Introducing...

First of all, a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who joined in for Favorites Week!  It was fun to go back and look at past entries and see what your favorites were!  I think we could all say it wasn't easy to narrow our selections down to just a few and that just shows that there has been an overwhelming amount of fantastic CAS cards showing up in the weekly challenges over the last six months!  Just the thought of the upcoming months has us excited as we anticipate even more CAS creativity!

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It's time to move on into a new year of CASology challenges and we're starting things off with some new members on our design team!  The inaugural team is staying, but we decided it's time to add some more creative minds and inspiration for you each week, so today we're introducing three new members!

Introducing...

Judy Marino

Hello, friends!  I am so excited to be joining the CASology Design Team!  I am married to my high school sweetheart, mom to four awesome kids (ages, 13, 12, 11 and 8), and am employed as a school psychologist.  My other hobbies include singing, gardening, reading, and occasional scrapbooking.  Life here in New Jersey is very busy and very fun!  I was introduced to rubber stamping over ten years ago when my best friend sent me a hand-made Christmas card, and I have been hooked ever since.  I love clean and simple cards, and am thrilled to be part of the CASology team!

    

Maureen Merritt

I am so honored to be a part of the amazingly talented team here at CASology!   I am a Mom to Conner & Ethan and wife to Douglas.  We live in Northeastern Pennsylvania with our three Siberian cats;  Izzy, Sawyer & Chester.  I grew up in NJ and will always be a Jersey girl at heart.  I truly found my passion when I discovered stamping over 7 years ago.   Clean and simple stamping isn't only my style, it's how I like to live my life.  Though my first love is stamping, I also enjoy photography, reading, Tae Kwon Do and hiking.  I can't wait to share my love of CAS stamping with all of you!

Meghan McMillan

I’m so excited to be a part of the CASology Design Team!  I am a part-time high school teacher, and full-time wife, mother and daughter in beautiful Victoria, BC Canada.  When my busy life gets too crazy, I retreat to my little studio and create.  In my spare time I knit, read and enjoy traveling.  I hope I can provide some clean and simple inspiration each week as a member of the incredibly talented design team here at CASology.


We can't wait to start the new year with these wonderfully creative individuals!  We know they will be a wonderful addition to the team and you're going to love their inspiration and CAS ideas in the months ahead!  Be sure and give them a warm welcome and leave them some blog love when you have time!

See you tomorrow morning for the first challenge of 2013!

Are You Joining us for Favorites Week?

 

There is still time to join in the fun at CASology! You have until Sunday at noon (CST) to link up your favorite CAS card/s from the last six months!

Take a Break! It's Favorites Week!

Being it is a major holiday today and life tends to get even more crazy between now and the new year, we're taking a week off from cue words and, instead, having a little fun looking back over the last six months of CASology's existence!  The design team has taken a look at all the fantastic entries we've had for the past 24 challenges and is sharing with you some of the cards that defined Clean & Simple (CAS) for us!  We'd love it if you would share with us some of your favorite CASology entries from the last six months too!  Just link up your favorites using the link tool below.  Here is a little guideline for when you go to link up:

URL:  Use the direct link to the card owner's blog post where the card originated.
Name:  Use your name and then include who the card's owner is.  (e.g.  Melissa - Jane's card)
Email address:  Use your own.

We can't wait to see which cards have defined Clean & Simple for you!

Here are the design team's picks for cards that stood out for CAS creativity:

Melissa

Karen's one layer CAS card stands out in my mind because of its beautiful simplicity. It has clean, well-defined lines, a simple color scheme and an abundance of white space.


Ardyth

Jessi's card uses bold colours, a couple of fun embellishments and lots of white space to communicate a very clear and simple message.


Jen

For me, Donna's card is CAS perfection. It's one layer, well balanced (good visual triangle) and the rounded corner adds some interest. Also the font of the sentiment matches the style of the image and best of all it makes me giggle whenever I see it!

Rosemary

I am always impressed by Kim's cards, but this particular card is a standout because of its beautiful composition. The sentiment and leaf create a eye pleasing visual triangle and she has left the perfect amount of white space.

