12 Kits Of Occasions Oct. 2019 - AUTUMN DAYS

Hello friends.  It's the end of the month and time for the 12 Kits Of Occasions post, which Sharron is hosting and calling AUTUMN DAYS.

Look at all the beautiful images, die cuts, and lovely Fall papers Sharron gave us to work with this month!  Fall is definitely a favorite of mine, so this kit was pure joy to work with!  To see a list of all the supplies Sharron included in this kit, click HERE.

I started with this sweet Penny Black image (Hello Autumn) and colored her with my Copics and then fussy cut her out.  I used one of the pieces of DSP Sharron included in the kit as a background and also fussy cut one of the leaves from a leftover scrap and pop dotted it for the little girl to look up at.  Here's a closer up:

Hard to see, but I used WOS on that pop dotted little leaf too!

I just LOVED this die cut acorn that Sharron included in the kit, and just added some more of the beautiful DSP and also added a strip of Honey Nut cs that I ran through my Big Shot with an FSJ embossing folder.

Looks like Sharron and I were thinking along the same lines when it came to using this image and the plaid background DSP!  Such a CUTE image and I can just smell the apples and cinnamon in the air!!

I loved this sentiment Sharron included in her kit too, and wanted it to take center stage.  I used The Greetery's Crimped Frame Die to cut out the sentiment and then ran it through with the same FSJ embossing folder that I used on the acorn card.  To make the leaves pop a bit more I used some Vintage Photo DOX ink and lightly blended over the top, before adding to another Honey Nut piece of cs also embossed with the FSJ embossing folder.  Add a few of the leaves Sharron included in the kit and also the piece of twine Sharron had used on the tag that she wrapped our kits up in.  This card has also been quite liberally sprayed with Sheer Shimmer Mist, so IRL it really sparkles!

Are you getting tired of the Honey Nut cs and the FSJ embossing folder yet??!!  I made a little pillow box (SU!) with a window (so you can see what treat I end up deciding to add!) and used a PTI die (Tag Sale #10) to add the scalloped frame in gold mirror cs.  The little tag is from part of the DSP Sharron included in the kit...it matched so beautifully with the Honey Nut cs!

And here they are all together!  The air has been pretty cool here the last few weeks and colors are at their peak, so this was just perfect timing to be working on this beautiful kit Sharron put together!  You can check out what the rest of the DT did with this same kit right HERE.

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

Tag You're It! Challenge #99 - Autumn Fest

Hello friends.  The current Tag You're It challenge is all about celebrating Autumn...take a look at this FABULOUS inspiration photo:

Don't you just love the bales of hay, the pumpkins, the colorful leaves and those bright and sunny Sunflowers?!!  I so wanted to add a Sunflower to my tag, but all my Sunflowers were too big and way out of proportion for my tag...so I went in a different direction and used MFT's Fall Friends to come up with this sweet tag...

I started with a piece of Honey Nut cs and die cut it with an MFT tag die, and then ran it through my Big Shot with a Fun Stampers Journey (FSJ) leaf embossing folder.  After coloring (Copics) and fussy cutting out that sweet little girl sitting on the pumpkin, I adhered her to the tag along with a sentiment strip that comes with the Fall Friends stamp set.

Here's a closer up so you can see the detail in the embossed tag and my coloring.  As a nod to the sunflowers in the inspiration photo I colored the little girls hat and scarf in a sun-shiny yellow to mimic the sunflowers, and also added a yellow ribbon to the top of my tag.

Still lots of time to play along with this challenge, so check out all the AMAZING tags from the DT and then play along right HERE.

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

The Flower Challenge #37 - CAS

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's Flower Challenge where the prompt is CAS.

I finally had a chance to play with a new set from The Greetery called With Love, At Christmas this weekend, and it ended up being a perfect flower for this current challenge and also to help finish up my stash of Christmas cards!  Because I wanted to try out different color combinations for the Poinsettia bouquet, I have a few cards to show you...

For my 1st card I stamped the bouquet in traditional reds and greens, and then mounted to a white card base along with 2 layers of the Crimped Frame Die.  I added my sentiment to the smaller of the panels using The Greetery's Christmas Eve stamp set and then finished with a few red enamel dots.

All of my cards use the same Poinsettia bouquet from the With Love, At Christmas...I just used different colors and layouts.  For my 2nd card I used Aqua's for my leaves and Berry for my Poinsettia's, and then mounted to a panel that I used a Spellbinders Hemstitched Die on, and then layered a piece of Berry cs behind the panel before mounting to a white card base.

Here's a closer up so you can see some of the lovely detail in the bouquet.  The sentiment is also from the With Love, At Christmas stamp set.

