Autumn Leaf Frame

 Dear crafty friends, I don't know where this week has gone and how in the world it has gotten to be October already, but, well, here we are! 

I promised a week of pumpkins from the craft room and honestly, I didn't keep up with that promise, unless you count the pumpkin baked oatmeal I cooked and ate all week! With gorgeous weather outside, crafting time has become more scarce, but I have two cards to share today. 

First up is a simple card showing a fall City scene using these lovely papers from La La Land Crafts. This is alas!, the last full sheet. I used the Autumn Leaf Wafer Die Frame (SSS) which includes pretty leaf outlines and a frame in 3 different layers. 

I cut the inner frame from Gold mirror card stock, and assembled it together with the white frame. I didn't want to cover the paper, so I backed the frame with vellum and added a bit of light orange card stock as an inlay in one leaf. 

This provided just a bit of solid color as well as giving me a place to add glue for adhering it to the card. I layered gold and white in the cuts from the Hello die. Bronze colored pearls add just a bit of pizzazz to the scene. 

The next card uses the same Autumn Leaf die, but this time without the leaves, I'm using the outer two layers of the frame. Isn't that detail pretty? 

 

The Thanks, Hello, and Hugs are included with the die set. And here you have the pumpkins! The base layer and pumpkin images  (SSS - Stitched Pumpkins) were cut of colored card stock and shaded with sponged ink. 

It feels good having had this time together, I appreciate your visit!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I am entering this at:
NBUS - The Leaf Die is new! Can you believe it's Darnell's 91st challenge!
and SSS Wednesday Challenge - ATG using LaLa Land crafts

Loving plaids for autumn!

Hello friends!  It's time for a new Challenge at Tic Tac Toe and Betty has some wonderful options for us for this go round. 

Oh yes please, plaid it is for me! I tried my new SSS Stripes and Plaid Builder Stencils and made my own plaid for today's card. Have a look.  

I chose Distress Oxide inks to create the plaid in Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Barn Door, and Mahogany. A skinny strip over the colors is White craft ink. This was so much fun, I can't wait to do it again! 

The middle row across is what I went with: Plaid, FREE, Foliage but I also included Orange, Die Cuts, and Embossing.  The leaves (Penny Black) were die cut of card stock and smooshed to include additional hues. The embossed sentiment (Gina K) was placed atop a tag embellished with a twine bow. 

I can't wait to see what you will make! Thanks for your visit, and be sure to check the great samples Team X has for you. Mostly we want you to have fun!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Loving Pumpkins!

Hi! I'm happy to welcome you to my blog today, it's the first day of fall and I'm enjoying a cool day here in the southeast. Yaay! Time to bring out new fall goodies.  I'm loving pumpkins and I'm declaring it pumpkins week in the craft room. Here's a card for you! 

This great pumpkin is made from the Layered Pumpkin Wafer Die by Simon Says Stamp. I mean GREAT, it is really big! I love the layers and added inking and stenciled patterns to individual pieces to give it even more texture. Also featured is the new Opulent HAPPY Wafer Die from SSS as well. The leaves and Thanksgiving sentiment are from other bits of craft room finds. I experimented a lot for the pumpkin pieces; sorry there aren't more details. My desk was covered with card stock, inks and stencils. 

Some challenges I'm entering: 
NBUS - the pumpkin and Happy dies are new!
Just Us Girls - have a mood board, I was inspired by the pumpkins

Happy crafting, make it a GREAT day!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

JOY for Today

 Hi there on a Friday, hope you are doing well. I got a head start on some crafting and I have a card to share using mostly new supplies.  You know, I like mental challenges. Crossword puzzles and board games are fun. You won't be surprised that my favorite and best mental challenges come from -you guessed it- card challenges. 

My clues for today came from Freshly Made  Sketches challenge! 

Choosing papers was the easy part, I loved using the Washi Paper again (La La Land Crafts). Soft inking provides a bit of color on the die cuts of Serene Blooms (SSS), which have such lovely texture! I added a strip of gold mirror card stock  above the paper and die cut gold leaves.

