One Layer Congrats

I've been wanting to try my hand at some one layer cards recently, largely due to the inspiring work of Lynn, and the stamp design talent of Karen B.  Then came a challenge from the ubber inspiring Virginia, and there you have it - a card was born!  If you're not familiar with their work, you will want to get to know these ladies!  Virginia's daughter took photos of Virginia's son and his Cello Choir.  Here's the inspiration from that shoot:

How fun is that!  Virginia has set up a challenge on her blog with a prize and everything!  Here's my card:

The stamps are from a new set called Typically Teen designed by Karen B for The Craft's Meow.  It's a free gift right now with any $50 purchase.  I'm really not trying to sound like a commercial -ha ha!  The inks are Momento Tuxedo Black, and various Ranger Distress Inks.  Hope you enjoyed and are encouraged to play along.

Thanks for coming over today.  As always, I appreciate reading your comments, they make my day!

Kara Lynne

Birthday Boy!

I wanted to play along with Just Us Girls this week, and I always enjoy The Lili's' Little Fairies challenge.  Such a sweet inspiration photo.  I don't even have a little boy to send this to, but I love the colors and the idea.  I just love that little bear popping up over the curve of the envelope.

I used the Birthday Bumps stamp from LOTV, and their sentiment from Mixed Circular Sentiments.  The inside letters are Playful Caps from Close to My Heart.  I made the pocket envelope out of MME Breaking Free collection and cardstock from my stash.  The brown paper is from Daisy d's Gypsy Harvest.  The ribbon is from Devrian Global Industries.  I used Copics to color the bears and Distress inks Faded Jeans and Gathered Twigs to blend and stamp the sentiments.

This card is entered in the following challenges:
Just Us Girls Challenge #138

Lili's Little Fairies:  Anything But a Square

Thanks for stopping by, I love hearing your feed back.  Hope you're having a great day!
Kara Lynne

Howdy!

Hope it was a great weekend for everyone.  It's been busy around our house, but today was my birthday, and my family gave me some stamps, Copics, and time in the craft room to make a card.  Oh did I have fun!

I cut the card base from a digital die cut on the Silhouette.  The stars and "howdy!" were also cut on the Silhouette.  The image is a new one from Lili of the Valley called, "Yee Haa!"  The boy and his pup were colored with Copics and paper pieced a bit.  The star patterned paper is HOTP Gold Sponged Stars, the reds are from Daisy d's Gypsy Harvest collection, and the blue and striped paper are from MME Breaking Free collection.  I used some craft thread for the lasso.  I don't know the maker of the brown card stock papers.

This card was inspired by two challenges:

Lili's Little Fairies: Anything but a square

  

Lily Pad Cards:  Simon Says Stamp Presents a Star Challenge

Thanks for coming over, I hope you have a great day!

Kara Lynne

Gone Fishing

I know my father-in-law is not following my blog, so it's pretty safe to put his Father's Day card out here.  He just retired a few months back (before the blog, so no retirement card to show), and he's got all kinds of fishing plans. 

I color blocked with card stock and some old patterned paper scraps I've had for about ten years.  I had these left over embellishments from a scrapbook page I did several years ago.  The vest is from Jolee's and the others are from Essentials.  It felt good to use up some of my stash!  Simple card, but quite effective.

This card is entered in the following challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays: CFC54 

Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Father's Day/Special Male Challenge 

Thanks for coming over today, hope everyone has a great weekend - a long one here in the U.S.!  Since it is Memorial Day weekend here, I would also like to mention how grateful I am to the men and women that serve(d) our country.  You are true heroes!
Kara Lynne

What a Treat!

Today's card is a big "THANK YOU" to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog.  They chose me as a VIP for my "Hippy Birthday" card a couple of weeks ago during their birthday bash, and sent me a wonderful stamp set from Simon Says Stamp called Savor Sweet Cupcakes. 

The "What a Treat" and all three cupcakes are from Savor Sweet Cupcakes.  The papers are from the Restoration Collection of Crate Paper: Slipcover and Fringe.  I used Gathered Twigs Distress ink, and White embossing powder.  The kraft colored circles are cut out of a Coffee cup sleeve (I liked the texture).  I'm not sure about the "Thank You" sentiment.  You see, when I first began stamping a few months ago, I bought a lot of wooden stamps from a Craig's List seller.  I didn't understand the importance of knowing the brand for future reference, and I took them all off the wood and made them cling so I could store them easier.  Okay, shoot me now!  I've been looking online to try to identify them. 

I'm entering this card in two challenges.  I punched out the circles in the patterned paper and raised it up on foam, so it's going in the CAS-ual Fridays challenge (mainly so they can see my "Thank You" to them ; ).

