CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge - Music to My Ears!

It's The Challenge time again over at CAS-ual Fridays!  This week is Music to My Ears!  The Challenge is to make a card that is music to our eyes!

For my card this week I used the following accessories, stamps and dies from CAS-ual Fridays:

Love Notes and Treble Clef

      


Sistahood Sparkle *Limited Edition*




I stamped the background of  this 4.25 x 4.25 square card using the Love Notes stamp set.  A light shade of pewter on white and a tone on tone affect using Razzle Berry cardstock and Party Dress pink ink.  I absolutely love the shape and size of this Treble Clef Fri-Die.  The little heart on the bottom tail is the perfect touch for this Valentine card that I made for my niece.

For this card I also used:
Ink:  midnight, party dress (Catherine Pooler Designs), crystal pewter (The Ton), clear emboss (Versamark).
Paper:  Razzle Berry (My Favorite Things), black (Simon Says Stamp), Premium White 100 lb cardstock (Catherine Pooler Designs).
Accessories: super fine white embossing powder (WOW!), bakers twine, fun foam.


To add some sparkle  I used these little sequins from the Sistahood Sparkle pack by Pretty Pink Posh and offered for a limited time in the CAS-ual Fridays store.  Quick, grab a package while supplies last for only $3.99!

I hope you'll play along with us for your chance to win!

All you have to do is make your own card full of music,  then link it up over on the 

CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge blog by February 7th ----------->HERE<--------------

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have a great weekend and happy stamping!

Watercolor Morning Glories -The Ton

Hi everyone!   Last Friday I posted some cards along with the blog hop list for The Ton's 2017 Anniversary Release Blog Hop.  Well today I've been watercoloring  and I just wanted to share a couple more cards with you, using this gorgeous Morning Glory Border Cling Background stamp.  What a fun stamp to watercolor!

First I stamped and embossed the image with white embossing powder on Canson 140 lb watercolor paper.  Then, using Zig Kuretake real brush watercolor markers I added color to the inside edges of the flowers and leaves.  I spritzed with water and watched the magic as the ink blended together.  After the flowers dried I added a line of blue all along the around the outside edges of the flowers and leaves.  Then again, I lightly spritzed with water to watch it blend out.  This whole technique was super easy and results in bright, gorgeous colored florals.

After the water coloring was completely dry I embossed the sentiment in black and then embossed over the top of the sentiment with clear embossing powder.  This next card I did the same way using different shades of water color.  I also used silver embossing powder instead of white which gives it softer, more elegant look.

Since my friends like to display their cards I thought I would try adding a sheet of magnetic paper to the inside of the front of the card.

This way they can take their card out of the envelope and pop it right up on their refrigerator for a little dose of encouragement every day. 

There's still time to get your comments in for your chance to win some $$$ to spend at The Ton online store.  All of the blog hop comments are open until 11:59 pm eastern time tonight.  
Hurry and head on over to The Ton and start the hop ----->click HERE<-----.   Follow the list to every stop and be sure to leave your comments along the way because every comment is an entry to win!

Happy 6th Birthday StampNation!

Did you know there's a party going on over at StampNation?  We're celebrating StampNation's 6th birthday with 8 days of fun filled challenges, video tutorials  and loads of prizes from these awesome sponsors:

  

As a member of the StampNation Dream Team I've been having a blast following along and seeing all the wonderful challenge entries being submitted by our talented members.  They are so inspiring that I decided to hit my craft room this weekend and join in on the fun.  Here are just a few of my party creations.

If you want to see more and play along there's still time to join the party by joining StampNation!  Our challenges are always open and entries for these awesome prizes will be accepted through the end of January.  

 Here's a sneak peek into more Birthday Bash fun from the Dream Team designers.

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!

The Ton's 2017 Anniversary Release Blog Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to The Ton's 2017 Anniversary Blog Hop!
I'm so excited to be invited back to celebrate with Effie and her talented crew and to be showcasing some gorgeous brand new stamps that were released this week.  Can you believe there are 26 new stamp sets available now?   That's just a crazy amount of goodness!!  That's why you really have to make sure you stop by every blog on the hop list (below) because if you don't you might miss some of the awesomeness that the designers have been working on.

And of course, what would a hop be without prizes?  I'll fill you in at the end of this post on how you can WIN some $$$$$ to put toward your next shopping trip at The Ton!

