*Addicted to CAS #192*

Vicki D is the host for the next Addicted to CAS challenge!  For the next two weeks, please share with your clean and simple cards using the code word ANIMAL for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge.  Today, we have Jen Mitchell joining as our guest designer.

I have some animal stamps, but you all know how I feel about colouring.... and while I was sitting and thinking about what I wanted to create, I got word that friends of ours had to put down their beloved dog, Traxie.  That made my decision for me... I'd make a sympathy card for them.

I wanted to create a bit of a rainbow to lend to the idea of the Rainbow Bridge... but I didn't want to overpower the card since this was supposed to be clean and simple.  The card did end up a little more busy than I had hoped, but I think they will like it.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Stampin' Up! Sorry for Everything; My Favorite Things New Best Friend

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Morning Mist and Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Rose Petals, Shea Butter, Stone Blue and Sage

*Stencils:   Paper Rose Bubbles

*Tools:  Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes; Purple Tape

*Etc:  foam tape

*AAACards #183*

 Hello Crafty Friends.... it's time for another clean and simple challenge with the team at AAACards!  You know we love to see your clean and simple card!  Be sure to visit the blog and share your clean and simple cards with us!  

Our guest designer for game #183 is Chrissie... please go leave her some love on her blog!

I sort of created a scene with my card....  if you stretch it just a bit LOL!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Studio Katia Birthday Greetings
*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Pixie Dust, Serenade, Pucker Up; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Stencils:  Echo Park Firework Show

*Tools:  Perfect Layers; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes

*Etc:  Purple Tape

*Embellishments:  Honey Bee Prism Gems

Wondering about that hot pink layer?  I swiped my Catherine Pooler ink pad along my cardstock to create a custom colour that matched!

Now it's your turn!  Create a clean and simple card that uses only one corner with the option of creating a scene and share it with us on the AAACards blog!  You could win a spot as a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge!

*Addicted to CAS #190*

Welcome to another week with the team at Addicted to CAS!  Join the design team and our guest designer Milka in creating a clean and simple card using the code word "pattern".  Link up your creation for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

I had a few ideas dancing in my head but I decided to play with the new Catherine Pooler colour wheel download and the new colours that I just bought and grabbed out one of my Concord & 9th Turnabout stamps.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 100lb

*Images:  Concord & 9th Bitty Burst Turnabout; Taylored Expressions Simple Strips

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Fiesta Blue, Something Borrowed, Seranade, Pixie Dust; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips, Simple Strips Backer

*Tools:  Big Shot; Misti

*Birthday Flowers*

I am constantly amazed at how fast time goes by.... here we are at the end of January already!  I don't mind when the cold winter months fly by, but it sure does suck with the spring and summer ones fly too!

I did a ombre look on these letters with a blending brush and ink and I'm really happy with how they look.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Image:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Garden Party

*Dies:  MFT Impact Alphabet

*Tools:  Big Shot; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes

*Ebellishments:  Lawn Fawn Liquid Stardust; Prima Flowers; Stampin' Up! bling

*I Wrecked It*

Yup, I wrecked it.  This card started out with great promise with that great patterned paper cut on the diagonal with a black mat along the top edge....  and then I went and ruined it all by stamping on the cardstock.  I thought it would work out, but instead, as soon as I stamped it, I was disappointed.

See for yourself.

I'll admit it's not horrible, but it's not the look I had in my head.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Patterned Paper:  Catherine Pooler Poppin'

*Images:  Studio Katia Happy Birthday

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Catherine Pooler Aquatini, Garden Party, Party Dress, Limoncello

*Tools:  Stampin' Up! blender pen; Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  Nuvo Shimmer Pen

*AAA#181*

 Welcome to the first AAACards clean and simple challenge for 2021!  The design team is all refreshed from a few weeks off and ready to inspire you with our clean and simple designs!  I hope you'll join along with us, share your clean and simple card using the prompt below for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge!

As you can see from the graphic, we are looking for a clean and simple card that uses up to 1/3 of your card front with the optional twist of Summer in January!  SmylinStef is joining us as a guest designer for this challenge.

What says "summer" more than popsicles?!  I used a great two step stamping set from Simon Says Stamp to create my card...

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp So Cool

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Samba, Tiki Torch, Lime Rickey, Fiesta Blue, Over Coffee, Black Jack

*Tools:  Misti; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  white Gelly Roll pen; Nuvo Shimmer Pen

Be sure to head on over to the blog to see what the rest of the design team has come up with and to link up your creation too!

*Singing Loud For All To Hear*

This stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie goes perfectly with the Catherine Pooler Nice List stamp set... and I totally love how this card turned out!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Real Red

*Patterned Paper:  American Crafts

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Nice List; Kraftin' Kimmie Chritmas Cheer Sentiments

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Copics

*Dies:  Catherine Pooler Nice List; Lawn Fawn Everday Sentiment Banners

*Embellishments:  Nuvo Shimmer Pen

*Fa la la*

I saw a card similar to this in my internet travels and decided to give it a shot.  I'm not honestly sure how I feel about rainbows and Christmas, but... I don't love it but I also don't hate it.

Items Used

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Jolly Trees; MFT Handwritten Holidays

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Pixie Dust, Fiesta Blue, Grass Skirt, Limoncello, Tiki Torch, Rockin' Red, Be Mine; Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Tools:  Misti

*Merry Elfin' Christmas*

I was gifted this awesome Merry Elfin' Christmas stamp last year and was so happy to have an idea to use it this year.  Thank you to Catherine Pooler for coming out with these great elf stamps so I could use this other stamp LOL!