For my 3rd card I used brighter greens and dusty pink/reds along with the Terrarium Die (small) from The Greetery.  I blended a little bit of light yellow onto my background before attaching the bouquet and die, and then added the "joy & peace" sentiment at the bottom (also from the With Love, At Christmas set).

My final card uses the same colors as the last card, but I used one of the Macra-Made For You dies for the hanging holder and the flower pot.  I used SU!'s Subtle embossing folder for the white background layer (stamped my sentiment first) and then attached to a Cherry Cobbler card base (same as flower pot), before adding my floral bouquet.  A few diamond gems finished off my last card.

So there you have my four CAS Christmas cards using the same stamp set, but with just different color combinations and layouts.  LOTS of beautiful cards from the DT and already in the gallery, so check them out for inspiration and then play along right HERE.

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

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #21 - Woodland Creatures

Hello friends.  The current Christmas Kickstart Challenge is looking for WOODLAND CREATURES on our Christmas cards.

I have a sweet little set from Catherine Pooler called Winter Woodland that I thought was perfect for this challenge and came up with this card:

I started by embossing the 3 trees in clear embossing powder, and then blended my background over them using a few different shades of blue inks from Gina K.  Next I cut out my snowbank that I used a new die on from The Greetery called Drifting Die...just love all those dotted swirls of snow!!  Next I stamped the deer, bunny, and Cardinal and fussy cut them out and then added them to my little woodland scene.

The sentiment also comes from the Winter Woodland set, and I finished the card by mounting to a Real Red panel and a white card base, and also adding a few star gems to the background.

There are still a few days left to play in this challenge, so check out the inspiration and then play along right HERE.  Christmas is ONLY 10 weeks away friends, so time to get those cards started!!  :0)  

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

CAS Watercolour Reminder - Maple Leaf

Hello friends.  Just a reminder that the October CAS Watercolour Challenge is still open for another week, so dig out those Maple Leaf stamps, dies, or stencils and come play along with us!

This month we are also celebrating our 3rd Birthday, so come play along for the chance to win one of the two SSS $25 gift cards!

I have another Twofer for you today using a very small Maple leaf stamp from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp set.

I used 3 Gina K ink cubes (Wild Wisteria, Red Velvet, & Jelly Bean Green) to ink up the stamp and then spritzing with water before pressing into a strip of white cardstock.  Before each one dried, I used my Aqua Painter to blend the colors together a bit more.  Once dry, I added it to a white card base along with a thin strip of Wild Wisteria cs and then stamped my sentiment (PTI) above the thin strip.  Very CAS and I love the combination of the colors together!

This card is very similar but uses more traditional Fall colors for my Maple leaves.  I also added one of the larger Maple Leaves from the same stamp set (Autumn Flowers) and then a thin strip of Pumpkin Pie and gold mirror cardstock.  This sentiment is also from PTI.

Make sure you check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT and our Special Guest Ros, and then play along with us right HERE.  Remember to keep your card CAS, use a Maple Leaf, and Water Coloring.  Don't forget that we're celebrating our 3rd Birthday too, and that we have prizes to win, so come join in...can't wait to see YOU in the gallery!!

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

CAS Stencil Oct. 2019 - Patterned Paper

Hello friends.  There's a FUN challenge over at CAS Stencil where Loll is challenging us to stencil over PATTERNED PAPER!

Last year I got rid of stacks and stacks of patterned paper because I just wasn't using it!  But guess what??  I still have lots and LOTS of patterned paper left!  How is it that I got rid of SO much but still have SO much left?!  I think it breeds when I'm not looking!  Haha!!  But anyway, I used a piece of dotted Soft Stone (PTI's Bitty Big Pattern Paper Collection) and a stencil from ARTplorations called Barley to come up with these 2 cards...

I used a blender brush and some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to stencil over the dotted PP and I love how it turned out!  I framed the piece with PTI's Pierced Feature Frames die (I know, I know, I use these dies ALL the time, but I just can't help myself...I love them!!) and then added to a white card base.  I added a simple die cut sentiment from The Greetery's Bountiful Wreath set to finish off my simple card.

Because I still had a strip of the stenciled piece left, I made a 2nd card...just added a thin strip of Soft Suede cardstock next to the Patterned and stenciled paper, and then stamped my sentiment (also from The Greetery's Bountiful Wreath set.).

Two very CAS cards and I love how both of them turned out!  I always thought stenciling over PP would be too busy, but I'm hooked now and think I need to make some more!  Seriously, give it a try...I think you'll be hooked too!!

This challenge is open till the 24th and you can check out all the wonderful inspiration from the DT and then play along right HERE.

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

Twofer Challenge #21 - SWEETS

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's Twofer Challenge where Darnell and her talented DT are looking for cards using the prompt SWEETS.

