Be your own kind of beautiful

This is a card based on this weeks CAS(E) this Sketch! #117.  Stamps are from PTI's  Oopsie Daisy set and the sentiment is from PTI's Life is Beautiful.  Glossy Accents coat the great colors and a strip of shiny, patterned vellum edges the side.

It's such a great sketch this week but it took me forever to make this card!  I started with a completely different idea but it evolved into this and I'm really happy with it!

I'll also throw it in to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Happy Birthday.  Even though the sentiment isn't an obvious birthday one, I think this is a great birthday card!

Thanks so much for Looking!
Karen

Upside down...Oh well, make do.

Okay, I have struggled with the colors on this picture for long enough.  IRL this is a soft, pastel card and every picture I load onto my blog comes out much more intense in color than it really is.   Oh well, I shouldn't be surprised.  What I first had in mind for this card was to have the word Easter embossed in white on the colored stripe to the right of the word happy,  but since I die cut it UPSIDE DOWN (the h and the y are very similar!) that wasn't an option anymore so this is a make do card.  

I'm putting this in for the Curtain Call Challenge - Jelly Bean.   I splattered some Heidi Swapp Teal color shine spray on the background (like the speckled look on the eggs). The colorful strip is made using Watercolor VersaMark Reveal technique.  I stamped the Papertrey Ink Background stamp in VersaMark, dried it then painted distress inks over top.  The VersaMark absorbs the ink color more intensely, revealing the image.  The colors really do match the inspiration photo way better in IRL!  I die cut the happy, layered it up and put Glossy Accents on the top layer (like the shine on the mug).  I used a Lawn Fawn alphabet (Maliblue ink) to stamp the word Easter, then rounded the corners.

 

Thanks so much for Looking!

Karen

Oh Happy Day!

 

Oh Happy Day is right!  I was SO lucky to win the Bold Blooms stamp set (which I really desperately wanted!) from the new Essentials by Ellen winter release from none other than the blog of the wonderful designer Julie herself!  

I was also happy that Ellen Hutson had such speedy shipping to Canada which let me get a card into the current Mix it Up Challenge, where you combine any Essentials by Ellen product with any Hero Arts product.

                                                         

From Essentials by Ellen, I used the sentiment from Bold Blooms and the solid stars from Brushstroke Christmas and, from Hero Arts, I used the Tiny Stars Background with Green Hills and Passion Flower inks.  

For me, this is a very colorful card.  I don't usually get this many colors going at once but I think they are lovely for spring.

Thanks so much for Looking!

Karen

hello new love

My neighbor just had a baby girl a short time ago so a sweet little baby card popped into my head right away when I saw CASology's cue card was MINI for Week 135.

I paired my 19 year old Hero Arts (super mini) baby feet stamp with the one year old Winnie and Walter set,  added random dots of stickles then rounded the corners.  The card itself is mini, measuring about 3" x 4".  A super simple card, but oh-so sweet.

Thanks so much for Looking!
Karen

Wishing you Happiness

I actually made this card back in December and have been saving it for the perfect challenge.  I'm glad it works well for Week 134 cue card - Monochrome at CASology since it's my favorite Challenge Blog.  This is my second entry.

I really like how the 'bumpy bunting' stamp frames the sentiment (Clearly Besotted)!  Can you tell I just made up the name bumpy bunting? It's from PTI's Ombre Builders set.   All the sequins are the same as the one on the left, the other two are just reflecting something.

Thanks so much for Looking!
Karen

Get Well Soon

I'm happy to have found some time to make some cards!  I recently went back to work half-time after being a SAHM for basically 17 years,  so have been making a new routine these past few weeks.

Here is a card for:  
Make It Monday #201 (coverplate stencils and embossing paste).
CASology Week 134: Monochrome  
SSS Wednesday Challenge (add a little texture).

I used transluscent embossing paste over a Mighty Bloom stencil made from the PTI cover plate.  I wanted a really subtle sentiment so I stamped and embossed on Vellum and attached using Die-Namics gift card holder die.  It was a little too subtle,  so I backed it with a thinner strip of white cardstock.

Thanks so much for Looking!
Karen

Make it Monday #200

Make it Monday this week is about layering Cover Plate dies.  I like how the layers of the Center Stage die cuts forced the wings to pop up a bit.

Thanks so much for Looking!
Karen