On a Scale of 1 to 10

Hi, everyone!

Hope the first day of the work week went well. Boy, it was a good day to be inside here. We got over 2 inches of rain. Wow, is it wet!

Today's Card

The current CAS-ual Fridays challenge is to make a card involving at least one number. Should be a perfect challenge for a math educator... right? So, why did I struggle so much with this one?

hand-drawn table, sponged in Distress Inks using Stampin' Up! daubers
Distress Ink core paper
computer-created stars, adhered with Zots 3D glue dots
Paper Smooches stamped numbers
non-identified stash number stickers
INSIDE SENTIMENT: On a scale of 1 to 10, You're a 100!

I'm always hearing people say something like, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it [...] an 11!"  So, the math teacher in me decided to do a take on this... 

MATH ALERT WARNING: Math stuff ahead!!!!  Since 10 raised to the 0 power is one and 10 raised to the 1st power is 10 and 10 raised to the 2nd power is 100, I decided to go with the numbers 1, 10, and 100. I know, sometimes the math-i-ness just comes out in spite of myself. :)

I sponged the lower numbers in red, the middle numbers in yellow, and the upper numbers in green -- going for an ombre effect at each level. After that, the card took on a life of itself. The sponged ink had more of a primary feel/look than I had envisioned. So, I went full-speed ahead with the primary feel, going with primary-looking numbers and primary-like stars.

Most of my cards go to Operation Write Home. So, I'm thinking a little boy or girl might really like receiving an encouraging card from mommy or daddy as a new school year begins.

Parting Thoughts

Have a good rest of the week.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Falling Leaves

Hi, everyone.

Hope everybody is okay after this afternoon's storms.

The card below was made for today's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a masculine-themed card.

Craft Smart stamp, heat embossed and sponged in Distress Ink
Distress Ink core paper; Sizzix embossing folder
Stampin' Up! brads; Zots 3D glue dots

I'm very excited about the technique used for the leaves. After heat embossing the image in Distress Ink walnut stain, I used cotton swabs to sponge on various Distress Inks (wild honey, scattered straw, fired brick, dusty concord).

I also like the sketch. It came from that fabulous Leisure Arts book. I tried to create a strong focal, use odd numbers of elements (5 strips of paper, 3 brads), and pay attention to the rule of thirds. It seems I can't help but channel Paula these days. :)

Not so sure this is masculine-themed enough. Hubby loves fall. So, I went with a neutral/male fall palette. Also, not so sure about the embossing folder. Wanted to add some texture, and this was the closest to nature folder that I had. Maybe I should've bought a wood grain folder after all.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Have a good rest of the week. Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

An All-American Classic

Hi, everyone.

They say the third time's a charm. And, I'm hoping that's the case for the card that I made for this week's CAS-ual Friday challenge to make a project that uses fabric, canvas, etc. My first effort went in a totally different direction, trying to make a super hero card involving aluminum foil Then, the canvas idea came to me. But, the star stenciling did not go quite as I hoped the first time around. However, it led me to the card below.

Recollections natural canvas
Distress Ink core (chipped sapphire)
computer-generated negatives, sponged in Distress Ink (chipped sapphire, fired brick)
Stampin' Up! sponge daubers; garage sale brads

First, let me give credit where credit's due. Becca posted a similar design on Operation Write Home a few weeks ago. I loved her card -- and even remembering asking if I could CASE it. Thanks, Becca, for a wonderful idea.

That's the good news. The bad news is I remember Becca using a Cricut-like machine to create her card. So, to create my star and stripes, I created basic shapes in Word. Then, I cut out the shapes to make stencils and sponged using these negatives. I'm really pleased with the look of the sponging on the canvas!

To make sure the canvas stays in place for OWH, I used brads to secure the canvas to the cardstock.

 Parting Thoughts

Thanks CAS-ual Fridays, for really taking me out of my box this week!

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday weekend.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!