Be Thankful

Hello and happy Friday! Autumn is finally here...the weather has cooled off and the leaves are starting to change! My card today was created for the latest If You Give A Crafter A Cookie card challenge. To create my card I started by layering some burnt orange cardstock from The Paper Studio onto my A2 white card base and then some early espresso cardstock from Stampin' UP on top of that. I then layered a piece of patterned paper from an autumn themed paper pack I picked up at the dollar spot at my local Target on top. I stamped the sentiment from a stamp I also picked up in the dollar bin at Target onto some more early espresso cardstock using Versamagic ink and heat embossed it with some Recollections detail embossing powder in snow. I cut the cardstock down into a sentiment strip, matted it onto more of the burnt orange cardstock and popped it up off of the card using foam tape from 3M. I then die cut some leaves using crumbcake, early espresso, and burnt orange cardstocks and one of the dies from the Jillian Vance Leaves and Petals die set and layered it onto the sentiment strip. To complete my card I topped it off with some white embroidery thread I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I hope you like my adorable (and ridiculously inexpensive to create) card!

 

Always Grateful-November Words To Craft By

Hello fellow crafters! I cannot believe we are already half way through November. This year is just zipping by way too quickly. Our word inspiration for W2CB this month is "When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." - Sam Lefkowitz. To create my card I started by layering some Stampin' UP chocolate chip cardstock onto my white A2 card base. I then layered some pretty patterned paper from the Echo Park Reflections Fall 12x12 paper pad on top. I stamped the beautiful tree from the Close To My Heart Always Grateful Seasons & Nature stamp set onto some white card stock and then stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set right below in Memento rich cocoa ink. To create the illusion of leaves on the trees I added some gorgeous chalk ink in pumpkin spice from Versa Magic using a Q-tip. Once dry I die cut the panel using a stitched rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs and mounted it onto some more of the same chocolate chip cardstock. To finish my card off I popped the panel up off of the card using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby and some pretty mocha sequins from The Ton. I can't wait to see how everyone was inspired by this beautiful quote!

You're So Special

Hello and happy Sunday! Not sure what's going on with Mother Nature lately but it's late April and my region is still getting chilly, winter weather but I need to mow my lawn. Go figure! Anyway, on to crafty things. My card today was created for the latest Just Us Girls card challenge. To create my card I started by stamping the Hero Arts Leaf & Floral Background stamp onto some white cardstock with Versamagic and heat embossed with clear embossing powder by Zing. I heat set the panel and then inked it using my Tim Holtz round blending tool and ocean mist and edible eggplant inks from Gina K Designs. I wiped the panel down with a clean tissue to ensure that none of the ink was left standing on the embossed areas and then mounted up off of my white A2 card base using some fun foam from Hobby Lobby. I stamped the sentiment and the peacock from the Hero Arts Beautiful Peacocks stamp set onto some white Copic-friendly cardstock and then colored the peacock using my alcohol markers and the inspiration colors. I die cut the image using a pierced edge oval die from My Favorite Things and adhered it directly onto the background panel. For a little sparkle and shine I added some shimmer to the peacock using my Spectrum Noir clear shimmer pen and added a few Recollections clear rhinestones around the sentiment. Thank you for popping by my blog today.  

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Today's card was created for the latest The Paper Players and Watercooler Wednesday Challenges. To create my card I started by embossing a piece of red cardstock with a Stampin' UP embossing folder and layering it onto my white card base. I then die cut a stitched rectangle panel using a Gina Marie Designs die and then wet embossed it using a Simon Says Stamp falling snow stencil and Ranger texture paste in white. I die cut the mittens from red cardstock using the coordinating die from the My Favorite Things Cozy Mittens stamp and die set. Using a Richard Garay sweater embossing folder I partially embossed the mittens and then stamped the details on the cuffs using some white chalk ink by VersaMagic. I stamped the Christmas trees onto some plain white cardstock using the same mittens stamp set and then die cut them using the coordinating dies. I added clear rhinestones to the tops to mimic stars and popped the images up off of the mittens using some 3M foam tape. I then die cut the cocoa mug using a die (maker unknown) and some patterned paper from the American Crafts Hot Cocoa paper pad. I colored in the cocoa portion of the drink using a dark brown Copic Marker and then added the marshmallows using the coordinating die. To finish my card I stamped the sentiment from the Essentials By Ellen Christmas Scribbles stamp set onto white cardstock using Versafine onyx black ink and popped the sentiment strip up using more foam tape. Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope you like my card!

