Floral Frenzy Challenge, Simon Says Stamps

     This is my first time to enter a card in the Simon Wednesday Challenge over at Simon Says Stamps. This week's challenge if Floral Frenzy.

 

     I heat-embossed and die-cut the flowers. I chose not to heat-emboss the foliage and sentiment so that they do not take the focus away from of the flowers.

 

     I see that there is a new challenge every Wednesday highlighting a different company's stamps, dies, etc. You can still join in even if you do not have those particular products. I love the freedom of that! Since I'm busy writing my next book, I'm not sure I'll have time to join in the fun every week, but I should have time to create a card once or twice a month at least.

 

     Come on over and join in the fun with me. Here's a link to the rules: http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

 

Materials used:

 

cardstock- black, white, grass green (Gina K Designs)

 

stamps and dies- Bold and Blooming, Boho Flowers (Gina K Designs), Lattice Background, Double Stitched Pennant Flags (ODBD), Mon Ami (CAS-ual Fridays)

 

inks- grass green dye (Gina K Designs), orchid pigment (ColorBox)

 

embossing powder- clear (JoAnn Essentials)

 

pearls (Michael's)

 

 

 

You're Amazing - Surprise Box

      I made this surprise box for a very dear and special lady. I had so much fun designing and creating this card for her.
     Yes, it's a card! If you have not seen these surprise boxes before, I'll tell you that they fold flat for mailing. Well, they usually do. I got a little carried away with filling it up with flowers and pearls and other things. I plan to give this to her in person so it doesn't really matter. It does fold enough to get it in an envelope but certainly not flat enough to mail without ruining it.
___________________

     I heat embossed and die cut the flowers in three sizes. I adhered the layers with foam tape between each and finished them with a pearl center. I stamped the leaves with a watermark ink to keep them more subtle.
     I made two sizes of medallions by cutting 1" x 11.5" and .75" x 11.5" cardstock strips. I scored them every .25".
     Here's a different look that shows the layers better.

 

 

___________________
    I'm going to post this card on Simon Says Challenge Blog for WORLD CARD MAKING DAY. Want to play along? Here's a link to the challenge. http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/happy-world-card-making-day-from-simon-says-stamp/

    Thanks so much for stopping in today. May the Lord be glorified by the work of my hands, and may my friend know how much she is loved,
          Pamela
___________________

Materials List
   cardstock-  wild wisteria, grass green (Gina K Designs)
                        white, pink, purple, yellow (the Paper Studio)
   stamps-      flowers & leaves (Bold & Blooming, Gina K Designs)
                        sentiment (Mon Ami, Cas-ual Fridays)
   dies-            surprise box (Our Daily Bread Designs)
                        flourish (Fantastic Flourish One, Spellbinders)
                     flowers & leaves (Bold & Blooming, Gina K Designs)
   punches-   corner rounder (EK Success)
   inks-           violet, orchid, canary, black (ColorBox)
                      watermark (VersaMark)
   pearls, bird- Recollections
   adhesives-  glitter tape, double-stick tape, foam tape (3M)
                      blue gel school glue (Elmer's)
  

Summer Lovin' Challenge CFC133

    Thanks so much for stopping in today. I so enjoy your visits and comments.

     Today, I have a card for CAS-ual Fridays' challenge. The point of this challenge is to create a clean and simple card using hearts and summery colors. Except for the stem, I made all parts of my flower with hearts.

     Using the medium and large That's Amore heart punches from Fiskars, I punched four large hearts from the beautiful, dark coral, water-colored cardstock in The Solstice Stack from DCWV. I also punched one large green heart and a medium green heart. To make the flower, I overlapped one heart onto another using all four hearts. I used the small green heart at the bottom of the petals. I cut and adhered a stem to the blossom. I cut the large green heart in half and added them as leaves. I used foam tape to adhere the blossom to my card. The sentiment is a vellum quote(ColorBok) which I ran through my Xyron sticker maker.

     There is still plenty of time if you want to play along with us. Check out the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2014/06/cfc133.html The deadline is noon on July 18th. So, jump in and start creating.

     I pray that you are having a wonderful, blessed day.

CAS-ual Fridays' Red, White and Blue Challenge CFC102

     Thanks so much for stopping by this weekend. Hope you are all getting a long weekend and spending time with family and friends.

