Danke x 3

After our return from Germany I needed 3 Thank You cards which I would like to share with you today.

Stamps: Rubbernecker (background), Inkadinkado (dragonfly, butterfly)
Dies: My Favorite Things (letters)

Stamps: My Favorite Things (flower background)

Dies: My Favorite Things (letters)

Stamps: Inkadinkado (dragonfly)
Dies: Alexandra Renke (flowers), My Favorite Things (letters)


As you can see I took advantage of the perfectly lined up letters on the tape and used them on all three cards! I really love Alexandra Renke's style and got more from her while I was in Germany. Did you know that you can buy her stamps, dies, paper, and embossing folders now also at Ellen Hutson, Simon Says Stamp or Starlitstudio? And no, unfortunately I don't get paid for mentioning this...

This last card works for the current
CAS Mix Up Challenge

Be well and keep in touch!

Understated Rainbow

If you have been reading my blog for a while you probably know that I love rainbow colors (amongst lots of other things...). So naturally I wanted to play in the AAA Cards CAS game #95 "Rainbow"
But what I ended up making will certainly be the most understated rainbow in the gallery! In case you don't see it - the flowers are in rainbow colors. A strip of washi tape down one side and a very CAS card is done.

Stamps: Heidi Grace (window), sentiment unknown
Other: Faber Castell Polychromos pencils






I am sorry but the pictures from my home town that I promised you in my last post will have to wait for the next one as I am short on time today... So you'll just have to come back ;)

Be well,

"Thanks a Ton" in Mint and Navy

Before I show you today's card let me welcome my new followers 

Kelly of "Sandcastle Stamper"

and ra A (sorry, couldn't find a blog)

with this quote by David Steindl-Rast

It isn't joy that makes us grateful,

it's gratitude that makes us joyful.

Now to the card:

When I saw the colors for the new challenge at Inkspirational I immediately thought of the cute whale from Clearly Besotted and made this card:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted (whale, sentiment)
Other: Stencil (Memory Box)

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will see the Stickles I added to the waves and the sentiment because I felt it needed something else.


Challenges (click on the links for rules and inspiration):

Inkspirational #108 "Mint and Navy"







Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Stencil It"








Be well,

Square Pink Thank You

I made this Thank You card with another one of my new Uniko stamps. Those beautiful, delicate flowers were part of this year's anniversary set.

Stamps: Uniko (flowers, sentiment)
Die: Nestabilities (circle)


The center flower is popped up as is the sentiment panel. I have to say their sentiment set "Simply Said" is so versatile and the small font is great. It covers lots of occasions. I love it!


Challenges (Please click on the links to find out about rules, see the inspiration of the DT and browse the gallery):


Uniko Challenge #31 "Metallics"
The sentiment is gold embossed, layered in gold, there are gold splatters, and gold half pearls on the white circle.






Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"








Stamplorations CAS Challenge April







Be well,

Thanks a ton

Every month my friend Gundi from papierelle gives out a prize to one of the commenters of her most visited post of the previous month. Isn't that a great idea? I was the lucky winner of the prize for the month of August. So, a few weeks ago I got this in the mail:

Two cute Christmas stamps and a Christmas embossing folder! Just the right thing to put me in a Christmas mood! The dragonflies on the card are really sparkly. It was all packaged with love in that sweet little bag she made.

This deserved a "ton" of thanks so I got out a NBUS set from Clearly Besotted and made her this card:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted (whale, sentiment)

Dies: Memory Box (waves), Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps (clouds), SSS (frame)

The waves are cut out from a photocopied picture of lake water, a leftover from one of the calendars I always make for my family (told you I keep every snippet)! The whale is stamped on glossy paper and fussy cut.


Challenges:


Pixie's Snippets Playground - week 197
The waves and the clouds are snippets







Time Out Challenges #41 'Autumn... the year's last, loveliest smile'
Since the whale wears a big smile I thought I would enter here too, focusing on the word "smile" and bring a touch of blue into the see of autumn colored entries... ;)







Simon Says Stamp "Anything Goes"







Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday "Stamp"







Simon Says "World Cardmaking Day"







Happy Little Stampers "October sketch"








Thank you for visiting and leaving me a comment!

Hugs,
Susanne

Guest Designing for Time Out Challenge #27

Hello, dear visitors!

I am very excited to be guest designing today for the wonderful team at Time Out Challenge! They were kind enough to pick my card as the top at the challenge #24 and invited my to guest design!

The theme for Challenge #27 is "Clean and Simple" with an optional twist of "Black and White with a splash of one color". Here is what I made:

Stamps: STAMPloration (feathers and sentiment)
Die: Simon Says Stamp

Now please check out what the fabulous Time Out Design Team created and then play along! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

• The challenge runs until April 1st, 5pm GMT
• Generous sponsor is CASual Friday Stamps. A randomly selected entry that uses the twist will win a $20 gift voucher for this store!

