PP #355 and SSS Wednesday and Flickr Challenges

Hello, friends!  I'm happy to be here today to share a card I made for a few challenges this week:

(1) The Paper Players #355: Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge from Laurie/Joanne

(2)  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

(3) SSS Flickr Challenge #76: Anything Goes -- I used a Simon Says Stamp sentiment and die set on my card.

This card uses the bottom row across (blue/animal/circle) on the Paper Players tic-tac-toe board.  I used a cute Serendipity image paired with a Simon Says Stamp die cut sentiment and a pretty Concord & 9th watercolor card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Serendipity (Kitty with Balloon); Simon Says Stamp (Thanks stamp and die set)
Inks: Memento (Black Tuxedo); distress inks; Copic markers 
Other: Concord & 9th watercolor card

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Take good care,
Judy

CASology #259: BALLOON

Hello, friends!  It's a very special Tuesday at CASology this week!  We are celebrating the 5 Year Anniversary of CASology and we have a lot of fun in store for you!  We have former design team members joining us, and we will also be hopping along with some of the wonderful CASology challenge sponsors.  Check in at the CASology blog for the full list of blog hop participants.

You should have arrived here from Concord & 9th, one of our awesome sponsors and one of the participating companies in the hop this week.

This week our cue is a celebratory one, for sure!  Break out the balloons, there's a party going on here, people!

I made my own balloons out of a Christmas ball layering stamp (Holiday Style by Sunny Studio Stamps) and paired them with a banner from the Sunny Borders set.  A few sequins and hand-drawn strings finished it off.

I'd like to take a minute to say THANK YOU to all the companies who have sponsored our challenges and offered such generous prizes to our participants each week.  They have added to the fun of the challenge, haven't they?  Thank you, thank you to ALL of our sponsors!

Thank you also to all of the participants who have joined us at CASology over the past five years.  I am always inspired by your creative CAS designs each week!

I do hope you are able to play along with us this week as we celebrate!  What does BALLOON bring to mind for you?  Link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time) and hop along the links listed at the CASology blog for lots of inspiration and fun!  Now, off to your next stop in the blog hop, our former design team member Tracey McNeely!

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

CASology #258: DIAMOND

Hello, friends!  We are already in mid-July and it is time to play with our new cue card at CASology.  It also happens to be my design teammate Rachel's birthday today -- Happy Birthday, Rachel!

This week we are getting sparkly!  I thought about some of the unusual diamonds that exist, such as the Hope Diamond I saw at the Smithsonian Museum (a beautiful steel blue diamond).  I also thought of black diamonds, and that was the inspiration for my card!

Our sponsor this week is STAMPlorations so I stamped this bold stand-alone STAMPlorations sentiment in black.  Then I paired it with six clear gems ("diamonds"), three on each side of an exceptional black gem.  The card base is embossed with an argyle pattern; the angles and lines remind me of the many facets of a diamond.

Supplies:
Stamp: STAMPlorations (Be the Exception)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Other: STAMPlorations dies (Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies - CUTplorations); Sizzix embossing folder (Argyle)

I will also be linking this up to the STAMPlorations Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge.

I can't wait to see how you interpret the sparkly cue card this week!  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will also be inspired by the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week, for sure!

Anna Uhras
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Jacquie Southas
Janet Ribet
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Rachel Bergfeld
Sherrie Mannion

Guest Designer: Lana

Our Sponsor This Week: STAMPlorations

One last reminder before I go...did you see my post yesterday (here)?  Next week we will be hosting a 5-Year Anniversary Blog Hop at CASology!  Be sure to check back next Tuesday for all the details!

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

A CASology Blog Hop is Approaching!

Hello, friends!  I just wanted to stop by to share some exciting news...there is an epic blog hop in the works!

Melissa Chipperfield, founder of CASology, is planning an exciting blog hop to celebrate the challenge's fifth anniversary.  Can you believe it has been five years?

Here is a little bit of CASology trivia for you: the first challenge posted on July 10, 2012 and the very first cue card was SUN.

Here is the original graphic for the first challenge.  I played along with this one, along with every new challenge that followed, until I was invited to join the Design Team beginning in January, 2013 (posted here).  Yep, I was addicted from the start!

There have been a few CASology blog make-overs since then.  Have you seen the most recent update?  I love the hat and bow tie!  ;)

So, my friends, mark your calendars for an epic blog hop starting July 25, 2017!

I'll be back on Tuesday with my card for the next CASology cue.
Thanks for stopping by,
Judy

CASology #257: WISH

Hello, friends!  After a fun week of PIZZA, it is now time for a new cue card at CASology!

I paired up a free Uniko digital floral image (available HERE from our sponsor) with a sentiment from WPlus9 (Happy Wishes).

I printed the Uniko floral image on white card stock, then die cut then panel.  Next, I stamped the sentiment.  Finally, I used the same ink from the sentiment to watercolor my flowers so they would coordinate perfectly!

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko (free digi image); WPlus9 (Happy Wishes)
Inks:  MFT (Black Licorice); distress inks (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint); Simon Says Stamp(Coral Reef)
Other: Mama Elephant (Index Card - Creative Cuts)

I can't wait to see how you interpret WISH this week!  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time).  Check out the cards made by our Design Team this week, too!

