12 Kits of Occasions - February '16

HAPPY Monday and welcome to the 12 Kits of Occasions- the February/'Watercolor Wonder' edition! Nancy was our hostess with the most-est this month and WOW did she outdo herself! SO MANY great things in this February kit-watercolors, watercolor pencils, masking fluid, beautiful pp, lovely dies, etc. Ahh.... the list goes on!
Please be sure to take a peek at what the 12 Kits of Occasions DT has created! It always astounds me to see what beautiful, and varied, creations the designers conjure up, given an identical kit! Loving each and every card/project!

This first card uses watercolors and rock salt - a technique that I've never tried (probably because it requires patience/drying time!).  I added a bit of perfect pearls in there too (ala Jennifer McGuire). Wow.....what a pretty, and happy, result!

These beautiful watercolored flowers are so pretty! However, I am certainly no artiste when it comes to execution.... it seems that the messier and less precise, the better the outcome. Love this orange/navy combo!

What a lovely bit of sparkle in both of the patterned papers (which is quite a challenge to appreciate in this photo!). CAS is always the way to go and I adore the yellow/black/white color combination.

LOTS of sparkle here! Louis Vuitton should be so jealous!

Yup..... lots o' sparkle here too! I utilized this beautiful tag and fussy cut those pretty blooms!

OK, now we're moving onto 'crazy town' watercoloring! Loved just playing around....
This colored panel used the very same watercolor/rock salt technique, but with quite different/more subtle results.

More playing with the watercolors. Shoulda/coulda lined up those panels.
Perhaps it's time to get back to the watercolor experiments!

MANY thanks to Nancy for providing such a fantastic kit! And... welcome to our GD, Marcia!

The Challenge #62

This is my swan song as the February featured guest at The Challenge. Many thanks to Kim, for inviting me and thank you to the DT -  quite the inspiring group of creative minds! I have definitely been challenged to think outside of my box, with ever-changing sketches, color combinations and photo inspirations..... always a good thing! My take on this Masculine Inspiration Challenge is quite CAS- kraft cs, woodgrain embossing, a simple sentiment and a bit of rustic twine.
I hope that you'll join in at The Challenge too, where there's always a style challenge to pique your interest (and creativity)!

Muse Challenge #154

Jenni's beautiful card is the inspiration for the Muse Challenge #154. Loving her happy, spring-y color combination and those lovely stripes! I've substituted an adorable trio of Frantic Stamper bunnies for the flower and polka dots for stripes. And ..... lots of pretty yellow and white (with the added touch of rosy pink). 
p.s. - why is yellow so hard to photograph?

CAS(E) this Sketch #161

Welcome to CTS #161! N@Ali has created the most fantastic sketch to inspire one and all. And each and every CAS(E) this Sketch designer has come up with a beauty.... just take a peek!
This was the perfect opportunity for me to add to my stash of masculine/unisex birthday cards (which is quite A LOT smaller than the floral/feminine pile!). Trying out my MFT pop-up b'day dies, some pretty PTI Poppy+White pp and a few shades of grey. 
We hope that you'll join us, and our GD Jen, in creating something wonderful for CAS(E) this Sketch #161!

The Challenge #61!

Happy Monday! The beautiful photo inspiration provided for The Challenge #61 is sure to spark your creativity!
Lots of texture, and more color(s) than you might imagine, were the jumping off points for me. And it's always a 'good thing' when I'm able to use my stash of patterned papers!
Oh.....such fun playing along with The Challenge team! Hope that you'll be inspired to play along too!

CAS(E) this Sketch #160

Welcome to CTS#160!
Loving this sketch from Chrissy - just so perfectly CAS! And.... loving this navy/coral color combo too-one of my favorites. 
The DT has some inspirational projects to jump start your creativity, so take a peek, get busy and join in the fun at CAS(E) this Sketch #160!
P.S.- A happy HELLO to Guest Designer, Amanda!!

Bunnies on Parade!

It's almost Spring.... well, at least one can hope! 
As inspiration, here are lots o' bunnies to get you thinking about Easter, which arrives very early this year (March 27th). Loving all of the Frantic Stamper bunny dies - in every shape and size! Lots of pretty spring-y hues (and sentiments/images from this adorable stamp set) that will surely get you in the mood to create a beautiful card, and perhaps a tag or two for those lovely, chocolate-filled Easter baskets!

Dies: 

ASST. Bunnies (FRA-DIE-09814), LG. Marshmallow Bunny (FRA-DIE-09819), Bunny Back (FRA-DIE-09817), Basket Weave Panel (FRA-DIE-09796), Pinprick Ovals (FRA-DIE-09644)

Stamps:

Echo Park- Easter Collection 

The Challenge #60

I'm privileged to be playin' along again with the talented crew at The Challenge! Oh, just look at the bee-u-ti-ful color combo that is this week's inspiration!
This lovely SU stamp/die set was my starting point and the tiny polka dotted bow and adorable scalloped tag were the perfect additions to this celebratory b'day card!
Hope that you too will find inspiration in the DT's fabulous creations and this wonderful color challenge! Please join in at The Challenge #60!

Birthday Boy!

If you are anything like me, those masculine b'day cards are a challenge! Frequently, it's a mad dash to the craft cave to create something clean and simple enough to qualify as a 'boy' card' (nope... no flowers or sequins allowed!).
So, here's my solution - the perfect grey, a pop of red and a flash of white.... CAS as it gets!
Love this Frantic Stamper Number Collage die panel and the bold block font of the Mixed Font Happy Birthday, which make for a quick and easy card!

 Mixed Font Happy Birthday dies (FRA-DIE-09776)
Number Collage Card Panel (FRA-DIE-09773)

CAS(E) this Sketch #158

Happy Thursday, and time for another sweet, and oh so versatile, sketch (from Sam)!
I've used a bit of bright/happy textured cs, banner and oval dies from Frantic Stamper and a great sentiment from SU. Oh, and a tiny flower/leaf combo as the finishing touch. A few liberties may have been taken in the positioning of the banners. Perhaps some memory loss occurred while making the trip from my computer to the basement craft cave?
Just take a peek at what the fantabulous DT has created for CAS(E) this Sketch #158, and then join in!

The Challenge #59!

Here's one great reason to look forward to Mondays...... playing along with the fabulous DT at The Challenge! The sweet Kim Heggins has invited little ol' me to join in the fun for the month of February and I am so, SO delighted.

These new SU goodies were calling to me and are a lovely fit for the sketch. Nothin' too fancy - just  a bit of Hawaiian Shores cs/ink, some pretty stamping, a few lovely circle dies, and a touch of black for contrast.

Hope that you'll be inspired by The Challenge #59 sketch! Can't wait to see what you've created!