CFC104 - Celebrate

Happy Friday!  I hope everybody had a great week.  I'm here today with this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  This week's challenge is especially near to my heart, because this is my last challenge as a Girl Friday. :..( I have SO enjoyed being on this design team for a multitude of reasons.  One, it was my first ever design team "gig", so it'll always be extra special to me. And I felt so honored to be part of such a wonderfully talented team.  I mean, these girls do CAS like nobody's business.  For reals.  And the players are so talented too!  But mostly, I enjoyed being on this team because Michele is so wonderful to work for.  She's got it together!  Ladies, if you ever get the chance to become a member of her design team, DO IT!  I will really miss being a Girl Friday.  But...I do have some very happy news!  (And commenter JanR. guessed my secret last week, so she will be getting a little something special from me.)  What is the secret, you ask?  Drum roll please..................I'M HAVING A BABY!  Yep, I'm pregnant with my first baby, and we could not be more excited!  For another chance to win a little prize from me, leave a comment guessing when my due date is. The first person to guess it or come closest will be the winner.  Okay okay, less talky, more CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  That is what you came here for, right?  Ok, check it:

And the sponsor for this week's challenge is the wonderful Ellen Hutson.  The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend here.  YAY!

Okay, so when I first thought about what to make for this challenge, my mind immediately went to the Happy Pinwheels stamp set from Unity Stamps and Simple Stories.  This set not only has these super cute pinwheels, but it also has a bunch of cute little sentiment flags, perfect for this paper yummy:

This card came together pretty darn quickly.  Two stamps, some paper-piecing, and a couple of buttons, and BAM!  Done!  Here's a close-up:

I really hope you'll play along with this week's challenge.  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so. Thanks so much for looking! 

Supplies: card stock: Georgia Pacific (white), Core-dinations (kraft); patterned papers: Echo Park; stamps: Unity Stamps/Simple Stories; ink: Tsukineko; buttons: craft supply

CFC103 - High 5

Hello, and happy Friday!  I can't believe it's already going to be June.  This year is just flying by so far!  I hope the rest of the year does too, because I have a very special visitor coming in November.  Rather than come right out and say it, let's see who can read between the lines and guess what I'm talking about (leave a comment with your guess and I'll send the first correct commenter a little prize).  I can tell you that congratulations will certainly be in order.  And speaking of congratulations, let's check out this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge:

The sponsor for this week's challenge is CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.  The winner will receive the stamp set of her choice from the store!  Woot woot!

Maybe I've been working around too many guys at the fire department, but instead of using the actual word "congratulations" on my card, I chose this sentiment for my paper yummy:

Giving high-five is synonymous with congratulations (at least on my crew) so I figured that would suffice for a card too.  I combined the high 5 stamp with the circle border stamp from the Woot Woot set, then placed Rain Dots in the centers of the circles.  Here's a close-up:

I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge.  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Stampin' Up!; stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps; ink: Tsukineko; rain dots: Fiskars; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

CFC102: Thanks for your service

Hello, and happy Friday!  I hope everybody has had a great week and is ready for the holiday weekend (at least in the US).  I, for one, could use a 3-day weekend.  And in honor of this commemoration, we're having a special challenge at CAS-ual Fridays!  Check it:

CFC102: Red, white & blue

Incorporate red, white, and blue into your clean and simple project.

And the sponsor for this week's challenge is the fabulous Simon Says Stamp.  The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend in the store!

While it wasn't specifically part of the challenge to create something patriotic or fit for military personnel, my mind went straight to the Paper Smooches Circle of Honor stamp set, and I couldn't NOT go that route. And now for the paper yummies:

First I stamped the sentiment using two different colors of Memento ink and some masking, then placed the stars around the sentiment in a diagonal cascading pattern.  I offset the star outline and stamped it in the opposite ink color for a fun look, then placed a rhinestone in the center of each one.  Here is a close-up:

I hope you have a safe and sound holiday weekend, and I hope you'll play along with this challenge!  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Stampin' Up!; stamps: Paper Smooches; inks: Tsukineko; rhinestones: Hampton Art; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

CFC101 - Just thinking about you

Hello again, and happy Friday! I hope you had a chance to play along with the CAS-ual Fridays big birthday bash, because today we're comin' at ya' with another fun new challenge.  Check it:

CFC101: Create a clean and simple project featuring stamping on patterned paper

And the sponsor for this week's challenge is CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  WOOT!  The winner will receive the stamp set of her choice from the store.  Awesome!

