2020 Stash Party #31 - A Simple CAS Card

Hello, Crafty Peeps!

Today I am taking a break from my blended backgrounds and sympathy cards to create a CAS project for the Anything Goes option of my challenge blog 613 Avenue Create!  As with sympathy cards, CAS is not a genre that I tackle often.  It would seem that it would be easy to create a clean and simple project but I don't find that to be the case.  I am reminded of that famous quote of Henry David Thoreau, "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."  Achieving the "less is more" mentality in card making is a difficult pursuit!

 You Can Always Read Me

This year has been all about cleaning out my stash and using stamps, dies, stencils, and papers that I have long neglected.  This cute little image is from an adorable stamp and dies set that is intended to be used to create a cozy "reading" corner scene.  I am not much of a scene builder but I might give it a go when I once again start working on my masking techniques. The background text stamp has been in my stash for a minute as well.

I hope you will join us at 613 Avenue Create!  

We are a monthly strictly for fun challenge.  Our challenges are always Anything Goes w/Optional Themes.  Our theme this month is "Your Sentiment As Your Focal."

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see a project from you in my challenge!

Hugz,

JANUARY 2020 CHALLENGE - A Place To Start - Anything Goes w/Optional Twist CAS

Happy New Year, Crafters!

My, oh my!  I am starting the New Year off with a CAS Challenge.

CAS and I do not get on well together.  I chose these cute little kitty cats because they are so adorable and the image is fairly simple.

This month's challenge is being sponsored by the wonderful people over at Bugaboo Stamps

I chose this cute little image called

Cat Love

I added stickles to their whiskers and ears.  I think I put too much and it ran together, but the card is still so pretty IRL.  The sparkle really elevates the design.
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The Resident Designers at A Place To Start have created great designs using our wonderful Bugaboo images.  

Why don't you stop by and check us out!

Hugz!

AAA Cards CAS Game #138 - Along The Edge w/Optional Twist: Sewing

Hello, Crafty Makers!

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Today, I challenged myself to go to Paper Playful and create a project for the first challenge on the Sunday list.  Of course, I forgot that my challenge, 613 Avenue Create, was the first one listed.  Undaunted, I went to the next challenge AAA Cards.

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This project not only satisfies my goal of entering more challenges but also allows me to check off another CAS project as well as using an old die from my stash of dies.

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Sharing Your Toys

A very different wedding card!

The challenge requires that your focal image, grouping, die cut, etc. be located on the edge of our card.  I knew I wanted to do a wedding card and so I first played around with several heart stamps and dies but nothing really moved me.  And then, while searching through my die stash, I came across my mixed media dies and thought one of them would be perfect.  This was intended as a single layer card but I felt it needed more so I added a layer of printed paper behind the die cut!   I love the cute little kiddie quote and found it perfect for a more casual card sentiment for this casual card design.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will check out this fun challenge at AAA Cards!

Hugz,

Stuff I used:

Top Flight™ White Card Stock

Graphic 45® "Couture 6x6 Patterns and Solids"

Memory Box® Open Studio™ "Distressed Windham Collage" Die

Kaiser Scrapbook ® "Island Lagoon" Rhinestones

ClearSnap "Fairy Dust Glitter"

Other Challenges Entered:
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything Goes

A Place To Start: Official Launch - ATG w/Optional Twist: A Single Layer Card w/Matching Envelope

Hello, Crafty Peeps!

March is the official launch of my new challenge blog:

A Place To Start
We need peeps for our Design Team
You can apply HERE
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  Although APTS is a "Just For Fun" blog, my great friend, artist Rick St. Dennis is graciously sponsoring our launch.  I love his monthly image packages and some lucky maker will win his Easter/Spring collection.

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This month, I thought it would be fun to tackle the single layer card.  I have avoided this style, like the plague, because is it always CAS and that (along with pile it on and shabby vintage) have always been my Achilles heel.  But 2019 is the year of facing my paper crafting fears so...

 Birthday Wish

Personal Challenges Met:
1. CAS Design, Single Layer Card w/Envelope
2. Techniques: Splatter, blending, corner masking
3. Ancient Supplies Used:  Unity Stamps Itty Bitty Stamps

Again, I used my mermaid brushes instead of blending tools and I really like them. 

My masking technique still needs a little work, but this is the first time I have ever masked anything, so I am quite pleased with my lil old self! 

I stamped the image with VersaMark™ and then embossed with clear EP.

Roller  Coaster

 Personal Challenges Met:
1. CAS Design, Single Layer Card w/Envelope
2. Techniques: Splatter, blending, corner masking
3. Ancient Supplies Used:  Inkadinkado Clear Stamp, ColorBox Art Screen

I used one of my favorite ColorBox® Art Screens and one of 

 Inkadinkado's® adorable "Kid Quotes" stamp to create this project.  

Stuff I Used:

ColorBox ® Art Screen - Swirldot

Inkadinkado Clear Stamp - Kid Quotes

Unity Stamps Itty Bitty Stamps:

   One Single Wish

   Sucks To Get Old (Sentiment Only)

   Tulip Wishes (Sentiment Only - Birthday)

AMAZON ASSOCIATE

See you at A Place To Start!

Hugz,

A Place To Start - Use An Inspirational Stamp or Die - Mid-Month DT Make

Hello, Crafty Makers!

The creative challenge this month at 

A Place To Start

is to use an inspirational stamp or die.  Mostly, I have inspirational sentiments that I try to pair with images that communicate things like, Hope, Joy, Peace, etc. 

