CAS(E) this Sketch #5: Proud of You

I LOVE this week's sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!  It is so totally simple but you will be amazed what the design team has done with it.

I made my card last weekend.  It was for my son and the state marching band competition, but it would be absolutely great as a military card - particularly if you have to mass-produce.  It does work well without the gold brads so it can be a fairly flat card too.


One thing that I love so much about card-making is how each card is personalized.  In this case, the marching band wears blue, red and gold and their program was patriotic so this was perfect for him!  Having said that, he's 16 and didn't notice the card colors at all.


My guy is the really big one behind the really short one - literally the tallest and shortest in the the band - you would think they could have lined them up better!!  
Be sure to check out the other design team cards - you'll see Christmas, you'll see neon, you'll see fall leaves - it's amazing how many creative ideas are out there!  Then try your own and link up.  Remember that this is a CAS challenge.  Here's a blurb from the challenge website if you ever wonder if you are CAS enough!!

The acronym CAS stands for Clean and Simple.

1. Usually only one layer but can include a simple layer or two.

2. A lot of open space sometimes called "white space" can include subtle color, texture or pattern.

4. Usually no embellishments but can include something minimal. (1 or 2 embellishments)

3. Only one focal point. Embellishments should only support not dominate your card.
(Exception to this rule is that you've made the focal point an embellishment and not an image.)

5. Minimal color palette. (up to 3 colors in general)

6. Simple, uncluttered, quick and easy to create.

• Stamps: Simon Says Stamp
• Paper: Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Real Red CS and dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Midnight Muse
• Accessories: Fiskars punch, Recollections gold beads, Simon Says Stamps Absolutely die

Oh!

It's my day to post over at The Alley Way Stamps.  I used the set Framed, the highlight of which are the two Polaroid frames that you can tuck anything into for a fun card.  (I used one on my new release card.)  But the great part of The Alley Way Stamps sets are the little images that are "hiding" in each set so I used the quirky little smiley face on this fun card.  I think this card could be used for so many things..."Oh, you're great!"..."Oh, what a surprise"..."Oh! I forgot"


I used the layout from Freshly Made Sketches.  This is a small invite sized card to accommodate the tiny little faces.

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Framed
• Paper: Stampin' UP Crumb Cake CS and dsp
• Ink: Memento black and fluorescent Copics
• Accessories: Hobby Lobby brand ribbon, Spellbinders squares and circles

Passion for Papertrey: Some Inky Love

The blog challenge, A Passion for Papertrey, challenges us to use a Papertrey Ink set that hasn't seen love yet.  That's so easy for me that it's almost hard!

I am a collector as much as I am a cardmaker - so I have no shortage of uninked sets.  For this card, I narrowed it down simply by the fact that I had the unused PTI tree die out with an idea for a different card.  This pointed me toward Christmas, which then led me to the very unique set Peace Be Still - an unused stamp and an unused die.  Then I decided to really throw caution to the wind and I pulled out some unused PTI paper!!

I cannot believe that I hadn't shown love to any of these unused products!! I did the tree as a window because I loved the cards that I was seeing over at The Catered Crop's Challenge to accentuate the negative!! A marching band update - bittersweet news.  My son's band did move up a spot to 9th in the state, but only the top 8 bands competed in finals - I think it was almost worse for them to get that close.  On the other hand, they moved up by beating their cross town rivals for the first time EVER and that took A LOT of the sting out of missing finals.   We have plans today to gather around the TV and cheer for our Denver Broncos. (I only have five minutes to type and link this!)  But Andrew is so exhausted from the last few weeks of marching band, that he stumbled downstairs, ate some breakfast cereal and is already sound asleep on the family room floor. We decided to let him sleep a little as long as we could hear the football game over his snoring!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Peace Be Still
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Fine Linen and Ripe Avocado CS, Holiday Flourishes and Swirls dsp
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Ripe Avocado, Fresh Snow
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Peace Be Still die and tree die, May Arts gold twine, Recollections gold (on the leaf sprig), Martha Stewart Fine Crystal glitter (on the tree), sparkle white embossing powder (on bird)

LIM: Friendship in Pink

This week's challenge at the Less Is More challenge is "pink" which seemed perfect for a card for a very sick friend.

I've known this lady for 48 years(!) and in all of those years, I would have to say that she is the most deeply happy person that I know - even through trials that most of us could not imagine.  She is currently in hospice, yet still full of joy.  Just talking with her reminds me that I often need to look deeper than I do for the joys in my own life.  So I dug back through my stamp stash - at least a decade back - and found the perfect stamp...


