With You, Life's Never Plain Pasta

These pasta products are always fun to get out and make new cards with them, and The Paper Players PP#786 Food challenge gave me a reason to play with the dies and embossing folder today!

What I used:

• Spellbinders Al Dente Embossing folder, Stay Saucy stamp set, Ciao Spaghetti dies, Pasta Friends dies, Dish It Up dies
• Silver card stock
• Altenew Obsidian Black ink pad
• Card stock scraps

I started to use embroidery thread to wrap around the fork tines but it got too fussy. I opted to die cut and intertwine card stock spaghetti in pinks and a pasta yellow color. It was still fiddly and took a while to get it how I wanted it. 

I love the embossing folder with the detailed pasta on it but didn't want it to take away from the fork-load of pasta, so I put a smaller piece off to one side. I also wanted to keep the card as clean and simple as I could. I added the thinnest strip of silver card stock to separate the pink from the white card front and it matches the fork.

The sentiment is one of many in this stamp set but for my "custom" spaghetti colors I went with the plain pasta one. (Side note: I pulled out leftover pasta for lunch and used a few pieces in my photo.)

A fun little make...and by little I mean I measured wrong and ended up with a mini mini slimline card at 2 3/4" x 6 1/4" which is petite. Lol.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Carol

You Light Up My World

It's Moodboard Week at Just Us Girls #824 and I am the hostess with this moodboard. There are bright colors, shapes, elements that can be indoors or outdoors, or all/some/one thing to take for your card. Whatever you decide! Be sure to tell us what inspired you and how you used it on your card. The team has a variety of fun ideas for you so be sure to visit their blogs to read how they were inspired as well. Our guest Kerry Parkinson also has something special for you, so go to her blog and read all about it! I went with the obvious furniture and art on the wall. I love these dies and wanted to get them out again. It's been a while.

What I used:

• My Favorite Things Take a Seat dies, Couch Potato stamp set
• Concord & 9th Basket Weave Card Front die, Mini ink pads
• Rangers Distress Oxide ink pads
• Gold paper
• Cardstock scraps
• Martha Stewart score board

In order to CASE the moodboard, I die cut the chair and accessories first, then glued them together. I die cut the floor after running the basket weave die though the Big Shot. I die cut the frame for the wall art, then scored it every 1/8" to get an embossed pattern. Four different pieces of "art" were made and scrutinized...and this final one made the cut. I added gold paper for a glimmer look. The art is popped up on foam tape over its frame. The chair is also popped up. Last, I stamped the sentiment I chose to go with the idea of art brightening up a room. I fussy cut it and adhered it to the card front.

Can't wait to see your takes on the moodboard in the gallery! Thanks for stopping by.

Carol

Beach Day!

It's that time! Summer days are here (in the southeast USA) and what comes to mind when you think of a day on the sand or water? This printed vellum may jog your thoughts because it did mine! I made this CAS card especially for the Freshly Made Sketches #736 as you can see in their sketch below.

What I used:

• Sizzix Summer Days dies
• Over The Moon Press Summer Memories printed vellum
• Red card stock
• Card stock scraps
• Foam adhesive
• Bearly Arts glue
• Glue Dots

These little icons are lots of fun to make. A pick up tool and reverse tweezers are a must to add the details, but still fun to see the  objects come to life. The vellum was cut to fit one side of the A2 card front, then adhered on the left with a strip of red card stock, and on the right with tiny dots of glue.

I arranged the sun, sailboat and tote bag and popped the top and bottom two up on foam adhesive, while the sailboat is glued flush to the card. I didn't think the card needed an added sentiment since the vellum says it all. This card could be for any age from child to adult. 

School is almost out and plans can be made for carefree days outside!! Yay!

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Kick Up Your Heels

It's Word Week at Just Us Girls #823 and the word is Flowers! Lisa is our lovely hostess and the team has a beautiful array of cards to inspire you! Our new teammate Denise Morgans and our guest Kerry Parkinson have wonderful cards for you too, so take some time to look at all of the blogs for ideas and details. I made several pairs of flower-adorned, pastel-colored shoes. 

I am also playing along at Inkspirational Challenge #367 with their Floral Palette Visual Prompt! I thought that my pastel circle rainbow of flowers on the pretty shoes fit well there!

What I used:

• Alex Syberia Chic Shoes dies
• Hero Arts High Heels stamp set (sentiment)
• MFT Cement Gray ink pad, Inside and Out Stitched circle die (sentiment)
• Spellbinders sequins
• Matte silver cardstock (insoles)
• Cardstock scraps

First, I have to say that this Chic Shoes die set is so much fun to play with and change up with colors and textures. I still have many ideas in my mind for different versions of these shoes.

 After I die cut all of the shoe and flower pieces I assembled them and put them in the color order that I liked which loosely resembles the rainbow. I cut a 6" x 6" card base. (Two 6" x 6" squares, one with a 1/4" score on one edge, joined by tear tape to create a "fold.") I adhered the shoes to the edges of the card front and cut off the excess from the edges. All that was left to do was to stamp the sentiment, die cut a stitched circle around it and pop it up on foam tape. Last minute I decided to add a bit of sparkle with some iridescent sequins. The photos don't show it, but the insides of the shoes are the same satiny silver in each pair, just like when they are brand new in the box. And the ink I used to stamp the sentiment is gray. It was a fun project!

