Category Archives: cards

Wishing You a Sunny Day

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

And here is my take:

Sunny Day | by karen h @ carefree creations

These bright colors had me thinking summer. I love fruit salad during summer, so that is where my mind went. I used distress ink to watercolor the images.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: This weekly challenge is posted on Tuesday, and alternates between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Wishing you a sunny day
Stamps: Fruitastic, Summer Sampler (Paper Smooches);
Ink: Picked Raspberries, Carved Pumpkin, Mowed Lawn Distress (Ranger);
Paper: White (Papertrey Ink);

Celebrate Together

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Celebrate Together | by karen h @ carefree creations

It has been a crazy few weeks. I haven’t had much time to play in other challenges. Thankfully, The Library Challenge runs for a month! May’s challenge is the book “Brideshead Revisited”. I used the cover for my inspiration – and used quite a bit of it: the colors, a car, the scarf, the way the words go “out-of-the-box” of the scarf.

I also liked the little scratch marks in the bends of the scarf, so I added a few of my own with a marker.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Celebrate
Stamps: Enjoy the Ride (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Pumpkin Pie (Hero Arts); Scattered Rose distress marker (Ranger); Burnt Umber (Momento);
Paper: Peach Bellini (My Favorite Things); Cajun Craze (Stampin’Up); Vellum (PTI);
Other: Swiss Dot embossing (Cuttlebug); Layered Banner die, Enjoy the Ride die, Birthday Cheer die (PTI);

Squiggle Butterfly

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It is time for another CASology challenge. Check out the latest challenge – SQUIGGLE!

Here is my take:

Thinking of You | by karen h @ carefree creations

Doodle style stamps seemed like a great way to go with this Squiggle cue! I used the a spot image to “color” the butterfly. I positioned the cluster of elements one-third of the way from the top.

I hope you join us at CASology – and, for more inspiration, check out the other design team members:

Thanks for stopping by!

thinking of you
Stamps: Springtime Doodles, Wonderful Watercolors (Papertrey Ink-pti);
Ink: Pale Peony (PTI); Pool (Hero Arts); Sour Apple, Grape Jelly (My Favorite Things-MFT); Espresso Truffle (Momento);
Paper: White (PTI); Lemon Chiffon (MFT);

Lacy Hello

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

And here is my take:

Lacy Hello | by karen h @ carefree creations

I had a few ideas for this challenge, but when I went searching through my dies, I found this die and immediately decided to change direction and make this card. The funny thing, to me, is that I bought that die for the two frame bits and figured I’d never actually use the floral inside!

I loved the idea of the blended ink showing through the lacy floral openings. With the very limited layers, this stays quite clean & simple!

This is definitely one of my favorite cards!

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: This weekly challenge is posted on Tuesday, and alternates between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

hello
Stamps: Communique Curves Sentiments (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Distress Carved Pumpkin & Fossilized Amber (Ranger); Smoke (Simon Says Stamp);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: Mix & Mat Scallops die (PTI); Bakers Twine – Basic Gray (Stampin’Up);

Thrill of a New Book

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It is time for another CASology challenge. Check out the latest challenge – THRILL!

Here is my take:

Love You More Than Books | by karen h @ carefree creations

There is nothing like the thrill of a new book! Thank goodness for the library!! I had a few “traditional” ideas for thrill, but I really couldn’t pass on books.

To make this a CAS style, I grouped all the elements together and the only color is the sentiment.

I hope you join us at CASology – and, for more inspiration, check out the other design team members:

Thanks for stopping by!

I love you more than books
Stamps: Book Club (Newton’s Nook); Calorie Free (Paper Smooches); Giggle alphabet (Close to My Heart);
Ink: Espresso Tuffle (Memento); Versamark (Tsukineko); Tropical Teal (My Favorite Things); Pure Poppy, Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink); Lemon Lime Twist, Groovy Guava (Stampin’Up);
Paper: White, Black (PTI);
Other: white embossing powder;

Party Like There’s No Tomorrow

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

And here is my take:

Party Like There's No Tomorrow | by karen h @ carefree creations

This is such a versatile sketch, I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go, so I did what I normally do – selected a handful of sets that I thought would work and then asked my kid to pick one. They love llama’s so I wasn’t surprised they picked this set.

