Curtain Call Reminder: Looking a Lot Like Christmas!!

I was having so much fun playing with my CAS-ual Fridays Stamps as part of the joint challenge between CAS-aul Fridays and Curtain Call that I made one more.  I made three cards when the challenge started, but this card has been in my mind since then.  I love that long sentiment and wanted to use it like an ornament hanger.


The stamps come from two different sets.  The long sentiment and the poinsettia is from Christmas Carols and the circular Season's Greetings on my ornament is from Snowflake Greetings.  I love that the fonts work together to give me more options!
The theme for the current Curtain Call is CAS-ual Christmas.  You don't have to use CAS-ual Fridays stamps but you do get a chance to win a set.  You have until 8 a.m. CST on Monday, November 25th to play along!

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Christmas Carols, Snowflake Greetings
• Paper: My Favorite Things Jellybean Green, Webster's Pages It's Christmas 6x6
• Ink: My Favorite Things Jellybean Green, Stampin' Up Melon Mambo
• Accessories: gold cord, circle punch

Curtain Call: A CAS-ual Christmas

This is my second post today.  It's just a short

scroll down for a Fresh Squeezed Anniversary!

It's time for a new inspiration challenge at Curtain Call!  Check out this gorgeous graphic:

photo credit:  myhomeideas.com

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps is our fabulous sponsor and graciously gave each design team member one of their Christmas sets. And the Lead for this challenge will get to choose a CAS-ual Fridays stamp set of their choice! AND you can play along at the CAS-ual Fridays challenge also for another chance at winning!  

I had a very tough time narrowing down what I wanted to do for this challenge because I do have a growing collection of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.  This is probably because CAS-ual Fridays headquarters is just 5 miles down the road from my house!!  (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)  I ended up making three different cards.  This first card is the card that I used for the Curtain Call blog.   I think it best represents the challenge graphic - warm and just a bit rustic.  The set is Merry Kiss-mas and includes mistletoe, holly and about every sentiment that you can think of that would be appropriate for mistletoe and holly!



My second card uses the set Snowflake Greetings.  I liked the blue furniture and fireplace in the photo (although I went for aqua just because it feels fresher) and I noticed the snowflakes on the trees in the inspiration photo.  This set has a number of traditional Christmas greetings with snowflakes as the "O"s. The colors on this card come from Festive Friday.

Then I have one other CAS-ual Fridays Christmas set that was feeling lonely - it's Christmas Carols.  I can't say there was any inspiration from the challenge - maybe the big gold balls. Mostly, I was just having fun and I kept making cards! This set has a coordinating die called the 4-Petal die and, in their brand new release, they have a set called Wallflower that uses the same die!  I adore the sentiments in this set!

I hope to see you each creating card(s) for our CAS-ual Christmas challenge.  Even though we focused on CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, you don't need them to enter - but you do stand a chance to win them!!  The challenge is open until November 25th.  Have fun!

Quick Cards with CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!

There is absolutely no chance that I will ever be nominated for mom-of-the-year.  It was about 7 pm on Thursday night.  My two children were at a football game until 8 pm.  It suddenly occurred to me that they had the biggest weekend of their lives coming up and I hadn't made any cards of encouragement or congratulations.  It is the state marching band competition this weekend.  These kids have been working on their show starting with a two-week marching camp in July, into the school year, straight through daily rehearsals during fall break - and it's now the final weekend.

I am not a fast card maker.  You will never see me in the 10 minute challenges.  Even my simplest cards typically require multiple changes and re-dos - not to mention multiple photos and edits - before I am happy with them (and sometimes, I'm not even happy then!).  But Thursday night, in 60 minutes (OK, maybe 70 minutes) - I did six cards - and I mostly like them!

Thank goodness for CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  They have great contemporary sentiments that work perfectly in these situations.  I did six cards for my two teenage boys, who aren't typically easy to make cards for! These first two cards were encouragement on Friday morning before the entire weekend began.  Noise...marching band...how perfect!  Everything comes from the Woot Woot set.



FYI: the flag and the "washi" tape were made with dies from My Favorite Things.I did get a starting point for this one from Freshly Made Sketches.

I am fairly certain we will end up placing higher than our marching band has ever placed.  We won't win it - there are a few fabulous marching band dynasties that win it year after year.  Our kids would be thrilled to be in the top 8 and are secretly hoping for 5th.  I'm thinking somewhere in the middle.  But assuming that they are thrilled with the outcome, here are the congrats cards.  All of these stamps are still from Woot Woot.