For this week's card, I used three different patterned papers, and stamped on all of them to create this paper yummy:

I used patterned papers from Echo Park along with stamps from the Calm & Gentle and Beanstalks stamp sets.  Here's a close-up of all the patterns and the stamping:

I hope you'll be inspired to play along with us this week.  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thank you so much for looking!

Supplies: cardstock: Core'dinations; patterned papers: Echo Park; stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps; inks: Tsukineko; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

CFC100 - Absolutely wishing you a happy day

Happy May, and happy Friday!  This week at CAS-ual Fridays is extra special.  Why, you ask? Well, lemme tell ya.  We're celebrating the 100th challenge and our second birthday!  YAY!  So we're having an extra fun challenge with a TON of prizes!  Check it:

CFC 100: We're celebrating with our top 10 challenges of all time! Since one of those challenges was tic tac toe, I've made it into a board of the remaining top 9 challenges! Choose a row to play. Play as often as you'd like, the challenge runs for 2 weeks!

And for this extra special challenge, there are going to be some extra special prizes.  Not only will the winner AND the 4 VIPs receive prizes (um...wow), but the 5 contenders will also win prizes.  That's 10 chances to win, ladies!  This week's sponsor is Ellen Hutson, who will award the winner a $25 gift certificate to spend here.

And the 4 VIPs will receive $15 gift certificates from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, while each of the five contenders will receive the stamp set of her choice!

Okay, so for this challenge I made a card that fits two of the rows on the tic tac toe board.  Plus bling.  Had I included embossing, it would've fit three of the rows.  LOL.  And now for the paper yummies:

Sorry about the caca photo - I couldn't find the right lighting.  In real life, the "ABSOLUTELY" die cut looks a lot more crisp and shows up better against the gingham patterned paper.  Oh well, you get the idea. I've had this die for at least 6 months, but this was my first time using it.  I don't really know why, 'cause I LOVE it!  I used a corrugated kraft card base and October Afternoon patterned papers, including the flower grouping, which I fussy-cut from a paper.  The die and stamp are from this Simon Says Stamp set.  Add some bling, and voila!  Here are some close-ups:

Oh yeah, by the way, I used the top row of the tic tac toe board (polka dots, kraft, and dies), and the card also fits the left column (polka dots, square card, and birthday).  Plus the bling square.  Which row tickles your fancy?  Play along as many times as you like for this special 2-week challenge!  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card base: Recollections; patterned papers: October Afternoon; die/stamp: Simon Says Stamp; ink: Tsukineko; bling: The Paper Studio

CFC99 - Like a boss

Happy Friday to all!  I'm here with an extra special CAS-ual Fridays challenge for ya!  Check it:

CFC99: Create a clean and simple birthday card

This challenge is extra special, because

1. It commemorates Michele's birthday,

2. You have 2 whole weeks to play along, and

3.  The winner will receive an extra big prize from our sponsor:

Yep, this week's winner will receive a whopping $45 to spend in the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps store!  Awesome!  And speaking of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, those are what I used to create this paper yummy:

This card came together pretty quickly.  I used several patterned papers from Crate Paper along with stamps from the Rad and Woot Woot sets.  Here's a close-up of the sentiment:

I hope you'll play along with this special challenge!  Remember, you have TWO weeks to play along.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Georgia Pacific; patterned papers: Crate Paper; stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps; ink: Tsukineko; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers

CFC97 - Thankful for you

Hello, and happy Friday!  I hope everybody had a lovely Easter.  We went over to some friends' house and had such a great time, eating yummy food, dying eggs, hunting eggs, eating more yummy food...it was a lot of fun!  Today I'm here with this week's challenge from CAS-ual Fridays!

