Defined Modern & Vintage Birthday - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   I've held on to this card for a little bit before sharing as I wanted to make sure the birthday person got to see it first!  We always get my mother in law an annual pass at her local botanical gardens for her birthday gift and this year I wanted to match the card to the garden/plant theme.  I thought that the colors seemed a bit modern and were a nice contrast to the vintage dictionary page background.  I saw the colors on an ad for bedding and saved it for inspiration.

  I started with a Bumblebee card base and then a piece of Crumb Cake topped with a distressed and stamped piece of long retired Typeset DSP.  I stamped off the images several times before stamping the page and then I crumpled it up a few times before adhering to get a nice wrinkled and worn look.

  The Tasteful Label is Crumb Cake and is stamped with the speckled stamp from Forever Fern and then the edges are sponged.  The leaf sprigs are stamped in Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam and Crumb Cake and sponged with Crumb Cake ink.  I popped them up with dimensionals on the label and added a Bumblebee twill ribbon knot.

  The sentiment is from Posted for You and is stamped in Crumb Cake on Soft Sea Foam cardstock and also sponged with Crumb Cake ink.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Posted for You

Ink: Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam, Crumb Cake

Paper: Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Typeset DSP (retired)

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, Forever Flourishing dies, Bumblebee twill ribbon, dimensionals

Pumpkin Line Up - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I have gotten the most use out of the Banner Year stamp set this fall and I continue to find new designs to use it on.  My share today is for 2 challenges one is an Autumn/Fall theme at Stampin' Up! Only challenge and the other is a sketch challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches.  I'm trying to get all my Thanksgivng cards ready well before I need to send them out so I thought these 2 challenges together would be perfect!

  At first look this sketch challenge is a simple one with 9 images in a block pattern but it's actually a bit tough to get right if you want things lined up just so.  I pulled out my stamparatus to get my pumpkins lined up just so.  I  moved the plate across one notch each time and changed the ink color for each one then repeating the pattern for the next 2 rows.  I always hold my breath on the last few images because I'm afraid I'll goof up and have to start all over!  This one came out well on the first try.

  The colors are a fun autumn palette and being that the challenge is a clean and simple one I kept the rest of the embellishments to a minimum with only gold embossing for the sentiment and a double length of linen thread for the bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Bumblebee, Cinnamon Cider, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Cinnamon Cider, Very Vanilla

Accessories: gold embossing powder, linen thread

Colorwash Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   Sympathy cards are never fun to design and I feel like I've been making a lot of them lately (for myself to send out as well as some special orders).  Luckily I've relied on some wonderful challenges to get this one made.  I didn't have to do much other than choose a stamp set!

  My colors come from Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge, and the layout is actually the same for 2 different challenges; Global Design Project and The Paper Players.  Great minds think alike on those Design Teams!

   The Forever Fern leaves are stamped in Versamark on watercolor paper and then heat embossed in white.  I brushed the colors onto the paper with an aquapainter and dried them with my heat tool between each color to prevent the colors from mixing.

  The sentiment from the retired Petite Pairs is embossed in white and cut out with the Stitched Shapes dies and popped on dimensionals over a bit of retired Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon wrapped around the corner. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Petite Pairs (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Blackberry Bliss, Night of Navy, Bumblebee 

Paper: Night of Navy, Bumblebee, watercolor paper

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched Shapes dies, white embossing powder, Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon (retired)

Gilded Autumn Thank You - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Autumn

   It's always nice to say thank you so I was busy last week making my monthly customer thank you cards.  The Gilded Autumn DSP is a great starting place and I wanted to show off a lot of it at once so I paired it up with the Rectangular Postage punch.

 My card fits into the Just Add Ink challenge which is a Just Choose Two; sequins, ribbon, metallic foil.  I went with ribbon and Metallic foil.

  I started with a Very Vanilla thick card base.  I used my Stamparatus to stamp the sentiment so it would be in the same place for all 15 cards.  I used Mint Macaron for this layer and after stamping embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  

  I punched out all the different Gilded Autumn DSP patterns with the postage punch and then layered them across the Mint Macaron panel.  I discovered I had an almost full roll of retired Early Espresso seam binding ribbon that worked perfectly across the postage punches.

