CASual Friday: A Set of Banners and Flags

The current challenge at CASual Fridays is Banners and Flags.  I have dozens of banner stamps and dies and I still manage to bring more into the craft stash.  I recently picked up the Banner Up set by Technique Tuesday thinking it would make quick and easy cards with the simple use of a sentiment on top of the banner.  With the exception of two sentiments, all stamps on these cards are from the set.

Isn't it great how a simple banner can make a card look so festive!
They had to be quick and easy because it was a long, hot and disappointing weekend.  My youngest was in a big lacrosse tournament.  Thirty-six teams in their division and they were expected to be in the top 2 which would have won them a trip to a major tournament to Florida in January.  Actually, the top 5 teams in a division are invited (under the assumption that some won't be able to go).  Guess where they ended up?  Sixth.  The tournament was 5 hours on Friday, 12 hours on Saturday, and 7 hours on Sunday.    It was SO long.  And it was SO hot.  We got in our car on Sunday and the car thermometer said 108!!  (Of course, that was totally related to the silver sun screen in the front window focusing the heat on the temperature doohickey - but it's still a good story!!)  Here's my little athlete!!
I'm not looking forward to him waking up this morning because he is going to be a mass of aching muscles and bruises (it's really a brutal game)!  I think I'll settle him into the comfy chair in front of the TV, plug in his laptop and let him stare at bad TV and video games for the day!!  My husband is assistant coach and he'll be just as miserable (minus the bruises) - I'm not sure what I'll do for him!

Freshly Made Sketches to the Rescue

We were up very early this morning getting my youngest and my husband ready for an all-day lacrosse tournament.  At 6 a.m., my hubby asked whether I had made the two bar mitzvah cards that he needed.  Excuse me? I think I would have remembered him asking that as I have no stamps for it and no idea what to do!  I quickly searched on bar mitzvah, realized that the cards really could be any style, downloaded a free image - and then, most importantly, found a sketch challenge that made my job easier.  Freshly Made Sketches to the rescue!!



I thought the sketch was perfect.  Since I kept everything black and white, the card reflects the seriousness of the event, yet the cute little flags give it some fun - particularly since these are 13-year old boys.

• Stamps: none - it's a free digi that I just randomly found online
• Paper: Black, white, Bazzill Basics Patterned Paper Licorice
• Ink: none
• Accessories: Papertrey Sending You die and Linen Impression Plate, Divine Twine Black Licorice

CAS(E) this Sketch: Watercolor Thanks

I am stretching today.  I don't even need to exercise today - nope - no yoga for me.  Because I have stretched myself about as far as possible with my card for CAS(E) this Sketch!  Look at this nice, new sketch...

Honestly, if I had a feather - my card would have had a feather on it.  But I don't have a feather - so I had to think outside the box.  I went through my dies.  I started down the path of a die cut tree or maybe a branch.  I was staring into space when I saw my box of stamps-that-will-not-be-put-away-until-they-see-ink and right on top was this set that I've looked at the last few months wondering what I was thinking when I bought it.  Don't get me wrong - I love, love, LOVE what I have seen done with it - but I don't think it's me because it's not regular and straight and "comfortable".

So...I used it...and here's my big stretch...


After my big build-up, how many of you are looking at it wondering what the big deal is?  After the fact, I guess I don't really know why it intimidated me so much, but if you saw my garbage basket full of failed attempts you would know how difficult this simple card was for me!
Hope you play along!! 

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Watercolor Wonder, Think Big Favorites #3
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile, Smokey Shadow
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile, Plum Pudding, Summer Sunrise, Fine Linen, Smokey Shadow
• Accessories: misc gems colored with Copics

TAWS Time: Wish You Were Here!

One of the new sets from The Alley Way Stamps is Tropical Hideaway - just perfect for this week's Summer Holiday challenge at The Paper Players.  Having said that, I married a man who hates heat and hates crowds so I'll never do a tropical vacation.  We have vacationed in Alaska (it was wonderful), we have plans for Iceland (he's been and loves it) and a few years ago, my cold-loving, crowd-hating husband sailed around Cape Horn - icebergs, big waves, freezing rain and snow, being tethered to the mast so as not to be washed overboard, not my cup of tea!  So...I make these tropical cards and I dream!


