Seahorse and Starfish Thanks...Freshly Made Sketches #239, The Heart Desires Challenge #1, That's Crafty~The Sea Challenge, FUSION Challenge~Something Blue, STAMPlorations June CAS Card Challenge:

Hello,

We're just back from Day 2 of bike races, sun-screened, dust-covered, and rather worn out (*hot* weather plus wind...), and I'm pleased to report that, aside from one rider, everyone remained upright! The one who crashed...let's just say that had I been standing in my usual spot, next to the lap counter, I would have been taken out with him!! Fortunately, my husband - who was the chief official of the event - sent me to watch the backstretch of the circuit, on the lookout for any shenanigans! Guess as much as I 'sort of' whined about being sent away from the action at the start/finish line, this was a good call! Everyone's okay...*Whew*

Anyway, time to post the card I made on Friday when I discovered a brand-spanking new monthly challenge:  The Heart Desires Challenge #1.

Isn't that inspiration board fabulous!  The 'rules of engagement' invite us to use one, two or all of the elements, which include: a lovely colour palette, sea creatures or geometric shapes. I knew immediately which colours/creatures I wanted to use,  so the next step was was incorporating them into Freshly Made Sketches #239

Of course...I adapted a bit...and here's what happened....Yes, you've seen this stencil before but...it just sooooo wanted to play!

Hopefully you can see the sketch elements...

NOTE: Absolutely honoured and delighted to be selected as the STAMPlorations June CAS Card Challenge winner.  THANK YOU!!

Also sharing over at:
That's Crafty~The Sea Challenge

FUSION Challenge~Something Blue (my seahorse has blues similar to the lovely flowers on the cake...I know...likely  yet another stretch *grin*)

STAMPlorations June CAS Card Challenge:

Off to shower, then get my sous chef preparations in gear...home-made pizza tonight (yayyyyy), as we came home too late last night to do so.  I love pizza night...

I'm so glad you spent some time with me today; your visit brings me immense joy!

Happy Birthday and A Couple of Note Cards...Inkspirational Challenge #110~Word Prompt: Text, STAMPlorations Spotlight Project, CASology Week 200, Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes

Hello!

Bike racing events happening this weekend - time trial this evening, followed by an early morning drive to criterium races Sunday morning/afternoon - and the weather is absolutely marvelous!  Before we go, however, important things to be done and that is...

Welcome to Inkspiration Challenge #110, where our wonderful, talented Guest Designer, Jen (her husband is Canadian...*fist pump*!), along with my fabulous teammates  Sandie, Nora, Shauna, Marina, Kim, Yvonne and yours truly, invite you to play along with this Word Prompt:

I admit, I had a little difficulty deciding what direction to go with 'text' (a range of possibilities, right?).  Then, I saw Jen's card over at CASology Week 200 and PING!! Light bulb moment!

I think I adhered fairly well to the CAS guidelines...let's just do a quick review: 

• One main image: yep, the rainbow sponged PTI sentiment
• Lots of open space, uncluttered:  I think so...just a white embossed panel, to fulfill the "text" requirements of the Ink challenge
• Limited layers & embellishments: my 'signature' panel and no embellishments
• Quick & easy to recreate: Yes to the recreate for sure! Coming UP with the idea, however, took a while...as did lining up my paper straight in the embossing folder! Am I the only one who fusses and fiddles with doing that? Yeesh!  Grand time total: about 7 minutes once I got going.

Easy-peasy (HA!)

Of course, just to be on the 'safe' side, I made a couple more *text* cards, inspired by a delightful set of notelets oh-so-creative Shirley designed for one of the STAMPlorations Spotlight Projects.  She included a tutorial: yayyyy!!! So, I started out by shamelessly pretty much copying her cards...

then made another using a different palette: Dusty Concord, Peeled Paint, Shaded Lilac (just played around to get this colour combination...)

Sponging a background with distress inks, spritzing water on stamps, then stamping: now that's "my" kind of watercolouring *grin*!

Now....YOUR TURN!  How will you interpret TEXT?  

Looking forward to finding out when I visit  your cards in the gallery!!

Also joining:
STAMPlorations Spotlight Project Showcase

Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes

ETA: A couple of my sweet friends (thank you!) suggested I also join Happy Little Stampers June 2016 CAS Challenge~Ghosting (and here I though I was just water-colouring *grin*), so I am.

I'm so glad you spent part of your day with me; your visit brings me immense joy!

Starry Father's Day...CAS(E) this Sketch #174, Cards In Envy~Deep Blue Card Challenge, Uniko Challenge #32~Masculine (Father's Day Twist), and Happy Little Stampers~Anything Goes

Hello,

Happy June 1st!  The month where teachers and students, at least here, will be sprung free for the summer! Can you tell *someone* is counting down the days? Still a stack of marking to get done, but I'm close to finished...very close *whew*  Come June 30th I'm sure you'll hear me cheering!

Anyway, my husband is on his way back from this evening's 'short' bike ride (an 'epic' planned for tomorrow, around 180 km...yes, I know...he's a bit 'obsessed' *grin*) so I'll be super quick.

CAS(E) This Sketch #174 has stars as a prompt...so I took it, using a stencil I made with some of my star dies....

Literal, eh?  And now, I have a star stencil...yayyyyy!

I'm joining a new to me challenge (looks like a fabulously welcoming place to play):  Cards In Envy~Deep Blue Card Challenge.  The goal: cards that fit in envelopes. This one sure does; we tried one on for size.

NOTE: absolutely honoured and delighted to be selected as the Winner for CAS(E) This Sketch #174. THANK YOU!!

