Author Archives: kth

Hello

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Hello

One of my nieces started at college this past week – away from family. I thought I’d send her a card to let her know we’re thinking of her.

I picked up the latest Addicted to CAS challenge, whose theme is music. My niece is attending an arts college on a piano scholarship, so this challenge totally fit!

For the layout, I found a great sketch at Retro Sketches. I will say that I started off with loads of layers and pattern paper, and while it did look good, I was travelling far from my CAS comfort zone. I backed off and I’m really happy with how this turned out – all with stamping!

Finally, choosing the colors I worked with the CAS-ual Friday challenge which is to use kraft and text/type.

Thanks for taking a peek!

hello
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Rosie Posie, Background Basics: Music, Background Basics: Text Type;
Ink/Card Stock: Kraft, Vintage Cream, Raspberry Fizz, Simply Chartreuse, Dark Chocolate, Fine Linen, Chamomile-Tea Dye Duo;
Other: Wonderful Words: Hello die, Rosie Posie die;

Life is a Journey

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Life is a Journey

I started with a layout from Fab Friday (#25). That challenge is done by Stampin’Up Demos, so I wanted to use SU supplies.

When deciding what images to use, I pulled up another challenge: Cards in Envy. This is a new-to-me challenge. The purpose of the challenge overall is to create a card that fits in an A2 envelope and isn’t lumpy – well, that is right up my alley as I mail 90% of my cards. Their latest challenge is to create a masculine card. This worked out well as my father-in-law has a birthday later this month.

The final challenge I used was from another new-to-me blog: Shopping Our Stash. Their theme this week was also masculine, but I went for the “use what you have” aspect of the overall challenge-blog purpose. I did not have a good greeting for the card I envisioned, so I used a font. Years ago when I started crafting, I started as a scrapbooker and collected thousands of fonts. I’m kind of a lazy card maker and I try hard to find (or buy) stamps that say what I want, but really, I have such an eclectic collection of fonts that I should use them more.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Life is a Journey
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: The Open Sea;
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla;
Other: font (butterbrotpapier);

Birthday Bees

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After a month or so of not being able to squeeze in stamping time, I made 7 cards yesterday! I’m still in shock! I’ll spread them out a bit over the week, but all of them are for challenges, so I’d like to post to make the deadlines.

This card is probably my favorite of the whole bunch!

by Karen @ carefree creations - Birthday Queen

I created this card for two challenges. First, a “trend” challenge at SplitCoast to use stencils – Clean & Simple #239.

I don’t have any stencils, so I made one. I used a die to cut heavy plastic; I chose a die that I figured I’d like to use over and over as a stencil.

Once I cut the stencil, I knew I wanted to use it to make a honeycomb background using spritzing.

Of course next I had to figure out a layout. I found a perfect Fall-to-Layout sketch at Clean & Simple Stamping (#256).

I didn’t have a sentiment that was big an bold enough to accomplish what I had in mind, but thankfully it was easy to do with dies.

There is a tiny square gem in the crown – oh and I painted the crown with H2Os to give it some sparkle and shine.

Thanks for taking a peek!

You Rule
Stamps: Honey Bees (PTI); Hats Off (Lawn Fawn);
Ink/Card Stock: Summer Sunrise, White, Harvest Gold, Dark Chocolate (PTI);
Other: Wonderful Words “you” die (PTI); Typewriter Lower alpha die (Memory Box); H2Os; Honey Bee dies (PTI); Cover Plate Hexagon die (PTI);
Technique: masking, stencil, sponging, spritzing;

Birthday Spots

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Woot – this is the 5th Thursday in the month which means this week’s CAS Colours & Sketches challenge is a double! Check out the latest challenge: #40 – colors & sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #40 - Double

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Birthday Spots

The Dot Spot stamp set came to mind right away when I saw the sketch. After that, it was just figuring out where to place a sentiment.

I came up with a few possibilities. First, a circle sentiment placed in the center of the lower right image. Second, stamp the sentiments following the outside curves of all the circles. Finally, a banner sticking out from a circle center.

The reason I chose the banner option is that I’ve learned that curves love angles/lines. A line helps break up the curves and gives the eyes direction.

I might have been able to get away with one of the other placements if my color scheme had been different, but with a monochromatic scheme, you need some way of adding contrast.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
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).

Happy Birthday to You
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Dot Spot, Around About Sentiments;
Ink/Card Stock: White, Enchanted Evening, Blueberry Sky;
Other: circle die (Spellbinders), star die (MFT);

Paper Frame

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #39 – sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #39 - Sketch

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Paper Frame

I knew I wanted to do a frame as soon as I saw the sketch. My only question was how to keep the design clean & simple.

