Monday, December 18, 2017

Give Love! CAS08 December Inspiration Challenge



CAS-ual Fridays Calling All Sistahs Encouragement Challenge CAS08

     I can't believe it is now December 18th and we're nearing the end of 2017.  Christmas will soon be upon us, as well as 2018.  This year has been a very rough one in my family with lots of relatives and friends passing away or being diagnosed with illnesses.  It's been very therapeutic for me to be actively participating with the Encouragement Squad for CAS-ual Fridays to make monthly encouragement cards to send.  
     This month's Inspiration Board, pictured above, intrigued me. I love navy blue and burgundy, so I was very excited to see this color combo.  I also never really use that color green, so this was taking me out of my comfort zone with that hue.  
     Since it is December, I decided to try the Mistletoe & Holly set, stamping it in Gina K's "In the Navy" premium dye ink. I colored the leaves with a green prismacolor pencil and left the berries uncolored so they're white. The sentiment is from the Dream Then Do set. I embossed the sentiment with Alabaster embossing powder from Brutus Monroe on burgundy cardstock.






     Now that you've seen my card, let's see what you can do with the inspiration board pictured above.  Here are the rules to the challenge:


How to Play with Us
We'd love to have you play with us! 
The main idea of the challenge is encouragement cards.
We all know someone at some point who could use a little lift.
Whether it's an illness, a loss, a crossroad in life, or simply someone in need of a hug, encouragement cards can put a smile on someone's face when they really need it.
We'll provide a new inspiration board on the 18th of each
month for you to use to create your encouragement card.
Use the colors we highlight, draw inspiration from the photo, or both.

1.  There are NO product requirements to play or win.
This challenge is designed to inspire you to create encouragement cards.
You may use any product you have in your crafty stash.
We will be showcasing CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and Fri-Dies regularly,
and we'd love to see you putting yours into action too,
 but you are NOT required to use CFS products in order to play or win.

2. There are NO style restrictions.
Just have fun!
Use the monthly challenge inspiration board to create an encouragement card.
You can draw inspiration from the photo itself or use the color chips provided or both as you create an encouragement card.
There are no style restrictions so if you're feeling clean and simple, utterly adorable layers, mixed media or anything in between, go for it! 

3. Enter as many projects as you'd like!
Just be sure to enter each of them separately.
Remember, your projects must be new...that means not posted anywhere prior to the start of our challenge.

4. We need to be easily directed to your project. 
Please link to your project post, and not just a generic link to your blog or gallery. 
You can link to a blog post, flickr post, SCS post or any other gallery that doesn't require us to be a member in order to see your work.
**Also, please provide a link back to our challenge in your post so your fans can find us and play along too.

5. Let the Happy Dancing begin! 
When the challenge closes, we will announce the Winner and 2 favorites.
Whether you are new to blogging, or a seasoned challenge lover, we can't wait to see your projects!
 
Good luck!  

Check out what the other Encouragement Squad members have made to help you get inspired by clicking here to enter the blog post! 

Thank you for dropping by!  I hope the rest of your December is wonderful and I wish you all well as we embark on a new year.  I challenge you to send more encouragement cards during 2018.  It's something I need to work on myself and make a priority.

Much Junkie Love! 

Marci










Sunday, December 17, 2017

It's That Time Of Year....CAS-ual Fridays BCA Reminder



It's Time for Christmas AND Time for Your Self-Check!


     Welcome to CAS-ual Fridays "Calling All Sistahs" Breast Cancer Awareness reminder for the month of December.  As 2017 winds down and we look ahead to the beginning of another fantastic year, it's important to be thankful for what this year has brought and to make sure we continue to be mindful of making 2018 even better.  

     As women, we have many things we need to keep track of monthly during the year.  Paying bills, important appointments, work tasks, family activities and more.  Why not add one of the most important things you can do every month into your schedule. One of the first things you need to mark on your schedule is one of the easiest things to check off your list: Breast Self Exam.

     These few minutes should be an important part of your normal monthly routine and we're here to remind you to do it in case you forget. In case you have never done a Breast Self Exam, click here to see exactly how to do it. 

     And now on to my card for this month.  I went a little wintry with a little bling.  I used CAS-ual Fridays Snowy Sayings and Calling All Sistahs stamp sets and the Ruffled Ribbon Fri-die. I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed making it.  




      After that sparkly pink ribbon, my favorite part of this card is the subtle white embossed snowflakes on the lower background.  Here are the stamp sets and Fri-Die I used to create my card:
 
     Be sure to head over to CAS-ual Fridays to read all about Calling All Sistahs and Michele's desire to remind all women how important self exams are. 

Thank you for joining us and I'll see you in January!  

Marci