Catching Up with Card Challenges

Having been basically inactive in the craft room for weeks, I'm in the mood to catch up.

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I love making backgrounds; it might be my favorite part of card-making.  This Paper Towel technique for CAS Mix Up is so much fun, and I can see it becoming a go-to.  I had to make my own "inky towel" by spraying Distress Sprays on the towel.  The image is an old favorite from Paperbag Studios, who closed more than a year ago.  For the "extra" I cut some tiny hearts out of the inked cardstock to apply. The sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp set. 

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The next card is for CAS(E) this Sketch.  

I decided to make this card a masculine one; I rarely make them, but can use one now and then. 

The card center was die cut from a piece of heavy printed cardstock with a postage stamp die  nd the "shaded" sentiment is from MemoryBox. 

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The third and final card for today's post is a "Fusion" challenge. 

I am creatively challenged by photo suggestions for a card design.  My brain doesn't work that way!  That means that I choose the "default" image nearly all the time.  It was no different with this particular challenge.  I did have some fun with the DSP from a Kaiser craft paper pad.  The diecut sentiment is from an unnamed collection of words. 

Color Throwdown

Once again, I'm dealing with colors I rarely, if ever, use together.  I don't have any horned/antlered creature stamps, but I do have a cute Paperbag Studios image that works well with the colors in this week's Color Throwdown 534. 

A new challenge

By following other blogs, I keep discovering new challenges to try.  Paperbag Studios has a challenge this month to use flowers with their images.  I picked what is probably my favorite Paperbag image, a flower, and then chose the (flesh-color and brown) cardstock and ink based on the flower.   Placement of the flower in that unusual center location was just a whim, but it seems to fit the  dies used to frame the image.