CASology: Arithmetic

Hello! It's Tuesday and it's time for a new cue from CASology!

I had to think a little outside the box for this one because I don't really have any number stamps that would work. Instead, I decided to make a simple valentine.

I used my Calli Letters from Mama Elephant to stamp my "you" and "me" and then used my T Ruler and my Memento marker to draw my line beneath them. I then went back in with the marker and added the addition sign. I stamped the my "love" using my MISTI and some Lobster ink from Lawn Fawn.

Super easy! Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to link up your creations on the CASology post!

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Best Frenemies

Oh my goodness do I have something fun for you today! I have a card made with a collaboration of Kindred Stamps and Witt & Sass for our week of Magical Friendship. I've combined Students of Magic (Kindred) and Magical Accessories (Witt & Sass) to create something incredibly cute!

I started this card by stamping my images and coloring them in with my Copics. When I was finished, I did a heck of a lot of fussy cutting! I set them aside and began work on my background.

I lightly sketched in my paving stones for my floor using W00 and then went back in and began adding progressively darker colors to create a gradient effect. When I was satisfied with the floor, I went in with my W00 again and sketched in my stone wall. When I was happy with where my lines were, I went in with my darker colors again and added some shading to create a more realistic feel.

I laid out my images where I wanted to eventually adhere them and then used some washi tape to pick them up and keep them together. I added some foam tape to the back of them and adhered them to the panel. When they were set down, I used my MISTI to go in and stamp my sentiment above them. I used some double sided tape to adhere the panel to a top-folding A2 card base.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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Keeping Christmas Inspiration Blog Hop

Hello! I'm joining some delightfully talented ladies on the 25th of every month with a fun Christmas creation. I don't know about you, but I always find myself rushing to get things done in the couple of months leading up to Christmas. I'm trying to keep that from happening this year by putting together a couple of creations each month to put in my stash so I won't be crazy busy when Christmas rolls around.

It's the 25th, so it's time for a Christmas creation!

I decided to keep it simple this month because Christmas is closing in on us and I wanted something that would be easily mass produced. This card features the Layered Wreath set from Clearly Besotted and it has nothing but simple stamping. I could honestly reproduce a bunch of these in just an hour. I love the simplicity and my overly stressed brain loves it, too!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the other stops in the hop!

Kelly Lunceford

Lesley Croghan

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld (You are here!)

Vicki Finger

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CASology: Scary

Hello and welcome back for a brand new cue from CASology!

For my card, I decided to use my "scary" witch from MFT's Witch Way is the Candy stamp set.

I cut a panel to the same size as the front of an A2 card base and then used my MISTI to stamp my sentiment and my image. I stamped another image on some masking paper and cut it out so that I could stencil my grass to ground her on my panel. I covered her in the mask and then used Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron distress inks to blend in my grass with the stencil. I removed the mask and colored my image with my Copics.

When I was done with my coloring, I used my glue runner to adhere my panel to the front of an A2 top-folding card.

Thanks for stopping  by today and don't forget to add your own creations to the CASology blog!

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The Trouble with Celebration

Hi, everyone! I'm here today with a new card for the Kindred Stamps design team! I'm a sci-fi nerd and this cute little set just speaks to my heart. I did a ton of masking to create this tiny scene, but it was so worth it!

I started off by stamping and cutting 6 masks so that I could stack up my cute little furry creatures. I used my MISTI to help me stamp everything and then removed all of my masks to reveal my scene. I used my Copics to color everything and then adhered my panel to the front of a top-folding A2 size card base.

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Kindred Stamps October Release Christmas Kid

Hello, everyone! It's time for a look at one of the new sets from Kindred Stamps! The one I'm showcasing today is called Christmas Kid.

This card was super easy to create. I stamped my image onto a panel of white cardstock cut to the size of the front of an A2 card base. I masked it off and then blended some Squeezed Lemonade distress ink over the top of it to give it a glow. I then went in from the sides of the card and layered different blues to build up the color surrounding the image. I finished it off by blending a little Black Soot to the very edges to deepen the color.

I removed my masking paper and colored my lamp with my Copics. I then used my MISTI to stamp my sentiment below the image. I adhered my panel to a white top-folding A2 card base with my tape runner.

For my next card, I actually created a small photo tutorial to show you how it all came together.

To start with, I carefully inked one side of my lamp and stamped it onto my card panel. I did the same to the other side and then stamped it a little distance away. I went back in with my Memento marker and created a jagged edge to imitate a break in the lamp.

