Color Hues Challenge #121 - ORANGE & BROWN

Hello friends.  Time for a new challenge here at Color Hues, and our hostess Sheri would like to see us use ORANGE & BROWN for the next two weeks.

I have a fun little Halloween card using these colors for my youngest grandson, and I think he'll get quite a kick out of it as the pup looks a lot like his dog Vinny!  Take a look...

Isn't that pup in his pumpkin costume just the cutest?!  He's from SB's Pupkin Dies and was cut with Acorn cs (SB) and Pumpkin Pie cs (SU!).  My background panel was die cut with an oval and then embossed using SSS's Falling Leaves ef. I ink blended around the edges and then attached to a cream colored card base.

My sentiment is from MFT's Spooktacular Friends and I added a little bit of twine and a orange gem to finish off this card.  I think if I include a treat with the card, he'll be one happy boy!

Make sure you check out what the rest of the DT and our Special GD Valerie have come up with using this color pairing and then play along with us...you can find it all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Friday, Nov. 14th @ 9:00AM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Happy Halloween

Hello friends and Happy Halloween!  Just a quick post today to share my youngest granddaughter's Halloween card...

I started with PB's classy frames dies and ink blended the center piece with oranges & pinks. The left-over panel that I had die cut the frame from was embossed with Sunny Studio's Quilted Hearts EF. I die cut the 2 pumpkins (PB's abstract pumpkins) from white cs and then ink blended them with oranges and yellows.  Next came that sweet little ghost from PB's fa-boo-lous stamp set that I inked up in gray and then fussy cut out.

I arranged the pumpkins (shorter one is pop dotted with foam tape) and ghost to the left so you could still see the ink blended background and also have room for the sentiment which is also a part of the stamp set.  A few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K) finished off my sweet little card for Bella.  She's only 10 months old, so I'm sure she'll try to eat the card rather than look at it!  I'll be sending this off to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the option is "Too Cute To Spook".

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Market Place Christmas

Hello friends.  I've been a little obsessed this past week (I know...hard to believe me being obsessed about anything, right?!! Haha!!) about The Greetery's Market Place Dies!  It took me awhile to make the 1st one (lots and lots of die cutting!!), but I was totally head over heels in LOVE with how it turned out that I just HAD to make a 2nd one...and then a 3rd, and a 4th, and even a 5th!  Am I done? I honestly don't know! These little European Market Place buildings all decked out for the holidays are so addicting, and once you get going it's kinda hard to stop!!

 Don't they look so pretty all standing next to each other?!  Makes me wish I had a fireplace mantle to line them up on to decorate for the holidays!!  I have lots of close ups so you can see all the details better, so sit back and enjoy!

They were basically all made the same with the Market Place Die No. 1 (There's also a No. 2 and a No. 3 set of dies) and I just switched up the colors on all of them. I used the Market Place Holiday Sentiments stamp set for the names on each of the shoppes (aren't they fun?!) and used the Market Place Holiday Festoons die set for all the wreaths, bows & garlands.

On the North Pole Ice Cream Shoppe and the Kringle's on Main Shoppe I used a brick wall stencil to make it look like the shoppes were made from brick before adding all the window and door frames and decorations...I'm loving that look!  

  The ice cream shoppe was the first one I made and it took the longest as I learned what to do (and not do!) as I went along.  I love the door on this one using more of that sandable cs I've been hooked on lately...it really gives the door an old time feeling. I did place a very light yellow cs behind all the windows and doors to give that soft warm glow from inside the shoppes.

 Most of my shoppe names were embossed in white and adhered to the buildings with foam tape for dimension.

I also did lots of splattering with white acrylic paint to make the buildings look like it was snowing, and yes, I have LOTS of white splatter everywhere in my craft room, but it was worth it!!

I made each building into a shaped card by folding a piece of cs and then laying the open large frame die a little bit off the folded edge to create a card base that would stand up, and then glued the decorated shoppe front to the card base.  Just in case I decide to mail a couple of these out, the recipient can stand the card up. That's still up in the air though as I just don't know if I'll be able to give any of them up!  Of course I could make a few more...

And here they all are again so you can see them all at once!  I really think I might NEED the No. 2 and No. 3 dies now so that the buildings aren't all the same!  Yes I am addicted, but who cares?!!!!!  There are certainly a lot worse things to be addicted to, right?! 

