CAS CHRISTMAS ROSE

Our challenge this month on A Blog Named Hero is CAS - clean and simple - white space, one focal point, few layers and easy to reproduce.  I made two cards, both same design but with different colors and stamps.

 

I began by taping the edges of my card base with one inch Post-It tape - then blended color.  After making sure all my inking was dry, I stamped the new Christmas Rose on the blue background and the new Holly Berries on the green one.  I used Versamark ink and gold embossing powder on both cards.  Added the sentiments - both from the new Holidays Stamp & Cut - and a few embellishments - done!  Plan on making more of these in different colors - fast and easy!

Join our challenge on Instagram #abnhseptemberchallenge and tag @ablognamedhero. Be sure to enter by 26 September for a chance at one of two gift cards from Hero Arts! 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

TICTACTOE CHALLENGE #130

Wow! so many fun choices on this board created by Vicky for this week's TicTacToe Challenge - I had a hard time choosing which way to go and ended up using just about every element except watercoloring.

 

I went across the bottom - heat embossing (the sentiment), shades of orange/yellow and ink blending.  Began by ink blending a background with DO inks - mustard seed, fossilized amber, orange marmalade and cracklin' campfire.  Then I die cut the leaf piece and adhered it onto a light kraft card base.  Stamped the sentiment in black and embossed with clear powder.  Added the little orange enamel dots and done!

My card is also being entered at the Color Hues challenge where the colors are yellow and orange.

Hope you'll join our TicTacToe challenge this week - you have until Thursday, 16 September to post your card here.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

AUTUMN IS IN THE AIR

It's beginning to feel a bit like fall here in Nebraska even though the weekend is predicted to be quite warm.  Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to leaves turning, cooler days, pumpkins and pumpkins spice coffee!  Have two cards today - one just because and the other for three challenges.

 

I die cut the large leaf from watercolor paper and then just played around with color.  Used a 3D leaf embossing folder on cream cardstock for my background and then lightly blended color around where I wanted my leaf.  Spattered with gold paint, added the sentiment and done.  I am entering my card at CAS Mix-Up (watercolor, autumn colors), AAACards (1/3rd, autumn leaves) and The Card Concept (autumn colors).  My card is just CAS - one focal point, white space, easy to reproduce.

 

My second card was using alcohol inks on acetate as demoed by Jennifer recently.  After making my acetate/AI piece I die cut it with an old large leaf from PTI.  Added the outline in gold metallic cs and put it on a tan background again embossed with the leaf background.  I'll add a sentiment when I need to send.  I love the look of the AI on the acetate but found die cutting very difficult - ended up practically fussy cutting.  My acetate was from HA and very thick so maybe that was the problem.

Thanks for stopping by.

 


 

BLUE CONEFLOWER

The colors at Color Throwdown this week intrigued me and so created this card today.

I die cut the coneflower and using some watercolors randomly painted the petals and left the leaves just white.  Stenciled on a background design, added the little sentiment and done!  This is a mini slimline - 3.25x6.25.

Am also entering my card at DieCut Divas where the theme is "anything goes".

Thanks for stopping by.

CAS HIBISCUS

A Blog Named Hero is now an Instagram challenge - the challenge will begin on the 1st of the month and end on the 26th as usual - and there will still be two great gift cards from Hero Arts - so be sure to check us out over at Instagram (#abnhseptemberchallenge) or on Facebook at A Blog Named Hero.  Our challenge this month is CAS - clean and simple. 

To me CAS has always meant lots of white space, uncluttered and one focal image.  I used the Leaves and Vines background die to impress the front of the card for some texture.  Then I die cut the hibiscus and leaves from the same white and just blended some color on them.  Added the enamel dots and the sentiment and done.  Lots of white, no clutter and your eye goes to the focal point. 

 

Here's another card with the same product, design and colors but much more cluttered - I would put this in the clean and layered category if there is such a thing!

On this card I die cut the leaves and vines and mounted on acetate (attached to a white back).  Did the same flower arrangement and added a circle on the outside and in the same place on the inside white base for a place to write a note.  If you would like to know how I did the acetate part check out Jennifer McGuire's video.

 

Be sure to check out our September Challenge (#abnhseptemberchallnge) and enter your CAS card.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

CHRISTMAS TREE

I didn't take the latest Online Card Class, but have seen some cards on IG and FB using some of the techniques.  One that caught my eye was using a background die, adhering it to a piece of cardstock and then die cutting a shape (at least I think that's what was done!).

 

I die cut a HA die in gold and adhered to a piece of silver cardstock.  Then I die cut the tree.  Die cut the tree again on white cs and adhered to a silver card base.  Glued the gold and silver pieces in, embossed the sentiment in gold and done.  This was a twofer as I was able to get two cuts from the gold and silver background.  

Thanks for stopping by.

 

NATURE CHRISTMAS CARDS

After a week of cleaning and reorganizing all my card stuff, I was really ready to be creative today.  Found some dies I hadn't used in ages and also some I'd never used.  Addicted to CAS has nature as it's theme this month and I needed to keep adding to the Christmas card stash.