I was needing inspiration at this point, so I got these great colors from Sunday Stamps.  In real life, my blue is closer to the teal that is in the inspiration photo - but I edited so quickly I messed up the colors!

Then there are two cards that I am hoping never see the light of day and end up in the garbage.  Not that there is anything wrong with them - but it means my kids are disappointed.  The sentiment comes from Tech Talk and the asterisk from Exclamations along with the coordinating die. 

At quarter finals yesterday, the band ended up once place lower than hoped for.  One place higher and we wouldn't be up at 3:45 a.m. this morning getting ready to take them to the bus for semi finals.  One place higher would have moved their performance three hours later and after two of their main competitors which does make a difference in the judging..  They are discouraged but still hopeful of making finals tonight.  
Keep your fingers crossed for my boys and the Chaparral High School Marching Band!!!

What a Wonderful Weekend!!

I have had a truly wonderful weekend!!  A good friend in town, a dozen amazing card makers, an entire day focused on cards and fun and chatter!!  Yay for World Cardmaking Day!!  How many of these people do you recognize??





You may not recognize everybody from their bitty photos on their blogs - but I guarantee you know them all!  There's a picture of everybody with links on my Facebook page!!

Seven hours of crafting takes energy, so we were heavy on the snack food too!!

The whole event was hosted by Michelle, the creative mind behind CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.  She is a truly wonderful lady - a great hostess and an amazing talent.  I have to admit to getting a quick sneak peek of some new stuff that's coming from CAS-ual Fridays and it's going to be a great release. They started peeks today on their blog!

And to make it all even more amazing, the wonderful Stacey Schafer came in for the event (we gave her honorary Coloradan status for the day). We managed to do quite a bit of craft shopping and ate some huge meals (even after the feast shown above).  I took her to the airport early this morning so the weekend is officially over!!!

I had thought that she and I might spend a little more time celebrating over drinks - this was the first time we had met in person!!  But I totally wore out by the end of each day with all of the crafting craziness!!   I had made this card for her in advance of our wild times! (Stamps by Paper Smooches)

I also wanted to be sure to thank Michelle.  When you make a card for her you have to use CAS-ual Friday Stamps, right??

I did use the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for this card and the sequins and chevrons from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

I did get some cards made yesterday, although less than you might think for seven hours of crafting.  But they are all for posts later in the week.  I am definitely going to take a day or two off (it's going to take me that long to put everything away that I had carted over to the event!) - I'll be back in a few!

CAS(E) this Sketch! Ah-mazing

It's new sketch time at CAS(E) this Sketch!  I have to admit that I found this one to be a little tricky.

I fumbled through a number of ideas and then the light bulb came on!!

Before reading any further, can you figure out what I was going for here??
It's a water fountain!!  Inspired by the water show that happens every time the Colorado Rockies score a home run!

FLICKR: Wally Gobetz

Just because I found it tricky doesn't mean that you will.  And don't forget - you can flip it too!!  Hope you play along!

• Stamps: Impression Obsession Striped Banner, CAS-ual Fridays Exclamations
• Paper: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay
• Ink: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay, Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist
• Accessories: Ellen Hutson Iridiscent Water Sequins

CAS-ual Fridays: Count Me In

It's my husband's 55th birthday this weekend!!!  Of all of the cards that I make, cards for my husband are absolutely the hardest.  He is such a totally plain and basic kind of guy that any decoration is too much.  But..I'm a cardmaker...I have to add something.  I did want to use the number "55" to play along with CAS-ual Fridays Count Me In challenge.   Then I made two entirely different cards.

I think this looks like my husband - although those few little dots might put it over into the "too much" category for him!

I actually did this next card first.  I came up with the tag which I really liked - but then spent way too much time struggling with what to do with it.  I'm using a sketch from Lisa at dahlhouse designs but even with this fabulous layout, I'm still feeling like the background could be different/more/less/something...I don't know??  What do you think? (Keeping in mind my very basic husband for whom the three patterns is likely going to be too much!) 

Wowzers!

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Exlamations
• Paper: Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Real Red, Little Yellow Bicycle Just Because 6x6 pad
• Ink: Stampin' Up Night of Navy
• Accessories: WPlus9 tag die, Paper Smooches Numbers dies (the smaller ones), May Arts twine, Stampin' Up dots

Turning 55

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Digits
• Paper: Stampin' Up Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Confetti Cream, Simple Stories Happy Day
• Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso
• Accessories: WPlus9 tag die, May Arts twine, Papertrey Ink Impression Plate