A CAS Kind of Day and an Award!

CAS - which is Clean and Simple - can be a total misnomer.  CAS can be hard!  Just because you typically only use a stamp or two, and you don't have many layers or embellishments, the card is NOT simpler to create.  In fact, trying to arrange those one or two stamps in an interesting way can be very, very difficult.

This is my eleventh attempt at this card for Susan's One Layer Wednesday Challenge which was to do a Christmas card with green and red on white or cream:

I tried it horizontally then vertically.  I tried it with the snowflake partially off the panel, then totally centered.  I tried a variety of embossed snowflakes, snowflake edges and snowflake flurries all over.  I ended up plopping everything in the center - and then added few embossed lines to give it a frame!  Final result - simple.  Process of creation - long.

Now, for a total change of season...

I love it when two challenges come together for me.  Less is More calls for a card with a spring theme. The SplitCoast CAS challenge is to create your own background.  I have this new-to-me stamp from Rubbernecker and I immediately saw a spring sunrise:

This really was an easy card.  I simply stamped the garden image, then surrounded it with post-its before I sponged the sunrise colors.
FYI: Less is More is an amazing new challenge blog.  It is only the third challenge on this blog and they are already getting hundreds of entrants.  Part of the fun of this blog is their handy tips and hints each week - the first hint - use Legos to make a stamp positioner!?!  How creative!

Recipes for the cards are at the end of this post.

-------------------------------

I want to thank ALL of you who have been reading my blog and I want to apologize for not getting back to all of you who have commented.  Please remember that I am new at all of this.  I always read the comments then I move on to my next card and a new post.  But I just discovered that I can view all of the comments in one place and suddenly I realized that I have new blog friends who have been commenting on my blog since the beginning.

So I have had a wonderful day, viewing all of these wonderful blogs - - - and then checking out the blogs that those bloggers liked - - - and on and on - - - and I have so many new favorites!

I also have the great honor of being given the Stylish blogger award from Tamie at Paper Infusions and More.  Tamie has absolutely darling cards using fairies and little girls with ice cream cones and country kids having their first kiss - mixed in with some truly beautiful florals!  Be sure to check her out.

Here it is!

I have four things that I have to do:

1.Thank the person/persons that shared this award with me and link it back to their blog/blogs.

2.Share eight things about myself.

3.Pass this award onto eight other bloggers that I have recently discovered.

4.Leave a comment so they can pass along the recognition!

Thank you Tamie!!  You made my day! (Be sure to visit Tamie at her link above!)

Eight things about myself:

1. I met my husband downhill skiing - over 20 years ago.  Neither of us have downhill skiied since.

2. But we do many other forms of skiing - telemarking, backcountry, cross-country.  We are just too cheap and our knees are too old to spend any time on the downhill slopes!

3. We have a small condo in Frisco, CO - that's right in the middle of all of the major ski areas!  (But...we don't ski?!?)

4. My husband and son #2 (of 2) and his friends are at our condo this weekend - that's why I have all of this wonderful me-time to catch up on all of these blogs.

5. I would like to be at our condo but I play in our church's handbell choir (in fact if you check back in a few days, I will have a YouTube video of a performance from this morning!)

6. I have a fresh glass of red wine with me as I type - because, you know, it's good for you - and I don't have my family to take care of!

7. Actually, son #1 of 2 is home this weekend - but he's a teenager so last night, he was at a friend's house, today he has been occupied with old episodes of "24" and tomorrow he rehearses for the school musical (on President's Day when he SHOULD be off school).  He is an avid (and a very talented) saxophonist.

8. I should mention that son #2 is a brand new trumpeter!

Eight Great Bloggers:

Enough about me - let's move on to the best part of this award - my chance to share other blogs with you.  Isn't this just perfect timing?  I have spent the weekend finding new blogs and NOW I have an award that requires me to tell you about them!

Stampinglee Yours by Lee Conrey

     Lee's cards are exactly the style that I love.  Not cluttered, but full of unique and special touches!

Smudges in Time by Melissa

     Melissa has a quote - "Creative clutter is better than idle neatness" but her cards are anything but     cluttered.  They are wonderfully clean, simple and gorgeous!

A New Year... by Carole

     Check out her 2/13 post using the SU Bliss set.  A card with lots of white space and an amazing splash of golds and oranges.  She has SO many stunning cards!

 

Stamp4Fun by Selene

     Amongst all of her gorgeous cards, she had a sympathy card on 2/11 that I already CASEd and used.  Thanks Selene!!

Stamps, Paper, Glitter by Kerin

     Kerin really doesn't need another award - she's already been "discovered" and is part of a number of stamping teams.  But I want each of my readers to find her.  (Plus, I love her dearly as she donated a large box of cards to our church card ministry!)

Keeping in Touch by Susan

     Susan plays many of the same clean and simple challenges that I play - and she is a stand out in each of them!

Deborah's Gems by Deborah

     Deborah has an amazing variety of fun cards!  Just in the last few weeks she has posted a little quilted house, a very cheerful card using just patterned circles, and a submarine?!?  I am particularly embarassed by never having been to her blog before this weekend as she has very faithfully commented on my blog.  Thank you much Deborah!

H2 Designs by Helen

     Another cardmaker who can handle a wide variety of cards - from a big orange 18, to a skunk, to a sweet little tic-tac-toe game!  And another faithful commenter!

I hope all of my readers check out these blogs - they are fantastic!

-----------------------------

Blessings of the Season

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Snowflakes, Stampassions sentiment (This is the first stamp in the Christmas section of my notebook of stamp images, which makes it at least a decade old!)
• Ink: Kaleidacolor Fruitcake, Stampin' Up Forest Foliage (both long retired)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Gem
• Challenges: One Layer Wednesday 41

This Is the Day!

• Stamps: Rubbernecker Wild Garden Border 1, Our Craft Lounge Prayers and Blessings sentiment
• Ink: Stampin' Up Concord Crush, Yoyo Yellow, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze
• Paper: Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant, PaperTrey Lemon Tart
• Accessories: Nesties Circle and Scalloped Circle, Pearl Shimmer Spritz over entire card
• Challenges: Less Is More: Spring and SplitCoast CAS Challenge