Going dotty...

Hey!

Hooray for Friday-Eve! Let's kick off this pre-weekend celebration with style:


CASE study-style of course! :)

Awww I'm sad to say that it's Julie Lacey's final week with us as a CASE study muse. I've been so inspired by her creation and had so much fun CASEing her!

Check out this blue beauty of hers up for her final CASE study as our muse this month:

You can check out the original post of this card, here!

I'm just gonna go right ahead and show you my card as I'm guessing it's pretty obvious what inspired me from Julie's card *wink*

Yup - pretty much everything!!! I jiggled the layout a bit and used a soft stone card-base (gotta love blue paired with that light shade of grey) but that's about it: everything else is pretty much stolen from Julie LOL! Didn't realise quite how many circular elements I managed to squeeze on just one card - check it out: interlocking circular stamp background, circular die cut shape, dotty impression plate; guess I must have a thing for circles right now...!

Now you can feel free to be totally inspired in any direction you wish by Julie's card. Why not check out what the rest of the CASE study DT took from Julie's fabby card and then join in the fun with us?

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Thanks so much for stopping by my li'l corner of Blogland!

Catch ya later!



Card Deets
{Happy Birthday}
Stamps: Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/For the Love of Dots (Practicing Creativity)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Enchanted Evening, Kraft, Blueberry Sky, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Enchanted Evening Satin Ribbon, Polka Dot Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)/Clear Gems (Zva)/Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)

Missing: Party Invite!

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! (It's pretty late over here but it's still Tuesday!) hope you all had a super duper weekend! Ours was pretty fabulous filled with some fun memories to treasure from a fantastic wedding we attended down in Devon (yup - that's one fun road-trip to endure from Sheffield! Good job I can read whilst travelling and can even read a map when needed after taking the wrong turn on the motorway *wink*)

After such fun, I'm now playing catch-up on all the things I normally do at the weekend including catching up in Blogland and also finding time for an inky session. But seeing as we're already on Tuesday (nearly Wednesday!) I figured I could cheat a li'l and share a project with you that you'll find in the August 2011 issue of CARDS:

***Click picture for a larger version where you can read the text***

This project was yet another naughty li'l one that decided to dictate its own destination once it was in the post - I wonder if some random, confused stranger ended up with the original party invite - ha!

The actual project photographed is another one I had to create during the chaos of moving house. I actually started to debate whether it was worth the effort of rooting through all those boxes again trying to find my supplies and working on the world's smallest workspace to create it again followed by sitting with everything crossed that it would not only reach it's correct destination, but would reach it on an extremely tight deadline when posting from the other side of the pond...

....but, now I see it in print it was definitely worth the effort :) Thanks so much to CARDS magazine for not only publishing my work but for being super understanding when yet another one of my projects was naughty in the post!

That's all from me for now - this gal's got a lot of catching up to do and not only on Google Reader but in her crafting corner studio too :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Invite Deets
{it's my party!}
Stamps: Damask Designs, Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/Sentiment from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink)/Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz, Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Sale #1 Die, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Collection Dies, Medium Scallop Border Die(Papertrey Ink)

Not a stamp in sight!

Hey!

It's nearly the weekend, Peeps! It's Friday-Eve and we all know what that's time for, right?



Time for a new CASE study, time for a fab new creation to be inspired by from our muse, Julie Lacey and time feast your eyes on this beauty:

Check out the original post of this card on Julie's blog here!

I was totally inspired by the colours Julie used and the way the red totally 'pops' as well as the square shape of the card. I used both of these ideas to rustle up a wedding card:

I'm also trying to hit two birds with one stone by making my CASE study card and making a card for a wedding we're attending this weekend (ooh and found it a great way of being able to cut into some lovely new Crate Paper stash *wink*) Oh and I've just realised that there's not a stamp in sight on this card - now that makes a change!

So there's my take on the CASE study - why not check out what the rest of the CASE Study DT whipped up this week? I guarantee that after taking a peek, you'll be itching to play along with us :)

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

I'm dashing off now as I've gotta get organised for the weekend. We (My guy, a friend of ours and myself) are driving to the other end of the country for our friend's wedding so I need to get my outfit sorted, my map skills up to scratch (I can never fully trust Sat Nav y'know) and get plenty of reading material for my journey as I have a feeling the guys will be sat in the front having their geek/guy chat and I'll be sat in the back left to my own devices...

