Animals at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies we want to see your Cards with Animals.

Although I hesitate at making circus-themed cards these days (and I really don't mind the trend towards fazing out traditional zoos & animal acts), I just couldn't resist making this card.

The sentiments, from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, were heat-embossed in neon green & stamped again in blue dye ink to create a shadow effect. I put it directly onto this circle-patterned DP from my stash.The seals & elephant were dry-embossed and/or die-cut in my BigShot. I used a shiny, textured blue paper inked with blue ink for the seals; I colored white die-cuts with a fluorescent yellow Copic marker to make shadows. The elephant is cut from another stash DP, that I colored with the same fluorescent yellow marker. I used a QuicKutz die to make the loopy borders. THe star paper is also from my stash. For the base, I embossed a blue cardstock with a bubbly folder.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays: Birthday Boy+ CAS-ual Fridays stamps
House That Stamps Built: Sketch #2516
Twofers Challenge #20: Animals + stamping + No digital images



Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies,

Sporty Amazeballs

I just recently figured out that my Amazeballs stamp set from CAS-ual Fridays is perfect for sports themes, so I used circle dies to create golf, tennis, and soccer balls for this relatively simple card:

I made the soccer ball with a hexagon punch; I glued the punched shapes onto cardstock & then die-cut the circle. The tennis ball is made from 2 circles, and the top portions were colored with a fluorescent yellow-green marker & covered with yellow flocking. I simply dry-embossed the golf ball circle, but used the debossed side. I die-cut the treeline, embossed the top portion, stamped on the bottom, and then fit it back together onto 3 base papers.

The background color scheme of Mint & Navy was inspired by the challenge at Inkspirational. I used papers in 2 shades of both colors. I think this could be used for anyone.

I finished the card with a little "marble" sticker embellishment. My style has been fairly simple recently, but I think it appeals to a wider audience and of course I can always add embellishments in the future, if necessary!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge: Sketch #160
Happy Little Stampers: Anything Goes with Dies
Inkspirational: Mint & Navy colors

Thanks for stopping by,

Classically Amazeballs

I'm so happy that the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge is back; you know I love an excuse to use their "Amazeballs" stamp set. This striking lady golfer image is fussy-cut from a sheet of Graphic45 DP.

The papers are from my stash; they both have such a nice distressed look. I added a bit of brown ink to the edges. I cut the "Golf Club Landscape" from Memory Box from two wood tapes, and inked them with Vintage Photos & Tea Dye distress inks. The golf ball moon was embossed & cut in my BigShot. I love these CAS-ual Fridays sentiment stamps, I can always count on a great result.

Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays #147: Birthday Girl

YNS Challenge #38: Sketch

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Ballsy Techniques

I'm up late on a Saturday night, listening to quite the Spring storm outside, so it's the perfect time to make a card using some of my favorite challenges & techniques.

The light yellow paper is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder in my BigShot, and then I stamped the sentiments (CAS-ual Fridays) with a bright dark blue ink. The line/dot border (Annabelle Stamps) was stamped twice & embossed with a clear yellow powder. I added 3 gemstones that I colored with a green marker. I added some splatters with a blue spray ink (Tattered Angels); instead of inking the paper, I made droplets on a flat surface & carefully placed the ink droplets for a random effect!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Amusing Challenge: Anything Goes
Less is More #270: White Space but not White

Share Joy Challenge: Color Combo
STAMPlorations: Sketch + Stamps & Splatters

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Masked & Splashed

I've been working on my inking skills, and nothing tests them like a one-layer card! I was inspired some great challenges (see below).

The stamps are from CAS-ual Fridays. I used strips of paper as masks to create the stripes; I also used masking for the circle stamps. I punch a circle to create a mask for the filled-in circles. The sentiment is embossed with a ZING! powder. The blue ink is from Hampton Art; the coral chalk ink is from Quick Quotes. The darkish yellow is Mustard Seed distress ink from Ranger. I'm really pleased how this came out, and am especially pleased that I didn't get ink on the rest of the card!

Inspiration/Challenges:
colourQ: Color Combo #332
Jo's Scrap Shack #129: Sketch
Less is More: One Layer + Sentiment as focal point
Paru's Card Making Challenge: Colors + Masking Technique

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

A Splash of Balls

I just can't get enough of my Amazeballs stamp set from CAS-ual Fridays. I used two purple embossing powders for the sentiment.

The circles are cut from a textured white paper with the "Fun Filled Rings" die from Spellbinders Celebra’tions collection. I matched them up with the background, marked the edges, and colored them with a black or clear Wink of Stella pen. The zig-zag piece is inspired by SEI's Patchwork Chevron Technique and I added 3 dots each of violet Liquid Pearls & Grape Stickles.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Lawnscaping: Black & White + Color Splash
Moving Along With The Times: Purple

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Pssst

I so enjoyed the color combo at House That Stamps Built that I just had to use it again! Unfortunately, I missed the challenge deadline, but I'm still pleased with the cards it inspired. 

The image is a rubber stamp from Rogue Redheadhead Designs, and the sentiments are from CAS-ual Fridays. The image and "Amazeballs" are stamped in Vintage Photo distress ink; the smaller sentiments are stamped it Milk Chocolate chalk ink. The papers are punched with a MS punch. I used the scoring blade on my papercutter to frame the image. I finished the card with a bit of raffia.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More: Clean and Simple
Sisterhood of Crafters: Punches

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Amazingly Juicy

Once I started using my new CAS-ual Fridays Amazeballs stamp set, I couldn't stop! This time, I was inspired by the Citrus colour challenge at Less Is More.

The orange circles were cut with my Silhouette Cameo from an SU! double-sided paper. I used Desire's tutorial for the folded circle embellishments. The sentiments are heat-embossed in neon green, and the splashes are heat-embossed in lemon-scented powder. I used my Tim Holtz stain stencil for the splashes. I inked a backing paper with Pink Grapefruit ink.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Creations #310: Sentiment As A Focal Point
Less is More: Citrus Color Scheme + CAS

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Ballsy

I so enjoyed the color combo at House That Stamps Built that I just had to use it, although I thought about for so long that I missed the challenge deadline! But I just can't pass up an opportunity to use my Tim Holtz stain stencil (inked in Antique Linen) along with the Amazeballs stamp set from CAS-ual Fridays.

Inspiration/Challenges:
House That Stamps Built: Pink + Teal + Brown
Always Playing with Paper: Sketch

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting!

Absolutely Positively Birthday

I really enjoy participating in all the great crafting challenges out there, but I must admit that winning prizes is awfully fun too! Recently, I was the lucky winner of a Simon Says Stamp gift certificate, and it helped me finally get my hands on this CAS-ual Fridays stamp set that I've had my eye on for some time.  

I stamped the sentiments with watermark ink & heat-embossed with a neon green powder from Recollections. Man, it came out so great! The black piece was embossed with a dotted chevron folder.  

The chevrons are made with an SU! double-sided paper using SEI's Patchwork Chevron Technique. The arrow-patterned paper is by Pebbles, Inc. and has been in my stash forever; I edged it with a fluorescent blue Copic. The card base is a bright turquoise.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Inkspirational #103: Geometric
Ooh La La Creations: Add a Sentiment

Thanks for stopping by,