All we need is LOVE!!

.....and that's exactly the theme of all the cards I have to share with you today.   I am very much into my Valentine Cards today.     It's been a busy day and I'm pretty tired, so I have not had time to work on my class cards today.   But, I do have three new cards to share and they were all inspired the two different challenges.
      My first card was created specifically for a Color Combo Challenge over at The Outlawz, but it is my 'bust' card of the day.  Let me start by sharing a copy of the color combo for the challenge.

 I loved the colors right away and knew I wanted to make a card that would also work out for Valentine's Day.  I started with one of my newest Memory Box Dies and a red card base and partially cut out the design on the bottom on my card.  I didn't end up liked how it looked and decided to line the card inside with a piece of patterned paper which I also used for my heart.  I also then realized that the red in the patterned paper was not as bright as I had wanted, but I kept going and finished up this card.  It's okay....but not a favorite and in the end I totally forget the embossing!   LOL!

    Moving on, I started over and made my second card, which was also inspired by today's Midweek Challenge over at the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog.  The challenge this week was Black and White (with another pop of color).  Of course, I knew right away that pop was going to be red for me.   I also started by dry embossing my red card base, just to be certain I would not forget.  I then used a combination of heart shaped dies and put it all together to make this card, which will be the one I submit to both challenges.

     After being much happier with that card I decided to make one more and to also include Heat Embossing, so that I have covered all the bases.   I used some of the same ideas, but came up with a totally different look by starting with a black embossed card base and adding a white heat-shaped doily.  THis card could also be submitted to both challenges.

    My next plan today is to start on a new card based on today's class, which was another good one.  Jennifer taught me a brand new technique, called mirror image stamping/    The concept is to take one image and be able to mirror image it on your project.   As an example, she used a cute little bird and on the first stamp he's facing to the left and then she also taught us a few different ways where you can also stamp him, (or her) so that he's mirrored (or facing to the right).  The cards she made were both really adorable and feature this sweet new set from Hero Arts.   Of course, I now have it on my wish list, because I totally love the little bird.   It was also a class where Jennifer did some Copic Coloring and that's another part I really liked.

     Our guest designer today is Lisa Spangler and she shared another great card and video and that one was also new to me!  Her card was created with this adorable stamp, another from the new HA release!  Her card was a window type card and I love the fun techniques she shared on have her image center on the inside of her card!   She's another amazing crafter and you can see her work on her blog!!

   Oh, and one more piece of exciting news for those who may or may not have heard.  Kristina has been working a lot lately creating projects for Simon Say Stamps and one of the other new things she has started on is creating these fabulous Monthly Card Kits which you can subscribe to at SSS.  The very first kit was Valentine kit, which sold out in less then 48 hours.   I'm thrilled, because I was one of the lucky people who ordered the kit and mine arrived today.  I can't wait to play with it and will look forward to seeing Kristina sharing ideas of what we can create on her blog.   If this sounds lie something you'd like, you can now sign up to subscribe to the March kit and/or future kits.  The price was fabulous and the first kit, can be seen here, to give you an idea of what they have.   WooHoo!  Kudos to Kristina and SSS for working together to create these kits.  I've already subscribed and think they'll ALL be a huge hit!!    I'll be sure to post pictures of the cards that I create with supplies from the kit, so stay tuned!

Yippee! Sun and Fun!!

   I was so surprised to wake up and see snow on the ground?  I  guess I have not been paying much attention to the weather lately, as I didn't know we had snow coming.  On a happy note, it snowed overnight, the sun is now out and it's all quickly melting away.  The temperatures are warming up too, which is even better.
   I've had another great day in my craft room and have a few new cards to share.  This first card has me breaking out my Copics, which I have not used very much since I started the CAS Class.  I have to admit, that as much as I love CAS and working with inks....I also LOVE to color and Copics are my absolute favorite medium.  I have a full set and have already ordered the brand new colors due out next month.   If you are new to Copics and want to take some fabulous classes, then I highly recommend you head on over to Suzanne Dean's Color Me Creative Classroom and sign up for one of her classes.  She currently has five levels and so far I have taken 1-4.   I'm also very excited to hopefully be finally meeting her when I go on my Girls Weekend in May and I plan to take one of her On The Road classes too!  Yippee!!
    This cute little card was created for a Color Combo Challenge over at the Crafting by Designs group and also is somewhat a CAS card.   I didn't add a lot of extra embellishment, and simply used a variety of papers to add more texture and design.   My cute little digi is one of the newest - just released by Lori Boyd !  You can find many more at her wonderful store HERE!  This little cutie is Penny!!

 And next are two new cards that were both created based on inspiration from today's CAS Class.  The first card was inspired by Julie Ebersole and I have to tell you how much I adore her.  Not only is she an amazing designer, but she is so happy and fun and every time I watch one of her video's I always smile.  She makes me laugh and smile and that's awesome!   Thank Julie!!  You are a hoot !!!

  This care was very easy to create, but I give all the credit to Julie, as this is basically a case of her card.  I may have used different papers and colors, but the card design is all her.  I loved the tip she shared about adding a layer of Vellum over your die cuts, which I did for these little butterflies, cut with an MS Punch.  The Vellum that I had is also the type that has some glitter and sparkle on it, and that made it even more perfect for this card.  The deep plum papers I used are old Stampin' Up papers and my card itself is from a box of the DCWV cards that I pick up whenever Jo's has them on sale, as they are now at $5.99 for the full box of 50!    They are all a nice texture weight and come in a variety of colors.   My sentiment is from Hero Arts and I used Pop Dots to add more dimension.  The white center piece is simply a piece of scrap white that I ran through the Cuttlebug in a new embossing folder.   I loved this idea and also now love to follow Julie's blog, as it's always full of fantastic inspiration.

     My last card today was inspired by Jennifer's, but I'm not loving mine as much as hers.  I did use the same Memory Box die, but did change around my colors and think her card looks brighter and happier.  She also used a really cute sentiment from Paper Smooches and that's one line of stamps that I do not own, (at least not year).   I did try to go to Simon Says Stamp and order the set, but it was sold out, so it's now on my Wish List, along with lots of other goodies, as always!!

  

    As you can see I used light colors and tried something a bit different and only adhered one color directly to the card base and adhered a dark purple strip, in the middle row and then covered it with Glitter.  You can see it better in this next photo, but please excuse seeing my hand holding down the card, it was my quick and easily solution for keeping it closed, while I took the picture!!   LOL!!  Do you love my Pink Glittered nails, that was my new color from when I had my nails done last week!   

   And that's going to be my last card today to share.  I'm now working on a really fun new Valentine Card, but it's going to be for a Swap in the Hero Arts Group and since I want it to be a surprise, for Barb, I'm not going to post it until I know she had received it.  

   See you all again tomorrow!  I'm off bright and early for a new hair cut/color and then will spend time working on projects in the afternoon!  I can't believe our wonderful CAS class is going by so quickly and I know I'm going to miss it when it ends!   Luckily, I have some fun classes coming up at my LSS and can look forward to them, as well as having more time to get back to challenges and working on my OWH Cards!!

Monday, Monday...Bah, Da, Bah Bah Da Da....

  Monday, Monday.....!  How many of your remember that wonderful oldie by The Mama's and The Papa's?  I know I do and for some reason...it's not stuck in my head, so I thought it would be a fun idea for my post title.  This Monday is a nice day for me and the day we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, here in the USA.  It's also turning out to be a really awesome day for me and I have a few new projects to share.

   I started my day by going to CAS Card class, which I love and I ended up created today's card based on the wonderful video that Kristina shared.  It also worked out that it would be the perfect card to submit to this week's CAS Challenge over and The Outlawz and I encourage every one in the CAS Class to hop on over to this fun challenge group and take part in all the challenges.  The group is OPEN to all, and they offer a new challenge every day of the week.  Sunday is always CAS day, making it perfect for all of you in the class.   We also found out today in class that one of the lucky students is going to win a brand new Vagabond machine, thanks to the generosity of Simon Say Stamps!   WOWeeee.....what a fantastic prize and would I ever be thrilled to win that.   Good Luck to everyone!!

   In class we were inspired to find a fun to to make our own embellishments and created the cute little center flower you see on my card.  It's also a little window card and although Kristina used a MS circle cutter to create her window, I don't own one, so I simply used a circle Spellbinder die.   My flower papers are an oldie but goodie from Stampin' Up called Cottage Wall, once of my all time favorite sets.  When this set went on clearance, I ended up ordering several sets, which is why I still have some left...Love IT!!

   My second card was created also based somewhat on the idea of this card, as I created another window card and also kept with a very Clean and Simple Design.  It's also the card I am submitting to this week's Greeting Card Challenge, also hosted over at The Outlawz.  Again, this is another of the fun challenges the gals have every week and this week's challenge was all about 'nothing', so to speak.  We were challenge to create a card with only one Embellishment and a Sentiment.  Not as ALL as easy as it sound.

  

    Luckily, I have so many wonderful dies from Memory Box that I knew right away that my one embellishment was going to be a die cut and I picked my latest favorite, which is the LaRue Heart. It's also perfect for Valentine's cards or LOVE cards, which is what I created today.   I searched through my Hero Arts Sentiment Stamps and found the perfect Sentiment that tied into my Love and Heart Theme.   I also lined the inside of my card in clear acetate to make it rally look ever more like a window!

   I hope I have now inspired you to play long and make some Clean and Simple Cards.  If you love this type of challenge, I'd also like to invite you to another challenge group, called Crafting By Designs.  This is a nice small group where everyone also loves to create.  CBD also offers a variety of challenges, tutorials and is a nice friendly group.  If you feel a bit intimated by larger groups, this might be the perfect place for you and they are currently open for enrollment!   Come on over and play at either group, both are fabulous and full of inspiration.

  Oh,  and I am very happy and excited to be planning a Spring Trip to go down to the Baltimore area to meet up with a bunch of my online craft friends.   A bunch of the gals have always wanted to get together, meet up for a girl's weekend and that's exactly what we plan to do.   Plans are for a fun-filled craft weekend in May and I'm so excited to be flying down for that weekend.  WOOHOO!  I'm hoping every one I know will plan to come, the more the merrier and I think it will be a fantastic time.    If you would like to join us, please email me for more details.   I know there are tentative plans for some classes and we have some very admired designers who will be attending.   More details will follow, but I can't wait!  Yippee!   I will be flying out of Boston, if you are local to my area and want to go, we can plan our flights together!!   It'll be a blast!!

   

Fun, Fun and More Creative Fun!!

  I have had a couple of super busy days, but it's all been fun and almost all my time has been spent crafting.  I'm still loving being a part of the CAS Card Class and looking forward to another fun day tomorrow.  We also were surprised with some fun Bonus Inspiration and fun tips and information over the weekend, which was a nice plus.

  Yesterday, I headed out to my LSS (Absolutely Everything) to take a really fun and unique class.  It's was the Beginner Zentangle class and it was really fun.  I knew that Kate, (the owner), had taught these classes several times and thought it would be something different.  I've heard many people talk about how relaxing it is to draw Zentangles, and that inspired me to try.   Kate is not only the store owner, but an amazing artist, who also love to share her talents by teaching a variety of classes at the store.  It's great to have a store owner who loves to create as much as we all do.  She also loves to have all the latest and greatest products in the store and will be off to CHA shortly to order all the new things coming out.  WooHoo!   It's such a wonderful store and I'm so lucky to have a store this awesome.   The best part is that it's close enough to home that I can make the drive, a bonus for sure.

   We started by learning the basics about Zentagles and how they were first created by a couple that is actually from Massachusetts.  You can find out more about this very cool art, by going to their website HERE!   Below are some images of the basic starter pieces, along with the two Zentangle tiles I completed yesterday.  We learned 8 different 'tangles' and each tangle has it's own name.   It's really amazing and is quite relaxing!

    Next, is a picture of the Zentangle 4 booklet that I bought for future inspiration.  It's also in this issue that Kate has a wonderful project featured (it's also on the cover), and I have also included a picture of the piece below.  In person, it's gorgeous and includes several tangles.  The cool thing is that you can tangle on almost anything, which you'll see done in Kate's project.

  As you can see, this project is amazing and this shows how you can use Zentangles on flowers, titles and other ways to create really fabulous projects.    I thought it would be fun to try on cards from time to time and I do plan to take a follow-up class.

    My next project has been to finish up all the Beaded Stick Pins that I have been working on for a SWAP. I'm very happy to say I am now done and all my pins will be mailed out on Tuesday.   I also wanted to share a few pics of my adorable pink giant pin-cushion that I found at Jo'Ann's.   You'll also see that I created little bags for each set of three Pins, which was another part of the project.   This is my very first swap of this type and I really had fun.  I love using this pins on cards and will enjoy having a fun collection after the swap is over.  It's also another fun creative outlet and I will continue to make more.  I'm glad I tried it!!

   Once they were all done, I had these six little packages which are what every of the participants will receive.  I also created another set all in a Valentine's Theme, which I shared last week.  Those pins were packaged in little Matchbook type packages which I created using my Silhouette Cameo.   The Cameo was also used to create these little bags and the inside die cut, was is a brand new one I bought yesterday, while at the store.  It's another from Memory Box is is really pretty!.

    I had also planned to make cards today for some of my favorite challenges, but I'm now running out of time and only have one finished.  This card was created based on today's new Sketch Challenge over that the Stars and Stamps Blog and will be sent off in my new batch to OWH.   I have also copied over today's sketch for anyone who wants to play along!!

Sketch # 104

My Card

    I'm pretty tired right now, but feel good about getting so much done.   It's a good feeling when you can check a few things of your to do list and that's exactly what I did today.  

     I hope you all had a nice creative weekend and had time to spend in your craft room.  Tomorrow, will the first day of our second week in CAS Card Class and I'm sure it'll be fun.  The Gallery is jam packed full of amazing cards that many of the participants have shared.   I really love to browse it and get ideas and inspiration for future card ideas.   See you all tomorrow!!

Brrrrrr.....the chill is on....!!

  What a difference a day can make!   We've had a lot of mild weather this winter and the past two days have been pouring rain, but that's all about to change and I can already feel the chill in the air.  It's getting very very windy and tonight we are expected to have temps down in the single digits!!!!   Brrrrrr!  That is too cold for this girl and I sure HOPE it doesn't last too long.

   Tomorrow, I will be up and off early to head to my LSS to take a new class.  I'm trying something totally different and new, but thought it might be a great thing to go along with my Smash Book.  I'm taking a Zentangle class, which looks like it will be fun.  If you have never heard of it, it's almost a form of doodling, but can also be very advances.  They are several books and levels, but I'll be taking the beginner class and will let you know how it goes.

   Today, I have been working on a variety of projects including my Smash Book, which I had been slacking on.  After seeing how fabulous some of the gals pages are over at our Smash Group, I knew I wanted to re-vamp my very first page and then also manged to finish up the start of my second page.  I love the idea of these very cool and colorful journals and I'm so happy that Suzanne Dean added a free group to her Color Me Creative Classroom.  It's open to all, so please free free to come on over and join the fun.

    These are my two completed pages!  I did a lot of changes to the first page, which is pretty much all about my passion for purple.  The first challenge in our group is to create your first pages and there are some fun themes you can follow along.   I went with new beginnings and also added the very first card I created this year on my second page, which I finished off today.   The backgrounds on my first page were also brand new stamps that I had bought in early January and that's how I tied in that new theme.

     My next project that I need to finish up is the Stick Pin Swap that I joined over at CDAC.  I have all my pins done, now it's a matter of packaging them up and shipping them out.   I am in two groups and one is a Love theme and the other is a Spring Theme.  You make three pins for each member of the group (6) for a total of 18.  You also need to come up with some fun little way to package them, like a little gift.  That has been the hardest part, but I did finally come up with a few ideas and they were all done with my Silhouette Cameo.  I'm so lucky to have this die cut machine and LOVE it.  It's so much easier to use than a Cricut and I love that I can edit each of the designs, or even create my own.  So far, this is what I plan to use for the LOVE packaging...

  

  I'm still working on the spring set, but have something similar, but I thought I might try something totally different.  That will be another project I must finish up on the weekend, so that I can plan to enjoy another full week in my CAS Class.

  And last, but not least, I have two new cards to share that were designed based on new inspiration from today's CAS Class.   I am so loving this, even more than I had thought I would, as I'm not great with this style, but I've learned a lot and have so many new and fun ideas to try.  Now I have lots of do, but not enough time...sound familiar.

   This first card is my favorite of the day and was based on a cute new technique that Jennifer shared with use.  I won't hare all the details, you'll have to take the class for that, but it's very easy and uses Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls Mist and the wonderful blender tools from Ranger.   The cute little images that are in the centers are from another Hero Arts Stamp Set....and were stamped very Versamark and then heat embossed in white.   This is a card style I could easily do over in lots of colors and designs.  I especially loved some of the more intricate designs that Jennifer used on one of her cards!   Stunning!!

   And my last card, was kind of a bust, that I re-vamped into a different idea and it ended up being so much better.   It had started much like the one above, only I had used different colors in various areas.  But, the colors were too close, and there was not enough contrast, so I used the base of what I had and made it into a background using the Classic Fabric Background Stamp.  I then simply stamped on the large Wildflower (from the first stamp set) and heat embossed it, again in white and added a little bling!!  For a different look, I used a Carnation Card  (from Hero Arts) and put the pink on the inside and then used a border punch on the bottom front, so that the pink would show through.  

  And that is all that I'm going to be able to finish today.  It's now almost 6 pm and the winds are howling.  I dread this kind of weather and will be much happier when Spring is here!   

  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!  I hope my class is fun and I'll be looking forward to spending time creating on Sunday.  I also wanted to give a CHEER to my home team and wish them well in the big game tomorrow night.   GO PATS!!!