Author Archives: kth

With Sympathy

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #63 – sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #63

And here is my take:

by karen @ carefree creations - Sympathy

I had a hard time with this sketch – but only because I couldn’t chose which stamp set to use…this is such a versatile sketch that just about anything will work!

Unfortunately I just found out a friend’s father passed away and I needed a sympathy card. I chose a floral stamp set and soft colors.

To make the crumb strip, I used one of the Apothecary Accents dies and only die cut the end. Then I used a trimmer to cut the edges straight.

I needed a bit of texture on the Crumb strip, so I embossed it. Of course the folder I chose left an un-embossed area at the top. I didn’t want to try embossing just that bit, so I used the space to add some (stamped) stitch lines.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Lizy
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

With Sympathy
Stamps: Best of Greetings, Stippled Blossom (SU); Off Beat Backgrounds (Waltzing Mouse Stamps);
Ink/Cardstock: Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, River Rock, Blue Bayou, Naturals White (SU); Spring Moss (PTI);
Other: Apothecary Accents dies, Elegant Lines embossing folder (SU);

Season’s Greetings in February

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I spent this past Saturday working through my stack of ‘oops’ card bases – mostly ones where I had the dropsies. I hang on to these goofs because I know with a little ingenuity I can make them work.

Here is my oops card:

I stamped my sentiment exactly where I wanted it, but then dropped the stamp and it bounced around. Since the original card was to be a one-layer card, this was not going to work. The way the oops was oriented I figured I could cover it up. And I did:

by karen @ carefree creations - Christmas Ornament

The ornament was positioned to cover the lower part of the oops, but a few at the top were still visible. It was easy to cover them though as they were right up next to the ornament lid and I placed a few little tendril stamps to cover the rest of the oops.

This is a pretty simple card, but I like it! Glad I didn’t toss the oops!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Season’s Greetings
Stamps: More Merry Messages, Ornament Keepsakes (SU); tendril from Strawberry Patch (PTI);
Ink/Cardstock: White (PTI); Real Red, Gumball Green, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip (SU);
Other: gold cord (SU); Ornament Keepsake die (SU);

Tulips in Spring

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by karen @ carefree creations - Welcome Spring

This poor stamp set has been neglected for years – I had to break it out and make a spring card!

This card started out for the PTI February Blog Hop, but I didn’t like how it was going so I set it aside and worked on the egg card I did submit to the hop.

Since the stamping actually had turned out well, I had to make this work! The original card was just the vellum sentiment strip over the tulips – each tulip was one color and no stamens were stamped yet. It was nice but there was no interest to it (all the tulips were the same size stamped at the same level and the space at the top seemed too much).

To help add interest I stamped more tulip heads on scrap paper and cut out the polka dot strips from each flower. Then I layered those on to flowers of a different color and finally added stamens in yet another color. I like how this finished up!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Welcome Spring
Stamps: Wishing You, Wreath for All Seasons (PTI);
Ink/Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, White, Summer Sunset, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding, New Leaf (PTI); Black (Brilliance);
Other: vellum (stash);

Sweet Spring Blog Hop

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PTI_BlogHopLogo

Today is PTI’s February Blog Hop – themed Sweet Spring!

I pulled out a couple older sets to make my card.

by karen @ carefree creations - Easter

I love colorful Easter eggs! And Easter eggs happen in the spring despite the weather (now that I live somewhere that could snow in April – or even May – flowers don’t always signify spring to me).

CASeThisSketchBadge
I used the latest CAS(e) This Sketch layout for my card (#65).

Thanks for taking a peek!

happy easter
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Egg Hunt, Scrambled Eggs;
Ink/Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, White, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding;
Other: grass die (MFT); Egg die, Picnic Plaid impression plate (PTI);

One Month Late

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So last month Papertrey Ink held a blog hop with the theme of ‘pink’. I tried to make a card, but it didn’t come out right. It was a regular right-open card and everything was stamped too far to the right. I thought I could trim the card front off and mount it on a new base with a left-side pattern paper border, but that didn’t work either. I put the card aside and finally came back to it.

by karen @ carefree creations - Hello

I had a white card base sitting on my desk (the product of a different oops) and when I put the pink panel down, I liked the white border. I added a tiny scallop border in dark brown and thought the card is finally done!

