Be Mine

This post is to play in the Less is More challenge.

The challenge is dimension. Here is my card:

Be Mine | by karen @ carefree creations

I was going for an Iris Folding type of thing, but I just winged it and ended up with a bunch of layers of paper 🙂 Still, I like it.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Be Mine
Paper: Pure Poppy, White (Papertrey Ink – PTI); Candy Lane DSP (StampinUp);
Other: XOXO die, Limitless Layers Heart die, Heart Border die (PTI);
Challenge: Less is More challenge

Throughout the Year

I’m playing along with the CAS(e) This Sketch challenge.

Here is what I came up with:

Throughout the Year | by karen @ carefree creations

I had lots of ideas for the sketch and through a twisty route I came up with this “through the year” idea. Since I used different colors, I used bling to help link the rows together. The bling is colored the same as the images, but I tried to place them to line up. Thank the MISTI for how easy this was to stamp!!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Birthday
Stamps: Around About Sentiments, Turning a New Leaf, Twig Wreath, Winter Penguin, Keep it Simple: Birthday 2, Inside-Out: Birthday (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Lovely Lady, New Leaf, Blueberry Sky (PTI); Peekaboo Peach (StampinUp); Espresso Truffle (Momento);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: rhinestones (Me & My Big Ideas, Kaiser Kraft); markers (Copic) – to color the green & peach bling;
Technique: one-layer card
Challenge: CAS(e) This Sketch challenge

Let’s Get Cozy

I’m playing along with Paper Smooches Sparks challenge. It is a theme and inspiration combination. The theme is cozy and the inspiration photo is:

I’ll admit, I had a hard time finding the inspiration photo cozy! But I had a brain storm and it worked out beautifully:

Let's Get Cozy | by karen @ carefree creations

I got to try my hand at mirror stamping with the MISTI. I followed Jennifer McGuire’s video. It worked wonderfully!

The cocoa is watercolored. I added a bit of texture to the mugs with an embossing folder. And I tied it all together with some fiber.

Since it turned out so wonderfully, I’m going to forget that a mistake led me to the stitched border and white on white layering. Instead of attributing that to having stamped on the card base UPSIDE DOWN, we’ll just pretend that I was inspired by the layers of the window sill. 🙂

Thanks for taking a peek!

let’s get cozy
Stamps: Hot Concoctions, Dude Block, Space Cadet, Christmas Sampler, Mini Monograms (Paper Smooches);
Ink: Mocha (Altenew); Wet Cement (Hero Arts);
Paper: White (Papertrey Ink);
Other: fiber (stash); Fancy Fan embossing folder (StampinUp); Stitched Rectangle dies (Lil Inkers);
Challenge: Paper Smooches Sparks

Ocean Sunset

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

And here is my take:

Ocean Sunset | by karen @ carefree creations

When I was picking colors for this challenge, I thought soft wintery colors would be good for the first January challenge. Of course, when I went to stamp, that is not where my mind ended up, lol.

I used distress inks to watercolor. I had to mix the Velvet & Perserves to make a Sugarplum equivalent (though, since it is just that slim section between the pink and blue, it might not have been necessary).

Originally, the sentiment strip was done with Sugarplum, but it was too bright for the sunset scene. I ended up taking that apart and trying again. Thankfully grey is now an acceptable neutral color for this challenge. It was the perfect accent!

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).

happy birthday
Stamps: Wetlands (StampinUp – SU); Keep it Simple Birthday (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Seedless Preserves, Victorian Velvet distress inks (Ranger); Espresso Truffle (Momento);
Paper: Soft Sky (SU); Fog (Simon Says Stamp); Watercolor (Ranger);
Other: Stitched Square die (Lil Inkers);

Mistletoe Greetings

Mistletoe Greetings | by karen @ carefree creations

I’ve had no Christmas spirit this year. I didn’t send cards, didn’t put up a tree, and I listened to maybe 20 minutes of music. So it should come as no surprise that this card sat on my desk for a couple weeks – all stamped and ready, just needed some tape to hold it together, lol. Better late than never? 🙂

I’m really happy with how this turned out (you may see this layout later this year as a sketch for CC&S, lol). I’m surprised at how well/true the green looks on blue paper.