CFC97: Use both chevrons and flowers in your clean and simple project.

And this week's challenge is sponsored by the oh-so-fabulous Ellen Hutson!  The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend here.

I love both of the design elements required for this week's card, so it was super easy to create this paper yummy:

This card came together really quickly, which doesn't happen too often 'round here.  I used a shaped card base by Basic Grey (which already had that cool chevron pattern on it!), and paired it with a big chipboard flower and alpha stickers also by Basic Grey.  The two banner stamps are from this stamp set by Kelly Purkey and Simon Says Stamp.  I stamped them on a piece of plain white cardstock, then distressed it to better match the chipboard piece.  Here's a close-up:

I really hope you'll play along with this challenge!  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card base, chipboard flower, alphabet stickers: Basic Grey; card stock: Georgia Pacific; stamps: Kelly Purkey/Simon Says Stamp; inks: Tsukineko (brown), TPC Studios (orange), Ranger (Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen)

CFC95 - Happy day

Happy Friday!  It's so crazy to me to think that it's already March 22.  Wow, time flies!  I'm here today with a new challenge from CAS-ual Fridays, and it's a doozy:

CFC95: You may use stickers, die cuts, pattern paper...but NO STAMPS in your clean and simple project

And the sponsor for this week's challenge is the fabulous SRM Stickers.  The winner of this week's challenge will win an awesome prize package, full of all sorts of sticker goodies!

                                                              
For this week's card, I used an SRM sticker along with some die cuts and patterned paper to create this paper yummy:

The bird and speech bubble are a die cut, as well as the clear plastic banner with the orange border.  Both are from Basic Grey.  The banner worked perfectly with a sticker strip from SRM, because both are clear and they fit together so nicely!  I adhered the sentiment sticker onto the paper die cut, then used Glossy Accents to adhere the plastic die-cut banner over the top.  I added some white dashed lines around the bottom edge of the die cut, then layered it onto some cute chevron patterned paper by My Mind's Eye.  Easy peasy!  Here's a close-up:

I hope you'll resist the urge to use stamps, and play along with this week's challenge!  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Stampin' Up!; patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; die cuts: Basic Grey; sticker: SRM Stickers; corner rounder punch: Marvy Uchida; white gel pen: Uniball

CFC93 - Breathe (It will be ok)

Happy Friday to all!  I hope everybody had a great week!  I'm here today with a new challenge from CAS-ual Fridays:

CFC93: Color blocks

Use blocks of color on your clean and simple project

The sponsor for this week's challenge is CutCardStock.  The winner of this week's challenge will receive a $25 store credit to spend here!  Awesome!

Have you ever made a card for a challenge or for your stash, only to realize that the sentiment you've chosen is exactly the one you needed to hear?  That's exactly the case with this paper yummy:

I stamped the "it will be ok" sentiment in Versamark ink on each color of cardstock, then embossed the "breathe" in white to make it pop.  I added some little bling down the right side, and rounded two opposite corners of the card base.  Here's a close-up:

I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge.  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Stampin' Up! (white), Core'dinations (all colored card stocks), stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps; ink: Tsukineko (Versamark); embossing powder: Recollections; notebook paper die: Papertrey Ink; die cutting machine: Cuttlebug by ProvoCraft; bling: K & Company; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers

CFC92 - Irish you a magical day!

Happy Friday!  Can you believe it's already March?!?  Wow...time does fly when you're having fun!  And speaking of fun, I'm here today with a new challenge from CAS-ual Fridays!

CFC92: Wallpaper

Stamp your own background for your clean and simple project

And our sponsor this week is the fabulous Ellen Hutson!  The winner of this week's challenge will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend here.  Awesome, right?

