Day 2 of July 2021 CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Release-Jewish Stars Stencil

Hello everyone!! It is Day 2 of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps release and I am posting a card I created using the NEW *Jewish Star Stencil. 

I created my background by stenciling with *Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink and the *Jewish Star Stencil onto an A2, white card base. 

I then added a white die cut circle over the top. I covered some of the stars using a *Clear Glitter Brush Marker and others with some *Glossy Accents.

I die cut Happy Chanukah out of white and Tonic *Blue Metallic cardstock using the *Happy Hanukkah Dies. I adhered the two layers together using *Ranger Multi-matte and then adhered the sentiment to  card front. 

My last step was to adhere some sliver sequins around the die cut sentiment.

The Jewish Stars Stencil, as well as the entire release, is now for sale in the NEW section of the *CAS-ual Fridays Shop. Please use my code NORASENTME for 15% off your entire purchase, including sale items!!!

Hop on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see projects from the other design team members and to enter a drawing for a prize!!!

That is all from me today. Please pop in tomorrow for Day 3 of the CAS-ual Fridays release!!!

***All starred links are Affiliate links. Affiliate links are links that cost you nothing but give me a minimal amount of money to spend on more product!!!

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #523-A Color Challenge

Hello everyone!! Just popping in with a card for this weeks Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #523.  

This week the design team is playing with Di's Digital Stamps on their cards. HOWEVER, I don't have any of these so I chose to do a more graphic card, using die cuts as my design element. 

The challenge this time around is a color challenge. Can you guess which colors we had to use?

In the badge, the yellow and blue are really bright. I toned mine down a bit by using a slightly different shade of both colors. 

I used Simon Says Stamps Geometric Square Builders to die cut pattern paper from My Minds Eye's Tutti Frutti paper collection, Bo Bunny's Lemonade Stand collection and a gingham scrap from Lawn Fawn. I wanted the design to be simple as I wasn't sure how these squares would look together when done.

The sentiment is stamped using The Ton's Easy Expression sentiment stamp and matching die. I added some sequins around the sentiment to give it more emphasis.

I was not sure how I was going to do this challenge but I LOVE how my card came out. I know that this color mix is not the usual to use for a more graphic card but I think it all pulls together nicely.

Please hop on over to the Cupcake Inspirations Blog to join us in the latest challenge and to see the other beautiful projects the Design Team created. I cannot wait to see what you create!!

I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by today. Have a FABULOUS day!!

Happy Sunday!

 Hello everyone! 

Just popping in with two cards I created this weekend for some challenges. It sure was a good weekend to make cards as the weather was not very nice. We have had a week of rain and another week has been predicted. I am not complaining as I would rather have rain than a drought.

My first card, I created for two challenges. 

I pulled out my Altenew *Leaf Canopy Stamp and Dies to create this card. I have been trying to use my new with my old so I also used my new *Garden Trellis Die. 

The two challenges that inspired this card were this weeks Color Throwdown #650 and TGIF Challenge #324, which was a sketch.

I think I have said it before but I am not great with color challenges so I was SO HAPPY when I saw this badge. The photo actually inspired me to use the Leaf Canopy set. The layout was inspired by the sketch.

I used Altnew *Chamomile Ink to stamp the yellow leaves and Altenew *Gray Denim for the gray. It was the first time I had used that gray and I think it is my new favorite

I also knew I wanted to use my Garden Trellis on this so I cut it down into a triangle to use in the bottom right corner. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things *Deepest Sympathy stamp set. I tend to use this set a lot as it it has some really great sympathy sentiments.

For my second card, I used three challenges as inspiration. I used As You See It Challenge #254-Focal Point. I also am entering this into Inspiration Station Challenge #9-Sun, Sea and Sand and I am playing along with The Card Concept #158-Long Summer Days. This is actually a record for me-three challenges at once!!

This card was SO FUN to create!! I had used *Hero Arts Seashells Fancy Dies to die cut some shells out for a different card last week. I never got around to making it so I decided to use it for these challenges.

I layered these over piece of *Neenah cardstock that I had colored in using Copic Markers to create "sand." I was trying to make the dots teeny like the Inspiration Station photo but it just wasn't working. 

I decided to get out a distress tool to distress the edges of all the papers that the shells were layered on. I also took some *Vintage Photo Distress Ink and did a really light blend on the outside of each, so that the torn parts looked "dirty."

The last thing I adhered to the card was the sentiment. I wasn't sure if I wanted a black sentiment or white sentiment on my card. I even thought about a dark brown. However, my daughter said the black looked best because it popped. 

The sentiment I decided to use is from My Favorite Things *Bitty Birthday Wishes that I heat embossed in white. 

I love when I have mojo to create!!! It is almost like a high when I am successful at making more than one card at a time. I am easily distracted!!

Well that is all from me today. Check back tomorrow as the latest Cupcake Inspiration Challenge card will be up on the blog. Have a FABULOUS night!!

***All starred links are affiliated links to use at no extra cost to you. I am very new at this and am trying to support my habit!! Clicking on the links gives me a tiny percentage that I can use to purchase new supplies.

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Reminder

Hello everyone!! I hope this finds you well. 

I am just popping in with another card for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #522. This time around it is a theme challenge-Oh Birdie. There is still time to play along!!! 

Below is the inspiration badge for this time around.

