*{BYSHC} Sketch #60 Take 2*

I'm back with my second and final card using the August Sketch at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers.  I thought that this sketch would be more difficult for me than it was... 

For my card today, I decided that a simple silver and white card would be fun to play with.  I but my strips and then put them in to the embossing folder to emboss them.  I found the brushed silver snowflake in my bin of extras.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic black; unknown brushed silver foil; unknown silver glitter

*Stamps:  MFT Christmas Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Picket Fence Studio Winter Snowflakes;  MFT Christmas Wishes
*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  BYSHCardmakers Sketch #60

*CAS on Friday #316*

 The challenge at CAS on Friday is to use vellum in your clean and simple design.  I decided to try embossing a piece of vellum with an embossing folder.  I did a small strip and put it between my white panels and put a green panel behind it.  The colours were so subdued, I felt it would make a perfect sympathy card.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Wild Wasabi; unknown vellum

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions
*Embossing:  Spellbinders Leafy

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #316

*White on White Christmas Card*

 My friend Claire hosts a monthly Christmas card challenge on Instagram... this month her theme is "white on white".  She and I were joking around a few days ago because she didn't know why she chose that theme as she struggles with white and white.  I figured that since I gave her a little advice, I should play along as well...

White on White isn't easy... you need layers, texture and dimension.

Card Info

*Stamps:  MFT Christmas Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Impression Obsession Snowflakes; MFT Christmas Wishes

*Embossing:  Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions

*Pattern Paper Instagram Hop*

 A group of us participate in an Instagram Hop each month where we play with some of the patterned paper in our stash.  The goal is to use up some of what we have instead of buying new... and so far, I've done just that!

This month, our optional theme is banners... so I used a banner die to cut up some patterned paper from the same collection... this way I know that all of the colours go together.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Granny Apple Green

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Dies:  MFT Celebrate; Lawn Fawn Banners

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop*

 This month for the Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop, our theme is Ornament Overload!  I was digging through my stash of Christmas supplies and came across this die that my sister gave me a few years ago.  I had an idea to cut it out twice and then use my craft knife to cut out a portion of it to have two different colours in the die cut.

I would NEVER do this for more than one card LOL!  It took too much time (and a little swearing) to make multiples of this one...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  unknown red foil

*Stamps: The Ton Easy Expressions Holiday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Tutti Designs Ornaments Panel; The Ton Easy Expressions Holiday

*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

*Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #643*

 There's a wonderful new sketch at Atlantic Hearts this week.... so many ideas ran through my head...

I decided to play with the waves embossing folder that I've used several times before... and by doing it on the blues, it truly looks like waves this time!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders Windy, Cascade, Celestial, Cosmic Sky, Indigo

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Something for Everything

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Atlantic Hearts #643

*My Favourite Instagram Hop*

 This week on the My Favourite Instagram Hop, we are playing with our favourite woodland creatures.  I decided to go monochormatic for my card for today to enhance the idea of my favourite animal from the woods... a raccoon!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Basic Grey

*Stamps:  Trinity Stamps Autumn Forest Friends; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Slimline Strips; MFT Stitched Circles; The Ton Easy Expressions
*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Create It Three Ways Instagram Hop*

 Hello crafty friends... it's a new month and a new theme with the Create it Three Ways Instagram Hop.  Each month, we each create three cards using at least one common element in all three cards.  This month, our theme is sympathy cards... not a reason anyone wants to make a card.  For me, a sympathy card needs to be simple and subdued.  So that's what I went with.

And for something a little different, I used the exact same products on all three cards...

Items Used
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black; gold mirror

*Paper:  MFT Black & White Stripes

*Stamps:  MFT Something for Everything

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterlies
*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Fluttering Butterflies, Slimline Strips; MFT Something for Everything

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*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

*This or That Instagram Hop*

This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between Ice Cream or Ice Drinks.  I struggle to make the drink stamps look like drinks so I once again played with this little ice cream cone die.  I added a little ink blending behind the die cut to add a little something extra

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Strawberry Slush, Crumb Cake, Basic Black

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Distress Oxide Shaded Lilac

*Dies:  Poppy Stamps Bitty Ice Cream

*Stencil:  Paper Rose Studio Big Drops

*Tools: Perfect Layers

*White on White Instagram Hop*

This month, the White on White Instagram Hop theme is summer!  It's been a cloudy and wet summer here in Calgary, so I decided to do a cloudy sky for my card today.

