CAS Thank You Note for Sketch and Color Challenges

I made this CAS Thank You note for a couple of challenges this week and it's a design that I will replicate for gift sets.  

I'll be entering this in the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and in honor of its very own new blog, the good folks at SSSC have given us the freedom to choose our favorite sketch for SSSC259.  I chose Sketch #154 to use for this layout:

My color palette was guided by a new challenge for me, the Color Throwdown Challenge. For CT332, I chose Tempting Turquoise, Strawberry Slush, Night of Navy and Sahara Sand.

The stamp in this project is a Sale-a-Bration *freebie*.  Read more about Sale-a-Bration {HERE}. The set is called Simply Wonderful and it has a set of seven different sentiments in a variety of fun formats and fonts.  Click on the Sale-a-Bration catalog on the right side of your screen to see more (it's on page 16).

To achieve multiple colors, I used my trusty Stampin' Write Markers to ink the stamp in Strawberry Slush and Tempting Turquoise.  After coloring all of it, I give it a huff of air before stamping.

I love the stripes in the "Thanks" of this sentiment, so I echoed those with the Stylish Stripes TIEF. I put the pieces of card stock in the folder together and ran them through my Big Shot.  Simple and yet it really adds to the card (I started without the stripes and found I needed more oomph -- I freely reserve the right to revise my projects!).

The sentiment punches perfectly with the Decorative Label Punch and I made a quickie flagged end in my Night of Navy card stock using my Paper Snips.

Sale-a-Bration lasts for three more weeks, so take stock of what you need and for every $50 in merchandise ordered, you can earn some terrific freebies! Combine your order with friends and you can earn even more! Contact me for no-pressure, high-yield strategies to maximize your Sale-a-Bration freebies!

CAS Butterfly Note Card for Challenges

This Clean and Simple (CAS) note card was made following the Freshly Made Sketches challenge (FMS176).

The body of my note card was cut from Lost Lagoon card stock (3.75 by 5.5 inches). A Whisper White piece was torn by hand to give the edge.

The sumptuous Lost Lagoon Stitched Satin Ribbon was simply tied into a knot.  This is such easy ribbon with which to work!

The pièce de résistance on this notecard was achieved most simply.  I ran my Lost Lagoon card stock with a piece of waxed paper through my Big Shot, using the new Butterflies Thinlit.  It's popped up on a smidge of a Stampin' Dimensional so that you can see its delicate structure.  So gorgeous.  I've just recently received this gem and I can't wait to play with it more! 

**Unfortunately, these Thinlits are temporarily unavailable.  The situation on the West Coast docks, while in resolution, will take weeks to sort out.  We are looking forward to these lovely Thinlits being available again soon. To be sure to be in the know, please contact me and I'll notify you as soon as they're available again.**

I'll be entering this card in the Cute Card Thursday #363 Challenge this week, in which we are to use punches or die cuts.  I'll also enter this card in the Friday Mashup (FM200) challenge, in which I can choose my challenge in celebration of the 200th challenge.  I chose FM1, which was one including butterflies!

Stay in touch if these gorgeous butterflies are on your Wish List (no pressure -- I just like to keep you in the loop)!

{12 Weeks of Christmas 2013: Week Two}: Same Card, Five Ways

This post starts with a simple Christmas card.  Real Red Classic Ink is used with Brushed Silver, Whisper White, and Real Red card stocks.  The Chalk Talk Framelits make a quick and easy project of cutting out the Christmas stamp and my Scallop Circle punch takes care of the Brushed Silver piece.  A snip of Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain finishes the simple look.  Overall, I am happy with this quick and sweet Christmas greeting.

But what if I wanted to step it up a notch (or five)?  Here are some variations on the same card.

First, I used Pool Party Classic Ink to add an unexpected contrast of color to the card.  Not your "typical" Christmas color, but that's part of why I think it is so effective.

In addition, I inked the Santa image in Real Red and snipped him out using my Paper Snips and mounted this piece with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Quick and easy way to add contrast to the stamped image (Stampin' Write Markers would work here, too).

How about a little piercing?  Here's a quick and inexpensive way to add texture and interest to your project.  I used the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack (126199) (as an added bonus, until October 14 at 11:59 PM, this pack is available as one of the Weekly Deals and is 25% off!).

This next project uses the negative space created by the Chalk Talk Framelit.  I used the Framelit on the Real Red piece and snipped closely around the stamped Whisper White piece.  The Real Red piece is bumped up with Stampin' Dimensionals and the piece of grosgrain is fed through the negative opening.

This tweak didn't cost a thing, but added another twist to this project...

Here's another way in which to utilize your Big Shot.  I love the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.  Here I used the Perfect Polka Dots to pick up on the dots in the Pool Party portion of the image.  Quick and highly effective for a bit of texture...