Sweet Surprises

For our CAS Week #703 at Just Us Girls, Nancy has us using just the center of our card. Cute idea, huh? I decided to use this cloche die that I have had for a long time with many ideas in my head for its use. I'm excited to make a scene inside it this time! Also, we are saying thank you to our talented guest Bonnie this week who has been a fabulous guest designer for October.

Products I used: 

Ellen Hutson: Sweet Surprises stamp set

Simon Says Stamp: Drifting Stitches Borders dies

Waffle Flower: Nested Domes dies

Versamark ink pad

Versafine: Onyx Black ink

Wink of Stella pen

Silver cardstock

Woodgrain cardstock

Silver sparkle white cardstock

Copic markers

I stamped my images first, colored and fussy cut them. I stamped and cut out the bear twice so that I could cut out his arms and attach them only on his sides. I wanted him to be able to hold the candy cane. Next, I die cut the cloche, the handle, the base and the snow. I rubbed some Versamark ink on the edges of the cloche so that it had an "edge" and shadow like a dome would. I colored the stars with the Wink of Stella pen and was ready to arrange everything.  After everything was adhered to the cloche, I stamped the sentiment. I popped up the whole cloche on foam tape in the middle of a 5" x 7" card base and rounded the outer corners to match the shape of the dome.

We hope you will join us this week for a Clean and Simple (CAS) and center focused card! Be sure to check out the team's cards...they are so much fun and super creative!!!

See you back here soon,

-Carol

Joyful Postage

We are back this week with a new moodboard challenge at Just Us Girls #702. I decided to go with colors I love off to the right of the graphic. I took the bottom three colors and made joyful little candy canes. I kind of wanted the look of a holiday postage stamp, so I also went that direction with it too. It's still a fall holiday, right? Here you go!

Productgs I used:

The Stamp Market: Candy Cane Christmas stamp set

The Greetery: Postal dies

???: Joyful die (can't remember the brand...Papertrey?)

Sugar Pea Designs: Stitched rectangle die

Concord and 9th: Mini ink cubes in Grapefruit, Poppy and Cranberry

My Favorite Things: Mini ink pad in Gravel Grey

Hobby Lobby: Glitter dark grey cardstock, 

Joann Fabrics: Plaid patterned paper

Bearly Arts glue

Vellum

Rhinestones

I stamped the candy canes, die cut the postage panel/plaid rectangle and sentiment, and built the card you see using foam tape to pop up the postage panel. I wanted to mute the bold colors a bit for the sentiment to stand out, so I grabbed some vellum. I attached the sentiment to the vellum with Bearly Arts glue, then adhered the vellum to the card by adding the glue behind the sentiment only. For sparkle, I added a few rhinestones!

Join us for this fall moodboard challenge! We enjoy your cards so much!

-Carol

Happy Fall

I love the postage fever that is going on in stamping and I have a few products already in my stash. I'm trying to hold back from the new ones on the market, but there are some cute stencils that could possibly make their way to my home. I made this card for the Color Throwdown CTD765 this week using orange, yellow and green.

I am also playing along at The Paper Players PP662: Signs of Autumn.

Products I used:

Pretty Pink Posh: Giving Thanks stamp set

The Greetery: Postal dies

Concord and 9th: Small postage dies and stamps 

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Copic markers

Distress Inks

Washi tape

Foam tape

I first die cut the three "postage stamps." Then, using washi tape, I masked off the edges of each stamp. Next, I stamped the images on the postage stamps. I stamped them again on Post it notes to make masks and fussy cut them. I placed my masks over the images so that I could ink blend my ombré backgrounds. I removed the masks and colored my images. I cut a larger postage stamp for a mat on my card front, then arranged/popped up my little postage stamps with Bearly Art glue and foam tape.

Hope your fall is the way you like it. It is pleasurably cool this week for a few days, then back to the low 80's for us in the tropical zone.