White on white cards can be very difficult.  With this hope, we can use one colour in a small way, so I chose to use black for my sentiment.  I try to keep the rest of my design all white.  The key to white on white is texture and layers... foam adhesive, embossing, stitched elements... I dare you to try it!

Card Info

*Stamps:  MFT Puddle Jumper

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Rain or Shine, Treetop, Stitched Rectangles

*CASE It Instagram Hop*

 Each month I host the CASE It Instagram Hop with some creative friends joining in the fun.  We each chose a card that we seen on Instagram and use it to inspire us to make something of our own.  Sometimes we copy the card almost exactly, using the items we have in our stash.  Sometimes we use the original card as a jumping off point to create something different with similar elements.  And sometimes it is somewhere in between.

For this month, I was inspired by this card by @marisealark

I loved the colours that Mari used in her card... I loved the blue and white with the hint of metallic.  I also liked the stiched element of it and the sentiment overlapping the centre of her design.  I knew in an instant that hers was the card I was going to CASE...

I did change things up a bit though...  Instead of layered petals, I have a layer of white in the centre of my flowers.  I did three flowers instead of two.  And instead of a coloured metallic element, I chose silver (and I skipped the "greenery").  I kept the the blue and white, I used a stitched element in a frame layer and I kept the sentiment overlapping the centre of my design.

I hope you can see the original design in my card... but that I tried to put my own twist on it.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Spellbinders Windy; silver mirror

*Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions

*Dies:  Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms; A Jillian Vance Open Daisies; MFT Stitched Rectangles; The Ton Easy Expressions

*Addicted to CAS #289*

 I am hosting the current challenge at Addicted to CAS and I chose the code word "squares"..  you can make a square card, you can highlight squares in your design...  I just need to see squares!

As promised yesterday, today I have another card with black and white stripes.  I had a a strip of this pattern paper on my desk and decided to see what I could do with it...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Bermuda Bay, Marina Mist, Wisteria Wonder, Basic Black

*Paper:  MFT Black & White Stripes

*Stamps: The Ton Easy Expressions

*Dies:  The Ton Easy Expressions; Waffle Flower Nesting Squares

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Challenges:  Addicted to CAS #289

*Sending Sunshine Instagram Hop*

Each month, a group of us gather on Instagram to share cards of encouragement... something you could send to someone who's having a bad time, a rough spell, is feeling down....  someone who needs a little pick me up.

My card was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest... black and white stripes have always been a favourite, but lately I find I've been playing with that a lot (in fact, I have another card coming up tomorrow with black and white stripes).

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Paper:  Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Stamps:  Gina K You Give Me Butterflies

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Washi:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses

*Dies:  Pinkfresh Studio Vines & Roses; Gina K You Give Me Butterflies

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS on Friday #315*

 The theme at CAS on Friday is "baby" so I had some fun with some pastel colours and those fun rainbow dies I showcased a few weeks ago...

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Lemon Lolly; Spellbinders Blush, Mint, Windy

*Stamps:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Sunshine Vibes

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves

*Challenges:  CAS on Friday #315

*This or That Instagram Hop*

The themes to choose from with the This or That Instagram Hop this week are Zoo Animals or Farm Animals.  I went with Zoo Animals and I chose this fabulous monkey stamp.  When I was little, my Grama always called me her "little monkey".  She'd call, I'd answer the phone and she'd say "well hello Little Monkey" and I'd respond with "hello Big Monkey"... so I thought that this stamp was perfect.

I had a happy little accident with this card... my light grey Copic is SUPER dry so trying to colour behind the monkeys wasn't going so well.  I decided to leave it... it almost sort of looks like a textured background.

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Stamps:  MFT Picture Perfect

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

*Dies:  MFT Selfie Square, Stitched Rectangles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*CAS Colours & Sketches #566*

 There's a gorgeous new sketch at CAS Colours m& Sketches...

I pulled some bits from my bin of extras to create my card.  These aren't colours I would have thought to put together but I think they worked out.  They are good and bold!

Card Info

*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Mango Melody

*Stamps:  MFT Bitty Birthday Wishes

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Spellbinders Floral Spray, Be Bold Blooms

*Embossing:  Stampin' Up! Soft Waves
*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls

*Challenges:  CC&S #566