I decided that if the pattern was only peeking out, it wouldn’t be overwhelming. That narrowed down my paper choices to those with white backs.

In addition, I chose to just stamp a sentiment and not use any additional images (again, to keep the overall design CAS).

To create the frame, I turned the paper pattern-side down. I then used a T-ruler and pencil to draw a square in the center. Then I took my Xacto knife and cut diagonally, from corner to corner, of the drawn square. Finally a bit of scoring along the drawn square’s edges and my paper folded back easily.

I know it probably seems like the white sentiment square is just centered under the opening allowing the blue card base to show through, but I actually did a frame there too. I took a piece of blue cardstock and used a square die to cut an opening then backed that with the white sentiment panel. I think it adds a nice finishing touch to the final card.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
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).

Best Wishes
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Scrolling Script;
Ink/Card Stock: True Black, Hawaiian Shores, White;
Other: Beautiful Blooms pattern paper; Xacto knife; square die (Spellbinders);

Birthday Plaid

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #38 – colors.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #38 Colours

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Birthday Plaid

Sorry, I’m running crazy this week. The only thing I wanted to mention on this card is that I chose a bold sentiment and stamped it in black because I saw a Jennifer McGuire card recently like that.

Sometimes I think black is just too stark, but I think when you have lots of busy-ness going on, black works great (especially since, for me, the greeting is the point and thus should be the focus).

I’m still not completely sure about this card, but I’m not sure any other color for the sentiment would have worked as well either.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
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).

Birthday Wishes
All supplies Papertrey unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Birthday Tags 2012, Background Basics – Super Stripes;
Ink/Card Stock: Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, Kraft, Vintage Cream;
Other: Limitless Layers Oval die; Stitched Rectangle die (Lil Inkers)

Snail Mail Call

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #37 – sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #37 Sketch

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Telephone

This is such a great go-to sketch! I had so many options for this card it was hard to decide. I finally chose the telephone just so it could have a little love.

I knew I wanted to stamp the phone in blue, so I looked for some pattern paper that wouldn’t overwhelm the focal image, but also allow the loop de loop die to show up.

The rhinestone is a clear one that I colored with Copic marker Y35.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
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).

hello
Stamps: Heart-2-Heart #4, Borders & Corners: Cirlces (PTI);
Ink/Card Stock: Simply Chartreuse, White (PTI); Taken with Teal (SU);
Other: Petals & Paisleys DSP (SU); Loop de Loop border die (PTI); white embossing powder (Filigree); Copic colored rhinestone (Kaiser);

Wishes & Bows

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Edited 8/8/2013: I just wasn’t happy with the original card. So I took the bows off and used an Exacto knife to remove the “inner” bits of the bow. Now the embossing on the card base shows through making it a “fluffier” bow – and, since I don’t have to cover up the original embossing, I positioned the bows on the sentiment panel in a better way. Check it out:

by Karen @ carefree creations - (better) Bows & Wishes

I created this one for the CAS Challenge at SCS (cas231). The challenge was a sketch.

It didn’t turn out quite like how it was in my head…maybe if I’d used real ribbon instead of a stamp. Or maybe I just tired, lol.

OK, I am done posting for the night, but I might try to make another card or two (we’ll see if my brain cooperates 😉 ).

Thanks for taking a peek!

Wish Big
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Ribbons & Bows, Scrolling Script;
Ink/Card Stock: Berry Sorbet, White;
Other: Mat Stack 1 die (PTI); silver & white embossing powder (Filigree); Versamark (Tsukineko); Rhinestones (Kaiser);

Opposite Seasons

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The fifth, and final challenge, for the VSN Mini is to create two tags – one with a summer theme, and the other a winter.

Here are my tags:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Opposite Seasons

For the summer tag, it was an easy choice – sunflowers. Those are my favorite flowers (well, at least in the top 5 – I love all flowers so it is hard to pick a favorite). To ink the flowers, I started with Harvest Gold then inked the middle with Summer Sunrise and then went back over with the gold. The leaves are stamped off first to keep the muted colors.

For the winter tag, since I was keeping the same base color, I thought a snowman would be a perfect image.

I didn’t “finish” the tags (i.e., add ribbon or other embellishment) because I’m sure these will eventually make it onto a card (I don’t need tags). So I’ll wait until I know what I’m doing with them before they are done done.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Summer
Stamps: Simple Sunflower (Papertrey Ink);
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky (SU); White, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Dark Chocolate (PTI);
Other: Simple Sunflower die, Tag Sale #3 die (PTI);
Winter
Stamps: Warm Hearts, Hang Ups, Forest Whimsy (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky, Soft Suede (SU); White, Pure Poppy (PTI); London Fog (memento);
Other: Tag Sale #3 die (PTI); Stickles (Ranger);