Source

I had fun playing with my new Spellbinders dies-Sweet Birds on a Branch for my card. I used a combination of Copic Markers and Distress Inks to color them in. I actually screwed up two birds in the making of this card. I tried to put "eyes" on them with some Liquid Pearls and messed up. Lucky I made more than one set of birds!!!

The background was done by shading Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I wanted to make the background more green than blue to give the illusion of leaves in the background.

I added some white gel pen on each of the birds for a bit more detail. The leaves and the wings also have some Clear Sparkle Pen on top. This set was so fun to use!! The sentiment strips I pulled from my stash and am not sure who created them. 

I layered the strips on top of each other to take up some space. I love how this turned out!!! 

Hop on over to the Cupcake Inspirations Blog to enter this challenge. I cannot wait to see what you create!!!

I thank you for taking the time to stop by. Have a FABULOUS day!!!

Happy Retirement and an Adventure

 Happy Sunday!! I hope you are all having a great day. It has been extra hot for a May day today. It is presently overcast and I hope it will rain. We need it so badly!!

Today I am popping in to share a few photos. I created two retirement cards. 

I created these using this weeks Freshly Made Sketches #486 as inspiration. However I flipped it and took a little liberty.

I used the Rolling Clouds Die by Taylored Expressions for the top BUT it blended in too much on my cards because I stenciled over it and then added it to a stenciled background.

On this card, I added a black strip at the bottom where I heat embossed a sentiment from Paper Trey Ink. 

The little scooter from the Enjoy the Ride is from Spellbinders. I added some balloons behind the back of the scooter from My Favorite Things.

I cut these balloons out and added some black jute as the ties.

On my second card, I had to move the sentiment to cover mistake. A glob of glue from my finger got on the cloud die cut. I could not get it off with any of the methods I know of so I had to adhere the sentiment over the top and add a black strip at the bottom to ground the scooter.

I colored in the balloons with light pink Copic's instead of dark pink. 

I am sending these out to some of the members of my union. I am the secretary and in charge of the correspondence.

On another note, I went on a little adventure with a friend yesterday. I rarely have time to do things like this so it was so fun. We went to an open house at an artist community. I did not take photos, though I wish I did. We also went to an antique warehouse. I did take some fun photos there. I love going in to these places to browse. It always reminds me of my childhood.

Did you remember pantyhose coming in this packaging? My mother used to buy these and then would give the eggs to us to play with.

What about colorful Fiestaware? I have newer stuff but I like some of the colors of these. The light green and the fun pink are dishes I would love to have.

These pins remind me of my mother. I always ache when I see pins like this. My mother had a bunch of these and I don't remember where they went. I wish I had them now because I would wear them.

Last but not least, there were a ton of vintage pocket books. Someone must have been selling their collection. They were A LOT of money!!! I just think they are exquisite.

Well, that is all from me today. I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by. I hope you have a great week!!!

Using my Stash: Valentines

Hello everyone!! I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted ANYTHING on this blog. Moving my craft room from one floor to the next has taken me forever, since I have had to sort through everything and clean out the upstairs room too. It still is not complete BUT I am getting there!!!

In my sorting, I found some things that I decided I wanted to use. I forgot I even had this little kit from Making Memories and so I put it on my desk to remind me to use it when I had time. Well, this weekend I did!

I didn't use everything but I did pull out a lot and made three cards. I added a few things to it here and there but I love what I created!!!

This first card is my favorite. I used some pattern paper from my stash and added the frame, which was in the kit, that I had fussy cut it out. I then used foam adhesive to pop the "adore" bingo card up over it. 

The little ticket and red twine were also from the kit. I added the xoxo that was sitting in my stash. I think it should have been the opposite, though, right? Oh well, it is adhered too well to pull it off!

I finished the card off with a Valentine sentiment stamped using Taylored Expressions Mini Strips: Valentine.

I am going to enter this card into this month's Color Hues Challenge: Red and Pink. I am also going to enter this into Just Add Ink's Challenge: Pick 2-banner, border bow. I have the bow and am counting the strip as my border!

For my second card I used items from the kit AND a stenciled heart background that I created last year and never used.

The little pattern square and ticket were from that kit. I added a doily and the felt heart, two other things I discovered as I was going through my stuff. Everything old is new again!!

That sentiment strips are from my stash as well. I just paired them together. 

I don't do a lot of heavy layering on my cards because it is a pain to send but I love how this came out too!!!

My last card is a sympathy card.

The heart, the button, the twine and ticket were all from the kit. I added a Prima flower from a HUGE jar that I own, as well as some hearts that were die cut using a retired CAS-ual Fridays die.

The sentiment strips are from my stash. I think they are Taylored Expressions? 

The next two cards are kind of random for this post. I created them last month when I was doing this fun, stenciled/stamped/blended winter backgrounds.

The elves are Mama Elephant Little Agenda Elves that were colored and die cut. 

Other images are a combination of My Favorite Things and Lawn Fawn. To see how I created the background, go to this post. I don't have the energy to write it all down again!!!

The beauty of this card was that I had all the little images stamped and colored ahead of time. I just had to die cut the frame and make the background!!!

The last card is in this winter theme as well.

The snow man is from Mama Elephant's Little Snowman Agenda, the hills are from Simon Says Stamp and the trees/house are from Lawn Fawn.

The sentiment is from Hello Bluebird. Out of all the cards I created that day, this one is my favorite for some reason. 

Did I bore you yet with all my cards? This has been kind of a long post but now I am done!!!

I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by. Have a FABULOUS day!!!