I'm also entering it in the Lily Pad Cards Vera's View Challenge.  It's too hard to resist those cupcakes!

Thanks for coming over to visit today!
Kara Lynne

With Gratitude

I have one of the most amazing friends, more like a sister, really.  She and her husband have adopted our children as their own nieces, spent their holidays and money traveling across the ocean to visit us, and are always available with words of encouragement and a vote of confidence.  About a month ago I emailed my friend and told her I started this blog, so guess what I got in the mail!  A package full of card making goodies!  She doesn't even make cards.  I was blown away with this thoughtful gift.  It's a collection from Anna Griffin called Engraved Botanica and it was filled with beautiful papers, base cards, sentiments, embellishments, and ribbons.  It also has an entire sheet of wonderful sentiment stamps for inside the cards.  My first card using this bit of treasure is for my dear sweet friend with deepest gratitude and much love.

The papers, of course, are Anna Griffin along with the sentiment, banner, and ribbon.  I cut the bird from one of the other papers in the pack.  It was light blue, but I used green and pink Ranger Distress Ink, a bit of brown Copic and a Zig Writer gold marker to make it fit my color scheme.  The fence, green flourishes, and roses were cut on my Silhouette.  I distressed the fence by spraying it with water, bunching it, opening it back up, and rubbing it through distress inks sprayed with water.  Does that make sense?  You know the technique I'm talking about.  The roses were made with six five-petal flowers shaped, glued together, and inked a bit.  I used some Distress ink on the green flourishes too, but that's not easy to see. 

I was inspired by the photo challenge at The Shabby Tea Room. The challenge is to use the colors from the photo and include dimensional flower(s). 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great day!
Kara Lynne

Goldfinch

This weeks Playdate Cafe challenge reminded me of the splash of color that appears whenever a goldfinch lands on a branch of a tree in our backyard.  They are so vibrant and beautiful! 

I used a digital cut on my Silhouette called "bird on branch".  I cut it in black and then partially yellow.  In order to make it into a goldfinch, I free hand cut the black cap and wing, snipped the wing in places and put white paper partially under it so the white and yellow would show through.  I sent it all through the Xyron 5" sticker maker.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up, inked with Brilliance Graphite Black and I used Black Soot Distress ink on the edges.

I was inspired by this week's challenge at The Play Date Cafe:

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great day!
Kara Lynne

You're the Best!

Today's card was fun to make. A couple of new (to me) stamps and fun colors.  However, I do feel sorry for these children.  I know their mother went out and found them matching outfits, sat them in her garden with a scrapbook she made for them, told them NOT to get it dirty, and PLEASE act like you love each other because this is going on a card for Grandma!

The LOTV stamp is Times to Treasure. colored with Copics.  I cut out the book along with the hands and the boy's sleeve to give it some dimension.  I just noticed from this angle he looks like he has two left hands!!!  Hard to see here, but I scored the book on both sides of the binding to help shape it.  The Hero Arts stamp is Classic Fabric Design.  It is inked with Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers, and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks.  I spritzed the stamp with water before stamping. I cut the banner on my Silhouette.  The sentiment is from HOTP Tiny Words & Images.  I curved it to follow the banner shape and embossed it in white.  The paper, flowers and ribbon were in my stash.

This card is entered in the following challenges:
Lili's Little Fairies: Your Favourite Craft Tool So many!  My favorite has to be my Silhouette, I think I've had it five years or more - whenever it first came out.

Moxie Fab World: The Damask & Brocade Challenge They asked us to use it in an innovative way so I dressed up this classic pattern with fresh colors and clean lines.

CR84FN Color Challenge #54 I couldn't resist this beautiful color combination!

Retro Sketches #11 A great, classic sketch to go with a classic card.

Thanks so much for looking, I love the encouragement and insights I get from so many of you!  I hope you're having a great day!
Kara Lynne

Gee, Thanks!

I had some time yesterday to make another card.  I think card making is magical: it makes time pass quicker, too quickly!  It was just the opposite at the dentist's office this morning.  Today I had to hold some rinse in my mouth for the longest minute on record.  Card making time should move at that speed!

Usually inspiration pictures aren't taken literal in a design, but I loved the way these bikes looked all lined up.  I masked each bike to get the ones behind.  I held my breath each time, hoping the whole process would work out.  That great bicycle stamp is from Hero Arts, the "thanks" is part of a stamp from Studio G, and the "g" is chipboard from The Paper Studio.  The inks are Brilliance Sky Blue, Orchid, Sunflower Yellow, and Ranger Distress Spiced Marmalade.  The patterned paper is Bo Bunny Yummy Mini Dots from 2005.  I cut the flowers on my Silhouette and added a dot of white gel pen.

