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

Hi Sunshine

Hi there! I am the hostess at Just Us Girls #821 this week where we are having CASE a DT (Design Team Member's) card. I wanted to make a Mother's Day card for a friend who lives far from me and this is what I came up with for her. I included the things that are on my desk when I get a card ready to put in the mail.

Be sure to tell us whose card you CASEd and how you made it your own. We love to see your CASEs and can't wait for the gallery to fill up with your cards!

I'm also playing along at Stencil Fun Challenge here!

The stenciled postage takes 4 layering stencils to complete the floral images.

What I used:

• Postage Collage Tropical Flowers stencils, Overlapping Hello Additions Matching die, Overlapping Hello Additions stamp set, Postage Collage Beach Days stamp set, Postage Collage Love stamp set
• The Greetery Pen Pal die set
• Concord & 9th mini ink pads
• Ranger Distress and Distress Oxide ink pads
• Altenew Obsidian black ink pad
• Silver cardstock

I stenciled first on an A2 white card panel. Then I die cut the flowers with the WF Postage Collage die. 

Next, I die cut the pen and assembled the parts.

I can't wait to use these stencils again. They not only have marks to line up the stencils, but also color suggestions on each stencil for every flower. Really detailed products!

I really hope to see your creative CASEd cards in the gallery this week!

Carol

Remember to Play

I'm back with a card for our Time Out Challenge #312 Photo Inspiration! It is a picture submitted by our teammate Deepti. Isn't it pretty and calming? Whether you see dawn or dusk, it can be a pretty scene on your card or just using those colors. I wasn't sure how I would make a card at first, then suddenly I remembered that I have this bridge die and got the silhouette idea for my card.

Our wonderful sponsor, is DoodlebugsWA, 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 are joined by Fran Wing of franmadeinoregon, and winner of Time Out #307 as Guest Designer.

 Here's what I used to make my card:

• Concord & 9th Seaside Post dies and stencils, Easy Stripes dies
• Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker
• Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads
• Foam tape

After ink blending through the postage stencil to make a sunset/sunrise look on my die cut postage, I die cut the bridge, anchor and sailboat out of black cardstock. I adhered the silhouettes onto the postage stamps and matted each completed stamp with a black square. Next, I die cut the pink and orange strips to be in the background behind the stamps. When the strips were adhered, I popped up the postage stamps on foam tape. All that was left was to add the sentiment, also popped up on foam tape. My card turned out to be CAS with kind of bright colors. 

We hope you will join us for this colorful challenge!

Carol

Happy 4th!

I don't think I'll ever stop making different versions of cards with this Seaside Bundle from Concord & 9th. I've had a red, white and blue card in mind since the package arrived with these goodies, so I got them out this morning to make one. I probably like the stenciling part of using these products the best, then the stamping and die cutting. I know it is really early to be thinking about the 4th, but we do Christmas in July cards, right?

I am playing along at the April 2026 Stencil Fun Challenge with my card. I've added a photo of the card below with just the stenciling step completed. There are four layering stencils in the set.

Here is all of the stenciling, my first step in the process. The sky and water are stenciled too! I try to add shading to the rooftops and water. I made a hazy white and blue sky and used the tiniest ink blending brush to make the cobblestones slightly different shades of grey. There's a big difference before you add the die cuts and stamping!

I am also playing along at The Card Concept #226. The colors and Patriotic theme in the photo grabbed my attention right away. Since I used stencils, distress and regular inks, stamping, and die cuts from metallic and regular cardstock my card is mixed media. I also think it is a clean and layered style with the stenciled and stamped elements being one layer and the die cuts being another layer or two. The sidewalks and buildings are left white for the most part and the water and sky are uncluttered.

I die cut a lot of the accessories and added and removed many of them over and over. I wanted a peaceful, simple view of the café and hotel by the water. Wherever this is, the red white and blue live on whether it is a holiday or not with the roof tiles, doors, awning and shutters.

The only thing that isn't by C & 9th on my card is the sentiment from Stampin' Up! a long time ago. I used matte silver cardstock scraps for the table and chairs, the upstairs railing, and the boat mast. They kind of go with the grey cobblestone walkway. I used a variety of inks from distress to regular ink pads.

Well, I'm sure people are making summer plans by now and the patriotic holidays start a month from now. Can you believe it?

Have a happy, restful weekend,

Carol

Breath of Fresh Air

Hello and welcome! Are you ready for some summer or vacation activities on the way in just a matter of weeks? I'm having so much fun with this new Concord & 9th Seaside bundle!! I made a mini slimline size card this time for our Just Us Girls Anything Goes Stencil Week #820, hosted by Vicki. Be sure to visit the team blogs as well as our guest Rosemary's for all of their wonderful card inspiration.

Here is the stenciling before adding all the fun die cuts and some stamping. What a difference!

I used all sorts of inks and scraps of cardstock for the rest of the card. The waves, windows and door details are stamped. The rest are die cut and layered together. You can add a lot or a little to the stenciled scene. So. Much. Fun. Where do you think this scene could be? It's nice to think about that for a while.

We hope you will join us this week with your stenciled cards. There is something magical about a design coming to life as you stencil, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Happiness Comes in Waves

It's feeling like summer more each day and I am not holding back on bringing it into my cardmaking. The Freshly Made Sketches #732 challenge gave me bird's eye view beach umbrellas and here is my CAS card!

What I used:

• Waffle Flower Beach Umbrella die-n-stencil set, Postage Collage Beach Days stamp set

• Altenew Obsidian Black ink pad

• Pink and Main The Bright Side Glitter Enamel Shapes, Spring Glitter Enamel Shapes

• Ranger Distress and Distress Oxide ink pads

I ink blended the waves rolling in from the west onto white sand beaches. After stenciling the umbrellas and die cutting them, I ran them across the side of my desk to make them rounded, then popped them up on foam tape on the beach. The sparkly enamel shapes are fun in the center of each umbrella top. I stamped the sentiment and was done!

Spring break must be winding down, but the beach is always there for the locals.

Happy spring into summer!

Carol

Hi

It's time for a pretty moodboard at Just Us Girls #819 and Bobby chose this sweet spring inspiration for us all. Will you take elements or colors from it? The sentiment or season? I chose the pastel colors and flowers from the April Showers verse for my little coin purses. My dies are all from The Stamp Market. The purses are from the Coin Purse set and Hi is from Fintastic.

I die cut to my heart's content with shades of pink, blue, aqua, white and orange. It was really fun mixing and matching the purse, flower and clasp closure colors. I did a couple of silver clasps then branched out to the colors I already used. If you look at the orange purse, there is a single stitched flower die (that doesn't cut, it makes the pattern wherever you put it) and I moved it several times to create patterned stitching all over the purse.

Take time to check out the blogs of the whole team as well as our guest Rosemary to read how they were inspired by the moodboard. There are so many ways to go with this one!

Thanks for checking in,

Carol