Thanks for stopping in,

Carol

Just a Note

There is a reason why we hoard paper in our crafting stash. I have had this sheet music/floral paper for quite a while and have even given some of it away because I wasn't using it. Now I have the perfect purpose for using it in our Time Out Challenge #313: Making Music. You can't learn to play the music without the written notes on paper. My sentiment is a play on words as you can see, too. 

Our wonderful sponsor,  Gina K Designs, is generously offering a $25.00 store credit as a prize for our Challenge Winner, who will also get an invitation to join us as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

We can't wait to see your music making cards in the gallery! Be sure to visit the team's blogs for all the stories about their cards as well as our guest, Cindy Chiu of Escape To Stamping as our Guest Designer for this challenge. 

Here's what I used to make my card:

• La La Land Crafts Spring Song paper pack
• Simon Says Stamp Wonky Hearts die
• Pretty Pink Posh gems
• Creative Time Fun Notes stamp and die set
• Altenew Obsidian black ink pad

All I did was die cut a big stitched heart, then adhered it to an A2 white card base slightly off the left side. I cut off the excess of the heart to use in the future. I stamped the sentiments and die cut the larger one. I matted the smaller one with pink cardstock and after adhering it to the card, added a few pink gems. I still remember learning to read music to play the viola for just a year in middle school and learning different sheet music for four years of piano lessons and recitals during high school. Did you take lessons and play an instrument?

Thanks for stopping in,

Carol

Squeeze the Day

It's time for the CASE It Instagram Hop for May 2026. The cardmakers who participate ask for permission to CASE a person whose card they have seen and loved. I asked @slanzal (Stephanie Lanzalotto of My Ink Well.) if I could Copy and Selectively Edit her very pretty lemon card with its black and white twine and fun sentiment. She agreed and here is my version, then her fabulous creation.

Here is her wonderful card with a branch of lemons against that pretty shaped die cut with the black and white twine (I love twine) on that great textured background.

What I used:

• Hero Arts Zest Wishes stamp set
• MFT Black and White Stripes paper pad
• Pink and Main Large Sentiment Strip dies
• Stampin' Up! Top Note die
• Altenew Obsidian black ink pad
• Pretty Pink Posh gems
• Copic markers

I had fun coloring the lemons and leaves first, then fussy cutting them. I die cut the Top Note shape out of the black and white striped paper. I arranged the lemons and leaves and glued some right onto the card while others are popped up with foam tape. I stamped and die cut the sentiment and popped it up as well. Finally, I added a few gems for sparkle. My card is 5" x 4 1/4" to have an even border all around the top note shape. Stephanie's striped twine is going diagonally and so does my patterned paper. Is that by accident or on purpose? Pure luck. Lol.

Come Hop along with us! You can start with my instragram account which is https://www.instagram.com/sawithadtomakeit/, then see all the cards that were CASEd and how each person who played along changed those cards.

Thanks for stopping in,

Carol

Life's a Beach

Here is a fun idea from Vicki for our Just Us Girls #822 Die week: Use a Sentiment Die. I usually don't have enough large dies to make them the focal point of my cards. The one I chose is larger than most of my word dies and makes an impact on a card. I also have been seeing eclipse cards lately and I had to try the technique. I like to change up my card styles. Here is my card for our challenge.

The team, including our wonderful new team member Denise Morgans, and our guest this month Kerry Parkinson, absolutely hit it out of the ball park with their fabulous cards for this challenge. Be sure to check out their blogs for all of the details!

What I used:

• La La Land Crafts Summer Vacation Paper Pack
• Simon Says Stamp Life's A Beach die
• Stampin' Up Dots embossing folder
• Paper cutter
• Cardstock scraps

I started by cutting a 6" x 6' sheet of patterned paper every 3/4" to get eight equal strips from the sheet. (The number of strips doesn't matter.) Next I die cut a piece of black cardstock to 6" x 6" as well. I started adhering the strips from left to right. The odd numbered strips are left in their original form and the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th strips are dry embossed with a dotted pattern. I adhered the first strip on the left with liquid glue onto the black square. The second embossed strip is popped up on foam tape. I repeated that process across to the right/8th strip. The black panel behind the strips shows up better in person as you turn the card left to right repeatedly.

Next, I die cut the sentiment (one die) from white, two yellow, two green and teal cardstocks. I chose those colors from the ones in the patterned paper.

There isn't a second die to mat the words, so on black cardstock I drew around the die with a pencil and fussy cut a mat for my words. I glued the letters to the black mat and the card was complete! The black peeking from between the strips is like those old time billboards that used to change the picture by rotating strips in one direction to go from one image to the next. Anyone remember those?

Thanks for stopping by. See you in the gallery!

Carol