      In honor of Memorial Day, CAS-ual Fridays issued a challenge for a card using red, white & blue. Beginning with a white card-base (4.25x5.5), I trimmed 1/8" red and blue strips from cardstock. Then, I stamped 'Hello' in red and punched the petal shape using Fiskars extra large Petal by Petal punch. I also punched a petal in red and another in blue. As you can see, I glued them together with just a sliver of each color showing from behind the sentiment. I adhered the finished petal with foam tape and rounded the bottom corners of the card.   

     There is still plenty of time to play along with us. You can find all details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2013/05/cfc102.html

CAS-ual Fridays Stamping on Designer Paper Challenge (CFC101)

   

      I have one more card to share today. I created it for this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, and what a fun challenge it is - stamping on designer paper!  I really had to think about this card in a different way. I almost always stamp on plain colored paper/cardstock. As I went through my stamps, I had to imagine each one on the printed paper I picked out from DCWV Heirloom stack. The background is a sheet from the Paper Studio's Rue de Fleur collection. I inked the edges with distressing ink to give it more the feel of the old postcard stamp.

     I stamped the postcard image in black ink using Tim Holtz' Travel Collage collection. Then, I picked a sentiment from two different TPC Studio collections (Card Crafting Hello and Girlfriends). This was a fun card to make and I think you could send it to both male and female friends.

     Thanks so much for popping today. And if you would like to play along with us, you can check out the details here:  http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2013/05/cfc101.html

Thought Bubble Chipboard Card

     Thanks for stopping back in. This is the last card for today. Well, I think it is. One never knows when inspiration will strike. I created this card for CAS-ual Fridays CFC94 Chipboard Challenge as well as the Thought Bubble Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

     I've been playing around with my new pinwheel punch from Fiskars. I punched several turquoise and purple pinwheels and overlapped and seated them together to make my border trim. I have another way I do this too that looks different, but you'll have to wait for the next challenge. I did not have a chipboard to fit this card so I made one by using some thin cardboard. I heat-embossed the thought-buble tag with the fun HI from Studio G.

     There is still time to enter both challenges. Check out the details here:

 

     For CAS-ual Fridays go here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2013/03/cfc94.html

 

     For the Moxie Fab challenge go here: http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2013/03/card-creations-week-speech-bubble.html

 

  

CAS-ual Fridays Color-Block Challenge CFC93

     I hope you are having a fun weekend! Thanks for spending a few minutes here. It's always nice to have you dropping in.
     It's time for another challenge at CAS-ual Fridays and this time the focus is on color blocking.

    I trimmed a white card base into the shape of an egg and color blocked it for Easter. It does stand on its own -- on its side. I thought about trimming the end to make it stand upright, but I really liked seeing the whole egg. I cut strips of colored cardstock trimming the edges with various edge cutters in my collection.

     I punched the Happy Easter letters and arranged them in a freestyle manner to keep with the nature of the egg. I added a butterfly with 'diamonds' to add some depth and movement.

     You want to play with us? You have until March 14 at noon EST to get your color block project in. You can find all the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2013/03/cfc93.html

 

CAS-ual Fridays' Love Letters Challenge CFC88

     Thanks so much for stopping by! I so enjoy having you pop in and look around.
     Today, I have a card that I made for CAS-ual Fridays' Love Letters Challenge. We had to make cards using letters - stickers, stamps, die-cuts, etc.

     I used some rub-on letters and words for my card. I punched a circle through the front of the card letting the punch just go off the edge. I punched two small hearts and glued them to the back of the opening. I added a strip of patterned paper on the the inside of the card to show through the opening.

 

     Here's a close up of the opening.

     There's still plenty of time if you want to play along. You have until Thursday at noon to submit a project. You can find all the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2013/02/cfc88.html

    Update  02-04-13

     I am planning to enter this card in the Make a Window Challenge in the Moxie Fab World as well. Here's the link if you want to join the fun. But, hurry - the deadline is tonight. http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2013/01/75-creative-card-challenges-week_8.html





CAS-ual Fridays Knotty or Nice Challenge CFC81

     So nice to have you stopping by today. I always enjoy your comments and emails. Today, I have a card for the CAS-ual Fridays Knotty or Nice Challenge. We had to make a project that had a knot or knots on them.

     I decided to go with a winter/snowman, I mean snow- WO-man, theme so I could have another card to send out this Christmas season. I started with a white card base. I covered that with patterned paper. For my snowwoman, I punched three sizes of circles from DCWV's, the Home Spun stack. I love the texture of this cardstock and I thought it added a little depth to my card. As you can see, my 'knots' are in the ribbon arms and hair ribbon.
     To make the sentiment, I cut apart some of my stamps to get the words I wanted for this card. Yes, I know, it seems sacrilegious to cut stamps up, but it really was not all that bad once I made the first cut. LOL
     The buttons are sticker ornaments that I already had on hand. I put them on in an arc to give my snowwoman a more feminine shape.
     There's still a little time to join in the fun. Check out the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/12/cfc81.html  I will also be adding this card to Paper Crafts December Gallery Challenge.

