Case Study Challenge #150

Hi there everyone...it is a rare day when I see a sketch challenge and know exactly what I want to do...immediately. Rarer still when I start making the card, on the first day, finish it and get it photographed and written up within hours of seeing the inspiration photo.  Today is one of those very rare days.  As soon as I saw the beautiful card by  Jocelyn Olson which is the inspiration photo for Case Study Challenge #150, I saw a Thanksgiving turkey with the beautiful feathers fanned out.  I looked through my stamps and found I had not one single turkey image, so I looked through the Silhouette store and found one that was just perfect.

Don't those fanned out feathers look like the inspiration photo?  Not the same colors, but colors that blend together well.  I dressed up my little turkey with a Stitched Mat circle from Lil Inker as well as the a frame from Stitched Mat Squares, and a small bow die, also from Lil Inker.  I stamped a fall color pattern using stamps from Mom and Dad Sentiments (Lil Inker) and the Give Thanks sentiment is from Waltzingmouse Stamps Teeny Trees.  I really hurried to get this one done, I was so afraid someone else would see a turkey in the inspiration photo and by the time I could get mine posted...bam, there are 10 or so turkey images...so much for my brilliant idea! LOL. Great minds think alike, I suppose.   You have lots of time to make a card for Case Study Challenge #150...can't wait to see what everyone else sees in the inspiration photo.

Saturday Fun with Friends

Happy Saturday...only two more weeks until I am off work for the Summer and I can not wait!  Rather than counting the minutes until I am off work, I am playing along with four of my crafty friends today making a card and matching envelope.  We are all using the Kreate-a-lope.  If you have never heard of this before, it is a plastic tool to help you make A2 envelopes with no scissors. The creator of Kreate-a-lope is having a campaign at Kickstarter to raise funds to make the Kreate-a-Lope available in new sizes.  For a donation of $10,  you receive one of the current Kreate-a-lope envelope makers.  Here's a link for you to read more about it.

While I was trying to decide what kind of card to make, I saw the current Case Study Challenge #141.  This is the third cute card by this month's muse, Maile Belles.  It is a bright and fun CAS card which I knew would be perfect for my inspiration.

I love the colors Maile used,  so bright and happy against the white card stock and the die cut script word layered over them.  Here is my card:

I impressed some white card stock with PTI's woodgrain impression plate, stamped and cut out a woodgrain chevron image from Waltzingmouse Stamps (Woodgrain) in the three colors that Maile used on her card.  I die cut my sentiment with Wonderful Words: Hello from PTI.  It seems to be a trend these days to not punch out all of the negative space, so I left mine in place.  It was tough for me to do it...it just didn't seem right to leave them there, but I did it.

Here's a look at my matching envelope:

Just a few of the same woodgrain chevrons stamped on the outside...but on the inside, I added the great big woodgrain stamp.

It is so nice to have an envelope ready to go when I need it.

So, let's take a look at what my other four friends made with their Kreate-a-lope.  Here's a link to Kelly, Julia and Renee's blogs.  I am sure they have come up with something spectacular!

Kelly Schirmer

Julia Aston

Renee Lynch

Suzanne Dahlberg

Case Challenge #139-My Hero

***Please scroll down to the previous post which has the complete description of my Case Study Challenge cards...I could not link two challenge cards from the same blog post***

Here's the direct link:

Case Study Challenge #139, Card Two

Yee-Haw, It's Your Day Case Study DT Challenge

*This is my second post today, for the Serendipity Stamps Summer Release post, please scroll down*

It's good to try new things...right?  Today I have a card to share that I made for the Case Study Design Team Challenge.  Week after week the Case Study Design Team draw inspiration from a guest "Muse", letting their imaginations run wild and always creating something fabulous for those of us who enjoy playing along.  Who wouldn't want to be a part of that team?  I know I would and my card today is my "audition".

For this challenge we were to choose a personal Muse, anyone from the crafting world whose work we admire.  For me, I admire far more crafters than I can name so I flipped through my Pinterest gallery and came upon a card that has always been one of my favorites.  Here it is:

Card by Stephanie Wincott

This beauty was created by a super talented designer, Stephanie Wincott of Clearly Besotted.  I loved those beautiful pleats and decided that the pleats would be the inspiration for my own card.  I wanted to  use pleats in a different way than I have ever done before and I also knew I wanted to use my favorite stamp set of all time...Waltzingmouse Back in the Saddle.  I love making western themed cards with this set.  Enough talk, here's my card:

I made a pleated belly band for a gate fold card.  Before I give you the details of my card, here's a closeup of those pleats.

I stamped a subway style pattern using at least 7 different stamps from Back in the Saddle for my background and made a simple belly band from kraft card stock and stamped the tiny star image along the top.  I folded some patterned paper pleats and used scor tape to add them to the belly band.  Some denim ribbon was wrapped around it to hide the gathers and I tied not only a denim bow, but a jute twine bow embellished with My Favorite Things Country Charms to dangle from it.  I embossed the galloping horse rider in navy and added it for a little more interest.

The inside of my card is stamped with the beautiful Woodgrain background from Waltzingmouse Woodgrain.  Wow, is that a huge stamp!  Sentiments from Back in the Saddle are framed within a new image from Waltzingmouse My Kind of Guy.  I had to add those cute cowboy boots for no other reason than I love them!  A few denim stars finish off my card.

I would like to thank Stephanie for the original inspiration...I have cased more than a few of her cards in the past.  I would also like to thank the creative Case Study Challenge team for considering me for their Design Team.  Yee Haw!

Case Study #137 - Wonderful Birthday

Technically, my son's wedding is today as it's 1 a.m. and I am wide awake, unable to sleep.  Too many thoughts and memories running through my head, most of them remembering the little boy who wouldn't leave my side for the first few years of his life.  It is hard to imagine that he is getting married today...a grown man who now will have a family of his own.  Rather than tossing and turning, I decided to get up and try to make a card for a challenge that I have really been enjoying, CASE Study.  Each week you have an inspiration photo by a talented designer "Muse" and you can make any kind of card you want depending upon how you are inspired.  Lots of fun, lots of ways to interpret each sketch.  This week's sketch (#137)  is again by JJ Bolton.  I have really enjoyed her CAS style and use of great techniques with die cuts.

Here is this week's inspiration photo:

I was inspired by JJ's use of white cardbase, color, and her stamping through a die cut.  It is hard to see in my little picture, but if you check out JJ's original post of this card, there is a little clear tab next to the word "you" that you pull and the globe fills in with colorful beads.  The colors are so pretty, so Spring-like, I decided to color up a really pretty label stamped though a Spellbinder Labels #25 die.  Waltzingmouse Stamps Folk Art Labels #25 is such a pretty stamp set, requires little shading (my kind of coloring) and also has some places to put a little bling.

                 Here is my card:

The patterned papers are by Crate Paper (Little Bo Peep) collection and I cut the edges of the green pattern with pinking shears.  I added lots of little rhinestones to the label and used some Gina K 110 lb white paper for the card base.  Copic markers do not bleed though that paper so you don't have to worry about it coming through onto the other side of the card.  The little blue tab is my take on the clear plastic tab JJ used on her card.  It is now 2:15 a.m., my post is written and I think I might just be able to fall asleep.  I am looking forward to sharing some photos of my sons wedding with you as soon as I get the chance to go through them.  Wish me luck!