The sentiment was stamped and hand cut, and added in keeping with the sketch. I really love the sentiments included with the new-to-me Today and Everyday Stamps (SSS.)

The sketch helped me come up with a card I never would have thought of. And I really like it! 

I'm adding this also the the SSS Wednesday Challenge - Clean and Simple. and Love Those Pretty Papers - Fall. 

I will be off now for weekend things. Probably taking the last chance to cool off in the pool. Hoping you've enjoyed your visit! I will see you again soon. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Inks used: Altenew -  Heartbeat, and Distress Oxide - Antique Linen and Rusty Hinge

Garden Pail Florals for Fall

 Hello crafty friends, welcome to a new week! The 90-degree temps outside scream summer, but in my craft space we are definitely in fall mode. 

I have a set of wonderful new dies that I've used for today's card. The Garden Pail Florals from Memory Box were a recent "win" from SSS and I couldn't wait to create with them! 

The flowers are so versatile and easy to arrange, I see them being used in lots of different ways on future cards. 

I die cut the florals and greenery with white card stock, and colored them by inking. I wanted again, that soft peachy look, and achieved it with DXO inks in Dried Marigold and just a bit of Abandoned Coral. 

For the pail, I used woodgrain paper from my stash, but added more of the grainy stripes using a stamp for a more rustic look. Recently I bought some brads and decided they were in keeping with the theme. They were added to the sentiment. 

Again, I am happily playing along with the challenges at: 
Tic Tac Toe - vertical row left: Woodgrain, Ink Blending, Metal Embellishment - thanks to Jolanda  for these great ideas!
NBUS - the memory Box dies are new
Just Us Girls - their BOLD challenge includes BOLD backgrounds so      I'm hoping this contrasting BG qualifies 
A Cut Above ATG

Thanks so very much for your visit, as always, I so appreciate you taking the time to come by. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Gifts of Fall

 It's been a low key Saturday and I've had some crafty fun with assorted elements for fall. I'm here to share! 

I've assembled lots of my old and new fall supplies in a box nearby, so hopefully I create with many of them before the next season and Christmas card making is in full swing. 

For today's card, I began with the sketch from Freshly Made. Choosing soft peach card stock, I made the triple panel from the sketch by using two colors and the same embossing folder. The large leaf as the focal point works well, and is backed with a vellum circle. I wish the photo could show the maple leaf's true color - more pink than orange. I had trouble getting a good picture!

I added a few small leaf dies and softly inked the edges. A  rose gold embossed sentiment and liquid pearls are the simple embellishments. 

Hope you have a great day and enjoy the gifts it brings you. Thanks for your visit! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!     

Supplies:
cards stocks are from Spellbinders and Concord & 9
EF - Penny Black, Variegated
The large leaf - The Greetery, small leaves are from C9 Leafy Layers Die
Sentiment is Altenew - Build A Garden Elegant Tulips

Also added to:
SSS Wednesday Challenge  - add texture
The Four Season Challenge 
TicTacToe Challenge 
I chose the middle row: Ink blending ( on the small leaves), free, leaves

Dainty Daisies and Golden Moments

 Greeting you on this fall-ish day with a warm hello! I began wanting to use the Dainty Daisies stamps and dies (Penny Black) for today's card and I envisioned a simple clean card on a white base. As you can see, that is NOT what happened! The Double D asks for vases or pitchers for their challenge and that is what changed everything!

Finally deciding upon the vase I brought in the papers from Golden Moments (PB) to cut it out and then continued with a rusty/gold subtle pattern for the card front. I would not give up on using a vase even though I really didn't have one. Call me stubborn - or let's say tenacious! Altenew's Elegant Tulips supplied the vase and sentiment.

I do really like the daisies and especially the pretty border stamps with this set. Also available from Penny Black is a lovely vase in the perfect style and proportions. Maybe I did need it, laughing now. I did need and enjoyed a good challenge.

