What are your playing for? 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. And if that weren't enough, if the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50.

Thanks for stopping bye today. Until next time take care.

Inspiration Squad - Jan2018 Challenge 190

Hello and HAPPY 2018 crafty friends!

This is my first post as a team member of CAS-ual Friday's Challege Blog Inspiration Squad.  The theme for challenge #190 is "All That Glitters" and since I'm not a fan of lose glitter (too messy for me) I used a clear Wink of Stella instead of water to dilute the watercolors of my Zig watercolor brush pens.

I painted the flowers (Truth Is) on both of these cards by coloring the insides of the flowers w/my Zig brush and using the clear Wink of Stella to dilute and spread the watercolor to the flowers tips...  making the tips lighter.  I had to use purple, because it's just my happy go to color.

On this card... I water-colored the background using the same technique... my Zig brush around the flowers and using the clear Wink of Stella diluted and spread the watercolor out and away from the flowers.  I added two fussy cut fish tail banners... a white glitter card stock one under a vellum stamped "it's your birthday" from the Whole Shebang stamp set.  As a finishing touch I added a few Nuvo drops.  Sadly my pictures don't show how sparkly this card turned out.

On this card... the flowers were painted the same way, but for the background a took the Aquamarine Spectrum Noir Sparkle brush pen and making sure the brush was nice as juicy, I tapped it to created spatters as my background.  I incorporated more teal and glitter onto the card by using a die cut "thanks" from the Smiling die.

Here's a final look at the cards and the Cas-ual Friday supplies I used:

Thank you for stopping bye today. I look forward to seeing your glittery submissions to this month's challenge.   

Encouragement Squad - July 2017

Hello crafty friends,

Our color inspiration board for this month has strong summer colors...

I used two of the colors (Red and Blue) for a patriotic encouragement card.  

I started with a stitched rectangle front card panel, which I inked with red and blue using a 12x12 stencil (TCW166).  I added three Zig colored Pretty Posies flowers, which I die cut using the stamp set's matching Posies Fri-Dies onto the middle right corner of the card front.  I next added a red glitter card stock "Smile" die cut using the Smiling Fri-Dies set.  In order to give dimension to my "Smile" die cut... I die cut it three times and glue them together for a nice big impact.  My final touch was adding some white Nuvo Crystal Accents onto the flowers centers.        

Margaritas

Hello crafty friends,

I love Margaritas (it's my Mom's name after all)... and I love how this card turned out.  Wish me luck. I'm taking part in the current CAS-Fridays' Challenge - No Dies Allowed, by submitting this watercolor card.

Here's my masculine version... with beer steins and bottles, but since this version has a cheers die on it, I didn't link it in the challenge.

and in case you get hungry while drinking... here are some donuts for you:

Thanks for stopping bye, please check out CAS-Fridays' Challenge blog post and leave them some love in the comment section.   Until next time... take care.