Boy Birthday and the Joy of Random Mess

Kid cards are not my specialty. My own inner child was, sadly, murdered in my teens, and while my forties have yielded some happily regressive behavior, I can't say I connect with the juvenile set. But Clear and Simple Stamps has a set called Oh, Boy with an adorable flock of paper airplanes that is just right for a boy.

This color scheme happened accidentally when I noticed random markers together in the mess on my table and thought, "What the heck? Why not?"

I rather like it!

And yes, I want credit for using four colors plus black on a CAS card. Go, me!

Supplies
stamps: Clear and Simple Stamps, Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey White
accessories: assorted markers

Color Pop

Sometimes, a happy punch of color is all a layout needs to stand out!

This card uses stamps from the Beautiful Blooms II set from Papertrey, but any trio of differently-sized flowers would work. Placing the biggest bloom at the top left helps balance the sentiment on the bottom right. Different sizes of bling, arranged in a visual triangle and scaled to each flower, add interest and balance as well as movement to the design.



Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Birthday Bash Sentiments, Beautiful Blooms II
ink: VersaColor scarlet and black
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: black rhinestones, dimensionals

Updated Color Block Card

Yesterday's post on trends provoked many interesting comments. If you haven't read them, you might enjoy them! It seems many of my readers (at least those who are willing to comment) enjoy trend watching but are slow to jump on bandwagons...a very healthy approach, I think, although not the only healthy approach.

Today's card, as promised, updates the idea of color blocking a bit by creating a bit of free-form movement among the blocks rather than the static arrangement of yesterday's cards. They are different heights, different linear designs, different sizes, and different colors...all arranged somewhat randomly.

But of course it took me ten minutes of moving little squares around and changing out large for small, etc., to get this random look. I rather love it!

 



Given the red-white-and-blue color scheme, this card is obviously destined for Operation Write Home. I added a sentiment to the inside...not something I normally do, but this design with the FYI... on the front simply begged for it.

This set is my first--and definitely not my last--from Lily Bee.


Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts inside sentiment, Lily Bee Memorandum
ink: Hero Arts
paper: Papertrey Ink
accessories: square punches, dimensionals

Color-blocking Retrospective and Musings on Trends

As I flipped through several older special issues from Paper Crafts Magazine, I realized how dated some of the cards in those magazines looked to my eyes. I was also reminded of color-blocking and how much I love, love, love it.

Now, tomorrow's post will show an updated, fresher-looking card than today's retrospective cards. These two cards follow a layout I used repeatedly years ago, so it looks and feels dated to me...and probably to any of you who've been stamping a while.

Quiet Color Scheme

Bold Color Scheme

Of course I had to make two different color schemes, just to see what the difference would be. I like the bolder one better, but the softer one is pretty, too. The softer card would definitely feel more unified with a "Thinking of You" sentiment rather than "Happy Birthday," though.

These two cards got me thinking about trends, and how they come and go, get make-overs and are transformed into something ever-so-slightly different, and revived. We obsessive dedicated paper crafters know and follow trends (or consciously choose to ignore them) in ways that non-paper-crafting people (otherwise known as "normal" people) do not.

Most people who receive our cards have not a clue that the stamp or designer paper or deco scissors or eyelet we used on their card is passé. They don't care--never cared--about such things. We, however, can get sucked into caring very, very much.

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing in the world wrong with enjoying and following trends. They keep our hobby fresh and fun and growing. They are responsible for all the amazing products we have now that weren't available five or ten or two years ago.

But our attitude toward those trends can become skewed and unhealthy. We might spend too much money on the latest and greatest, we might judge ourselves or others harshly, we might get snarky on internet forums, we might feel like we have to keep up with Frieda Famous Flocker and Simone Superstar Spritzer.

I had a wonderful lunch on Friday with Leslie Hanna, also known as the Crooked Stamper. She and I lamented the fact that some magazines require cards to have "currently available" product. What's wrong with using old stamps? Creatively, we don't want to be bound by such restrictions. Neither of us bothers with submitting work to magazines, except my angry submission to Take Ten when I thought their design challenges were ridiculously complicated.

Incidentally, the stamps I used on those published cards were all discontinued. Stampington and Company doesn't restrict product as some other publications do.

But all this got me thinking. I love watching trends, and they make a pleasant whooshing sound as they fly by me. Occasionally, I invite one to roost in my craft space a while. If it's happy there, it stays, and if not, it flies away without regret on my part. It's all good.

