Challenge #213 for Cas-ual Fridays!!

Hello and welcome to another challenge for Cas-ual Fridays Stamps!!  This challenge asks that you use shades of gold on your project!

With the holidays fast approaching, gold is always a favourite colour to create with!  I kept my card fairly clean and simple, using only one stamp set.

I had some gold, shimmery paint in my stash that I have never used so this was the perfect opportunity. To create the striped background, I painted all over a piece of cardstock and trimmed strips from it.  I didn't measure or keep the strips even in size.  I also went for a random look when adhering the strips to the panel.

The snowflakes and sentiment are from the Snowy Sayings stamp set.  I wanted to incorporate a touch of black into this card, so I used Versafine Onxy Black ink for the sentiment.  The snowflakes were heat embossed with Metallic Copper Embossing powder from WOW!.  This is actually my favourite colour of embossing powder at the moment!

I fussy cut each snowflake and also directly stamped and embossed a few small flakes onto the card front. The snowflakes were adhered using foam adhesive.

And that's my take on the "Shades of Gold" Challenge!!  Now here's how to enter and what you're playing for:

What are your playing for? 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. And if that weren't enough, if the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50. 

Please link up your creation to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog!! Have fun and I cannot wait to see what you create!!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #211

Welcome back to the new challenge for CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!!  This is the perfect Fall Challenge!!

The colours and textures just scream Fall time to me! Here's what I created for you today...

I used the Acorn Fri-Dies to cut out white cardstock.  I used various yellows, oranges, reds and brown Distress Inks to colour up those die cuts.  This is my favourite way of colouring lately.

I used the Autumn Blessings Stamp set, which co-ordinates with the Acorn Fri-Dies, for the sentiment.  To highlight the sentiment, I used one of the Bubble Box Dies and kraft cardstock. Of course, gold embossing just had to be used here!!

I used a Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz) for the background and foam mounted the sentiment, leaves and acorn.

To add a bit more shine, I die cut one of the Casual Trees Dies out of gold glitter paper and snipped it apart to fit in and around the sentiment die cut.

I was going to add some gold sequins, but thought it was perfect as it was!!

Now, here's what you're playing for...

Please go to the CAS-ual Fridays Blog to link up your creation for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the CAS-ual Fridays shop. Remember, if you use CAS-ual Fridays stamps and dies and are chosen as the winner, you will get a $50 gift certificate...wow!!

Good luck and I can't wait to see what you create!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #210

Welcome back!! It's time for the newest challenge over on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog!!  And the theme for this challenge is...

Pinks and greys!! How fun and sweet!!  I decided to make a very feminine birthday card for this challenge.

I used the Treble Clef Fri-Die as the largest image of the card and created around it.  I used Hickory Smoke Distress Ink with a finger dauber to apply the colour.  To dress up that beautiful music note, I used the 4 Petal Fri-Dies and used Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks and coloured them the same way.

If you look closely, I decided to use the Spun Sugar ink along with the Square Dance Stencil from Catherine Pooler Designs to add a tiny bit of detail to the card front. The sentiment comes from the Heartfelt Sayings Stamp Set and was stamped using Versafine Clair Morning Mist ink.

I added a few pearls to the centre of the flowers as well as some shimmer pen to the note. The tiny grey hearts are actually cut from the bottom of the note..they make great embellishments!!

I really hope you can join us for this fun challenge!  I love seeing what you're creating!!

Here's what you're playing for:

Be sure to link up your project to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog!!  Good luck and have fun!!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #208...

Welcome back to another challenge for CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!!  This is a sparkly, fun one as it's all about Using Those Sequins!!

I don't have any shortage of sequins in my craft room. Sequins of all shapes, sizes and colours! Although, I tend to use mostly clear on my projects, I must start giving love to all!!  For my card today, I blinged up some die cuts with sequins.

I stamped the large Happy B-Day from the Celebrate Stamp Set with two shades of pink ink to get an ombre look and added some clear shimmer pen to it.  These words are two different stamps which is nice because it gives a lot of options for sentiment placement.