  Finally, I used the Autumn Punch pack and the Brushed Metallic sheets to punch out the leaves and acorn.  I popped them up with mini dimensionals on the ribbon.

  So there might not be much stamping on this card but with the fun punches and classic foil accents I'm pleased with the final result.  And 15 of these came together very quickly so if you need a design for upcoming Thanksgiving cards it's a good option!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Autumn

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Mint Macaron, Gilded Autumn DSP, Brushed Metallic cardstock

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Rectangular Postage punch, Autumn punch pack, dimensionals, seam binding ribbon (retired)

Winter Wreath - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   This weekends weather was so wacky I didn't know if I should be getting my swim suits back out or hunkering down at home with long johns and wool sweaters!  Saturday was 80 and sunny and it was hot watching soccer games!  And then along comes Sunday and the temperature drops 30+ degrees and brought in rain and a bit of breeze.  Brrrrrr!  It was unpleasant watching soccer games on Sunday for sure.  It's still cool and damp this morning but luckily there are no soccer games to watch so I can stay inside and be warm!

  My card today combines 2 challenges; the layout is from CAS(e) This Sketch and I hope it's CAS enough for them...I feel like I restrained myself with the snowflakes and accessories but maybe not!  And the gorgeous colors come from the Color Throwdown Challenge.  

  The card base is Crumb Cake, then a layer of Cherry Cobbler and then an embossed layer of Very Vanilla.  The retired Winter Knit embossing folder is a nice cozy texture for winter cards.  I had a strip of 'Tis the Season DSP that was just the right width for the sketch so I used that next.

  To build up my wreath I first cut in Very Vanilla the wreath/medallion die cut from the Painted Labels dies.  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in the center with Cherry Cobbler ink.

  I stamped a few snowflakes in Crumb Cake and Cherry cobbler then fussy cut them out and layered them at the bottom of the wreath along with a few Crumb Cake sprigs cut with the Curvy dies.  I popped the Cherry Cobber snowflakes with dimensionals and added adhesive pearls to the centers to all three.   The last detail is a gold twine bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, 'Tis the Season DSP

Accessories: Painted Labels dies, Curvy dies, Winter Knit embossing folder (retired), dimensionals, adhesive pearls, gold twine

Halloween Sampler - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

 Happy Fab Friday Challenge day!  We're back at it again with a great color combination to help you stretch your stamping skills!  And it's a big day for us at Fab Friday; it's our 200th challenge!  Wow!  I've been on the Design Team from the beginning more than 8 years ago and have loved being a part of this talented group!  I hope you'll join in and help us celebrate by sharing your card to our challenge gallery!

  Now don't be intimidated by the 5 colors because really black is a neutral and so easy to incorporate into a card.  I definitely only saw Halloween when I got a look at these colors so that's what I went with.

  I mixed and matched images from the Festive Post and Banner Year stamp sets to make this spooky sampler using our challenge colors.  Each panel is stamped and then punched out with the Rectangular post stamp punch.  For the bat and spider web panels I punched them smaller to fit the space; it's so nice to have a punch that is versatile like that!

  After getting all the panels arranged and popped with dimensionals over the Old World Paper embossed black card front I added some sequins, rhinestones, enamel dots , candy dots (when will I ever finish them??) and black baker's twine.  The October 31 panel is covered with clear Wink of Stella instead of an embellishment as I didn't have any left that matched!

  I can't wait to see what you share in our gallery!  For more inspiration see what the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team created!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year, Festive Post

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, white craft

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Garden Green, Highland Heather

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Rectangular Postage punch, dimensionals, Shimmer black embossing powder (retired) Wink of Stella, black bakers twine, sequins, rhinestones, enamel dots, candy dots (retired)

Curvy Birthday Bird - Stampin' Up! Quite Curvy

     It's a birthday card that I've got today and I'm going to share it with the SUO Challenge as they've got the birthday theme as their current challenge.  I made this one for one of my aunts birthdays and I thought the garden and bird theme fit her as she has a lovely yard that she works hard on.

  I am having quite a fun time using the new Stampin' Up! Curvy Celebrations suite that will soon be available for customers.  I had tucked this color combination away a while back and thought that it would work for this card.

