Brighten Up Autumn Butterfly

Mornin' y'all!  It was definitely a busy day yesterday, I made cherry cobblestone cake, cranberry crumble pie bars, and pumpkin white chip macadamia nut bars (I usually make these as cookies, but bars were quicker) for the hubs to take in to the potluck today, and last night we prepped the stuff for Hawaiian chicken with pineapple and crock pot rice.  Hope they enjoy that at lunch today.

Yesterday I also got a Stampin' Up! order because I couldn't resist getting a couple of bundles and some cardstock from last week's seasonal sale, and I immediately inked up my new Sketched Butterflies set to make this:

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

I made my card a standard A2 size because I don't like making square cards.  Once again I may be a minority of one but I don't care, I just prefer the standard size.

As usual, I paired that with the Color Throwdown:

I used Peach Pie, Cajun Craze, and Pecan Pie for my challenge colors, plus Early Espresso because I felt like I needed a nice, dark neutral in there.  At first I was going to go with either Crushed Curry or the retired Bumblebee for the first color, but I just got that In Color Glimmer Paper and couldn't resist using it for my card.  There's also some Wink of Stella along the edges of the butterfly's wings, but of course that doesn't show up in the picture.  I was going to do fall leaves with these pretty colors, but I'm happy with my fall butterfly instead.

Daphne is poking me in the elbow so I'm going to take her for a walk.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sketched Butterflies
Ink:  Early Espresso, Versamark, Stampin' Blends in Peach Pie, Cajun Craze, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Early Espresso, Pecan Pie, Thick Basic White, Cajun Craze DSP, Peach Pie Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Sketched Butterflies dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Iridescent Foil Gems, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Santa's List

Hey y'all, how's it going?  The hubs asked me yesterday to make things for his potluck at work tomorrow, and it's Hawaiian-themed, so after I get Ryan off to school I will be heading to the store to buy ingredients.  He's taking crock pots of teriyaki chicken and rice, and I'm going to make a couple of desserts.  Then I'll do my big Thanksgiving shop on Friday and we'll really get cookin'!

But for now, a card.

And it's the time of year when a lot of challenges are aligning, so let's get started with the Paper Players:

Joanne inspired me to get out Signs of Santa for my card : )  And as it happened, I had this Santa already stamped and die cut in the stamp case, so I just had to color him.  Easy!

Next up is the Atlantic Hearts sketch:

I used a Santa image for the belt buckle part instead of taking the sketch literally.  And my stripey layer doesn't reach the edges of the card front because I was using a scrap.  It's flocked paper, the white stripes are fuzzy.

We continue with Inspire. Create.:

Yep, easy!  And finally, Inkspirational:

This just clinched my decision to use Signs of Santa for my card today.  One CAS (...okay, maybe it's CAS plus?) card, four challenges.

My next challenge is getting Ryan off to school on time so I can go start shopping and cooking.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Signs of Santa
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Poppy Parade, Petal Pink, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake, Gray Granite
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Thick Basic White, Santa's Workshop Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Santa's Signpost dies, Dimensionals, Red & White Peppermints

SUO Challenges: Handmade Holidays

 Hey y'all, it's time for a new challenge from SUO Challenges!

And here is our theme:

This means anything that is handmade and holiday themed, so Thanksgiving and Christmas cards (though there are lots of other holidays too if you want to do something different) OR any other handmade project.  I stared blankly at all my Christmas stamps for a while, ate some chocolate, and then I made this:

Place cards for Thanksgiving dinner!

I made nine altogether with the Mini Alphabet dies and Sweet Days of Autumn DSP.  I didn't center up the names on all of the place cards; instead, I moved them around a bit to show off the animals on each one.  I cut an 8.5x11 piece of cardstock into quarters (so, card front size) and scored at 2 3/4" on the long side to make the place cards.  Easy peasey and you can dress them up however you want.

We also have some other handmade table decorations for Thanksgiving:

Way back in the day, Stampin' Up! had fabric for a hot minute, and I found a tutorial for making fabric pumpkins so that was a Thanksgiving Day craft one year when we lived in England, about 13 years ago I think.  The turkey is made from felt with an artificial flower for his tail feathers, and of course googley eyes.