Tracey

I am consistently impressed with Meghan's cards, she has a very clean and thoughtful approach to her designs.  This is one of my favourite cards of hers. Meghan has a real knack for paper piecing, as she did in this card.

Have fun browsing through the past challenge entries!  (We've provided a handy "weekly challenges" link under "Categories" in the sidebar!)  Be sure and give your favorites a shout out by Sunday at noon (CST)!

We'll be back on Monday, December 31, to introduce three new design team members!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Week #24: Weekly Winners!

It's time to announce our Weekly Winner and Honorable Mentions!
 
Ardyth had the honor of selecting the Winner for Week #24 and here is the card that she selected:

WINNER:  Marlou

 I love the clever way Marlou incorporated the star into her CAS card. While it is in the background, it is still very much part of the focal image.

Congratulations, Marlou!
 

Below is a winner badge to proudly display on your blog: 

 

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Here are the Honorable Mentions chosen by the rest of the design team:

1. Tracey's Choice - Donna's beautiful blue dimensional star is the star attraction on her card. The gold twine and the subtle sentiment are the perfect accents on this CAS beauty!

2. Rosemary's Choice: I love the creativity of Kelly's barn star, the clever way the sentiment was stamped, the bright colors and her fab CAS design.

3. Jen's Choice: Even with 3 layered patterns, Judy's card is crisp and simple and has a lovely homestyle feel.

4. Melissa's Choice: I kept going back to Vicki's card! The foil adds such beautiful interest and the sentiment is perfect!

Congratulations to all of you! Here is a badge to proudly display on your blogs:

 

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Stop back tomorrow to join in some fun giving each other's creations a shout out!  We're taking a week off from cue words, but will use the holiday week to remember favorite CASology entries since the challenge first started back in July!

Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at noon (CST) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!

Week #24: STAR

We hope you got all those gifts wrapped last week because this week we're hoping you can put your feet up (at least for a little bit) and enjoy the magic of the holiday season.  Take it all in (including a deep breath)!  Reflect on the year that's about to finish and take a little time to look up at the night sky so you can wish upon a STAR!  There's a brand new year just around the corner!

The design team and this week's guest designer, Elise, have provided some inspiration that is sure to get your creativity STAR-ted!

 

Guest Designer:  Elise

design defined:

Repeating one image to create your focal point adds interest while keeping the design simple.

 

Rosemary

design defined:
Bold and bright colors and fun elements like washi tape are perfect for CAS designs. Just remember to keep it simple.

 

 

Tracey

design defined:

To add some interest to this one layer card I replaced the 'o' in joy with a clear embossed star, tied some twine that co-ordinates with the background and adhered the panel with foam tape. Even with all of those elements the card remains CAS.

 

 

Ardyth

design defined:

CAS requires precise stamping - there's nowhere to hide in all that white space! Using clear stamps or a stamp positioner can help!

 

 

Jen

design defined:
Masking is a simple way to add depth to a one layer card.

 

 

Melissa

design defined:
Something as simple as dry embossing & a negative die cut can come together to create a CAS card. No embellishments required.

 

 

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your STAR creations by Sunday at noon (CST)! 

 

Week #23: Weekly Winners!

It's time to announce our Weekly Winner and Honorable Mentions!

Tracey had the honor of selecting the Winner for Week #23 and here is the card that she selected:

WINNER: Deb

This trio of tags stood out from the moment I saw them. The cute and festive paper pieced packages and that funky sentiment make such perfect CAS tags.

Congratulations Deb!

Below is a winner badge to proudly display on your blog:

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Here are the Honorable Mentions chosen by the rest of the design team:

1. Jen's Choice - Love how Tara's cute image pops off the red background. The sentiment is perfect and the glossy accents and flower soft add adorable touches.

2. Rosemary's Choice: Cindy's great CAS design immediately caught my eye. I love the embossing and the cute little bow.

3. Melissa's Choice: Shelly's card has such a unique take on GIFT! Her main image is embellished simply and the sentiment is perfectly placed!