On my top card, I used two old favorites - perched reed bird and grove branch - both old Memory Box dies.  I embossed a snowy background and added the silver branch and red bird.  Stamped the sentiment in black and clear embossed - the sentiment is a new one from Hero Arts.

Same snowy background and sentiment on my second card.  Die cut the trees for the first time ever and added the stag.  Two easy and CAS cards for Christmas!

 Thanks for stopping by.

 

CELEBRATE

There's a great board created by Felicita up on the TicTacToe Challenge today.  I chose birthday, free and balloon for my card today - always love that free space in the center.

This was a pretty fast and easy card - a few die cuts and some pretty patterned paper.  You could always create a similar background with swiping ink colors or cutting strips of color.   It's a mini slimline - 3.25x6.5.  Added a few gold sequins to finish with some glitz!

The winner of our challenge this week will be a future guest designer.  Thanks for stopping by today.

BIRTHDAY BACKGROUND

You will get a lot of bang for your buck with the Hero Arts Birthday Message cover plate die!  Not only was I able to make two cards with my designs today, I had letters left over to make a third card.  My cards today are in keeping with our A Blog Named Hero Challenge this month which is background basics.

I die cut the cover plate from pp and black on my first card.  I adhered the pp cut atop a copper metallic card base.  Then adhered the black piece over that - shifted it to give a shadow effect and trimmed off a bit of overhang. The copper card base give a great bit of shine to the card.

For my second card I used a black card base.  Die cut the orange piece of cs and trimmed to 4x5.25 and glued on top of the black.  Then glued all the orange letters back in place, then the black letters on top and then the patterned letters for the final layer - nice raised texture. These will make great fall birthday cards in these colors.

There's still time to enter this month's challenge on Instagram (#abnhaugustchallenge) and have a chance to win one of two gift cards from Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by today.

PERFECTLY PERFECT

TicTacToe#126 has a fun "back to school" theme designed by LeAnne.  My card is going to my granddaughter, Katie, who is coming all the way from England to play beach volleyball for Stetson University in DeLand, FL.  She'll be visiting me for a few days before school starts and I plan to give her this card with a few $$ tucked inside.  When she was little, we went to see the stage musical of Mary Poppins and I always told her she was perfectly perfect from the song - hence the sentiment.

 

I went down the right side of the board with sentiment, ABC's and yellow.  First created the bookmark with some Graphics 45 ABC paper from ages ago.  Then made the mini slimline base, embossed the red paper with an alphabet coverplate, made the little band to hold the bookmark and done.  I think it turn out perfectly perfect!!

I am also entering this at The Day Of the Month Challenge where the theme is "book lovers".

Thanks for dropping by today.

 

BIRTHDAY STRIPES

Another coneflower card - this time using stripes as an entry for the Seize the Birthday Challenge.

This is a mini slimline card - 6.25x3.25.  Made my coneflower with various shades of cardstock and then blending darker inks on top for some contrast.  Added gold metallic dots on the flower center.  Put it all together with some striped paper, a black outline rectangle, sentiment and sequins.

Thanks for stopping by.

BOOK LOVERS

Found a new challenge to enter via my friends, Linda and Gundi.  It's the Day of the Month Challenge and this month the theme is Book Lovers Day.

I won this stamp and never have used it - just couldn't think of a way to design a card around it - so this challenge made me do it.  First stamped and colored it with my Zigs and then fussy cut.  Found this really old scripty paper in my stash and thought it would be a perfect background for the books.  Blended a bit of brown around the edges for a vintage look, added the sentiment and a few little hearts and done.

Thanks for stopping by.

BATS

Festive Friday's prompts were the inspiration for my card - bats, night, black, silver, emboss, moon.  I will also enter my card at Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge - anything goes.

 

The background is some pp I've had for ages - thought the spooky night scene was perfect for a starter.  I added a silver moon and some sparkly bats along with the little embossed silver sentiment.  Used silver Wink of Stella on the bats - very difficult to photograph effectively tho.  One more card for the Halloween stash!
 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

CONEFLOWERS

My card today is for two challenges - Color Throwdown (gray, tan and white) and The Flower Challenge (use a die and option slimline).

My card is actually a mini slimline (3.25x6.5).  I die cut the flower base in white and and shaded with pumice stone DO.  Assembled with the tan flower center which was shaded with brushed corduroy DO.  Embossed a piece of light gray cs with the 3D daisy and put it all together with a little sentiment embossed in white.

Thanks for stopping by today.

FLORAL GARDEN BACKGROUND

Backgrounds take center stage this month at A Blog Named Hero.  Chose the lovely Flower Garden coverplate die for my card today.

 

First made a smooshed a piece of watercolor paper with wilted violet, peacock feathers and picked raspberry DI and when dry, die cut it.  Then die cut three more of the coverplate with white cs and layered it all up.  Used copic markers to add some green on the leafy areas and give more definition to some of the flowers.  Added this to a white card base and framed in white.  The sentiment was stamped in black and clear embossed.

Be sure to join our challenge gallery on Instagram- (#ABNHAugustchallenge) for a chance to win one of two Hero Arts gift cards.