Thanks so much, it's been good to see you today! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I will be entering the challenges at:
Double D - Vases or Pitchers
NBUS - first time using the Daisies
Four Seasons - Fall
A Cut Above
Penny Black Saturday Challenge 

Sweet Chickadees

 Hey, isn't it great that September is here! It's one of my favorite months of the year. This morning I sat and listened as the birds were singing on the patio and splashing in the water from the sprinkler. I love birds almost as much as I love stamping. 

Finding a new embossing folder that comes with a die to cut the chickadees was intriguing and here you can see the result! 

I used Hammermill white card stock, and ran it through with the EF. Then using a damp brush and my watercolor paints I washed in a pale blue background around the leaves and branches. After letting it dry, the next step involved watercoloring the leaf images and branches, carefully. Lastly, the chickadees were die cut, then embossed, then colored with my colored pencils. I also used those to add details to the leaves. Popping up the birds adds dimension, and the texture of the embossing is so nice! 

I added Nuvo drops in black to accent the eyes, a banner with pearls and a birthday wish. 

Today is a special day! The birthday cake is in the oven. The family is gathering later. Life is good! Wishing you smiles and happy thoughts today!

I will enter this to:
The Paper Players Challenge, using Texture, Free and Things that Fly

NBUS - love the new EF and dies!
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 
Simon Says Stamp - Chickadee Gathering Embossing Folder and Die
Card Stock from Spellbinders
Banner and Greeting - The Greetery

My Cup of Tea

 Hi, happy Friday to you, hope all is going well! I had a lot going on yesterday, I was preparing a meal to take to a friend who recently lost her husband, and in between cooking I puttered around with a few leftover bits in my craft room for today's card. No stamping, just paper and dies!

As I mulled over Michele's new design for Freshly Made Sketches, I remembered a floral image that I had already prepared with white over embossing and decided to make it into a pretty tea cup.

 The story proceeded from there!  I pulled out those pretty new papers in my hoard and was pleased to find this pattern with the same type of flower as those on the cup. AHA! 

You know my cup of tea always perks me up, so why not feature it on a get well card? Hope you have a great weekend, friends! Wish we could sit awhile over a cup of tea, what a nice visit that would be, especially with cooler weather we've been having. Be back soon. 
Supplies listed below, mostly oldies, I'm happy to say. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Sharing this at:
Freshly Made Sketches
Love Those Pretty Papers
SSS Wednesday Challenge - Waffle Flower

Supplies: 

Card stock from SSS - I Want It All Card Stock    (Moon flower) 
DSP - La La Lands Crafts, Washi Paper
Dies: Frantic Stamper - Get Well Wishes; The Greetery - Cozy Cup Coastal Die; Waffle Flower Tea Cup Die
EF - Altenew - Piped Floral Lace

Perfect Peonies

Hi friends, it's time for a new way to play at Tic Tac Toe Challenge! Roseanne is our designer for the board for Team X. It's a good one! I was delighted to discover that Dawn Woleslagle designed a new stamp set for Honey Bee stamps; Perfect Peonies stamps and dies feature her beautiful images in a 6 x 8 format. 

I love that the set has large image options because I love to color and the blooms provide a large focal point. This time I used Copic markers in order to achieve the bright colors as called for in the challenge. I chose the vertical right column of Sparkle, Birthday, Bright Colors.  

I added shine with gold flat sequins which, if you know me, you know I LOVE to bling with.  Dotted flower centers were enhanced with a white gel pen. The lace border is the Eyelet Scallop Border from Spellbinders. 

There are so many options for your creations,  I hope you will have fun and join us. 

Thanks so much for visiting me today. I'm always glad to have you! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Anchored in Hope

 Happy new day! 

Today I'm sharing a card made in honor of the 800th challenge at The Paper Players, can you believe it? Those designers have been inspiring us for a long time! I'm excited to remember that it was one of the first challenges that I took part in way back when I started my first blog (2007). It's still one of the best card challenges out there. I'm pleased to mention that I had the privilege of being on their design team for a year, it was wonderful. 