4. Ardyth's Choice: Bev's hand cut manger scene is modern and clean, with a very clear message.

Congratulations to all of you! Here is your badge to proudly display on your blogs:

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Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Challenge #24!

Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at noon (CST) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!


*Also, don't forget submissions for our Design Team Call are due by tomorrow, Saturday, December 15!

Week #23: GIFT

Two weeks.  Fourteen Days.  That's how long until Christmas!  If you give gifts for the holiday, this week's cue word may be the friendly reminder you need to "wrap things up!"  If you don't typically give gifts, you'll find the cue word is still a good reminder to take a look at the calendar just to be sure you're not missing someone's special day!

The design team and this week's guest designer, Hannelie, have created some wonderful inspiration for you!  Just take a look!

Guest Designer:  Hannelie

design defined:

A stamped and embossed piece of card stock, wrapped and popped up as a gift to reinforce the message on the tag, reminding us of the biggest gift of all times.  All that grounded on a white card base to keep it CAS.

Melissa

design defined:

Use simple images & embellishments to showcase a sentiment.

Rosemary

design defined:
Sometimes all you need is a beautiful sentiment paired with the right accent to make a lovely CAS design.

Tracey

design defined: 

Adding a card base in the same colour as your focal image causes it to pop off the page for big impact in a one layer design.

Ardyth 

design defined:

A black and white colour scheme is perfect for a simple but important message!

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your GIFT creations by Sunday at noon (CST)!

**Also, don't forget the Design Team Call ends this Saturday, December 15!**

Week #22: Weekly Winners!

It's time to announce our Weekly Winner and Honorable Mentions!

Rosemary had the honor of selecting the Winner for Week #22 and here is the card that she selected:

WINNER:   Elise

I fell in love with Elise's sweet little card the moment I saw it in the gallery. I love the way she expertly combined all of the elements to create her wonderful CAS design!

Congratulations, Elise!

Below is a winner badge to proudly display on your blog:

 

 

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Here are the Honorable Mentions chosen by the rest of the design team:

1. Ardyth's Choice - I love Lori's elegant design and simple message.

2. Jen's Choice - Claire's fun take on the cue word immediately caught my eye. That ring is fabulous!

3. 3. Tracey's Choice - An amazing focal point with sweet fussy cut trees on a bed of sparkly snow, a perfect sentiment and that washi tape banner completes this super CAS design. Congrats Jackie!

4. Melissa's Choice: Amber's sweet & simple holiday lights are a fantastic focal point and the matching sentiment is absolutely perfect!

Congratulations to all of you! Here is your badge to proudly display on your blogs:

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Last, but not least...the random challenge participant who is to receive a package of happy sparkle in their mailbox:

 

#30 - Lori

 

Congratulations, Lori!  Please email your mailing information to Melissa at:  gimmeink@gmail.com

 

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Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Challenge #23!

Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at noon (CST) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!


*Also, don't forget the Design Team Call that's going on right now!  Applications are due by Saturday, December 15!

Week #22: SPARKLE

Things around town are beginning to sparkle and the holidays are definitely in full swing now!  With all the tinsel, glitter and shine that's being seen, let's have a little fun with our cards this week by focusing on the word SPARKLE!  One random participant this week will receive a little package of sparkle to brighten their mail box!

The design team and our guest designer for the week, Birgit, have created some wonderful inspiration to get you started!

Guest Designer:  Birgit

design defined:

A sweet image, cut out and placed on 3D foam with added touches of vellum, Glitter Glue & yellow half pearls create plenty of sparkle & dimension on a CAS design.

Jen

design defined:
A small cluster of layered embellishments adds texture while still keeping a CAS feel.

Melissa

design defined:

 A simple image, sentiment and embellishment can easily combine to create a quick CAS card.

Rosemary

design defined:
A single image and well placed one word sentiment keep things clean and simple.

Tracey

design defined: 

A detailed image really shines when embossed with silver powder.

Ardyth 

design defined:

Don't be afraid to have black 'white' space - sometimes  a dark background is needed to make your image pop!

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your THANKS creations by Sunday at noon (CST)!