  I started with a Just Jade card base.  I cut a piece of Whisper White with the Curvy dies and then embossed it with the Greenery embossing folder.  I added a length of black satin ribbon before adhering it to the card front.  

  The flower boughs and bird were stamped in Memento black and colored with Stampin' Blends (colors listed below).  I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and added them with dimensionals to the card front.  

  The sentiment is also stamped in Memento black and a few In Color enamel dots in Just Jade are sprinkled around.

  Not a complicated, detailed design but I love how the colors pop and those curves are a fun addition to my general square and straight layouts!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Quite Curvy

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Just Jade light & dark, Mango Melody light, Daffodil Delight light

Paper: Just Jade, Whisper White

Accessories: Curvy dies, dimensionals, enamel dots, black sating ribbon (retired)

Sweet Mug - Stampin' Up! Welcome to the Team

   I'm playing along with the Festive Friday challenge and their "National Cappuccino Day" theme.  They've got a fun list of elements to incorporate into your project.  I used the hot drinks theme, twine, die cut and brown.

   I was pretty proud of myself for using some retired DSP as well as a retired stamp set.  It's always satisfying for me to know that I have a particular DSP saved in my closet that would be perfect for a challenge theme.  It makes me feel better for hanging onto some retired items!

  I pulled all my colors directly from the retired Coffee Break DSP so the card base is Garden Green and then the layers of DSP.  The Stitched Shape circle is also Garden Green.  I stamped just the steam from the mug at the top.  

  The mug is from the retired set Welcome to the Team which I've hung onto as some of the images and sentiments are good for my husband for work related cards.  Since the mug image has words inside it I used my Early Espresso marker to just color the mug portion and then stamped it onto Whisper White paper.  I used the Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends to color it in and used the color lifter marker to pull up some color for a less uniform look.  Once it was all colored I fussy cut it and popped it on the circle with dimensionals.

  The sentiment strip is made with stamps from the Banner Year set and popped to the side with dimensionals.

  A Garden Green baker's twine bow and some retired candy dots finish the embellishments for this quick card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year, Welcome to the Team (retired)

Ink: Early Espresso, Garden Green

Blends: Balmy Blue light & dark, color lifter

Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Coffee Break DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Garden Green baker's twine (retired), candy dots (retired)

Rosebreasted Grosbeak Christmas - Stampin' Up! Birds & Branches

   Stampin' Up! has release quite a few stamp sets in the past year or 2 that feature some adorable birds and I have to admit that I can't resist.  Just looking quickly at my current sets I have 6 that have at least one bird image.  Good thing birds work for all seasons!

  When I saw the CAS Christmas Card challenge to use birds there was no way I was passing that up! 

  Since it's a clean and simple challenge I kept my layers and embellishments to a minimum.  The card base is Sahara Sand and before adhering the top layer I tied a bit of Cherry Cobbler bakers twine around the card front.  I found it in my ribbon scrap bin and I think it was left from a tag kit or Paper Pumpkin kit.

  I cut a Stitched Rectangle out of Whisper White and then lightly sponged a rectangle in Pool Party using a homemade stencil.  The branch is stamped across the sponged rectangle in Sahara Sand and the leaves are added in Shaded Spruce.  In my continuing quest to use up the hundreds of retired candy dots I have I added a few to the branches as berries but the more I look at it I think they may look more like apples or cherries instead of winter berries!  Oh well.  

  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in Memento black and the bird and bird legs are also stamped in the same ink.  I colored the breast of the bird to look like a Rosebreasted Grosbeak or as close as my poor coloring skills could make it.  Maybe one day I'll see one at my bird feeder but for now this guy on the card will have to do!  Once he was colored I cut him out and popped him on the branch with dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birds & Branches, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Shaded Spruce, Memento Black

Blends: Cherry Cobbler light & dark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Birds & More dies, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine (retired), candy dots (retired), dimensionals

Snowflake Trio - Stampin' Up! Curvy Christmas

   I hope you all had a nice weekend!  I spent most of Saturday relaxing and reading a few books as the boys soccer games were cancelled due to the fields being so wet from the end of the week rain.  With all that unexpected free time I definitely vegged out and didn't even head to the stamp room.  Luckily I have a card that I made last week to show today.

  I used the CAS(e) This Sketch layout and paired it up with a brand new stamp set Curvy Christmas that I received last week. 