I need to practice with the enamel stuff though. When I first put it on it was translucent and I thought it just needed to dry. By the time I got to the last dots the white started coming out and I realized that while I did shake the bottle, it wasn’t nearly enough. I really thought I’d be throwing out that panel, but the enamel wiped off without smearing across the card stock.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Season’s Greetings
Stamps: Mistletoe & Holly, Season’s Greetings (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: New Leaf (PTI); Dapper Denim (StampinUp);
Paper: Blue Breeze (My Favorite Things); White (PTI);
Other: Enamel Accents white (Ranger); Holiday Tags die, red/white twine (PTI); Stitched Rectangle die (Lil Inkers);

Holly Season

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

ccs_2016-12-08_203

This is the sketch I chose to work with:
CC&S_2016-02-11_#160

And here is my take:

Holly Season | by karen @ carefree creations

When I was creating my card, Ardyth had just published this card and I loved the shadows on her one-layer card, so I had to do that on this card.

Super quick card! I stamped it all out, let it dry a bit, then added shadows with a Copic marker.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Season’s Greetings
Stamps: Holly Jolly, Christmas Sampler (Paper Smooches);
Ink: New Leaf, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink – PTI); Espresso Truffle (Momento);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: T1 marker (Copic);

Not a Creature was Stirring

I’m still having fun with the latest challenge (taking a previous color challenge and making a holiday card). This time, I chose to use:

CC&S_2016-01-21_#157

And here is my take:

Christmas Mouse | by karen @ carefree creations

I love word play. This made me giggle.

When I decided to play this challenge again, I tried to find a very un-Christmas color scheme and challenge myself.

I’m a sucker for critters – and this mouse set is adorable! I did use the “inner” ear because the other felt too big for the composition I had going.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Not a creature was stirring
Stamps: Christmas Critters, Christmas Critter Sentiments (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Rose Red, So Saffron, Soft Suede (Stampin’Up);
Paper: White (PTI);

Happy Winter, again

I had fun with the latest challenge (taking a previous color challenge and making a holiday card). This time, I chose to use:

CC&S_2016-05-19_#174

And here is my take:

Happy Winter | by karen @ carefree creations

When I was thinking of this season, I really loved this color scheme as it felt very winterish to me.

I don’t have the Thoughtful Branches / Beautiful Branches bundle from Stampin’Up (kicking myself now for not getting it!!). Thankfully, my mom was willing to bring hers when she came to visit for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, she’s took it home with her.

I did a bit of partial die-cutting to create the scene. I cut the tree so that the bottom was still attached to the card stock. I placed the hill die where I wanted it and marked the tree trunk with tape; then I cut from the left up to the tape and again from the right to the tape. I like the look of it all as one piece. I did die-cut a second tree (just the tree) and glued it to the back of the scene for added dimension.

When I glued the scene down to the blue panel, I didn’t glue the branches so that they would feel free to blow in the breeze, as is right.

The sentiment is silver embossed.

To finish it off, I added a bunch of silver balls to the tree.

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

happy winter
Stamps: Vintage Picnic Sentiments (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko);
Paper: White (PTI); Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss (Stampin’Up – SU);
Other: Beautiful Branches die (SU); In the Meadow die (PTI); Stitched Rectangle die (Lil Inkers); silver ball embellishments (stash); silver embossing powder (Hero Arts);

Christmas Wishes

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

ccs_2016-12-01_202

I chose to use:

CC&S_2016-06-16_#178

And here is my take:

Christmas Wishes | by karen @ carefree creations

I love these pastel colors; they make a great Christmas scheme!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

Christmas Wishes
Stamps: All Yule Need (Paper Smooches – PS);
Ink: Truffle Espresso (Momento);
Paper: White (PTI); Calypso Coral card stock, Pool Party pattern paper, Pear Pizzazz pattern paper (Stamin’Up);
Other: Bows die (PS);

Champagne Toast

Addicted to CAS is celebrating their birthday with the congrats code word
AddictedToCASblogbadge

Here is my card:

Champagne Toast | by karen @ carefree creations

I didn’t have a specific need for a congrats card, so I kept it theme neutral and used a champagne glass to toast the word Congrats. The sparkle is stamped with gold ink and there is a tiny rhinestone in the center to accentuate the clinking.

It is hard to see in the photo, but I added a shadow to the word by stamping it again, slightly lower, using the light grey ink (the same I used on the glass).

Addicted to CAS is also having a Design Team call. I’m putting my name in.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Congrats
Stamps: Congrats All Ways, Propose a Toast, Hello Sunshine (Papertrey Ink – PTI);
Ink: Smokey Shadow (PTI); Fog (Simon Says Stamp); Lemon Chiffon (My Favorite Things); Gold Delicata (Tsukineko);
Paper: White (PTI);
Other: rhinestone (K&Co);