CFC103: Congratulations

I have a wedding to attend tomorrow and needed a card, so I was super excited when I saw the new CAS-ual Fridays Challenge to make a "congratulations" card.  Talk about perfect timing. :)

Probably the thing that makes me the happiest on this card is that when I took this photo, the sun captured the glitter on the diamond just right, so it actually sparkles. :)  Speaking of the diamond ring, that was totally inspired by this card made by the uberly talented Amber of Damask Love and a card she had published in Papercrafts Magazine (I can't remember which issue...rats).  Any one else remember the awesome "woohoo" card she made with a diamond on one of the "o's"?  Well, I couldn't forget it, and I actually ordered "Celebrate Chandelier" by My Cute Stamps just for this purpose.  (And I got a killer deal on it, too, because they are liquidating all of their stamp sets.)  I'm sure I'll get more use out if the set, but even if I didn't, the purchase would still be worth it.
Hope you all have a happy (and sunny) weekend!
Supplies
Stamps: My Cute Stamps (Celebrate Chandelier), PTI (Baby Button Bits, Borders & Corners Monogram Edition) 
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Paper: MME (Breeze), PTI (Aqua Mist)
Dies: PTI (Mat Stack 3, 1 3/4" Limitless Layers Circle)
Other: Martha Stewart (white gold glitter), The Twinery (Buttercream twine), prisma glitter, ribbon

TAWS Be Inspired #29 & CFC102

With so many challenges having red, white, and blue themes this week it's been pretty easy to carry on the spirit of Memorial Day and feel patriotic and grateful.  This card makes me happy, which is good because stamping and embossing "thanks" that many times took a while.  I especially love how the embossing looks after I watercolored blue over it!  I'm itching to try that again.  Another personal happy note is that I was able to combine my new TAWS All About You Set with some really old supplies...I've had those button brads and flowers for years.  Using up supplies in my stash makes me so happy...particularly when I like how the card turned out. :) Oh, I almost forgot...I made this card for two challenges: TAWS Be Inspired Challenge #29 and CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #102.

CFC102

When I saw this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays

the first two ideas that popped into my head were 4th of July and nautical.  Though I love the 4th of July, I'm not quite ready to skip to that holiday, so I went with a nautical theme. This card is pretty simple - just a little embossing and paper piecing.  Lately I've been trying to use up some of the supplies in my stash and my less used stamps and dies, but I feel like I've been forcing it too much on some of my cards and haven't really been pleased with the results.  I think I finally found a balance on this card.  I used some older supplies, but the final product still feels "me"ish and I'm happy with how it turned out.  Yay for that!

May Papertrey Blog Hop

 

Happy Memorial Weekend (for those of you in the US)!  This has always been a special weekend for my family.  I come from small families and it's a tradition on both sides of our family to decorate family graves on Memorial Weekend.  My grandmothers both bought or arranged the most beautiful bouquets every year and we'd travel to at least a couple cemeteries in different towns each year.  I loved the flowers, spending time with my grandparents, and hearing stories about all the different people whose graves we were decorating.  It's a tradition I hope to carry on.  I used this family tradition, a recent funeral I attended for an "adopted" grandmother, and Papertrey's May Blog Hop with a focus on floral images as inspiration for this card.  I also roughly used this color scheme.

This card started out with just the die cut image and some stamping in the negative space, but in the end I added a glittered vase with a tag tied on.  I built my bouquet using 1st and second generation stamping with three different inks.  A simple technique, but I love the way it turned out.  The big flower in the center really is a great melon-berry-looking color in real life, but it looks washed out in all the photos I took even though all the other colors are pretty true.  I have no idea how that is even possible, but apparently it is. 

Well, that's it for me today.  Thanks for stopping by!  Happy hopping! :)

Supplies
Stamps: PTI (Daydreamer, Friendship Jar: Summer Fillers, Happy Hexagons, Round & Round, Turning a New Leaf)
Ink: PTI (harvest gold, spring moss), SU (groovy guava, pumpkin pie)
Paper: PTI (rustic white), MME (Lost & Found Two), Michael's (satin cardstock)
Other: CTMH (garden green marker), Martha Stewart (white gold glitter) PTI (Mat Stack 6 die, Tiny Tags Dies), The Twinery (buttercream twine)

MIM #117 & CFC101

Yay for cards two days in a row! :) I had a bit of time to make this card today and quickly ran (yes, ran) outside to snap a photo before the sunlight was totally gone.  I paper pieced these darling little hippos for this this week's Make It Monday Challenge.  I also made this card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge to stamp on designer paper.  I truly thought of each challenge separately as I assembled my card, and I'm so glad for both challenges because each sparked different ideas for elements on my card.

Okay, I can't help but put in one more shot of these hippos. (I've always loved them!) Though cutting the nostrils and teeth was a bit painstaking for the little guy, I just couldn't bring myself to skip that detail, and I'm glad I didn't.  I just love the way everything turned out.  This card will be hard to part with.  It will probably be one that I keep around for a while. (Sometimes I feel selfish that I'm reluctant to give away the cards I like the best...I hope I'm not the only one who has a hard time parting with cards they love. :) )

Supplies
Stamps: PTI (Baby Button Bits, Tiny Treats: Birthday, Tremendous Treats: Birthday)
Ink: PTI (chamomile tea dye, kraft)
Paper: MME (Cowboy, Lost & Found Two), PTI (rustic cream)
Other: Michael's (tiny clothespin), PTI (Fabulous Frames Dies)