Since I finally used those gorgeous STAMPloration feather stamps I am sending this to their ongoing "Anything Goes" Challenge!





Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for stopping by and for your encouraging comments.

Hugs,
Susanne

Happy 1st Birthday, Time Out

Just before the doors close I have a card for the Time Out Challenge #26.  They are currently celebrating their first birthday with this inspiring photo:

Happy Birthday, Time Out! (... and many more!!!)

Stamps: Stampendous (flower frame), Hero Arts (sentiment)
Other: PTI (linen embossing plate), Glossy Accents, Faber-Castell Polychromos


My card is very CAS but has all the elements from the inspiration picture in it:
Frames: The image is framed and the blue layer looks like a frame.
Branch: The curved flower.
Colors: All the colors of the frames are present.
White wall: White card.

Hard to see: The vase is covered with Glossy Accents.


Challenges:

Time Out #26


Hugs,
Susanne

OCC "Stretch Your Stamps 2" - Thanks

Taking a break after baking banana bread, cookies, and making granola to show you another card inspired by one of the videos of the Online Card Class "Stretch Your Stamps 2". Actually it was not a video but a step-by-step photo tutorial by Laurie Willison.

Stamps: Hero Arts
Dies: QuicKuts
Paper and Ink: Stampin' Up

If I would do it again I would use I lighter ink for the stamping. I used Stampin' Up's Garden Green paper and ink and didn't expect the ink to be so much darker than the paper. Anyways I really like this and will make more of them.

Hope you have time today to play with your paper, stamps, and ink!
Hugs,
Susanne

Online Card Classes "Stretch Your Stamps 2"

Even though I like to buy new stamps I still love my older stamps and I am always happy to find new ways to use it! That's why I signed up for the current Online Card Class "Stretch Your Stamps 2". Also, because I really enjoyed their Watercolor Class (did you know that you can still sign up for it? There is a life time access to all the videos).

I took time today to make a card after watching Laura Sterckx video in which she created an ombre background. I used her layout (because I just love her style) but used different colors and a very long neglected background stamp from Judikins.

 I like the result and it was pretty easy. I am sure I will use this technique more often!

Hope to see you soon with more "homework".

Hugs,
Susanne

Stamps: Judikins (background), Hero Arts (sentiment)
Ink: Distress Ink (faded Jeans)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Spots and Dots"

As usual I am squeezing in at the last minute with not one but two cards for this weeks Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Spots and Dots":

Last weekend I finally tried the technique that I first saw over at Karen's blog "Snippets" (click here and here for great samples) where you ink your embossing folder with Distress inks, spritz it with water and STAMP it on cardstock. It is so much fun - just think of all the possibilities! As you can see (better on the first card) I stamped with both sides of the embossing folder because I was playing and was curious and then I thought it would be cool to use both on the same card. Not sure if I explained it so well. If you have any questions let me know...
I kept the rest of the card simple without any embellishments because I wanted the technique to shine.
I used another embossing folder in different colors but haven't had time to make a card yet.

Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind comments!

Hugs,
Susanne

First card:
Stamp: Casual Friday
Embossing folder: Quickutz 

Second card:
Stamp: Stampabilities
Embossing folder: Cuttlebug

Thank you x 2

In my last post I mentioned that I needed two thank you cards and I managed to find time to make them. The first one is very simple and I really love it.

Green card from Stampin' Up, background stamp from Hero Arts (NBUS), and die from Die-versions.
I think this is going to be my all time favorite thank you card to make! It's easy, uses background stamps which I love and that bold Thank you looks so cool, don't you think? The die was a gift from my friend, L. Thanks again, L!
Because of all the NBUS I am sending this to Darnell's NBUS challenge to celebrate her mile stone of reaching 500 followers. I assume you all know Darnell! If not quickly hop over to her blog. You will be thanking me forever. Her posts are so entertaining and educational (you will expand your vocabulary since she always makes up new words and acronyms) and always brighten my day.

The next card was inspired by Kim of "Art Keeps Me Sane" (don't you love that blog name? And isn't it true for all of us?). She made this fabulous card.
I used the sentiment sticker and different papers from the goodie bag that I won a few months ago from Simon Says Stamp!.

That's it from me for a while. The suitcases are (almost) packed and I just completed the online check in. Tomorrow we will leave for Germany. If I am lucky I will keep up with you posts but probably won't be able to comment. Just in case you are wondering...

Thanks for your visit!

Be well,
Susanne

Simon Says Wednesday (Anything goes)

Hello - is anyone still out there...?

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth...
Oh, you didn't even notice that I wasn't posting and commenting...
Oh, well, anyways we were in NYC last week and my time on the computer was very limited. We are very lucky to have my brother-in-law and family there who are very kind and gracious hosts. It was a lot of fun but now I am back and even have a card for you. I made a thank you card for them and finally used my Memory Box skyline dies that I've had for a while but were still NBUS (never before used stuff).

