AAA Card Challenge 274: The most challenging sketch ever!

I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone handles the latest sketch at AAA Cards as OMG this one had me totally stumped as all I can see is a mass of blobs and not very pretty at all IMO.

I've taken quite a few liberties with interpreting the sketch and have used a leaf stencil with some pretty and spring-like colours as in the Southern Hemisphere it is now "Spring" but when I had created my leaf cluster I thought to myself that looks like it would make a lovely Sympathy card. I've also flipped the sketch on it's side.

I'm also going to play along with The Paper Players as they have a CAS and Back to Nature challenge happening.

Supply List:

Stamps: Sentiment Staples (TE), Falling for You stencil and clear stamp combo (TE)

Ink (all TE): Sweet Basil, Mint Julep, Pink Champagne, Confetti Cake

Paper: Neenah Solar White
Other: Inside-Out Stitched rectangle die (LF), Blue Gold Gansi Tambi paint

Challenges: AAA#274, PP707

Well I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like my card and I feel like my blobs AKA leaves look rather pretty in their Spring-colours.
✿Karen✿

My first Tic Tac Toe board

It's my turn to design the board for Tic Tac Toe Challenges and my prompt for this week was to use Fall on the board and then the rest was up to me. Now living in the Sothern Hemisphere I always struggle with Fall challenges as we don't celebrate them at all or send cards to celebrate Autumn arriving, if anything we'd send a sympathy card. I do love seeing the leaves on the trees change colour but they almost turn brown over night and all fall off. So to cut a long story short I added Spring to my square with Fall.

So if you live down under I hope you can play along with me and make a "Spring" card. I've chosen the left hand column to play along with Spring/Embossing/Layers.

I've stopped watching Jennifer McGuire videos as she makes me buy stuff and Honey Bees last Spring release was no exception, I bought most of it including the Lovely Layers : Dogwood dies and until now haven't used them. I've added a Sweet Birdie (SP) in Spring colours (to be honest I just grabbed scraps that I liked the colour and it was Spring-like). I've used Glacier card stock for my background to make the diecuts have some contrast, as just a hint of blue.

Supply List:

Stamps: Tweet Sentiments (SP)

Ink: Warm Buff (PFS)

Paper: Glacier (SP), Persimmon (SP), Rainforest (SP), Lemongrass (C9), Honeysuckle (C9), Pink Lemonade (C9), Harbor (C9), Soft Suede (SU!), white and black scraps, Neenah Solar White #110

Dies: Lovely Layers: Dogwood (HB), Sweet Birdie (SP), Stitched Banner stacklets (TE)

Other: Cloudy Day EF (SU!), foam squares (SP)
Challenges: TTTC#256

Well I hope you can join in with my very first Tic Tac Toe board; when creating it I tried to imagine me making a card using any line and I had ideas for all but I had to make a SPRING card to justify buying something after watching Jennifer McGuire creating with the new release at that time.

Thanks for popping in.

✿Karen✿

Seize the Birthday: adding stripes

Hi everyone this is my 3rd Guest Designer card for Seize the Birthday and the optional topper is stripes this time, but as always you can just enter a birthday card to play along.

 

I normally love adding stripes using a stencil but thought I would try something different and use my Pinstripe background stamp by Altenew. One of the cool things about Altenew is that all stamps come with an idea booklet with multiple examples. I've played with one of the ideas for my card and used some left over flowers etc. from a Virtual mixed media event I took part in awhile ago with Hero Arts using their Beautiful Day set, so this was a very easy card to create and packs a bit of WOW. The sentiment comes from Pinkfresh's Simply Sentiments. I've also added some black splats using Liquorice IZINK Dye Spray by Seth Apter.

Well I hope I have inspired you to go "stripey" with your birthday cards this week.

✿Karen✿

Just Add Ink 718: Just Choose Two

It's time for another fun challenge at Just Add Ink with a Just Choose Two option.

I decided to play along with texture and foliage (but also have added some gold thread as well, so some pretty "string"). I'm playing with the Festive Foliage stamp/die/stencil combo from The Stamp Market which I received in a virtual card class kit. When this class was taught it was taught using very delicate pale pinks I have tried to make it brighter and tweak it up and am really happy with this colour combo plus the gold paste. You can see my original cards and blog post HERE if you are interested.

I've added texture using Cosmic Shimmer Moonlight Gold Luna Paste through one of the stencils in the set and then die cut out as an ornament/circle when dried. This is a clever versatile die set the ornaments are actually cut out with the "O" die from the word JOY.

Other supplies used:
Ink: Mint (PFS), Meadow (PFS), Versamark

Paper: Petal Pink (SU!), Flirty Flamingo (SU!), Gold glitter 

Other: Gems: clear with gold dust (PFS), Alabaster white EP (BM), gold thread (SU!), foam squares (SP)

I hope you can play along and I look forward to seeing what you choose as your two (or 3).

Thanks for popping in.

✿Karen✿

AAA Card Challenge 273: Sympathy card for a "pet"

I'm at that certain age when unfortunately I need Sympathy cards in my stash but also I do like to send a wee card when someone's beloved pet has passed on. For the latest challenge at AAA Cards this week it's an "Anything Goes CAS" with the optional twist of Get Well or Sympathy.

I have one set in my stash which is fabulous for making Sympathy cards for pets called Rainbow Bridge (CTMH) and have shared a card before which you can see HERE  I've gone really minimal and CAS with this card and stamped the fab heart of pawprints using Acorn (Versafine) on Crumb Cake card (SU!) and then die cut it out with some square dies and matted up. As Versafine inks stay wet longer I've learnt my lesson (the hard way) and often clear emboss if I use it, as I have here. I also like it when it's glossy, to me it makes it a bit more special.

I hope you can find time to play along this week and will you choose to go anything goes, or make a get well card or make a sympathy card. Just remember to make it CAS.

Thanks for popping by,

✿Karen✿