First....we have some beautiful red Thoughtful Poppies.

For this card I used copic markers to color this vibrant red.  I am just stunned by the depth of these flowers.  They almost look like you can reach out and pick one.  This set also comes with three beautiful sentiments and this one is my favorite!

The depth is not lost using Prismacolor pencils either.  Here you can see how delicate and detailed the lines are in this stamp.  It fills the front of  an A2 size card beautifully with just enough room around the edges to add some stenciled polkadots and Minor Stripes for fun.

Poppies aren't the only gorgeous flowers in this new release.  Take a look at this pretty purple
Morning Glory Border Cling Background....

Using Copic markers on this smooth bright white cardstock really makes these morning glories say  "HELLO!"

Sending a little Brushed Love along with some watercolored morning glories is what I have planned for this Valentine's Day.  Here I easily masked off part of the Morning Glory Border Cling Background , creating lots of room to add some white, heat embossed LOVE!

Are you ready to see some more?  

Here's a list of all the stops on the blog hop today.  Next up is my friend Laura Jane Head.  

But WAIT!  Be sure to leave your comment below because The Ton is giving out some awesome prizes!  

There are 5....yes I said it  "FIVE" gift certificates up for grabs:  

One $75.00, Two $50.00 and Two $25.00!   

You have thru Monday, January 16th to leave a comment on all of these blogs for more chances to WIN!  

Good luck and Happy Stamping! 

The Ton

Amy Tsuruta

Mayline Jung

Janette Kause

Emily Midgett  

Laurel Beard  

Eunji Jung

Chris Dayton  

Vera Yates

Lisa Harrolle <---you are here. 

LauraJane Head  <---Go here next!!

Amy Kolling  

Isha Gupta 

Jenny Lee Yamasaki 

Justine Hovey 

TaeEun Yoo 

Taheerah Atchia  

Stephanie Klauck

CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge - Everything Turns to Gold

It's The Challenge time again over at CAS-ual Fridays!  This week Everything Turns to Gold!   
 The challenge is to make a golden card.

For my card this week I used the following stamps and dies from CAS-ual Fridays:

Mwah, Calling All Sistahs, Casual Tree Fri-dies, and Fun-Fetti Fri-dies.


     


To add gold to my card today I swiped a Delicata Gold Glitz ink pad across the white cardstock to create a faux wood background.  Then I diecut 7 branches from gold sparkle cardstock using the  
Casual Trees die and a little heart from the Fun-Fetti die.  

For this card I also used the following supplies:
Ink: golden glitz (Delicata), clear emboss (Versamark).
Paper: gold sparkle cardstock (My Favorite Things), white 140 lb cardstock (Neenah).
Accessories: gold embossing powder (Ranger), natural twine.


I heat embossed this large sentiment in gold embossing powder using words from two different stamp sets,
 Mwah and Calling All Sistahs.

I hope you'll play along with us for your chance to win!

All you have to do is make your own card of gold,  then link it up over on the 

CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge blog by January 24th ----------->HERE<--------------

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have a great weekend and happy stamping!

Catherine Pooler Ink - Party Collection Release - Blog Hop

They're here!  They're here!   Catherine Pooler Inks are on sale today and what better way to celebrate than with a blog hop and a giveaway!  I know you all have been biting at the bit to get your hands on these fabulous new ink colors and Catherine has been teasing the heck out of you for the last week.  How did you  like that little game she was playing with us?  Every day over on facebook she revealed a new ink color and challenged us to guess the names. What a blast!

Well the wait is over and the inks are now in stock over at Catherine Pooler Designs online store!  Woohoo! 

Follow my link and there's a special 15% discount for all first time shoppers!

But before you head over that way I'd like to show you a few cards that I made using these wonderful inks.  First I have to tell you how much I absolutely love these inks.  They stamp so crisp and clean and the vibrancy is just gorgeous on each and every one of them.  I love them all so much I can't even pick a favorite.  Seriously, they are all wonderful and have found a permanent home in my craft room.

For my first card I tried to squeeze on as many of the new colors as I could to show you how wonderful they work together.
Look closely and you'll see Tiki Torch, Lime Rickey, Party Dress and Aquatini, topped off with some Midnight black.

 For this card I also used the following supplies from Catherine Pooler Designs store:
Stamps: Fill In The Blanks, Lovely Flowers, Geobuilders.
Paper: Premium White 100 lb Cardstock.

