*January 2021 Sheetload of Cards*

For someone who loves patterned paper, I sure haven't used it much in the past years.  It doesn't lend to my usual clean and simple style.  So I am trying to use it more often.  I'm so glad I found Call Me Crafty Al's Sheetload of Cards idea....  she posts a new template every month where you can make a "sheetload" of cards but she also provides the measurements so that you can make just one card.  As I don't often feel the need to have a bunch of cards the same, I am doing the one card ideas.

The easiest way to do these cards is to use patterned paper from a pack...  then you know all of the colours will go together.  I am using a Stampin' Up! retired paper pack for this card.

I also want to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the team at Time Out Challenges!!  If you like to work with challenges, I think you'll like this one!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Granny Apple Green

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin; Up!

*Images:  My Favorite Things All Smiles

*Ink:  Versamark

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Pierced Blooms; Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiment Banners

*Etc:  white embossing powder

*Tools:  heat tool; Big Shot

*Challenges:  AAABirthday

*AAA Cards #184*

It's time for another clean and simple challenge with the group at AAACards!  I hope you're all having as much fun with our bi-weekly prompts as we are!  As always, share your cards with us HERE for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

For Game #184, we want to see your cards using the sketch below....  with the optional twist of using watercolour in your clean and simple creation.

I did use watercolours for my card.... but it's just not all that obvious!  I created a watercolour panel on watercolour paper and then cut my flowers and leaves out of it.  In person you can see the shades, but in the photo it's just not so obvious.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  watercolour paper; Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Images:  My Favorite Things Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Zig Watercolour Markers

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Stitched Blooms

*Tools:  Perfect Layers; Big Shot

*Time Out Challenges Guest Designer*

I am super excited to be playing along with the Design Team at Time Out Challenges as their guest designer!  This is a "new to me" challenge blog and I hope to be able to play along with their challenges some more!

For this challenge, you need to use the photo above as inspiration for your card.  I decided to play with an alcohol ink background sheet I had created several weeks ago and was sitting on my desk waiting for *something*.  I took my inspiration from the hearts.

I cut a variety of hearts out of this paper and then played around to see what I liked best.  Many of the other hearts ended up on another card.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black; Memory Box glitter; Yupo

*Ink:  Alcohol Inks (sorry, I didn't keep track of what I used!)

*Dies:  Simon Says Stamp big thanks; Hero Arts Infinity Hearts

*Tools:  Big Shot; air blowers; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  foam adhesive;  craft foam (I cut out the thanks in craft foam and black cardstock and raised up part of the word to make it level with the heart that was adhered with foam adhesive)

*CASology #383*

It's Tuesday, so it must be time for another challenge with the team at CASology!  As you can see from the cue card, we want to see your clean and simple creations using the word "envelope" as your cue.  Share your card with us for your chance to be a guest designer for an upcoming challenge!  

Please go to the CASology blog to click on the links for the rest of the design team... and leave us a little love on our posts!  We always love to get comments!

I absolutely LOVE this new stamp set with matching dies and paper from Stampin' Up!  These snails are so super cute!  I fell in love with this little guy with the mustache so I used my Scan 'n Cut to cut him out of a piece of the patterned paper (as he doesn't come as a stamp).  I didn't love the sentiments with the set for my layout so I added one from a My Favorite Things set.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Real Red; vellum

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up! Snailed It

*Images:  MFT Bitty Birthday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Snailed It; Spellbinders Scalloped Circle

*Tools:  Big Shot

*Etc:  foam adhesive.

