Judy's Card Corner

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

CASology #44: BLOOM

Hello, friends! I was so inspired by all the HEXAGON cards entered at CASology last week, and now I am excited to see what you all come up with for this week's cue:

This is the time of year when co-workers announce their retirement at the end of the school year, so I find myself in need of several cards right about now! I made two clean and simple cards -- female and male versions; I will definitely need more, but this is a good start.

I was so happy to finally ink up the WPlus9 "Folk Art Florals" stamps I received this past Christmas...I love the variety of mix-and-match blooms and leaves in that set! I added a few small pearls to the feminine version, while a few dabs of Stickles on the masculine version was enough.

Materials Used for Both Cards:

Stamps: WPlus9 "Folk Art Florals," Hero Arts "Just Find Me"

Inks: Hero Arts shadow and mid-tone inks, black dye ink

Other: Cuttlebug "Pinking Stitch" embossing folder, Hero Arts Pearls and gems "Sunshine Mixed Accents" on female card, Stickles "Waterfall" on male card

I can't wait to see what BLOOM means to you! Link up your clean and simple card by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) Sunday, and check out the cards by our wonderful guest designer and design team, too!

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Guest Designer: Barb Ghigliotty

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!

Judy

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

CASology #43: HEXAGON

Hello, friends! This week at CASology we have a very popular trend as our cue.

We are lucky to be sponsored this week by Cindy Coutts.

I have several cards to share today. My first is a clean and simple card featuring the sweet "Happy Hexagon" stamps from Papertrey Ink.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink "Happy Hexagons," Hero Arts "Celebrate Everyday"

Inks: various Hero Arts shadow inks, mid-tone Pool ink

Other: Cuttlebug "Pinking Stitch" embossing folder, pearls

The next two cards illustrate how you can use similar materials to make both a CAS card and a "busy" card. I used the same card base, sentiment, patterned papers, and hexagon die for both cards, yet the first is very simple and the second is not quite CAS (i.e., it has many layers, lots of embellishments, and no white space).

Clean and simple...

Not so clean and simple...

Honestly, I like them both. Sometimes it can be fun to really layer it on, ya know? Other times, the simpler the better.

I can't wait to see what lovely HEXAGON cards you create this week...do play along! Link up your clean and simple card by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) Sunday, and check out the cards by our super talented guest designer and design team, too!

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Guest Designer: Jenny

Thanks for visiting!

Judy

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Our Crazy Spring!

Hello, friends! You may have noticed a slow-down in my blog posts...other than my design team work at CASology, I have not had much time for card-making and blogging. Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that this is my "crazy time" and the spring is EXTREMELY busy with work ramping up and four kids highly involved in extracurriculars. It's all good, just BUSY!

So, although I have no cards to share, I figured I'd give you a few glimpses of what we've been up to in the past few weeks. (This is picture-heavy, so if you're not interested, no worries...thanks for stopping by!)

My oldest turned 14...

My youngest made his First Communion...

My daughter's school concert band participated in a festival at Villanova University (she plays clarinet)...

Same daughter's last year of softball started (her dad, my DH, is the coach)...

Of course the boys still play travel soccer (fall and spring)...

And the youngest also plays baseball

(at 8 years old he is in the AAA majors and is one of their pitchers!)

Right after my oldest got his braces off, my daughter got her braces on...

We had a great trip to New York City during our spring break...my second daughter, an avid reader, was in heaven inside the New York Public Library!

So many books!

She is the theatrical/musical child in the family and was ready to find Broadway while we were in New York...Ta Da!

She, also being the uber-creative child, was enthralled at the FAO Schwartz store where we found the "Muppet WhatNot Workshop" and you could design your own puppet...so many possibilities!

We had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter...lots of time at church services and lots of singing for me (a cantor) and my daughter (a children's choir cantor). It was all so beautiful!

I know there is so much more...curriculum fairs and science showcases and talent shows and hip-hop dance classes and Girl Scouts and piano/guitar/drum lessons, etc... just no pics to show for them!