  I usually don't get new stamp sets outside of the regular new catalog demonstrator preorders but I had to place an order the other day for some basics that I was low on and took a closer look at the Curvy Celebrations suite that will be available for customers in November.  Well there was certainly enough in the 2 stamp sets and dies to catch my attention so I thought "why not?".  I put the Curvy Christmas stamp set right to work.

  I started with a Misty Moonlight card base topped with a piece of Snowflake Splendor DSP with 2 snowflakes stamped and embossed in Shimmer white embossing powder.  Following the sketch challenge I added the third snowflake die cut with Balmy Blue Shimmer paper.  A sequin and rhinestone decorate the center for some added sparkle.

I stamped the cute little line of pine trees in Night of Navy on Whisper White and then fussy cut around them as the matching dies couldn't give me the look I was going for.  After they were cut out I colored them in with my Misty Moonlight light Blends marker.

  The sentiment is stamped in Misty Moonlight and then I added a thin line of Shimmery Crystal Effects following the curve of the tree line.  And then the whole panel is popped on the DSP with dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Curvy Christmas, Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Night of Navy, Misty Moonlight, Versamark

Blends: Misty Moonlight light

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Whisper White, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Balmy Blue Shimmer paper

Accessories: Shimmery Crystal Effects, dimensionals, Shimmer white embossing powder (retired), rhinestone, sequin

Sparkle and Moonlight - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   If today isn't a good day to stay in and stamp I don't know what is!  It's been raining cats and dogs here in Richmond all morning and I'm glad I didn't have any plans to go out.  After I get my daily blogging finished as well as a few chores I think I'll be getting cozy in my stamp room for the rest of the day.

  Right now I'm sharing a Christmas card I made using the color challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  I've really enjoyed participating in these year long Christmas challenges to build up my stockpile.  I feel like I can be a little more creative and make some more time consuming designs when I see that Christmas is still a ways off on the calendar.  I don't put such pressure on myself to get them all done as fast as I can.  I loved the blue and kraft colors this time and set right to work.

   This photo really doesn't do justice to how sparkly this card is in real life.  I started with a Misty Moonlight card base then topped that with a piece of Crumb Cake with the corners rounded and stamped the larger snowflakes in Versamark then embossed them with the retired Shimmer White embossing powder.  I definitely think Stampin' Up! should bring back the black and white Shimmer embossing powders.  I use them all the time and will be sad when I've finished my little jars.  After embossing I stamped the smaller snowflake clusters in the open areas with white craft ink.  I tied a piece of the Misty Moonlight twill ribbon around the panel before adhering it to the card front.

  The Layering Oval dies made quick work of the base for my tree with the Whisper White one being embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.  The ovals are popped on dimensionals.

  The Tree Angle Christmas tree is stamped in Versamark on Misty Moonlight cardstock then also embossed with the Shimmer White powder.  I used the Stitched Triangle dies to cut it out, stamped a tree trunk in Crumb Cake and then popped them both on the oval base.

  I can't leave a Christmas tree naked on top so I dug in my scraps and got a piece of Dazzling Diamonds shimmer paper and cut an itty bitty star with the Stitched Stars dies and added it with a dimensional to the top.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Tree Angle 

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Dazzling Diamonds shimmer paper (retired)

Ink: Versamark, White craft, Crumb Cake

Accessories: corner rounder, Shimmer White embossing powder (retired), Layering Oval dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched Stars dies, Misty Moonlight twill ribbon, dimensionals

Autumn Pointillism - Stampin' Up! Arrange a Wreath

   I'm joining 2 challenges again today with my card.  The Global Design Project has a fun sketch and I couldn't resist the great fall colors of The Paper Players.  I'm trying to stock up on my Thanksgiving cards to send out to family we won't be seeing this year.

  I saw a cool card the other day with a neat dotted technique using alcohol markers and darned if I can't find it again to give it proper credit for my inspiration.  I can't remember if I saw it on Pinterest, in a challenge gallery, on Instagram or Facebook!  Clearly I should have saved it because my memory can't be trusted!  I don't even know what the technique is called but it looked like pointillism to me so that's what I'm going with.