...I have a feeling this journey is gonna feel longer than it actually is! LOL!

Wishing you all a fabby weekend! Thank you so much for stoppin' by!

Catch ya later!



Card Deets
{Just Married}
Stamps: None!
Ink: None!
Patterned Paper & Sentiment Sticker: Portrait Collection (Crate Paper)
Accessories: Fine Linen Grosgrain Ribbon, Pure Poppy Button, Rustic Jute Button Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Pearls (Craft Supply)/Promarker (To Colour Pearl Red!)

There's two sides to every impression plate...

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all had a fabby weekend - it went way too fast for me but I did have a good ol' clean and organise of my crafty space finally! Honestly, it was beyond shameful the state I'd let that room get into *blush*

After I'd finally tidied my crafting corner studio up, I then proceeded to mess it all up again to have a card to share with you today :)

I hope you're prepared to see somethin' a li'l different....

...it's still a card...

...but with a difference...

...read my lips (or my typed words in this case!):

"I used the other side of my linen and canvas impression plate...intentionally!!!"

*gasp!*

Recovered from the shock yet?

Seems like I felt the plaid side of my plate was feelin' unloved and deserved some attention for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey! Our new challenge is to include a tag on your card: I opted for a tiny tag (it's still a tag, right?!) for a pretty CAS birthday card. I had my nephew in mind for this card; he turns 12 soon so I'm hoping the whole "HB 2 U" sentiment still makes me cool in his books *wink*

If you're wondering how I got the decorative edge to my vertical strip of white card, I simply threaded a nestie through it and ran it through my new ♥Spellbinders Grand Calibur♥ (can I just say that I think it's love at first cut with this baby!)

So c'mon and join the fun! The fortnight runs until Oct 3rd and you need only use on PTI product on your card to qualify!

OK, tea is on the table so I'm gonna dash and gobble!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!







Card Recipe

{For You, Party, HB 2 U}

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Birthday Bash Sentiments

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Bakers' Twine, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Tiny Tags Die (Papertrey Ink)/Spellbinders Grand Calibur/Nestabilities

Kraft + Black = LOVE!

Hey!

Whoop whoop for Friday Eve!!! I'll be soooooo happy when it's Friday evening :)

But before I skip straight to Friday evening, let's focus on Friday Eve first:



It's CASE study time of course!

We're still with our fabulous muse, Julie Lacey for September so let's take a peeky at her fab card up for the CASE study this week:

You can check out the original post of this card here!

I always think there's such an understated elegance to black and kraft - I love it! So, unsurprisingly, that's exactly what I took from Julie's creation this week for my own card:

I was also drawn the the use of silhouettes as well (and yes, I couldn't resist the sweet temptation to run my linen impression plate over this for that extra rustic feel *grin*)

Edited to add: I'm also going to enter this into The Kraft Journal challange. Thanks, Beth for giving me the heads up for that!

So there you have it: that's my own card totally inspired by Julie's card and I hope you're feeling inspired to join in the fun and play along too! Simply take any element of Julie's card, be inspired and go on a creative adventure (be sure to share it with us of course!)

And also be sure to check out what the rest of the awesome CASE study DT whipped up for ya:

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Right I'm signing off for now: I've still got two days of work to keep me busy before I hope to catch up with everything here in Blogland over the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
All PTI Products Unless Stated
{Just a Note}
Stamps: Peaceful Garden, Happy Trails
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream/Kraft/True Black
Accessories: Rustic Jute Button Twine/True Black Vintage Button, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

Hip to be square...

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! I'm back into the swing of things at work now; it feels like I've never been away (but not in a bad way as I'm fortunate enough to work alongside some fabby and very funny colleagues!)

I'm posting today to show that square doesn't have to be geeky...(though I admit that I'm a fan of geek chic!)...but square can be elegant and understated as well as a graphic and cool with my approach to The Square Sketch Challenge over on Moxie Fab World.

