Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Triduum

Hello, friends!  We are in the midst of our Easter Triduum, the final three days of Lent and the holy days leading up to Easter.  It has been beautiful so far...we are all on spring break and have had the time to celebrate fully without the distraction of school work, homework, sports, and other activities.  The sun is shining and it is actually feeling a little bit like spring! 
 
So far we have celebrated Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and this evening we will go to the Easter Vigil service when the sun sets.  I love the glory and hope of Easter after a long, dreary Lent!  This is truly my favorite liturgical season...yes, even moreso than Advent and Christmas!

 
Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts sentiment and various background stamps, free digital chick image
Other: patterned paper, scallop border punch


Today I wanted to stop by and share a quick Easter card.  I used scallops, so I will be entering it into the current Less Is More "Lucky Dip" contest this week. 

I wish all of you who celebrate it a very happy, blessed Easter! 

As always, thanks for visiting!
Judy
 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

CASology #37: HOPE

Hello, friends!  Another Tuesday, another cue word from CASology!


I have a wonderful retired coworker and friend who has been battling ovarian cancer.  While many of us know that pink is the color associated with the fight against breast cancer, not as many people know that teal is the color associated with the fight against ovarian cancer.  I made this card for my friend using a Hero Arts sentiment stamp with a message of hope and one of my favorite butterfly stamps.




Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "With Hope," "Heart Winged Butterfly"
Inks: Versamark Watermark ink, Marvy LePlume "Peacock Green" and "Black" markers
Other: white embossing powder, Martha Stewart scoring board, pop dots, extra fine glitter


What does HOPE bring to mind for you?  Be sure to link up your clean and simple card by 4:00 p.m. (CST) Sunday and check out the cards of the design team this week.


Judy Marino --> that's me!
 
Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

CASology #36: SONG

 
Hello, friends!  Tuesday is here and it brings with it one of my favorite cues!  Oh, how I love music!  I was thrilled to see that SONG is the cue word for CASology this week.


The Alley Way StampsThis week we are sponsored by The Alley Way Stamps...be sure to check out their cute line of acrylic stamps!  If you want to try some of their digi freebies, be sure to check them out HERE -- they have lots of cute images from which to choose!



My card uses some very cute Alley Way Stamps from the Sea Mates set.  I was inspired after we went to see my nephew recently perform in his 8th grade spring musical, The Little Mermaid,  and I have had the catchy song "Under the Sea" stuck in my head ever since! 


The song lyric and the birthday sentiment are computer-generated.  I masked off the sea using Post-Its, then stamped the sea animals and sponged color with distress inks.  To make the bubbles more interesting, I added some Glossy Accents inside every "o" and bubble...can you see the shine?



So, do you have a song-inspired card you can share with us?  Link it up at the CASology blog by 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Sunday.  Check out the inspiration from our guest designer and design team, too!


Judy Marino --> that's me!
 
 
Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Sunday, March 17, 2013

LIM #111: Frame It


Hello, friends!  I made a card using my fun new Sea Mates set from The Alley Way Stamps for the current Less Is More challenge (Week 111: Frame It). 

 
Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Write Your Message," "Lattice"
Paper Smooches "Sentiment Sampler," "Simply Said;
The Alley Way Stamps "Sea Mates"
Inks: Wet Cement midtone ink, Vintage Photo and Broken China distress inks
Other:patterned paper

I don't have any of those cute, popular frame dies or stamps that are out there...so I masked off and inked a piece of white card stock to make my own frame!

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

CASology #35: EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Hello, friends!  I'm still feeling happy after viewing so many sweet bunny cards at CASology last week.  There were so many amazing entries!   This week at CASology we are going out of this world with our cue!


I had to play with this digital image from 2 Cute Ink...it is the Up, Up and Away Rocket Ship and perfect for an extraterrestrial theme! 

I printed the image three times: directly onto the card, on watercolor paper, and on yellow card stock.  I colored the image and fussy cut it, die cut and dry embossed the image on yellow card stock, layered the images and mounted on my card.  The sentiment is computer-generated and printed directly on the card.  Easy peasy!
 
 
 
I hope you can play along...if you do, be sure to link up your card by 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Sunday. Be sure to check out the out-of-this-world cards made by the design team and our guest designer, too!