Okay, I've got to get Ryan off to school and go get my car's oil changed.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  None
Ink:  None
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Thick Basic White, Sweet Days of Autumn DSP
Accessories:  Mini Alphabet dies

November 2019

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  How was your weekend?  The hubs and I went out yesterday with our friends to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform.  I should have put in my earplugs, it was SO LOUD and also there was a lot of fire : )  We all had a good time and our boys had fun playing together under the supervision of a babysitter while we were out.  And Daphne did fine being in her crate for several hours, though she was very excited to see us when we got back home.

Anyway, I do have a layout to share today and here it is:

All pics are from November 2019 when Ryan was just 2 1/2, how do you like his self portrait on the left page?  And this is the month when I finished putting together Ryan's baby book, which is a total chonker and I'm pretty sure weighs more than he did when he was born.

Today's fall-ish color palette is Old Olive, Bumblebee, Starry Sky, Cinnamon Cider, and Very Vanilla.  I actually did work on a new scrapbook layout on Saturday and that one has Starry Sky photo mats too : )  I took a long break from scrapping and I'm ready to get back into it.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Have a great week!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Happier than Happy, My Paper Pumpkin
Ink:  Old Olive, Starry Sky, Cinnamon Cider, Soft Suede
Paper:  Old Olive, Starry Sky, Cinnamon Cider, Thick Very Vanilla, Sweet Symmetry DSP
Accessories:  Happy Forest dies, Stitched Rectangles dies

Crisp Autumn Breezes

Happy Sunday, y'all!  Per Ryan's request, I have a pumpkin coffee cake in the oven for breakfast this morning.  That has become his hands-down favorite Sunday breakfast : )

I still have lots of snow in my backyard but here I am making an autumn card.

This is a combination of two challenges, starting with The Card Concept:

I used the colors Copper Clay, Crushed Curry, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla, though I wish I had gone off piste a bit and done Early Espresso instead of black.  I also zeroed in on the metallic copper elements in the photo which is why I embossed the sentiment, and dug out some very old copper cord for an accent on my clean and layered card.

Next up is TGIF Challenges:

This made me think of the beautiful leaves in Autumn to Remember, so I tried to stamp them as if they're being blown by the wind in the background.

That pumpkin cake is about to come out of the oven so that's it for me today, y'all.  Have a great Sunday!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Autumn to Remember
Ink:  Versamark, Copper Clay, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Copper Clay, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Accessories:  Copper EP, copper cord, Countryside Corners dies, Dimensionals

Penguin Love

 Happy Saturday, y'all!  The hubs and Ryan took Daphne out for a walk so I'm by myself in a quiet house...momentarily at least : )  I would have gone with them but I had just made a cup of tea and was sitting down to eat breakfast as they headed out the door.  So I shall enjoy my solitude for a few minutes.

I have a pretty CAS card today that's for multiple challenges *and* is the maiden voyage for a retired stamp set I bought at least three years ago?  Here it is:

This stamped penguin kind of looks like a crocheted penguin that Ryan got at a craft fair a while back.  The photo is a bit dark, but the scalloped circle behind the penguin is Cherry Cobbler; the lighting in my craft room next to the windows has been weird since we got all the snow.

So I hit two Just Add Ink challenges:

I used pens (markers) to color in the penguin's beak, feet, and heart, and of course there's some patterned paper on there too.  I couldn't resist using last week's sketch again too:

Love this one, it's a classic.  Next up is the Hand Stamped Sentiments color challenge:

I only used the teeniest bit of Pumpkin Pie for my penguin and otherwise I stuck strictly to the challenge colors.  And I chose my penguin thanks to the Cupcake Inspirations challenge:

I actually have several different penguin stamps from which to choose, but I went with the one from Cold & Cuddly just because I hadn't used the stamp set before.  Next up is the Addicted to CAS challenge:

I found some nice snowy patterned paper in the A Walk in the Forest pack and thought it looked great with my little patterned penguin.

That's it for me today, peeps!  Hope you have a great day.  Sounds like everyone else just got back home...