    I started with a Whisper White thick card base, then a layer of Mossy Meadow.  I trimmed a piece of Whisper White and used a scrap paper die cut circle adhered with removable adhesive to the center to mask off the circle for the challenge layout.

  While pointillism in painting is using the dots to create the image I just used the dots to fill the background.  I used my Stampin' Blends in the challenge colors except I used Mango Melody dark since we don't have Crushed Curry Blends.  I just rotated through the light and dark colors a few times each adding more and more dots to fill in the white space.  There really isn't any order or system I just worked in a counterclockwise fashion to go all around the masked off circle.  It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would and it was kind of relaxing listening to music while doing it.  

 

  After the background was filled in to my satisfaction I removed the mask and then started adding the other elements.  The leaves are in the challenge colors and cut out and arranged on the edge of the circle with a linen thread bow.

  The sentiment is embossed in white onto Mossy Meadow cardstock and popped with dimensionals.

  I'm looking forward to trying this technique in some different ways.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Arrange a Wreath, Banner Year

Ink: Versamark, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Cinnamon Cider

Blends: Mossy Meadow light & dark, Cajun Craze light & dark, Cinnamon Cider light & dark, Mango Melody dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Cinnamon Cider

Accessories: Circle die, white embossing powder, Wreath Builder dies, dimensionals, linen thread

Beautiful Oak - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Autumn

   For my card today I've doubled up on challenges.  I used the TGIF Challenges for the layout and the Library Challenge for my colors.  The Library challenge has 3 book covers for inspiration and I chose the cover of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for my autumn colors; Balmy Blue, Cinnamon Cider and Early Espresso.  I enjoyed the book as well when I read it a few years ago so if you're looking for a good read put it on your list!

  I started with a Balmy Blue card base, then a layer of Whisper White, then a layer of Early Espresso embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder.

  I pulled a length of burlap ribbon from my scraps and adhered that to the card front with Tear Tape, a piece of Cinnamon Cider twill ribbon is next.

  The oak leaves are stamped in Early Espresso and then filled them in with Cinnamon Cider stamped off once.  The acorns are also stamped in Early Espresso and filled in with Cinnamon Cider and Early Espresso both stamped off once.  After punching them out I arranged them around a Balmy Blue circle embossed with the Tasteful Textiles embossing folder.  The acorns are popped up with dimensionals and then the whole wreath is popped on the card front.

  The sentiment is the final part and is stamped in Early Espresso and layered across the wreath.  

  These were fun challenges to put together and I enjoyed adding this blue to these autumn colors.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Autumn

Ink: Early Espresso, Cinnamon Cider

Paper: Balmy Blue, Whisper White, Early Espresso

Accessories: Pinewood Planks embossing folder, Tasteful Textiles embossing folder, circle dies, Autumn Punch pack, dimensionals, Cinnamon Cider twill ribbon, burlap ribbon (retired)

Worldly Flowers - Stampin' Up! Jar of Flowers

    I'm playing along with the Card Concept challenge today.  They have a great inspiration photo and if only I had ordered the World of Good suite I would have been all set for this challenge.  Since I don't have any of the products from this suite so I had to go at it from a different direction. 

  I decided to use the little vase of flowers as my inspiration instead of the more prominent globe.  I went with a clean and layered look.  

  The card base is Very Vanilla thick, then a layer of Mossy Meadow.  The Basic Black panel is embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder and I thought it went well with the theme.  Next, I found in my scrap DSP stash a piece of long retired Going Places DSP in a map pattern that went with the theme.

  I used the jar punch and some gold foil and I wanted to make the jar look more worn and vintage so I sponged some gold ink onto the gold foil.  Doing that didn't give me the look I was going for and the ink was smudging everywhere.  I tried drying it with my heat gun and that didn't work either.  I wiped off the ink with a tissue and it took a bit of the gold foil with it so after all those steps I ended up with a vintage look!  It doesn't hurt to experiment; you never know what you might come up with!

  I stamped the flowers in Memento black and then colored with my Stampin' Blends (colors listed below). I tried to stick to the shades of colors in the inspiration photo which I thought looked a bit fallish.  After coloring I fussy cut the bouquet with my trusty paper snips.  The flowers and jar are both popped on dimensionals.

