CAS... for reals

CAS cards are hard for me.  The more I look at them, the more I want to add on, and add on, etc., etc.  I think it comes form some feeling of insecurity, that what I have isn't good enough or something- I dunno.  But not this time Boy-O!  Nope, I stopped myself before I could get carried away.

Now that I've told you what it isn't, why don't I tell you a little about what it is. :) This is what I came up with for today's card- a one layer, clean card.  OMG!  Yep, and it has a little paint splatter in the back, one die cut full of hexagon shape from Simon Says Stamp behind my main image.  You can barely see the sunburst from Neat and Tangled (I was going for monochromatic and subtle), and it is inside the A Lot to Say bubble and finished off with the "Happy Birthday" from Just for you.  The sentiment is actually one stamp, but I used my exacto knife to cut them apart for more versatility.


Feeling pretty darn pleased with my ability to cut my OCD off before it was too late! LOL!

I am entering this into:
Little Tangles- Monochromatic
CASology- Paint
Moxie Fab World- Happy For Hexagons

Today's Question of the Day is- what technique or medium in card making and crafting is the hardest for you and/or one that you'd like to master?

Thank you for stopping by today!

Fusion #5

Hello and welcome to my blog.  I hope you have been enjoying the Fusion challenges as much as I have. The inspiration pictures and sketches have been fabulous!  This week has a lovely sketch with a swoop and some fabulous colors ta' boot!  Here is what we are looking at:

Here is my take on this week's inspiration.  For this card I started with this paper from Glitz that I love!  I used Cosmic Stars and Written in the Stars from Mama Elephant.  The zodiac current points to Pisces so I went the the fishies for this card.  It was pretty fun coloring them blue.  This is a pretty masculine card overall, but I think the lacy ribbon gives it a little bit of a feminine touch.  

Please check out the other DT creations and then come join us at Fusion!

Thanks for visiting!

Yeti...Set...Baby!

Hello friends!  I hope you are having a good day today.  It is almost halfway day so I am happy.  AND, I have a fun little card here for you today, hope it makes you chuckle just a little.

I made this mini card for Top Dog Dies.  Did you know they are now carrying Lawn Fawn dies?!  Well they are and this is the perfect card to share love for both companies.  This is a mini card using the Baby On Board die set from TDD.  The little screaming yeti is from Yeti Set Go LF set.  This is perfect to tie on a baby shower gift. This is perfect little card to make mom and dad laugh, especially when their kiddo is being a little monster. Please don't judge me for that comment, I am pretty sure that every parent has been there at one time or another.

I am entering this card into Lawnscaping Challenge #76.  I don't have Yeti Set Go, but I stamped these from a friend when the set first came out.  So I dusted the stamped images off and used one.

The Question of the Day today isn't exactly a question- I am hoping you can tell me a story about your kiddo being a little monster, one that you can think back on and chuckle about?  One that makes this little mini card perfect! ;)

A Promise

Recently my friend and I started a little Camp Fire Troop for our daughters.  As a child we both grew up in either Girl Scouts or Camp Fire and really relished the experience and wanted to provide that for our daughters as well.  We chose the organization that worked out with our timing, not because one was better than the other, but I really do like the Camp Fire promise- 

"Young people want to shape the world.

Camp Fire provides the opportunity 

to find their spark, 

lift their voice, and

discover who they are. 

In Camp Fire, it begins now.

Light the fire within."

In celebration of this, I wanted to make a fun little card for my daughter, so I made her a Camp Fire vest.  I used many little stamps from various Lawn Fawn sets (Summertime Charm, The Sky's the Limit, Say Cheese) to make little badges to put on the vests representing various achievements.  I cut the little bits and put them on various punched circles. I even added faux stitching around the edge as if they were sewn on.  Inside is a little banner with the congrats message.  I hope she likes it, but I know she will. :)  Here are a couple of other shots from different angles. 

I am entering this into Lawnscaping Challenge #76- Dust 'em Off.  The supply I am using that I don't often use is the various punches for the circles. 

Thanks for stopping and I hope you have a great day.  

On the Air

Wow, how does the weekend move so quickly?  I can't believe it is Sunday already...well almost anyway.  It has been enjoyable so far though.  My kiddo was sick on Friday but feeling better so we went to the zoo today.  They had a fun scavenger hunt going on, so it was a fun and different way to check out the zoo.  We also played what was your favorite animal today 20 questions.

Friday night my hubby and I went on a date to Teatro ZinZanni "On the Air."  It was hilarious!  My husband kept guffawing and said how his face hurt from laughing after it was over.  The highlight was one of the main actors who played several roles where people were pulled out of the audience; he was a genius with improv. I would highly recommend it.

Before you go, I'll share a card with you.  I made this for my Nephew's birthday.  He probably won't like it, because he is a tween and doesn't like anything (LOL) but it is the thought that counts. :)  I made this using my PS set Talk Bubbles that was part of my Artful Delight kit.  This was my first kit and they are shutting down shop, so very sad!- boo.  I used the masking technique for the balloons and went with bold bright primary colors.

I am entering this into the PS Sparks Anything Goes Challenge.