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Cold & Cuddly
Ink:  Pebbled Path, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie
Paper:  Balmy Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Thick Basic White, A Walk In the Forest DSP
Accessories:  1 1/2" circle punch, scalloped circle punch, Wink of Stella, Dimensionals

Sassy Llama

Not too long ago, our friend B hit his head while working in his garage and managed to give himself a concussion.  He's fine now, but he did have to miss a couple of days of work.  And his birthday is coming up soon, so I made him a card yesterday.

Okay, fun llama and a punny greeting, but here's what I put on the inside...

I couldn't help it ; )  B joked with the hubs after hubs' brain surgery and really helped spread the Numbskull nickname at work (they work in the same building), much to hubs' dismay, so I think this is perfect.  And as karmic payback, I was helping Ryan to tie his snow boots yesterday and when I stood up I whacked the back of my head on the kitchen counter.  I, at least, did not concuss myself, but head trauma is apparently contagious.

Anyway, I used the new sketch from Atlantic Hearts:

I didn't make my card a slimline because I just don't like making slimline cards (I know, I'm a minority of one, but it's my craft room and I make the rules in there).  The Creative Colour Challenges palette this week is pretty firmly in the Man Rainbow so I used that:

The Man Rainbow is gray, black, navy blue, and khaki; we'll let Boho Blue slide in there as Man Rainbow adjacent.  And since I made a sassy llama card yesterday afternoon, in the evening I watched a sassy llama movie.  You know which one I'm talking about, right?

Daphne is asking me very politely but insistently to go on a walk, and who am I to tell her no.  So that's what we're going to do now.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Llama Drama from The Ink Road
Ink:  Basic Gray, Boho Blue
Paper:  Boho Blue, Basic Gray, Thick Basic White, Lily Pad Lane DSP Stack
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles dies, In Color gems, Wink of Stella on the sunglasses

Regal Friend

Hey y'all!  I got to spend some time in my craft room yesterday and Daphne was a Very Good Girl so I got a couple of things done, including a card to share today : )

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

I piled on a Regal Flora bouquet and a sentiment from Musical Jamboree using this week's Color Throwdown:

I used Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, and Misty Moonlight, with a bit of Night of Navy thrown in.

That's it for me today, y'all.  I'm hoping to get some more crafting done and maybe even work on a scrapbook layout for the first time in a while.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Regal Flora, Musical Jamboree
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Misty Moonlight, Night of Navy
Paper:  Misty Moonlight, Thick Basic White, Misty Moonlight & Night of Navy DSP
Accessories:  Regal Flora dies, Thoughtful Expressions dies, Wink of Stella, Regal Foiled Dots, Dimensionals

Nutty Squirrels

Mornin' y'all!  How's your Wednesday going?  Ryan has STEM club after school today so that means I get an extra hour kid-free.  Well, not entirely, since I have Daphne : )  She did pretty well on our walk yesterday; we've been a little worried that she goes bonkers when she sees or hears other dogs but she did better with that yesterday.

Anyway, I figured that one Tahitian Tide card deserved another so here we are:

And here's the Retro Rubber challenge that I started with:

I used Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis, and Tahitian Tide for my colors.  Nuts About Squirrels is 3 years old and I was inspired to use it for today's card by the As You See It challenge:

One of the squirrels has an acorn, and I found another one in an old My Paper Pumpkin set to add a few more to my card front.  These squirrels always remind me of The Sword in the Stone when Merlin turns Wart and himself into squirrels as a teaching exercise.  Also I watched both this movie and Robin Hood over the past couple of days : )

That's it for me today, kids.  I'm going to go play with Daphne until it's time to get Ryan off to school.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Nuts About Squirrels, My Paper Pumpkin
Ink:  Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Tahitian Tide, Thick Basic White, DSP in Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather, Orchid Oasis
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals

The Laughing Moose

If I ever opened a pub (not likely), I think The Laughing Moose would be a great contender for what to name it : )  And I have a moose-tastic card to share today.

