Love Mail at CASology

If you enjoy gathering up stacks of your pretty, handmade cards and making that trip to the post office,  then you're in luck. We're celebrating snail mail for our newest CASology challenge! 

I was super excited when I saw this challenge cue card because I knew exactly which stamp I was going to highlight! It's the Letters background stamp by Create A Smile stamps (that I was hoarding in my stash LOL). I only stamped it on one side of the card, then heated embossed in black. I triple die cut the "love" sentiment in a cherry red cardstock to give the card a little dimension. I loosely watercolored a few of the envelopes using Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink.

A few little hearts from ?who knows what stamp set LOL and it's all done! This color combo really brought my little idea to life. What kind of envelope stamps or dies or even origami can you use to join us at the challenge blog? We love seeing your interpretations!

And don't forget to say hi to our Guest Designer -  Rahmat

I'm also playing along with the (sad to say) last CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Deidre

UNITEd We Stand - a CASology Challenge

Hey hey! Crazy 19 days of 2021 or nah?! Lol. Either way, I hope you can find some time to join us at CASology for the next 2 weeks. We have a heartfelt theme (and sooo timely) to play along with:

This stamp set is a must have...here's the story:

In June 2020, 12 stamp companies in The Stamping Village, pledged to create a collaborative stamp set, We Stand with You Stamp Set, in support of racial justice. This inspiring stamp set features images that symbolize unity, friendship, and community, as well as lots of motivational quotes by well-known activists.

This set includes one 6" x 8" clear stamp set containing 28 stamps made in the USA from high-quality photopolymer.

Sentiments: This set includes fifteen motivational sentiments to inspire us to stand together:

• we are better together
• you are beautifully and wonderfully made
• the time is always right to do what is right
• you matter to me
• we are all one
• "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Martin Luther King Jr.
• choose
• kindness
• "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." -Ryunosuke Satoro
• "May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." -Nelson Mandela
• the hand of friendship has no color
• stick with love
• be the
• change
• you wish to see

**As part of a pledge by The Stamping Village to donate $10,000 for racial justice, $5.00 from every We Stand with You stamp set sold will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

So tell me again why you shouldn't buy this stamp set!

I used 9 Distress Oxide inks for the rainbow color effect of the hands: Candied Apple, Crackling Campfire, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Mermaid Lagoon, Faded Jeans, Wilted Violet, and Picked Raspberry :)

I outlined all of the hands with my favorite tracing pens (Faber-Castell PITT artist pens). Oh, that stenciled heart and circle is from a forever ago stash stencil of which I have no idea of the name lol.

Pop in to see the other DT card images and our crafty guest designer for this challenge!

I hope you UNITE in our efforts to get some quality "me time" to play along and link up in our gallery.

Guest Designer: Tracy

I'm also joining at CAS(E) this Sketch

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Deidre

What's a STAG by Any Other Name at CASology

Hey hey! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these times! At CASology, we're doing some crafting to keep us busy and our creative juices flowing. I'm sharing my mid-challenge post with the cue card. You still have a week to join us!

For my card, I used a reindeer stamp from Purple Onion Designs and sentiments from The Alley Way Stamps. I l-o-v-e how this little guy turned out with some Copic coloring. I reached for a different set of browns from my norm and they were a winner (see list below)! What do you think??

Don't forget to jingle all the way over to the DT member blogs to check out their creations!

And don't forget to play along...make a quick CAS (clean and simple) card, snap a photo, link up below. You can join from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, your personal blog...anywhere :)

There's a prize for this challenge's winner, provided by the awesome STAMPlorations!