  The finishing touches are the black embossed sentiment from Banner Year and a black bow on the side of the jar.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Jar of Flowers, Banner Year

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Blends: Cherry Cobbler dark, Old Olive light, Mossy Meadow light & dark, Calypso Coral light & dark, Cajun Craze light & dark, Pumpkin Pie light & dark, Mango Melody light & dark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Mossy Meadow, Basic Black, gold foil, Going Places DSP (retired)

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Jar punch, black embossing powder, dimensionals, 1/8" black taffeta ribbon (retired)

Giant Candy Corn - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I didn't get any stamping done over the weekend but luckily I was able to stamp a bit on Friday and got to play along with the new Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  They have a great choice board this time with lots of fall themed items.  I decided to go with the middle across line which is orange, die cut and corn.  I hope candy corn is an acceptable corn for this challenge!

  

  A while back I had written down on a scrap of paper the idea of using the Stitched Triangle dies to made a candy corn and finally the time was right to put the idea to cardstock.

  I started with a Pumpkin Pie base, then a layer of Basic Black.  The Whisper White layer is stamped with some of the adorable Halloween images from Banner Year.  The bat is in Memento black, the 'boo!' is in Basic Gray and the spider web is Smoky Slate.  After the stamping I ran it through the Big Shot using the Subtle embossing folder for a bit of texture.

  The candy corn is made by cutting 3 triangles with the Stitched Triangle dies and cutting them into 3rds and reassembling them into the candy corn layers.  Once the candy corn was assembled I popped it with dimensionals onto the card front.

  The sentiment is also from Banner Year and I embossed it in the retired Shimmer Black embossing powder and popped it up with dimensionals across the center.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Versamark

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Stitched Triangle die, Shimmer Black embossing powder (retired), dimensionals

Christmas Cheer Sprig - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern - Fab Friday 199

   Happy Friday everyone!  We have a new challenge at Fab Friday to celebrate the start of the weekend!  It's a fun sketch and I can't wait to see your beautiful creations shared to our gallery!

  I raided my card parts pile to get a start on my card.  I already had the greenery sprig all ready to go as it was made but didn't work for another project so I built the rest of the card around that piece.

  The card base is Real Red (which you can't see) topped with a piece of 'Tis the Season DSP.  The label is from Tasteful Labels dies and then embossed with the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder.  

  Using the Birds & More die I cut some more sprigs in Soft Sea Foam and gold foil to tuck under the label.

  The main sprig is stamped 3 times on Garden Green cardstock in Garden Green ink using the Forever Fern stamp set and cut with the Forever Flourishing dies.  I added some adhesive pearls for berries.  The bow is a Real Red sheer fork bow.

  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in Garden Green on Soft Sea Foam cardstock and cut with the banner die from Tasteful Labels and is popped on dimensionals.  

  Then final details are a few gold sequins around the sprigs.

  I hope you'll check out the Fab Friday Design Team for more inspiration and then play along!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Garden Green

Paper: 'Tis the Season DSP, Whisper White, Garden Green, Gold foil, Soft Sea Foam

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, Forever Flourishing dies, Birds & More dies, Dainty Diamonds embossing folder, adhesive pearls, gold sequins, Real Red sheer ribbon, dimensionals

Fall Texture - Stampin' Up! Gather Together

   I saw my first red maple leaf on the ground the other day so fall is on it's way to my area!  I was inspired by the Daring Cardmakers inspiration challenge which has a gorgeous inspiration photo.  I loved all the wonderful texture that is shown and tried re-create it on my card along with some great fall color.

  I pulled the wood texture, the typeset from the book, the fall colors, the twine and the knit texture from the photo to us on my card.

  The wood grain background and the knit layer are from the In Good Taste DSP.  

  The leaves are made by sponging 4 different colors onto a scrap of Very Vanilla.  I used Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie and Mango Melody and then cut my leaves with the Gathered Leaves dies.  The largest I stamped with the large maple leaf stamp in Crumb Cake ink but stamped off so it's really faint.  I roughed up the die cut by crumpling it up and unfolding several times for a nice worn look.

