CAS Cupcake Card

As it says in the title of my blog, cupcakes are a favourite theme of mine. In fact, I think cake is my favourite food! So I'm happy to share another cupcake card with you for the new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches
It is a colour week and we have a very delicious trio of colours for you, featuring Melon Mambo

I am also entering the challenge at Casology where the cue word is Cupcake.

I stamped the two parts of the cupcake using Create a Cupcake and added some Bermuda Bay sprinkles and a Melon Mambo coloured flower brad. I have a difficult time with bling and CAS, I love both and they don't always go together, certainly you can't overdo bling on a CAS card, but I think I've kept it to a minimum here. I used the Cupcake Builder punch and added the cupcake to the front of the card where I had ready stamped the greeting, using Early Expresso.

I quite liked the clean and simple look of this card left how it is, but I did want to use the embossing for the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays

I have used a really old embossing folder, one of the first craft things I ever bought. I cut the aperture first, before embossing.

I used foam pads to give depth to the aperture. These second photos were taken indoors, they show up the embossing better but it does give the white card a kind of blue cast.

Here is the detail of the cupcake in the centre.

Pine Cone Aperture card

Sorry, it's taken me a while to write this post, even though my card for CAS Colours and Sketches went up on time over at the challenge blog. We are revisiting our sketches this week and to help there is an archive page on the blog so it's even easier. The theme for the challenge is Christmas (what else???)
Here is my card, which uses the sketch from August 2014, challenge #89

 
You my notice a sub- theme here for my cards-I have decided to try and use the same stamp set for these challenges, Ornamental Pine. Here I have sponged the background over the top of some torn paper and then cut an aperture. I used the die cut to then stamp the pine branch and added some fussy cut pine cones, one stamped in brown ink and the other heat embossed in gold.

I layered this panel on card stock inside the card and added a gold embossed sentiment to the front panel.

This is what the inside of the card looks like

One more challenge from CC&S before we take a Christmas break, so I will see you back here next Thursday. I am going to spend the rest of today putting up the Christmas tree and outside decorations...really starting to feel like Christmas now!

A Nice Pear for Dad

A traditional male challenge at The Male Room this week: Fathers' Day, which is on Sunday, here in the UK in case you've forgotten. Actually I've spent most of the afternoon helping my son create a card for my other half, but I did find time to make this one, using a technique which I wanted to try out and entering a couple of  challenges at the same time.
I was intrigued by the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays- create a card for a male without using Kraft (easy!) and including a ribbon of some kind (which breaks all the rules for man cards having no fussy/frilly bits!). So I just had to try it. This is my card

The stamping is done by printing a background, stamping the image and then overlaying a top piece of card with an aperture cut out over the image stamped again and lining them up. This way there is no overhang, the image edges are crisp. I decided to offset my image this time.

For the ribbon I used a piece of striped DP (which you can see I used inside my card too) and overlaid a piece of Old Olive spotted and scalloped ribbon. The sentiment is from Best Dad Ever.
The second challenge is Make My Monday where they also want cards for males.

The card will be for my father, he lives in the next-door county to us- Worcestershire, and the emblem is a pear so it is quite fitting, green is also his favourite colour

Swallowtail -my first attempt

I unexpectedly find myself at home this afternoon with a couple of hours spare.  I wonder what I could do....
Here I am a little while later and of course I have something to show you

I have just got this stamp and it's so big and so gorgeous and I so had to use it as soon as possible! I have looked around and there are some fantastic makes with this SU swallowtail butterfly.  This one is mine and it was inspired by the challenge this week at Cas-ual Fridays where you should stamp on DP.  The butterfly was stamped onto two pieces of DP, one in black, and one in white, and heat embossed. Then I snipped part of the white wing out and paper pieced it onto the black. The sentiment is from an old set (nothing wrong with that!) and was perfect for this.  I made a paper banner out of more DP and used a coloured card blank.
I think I will be doing some more with this stamp, it is just too amazing for words!!

Chevrons, Flowers and Friendship

It feels like I've been making cards all day today.  First, I went to my local craft club this morning, we had a lovely time chatting, looking at some new stuff and making a fab card - it's amazing when everyone makes the 'same' card at how different they turn out to be. Anyway, I was introduced to a new colour there - Primrose Petals - don't ask me why it's pink as I thought primroses were yellow, but that doesn't really matter. This afternoon I used the fold we were shown this morning, with a twist, and the colour to make a card for two challenges CAS-ual Fridays, where the theme is Chevrons and Flowers and Addicted To CAS, where they want a CAS project inspired by the word Friend.

 I used the stamp set The Language of Friendship (perfect for the ATCAS challenge) to stamp the flowers, and, because I don't own the matching punch, fussy cut them out. I used Primrose Petals CS (thank you, Jacqueline!) to layer some SU chevron DP and make an inverted frame which makes a 'springy' base.  The leaves are made out of coppery coloured Fimo, rolled very thinly and scored with 'veins'. Then the leaves and flowers were stuck to the centre panel, which pops right off the card, but you can't see it all that well . Inside the card I have stamped some more little flowers.  The sentiment is also stamped in Primrose Petals and comes from the same stamp set.

