Smile!

This was a happy card to make, thanks to CASology's Week 328 challenge: Smile! It suited my card-mood exactly, since I had already decided to try for a non-somber response to Retro Rubber's Challenge 102: Black and White. As a base for the flowers, I used Vertical Greetings stamps, from Stampin' Up!'s 2016 Annual Catalogue. Now I just have to think of who to give it to!

Ingredients: Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Basic Black) ink (Basic Black), stamps (Vertical Greetings, Sunburst Sayings), Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Layered Circles dies, 7/8" scalloped punch.
Other: Rosie's stamp (for the smile) - icecream/cupcake set, black glitter paper (don't know where from!)

Back to Balloons

For CAS Colours and Sketches challenge #303,

I returned to one of my favourite suites: Lift me Up/Up and Away. I decided to keep the card monochromatic except for the sun, just to give a real 'hope in darkness' feel. I used vellum for some of the clouds to capture the transparency in the sketch, and textured them and the 'filling' for the balloon for a bit more difference/depth in the whites.

Ingredients: Stampin' Up card (Whisper White, Basic Black), ink (Basic Black, Pineapple Punch), Stamps (Lift Me Up, Sunshine and Rainbows) dies ,(Up and Away), vellum.

First Play with 'Well Said'

Initially I felt a bit stumped by CAS(E) this Sketch's challenge #304:

 but then I got my new Stampin' Up! box and in it was a set I suspect I'm going to use a lot: 'Well Said'. I decided to use sentiments on repeat as the lines of the sketch, and this is what I came up with:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up! card, (Whisper White, Basic Black, Lovely Lipstick, Call Me Clover), ink (Basic Black), stamps and dies (Well Said and Well Written).

Cheers!

I saw the latest CASOLOGY challenge - Week 326 - as I was languishing inside to escape the heat of a Hawke's Bay (New Zealand) summer - so the challenge word 'Frozen' had one and only response - ice - as in ice cubes!  I hope this antipodean response is okay!
It's a pretty CAS card - but I did get to use my new Stitched Rectangles, which was fun.

Ingredients:
Stampin' Up! card (Whisper White, Thick Whisper White) ink, (Grapefruit Grove, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo), stamps (Mixed Drinks), dies (Stitched Rectangles).

Hello 2019!

It's great to come back to making cards after a break, where guests needed to sleep in the craft room. My first 2019 cards were inspired by CAS(E) this Sketch's challenge #303. I'm just loving the Needlepoint Nook Suite and so turned to it with glee. I particularly like playing with the loved stitched patterned die. My first card pretty much stuck to the sketch, but I thought I'd also post the more off-piste 2nd version as well (same basic principal, but the central shapes much bigger).
The first card:

and the second:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up! stamps (Needle and Thread), dies (Needlepoint Elements, Stitched Shapes, Layering Circles), DSP (Needlepoint Nook), vellum, card (Whisper White, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride), ink (Balmy Blue, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Basic Black) embossing powder (white), pearls, glitter enamel dots.

Best Sentiment for Christmas

The sentiment on this card is one I wholeheartedly agree with - and I indulge in a kind of wistful imagining (what if this WAS the year where these qualities were in evidence everywhere?) whenever I use it.
In this case, I've used Global Design Project's sketch #166  as a basis for the card.
I was pleased with the background stars - I tried using the embossing powder while the sponging wasn't 100% dry in the hopes that there'd be a background 'shimmer' of stars and (in a way that doesn't often happen) it turned out the way I'd imagined!

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up card, (Whisper White, Shimmery White, Marina Mist, Night of Navy), ink, (Soft Sky, Marina Mist, Night Of Navy), Stamps (Musical Season, Christmas Pines), dies (Petals & More), silver embossing powder, Subtle embossing folder

Other products: Kaisercraft Moonstars dies, Fiskar circle punch, Fynmark vellum

Christmas baubles

I loved Fab Friday's sketch challenge #151 and, as is my habit at the moment, made a Christmas card in response. Happily, an embossing folder I got a couple of years ago marries nicely with Stampin' Up's 'Beautiful Baubles'. The handy stitched embossing die in Sweetly Stitched Framelits proved a subtle way to add the final embellishment.

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up! card (Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Soft Suede), ink (Basic Black), watercolour pencil (Cherry Cobbler), gold embossing powder,  Beautiful Baubles stamps, Detailed Baubles framelits

Other products: Craft Creations Kiwiana Christmas series - embossing folder, Derwent Inktense Teal Green watercolour pencil