-Carol

Fall is here

I know that fall started on September 23rd, but if you have been to stores lately, you know that fall is here. This is my card for our Just Us Girls #701 Word Week: Pumpkin. I have been seeing aqua, pink, black, yellow and many other trendy colored pumpkins and that is what I wanted to make this year. These dies have little patterns in them that, in person, make them really cute and more realistic.

Products I used:

Papertrey Ink: Pumpkin House dies (pumpkins)

Trinity Stamps: Boo Brew (leaves)

SugarPea Designs: Card Front Element Builder (stitched rectangle die)

Patterned papers (grey geometric and woodgrain)

Rnager Distress Oxide ink pads

Concord and 9th: Mini ink pads

Watercolor paper

Aqua brush

Ink blending brushes

I die cut and ink blended the pumpkins on white cardstock in soft shades of yellow pink and orange. Next, I decided to watercolor with the colors already used, then die cut the leaves and curly-cue vines out of those pieces. For stitching on my background, I die cut a panel of grey patterned paper and another out of woodgrain-look patterned paper. I assembled the patterned paper panels onto a white A2 card base, then arranged and adhered the pumpkins, leaves and vines. I left of a sentiment because the card was already busy enough, and I feel like not all cards have to have a greeting. 

We hope lots of cardmakers will join us for this simple fall theme! See you in the gallery!

-Carol

I Chair-ish Our Friendship

I love the graphics at Inspired By Challenge and their current one, #IB257: Nook, caught my eye with its yellow, black and white images, especially the piece of furniture and the black accessories. They symmetrical side of me saw the rectangle inside the rectangle in the sketch as well, but I had to center it. Here is my take on the challenge.

Products I used:

My Favorite Things: Take a Seat and Fundamental Furnishings die sets, Couch Potato stamp set, Floor to Ceiling paper pad

Scraps of yellow, black and polka dot patterned paper

Ranger: Antique Linen Distress Ink 

Blending brush

Versafine: Onyx Black ink

I have to give credit to Heather Klump, whose card layout (here) I CASEd from Instagram. I just loved it when she posted it a while back. The fun with these dies is to channel your inner interior decorator and choose prints, solids and shiny surfaces to create a room. FUN!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Carol

Joy Love Peace

I can't believe it is the middle of October already and the holidays are racing towards us! Here is my card for our fun new Christmas Craft Creations October challenge: Monochromatic. We can't wait to see your creations! Take a look at all of the design team cards and posts to see how they created their cards!

Products I used:

My Favorite Things: Stencil

Simon Says Stamp: Wreath die

Sugar Pea Designs: Scalloped rectangle die

Stampin' Up!: Ribbon

Pink and Main: Speckled enamel dots

Versamagic: Cloud White Archival Multi-surface Chalk ink pad

We'll be looking forward to seeing what you create!

-Carol

Thanks: Here's to Challenge #700!

Our new Just Us Girls Color Challenge #700 is to use light blue, orange and tan...and we have some surprises for you this week because 700 is such a fabulous number to reach for a card challenge!!! Thanks to all who have been a part of our challenges! Happy Cardmaking Day as well!

I went with a quilted, top-folding quilty card. This Concord and 9th die set is so much fun and versatile to use! I think this week's colors are fall-inspired, too! The quilt opens upward to see the inside of the card. Keep reading for the celebration prize I am offering to people who enter a card this week!

Light blue, Orange and Tan

I also used my Sugar Pea Designs Card Front Builder die to cut a stitched panel to put on the inside back of the card just to continue the stitched look. The "thanks" die is from My Favorite Things.

That's it! Pretty easy after you use the quilt die once! There are ways to just cut the quilt and mount it on the front of the card base or just die cut the quilt stitching into the card front. I suppose I could also arrange the little stitched pieces on a blank card front however I want as well! Lots of ideas swimming around in my head now!

I am offering this stamp set to one person who a) enters card in our challenge this week, b) comments on this blog post, c) has a US postal address. Sorry to any international people, but I have had cards not arrive when mailing internationally.

We hope you will join us this week with this fun color combo!! Remember, prizes!!!!! Read design team members' posts this week to see what prizes are being offered!

-Carol