Author Archives: kth

Congrats Grad

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I have a nephew graduating this year. Here’s the card I made:

by Karen @ carefree creations - File Folder Graduation

I’m not sure I can even begin to describe how I got here. This card looks NOTHING like the picture in my head!

The card base is a cream color and I stamped a grid on the front. The grid was stamped with Hero Arts shadow ink – Baby Blue. The cube I have is ancient so I don’t know how true to color it is any more, but it was just what I wanted for this.

I used a die to create a file folder edge. Originally my layout was vertical, but the die-cut letters did not look good stacked on top of each other because the M is so much wider than the S and it looked like an inverted pyramid…not what I was going for.

The apple is the school symbol.

I wish I had a “stamp of approval” type image to use, but I don’t, so I created my own. I used the postal cancellation waves and a circle sentiment (stamped with SU Sahara Sand).

The stripe paper is on the inside of the card – just enough to peek out. There is also a thin strip of red card stock to separate the pattern paper from the writing area.

So does anyone else have this problem? I have a really hard time mixing products from different manufacturers. It isn’t that I can’t, it is more like I feel disloyal. I mean, I know if I’m making a card for a challenge by that manufacturer, I should stay with their stamps if I can….but when it is a card just because, then I really shouldn’t care if I mix and match – but dang it is hard for me! But then I know I’m a little weird!

Thanks for taking a peek!

MHS – Congratulations
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Off Beat Backgrounds (Waltzing Mouse); For the Graduate, School Time Additions, Around About Sentiments, Postmarks, Simple Alphabet;
Ink/Card Stock: Vintage Cream, New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Harvest Gold; Sahara Sand (SU); Baby Blue (Hero Arts Shadow); Black (Versafine);
Other: Pure Poppy Patterns paper, Christmas Prints pattern paper, Block Alphabet die, Teacher’s Apple die, Edgers #5 die;

FYI – Aspen Birthday

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It is time for another For Your Inspiration challenge. Check out the latest challenge -> FYI46.

For Your Inspiration Challenge #46

This photo makes me happy – I’m pretty sure it’s the yellow. I definitely wanted my card to feel happy too.

by Karen @ carefree creations - Birthday Aspens

It was hard to get what was in my head onto paper. At first I tried embossing the trees with white powder onto colored cardstock, but that just wasn’t working. I decided to try stamping the trees with a pale grey – while not the normal color for an aspen, it allowed me to get the leaves to pop.

The card base is impressed with the woodgrain plate (hard to see in the photo).

Thanks for stopping by!

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Debbie
Michelle
Mynnette
Rochelle
Rudlis
Sara
Steph
Vicki

I hope you join us at For Your Inspiration!

A Little About the Challenge: The For Your Inspiration challenge is posted the first and third Thursday of every month; each challenge is open for two weeks. To play, use the photo to inspire you and create a card – very simple! Make sure you tell us in your blog post how you were inspired!

Happy Birthday
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Through the Trees, sentiment from Enjoy the Ride, dot from Around About Sentiments;
Ink/Card Stock: White, Harvest Gold, Soft Stone, Smokey Shadow;
Other: Woodgrain impression plate;

Rose Wreath

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge -> #25 – colors.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #25

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Rose Wreath

Typical for me, a pink color with a green color makes me see flowers. I did change the green to Pear instead of Certainly Celery (I prefer the slightly darker green with the darker cajun…and celery is being retired).

For the watercoloring, I used Coral for the background and Cajun for the flowers.

I used the embossing strip to carry along the dotted background of the stamped image.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
Louise
Sandie

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 you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Happiest Birthday
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Apothecary Art;
Ink/Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral;
Other: Adorning Accents embossing folder, Labels Collection die;
Technique: machine stitching, watercoloring;

For Social Studies/History Teachers

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by Karen @ Carefree Creations - Teacher

I have another teacher card done. I made two as both my girls have a social studies or history teacher.

The globe image is watercolored. The banner sentiment is popped up with dimensionals.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Thank You
Stamps: Back to School (GinaK); Itty Bitty Banners (SU);
Ink/Card Stock: Marina Mist, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron (SU); Black (Memento); White (PTI);
Other: Itty Bitty Banner die, Woodgrain embossing folder (SU); Stitched Square Mat die (Lil Inkers);
Technique: watercoloring;

Pretty Purple Posey

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Wow, mailing went quick! Mom got her card today, so I can post it 🙂

Here is my last Mother’s Day card. Since my Mom is a Stampin Up demo, I always try to use only SU products.

by Karen @ carefree creations - Pretty Purple Flower

I used a sketch I found at Clean and Simple (CAS) on Sunday challenge blog.

