More text-talk for Keep it simple! #31

Here's a peak at the birthday card I made for my nephew back in October.

I CASE'd it from one I found on Paper Smooches' Flickr site. (Sorry! Can't read the watermark to give full credit). The original card had a game-controller as the image in the central panel. Much more appropriate for a 16 year old! I made do with what I had--thought it looked pretty cool; he is an awesome drummer and loves jazz. But we had to tell him what a cassette tape was...

Anyway, I though it'd be perfect to link up with Keep It Simple!'s present challenge: TEXT.

A head-on view:

The words were fun to doodle on!

Make sure to check out Keep It Simple's challenge blog!

And don't forget to check out THIS POST for a chance at some blog candy!

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Supplies:

Cardstock in white daisy, pear--CTMH

Ink in black, pear--CTMH and Memento Tuxedo black

Paper Smooches' stamp sets: Digits, Slang Gang, Beboppin'

Copic Markers

What's up?...aka...how does your garden grow?

What's up in your neck of the woods?

I'm playing along with two fun challenges this week:

Keep it simple #15: where you must use a black background:

and the colour combo from the Dynamic Duos #55 which includes:

These seemed made for each other, especially when I added a cute little die-cut called "Vegetable Border" from Poppystamps (which I bought at my LSS, Heather's Stamping Haven. I think she should call it "stamping HEAVEN.") Anway, here's the result of my own "fusion."

Here's the deets: I used black lightly textured cardstock from Wausau papers. Ran that through my Big Shot with the die. Backed the openings with two Close to My Heart colours, Spring Iris (retired) and Ruby, leaving some space with foam tape, so the veggies look more dimensional. Heat-embossed the punny sentiment from Paper Smooches' Good Gab stamp set with white detail powder. And finally, added a scrap of black glitter paper (CTMH) to the bottom, to ground the image (get it?).

Very satisfactory! Almost as much fun as digging in the real thing, although there'll be no veggies growing in my garden for awhile yet...

Check out these two blogs for more inspiration:

Keep it Simple 

Dynamic Duos.

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Under the Weather: KIS #11 and DD #47

Here's a sweet and simple card to help bring on those April showers, which will hopefully result in some GREEN around here. Although the colours of the card are anything but!
I used the current challenge sketch at Keep It Simple!:

and the colours for this week's Dynamic Duos bold-n-sassy combo:

and created this card:

I used a Simon-Says-Stamp Circle Border die for the perforated panel across the top of the card, popped it up over some CRYSTAL BLUE card-stock, inking the edges of the panel in the same shade. I hope you thought "raindrops!"
The stamp set featured is from the Stamps of Life umbrella4you. I stamped the umbrella in TULIP ink, and hung it from the perforated panel (following the cue from the KIS sketch). The polka dot section of the umbrella is a separate stamp, so you can colorize your umbrella to your heart's delight.   I felt the white polka dots were  a little too plain, so added some round jewel Dazzles from Paper Wishes, in teal.

These are a great product! They are little stickers cut from holographic material, with a silver or gold edge. They add bling without bulk and you get 100's on a sheet for just $1.99. Bar-goon! Plus they come in several colours and shapes. Anyway! Enough product placement. The sentiment is stamped in GREY WOOL and I placed it UNDER the other elements...(get it).

Here's the inside:

So go check out the challenges at Keep it Simple! and the Dynamic Duos. Lots of great inspiration for your spring-time crafting!
Edited to include: Just saw the Heart2Heart challenge this week: Raindrops Keep Falling... Have to link up to that, too! Card-stock and inks used were all CTMH.

Happy stamping,
Caroline

Wish BIG!

Here's a happy, not-so-little birthday card which will find it's way down to my friend Kate, enjoying her first winter post-retirement, in Florida.
I'm entering it into Dynamic Duos two color challenge HERE, featuring mono-chromatic pinks,

(I used the Close to My Heart colors Blush and Hollyhock)

and Keep It Simple's Challenge #10, which features shaped cards, HERE.

The card was cut at 5" using the Cricut Artiste cartridge (I'll have to post it in a 5x7 envelope!). I cut a second layer of vellum (suggestion from the talented Morag of Muggie's Hollow), scored to look like a cupcake wrapper. The appropriate greeting is from Paper Smooches' Birthday Sampler set. The pennant is free-hand cut using decorative scissors, embellished with curly grid ribbon from Paper Wishes. The card is hinged at the wrapper, opening up for a further birthday greeting.


Off to link up before the deadline!

Happy Thursday,
Caroline

More Fruit (Keep It Simple #9)

That first fruity card gave me such a boost, so here is another stab at SUMMER and fruit-themed cards.

Card design courtesy of Amber Kemp-Gerstel. Another old CTMH stamp set called Summer Sweetness. I curved the sentiment, which became the hand-drawn fly's trail. Seeds and bug accented with Liquid Glass. REALLY old paper from Sizzix "Little Sizzles" pack. Remember those? Almost as long ago as summer... 

Hang in there, and pray for warm weather!

Caroline

Fruiti-O--Keep It Simple! #9

Would someone please remind Mother Nature that tomorrow is the first day of SPRING?! We just had another 20cm of snow today (that's about 7"). Happy about more shoveling, I am NOT.

The challenge this week at Keep It Simple! is to include FRUIT on your project, in an attempt to hurry along the warmer weather. I certainly need the pick-me-up!

I've been following another of the Online Card Classes this week, too, entitled "Pattern Play." All kinds of design principles about scale, size, mixing, and altering are provided along with LOTS of inspiration, as always.

I'm also on a kick to use up some of my stash, so I found an older CTMH paper pack called (appropriately enough!) Cherry-O. I used three different patterns from that set, along with the coordinating stamp set. The giant scallop border is a Sizzix die; the scalloped circle frame is from Nestabilities. The card design is CASE'd from Kristina Werner. 

I feel a little happier just looking at those juicy cherries...

Happy crafting,

Caroline