Fusion #9 - Hawaiian Lei

note: for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, please click here or scroll down.

It's FUSION time again! 

This week for my sketch-based card, I looked through my dies to find something small to hang for the banner elements.

This small flower and die set hadn't seen use yet, so I ended up making a Hawaiian lei out of it. The striped background is toned down from the sketch to just three lines, with the Hawaiian sentiment of "thank you" embossed in bronze on the middle line.

It stands out nicely on its own, maybe due to how the baker's twine is hanging from holes punched in the fold line. Would you believe the Papertrey stamp set is called "Flower FUSION #3?" I think it was meant to be : )

Please stop by the Fusion blog to check out the other sketch, photo and fusion inspiration from my design teammates, and to link up your own interpretation!

Thanks so much for looking!

-Kelly

CFC#103 - Congrats!

This week we've got a theme of congratulations at the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge.  And our sponsor is CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, so there's a nice prize lined up for the winner!

This one uses the bombs and sentiment from the CAS-ual Fridays Ka-Boom set. I was working off a banner card sketch, and got it in my head that it would be funny to put bombs on the banners. No flowers, bunnies, or other frilly things. Just bombs, that are exploding. In a congratulatory way! Luckily the word "blow" is outlined, so I can fill it with the same color treatment as the banners to tie it all in.

The background is one I hadn't inked up yet from Brickworks. LOVE how it turned out .. fills the space, looks interesting, yet not distracting. I used washi tape on the edges as a mask.

 The banners happened to point out nicely, yet are flat for mailing. No adhesive on the wire, it's just threaded through two holes and then wound in a spiral to secure. 

Sure hope you'll stop by CAS-ual Fridays to check out the other wonderful designers, and to link up your own fab creations!

Thanks so much for looking!

-Kelly

ETA: I'm also linking this up to the FUSION challenge since I used the sketch as inspiration, but couldn't post it at the time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARDYTH!!! You ROCK!

Happy Birthday to my AWESOME bloggy friend, Ardyth Percy-Robb!

The details: as some of you may know, another FABULOUS bloggy friend Darnell Knauss has organized a birthday surprise for Ardyth. Several people are posting cards made for Ardyth and linking back to Darnell's blog (what a lovely hostess!) If you would like to join in the fun, please do, and link your "Happy Birthday, Ardyth" card to Darnell's blog.

OK, back to Birthday Business.

Ardyth has such a distinct CAS style, you can spot one of her amazing cards a mile away in a gallery. Especially if it has horses or a piano on it! So naturally I wanted to make a card in her style, and I immediately knew which card I wanted to CASE.

Ardyth's Card

It's this lovely. And I'm so pleased that I was able to find it right away. I remembered it was a Thank You card, so clicked on her Thank You gallery and there it was. Couldn't be easier! 

And here's my CASE. Very similar ... except now looking at it again I realize that the base is a little different, with the circle floating on this one. 

 

Since it is Ardyth's birthday, I must send her good wishes, in addition to letting her know that she rocks. So I tilted the design from the front and added the sentiment down the middle.

While I was on her blog getting links, I saw her birthday post as the host of One Layer Wednesday, where the theme is to make a card that she would like. She goes on to describe her card-making style. I was excited to read how I got it all, except for the very last bit! Here's her description:

"As for design, you know I love cheerful bright colours - YES

 (especially aquas - YES!

and rainbows) - YES!!!

  and clean design with lots of white space. - YEP

 Oh, yeah, and SPARKLE! -Rats, missed this one.

Anyway, please check back with Darnell's blog to see who else is wishing Ardyth a fantastic birthday, or to participate yourself. Ardyth, I hope you feel the love today and get some time to enjoy yourself!

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Feature

Hi all, it's my monthly post featuring cards with the amazing stamps at CASual Fridays Stamps!

This one is the more traditional card. It uses the sentiments and flourish from Frankly, each embossed in a different color. I think that helps it balance my crazy retro bird! He's cut from a rather wild ribbon I got at a flea market from the 1970s. If you don't look at the colors, it would be right in style today with those chevrons! Everything comes back in various forms, right? I cut another bird from chipboard to give him some weight.

