Unwind

I know that for a while now pretty much all of my cards have been summery and beachy, but it is a short season for many people and these kinds of cards are my favorites. It is the time of year to use as many of my tropical products as possible. For this week's Just Us Girls Anything Goes Stencil Week #737, I chose to make a scenic drink in a tropical location using two different stencil sets.

Be sure to check out the cards by our wonderful guest Cat and the Design Team by reading their posts to see what they were inspired to make using stencils.

Products I used:

The Stamp Market: Seaside Post Stencil Pack

The Greetery: Wicker Weave Stencil

Poppy Stamps: Whittle Flamingo die

Picket Fence Studios: Tropical Cocktail die

WPlus9: Summer Time stamp set

Pink and Main: Banner die

Simon Says Stamp: Holographic Sequins

Ranger: Distress Inks

Stampin' Up!: Bermuda Bay Classic Ink pad

Blending brushes

Post-it notes

Black Sharpie pen

I stenciled the wicker design on my card base, then I die cut the drink and stenciled using the sun and rays. Using Post-it squares, I masked and ink blended the water and sand.
I used the wicker stencil to look like a pretty summery chair to unwind in with the drink.

I die cut and assembled the flamingo. I colored its beak black with my Sharpie pen. I adhered the drink to the card front with foam tape.

Next, I stamped the sentiment and die cut a banner around it. I adhered it to the stem of the drink.

The sequins were the last thing I added to complete my card.

I would be fun to hold up a cocktail and see the live version of this view through it, wouldn't it?

Happy summer,

Carol

Pucker Up

This week my card for Craft Roulette #224 was a quick one. I had most of my idea by Sunday morning. The parameters are:

Project: Mini Card(s)

Colors: A pretty Day

Element: Scent(s) and/or Nose(s)

Random: Packaging

I made a mini card on a mini card by cutting down an A2 to almost square and created a small card as my focal point. My blue skies and bright yellow and green lemons are indicative of a sunny summer day. I chose Pucker Up for the scent/taste of a lemon and used a Kleenex box side for the "patterned paper."

Products I used:

Lawn Fawn: Zesty Lemon die set

My Favorite Things: Scalloped rectangle die

Paper Smooches:  Pucker Up stamp

Kleenex box

Pretty Pink Posh: Clay fruit

Simon Says Stamp: Intense Black ink pad

Ranger: Distress ink

I die cut the fruit and assembled it. Then I die cut the rectangle, ink blended blue in the center of it, and made a slightly smaller top folding card under it. I attached the mini card to the rectangle and added my fruit. I cut down the box to fit the A2 white card base, then cut off part of the bottom of the card base to get a uniform white border around the box piece. The card measures 4 1/4" by about 4 3/4" and the mini card is approximately 1 1/4" x 2 1/2."

Can't wait to sit down and see all the cards in the gallery and figure out what packaging meant to each person.

See you back here soo!

Carol

Life's a Beach

I fell in love with this week's moodboard that Bobby chose for our Just Us Girls Challenge #736. I don't know what I like more, the soft colors or the fun images...it's all about sweet summer. What I took from the moodboard are the aqua colored water, the mint and white striped umbrella, and the pinky-peach shells on the beach.

Products I used:

Ellen Hutson: Beach Day stamp set, Let's Chill stamp set 

Waffle Flower: Nested A2 Nested Dome die set

Stampin' Up!: Stampin' Write markers, Aqua painter/water brush, dotted wooden stamp (for sand)

Prismacolor pencils

Altenew: Onyx Black ink pad

Concord and 9th: Mini ink pads

First I stamped, colored and fussy cut my images. Then I watercolored my background on a piece of watercolor paper. I die cut this panel into the dome shape, then adhered the images to it. I stamped my sentiment, then cut out my card base. After digging for the perfect minty-aqua colored cardstock, I  die cut one more dome and adhered it to the front of the card base. Last, I popped up my completed panel on foam tape onto the front of my card.

Hoping to see many pretty creations in our gallery this week. There are so many options to be had from this beauty of a moodboard!

See you there,

-Carol

Favorite Beach Bum

I have been trying to decide how to use my Spellbinders Large die of the Month for June 2024. The As You See It Challenge #327 is using the following bright colors: Daffodil Delight, Blueberry Bushel, Granny Apple Green, and Basic White. I remember seeing the chairs from the set used on one of the slimline sized cards, so I decided today to make a row of beach chairs on the sand.