Judy Marino --> that's me!
Guest Designer: Beate
 
Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Monday, March 11, 2013

Rockin' Out the Digis Challenge #1


Hello, friends!  Just stopping by with a quick card I made using some free digi images by Jackie Rockwell.  Have you seen her latest new venture?  She provides the free digi images, you make a CAS card, and we vote for our top three favorites.  I was intrigued and wanted to play along right from the start.  You can find details HERE. 

I printed my layout on white card stock and again on two different patterned papers, then fussy cut and paper-pieced the flower and leaves.  I colored in "Happy" with a Copic marker and dry embossed the background for a little interest.


Materials Used:
Stamps:  Digital images by Jackie Rockwell
Papers: MME Lost and Found Blush (6x6 pad) 
Other: Copic markers, Spun Sugar distress ink, Sizzix Three Dots embossing folder

Check it all out HERE if interested...I think this may be the beginning of something very cool!

(See you tomorrow with our new cue word from CASology!)

Take care,
Judy

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

LIM #109 Colour Challenge

Hello, friends!  Just stopping by with a fun card I made for the current Less Is More Week 109 Colour Challenge using this yummy color inspiration:

 

My card is a very literal translation of the above photo.  I do love donuts!  This reminds me of a quote I heard Homer Simpson once say on The Simpsons..."Mmmm, donuts...what aren't they good for?"


Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Donut," "Long Writing Background," Papertrey Ink "Signature Greetings"
Inks: Hero Arts Latte and Poppy chalk inks, Copic marker 
Other:  patterned paper, pop dot, white embossing powder, corner rounder


We are expecting a wintry mix of snow and rain tonight...hope it doesn't amount to anything!  We used up all our snow days when Hurricane Sandy hit earlier this year, so if we are off we will have to make it up in June.  At this point, school doesn't end until June 24th...we don't want it to go into July!

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

CASology #34: Bunny

Hello, friends!  Today is Tuesday, which means a new CASology challenge!  Can you say BUNNY?  We are proud to be sponsored this week by Cindy Coutts...she is generously offering a $25 gift certificate to Inspired by Stamping to the winner of this weeks challenge.


So, here's the thing.  I have a variety of bunny stamps that I adore.  Some sweet, some cute and quirky, and some just plain classy.  So I actually made three cards for this challenge using three of my favorite bunny stamps!

First up is "sweet."  I think this image from Sandylion Stamps is just adorable, especially for a new baby card.  (The Paper Smooches sentiment is fun, too!)  Two die cut banners using patterned paper add a little interest to an otherwise black and white card.


 

Next up is "cute and quirky."  I'm sure you recognize this cute Paper Smooches funny bunny!  What a great image...so many possibilities!  In this case I made it a birthday card...I can't have enough of them!




My final card is "classy."  I have had this Penny Black stamp since it was released in 2000 and it remains a favorite among my Easter stamps.  It will never get old in my book!  I paired it with a Hero Arts sentiment and some Martha Stewart punched images (grass and butterfly).



So there you have it, three different takes on one cue.  What does BUNNY bring to mind for you?  I can't wait to see!  You have until 4:00 p.m. (CST) Sunday to link up your card(s).  Be sure to check out the inspiring cards by the design team and our guest designer, too!


Judy Marino --> that's me!
Guest Designer: Jenny
 
Have a great week!
Judy

Friday, March 1, 2013

CAS(E) This Sketch #17 & MUSE #6

Hello, friends!  I am so happy to see this very busy week winding down...the craziness of early spring activities is upon us here at our house!  (Yikes!)  However, I was able to sneak in some crafty time and I made a quick card for two challenges.

I followed the sketch from the current CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge #17:


I used the pretty Muse Challenge #6 cue card made by Deanna Jean for inspiration, following the flower and leaf layout above the sentiment.



I love my Hero Arts shadow block stamps (oldies but goodies!) and immediately thought of this one when I saw the sketch.  I used the stamp "kissing" technique to add the envelope pattern to the shadow blocks.

Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Irregular Background Blocks," "Envelope Pattern,"
"Blossom Art," "Birthday Messages"
Inks: Hero Arts Poppy chalk in, black dye ink, VersaMark and black embossing powder
Other: black gems, patterned papers, corner rounder

So, that's it for today.  As always, thanks for stopping by...I do appreciate your visit!
Judy