CAS Kentucky Wedding.

I saw this link on Paperlicious blog and remembered that I had seen the challenge whilst looking for inspiration for this card.  It didn't occur to me that I had actually used bling until I was blogging this so I am delighted to be able to "enter" this in CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

I took inspiration for this card from the invitation.  Basically I reversed the colors and used stamps from my collection to create a similar effect as the card but with a difference.

The colors for the wedding apparently are purple and blue.  I decided not to use the purple and just keep it simple.  Apparently the blue was chosen by the groom for UK basketball.  It really is a religion here.

I know a lot of people struggle with Wedding Cards but I think if you know the invitation is designed by the couple then it gives you more information than who and the venue - it gives you a style and reference point.  That said when I got married I had plain and simple black and white invitations.

This is what I came up with using the invitation as inspiration.  The damask stamps are from Clear Dollar Stamps and I think they mimic the original pretty well.

You can't really tell but after I colored the rings with Copics and then went over the top with some Tsukineko galaxy gold for a slight sparkle and of course the ladies ring need a "diamond" to sparkle too.  And I think that qualifies as "bling" on a CAS card!

What I really like though is the embossed border to just take it one step further than the original.

Ingredients

Card size - 8.5 x 5.5 inches

Cardstock - Neenah, Recollections

Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps, Just Rite Stampers, See D's

Ink - Memento, Galaxy Gold

Color - Copics

Accessories - Spellbinders Nestabilities, Rhinestone (I just couldn't afford the diamond for a card!) and NO airbrushing - I might have to have a moment of silence.

Hi! Ho! Sheffield Wednesday Superstar!

Another guy card but truthfully I think it is more important that it is a football (soccer) card for a friend of ours. He supports Sheffield Wednesday or The Owls for those not in the know. The secondary theme is that my family call our friend "Superstar" . So you see between football, Owls, stars and team colors I had a lot to work with.

I used my Clear Dollar Stamps for my owl and coloured him in with my Copics and then put glossy accents on his eyes. (and one of these days I will get a good close up picture I promise!!!)


I think the idea of the background almost worked but didn't quite. I didn't want it so regimented but I wonder if that would have been better.

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5in x 5.5in
Cardstock - Neenah, Bazzill
Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps, See D's, Stampology
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Summer Sky
Copics - 0, 110, B000, B00, YR20, YR23, W1, W3, W5, W7, E31, E33, E35, E37
Accessories - Nestabilities

Just in case you wondered what the Hi Ho is about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PXSRsaloo&feature=related Please be warned that it is not my posting on youtube and I can't be accountable for comments people make on such footage.

You Rock!

Well you know you do! And so does the recipient of this card too!

I stamped the Stampendous image and went with blues - I tend toward red guitars but I wanted to be slightly less predictable. I colored both the base image and the second popped image with Copics. I then stamped the sentiment and adhered the second guitar on top of the first and matted the image in black. I put the three brads on it to echo the silver of the background image.

As you can see, because of the foiled paper it was a bit of bear to photograph. I went for a clear picture with a close up to show off the foil!

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - Neenah, Georgia Pacific, DCWV, The Paper Source
Ink - Memento
Stamps - Stampendous, See D's
Copics - C1, C3, C5, B23, B24, B29
Accessories - 3 silver brads

Grungy 21st Birthday.

Hate to admit this but I think this card ranks up there with my last year Christmas cards as fun concept but...

Is it wrong to send a card you don't like? Well I have in this case. I had this concept of cutting out a large card with my Cricut - worked it all out on the Design Studio and was pleased enough with it but it needed more. So I used my Clear Dollar Stamps and Kitchen Sink Stamps to stamp guy things related to carpentry to make an insert card to the die cut card. I think attempted to personalize it and that is where it started to go all wrong. I stamp on the "R" and it doesn't stamp completely... Yikes! - so to save it I decided to shadow stamp the name and emboss it for texture. I still didn't like the look so I grunged it up so that front would stand out against the background.

Why do I have so many "guy" relatives in my life? ACK!!!!

Anyway - you honestly won't hurt my feelings if you comment that you don't like it because I'm not certain I like it either.