CAS-ual Fridays Gift-Tag Challenge CFC80

     Thanks so much for stopping by again. This week CAS-ual Fridays challenged us to make gift tags. I love this challenge because it makes me make nice tags for my Christmas gifts. Thanks CAS-ual!

      I love blue and white for Christmas projects! I cut my tag from cardstock and scored an 1/8th inch line on all sides of the tag. I stamped the sentiment and the snowflake around the hole at the top with white pigment. I stamped and fussy-cut three poinsettias. I adhered maroon gems at the centers and attached the blooms with foam tape. I slipped on matching maroon ribbon at the top. I almost always decorate my punched holes on tags. I think it adds such a nice touch.

     Wishing you all a merry Christmas!

     I just added this tag to Paper Crafts December Gallery Challenge too.

CAS-ual Fridays So Torn Challenge CFC78

     Thanks so much for stopping in today! I hope your day is as sunny and bright as mine.
     CAS-ual Fridays challenged us this week to make a project with a torn element. Here's my take on the challenge.

     I've been making Christmas cards this week so I took the challenge in that direction. First I made a 4.25 x 5.5 card out of black cardstock. Then, I cut a piece of dark red cardstock 4 x 5.25 and dry embossed it with A2 Quatrefoil embossing folder from the Paper Studio. I tore the bottom edge and added black ribbon and sparkly buckle also from the Paper Studio Spare Parts. The sentiment is from Fiskars All Year Cheer Collection.
     I think Mom will get this card. She loves anything shiny and red!
     Thanks so much for stopping by. If you have an idea for a torn-edge project, you still have time to get it ready. You can find all the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/11/cfc78.html.

CAS-ual Fridays Kraft-On Challenge CFC76

     Good morning! Thanks for stopping in. CAS-ual Fridays challenged us this week to make a card with Kraft paper or cardstock. Here's my take on the challenge.

 

 

       I started by making a card base with Kraft cardstock. The 'white and kraft script' background is from Prima's Madeline collection. I cut two lengths of border from the Kraft cardstock and backed them up to each other. Then, I added three fall-colored leaves and attached the 'hope' button to create the focal point.

     Do you have a project in mind using Kraft cardstock? You still have plenty of time to make it and enter it in this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. You can get all the info about joining in the fun here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/10/cfc76.html. I will look forward to seeing your work in their gallery.

    Thanks so much for stopping by. I always love your visits and comments!

CAS-ual Fridays' Over the Edge Challenge CFC75

    Thanks for popping in today. I always enjoy having your visits to my blog. This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to make a card with an embellishment that goes past the edge of the card. Here's my take on the challenge.

 

     I like using embellishments in unexpected ways. So I'm turning this border diecut that I love from Spellbinders (Parisean Accents) into banners. The sentiment and the woodgrain mat behind the sentiment are both form Hero Arts. The sentiment is my over-the-edge element. 

     Want to play too? You can get all the details here:

         CAS-ual Fridays- http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/10/cfc75.html

     I will also submit this card to Hero Arts October Sketch Challenge.

         Hero Arts- http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/october-2012-contest-details/

 

Card for a Cause - In Memory of Grandma

Miss You Grandma

 

     Using my computer, I first printed the sentiment on a sheet of white cardstock. I used Edwardian Script ITC at 48 pts in pink. With the same white as the card, I punched the lattice chain with EK  Success' large edge punch then trimmed the edge to a point. I punched a Martha Stewart butterfly also in white. I used clear gems on the butterfly, coloring them to matching pink with a Copic marker - Tender Pink RV13.

     This one is for you, Grandma! I miss you and am so proud of your courageous fight. I'll see you in Heaven.

    I am entering this card in several challenges -

          CAS-ual Fridays CFC73 For the Girls http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/10/cfc73.html

          Paper Smooches Card with Pink Challenge http://papersmooches.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-fun-begins.html

          Fiskateers Card for a Cause http://www.fiskateers.com/message-board/topic/321878/

     Thanks for stopping by!

 



CAS-ual Fridays' Toot Your Own Horn Challenge CFC72

    Toot! Toot!
     This week's challenge from CAS-ual Fridays is to toot our own horn by drawing inspiration from our own blog banners. Here's my take on the challenge.