NOTE: honoured, delighted and beside myself that my card received First Class status at Cards with Envy.  THANK YOU!!

NOTE:  honoured and thrilled that my card was selected as the Uniko Challenge #32 winner! Happy dancing with joy!  THANK YOU!

Also heading off to Uniko Challenge #32~Masculine (Father's Day Twist)

and Happy Little Stampers~Anything Goes, as my big, bold, wonderful, love-it Happy sentiment comes from there.

Must dash...salad to be made...

ETA:  Another wonderful challenge discovered, through our sweet, talented Virginia:  Paru's Card Making Challenges. Have you been over yet? Sooooo inviting - added to my Feedly challenges list! Anyway, I'm taking my starry Father's Day card over...won't you join me with one of your own? Or maybe with a tag?

I'm so glad you shared part of your day with me; your visit brings me immense joy!

Ouch...Freshly Made Sketches #238, Happy Little Stampers~Anything Goes with Dies Challenge, Happy Little Stampers~Anything Goes with Dies Challenge, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Anything Goes

Hello,

Happy Memorial Day weekend to my wonderful friends in the USA!

My husband and I are at my mom's, readying ourselves for officiating at the second event of a two day road-bike racing competition. Today: criterium races.  Fast and furious laps around a 1km circuit. They're fun to watch....as long as everyone stays upright!

So...here's my card, inspired by my wonderful friend, Kim, over at Freshly Made Sketches #238

Some sweet succulents...and in the context of what we're off to do today, I hope this sentiment does NOT ring true *grin*!

NOTE: Honoured and delighted to receive an Honourable Mention at Freshly Made Sketches #238! THANK YOU, Jen T!

I'm also joining the galleries at:
Happy Little Stampers~Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Anything Goes

I'm delighted you spent some time with me today; your visit brings me immense joy!

Strike Up The Band...AAA Cards Game #65~The Second Big Birthday Bash, CAS(E) this Sketch #173, CASometry Challenge: Make 5~Stage 2

Hello,

Zooming in with a quick card for the amazing celebration happening at  AAA Cards Game #65~The Second Big Birthday Bash

Have you checked out the celebration? If not...go. NOW!  I'll wait...la la la la la...See?  Told you! A fabulous blog hop, a 'word' treasure hunt, a challenge and the prizes...oh. my. stars! Those gals know how to throw a party!!

My card....another round of Strike Up the Band bunnies from MFT. They are way too cute. Way. Too!

My layout was inspired by CAS(E) this Sketch #173....the fully coloured bunny mirrors the larger triangle, flanked by the other two,  lightly shaded.  My bunny sort of stands atop the sentiment...a wee 'stretch o' the sketch' happening...

I'm also sharing over at incredibly talented Anna's CASometry Challenge: Make 5~Stage 2. Three more bunny cards yet to happen...Hope I'm up for the full deal!

So glad you spent time with me today; your visit brings me immense joy!

Happy Birthday...Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #195~Photo

Hello...

Hard to believe how quickly the long weekend passed; soooo much fun with my family visiting.  I had some major *sads* when they left yesterday, but Friday will be here soon enough and we'll be heading their direction.  Yayyyy....

Today, my marvelous DT and I invite you to play alongside us at Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #195, with this photo as inspiration:

Treat-table temptation! Popcorn, cupcakes, beverages, cake....yum-fest galore!

My card is ultra CAS...mainly because 'someone' left things too late to get a really cool card done! Time management lessons required! Still, after nearly not posting, I decided I would, nudged along by my husband, who thinks the big ol' Memory Box candles with their Stickles flames are rather cool...

Some blue STAMPlorations stars stenciled in the background, a Clearly Besotted sentiment and...tah dah.  Another birthday card to add to my sister-in-law's stash for my niece's or nephew's friends. Next time, I need to figure out how to add stripes to the candles along the embossed lines; my white gel pen was being finicky....

I'm so glad you spent time with me today; your visit brings me immense joy!

You are my Sunshine...The Card Concept #55~You Are My Sunshine, Little Tangles Challenge #68~Anything Goes

Hello...and to my Canadian friends, Happy Victoria Day Long Weekend!

The past few days have been jam-packed with all kinds of fun, fabulous time, along with a bazillion hugs and cuddles, with my visiting family.  They'll be leaving at some point today; I will *NOT* be happy. Not even a little bit.  On the plus side, my husband and I are officiating bike races next weekend in their city, so we'll see them in four more sleeps....

Sneaking in a VERY simple card I made last week, but totally forgot to post until this morning, for
The Card Concept #55~You Are My Sunshine.

The DT cards are wonderfully inspiring, especially since *yellow only* isn't a colour scheme I use often.  The 'specific' sparks for my clean and simple design came from Nina's background inking and Laurie's pops of pink,,,

NOTE: Thrilled and honoured to be one of the three Honourable Mentions at The Card Concept. THANK YOU!!

The fabulous big sentiment is from Neat and Tangled, so I'm also heading to Little Tangles Challenge #68~Anything Goes

To all my wonderful friends: I'll be catching up on your galleries ASAP!  My laptop is a 'niece-and-nephew' magnet, so I've been trying to keep it turned off, as we know what happens when one little one wants what the other has! Still, we've managed some opportunities when they each had turns 'practicing' something on their respective word-document 'papers': Mr. C practiced typing out his name and the ABC's (he figured out the keyboard  quickly!) while Ms. T learned  (took me all of 2 minutes to teach her...she caught on to the mouse concept fast!) how to change colours (rainbow, of course) and fonts on her name and every letter of the alphabet.  My cutie-patootie smarties!!

I'm so delighted you spent time with my today; your visit brings me immense joy!