For my next card I wanted to show you how wonderful these colors blend together by using  
Tiara, Tiki Torch, Tutti Frutti, Party Dress and using Midnight black as a bold accent.

 For this card I also used the following supplies from Catherine Pooler Designs store:
Stamps: Butterfly Notes, Spot On.
Paper: Premium White 100 lb cardstock.

For my next card I did some second generation stamping to achieve two beautiful shades of pink for the flowers using  
Party Dress.  I also used Tiara, Lime Rickey and Midnight black.

 For this card I also used the following supplies from Catherine Pooler Designs store:
Stamps: Lovely Flowers, Geo Builders, Still Smiling.
Paper: Premium White 100 lb cardstock.

Wait a minute.......we shouldn't forget what I consider two of the prettiest, most vibrant colors in this collection......  
Flirty Fuchsia and that amazing Something Borrowed!  Yes these two colors along with Midnight black can steal the show on any card!

 For this card I also used the following supplies from Catherine Pooler Designs store:
Stamps: Holiday Mittens, Still Smiling, Bring on the Snowflakes, Holiday Magic.
Paper: Premium White 100 lb cardstock
Accessories: Holiday Mittens Dies.

Well, those are my cards for the day.  Since this is the last stop on the hop, I just want to remind you all to scroll down and leave a comment here for one more chance to win one of  
two $25 gift certificates for Catherine Pooler Design's online store.

 

If you're just starting here at my blog,  I've posted the entire list of links below so that you can go back and start at the beginning of the blog hop.  Be sure to leave a comment at each stop along the way because that will increase your chances to win.  Plus you'll get a chance see some more amazing design team projects using these beautiful inks.   Catherine Pooler will be drawing the names of the winners at 6pm on Thursday so be sure to visit her blog to see if you won!

Catherine Pooler<-----Start here!

Laurel Beard

Chrissie Tobas

Heather North

Taheerah Atchia

Kristie Goulet

Deepti Stephens

Lydia Evans

Ingrid Blackburn

Allison Cope

Melissa Miller

Kelly Griglione

Maureen Merritt

Lisa Harrolle <----you are here 


Happy 6th Birthday StampNation!!
 For all of my peeps over at StampNation, keep your eyes peeled for more great cards from the design team using these beautiful inks.  Our 6th Birthday Bash celebration starts tomorrow with a whole week full of fun challenges and amazing prizes!!  Catherine Pooler also has a free gift for StampNation members who place an order this week so be sure to check her postings over there before you go shopping!
If you're not a member yet, this is the perfect time to join!  Stop on over to StampNation and join the party!!

Happy Hopping and Happy Stamping! 

CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge - Celebrations

It's The Challenge time again over at CAS-ual Fridays!  This is a week for Celebrations!  The challenge is to make a card to celebrate anything you wish!

For my card this week I used the following stamps and dies from CAS-ual Fridays:

Shenanigans, Thanks and Funky Round Tag

 

For this challenge I decided to make a card that could be used to celebrate just about anything.   I like to keep a few cards on hand in case an occasion pops up and I need a quick card.  I can add any sentiment to the inside that says happy birthday, happy anniversary or even happy new year!

The focal point of this card is the extra large, bold sentiment embossed in white.  I pulled out the distress inks and did some emboss resist blending in some bright, cheerful distress ink  colors.  Then I cut the blended panel into three sections to add more emphasis to the sentiment.

For this card I also used:   Ink: spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon, mustard seed, twisted citron (Ranger Distress Inks), clear emboss (Versamark).   Paper: silver sparkle cardstock (My Favorite Things), white 110 lb cardstock (Catherine Pooler Designs).   Accessories: Falling Snow Stencil (Simon Says Stamp), white embossing powder (WOW!), fun foam.

I raised the center panel up using a piece of fun foam then tucked a sparkly diecut accent up under it for some fun dimension.

I hope you'll play along with us for your chance to win!

All you have to do is make your own card celebrating whatever fun event you wish to celebrate,  then link it up over on the 

CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge blog by January 10th ----------->HERE<--------------

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have a great weekend and happy stamping!

Flying by........