I used the super cool Jumping Jacks Fri-Dies numerous times out of white cardstock and used the same inks to give them some colour.  I used Majestic Confetti from Studio Katia.  Most of my sequin collection has come from there.

I thought it would be cool to add different sizes to each of the jumping jacks. I think it turned out super cool!!

Before mounting my focal panel to the card base, I used my scoring board to add some embossed lines across the front, again, super cool and so easy to do!!

I hope you have a chance to play along with us and use up some of your sequin stash!! Here are all the details on how to enter:

Link up your creation on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog.  10 winning entries will be featured on the blog the Thursday before the new challenge goes live.  The overall winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the CAS-ual Friday store. BUT, if the winning entry features CAS-Fridays stamps and dies, the amount will increase to $50!!! Wow!

I cannot wait to see what you create with sequins! Good luck!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #207

Welcome back!! It's time for another challenge on the CAS-Fridays Challenge Blog!!  The theme for the next two weeks is...

Mint and Neutral!!  Oh, what fun!  I love the colour mint, every shade of it, so this was an easy and fun challenge for me!

I went for a very clean and simple look and choose Ivory as my neutral colour.  I created a dimensional background by cutting the gorgeous Casual Trees Fri-Dies multiple times out of ivory cardstock and adhering them directly to a 4 bar ivory card base (3.5 X 5 inch). This gives a very elegant look.

I die cut the Friend Fri-Dies from white cardstock and used Catherine Pooler inks in the colours, Mint To Be and Seafoam.  These inks are awesome and I highly recommend trying them!! I added Versamark Ink over the die cut and heat embossed it in clear. I did this twice to give a nice, raised, shiny look!

I adhered the word die onto a scalloped oval die from MFT to make it pop a little from the background. The tiny hearts come from the Fun-fetti Fri-Dies and were treated the same as the friend die.

I usually leave the inside of my cards blank. Especially if it's a generic friendship card.  You can customize it later for any occasion!!

Link up your project on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog. Ten (10) winning entries will be featured on the blog the Thursday before a new challenge starts. The overall winner will receive a $25 gift certificate for the CAS-Fridays shop! But if that winner featured CAS-Fridays products, the prize amount will double!! Remember, you are not required to use CAS-Friday products :)

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you'll join the challenge! Have fun creating and good luck!

Laurie

     

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #206

Hey friends! Welcome back! Today is the start of a new challenge on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog!!  We are making projects with a Back To School Theme. I cannot believe it's that time, summer always flies by.

I have a niece going into Grade 11 so this card is for her.  I used the Flower Power Stamp Set (which is one of my faves!) 

The plan for this card started out completely different than the way it ended up.  I stamped the You Rock with Barely Beige ink from Simon Says Stamp.  I originally thought I would do no-line colouring on these letters but my skills are what you'd call...lacking. So after the colouring was done, I decided to rest restamp in Versamark Ink and gold heat emboss.  

I heat embossed "truth is" which is from the Truth Is Stamp Set also in gold and foam mounted the strip in between the focal sentiment.

The embellishments are made using the Fun-Fetti Fri-Dies cut from gold cardstock which I made using Versamark and gold embossing powder.

On the inside of the card, I stamped an encouraging sentiment also from the Truth Is Stamp Set.

I hope you find some inspiration today and don't forget to link up your creations to the CAS-ual Fridays Blog for a chance to win an amazing prize!!!

What are your playing for? 10 winning entries will be highlighted on this blog each Thursday before a new challenge is set to go live the next day.  In addition, Michele has generously offered up a $25 gift certificate to the overall winner at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. And if that weren't enough, if the chosen winner has used CAS-ual Fridays stamps and/or dies as the main focus in the card, that gift certificate will increase to $50. 

Thank you for stopping by today!!  I'll see you soon!!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #205!!

It's that special Friday when a new Challenge starts for CAS-ual Fridays!!  I love being a part of this team as it challenges me as well, which we all need sometimes!!  For the next two weeks, it's all about.....

Pattern stamping! This is very popular right now. And a whole lotta fun!  Here's what I came up with...

