Color Hues #122 - TEAL & SILVER

Hello friends.  Hard to believe we're half way through November already, isn't it?!!  Our wonderful leader Nancy at Color Hues has chosen a color pairing that I think is just perfect to finish up those last minute Christmas cards...

Isn't that a beautiful color pairing?!!  I had recently won a random prize drawing from Jo over at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge, and the prize was a TH Ornamental Birds die set...I think it worked perfectly for this color challenge! Take a look...

I die cut all my pieces from Tranquil Teal cs (Gina K), silver mirror cs & silver glitter cs and then ink blended the Tranquil Teal pieces.  I tried using Tranquil Teal ink to blend with at first, but it just wasn't showing up, so I used just a bit of black ink to darken the edges of the bird and ornament and make them stand out a bit more.  

 Once my die cut pieces were glued together, I worked on the background...a piece of dry embossed cs using HB's Burlap ef and PB's double frames, with foam tape between the two frame layers.  The die set has a die to punch out all the TEENY TINY dots to form the string between the bird & ornament, but I gave up pretty quickly as I was making a mess with the glue and the dots sticking everywhere I didn't want them.  I ended up using some very small crystal gems that came all attached in rows to use instead, and it finished off the card perfectly!  I left the sentiment for the inside so as not to take away from the CAS look to this card.

The DT and our Special GD's Loll and Joanne have some beautiful cards to share with you for inspiration and you can find them all right HERE!  We would love to see all of you in the gallery using this beautiful color pairing!  This challenge is open till Saturday, Nov. 29th @ 9:00AM.

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

The Flower Challenge Reminder #108

Hello friends.  I'm back with a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge, where this month we're looking for Thank You cards...with flowers of course!!

I have a bit of thanking to do with a fellow DT member who kindly let me cut a basket using a die from HB (Rattan Basket) that she brought this past Summer when we had a play date and also enabled me to buy another HB set called Lovely Layers: Autumn Bouquet.  Thanks Bobby!!  Here's what I came up with using the basket and flower dies...

Now some people might call these weeds, but I think they're beautiful, so they're definitely FLOWERS in my book!  I had die cut the basket in kraft and then inked around the edges to give a bit of definition.  I used sandable cardstock to die cut my flowers and leaves and then arranged them in the basket.

 I attached the basket of flowers to a background that I embossed using SSS's Fall Foliage 3D embossing folder. I also ink blended on the edges of the embossed background to differentiate it from the card base (PTI's Rustic Cream cs).  I finished with a Tiny Tag (PTI) for my sentiment and used twine to attach it to the handle of the basket.  A pretty simple card really, but I love the way it turned out!

The DT has some beautiful examples of floral thank you cards that you can find right HERE, so check them out and play along with us!  Remember that Christmas is coming and we all could use a few extra thank you cards for gifts we receive.  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Nov. 25th @ 5:00PM.  

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

A Little Bit of Winter

Hello friends.  We had a surprise dusting of Winter early this week, so it seemed appropriate to pull out a favorite snowflake stamp and have a little fun inside! The snow is gone now but the chill is still in the air, so I know more will be coming again...darn it!!  I love paper snowflakes...the real ones not as much!  They're pretty, but I just don't like being out in them anymore...guess I'm showing my age!  But anyway, here's what I came up with...

I used Verena's sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge to make my card and went just a tiny bit rogue and made the card using the book binding technique.  I started with a single layer of Boho Blue cs (SU!) and then attached a piece of white cs that was cut at 3 1/2" x 9 1/2" and scored at 4 3/4" and again at 3 3/4" to form the book binding.  I added a 1" strip of dsp (PTI) to stamp my sentiment on and then stamped the giant snowflake (Colorado Craft Co. - Wishes Snowflake) in Boho Blue ink.

 I did spray the snowflake with Sheer Shimmer Mist Sparkle, so it really sparkles IRL!  I also added a strip of silver glitter cardstock between the snowflake and the dsp, and also tied some white baker's twine between the two. I finished with a few iridescent clear drops from PFS and called it good.

I'd like to enter this card into the Freshly Made Sketches challenge and also the JUGS challenge where it's WORD week and the word is WINTER.

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

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #104 - Just Add Antlers

Hello friends.  Playing along with the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for Antlers to be added to our Christmas cards.

