clair087

Hello Friends! Happy Sunday-Funday! Happy to be popping in with my latest CAS Challenge card! I'm so pleased with this one, even though I think it's bordering a little on the not so clean and simple lines...What do you think? It's a big challenge for me, so this is definitely still CAS compared to my other cards. CAS kicked up a notch? Is that even a thing? But what I love the most, is that even with a little texture, it's still a very mail-able card. And have you seen the ultra thin pop-up adhesives?? They would make this card even thinner. I can't remember the manufacturer, but if you know what I'm talking about, please share it in the comments! To start today's card, I used a cardstock base, but quickly decided I wanted a more ethereal look to this card, and die-cut an ever-so-slightly larger scalloped base out of vellum to lay over-top. The technique I've used today, is a quick and easy way to make your stencils really work some mileage for you! Usin...

Gingerbread is one of our favorite cookie flavors. We love it so much around here, that it's a staple year-round! A few might say it's plain or boring, or only to be used for making delicious holiday decor. I say, gingerbread can be crazy flavorful, soft, and sooo yummy! While I still lived in Europe, we often enjoyed Lebkuchen, which is a gingerbread of sorts, but a much more complex and flavorful version (imho). I have tried, to no avail, to get the recipe right, so if any of you happen to have one kicking around...I beg you....Please, please share it with me!  For now, though, I'll just share this little tribute to my favorite cookie. Oh and a lovely textured background, inspired by Holiday icing.  To start my little card today, I used a circle stencil to ink up the focal background of my card, in colors of Aqua Mist and Spring Rain .  ______________________________________________________________________                  TI...

Well today's card is a wee departure for me! No fancy bows, no patterned papers, no buttons and little texture... Okay I lied on the texture part :)  The focal feature of this card is a technique I love so much. It's one of my favorite ways to play with ink blending! So many talented artists use it beautifully, so this is just my little take. I love the dimension it achieves, without too many fussy layers. First Layer To start, I used a card base and blended five colors, one on each quadrant of the card and one transition color in between. I used Pale Peony on the top left, Hawaiian Shores on the top right, and Bright Buttercup in between. For the bottom, I used Pale Peony on the left, Bright Buttercup in the middle and Spring Moss on the right.  Second Layer   This is where the fun begins! I used PTI's heartburst stencil from the Sunshine and Rainbows kit, and used intensified versions of the colors below to accentuate the rays. On the top left I used Raspberry Fiz...

Oh what a wonderful day it is! It's a special time to thank some of the most important women in our lives - our dear mommas. I am so grateful and lucky to have the most kind-hearted, caring, wonderful mom.  Throughout the years, she has shown me so much love and support, and is a constant inspiration to me. I wouldn't be who I am without her. Momma, this one is for you :)  I created this card to say thanks, because she does so much for us, putting everyone before herself, and I never want her to think that any of it is taken for granted or not appreciated. When I think of all the gestures, big and small, my heart fills up so much, that it's hard to put into words how lucky I feel. So this card is sort of a way to express it - full of color and sweetness - it's how my heart feels when I think of my sweet momma!  To start this card I used Sweet Blush ink to blend some ink onto the edges. I also used a dotted stamp to stamp a little background detail with the same color o...

I fell in love with embroidery at a very young age, watching both my mom and grandma stitch beautiful art. It's been such a joy to see embroidery, once again, coming back into the mainstream. Have you noticed it all around lately?  Last year, among the lovely embroidered details we added to our decor, I also found the dreamiest embroidered dress and wore it practically all Summer. I can't wait for the mercury to rise so I can slip into it once again :) Until then, I've been playing with a bit of embroidery in the craft room. I'm not exactly the needle + thread connoisseur like the ladies in my family, but I sure can work embossing paste.  So I've got a cheat embroidery look for you today and it's as simple as can be. ______________________________________________________________________ SUPPLIES a stencil of your choice ( here  is the one above, but  this one  is pretty too molding paste , a variety of  ink refills  or other color mediums to dye your p...

Happy Monday friends!  Today I have a very special post lined up, and if you're just joining me, I hope you'll stay a while and enjoy the festivities! If you already know about the blog hop, you're in the right place :) Today's post is a tad longer than most, but that's because I have a lot to share with you.  So grab a cuppa and enjoy! I'd like to take a moment to share the whole reason behind this blog hop celebration. As some of you know, a very dear friend of mine and I got to meet for the first time this past Christmas. It was a dream come true and quickly turned into a week full of fun, laughter and special memories. I would like to share our story with you, but be sure to heard over to Aneta's blog , for her take, too. Before we get to that, I'd like to share how this hop idea started. OUR PROJECT One of the wonderful things we got to do while visiting, was spend a little bit of time crafting together. Aneta brought back some crafty goodies for us...