Items Used:

*Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Gumball Green

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Nice List; My Favorite Things Merry Elfin' Christmas

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Versafine Clair Nocturne; Copics

*Embellishments:  Frosted Lace Stickles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Nice List*

I saw this elf set from Catherine Pooler and ordered it the day it was released.  The images are just so dang cute!!!  I hope to get some more time to play with them, play around with colour combinations.  I will admit I borrowed this card from an idea I saw on Pinterest.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 100lb

*Patterned Paper:  MFT Christmas Cheer

*Images:  Catherine Pooler Nice List

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Copics

*The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer*

I absolutely love this stamp set from Stampin' Up!  The three sayings in it are a good size to be the focal point of a card and they are different from the usual "peace on earth" and "winter wonderland" stamps that are out there.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; red linen from my stash

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up! All Is Bright

*Images:  Stampin' Up! Christmas Means More

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Cranberry Fizz

*Dies:  Spellbinders nesting circles and scalloped circles

*Tools:  Perfect Layers

*Peace*

I have a lot of Christmas patterned paper... and maybe I bought even more to add to my stash this year.  I don't understand why I love patterned paper so much since I also love clean and simple cards.  The two just don't really go together, you know?

At any rate, I need to use some of this paper...  I need to make my stash a little smaller.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Tranquil Tide; gold foi

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up!

*Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Peace and Joy

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Cranberry Fizz

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Joy

*Tools:  Gemini Jr

*A Bucket of Snow*

I saw a card using a similar colour combination in the last few weeks and I decided to use it for a Christmas card... and while it's not horrible, it's not my favourite.  I think I might need to revisit it but maybe in a less bold way.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Images:  Honey Bee Season to Sparkle

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Suede Shoes, Grape Crush, All That Jazz

*Dies:  Honey Bee Season to Sparkle MFT Layering Snowflakes

*Tools:  Gemini Jr

*Merry and Bright*

I think this is such a wonderful colour combination.  I can't take credit for it as I saw a similar card on Pinterest in the last weeks and sketched out the idea.  If I end up needing to make multiples of some cards, this will be one I replicate as I just love it.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler

*Images:  Stampin' Up! Peace & Joy; MFT Merry & Bright

*Ink:  Gina K Ocean Mist; Catherine Pooler Rockin' Red

*Dies:  MFT Phrase Builders, Holly Berries

*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers

*Etc:  white Gelly Roll pen

*Joy*

Let me tell you, I think Stampin' Up! hit one out of the park with their Christmas release this year.  There are several stamp sets and dies that I fell in love with and had to buy... and I can see having them in my stash for many years to come.  This card uses two different sets from Stampin' Up! as well as some other items from my stash.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black; silver mirror

*Stencils:  Gina K Sassy Stripes

*Ink: Catherine Pooler Rockin' Red

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Sounds of the Season, Joy

*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes; Perfect Layers

*Embellishments:  Moonstone Nuvo Glimmer Paste

*Until Further Notice*

I decided I should try my hand at some card with a more fall palette...  these are not "go to" colours for me, even though I think they look great.  

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Stamps:  Waffle Flower Leafy; Catherine Pooler Good Things

*Ink:  Catherine Pooler Rouge, Mandarin Spice, Sauna, Eucalyptus

*Tools: Brother Scan 'n Cut

*Embellishments:  Studio Katia

*Awesome Circles*

I'm not honestly sure about this card... I had some scraps of Catherine Pooler patterned paper and I decided to use them.  It's OK... but not as striking as it was in my head.

*Large Die Cut Birthday*

 Happy Wednesday my crafty friends....  I hope that the end of September is treating you all well.  It's been beautiful here in Calgary the last few days... sweater weather, but certainly not cold!  I hope it stays like this for a while longer!

I wanted to let you know that with being back at work full time, my time to create has been limited... and when I have time to create I often have other things I need to be doing or my mojo decides to not show up.  I am almost at the end of my stockpile of created cards which means I won't be posting every day.  I hope to pull out my Christmas supplies in the next week or two so hopefully the mojo will come rushing back, but for now, posts will be happening every few days instead of every day.

When I first saw the die I used below on the Catherine Pooler website, I *had* to have it... and now that I have it, I have no idea what I want to do with it!  I will need to do a Pinterest search to see if I can get some inspiration!

*Celebrate Large*

I will admit that way way way back when, I wasn't a fan of using patterned papers on cards.  I thought it was a cheat, a copout...  you could make your own patterned papers with stamps, of course!  But now, I like patterned papers on my cards... 

This card using a quarter inch strip of Catherine Pooler patterned paper to add a little colour and fun to an otherwise monochromatic card.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
• Patterned Paper:  Catherine Pooler
• Dies:  MFT Celebrate
• Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers
• Embellishments:  Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen

*Make A Wish*

 I really love this Studio Katia Birthday Greetings stamp set... there are so many great options in it for your cards!  I love when designers mix together different fonts in a greeting... and this one, to me, is perfect.  I paired the greeting with the Catherine Pooler Party Fans stamps set and some Catherine Pooler Ink, and finished it all off with a little hint of pink layer using my Perfect Layers Tool