The next card uses Houndstooth, but it's not traditional. In fact, it's a little out there.

Image Credit

A classic video game that debuted in the late 1970's ... Space Invaders. Oh how many quarters I used in my quest to defeat those aliens! But what does this have to do with houndstooth?!?

Right? Can you see it? Too much of a stretch? The large houndstooth totally reminded me of the aliens from Space Invaders.

Stamping just one column of the border stamp gives you houndstooth in a row, like Space Invaders, instead of the typical staggered pattern. I thought this would make a great older male birthday card (not too many of those in my stash!) Excited to see that it went so well with the "Blow It Up!" sentiment from Ka-boom!

Thanks so much for looking!
-Kelly

Fusion #8 (sketch only)

(note: this is my second post of the day, for the CAS-ual Fridays post please click here or scroll down)

 Oh my word, did you see the FUSION Challenge gallery from last week?!? All the entries were just stunning! I'm so glad everyone votes to pick a winner, definitely takes the pressure off a little : )

 

The sketch challenge this week had me stumped a bit. I just really couldn't think of anything interesting to make. Then, at the 11th hour, I though of something, and scrambled to make it happen. So pleased with how it turned out. It's one of those cards where I go check on it before going to bed, just because I'm so excited. 

[please don't think I'm weird, please don't think I'm weird, please don't think I'm weird]

 I've been hoarding this paper for a few years, and built the card around that. Then, all my accidents took over and made me fall in love with it:

1) Complete accident how the small flowers on the left and the big one on the right point to the clock focal point. 

2) To get more of a bigger circle look, I tilted the glitter polka-dot paper after I cut my too-small circle. So, complete accident how the dots are on a diagonal instead of the straight way I'd normally use them. 

3) The polka-dot paper scrap fell over and I saw the beautiful raspberry color. Perfect for behind the trellis die.

4) I used some aqua washi tape (a solid one I never use on projects) to hold the super thin and flimsy dot stamp on the curve before I put my acrylic block on it. Loved the look of the aqua on the card. Never intended on using it. So I tried thinking of a way to incorporate the aqua. Banner, nah. Sentiment background, nope. Enamel dot ... YES! Where? The center of the clock with no hands! YAY!! My favorite part.

 

The center of the clock is made from layers of the Memory Box trellis die. It's actually only one length of the die, cut in thirds. I wouldn't have thought to cut the middle of the clock out and back it with a pattern were it not for the sketch detail. 

Sure hope to see more amazing cards this week in the gallery! Also check out the sketch, photo, and fusion inspired samples from the fab design team!

Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

CAS-ual Fridays #102: Red, White and Blue

This week our sponsor for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge is Simon Says Stamp, where the winner will receive a $25 gift certificate. Whoo-hoo!!

I am totally not being patriotic for this post [hangs head in shame] but I've honestly never sent a patriotic card. Maybe I should! But for now, my red white and blue creation is, instead, a message of hope and rebirth.

A cardinal sitting on her nest, waiting for her chicks to hatch. The best is definitely just about to come!

The bird is cut from my son's holey pajama top. On the non-holey part (yes, I save EVERY thing!) Her nest is made from a strand of wrapped burlap, which ended up being the most difficult part of this card. It's inspired from the Easter egg bird nests I made this year. The white branch divides the card base. Finally, the sentiment is from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps' first card set, Truth Is.

Sure hope to see you in the gallery! And don't forget to check out the other red, white, and blue lovelies from the fantastic design team, if you haven't already!

Thanks so much for looking!

-Kelly

Fusion Challenge #7

(note: this is my second post of the day, for the CAS-ual Friday's challenge click here or scroll down)

Yet another FUSION winner from the last challenge (what a great card, you really have to check it out if you haven't already!) I have a feeling this week might provide a non-FUSION winner ... let's see!

My challenge, as always, is based on the sketch only. This is a 10-year-old birthday card for our dear friend and neighbor who's in love with orange and glitter. Gathering crepe paper layers along a long running stitch makes the boarder. Then to break up the white embossed sentiment, the first row of text is colored with green alcohol markers.

Head on over to the Fusion Challenge to check out the inspirational Design Team, and also the gallery, which I'm sure will be amazing.

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly