Freshly Made...Simply Made

It's fun to find a piece of DSP in a pile on my table and then decide it would work with the latest Freshly Made Sketches.  I cut the DSP with a daisy die from Verve and popped the trio on foam dots,  chose a black and white striped piece of paper for the rectangle and added a sentiment from a new Hero Arts clear set.  

Color Throwdown

I never stray very far off the path of card challenges.  Maybe it's because I'm the oldest of five siblings...who tended to follow the rules.  Or more likely, it's because I lack a true artistic gene.  Whatever it is, I had fun trying to find the colors in this particular Color Throwdown.  I had a lapful of markers, learning quickly that the color of the cap isn't necessarily the color of the ink. I did get to use this pretty Art Stamp from Carabelle-Studio.  The die is from Verve.  As is usually the case, my card is simple, which might be a weakness in some cases.  

Tuesday Card

Coffee was on my brain when I set out to make my Tuesday card this week. I was inspired by a digital sentiment about coffee, but as I worked on the card, I decided against that sentiment and went with one of my new Verve sets, "Happiness is..."  I chose two sentence endings that I think suit the busy mother of three, wife of a rancher, home visiting nurse, volunteer basketball coach for elementary girls.  Oh, she milks two cows a day, as well.  In the note inside my card, I told her we need to meet soon for coffee.  

A Tuesday Card

As I've explained earlier, I mail one of my cards every Tuesday to a young friend; this is a habit I started years ago for a dear college friend who had been diagnosed with cancer.  I mailed her a card each Tuesday until her death more than a year ago.  About a year earlier, I had started creating and mailing a second card to a new friend who lived on an isolated cattle ranch in NE Oregon.  That friend has since moved to a valley ranch only 30 miles from me, but she still gets a card.  This week's card was created with paper from an old Authentique pad, as well as new stamps and coordinating dies from Verve: Great Friend and Great Kindness.   

Color Throwdown 465

I love the color purple...and red, and turquoise, and blue...but purple has been my "favorite" color for decades.  I couldn't pass up this Color Throwdown of purple, black, and white.  From the beginning, I planned to use alcohol inks, which required some experimentation on my part--some which didn't work at all.  The feathers were die cut from a piece of Yupo inked with Amethyst (which is the blue purple I like the best) and Soot Black alcohol inks and then swirled with a paintbrush full of rubbing alcohol.  (The technique was one I watched recently on Jennifer McGuire's blog.)  The feather die is from Little B's "Autumn" set; "awesome" is from Verve.  

CAS Mix-Up with Watercolor Wash

Having been gone for a week visiting our baby granddaughter, I wanted to get back on the card-making track quickly.  The problem: I didn't read deadline dates very well, so the first two cards I made were late.  I posted one anyway because I like it. Onward ... to the  challenge September CAS Mix Up.Thank heavens, these last a month!  I'm loving the watercolor challenges, and I've been watching some great video demonstrations for instruction and inspiration.  

Watercolor wash was especially rewarding with Peerless Watercolors....It's amazing how much color is contained on each sheet in that booklet!The watercolor washes turned out to be quite vibrant.  In addition to the watercolor and stamping, I chose diecuts. 

At this point, I must admit another problem: my first card for this challenge is my favorite with its green, blue and yellow colors, BUT it's not very CAS.   Sooooooo....I made another one, with more white space.  This card features a Technique Junkies image and a Verve die cut. 

The card below was my initial choice, but it has very little white space.  I reminded myself that I must always think "CAS" when starting on one of these challenges.  The sentiment is from Impression Obsession, and the die cut is from Tim Holtz's "splatters" die set for Sizzix. 

Less is More with Curves

Curves are a challenge for me, and this card for Less is More was no exception.  I think I cut up three separate pieces of cardstock, trying to get something that pleased me.  Then when I put the card front together, I decided that the solid color needed texture, so I peeled it off and used an embossing folder. The inset is a piece of ""Color Burst Splash" paper from Ken Oliver, and the die cut sentiment is from Verve.  

Mojo Monday 497

Gray and white...featuring elements from the new Verve "Butterfly Grace"  stamp set and die set, for Mojo Monday 497.   

Mojo Monday #489

For this week's Mojo Monday sketch, I started with a piece of Asian-inspired paper from the Kaiser Craft "Hanami Garden" pad again. Pink, black, red, and gold were the colors of paper I chose for the card elements.  A gold-tipped Prima flower and a new die word from Verve Stamps completed the sketch.  

Mojo Monday -- on Thursday Again

I rarely get my MOJO MONDAY card finished on Monday; to be honest, I often don't even start it on Monday.  Even with a great sketch, I need to think--a lot!

There are lots of shapes and layers on #447.  It was definitely a challenge to choose papers!  I ended up with a neutral colored card, employing SU's paper pack "Dimensions" again (two weeks ago, too). "Fantastic" is a new die from Verve.