Thanksgiving Turkey

Today's Limited Use Challenge was to disguise a stamp or use it for something other than it was intended. So I took my petal stamp and used it as feathers for my colorful turkey. Doesn't he look sad? I think next week I will have to challenge myself to stay away from the Earth Elements family and maybe go at least one layer without sponging....don't think I will make it. Well, this was a fun card to do and I am looking forward to sending it to the party I made it for. I have so many family members and can only be one place for Thanksgiving. Oh and I did manage to use Cameo Coral (pink) in one of the feathers!!

Have a Great Weekend!!

Stamps: Watercolor Vine Jumbo Wheel, Pick a Petal, Holiday & Wishes

Paper: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla

Ink: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Cameo Coral, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Basic black marker for the eyes

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note, Wide Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Double Circle Punch, Photo Corner Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Designer Label Punch, Twine

Caramel Apple Train

Today I was in a carmel apple color mode so that was set even before I saw the Ways to Use it Challenge. The challenge was to do something cracked. I love doing the cracked glass technique! First I stamped the train in Riding Hood Red and ran the Chocolate Chip marker around the edge before stamping on the card stock. Sometimes I rub the ink in the cracks of the glass and sometimes I do not. It seems I am going through a shabby look phase so I decided today I would. After I had cracked it I just ran the image over the ink pad and then wiped off the excess. This is a different fold card than what I usually do. I tried to get a good picture but the sun just would not cooperate today. I cut the Chocolate card the regular size and trimmed an inch off the top side. The Riding Hood Red is just a smaller version folded the opposite way. I used the twill on both of the backgrounds and did quite a bit of sponging (even the ribbon)...if only my fingers tasted like caramel apple :). For the sentiment I stamped in Riding Hood Red and then just went over Journey with the marker. I rubbed the brad in Chocolate Chip craft ink and dried with my heat gun. After it was dry I wiped off the top and the indented spots stayed.

Stamps: Happiness is a Journey, Twill Background

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red

Accessories: Mat Pack for Piercing, Circle Brads, 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, 5/8" Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Techniques: Cracked Glass

Harvest Sketch

Today's sketch challenge was perfect for something I have been wanting to try. I have seen so many that have layered color on color to get a faux matted/embossed look. I am sure there is a technique name for it so let me know if you know what it is.

I stamped the gourds and leaves with Basic Brown and colored with re-inkers in the lids of the ink pads and Aquapainters. The leaves are popped up with pop up glue dots. Of course I had to sponge around the edges of the card front. Do you think I should of added a ribbon between the olive and tangerine card front?

Card details to be posted very soon!

Easy Boys Cards

I had a friend from church contact me about having her 3 boys (ages 6, 11 & 13) come over to make Thank you cards. I designed 3 very simple ones that they would be making by themselves. So these are the ones I came up with. I tried to keep it to 2 colors with a neutral, one stamp set each and one ink pad each. She wanted to keep the cost to a minimal so I left out the embellishments. My little kids always try to do the "wow" cards and get carried away. I wish sometimes they would take a step back to just do the simple.

edited to add: I was not happy with the first one so I took a redo and used the photo corner punch.

Stamps: Prehistoric Pals, Spot On Jumbo Wheel, Short and Sweet

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Whisper White

Ink: Taken with Teal Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

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Stamps: Bronc Buster, Four Square

Paper: Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla

Ink: Handsome Hunter Accessories: Scallop Square Punch

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Stamps: Winds of Grace, Think Happy Thoughts

Paper: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Ink: Baja Breeze Accessories: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch

Pages for Calendar

So I thought today I would post the pictures of the inside of the calendar I made. A picture can be put on each page. I designed each page to match the color of the month tab along the side. Again, I will be holding this class the first week of December. If you are interested please contact me RSVP must be by November 16th. Details for the outside can be found in the Calendar post. Each picture can be clicked to enlarge and will open in a new page.

Fall Leaves

Well, today's Limited Supplies Challenge was to use leaves. Since I live on 9 acres or woods with the leaves turning beautiful colors this was a great inspiration for me. Today it is cold, dark and raining so it is not so pretty outside. One of the extra things for the month of October is to add pink. I struggled with adding the Cameo Coral, but I think it worked....I will stop using the top note at some point. I still had it out for my stamp night last night so it worked great today. The leaves and trees were stamped with Basic Brown and colored with re-inkers and Aqua painters. They are adhered with glue dots. I sponged Chocolate Chip around most of the edges and then spritz with the spritzer.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Autumn Harvest

Paper: Sahara Sand, Cameo Coral, Very Vanilla

Ink: Summer Sun, Cameo Coral, Bordering Blue, Basic Brown, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Spritzer, Top Note, Big Shot, 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon-Chocolate Chip, 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon - Always Artichoke

Bella Top Note

Ok, so I hope I did not deter from this sketch too much. I really wanted the Top Note Section to go under the ribbon and not on top of it. The challenge (being October is Breast Cancer Awareness month) is to use the color pink. I sponged around all of the pink with Chocolate Chip, just to give it more of an aged look. This Designer Paper is so elegant I did not want to cover it up so I used a simple yet elegant Rub-on. I was tempted to add piecing or brads ect but decicded I wanted the paper to speak for itself. Sorry for the dark photo. It is very windy outside and I just did not feel like going down off the deck a dozen times to pick my card up out of the yard....;)

Stamps: Short and Sweet

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Parisian Summer Designer Paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Chateau Bella Rub-On, 1 -1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain, 1" Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain

Calendar

Today I needed to finally take time and work on my calendar project. I will be holding a class for these the first week of December. This is from the calendar kits that we have right now in the Holiday Mini on page 3.

We will be taking the kit and turning it from a loose leaf calendar into a free standing scrapbook calender. I'm still working on the inside pages, but they will be ready to see at Stamp night on Thursday. I've used the On Board Book Basics (small) on page 180 of the catalog to make the front and back. You will have to shorten the calendar pages a bit to make them fit, but not enough to make a big difference.

Supplies:
Create a Calendar 09 Kit
Bashful Blue Patterns Designer Series Paper
Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper
Pumpkin Pie Patterns Designer Series Paper
Chocolate Chip Cardstock
Whisper White Cardstock
Bashful Blue Cardstock
Pumpkin Pie 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
Bashful Blue 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
Riding Hood Red 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
Corner Rounder Punch
Scallop Square Punch
Spiral Punch
Bashful Blue Craft ink to die the edges of the Chip Board
On Board Book Basics (small)
Rubi Coil Binder

Shabby Cowboy

Well, today I woke up in a shabby mood. After hardly any sleep for the last few days. Hubby's surgery went well and now he is home and I need to keep him still, not an easy task for him! So I decided to use a set and do some things that I haven't done in a very long time. I really had the faux leather look in mind first. My boys love browns and blues together so that was my next decision. I then took a look at my sets and saw my poor Bronc Buster on the lower half of the pile. Which meant it hadn't been played with for a very long time. I thought it wold be great with the leather look.

I ran the creamy caramel through the crimper a dozen or so times and then just wrinkled it up in a ball. Before I crimped it I had already done my faux stitching around the edge. After it was all wrinkled I sponged around the edged and across the raised areas.

The cowboy was stamped in Baja Breeze and I used the marker to do the swooshes. Then I just rolled the edges with my fingers. I separated the one corner and then sponged around the edges I used my piecing tool an made 2 holes to run the twine through. I tied it off in a knot and frayed the edges of the twine. I sponged Chocolate Chip around the edge of the Baja Breeze and rounded the edges of the Chocolate Chip with the Cutter Kit.

To do the Happy Birthday I stamped it in Baja Breeze and rolled the edged in Chocolate chip before stamping. I cut it out with the paper scissors. I punched the frame out with the Scalloped Square Punch and then roughed the edges up with the Cutter Kit.

Stamps: Bronc Buster, Four Square, Sanded Background

Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze

Accessories: Hemp Twine, Scallop Square Punch, Mat Pack for Piercing, Cutter kit for distressing

Artichoke Christmas

I will be at the hospital must of the day. So I decided to pre-post a card that I had done a while back. I like to make easy Christmas cards to give to others who may not have any to send out. This one I thought would be an easy one to do. I do not believe in having halos so I cut them off of the stamp set. I shadowed the words by stamping in 2 colors and using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to offset one. I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope to be back stamping next week (depending on how much husband sitting I will be doing...)!

Stamps: So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, Season of Simple Grace, Holiday & Wishes

Paper: Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke

Ink: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Always Artichoke Grosgrain Ribbon, Mellow Moss Gingham Ribbon

Plaid Shirt

Today's Ways to Use it Challenge was to use Plaid on your card. I had lots of chores to get finished today. My favorite (and only) husband of 23 yrs is going in for surgery tomorrow. He has to have 2 muscles and a bone repaired in his rotator cuff. So I needed to get the house and kids in perfect order before I was allowed to create today. This is a super easy card!

I cut the card front to 4 x 5.25. I then cut the top part way down at the 2" mark and folded down the collars. I cut the pocket and folded down the top and cut a 1/2" strip to put the buttons on. I sponged the edges of the collar, button area, and pocket. I did put a v in the top of the button strip so it would fit tight. I used the mat pack to pierce for the buttons which are the clear rhinestone brads from the pretties kit.

I decided to still put a small sentiment on the front of the card so I kept it simple, and yes I sponged around the plaid on that. ;)

Stamps: Short & Sweet

Paper: Prestwick Designer Paper, Night of Navy

Ink: Night of Navy- Craft

Accessories: Pretties Kit Clear Rhinestone Brads, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

Bird Setting

Boy was the Sketch Challenge today totally out of my norm. I must of started this card 5 times with all completely different ideas. Looking at the sketch I just could not get my head out of the flower mode. I never look at the gallery before I finish my card, but today I did and it seemed like so many of them where flowers so I once again put it all away and started again. As I was putting my large scallop circle die cut away I moved the bird and leaves die cut and that is when my final idea popped into my head. After I had cut the leaves away I used the cut out part as a stencil to do some leaves on the background. I had never tried cutting more than one piece at a time but this was my chance. I layered the wing, bird and beak all on top of each other and only had to run it through the Big Shot once! I used the Coluzzle to cut the circles. I cut them both the same size as I wanted more of an offset look than a shadowed one. Since it seems like I just cannot make a card without sponging I had to sponge around the edge of the card, the bird, and the lighter of the rectangle panels.

Stamps: Stitched Background

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Apricot Appeal, Res Riding Hood Patterns Designer Paper

Ink: Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Big Shot, Birds w/ Leaves & Flower Die, Coluzzle, Large Scallop Circle Die