Happy Halloween!

Yep, another Saturday post, haha!
Today is Halloween so I'll show off the collage I made with MDS to share on facebook yesterday. The kids got to dress up for school and my husband and I could dress up for work. So here you have Link (from Zelda games), Batgirl, a teenager, and "a daddy who makes awesome chili for the office party", hahaha!
(my shirt says "I never argue I just explain why I'm right")

I did get to stamp a little today, and when I went outside to take pictures, I found the flower garden literally buzzing with bees! What the heck?! It's October 31, there is snow on all the mountain tops and it has been cold- even in the house!!

Anyway, the real reason for the post is my card. I totally switch gears (especially from the flowers out there) and created a Christmas card!
As soon as I saw the sketch from the Nacho Average Challenge blog, I thought of the fireplace that I haven't got to play with yet! I added some stripey "wall paper" and the wreath and voila! It's pretty simple, but I really like how it turned out!

Supplies:
Stamps: Festive Fireplace, Happy Scenes (greeting)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow, Memento Black
Paper: Whisper White, Smoky Slate card stocks, Season of Cheer DP
Accessories: Hearth & Home framelits, Festive Fireside framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Blender Pens

I stamped the fireplace in Cherry Cobbler and used a Blender Pen to color over the lines and make it look brick colored. The wreath has a little notch on the stamp, and then matching notches on the die pieces. This is important to note so you're not spending a lot of time fitting the stamped image in the die! haha.... I trimmed off the bottom of the fireplace, and used a rectangle of Smoky Slate card stock for the inside of the fireplace.

More Cards In the Mail!

Here are the latest cards I've gotten in the mail!
I put them in seasonal order, rather than in order-of-recieved, haha....
So here's a few more Halloween ideas for you....

A sweet autumny, hello...

And a cute Christmas idea too!

A School-ish Page

Quick post and a little late today... I got another calendar topper done late last night, so I thought I'd share it. This will be September for my in-laws, and I {heart} the school-themed DP!
The layout comes from THIS page I found on Pinterest.

Supplies:
MDS: Storytime DP, Storytime embellishments, Keep in Touch embellishments, Flag Punch, Square Punch

A Wedding Layout!

'tis the season for calendar pages once more!
I know, I know, MDS has retired {insert sad face} but I am still using it and if you have it, you can still use it too! Otherwise, maybe this will inspire a paper page for you.
But really, my craft time is limited so pretty much whatever I make shows up here! And I made this. I think this will be the August calendar top for my in-laws Christmas gift. One of my nieces got married this past summer and what better time to snap pictures of family than at a wedding?? That is also why I chose a layout that held a lot of photos.

Supplies:
MDS: Mocha Morning DP (recolored and 30% opacity) Sycamore Street ribbons, Sycamore Street button, Baja Breeze brads, Flag punch, Together Forever stamp (&)
Font: Birch Std

October Paper Pumpkin #2!

I don't know about you but it often seems like my facebook feed has a lot of negativity and whining and things that just drag you down. A friend and I have have often commented to each other that we're not going to share negativity.....but the other day I really, really wanted to vent.......
But...really, that wasn't going to accomplish anything...and it was just going to add to the negativity, which I dislike.
After I had vented to that friend, and had plenty of time to calm down, I came up with a plan. Instead of ranting about one frustrating person, I could send thank you notes to people who make a positive difference! That meant I needed several thank you cards. I had this handy, super-cute, Paper Pumpkin kit sitting there needing attention. Perfect match! And so, I got to work!

On this one I cut the watercolored paper in half and trimmed it down to fit the Sahara Sand card, and stamped all over it. I like the little flowers on the greeting piece too.

On this one I chose not to stamp the outlines on the leaf print, but I stamped them alternating on the card base. I left off the twine to make it a bit more masculine.

For this one, I cut my own card base from Calypso Coral, which matches almost perfectly IRL but doesn't look like a good match on the computer...hmmm.... And this time I stamped the greeting right on the card front. I really like those tiny flowers!

