calling all critters!

we're looking for pets and animals this week at shopping our stash and we want to see projects which show off your favorites! my post is a little different this time, as i'm inspired by TWO of my favorite bloggers. i'm stealing (AHEM!) ...or rather, paying tribute to... (that's better!) a gorgeous card design by my lovely friend shanna, the stamping banana* with what turns out to be the most straight-up CASE i've ever done. meanwhile, i'm also "paying tribute to" the work-style of my lovely friend and fellow SOS dt member, leslie, aka the crooked stamper by making several different versions of the same card. at the same time, i'm embracing the SOS ethos of using up older stuff by making my cards entirely from scraps and leftovers. surprisingly enough, i really like all five (!!!**) cards i made, but this one miiiiiiight be my favorite. well, it's pink, isn't it? 'nuff said!

(patterned paper: adrienne looman for prima, basic grey + the "friend" page from an actual vintage (falling apart) dictionary; tapes: love my tape, freckled fawn, recollections, heidi swapp, bazzill; butterfly die: quickuttz; bling: recollections; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

for the next one, i went sort of unisex. turns out, i have a LOT of neutral-colored tapes:

(patterned paper: glitz design, k and co; black glossy cardstock: ranger; tapes: love my tape, recollections, heidi swapp, oriental trading co; butterfly die: quickuttz; bling: k and co; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, sewing machine)

i was using leftover pre-folded-but-abandoned card blanks as well as scraps of paper for backgrounds, so some of these are oddly shaped. but there doesn't seem to be a BAD way to do this. 

(patterned paper: amy tangerine/american crafts, authentique; tapes: love my tape, freckled fawn, recollections, bazzill; bling: recollections; butterfly die: quickuttz; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

the card above made me think it might be cool to do one with the tape placed horizontally, so i did. i went slightly further into neutral territory, too, in hopes of making a "masculine" version; which i think works pretty well.

(patterned paper: glitz design, k and co; white glossy cardstock: ranger; tapes: love my tape, recollections, 7gypsies, oriental trading co; butterfly die: quickuttz; bling: recollections; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, sewing machine)

the last one is the most like shanna's original card, and those colors just soooooooo totally POP, don't they?!

(patterned paper: basic grey, prima; tapes: love my tape, recollections, hambly oriental trading co; butterfly die: quickuttz; bling: prima; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, sewing machine)

you'll notice is that i didn't put a sentiment on any of these. i actually need a few "no occasion" note cards to send right now, and plan to save the extras for future use. i really like keeping a few cards uncommitted whenever possible, because you just don't know when you'll suddenly need a thank you or a get well or... whatever... and these are so flexible, they could pretty much be turned into anything.

thank you, shanna for permission to CASE and share your design. thank you, leslie for your hilarious and scientific "anatomy of a card" posts, of which this is a very pale imitation. thank you, everyone else who's reading, for coming along to hang out!

there's tons more critter-based fun at shopping our stash, so be sure to check it out! ♥♥♥

*best blog name ever or what? yeah, i think so too!
**i know, i know, i'm on record as HATING to mass-produce, but there were sooooo many fun possibilities, i just got on a roll somehow! ♥