Yes, It's Really *ME*!

I mention it because when you see the card I'm posting today you might very well think you've come to the wrong blog. However this fortnight's challenge at Shopping Our Stash is called, "Keep it Simple, Sister" and we are looking for the dreaded (if you're me, lol) CAS -clean and simple- card. This is *NOT* my metier; and I am never telling anyone how long this card took to make. But here it is, and I'm pretty pleased with it:

narwhal stamp and die set: jen long/sizzix; narwhal colored with tombow dualbrush pens and shaded with prismacolor pencils; sentiment stamps: lawn fawn (have a narly) and paper smooches (birthday); stamping ink: ranger black archival; inky background: distress oxides blended with a sponge dauber; teal cardstock: gina k; enamel hearts: eyelet outlet; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape

I confess I did A LOT of cruising of Instagram and Pinterest in preparation; and while I didn't wind up finding something CAS to CASE, I did nab quite a few ideas that helped me compose something very pared down, that still looked "finished" to me. I knew I wanted to use the narwhal stamp and die set that Stephanie gave me a few years ago and I don't use nearly enough, so I stamped and colored (and colored... and colored; let's just say there might've been one or two "rejected" narwhals before I came up with a version I liked!) I wound up hand-cutting, because the die left a much larger border than I cared for in this context. I masked off a panel to be my ink-blended ocean; I managed somehow NOT to get a giant smudge on the white space; and finally I added a couple of enamel hearts and a teal cardstock mat. 

If you love making CAS cards, this is definitely the challenge for you! If you hate making CAS cards... maybe this is still the challenge for you? Because maybe part of the point of challenges is to stretch a bit and try something new? Either way, be sure to hop over to SOS and see the fab cards from my design team darlings! ♥