CASology 101: FLOAT

 

Here it is Tuesday again and a brand new cue word is up over at CASology!

With the Fourth of July coming up this week, I couldn't help but think of parades and the fun floats that roll by with people throwing sweet treats from them!  Thus, the reason my card has a line of marching children.  I'm sure I'm probably confusing a few people over on the challenge blog right now!

I clustered all the design elements into the lower right corner and was able to preserve white space.  I'd forgotten I had the blue gemstone stars, but figured they'd add just the right amount of interest to this one layer layout.  I had to add just a tiny bit of red too, of course, since the sentiment needed some patriotic support!

Be sure and stop by the design team and guest designer blogs this week!  Once again, they've been working hard at providing inspiration and would love to receive a little virtual wave from you!  Then, don't forget to link up your own creation on the challenge blog by Monday at NOON (CDT) for your chance to win a prize from Cindy Coutts, this week's sponsor!

 

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Gillian Ross 
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino
Kimberly Wiener

May Park 

Meghan McMillan (on a break)
Melissa Chipperfield (you are here)
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer:  Kylie

Guest Designer:  Lindsey

It always seems like the increased speed of summer becomes even more pronounced once the Fourth of July comes and goes!  With the coming school year beginning about a week earlier than usual this year, I'm afraid it's going to feel like we've been cheated out of some of our summer!  Until then, we're just going to have to savor every moment.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Cherry Cobbler

Cherry Cobbler.  Doesn't that sound delicious?  Maybe I'll have to whip up a batch this weekend!  What a great autumn dessert!

I'm actually talking about one of the colors for the new color duo that starts today over at Dynamic Duos!  We are to use Cherry Cobbler and another color of our choice!

For my simple card (& I mean simple!), I chose Night of Navy as the second color.  I mounted a white cardstock panel to a white card base and then just added pops of the two main colors for a very clean and simple card.  I added three star shaped gemstones to add to the patriotic feel.  With Veterans' Day coming up in November, I was a bit sad thinking that I couldn't give this to my grandfather.  He passed away last month and was a WWII veteran who fought in Iwo Jima.  I'll have to pass this along to another veteran somewhere this year.

Die:  Paper Trey Ink

Be sure to visit the rest of the design team and guest designer blogs for more inspiration!  Then, have fun creating your own entry and don't forget to link it up on the challenge blog by Thursday at noon (PDT)!

Allisa Chilton

Allyson Anderson (GD)

Anne Marie Hile

Anika Lerche

Karen Aicken (GD)

Kim Singdahlsen

Lesley Croghan

Lisa Elton

Michelle Bala (GD)

Melissa Chipperfield

Paige Grabau

Sue Joyce

Have a super Saturday!

Star Spangled

Happy Thursday!  It's going to be a very hot and muggy one here!  I'm thinking I'll be setting up the kids' pool today since it looks like this heat is here to stay for a while!  We need rain so badly, but every time there is a chance of getting some, the rain clouds seems to dissipate before they reach our area!  Nothing like getting our hopes up and then having them come crashing down as we helplessly watch the moisture bypass us!  Looks like a dry summer this year.

It finally hit me that the 4th of July is next week!  Less than a week away now!  We don't have any big plans yet, but we'll at least dig out some sparklers and grill some hamburgers!

In preparation for the holiday, I thought I'd better whip up a patriotic card!  I love red, white and blue and even have my living room decorated with some Americana things.  My good dinner plates are a flag design too!  I've had them for years, but still like them a lot!

SU colors used:  Night of Navy, Real Red

Now I'm off to build Legos with DS2 and feed all three boys breakfast before we head on into our day!  Pool and popsicles, here we come!

Home of the Brave

Today is the beginning of a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique!  The challenge theme is "Home of the Brave."  Friday is Veterans' Day here in the U.S.A., so I was ready to dig out some patriotic stamps!  If you'd like to play along, you have two weeks to do so!  Also, remember to mark your calendar for this weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) for The Stamping Boutique's November Blog Hop!