Ahh, an antidote to that all-gray card I made over the weekend!  I had to think a while about what to do with the colors from the Paper Players:

I used Magenta Madness, Gorgeous Grape, Tahitian Tide, and Pumpkin Pie for my card, so a mix of current and retired colors.  It took two tries to figure out how I wanted to color in his scarf, socks, and skates so that each of the colors was incorporated and balanced but I think I got there in the end.

I used the sketch from Sunday Stamps:

Another great sketch to play with, and it gave me multiple panels to use for different colors.  Fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Christmas Friends, Sophisticated Sled
Ink:  Early Espresso, Magenta Madness, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Ivory, Magenta Madness, Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather, Pumpkin Pie, Gray Granite
Paper:  Tahitian Tide, Thick Basic White, Tahitian Tide DSP, Magenta Madness DSP, Gorgeous Grape DSP
Accessories:  Christmas Friends dies, Countryside Corners dies, Dimensionals, Tutti Frutti sequins, Wink of Stella

And I have some more puppy pictures!

Daphne was not at all sure about the white stuff at first, but now she really enjoys playing in the snow.  She's really good at fetch with that little soccer ball and will hop up into the really deep snowdrift in the backyard with no hesitation.  And here you can see that her face gives Eddie Munster vibes : )

And there she is recharging for her next play session.  Yes, her back legs are on one side of her and her front legs are on the other side, which doesn't look comfortable to me, but she said it worked for her.

That's it for me today, peeps.  After I get Ryan off to school, I'm taking Daphne to school and trying to teach her how to behave on a walk.  Wish me luck.  Cheers!

Snow Fun!

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  Ryan was not best pleased this morning that he has to go back to school today, especially since the hubs is off for Veterans Day.  But that's what's happening : ) Still tons of snow everywhere but the roads are clear, so it's time to get on with life.

I picked a snowy scrapbook layout to share today : )  This was a snow day in Germany.

Aww smol Ryan!  We got that snowsuit at a place in Germany for only like 20 euros and it was great, we were sad when he got too big for those.  The hubs did find him a nice ski jacket and snow pants secondhand here, so he's set even though he's gotten so much bigger.

Today's wintry palette:  Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel, Lemon Lime Twist, and white.  The Blueberry Bushel and Lemon Lime Twist were pulled straight from Ryan's snowsuit, and the Coastal Cabana made a good contrasting color for the page base.

That's it for me today, peeps.  After I finish breakfast, the hubs and I are going to take Daphne out on a walk in the snow and then later we're meeting up with friends for lunch.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Tall Tales Alphabet, Snow Swirled
Ink:  Blueberry Bushel, Coastal Cabana
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Blueberry Bushel, Lemon Lime Twist, Thick Basic White, Let It Snow Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Layering Circles dies

Train Tracks

Mornin y'all!  The snow is starting to melt here but it's going to take a while.  We have a drift in our backyard that's about waist-high, so it's a LOT of snow!  We just took Daphne out and she very much enjoys zoomies in the snow.  Better enjoy it while she can, our high today is in the 50s :) Looks like Ryan will be back at school tomorrow!

For today's card, I have something unusual:

An all-gray card, on MY blog???  I know, right.  I bought Greatest Adventure when it first hit the Online Exclusives and this is the first time I've made a card with it.  I like the train image, but the real draw for me is the sentiment stamps; there are several really nice ones in the set.  Anyway, Inspire. Create. has the all-gray challenge that was the genesis of my card:

And I paired that with the Festive Friday challenge:

I got twine, neutral colors (nothing but grays here), and texture.  That embossed piece has been sitting in my Smoky Slate scraps for probably years; I started getting rid of my embossing folders because I just don't use them ever but I thought I could use that piece for this card.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Daphne chewed up the remote control for the TV yesterday and this morning our computer is acting pretty weird, so I think today I will be doing things that do not involve looking at screens : )  And maybe the hubs will be looking for a new remote control for the TV because I want to watch The Sword in the Stone sometime soon.  Good thing Daph is so cute.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Greatest Adventure
Ink:  Basic Gray
Paper:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Accessories:  Basic Gray twine, embossing folder, Dimensionals

Mellow Mushrooms

Mornin' y'all!  We have even MORE snow today than yesterday, but the weather app says it's supposed to stop snowing around 10 this morning.  It's my turn to shovel the driveway so that's my plan...after I eat breakfast : ) and have a nice cuppa tea.

