PDCC 91 - A splash of RED

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #91 is A Splash of....and I chose RED.  I'm creating a brag book (8"x8") scrapbook of my 2 girls for my mum - you know I'm a "sentimental" crafter, right?  Anyway, this challenge was the perfect inspiration for my cover page - "simply us Sisters".

I had these beatiful B&W photos of my girls taken by their dad which capture a bit of their personality and bond.  This cover page is apt for what the scrapbook is about as well as the showing my kids simply as who they are....growing up.  This is my 7th layout and I've got such a loooong way to go.  You know, much as I'd love to give this away, I think it'll be tough as well.

This has been inspired by many of the DT gals work including:

• use of twine
• use of red 
• black matting
• use of chalk (well, it was by a DT gal but not quite for this week's PDCC)

I was going to do a dry-brush approach but don't really have the right red paint so I ended up using red chalk  (with fingers - messy fun!) which I saw in one of the DT gals blogs....this is why you go visiting DT gals' blogs.   My chalks are hardly ever dug out of storage so it was good to have the inspired nudge to do so.

Happy visiting.

OLW 62 - Make it personal

I haven't played with the OLW crowd for a while and it's about time I did!  Susan's OLW challenge #62 is to make it personal - my kind of crafting as mentioned here and I really needed to make this (read more below).

I like OLW challenges because of the focus on simplicity and design, CAS-style.  There are no prices or badges or anything like that.  The community is great and friendly and truly talented; not that I'm saying I am. :-)  Plenty of pure CAS inspiration there, let me tell ya.

'Nuff prologue, here's my card:

All products from Stampin Up.

Stamps: Bring on the Cake, A Slice of life
ink: Basic Black
various markers

This is my 2nd attempt and design - 1st one obviously failed (ha ha).  I had a few other design themes in mind but this one is okay so will go with it.  I decided not to go OC about the colouring and lining up as it looks more handmade and less contrived....more fun, in a way, too.

The personal bit - this card is for my younger brother whose birthday is on next week.  It is rather cheeky to tease him about the number of candles because I certainly have 1 more than him this year, and every year for that matter (if cheeky is your thing, you might care to check out another of my challenge-entry cards here).  Because it is for my brother, I restrained myself from putting on some sparklies (dang).

Cheers.

CFC #10 - Shaped Card:iPhone(R)

I don't tend to do shaped cards so very nearly passed up on CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #10.   Head on over to see what others have done but first, check out what I've got ;)

Ta da!

The inspiration came from the latest issue of PaperCrafts magazine.  There was an old-style phone there created using a telephone die-cut.  Well, here's a phone, too, so technically it is a shaped card even if it looks like it's not.  Cheeky, just a bit.  I'll have you know, thought that it is to-scale (1: 1.375, to be exact, roughly 3"x6").  I thought it would be fun to give to someone who loves their iPhone (mine's white just like this) and chocolate ...yes, I know just the girl.

Tossed up between this "view" and a text message of "call me".  Obviously, this one won out.  Putting it out there, though, to inspire you to create something similar.

I was going to put more little bits but decided not to, to keep it CAS and focused on the To-Do list.

stamps are all from Stampin Up: Eat Chocolate, Playful Pieces, Short & Sweet.

Cheers.

PDCC 89 - texture+

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #89 is to use Mint...Buttercream...Taupe. Combine this with Jac-Inks Challenge for die cuts + texture and what have you got?

Something like this.

I don't use yellow much so struggled a bit with this one, probably why I decided to combine challenges in fact.  I needed an extra boost. ;)

I used a really light yellow cardstock and embossed it using Stampin Up embossing folder (Manhattan Flower).  I brayered on some SU Crumb Cake ink (closest to taupe that I've got) and inked around the corners and edges with TH Shabby Shutters (don't really have mint and figured green should be good enough).  The sentiment is from Stampin Up as well (Heard from the Heart).  Yellow ribbon is from Martha Stewart.  The trim is a die cut from TH alterations (brackets).

This is really quite a simple card with a traditional layout.  I wanted to try something fancy like dazzling diamonds on the raised outline (flip side of the embossing) but that didn't go very well this time...will try again next time.

Anyway, this card is going to an inspirational woman I recently met.  Her kids are incredible young adults whose capacity to engage, inspire and encourage are testament to the wonderful background they've come from.

I'm a sentimental crafter ain't I?

cheers,
Malyn
 

PDCC 88 - Artistic Etchings

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #88 involves Red-ish/Orange...Yucky Yellow...Juniper  colours.  Lovely colour combo, for sure, but it took me a while to think of something particularly as I generally want to try something different.  That said, my cards always seem to look the same to me.  That said, a quick look at my cards in flipcard (or mosaic) view  shows that occasionally, I do come up with something a bit different (btw, if you use Blogger - you can also create a mosaic view - see how to here).

Right, better get posting as PDCC 88 is about to close!

Here's my entry this week.

Night-time here so this isn't the best shot. I tried a few but there's just too much shadow.  Oh well.

The deets:

stamps: Stampin Up Artistic Etchings

inks: SU Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight

It's pretty CAS - lots of white space but that 3D "bauble" must make up for it, surely. ;)  Also, no sentiments as I intentionally wanted to keep this card blank.  Besides, I really couldn't find any sentiment (or font) that suited the style.  What would you suggest? Script? Small?  Where?

Cheers.

CFC #9 Kraft-men

CAS-ual Fridays challenge #9 is to use Kraft on a CAS masculine card.

Here's my take. Not sure if it's CAS and/or masculine enough but I did try.  It's for one of the members of my daughter's Gang Show production....hence the "ticket", "starring" theme.

Stamps are from a couple of Tim Holtz sets. Frame was stamped twice - craft white then black - then heat embossed.   Thanks sentiment from Stampin Up Pocket Silhouette set.  Button and Cherry Cobbler ink from SU as well.

Cheers.

simply Less is More #22 - Shades of Blue

Simply Less is More challenge #22 is SHADES of BLUE.  Cool blues!

I needed to make a birthday card for a boy urgently so took this opportunity to do a challenge as well.  As it happens, I'm giving him an iTunes card so my design was constrained accordingly.   Here it is:

The pocket did start out as a white piece of card.  Emboss-resist is one of my favourite techniques. What's new here (for me, at least) is using a brayer!  That was a challenge as I built up the colours.  The gradient was supposed to be vertical but, as you can see, it ended up horizontal.  No matter, I've got my shades of blue.

All products except ribbon and floss from Stampin Up

inks: Versamark, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Tempting Turquoise, Not Quite Navy
stamps: French Foliage, Playful Pieces, Bring on the Cake

I had visions of using scallop punches and all that but being a card for a boy, I restrained myself. ;)  The Baja Breeze cardstock looked a bit plain hence the raindrops (Marina Mist) and sponging of the edges.

I need more practice with the brayer methinks.

cheers,
Malyn