Sending Hugs

Today's card was created for the latest Less Is More Challenge. I created my card by layering some pretty patterned paper from the American Crafts Neopolitan 12x12 paper pad onto my card base. I cut down a piece of Canson cold press watercolor paper and added some dashed lines to the edges by using a Paper Smooches edge die. I wet the paper and added a light circular wash of Tim Holtz distress ink in worn lipstick to the paper and dried it with my heat tool. I inked up the edges of one of the cute little jars I fussy cut from the same American Crafts paper pad using Versa Magic chalk ink in pink grapefruit and added some pretty crinkle ribbon from Diana Larson's shop. I glued an adorable wood veneer butterfly from American Crafts in the center for a nice touch of interest. To finish my card I stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Friendship Messages stamp set directly onto the jar and then popped the whole thing up with some 3M foam tape. I plan on sending this to my daughter who is in need of some encouragement right now.  I hope you like it and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Harvest Mouse

Today's card was created for both the STAMPlorations sketch challenge and the Color Throwdown challenge. I started with a vanilla card base and layered on a strip of patterned paper from Best Creations Autumn Splendor 12x12 paper. I added a pretty border using some red wood grain Simple Stories paper and an EK Success punch. I die cut and stamped three of the sweet mice from the My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse collection using Memento rich cocoa ink and then colored them in the color throwdown colors using Copic markers. I cut some squared out of vanilla cardstock and inked the background to look like sky using a sea breeze blue VersaMagic cat's eye ink. I applied it directly to the paper to give it a mottled look and then inked the edges lightly with some antique linen Distress Ink. I glued the mice directly to the squares and cut off any excess that didn't fit and then popped each square up using some Stampin' UP dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment using the same Memento rich cocoa ink and added a few 4mm espresso colored sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I rounded the corners using my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper and called it done. I plan on mass producing this card and sending it out as my Thanksgiving card to friends and family. I hope you like it!

Season's Greetings

My second card today was created for the Merry Monday Christmas card challenge #167 over at the Merry Monday blog. The challenge is to create a Christmas card using the inspiration photo either for a theme, color combo, or sketch. I chose to go with hearts so I broke out my WPlus9 Pretty Patches Christmas set with matching dies. I die cut three trees and hearts using the coordinating dies and then stamped them using some Memento northern pine for for the trees, VersaMagic gingerbread for the trunks, and Gina K cranberry tart for the patchwork hearts. I created my card base using some kraft cardstock I picked up at Hobby Lobby and die a side folding card. I layered on some 110lb white cardstock from Staples and stamped the same tree trunk in Gina K charcoal brown at the top to create a sort of checkerboard effect. I added a piece of beautiful plaid paper from the Carta Bella Warm & Cozy 6x6 paper collection and added a small strip of the same kraft cardstock to ground it all. I glued the hearts to the center of the trees and then popped them up onto Stampin' UP foam dimensionals to really make them pop off of the card. I cut a cute banner from an MFT banner collection and stamped the greeting from the same WPlus9 stamp set in cranberry tart and then popped it up onto foam dimensionals as well.  I rounded the corners using my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper using the 1/8" side for a slightly rounded look. I hope you like it!

CAS(E) card-Nuts About You

Today's card was created for CTS #133. I had so many ideas for the sketch but kept coming back to scattered leaves. I'm not sure why...I guess I just love fall. So, I reached for my Avocado Arts Nuts About You stamp set and stamped the leaves over and over onto some 110lb white cardstock using VersaMagic inks in Gingerbread, Mango, and Pumpkin Spice and some Colorbox chalk inks in orange, red, and green overlapping as I stamped to create a realistic pile of fall leaves. I fussy cut the leaf panel and mounted it onto another panel that I had dabbed with some VersaMagic seabreeze blue ink to create the sky. I then stamped the adorable squirrel image, the stump, and a few of the acorns onto more 110lb cardstock and colored them in using Copic markers in various shades of brown. I fussy cut them out and mounted them onto the focal panel using some Stampin' UP foam dimensionals. Love how they pop off of the page! I die cut the word nuts from some chocolate chip card stock from Stampin' UP using MFT's little lower case letter dies and mounted them onto the panel with foam dimensionals. I stamped part of the sentiment from the same Avocado Arts stamp set above and below the die cut letters. I framed the focal panel using more chocolate chip cardstock and added some dashed lines using a brown Memento dual brush marker. I mounted the whole thing onto my chocolate chip card base using some patterned papers from American Crafts Fall Crisp paper line. I just think it turned out too super cute!