But what about you? Do you get sucked in or do you ignore trends? Are you somewhere in between? Do you resent trends or celebrate them? Do you even think about this subject at all or do you have better things to do, like iron socks?

Please share your thoughts!

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts (discontinued), Papertrey Birthday Basics
ink: assorted Hero Arts, VersaColor/Magic
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: glue, rhinestones and pearls

Valentine Circle and an Announcement

Quick note to Kathyb: I've not received an email from you with your snail mail address! If you want your prize, please send it to me at susanraihala at roadrunner dot com ASAP. Thanks!


Today's card was inspired by several different sketches and cards I noticed as I flipped through random special issues of Paper Crafts magazines. I rather like how it turned out!

Please note there are technically four layers of card stock on this card, which is intended for my beloved George, so the fact that those hearts are popped up so much has no effect on delivery.

The black-and-white color scheme with just a tiny splash of red really gives this Valentine a masculine feel that I suspect George will appreciate, although its shocking lack of airplane images might turn him off. Remember the birthday card George made for me...the one with three B-1 bombers on it? Yeah. That's what a girl gets from her steely-eyed Air Force aviator. So romantic.

Anyway, the design is crisp and clean, despite four layers, and the simple color scheme reinforces that simplicity. I think it proves that layers can still be CAS...sometimes. *wink*

And now for our fun announcement! Click over to the One-Layer Simplicity Blog and get your OLS blog badge! Our extremely talented Ardyth created this badge--which is absolutely clean and simple and oh so fabulous. Thanks so much, Ardyth, for putting this together!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Text Style, Hero Arts sentiment
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: dimensionals, heart punches (Papertrey), heart-shaped rhinestone, extra-large circle punch

Happy Birthday with Bling, and an Answer to a Question--ETA

Still using up my bling. Love this fun, handwritten birthday greeting from Papertrey's Birthday Bash Sentiments!

ETA--Thanks to Virginia, I know who inspired this card: Cristina Kowalczyk. You can see a pic of her card and my first CASE of it on this post.

I'm borrowing it again because it's both fun and brilliant.

And now for the question, which was posed by curious reader Diana in yesterday's comments. She asked,

"Besides the cards you post, are all of your cards CAS?"

The short answer is yes. All the cards I make are CAS, at least for the past five or six years. If you go wayyyyy back on my SCS gallery, you might find some layered/embellished cards and even cards with *gasp* designer paper. Shocking, I know.

But I do make the occasional less-CAS cards that don't get posted here for several reasons. Either I'm just not happy with them (generally the case), or I've deliberately made them in another style to please a particular recipient.

The cards that make me happiest--and that I want to share here--are the ones that answer the following question with a yes: Do you, my dear, handmade card, contain just the minimum needed to convey your message interestingly?

Minimalism is my bag, baby.

Having said that, however, I want to make absolutely clear that my minimalist fanaticism is not--and should not be--for everyone. I am passionate about making minimalist cards, but it should be obvious by now I get inspiration from all sorts of styles. My purpose in celebrating my style is to inspire others to find their own style and wallow joyfully in it...whatever it might be. There's also nothing at all wrong with having no style whatsoever. Some people don't want to limit themselves to one sort of look and play around with all kinds of styles. I think this is wonderful!

Whatever makes you happy in this hobby, do it. That's what I do.

And if you'd like to read something else about stamping that I agree with completely, click over to Joan B's blog I Make I Talk and read what she has to say about competition in stamping. Dang, I love that woman.

New Stuff and a Super-CAS Card and WINNERS!

Hee, hee! I got two large-for-me orders last week, one from Joann's and one from Ellen Hutson. Great service from both, I'm happy to report.

My hubs was excited about the map stamp!

Trying a couple new-to-me stamp companies, along
with my reliable old Hero Arts.

I've already been playing with all this goodness and wow! It's fun having a bunch of new stuff (especially considering my recent PTI order). I'm working my way through it all so I can put it away and integrate it into The Collection.

After yesterday's busier card, I decided to post a super-CAS card today. I just love these stamps from Papertrey's Birthday Bash Sentiments set.

The combination of bright color and black, plus the right justification of the two lines, has just the right amount of interest so the card needs nothing else at all.

*happy sigh*

Many thanks to all who contributed organizational ideas to THIS POST. I encourage any of you who haven't read the comments there to click on over...awesome suggestions! Y'all really are the best blog readers a gal could ever have!

And now for our three lucky winners:

Sonya

Sheila H

Kathyb

Please send me your snail-mail address at susanraihala at roadrunner dot com, and I'll send your little bling give-away prize to you ASAP!