Ingredients
Size - 8.5in x 5.5 in
Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps, Kitchen Sink Stamps, See D's
Ink - Memento
Accessories - Cricut

My first Cricut card for a "Princess"

I know I blogged a while ago about my "second" cricut card. Well, now that I have found the photo file (it was on my son's camera). I will share my first Cricut card. It is "ok" I like it but I don't love it. I think I am going to have to study the Paper Dolls cartridge a bit more and the Cricut blogs a bit more to find out what I like and don't like.

However, you know my style I don't just share what I deem my successes.

The body and hair are cut out of some Michaels cardstock. Her dress and hat are out of Waussau pearlescent cardstock. I hand drew the "banner" because I needed to get a sentiment on there and there wasn't much room left. I then stamped the banner with See D's sentiment stamp. And of course a Princess needs her bling factor so I dotted stickles all over the hat and the along the hemline and neckline of her dress.

Please feel free to give advice on what I could have done to make her "better" - From my perspective maybe a bit of shading. I know I don't like it but I'm a bit perplexed on what to do to make her "better" LOL

The little lunchbox is covered in cardstock from DCWV.

Another fine mess!

This was my husband's favourite (and yes I have to spell that in English not American because that is the way he speaks) card. He is a mad (another English-ism) Laurel & Hardy fan and when I saw this stamp on VivaLasVegastamps website I knew I just had to get it!

The image is stamped with Palette noir and colored in with Copics (I know they have such vibrant colors!) they had just the right subtle quick colors that I needed for this. Gotta love those grays again! And the skin tones were just what I needed.

I cut out the image with my square nestabilities and embossed the edge. I then cut a mat with the nestabilities in a very "manly" black.

The gray card is Bazzill which I scored into a grid using my Scor-pal. Now what did I ever do without that - it really does make scoring so much easier than it was when I used to try to use my trimmer.

The second stamped image of the clapboard is another from VLVS and the greeting is from my collection of See D's - they almost look like they were made for one another.

So, I guess the question now is - do you think my DH was right in his preference?

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Bazzill, Georgia Pacific

Stamps - VivaLasVegastamps, See D's

Ink - Brilliance

Markers - Copic

Accessories - Nestabilities, brads by Making Memories, Scor-Pal.

4th of July Birthday!!!

I guess I really should have more subtle titles - or maybe just sub titles as I know my brain and my thoughts don't always marry up!

Well today is a very special day - it is our entire little family unit's first 4th of July together or as the DH calls it Colonial Day. Honestly how can you argue with him! lol His uncle used to tease me that England were just seeing if the US could manage on their own... that was over 15 years ago, I think he may have been on to something. HMMM

I guess I better give you the heads on the card - its for a dear friend of mine in England - I have to say I was inspired by the artwork of this blog http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ (I know the work there is fabulous but keep coming here too please! I'm begging you here people! LOL)

I stamped my main image from High Hopes and colored her in using prismacolor pencils and baby oil. I then framed the images using the star border from Technique Tuesday stamped with platinum planet ink and clear embossed the stars. I decided to mask the main image and then sponged Distressed Ink in Fired Brick and then in Faded Jeans. I then stamped my denim background from Cornish Heritage Farms using my Adirondack denim pad. The stars are quickutz diecuts and then colored with the Fired brick and the platinum planet and adhered with 3D zots. The See D's greeting was stamped with the Adirondack denim pad and then highlighted with the distress pads. The card base is Archiver's own cardstock linen blue.

Hope you like and have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Ingredients:

Stamps - High Hopes, See D's, Technique Tuesday, Cornish Heritage Farms

Color - Prismacolor pencil

Ink - Adirondack, Distress ink, Brilliance

Dies - Quickutz

45 pints of beer on a card, 45 pints of beer, take one down....

LOL I made this as a belated birthday card for a dear friend of ours! He has a keen interest in Beer and Bourbon so I thought while he was dreaming that he might just dream of beer too! So the bloke in the hammock is meant to be him and the background is what he is dreaming of!

The inside sentiment reads - "We wanted you to know that we didn't forget to send your birthday card... we just got overwhelmed by the amount of taste testing"

I've sent it so I'm hoping to hear soon whether he likes it in real life or not however, it passed the first male test, when I ran it past DH so I'm hopeful! LOL


Ingredients:
Color - Archival Jet Black, Prismacolor pencils (oderless mineral spirits technique)
Cardstock - Georgia Pacific, Hobby Lobby
Stamps - VivaLasVegastamps, See D's Boys Toys, My Sentiments Exactly
Extras - glossy accents, brads, ATG

A Wedding Card

This is a wedding card I made for a couple getting married in late April. I took my color cues and design elements (the monogram initials in a heart) from the couple's invitation (which they had designed themselves) and what knowledge I had about the color scheme of the wedding.

