Autumn Curio Tray

Hello, friends!  I didn't craft as much as I'd hoped this week, but I did make a card for my friend's October birthday.  I love fall cards and so I'm taking this opportunity to combine the two occasions.  Aside from that, I have two not-yet-used Tim Holtz die sets which have been lingering in the basket far too long:  Artsy Leaves and Papercut Cafe.  I figured I could combine the two.

The card base with Memory box Vintage Tray was in my collection of pre-prepped card bases which I  make up ahead and keep on hand.  Once in a while I actually use one of them.  In this case I decided I wanted to add another frame layer so I went to my die collection, frame category, and... it wasn't there.

I searched far and wide with no luck.

I freaked out a little.

After a worry-filled interlude I remembered it's an embossing folder/die combo and it's filed with the embossing folders.  I must be slipping.  I know you've had similar experiences, right?

Once I found it I was able to cut an extra frame and emboss in gold, and then get down to the business of filling my vintage/curio tray.  It started out simple and got curiouser and curiouser.  My friend likes glitter so I slathered on some Diamond Stickles.  It looks messy and grainy in the photo, but is very pretty in real life.

Since I combined apparently neglected stuff with never before used stuff I'll be sharing in the following two challenges: 

Neglected Stuff, October -- My neglected stuff is the Memory Box Vintage Tray.
NBUS Challenge #79 -- My never before used schtuffs are the Tim Holtz Sizzix Artsy Leaves and Papercut Cafe dies

 

I hope to see you again soon.  Thanks so much for stopping in to visit!

Dies:  Tim Holt Sizzix Artsy Leaves, Papercut Cafe, Holiday Greens Mini, Memory Box Vintage Tray 3D Embossing Folder and Die, Creative Expressions For You sentiment, Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters, misc. stars that popped out of some die (?) saved in my magic jar
Other:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, Stickles Diamond glitter glue

Pumpkins and Sunflowers

Hi and welcome to a new week!  It's been a busy time at my house with new furniture followed by new carpet in the living room and, let me tell you, it's a lot for Rich and me to deal with.  We had a little help moving furniture (why is it all so heavy these days?), but we did a lot of it on our own, too.  Finally, we're a little more settled and I can get back to regular crafting!

I have fall supplies on my table and I've been playing with them as time allows.  Today I brought out a previously enjoyed Cottage Cutz Fall Centerpiece set and a not-yet-used Spellbinders Pumpkin Patch 3D embossing folder from an earlier warehouse sale.

I colored all with inks and brushes and put them together on a sanded card base with textured white backing up the centerpiece.  Older sentiments from my stash.  Cinnamon Stickles on the sunflower centers.

I'll be sharing here:

Darnell's NBUS (never before used schtuff) Challenge #79 with my NBUS Pumpkin Patch embossing folder.
Darlene and Diane's Four Seasons Challenge -- October, with a beautiful inspiration board.

 

I hope to be back here soon and I'll look forward to seeing you.  Take care!

Double D Challenge: Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet, Give me Something Good to Eat

 

It's Double D Challenge time again, friends!  Diane is hosting and she has come up with a fun idea:

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat."  Let the words inspire you.  A few examples:

Trick or treat

Something that smells, whether an animal sniffing around, something stinky, or something that smells good

Something with feet or feet related

Something good to eat 

There are SO MANY possibilities for fun with this theme!  Have a look at our inspiration board and a prize for a random winner.  We'll have creative winners, as always, too.

 

So, you see, it does not have to be Halloween unless you want to go that way.  Here's my offering:

Can you believe I made such a simple card?  I know!  It just felt right.  Well, I had this Poppystamps Witches Shoe which doesn't get to play very often, so I prettied it up with purple and acid green, added the flower sequin for fun, and now it's ready for the Halloween ball.  A few star sequins, some web ribbon, orange gingham... I embossed the black card base with SU's Subtle 3D embossing folder (retired), but it shows better in real life.

The Double D Team has a nice variety of samples for this challenge, so have a look.  I can't wait to see yours!

Have an amazing day!