Products I used:

Spellbinders: Summertime Vacay die set

My Favorite Things:  Life's a Beach stamp set

Stampin' Up!: Classic ink pad

These little chairs were so fun and easy to die cut and piece together. I want to use the whole die set soon, but this card gave me the chance to try out part of the set on a regular slimline size card. I popped up a couple of the chairs on foam tape and the others are flush on the card front. The challenge only allows the designated colors plus black, white, vanilla and crumb cake, so I used a tan color for the sand.

How's you summer going? I think it is flying by! Thanks for coming by my blog!

Carol

Thank You

This week I decided to make a round easel card for Craft Roulette #223 using the parameters that were spun on the wheel:

Project: Smaller/Larger

Colors: Planets

Element: House(s)

Random: White Border

My take on the parameters are: smaller/larger houses/windows/circles/trees, colors we see in daily life on our planet, houses and the white borders around the circles.

Products I used:

Sizziz: Christmas Cutouts

Simon Says Stamp: Circle dies

Pink Fresh Studio: Built on Dreams stamp and die sets

Stampin' Up!: Punches, ink

Patterned papers and cardstock scraps

I recently saw this tutorial by Sam Calcott of Mixed-up Craft for the Circle Easel card. It's really so easy that your thinking just centers around decorating the card base. I tried to die cut the shapes with colors of cardstock in the patterned paper. The card folds flat to fit in an envelope. My largest circle measures a bit over 5 1/2" so it will fit in a 6" x 6" envelope. It's important to think of the size of your envelopes when you choose your circle dies. (It is just a bit bulky, so you may have to pay more postage.)

There are lots of ideas for cards each week on Craft Roulette, starting Friday night and continuing through Thursday. Craftroulette.live has a gallery and there is a Facebook page as well. I get ideas for cardmaking in general from the cards entered from all over the world.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Summertime

Hello friends! The word summertime makes me think of vacation and this patterned paper has all the elements of my summer vacations as a teacher. Now I get to live year round as if it were summer break. This card is for our Just Us Girls Challenge #735: Summertime, and I am your hostess this week!

I'm sharing my card over at The Paper Players where their challenge is Summer Fun.

Products I used:

The Greetery: Hearts at Home: Clock die

Simon Says Stamp: Summertime die

Sugar Pea: Card Front Builder Stitched rectangle die

JoAnn Fabrics: Patterned paper scraps

Sizzix: Tropical Leaves embossing folder

Gold cardstock

Distress inks

Ink blending brushes

Handmade waves and sun stencils

Small circle punch

I had this idea in mind when I purchased The Greetery's little clock. It's a cute little alarm clock and I wanted to have multiple ways to use it. 

First I cut an A2 card base and chopped off a little over an inch of the outer edge of the card front. 

Next, I die cut the clock pieces and cut the legs for the alarm clock twice to make the top and bottom arms of the watch that attach to the "watchband" itself. 

Then I took the clock face and using small Post-It notes, created an ink blended sunset beach scene. So small, but quick!

I assembled the watch and die cut two rectangles with stitching like a wristwatch band. 

I embossed a panel of white cardstock with tropical leaves and adhered it to the shortened card front. I adhered the completed watch to it with the watch face popped up on foam tape.

Finally, I cut a strip of patterned paper and adhered it to the edge of the card. I die cut the sentiment which comes as a square die, then lined up each letter to make the word "Summertime" fit along the side of my card.

Please join us for a "Summertime" week at Just Us Girls. There are lots of ways to show what we like to do or places we like to go in the summer. You could even choose flowers that grow in this season! My card is for one of my former teacher friends who also loves the summertime vacation.

See you in the gallery!

-Carol

Thanks a Gazillion

I am drawn to graphic style art and cards. I also really like the dies that cut strips of colored cardstock, but I haven't bought any yet, but I'm tempted. This particular card style made me think about positive and negative space, and it was fun. I am sharing it over at Time Out Challenges #267 "Seeing Stars" and Sunday Stamps SSC339 "Mosaic Madness." I loved the colors at Sunday Stamps and there are so many ways to use stars. My sentiment looks darker in person...couldn't get a perfect photo of it.

Products I used:

Stampin' Up!: Star die, Really Retro stamp set, sequins (to match the cardstock)

Cardstock scraps in navy, teal, orange and red

Rhinestones

I saw a card using a butterfly with this card style and it was very pretty. The shapes are endless that could be used with this design. I need more thank you cards, so that's how I picked the sentiment. Very simple card process today.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol