Two CAS sympathy cards for CAS(E) this sketch #132

When I saw sketch #132 by N@Ali over at CAS(E) this sketch several ideas popped into my head. One was to use a die cut in the corner. It became a sympathy card because I think the negative die cut is a good symbol for the loss. Not always but very often I keep my sympathy cards very clean and simple. Look...

And then, of course, I couldn't throw out the piece I cut out and made this...

Stamps: Morning Star (sentiment)
Die: Poppystamps (leaf)
Other: Marco's Paper



Challenges:

CAS(E) this sketch #132






So sorry but the photos from our last week in California will have to wait until next time. My computer is very slow tonight and it has gotten too late.

Thanks for your visit!

Hugs,
Susanne

You Rock in graphic and rainbow colors

Popping in with a card that is CAS, graphic, mostly black and white with a splash of rainbow colors. It makes me really happy. Hope it has the same effect on you!
I stamped the background stamp with Versafine black ink on white, colored the spaces, cut off a strip, and then fussy cut around the pattern. Mounted it on a strip of black cardstock (because my younger son liked how it made it pop), then on a white card and stamped the sentiment.

Stamps: Hero Arts (diamond background), Simon Says Stamp (sentiment)
Other: Faber-Castell Polychromos


Challenges:

A Blog Named Hero "Photo Inspiration"

a2z Scrapbooking "CAS"

Click on the links for all the details and then play along!

Here are more pictures from our trip! 

Devil's Postpile near Mammoth Lakes

Elizabeth Lake near Mammoth

Yosemite Valley with Half Dome from Glacier Point

Mono Lake

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you have time to get crafty! 

Thank you for your visit!

Hugs,

Susanne 

Pastel Birthday with die cut flowers

The second card I needed to make after my return is for a female friend who likes softer colors. Hope she will like what I made for her! I used a background that I have made (probably with this friend) a very long time ago using shaving cream and reinkers. That was so much fun! I love making backgrounds! Most of the results were very colorful and bright but this one was more subtle. I used NBUS flower dies and more dew drops! Cut the flowers from blue watercolor paper that I had in my stash.

Stamps: My Sentiments Exactly (sentiment)
Dies: MFT (flowers), swirl unknown


Challenges:

CAS(E) this Sketch #131






Time Out #35 "Nature" (no twist)



Before I show you some pictures from our trip please help me welcome two new followers:

Bonnie from "Stamping with Klass"
Bonnie makes beautiful CAS cards, is a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, and on several Design Teams

Mary from "Carolina Cards by MaryH"
Another well-known, friendly blogger and Design Team member that has been very active in blogland since 2012!

Go ahead and visit my new friends, get inspired by their gorgeous work and leave them some love!

My welcoming quote is from J.K. Rowling

We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already; we have the power to imagine better.


And now, as promised, some pictures. I'll start with the Lake Tahoe area that we visited first.

Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

near Emerald Bay

The whole family hiking to smaller lakes in the area

Wildflowers at Squaw Valley Ski Area

Lake Tahoe in the background

That was a long post! More pictures in the next post!

Thanks for sticking with me till the end!

Hugs,

Susanne

Masculine, Musical Birthday

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my last post! I am sorry if I made you envious! I wish you could all meet Darnell yourself!

Here is the first card I made after my return. I like the grunge look and grunge stamps but I don't often use that style. But since the theme at Inkspirational is "Grunge" I grunged my card a bit by adding splatters, distressed stamps, and torn washi tape.

Stamps: Inkadinkado (guitar, alphabet stamps), JudiKins (crackles in upper left corner), Stampin' Up (distressed background), PSX (musical notes)
Other: Tim Holtz (washi tape)

Challenges:

Inkspirational "Grunge"





Retro Rubber Challenge #18 "Sketch"

Virginia's View Challenge "100% Stamped"

Seize the Birthday (no topping)

The Male Room #14 "Song Title" 

Mine is "While my guitar gently weeps" by the Beatles

Wishing you all a fabulous week!

Hugs,

Susanne

I'm Back!!! With a Surprise!!!

Hello crafty friends!

So very sorry about another blogging break after already sketchy posting in the last months!

We have been on a three week vacation in California! Please forgive me that I didn't let you know in advance but I just don't feel comfortable to announce our absence in blogland! Still not sure how much to share on the internet...