Stamps:  Stampendous Spooky Wishes  Paper:  Black cardstock base, Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White110 lb for shoe, scrap gingham designer paper  Ink:  SU Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Versamark for sentiment  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes, black Copic for shoe buckle  Other:  Poppystamps Witches Shoe, SU Subtle 3D embossing folder (retired), Offray web ribbon, sequins, WOE opaque bright white embossing powder

Polar Friends x 2

Hello everyone!  One last card for the week and, yes, I've used the Simon Says Stamp Ocean Horizons die again.  This time it's a moonlit sky for a Christmas card.  Ink blended and splattered with water, it made the ideal background for this sweet stamp from the Penny Black Christmas Cubs set.  I loved every stamp in the PB Christmas release, but with unprecedented reserve I chose just one for now.

I colored with Copics and hand cut the images.

Dreaming up a quicker process...  I cut the die from 80 lb Neenah card stock and the pieces stayed in the die as I'd hoped.  I next applied strips of 1 1/2" wide Scor-tape (or sookwang tape) to the back of the die, pressing it firmly onto all the cardstock pieces.  I was then able to pull the overlapping tape tabs to carefully lift the cut pieces out as a whole.  I brushed on the inks, removed the backing and applied the panel to my card front.  Very quick!

I added sparkle to the snow.  Maybe you can see it a little bit in the picture below.

While I was at it I naturally had to color the second image in the set.  This time I stamped and colored directly onto the paper.  Brushed inks onto the background and cut some snowflakes from Penny Black's Crystal Frames.  The sentiment is a much older Penny Black birthday sentiment, Wrap a Hug, which I thought it was pretty cute with the image.  💛  There's a Christmas sentiment inside.

Challenges today:

Peace on Earth #96 -- They have a fabulous inspiration board, but anything goes as long as it's Christmas.
Penny Black Saturday Challenge -- Anything goes Penny Black, optional spots and/or stripes
NBUS Challenge #78 -- Never before used schtuff.  My PB Christmas Cubs stamp set was NBUS.

  

Thank you so much for visiting.  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Christmas Cubs and Wrap a Hug  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb, Stampin' Up Bashful Blue, something shimmery navy on Card #2  Ink:  Memento London Fog for stamped images, Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment on Card #1, various Stampin' Up blues for backgrounds  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Penny Black Crystal Frames for snowflakes on Card #2, Diamond Stickles glitter glue, 1 1/2" Scor-tape as explained in post

Halloween Birds

Hello again and happy Wednesday!  I've made another fun card with Simon Says Stamp Ocean Horizon today.  This time I've paired it with SSS Birdies who look a little nervous to find themselves out on Halloween night.  The sentiment, ghost, and stamped bats joined in from elsewhere in my stash.

Nothing but make believe here, and a whole lot smiles in the process.  I used a different method this time for the background.  I blended the inks first, and then cut.  Just experimenting.  There are endless things you can do with this background die.  Use all or part of it, flip it upside down for a sunrise, make a funky rainbow, color it any which way.  Not selling, just saying.  Today I blended green at the lower edge to suggest land rather than ocean.

I'll be playing along here:

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge -- Year 'round Halloween.  Anything Halloween goes, but inspiration board is provided.

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #78 -- My SSS Birdies are 'never before used schtuff'.

 

Thanks for visiting!  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Stampin' Up Halloween Backgrounds (bats)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 & 110 lb, black cardstock  Ink:  Stampin' Up Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Memento Tuxedo Black  Dies:  Simon Says Stamp Birdies and Ocean Horizon, Memory Box Ghosts in the Forest, Impression Obsession Happy Halloween

Endless Summer

Hi there!  Back to card making today and happy to have a good play with some of my newer NBUS.  I started with the Simon Says Stamp Ocean Horizon die which I thought was the coolest thing.  Who knows what will appeal at any given time, but this one really got to me.  I couldn't help but combine it with one of my recently purchased Cottage Cutz super sale items -- Surfer Van.