For this one I only used the stamps, but since I used the kit and made it all at the same time, it counts for this post! This was actually because of an inspiration challenge I saw and thought these flower stamps fit it perfectly. Unfortunately I played too late to link, but I still made the card I thought of! I used Melon Mambo for the big flowers, Pumpkin Pie for the next size, and some tiny Soft Suede flowers for the bursts of ...pollen? in the flowers in the picture. I also used Blushing Bride for leaves and stems where the inspiration had pale pink swirls. And I mounted it all on Soft Suede.

Supplies:
Stamps: Oct 2015 Paper Pumpkin
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Blushing Bride
Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White & Melon Mambo card stocks
Accessories: Hexagon Punch, Dimensionals

And this morning, these and a few others, are all going in the mail! Because yeay for wonderful helpers!

Sept Paper Pumpkin 2

Maybe Saturday posts will become regulars around here...
But today it is because I didn't get it done til Friday afternoon (after my long-backordered spider web doilies arrived!) and I wanted to link up to the challenges!

So this card completes my Halloween card class, and uses two challenges! First the color combo comes from the Nacho Average Challenge blog, and the sketch (tho I did alter it a bit...) comes from the Retro Sketches blog.  The stamps come from the September 2015 Paper Pumpkin kit, and then just a few little accessories and I think this might possibly be my favorite from the class!

Supplies:
Stamps: September 2015 Paper Pumpkin
Ink: Tangelo Twist, Memento Black
Paper: Tangelo Twist, Very Vanilla card stocks
Accessories: Spider Web Doilies, Neutral Candy Dots, Hexagon Punch (flagged ends), Dimensionals, Fine Tip Glue Pen

ETA: I have also added this to the gallery on the My Pumpkin Challenge blog HERE.

My autumny Swap!

I have shared my recently received Cards In The Mail swaps, and more are on their way. Today I have the card I sent out to my creative friends! This one evolved several different times, haha, but this is how it ended up! I like the rich autumny colors, and the outdoorsy, autumny images- sweater stitching (or mittens!), falling leaves, and beautiful wood!
I can't believe I shared a whole sheet of the wood grain pattern, haha, because I totally intended to hoard it! Fortunately, this package has two Early Espresso wood grain and two Soft Suede wood grain because yes, it is that good! Smarty-pants at Stampin' Up! knew I was going to hoard it...! And the one photo I got of my stack shows how the different sized buttons worked on the same card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Seasonal Snapshot 2015
Ink: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze
Paper: Hello Honey, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso card stocks, Into The Woods DP
Accessories: Gold Buttons, White Baker's Twine, Burlap Ribbon, 1 inch circle punch, Decorative Label punch, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

I also used the latest sketch from Mojo Monday, and a "scrapbooking" stamp set instead of a traditional "card making" stamp set, haha. The greeting might seem a little different, but a- I wanted to stick to one stamp set and b- it could be used as an invite, or simply an autumn greeting! We DO tend to gather together when it gets chilly. It's what we do! So it works. *grin.

White On White

Late but quick post today...
I've seen a lot of creations lately that use white on white, and a lot of literal white space. When this beautiful glittery ribbon arrived I thought it would be perfect for a cool, white, wintery card. The only color here is the pale blue snowflakes falling thru the white world. I have some other ideas on modifying this card, but today this is what I have, haha!

Supplies:
Stamps: Among the Branches
Ink: Soft Sky
Paper: Whisper White cardstocks
Accessories: Big Shot, Seasonal Frame thinlit dies, Woodland embossing Folder, Glitter Ribbon

*This might end up part of my Christmas card class, but I haven't yet decided.... Watch for those creations coming soon!

October Paper Pumpkin!

Last week my pink box arrived in the mail! This was the one that $1 from the sale of each was donated to BCRF (Breast Cancer Research Fund) and the boxes were temporarily pink. Both of my kids commented that they liked the pink better than the reddish-orange that always comes, haha!

Yesterday I finally got to play with it! I really like this month's! It has supplies to make three sizes of cards, and make three of each. I started off by making one of each, I think exactly as the instructions say... Cute, huh??

The thing you don't realize looking at the finished product, is that the flowers and leaves come printed on two of the card pieces- then you get to stamp the outline on it for more definition!

(Winter is on it's way, and that meant it was tricky to get good photos...first it was pouring rain, then the sun came out but it was very, very windy and paper doesn't like to stand in wind, haha)

So here you can see an unstamped piece, and then the stamped part on the finished card- the leaves have an outline stamp and this kit comes with Basic Gray ink to outline it with! Then you add the twine, the gold sticker, and then greeting piece!

Here you can see the larger coral flowers now have an outline, but so do the tiny blue flowers! That tiny one actually comes in three sizes, and I chose the smallest! Tiny really = adorable! *grin

And finally, this one had the watercolor wash look printed on the paper, and you get to freehand the flowers and leaves however you like. Again, I followed the instructions pretty close for mine... too bad my looped twine didn't quite work out....

And there you have it- three (or nine) sweet little cards to give away!
And it was super quick too! The most difficult part was getting the thin bits out of the gold foil stickers, haha!

Sale on Stamps!

Yep, you read that right! For just a few days, you can order almost any stamp for 15% off!!! This is a fantastic time to order the stamps you've been holding off on. Also- stamps make a great Christmas gift!!!

Details:

• Dates: October 19-23, 2015
• Host stamp sets and rotary stamps are not eligible for the 15 percent promotional discount on stamps.
• Bundles are not eligible for this promotional discount, but they will retain their current 15 percent Bundle & Save discount. The stamp set from the bundle may still be purchased ala carte with the 15 percent promotional discount.
• Stamps purchased using a 50 percent Stampin' Rewards discount will not be available for this 15 percent promotional discount. Stamps purchased using Stampin' Rewards discounts will still be 50 percent off retail value of the stamp set.
• There is no limit to how many discounted stamp sets can be placed on an order.
• There is no minimum purchase required for this promotion.
• Order Deadline:
  • Online: October 23, 2015 by 11:55 PM (MT).

A quick page!

I have mentioned before the online scrapbooking group I'm a part of, and this past Monday started a week full of fun challenges. I would love to participate in all of them, but that hasn't happened for a few years, and I don't think it will get to happen any time terribly soon. But if YOU would like to participate, you can see them all HERE! One challenge caught my interest right off...maybe because a little boy was picking the colors for each participant and I can't resist that, haha! And I had a page done within a few hours of seeing my assignment!

So for me, the whole challenge was to make a page using blue, yellow and green. I can totally do that! haha! I found some older pics that needed done, and pulled out a retired set of Project Life supplies (sold before they were labeled as such). From there I chose the shades of blue and yellow, and then found a green that I thought worked well too- DONE! *grin

Supplies:
Ink: Always Artichoke marker
Paper: Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Coastal Cabana (retired)
Accessories: Retro Fresh journaling cards (retired), Retro Fresh stickers (retired)

A spider experiment!

I gotta say- experimenting with cards is not actually my favorite thing...but I keep doing it! This time, I had seen a really clever Halloween card idea on Pinterest and wanted to recreate it with all current supplies that I already had.

I started by figuring out how to do the spider web. The original creation used a silver ink pad and marker. I don't have either. I thought I'd do a white web. This took a few tries...
First I stamped the sunburst with Versamark, and added webbing with my Versamarker, and then did white heat embossing to make it stand out.

Then I realized my webbing was turned the wrong direction, and, I'd forgotten to attach it on the outside edges...haha....
So my second try was done correctly, but differently. This time I embossed the sunburst stamp, but I added webbing with the white chalk marker. It takes a little bit of time to show up well, but this is as dark as it got. Hmm....

Finally I got the web the way I liked it, but that'll show up at the end. :)

Next I made my spider legs by using my oval punch, which is exactly how the original card was made too. I took a picture just in case it isn't clear to you how to punch thin slices of card stock.

And then, I don't have any googly eyes, so I used my Versamarker again and drew a smiley face on the spider to make him friendly, not scary, haha! But THEN I found out we no longer carry the Versamarker! So before my class, I'll buy some googly eyes and we'll use those instead. haha...

But here's my finished product, and I used the latest TGIF Challenge for the sketch.

Supplies:
Stamps: Kinda Eclectic, Happy Scenes
Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Versamarker
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Black card stocks
Accessories: 1 inch circle punch, Wide Oval punch, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Dimensionals

Cards In the Mail!

I have mentioned before, I love being a part of this swap group! I love getting beautiful cards in the mail and seeing so many fun and lovely designs! Last week I got a bunch in the mail and I don't have anything that I created to share today, so here you go!

Aren't they all so beautiful??

Experimenting....

Yep, a Saturday post! My creating has been sporadic this week so you get a bonus post. I was playing around, trying to design cards to complete my Halloween card class (no date yet!) and I put this together. I liked the Basic Gray card stock for the base and window frame, sponged with white ink to make it look worn out and dusty. I used Smoky Slate for the outside scene, and I like that...

Supplies:
Stamps: Hardwood background, Happy Scenes
Ink: Memento Black, Whisper White, Tangelo Twist marker, Hello Honey marker
Paper: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate & Crushed Curry card stocks
Accessories: Big Shot, Hearth & Home die, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Stamping Sponge

I liked the addition of the moon but maybe it should be white instead of yellow.....

Supplies:
Stamps: Hardwood background, Happy Scenes
Ink: Memento Black, Whisper White, Tangelo Twist marker, Hello Honey marker
Paper: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate & Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Big Shot, Hearth & Home die, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Stamping Sponge

Still not sure if we'll use it for a class, but here's something to inspire your weekend anyway!

At the Pumpkin Patch!

I got my pages done! Not til after kids were in bed last night, but I got them done! This time I used the color combination from the TGIF Challenge blog, and photos that are a few years old. The layout is quite simple, but everything is current, unlike last time. I even included a stamped image from one of the Holiday Mini sets! *grin!

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Scenes
Ink: Tip Top Taupe, Rich Razzleberry, Tangelo Twist marker, Hello Honey marker, Rich Razzleberry marker, Always Artichoke marker
Paper: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla card stocks
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch

and here's a little closeup of the stamping:

Scrapbooking!

I have been missing scrapbooking, so today I decided to work specifically on that! However....maybe because it has been so long, it was a challenge to get going. None of the pictures were really speaking to me. I looked for some challenges as a jumping off point and decided the color combination from Nacho Average Challenges would work with these photos pretty well....then I had to figure out what else to do...haha! I ended up picking THIS Stashbusters Challenge (meaning I used old stuff, haha) to add to the page, and I picked #3 brads, #4 3D item, #6 stamp something and #8 ribbon.
And here's how it turned out:

Supplies:
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, ABC123 Sketch (retired)
Ink: Garden Green, Tangerine Tango, Cucumber Crush marker
Paper: Marina Mist, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Brads (retired), Marina Mist polka dot ribbon (retired) and fabric leaves (unknown), Piercing Mat, Glue Dots, stapler

I started another layout...maybe it will be done tomorrow! *grin

June's Paper Pumpkin! #3

This is likely my last post for the day, but there are plenty of cards to view so that's okay, haha.... I decided to finish off another of my Paper Pumpkin kits. Well, I finished using the card bases but I still have stickers and plenty of thread left over!

First, I thought I'd swap the two designs onto the other card bases! And I like it!

Then, I finished off this card base. This picture shows the above brown card, and it also shows that I made the original design, minus my mistakes from my first go, haha....I didn't read the instructions that day, just looked at the photo.
*The first card in the photo was inspired by THIS card I saw on Pinterest.

Then I used up the white base. Again, I made the original design without messing up, haha, but with very minor tweaks- moving it down on the card for example. And yes, this photo also shows the first white-based card from above.

And there you have it, six new card ideas, plus the two from earlier posts!
I hope you have enjoyed World Card Making day and I hope that you get to create something fun this coming week!

September Paper Pumpkin Alternate 1

Hello again! Here is my second post for World Card Making Day! This one is not Halloweeny, and it is not for an upcoming class, it was just for fun, haha!
I haven't played with my newest Paper Pumpkin kit (from September) and it isn't even a card kit- its a treat-giving kit. But I have a feeling the stamps will be very well loved! Starting with this card, which uses the latest from Retro Sketches!

Supplies:
Stamps: September 2015 Paper Pumpkin
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Delightful Dijon, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (have some food!!)
Accessories: Chevron Natural Ribbon, Gold Buttons, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Don't forget- if you sign up as a subscriber for Paper Pumpkin before October 10th, Stampin' Up! will donate $1 towards Breast Cancer Research! (see my original post HERE) All you have to do to sign up is click the pumpkin button on my side bar and follow the instructions! And as a subscriber you can purchase the refill for this kit, and several other past kits HERE.

ETA: I have also added this to the gallery on the My Pumpkin Challenge blog HERE.

A Happy Jack!

Today, Oct 3rd is World Card Making Day! I don't have any events planned, I'm actually spending the weekend with family, enjoying a 2-day, LDS General Conference, but I have some cards made and you can bet I'll have some fun crafty inspiration for you!

Today I've got this fun jack-o-lantern card for you! I used the latest sketch from Nacho Average Challenges, and plenty of new toys! I've only used the dies once, and the stamps are brand new, and so was the glue pen! I'm pretty sure this will be another in my Halloween card class...and I'm sorry I don't have a date on that yet!

Supplies:
Stamps: Sparkly Seasons
Ink: Tangelo Twist, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke marker, Versamark
Paper: Tangelo Twist, Basic Black, Very Vanilla card stocks
Accessories: Big Shot, Seasonal Frame thinlit dies, Black Embossing powder, Heat Tool, Dimensionals, Fine Tip Glue Pen

The glue pen was designed to attach intricate or small things like the die cut words, or like little sequins. So here's what I learned....
First of all, the glue bottle itself is sealed with a peel-off-lid, so no matter how hard you squeeze, it isn't coming out til you take that off, haha. Second, when I did pull it off, it splattered all over me, so be careful! And third, it is a tiny bit tricky to get the lid end of the metal post back into the bottle end....look...

but that will help it to not clog, like the Crystal Effects do.
If you look closely at the second "o" in the spooky, you'll see some of the glue wasn't quite dry, but it dried clear everywhere else. I think it's going to be a great little tool!

Come back in a few hours to see another fun card!

Blog Hop: Step It Up Spooky Style!

Oh my goodness, another month has come and gone! And that means it's time for another fun blog hop!

Since today is the 1st of October, I thought I'd milk it for all it's worth and play with some Halloween ideas! I know most people don't send Halloween cards, but my grandmother and her sister always did, and my mom is carrying on the tradition. It's a fun excuse to send mail to the grandkids! I'm offering a Halloween card class this year and even supplying a twist- if you don't mail Halloween cards, they fit in lunchboxes! And if you don't send lunches- the card fronts would make a fun addition to a Halloween scrapbook page with your cuties all dressed up!!

Today's card is shown three different ways, from the "very simple" to the "plenty of extras"! And I used the current Freshly Made Sketch for the layout. Let's get to it!

Admittedly, this first one might be too plain, but I was going for the "spooky" theme and anything else seemed to take away from that. Also, aside from the cutting out tools, it sticks with the Stamps-Ink-Paper theme I mentioned last week.

Supplies:
Stamps: Among The Branches
Ink: Smoky Slate, Memento Black
Paper: Smoky Slate
Accessories: Big Shot, Seasonal Frame thinlit dies, Oval Punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Dimensionals

This one adds a bit more stamping, and some quick embossing, and I think is totally cool for a spooky Halloween greeting.

Supplies:
Stamps: Among The Branches
Ink: Smoky Slate, Memento Black
Paper: Smoky Slate
Accessories: Big Shot, Woodland embossing folder, Seasonal Frame thinlit dies, Oval Punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Dimensionals

And finally, a card I seriously love! This added another stamp set, another ink, a bit of ribbon, and threw on one more color. Oh, and the "spooky" circle is heat embossed, which adds richness to the color and shine!

Supplies:
Stamps: Among The Branches, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: Smoky Slate, Memento Black, Whisper White
Paper: Smoky Slate, Tangelo Twist
Accessories: White Jute Ribbon, Big Shot, Woodland embossing folder, Seasonal Frame thinlit dies, Oval Punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Dimensionals, Black embossing powder, Heat Tool, scotch tape

*and if you remember THIS post, I used the edge of the white Stampin' Spot that was included in the Paper Pumpkin kit to color on the trees. Literally, lightly scrubbed the ink pad right onto the trees.

What do you think?! Now hop on over to Cheryl and see how she shows off stepping it up! Then hop thru to see everyone's creations, and leave us some comments!