Thursday, August 31, 2017

12 Kits of Occasions Guest Designer ~ August 2017

Hello, friends!  I'm so happy to be here today as a Guest Designer for The 12 Kits of Occasions August edition, with the kit designed by the lovely Lisa Elton of My Paper Tales.  Lisa put together a fabulous school-themed kit entitled {Teacher's Pet} and I think it is chock full of goodness!


{Teacher's Pet}


I knew as soon as I received Lisa's invitation that this kit would be amazing, and I was so right!  I spread out all the pieces on my desk and once I started creating I couldn't stop! Every day I'd go back and think of something else to make with what was left.  Her color combinations are so perfect, and I didn't want to leave anything unused!  I made seven projects to share today, and a few more I'll share in the coming days.

So, without further ado, let's get to what I made!  First up, a card I will certainly be sending to one of my son's amazing middle school teachers this fall.  I'm entering this one in the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where "Anything Goes!"

Supplies:
Stamps: Precious Remembrance Shop (School Days)
Dies: Papertrey Ink (Enclosed Apple, Pencil Blooms), Pretty Pink Posh (Stitched Labels 1), EK Success (Round Binding Edge border punch)
Papers: October Afternoon (Sidewalks), Lawn Fawn (Let's Polka in the Meadow), Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise)
Other:  Papertrey Ink felt (Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Simply Chartreuse), black brad


Next up, another teacher appreciation card.  With four school-aged kids, I can never have enough of these!

Supplies:
Stamps: none
Dies: Papertrey Ink (Enclosed Apple), Impression Obsession (Hugs), Mama Elephant (Index Card Creative Cuts)
Papers: October Afternoon (Schoolhouse, Sidewalks), Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy), Bazzill (Juicy Pear)
Embossing Folders: Darice (ABCs Alphabet), Cuttlebug (Gingham)
Other:  K & Company (chalkboard label), black and white twine


I was so excited to see that Lisa included a one layer card with the sweetest Purple Onion Designs image stamped on the front.  What a joy it was to color and add a birthday sentiment for one of my little nieces!  (I had to add a few sequins from Lisa's own mix, Sweet Pea!)  I did a lot of coloring on this card, so I am linking it up to the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge Challenge #257: Make Your Mark.

Supplies:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs (Wishing), Simon Says Stamp (Birthday Messages)
Inks: MFT (Black Licorice), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Other: Pretty Pink Posh sequins (Sweet Pea), Wink of Stella  


I have several nieces and nephews in college now, so I thought this might be a good card to send to one of them right before exams.  It's always a good reminder to believe in yourself!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Script Sentiments)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), distress ink (Tumbled Glass)
Dies: Papertrey Ink (Spiral Notebook Page, Seeing Stars, Pencil Blooms), Pretty Pink Posh (Stitched Tab), Spellbinders (rectangle) 
Papers: Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy), October Afternoon (Sidewalks)
Other:  Cuttlebug embossing border, black brad, black pearls


Next up...a sweet milk carton that I hope to fill with goodies.  This might be sitting at my youngest son's seat at the kitchen table after his first day of school...yep, that might happen.


Here is the back...
Supplies:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs (Mia), Rubber Soul (School Bus), Precious Remembrance Shop (Positive Thoughts)
Dies: Lawn Fawn (Milk Carton), Pretty Pink Posh (Scallop Circle Tag)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Papers: Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy), Lawn Fawn (Lat's Polka in the Meadow paper)
Other: Papertrey Ink ribbon (Harvest Gold), Tim Holtz (tiny paperclip),  black & white twine, DeNami Designs (red button)


Well, this sweet Purple Onion Designs bunny reading a book stole my heart!  Paired with an encouraging sentiment from Precious Remembrance Shop, I see another card heading off to a young student in my life!

Supplies:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs (Zoey), Precious Remembrance Shop (Positive Thoughts)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Dies: Lil' Inkers (Stitched Rectangles)
Paper: Lawn Fawn (Lat's Polka in the Meadow paper)
Other:  Sizzix embossing folder (Framed Tulips), twine


Finally, my favorite Purple Onion Designs image and sentiment banner in a color combo that I adore.  This card is heading to a certain lovely lady who invited me to play along.

Supplies:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs (Sweet Offerings)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers, distress ink (Spun Sugar)
Dies: My Favorite Things (Stitched Oval Stax)
Other: Darice embossing folder (Oblong Doily) 


Phew! Thank you so much for sticking around through all of that!  Big thanks to Lisa for inviting me to play along with this month's kit, I had a blast!  I hope you get to check out all of the amazing cards made by this month's 12 Kits of Occasions team!

Take good care,
Judy

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

CASology #264: SQUARE

Hello, friends!  It's hip to be square at CASology this week!


I used a stitched square die to highlight this cute little bunny and added foam behind it to add some depth to my square; I also backed the die cut balloon with foam for interest.  I maintained lots of white space so the overall design would remain clean and simple.

Supplies:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs (Stacy Yakula Studio: Willa), Simon Says Stamp (Birthday Messages)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Dies: Simon Says Stamp (Balloons, Stitched Squares)
Paper: Lawn Fawn (Let's Polka in the Meadow)
Other: foam, twine


I can't wait to see how you interpret the SQUARE cue card this week!  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time). Check out the design team blogs for inspiration, too!


Thanks for visiting,
Judy

Friday, August 25, 2017

For Faith, From the Heart

Hello, friends!  I am here to share a card today in honor of Faith Skrdla, the founder of From the Heart Stamps, who passed away at the end of July after bravely battling brain cancer.  I have been meaning to make a card in her honor since I heard the news, and today I get the chance to share a card using one of her digital images that always brings a smile to my face.