As soon as I saw this challenge, I knew right away which stamp I was going to use...MFT's Reindeer Games!  This little Pure Innocence girl hasn't seen ink in quite some time, and this challenge was a perfect time to bring her out again.  Take a look at this cutie...

Don't you just love her headband with the Antlers and the strand of colored lights?!  I stamped her and then colored her with my Copics before using the coordinating die to cut her out.  Next I used Glossy Accents to the light bulbs and her nose before setting her aside to dry.  I added a bit of light turquoise shading to the left and bottom of my card base, and then added the 2 scalloped frames from PFS's Stitched Scalloped Rectangles.

To finish I added the sentiment (also from the Reindeer Games stamp set), a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K) and a bit of red & white baker's twine tied around the outer scalloped frame.  Pretty simple, but so cute and sweet (IMHO!)!!

Cute inspiration cards from Jo and her Guest Elf Vicki Ruta to get you started and lots more already in the gallery!  You can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till the end of the month.

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

Fall Wreath

Hello friends.  Does it still feel like Fall to you where you live?  The past few days here in West Michigan have been very windy and a good portion of the colorful leaves are all over the ground instead of being on the trees yet...ie, LOTS of raking to be done!!  I raked up a few leaves here in my craft room and made a Fall wreath to play along in a couple challenges, and here's what I came up with...

 This past Summer my sweet friend Bobby gifted me a Tim Holz Festive Wreath die set and I've been having more fun with it...it's meant for Christmas and I've already made a Halloween card with it (HERE), and now a Fall card. I guess I need to get busy and make a Christmas card with it, but I'm not ready to wish Fall away just yet!  So anyway, for this card I started with a piece of rustic white cs (PTI) and embossed it with an ancient Cuttlebug embossing folder with all sorts of Fall words on it (rustling leaves, hot apple cider, thankfulness, Autumn, blessings, etc.). Then I started building my wreath by die cutting all the small pieces that Tim is so famous for. Here's a closer up so you can see better...

The base of the wreath is kraft card stock using the grapevine die, but I also added another layer to the wreath using one of the dies from PFS's Tied with Cheer die set from a darker green cs.  I used a lot of scraps of the Sizzix sandable cs for the pinecones, orange slices (I LOVE those!!), berry sprigs (in orange & purple), leaves, and more greenery sprigs. Other than the background ef and the one layer of the wreath using the PFS die, everything is from the Tim Holtz set.  I did not add a sentiment as there are already words embossed from the ef and I didn't want to clutter up the card with anything else. Lots of fiddly work on this card but I love the way it turned out! 

Kim over at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge has a wonderful sketch that works beautifully for a wreath, so I will be entering my card over there, as well as with the gals over at the Double D Challenge where they are looking for Fall Wreaths.

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

The Flower Challenge #108 - THANKS

Hello friends.  It's November already and where has the year gone?!  Way too fast for me!!  But anyway, welcome back to another challenge here at The Flower Challenge where we are looking for Thank You cards with flowers.

My card may not look like an Autumn thank you card, but I like working ahead and made this card back in July, so that's why the colors are bright and colorful!  

I used a stamp and stencil combo from PFS called Garden Medley to create my floral background and then adhered it to a black mat and white card base.  I just love the combination of all the different flowers and being able to use so many different colors to create this background!

I added a Skinny Ric Rac die cut frame (PTI) to add just a subtle something extra and then finished with a die cut Thank You from MB and a small gold butterfly from SU!.  Definitely a pretty Summer-y card for November, but hey, it's Summer somewhere, right?! Haha!!

Make sure you check out what the rest of the DT came up with for Thankful cards for inspiration to get you started and then play along with us...we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!!  Check out the inspiration and info all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Nov. 25th @ 5:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #710

Hello friends.  Playing with the gals over at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge where Linda has a fun and easy sketch to follow...

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

I was looking for another die from SSS when I ran across the Lined Trees die set and figured it was high time I used it!  I die cut the 3 trees from a hot pink scrap and two shades of green (not sure of the color or manufacturer as they were all from my scrap bin) and simply added them to an embossed background (SSS - Snowflake Visions) and a couple snow hills using The Greetery's Snow Hills dies.

I finished with one of my favorite sentiments from PTI called Think Big Favorites: #20.  And a clear star gem on the top of each tree.  Easy peasy and done!  Lots of great ideas using this sketch from the DT that you can find right HERE.  This challenge is open till 3:00PM TODAY.

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

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!