CCT - Theme ....

.... Morning all! Blimey, it's April already! As it's the first Saturday of the month, it's time for our new challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown - CCT07. We have a fun theme for you to use on your Christmas cards for the next couple of weeks:

MUSICAL NOTATION

Here's my card - a fairly clean and simple card:

Stamps: CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Big Treble, Love Notes, Christmas Carols, Uniko - Simply Said Christmas
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Festive Berries
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! DP - Real Red; Cuttlebug EF - Distressed Snow; Zig Clear Colour Brush; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear; Gems; Vellum; SU Punch

This is a fairly small card measuring 3½" x 5", but it's the perfect size to showcase this lovely treble clef stamp. I stamped the image direct onto the card base and then embossed the snowflakes. I coloured the treble clef with a bright red Zig brush and went over it with a clear sparkle brush. I also added a touch of sparkle to some of the snowflakes. I didn't want to hide the treble clef, so I stamped the sentiment on vellum, heat embossed it with clear powder and punched it out. I finished the front with a few tiny red pearls. On the inside I cut a mat layer of red design paper. On the white panel I stamped a border of musical notes and added a simple Christmas greeting along with a tiny musical note accent. I've used the sketch from this weeks CAS(E) this Sketch challenge - CTS#215.

I really like this theme, so I decided to make another card. This one if much larger, 4½" x 6¼". I have a large, okay HUGE, stash of design papers, and I think this theme lends itself to using up some of that stash. Here's my card:

Stamps: CASual Friday Stamps - Love Notes, Christmas Carols
Inks: Versafine - Vintage Sepia; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Dies: Uniko - Snowflakes
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Holy Night; Gold Textured Card; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

This card came together really quickly. I found a sheet of design paper showing the Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing (one of my favourites), and cut it to fit the front of the card. I layered it on some gold textured card. I wanted to keep it reasonably simple, but felt that it needed something. So I cut a gold snowflake from the gold card and attached that to the front.  I did add a touch of sparkle to the star above the Nativity image. On the inside I cut a mat panel from some more co-ordinating design paper. On the white panel I stamped a simple Christmas greeting and added some gold musical notes. I'm submitting this one to the April Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#09, where Anything Goes.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration cards from the rest of the Design Team. You've got plenty of time to play along with our MUSICAL NOTATION theme at Christmas Card Throwdown. Deadline for submission is midnight (BST) on Friday 14th April, that's 7.00pm EDT in the States. Have fun!!

Kat has finished school for her spring break and she really needs it, she's been working so hard! I think that most of the schools are off now for a week, and in the UK it's two weeks. We're having a week away - it's going to be a busy week. We're off to Disney, Orlando! Should be lots of fun. Whatever you're doing for the break, have a great time!

For our Goth Girl ....

.... Good morning! I can't quite believe that it's been just over 15 years since I gave birth to the most wonderful girl in the world! And yes, I do know that I'm more than a bit biased!! Kat is bold, bright, supportive, assertive, creative, caring, intelligent, honest, generous, kind, and I could go on, but I think you get the picture. She's also something of a Goth Girl. Kat loves Halloween, black, alternative music, being with her friends, singing, photography and she's hooked on Glee! I wanted to try and incorporate as much of that in Kat's birthday card as possible:

Stamps: Stampotique - Prom Queen; Casual Friday Stamps - Love Notes, Exclamations, Whole Shebang; Clearly Besotted - A Little Sentimental; My Favourite Things - Sheet Music Background; Stampers Anonymous Brett Weldele - The Presenters
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog; Distress - Pumice Stone, Milled Lavender, Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron; Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Smoky Slate; Clear Embossing Powder; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear, Orange; Gems; Dylusions Stencil - Skulls Sm

I love the Prom Queen stamp - she's very Goth, very glam and just a bit moody - kind of like a teenage girl! I stamped her on white card, coloured her with Copics and then carefully cut her out with a scalpel. I edged the image with a black pen to hide the white edges. I used Kat's favourite Halloween colours of green, orange and purple. The background is very mixed media with some musical background stamped and then inked over to reveal white music. I added some small skulls with a stencil and randomly stamped musical notes, and little flowers. I stamped the bar of music at the bottom of the card to ground the image. I stamped the Prom Queen directly on the card and added some wings and then adhered the coloured image on top. I added lots of sparkle to the card with little gems sprinkled around the card and used clear Wink of Stella on her wings and dress. I also added some orange sparkle to the treble clef. I think this card really captures Kat. On the inside I cut a mat layer of grey card and kept the white panel fairly simple. I stamped a bold birthday greeting and added another Prom Queen in the corner. I also decorated the envelope.

I'm submitting this card to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge - CFC#156 where the team would like to see Dimension and Bling, and also to Addicted to Stamps and More! - ATSM#211 where it's Anything Goes. Before I go, here's a close up of the sparkle on the Prom Queen - the photo is out of focus as I find it shows the shimmer and sparkle so much better:

Kat had a really fun day yesterday. Breakfast with us and then out with her friends for the afternoon and evening. Just the way she wanted it! Here's a photo of Kat doing "the Kathryn" taken at Detroit Zoo earlier this year.

That's all for now - thanks for allowing me to be the proud Mum!

Silly love songs ....

... Hi, good morning! I was on a roll yesterday making cards and I've got one more card for our Shakespeare theme challenge at The Male Room - TMR#34. Once again I've got a musical theme on my card, but then Shakespeare has so many quotes about music and I've based this on "If music be the food of love, play on .." from Twelfth Night:

Stamps: Casual Friday Stamps - Love Notes; Stampin' Up! - Musical Manuscript
Inks: Kaleidacolor - Desert Heat; Memento - Grey Flannel; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Squares #3; Spellbinders - Squares Lg (S4-126) #7; CFS - Heart Note
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Real Red, Basic Black; SU DP - Basic Black

As the quote is about love, I decided to make this a love card for my husband. I picked shades of red, so I'm submitting this to Cardz 4 Guys - C4G#118 where they have a monochrome theme. Jonathan is a keen music fan and he'll enjoy this card. I love the fun sentiment and die cut the musical heart note in red and black and layered them to give a little dimension. On the inside I cut a mat layer of black design paper and added a greeting on the white panel.

That's all for today - I've got to get on with some house stuff and finish off emptying the boxes. Only two rooms to go! See you soon.

RSD - Progressive Challenge Team B ....

.....  Hello and Good Morning!  This is the first of three posts today - it's a busy time here at Chez Frings!!!!  It's time for our new Progressive Challenge over at Sparkle and Glitter and, as normal, the first month has the theme "ANYTHING GOES", but you MUST use one of Rick St Dennis's images.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Marsailles; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Love Notes, Big Treble
Inks: Archival - Jet Black; Memento - London Fog; Stampin' Up! - Real Red
Dies: Die-namics - Fishtail Flags Layers Stax #7
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Whisper White, Brides Specialty (discontinued); Kasiercraft Doily - Secret Admirer; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; Sakura Stardust - Silver

I think you all know that I just love Rick's gorgeous Hat Ladies and this image is brand new this year - she's tres elegant!  I printed her on white card and coloured her with Copic markers, cut her out and added sparkle to her blouse and feathers.  I kept the colours really simple - black, red and white!  I used the sketch from Retro Sketches - RS#181 for the layout.  The musical inspiration comes from CAS-ual Chic - CASCC#03 and the photo over at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - CIC#327 gave me the idea for the doily and soft creams/greys.  The die cut banner uses some very old and treasured design paper from Stampin' Up!  On the inside I cut a mat layer of design paper and added a greeting to the white panel.  This is for a friend in the UK.

I've taken a close up of Marsailles Chapeaux so that you can see the shimmer on her blouse and feathers.

Do visit our blog to see what the rest Rick's Elite DT have created for you.  Do play along, Rick has a huge selection of images available at his Zibbet shop, or you can shop at Esty.  Team A posted their projects earlier this month - click here to see what they made.  See you later!

ASM - Anything Goes ....

.... Good evening.  It's time for our ever popular ANYTHING GOES challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  I've been busy working on some art journal pages - I've got lots of backgrounds prepared, so I decided to create some pages!  I posted my first finished page yesterday, and today I've a fun and funky dance themed page:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Dance Club Witch; Dylusions - Say What You Mean, Doodle Parts, Shrooms; Cas-ual Friday Stamps - Love Notes, Big Treble; Stamper's Anonymous - Brett Weldele Racer Girl
Inks: Archival - Jet Black, Plum; Distress - Shabby Shutters; Versafine - Deep Lagoon, Spanish Moss; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Dylusions Inks - shades of pink
Accessories; White Lustre Card; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; White Gel Pen; Stencils - Various

I started by printing the wonderful Dance Club Witch - a very fun and funky young lady - on white card, coloured with Copic markers and cut out with a scalpel.  The background was prepared in class using three shades of pink Dylusions inks and a variety of stencils.  I randomly stamped some stars and music themed images to add more depth.  I stamped the shrooms on white card, coloured them with Copics and adhered them to the page.  I found a fun sentiment that seemed to be perfect for the page, stamped it on white card and coloured over with shades of green.  After adhering all the elements I drew round them with a black marker.  I finished the page by adding some clear Wink of Stella to the witch's outfit, the mushrooms and the clefs.   Here's a close up showing the sparkle on the mushrooms and witch.

 Don't forget to visit the blog to see what the rest of the team have made today.  Have fun!

Edited:  Oops!  I completely forgot to tell you that Addicted to Stamps and More! is having a DT Call - full details here!