CASology #94: METAL

It's time for a brand new cue word challenge over at CASology and, this week, we're going elemental.

 

With Father's Day coming up soon, this word made me think of a toolbox and all those guy things that are found out in the garage!

Stamps:  Sweet Stamp Shop (Dad's Tool Box)

I simply embossed a piece of Brushed Silver cardstock (Stampin'Up!), mounted it on another piece of Brushed Silver cardstock and then popped the layered panel up with foam dots.  I stamped and fussy cut the sentiment on Brushed Silver also and popped up the letters with foam dots.  The black gemstones were added at the end.

As you can see, a monochromatic color scheme works well on a clean and simple design.  Add a little texture and you've got some dimensional interest!  It only takes a few well-placed elements to create a CAS design!  Figuring out how to combine that handful of elements is the real challenge.

I hope you'll join us over at CASology!  The design team and this week's guest designer have provided some fantastic METAL inspiration and Cindy Coutts is back as our sponsor, offering a wonderful prize to this week's winner!

 

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Gillian Ross 
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino
Kimberly Wiener
May Park
Meghan McMillan
Melissa Chipperfield (you are here)
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer:  Janet

Be sure and link up your creation on the challenge blog by Monday at NOON (CDT) to be eligible to win the prize!

Off to run errands today!  Drywalling is about to begin!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Sweet Stamp Shop May Release #1

Today is the day!  Sweet Stamp Shop is releasing three new stamp sets and just wait until you see them...

Always giving us something to smile about, another adorable critter has joined the others in the Sweet Shop!  This time, it's a skunk!

Stamps:  Sweet Stamp Shop (Stinky Skunk, Dad's Tool Box - 'sorry' sentiment)

Sometimes one needs to admit they've been a bit of a stinker, so this card is for such an occasion.  Apologies aren't easy, but they're necessary at times!

With Father's Day next month, the next set I'm going to show you hits the nail on the head!  What father doesn't like tools?!

Stamps:  Sweet Stamp Shop (Dad's Tool Box)

The main panel is embossed with a woodgrain pattern.  I actually cut apart the "DAD" so that I could pop up each letter with a foam dot.

Stamps:  Sweet Stamp Shop (Dad's Tool Box)

On this card, I used black sequins to replicate little washers and added some sparkle to the toolbox with Smooch Spritz.  The main panel is embossed with a brick pattern.

Here is the entire set:

Adorable, no?!!  There is one more set being released today, but I'll let you see it over on the Sweet Blog where even more creative inspiration awaits!  Be sure to take advantage of this coupon code for 10% off the new release sets (good for today):  MR110
The new releases have been selling like hot cakes, so you'll want to be quick to grab the ones you want!

It is still not feeling much like spring around here.  I guess we're getting a late one this year.  I just hope we'll at least get a few nice spring days to enjoy before plunging into the heat of summer!  Rain has been ours most every day so far this week.  Indoor projects are going strong, including a basement that is about to be drywalled!  Exciting, but also a bit nerve wracking!  We're in a bit of a time crunch in our house!  Here's a peek at my future craft room (Yes, I'm trying so very hard to contain my excitement!):

This is actually a room that will be able to be used as a bar or a little apartment kitchen by future owners, if desired.  The line of boards you see sticking out from the wall will be an island with bar stools, a perfect height for someone like me who prefers to stand when crafting.  There will be a few cabinets in an L-shape to go along with the island.  I'll post more pictures as things begin to come together!

The camera is still snapping photos of other things, of course...

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Crisp

This time of year has me dreaming of apples and all the desserts that one can create with them!  A childhood favorite of mine is apple crisp!  Of course, then there is the classic apple pie that comes to mind!  Every Thanksgiving, DH and I bake a few pies and apple is always requested.

This week's cue word over at CASology is a fun one and you'll see by the creations of the design team and our guest designer that there are quite a few ways to intepret it!

Stamps:  Clearly Besotted, Uniko Studio (sentiment)

What did I think of?  Laundry.  Must have something to do with the amount that is going through our house right now!  A fresh, crisp shirt represented this cue word in my mind!

I stamped and cut out the shirt before popping it up with a foam dot for dimension.  I stamped the sentiment to align with the shirt's orientation and then added a small cluster of start gemstones.

Be sure and take some time to visit the rest of the design team members' blogs as well as our guest designer's blog for even more CRISP inspiration and then don't forget to link up your own creation on the challenge blog by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT) for your chance to win a gift certificate from our sponsor, Uniko Studio!

Ardyth
Gillian 

 Jen

Judy 

Kimberly 

Maureen 

Meghan 

Melissa 

(you're here!)

Rosemary 

Tracey

Guest Designer:  Valerie 


Have a terrific Tuesday!

Masculine Monday: A Spec-tacular Father's Day

Happy Monday!  With Father's Day less than a week away, I took some time to focus on the upcoming holiday by making one final card.  This time, I went with some newspaper print decorative paper and a stamped pair of spectacles!  I don't know about you, but many Sunday afternoons growing up, I'd find my father sitting in his easy chair reading the Sunday newspaper.