So, there is a glimpse of what we've been up to in our neck of the woods. It all comes to a crashing halt in the end of June, and then I hope to find some crafty time once again. In the meantime, wish us luck with it all!

Take good care,

Judy

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

CASology #42: CARE

Hello, friends! What a funny, punny week we had last week at CASology...lots of giggles, for sure! This week brings another challenge, sponsored by Scrappin' Great Deals:

When I saw this cue, I thought of a Hero Arts sentiment that states, "I hope you know how much I care." It seems as though I could give out cards with that sentiment almost every day...so many people going through some tough times around us lately. (Maybe a good idea to have some cards that say you care in your stash, huh?) I punched out the folk hearts with various coordinating patterned paper scraps, popped then up for dimension, and added a sequin in the center of each heart. Hard to see, but I drew three score lines at the top of the card for balance.

I love the sparkle that those little sequins add when the light hits them just right!

Materials Used:

Stamps: Hero Arts "Thinking of You"

Inks:black dye ink

Other: folk heart punch; patterned paper; pop dots;

sequins; Martha Stewart scoring board, corner rounder

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the cue this week. Link up your clean and simple card by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) Sunday, and check out the cards by our design team, too!

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Thanks for visiting!

Judy

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

CASology #41: GIGGLE

Hello, friends! Happy Tuesday! Are you ready for a giggle? If so, it's time to play along at CASology!

My card pairs up some cheerful patterned papers with a happy sentiment by Hero Arts. Quick and easy! (Or as my daughter likes to say in these cases, "Queasy!")

Materials Used:

Stamps: Hero Arts "Anytime Messages," Papertrey Ink "Framed Out #1" stamps and die

Inks: Hero Arts Soft Pool, black dye ink

Other: patterned paper, ekSuccess "Zig Zag Chain" punch, corner rounder, blue gem

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the cue this week...please do play along! Link up your clean and simple card by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) Sunday, and check out the cards by our design team and guest designer, too!

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Guest Designer: Cindy

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

CASology #40: WORD

Hello, friends! I've got a "wordy" post today...because I'm here with our new cue word!

This week we are sponsored by Amuse (Chris Franco, Independent Consultant).

There are so many interpretations for this week's cue. (Be sure to check out Ardyth's post for a clever way to play along, especially if you are stumped by this one!)

I went on a search for quotes using the word "word" and quickly came to realize the many ways words influence our lives. They can make us happy. They can bring us joy. They can be hurtful. They can sting. They can bring us together. They can tear people apart. They can make us laugh. They can bring us comfort.

Pause here...I have to share two very funny "word" quotes I came across by the hilariously dry-witted comedian Stephen Wright:

"What's another word for Thesaurus?" (Ha ha.)

"If a word in the dictionary was misspelled, how would we know?" (Yes, I do have a dry sense of humor.)

Anyway, I also realized that sometimes fewer words are better than more. I came across this quote and I made it into my card using some patterned papers and a Papertrey Ink word die:

In this case, my "white space" is light green.

I added a strip of patterned paper on the inside of the card to match the die cut word.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you create using this week's cue! Be sure to check out the inspiring cards by our design team and guest designer this week, too. If you play along, link up your clean and simple card at the CASology blog by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday.

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Guest Designer: Karen

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

CASology #39: TRAVEL

Hello, friends! Today I am stopping by with the latest CASology cue word...TRAVEL!

I went with a clean and simple design using a black embossed sailboat image with distress inks behind it...obviously you can change the inks depending on what time of day you want to portray! Since my sentiment is warm, I went for a warm, sunny feeling.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Inkadinkado "Patterned Sailboats," Paper Smooches "Sentiment Sampler"

Inks: black dye ink, Versamark water ink, Tim Holtz distress inks in Broken China,
Weathered Wood, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey

Other: black embossing powder, Nestabilities Reverse Wonky Rectangles

So, where will your TRAVELS take you? Link up your clean and simple card at the CASology blog by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday. Check out the inspiration from our guest designer and design team, too!

Judy Marino --> that's me!

Guest Designer: Geri

Thanks for visiting!

Judy