Tag Archives: gender-neutral

Birthday Cruise

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Road Trip

I created this card for the latest CAS(e) This Sketch challenge.

The idea came because I was trying to decide what the stripe down the one panel should be. As I was looking through my stamp index I saw the highway line and knew what to do.

Coming up with colors was a bit harder. I didn’t want to overload on white, but I also wanted it bright.

I’m really happy with how this turned out!

11/9/13 Update: Eeek – this card won the challenge at CAS(e) This Sketch!
cts_winner

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Birthday
Stamps: Enjoy the Ride (PTI); Metropolis (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Wild Wasabi (SU); White (PTI);
Other: Flag Tag dies (Paper Smooches); Car die (PTI);

Christmas Wishes

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Christmas Wreath

I did some stamping over the weekend. The Paper Smooches Sparks challenge blog is having a Design Team call! This is the first card I made as an entry. I used the bottom photo on their Challenge Photos page as inspiration.

I started by stamping the sentiment in the center of the panel. Then I stamped a small leaf image in 4 different greens around the sentiment. By the time I was done, it was no longer centered, but that is an easy fix…I trimmed it to a square card.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Christmas Wishes
Stamps: All Yule Need, Reflections (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: White, Harvest Gold, Pure Poppy (PTI); Pacific Point, Garden Green, Lucky Limeade, Pear Pizzazz, Certainly Celery (SU);
Other: Vineyard impression plate (PTI);

Watercolor Spark

Posted on by

My life is getting back to a more manageable schedule (which really just means I have more time to stamp)!!

by karen @ carefree creations - Watercolor Background

I was inspired by the latest Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect challenge.

I loved the array of colors and the water spots in the inspiration photo. I used those items to create the background for this card. As I watercolored each portion of the background, I added salt to help add pools and veins.

I kept the rest of the card quite simple.

The layout is also inspired by the photo – which has a large pale leaf on the right side – perfect placement for a sentiment.

Thanks for taking a peek!

hello
Stamps: Potpourri, Chit Chat (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Royal Velvet, Autumn Rose, Simply Chartreuse, Ocean Tides, Canyon Clay, Kraft, Dark Chocolate (PTI);
Other: Watercolor paper (Strathmore); twine (stash);
Technique: salted watercolor;

Birthday Leaves

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Birthday Leaves

I created this card for the Paper Smooches Sparks Cool Shades color challenge -> Autumn.

Maybe it was the subliminal message in the color story title, but I definitely thought autumn once I got my color swatches out. So I picked out a leaf set to work with.

I used the current sketch challenge from CAS(e) This Sketch for my layout.

When stamping the solid leaves, I thought it would be good to give them a little texture/pattern. First I stamped the solid image then I stamped the pattern overlay. To do the overlay, I inked a gingham image and kissed it to the clean solid leaf. Since the stamps are polymer, it was easy to line them back up.

The card still needed a bit more texture, so I dropped some smooch spritz onto the card base (my spritzer doesn’t spray any more, but the ink inside is still good so I just uncap the bottle and shake the straw over the project).

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Birthday
Stamps: Leafy Greens, Sentiment Sampler, Debonair (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Kraft, Cream, Rustic Cream, Canyon Clay, Plum Pudding, Dark Chocolate (PTI); Island Indigo (SU);
Other: Flag Tag die (PaperSmooches); Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (Clearsnap);

Gettin Sketchy

Posted on by

It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #48 sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #48

I’ll admit, when I first saw this sketch, I thought it would be hard; but when I sat down to craft I very quickly had quite a few ideas. I’m sharing two of them today.

by karen @ carefree creations - Math Pun

This is the first idea that came to mind. I bought this protractor stamp awhile ago because my kiddo is a math geek and I thought I might be able to make some cards for them (and their teacher).

I don’t know if it is obvious, but the arrow is pointing 90° in the protractor – a right angle…hence the pun. My kiddo “got it” so that is all that really matters 🙂 Of course I had to tease them that they’d have to give the card to me and not the other way ’round!

The sentiment was done with a font and a word processing program.

My next card uses a new set I recently acquired.

by karen @ carefree creations - Scary On

I think this was an impulse buy (mostly because the Lil Inker DT is so convincing), but I love this witch!

I have a hard time using colors differently than I see in nature. I truly wanted to use purple as the card base because at least it was close to a black night sky. When I was messing with colors the orange looked too good – and everything popped with it. So while I’ve never seen an orange night sky (not counting thin strips of sky at sunset), I went with it…and I’m glad I did!

I still have a couple ideas floating around my head for this sketch – so you’ll probably see it again soon!

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).