Stamps:  Stampabilities, Paper Trey (sentiment)
Paper:  SU decorative paper (Newsprint), SU cardstock (Basic Black, Very Vanilla), Paper Trey cardstock (kraft)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Accessories:  Crystal Effects, foam dots

I stamped the spectacles and sentiment.  Then, they were fussy cut and snazzed up with a little Crystal Effects for shine.  I then popped them up with foam dots for dimension.  Easy as ever!

I hope you had a relaxing weekend!  Me...not so much.  DS3 took a fall and smacked one of his top front teeth on the bookcase in the living room Saturday afternoon.  Of course, such things always happen on the weekend when doctors and dentists are not in their offices.  Thankfully, I work for a kind dentist who took my call and advised me what to do.  We'll need to try to get an x-ray early this week to see if DS3 can keep his tooth as it was pushed into his gums a bit and could affect the developing adult tooth if it was pushed in enough to touch it.  This mommy is feeling a bit distressed about it all!  Thankfully, the swelling in his face is beginning to subside little by little now.  That, in itself, relieves some of the worry.  A little.

Have a marvelous Monday!

Masculine Monday: A Hairy Situation

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a good weekend!  DH made it home safely from his weeklong business trip to Canada on Saturday, so all is well!  It's during times when he's away that I find myself admiring single mothers!  A lot.  It's not that I feel so overwhelmed, but I just feel rather exhausted by the end of the week!  Evenings become a little too quiet after the boys are tucked in and I really start missing conversations with the love of my life!

Ever since last week's "Furry" cue word challenge over at CASology, I've been thinking about mustaches and the lack of them in my stamp collection!  While paying Hobby Lobby a visit on Friday, I found a cute little background stamp that made me smile!  Not only was it too cute to pass up, but it was half off!  Can't beat that now, can you?!

Unfortunately, my ability to get a good stamped image is not very good with background stamps (...a little fact I conveniently forgot in that moment of retail therapy excitement.), so you'll have to excuse the unintended weathered look that I achieved.  As if that wasn't enough, the fresh breeze coming in the kitchen window the evening after I finished the card blew my hard work into a pan soaking in the sink and I quickly became the proud owner of a bunch of water logged mustaches!  Guess Mother Nature must know I really don't like the things in real life.  sigh.  No need to worry about any prospective recipient noticing the faults of my creation!  Whew.  Funny how things work out, isn't it?!  'Course, here I am sharing this with all of you, the stamping experts...

Stamps:  Stampabilities, Paper Trey (sentiment, Pond Life)
Paper:  SU cardstock (Basic Black), Paper Trey cardstock (white)
Ink:  SU (Basic Black)
Accessories:  foam dots, heart gemstones, red Copic marker

I framed the poorly stamped images with some black cardstock and popped up the layered panels with foam dots after stamping the sentiment.  The heart gemstone is actually a clear one colored with a Copic Marker.

It's back to the drawing board to create another Father's Day card!  One down (see here).  Two to go!

A CAS Father's Day

Father's Day is quickly approaching and I needed to get two cards in the mail today!  Why, oh why, do I procrastinate so much?!  You'd think I'd learn!

I created a CAS card this year, switching up the colors a bit for the second card.  On this version, I used Night of Navy and Old Olive on a Kraft cardstock base.  The little tree is from the SU Trendy Trees set, one of my favorites!  The embossing is from a Cuttlebug embossing folder that really reminds me of one of those shiny metal tool box units you can buy for a garage!  :)

Are you ready for Father's Day?  I think I'll be cooking one of DH's favorite meals, either baked spaghetti or a Mexican casserole dish he recently discovered.  For dessert, I need to find a tasty lemon cake recipe somewhere!  Anyone have a suggestion for one?!

In Stitches

What a day!  My shoulder is sore tonight from a minor excision that I elected to have done this morning and I forget about it until I'm lifting DS3 onto my hip or reaching overhead.  Two weeks and then I'll go get the wonderful stitches out.  Always a good feeling to have those gone!  :)

We've had some wonderful company the past couple of days and it's been nice to be unplugged a bit from the computer!  I did manage to stamp a couple of Father's Day cards this morning, though, when I realized that, if I was going to get them to their destinations on time, I'd best be getting them in the mail today!  Oh why do I procrastinate so much?

I used this week's Sketch Challenge sketch over at Splitcoast Stampers to help me along today!  A nice, easy sketch that yielded a result I'm happy with.

Supplies:
Stamps - Paper Trey (Warm Happiness, Pond Life sets)
Paper - SU Peach Parfait, Chocolate Chip CS, Basic Grey DP (Mellow), Cosmo Cricket DP (Wanted)
Ink - SU Peach Parfait, Chocolate Chip
Accessories - SU Chocolate Chip marker (faux stitching), foam squares (popped up the main image panel)