Case This Sketch #40

Just dropping in with a quick card tonight - when I say quick it really means unexpected but the diecut took forever to get right.  At the risk of boring people with our ongoing orthodontic saga, my daughter had her braces tightened yesterday and all teeth now connected.  It caused her alot of grief overnight and as we can't allow school to give the pain relief that would work, she had to come home at lunchtime.  So that gave me a bit of crafting (and Pinterest) time.

Always one of my favourite sketch challenges and inspired by a card from Maureen Merritt, colour-wise, this is my entry.  It reminds me of SU Urban Garden DSP, one of my all time favourites.  

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white;  SU Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Night of Navy

Stamps - Cas-ual Fridays Woot Woot

Ink - SU Old Olive

Die - Memory Box Dancing Tulips

All very CAS

I would like to be able to say that we are having a rare sunny weekend but, we aren't.  Gloomy and rainy again.  A quiet weekend punctuated by a 60th birthday celebration last night.  It was one of my husband's former triathlon friends, so it was wonderful to catch up with a few familiar faces from the squad of 12+ years ago.  It's a bit surreal to see these men and women now, married with children, when the squad were training hard, they were just out of university, coping with new jobs and relationships.  

So, these 2 challenges dovetail nicely.  This stamp set is about the only one I have with anything vaguely balloon like.  I used vellum for the background to create the illusion of sky, perhaps it worked.

What you need
Cardstock - BB aqua;  PTI vellum
Stamps - PTI Everyday Button Bits
Ink - SU Early Espresso, Real Red
Buttons - PTI
Thread - DMC

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One for my Christmas card collection. 

I hadn't tried to emboss with this die before, but knew the effect would be lovely.  Just wanted to keep it simple, with just a touch of red and black

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white

Stamps - PTI Mega Mixed Messages

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Die - Memory Box

Gems - ?

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And just to finish, a quick card for the Stampin' Royalty challenge.  The theme  

STRIPES

I saw a design similar to this on a quilt (Pinterest).  I forgot to pin it, unfortunately.  

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white

Stamps - Avery Elle Knotty, To the Point

Ink - Memento Lady Bug, Nautical Blue

Not raining .... but VERY hot

Interesting .....  how all my post titles are weather related.  Possibly because things in this part of the world have been so out of the ordinary.

What colour is "coral"?  There is the lovely hue in the challenge photo but I had nothing remotely resembling it.  SU used to have a coral colour but I always hated it (sorry Michelle!).  So, where to next.  I have opted for Tsukineko's official coral colour, a lovely pink tone.  So did the old smoosh on paper and love the result.  

There have been so many wonderful versions of  negative diecuts which I thought would be perfect for both these challenges.

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white, black

Stamps - PTI Stitched Sentiments;  Simon Says Stamp Beautiful Words

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black;  Brilliance Pearlescent Coral

Dies - Memory Box Prim Poppy;  PTI Stitched Sentiments

*****

Now, this green - Glorious Green, is a difficult colour for me.  Not because I don't like it, I love its freshness, but my tastes really lie in the yellow-green spectrum.  

Which is probably why I went with minimal green of any kind (oh, and some new background stamps).  

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white, black

Stamps - HA Number Pattern, Thank you, Lotus Leaves

Ink - Memento London Fog,  Versacolor Fresh Green;  Versafine Onyx Black

Gems - Kaisercraft.

*****

 I was going to stop there with the whole challenge thing this weekend, as I usually find after 2 or 3 I am no longer enjoying the "process".  But this one just wouldn't go away and after I saw a  post by Laura Bassen, it gave me an idea.

I tried this with the hexagon pattern in black, which I thought would work, but the white seemed more harmonious.  I wanted to work with my new extended collection of Inktense pencils but the effect wasn't as smooth as Copics.

Pretty happy with the effect actually.

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white, Express it blender card

Stamps - HA Luscious Frames

Ink - Versafine Onyx Black

Die - PTI Happy Hexagons

Copics

Corner Rounder - We R Memory Keepers

Blue Friday

 Guess who is completely hopeless at photographing very long cards.  Sorry.  I had SU Pacific Point out for The Paper Players challenge and thought it would work for this one.  Not my usual blue of choice but I think it works well with the butterflies.