You Were Right
Stamps: Protractor (Jenni Bowlin);
Ink/Card Stock: Limeade Ice, Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist, White (PTI);
Other: Font CityDBol Regular; Circle die (Spellbinders); Get to the Point arrow die (PTI);
Scary On
Stamps: Bat & Broomstick (Lil Inkers);
Ink/Card Stock: Orange Zest, Harvest Gold, White (PTI); Black (Versafine);
Other: Circle die (Spellbinders); Witch die (Lil Inkers);

Have a Spooky Day

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Spooky Day

I’m squeezing in a card for the latest Paper Smooches Sparks challenge – a designer draft sketch.

I seriously considered having the sentiment say “Have a Spoopy Day” – but I wasn’t sure if anyone would get it (I think I spend too much time on Fail Blog 🙂

Thanks for taking a peek!

Have a Spooky Day
Stamps: Spookalicious, Alphadot, Wake Up (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Kraft (PTI); Plum Pudding, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Black (VersaFine);
Other: Flourishes die, Duo Die 2 die (Paper Smooches);

Mosaic Christmas

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Mosaic Christmas

Mom needed a Christmas card for an upcoming stamp camp. I thought it would be fun to show how to use a non-Christmas stamp set to create a holiday card.

I loved seeing all the great ideas pour forth when the Mosaic Madness set was first released. I pulled my inspiration from those cards.

To do the border around the Vanilla panel, I used a border stamp from the same stamp set. I stamped it half-on and half-off the panel. It was actually quite easy to line up (I unmount my stamps – even the foam – and cut close) to do the long edges.

The hanging lines were drawn with a marker and ruler.

I finished off the ornaments with a little pearl in the centers.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Merry Christmas
All supplies Stampin’Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Delightful Dozen;
Ink/Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla;
Other: Pearls, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder;

Glad You’re Home

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Glad U R Home

My kiddo has been on a week-long school field trip and we have missed them! I thought I’d make sure they knew we all were thinking of them by creating a card to show them we were glad they were finally back home!

I’m entering this in the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge – Anything Goes.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Glad U R Home
Stamps: Chubby Chums, Chubby Chum Pals, Hullabaloo, Alphadot, Shadows (Paper Smooches);
Ink/Card Stock: Lemon Tart, White (PTI); Black (Memento);
Other: markers (Copic); twine (stash);

Halloween Wishes

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Halloween Web

Today is World Cardmaking Day. I’m ignoring the fact that I’m sick and I’m playing along anyway. (Thankfully I do feel a bit better than yesterday.)

I pulled up all my favorite challenges (why are there too many to actually play all of them???) and I found this cool sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

I don’t do circles easily, but this sketch seemed doable as the circle was a background element.

I browsed my supply index looking for something that would spark an idea. The first thing that brought forth an idea was a stamp set with a filigree circle and Halloween theme. Once I got to the Halloween theme my brain started churning and I thought about the web dies I recently purchases. Thus my card was born 🙂

I embossed the spider with black embossing powder – because I wanted it to be shiny…because I knew I wanted to use either bling or sequins to accent the sentiment. And here I am breaking one of my rules for masculine cards: no bling. But every rule has an exception (hmmmm…does that rule have one too??), so I didn’t mind adding the bling.

I haven’t created enough Halloween cards to send to all my family (which is sad since that only numbers 10), but I have a couple folks I *must* send to. So I’m glad I’ve got one done with time to mail!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Happy Halloween
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Trick or Treat, Spooky Sweets II;
Ink/Card Stock: Smokey Shadow, Canyon Clay, True Black; Vellum (stash);
Other: Spooky Sweets II die, Spider Webs die; sequins (Neat & Tangled); Black embossing powder (Filigree);

Grateful Greetings

Posted on by

by karen @ carefree creations - Grateful Greetings

Tis the season to be creating fall cards!

Addicted to CAS just posted their new challenge: Autumn/Fall.

On my last card my kiddo really wanted me to use burlap instead of raffia (or as they called it, hay). So I told them they could chose the elements for this card. Burlap and pumpkins with a thanksgiving greeting – those were their choices.

I pulled out the Ocean tides again because it is such a great compliment to orange.

I used a retired StampinUp set. My kiddo also chose to have me color with Copics instead of watercoloring.

To adhere the burlap pieces I first held them to the back of the Ocean Tides panel with some tape; then I machine stitched them down. I covered the stitching with the linen thread.

The whole bunch is adhered to a Rustic Cream card base. I like that you see it through the edge of the burlap – it helps bring in the sentiment banner.

The pumpkins are popped with foam tape at different heights.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Grateful Greetings
Stamps: Autumn Harvest, Grateful Greetings (SU);
Ink/Card Stock: Rustic Cream, Ocean Tides (PTI); Rich Cocoa (Memento);
Other: markers (Copic); burlap (stash); linen thread (SU); Sketched Shapes die, Woodgrain impression plate (PTI);
Technique: machine stitching