To get the space for the sentiment, I just temporarily adhered a strip of printer paper to act as a mask; then I stamped the wood mat image and pulled up the mask.

Thanks for taking a peek!

hello
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Meadow Greens, Modern Wood Mats, Communique Curves Sentiments;
Ink/Cardstock: White, Sweet Blush, Limeade Ice, Dark Chocolate;
Other: white embossing powder (HeroArts); Heart Border die (PTI);
Technique: Heat Embossing; Masking;

New House

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #62 – colors.

2014-02-20_#62

And here is my take:

by karen @ carefree creations - New House

I needed a new house card, so when it was time to stamp for the challenge, that is the theme I used.

My repeating house image also goes along with the current One-Layer Simplicity Challenge.

For the sentiment, I wanted just “congrats” because it fit under the pink house. The actual stamp in the set says congratulations. I used a bit of tape to help mask off the un-needed letters.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Lizy
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

congrats
Stamps: Bitty Bungalows, Sentiment Sampler (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Cardstock: White (PTI); Somky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush (SU);

Warp Speed

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #61 – sketch.

2014-02-13_#61

And here is my take:

by karen @ carefree creations - Warp Speed

Since my family totally did not get my card, I thought I should explain it: the rocket is moving from the sick (green & blue colors) into the happy (yellow).

I once saw a card that used white images over color paper and because of the contrast the images really popped! I wanted that here.

The green/blue piece was done by airbrushing Copic markers onto paper. It was my first time using that contraption and I need more practice!

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Lizy
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Get Better
Stamps: Space Cadet (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Cardstock: Black (Brilliance); Daffodil Delight (SU); White (PTI);
Other: markers & airbrush system (Copic); Sunrise impression plate (PTI);

PTI Festivities, Day 2

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Today, Nichole has a free digital download where each designer contributed a piece. I was immediately taken with Melissa Bickford’s offering. She always has a great color palette, and the mod flowers on this one had me drooling!

Here is my card:

by karen @ carefree creations - Thinking of You

I really wanted the digi image to take all focus. I printed it on a small panel and popped it over an embossed card base. The only thing I added were a few rhinestones.

So so simple, but this is one of my favorite cards now!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Thinking of You
Stamps: Digi Image from Melissa Bickford (PTI 2014 Anniversary);
Ink/Cardstock: White (PTI);
Other: Stylish Stripes embossing (SU); rhinestones (Kaiser);

Miss You

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #60 – colors.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #60

And here is my take:

by karen @ carefree creations - Miss You Map

Love these colors! Though, I am finding that I always gravitate to something map/globe like with them. I guess I better try harder next time! Anyway, this card will be sent to my in-laws. We haven’t been home in a couple years and it has been awhile since we’ve seen them.

I colored Colorado blue because we are the ones doing the missing (and are ‘blue’). That left the green for Virginia. What a pain to cut out VA! Though, cutting out Delaware or Rhode Island would be worse!

Speaking of Rhode Island – has anyone else noticed that it is missing from this stamp image? Yep, it is…you can go look, I’ll wait. I’m not sure what happened, but I suppose it was just too small to add (though they managed Delaware).

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Lizy
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

We Miss You
Stamps: Map it Out (StampinUp); From Us (Simon Says);
Ink/Cardstock: White, Dark Chocolate (PTI); Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz (SU);

PTI Turns 7

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Today starts the festivities on the Papertrey Ink blog – they turn 7 this year!

The first challenge is a sketch/color combo. They have 7 options of each and you pick and choose your combo. I went with color #6 (kraft, aqua, hawaiian shores, new leaf, avocado) and the third sketch. I picked the sketch first and decided on which stamps I wanted to use then found a color scheme that went with it.

by karen @ carefree creations - You Mean the World to Me

I kept the colors on the light side. I used aqua & hawaiian to color the water and new leaf to color the land. The whole ocean is colored, the lighter parts just didn’t photograph well. The sentiment is stamped in avocado.

Thanks for taking a peek!

You Mean the World to Me
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: World Map, Masculine Motifs;
Ink/Cardstock: Kraft, Cream, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, Ripe Avocado (PTI); Burnt Umber (Palette);
Other: Double-Ended Banner die (PTI); twine (stash);
Technique: watercolor;