Baby Card, Panda on Vine, New Arrival

When is a CAS card not a CAS card?

Well...  When it looks like this, of course!

I wonder who agrees with that statement?  I would certainly say that this card has a CAS 'feel' to it...  It has that all important 'white space' after all.  But then...  I did add an extra layer, a smidge of 'paper piecing', white twine as well as Dew Drops...  Do you get my point?

Perhaps this best fits Loll and Bonnie's CAS/Mixed Media Challenge style?  (If you don't know what I'm talking about then all I can say is 'where have you been')?  I know others use this style, too...  but kudos for them for coining the phrase.  Or was it already coined?  If so, I hadn't come across it...

Or maybe this best fits a CAS with layers category?  (Another challenge blog ran this for a while...  Not sure if they are on a break or whether they closed that challenge down).

Or maybe I should simply rephrase the question and ask, 'when does CAS stop being CAS'?

These are just my thoughts on the topic.  Feel free to let me know yours...  if you want to, obviously!

Anyway...  enough rambling...

Here's the inside...

Now I don't always decorate the inside of my cards...  but sometimes I just like to carry over the design a little.  

Supplies Used:

Stamp:

Crafter's Companion 'Baby Bamboo'

(Sentiment  - also by Crafter's Companion.  Discontinued)

Dies:

Memory Box 'Grape Vine'

PaperSmooches 'Gift Tag 2'

Ink:

Distress Marker 'Black Soot'  (Used to watercolour image)

Stazon 'Jet Black' 

Memento 'Expresso Truffle' (Stencilling)

Memento 'Tuxedo Black'

Ranger 'Perfect Medium' Embossing Ink

Stencil:

Creative Expressions 'Birch Tree'

Other:

Dew Drops (One clear, two champagne)

White Twine

Foam Pads

Stampendous 'clear' embossing powder

Challenges I'm Entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(An 'all snippets' card this week) 

CASology

'Stencil'

Country View Challenges

'Use a Stencil'

Stamping Sensations

'Anything Goes'

Share Joy

(Challenge #36 - Keep It Clean & Simple)

Make My Monday

'In the Garden'

Time Out Challenges

(Challenge #57 - 'May All Your Weeds Be Wild Flowers')

 

Have a good week...

Donna.

Baby Card (Keepsake), Clothes Line, Female

I haven't made a card like this in a long time...

and to be honest I am in no hurry to do it again.

No hurry whatsoever...

It started off simply enough...  A request for a baby card that would be kept for a very long time.  And... well...  

You see baby cards aren't really something I have ever made before so I had to do a spot of online shopping.

See my washing line?

Beautiful stamp.  I love it.

And those super cute tiny buttons that I glued on?  They were bought especially for this project too, you know!

But...

What can you do with a clothes line/washing line to stop it from simply floating in mid air that doesn't look plain ugly AND doesn't detract from the focal image of the tiny baby clothes on the line?

(I thought about that one for quite a while...)  

I did have to wait for the stamp to arrive, you know!

 FINALLY, I made a decision I thought I was happy with.

My 'Never Before Used Schtuff' Poppystamps frame paired with my much loved birch tree stencil.

It went downhill from there...

I could continue to elaborate in excruciating detail...  (maybe then you would feel my pain?)...  but suffice it to say that EVERY SINGLE TIME I thought I was finished and finally happy with this card I would look at it the following day and realise that there was something still not quite right with it.

This was a soul destroying card to make if ever there was one...

So I've added bits and I've taken bits away... and I've stamped bits and I've taken them away...  and I've given up all pretence of this being CAS in any form whatsoever...  

And I've painstakingly cut out and glued on each individual peg for added dimension as it didn't look right without me doing that...   and I've smooshed on Gesso and lifted up edges to distress them as it looked too neat...

Are you getting my point yet?

Please tell me you understand my pain.  Seriously please.

I can't be the only one who lacks enough common sense to simply call it a day and start over, can I?

Anybody?

Please?

I really hated this card at one point...

Now it's been salvaged from 'I'm seriously contemplating throwing you straight in the bin' to 'I like parts of it but I'm still not sure'.

Maybe one day I'll revisit it with a CAS makeover!

This is my second baby card out of three that I will be posting online.

I made it for mum rather than baby.  Kind of obvious, hey?

Supplies Used:

Stamp:

Lili Of The Valley 'Babies Companion'

Dies:

Poppystamps 'Leafy Frame'

Memory Box 'Fancy Blossoms'

Memory Box 'Tall Birch'

Impression Obsession 'Bird House' Set

Spellbinders/Nestabilities A2 Card Creator 'Distressed Edges'

Papertrey Ink 'Wet Paint Alphabet' (Upper)

Tim Holtz/Sizzix (Thinlits) 'Tiny Tattered Florals'

Punch:

Martha Stewart 'Branch'

Ink:

Stazon 'Timber Brown'

Memento 'Expresso Truffle'

Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Pumice Stone'

Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Old Paper'

Ranger 'Perfect Medium' Embossing Ink

Stencil:

Creative Expressions 'Birch Tree'

Embossing Powder:

Stampendous 'Detail Silver'

Other:

Gesso (White)

Silver Thread

Baby Charm

Micro Buttons

Gems

Challenges I'm Entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Snippets of Watercolour card...  plus white/green card and vellum) 

Stamping Sensations

  'Anything Goes' 

The Sisterhood of Crafters

'No Design Paper'

Allsorts Challenge

Week #363  'Vintage'

Country View Challenges
'Use a Stencil'

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit...