*Addicted to CAS #190*

Welcome to another week with the team at Addicted to CAS!  Join the design team and our guest designer Milka in creating a clean and simple card using the code word "pattern".  Link up your creation for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

I had a few ideas dancing in my head but I decided to play with the new Catherine Pooler colour wheel download and the new colours that I just bought and grabbed out one of my Concord & 9th Turnabout stamps.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 100lb

*Images:  Concord & 9th Bitty Burst Turnabout; Taylored Expressions Simple Strips

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Fiesta Blue, Something Borrowed, Seranade, Pixie Dust; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips, Simple Strips Backer

*Tools:  Big Shot; Misti

*Birthday Flowers*

I am constantly amazed at how fast time goes by.... here we are at the end of January already!  I don't mind when the cold winter months fly by, but it sure does suck with the spring and summer ones fly too!

I did a ombre look on these letters with a blending brush and ink and I'm really happy with how they look.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Image:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Garden Party

*Dies:  MFT Impact Alphabet

*Tools:  Big Shot; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes

*Ebellishments:  Lawn Fawn Liquid Stardust; Prima Flowers; Stampin' Up! bling

*Layers Layers Layers*

I had fun putting this card together for you today....  I am on the Scrap 'n Stamp Canada blog with this card, following along with the Random Acts of Cardness prompt for today.  That prompt word is LAYERS.  And I went a little nuts with the layers.  Including the mats under each layer, there are 8 layers plus the card front!  Using a 6X6 patterned paper pack from My Favorite Things made it super easy to choose the papers for my layers.

At the end of the post I have a little surprise for you too!  I did a VIDEO to demonstrate how to use the We R Memory Keepers Layers Guides that I LOVE!  Most people don't understand the concept of these tools and I LOVE them and use them on almost every card I made.  I hope the video explains things for you.

But first, the card I created...  it's so totally not my clean and simple style but I sure do love it!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White; Lawn Fawn Black Licorice

*Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things Birthday Brights

*Images:  My Favorite Things All Smiles

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  My Favorite Things All Smiles

*Tools:  Big Shot; Layers Guides

*Etc:  foam adhesive; Be Creative Tape

And now, on to the video... please be kind as it's my first... and I have no idea how to edit a video (nor the time I think it would take to not only learn how but also to just do it) so this was all done in one take, mistakes and all LOL!  If you have any questions about the Layers Guides, let me know and I'll try to help!  These are truly the tool I reach for most on my craft desk!

In case you can't see the video (like it doesn't show up on my phone but shows up on my laptop), here is the link to YouTube...  

*CAS#381*

It's a New Year and time for the CASology Design Team to get back to work with our bi-weekly clean and simple challenges!  

Being a new year, and a time for reflection, our cue word for the next two weeks is Memories.  My favourite part of these challenges is that the words are open for interpretation however you see fit.. here's my story.

I honestly didn't know what to do with this prompt.  I don't have anything vintage, I don't scrapbook, I couldn't think of anything.... but one idea kept popping in to my head.  My Mom.  My Mom is the reason I make cards.  It's a long story that I've shared before that I'll summarize here... My Mom did almost every craft known to man over the years.  The only one I was interested in for a long time was cross stitch.  I went to visit in November of 1996 and she got me hooked on stamping ("here, try heat embossing!").  We would spend our time together (we lived about a 7 hour drive away from each other) making cards, sharing ideas and techniques.  She was diagnosed with cancer in February 2010 and given a short timeline so I had her teach me how to crochet (which I still enjoy).

My Mom was the Queen of Details... she LOVED any craft that was "finickey".... any one that took time.  While she started card making with stamping, she moved on to other ways to create cards.  One of those was stitching on cards.  She had books and books of patterns, patterns downloaded from the internet.  I did it for a while too (it's a lot like cross stitch), but I went a different direction (clean and simple) and left the card stitching behind.

But could I create a clean and simple card with stitching?

So I did a google search and found a pattern on CraftWithSarah.com and decided to give it a try...

I love that the first card I completed in 2021 has a piece of my Mom in it....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Gumball Green

*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips, Simple Strips Backer

*tools:  pattern printed on copy paper; paper piercing tool (I use one for Pergamano); purple tape; Big Shot; needle

*etc:  DNC embroidery floss

Be sure to link up your creation using this prompt for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!  Just head on over to the blog to see what the rest of the design team has come up with and to share your creation with us!