The sky is made with watercolor crayons and baby wipes, my go-to technique. The windows are different shades of yellow which is hard to see, made with the same technique. The moon is hand drawn with a silver pen. The saying is from an old Stampin' Up set. 

I am entering this one at the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes.

And now please help me welcome a new follower:

Manuela from elasdistrict

I "met" her over at Our Beautiful World. She takes gorgeous photos, posts quotes every Sunday, and makes fun cards. Click on the link and go for a visit! 

Manuela, thank you for joining me and I hope you will like what you see. Now, I usually welcome new followers with a quote and hope you don't already know this one by Basho:

Sitting quietly

Doing nothing

Spring comes

And the grass grows by itself.

Hope to see you all soon again,

Susanne

CFC #129 / retrosketches #106

Even though I normally gravitate towards bright rainbow colors I really love grey at the moment. That's why I absolutely had to play at the CAS-ual Friday Challenge #129 where they want to see at least two shades of grey. They have recently changed rules and the challenge runs for three weeks now which is perfect for slowpokes like me. And, oh miracle, I am not even entering at the last minute - you have until Friday to play in case you are inspired!

I used the current sketch from retrosketches after a card by the fabulous Laurie Willison.

I discovered this awesome paper in my stash with different shades of grey and some sparkle. Wrapped a black heat embossed strip of vellum around and mounted it with foam on a card that I textured with PTI's linen impression plate that is finally in my possession (NBUS). Easy-peasy and QACAS as Darnell would say.

Before I close I have the pleasure of welcoming a new follower who does not need any introduction as every stamper in the blogosphere seems to know and love her: Virginia of Yes, Virginia... She has recently launched a new challenge blog Virginia's View  where the first challenge has over 300 entries!
Just in case you have been living under a rock don't know her blog get comfortable and hop on over. It is full of wonderful card inspirations, breath taking travel pictures, photos of delicious food, recipes and lots of humor (featuring her husband, Dr. John and Ryan Gosling).

The quote I picked to welcome Virginia is from St. Augustine and I thought it fit since she loves to travel:

The world is a book
and those who do not travel read only one page.

I thank you all for stopping by, hope you will be back and wish you a great week,
Susanne

Stamps: Stampin' Up (word)
Other: PTI (Impression Plate), DCWV (patterned paper)

SSS Monday Challenge / Virginia's View - Take Two

I am back with another card for Simon Says Monday Challenge (Paste) and Virginia's View Challenge (Watercolor) because when I got out my gesso and watercolors I made more than one background/card since those media are a bit unpredictable...

With this card I tried to by artsy (stop laughing, you real artsy people)...

Those beads in the center of the circle? I've had those for a VERY long time. They were waiting patiently in the drawer... I was originally thinking of something else but discovered that those beads fit the watercolor background perfectly. 

You know what? I have more cards for a different challenge that ends tonight! So, yes, you will find another post or two in your inbox/reader a little later.

Stamps: Stampin' Up (word circle), Mama Elephant (triangles)

Stencil: TCW

Other: beads (Beedz)

Thank you for Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

Just a quick post because I want to go to bed but I also want to enter a card in the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge (Thanks/Thanksgiving) and it closes in 10 hrs... So if you can't sleep and want to make a Thank you or Thanksgiving card - play along! (And some day I will let you know much sooner about it so that you have actually time to get inspired, create something, and enter it!)

Can't share my Thanksgiving card yet so I have a Thank you card:

I am so sorry but the stamps are cling stamps and have no name on them. I just know that the word stamp is from Hero Arts. 

That's it for me tonight! Thanks for stopping by!

Very CAS Thank you

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope you are all doing well and have a fabulous week ahead of you!

Here is a very, very CAS Thank you card for this weeks Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where they want us to keep it clean and simple. See how well I follow rules?

I have a hard time throwing pieces out that I cut off but usually I just put them on a (fast growing) pile. This time I actually used some on a card - go me! Added a wood veneer word bubble and called it a card. Didn't want anything else to distract from the colorful strips... 

So, this card is for all of you who take time to visit my blog and leave kind comments, I appreciate each one of you/them! Thank you so much!

Since I used scraps I am going to send this off to Pixies Snippets Playground where it seems the only rule is to use scraps. I might become a regular there since I use scraps on most (or maybe all) of my cards.

Hugs,
Susanne

Retro Sketches #83, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

Hello there,

I have been admiring the sketches at Retro Sketches for a long time but have never gotten around to making a card on time. I fell in love with this one when I first saw it over at Muse and now I couldn't miss another chance to play with this versatile sketch! So even though I have a million other things I should be doing, I sat down and made this simple card with a piece of cardstock that my friend M brought on a recent Thursday night for another project and which I ended up not using then.

First sketch #83




and my card

And since it has dots it also gets to play over at the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, where they are going dotty this week!

Have great weekend,

Susanne

Stamp: Hero Arts