Anna Uhras
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Jacquie Southas
Janet Ribet
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Rachel Bergfeld
Sherrie Mannion

Our Sponsor This Week: Uniko

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

CASology #256: PIZZA

Hello, friends!  It's Tuesday, which means it is time for our new cue card at CASology!  It also happens to be Independence Day here in the U.S., so Happy July 4th to those celebrating today!

This week we are sponsored by SugarPea Designs, and I wish I had their stamp set called "Pizza My Heart" for this week's challenge!  Wouldn't this set be perfect this week?

This set did give me some inspiration based on the "You're Hot" sentiment and the thought of wood-fired pizza in a brick oven.  (I'm sure you were wondering where I was going with my card for this week's challenge!)

I spritzed the background with Perfect Pearls Mist while the flame was masked, then added Wink of Stella to the flames.  It has such a cool, sparkly finish in real life!

I'm entering my card into the current Paper Smooches "Anything Goes" challenge which runs through the month of July.

Before I sign off, I want to say a fond farewell to my design teammate Hazel and a warm welcome to my new teammate Anna!  So many wonderful CASology ladies in my life...I'm so blessed!

I can't wait to see how you interpret the PIZZA cue card this week!  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time). You will also be inspired by the many ways our Design Team and Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week...be sure to check out their blogs!

Anna Uhras
Deidre Payne

Hannelie Bester
Jacquie Southas
Janet Ribet
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino --> that's me!
Kymona Tracey
Melissa Chipperfield
Rachel Bergfeld
Sherrie Mannion

Guest Designer: Maja

Our Sponsor This Week: SugarPea Designs

Thanks for visiting,

Judy

The Ton July Mood Board Challenge

Hello, friends!  I'm back with a card I made for The Ton July Mood Board Challenge using this lovely mood board for inspiration:

I was immediately drawn to the top middle photo of the beach at dusk (or dawn, depending where you live!) and I used my "Wave" stamp set to recreate the scene!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: The Ton (Wave, Penned Sentiments)
Inks: MFT (Black Licorice), distress inks (Tumbles Glass, Peacock Feathers, Weathered Wood, Spun Sugar, Victorian Velvet, Shaded Lilac, Antique Linen)
Other: MFT (Wonky Stitched Rectangle die)


I used a variety of distress inks, both on the wave and in the sky, to recreate the colors in the picture.  (Supplies are listed above).  I also framed the card using a wonky stitch die to imitate the waves of the ocean.  I love the "Penned Sentiments" set and can't help but think of the awesomeness of the ocean when I read this particular sentiment.

I don't think I ever purchased a stamp set as quickly as I did this set.  I saw one card set during the release (by Laurel Beard) and went immediately to The Ton's store and bought it.  I am so glad I did!  I don't see me ever getting tired of this stamp set.  It amazes me every time I ink it up!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Judy

Happy Birthday Butterfly

Hello, friends!  I'm enjoying my summer days off and finding some time to make cards for fun...isn't that awesome?  Today I made a card for several challenges...they all seemed to align quite nicely, so I went for it!

Here's where I am playing today:

(1) MUSE Challenge #223 with this lovely card from this week's Muse, Anita Bowden.  I was inspired by the pink, purple and blue background, the black butterfly, and the birthday sentiment.  (Basically I CASE'd her card!)

(2) Two concurrent challenges at Happy Little Stampers this month, including the July CAS Challenge where the theme is "birthday," and the July Watercolour Challenge with the optional twist of "blue." I used some blue, but not exclusively.

                           

(3) CAS Watercolour July Challenge with the theme of "Butterfly."

(4) The Challenge #88: Keywords and I used the words "birthday" and "watercolor" on my card today.

OK, now for my card!

I had fun following the layout of Anita's MUSE card.  I inked up an old Hero Arts "Harlequin Pattern Block" stamp with three different distress inks (Peacock Feathers, Worn Lipstick, and Wilted Violet), and spritzed heavily with water before stamping onto my watercolor card base.  I also flicked some wet ink onto my card base.

Next, I die cut the Simon Says Stamp "Leanna" butterfly from both black and black glitter card stocks and layered them by adhering them in the center only.  I also die cut the Simon Says Stamp coordinating "Chrissy" die from purple vellum and adhered it to the center of the other butterflies, then adhered all three to the card.

Finally, I die cut the "happy" sentiment from the Papertrey Ink "Wet Paint" set and stamped the coordinating "birthday" sentiment underneath.  A thin strip of washi tape along the crease of the card finished it off.

So, there you have it! A clean and simple birthday card that is easy to mail (those butterfly wings lay flat in an envelope)...and that is always important to me!

Thanks for stopping by today...have a good one!
Judy

Paper Players #351: Class of 2017

Hello, friends!  I'm stopping by today with a card I made for the current Paper Players #351 Theme Challenge from Joann to make a card for the Class of 2017 in some form -- whether it is for a graduate or a teacher or congratulations for finishing exams.  What a great idea!

I have shared several graduation cards here in the past few weeks, mainly because my high-school-age children have lots of friends graduating and they have been invited to many graduation parties.  I have needed a handful of cards for these occasions, so here is yet another one!

This card uses some foil paper and PTI number dies.  I used green because that is their high school's color.

I scored two straight lines beneath the numbers and traced them with a Sakura gelly roll glitter pen.  Finally, I stamped the Avery Elle sentiment (from the "O Happy Day" set) in black ink to match the black frame of the die cut card panel.

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is "Anything Goes!"

Thanks for stopping by today!
Judy