*CASE It Instagram Hop*

 I'm here with my card for the CASE It Instagram Hop... each month I create a card that is inspired by another Instagram card creator.  This month, I chose a card by @joanbardee

Let me show you her card first...

This is such a gorgeous card!  I love that she did a rainbow of flowers, kept it clean and simple and used some dimension to make it all pop!  I did something very simlar with different stamps and some different sizes of layers.

Card Info

*Stamps:  Altenew Flower Vie; Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Rectangles
*Etc:  foam adhesive

*CAS Colours & Sketches #585*

 It's time for a new challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  It's a super simple sketch... perfect if you want to mass produce some cards or use up some scraps of pattern paper.

I found this super old scrap of pattern paper in my stash the other day and I knew I wanted to play with it.  I thought it was the perfect piece for this sketch!  I wish I had more of it!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Old Olive

*Paper:  I have no idea... leftover scrap from like 15 years ago!

*Stamps:  Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #585

*This or That Instagram Hop*

 I had a tough choice for the This or That Instagram Hop this week... until I couldn't find the die I thought I had for the other choice.  Our choices were Ladybug or Butterfly... and for the life of me, I couldn't find my ladybug die!

So butterflies it is!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Try A Sketch on Tuesday #689*

 I saw this sketch at Try a Sketch on Tuesday and wanted to play along... but then had absolutely no ideas of what I wanted to do!  I kept going back to it over the last week, but still nothing came to me.  And then, in the 40 minutes I had before heading to start my work week on Wednesday afternoon, I had an idea... and instead of eating lunch like I should have, I made this card instead!

I chose to do three different patterns of embossing on my three strips and kept the card super simple.  I really like it!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves, Brick & Mortar; Lisa Horton Layered Bubbles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Try A Sketch on Tuesday #689

*This or That Instagram Hop*

I'm back with a second post today... this time for the This or That Instagram Hop.  For the month of January, just to make things a little easier, we are hopping with the same theme all month.  Our two choices are Old or New.

I chose to play with an old die set in my stash, that I bought probably 2 years ago and then never used!  So while it's old, it's brand spakin' new!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Around the Corner; Waffler Flower Nesting circles; MFT Stitched Circles

*Mini Slimline Instagram Hop*

 It's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time for the Mini Slimline Hop over on Instagram.  I host this hop each month where some of my creative friends and I play with the mini slimline size of card.

For my card today, I chose to play with some of the papers from MVP Designs.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Paper:  MVP Designs
*Stamps:  Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles, Additional Circles

*Mini Slimline Instagram Hop*

 I gathered up some of my Instagram Friends and created a new Instagram Hop.  Each month, on the first Wednesday of the month, we will be sharing mini slimline cards!  You all know that I LOVE a mini slimline, so this hop idea was the perfect fit for me.

For my card today, I am using the left over part of a stencilled panel that I created for THIS card that I posted a few weeks ago.  It was so pretty that I couldn't let it go to waste...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Twilight, Black Jack

*Stencil:  Uniko Picked Posies

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*My Favorite Instagram Hop*

 This week for the My Favorite Instagram Hop, we are using our favourite monochromatic look...  I saw some samples from Gina K where her hubby had suggested ink blending in shades of grey.  I LOVED how they looked so I thought I would play with the idea...  I did a full 6x6 panel and cut out a portion of it for my card today (you'll see the rest of it in about 10 days)

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Twilight, Black Jack

*Stencil:  Uniko Picked Posies

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Addicted to CAS #290*

 We have a wonderful new challenge for you at Addicted to CAS...

I was going to play with some of my rainbow themed stash, but I had these foil butterflies left over from a project a few weeks ago and decided to play with them instead...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  assorted mirror

*Stamps: Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Paper Rose Studio Little Etched Butterflies; unknown stitched border

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #290

*CAS Colours & Sketches #567*

 We have a new colour challenge for you at CAS Colours & Sketches... 

I knew I wanted to try something a little different than just some die cuts in these colours (which I tend to do most often) so I stamped up this cute little guy and coloured him up instead.

Card Info

*Stamps: Clearly Besotted Hot Stuff; Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Claire Nocturne; Copics

*Dies:  Clearly Besotted Hot Stuff; MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #567

*AAA Colourful #19*

It's the middle of the month which means there is a new colourboard challenge at AAA Colourful!  I feel like it's too soon for such fall-looking colours, but they sure are pretty!