The Endless Summer is a 1966 semi-documentary film about surfing.  I've never watched all of it, but my Rich has watched it a few times over the years and still watches clips on YouTube now and then.  He was a surfer guy in his youth and he enjoys reliving the thrill of it.  Naturally, I made this card with him in mind.

l tried using this background die three different ways and as far as the application of color goes, this is my favorite.  I cut the die -- it comes out in 16 pieces, including the skinny frame -- then I glued each piece to a separate white panel, and commenced brushing on the inks.  I like the way the edges of each die cut section grabs the ink.  It's subtle, but it makes a difference.  The colors I used are similar to those on the die package.  All Stampin' Up inks.  I'll list them below.  I hand cut a sandy beach on which to park the van.

I'll be sending my endless summer over to the following challenges:

A Cut Above -- Anything goes with dies.
NBUS Challenge #78 -- Never before used schtuff.  As mentioned, the Surfer Van and Ocean Horizon dies are NBUS.

 

Wrapping up now... I'll be back shortly to share what I've made.  Things are hopping here with lots going on and I'm surprised to have made any cards at all, but glad I'm able to manage it somehow.

Take care, and stay cool!

Dies:  Cottage Cutz Surfer Van, Simon Says Stamp Ocean Horizon
Inks:  Stampin' Up (top to bottom) Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Pixie Pink, Melon Mambo, Purely Pomegranate, Cool Caribbean, Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel, Gable Green.  Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment
Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes.  Small parts of van colored with Copic markers

Sophie and Ridley Update

Hello! I've been working on cards for next week, but Saturday seems like a good time for an update on the kids.  The first picture is the most recent I have, and it represents how we start our days.  Just look at these two, sigh... I cannot complain that two such beautiful, soft, warm, loving creatures are this eager to see us first thing in the morning.

The first week or two Ridley was given plenty of opportunity to explore his new home and garden and learn how amazing it all is.  I hope his brother has found a good home as well.

Of course, we had to take him to the sand dunes at the first opportunity.  Sophie is SO happy to share her joy with Ridley!

It's as though Sophie has been waiting for him all this time.  She mothers him, teaches him, loves him.  She's always been a very special girl, but Ridley has truly brought out the best in her.

My heart is full.

💗💗💗💗💗💖💗💗💗💗💗

Double D Challenge: Make Your Own Background

Welcome to another Double D Challenge, friends!  Our DD host, Darlene, is asking that we make our own backgrounds for this challenge.  What a great idea!  See our inspiration board:

Creative winners are by team vote, and the prize pictured below will go to a random winner.

I do have a background or two or 100 in my bag o' backgrounds.  The one I've used today was made quite some time ago on glossy cardstock with Stampin' Up inks and 91% alcohol.  Not sure which method I used for this one.  Most likely I soaked either a cotton ball or a small wad of paper towel with alcohol, then dropped reinker onto the wad, and pounced on the cardstock.  Maybe I dropped ink and spritzed with alcohol, or dropped alcohol and tipped the cardstock to spread it around.  If you've ever made an alcohol ink background, it's rather like that.

Does anyone still make alcohol ink backgrounds?  I never invested in the alcohol inks, but I had fun experimenting with this method.

I cut into the background with three parts of the years old Cheery Lynn Dutch Daisy Boutique Stacker A2 Frame to create the effect of a screen.  I was hoping the Memory Box Graceful Anemone was large and impactful enough to hold its own against the busy background.  Maybe it's just me, but I love it a lot.

A little bit of gold adds a lot of pretty, doesn't it?

When looking through my backgrounds collection I wondered why in the world I don't use more of them.  That's what's nice about a challenge -- it oftentimes sends us in a direction we haven't traveled in a while.

I hope you'll visit the Double D blog to see the team's samples and be inspired to share one of your backgrounds with us.

Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  The Ton Easy Expressions with dies  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest 80 & 110 lb, glossy white  Ink:  Stampin' Up Lavender Lace, Old Olive, Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, various for inky background  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes  Dies:  Memory Box Graceful Anemone, Cheery Lynn Dutch Daisy Boutique Stacker A2 Frame  Other:  91% alcohol, Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape