Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at 4:00 P.M. (CDT) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!

Week 37: HOPE

Hopeful.  That's what spring makes us feel!  Is there anything more refreshing than that kind of feeling?  A new start.  A clean slate.  A sunny outlook.  What does HOPE mean to you?

We HOPE you don't mind us providing this little reminder...

Now let's see what this word made the design team think of this week!

Maureen

design defined:

Use die cuts to make a unique and subtle background for your CAS card.


Meghan

design defined:
Some dimension can still work on a clean and simple card.  The key is to include lots of white space!

Melissa

design defined:

Lots of open space with limited layers & embellishments creates an eye-pleasing CAS design.


Rosemary

design defined:

Using a simple image with a simple layout keeps things CAS.


Tracey

design defined:
Adding some foam dimension behind the focal panel still allows the design to remain CAS.


Ardyth

design defined:

Don't forget that white space doesn't have to be white!


Jen

design defined:
Remember the sweet spots when placing a single image.


Judy

design defined:

One main image with subtle layering and minimal embellishments follows the definition of CAS.

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your HOPE creations by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT)!

Week 36: Weekly Winners!

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

Meghan had the honor of selecting the Winner for Week #36 and here is the card she selected:

WINNER: Dena J

I thought Dena created a great simple and oh-so-clean card. I love the touch of using her own handwriting to add to the sentiment!

Congratulations, Dena!

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

**Please contact Melissa at gimmeink@gmail.com to claim your Alley Way stamp set!**

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

1. Jen's Choice - I'm always a fan of paper piecing and Tara's fun and funky patterns took me right back to the days of making mix tapes!	2. Melissa's Choice: Julia achieved CAS perfection by simply using a background stamp and a die cut!	3. Tracey's Choice: Shanna combined the perfect sentiment and fabulous washi tape to tie together a well designed and balanced CAS card.	4. Ardyth's Choice - Lesley's perfectly stamped repeated image, bold colours and white space make this CAS beauty really FUN!
5. Maureen's Choice: Barb's simply stated card has just the right amount of detail to finish it off perfectly.	6. Judy's Choice: Kelly's fun font and image splashed with sparkle still has lots of wonderful white space and a CAS feel to it!	7. Rosemary's choice: Lisa made perfect use of the rule of 3, brought in a fun touch with the washi tape, but kept it CAS.

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

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Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Challenge #37!

Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at 4:00 P.M. (CDT) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!

Week 36: SONG

Spring seems to be arriving rather slowly this year, but song birds seem to be appearing with little melodies to brighten our mornings as we continue to wait for the rest of the season's beauty.  This week's cue word is probably going to bring many different things to mind, especially favorite tunes!  Now here's a thought:  If you choose to go with a favorite tune, we just might be able to come close to guessing your approximate age!  Gasp!  Don't worry, we're not going to go there (...even though that might be a rather interesting game, don't you think?)!

This week, we have a new sponsor!  Introducing the fabulous Alley Way Stamps!

We're a small company from Utah that specializes in clear photopolymer stamps that are made right here in the USA! These stamps are fun, whimsy, and sometimes a little quirky. We try to keep them trendy. The sentiments will always put a smile on your face. We began in January 2012 with the release of four stamp sets and are now up to 38 sets and growing.

We at The Alley Way bring you one of a kind stamps. All of our stamps are hand created with you in mind; even our sentiments are made to go perfectly with each set. One of our favorite things to do is pick out PUNNY sentiments and the perfect stamp name.

We hope our designs here at The Alley Way will inspire a little creativity in everyone. From the oldest to the youngest, we hope it brings out the fun in crafting. We can't wait to see The Alley Way Stamps in your next project!

Be sure to go and see what they have to offer because their stamps will definitely bring a smile to your face!  Besides that, they are offering a free stamp set to this week's winner!  It's called The Gang (see image below)!

Just seeing this adorable set brings to mind the lyrics, "How much is that doggie in the window?"  Or, "There was a farmer had a dog..."  The design team has created some fun inspiration for this week's cue word and you may just be able to figure out what song some of them were thinking of when they were busy designing!  All have used The Alley Way Stamps sets!

Judy

desin definged:
Create a small scene to imply a larger one by masking on a one-layer card.


Maureen

design defined:
Add dimension to only one image for a greater impact.


Meghan

 

design defined:

An embossing folder can be used in place of patterned paper for a more clean and simple card.


Melissa

design defined:
Use color to evoke memories or emotion.


Rosemary

design defined:

Use simple color combos to help keep your card CAS.

Tracey

design defined:
Smaller images stamped on a smaller panel creates a bigger wow factor.


Ardyth

design defined:

Iconic shapes and colours make the message very clear!


Jen

design defined:

Use patterned papers in small doses for big impact on a CAS card.

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your SONG creations by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CST)!

Week 35: Weekly Winners!

It's time to announce our Weekly Winner and Honorable Mentions!
 
Maureen had the honor of selecting the Winner for Week #35 and here is the card she selected:

 WINNER:  Lisa (ThePurplePlace)

Lisa's perfectly balanced design and the pop of color and pattern, paired with the addition of dimension in the googly eye, made this a winner for me this week!

 Congratulations, Lisa!

Below is a winner's 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. Judy's Choice: Anita's card shows how adding even the smallest details can make a clean and simple card stand out!	2. Rosemary's Choice: Barb's well balanced design is a perfect example of how to have loads of detail yet still keep things CAS	3. Ardyth's Choice - the embossing on the die cut could have been busy, but Lucy cut it down to size and kept this adorable card perfectly CAS!	4. Tracey's Choice: Simple die cuts and a simple sentiment kept Kristie's card CAS.
5. Meghan's Choice - Susan's use of one perfectly coloured larger image still left white space for a CAS card!	6. Melissa's Choice: An interesting main image and lots of open space made Hannelie's card an easy choice!	7. Jen's Choice - Cindy's fun and funky retro take on the cue word totally flashed me back to the 60's! Groovy!

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

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 Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Challenge #36!

Are You Playing?

There is still time to play along with this week's challenge at CASology! You have until Sunday at 4:00 P.M. (CST) to submit your creation and we'd love to have you join us!

Week 35: EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Are you ready for some mystery?  Do you love exploring the unknown?  Well, this week, we're heading off into space to find out just what is dwelling in those creative minds of yours!  No, we're not implying that you are space cadets!  Much the opposite!  We know you are highly creative individuals and we can't wait to see what's hiding inside all those brilliant imaginations!  Oh, and we thought we'd also mention that Extraterrestrial Abductions Day is coming up on March 20th!  How's that for a little extra excitement on the First Day of Spring?!

Now let's take a look at what the design team and our guest designer have created for inspiration!

Guest Designer: Beate

design defined:

Washi tape is a fantastic base for an one-layer CAS card.

Jen

design defined:

Use embossing powder to add some shine to your CAS card.


Judy

design defined:

Layering and paper piecing stamped images can still be clean and simple.

Maureen

design defined:
No one says you have to stamp your sentiment only once!


Meghan

design defined:
Don't be afraid to group items on one area. White space is a hallmark of a clean and simple card.


Melissa

design defined:

Create a visual triangle with your images and sentiment.


Rosemary

design defined:

Using the "rule of 3" on your CAS design will help you keep it simple.


Tracey

design defined:

Patterned paper can be very effective on a CAS card as long and you keep the number of patterns and colours to a minimum.


Ardyth

design defined:
Simple shapes and colours can recall vivid memories!

Now go have fun and don't forget to link up your EXTRATERRESTRIAL creations by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CST)!