Can you see the dimension a little better in this photo? I have made a few more cards, which I'll be sharing with you later, until then Happy Crafting!

Hi Ho Silver 2

I had entered my card (see post below) at the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays and was cruising around blogland looking for another challenge when something on one of the CAS blogs caught my eye.  It said CAS was all about the design, not the techniques, not the tools, not the embellishments but the design, with lots of uncluttered white space and a main focal point. You will find the full text here.
So, I am going to enter again having crafted this card with that statement in mind

I thought long and hard about the design, did I want the card to say 'On your Engagement' or could the design 'say' what I wanted it to? Should I layer the ring onto black? Should I keep to one piece of 'bling', needed for the solitaire diamond? Where should I place the ring?
 In the end I went for this, a band of silver, with a simple contemporary sentiment, adapted from Friendly Phrases and a 'solitaire' with two small 'diamonds' to set it off. The ring looked best placed slightly to the right.
Did I do a better job this time?  I think so!

Hi Ho Silver

Hi Ho Silver - that's the cry from Cas-ual Fridays challenge blog this week, whilst Merry Monday's challenge #50 is for an Elegant Christmas card. I've created a card that fits the bill for both..

 I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder to emboss the card blank with snowflakes and stamped the large ornament stamp from Merry and Type in Versamark, before heat embossing it in silver. I added gems to one of the baubles and 1 in the centre of the large one.  I matted the black card onto silver mirri card.  Finally I stamped the little oval Christmas Greeting and also heat embossed that in silver, popping it up on dimensionals.
A simple recipe, white, black and metallic -CAS and elegant I think.

The Winter Blues

Not for me! I love snowy, frosty weather, and Christmas, of course!  It's just that Winter Blues is the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays and we've even had two weeks this time to be organised.  I'm making packs of cards for my son to sell now.  He's raising money to buy a toilet for a village on Komodo Island, where he will be travelling in the summer as part of an expedition.  The toilet will protect the villagers from the komodo dragons, particularly the children who fall prey occasionally to these very large and ferocious lizards when they go outside the village boundaries.
Here is one of my designs

It has to be quick and simple to make so that I can easily make a pack, not too expensive and eyecatching.  I used a new stamp from SU called Open Sleigh, stamped onto dark blue cardstock and heat embossed in silver and added three gems.  I matted it onto paler blue card and then used a sheet of vellum to cover the white card blank. I am also going to enter the challenge for a CAS project at Addicted To Stamps and More with this card.Next step - teach son how to make them himself!

Masculine teen card

I am challenging myself to make more  cards for the men in my life and this time I was prompted by the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays - a clean and simple masculine project.  It has turned out a bit of a teen card, though I'm sure this still counts.

Funnily enough, I started with the sentiment, from SUs Sassy Salutations set, which I inked up using my in colour markers.  Then I added a glittery embossed black frame to make it stand out. The little icons I have punched out of a piece of wrapping paper, the smiley face one is stuck on with a dimensional.  Finally I added some 'music' washi tape.  I am really pleased with how this has turned out - it would be perfect for any of my sons' friends. 

The house is a little quiet this weekend as my oldest son has gone to visit his sister at Uni for a couple of days. Only the youngest one left, but we made the most of it with a trip to see the fireworks yesterday and an outing to the cinema to see Skyfall this evening. Loved it!

Perfectly Preserved Kraft

I am having a lot of fun with my new Perfectly Preserved stamp set and the challenge at cas-ual Fridays this week has given me another excuse to get it out again. This week the DT is challenging us to use Kraft card in our CAS designs.  I have used some Twitterpated DSP from SU too and the colours are also from Stamping up; Indigo Island, Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral with a little crumb cake.

I made a sentiment banner, using a stamp from the Sweet Cake set and some kraft and lucky limeade cardstock, adding a couple of gorgeous brads as a finishing touch.  I'm making as many cards as I can as for Christmas I like to give the other ladies in the family a pack of hand-crafted cards for them to send to friends and family through the coming year.  As my daughter left home this year there is one more pack to make!

Glitter Bird

The Glitter Bird was created as my interpretation of a photo inspiration challenge for a DT call.  A new challenge blog called Inkspirational will be starting in 2013 and there are 4 challenges to enter if you would like to be considered. You can find them here and it's open until the end of November so you still have lots of time if you want to be considered.
Here's the photo -Isn't he cute?

The glitter bird is a die cut, which I have slightly altered and the branches are from the Two step bird punch from Stampin' Up. The red berries and the frosty feel of the photograph are also there in the silver heat embossed edging and the use of glitter card.  I used a dark grey card stock and the silver edge made me think of night time so I am also entering this card in this week's challenge at casology.  I just found a new challenge blog at The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge, where there are three challenges on the same theme each month - a card, a scrapbook layout and anything goes.  I loved the DTs inspirations so much I wanted to enter and as the theme is anything that flies, I think my glitter bird will be OK. Please think about having a look at their blog too!
Ooops, nearly forgot to show you my card! ...