I actually made this for my husband for our anniversary!! I thought by leaving the majority of the card in black and white it would have a masculine feel. Even though there are tons of flowers on it!!  I haven't given it to him yet so I'm not sure how well it will go over, hahaha!

That gorgeous floral "love" comes from the Flower Power Stamp set which is one of the best stamp sets ever!!

The sentiment is from the Heartfelt Saying Set and was stamped on a white cardstock strip and matted with black to make it stand out a bit better from the background. It may be hard to tell, but I added a drop shadow to the background stamping to help it pop off the white cardstock a bit.  Unfortunately, I ran out of my C1 Copic and had to use C3 which I had a hard time blending out.

For a little pop of colour, I added red to all the hearts. As well as Glossy Accents :)

Remember to visit the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog to link your creations up!! You're playing to win a $25 gift certificate to the CAS-fridays shop BUT if you are the winner and you've used CAS-fridays products, that gift certificate doubles to $50!!!!

Thank you so much for visiting today!! Good luck and have fun with this challenge!!

Laurie

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #203

Helloooo!! I'm so excited because today is the day I officially start on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog!!  This is a bi-weekly challenge starting every other Friday so you have a couple of week to play along for an awesome prize!!  I hope you'll join in on the fun!!

The newest challenge is all about....HEAT EMBOSSING!!!

This is by far one of my favourite techniques. There is truly something magical on watching embossing powder melt.  I was tossing ideas around on what I wanted to do and the "emboss resist" technique came to mind.  Maybe some ink blending? Watercolour?  Nope!! I chose neither.  I went through my stash of embossing powders and came across some Zing powders.  I've had these forever and can't honestly tell you if I've ever used them. I think they may have been an impulse buy.

I had a scrap of kraft cardstock and thought I would test how these powders melted. I'm used to working with fine/detail powders and these are definitely neither. They are quite coarse. But wow, I loved how they melted!  Look at those colours!  I ended up using these images which are from the Pretty Posies stamp set and used the Posies Fri-Dies to cut them out.

I adhered the flowers and leaves together and foam mounted them to an ivory panel which was cut with a stitched rectangle die.

The sentiment is also from the Pretty Posies set and the heart comes from the Sassy Smiles stamp set.

Just look at how bright and thick that embossing is...love it!!  I ended up keeping this card fairly clean and simple to let the embossing shine!

I'm not sure where I actually purchased these powders but Simon Says Stamp does carry a few. 

To enter the challenge, simply link up your fab creations on the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog for a chance to win $25 worth of CAS-ual Fridays stamps/dies.  BUT the prize amount will DOUBLE if you use CAS-ual Fridays products...wow!!

Thank you for stopping by today!!  I cannot wait to see what you've heat embossed :)

Until next time...stay crafty!

Laurie 

FRIEND with Cas-ual Fridays!

Hi everyone!  I decided to enter a card challenge this week!!  This will be my first time participating in Cas-ual Fridays The Challenge!  I recently fell in love with this line of stamps through Catherine Pooler's Online Shop.  Cas-ual Fridays stamps and dies are really unique.  From sassy to elegant to whimsical to graphic, they've got you covered!

The theme of this challenge is FRIENDSHIP!!  I love making friendship cards to this was totally fun!!

I used the Tin Roof stamp set with Versamark Ink and Clear Embossing Powder to create the half circle, emboss resist piece.  I used Wilted Violet and Seedless Preserves Distress Oxide inks for the blending.

I die cut the Friend die out of black cardstock, twice, and layered them together.  My card base was white so I kept the black/white theme going by cutting the flowers from the Friendly Flowers Fri-Dies out of black and white, as well.

I matted the card panel (crookedly) onto a black mat and adhered it to the card base.  I foam mounted the large flower and used liquid glue for the smaller one.  And because I can't help myself, I added some white gel pen!!

It's hard to see in the photos, but I applied glitter pen to the friend die cut to give it some sparkle.  And speaking of sparkle, I added a few Sparkling Clear Sequins!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  I hope you enjoyed :)

Until next time...

Laurie