Why Haven't I Used This #7

It's Wednesday and I made a card. Woo hoo! Hurray for inspiration. It's the last week of school here for my kids and they are thrilled. My oldest is getting ready to head to 7 weeks of flying in Florida and I'm trying to be the brave mom while wishing I could huddle all my little chicks in the nest and make them stop growing up. How do people do this? I'm so proud of him and I can't wait to see where he goes and what he does in life but I also want him home with me. Ha ha! He's one awesome kid and he gets so much of what makes him amazing from his dad. That is who my card celebrates today, my wonderful husband. He's simply the greatest, hands down. He is my rock and my best friend! Life just wouldn't be as fun without him. Especially with his great love of cowbell and the hilarious SNL skit. When my oldest got his first drum set, my husband just couldn't wait to add a cowbell to it and we've enjoyed the lovely sounds of the cowbell in our home ever since. This one's for you, my love:

How fun is this? I started by stamping the cute starry focal point on white card stock. Next, I stamped, colored, and cut out my cowbell and positioned it in the sky. After getting the sentiments stamped in place, I trimmed down the white and layered it on navy and olive card stock to fill out the card front. I added some stars and enamel dots to add a little extra fun and it was done! Here's another look:

Thanks so much checking out my card today. Have a great day!

Some of the product links included are affiliate links. You can use them at no cost to you with a big thanks from me!

Neat & Tangled Cowbell Shop at: Other	Avery Elle Starry Scene Shop at: FS	Scrapbook.com Boho Cardstock Shop at: SC	Scrapbook.com Floral Cardstock Shop at: SC
Neenah Solar White 25 pk Shop at: SC	Momento Tuxedo Ink Shop at: SC	Catherine Pooler Juniper Mist ink Shop at: SC	Simple Stories Color Vibe Summer Shop at: SC
Kingston Crafts Silver Shapes Shop at: SC	Hero Arts Hues Enamel Dots Green Shop at: SC	Bone Folder Shop at: SC	Copic Markers Shop at: SC
Mini Score Board Shop at: SC	Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Shop at: SC	Xacto 12 Inch Laser Paper Trimmer Shop at: SC

CTS #330

It's Thursday, Thursday, Thursday and I'm coming to you guys with my take on this week's CAS(E) this Sketch challenge. I really hope you'll enjoy it and have a blast creating with it. I sure did. Don't miss out on our amazing team's takes on the sketch. They always has tons of gorgeous creations for you!

I hope you are all enjoying your week and that you are having a chance to relax and have some fun. Things hopefully will slow down here soon so we are taking full advantage of it. I'm not at all ready for school to start and luckily, we have a few weeks. How's your summer going? Hopefully, awesome!

I had a blast creating for this sketch and I know you will to. Here's my take:

Sometimes you just have to go a little nautical, don't you? I've been dying to use this wave die from Avery Elle and this was the perfect opportunity! I cut it from some watercolor look patterned paper and added a layer of white behind for the white caps on my waves. Then I got to work coloring my little pirate from Neat & Tangled. Once he was in place and hemmed and hawed about what sentiment to use and I decided to make my own with some glitter foam Thickers. Shockingly, I waited to pick my background paper until I had my focal point built. I tried wavy papers, checked papers, even solid papers, but my eye kept coming back to this striped paper. Bonus, it matches my pirate boy's shirt! Here's a closer look:

Thanks so much for checking out my card today and I can't wait to see what you come up with over at CAS(E) this Sketch!  See you there!

Some of the product links included are affiliate links. You can use them at no cost to you with a big thanks from me!

Avery Elle Sea Scene Die Shop at: SC	Neat & Tangled Yo Ho Ho Stamps Set Shop at: LID | EH	Ella and Viv Ocean Blue Watercolor Shop at: SC	Echo Park Pirate Tales 6x6 Shop at: SC
Neenah Solar White 110lb Cardstock Shop at: SC	Red Glitter Thickers Shop at: Other	Copic Markers Shop at: SC	Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares (Black) Shop at: SC
Scotch ATG Adhesive Gun Shop at: SC	Sizzix Big Shot Shop at: SC	Momento Tuxedo Ink Shop at: SC	Bone Folder Shop at: SC
Mini Score Board Shop at: SC

A Little AEIHeartU

I was sitting around the other day trying to figure out what challenge I should join in today when I saw a post pop into my feed from the amazing Karolyn Loncon and I knew it was time to go take part in the AEIHeartU challenge at Avery Elle. 

My idea for this card was to combine embossing with foiling because the lovely Jennifer McGuire talked me right into getting a Minc and it had arrived a couple days before.  I was totally anxious to play with it and here's the card I came up with.

As it turns out, this is not at all what I had in mind when I started but I LOVE it.  I decided to try a technique Jennifer showed in her Minc Intro video that uses sticky embossing and stamps.  My plan started out as foiling the stars from the Look Up stamp set on vellum for a pretty shiny background.  Well, my first attempt didn't turn out so well and while some stars looked great, others were too smooshed.  I was half expecting that as Jennifer makes it very clear in her video that it takes a little trial and error to get this technique just right.  Mine wasn't what I was hoping for but I couldn't see wasting it either.  So, I decided to stamp the stars on the smooshy ones and emboss them in black.  When I finished, I loved it and I didn't waste a perfectly good piece of vellum.  ;)  I attached my starry piece to a piece of kraft cardstock.  Then I stamped and embossed a sentiment from Cake & Candles on black cardstock which I cut out and layered on some gold poster board (thanks for the tip, Erin!).  I finished it all off with some fun bling.

What a fun challenge!  Thanks for checking out my card.  Have a great day!