I chose to use the Star digital stamp for my creation and, being a patriotic card, I just had to add glitter somewhere!  I used SU's Glitter Paper for a frame.  Love that stuff!

Supplies:
Stamps - The Stamping Boutique (Star - digital stamp), SU sentiment
Paper - Gina K white CS, SU Red Glimmer Paper
Ink - SU Basic Black
Accessories - Sizzix embossing folder (Tim Holtz), baker's twine, star brads, SU word window punch, foam dots (popped up star)
Coloring - Copic markers

A Hoedown with Heart

It's Hambo Hoedown time again and, this week, Hambo Stamps is connecting with Operation Write Home, an organization that collects handmade cards to give to the troops that protect and serve our country!  Anyone interested can send their finished challenge card to Hambo Stamps, to be forwarded on to the organization.  The troops use the cards to send loved ones mail.  What a great cause to help out with!  For more details, check out the challenge blog!

This submarine was sending me paper piecing signals BIG time!  I interpreted that to mean patriotic paper piecing and sat myself down to work.  What fun I had cutting and applying glue to the teeniest of pieces!  I used a 3/4-inch circle punch to create a window for the Ham-some pig using a window sheet (which doesn't show up very well in the picture, unfortunately, since it's clear)!

Supplies:

Stamps - Hambo Stamps (Pig Sub - digital)

Paper - textured white & black CS, Gina K white CS, Basic Grey DP (Life of the Party), DCWV DP (Old World)

Ink - SU Bashful Blue (sponging), Real Red (around sentiment)

Accessories - SU window sheet (used on window in front of pig's face), heart gemstones, SU oval punch, baker's twine, foam squares (popped up main image panel & sentiment), Nestabilities (circle), 3/4-inch circle punch

Techinique used:  paper piecing

After Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day always comes and goes before I realize it's gone!  Afterward, I'm left wondering what to do next in my craft room!  I looked at my handy calendar where I keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and the like and saw I have a few little girl birthdays coming up in the months ahead.  I also saw Memorial Day smiling at me as I dared to look farther than the spring that I'm impatiently waiting for!  So...here's what I came up with.  This way, if I change my mind about what card to give to the girls on my list, I can save this card for Memorial Day!  Oh yeah, there's always July 4th too!  LOL!

Supplies:

Stamps:  DRS Designs (main image), Paper Trey (sentiment, It's a Celebration set), SU Sweet Stars jumbo wheel

Cardstock:  SU Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Paper Trey white

Ink:  SU Basic Black, Versamark

Coloring:  Copic Markers

Accessories:  star brads, Stickles (Diamond), corner rounder punch, SU ticket corner punch

Salute to Veterans

Supplies:
Stamps: Eat Cake Graphics, Paper Trey (sentiment)
Cardstock: SU Ballet Blue, Paper Trey white
Paper: Doodlebug Designs
Ink: SU Real Red (sponging), Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Basic Black (sentiment)
Coloring: Copics, Spica (for sparkle on little girl's star headband)
Accesories: SU star punch, foam squares (back of star)

I always seem to have good intentions when it comes to Veterans Day, but have never followed through. My own grandfather served in Iwo Jima in WWII, but, sad to say, I've never stopped to tell him thank you. Well, this year, I'm going to follow through and tell him how much I appreciate his service and all that he had to endure (things he still has trouble talking about...). If you have not seen the movie Flags of Our Fathers, it may be worth checking out from the library just for a history lesson. I had to watch it since it is set in Iwo Jima where my grandfather served as a teenager! I have always wondered what exactly he went through over there, but we were never allowed to ask him much growing up as Mom (his daughter) said it would trigger nightmares for him if we asked too much. Over the last few years, he's opened up a little, but has told me it does make it hard for him to sleep with flashbacks coming in his dreams at night. He's not getting any younger, so it's past time I show him how much I appreciate him and all he went through defending my freedom. I want to remember in the years ahead to remember to thank those I encounter who have served or are currently serving to defend my freedom. November 11th will now be highlighted on my calendar!