 

 

     The purples in my banner as well as the double borders behind my blog title inspired me the most. To get started, I used the Dahlia Dimensional Punch from EK Success. EK designed the border to be rolled up after it's punched making a beautiful flower. Instead, I punched two lengths of the border and adhered them back to back to create the double-border from my inspiration. Then, I punched the double link trim with one of Martha Stewart's double-edge punches. Then, I stamped the sentiment with TPC Studio's wonderful "Hello" stamp. I just love this stamp!

     Do you want to join in the fun and make a card inspired by your blog banner? You have until noon on Thursday. Check out all the details here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/09/cfc72.html

CAS-ual Fridays Black & White + One Challenge CFC70

     Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
     I created this card for the CAS-ual Fridays weekly challenge. I'm also sending a copy of it to the Movement Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

 

 

 

     The challenge was to make a card using black and white and one other color of our choice. I had these great stickers that I won from Graphic 45. So, I decided my other color would be the khaki color used in the background of these beautiful stickers. I made the lattice trim with an EK punch.  I stamped the senitment with a Hero Arts stamp (CL342).
     Want to enter a card in this challenge? You have until Thursday noon. You can find all the info here: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/09/cfc70.html
     I'm also entering this card in the Movement Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. There is still time to enter this challenge too. Check here for all the info on how to do it: http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2012/08/card-design-handbook-week-movement.html
     Thanks again for stopping in. Hope you have a great day!

CAS-ual Fridays Splish Splash Challenge CFC66

     Who doesn't love a day at the beach or on the ocean? I love hearing the rustle of the wind blowing through the palm trees. So, when CAS-ual Fridays asked us to create a card using something in or near the ocean, I picked a palm tree.



     I heat-embossed the tree and sentiment. Then, I colored the tree with alcohol markers and added an orange mat and acccents.
     One reason I love palm trees is that they remind me of the power of God. It seems that no matter how strong a storm is, the palm tree remains standing. It might lose a few or even all of its fronds, but it remains standing. That's how it is with me and God. I have faced some terrible storms in my life, but as long as I've held onto God, I've always made it through.
     If you have an idea for a clean-and-simple card, you can play along with us. Here's the place to find all the contest guidelines: http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/08/cfc66.html

Celebrating Stripes!

     Who doesn't love stripes!?! And, butterflies with purple diamonds?

     I have two challenges this week involving stripes. CAS-ual Fridays asked that we make CAS cards with strips of color or pattern.  And, the inspiration photo for the Tuesday Trigger Challenge in the Moxie Fab World is covered with multi-colored stripes (photo below).

     Do you have a good idea of your own? There is still time to join in on all the fun. The info for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC61 is here:

http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/07/cfc61.html

     The info for the Tuesday Trigger challenge is  here:

http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2012/07/tuesday-trigger-allegro-con-brio.html



This is the inspiration photo from Moxie Fab World. I was really inspired by the colorful stripes in this trigger. I love working with turquoise so I knew right away I would use that color in my design. I also like the staggered look of the stipes so I incorporated that as well. 

    

     To make my card, I stamped the stripes on a white cardstock base using TPC Studio's Patterned Borders collection with purple, turquoise and orange ink. The stamps are plenty long enough to go all the way across even a larger card, but I wanted to stagger them to match the design I had in mind. I punched that gorgeous, turqoise butterfly with a Martha Stewart punch. The purple gems are from Studio G.

     Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you have a great day, Pam



CAS-ual Friday Challenge - Use Text on Card, CFC60

     This week's challenge requires us to include text on our cards.  Taking advantage of the flexibility of the cling stamps, I curved the sentiment as I put it on my acrylic block to make a kind of path for the bicycle. Both the bicycle and the sentiment are from Hero Arts Joy Ride Collection.

     Do you have an idea for using text on a card? You can enter your card here:  http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/07/cfc60.html

     Thanks for stopping by.

     I will also be submitting this card to the Hero Arts July Contest.

Cas-ual Friday Two-Circle Challenge

     I found a wonderful new blog called Cas-ual Fridays. They have challenges each week for clean-and-simple cards. This week's challenge is to make a CAS card with two circles. Here's my entry.

     This card looks more difficult and involved than it is. All the cardstock is from DCWV Coral Couture stack. The two circles were cut from a patterned sheet of cardstock from the collection. The ribbon is cut from another sheet as is the dotted-swiss card. Very quick and easy. The sentiment from Studio G is stamped in black.

     Want to join in on all the fun? You can find the info here:

 http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/06/cfc59.html