*Black & White Plaid*

Another case of this card looked WAY better in my head than it does when it came to fruition.  I had big dreams for this card.  And while I liked it quite a bit when I finished it, the more I look at it, the more I realize I'm not in love with it.  

Maybe I'm missing a pop of colour?  Maybe it's too masculine or not masculine enough?  Maybe the plaid was the wrong choice?

I don't know what it is, but...

Card Info

*Stamps:  MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes; Concord & 9th Plaid Background

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! ribbon

*Tools:  Misti

*Pop of Colour*

One of my favourite things is to see anything (cards, book covers, clothing) that are black and white with a nice pop of colour.  The Misti is great for doing a card this way with one stamp.  I used purple tape to mask the parts of the stamp I didn't want black, inked it up, removed the tape and stamped the image down.  I then used (clean) purple tape to mask off the parts I wanted to be black and did it again.  I added some black and white striped patterned paper and a few gems and done!

Items Used:

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

*Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things Black & White Stripes
*Images:  Catherine Pooler Good Things

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler It's A Boy; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  My Favorite Things Stitched Rectangles

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Sparkling Crystals

*Tools:  Misti; Perfect Layers

*Addicted to CAS #195*

Todays the day for a new clean and simple challenge over at the Addicted to CAS blog.... and when you see the code word you'll understand why this was an easy one for me...

Yup, a clean and simple floral card.  Done!  I LOVE using just two of the AlteNew layering stamps to create a great clean and simple card instead of all three layers.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  AlteNew Fabulous Florets

*Ink:  Vesafine Clair Nocturne, Verdant, Golden Meadow, Glamorous

*Tools:  Misti

Now, it's your turn!  We want to see YOUR clean and simple floral cards!  Link your creation on the Addicted to CAS blog for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

*Scrap 'n Stamp Circles*

Welcome to Friday, everyone!  I'm back on the Scrap 'n Stamp Canada blog today with a relatively clean and simple card to go with the Random Acts of Cardness prompt of CIRCLE.  Can you believe we've being doing these word prompts for more than a year now?!  I'm just happy that winter is behind us and while spring in Calgary can be hit or miss, I am hopeful that things will just continue to get better (cue the inevitable snowstorm...).

Anyway... 

I had a lot of ideas floating in my head about what I wanted to do to play with circles... there are so many possiblities!  But I decided to create a circle (wreath) out of circles.... I chose some beautiful inks from Versafine Clair and started to play with my Gina K Wreath Builder and some circle stamps from My Favorite Things.

Aren't those colours delicious??!  I just love the coverage I get with the Versafine Clair inks, even on a solid stamp.  And I enjoyed using the Wreath Builder to create something that wasn't a standard floral wreath.  In fact, I think this was easier for me than figuring out where to place flowers and greenery.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Gina K Passionate Pink, Tranquil Teal

*Images:  My Favorite Things Color Drops; Gina K Wreath Builder

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Cheerful, Verdant, Charming Pink, Warm Breeze, Tulip Red, Paradise, Purple Delight

*Tools:  Gina K Wreath Builder; Misti; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  Frosted Lace Stickles; Glossy Accents

*Floral Sympathy*

One of my childhood friends lost her Dad to Covid last month... and I needed to put together a quick card to send to her.  I love love love those these AlteNew flowers look when I only use the outline and the one layer inside.  It makes them look so clean and simple, even though there are several on my card.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover 110lb

*Images:  AlteNew Fabulous Florets; Avery Elle Sentimental Too

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Sage, Polished, Rose Petals

*Tools:  Misti

*TIme Out Challenge #184

I have a bunch of cards to be posted but find myself posting more often with newer ones I've made so that I can enter them in to challenges.  I will get them all posted.... eventually LOL!  Today I'm sharing a card I made following along with the current challenge at Time Out Challenges.

I really love these Altenew Flowers... this is the first time I've stamped them with all three layers.  Instead of figuring out colours, I just used on colour of pink ink and did one layer at full strength and one layer after stamping off the ink on a scrap.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Altenew Fabulous Florets; Simon Says Stamp Thanks Words

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne, Golden Meadow, Glamorous, Acorn

*Tools:  Misti; black marker

*Embellishments:  Glossy Accents

*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

*AAA#181*

 Welcome to the first AAACards clean and simple challenge for 2021!  The design team is all refreshed from a few weeks off and ready to inspire you with our clean and simple designs!  I hope you'll join along with us, share your clean and simple card using the prompt below for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

As you can see from the graphic, we are looking for a clean and simple card that uses up to 1/3 of your card front with the optional twist of Summer in January!  SmylinStef is joining us as a guest designer for this challenge.