But first, a card!

Once again I dug out a retired stamp set to play with.  How cute is this sketch from Just Add Ink:

And here's the Inspired By... challenge:

That inspo pic immediately made me think of the cute little mushroom stamp in Snailed It.

Well, as soon as I finish my tea, I've got to head out and shovel the driveway again.  Wish me luck.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Snailed It
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Petal Pink, Ivory, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Thick Basic White, Snail Mail DSP, Real Red DSP
Accessories:  Snail dies, Layering Circles dies, Glossy Dots, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Beary Merry

Happy Friday, y'all, and Snow Day #3.  It was snowing when I let Daphne out last night just before bed, and it was snowing when I got up this morning to do my workout, and it's still snowing now.  Not super heavily, but steadily.  I shoveled the driveway yesterday so today it's Ryan's turn, haha!  (Just kidding, he's only 7.) I shall continue to stay inside with a nice cuppa, and maybe (probably) (most likely) do some crafting.

I've got a Christmas card to share today:

I finally inked up Christmas Friends and of course the bear had to be first.  I love the colors from CAS Colours & Sketches:

And I'm entering this at Critter Crazy Challenges because who doesn't love a good critter card.  I'm looking forward to playing with this stamp set some more between now and Christmas.

But for now I think I might go watch Ghostbusters:  Frozen Empire.  While I drink hot tea.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Christmas Friends
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Pecan Pie, Real Red, Shy Shamrock, Shaded Spruce
Paper:  Shaded Spruce, Shy Shamrock, Thick Basic White, Real Red DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Nested Essentials dies, Dimensionals

Time for a Hot Drink (or Two)

Mornin' y'all!  It's another snow day here and it is *really* coming down.  I don't think anyone is going anywhere today.  We took Daphne out on a very short walk yesterday just until she did her business and then we came back to the house and played in the snow while the hubs shoveled the driveway (he decided against spending $1K+ on a snowblower yesterday but he might change his mind if this keeps up).  I think we might all be housebound tomorrow, too.

Of course when we came back inside from the cold I had to make myself a cup of tea (or two), which brings me to today's card:

The SOS Challenge this week is Time for a Hot Drink, and I've got two.  So which would you choose, pumpkin spice with marshmallows, or apple cider with whipped cream?  I recently met up with a friend at a coffee shop in Monument (it's called Wesley Owens Coffee & Cafe, you should check it out Lynn) and I had what they called a fall fog--it was English breakfast tea with pumpkin spice and steamed milk and it was really good.  I enjoyed the blackberry scone too, so there's my plug for the coffee shop : ) and I don't even drink coffee.

Anyway, here is this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And the Color Throwdown:

I used Pumpkin Pie, Mossy Meadow, and Cherry Cobbler, and added Early Espresso and Pecan Pie for neutrals.  I tried a Pumpkin Pie card base and it just didn't look good, so I used Early Espresso instead.  I thought about adding Pumpkin Pie embellishments, but nothing spoke to me so I just left it as is so the focus is on the cute drinks.

And here is a picture of Daphne this morning, who is Not A Fan of all the snow:

There's the hubs shoveling a path out into the grass for her : )  She's getting better about doing her tinkle fast so we can come back inside, and mostly she's behaving so well, but she did go in Ryan's room this morning and grab a stuffy to gnaw on.  I rescued Wolfier (big brother to Wolfy, Ryan has a naming convention for most of his stuffies, we also have a Foxy, Eagly, Pengy, Ducky...and this is why I named Daphne instead of letting Ryan do it) who now has a bit of damage around his nose but at least wasn't eviscerated.  Ahh, life with a puppy.  I love having a dog again.

Cheers, y'all!  I'm gonna go make some tea while I watch the snow come down.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  More Than Autumn, Latte Love
Ink:  Early Espresso, Stampin' Blends in Ivory, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Early Espresso, Pecan Pie, Thick Basic White, Cherry Cobbler & Mossy Meadow DSP
Accessories:  More Than Autumn dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals