CAS Card Challenges

CAS on Sunday & CAS-UAL Fridays are running a new challenge for a clean and simple card that includes dry or heat embossing.  I decided to work with a stamp (Q130 Fresh Bloom from Stampendous) and a checkerboard Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I made it 3D by raising the top of the card using white  fun foam.

For instructions go to Simply Stamped

Blue Skies & Smooth Sailing Challenge

I decided to give card challenges another try.  This time a challenge over on Fusion caught my eye!

The beach colors are among my favorite combinations.  I decided to fuse the two options and this is the result . . .

 

I substituted blue fence boards which I sandpapered for a worn look for the two boards with the anchor and then used the three elements of the sketch to finalize the design.

Thanks for looking!

It's Contest Time

Now it's your turn!!!  I started each card with my harlequin stamp but for those who don't have this stamp I've created a line drawing of the harlequin stamp and used it myself in several of the cards.  Here is where you can find the line drawing.  Now all you have to do is create a card of your own starting with the harlequin design and e-mail a picture of it to me along with your name to enter.  Deadline is June 30th!

Now for the exciting prize for the winner!  I have the cutest "House Mouse" stamp to give away and the creator of the card that is picked will receive it!  The winner will be selected by my good friend. 

Here are the cards I designed with the harlequin stamp to remind you.

Challenge Card 20

Well, here we are at number 20!  This time I used the harlequin as part of a fence.

I made "wooden" framing for the fence and then painted in the sky and grass with my paint pens.  Found a picture of a cat sleeping on a fence and cut it out and added it to the top.  The sentiment is made with Microsoft Word.

Challenge Card 19

I started this card by using my paint pen to color in the harlequin.

I used my cranberry ink pad to rub on the card base around the edges.  After attaching the harlequin I stamped it with a Stampendous stamp called "Agapanthus Cluster".  Lastly I attached the little sheep (another Whipper Snapper Design) stamp with the message.

Challenge Card 18

Here's a cute little frog sitting on a mushroom.  I colored the harlequin with a green and red colored pencil that matched the colors of the central stamped image which is from Whipper Snapper Designs .

I randomly stamped flowers around the edges of the card base.  I inked my stamp with Le Plume II brush markers so that I could have a variety of colors for the flowers and then drew in flower centers.  The sentiment was made with Microsoft Word.

Challenge Card 17

Looks like I'm on a chicken kick, lol!  Today's card started with a printed version of the harlequin.  I didn't color or stamp it because I decided it looked something like chicken wire and that gave me the idea for today.

I don't remember where I ran across these cute ballerinas but I thought they were so cute.  I used yellow colored pencil to make hay around the edges, added the sentiment and voila'!

Challenge Card 16

I did something a little different today.  I took the base card and embossed the front with Cuttlebug's "Tiny Mosaic" embossing folder.  Then I stamped the harlequin in brown on top of the embossing.

I used stamps from Whipper Snapper Designs to make the hen and her chickies with "nesting hen" and "hen and chicks".  I used a marker to make extra grass for the hen.  The sentiment is done with Microsoft Word.

Challenge Card 15

This card started with a "basil green" harlequin.

I love basil and always grow it in the summer.  This made me think of lazy days when I was young.  We always went to visit my Great Aunt Annie and Great Uncle Ted at their farm in upstate New York.  They had a hammock strung between two chestnut. trees and my sister and I loved to lay in the hammock while the adults were talking.

I added the hammock to the card and "attached" it to the tree trunks that I made by using the edge of the ink pad on some white paper.  Before adding this section to the card base I stamped some leaves in basil ink around the edges of the front.  I used Hero Arts stamp called" Woodland Fern".  The sentiment was made on Microsoft word and I lightly dabbed the basil ink on each word.

Challenge Card 14

My next card started with a light green harlequin which was the perfect choice to go with the pear pictures I had.  I trimmed the pear pictures and attached to the harlequin.  The background was stamped with basil green ink using a Stampabilities stamp called "Textured Flourish Background".  The word "pear" was written on a piece of used teabag and then I stamped the back with the same ink and glued it in place.

Challenge Card 13

Here's the next challenge card starting with a light tan harlequin.

This stamp is from I Brake for Stamps and is called "Read My Lips Lucille".  She's pretty sassy so I went for bright colors!  The sentiment was done on Microsoft Word.

Challenge Card 12

Again, starting with a stamped harlequin in lavender ink, I have chosen to use the color to inspire my card.

I printed out a large picture of lavender in bloom and used that for the background and to back the diamond cutout tag.  The cutout was from the middle of the harlequin.  In the "frame" I attached a picture of a lavender plant.

This view shows the flip side of the tag.  I added lavender yarn to tie the tag on.  I also made the sentiments with Microsoft Word and attached them.

Challenge Card 11

Today I went a little crazy...what else is new you say, lol!  I forgot to scan the original harlequin before deconstructing it so bare with me.  I used the heart stamp from the other day to "ink" the harlequin stamp.  That resulted in the pattern on the heart to be transferred to the harlequin stamp.  Then I stamped the paper with the harlequin and it left an all over pattern.

The next thing I did was to carefully cut out the center section of the harlequin and then I glued the "frame" that was left to the card base.  I stamped a smaller heart (Carved Heart 1) from Hampton Art Stamps in red and attached it to the center of the frame.  To each "diamond" I glued little heart shaped confetti pieces and one "love" to the center heart.  The final touch was to add two red stripes to either side of the frame.  They were cut from a "Dollar Store" holographic gift bag.

Challenge Card 10

Yellow/orange was the color of choice for this harlequin.

I immediately thought of sunlight so I got my "Soleil Points" stamp from Stampendous and inked it with yellow and orange.  After stamping the paper I added yellow and orange markers to the sun's face.

I used my yellow ink pad to make a margin around the base card's edge and then attached the stamped section to it.  The last thing I added was the sentiment (made with Microsoft word).

Challenge Card 9

Ah blue denim, my favorite fabric!  Here is the base harlequin stamped in...you guessed it...blue denim ink!

I decided to use a picture of blue jeans on a wash line that I made from string.  The jeans came from a picture I found on the web and printed out on glossy paper.  The message came from Neil Diamond's song (Forever in Blue Jeans).

 

Challenge Card 8

This card started with a red harlequin that I trimmed around.

The red sent me to Valentine's Day.  I had a beautiful heart stamp (Ornate Heart) from Stampendous that I stamped in black ink in the center of the harlequin.  Then I used the same stamp to add background by randomly stamping on the base card.  The design needed some kind of border so I made one out of red holographic paper from a Dollar Tree gift bag.  The final touch was a pretty red ribbon tied in a bow.

Challenge Card 7

This card started with a light tan harlequin image.

The tan color reminded me of sand and since I am surrounded by desert I went with New Mexico as my theme.  The pueblo stamp is from Acey Deucy and the sun stamp is from Magenta.  The New Mexico license is a photo (we have several variations of our license and the newest one is turquoise).  The Native American stamp is from I Brake For Stamps.  I made the "welcome" message in Microsoft Word.

Challenge Card 6

Number 6 started with this stamped image.  Each color had an individual applicator.  They are made by Color Box (Petal Point Pinwheel).

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this one so I outlined the diamonds with thin black lines and then stared at it for awhile.  Decided to put some beads on it but was still stuck for inspiration.  It reminded me of clowns but I don't like clowns so that was a bust.  While waiting for inspiration to hit me in the head I made the borders using the original inks.  I used a mask to achieve the multicolored border.  Lastly I glued the parts together.

What finally occurred to me was that the colors reminded me of a celebration.  With that notion I finally had a theme.  I just happened to have a sentiment stamp by Stampendous with a celebratory feel.  I stamped it on tissue paper, cut apart the words and attached as shown.  I used one of the beads to dot the "i" in "Yipee".

Some days my ideas flow like raging water...other days like molasses.