Donna. x

Tag Card, Panda, Female

I've been busy sorting through a house full of too many things and decorating my dining room this past few months.  What is it about sorting that invariably means you end up making even more mess than you had to begin with?  It's a SLOW process...  that's for sure!

...  And no, I'm not finished.  Nowhere near as far as the 'stuff' goes.  Plus one of the pieces of furniture that arrived this week is faulty and has to be returned.  

So we have to wait for a collection date and the replacement to arrive.  Then wax the wood. 

Grrr...

Don't they understand that I'm taking over some of the dining area for my craft stash and making it an additional 'work' space?  

I guess they don't.

Anyhow...

It's Friday.  Time for another challenge at Tag You're It!

My tag for today is my first attempt at a tag card and my second attempt using a watercolour technique with distress inks.  It's not perfect, but I like it.  I am using some of my favourite colours, after all :)  

My inspiration for today's tag came from my fellow DT member, Kara Lynne Progreba (see below).

In keeping with the spirit of Kara Lynne's design, I've used an animal image that also has a flower, but to add some texture mine's be overlaid with die cuts from scrap packaging.  

I also have a butterfly on my stamp in lieu of the second critter on Kara Lynne's tag...  and I've opted for what looks like a similar colouring style and included the button to boot!

Supplies Used:

Stamp:

Crafters Companion Party Paws 'bamboo'

Dies:

Mama Elephant 'Tags A Lot'

Spellbinders/Nestabilities 'Deckled Rectangles'

Memory Box 'Fabulous Phlox' 

Memory Box 'Butterfly Heart'

Ink

Memento/Tsukineko 'Bamboo Leaves'

Other:

Ribbon

Button

Wooden Peg

Challenges I'm Entering...

House Of Cards

 'Shaped Cards'

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(The butterflies were punched out about 6 months ago - maybe more - and have been waiting in my stash ever since.  The flowers - die cut from scrap card - were cut about 3 months ago, patiently waiting for me to use them...  and the centre panel was a piece of scrap white that was only just big enough for my Nestabilities die).

As you Like It

Favourite fold or Shape and Why

(I LOVE tags because they 'hold their own' equally well as an embellishment or as a focal feature, whether that be a gift tag or a tag on a card.  This card 'tag' shows that there's even more diversity to tags...  plus they come in a multitude of shapes and sizes).

Dies R Us

Challenge #43 'Red'

(I've used Red as my accent colour)

Cute Card Thursday

Challenge #413 'Warm Colours'

4 Crafty Chicks

Challenge #286 'Friendship'

Stamping Sensations

'Anything Goes'

The Sisterhood of Crafters

'Warm Thoughts'

(I chose Friendship/Caring/Spring)

Just Us Girls

'Add A Tag'

Share Joy

Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge

(I'm saving this card to send to my daughter)...

I've chosen

Tags/Flowers/No Patterned Paper

&/or

Tags/Watercolour/Butterflies

&/or

Watercolour/Flowers/Colouring (any type)

&/or

Butterflies/Ribbon/No Patterned Paper

It was my first year anniversary earlier this month.  One whole year in Blogland!

To say a small 'thank you' to those of you that regularly stop by I wanted to offer you the chance to have this small selection of craft goodies sent to your home.

They are all packed up and ready to go.

Would you like them?

If so, leave me a message on this post (or send me an email) and I will include you in a random draw.

I'll give you all two weeks to think about it before I pick a random winner.

Have a good weekend...

Donna. x

Panda with Branches, Baby, Female

Good morning.  

I'm sharing a baby card with you today, but as you can see it's not your traditional pale pink or pale blue!

I've had this design in my head for a very long time, but it's still nothing like I expected it to be...  Funny how it works out like that.

Here's a quick 'how to' guide...

Stamp edges of Kraft card with Kaisercraft Film Edges Texture Clear Stamp in black ink.

Cut a piece of white card a little smaller in size than the card base, distress around the edges with a Paper Distresser Tool and glue into place.

Cut a green piece of card smaller than the white one and emboss using a Darice Bamboo Embossing Folder.  Glue at an angle.

Cut the largest tag from the PaperSmooches Gift Tag 2 set, using Watercolour Card.

Stamp on 'Baby Bamboo' from the Crafter's Companion rubber stamp set using Stazon ink.  Once dry, use Distress Inks to watercolour.

Mount tag at an angle using Foam Pads.

Cut out two branches using the Memory Box 'Grove Branch' die and glue into place.

Cut three flowers from the Elizabeth Crafts 'Bunch of Flowers' set, mold into shape and glue into place.

Cut three stamens from the Memory Box 'Fabulous Phlox' die , shape and glue into place.

Add the sentiment, three Morning Dew Drops and one black peg...


*********************

I love the slightly grunge feel to this card.  When I have the time I plan on making a blue version - I wonder how that one will turn out?

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Cuttlebug Mania, who are doing a Tic Tac Toe challenge...
(I've gone for Baby Theme, Emboss, Lots of Layers)

Simply Create Too (Challenge #90) 'For A Precious Child'...

 Time Out challenges (Challenge #35) 'Nature with the Optional Twist of Animals'

... and CAS-UAL chic

Hope you have a good week :)

Donna...