When times are tough...

Just popping in with a card for the Memory Box Challenge "Red, White, and Blue" and 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Sparkle and Shine". Underneath the raindrops is blue mirror paper. You'll see the shine in the close up.

Stamps: Art Impressions (sentiment)

Dies: Memory Box (raindrops, umbrella), Sweet 'n' Sassy (clouds)

Other: Marco's (mirror paper)

Thanks for your visit! Hope you have a fantastic week!

Hugs,

Susanne

Another CAS card for CAS(E) this sketch #132

As I said in my last post I had several ideas for sketch #132 of CAS(E) this sketch... That's why I am back so soon! And don't worry this time it is a card for a happier occasion!

Stamps: Hero Arts (flower), Technique Tuesday (sentiment)

The flower is heavily "winked" which is always hard to photograph. Here is a close up. Sorry it's not quite focused...

Challenges:

CAS(E) this sketch #132






a2z Scrapbooking July challenge "CAS"


And here are some more pictures from California. The last week we spent in the San Francisco Bay area on the coast. It was very hard to pick just a few from the many photos I took!
(You can see more pictures from our trip here and here)

Boardwalk in Santa Cruz

(Doesn't that roller coaster remind you of the die that SSS recently came out with?)

Big Sur

Along Highway 1 towards San Francisco

(Check out the coastal fog!)

That's about as much as we saw of the Golden Gate Bridge...

Capitola

And look what I found when we came back! 

Even the potatoes were sad that we were away for so long...

If you made it through the whole post - my compliments! 

Thank you for your visit and your kind comments! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Hugs,

Susanne

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