Making the blanket background was pretty fun. I started by stamping a wide stripe in 6 pale, rainbow colors (letting the blue take 1 1/2 spaces). Then I went back with various shades and adding black lines too. To add the fringe, I put a strip of double-sided tape down, looped some black thread, secured it with tape over top, and then trimmed the ends. Here’s a photo:

The blanket is so colorful that I left the llama bright white to stand out.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: This weekly challenge is posted on Tuesday, and alternates between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Fiesta Like There’s No Manana
Stamps: Llama Love (My Favorite Things – MFT); Bohemian Borders (Stampin’Up-SU); Super Stripes, Plaid Builder (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Cotton Candy, Grapesicle, Elf Green, Purple Rain (MFT); Soft Sky (Hero Arts); Crisp Cantaloupe, Island Indigo (SU); old Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet, Raspberry Fizz, Bright Buttercup, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Amethyst Allure, Black (PTI);
Paper: Coral Crush (MFT); White (PTI);
Other: black thread (stash);

Copper Butterfly

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It is time for another CASology challenge. Check out the latest challenge – COPPER!

Here is my take:

Copper Butterfly | by karen h @ carefree creations

I have some old copper embossing powder and decided I would use that for this challenge. (Since I couldn’t come up with a useable police pun….)

This butterfly set is old, but I still love it. I knew there wouldn’t be much to the card if I only embossed the image & sentiment. As I was looking through my index, I realized I could cut/impress the clouds and give some white-on-white texture. I added a touch of blue sponging just to highlight the butterfly even more.

I hope you join us at CASology – and, for more inspiration, check out the other design team members:

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Wishes
Stamps: Butterfly Kisses (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko); Tumbled Glass Distress (Ranger);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: Copper embossing powder (Stampin’Up); Blue Skies impression plate (PTI);

Hello, Mr. Blue Jay

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

And here is my take:

Hello Mr Bluejay | by karen h @ carefree creations

When I first saw that blue, I thought Blue Jay! I think I miss those annoying birds! I grew up in Virginia and we always had those noisy pests…but now I’ve been in Colorado for awhile and I have not seen (or heard) them. I’ll have to pay more attention when I visit home next time.

Once I decided on Blue Jay, the green was a no brainer (leaves). I wasn’t sure how I’d incorporate the yellow, but I thought I might sponge it in the background. When it came time to actually do that, I didn’t like the idea. Instead I pulled out some old pattern paper and added a little border – which can also function as the tree trunk.

I love how the sentiment snugs right into the branches.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: This weekly challenge is posted on Tuesday, and alternates between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

hello
Stamps: Winter Woods (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Pacific Point, Pear Pizzaz, Crumb (Stampin’Up-SU); black (PTI);
Paper: White (PTI); Prints DSP – Saffron (SU);
Other: Winter Woods die (PTI);

Mother’s Day at the Waterfront

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Mother's Day at the Waterfront | by karen h @ carefree creations

This is the card I made for my mother – Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

With her love of the beach, I thought this set would be perfect. I used the distress inks to make the sky & water and then heat set it. I stamped the images without wetting it more. The mountain is done in Mossy Meadow, but looks really brown in the photo.

I finished off the card with a bit of DSP and a tag. I didn’t have a “mother’s day” sentiment that would fit the tag so I just went with the underlying sentiment of sending my love.

Thanks for taking a peek!

love you much
Stamps: Waterfront, Well Scripted (Stampin’Up – SU);
Ink: Distress: Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire (Ranger); Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow, Tranquil Tide (SU); Kraft (Papertrey Ink-PTI);
Paper: Watercolor (Ranger); So Saffron, Night of Navy, Maritime DSP (SU);
Other: Painting Medium in Opaque White (Copic); twine (SU); Tremendous Tags die (PTI);

Just a Thought Away

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Just a Thought Away | by karen h @ carefree creations

I loved the card I made earlier that I did another. I softened the colors and positioned the bouquet just a bit more north-east.

Thanks for taking a peek!

You’re never more than a thought away
Stamps: Fall Florals, Flashy Florals (My Favorite Things – MFT); Whimsical Words (Stampin’Up-SU);
Ink: Pale Plum, Crisp Canteloupe, River Rock, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Soft Sky (SU); Pure Plum Persimmon (MFT); Prairie Grass, Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink-PTI); Espresso Truffle (Memento);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: Stitched Circles die (Simon Says Stamp);