CAS-ology chocolate

This week's word at CAS-ology is irrestistable - well actually it's chocolate but you know what I mean :) !
I used the Rubber Romance stamp recently for a beverage challenge, so out it came again, this time I added some chocolates that I bought years ago from Dimension Fourth - yummy aren't they?  I've added some 'caramel' to top a couple of the choccies and cut the panel around them.

Hmm... think I need some chocolate to go with my lunchtime coffee now

I'm also entering my card for:
Gem of a Challenge - clean & simple
Vintage Stamping - anything goes

Ooh La La Creations - Challenge #166 - use a bow

It's time for a new challenge at Ooh La La Creations and this time Michelle has set a fun challenge: use a bow.  I've added an ombre bow to my gorgeous image from the Say it with Words CD.  The background uses an insert, matted onto some lovely bright gold DP from the same collection on the CD, and with a few sequins added.  Wonderful sentiment on this autumnal image reads:
'Those who don't believe in magic will never find it'.

I'm entering the following challenges:
Crafting from the Heart - anything goes
Love to Create - ribbon

Less is More Week 191

 It's Saturday again - hooray - which of course means it's time for another Less is More Challenge.  This week our theme is 'Mostly Words'.  Having made my two cards several days apary, I was surprised to realise that they are such similar layouts and styles  - oops!

First card uses Endless Wishes, a new Stampin' Up set that will be really useful:  sentiments in two sizes and an assortment of snowflakes.  Blue pearls and a narrow blue mat were added to this tentfold card.

Second card is a tentfold again, this time I used my Portrait to cut the Happy words, in a similar font to the Simon Says sentiment.  Narrow strips of scraps were added beneath the words.  This is very CAS, the only additions are the twine and the rounded corners.  It was time consuming to add the tiny centres to the 'P's and 'A's but was worth it I felt.

I'm looking forward to seeing what words you all come up with :)

Just Lion Around

It's been a while since I've managed to make a card for CD Sunday.  Just in time (I hope) here is my card for the current challenge, birthday card for a male.

The DP square, image and sentiment all print from one page of the Pollyanna Pickering World Wildlife DVD.  I've matted them all onto gold card and added an embossed background as well as some of the webbing in brown.  I think the sentiment is perfect :)
I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Hobbybook - embossing
Tok Bobok - masculine (second entry)

A Moment of Clarity

Wasn't able to get to Ally Pally last week so treated myself to some Clarity retail therapy instead.  I'm waiting for stencil brushes to arrive but in the meantime I made this using ink dusters and Distress Inks for the masked off background.    The trees are Chipped Sapphire DI and the deer are Versafine.  I doodled a border and added a thin mat to mount it onto my card.

I'm entering my card for:
Clarity Stamp Challenge - nature
Simon Says - anything goes
Craftroom Challenge - forest friends (deer and trees, reckon that fits this one :) )
Ruby's Rainbow - anything goes
Inky Impressions - anything goes

Love the Retro Look

I've been dithering for ages about buying this set of dies and now I have them I'm so glad I did, I absolutely LOVE the look of them!  They are by Avery Elle (Thanks Tara at Make the Day Special for a super-speedy service) and this is my first card from a series.  Colourscheme is from CAS - Colours and Sketches where this week's combi is black, white and hello honey.  My yellow is quite a bright one but it is yellow, not orange - honest!  The stamps are both Visible Image and I added a bit of ribbon to match.
I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
NBUS - the amazing Darnell's 2nd challenge
Incy Wincy Designs - anything goes
Scrapper's Delight - anything goes - no design paper

Falling Leaves

Today's card is scratching an itch - I saw a wonderful card here via Pinterest and felt the need to make it.  I had a Crafts Too embossing folder and a tiny leaf punch that may even be the exact same one used by Joanne!  I cut leaves from the autumnal paper scraps and glued them down with Glossy Accents.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.  I tried adding some twine to give it something different but it just didn't look as good.  Sometimes you can't improve on perfection and that's what I reckon the original I CASEd is!