I'm going to send these fun little shoppes over to the NBUS #79 challenge as these dies and stamps have never been used before last week, and also over to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge #103 where they are doing a "Snow Alert" challenge, and with all the snow splattering I did, I definitely think these little shoppes will fit right in!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #709

Hello friends.  Playing along with Jen M's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches today...

And here's what I came up with...

   Started with my square card base and embossed it with SSS's Snowflake Visions EF. Rather than using a banner die like the sketch shows, I used one of the smaller Capsule Basics Dies (The Greetery) in Evening Evergreen cs (SU!) and cut off a small part of one end so it would be even with the fold of the card base.  Next came the fun part...decorating with dies from SSS's Ho Ho Holiday Greens, snowflakes from IO (DIE100-F) and my sentiment from PTI's Bold Borders: Flurries.

I know I deviated a little bit from the sketch, but hope you can still see it?!  I don't generally make too many square cards, but have to admit I really like the way this one turned out!  Lots of wonderful inspiration if you want to play along that you can check out right HERE. This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 27 @ 3:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #98

Hello friends.  Guess who's still working on Christmas cards?!  Yep, so expect to see more over the next couple months!  Playing along with the gals over at the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge where they have a FUN mood board to inspire us.  Take a look...

While I do have several old fashioned truck dies in my collection, I had a new die set from Cottage Cutz (Snowman Reindeer Car) that I bought this Summer when they were having a Christmas in July sale, and couldn't resist playing with it!  I mean it fits the transportation theme, right?!!  Here's what I came up with...

Aren't they just so cute driving off to the Christmas party in their convertible?!! (They probably don't mind the cold at all like I do, but I do wonder how that little car handles in the snow...)  I got all my scraps out and did all the die cutting and assembling (and a little ink blending) and then attached to a die cut circle from PB's stitched square & circles. Because I'm a bit OCD and need to have everything even and centered, I made my card a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4, and then added a postage square using PFS's Dotted Postage Square dies and a piece of Bitty Big DSP (from PTI) in kraft, before adding it all to my kraft card base.

 

 To finish off my card, I tied a piece of twine with a circle tag (PTI's Tiny Tags stamp & die set) and also added a tiny red gem from PFS.  Easy peasy and done and I think this one will definitely make someone smile!!

The DT has some fabulous inspiration to share with you, so check it all out right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till Thursday, Oct. 30th @ 8:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #708

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where this week DT member Jen T has challenged us with a very CAS sketch...

I'm still working on finishing up those Christmas cards and used a NBUS die set from Concord & 9th called Birdhouse Blossoms Die (thanks for another enabled shopping trip Bobby & Michele!) to come up with this card...

I had totally fallen in LOVE with that chubby little birdie, so he was the starting point for my card.  I used black and 2 shades of gray cs (SU!) for my little chickadee and the branch, pine branches & leaf sprig are all from the same die set. I used PB's Ripple Die (cut 4 times for dimension) in place of the circle in the sketch, and then added all to an embossed background using SSS's Holiday Greenery EF.

I matted my embossed background to a layer of black and then all to a white card base.  I did use a white gel pen to add a bit of "snow" to the pine branches and also the leaves behind the birdie.  (A little bit of glitter was also added along with 3 ruby gems from PFS.)  My sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings was embossed in white on a black strip and that completed my card.

This challenge is only open till 3:00PM today (Oct. 20th), so not much time to play, but it is a fun and easy sketch to play with if you have time.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #120 - Purple & Orange

Hello friends.  It's time for another challenge here at Color Hues and our sweet hostess Stef is looking for PURPLE & ORANGE for the next 2 weeks.

My first thought was Halloween but I went in a Fall direction instead as I already had my Halloween cards done.  I had new dies from PB called abstract pumpkins and they were my starting point.  Take a look...

I love the size and shape of these pumpkins and die cut them from sandable cardstock, which I have become quite addicted to lately!  The pitcher is also PB (handpicked) and stamped and die cut from more of the sandable cs.  

For my background I used Gina K's Thick Brush stencil and lightly blended purple ink to tie in a little more color to the card.  The die cut flowers and leaves are from Honey Bee's Lovely Layers: Autumn Bouquet and I finished with my die cut sentiment from MB's Just a Note Posh Script.  Simple but I really like the Autumn vibes this card gives off!

The DT and our Special GD Bobby have lots of awesome and fun inspiration to get you started and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Wednesday, Oct. 29th @ 9:00AM.   

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!