I had a brand new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp/The Kitchen Sink Stamps (a Stamptember collaboration...Gingerbread Hugs) that I had bought because the gingerbread men were so realistic looking, but once I received it, I fell in LOVE with the Peppermint candies in the set!  They are SO realistic looking too and I thought they'd be perfect for this challenge!

I realize they are VERY similar looking as far as the same colors, but hey, one's a Christmas card and one's for a December birthday!

For my Christmas card I stamped a few of the peppermints in red and a few in green and then fussy cut them out.  I added them to a Lawn Fawn shaker jar die cut (It coordinates with the How You Bean set also from Lawn Fawn) along with a white sequin mix and attached to the upper half of my card, and then stamped the sentiment (from the Gingerbread Hugs set) in the same red and green inks as the peppermint candies.  Simple but fun and bright!

A close up so you can see some of the shaker bits better.

For my birthday card I stamped a background of the peppermint candies and then added my sentiment strip...I stamped the Peppermint Kisses in two colors of red for an ombre effect, and then added the "and birthday wishes" from an older Mama Elephant stamp set in the green.  I added a strip of red glitter paper and a thin strip of green cs above the sentiment strip to provide some balance on the card and then finished with a single fussy cut peppermint candy that I pop dotted.  I liked this simple card so much that I made a 2nd one since I have 2 friends with Dec. birthdays and I think this card will be perfect for both of them!

Make sure to check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from Darnell and her DT and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Tag You're It Challenge #98 - FALL LEAVES

Hello friends.  Honored to be Guest Designing again for the Tag You're It Challenge, and it's another bright and colorful challenge with FALL LEAVES!

Have the leaves started turning color by you yet??  Ours are still mostly green yet, and they're saying we're a good two weeks behind this year because of the strange weather we've been having this year!  Sure hope they start turning soon and don't go right to Winter!!  But either way, I've colored up my own leaves in my craft room, so it's all good!

I started with a piece of Rustic Cream cs and stamped leaves from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers and Gina K's Fall Foliage with Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Mustard Seed, and Peeled Paint Distress Inks and water.  Next I die cut my tag shape (Casual Fridays) and then ran the tag through an older Sizzix embossing folder.  To bring the embossed words more into focus, I used Tea Dye Distress Ink and a sponge and lightly rubbed it over the tag.

Here's a closer up photo so you can see the actual leaves and words a little better.  I added a little acorn to put my sentiment on and added a jute bow to the stem and then finished with a piece of heavy cream bakers twine.

There are lots of BEAUTIFUL tags from all the DT, so check them all out right HERE and then play along!

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

CAS Christmas - Winter Scene

Hello friends.  Susan has a wonderful challenge over at CAS Christmas this month and is looking for a WINTER SCENE.

Quite a while ago I had won a gift certificate to Serendipity Stamps and had fun shopping, but then had never gotten around to using the stamps I bought!  So anyway, perfect timing to pull out the Winter Fenceline stamp to create my Winter scene...

I started by blending my background with Salty Ocean, Worn Lipstick, & Stormy Sky DOX inks and then splattering lightly with white acrylic paint.  Once dry, I stamped my fenceline image in Versafine Black Onyx ink and then die cut using a Lil Inkers Rectangle Stitched die.  Before attaching to my card base, I stamped the "Peace" portion of my sentiment (PTI's Think Big Favorites: #21) and then sprayed with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz.

Here's a closer up where you can kind of see the sparkle better.  Before attaching to my card base I added the rest of the sentiment ("on earth") and then added my stamped panel that I backed with some foam for a little added dimension.

One more for my Christmas stash, and I think I'm getting pretty close to being done!  Now if I can just get them all addressed and signed and actually mailed out before Christmas!!  Check out all the absolutely GORGEOUS Winter Scene cards from the DT, and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #20

Hello friends.  Playing along with the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme is "It's A Gift".

I pulled out a Pure Innocence stamp from MFT called Holiday Cheer that I thought was perfect for this challenge and came up with this card...

Isn't she a cutie all dressed up in her Winter gear and shopping for all the special people in her life?!  I colored her up with my Copics and then fussy cut her out before attaching her to a card base layered with Pure Poppy Bitty Big DSP and a kraft panel that I die cut with a Lil Inkers cover plate die that I borrowed from sweet Michele.

The sentiment is also from the Holiday Cheer set, and I finished off with a snowflake die cut from PTI's Fancy Flakes, a piece of polka dotted gross grained ribbon from my stash, and a few clear star gems (Michaels).

How is your Christmas card collection coming along?  I'm happy to say I have almost enough done thanks to challenges like the Christmas Kickstart Challenge!!  There's still a couple days left to play along in this challenge, so check out all the inspiration and play along right HERE.

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