I'm entering my card for a few of the current Fall/Autumn challenges:
Bearly Mine - autumnal
2cuteink - fall
Lexi's Creations - autumn colours
Stempelgarten - autumn
Simply Create Too - fall/autumn
4 Crafty Chicks - fall
Delightful Challenges - all fall down
Milk, Coffee - colours of autumn

Fantastic Fox

Today's card started with the layout for CAS(E) this Sketch and evolved slightly as it went along, which brought in the Tag theme at Simon Says. Hope it isn't too far removed from the original sketch!  Started with a Pink Petticoat digi coloured that has been sitting on my desk.  Added a frame cut with the Portrait and threaded some SU ribbon through it.  Made the digi into a tag and added twine, used a SU embossing folder with dots (echoing the sketch) and made it into a tent fold card.
I'm also entering a few other challenges:
Addicted to CAS - cuddly (ok foxes are really not cuddly in real life but this one is rather cute!)
Wag'n'Whiskers - with our furry friends
Delicious Doodles - tag it

Less is More Week 190

 This week at Less is More our theme is "Let's face the music and dance", which can be interpreted in all sorts of different ways; I just hope you don't have that dratted music stuck in your brain as I do!  My first card uses a Lavinia Designs silhouette stamp on an inked background.  I outlined the 'hill' with a Pigma pen, something I saw on Barbara Gray's blog.  This was so nearly a one layer card, until the clear plastic that the stamp is stored on shed a small black mark...
I am behind on my challenges after the past week, so I'm entering my card for the following:
Art Impressions - orange, purple and black
Crafty Little Fairies - sparkle and bling
Moving along with the Times - fairies
Natalie and Amy's Challenge - things with wings

MY second card uses an Impression Obsession stamp that I fell for recently on one of my craft show forays with Chrissie, I think it was Newbury?  The two girls look as though they are just waiting to dance.  Sentiment is SU and I embossed part of a music folder onto the card. Coloured with Copics.
I'm entering my card for:
Crafty Catz - Pretty Women
Hobbybook Designer - embossing

Ooh La La Challenge #165 - Birthday Boy

A big OOPS with my DT posting for Ooh La La this week - this should have been posted on Monday and I completely forgot!  So sorry.  A lot going on here.

Anyhow, this week at Ooh La La Creations our theme is Birthday Boy.  You may have spotted that my card doesn't say "happy birthday", however it was made by request for a chap, with a Border Collie on it!  Image is from the brilliant Faithful Friends CD, I've added some twine and used my Portrait to make a paw-print border.  Quite c&s, it went down very well I'm told.

I'm also entering my card for:
Cards for Guys - no patterned paper
Tokbobok - masculine
Jellypark - pets and animals (love the hamster on their blog!)
The Squirrel and the Fox - for a male
Creative Corner - male challenge
Patti's Creations - dog or cat (hope a CD image counts)

Three is a Magic Number

Threes of anything work really well in gardening, crafting, most things really and I am so pleased I made this in time to enter CAS-ology's THREE challenge, using stamps and punch from SU's 2014 catalogue.  I've mounted them on a triangular tree embossed card and added a sentiment.  Very simple, but I love it.  Have lots and lots of ideas for this set, watch this space...
My card is for:
CAS-ology - Three
Simon Says - create your own background
Crafty Katz - clean and simple
Left of Centre - no design paper
Delightful Challenges - simpler times
Dream it Up - Christmas/holidays
Paper Shelter - embossing
Cuttlebug Mania - anything embossed

Less is More - Week 189 - one layer

 Whew, what a week, I hope not to have another one like that and I have certainly felt like hitting the beverages!  Our theme for one layer week at Less is More is Beverages and my first card uses a stamp that I bought when I was first starting out.  It's by Rubber Romance and don't even think of Googling that without adding stamps to the search, the images you get otherwise are rather unsavoury!  My martini girl is coloured with Copics and has a sentiment added from Acid Drops and What-Nots, which always makes me smile.  The background is made with an Inky Doodles stencil and some Milled Lavender Distress Ink.
I'm entering my card for a couple of challenges:
Simon Says - create your own background
That's Crafty - girl power!

My second card is a bit less literal.  I began by inking up an acrylic block with Desert Sand and then Sepia and stamped that for my background.  The sentiment (Rubber Romance again) and the coffee ring are embossed with WOW bark.
I'm entering my card for a couple of challenges:
Cards und More - clean and simple
Sisterhood of Crafters - single layer cards

I would like to finish up with a sentiment I found on Pinterest that I like - so true!