Actually only the sentiment comes from Tropical Hideaway, the image is a free digi from TAWS - find it here.  The paper comes from the American Crafts 6x6 pad, Soho Garden, which is part of the monthly kits from TAWS  that also has teal twine and gems and some wood veneer chevrons.
As I said, I was inspired by this week's Summer Holiday challenge at The Paper Players.  I also used their sketch challenge from last week.  It was a great sketch to showcase fun dsp.

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Tropical Hideaway and this month's free digi
• Paper: American Crafts Soho Garden, Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores, Confetti White CS
• Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle, the image is from the computer
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores button, May Arts twine

A CAS-ual Mood Board: Way to Go!!

The current WPlus9 Monday Mood Board has a red, white and blue theme.

The current CASual Fridays challenge is congratulations.  

I have to make an 8th grade graduation card for a young man whose school colors are red and blue.

Hmmmm....

• Stamps: WPlus9 Label Layers 4 (sentiment), A Pocketful (stars)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Real Red, Simple Stories Snap Color Vibe
• Ink: Stampin' Up Real Red, Midnight Muse
• Accessories: Red, Silver, Gold Stickles

TAWS Time: Miss You with Chevrons

I spent quite a bit of my weekend sitting with the boxes of cards that I have made over the last year making sure they were ready to be sent to Operation Write Home so when I sat down to create a card for another of the new release sets for The Alley Way Stamps, the idea of "missing you" was on my mind.  I had to give you the background because this is so totally not a direction that I thought I would take the new set full of chevrons and arrows - but I do like how it worked.  Stars and hearts and a "miss you" banner looking a little bit like a comfortable quilt.


Even though "miss you" is sad, I went looking for the brightest color combo that I could find so that the card still brought a smile.  I found color throwdown.

There are brand new Copic charts on my sidebar with all of the new 2013

Stampin' Up colors and up-to-date Papertrey Ink colors.  Guess what!!!

It includes all retired colors - Pink Passion is on the chart!!

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps Good Point, sentiment from Get the Point
• Paper: Stampin' Up Basic Gray
• Ink: Memento Gray Flannel, Copics
• Accessories: L'il Inkers Stitched Rectangles, Stampin' Up Basic Gray button

Mellow Yellow Bumble Bee

The current theme at Catered Crop is "mellow yellow".  The challenge is to use yellow somewhere in the project: sunshine bright, lemon zest, or mellow yellow!  The part that I like so much about Catered Crop is the Pinterest board that Linda shares each week to help inspire us - check out all the yellow!  (Click on the image to go to the complete board.)

I was struck by the fact that the board has no bumble bees!!  So I had to remedy the situation with this simple little bee and honeycomb hive.


I couldn't leave his little wings plain - see the sparkle!

I have to tell you about the sequins.  Have you noticed that sequins are trendy right now?  I looked all over for multi-packs of nice sequins.  There are many, many stamp companies selling beautiful sequins, but they come in huge packs of single colors and I just don't want that many.  I found them and I ordered them but these are not them.  Later, I was digging through a box of embellies that I hadn't been in in years.  Guess what was at the bottom?  These sequins by Hero Arts - they are dated 2005 - in the world of cardmaking, that's ancient!  The moral - never, ever get rid of anything - because you just never know!
FYI - I did a little matted window like this recently and a number of people asked about it.  Just cut a small 2" square of black and punch the smaller circle out of it.  Punch the bigger circle out of your top white layer .  Line up, then adhere the black under the white!!  In this case, I also stamped the honeycomb circle on another small 2" square of white and lined it up under the "window".
I also am submitting this to the current Simon Says Stamp challenge - Anything Goes.

BIG NEWS: The downloadable Copic charts for color matches to Stampin' Up and

Papertrey Ink have been updated for the brand new Stampin' Up colors and the

most recent Papertrey Ink colors.  The link to these charts is on my side bar to the right!!

• Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Circle Friends
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Harvest Gold, black and white
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Harvest Gold, Memento black, Copics
• Accessories: Simon Says Stamp Talk Bubble 2, Smooch Pearlized Top Coat, Circle punches - 1 3/8" and 1 1/2"