Back to today...I'm caught up in the last days of summer in my thoughts. Here's my card!

I took a literal version of this timeless sketch that is the same one the Players used on their first post. 

I began by choosing an aqua card stock for the base layer, and I sponged ink around the edges. It's my first time using the Waffle Flower Craft Dies - Floral Anchor. I love that these dies contain individual flowers and leaves but also included are two dies that feature the same flowers already arranged in groupings. That made it easy!  I embellished my clean and layered card with black twine and pearls. 

Thank you, Paper Players!! 
I'm playing also in the following challenges: 
NBUS where I'm using the new dies and sentiment
The Card Concept Summer by the Sea, clean and layered style is  inspired by the title
We Love Stamping Summer Blooms

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies:
DSP is Pink & Main -  Bright Botannicals

sentiment is also Waffle Flower - Overlapping hugs Additions

Stars and Sunshine

 I'm back with another challenge card today, happy Friday, friends! 

You know how I love card challenges, they help by keeping me growing as a stamper and having fun as someone who has a bit of time on her hands (usually!). That translates to keeping me out of trouble. Yesterday's card (HERE) was for a sketch challenge and today I'm back with TAKE 2 on the same sketch from Cecile from Freshly Made Sketches.  I've been thinking on this sketch overnight. 

You'd be amazed both of my takes are from the same challenge idea, but it just shows how easy it is to focus on one thing or another thing altogether when creating from a sketch. It all depends how the inspiration strikes you! 

I used a square card this time (4.5 x 4.5"), with a smaller stitched die cut square featuring a scene. For the focal image I used a seaside image and the tall lighthouse mimics the diamond shape in the sketch. 

I stamped the images using a masking technique onto Canson watercolor paper with Watering Can Archival ink, and painted in the details with Distress Re-inkers. 

The sky shows the morning and night sky both to illustrate the sentiment, as its found on the stamp packaging. I dabbed a few stars with a white gel pen. 

I am so happy to be using the Grounded & Glowing set from Penny Black for the first time. I keep looking for stamps that vary from my normal flowers and feminine vibes, and this one is working for me! I loved having a reason to pull out the watercolors.

Speaking of inspiration, the DT samples for this sketch are fabulous!

Thanks so much for your visit, I will see you soon! 

Also playing with my new stamps at NBUS Challenge #89.  and Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Looking Forward to Fall

 Hi, I sure am looking forward to fall, especially since our temps are still high 90's and it's so very HOT! We were at the beach last week and we had a daily heat advisory so we couldn't be outside as much as we would have liked. Had a good time anyway! 

Back at home in my craft room, I put together today's clean and simple card using a fun mix of oldies for fall. 

I was inspired by The Paper Players challenge and Freshly Made Sketch Challenge. 

I"m also looking forward to some crafting with new goodies and more time to play next week. Hope you will stop back. I appreciate your visit, I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Blues for a Beautiful Day

 It's not my team up for the new challenge at Tic Tac Toe but I just couldn't resist playing along with the fabulous board created by Jeanie for Challenge #299. The monochromatic option got the creative juices flowing for me! 

It was a great opportunity to feature the Foliage Flair stamps and stencils by Pinkfresh Studios. I stamped the image in black ink, and used Distress Oxide Inks with the stencil to apply shades of blue, cobalt and teal to the design. The flowing lines of the foliage and blooms pair beautifully with the simple color combo.   

I went with the middle vertical row of Monochromatic, Gems and Coordinated Envelope. I love that I had the lovely blue gems from Altenew (Gem Sparkles - Deep Sea Sapphire.) They really sparkle!  

Happily it's my first time using the stamps and stencils so you know I'm headed to Darnell's fabulous NBUS challenge to share. 

I'm glad we had this chance to meet up today. I'm wishing you a beautiful day!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 

Foliage Flair bundle

DOX inks: Blueprint Sketch, Broken China, Salty Ocean
Sentiment is from Altenew Craft Your Life Watercolor Flowers kit