Hi all!  I'm just flying by to drop off a couple of birthday cards that I made for my nephews.  December is full of birthdays for me and the week before Christmas is no exception.   For these two young men I wanted to use my new For The Guys stamp set from Unity Stamps.  I was so excited to get this set mainly because of the airplane image.  My husband is a pilot and I'm always on the lookout for images that even closely resemble his Cessna.   There are not a lot of airplane stamps on the market so I grab what I can get and this one is a beauty!

For this first card I tried to create a scene above the trees when coming in for a landing.  Usually during landing my eyes are closed so.....  I had to wing it.....bahahaha!  Ok, I've had my pun for the day, back to the card. 

First I stamped some tree tops and black birds onto the bottom of the card using Penny Black's Woodland Beauty stamp set.  I am in love with that little tree!  I filled in the trees a little by blending some distress inks over them.  Moving up I did some more ink blending with some cloud stencils.   To keep things light and airy I chose this thin lined sentiment from the Birthday Wishes & Balloons stamp set by My Favorite Things.

I had this card all centered nicely with a white framed edge but it just wasn't working for me so I tilted the front panel a little and trimmed off the top and the side.  Then pulling from the orange color of the plane I added an orange striped border using my favorite YAY Stripes! border stamp set by Catherine Pooler Designs.

For this card I used the following supplies:

Stamps: For The Guys (Unity Stamps), Woodland Beauty (Penny Black), Birthday Wishes & Balloons (My Favorite Things), YAY Stripes! (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Inks: orange twist (Catherine Pooler Designs), tumbled glass, old paper, peeled paint (Ranger Distress), forever green (Hero Arts), onyx black (Versafine),  Clean Color Real Brush Watercolor markers (ZIG).

Paper:  premium white 100 lb cardstock (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Accessories: Blueprints #15 dies (My Favorite Things), dimensional tape (3M).

Adding the plane onto the card with dimensional tape adds to the illusion of it flying.  Having the tail hang off of the edge of the panel adds movement and the illusion that it is flying into the scene.

For my second card I went a little cleaner by containing the sky scene inside this Instant Camera die by Lil' Inker Designs.  I added dimensional tape to the Instant Camera die as well as the airplane and once again the plane is flying into the scene.

For this card I used the following supplies:

Stamps: For The Guys (Unity Stamps), YAY Stripes! (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Ink: orange twist (Catherine Pooler Designs), tumbled glass (Ranger Distress), onyx black (Versafine), clear emboss (Versamark), Clean Color Real Brush watercolor markers (ZIG).

Paper: black (Simon Says Stamp), premium white 100 lb cardstock (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Accessories: Instant Camera die (Lil' Inker Designs), white embossing powder (WOW!), dimensional tape (3M).

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I'll be back tomorrow with another fun project I've been working on for CAS-ual Fridays The Challenge.  Until then......

Happy Stamping!!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve and I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a very 

Merry Christmas!

I'm dropping off the last of my Christmas cards along with my holiday wishes to you.  Eat, drink, be merry and have a wonderful weekend my friends!

For my first card I diecut a white on white background and then used a large yet simple Sizzix tree die for the focal point.  The silver sparkle cardstock from My Favorite Things stands out well onto a white monochromatic background yet still blends in a nice soft way.

This little shaker card was inspired by a card made by Nina-Marie Trapani.  I loved how she folded over half of her diecut tree so I thought it would be fun to give it a try.  I just happened to have a tree die from Sizzix that I was able to do some partial diecutting with, to achieve the same look.  I think it adds a lot of interest and a modern element to my card.

 

For my next card I used this beautifully detailed tree stamp by Unity Stamps.  I stamped it in black, then used some Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to color it it.  If you look real close you can see the tiniest little Christmas words stamped right into the tree design.  Such a festive tree stamp. All the dies I used on this card and the sweet looking sentiment are from Lil' Inker Designs.

This Memory Box deer is one of my favorite dies around Christmas time.  I stenciled the background using Simon Says Stamp snowfall stencil and some Faber-Castell glass bead glitter gel.  Lots of sparkle and shine on this card!

Check out this Hero Arts Layered Cardinal stamp!  Wowee!!  Being from "Cardinal Country" and a loyal SVHS fan this little bird flew right into my heart.

This layered bird is so majestic that it just carries the whole card.  Clean and simple is all I need along with that large sentiment from The Ton and my favorite Yay Stripes by Catherine Pooler Desigsn.  Go Cards! 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Now it's time to head off to finish up those last minute holiday preparations and get this party started!   See you next week!