Two Ewes

A CAS card that I made with those fabulous sheep from Pink Petticoat.  I added my own computer generated sentiment, some pearls and a brown mat onto the kraft card.  Love these images!
I'm entering my card for:
Sweet Pea Stamps - all creatures great and small
Double Click Skittles - use any animal
Whimsy Stamps - monochromatic
Cutie Pie - two's company
Basteltraum - animals

Black and White - and Shocking Pink

I've made a card for this week's CAS on Sunday Challenge, black, white with one other colour.  As you can see I've added pink for my other colour!  Image is from Pink Petticoat coloured with Coics and a bit of Glossy Accents.  I've added a black and white DP and coloured it in a bit to match my image, a bit of b&w ribbon and some sequins have finished it off and hopefully left it CAS enough...
I'm also entering my card for:
CCC Digi Designs - digi with wings
Natalie and Amy's Challenge - things with wings
Ribbons Girls - add ribbon
Allsorts - pretty in pink
Paper Make Up - digi/ sequins

Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers - O is for One

 A couple of weeks back I was delighted to be crowned Queen of Snark and to be invited to be a Guest Designer for the Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers!  This week their challenge is to create a monochromatic card or other project.

I reached for my Acid Drops and What-Nots stamps and created a sepia and snarky card.  I stamped the lady and masked her to add the frame, then put that totally brilliant quote to the left, with flourishes above and below.  As I wasn't quite sure who it would be appropriate to send this to I added the birthday message.  Coloured with Copics, a few pearls and mats and layers were added to complete my card.  Hope you like it!

Less is More - Week 188

 Saturday has come around again and it is time for another Less Is More Challenge, this week our colour challenge is Chocolate Mint.  First card uses a Taylored Expressions diecut that came in an order from Dies to Die For (thank you Tracey!), some brown pearls and twine added. The sentiment is, I think, a magazine freebie and I found a scrap of mint to mount it on, which is matted with dark chocolate and mounted onto milk chocolate (kraft!).

Second card is my Peppermint Aero girl.  Her dress is pieced from an old Basic Grey Porcelain DP pad.  Don't know the make/name of the DP that part lines the inner card, but if it isn't called Aero Bar then it should be!  Sentiment is Simon Says.

I will be blogging again later today, I am honoured to be a Guest Designer for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, please do call by to see my card for them.

Card for a Chap - aka mistakes made in life

Today's card uses a scene that I stamped and Distress Inked a long time ago.  I've added some perle thread, kraft card, embossing to make it into a masculine card, I never have enough of these.  The sentiment was a free folder with a magazine, sorry don't know who makes the netting folder. The stamps are Stampscapes, the only two I own.

Mistakes?   1. Bought to make cards for my now-ex to give to his fly fishing friends!
                   2. Bought a LH fisherman and a RH bank - what ever is he doing casting towards the bank?!

Which was the bigger mistake I wonder...!

I'm entering my card for a few challenges:
Tok Bobok - masculine
Cards und More - clean and simple
Cuttlebuggle - anything embossed
Crafty Cardmaking - dry embossing
Corrosive Challenge - let's hear it for the boys
Speedy Fox & Friends - use a silhouette figure
Sweet Stampin' - embossing (second entry)
That's Crafty - man's world

Luxury...

This week I have the luxury of a few days 'me' time.  Mum has been visiting for the past ten days or so and it has been lovely to see her.  However now I have a few days to get younger son ready for his return to uni.  His day does not start at the same time as mine (by a long way!) and I have time to myself - bliss  :).
The theme at Addicted to CAS this week is Luxury and I have based my card around it.  I had the luxury of treating myself to a new stamp and die set and the sentiment and the bling also seem to fit the theme.

I'd like to give a shout-out to Dies to Die For, where I bought them from:  it's the first time I've bought from there and it was lovely to open a beautifully packaged parcel of goodies, with a few extra die-cuts from other sets added, a handmade tag, a handwritten note on the order form and a credit note for shipping too (as the order cost less than expected to send).  Oh, it arrived in under 48 hours too.  Not affiliation, but a very happy customer!

Embossing uses WOW Totally Teal, ink is DI Broken China for the sentiment, I've added diecut sequins, stamped and embossed sequins and real ones too.  Hope your day sparkles :).

I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Catch the Bug - bling, teal, diecut
Sweet Stampin' - embossing
Fairytale Challenge - clean & simple
Crafting for all Seasons - monochromatic

Letter

Quickly dropping by to blog a card for CAS-ology's Letter challenge, have managed to grab a few precious minutes in the craft room!  I found a free printable of Scrabble letters here and came up with my card, adding a stitched vellum heart and a vellum mat onto kraft, keeping a very simple, neutral colourscheme.
Hope you like it!