Finally, I added a little red bow, and as it goes over the edge of the card, I will also enter in the cas-ual Fridays Challenge.

Autumn Sympathy

What I love most about Autumn are the colours of the leaves.  They've only just started to turn where we live, so the beautiful reds, browns, yellow and orange are not yet in full flow and yet, when I saw the challenge on Cas-ual Fridays this week was a clean and simple project inspired by Autumn I knew that it was the colours that I most wanted to feature.

I chose Autumn Days (not very original, I know) and used the leaf and the wheat stems.  I stamped the leaf onto a peachy card blank in several Autumn shades to make a background for the sentiment, which I trimmed with a couple of gold embossed wheat stem images. I think that 'white space' means empty space, rather than 'white', so I hope my card is acceptable as CAS. I thought that this card would be suitable for a With Sympathy sentiment as it is calm and reflective and Autumn, for me is always a little bit sad as the summer has gone and another year will soon be over.

CAS Cupcakes

So you've seen the cats, now here's the cupcakes.... I think it's my first post with a cupcake card although not my first card with a cupcake! I love to work on the CAS style and this card has loads of clean white space, even though it's embossed with cupcakes , because embossing, dry or heat, is what they are looking for this week at CAS-ual Fridays.

I am playing with new stuff again today - the Sweet Cake stamp from SU.  I inked it and heat embossed the image and then added the sentiment in a contrasting colour.  I coloured in the cherry and the heart to accentuate them and added a banner to complete the shades of pink. I think I will be doing more with this stamp, I really love it...great for teenage girls, crazy friends,  small children,even Valentines.Watch this space!

Happy Anniversary

It's my 23rd wedding anniversary today so I have made my husband a card.  Of course, I combined the need for a card with a challenge or two and decided to try the one layer challenge at Less Is More, where Fur or Feathers is the theme, and Cas-ual Fridays, where the team are asking for square shaped CAS cards.
Here it is

I found the little cat outline stamp at my local craft store and just had to have it. First I stamped a tiny red heart in the middle of the square then stamped the cat outline on the left.  I stamped on acetate and transferred the image to give the mirror image for the ginger cat. I coloured the cats in using Promarkers and made up the sentiment from a couple of stamps. It did take a couple of goes to get it just right (especially getting everything well balanced) but I'm happy with it now... my husband will love the card and the fact that I made it for him, and that's the main thing!

Butterflies Inside and Out

If you have visited my blog this week you'll know that I'm not at home.  I have made this card for some fantastic friends who have lent Ellie and me their house for a couple of weeks. Of course I got the idea from Cas-ual Fridays to start me off - things you would find in the sky!

First I brushed some Pool Party onto a card blank just to give an impression of sky, rather than white.  Then I inked up some white CS with blue, green and pink using my brushes again and stamped the butterfly and sentiment and snipped them out.  I dry embossed the card blank with some more butterflies and used the negative side (you'll see why!). I used some Glossy Accents to highlight the wing edges and body and used dimensionals to pop up the butterfly.
The inside of the card looks like this:

Now you see why!
I am going home tomorrow and will leave this behind. Of course the card will be accompanied with a small hamper of gifts and I'm sure they will love it!

Back In Black

Ooooo, the summer holidays are here and I can craft all day long if I want to!
Anyway, this morning started off with a clear out and ,of course, you find all those things you've forgotten about, like black card blanks for the Cas-ual Fridays Back in Black challenge this week. This is what I came up with

I used some glue outlines and added red foil to make the gifts. Does it have a little too much bling for a CAS card, with those silver bows and little star?  I'll leave that up to you to decide, but I rather like it!

A Little Blue Bird

I have often looked at the challenges on Casual Fridays and they are always brilliant and I always miss the deadline! Now, with 8 hours to go I've made it! The challenge was to use text and so I used a new stamp from Waltzing Mouse stamps to create the  background.  I thought of the words of the sentiment and  they went well with the idea.  I used my 2 step bird punch from SU and added a little shiney blue eye as my token 'bling' Here's a close up the little bird..

I made the whole thing in blue to fit another challenge from Addicted to Stamps which is a new challenge blog with some fantastic, inspirational ideas- have a look for yourself.
Got to dash now, daughter's leaving ceremony and I am running late...........

Christmas Robin

The challenge over atCAS-ual Fridays is Birds this week.  Now, I do like birds on cards, they are very versatile I think and one of my favourites is this little bird punch from SU.  You can use him in all sorts of ways and here I've made him into a little robin with the addition of a touch of red. The trees are from Lovely As a Tree, stamped in versamark and embossed with snowflake white. I've added a greeting in the corner. Sorry to be posting Christmas cards in May!! Still, the sooner you start.....