Rainbow birthday

CAS(E) this Sketch's sketch #254 was very pretty and floral:

The sketch provided my inspiration - but I think I ended up a bit off-piste - perhaps my decision to try to avoid the literal interpretation of using flowers was to blame! I think you can still see the remains of the sketch, though: 

I do love the new rainbows Stampin' Up has introduced - am going to play with these lots, I think. (And they just beg to be combined with balloons!)
Made using:
Stampin' Up:
Dies (Stitched Shapes, Rainbow Builder Framelits, Up and Away)
Stamps: Lift Me Up, Balloon Celebrations (for the sentiment)
Paper and card: Kraft, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Botanical Gardens Vellum, (and for the rainbow, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red (and a random other purple piece)
Derwent Ink Intense Watercolour pencils

Say thanks with flowers

At first glance, I wasn't particularly excited by the new Stampin' Up Petal Passion Suite. However, having used it extensively to make this card, in response to Time Out's challenge #100: Be Thankful; and As You See It's lovely sketch challenge #167, I'm a convert. I also had a chance to try alcohol based markers, and loved those as well. More playing ahead!
The card:

Made using:

Stampin' Up: Petal Psssion Suite (Petal Palette Stamp set and Petals and More thinlit dies), Stampin' Blends Markers (Pink Pirouette light and dark, Rich Razzleberry Light, Old Olive light and dark), ink (Sweet Sugarplum, Basic Black), card (Sweet Sugarplum, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Night of Navy) and dies (Stitched Shapes, Labels)

Birthday Tea

It's a while since I made a card for a competition - summer break and all that. This card uses Fab Friday's #128: (Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Emerald Envy) and CAS Colours and Sketches #254:

as inspiration. I was also responding to my daughter's request for a card that referenced tea! Here's the card: 

Made using: 

Stampin' Up inks: Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Emerald Envy, Stamp for sentiment (Big on Birthdays) and card: Whisper White heavy card

My Favourite Things stampset and dies: Kitschy Kitchen

Kaisercraft paper (for shelf) Oh So Lovely

60th Wedding Anniversary card

I loved the colours in the latest CAS Colours and Sketches challenge (#248) - Emerald Envy, Tranquil Tide and  Metallic Silver - and they provided the basis for my thinking about a 60th wedding anniversary card for an uncle and aunt. (His brother and wife have the same anniversary this year, so I'll be making another one soon!) The metallic silver went nicely, I thought, with the 'diamond' anniversary, but I added a few diamonds (well, diamantes, but they still look good!) to keep the card appropriate for the celebration.
Here's the card:

Made Using:
Stampin' Up Products: Emerald Envy and Tranquil Tide ink and paper, Sky is the Limit stampset (for sentiment)
francheville diamantes
Kaisercraft Numbers Decorative Dies, Flutter clear stamps
Silver craft paper

Orange Light

As You See It's challenge #160 was the first time I've attempted a speed challenge, and I took the bloggers at their word and prepared before I started - my craft table looked like I was preparing for surgery. I regretted deciding on masking the card for the background cross (in fact, I confess, I had to start the whole thing again - does rehearsal count?). Anyway, I was a few seconds over in the end, but I'm still counting it!
And fortuitously, the colours of this challenge (shades of orange and neutrals) matched up with Color Throwdown's Challenge #464 - so I got double the entry for that stress!
Here's the card:

Made using:

Stampin' Up card: Whisper White, Tip top Taupe, Cajun Craze, ink: Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, stamps: Make a Medallion, dies: Layering Circles

Christmas quilted star

Here's my second play with the wonderful Christmas Quilt set by Stampin' Up - it might be replacing Totally Trees in my affections! I used CAS(E) this Sketch's challenge #241 as a starting point for the layout and, even though the DSP set isn't at all 'Christmassy', was surprised to see that the result was.
Here it is:

Made using:
Stampin' Up: Christmas Quilt stamps, Quilt Builder framelits, foil snowflakes, enamel shapes Blushing Bride, Rose Red and Garden Green ink, Garden Green, Rose Red and Whisper White paper.
Other Products: My Favorite Things Plaid Background builder stamps.

Breast cancer awareness

I was pleased to be able to combine two challenges with this card: In(k)spire Me's sketch #319 and Time Out's invitation to make a card for either friendship or breast cancer awareness - both worthy subjects. I have just bought the Christmas Quilt stamps and dies from Stampin' Up and already love them, and here, experimented with a band across the card made using some of the stamps. I used some of Stampin' Up's  newest in-season colours, because of the two lovely and very different pinks.
Here's the card:

Made using Stampin' Up products: 

Christmas Quilt  and Sending Thoughts stamps, Quilt Builder framelits, Ink (Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Powder Pink), Paper (Berry Burst, Whisper White, Powder Pink), pink ribbon (sorry, don't know exact details except that I think it's the same company!)