What says "summer" more than popsicles?!  I used a great two step stamping set from Simon Says Stamp to create my card...

Items Used:

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

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp So Cool

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Samba, Tiki Torch, Lime Rickey, Fiesta Blue, Over Coffee, Black Jack

*Tools:  Misti; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  white Gelly Roll pen; Nuvo Shimmer Pen

Be sure to head on over to the blog to see what the rest of the design team has come up with and to link up your creation too!

*Fa la la*

I saw a card similar to this in my internet travels and decided to give it a shot.  I'm not honestly sure how I feel about rainbows and Christmas, but... I don't love it but I also don't hate it.

Items Used

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Jolly Trees; MFT Handwritten Holidays

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Pixie Dust, Fiesta Blue, Grass Skirt, Limoncello, Tiki Torch, Rockin' Red, Be Mine; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Tools:  Misti

*Serene Scene Greetings*

This was a very quick card to put together... in fact, I think it took me more time to decide on a paper to use than to put the entire card together.  I have all of this wonderful winter scene paper from a pack from Stampin' Up! (retired)... the other side is all white and silver foil but sometimes I want to use these beautiful scenes.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; silver shimmer

*Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up!

*Images:  Kraftin' Kimmie The Magic of Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Tools:  Misti; Perfect Layers

*Swear Word Below*

Just a warning before you scroll any further... the card I'm sharing today drops the "f-bomb".  To me, it's just a very useful word, but I know that others feel very differently about it.  So rather than surprising you, I'm warning you that it's there.  My card is *not* censored so if you look at it, you will see it.

I had a friend ask for a "cheeky" card to send to a friend and I knew I had just the stamp.  The only problem is that this stamp from The Ink Road is HUGE so I had to make a larger card than I usually make.  I kinda like how it turned out.  

I used my Misti to make sure I got a good dark solid image... and then added an assortment of Prima flowers to decorate it up.  I also added some Stampin' Up! bling to the centres of the flowers to add a little sparkle and a little more colour.

*AAA#175*

 Happy Sunday Everyone!  It's time for another clean and simple challenge with AAACards!  Our guest designer (chosen from all of the entries from a previous challenge is Stephanie!  Up for grabs for challenge #175 is a prize of a credit at your favourite online store as well as a chance to be a guest designer on an upcoming challenge.  Please follow the link to AAACards to share your clean and simple creations with the rest of the design team!

I am not a coffee drinker... I wish I was.  It sounds like such a grown up thing to do.  The same goes for wine.  My tastebuds are still that of an 11 year child, sadly.  But I do like playing along with the optional twist more often than not, so I grabbed some stamps that I hadn't inked up yet and went to play!  This card went together very quickly.... one layer for the AAA Challenge is nothing extra on the card... no die cuts (perhaps an inlaid die), no embellishments.... so you have paper, stamps and ink (with a little Stickles for interest)

I figured I could use this as a winter birthday card.... 

I look forward to seeing what you create!

*Random Acts of Cardness - Wreath*

I'm back with another card for the September calendar of Random Acts of Cardness with Scrap 'n Stamp Canada.  For today, the cue word is wreath.

I know that when I think of a wreath, my first thought is Christmas... so I wanted to make a wreath that wasn't for Christmas.  I LOVE the Gina K Wreath Builder stamp sets and Guides to use in your stamp positioning tool.  I have seen everything from Christmas wreaths, to floral wreaths, to circular designs using hearts and gnomes and leaves and whatever else you can think of.  It's a fun tool to use... pick your colours and just play!  There are LOTS of tutorials out there on how to use the Wreath Builder.... open up YouTube and search for Gina K Wreath Builder.  There is even a great one by Jennifer McGuire who shows you how to use the Wreath Builder in a way that doesn't involve a perfectly centred wreath on a square card (which is what I've done here...  square card and perfectly placed LOL)

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; GinaK Powder Blue
• Images:  Gina K Wreath Builder
• Ink:  Gina K Sweet Corn, Wild Lilac, Powder Blue, Jelly Bean Green, Fresh Asparagus
• Tools:  stamp positioner; Perfect Layers
• Embellishments:  bling from my stash

*Best of Luck*

I really love love love the idea of these three step stamps but only stamping them twice.  I love hint of colour it leaves on the flowers instead of them being a solid colour.