Anyway, guess who I had the pleasure of meeting while in California???
You all know her (if not, please crawl out from under your rock), you all love her....

Yes, the one and only Darnell!!! She was kind enough to welcome me into her home, give me a tour of her famous playhouse AND I got to meet her handsome Mister! He took the picture from us grinning from ear to ear! If you visit Darnell's blog you will see a close up. I wanted to show you the whole playhouse. We were chatting about all kinds of things and the time flew by too quickly. I can tell you that her beautiful smile lights up the room! It was so much fun and I feel so lucky that I had a chance to get together with a blogging friend (a first for me) who has been with me on this journey almost from the beginning, always ready to help!

Since the meeting took place a few days before her birthday, I hand delivered the card I had made for her. If you follow her blog you have seen the gorgeous photographs she has taken from various hummingbirds in her wonderful backyard. I only own a very tiny hummingbird stamp so I stamped this one at a friend's house. Do you see the glitter on the wings and the tail?

Stamps: Penny Black (flowers), Stampin' Up (sentiment), Gina K designs (hummingbird - belongs to a friend so I am not 100% sure about the brand)
Die: Simon Says Stamp (curved edge)
Other: Stickles, Faber-Castell Polychromos

Challenges:

Virginia's View "100% stamped".






Seize the Birthday (no topping)







In my next post I will share some pictures of the rest of our trip.

Oh, and by the way, my thumb is healing nicely. I don't have to wear the splint anymore and can do most things but still have that nerve-tingling sensation when I touch the inside of my thumb.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and not giving up on me!

Hugs,
Susanne

Watercolor Congrats!

The famous Paulina from Pretty Pink Posh has a watercolor blog hop this weekend. If you have followed my blog for a while you know that I love watercolor techniques. So I am hopping along with this card I made for my German niece who recently finished her Masters in Mathematics. I am so proud of her!

And here is a close up so you can see how real the water droplets look!

Stamps: Designs by Ryn (water droplets), Hero Arts (you did it), Winnie & Walter (congrats)
Other: Inks (Distress Inks), Glossy Accents

I used one of my favorite techniques where you smoosh distress inks on your craft sheet, spritz them with water and then smoosh watercolor paper in it. Then I finally used those awesome water droplets from Design by Ryn . I just love them and think they look so realistic! Especially when you coat them with Glossy Accents! I saw them first on Cornelia's blog Stempelspass . She has made many fantastic cards with them! I thought they were a great symbol for all the hard work (and sweat) my niece did during her years of studying and writing her thesis.

Challenges:

Pretty Pink Posh "Watercolor Blog Hop"





Hop on over and check out all the gorgeous entries!


Designs by Ryn "June Customer Creation Gallery"


If you are still reading please help me welcome my new follower

Melissa from "Creating from the Heart"

Melissa is on the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Team!!! Need I say more! Her blog is full of amazing inspiration! What are you waiting for? Oh, yes, the quote to welcome her...

'Let us always meet each other with smile for the smile is the beginning of love.' - Mother Teresa

I so appreciate your visits and love reading your comments!

Hugs,
Susanne

Inkspirational #83 "Purple", SSS Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"

Hello all of you who still bother to stop by here...

My recovery is very slow but it is getting better. I can now use my fingers on the left hand a bit more which means I can type with two hands again, which is so much faster! I am also trying to stamp a little. Yesterday I wanted to play but didn't know where to start. So I began to clean my messy desk. That often helps with my mojo. I end up wanting to create instead of cleaning up! This is how this card came about.

I had embossed those butterflies with a silver Judikins stamp for another project but ended up not using them. So they sat patiently in the mess on my desk. I didn't want to put them in my odds and ends container for some other time (that never comes) and decided to do something with them. I tried all kinds of backgrounds but they really needed a dark one to stand out.

Stamps: Hero Arts (vine background), Judikins (swirl on butterflies)
Other: McGill (butterfly punches), Little B (washi tape)


Challenges:

Inkspirational #83 "Purple"





Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes"






I am very delighted to discover that I have two new followers! Please help me welcome

Maria from Maria's Merry Makings

and

Gundi from papierelle

Both are very talented and have been blogging for quite some time so if you are in need for inspiration go and visit them!

And here is my welcoming quote for you by Robert Frost:

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about LIFE:
It goes on.


Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your well wishes and kind thoughts!

Hope to be back soon,
Susanne