I wanted to make it look as though the lamp was falling from a table, so I went in and sketched out my scene using a very light E marker. I then started slowly adding color to the different elements to build up the scene. I began with the green in my plant by dotting different greens to give it a leafy texture. I trailed it over the table to add some interest.

To balance the scene, I added a watering can to the other side of the table. I drew it in with a very light orange marker and then added darker color to give it dimension and flesh it out.

Now it was time to add my table. I colored the edges with the darkest color to give it depth and so that it would look round. I kept adding different shades of brown until I got the look I was going for.

Next, it was time to color my lamp and give the scene a little grounding. I added some small flicks of light E shades to make my carpet look like shag since that would have been popular during the era my scene is representing. I added a little gray shading where the carpet would meet the wall and slowly faded it out to white as it went toward the top of the scene.

All that was left was to stamp my sentiment and adhere my panel to a card base.

For my last card, I wanted to recreate an image I think we can all relate to.

Poor Christmas Kid has a lot of explaining to do! I stamped my kid onto a white cardstock panel and then sketched my scene in using E50 and a ruler. I then went in with gradually darker colors to add shading and depth to my stairs and the bannisters.

When my scene was the way I wanted it, I finished it off by coloring in my kid. I used my MISTI to stamp my sentiment above my scene and then adhered it to the front of a top-folding A2 white card base.

The entire Kindred Stamps September release will be available Friday, October 19 at 8am PST/11am EST.  Be sure to check out the Kindred Stamps blog on Friday for the full product release as well as the complete line up of all the Kindred Stamps Design Team projects from release week!  If you visit and comment on all of the designers' blogs this week, you could win $15 in Kindred Stamps shop credit!  So join the Fan Club and release event, show the design team some love, and get ready to empty those wallets this Friday!

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Card 2


Card 3

CASology: Menu

Hello and welcome back to a new cue from CASology!

I searched through my stamp stash and came up empty, so I had to think a little outside the box for this one. With that in mind, I created my very own menu.

This card is a little outside my comfort zone seeing as how I put away my copics and got back to basics with some simple stamping.

I combined two Sugar Pea Designs stamp sets to create this super simple one layer card. I used the sentiments and the coffee bean from Espresso Yourself and then added some coffee rings from the Caffeine Addict set when I realized the card looked a little plain.

Thank heavens for the MISTI! I never would have attempted something like this if it weren't for that tool! I can't stamp straight to save my life and the MISTI makes it so super easy to stamp perfectly every time. I lined up all the sentiment words in my MISTI at once and then stamped them all in black ink. I went in again with my coffee bean and used the MISTI to get it lined up perfectly for each "bullet point."

I went back in afterward with my little coffee rings and stamped them in to add a little more detail.

Super simple and sweet! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to link up your card on the CASology post!

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You're Wonderful

Hello! I'm back today with a new post for the Kindred Stamps Design Team!

I can always use a good thank you card in my stash and this one will definitely be finding its way to someone soon. I used the She's Wonderful stamp set from Kindred Stamps to create this clean and simple beauty.

I actually remembered to take pictures as I colored my image, so I have a little bit of a photo tutorial for you today. I started my coloring by filling in anything that would be "gold" on the image. I used YR 27 as my dark color, YR 24 for the midtone, and Y21 as my highlight.

I followed that up by coloring in the armor and the sword. I used B97 and 99 for the skirt and R37, R39, and R89 for the boots and bodice. I used C1, C3, and C5 for the sword.

Next were the pieces of leather underneath the wristbands and the leather on the shield. I used E29 for my darkest shade, E77 as the midtone, and E25 for the highlight.

Now for skin tone. I added the darkest shadow with E33, and then added some E11 to start blending it out. My lightest shade was E51.

And the hair was the finishing touch. I started by adding my lightest shade, E25, where I was actually going to start layering with my darkest. It gives it a good base in case I miss a little with my dark marker and helps me keep the dark color from getting out of hand and going too far. I then went in with my dark shade, E29, and added some strands with a light flicking motion. I went back in with my midtone, E27, and extended the strands a little bit while still leaving some white paper showing through. I went in again with my lightest color (E25) and completed the strands. Some people leave white highlights, but that's just not my style. I like the look when it's completely colored in.

To pull the card together, I cut and folded a white card base and used a coverplate to cut the background into the front of the card. I cut a banner using some black cardstock and heat embossed my sentiment with white embossing powder. I used foam tape to adhere my image and sentiment to give the card some dimension. I grounded the image by overlapping her feet on top of the sentiment strip.