The pink button is another happy find.  I saw this card and fell in love with the button treatment (you can be sure that I will be blatantly copying Danielle's total button/twine treatment on a future holiday card!).  The wonderful red chevron button comes from this Etsy shop.  It's such a fun place to browse and buy!!  Among others, I got a package of six sunburst buttons - one of which is pink and the perfect happy accent to this card!
Marching band update - my son's high school marching band made it through state quarterfinals yesterday.  This afternoon is semifinals - you need to get through semis in the top 8 to make it to finals.  His band is currently 10th in the state - so it is possible, but not likely, that they will make finals.  Keep your fingers crossed at 1:15 mountain time today!  Here he is during his six-note solo in full uniform. (He's the one that seems to be facing the wrong way!)
They are marching in the stadium at the Air Force Academy which is a gorgeous place.  However, I was wishing that the Air Force would stop the planes overhead so I could hear the bands!!!??? 

• Stamps: A Country Welcome
• Paper: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo
• Ink: black
• Accessories: A Flair for Buttons button, May Arts sheer ribbon, EK Success corner rounder

Got Merry??

This is my second post today.  If you are here

for TAWS BE Inspired, it's just a post away!

I put this together for this week's CASology challenge: sugar, using the current Fab Friday sketch challenge.

I do love sugary things.  Halloween is a favorite because my children get their candy, eat all of the chocolate and leave the sugary treats for me - Smarties, Starbursts and Skittles are the best!!  I also love all things baked - gingerbread cookies are high on the list.  I like chocolate but candy and cookies are my faves!!
Besides the gingerbread man, I also "sugared" the Gumball Green cardstock with a spritz of adhesive and a lot of glitter!

It's a busy weekend in my family - it's the state marching band competition.  I dropped my son at the high school in the pitch dark this morning.  They started with pancake breakfast, then they are rehearsing all morning before heading to the beautiful campus of the Air Force Academy for the preliminary competition.  They have a pretty darn good chance of making it to finals tomorrow - fingers crossed.  I'm pretty proud right now - so you have to suffer through a few pictures of their Halloween rehearsal!!  (It's a rehearsal so no uniforms.)

They have a patriotic show with serious moments then they rock out a little with Katy Perry's Firework!   (I always feel sorry for the homes next to the high school as they deal with the music...noise...of these rehearsals!)
Here's my guy - for about six notes of music he stands in front of the other 100 band members and plays a solo!!
After Halloween rehearsal, the parents set up a trunk-or-treat party for them (and siblings) - here's my guys!!  I understand Andrew's "musical" costume with the Lawrence Welk style accordion (although he had to ask me afterwards who this "Welk" guy is/was that all of the parents kept comparing him to.)  I cannot explain the tutu on Erik!

Have a great weekend - I may not be back again depending on today's results!!  If you think of it at 4 p.m. Mountain time - cross your fingers!!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Got Treats
• Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red, Gumball Green
• Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Suede
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Apothecary Accents dies and dot embossing folder, Queen and Co Christmas twine, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

BE Inspired with The Alley Way Stamps

It's the second week of the BE Inspired challenge at The Alley Way Stamps.  I wanted to remind you that there are great prizes (free stamp sets!!!) just for creating a card or other project with this for inspiration....

You do have to use something from The Alley Way Stamps on your project, but they make it easy - they have digital freebies.  (That's how I got hooked up with them - true story - downloaded a freebie and won a BE Inspired challenge!!!)  Check out their blog for complete details.

One of their new sets has a sailboat and I needed a baby boy card.  I also liked the pennants and the colors of the pennants in top corner of the inspiration photo.


I am also playing along with this week's Tuesday Morning Sketch:

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Kid 'n Caboodle, Alphabet Soup
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Daffodil CS and dsp, Pool Party CS and dsp
• Ink: Versamark, Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Zing white embossing powder, My Favorite Things Fishtails dies, Martha Stewart Baker's Twine, Cuttlebug Anchors Aweigh embossing folder, EK Success border punch, Stampin' Up Pool Party ribbon

I Believe in You & Me: CAS(E) This Sketch!

It's our fourth week of CAS(E) this Sketch challenges!  It's going to be fun to see the variety of cards that you come up with for this one...

I wasn't particularly creative this week but it's the perfect card for my needs.  I had these great buttons in my stash AND it was my 23rd wedding anniversary.  The sketch had circles for the buttons, my husband doesn't like anything with bling (the one gem might be too much) - it all came together and he was THRILLED!



You have to check out the rest of the design team - then create your own card - I am really looking forward to seeing what each of you come up with!

• Stamps: WPlus9 Sweet Nothings
• Paper: Stampin' Up Basic Black, Real Red, Confetti Cream
• Ink: black
• Accessories: Cosmo Cricket Elements Natural Buttons, Cuttlebug border embossing, misc heart gem