SPOILER ALERT - there are COUPON codes at the CASology blog 

I'm also joining at Inspired By...#IB150 and CAS(E) this sketch! #398

 

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Deidre

Copic markers:

Reindeer: E21, E23, E25, E27

Scarf: R24, R29, R85

Bells: YR24

Hooves & Antlers: C5, C7, C9

Staying DRY at CASology

 Hey crafty peeps! We're back at CASology with a new cue card for the next 2 weeks. And after the weather we've had here the last couple of days, this was right on time:

I used a repeating umbrella design, which required a little masking, and some simple ink blending. I added some darker yellow shading to the umbrellas using a colored pencil. Both the umbrella and the sentiment come from a stamp set from Create a Smile, titled Bad Day. To finish it off, I popped on a few clear dew drop embellies and yellow sequins and called it a day! Funny how the light caught that one sequin and made it look green :) CAS cards are supposed to be quick and easy, but that doesn't mean they can't have some pop!

Tip: When layering stamps using masking, remember that the images you stamp first will be in the foreground and fully visible at the end of your project. You can use that concept to create real depth to your cards.

Be sure to check in on the other DT members and how they used the cue card! There's some really fun ideas to get you going. And please be sure to link up a card you've made - we LOVE giving away PRIZES from our awesome sponsors!

Deepti Stephens

Deidre Payne
Jacquie Southas
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Karen Haman
Melissa Chipperfield
Milka Gubo
Nancy Elrick
Sandie Munroe
Sue Symens

Guest Designer: Jasleen

Sponsor:  STAMPlorations

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm also joining at Inspired by Challenges #IB145...Pumpkin Spice

xoxo Deidre

VACAY at CASology

It's mid-challenge post time! Have you popped in over at CASology for our cue card?? We have a fabulous returning sponsor - STAMPlorations - who's providing the winning $25 discount!

If you're like me, a vacation sounds like a phenomenal idea!! I'm itching for some Vitamin SEA :)

This card was fun to make because I knew I wanted to layer some pretty blues to make the water. The stamp that I used as waves comes from Ellen Hutson's Wonky Backdrops. I smooshed on Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon, and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide Inks at random...or kind of at random. I definitely used my MISTI to keep the stamp in place so I could get just the right layers of ink. The sentiment stamp is from Simon Says Stamp One with Nature set.

We want to see your awesome designs, so swim over to the blog and link your CAS card!

You don't have to have a blog to play along...you can share from your Instagram, Flickr, or Facebook post. Hope to see you there!

I'm also joining at Time Out Challenges #170

xoxo Deidre

Curve BALL at CASology

So glad you popped into my blog! We have a new CASology cue card. This will be our last monthlong challenge before we return to bringing your cue cards every 2 weeks. 

There are so many ways to use "ball" and I'm pretty sure I went through all of them in my head :)

When I found this sentiment stamp in my stash, it was a definite Bingo! moment.

I'm not sure about any of you, but life is throwing all kinds of curve balls,

and I keep swingin' for the fence. I made this card by blending Broken China Distress Ink across the skyline. I used a 1.5" hole punch to make the baseball and drew the stitching by hand using a black India ink marker and a red fine point Sharpie. BUT first, I used a C1 and colorless blender Copic to create the very faint shadow on the ball. (It's so much easier to see on my IG page lol). 

Art TIP - Create the shadow first and let it dry, then draw your stitching. Copics are alcohol-based and so are Sharpies. If you color over your stitching, the red will bleed...ask me how I know ;)

I stamped the dotted line from the Simon Says Stamp set Circle Friends and the sentiment from a very old Inkadinkadoo set Tell It Like It Is. I was very careful about using black Versafine ink on every part of the sentiment stamp except the "swing", which I colored with a red Zig Clean Color Brush pen and stamped repeatedly (thank goodness for stamp positioners).

I hope you get a chance to see how the other DT members stepped up to the plate for this challenge.

Deepti Stephens
Jacquie SouthasJen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Karen Haman
Melissa Chipperfield
Milka Gubo
Nancy Elrick
Sandie Munroe
Sue Symens

Guest Designer: Anushree

Sponsor: STAMPlorations

I'm also playing along at AAA Cards

Thanks for swinging by!

xoxo Deidre