Exciting News!!

Hello!  I have some very exciting news to share with you today!

  I'm a GIRL FRIDAY!  

That's right, I was invited to be on the design team for CAS-ual Friday Stamps, and I couldn't be happier!  Michele has put together an amazingly talented team and I'm so honored to be working with them.  Be sure to visit the CAS-ual Friday blog, Michele is having a very generous giveaway while she's introducing all of the new design team members!

I made a couple of cards using some of the wonderful stamps and dies from CAS-ual Friday Stamps that I want to share with you today.

I usually start my cards with some kind of "spark", and my spark for this card was die cutting a flower from stamped, watercolored paper.

I started by stamping the small blossom branch from Casual Comfort randomly all over a piece of Tim Holtz watercolor paper using Versamark ink, then embossing with white embossing powder.  Next I did some watercolor on the piece using distress inks (Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry).  Next I used the largest flower die from Loving Blooms Fri-Dies and cut a flower from the paper.  I added several die cut pieces from Friendly Flowers Fri-Dies to the center of the flower (the circles and stamen).  Next I cut a few branches from white card stock using one of the dies from Casual Tree Fri-Dies, and mounted everything on a white circle.  The card base is Soft Stone card stock.  I didn't start out with the intention of making a sympathy card, but I thought that the softness of this design would make a really beautiful sympathy card (something I always have a difficult time making!)  The sentiment is from Casual Comfort and I embossed it in white on black card stock.  To finish the card I added a few small black sequins.

After making this card I was left with a card size piece of watercolor paper (with one large flower cut out from it), so I decided to see if I could make another card from it and came up with this.

Again I used the dies from Loving Blooms Fri-Dies to cut more flower shapes from my watercolor piece, and popped everything up using foam tape on a white card base after rounding 2 of the corners with my Corner Chomper.  I stamped the word "hope", from Hope Ribbon, several times at the bottom using Spun Sugar distress ink, I wanted it to be very subtle.  Next I stamped the sentiment from Hope Ribbon with black ink.  I added some pink sequin trim, clipped to a tiny white clothespin, to add a bit of bling to my card, hopefully this design will brighten someone's day!

I hope you're inspired by my cards, and that you'll break out some stamps and dies and CREATE!

I want to thank Michele from the bottom of my heart for giving me this opportunity, I'm so excited to design for CAS-ual Friday Stamps!