  I added a bit of leftover twine on the leaf stem for even more texture.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gather Together

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Mango Melody, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Paper: In Good Taste DSP, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, Gathered Leaves dies, dimensionals, twine

Thankful Purple Rose - Stampin' Up! To A Wild Rose

   A few weeks back I joined in with the Color Throwdown challenge with this card and it ended up being randomly drawn as their Featured Stamper card!  One of the perks of getting chosen is being invited to join in on a future challenge as a guest stamper!  So fun and of course I couldn't say no!  Any reason to "have to" stamp is always a good reason!

  The Color Throwdown team has a fun color combo to work with this time.  Purple, Green and Khaki.

  I kept it pretty basic with a floral card and a thank you sentiment since I still need more of those!

  The card base is Mossy Meadow then a piece of Whisper White embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.  I lightly sponged a bit of Crumb Cake ink over the ridges for some more dimension in the background.  Next I cut a Crumb Cake frame with Stitched Rectangle dies and popped it with dimensionals.

  The rose is stamped with the Stamparatus in Blackberry Bliss ink and various layers of stamping off and then cut out.  The leaf is cut out of a piece of Heartwarming Hugs DSP and layered behind the rose.  A bit of light green twine behind the rose adds some softness as well.

  I hope you'll all check out the Color Throwdown design team samples and play along!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: To A Wild Rose, Here's A Card

Ink: Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Heartwarming Hugs DSP

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Stitched Rectangle dies, Wild Rose dies, dimensionals, twine

Witchy Halloween - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

   Better late than never today with my card!  I've got a quick and easy Halloween card to show today.  I don't usually send very many Halloween cards but I always end up making a few for various challenges and the one I participated in today had perfect colors for Halloween and I couldn't resist.  The TGIF Challenges group has Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry and Basic Black for their colors.

  There was the perfect sheet in the Plaid Tidings DSP pack for this color combo!

  See what I mean about the paper?  I let it do all the heavy lifting for the colors and just added a bit of sparkle.  Once I had the DSP adhered to the card base I dug around in my scraps and found a bit of retired black Glimmer Paper and cut a few narrow strips to add to the image panel.

  The adorable little broom sticks are found in the Festive Post stamp set. I inked them across the panel in Versamark and embossed them with retired Shimmer Black embossing powder.  I popped the layers up with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is also from Festive Post and stamped in Rich Razzleberry.  After it was die cut with the Stitched Shapes circle I added a bit of retired Pumpkin Pie cotton ribbon and then popped it all up with a double layer of dimensionals.

  So quick and easy!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post

Ink: Versamark, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Plaid Tidings DSP, Whisper White, Black Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Shimmer Black embossing powder (retired), cotton ribbon (retired)

Harvest Thank You - Stampin' Up! Gather Together

   My thank you card stash has dwindled quite low in recent weeks so I was on a mission last week to stock back up when I ended up needing 3 thank you cards to use right away.  So much for stocking up!  My card today actually fits in with 2 different challenges.  The first is the Just Add Ink challenge to make a thank you card. The second challenge is a new to me one called Tic Tac Toe Challenge which gives a great tic tac toe board of choices to create with for each challenge.

  The card for today clearly fits the thank you requirements and my tic tac toe choice is the "pumpkin", "leaf" and "linen/burlap" line.

  The card base is Very Vanilla thick.  Next is a Stitched So Sweetly scalloped rectangle in Early Espresso topped with a piece of the Gilded Autumn Specialty DSP.

  I added a strip of wide burlap trim and then layered the stamped images from there.  The sentiment from Ornate Thanks is embossed in gold on Crumb Cake cardstock. The pumpkins and wheat sprig are stamped in Early Espresso.  The pumpkins are colored with Blends and then cut out and popped with dimensionals.

  I added a few retired candy dots in Cajun Craze and Early Espresso around the image grouping.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gather Together, Ornate Thanks

Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark

Blends: Cajun Craze light & dark, Mint Macaron light & dark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Gilded Autumn DSP

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly, burlap trim (retired), dimensionals, gold embossing powder, candy dots (retired)

Classic Autumn Gatefold - Stampin' Up! Gather Together

   Happy World Card Making Day!  While I probably won't have any time to stamp a new card today between 2 kids with soccer games and one of them also reffing a few games I've got a card to share that I made a few days ago to celebrate our fun hobby.  It's a nice classic autumn look with an gatefold opening.

  I got my inspiration for the gatefold from the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which has a cool off center split in their layout.  

