Not so simple CAS

This looks like a clean and simple card, but getting there wasn't easy. I had done all the stamping and embossing  and die-cut the bottom when I realized I had burgundy ink on my fingers and had gotten some on the card. So I made a new card, then decided I didn't get the placement of the staps quite where I wanted. So, I went back to the original card and added the ribbon and bow to cover up the stray ink.

The stamps are from a variety of sets/makers.  Pine bough from Prickly Pear, sentiment from Stampin Up; pinecone is unknown. Green Grass, Baroque Burgundy and versamark inks with glittery gold EP.

This card is for these challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #247 -- begins with P
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Rudolph Days -- Anything Christmas
Addicted to Stamps #163 -- addicted to holidays
Papertake Weekly challenge -- Christmas
Simon Says Monday -- use real (not digi) stamps

Vellum flowers

There have been several gorgeous cards featuring vellum flowers that I have wanted to CASE, so when Time Out Challenges made that a challenge, I was eager to jump in. However, upon reviewing what I thought was an extensive collection of flower images, it turned out I didn't have any that remotely resembled the big open flowers everyone else was using. So, I ended up going another route.

Inspiration card by Tracey

Instead of sponging color on, like Tracey did in the inspiration card, I used watercolors. Then I white-embossed the rose on a die-cut vellum oval and laid it on top. Those brads are actually doing a job on this card, holding the vellum in place.  Sentiment is by The Alley Way Stamps; rose is from Endless Impressions (I think).

This card is for these challenges:

TIME OUT #40 -- CASE Tracey
Simon Says Monday -- real stamps, no digis
Simon Says Wednesday -- no dp
Word Art Wednesday #202 -- anything goes

Vintage bike

 

I got this awesome image that's an ad for a bike as an RAK.  I wanted to do something vintage with it, but lace and flowers didn't seem appropriate. I ended up using an old page from a book, a bunch of die-cute leaves, and some natural hemp twine. I like riding bikes in the fall, so why not a fall-themed bike? 

The layout is from the Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge (#68). The book page is from an old paperback thesaurus that is falling apart and that I saved especially for art projects. (It would pain me to rip apart a book that was in good shape.) (Note that I used an appropriate page behind the bike.) All the embossed leaf shapes are from a Spellbinder's die, and I just randomly grabbed snippets in fall colors and made a bunch last year; these were leftovers.

I'm entering these challenges:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday #68
Cuttlebug Mania --  wheels
Clear it Out -- Autumn/leaves
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- die cuts
Word Art Wednesday #201 -- anything goes

Rocking it

I made this for a friend's son.  The colored panel is popped up over the same image, with the image on the base left black and white. (I was trying a new technique from SCS.)

The image is from Bugaboo and is colored with pencils and Silver Stickles.  The edges are inked with some weird ink pad I picked up on the clearance shelf. Maybe when I get the hang of it it will give a nice smooth coloration, but for now I'm calling this a grunge look.

I'm entering these challenges:

Catch the Bug -- Teens Rock
Word Art Wednesday #200 -- anything goes

Going Batty

Seems like I have done a lot of Christmas cards lately, so for something completely different.... how about Halloween?

I got inspired to dig out some never used Halloween supplies in the spirit of Darnell's NBUS#5 challenge (Never Before Used Stuff).  The image is a digi from QKR Stampede which I have never used before, and the bats are rub-ons from a set I've never used. (The set of rub-ons was actually part of a grab bag of what was mostly Christmas crafting items I got at a consignment sale, so these are doubly NBUS, if such a thing is possible!)
I used the current Mojo sketch as my inspiration.

The card is for these challenges:

Mojo #414
NBUS5 -- NBUS= image and bat rub-ons
PaperTake Weekly Challenge -- things with wings
Word Art Wednesday #200 -- anything goes

The stockings were hung

I'm trying to use up some papers from a Christmas mat pack that I didn't select and have never grown to love (or even to like very much) .... This sketch from Sketch Saturday gave me an opportunity to use several snippets, and it features my new favorite thing -- diagonals.

The stamp (from Stampabilities) is colored with pencils and Wink of Stella white glitter. There is a metal charm in the shape of a stocking hanging from the ribbon on the far right-- it is one of these things you see in person but is hard to photograph. (I should have placed it over a lighter colored stripe.)

The card is for these challenges:


Sketch Saturday #377
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #245 -- 'twas the night before Christmas
The Paper Shelter #218 -- use a charm
CRAFT #328 -- Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #200 -- anything goes
Catch the Bug -- anything goes
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper eChallenge  -- anything with lots of printed paper

Candycanes and marshmallows

With school in session and the craft store brimming with holiday supplies, it really does seem like time to make Christmas cards.

This one revisits sketch 220 from Sketch Saturday (for their current challenge to use a previous sketch). It also has a metal element (candy cane), natural element (twine) and sparkly element (the snowman is covered with Wink of Stella) for Catch the Bug's recipe challenge.  The image is a Bugaboo digi colored with pencils.

The paint swatch gave me the perfect 3-part element for the sketch, and I just like using paint swatches.  The little "merry" part of the sentiment utilizes a bit of the fourth color that was on the swatch. The "Christmas" part is a card stock sticker, but the color looks like it came off the swatch, too.

This card is for these challenges:
Sketch Saturday #376 -- using sketch 220
Catch the Bug, August Recipe -- one each: metal, sparkly, natural item
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #244 -- use something silver
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra -- anything Christmas
Word Art Wednesday #199 -- anything goes
Clear it Out -- anything goes.