The flower is an outline image. I stamped it with black ink onto Wisteria Wonder card stock then added highlights and shadows using colored pencils. Here is a detail shot:

by Karen @ carefree creations

I also added a bit of spritzing on the leaf die cut.

Thanks for taking a peek!

for my Wonderful Mother
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Secret Garden, Delightful Dozen;
Ink/Card Stock: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, White, Pear Pizzazz, Island Indigo, Black;
Other: Honeycomb embossing folder, Apothecary Accent die, Secret Garden dies, rhinestone;

Chocolate Wishes

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge -> #24 – sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #24

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Chocolate Wishes

I decided that the oval portion of the sketch should be a vertical sentiment – leaving the circles to hold accent images.

I don’t really have a lot of vertical sentiments, but I do have this fun one about chocolate – and who doesn’t like chocolate??

To accent the sentiment, I used out an old favorite – Oh So Sweet. The little truffles are inked with markers.

The striped paper is normally oriented up and down. To get the angle, I had to cut the paper at an angle. I thought I’d just be able to rotate the paper to get the stripes going the other direction (see how the left-side start down end up and it is opposite for the right-side?). But apparently that isn’t how stripes work, lol. If the same stripey pattern was on the back, I could have flipped the paper, but rotating doesn’t do the job – guess I need another geometry lesson! So to get my stripes I trimmed one corner on an angle, then I rotated the original pattern piece to the next corner and trimmed that at an angle – voila different direction stripes.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Kylie
Louise
Sandie

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 you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Wishing You All the Good Things
Stamps: sentiment (Stampendous); Oh So Sweet (Stampin Up);
Ink/Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Raspberry Ripple (SU);
Other: Chocolate Chip pattern paper (SU); circle die (Spellbinders);

Mother’s Day Peony

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Here is my second card; this one is for my step-mother. I can’t post the third card until Saturday because it is for my Mom and she reads my blog 🙂

by Karen @ carefree creations - Mother's Day Peony

I am a sucker for flower stamps! This set has a wonderful elegant feel to it. And I love the close-crop that the dies have!

This is a simple card, but I love the bold sentiment that really takes the focus (though we’ll just ignore that it is slightly crooked).

There are a group of five tiny rhinestones in the flower center – that really finished off the card.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Mother’s Day
Stamps: Pretty Peonies (PTI);
Ink/Card Stock: Pink Pirouette, Primrose Petals, Pear Pizzazz (Stampin Up);
Other: Pretty Peonies dies (PTI);

Mother’s Day Hydrangea

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Well, I made it – 3 cards done and mailed today! Here is the first one:

by Karen @ carefree creations: Mother's Day Hydrangea

This card is for my mother-in-law. I gave my hubby a few sets to chose from and he liked the hydrangea.

I inked the hydrangea with Lavender Moon & Pear Pizzazz and stamped it on the die cut. Then I went back and accented the flower centers with a Copic marker.

I think I’m addicted to the stitched rectangle mat dies – love those things!!

My herringbone impression plate finally saw some use. I think it adds just the right amount of texture to the card.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Mother’s Day
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Happy Hydrangea;
Ink/Card Stock: Blueberry Sky, White, Lavender Moon; Pear Pizzazz (SU);
Other: Herringbone impression plate, Happy Hydrangea die; R85 marker (Copic); Stitched Rectangle mat die (Lil Inkers);

You are Wonderful

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by Karen @ carefree creations - You Are Wonderful

I created this card for Mom’s stamp camp this week. The theme of the camp is retiring products. Everything I used for this card is retiring!! (Well, except the white paper, lol.)

The hummingbird is fussy cut and popped-up.

So, I need to get three Mother’s Day cards in the mail tomorrow…and I don’t have any made!! Eek! Hopefully I will be forgiven for late cards!

Thanks for taking a peek!

You Are Simply Wonderful
All supplies Stampin Up unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Elements of Style, Friendly Phrases;
Ink/Card Stock: Baja Breeze, White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery;
Other: Elegant Lines embossing folder;

Taste the Rainbow

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I HAD to play in the current Addicted to CAS challenge; it’s my favorite color: RAINBOW!!

by Karen @ carefree creations - Drink Rainbow

Most of the drinks are double inked – I completely inked the image with a light color, then, using a marker, added a darker color to the bottom of the drink bowls (but not the champagne or appletini). See the supply list for the colors I used.

I trimmed the card’s length to be the same as the die cut and added pattern paper to the bottom portion.

To decorate the edges of the die cut, I inked up the short end of an image from Four Frames and topped them off with rhinestones.

Thanks for taking a peek!

3 Cheers
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Happy Hour, Four Frames;
Ink/Card Stock: Real Red & Calypso Coral, Peach & Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party & Island Indigo, Wisteria & Perfect Plum, White, Black;
Other: Apothecary Accent die, So Saffron pattern paper, Rhinestones;