This card is entered in the following challenges:
Embellish Blog: Bicycles Color Trends 

 

CPS - Card Sketches #265 

 

Hope you have a great day!

Kara Lynne

 

Together Forever

First, I have to thank all of you for visiting my blog.  It is such a privilege to have fellow card designers (as I hear we are called) give feedback and encouragement.  It feels good to be back after a week off!  I've missed playing along with everyone, and just gave a peek at many of the wonderful cards being created out there.  Today I made an informal wedding card.  Is that okay to do?  Well, I had fun with it anyway. 

I used Stampendous Chick Family for the birds, Close to my Heart Just Married for the glasses, and Hot Off the Press Tiny Words & Images for the sentiment.  I stamped the glasses once in black, again in Distress Worn Lipstick, paper pieced it, and added Glossy Accents.  The extended bubbles and hearts are Crayola glitter glue.  The bride's veil is a piece of ribbon pleated onto a glue dot in back.  The flower and groom's bow tie both come from the same Chick Family set.  Everything is raised on foam and I drew their legs behind.  I just free hand cut the grass.

This card is entered in the following challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC52 Feathered Friends

ABC DT Challenge: Graduation or Wedding Card

Hope you all have a great day!
Kara Lynne

A Birthday Card featuring Milly

I thought I'd make something more in my comfort zone after the runway inspired card.  Is this my style?  I don't know, I'm still working on finding that.  Coloring, paper piecing, and creating dimension just make me happy.

  
I just love that image from LOTV, it's called Milly Me and My Dog.  I colored her with copics and paper pieced her outfit.  I poked a few holes strategically on the image and threaded the "rope" through.  The tree "bark" is made from sentiments from an old Close to My Heart set.  After I stamped, I free-hand cut the tree and inked it with Ranger Distress Inks.  The patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye.  I cut the fence and flowers with my Silhouette and inked them with Distress Ink.  I got the background idea from the Silhouette blog.  I thought it would be a fun way to use the coordinating papers.  The leaves I just free-hand cut and inked up a bit with Ranger Distress Ink. 

This card is entered in the following challenges:

A Blog Named Hero:  Topsy Turvy - use a sentiment as something other than a sentiment
Now I must confess, I feel bad not using Hero Arts stamps on this, but I only started stamping a few months ago (but scrap-booked for years), so besides the LOTV stamps, most of my mine are ones I bought years ago when my friends started selling things.  Now that I know what I have, I love using them, but I'm looking forward to buying some of the new stamps I see you all using!  A Blog Named Hero kindly states that you do not have to use Hero Art products.  A big "thank you" to them!

Lili's Little Fairies:  Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Challenge:   Birthday Card

Have a great weekend!
Kara Lynne

A Runway Inspired Thank You Card

I decided to try the Runway Inspired Challenge.  Now the closest thing I get to fashion is watching old episodes of Ugly Betty.  Not that I wouldn't love to be fashionable, but the pocket book says, "no."  Ah, that's why we love paper!  This card was quite a challenge for me.  Those moths (and others) were flying every which way on that card.  They finally rested on the left.  I'm still not totally sure about it.  Very much out of my comfort zone, but that's why they call it a challenge!

I colored the background pink with Copic marker R81.  The paisley and moth paper are from The Paper Studio.  The sentiment if from Studio G.  I inked it with Brilliance Graphite Black so it would be dark enough.  I think the metal buckle is from Making Memories.  Here's the inspiration photo:

Runway Inspired Challenge: ric#11

Hope you're having a great day!
Kara Lynne

Leap Frog

Actually, there are no frogs involved!  This is a Lili of the Valley stamp called "Leap Frog".  Such a great spring image!  This could actually be the bunny family living in our backyard.  I hope they just play leap frog and stay away from my new plants!

I used my Silhouette to cut out the sentiment.  The papers are We R Memories Anthologie.  The circles were cut out from one of the papers in that pad.  The Lili of the Valley stamp was stamped once on the patterned paper, and once on white card stock.  I colored the bunnies with Copics, cut them out, and ran them through my Xyron sticker maker and adhered them to the card.  I used Ranger Distress ink Gathered Twigs and cotton craft thread from Hobby Lobby.

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday 239

StampARTic: Surprise Challenge:  Lili of the Valley Stamp

Sentimental Sundays:  Challenge 100 - Cards for Kids

Papertake Weekly Challenge:  Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a great day!
Kara Lynne