I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - anything goes
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - k is for kraft
A Creative Romance - a touch of kraft
Daring Cardmakers - clean and simple

Ooh La La Creations - Clean & Simple

This week my favourite cardmaking methods meet:  CAS and CD crafting!  This week at Ooh La La Creations we are challenging you to make clean and simple cards.  I have used a design from the Yesterday's Memories CD, when I first saw it I thought it was perfect for simple Christmas cards.  I've matted it onto gold, with an EK Success border of leaves added, then onto red cardstock.  It would be fab if it were left even simpler, but then I wouldn't feel it was a DT card lol!

Less is More - Week 187 - Lucky Dip

 This week we have a Lucky Dip theme of "I do like to be beside the seaside" at Less is More, we also have the amazing and talented Darnell as Guest Designer, do check out her blog.  First up I have one of my all-time favourite sets, Wetlands, combined with Work of Art and Distress Inks.  The sentiment is Pink Petticoat.

 Next nautical card has Pink Petticoat image and DP, I like my ric-rac waves on this one.

And finally a rather chilly looking golden girl on the sand.  More of the Pink Petticoat DP and an image from A Day for Daisies.

Bokeh Blues

I saw a Bokeh tutorial and thought I'd have a go, this is what I came up with for CAS(E) this Sketch.  Watercolour paper, masked,  with watercolours painted across it.  Homemade acetate stencil with various circle sizes cut into it, white pigment ink brushed into the circles.  A border doodled around the Bokeh and and Waltzing Mouse sentiment added. 
I'm also entering:
 AA Cards - create with stencil
Speedy Fox & Friends - CAS
Vandicrafts - mostly ink (hmm not sure if watercolour counts as ink or paint!)

Less is More - Week 186

Welcome to the weekend and to a new Less is More Challenge.  This week Chrissie has given us a sketch

to work with.  I've had one of those weeks, so combined with me getting confused about this week's theme I only have one card to show you, with sadly a rather poor photo until daylight when I can revise it...

I used Inky Doodles stamps with SU ink, inking my pattern when it was complete.  The background was scored at 1/2" intervals to give it a bit of interest, it was just too big and too empty otherwise :)

How Many Squares...

I've been meaning to make a quilt-like card like this for ages, when I saw Speedy & Fox Friends  9 square challenge that gave me the push to make this card for a quilting friend's birthday next week.  I printed myself some double sided paper using Pink Petticoat designs, cut 1 1/2" circles from it and then used a square of card to score round to turn them into squares.  Added a candi dot to the centre square, embossed a line around the card and added a Hero Arts sentiment.

Then I began to think about nine squares...  the design makes one big square, I've embossed a square, the square mat is mounted onto a square card - oh dear maybe this is many more than nine LOL  How many squares do you think are in the card, this is like one of those silly Facebook quizzes!

I'm also entering my card for:
Addicted to CAS - geometric
Cute Card Thursday - clean and simple
A Little Bit Crafty - sew what (hope my 'quilt' counts as sewing)

Fancy Folds - Ooh La La Creations Challenge #163

 Welcome to a new challenge at Ooh la La Creations - Fancy Folds.  I saw a new-to-me folded card at Splitcoast Stampers this week, it was much easier to make than I expected!  I used the Border Collie image from the Faithful Friends CD, with one of the bonus papers from the CD on the outside.

This was for a friend's birthday, if I had had more time I think I would have decorated the inner folds as well.  Forgot all about Tessa's birthday until mid-morning on the day itself oops!

Less is More Week 185

 This week at Less is More our CAS challenge is animals - a nice easy challenge, at least for me - so many of my stamps, dies, papers, feature animals!  First up is a playful retriever: Memory Box sunburst meets Impression Obsession dog.  The rustic twine looks suitably hairy for a canine card!  Stampin Up sentiment in Sepia Versafine.
I'm entering my card for:
Creative Moments - anything goes animals
Inky Impressions - animals

The second card was cut with my Portrait with a file from the Silhouette store, washi tape added and some gem eyes.  Of course I also have the reverse image, but haven't found a glue that will permanently stick it down...  The sentiment is by Hobby Art.
I'm entering my card for:
Cute Card Thursday - clean and simple
Crafting for all Seasons - feature a creature

And finally, I've made quite a few ovine cards lately, here is one a little different from my 'Ewe' paper pieced flock, this is a new stamp I got from Inky Doodles, aren't they cute!  Front sheep is popped up on dimensional dots.  The border was coloured with Copic to match the woolly jumper.  I was going to add some glitter but felt that it needed to be kept simple.
I'm entering my card for:
Winter Wonderland - Christmas
2 Cute Ink - animals

