Vintage Vogue Flower Card

Isn't this a fabulous sketch? I just loved it the moment I saw it. It's the new challenge from CAS Colours ad Sketches.  I have been a bit naughty with it though - what do you think?

I stamped the flowers from Vintage Vogue (Stampin' Up) with every intention of using a central 'topper' with the Top Note die, but I loved them so much in the end I cut a thin frame out of my die and just used that.  A matching gem in the middle flower and I just thought that's as CAS as I want it to be. I think I will add a sentiment when I know who it's going to.

Out of Africa for Dad

My safari with Zoo Review continued today as I made a card for the new challenge at Addicted to CAS. The cue word is Masculine. These are the hardest cards to make for me, simply because I don't usually see the potential in either the stamps or the paper but with Zoo Review it's pretty obvious.

I started with Naturals Ivory cardstock, which is quite yellow in colour I think- it was the right neutral for the very 'African' themed card I wanted to make. I cut a piece of mountboard ( to give dimension to my card) and covered it in animal print decopage paper  I stamped three images from Zoo Review and placed these on top, after layering them onto kraft card.  Some score lines stop this panel from floating in space on the card.  The 'Dad' is simply inked up die cut letters, made from grunge paper to add depth. The inks I have used are all naturals too.
My Dad never went on safari, and at nearly 80 years of age I don't think he's up for it but I know he would have loved to- may be my card will make up for that.

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.

Christmas on Mars?

I may have pushed the boundaries too far this time folks! Danielle, our lovely hostess and setter of challenges for the month of February at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown has chosen felt embellishments for this week. I looked in the shops and in my boxes of stash and couldn't find anything that I thought would make a Chistmas card. Look at these wonderful embellies Danielle found to inspire you

I had felt cupcakes, and moons, stars and sheep, and aliens. So I had to think a bit more laterally - Hey I can do aliens!!

So this is my Christmas card, a heat embossed silver tree, trimmed with blue and red gems and a little felt alien, matted onto some very martian green dp. Oh, you need to see inside -

It's a different style for me and I'm going to have to think hard who I will send it to, not aged aunts or well respected community members, but I have lots of friends who like a laugh and I'm sure it will end up in appreciative hands! So go on, push your creativity too, there are lots of challenges out there.

F is for Friend

A lovely 'summery' colour combo this week from CAS Colours and Sketches. Don't be put off if you don't have the exact Stampin' Up colours, use the closest you have - but no other colours, if you want to be in with a chance of Top 3.
One reason I love papercrafting is the friends I have made, not just in blogland but for real, in my own community. One lovely lady lent me the stamp set I have used for this card ( and a few others you might be seeing over the next couple of weeks).  It's called Vintage Vogue.

I've used a technique known as triple time stamping and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I must thank my friend Viji, as I cased one of her cards. I can't give you a link, as she doesn't blog, but I'm not going to claim all the credit. I had a lovely afternoon crafting with this stamp set, and yet I'd never thought of getting it as I was put of by the name...silly isn't it!
Do have a look at the other cards from the DT over on the Colours and Sketches blog.

Christmas Zoo Review

This card came about as I played with my new Zoo Review stamp set for something I need  next month and it was so nice that I have decided to enter it into a couple of challenges, Make My Monday, where they are asking for ribbon AND buttons and  Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge, for which you need to have made a Christmas card with snow.

I stamped the bear onto a Top Note die, masked it and then added dots of versamark, which I heat embossed with clear powder.  I then brushed the ink over the top and the resist technique makes it look like snow. I added a bow and some matching buttons, all 'icy' blue colours.  The sentiment at the bottom is new too, from SU -Friendly Phrases, but the little Christmas greeting is a freebie (I found it in my stamp drawer, no idea where it came from, but I think I might be using it a lot from now on).  Finally, I sponged the edges. Do you think the polar bear looks like he's lost in a snowstorm? Just remembered I can enter this  card into Crafty Hazelnuts Extra Christmas Challenge for February - if you've made a Christmas card and posted it this month why not link up - lots of prizes for the lucky winners!