Operation Write Home: So Sweet Birthday

I so like playing along with the Operation Write Home sketch challenges.  First, they provide measurements - talk about making it easy!  And second, for me they are an extra challenge in that they tend to be layered and not in my CAS comfort zone.  It gives me a chance to pull out patterned papers and extra embellishments.  In this case, I decided to try to use a variety of elements from July's Simon Says Stamp kit.  I've been getting these kits for months, and I rarely venture beyond the stamp set and perhaps a scrap of paper.  In this case, I used two papers, a border strip and a sticker sentiment!!  (I didn't use the straws, nor the Washi, nor the buttons - so I wasn't entirely successful in utilizing the kit - but you gotta start somewhere!)


I love the cupcake layers in this stamp set - there's even a layer under the frosting for the actual cake!

Crafting was a challenge this morning!

And now I am crawling around my family room floor on hands and knees looking for the stamp for the top of the cupcake that she stole.  Luckily, I had today's card finished - but I really would like to use this set again!

• Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Cupcake Party (SSS July kit)
• Paper: Lily Bee 6x6, red CS (SSS July kit)
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Fine Linen, Harvest Gold, Stampin' Up Daffodil, Real Red and Old Olive
• Accessories: Lil Bee stickers, Queen & Co 12" border stickers (both from SSS July kit),  Ranger Glossy Accents, Divine Twine Cherry

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: There's a New Show in Town!!

This is my second post today.  It's just a 

short scroll down for CAS-ual Fridays!!

I am SO excited to tell you that there is a new show in town.  Curtain Call is raising the curtain again on a new inspiration challenge.

The curtain goes up on July 15th!

When I first started blogging, one of my favorite challenges was the original Curtain Call.  A few months ago, I was chatting with Stacey, the founder of Curtain Call, and I told her that I really missed it.  And she said "Hmmm...I've been thinking about reopening it...are you interested?"  Well...of course!!  Within a week, she messaged me back saying she had a dream team.  I didn't get back to her right away because I figured she was just dreaming.  But she was serious...she has put together an amazing team - there are fifteen in total and it's a group of people I have admired and learned from over the years.

I am so thrilled and humbled to be part of the first design team for the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  And to add to own my fun - I'm the Stage Manager for the challenge! - which basically means I organize and I do love to organize!!!

The rest of the team is being rolled out two by two on the Curtain Call blog.  Check out who has been announced already - and then be sure to keep coming back and meet the rest of the team!

And just to make it all more exciting, Stacey has already lined up amazing sponsors, but you'll have to come back on July 15th for that news!!

{For my bloglovin and Feedly readers, there are cute little icons for your use to follow Curtain Call.  Right in the top sidebar "Stay Connected" section, the blue plus hexagon is bloglovin and the yellow with three lines is Feedly!}

CAS-ual Fridays: Yay!

I am just thrilled today to be a guest designer for CAS-ual Fridays!!  It's a challenge I play in very regularly and even if I don't find time to play along, I always admire and learn from the design team's cards!

The new challenge is to use some sort of material in a CAS creation: canvas, felt, fabric, etc.

I have a decent collection of felt and a piece of burlap just recently jumped in my cart - so I layered a felt flower and added a burlap tag for a country feel!

I didn't select the sentiment until I was done - but I thought a relaxed little "yay!" worked well with the overall look!!

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Exclamations
• Paper: MME On the Bright Side 6x6
• Ink: Stampin' Up Night of Navy
• Accessories: Felt from a sample pack from Giant Dwarf on Etsy, Papertrey Ink flower dies, L'il Inkers stitched rectangles, May Arts twine, Teresa Collins He Said/She Said Enamel Dots, Crate Paper Random Buttons

CAS(E) this Sketch! You Make Me Happy

The new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch has a wonderful splatter and with all the grunge sets out there, I am really looking forward to seeing what everybody comes up with!

Guess what?  I don't have a good grunge set so I didn't splatter. The grungy splotches turned into butterflies!

I've been watching and learning from another one of the CAS(E) this Sketch designers, Donna Mikasa.  She does amazing things with bold colors on kraft backgrounds!!  I started out with my butterflies on my usual white background - but then I thought of Donna's cards and realized the butterflies would totally pop on kraft.  

• Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Shoot for the Stars
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo
• Ink: black
• Accessories: My Favorite Things Vertical Greetings die, Memory Box Dancing Butterflies, L'il Inkers stitched rectangles, Papertrey Ink Raspberry Fizz button, Trendy Twine Lemon Tart

CASology: ah-mazing Fireworks!!

I had to play along with CASology's Fireworks challenge - I so love the 4th of July.  We celebrate in a small mountain town in our Colorado Rockies called Frisco.  It is an all-day small-town celebration capped with a spectacular fireworks show.  In the morning, everybody walks to the pancake breakfast, then to the parade (the highlight of which is about 200 children who decorate their bikes for the 4th).  There is music and an arts festival all day. The fireworks are actually still scheduled (rare right now in bone-dry Colorado) because they shoot them off over a big mountain lake.  You can watch them from the marina - one year we did it from our sailboat but never again because fireworks debris falls on you!!  We wander over to the elementary school where people lay out their picnic blankets and you can hear kids' laughter from the play area until the fireworks starts.  It's simple and sweet and a very special part of my family's year!

I started my fireworks card with a different plan.  I figured that I could put a "thank you for your service" type sentiment and use it as an AnyHero card for Operation Write Home.  But glitter is absolutely banned for OWH as it can get on soldiers' clothing and be seen with night vision goggles.  I thought embossing tinsel would be OK but I'm still able to rub off flakes of glitter - so I switched it up to an "ah-mazing" card that I'll tuck away for some amazing moment in my kids' lives!

I'm also playing along with the Patriotic theme at Simon Says Stamp.

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Exclamations, Stampin' Up July 4th
• Paper: white
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: misc red, sapphire and gold embossing tinsel

Mojo Monday: Miss You Like Crazy

There's big stuff going on at Mojo Monday - it's the 300th sketch and they have discount codes for various shops and thirty prizes!!  This is not a challenge to miss!!

I pulled out my favorite sentiment - I used it just last week but I love it so much it is going to keep showing up, particularly when thinking ahead to cards for Operation Write Homes!!

• Stamps: Verve Hope Blooms
• Paper: Stampin' Up Early Espresso, MME On the Bright Side 6x6
• Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle
• Accessories: Verve Floral Circles die, L'il Inkers stitched squares, My Favorite Things Fishtail dies

Ouch!!

I had to do a post-surgery card for a 13-year old boy on my son's lacrosse team who is a little accident-prone.  A year ago, in 6th grade, he hurt his elbow at an elementary school field day!  He didn't play lacrosse all year (which really hurt as he is a top player) waiting for that elbow to heal and it never did.  Finally they switched doctors - that doctor said it was going to require surgery and that it wouldn't hurt him to play lacrosse as long as he could stand the pain.  He came right back to the team because he wanted to do the summer traveling with them.  He played 3 or 4 games, then in one game, he was standing all alone with the action elsewhere on the field, he turned to run back to position and he just dropped.  In the act of turning, he had damaged his knee!  Poor guy.  This week's surgery was for the elbow.  Fingers crossed that the knee heals on its own!

But the problem is - what to do for a 13-year old boy?  I went super simple.

• Stamps: Impression Obsession
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin, Olive
• Ink: Memento Black
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink alpha dies, Mark Richards black dots