A Mochromatic for Cut-it-Up

Happy Friday folks!  I am always so glad when this day of the week arrives, aren't you?  Not only because it means the weekend and crafty time, but it also means time for a new CIU challenge!  This round we are playing with the theme of Winter Fun and challenge you to use blue and white.


To get you inspired I made a card that I wanted to share with you.  This card is one to give to a friend to tell them just how "cool" you think they are.  :) There are lots of different blues here, most notably is the background DP, the stars from freckled fawn and of course the die- which is a frame die from Paper Smooches.  I just love this sweet snowgirl and the thought of her living in the little igloo.

So won't you come and join us for the challenge?  All you have to do is follow the CIU blog, enter a new creation that features a die and link it up by March 5th.  There are also TWO prizes- a $10 gift certificate to Fluerette Bloom and a Stamp Set from Joy's Life.

Clowning around

That is pretty much my standard, clowning around...I have some rough times, but when I can I have a lot of fun.  I thought it would be fun to clown around with this set some more too. :) I love this set and really can't get enough of it.   It is just so fun and can have so many uses.  I thought of making this card for a recent magazine call using speech bubbles, but didn't get to it in time- ah well, it just give me more fun stuff to share on the blog here. :)

What I used for this card was some basic Real Red CS from SU!  The DP is BasicGrey.  The clown of course is from Paper Smooches Enjoy life and the sentiment is from Sweet Stamp Shop's Fall Gratitude. Other than that I've done some fussy cutting and gluing and the rest is coloring.  I dream of having Copics or something similar, but I've had my SU! markers for several years and they have treated me well.

OK, I've got a really ringer for you today for my Question of the Day.   I wanna know, do you like clowns or do they scare you and why?

Entering this card into:
Paper Smooches Sparks- Anything Goes

Your invited...

Hello.  So have you seen the Diaper Card die from Top Dog Dies?  So stinking cute!  I've thought of several fun ways to use this die but my fave is to make this baby shower invitation.  I have a friend who is expecting her first (a boy) and wanted to help her out by making some invites and this die made it so easy to reproduce.

Here is how I did it.  I used some navy blue CS for the base and used some My Mind's Eye DP to make another layer for the front.  When I put it together, there is an option to tuck the diaper flaps in, but I wanted to use the fun yellow twill ribbon to tie it, so I used a little punch to make slits for my ribbon.  I finished it off with a tag clipped with a tiny safety pin... and perfection!  So very easy and the details are inside.

If I get the time, I'll use this die again to make make her a banner with yellow lettering that says welcome baby.  It will be fabulous!  I am so excited for her and can't wait for the shower. I've got to come up with some games to play.  Any ideas?  Today's Question of the Day is- what is your favorite baby shower game?


Entering this into:
Shabby Tea Room Challenge #206

Happy Valentines Day!

I've just gotta share the sweet little note my daughter left me this am on our chalkboard. :)  If you can't read it, the note says, "I love you Mom.  You are mine."   Dad was added in after the fact- LOL!  She did give her Daddy his valentine the night before because she just couldn't wait, so I don't feel bad.  She wrote this with her left hand using mammoth sized sidewalk chalk, which made it hard to read.  She is sorta ambidextrous, originally she was all about her left hand, but now that she writes she uses her right.  She still throws and does a few other things with her left hand.  Just using that big brain of hers evenly! ;)  Can you tell that this tickled me and made my heart swell?  Can you tell I love my little girl?  Probably not at all!

I gave her a valentine I made a while back with the hamster, remember this card, because she saw me using the stickers and LOVED them!  Here is what I gave the hubby.  My card is mostly classy elegant, because I like that look!  It features the Top Dog Heart Doily Die (remember I can't get enough of it), some Neat and Tangled Sequins, part of the arrow die from MFT (feathers and arrows set) and the sentiment from CAS-ual Fridays.

A couple of things that I used that made me feel ingenious...please don't dispute it, just let me ride this wave even if you don't agree :)...  were some of the kitchen supplies I used.  Because I didn't have any vellum I used wax paper, not the same as vellum, but it worked well enough to put sequins in between the two heart layers.  I also used a brand new twist tie for the arrow shaft.  The shaft that comes with the MFT die was too narrow and short for my purposes, so this twist tie was perfect.



Whether you like Valentines or not, I hope you have a bright and cheery day.  Thanks for swinging by!

Entering into:
Little Tangles- Celebrate Love  (since I used their sequins)
The Card Concept- Monochromatic Pink 

Color me happy

Happy Fusion Challenge #4 friends!  So excited to have you come and play along with us!  Did you go check out the winners from #3- AWESOME!!!!  

Now...get ready for it.... here is this weeks inspiration pic and sketch...  

Wow right?!  Yeah, I thought so too.  :)  

Here is how I interpreted it...I went with a little of both pic and sketch but not all of everything.  I kept it pretty CAS focusing mostly on the DP.  I can't get enough of this BasicGrey pack that Kimberly gave me!

Thanks K!  I used my reverse confetti on vellum with black embossing powder and finished it off with this bright and bold butterfly.  