Here's the sketch:Here's my first take:

You just never know when you may need a sympathy card so I like to whip 'em out when I don't need to make 'em as I always feel too much pressure if I have to make one on demand (fingers crossed that it'll be a long time until I need one) Twine didn't suit the style of the card so I decorated my button with bling instead.

My final take involves a spot of doodling :)

I'm on a bit of a fix with merging sentiments with images - I like they way they can inter-lock and let the design flow nicely. Speaking of which, this card continues on the inside too:

It's rare that I take the time to decorate inside a card too - I really should take the time to do it more but once I finish the front of a card, my mind is already wandering to the next project I have!

That's all from me today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{With Sympathy}
Stamps: Dainty Doilies 2 Small (Waltzingmouse Stamps)/Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey ink)/Grey (Craft Supply)
Ink: London Fog (Memento)/Versamark
Accessories: Papertrey Ink (Button, Canvas and Linen Impression Plate)/Zva (Bling)/Cuttlebug

{In my heart...}
Stamps: Wonderful Word Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: True Black, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Basic White 6x6 Collection (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Promarker (Red)/Papertrey Ink (Wonderful Words Die)/Cuttlebug

Bamboo Thank You...

Hey

Hooray for the weekend! Finally finding a few spare moments to catch up with myself!

I'm still managing to squeeze in some inky time during the weekends (not so much the work nights yet but I'll get there!) so here's a card for ya:

This card is for our new challenge on the Passion for Papertrey blog. We want you to be inspired by a member of the Papertrey Ink DT creation and get inky! I was inspired by the following card by Lisa Johnson:

I'm pretty sure you know why I picked this card. The green definitely spoke out to me :)

We really hope you can play along with us this fortnight!

Right I'm dashing off again. The start of the term is always super busy and if I get myself organised this weekend, it should make my week slightly less busy (Being organised is not my kinda thing, but hey, it's worth a shot, if it gives me more hours in the working week right?!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!

Card Deets
{Thank you for your kindness}
All Papertrey Ink Supplies Unless Stated
Stamps: Peaceful Garden, Iconic Images (Sentiment)
Ink: Versamark/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Fine Linen
Accessories: Dark Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, Wooden Buttons, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)

Just because...

Hey!

Happy Friday Eve! Can't quite believe my first week back at school is nearly over already (guess it helps that I didn't actually have any students until Wednesday!)

So let's celebrate that weekend coming with a shiny new CASE study:

As you know, our muse for September is the fabby Julie Lacey. I love her style: the way she layers papers and dares to leave images un-coloured has me admiring her creations so much. Wish I could resist that urge to colour but alas, the kid in me just won't let me :)

Check out this super duper card of Julie's up for CASEing this week:

You can check out the original post of this card here!

Ooooh so much to admire! The thing that grabbed me the most was the idea of that colour combo. Blue and Orange are complimentary colours on the colour wheel (they're opposite each other) which means that this was a match made in Heaven when it comes to a colour combo that works (as they say, opposites attract *wink*)

I took the colour combo, the use of a die-cut shape and a flower along with my own CAS twist to come up with this card:

Have to 'fess up that the kraft circular frame was just sittin' on my desk from a previous project but I kinda like how it makes you focus on that silhouette a bit more. I literally used it 'just because' it was there (see what I did there? 'just because'...as in the sentiment?! sorry - poor humour I know!) In fact, I couldn't really imagine the card without it now!

So here's my CAS take on this week's CASE study, how about yours? We'd love for you to join in the inky fun with us! This week, one randomly selected peep will win a $15 GC for Whimsie Doodles too!

Oooh and if you need a good dose of inspiration to kick your mojo into gear, or you just wanna check out some amazing creations then be sure to visit the rest of the CASE study DT

Iwona Palamountain (Chupa)
Andrea Ewen
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jean Martin
Julie Smith
Teneale Williams
Teresa Kline
Julie Lacey (September's Muse)

Thank so much for stopping by! I know I've been a bit MIA recently so I really appreciate you stickin' around whilst I try to get used to this whole work routine again! :)

Catch ya later! (but hopefully, not too much later!)

Card Deets
{Just Because}
Stamps: Iconic Images, Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Spring Rain, Kraft, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Mat Stack 2 Die, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Flower Paper Punch (X-Cut)/Pearl (Hero Arts)/Circle Nestabilities