So since it is March, I chose to make a card to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and I knew the perfect stamps to use to make the background for this paper yummy:

For this card, I went straight to the A Magical Spring stamp set from Paper Smooches.  I knew the shamrock would make the perfect stamped background, and how could I resist that leprechaun?!?  I stamped and colored his skin, hat, clover, and shoes on some Copic X-Press Blending card stock, then paper-pieced his clothing and hair with some cute patterned papers.  I added some gold Stickles to his buckles and bow tie.  I fussy-cut around him, and stood him on the flag-cut sentiment panel. Here's a close-up:

Heehee.  He makes me happy!  I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge.  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card base: The Paper Studio; card stock: Copic X-Press Blending Cardstock; patterned papers: Lily Bee Design, Doodlebug; stamps: Paper Smooches; markers: Copic, Prismacolor; ink: Tsukineko; glitter glue: Stickles by Ranger

CFC91 - Just for the record...

Hello, and happy Friday!  I hope everybody had a great week.  I sure did!  We actually got SNOW here yesterday.  IN ARIZONA!  Snow!  That stuck!  I was pretty excited about that, since it really never happens.  And speaking of pretty exciting, I'm here today with a new challenge from CAS-ual Fridays!

CFC91: Incorporate silver into your clean and simple project

The sponsor for this week's challenge is Ribbons Unlimited.  This week's winner will receive a wonderful prize from this great new sponsor!

For this week's card, I incorporated silver in the form of a metallic embossing powder.  And now for the paper yummies:

So, it's difficult to see in the picture above, the word "AMAZING" is embossed with a silver embossing powder.  I stamped the entire sentiment using gray ink, used a VersaMark pen to selectively add embossing ink, then applied and heat-set the embossing powder.  All the patterned papers are from the My Mind's Eye School Daze 6x6 pad, and the stamp and talk bubble die are from this Simon Says Stamp set.  Here's a close-up, showing the silver embossing:

I hope you'll play along with this week's challenge!  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks for looking!

Supplies: card base: The Paper Studio; patterned papers: My Mind's Eye; stamp, die: Simon Says Stamp; inks: Tsukineko; embossing powder: American Crafts; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

CFC90 - More and more each day

Hello, and happy Friday!  I hope everybody had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Today I'm here to share a whole lot of exciting things from CAS-ual Fridays.  Not only is today the release day for 3 awesome new stamp sets, which you can find here, it is also the day Michele is announcing the super talented new Design Team members here! And of course, it's also the kick-off to this week's challenge!

CFC90: Use black and white plus one other color in your clean and simple project

And the sponsor for this week's challenge is, of course, CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to spend here!

For this week's challenge, I used the brand-spankin' new CAS-ual Fridays Stamps set called Only You.  Now for the paper yummies:

The dots, sentiment, and flourish are all from the Only You set.  I stamped the dots repeatedly to create a background, then stamped the "I love you" and the flourish over the top.  I stamped the "more and more each day" onto the Folded Banner Die from Simon Says Stamp, and it fit just perfectly.  I finished off the card with a little bit o' bling on the flourish.  Here is a close-up:

I really hope you'll play along with this week's challenge!  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to do so.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock: Recollections (black), Stampin' Up! (white); stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Stamps; inks: Tsukineko; banner die: Simon Says Stamp; rhinestones: The Paper Studio

CFC89 - Three little birds

Hello, and happy Friday!  Today I'm here with a super fun challenge from CAS-ual Fridays!

CFC89: Love Song

Create a clean and simple project inspired by a song

This week's challenge is sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  The winner will receive a store credit to spend here!

For this challenge, I had so many songs that I wanted to translate into a card, but just didn't have the right stamp or a great idea for the card itself.  Then I saw it, just sitting there on my crafting table.  The perfect stamp for this paper yummy:

The three little birds made me think of the Bob Marley song, and I thought the sentiment "don't worry about a thing" would make a perfect card for someone needing some encouragement.  I stamped the three little birds and colored them in with Copic markers.  I stamped the sentiment using alphabet stamps by Hero Arts, then masked the birdies and stamped the Zig Zag background, also by Hero Arts.  I added a strip of patterned paper by My Mind's Eye to finish off the card.  Here's a close-up of the three little birds:

How will you be inspired by this challenge?  You have until next Thursday at noon EST to show us!  Play along here.  Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies: card stock, markers: Copic; stamps: Hampton Art (birds), Hero Arts (Zig Zag, alphabets); inks: Tsukineko; patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; corner rounder: We R Memory Keepers