Reading Faith's obituary (shared at the From the Heart blog) left me feeling sad and very humbled.  In her 40 years of life she accomplished more than some people accomplish in twice that time.  Education, athletics, travel, family, ministry, career...she did it all and with great grace.  Although we never met, I have always admired her artistic abilities; after reading about her life, I admire her on so many deeper levels.  

What a gift she has left us...strangers and friends from all around the world.  Images, drawn by her hand, that we can repeatedly use to both find and bring happiness to others.  

This card is in gratitude for Faith, for her shared talents, for her life.  I hope it makes you feel happy...I'm willing to bet that was her intention.


Free digi image "Bee Happy Birdbrain" by From the Heart Stamps


I'm entering this card into the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #256: Anything Goes.  



Thank you for stopping by,
Judy

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

CASology #263: BUD

Hello, friends!  Welcome back to a new week and a new cue at CASology.


This week the CASology Design Team members were invited to play with two different digital images from our sponsor, Kitty Bee Designs.  Both images are perfect for the cue this week, including a flower bud and a budding bamboo plant.  I couldn't resist and I made cards with both images!

First up, a thank you note using the Panda Bamboo Plant Valentine digi stamp along with a sentiment stamp from Jane's Doodles.  The dry embossed brick background adds interest to the white card base.


My second card is also a thank you note, using the "Flower for You Bunny" digi stamp along with a thank you stamp from Jane's Doodles.  The dry embossed floral card base mimics the bunny's flowers!


For some extra inspiration, I'll share a picture of the thank you note we sent Kitty Bee Designs for being one of our CASology sponsors and supporters during the past five years.  Love this sweet panda image!


I'm going to enter my cards in the current Kitty Bee Designs #101: Anything Goes Challenge with the optional twist: Summer.  Nothing says summer to me more than flowers and plants! 

I can't wait to see how you interpret the BUD 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; check out their blogs for some wonderful inspiration!

Guest Designer: Sunday Stamper

Our Sponsor This Week: Kitty Bee Designs



Thanks for visiting,
Judy

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

CASology #262: PRICKLY

Hello, friends!  Things are getting a bit prickly this week at CASology!


My first thought was of a prickly heat rash, but I can't think of any good reason to make a card for that occasion!  Next thing that came to mind was a prickly cactus, but I don't have a cactus stamp (I know that is hard to believe, they are so IN right now).  Then I thought of the many times I have handled roses and their prickly thorns...and that is what inspired my card, using a pretty digi image and sentiment from our sponsor, STAMPlorations.


I printed the cup of roses digi image onto white card stock, then die cut it so the image would be in the bottom right corner.  I stamped the sentiment from the "Fond Expressions 2" set in the upper left corner for balance.  The image was water colored using distress inks, and I added a gray base using a Copic marker.

While my image was offered as a free digi image during a Coffee Lover's Blog Hop some time ago, there is a clear stamp of this same image in the "A Cup of Roses" set.

I'm going to link this card up to the current STAMPlorations Summer CAS Card Challenge as well as the STAMPlorations Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge.

  

I can't wait to see how you interpret the cue card this week!  Be sure to link up your card by noon on Monday (Central time). Check out the Guest Designer and Design Team blogs for more PRICKLY inspiration!

Guest Designer: Amy R.

Our Sponsor This Week: STAMPlorations




Thanks for visiting,
Judy

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Fusion: Pastel Pencils

Hello, friends!  I'm here today with a thank you card that fits the bill for the current Fusion Card Challenge.
I was inspired by the inspiration photo of the pastel pencils, and I combined several pastel colors on my image as well as my card base.  This fun image is a 2CuteInk digital image called "Nerdy Pencils."  I added a computer-generated sentiment under "Just a Note" to make it a thank you note. 


 Glossy Accents on the glasses really make them shine!


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

ATSAM #254: Clean and Simple

Hello, friends!  I'm here today to share a card I made for a friend as part of a monthly coffee lovers card exchange using a fun new-to-me Unity stamp I recently bought on sale.  I'm entering this clean and simple card into the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More #254 where the theme is, in fact, "Clean and Simple!"



Supplies:
Unity "Love To Go" stamp
Darice "Brick Wall" embossing folder
Wonky Stitched Rectangle die
Wink of Stella 
Copic markers
Twine


It's hard to capture in a photo, but I added Wink of Stella all over the heart and it adds some fun sparkle!

Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate your visits!
Judy

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

CASology #260: JUICY

Hello, friends!  Phew, what an amazing week we had for the Five Year Anniversary Blog Hop!  I am so grateful to be a part of this team, and for all of you who took the time to hop along with us...thank you!  According to my blog statistics, my post last Tuesday was the second most viewed in my blog history!  Thank you to all who left such lovely comments along the way, I do appreciate it.  Thank you for making CASology such a great challenge blog, too!

So, on to a new week and a new cue card at CASology.  This week things are getting JUICY!


Nothing says juicy to me like a big Red Delicious apple.  Yum!  I figured this is as good a time as any to start my teacher thank you notes, and I paper-pieced an old retired apple from Sweet Stamp Shop for a fun pop of color!  Paired with a bold sentiment from Concord & 9th as well as an apple-embossed card base, this apple takes center stage.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop (The Core of It); Concord & 9th (Grateful)
Inks: Memento (Black Tuxedo)
Other:  Lifestyle Crafts QuicKutz (Apples) embossing folder; patterned paper

I am also linking this card up to the current MUSE Challenge #227 where Anything 
Goes -- for the first time ever -- this week!


I can't wait to see how you interpret this JUICY cue!  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 lovely Guest Designer interpreted the cue this week...be sure to check out their blogs, too!

Guest Designer: Michele

Thanks for visiting,
Judy