I had some fun with some colourblocking for my card today... I chose some of the colours from the colourboard photo and cut some small squares out.  I added a bright white pierced flower to the centre.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler, Dusty Durango, Peach Parfait, Rose Red

*Stamps:  Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Pierced Blooms; Waffle Flower Nesting Squares; MFT Stitched Rectangles

*Challenges:  AAA Colourful #19

*CraftyEngineer's Birthday Bash Hop*

My Instagram friend, Geeta, is celebrating her birthday and hosting an Instagram Hop to share some bright and colourful birthday cards!  I love bright and happy cards, so of course I wanted to help her celebrate!  Happy Birthday Geeta!!!

I used a piece of patterned paper to create this bright birthday card...  I love the colours in this striped paper (and wish I had 20 more sheets of it!).

Card Info

*Cardstock;  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  MFT Party Time

*Stamps:  Uniko Birthday Wishes
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Playful Alphabet; unknown stitched border

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS Colours & Sketches #561*

 It's time for a colour challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  These are some deep and rich colours for this challenge!

Lately I've found myself using paper and dies more often than stamps and markers (or other colouring media) to create my cards, so I decided to play a little.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape

*Stamps:  Tonic Studios Summer Flowers; Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Tools:  Perfect Layers
*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #561

*CAS Colours & Sketches #559*

 We have another fun colour challenge for you at CAS Colours & Sketches...

To me, the colours look nautical and masculine... the day I was creating, I wasn't feeling super creative so I went simple with my card.  I cut some super skinny strips of these three colours and made a "barber pole" style element for my card.  It almost looks like a tie to me!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Shy Shamrock

*Paper:  silver sparkle

*Stamps:  Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Slim Strips

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  CAS Colours & Sketches #559

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop*

 Each month, a group of us gather together with an Instagram Hop, intended to share a little sunshine to those who might be struggling.  We make a card with an encouraging sentiment, a card that might bring a smile to someone's face.

For my card today, I used a stencil I don't think I've played with before.  I trimmed it down to a smaller panel and stamped my greeting directly on top of it.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Granny Apple Green

*Stamps:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Tiki Torch, Lime Rickey, Aquatini; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Stencil:  Uniko Picked Posies Layering Stencils
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*This or That Instagram Hop*

This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between dark and light.  I chose to feature the spotLIGHT technique (see what I did there??!!!)

I stamped this background image on white with black ink and I coloured the big letters of BIRTHDAY with bright and fun colours.  I cut that strip out of the panel, did a matted black layer behind it and then added it back on top of the panel.  To finish it all off, I added some white gel pen dots to the letters.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Stamps:  Uniko Black Pary

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics; white gel pen

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CASE It Instagram Hop*

 Another post from me today... this time for the CASE It Instagram Hop!  Each month, a group of us each finds a project on Instagram that inspires us... and then we make a card using that piece as the basis of our own design.  We don't copy it completely, but we try to make sure you can see how we used that first project as inspiration.

First, the card I was inspired by...  I LOVE almost everything that Hannelie makes... this card spoke to me for my CASE this month.  I love that the only colour is in the butterfly (and that she didn't feel the need to colour the flowers).  I love that the sentiment is tucked in there almost perfectly.  And I love the dimension in the butterfly.

I changed things up a little bit with my card... but you can certainly see where I started.  I used shades of yellow, orange and red instead of shades of blue, I flipped the design to the other side of the card, I used clear gems instead of coloured ones and I used a larger sentiment.  I kept the big floral (without colouring it), the butterfly (added some foam adhesive for dimension), and of course I did my signature 1/16" mat.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Bumblebee

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Full of Life

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies; Altenew Bouquet of Love; Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Sparkling Crystals.

*CAS on Friday #303*

 We have a fun new sketch for you at CAS on Friday... this time we have a sketch for you to follow!  No rules other than to follow the sketch and keep your card clean and simple.

First... the sketch...

And here is my card...  I switched things up just a little and made a rectangular card instead of a square.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Pool Party, Granny Apple Green, Cherry Cobbler

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Flower & Field

*Stamps:  Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Verafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Waffle Flower Nesting Circles, Additional Circles; Hero Arts Nesting Tags

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #303

*Congratulations*

Another super simple but pretty wedding card for my friend... this time, just white, black and gold with a teeny tiny heart.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders gold foil

*Stamps:  Altenew Bundle of Joy, Uniko Wonderful Day

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Waffle Flower A2 Layers; Hero Arts Infinity Hearts

*Combining Two Challenges*

 I decided to play along with the colour challenge at Color Hues as well as the stencilling challenge at Just Us Girls for my card to share today...  I even pulled out some vellum to use, something I haven't done in a long time!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  vellum

*Images:  Uniko Birthday Wishes

*Stencils:  Gina K

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Time Holtz Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed

*Etc:  clear embossing powder

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Just Us Girls #741; Color Hues #93