*Little Birthday Balloons*

My Favorite Things comes up with some of my favourite 6X6 patterned paper pads.  I love buying the 6X6 size for making cards as the patterns are scaled for the size rather than trying to use a large pattern from 12X12 cardstock on my cards.  Of course, I do still buy some 12X12 paper but it often sits without being used because the scale of the images is just too much.

This went together really quickly... patterned paper, my Perfect Layers tool to get that little 1/16" border of black at the top, stamps and dies by Lawn Fawn.

*Black Flowers*

Hello all... I'm back again with a beautiful ink blended background and this wonderful coverplate die by A Jillian Vance Design.  I like the bold look of the black flowers on this colourful background.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
• Images:  MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes
• Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Passionate Pink, Wild Dandelion, Blue Raspberry
• Dies: A Jillian Vance Design Daisies Cover Plate; Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Backer
• Tools:  Gemini Jr; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes
• Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls

*Colourful Letters*

Another weekend come and gone... well for most of you.  My weekend is Sunday - Tuesday which makes Monday a great day in my books!  I truly love my 4-day work week!

Another card using that great stitched alphabet from Lawn Fawn and some bright patterned paper from MFT.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Tempting Turquoise
• Patterned Paper:  MFT Over The Rainbow
• Images:  Gina K Grand Greetings
• Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
• Dies:  Lawn Fawn Oliver's Stitched ABCs
• Embellishments:  Studio Katia Winter Wonderland Fusion sequins
• Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers
• Etc: Foam adhesive

*You Did It!*

Back in the spring, a friend asked for some graduation cards for some of her family members.  This is one of the ones I created using a Tutti die.  I kept it super simple since the die is large.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
• Dies:  Tutti Designs You Did It
• Tools:  Perfect Layers; Gemini Jr
• Embellishments:  Lawn Fawn Shimmer Pen

*Alphabet*

Happy Monday Everyone!  I am back with a card I created for Scrap 'n Stamp... the prompt for todays Random Act of Cardness is Alphabet, so I grabbed some alphabet dies to play!  I love these stitched dies from Lawn Fawn... they are a great size and on regular cardstock, the stitched line adds a great interesting element.  You can't see it so well on this patterned paper, but it's there.

I started this card by cutting a smaller panel for the front of my card.  I decided to keep it kind of simple in terms of layers so instead of yellow cardstock, I used my new Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes to create a yellow strip on the white cardstock after taping off the area with Purple Tape.  I left it a little lighter in the centre and darker on the edges for a little more visual interest.  I cut the letters out of patterned paper and adhered the to the inked strip.  I added a layer of purple cardstock creating a 1/16th" border on all four sides and added it to a white card.  I then used my stamp positioning tool to add the "it's your birthday" stamped sentiment under the yellow ink.

There is a lot going on in those letters, but the overall look of the card is pretty clean and simple

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; Lawn Fawn Sugarplum
• Patterned Paper:  MFT Over the Rainbow
• Images:  MFT All Smiles
• Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Gina K Wild Dandelion
• Dies:  Lawn Fawn Oliver's Stitched ABCs
• Tools:  Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes; Perfect Layers; Stamp Positioner

*Sweet Unicorn*

I really love these Gerda Steiner unicorns... they are just so dang cute and very easy to colour up.  

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb

*Patterned Paper:  MFT Over the Rainbow

*Images:  Gerda Steiner Moody Unicorns; MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Copics

*Dies:  Gerda Steiner Moody Unicorns

*Etc:  Nuvo Shimmer Pen; foam tape

*Sweet Birthday Wishes*

I love the card I am sharing with you today.  I can't explain what it is about this card, but looking at it makes me happy.  