 Hope 

 It is so funny how creative endeavors always seem to take on a personality all their own.  I started out creating the project using one of my watercolored tissue paper panels.  I wanted to put patterned paper behind it but when I found this lovely paper and my entire project changed. 

  The paper worked so well with the dragonfly that I cut the dragonfly away to use as a stand alone embellishment.

For this little fella, I used three different embossing powders. After each color was embossed, I applied a fresh layer of Versamark, added the EP and heated one again.  The final EP was a Clear Iridescent Powder that added amazing sparkle to the die cut.  The surprise benefit here was that the Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder that I used as my base layer, resisted the other EPs in some areas.  

I have always used black cs with my shadow dies, but in this instance, I thought to pull in the background paper might create more tension and I was right.  To give added dimension, I used the shadow die to cut a piece of craft foam and attached to the back of the shadow shape.  The effect of elevated sentiment is way cool.

I had a bunch of stitched panels in my stash, so I used Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink to distress the edges and added 3 crystals to finish off the design.

I hope you will join us at A Place To Start Challenge.  

Here is a chance to use all those inspirational sentiments that you have been hoarding!

HUGZ,

Challenges Entered:

Crafting With An Attitude:  Always ATG

Cute Card Thursday:  Wings

The Crafty Addicts - Anything Goes w/Optional Valentine

Through The Craft Room Door

Supplies & Stuff

Butterfly Lace Edge Die

Hope Word Die

Gina Marie™Wonky Stitched Die
Hampton Art Hunter Green Embossing Powder (no longer available)
Basic Grey® Life of The Party Paper Stack (retired)

Shopping Our Stash #389 - Make Your Mark - Color Anything Using Markers

Hello, Crafty Makers!

My quest to conquer CAS design continues.  
Shopping Our Stash Challenge is now a fortnight challenge. Thus, I had lots of time to ponder how to meet this challenge and my personal goal which is to create as many CAS projects as I can this year. 
I can live with this result.  My only regret is that the silver embossing did not photograph as well as I would have liked.

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FOREVER

An Embossed, Copic Colored, CAS Heart Project

In the spirit of "less is more," I chose not to color an image.  I have rediscovered the joy of wet embossing and decided to combine die cutting, wet embossing, and coloring to create a CAS make.  I have to thank my SOS Teammate, Maria, for making me aware of this wonderful Gina Marie Rectangle Die, I am in love!  

I decided to do a little coloring on the inside, so I added another layer of cardstock and colored it with my Copic.  I have a stash of these panels from cutting frames and I just layered it on top of the colored panel.  Nice look!

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Thanks for Stopping By!   If you want to create this project, there is a short step tutorial below.

Hugz,

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Challenges Entered:

Unicorn Challenge - Include A Heart

Always Fun Challenges - Love-Valentines

Artistic Inspirations - ATG w/optional "Twist It Up Love"

Crafting From The Heart - ATG

Creativ Fusion Arts & Crafts - Love

Cute N Crafty Challenge - Valentines Day / Love

Path of Positivity - Love

Simply Create Too: ATG w/optional twist "Use A Heart"

A Little Tutorial

Materials:

White Cardstock: 110lb

1-piece  - 4.25 x 11 (A2 card size)

2-pieces -4.00"x 5.25"

1-piece - Rectangle Die cut frame (4.00" x 5.25") 

1 Scrap piece for stamping image.

Rubber or Clear Stamp (Deep cuts work better for embossing)

Silver Embossing Powder

Markers

Acetate

Rectangle Frame Die

Sentiment Die

Flatback Crystals

Clear Embossing Ink (like Versamark)

Wet Glue, Double-sided tape, Double-sided foam.

Embossing Powder Tool

Tools

Stamping Platform

Heat Tool

Die Cutting Machine

Paper Trimmer

STEPS BY STEP (Sorta-kinda)

1.  Use a piece of scrap white cs or cut a piece of cardstock large enough for your stamp image. 

2.  Determine if you are going to color before or after you stamp.  For this project, I colored the paper first.

3.  Once your paper has dried, wipe the panel with your embossing powder tool.  Position your panel on the stamp platform.  Position your stamp, apply embossing ink and stamp.

4. Apply embossing powder to the image and use your heat tool to emboss. ***Optional: You may, if you wish, return your image to the stamp platform, apply embossing ink to the stamp and the heat emboss again.  I did this for my image to get more detail.

If you decide to double emboss, make sure your paper placement on your platform is exactly the same otherwise you will get this:

5.  Die or fussy cut your image.   Luckily for me, I had an open heart frame die from the same company that fit this stamped image perfectly.  

Cut four additional hearts from scraps and glue them to the back of your heart.  This adds dimension to the image.  

6.  Cut a piece of acetate that is the same size or slightly smaller than your frame.

7.  Add double-sided tape to the back of the frame and adhere the acetate sheet.  Once the acetate is in place, add strips of double-sided foam tape to the frame.

8.  Attach your embossed image to one of the 4.00"x 5.25" panels and glue that panel to the front of your card base (A2).  Add your acetate fame to the panel.

9.  Use wet glue to attach your sentiment and crystals to the front of the panel.

Voila!  Your card is ready for an envelope!

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Note: I removed my heart stamp from its block so that I could use it on my stamp platform.

Memory Box Cupid Heart Die (retired)

Memory Box Classic Heart Wood Mounted Stamp (retired)

Gina Marie Wonky Stitched Rectangle Die