Be sure to head back to Fusion so you can check out the other DT creations AND...while you are there you might as well play along right!?  Here are the rules:

1. Play with just the sketch challenge.

2. Play with just the inspiration photo challenge.

3. Or you can create FUSION by combining BOTH challenges into one card.

4. Use the challenge graphic and link back to Fusion in your post.

5. Please read the other considerations on the Our Rules Page before playing along.

I am entering my card into:

CASology #82- BOLD

Box of Hearts Shaker Card

Just a quick post today to show you a fun card I made last weekend.  No trend setting this time, these are old SU! stamps and old DP.  It was just too fun not to make a box of hearts shaker card. :)  The DP, the pastel hearts and the glass glitter are perfect for this creation.

Another entry for CAS(E) this sketch #63 and one more for Crazy 4 Challenges #222- glitter.

I am not big on going out on Valentines Day, mostly because they charge so much and I think it is a racket.  BUT... my sweet hubby often shows up at my office and hand delivers chocolate covered strawberries to me and flowers to me on Valentines Day.  WOW, what a guy!  I think he's a keeper don't you!?!?!   The Question of the Day is- Assuming you like to get a sweet treat on Valentines Day, what candy or treat would you want to get?  

Thank you for swinging by friends!  I hope you day is as *sweet* as can be. :)

Baby makes three...

You've been hearing a lot from me lately and I hope you aren't weary of it yet. ;)  All these creations and blog posts are certainly making me happy, love getting my creative juices flowing!

Today I wanted to share a creation that I made using some of my Top Dog Dies!  This creation is perfect for an expecting mother for Mother's day this year.  The fun little bucket is perfect for putting in a onesie, some burp cloths, socks, or random stuff like a rattle, binky and socks.  It doesn't really matter what you put in, it will be so cute.  The coordinating colors of the bucket and card work for either a boy or a girl in my opinion. While green may be more masculine color, the florals of this BasicGrey DP make it acceptable for either.

What I did- For the bucket I decorated the outside with washi (SUPER EASY), then added ribbon to the handle, used the onesie from Baby on Board on a tag and one of the doilies from the Cherish Doily set right on top.  The card also features the mother's silhouette from Baby on Board. I just love how the black pops out from the DP.  A few little touches and done!  This is an easy gift that could be made in 30 minutes.

So I hope you enjoyed this little creation.  Before you go, did you know that the winner of the TDD Blog Hop was posted?!  Oooohhh, so exciting!  The winner is.... Sabrina Radican!  CONGRAULTATIONS! Sabrina you should have gotten an email from Meagan Morris about collecting your awesome prize. :)

Entering into:
Ribbon Carousel Blog #90- Washi Tape
CAS(E) this Sketch #63 (card only) 

Hello..again...

This is my second post for today.  Scroll down to see my post where I got trendy and played with modeling paste.

This card is for the Papertrey Inc. 7 Year Anniversary Celebration!  Woohoo and congrats Nichole!  You may recall the last time I tried to play along with one of their hops recently, I didn't have any of their products to use- doh!  My friend Kimberly, graciously gave me some goodies and included was this fun PTI set Ruby Reprise...so now I can officially play!

My card features the set I mentioned in various shades of pink and the leaves in greens, I just love it.  I framed them around the negative hello image (Simon Says Stamp) popped up.  It was an after thought to add the sequins in.....it probably would have been so much easier to do prior to completing the rest of the card....another DOH!  but oh well. :) Those are N&T sequins and I love the way the bright pink pops and sets off the PTI flowers.

So there you have it.  Thanks for stopping AGAIN today, I really appreciate it!

Getting trendy

Let's be honest, I am not always up with the hottest trends.  I tend to contemplate and consider things for a while before I commit to them.  However, I've been seeing a few folks playing with modeling paste to add texture and I wanted to check it out.  So I did.  I picked up the paste from my local craft store.

I played with the paste a few times to get the look I wanted.  I added some color using some of my mists.  The firecracker sprays, which I love on paper because they are bright, came out in pastel hues (not as bright).  This look works for some things, but wasn't what I was looking for here.  I wanted bright striking colors and The Mr. Huey mists worked well, keeping the color very close to what it was in the bottle.  I finally settled on using those mists for this project.

Now here is my card.  I used this fun Chalkboard DP from We R Memory Keepers.  I stenciled the flower (Martha Stewart) using the colored molding paste I created.  I was able to use red for teh flower and green for the base.  Once I pulled the stencil off, I decided to add some glitter before the paste dried for just a little fun touch.  I put this on the base and finished off with the sentiment (Sweet Stamp Shop) embossed on vellum and some white enamel dots (BasicGrey).

I love the sparkly finish of this card and really enjoyed playing with the modeling past for the first time. Wahoo for being trendy!  For today's Question of the Day, I want to know if you have used modeling paste yet?  What has been your favorite way to use it?

Thanks for stopping friends!  I appreciate every visit and every comment you leave, it warms my heart. :)

Entering into:
CAS(E) this Sketch #63
City Crafter Challenge Blog- #197 Color Splash
Crazy 4 Challenges #222- glitter