  I started with a Very Vanilla base and used my Simply Scored to score my flaps at 2 inches and 7.5 inches.

  The Early Espresso panels for both flaps are embossed with the Tin Tile embossing folder.  Next is a Stitched Shapes oval in Very Vanilla with the stamped sentiment from Banner Year in Early Espresso ink. Remember to just adhere the oval to one flap so that you can open the card!

 

  The Gather Together maple leaf is stamped in Early Espresso and then colored with Stampin' Blends.  Once it was cut out I adhered it to the edge of the oval also being sure not to get adhesive on the edge that touches the other flap.

  The final details are a gold twine bow on the leaf stem and a few gold sequins scattered on the card front.

  I hope you get time to celebrate World Card Making Day in style...which mean getting inky!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gather Together, Banner Year

Ink: Early Espresso

Blends: Cajun Craze dark, Pumpkin Pie dark, Mango Melody light & dark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso

Accessories: Tin Tile embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies, Gathered Leaves dies, dimensionals, gold twine (retired), gold sequins (retired)

Very Merry Snowman - Stampin' Up! Snowman Season

   It's always nice to have some Christmas stamps carry over from last year's Holiday Mini catalog to the newest Annual catalog.  Snowman Season saw a lot of action in my stamp room last year and I knew that if it stuck around I would be able to continue creating new cards with it.  I used it today for a fun color challenge over at Stampin' Up! Only Challenges.  At first I thought I would go in a summer beachy direction as those aqua shades with the yellow made me think of beach umbrellas but then I veered away in the opposite direction straight to winter and Christmas!

  I started with a Bermuda Bay card base then created a frame in Coastal Cabana by cutting a nice window with the Stitched Nested Label dies.  I stamped Whisper White craft ink snowflakes all around the outside of the frame.  On the inside of the frame I stamped the snowman in Smoky Slate and then added more snowflakes in stamped off Coastal Cabana all around him.  The image is colored in the challenge colors with Stampin' Blends.  And even though it's just used on the carrot nose I did use Mango Melody!  The frame is popped on dimensionals right over the snowman panel.

  I cut a tiny Daffodil Delight star with the Stitched Stars dies to top the little tree.  I covered the star with clear Wink of Stella for some shine.

  The bottom of the frame is decorated with a piece of torn Whisper White embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.  I used a piece of long retired SAB shimmer ribbon in Bermuda Bay around the embossed panel.  

  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in Bermuda Bay and cut with a Stitched Shapes circle.  A Bermuda Bay snowflake from So Many Snowflakes die covered in more Wink of Stella is the last bit of decoration at the edge of the frame.

  These were fun colors to make myself stretch a bit and not be stuck in "traditional" Christmas colors. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowman Season, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: white craft, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay

Blends: Bermuda Bay light, Daffodil Delight light, Mango Melody dark, Granny Apple Green dark

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Stitched Nested Label dies, Stitched Stars dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Winter Snow embossing folder, So Many Snowflakes dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Bermuda Bay shimmer ribbon (retired)

Bird Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Free As A Bird

   My card today is a sympathy card but could easily be for a different occasion with a quick change of sentiments.  My layout is based on the Global Design Projects challenge of caseing a one of their design team members.  I think you can see the general bones of the sample card in my design.

  

  The card starts with a Pool Party base, then a layer of the retired Bird Ballad DSP in a nice floral pattern.  Next I embossed a square of Whisper White with the Parisian Flourish embossing folder.

  The bird, leaf sprigs and flowers are all stamped in Memento black and colored with Stampin' Blends (colors listed below in the supplies list).  I fussy cut the leaves and flowers to layer theme around the bird and sentiment panel.  Both flowers are popped for some dimension.

  The sentiment is from the retired Petite Pairs that I've hung onto because they are all just the right size for a nice circle die or punch.  I found a tiny bit of retired ribbon in light green which might go all the way back to Certainly Celery!!  I tied it in a little know and added it under the sentiment.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Free As A Bird, Petite Pairs (retired)

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Crumb Cake light & dark, Mango Melody dark, Calypso Coral light & dark, Old Olive light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Bird Ballad DSP (retired)

Accessories: Parisian Flourish embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, green ribbon