I'm looking forward to seeing a real menagerie in the entries this week :)

Winter Window

I'm getting started on the dreaded Christmas cards, it will be upon us before we know it!  I've used a Memory Box window die (thank you Chrissie for this!) to frame a snowy hillside scene made with  Distress Inks and some Indygo Blu tree stamps.  Added a sentiment (JOFY) and some eyelash yard.
I'm entering my card for:
C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas - non-traditional colours (hope this one fits the challenge?)
Stamps and Fun - Christmas in Summer
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - anything Christmas goes

Fuchsias

Bought this gorgeous Woodware stamp a while back having seen a gorgeous card made with it on LIM.  Fuchsias are one of those plants that mean summer is here when you see it in the garden centres and then in tubs and baskets, haven't grown any for years, maybe next year...
Finally got round to making this fairly simple one layer card with it.  The background uses an Inky Doodles stencil, sentiment came with the stamp and the fuchsias are coloured with Copics.
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - summer
Crafty Creations - flower power
Little Red Wagon - happy birthday
Craftroom Challenge - summer garden
Sweet Stamps - in the garden
Crafty Boots - flowers

Sparkle and shine

Dropping by to show a card I made using a free printable that I found on Pinterest.  Gave it a dotty mat with my Portrait, added a die-cut heart with Inky Doodles sentiment and gave the heart a good dose of Stickles :)
My card is for:
Simon Says - make it sparkle
Crazy Challenge - love and marriage

Wild Thing

Been busy making cards this week but rather neglecting my blog.  Here is a card made for CAS-ology's stripe theme.  Image and sentiment are both from a Technique Tuesday set I bought at the NEC a couple of years back.  As soon as I saw it I knew it had to come home with me!  The grey dots that ground the image are from the Dotty set by Stamp Addicts and it has to be the most useful stamp ever - I don't mount it onto a block, just scrunch it up in my hand which gives a different look every time.  Added some washi tape behind the shaped edge of the card.

I'm also entering my card for:
Just Us Girls - use washi
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - Z is for zoo
Creatalicious - monochrome
Crafting for all Seasons - feature a creature
Loves Rubber Stamps - anything goes with twist of stripes

Less is More Week 184 - one layer

This week the one layer theme at Less is More is Foliage.  Hopefully I will have more inspiration for you later but a combination of work, house viewings and other sundry complications has meant many of my ideas have not yet progressed onto paper...

This card was very quick to produce, will just need a standard postage stamp and I think it looks good.  My tree foliage is made with one of the 'paint' style stamps at the moment, this is by MFT but there seem to be lots of them out there.  Sentiment is Stampin' Up and a bit of red Stickles dotted the 'I' and decorated the tree.

Ooh La La Challenge - Scenic

This week at Ooh La La Challenges it was my turn to choose the challenge and I opted for an easy one - Scenic.  There are some gorgeous scenes on the CDs, I printed loads off and had a job to choose!  In the end I opted for one from Carnival of Colour called Algonquin Autumn.  I embossed the kraft background, added some trees cut from DP with my Portrait, punched leaves and die cut a sentiment.  Stunning, isn't it!
I'm entering my card for:
Come and Get It  - all about dies
Scrappy Hands - paper punch
That Craft Place Ltd - autumn (or steampunk)
A Gem of a Challenge - embossing
My Time to Craft - use kraft

Less is More Week 183 - mojito colours

Whew, what a lot of entries we had at LIM last week for Anything Goes!  I know Chrissie loved seeing lots of cards inspired by her birthday, but she wasn't able to post comments while on her hols... 

This week at Less is More we have a fab colour challenge: Mojito Colours.

My first card uses the stamp that came out for Chrissie's birthday card, though I have lost my photos of it.  The image stamp is by Art Impressions and the sentiment is Katy-Sue designs from a much reduced Christmas Wine Buffs set.  Fun card isn't it.  I'm entering this card for Stempelsonne's anything goes, stamp as main focus challenge.


Next card uses a stunning die from Simon Says Stamp, with a Hero Arts sentiment and some birds cut with an All Occasions die.  I'm entering this card for the Simon Says - anything goes challenge.
 
 Third card uses the Happy Celebrations set from Stampin' Up, the Distress Inks are Peeled Paint, Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China.  I doodled a border and added a few sequins (one of them is hiding a tiny smudge!).