Items used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Granny Apple Green
• Images:  Altenew Fabulous Florets; Gina K Grand Greetings
• Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Sweet Sixteen, Tiara
• Tools:  Misti; Perfect Layers

*CASoloy #374*

 

The team at CASology is back with another clean and simple challenge for you all!  We sure love to see what you create based on the cue word every two weeks!  Link up your card on the CASology site for your chance to win a prize from STAMPlorations as well as to become a guest designer on an upcoming challenge!

I had a bit of a challenge coming up with an idea with the Vacation cue... I'm thankful that we can interpret these cue words any way we want to.  I decided a beachy-theme was a good way to use that Vacation cue.  I'd love to be on the beach, watching the sun set with a wonderful fruity drink in my hand...

I used a circle die to create a template for the ink blended circle on the front of my card.  I used a 1/4 sheet of cardstock to create the mask so that I was sure I wouldn't get ink where I didn't want it.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 100lb
• Stamps:  Your Next Stamp Happy Hour
• Ink:  Distress Ink in Salty Ocean, Mustard Seed, Candied Apple; Gina K Amalgam; Copics
• Dies:  Spellbinders circle die; Your Next Stamp Happy Hour
• Tools:  Tim Holtz Blending Tool; Misti
• Embellishments:  Frosted Lace Stickles
• Etc:  foam adhesive

*Awesome Birthday*

Happy Monday everyone... here in Canada it's Labour Day, which means it is a long weekend.  My office is always closed on Mondays so it's a regular weekend for me.  But since I only work a 4 day week anyway, every weekend is a long weekend :-)

The weather in Calgary was stunning on Saturday.  29C, mostly sunny... I got home from work and spent the afternoon on the back deck in the shade with a cold drink and a good book.  Today is a completely different story.  It's about 7C as I'm writing this and it's raining.... and there's been a little white stuff mixed in there as well.  It's supposed to warm up to 18C tomorrow so this isn't going to last, but brrrrr!

This was a super quick card to throw together thanks to my Misti.  I placed the one stamp and stamped it four different times with four different inks, moved the stamp and did it all again.  I then stamped over it all with the sentiment.

I'm thinking now I should have added a little sparkle to it...

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Images:  AlteNew Splash of Color; Studio Katia Birthday Greetings
• Ink:  Gina K Passionate Pink, Sweet Mango, Wild Dandelion, Grass Green, Blue Raspberry, Turquoise Sea, Wild Lilac; Versafine Clair Nocturne
• Tools:  Misti

*Stenciled Bursts*

I had a vision for this card... and while it turned out OK, I don't think it was quite in keeping with my vision.  I don't know that I can describe what I was trying to achieve, I just know that it's not quite what I wanted.  Not to mention it's a whole lot of "busy" for my clean and simple tastes.

I used the small fingertip sponge daubers to ink up each of the pinwheels so that I was able to get the colour where I wanted it.  I cleaned off the stencil when I was done and then carefully put it back in place so I could cover it with the Nuvo Glimmer Paste.  I didn't quite get it exact so up close, it's not quite right.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
• Images:  Avery Elle So Kind
• Ink:  Gina K Blue Raspberry, Lipstick, Sweet Mango, Wild Dandelion, Grass Green
• Stencil:  Carta Bella Circus Starbust
• Dies:  Spellbinders circle; Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Backer
• Tools:  Gemini Jr; finger daubers; stamp positioner
• Etc:  foam tape

*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

*AAA#172*

 Happy Sunday!  It's time for another clean and simple challenge with the team from AAACards!  Our sponsor for this challenge is Joy Clair... you could win $25 to spend on stamps or digital images!  Our guest designer is Coni... please be sure to check out her blog!  I also invite you to visit the AAACards blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with!

I had to borrow some stamps from my good friend Bonnie for this challenge.  I have a few other hobbies but not one stamp to go with them!

Since it's a one layer card, I couldn't colour with my Copics since they would have bled through to the inside of the card, so I decided to play with coloured pencils (we call them pencil crayons in Canada).  I haven't coloured with them in ages!!!  I did a little blending on some pieces but I left the books a little grainy looking.

One thing I did that I am glad I thought of, was I left the stamp in my Misti while I coloured this image... I then went back and stamped it again to make the black lines really pop, especially in those spots where the coloured pencils went over the stamped lines.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake
• Images:  Catherine Pooler Book & Film; Paper Rose Gnomies
• Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
• Etc:  coloured pencils
• Tools:  Misti

We look forward to seeing what you create!  Link up your creation (from a blog, Flicker or even Instagram) for your chance to win the prize from Joy Clair and to be a guest designer for an upoming challenge!

*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