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 100lb

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp Summer Flowers; Gina K Where Flowers Bloom; MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Copics

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles 2; Simon Says Stamp Summer Flowers; Gina K Where Flowers Bloom

*Etc:  Nuvo Shimmer Pen

*Awesome*

I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by...  make it stop, or at least slow it down a bit!  I am not looking forward to cooler weather and shorter daylight hours.

I saw a card that used a coverplate die as a portion of a card front and decided to play with what I had on hand to make my own.  I did some ink blending and die cutting and stamping for this card.  I kinda like it and I hope you do too!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape

*Images:  MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; GinaK Turquoise Sea, Wild Lilac

*Dies:  unknown 

*Tools:  Misit; Perfect Layers; Life Changing Blending Brushes

*Big Blue Happy*

How's that for a blog title for you?!  Geesh, I hate naming blog posts (but you know that already).

Here we are, getting late in to June already.  I don't know about you, but even with all that's going on and being at home more often than anything else in the last 3+ months, I find that time is flying by.  It seems that the older I get, the faster time is going.  I hope it slows down sometime...  I mean I blinked and suddenly I've been married for 29 years, have kids who are 25 and 23 and will be turning 50 next month.  How??? LOL

This Nuvo Glimmer paste is a product I truly love.  Often I buy these new items, use it a few times and then never look at it again until it's dried up and needs to be thrown out.  But this shimmer paste?  I am on my second jar and thinking I should order another.  I love how versatile it is and how much awesome sparkle you get when you use it!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Blueberry Bushel; velum

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp Big Happy

*Ink: Versafine Claire Nocturne

*Dies:  Simon Says Stamp Big Happy

*Stencil:  Wild Whisper Circlet

*Embellishments:  Moonstone Nuvo Glimmer Paste

*Hip Hip Horray*

I love these patterned foiled papers from Stampin' Up!  So sad that they're now retired, although I've been hoarding it somewhat so I still have some left!  I like this idea of a small flower stamp in the centre of each flower.... makes the idea that the foiled paper is designed with flowers, not just shapes that overlap!

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Pacific Point

*Images:  Stampin' Up! Thoughtful Blooms; Avery Elle So Kind

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne:  Gina K Wild Dandelion, Sweet Mango, Blue Raspberry, Passionate Pink, Lipstick

*Dies:  Spellbinders circle die

*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers

*Big Blue Happy Birthday*

Hello all....  I hope you are having a good day so far.  It's hard to believe it's been a month since I stopped chemo.  Some of the side effects are gone, some are getting better and some are still as bad as they were a month ago.  A big one is that my tastebuds are slowly returning to normal and I am able to taste more of each food I eat.  For a while there, there wasn't much I wanted to eat because so much of it had no taste.  

I created this card for a magazine design call... but since I never heard back from them, I'm guessing it wasn't chosen for publication.  They wanted to see cards using blue, the Pantone colour of the year.  It's so strange for me to have white as a mat layer and blue as my card base!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up Blueberry Bushel

*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips; Catherine Pooler Doodle Garden Background

*Ink:  Versamark; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips; Simon Says Stamp Big Happy

*Tools:  Heat Tool; Perfect Layers; Misti

*Embellishments:  White embossing powder

*CAS#370*

Welcome to another challenge with the team at CASology!  For the summer, we are moving to once a month challenges since we know most of you will want to be outside enjoying some beautiful weather!  At least, that's what the design team is going to be doing!!  There is nothing I like better than sitting in the sun in a comfy chair with a cold drink and a good book!

Anyway.... you're not here to talk about me... you're here for the challenge!

For the next month, we want to see your cards that focus on the cue "father".  Our sponsor for this challenge is Stamplorations.  Link up your card at the CASology blog for your chance to win!

This was a tough one for me as both my hubby and I have lost our dads...  but in the end I am thrilled with how my card turned out.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Good Vibes Border; Photo Play Mom & Dad

*Ink:  Gina K Powder Blue; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Photo Play Mom & Dad

*Tools:  Perfect Layers