I really wanted this to be special and I hope the couple likes it. The card is 5x7 made out of white linen cardstock, gold irredescent vellum and black linen cardstock. The linked hearts are out of my Celebration images See D's set. The Monogram are Stampendous exclusive to Archivers. These were stamped in Dew Drops Galaxy Gold (really shimmery).

I used a Hero Arts stamp with Versamark and then O'So sticky embossing powder to make the beaded heart over the monogram. I then used a cut to size a strip of OSo sticky tape to bead the line of hearts at the bottom of the card.

I then made an envelope out of hammered cardstock by using a technique of using measurements of 1/8 inch larger than the card in all directions and then using a corner rounder on the exposed corners. I found the how-to somewhere on SCS - sorry having a dipsy brain moment. So if it is your technique please let me know. Then I lined the envelope with matching vellum to finish it off.

PS - if you look carefully at the close up you can just about see the hearts on through the gold vellum.

Personalised Pens

Just thought I would share some of the personalized pens I made to send out for Easter. I got the instructions from SCS, the pens from Wally's world and the Beads and adhesives from PennyWiseArts. Again I used paper for the stamping as I couldn't find the right sized labels and adhered with glue. The Alpha stamps are my Hero Arts set, the background stamping on the pens are from See D's - boys toys, cute and cuddly and Morsels -whimsical garden. The butterflies were colored in with prismacolor pencils and I used Archival Inks black, Versafine -red, Dew drops - galaxy gold, pixie dust, spring pansy, sea breeze and perfect plumeria.

Another sneak peek! LOL

Decided to take up a bit of a challenge to use the little cuttlebug folders - I knew what I wanted to do with this one. I like the outcome but that will have to wait and see whether the recipients like it too - though I know they are too polite to say otherwise!

Here's a peek. Shhhhhhhhhhh don't tell anyone! LOL Isn't this bow just too cute!

Anyway - I have been playing with a few techniques off Splitcoaststampers (they are so fab!!!!) and playing with a few bits of my recent stash haul - that will definitely have to be it for a long while! well maybe ;-) you know how it goes.

I have a list as long as my arm of cards/project to complete -

• Valentines - at least 3
• Go Team - a not so little project! that I have CASE off SCS
• Birthday - at least 5
• March cards - 5
• Mother's day card - 1
• Wedding card needs to be more than spectacular as both the bride and groom are designers!!!!!- 1
• Confirmation card - 2
• Easter cards - ?????
• Thank you's for various things as well!

and that is just to get me through from now to March. YIKES!!! especially as I wanted to make a start on scrapbooking; the dreaded spring clean; organise my craft space; and do a bit more of house unpacking.

I did however, just want to share this VERY simple card! and I mean VERY simple! that I made quite a while ago but it quite effective and I know people get intimidated with stamping at times.The cupcakes are stickers from the Dollar Tree! The "Happy Birthday" is a See D's stamp and it was stamped on the black with White Brilliance and then highlighted with Sakura - white gel and pink, blue and yellow glitter pens. Hope you like!

New Year's Day 2008

Where did that last year go! ROFL - oh I must be old if I am losing years in the blink of an eye - just nod in agreement to amuse me because you know I can see you - lol.


Well, I thought for the new year I would post up a baby card I made recently. As I really haven't had a moment to craft over the Christmas break - which may have more to do with going to all the sales and I won't even tell you how much got stuffed in my car from the New Year's 75% off sale...in my defense there were three of us shopping for three different households.

I made this card for my cousin and his wife on the arrival of their son. I thought the blue and white was quite crisp and fresh, oh and of course there was the "boy" theme. The ribbon is a satin roll I picked up somewhere and the pram was made with a Marvy circle punch, scallop scissors, organza ribbon, Adirondack denim and eggplant with irisdescent glitter over the top. The congratulations greeting is from a See D's set which I went over again with white sakura pen. I don't have a small circle punch so I just drew around a thread spool and cut. - isn't it funny with all the gadgets there are when we end up just using a scissors, paper and glue. lol.