For "Unity {be inspired} Challenge

I have been thinking about this challenge for weeks it seems like. Just didn't have any good ideas. I started working on it today and ended up with a card that meets the sketch challenge and also the color challenge.

I received an order of stamps last week so this was a good time to use them. The flowers are called "feel the joy" and colored with SU markers Crushed Curry and Old Olive. I used SU Night of Navy and Old Olive CS and Night of Navy ink to stamp the "Thank You" which is from the "Blossom Stackers" set. I added a piece of Crushed Curry ribbon and for the final  touch I did a little sponging with a stencil around the flowers.

CAS331--Sketch Time

This weeks CAS challenge at SCS is a sketch. It's a simple design but one that offers many possibilities.

This is my card. I used some new stamps. Love them! They are stamps from a set called "Blossom Stackers" from the Unity Stamp Co. There is also a set of Spellbinder Dies that matches many of the stamps in the set. I used SU Primrose Petals ink and card stock. The pink card stock I found in a box of scraps.

Whoooooo's Birthday -- My Grandson's

This is the card I have made for my grandson's birthday. He will be sixteen on July 2. I don't get to see him very often but it is always fun when I do. His card was made with stamps from the Unity Stamp Company. These stamps were a gift. I had fun using them.

I used the camera stamp to create the background to my card. The card base was Brazzill card stock (color -- Huckleberry Pie) stamped with Memento Danube Blue.

The Inside

I created the sentiment on my computer using Microsoft Publisher. The stamp is from Unity called "Whoooooo's Birthday" which was colored using colored pencils and gamsol.

SC546 & PP250 -- Birthday Cake and Ice Cream

This card is for my youngest granddaughter's birthday which is July 4th. It will also be posted to two challenges this week -- the sketch challenge at SCS and the weekly challenge on The Paper Players blog.

I have had this designer paper which is from Stampin' Up for some time. When I saw the challenge at The Paper Players, I immediately thought of it but couldn't come up with a way to use it. Wednesday when I saw the sketch challenge I began to think of ways to use the paper in the sketch.  But I didn't get to work on my card until this morning. Here is the end result.The card base is SU Pool Party accented with Crisp Cantaloupe and Soft Suede.

 After deciding on how I was going to use the paper, I came up with this idea of making my own "happy" paper to go with the other printed paper. Using the computer and Publisher, here is a picture of my "happy" paper. I was able to print it on SU Crisp Cantaloupe card stock which worked perfectly with the color theme.

Here is the inside of the card. . . . 

CAS330 -- Stars or Strips

"Stars or Strips"

I chose "stars". Chloe's (my second granddaughter) birthday is in a few days. She will be 14.  It seems like such a short time ago that we were welcoming her into the family. She is growing into a beautiful teenager. I used the CAS challenge as a starting point.

For the card base I chose a dark navy paper that has white or silver specks in it. It reminds me of stars. I used  a Spellbinder die for the large star and a punch for the smaller stars. The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up set "Pictogram Punches".

CAS329 -- Best of Luck

"Clean and Simple" --  That is the type of card I make most often. This is my card for today's CAS challenge at SCS. The theme was -- Thank you Paula. Paula has been a part of the CAS team for some time and now she is stepping down.  She has a beautiful gallery at Splitcoast Stampers.

I found this little stamp set on my desk. The sentiment "Best Of Luck" really jumped out at me and I just had to use it. I wish Paula the best in whatever she decides to do next.

The stamp set from My Favorite Things is called 4-Leaf Clover. I used my Prisma colored pencils  to color the image. The card base is SU Marina Mist card stock. I added a triangle of the Marina Mist DSP for a little more interest.

Wishing you some "sunshine" in your life today.

One card--Two Challenges

Today's card is for two challenges -- SCS sketch challenge and the Unity {be inspired} challenge. I chose the color challenge at Unity to go with this morning sketch at SCS.

When I was thinking about putting the two challenges together, it seemed complicated, but the card turned out to be rather simple. The colors I chose were Stampin' Up colors -- Hello Honey, Strawberry Slush and Pistachio Pudding. The stamp is from the Unity set called "Generations". I do not have the Strawberry Slush ink pad so I used the Primrose Petals ink. I have had the ribbon die about a month and have used it many times. Love it.

CAS328--Let The Sunshine In

Today's Clean and Simple challenge at SCS is all about the sunshine. We had rain in Michigan this weekend so it is nice to see the sun some today. I guess there is a chance of showers this afternoon as the sun heats things up.

Wednesday is our 48th wedding anniversary so I was thinking about a card for my husband. The thought "You are my sunshine" came to me after reading about the challenge. I have no stamp anything like that so I went to the computer, created my sentiment and printed it out on natural colored card stock. I meant to make a one layer card but the sentiment got printed on the paper in the wrong spot for that. I masked off the sentiment and sponged the sun's rays with SU So Saffron ink, then used a distress marker to create the lines that makes it look like there is an extra panel. Still have to work on the inside message.

I am also submitting this card to the Paper Players weekly challenge -- PP248. The challenge is to create a masculine card.

SC543--Pretty Paper

We are having a gorgeous day today. The sun is shining and the temperature is just about perfect. My lilacs are in full bloom and the back yard smells wonderful. It reminds me of the opening line to  Mr. Roger's programs -- "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood!"

Here is the sketch for this week's challenge at SCS.

As I was considering how to use this sketch and what my focal images might be, I began to think about using designer paper and letting it be the focal image. I picked up the DSP pack from Stampin' Up called "Sweet Sorbet" (retired) and this is the result --

Black works well as an accent with this paper, and I love the color "crisp cantaloupe" with the black. For me, this was just a perfect combination. The sentiment is from a set by My Favorite Things called "4-Leaf Clover".

A New Day, A New Week, A New Challenge

I missed last week's CAS challenge at Splitcoast Stamps and at The Paper Players. I tried all week to get a card made for each challenge but it did not happen. It's Monday morning and I have a card that will fit both challenges for this week.

First, the challenge at The Paper Players is a tic-tac-toe challenge. Had a little trouble getting the three elements to match one row. I chose the  middle vertical row, but the card also matches the bottom horizontal row.

The CAS challenge at SCS was "A Thank You to Angie". She has decided to step down as one of the CAS hostesses. I have always enjoyed her sweet comments and beautiful cards. We could either make a thank you card or CASE a card from Angie's gallery. I choose to CASE one of her cards and to also make it a thank you card. Here is the link to the card I chose.

 I found a small piece of the designer paper which was retired many years ago along with a sheet of SU Bordering Blue card stock (also retired). I think these papers were some of the first that I bought when I began my card making journey. I just followed Angie's layout and used the elements from the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge -- any shade of blue, embossing and patterned paper. The "Thank You" sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Designs Mini Tags, stamped with VersaFine Black Onyx ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.