What you need

Cardstock - SU white

DSP - SU Brights Collection

Stamps - The Craft's Meow Sewn Sentiments

Ink - Memento Bahama Blue

Die - Memory Box Kaleidoscope Butterfly

Gems - Kaisercraft

So, to the next challenge before I miss the deadline.  A tricky colour combination this one, so I have opted for the easy way out.  Predominantly grey with splashes of blue and yellow.  I have just realised that the sentiment is hard to see, but don't worry, it's the same as above.  Couldn't resist a bit of stitching either.

What you need

Cardstock - SU white, basic grey

DSP - Neutrals Collection

Stamps - SU Friends Never Fade;  The Craft's Meow Sewn Sentiments

Ink - SU Delightful Daffodil;  Memento Bahama Blur

Die - MFT Dizzy Doily

Ribbon - SU Satin Delightful Daffodil

Pearls - SU

Tomorrow, Saturday, is apparently meant to be a scorcher again, around the 37C mark.  Sounds like another great stamping day (or cleaning out cupboards).  Let's see what happens.

Hooray for school holidays!!!

My daughter started school holidays on Friday, much anticipated,  as I think she is quite tired.  But of course, activities didn't end there, last night she sang in the winter concert for the Queensland branch of the Australian Girls Choir.  It is her first year and she is loving it, a very enjoyable concert for the audience too.  Today she is dancing all day at a charity concert, we were up early doing makeup (at which I am hopeless and my nervousness shows) and hair.  We will see the final show this afternoon.  These holidays are never quiet though as she has ballet and jazz workshops and exams.

Anyway enough chat, onto a few cards I have had on the go for a couple of days, as there was no chance of any craft time the past 2 days.  One of my favourite colour combinations this and just happens to have Authentique's Loyal to match.  This is a past MFT sketch but I don't seem to get to them when they are live.

Love this little stamp set from Jane's Doodles - I have come late to liking clouds and gumboots and adore them in these colours.

What you need

Cardstock - BB blue;  SU Night of Navy, Lucky Limeade, white

Patterned paper - Authentique Loyal

Stamps - Jane's Doodles Raindrops;  PTI Flower Fusion (sentiment)

Ink - SU Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Lucky Limeade

Die - MFT Fishtail Flags Stax

Eyelet - SU

Punch - Fiskars

*****

I decided to combine 2 WMS challenges into one.  I struggles abit to incorporate the orange, but am happy with the results.  Wish that setting was in my house!

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white;  SU Taken with Teal, Pool Party

Stamps - WMS Fancy Phrases

Ink - SU Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal, Pool Party

Die - PTI Edgers

Ribbon - SU Pumpkin Pie satin

Pearls and Flowers - Prima grey

Gems - Kaisercraft

*****

Case Study #95

I had been fiddling around with this die before Joy's card came up in Case Study.  It didn't want to cooperate with my Big Shot, but it is amazing what a bit of tape on the back of the die can do.

What you need

Cardstock - HA long cards (white);  SU Real Red, white

Stamp - PTI Think Big Favourites

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Die - Memory Box Piestre Tile

Flowers and Gems - Kaisercraft

Brad - ?

*****

Hero Arts latest challenge

It is a very sad state of affairs that my stamp collection is so lacking in important HA stamps as sentiments and flowers.  I have remedied the sentiment situation with the trip to the Craft Show last weekend, but no flowers did I get.  No problem with background stamps though.  Tricky technique to do but love the effect.

What you need
Cardstock - SU white
Patterned paper - ? Making Memories
Stamps -  HA Dots and Flowers;  SU Petal Pizzazz; WMS Fancy Phrases
Ink - SU Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Rose Red
Gems - Kaisercraft

For Your Inspiration #30

My inspiration for this challenge came from a blog post by Dawn Woleslagle of Wplus9 fame.  This one dealt with graduated colour or Ombre.  Love the effect and so easy to achieve even though at first it really looked amateurish.  Copics are so forgiving.

And I just love that die from Memory Box, so delicate.

This card should also fit nicely into the Simon Says Stamp "Clean and Simple" challenge this week.

What you need

Cardstock - PTI white, black;  X-press It blending paper

Stamps - PTI Inside and Out: Birthday

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Copics - YR 12,15,18

Die - Memory Box Prim Poppy