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Annoyed Boss

Hi, everyone! I'm back with a card I created for my boss who's leaving us for a new store.  I think this little annoyed boss is perfect for him.

I started by stamping my little guy and the sentiment below him. I masked off my image and then used the small images from the set and my MISTI to stamp a patterned background. I removed my mask and then used my Copics to color everything in. It's a simple  card, but took some time to put together because of the amount of coloring. When I was finished, I adhered the panel to an A2 card base.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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CASology: Punctuation

I'm back again today with a new cue from CASology!

What's better than Dwight K. Schrute's inappropriate punctuation from Kelly's birthday banner? That's right, nothing!

So this was my inspiration for my card!

Another super simple card featuring one large image and plenty of white space! I stamped my image on a panel cut to the exact size of the front of an A2 card - 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches. I used my MISTI so I would be sure to get him absolutely straight. I then used a stamp from a retired Clearly Besotted set to stamp my speech bubble and then stamped my sentiment inside it.

I used my copics to color my adorable Dwight and then added a bit of ground shadowing below him and a slight cool gray halo around the image and the birthday bubble so it would stand out on the white cardstock.

I adhered the panel to the front of a card base using my glue runner. And that's all - super easy!

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to link up your own creation on the CASology post!

Kindred Stamps October Fan Club Challenge

Hello! I'm here with something a little new today as well as an announcement. First up, my announcement - I'm joining the Kindred Stamps Design Team for the upcoming quarter! What does that mean? Well, you'll be seeing a lot more geeky, fandom type creations. And bonus, I'll be posting more often! Yay!

Next, for the something new, I have a card I created for the newest Kindred Stamps Fan Club Challenge. This month, we're using non-Christmas stamps for a Holiday card. So here it is, Yo Ho used as a Christmas card!

So, I combined a couple of sets to create my scene, but my main image of my pirate is from the Yo Ho set from Kindred Stamps. I actually drew in my little bottle of rum with a pencil and then went over it with a Copic multi-liner to help it fit in with the other stamps. I went back and erased my pencil lines once the black was dry. I masked it off and added my present (also masked off) and stamped my tree so it appeared behind everything else. I went back in with that same multi-liner and added a string of Christmas lights around the trunk of my tree.

I sketched in my beach with my E30 and then gradually added darker colors as a I got toward the front, also adding in some shadows where the sun would be shining from behind my scene. I finished the beach by adding small dots of different E colors as well as adding a few dots of colorless blender toward the back as it faded toward the water. I did the same with my white gel pen. I sketched in my water and where I wanted the crests of waves with a light blue and then went back in adding additional color with gradually darker blues to increase the contrast.

I finished my coloring by adding just a touch of yellow in the right side at the horizon line to give the hint of the sun. I used a lighter yellow to blend the darker yellow out into white.

I cut down my panel to fit the front of an A2 card and then used my MISTI to stamp the Ho Ho Ho sentiment. I used a ruler to lightly lay down a line beneath it so I could freehand the rest of my sentiment with my multi-liner. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do! After writing in my desired sentiment, I went back after it was dry to erase the pencil line.

I adhered the panel to the front of an A2 white card base and I was all finished! I normally keep track of the markers I use when I color something, but I used so many this time that it got a little out of hand! So for this card, I actually don't have a master list. Sorry about that!

So, if you have a love of Kindred Stamps, please join the Fan Club on Facebook and enter this fun monthly challenge! You'll also love all the inspiration from our fun, crafty community! Thanks for stopping by!

CASology: Gratitude

It's that time of the week - time for a new cue from CASology!

I'm slowly working my way through the new stamps that have been collecting on my desk and this time around I decided to work with a set from a limited edition box I ordered. I'm loving all of the stamps in the set and I can totally see myself using it for my nephews for years to come! Unfortunately, because it was limited edition, it's not available for purchase anymore, but it's still super cute!

I started this card by cutting my pieces for my large pieced shield. I used a collection of circle dies to create the outside of the shield and then a small star die to create the center piece. I cut them all so that I could layer them together instead of stacking them. It cuts down on the bulk and helps keep the card clean and simple.

I stamped my superhero using my MISTI and then colored him with my Copics. I used my Brother Scan N Cut to cut him out and then set him to the side. I adhered my shield to a white card base using some Multi Medium Matte and then cut the excess that overlapped the side of the card. By letting it hang over the edge, I helped to preserve the white space on the card.

I used my MISTI to stamp my sentiment and then used some foam tape to add my hero on top of the shield and above the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to add your own creations to the CASology post!