Wishing Tree

Mornin' y'all!  I need to type fast because I think Daphne knows that I've finished my tea and she is more than ready to go out for her daily perambulation.  So let's get to it!

Once more I am playing around with some older, retired supplies even though I have four new stamp sets sitting on my table.  Let's start with the Just Add Ink sketch:

And then the Inkspirational word prompt:

And finally the AAA Colourful challenge that pulled it all together:

I honed in on the last three colors, which I read as Basic Black, Wild Wheat, and Calypso Coral, and that reminded me of the Softly Stippled DSP that I think was a Sale-a-Bration option a while back.  I inked up the tree image with markers so I could get a multicolored effect (RIP Stampin' Up markers), stamped a greeting right on my DSP and then added a few champagne Sparkle Gems to finish it off.

Okay, Daphne is doing the Care Bear Stare at me so I'd best take her for a walk.  Thanks to lots of fun challenges I may be back with a second card today, we shall see.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Rooted in Nature, Gather Together
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, markers in Basic Black, Wild Wheat, Calypso Coral
Paper:  Basic Black, Thick Basic White, Softly Stippled DSP
Accessories:  Nature's Roots dies, Dimensionals, Sparkle Gems

Gather Together (Thanksgiving 2019)

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  Tomorrow will kick off Thanksgiving prep in earnest; all I have to do today is make the pie crust.  So today I think we're taking my parents out to Manitou Springs to have a look around.

On to the scrapbook pages!  These are from Thanksgiving in 2019, which we spent in Alabama with the hubs' side of the family.

I made these pages and then I couldn't decide which way they should go, I think it works either way:

Yeah I still don't know.  Here's the very fall palette for today:

The long-retired More Mustard, the not-quite-as-long-retired Merry Merlot, Cajun Craze, and Very Vanilla.  Simple pages with a few stamped leaf accents and done.

That's it for me today, y'all.  I'm going to eat breakfast, take Daphne out for a walk, and then have a cup of tea because it's currently 25 degrees out there.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  More Mustard, Merry Merlot, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Versamark
Paper:  More Mustard, Merry Merlot, Cajun Craze, Thick Very Vanilla, Come to Gather DSP
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, clear EP

Autumn Duo

Hey y'all, how's it going?  I have been enjoying fall-like weather for the last day or two, but it's supposed to get back up into the 80s starting tomorrow so this is like a faux fall.  Well, at least 84 is better than 108!  And I am currently enjoying a cuppa Twinings No. 22 Dark Caramel tea.

I see signs of fall in my craft room too : )

A while back, I saw a thing in a needlework catalog that had an embroidered table runner with purple leaves on black fabric.  I loved the purple leaf idea so I had to go with that today.  For the leaf and the pumpkin, I used the blending brushes to apply color to Thick Basic Vanilla cardstock, then flicked some water drops on it at the bathroom sink.  I dried it with my heat tool because I am impatient, and then stamped the outlines on top.  Seriously loving that look.  I had some extra pieces so I made an extra card:

I must admit that I forgot to do the water drops on the leaf before I stamped the outline, but it still looks pretty so I used it anyway.  And it gave me an excuse to just play around with the placement of the elements, just for funsies rather than following a sketch.  I made both of these for the current Paper Players challenge:

Changing colors were a sign of autumn in Germany (though I must admit I never saw purple leaves in nature); here in Texas we don't really get a fall and everything is still green, but we do have pumpkin patches popping up.  So I used both leaves and pumpkins on my cards : )

This afternoon I'm hoping to go see my old high school's marching band perform, I'd better set a timer so I remember to get out of the house in time for that.  That will definitely be nostalgic for me, I was in marching band for all of high school and I have so many memories of being in the band and the people in it.  So there's my afternoon plans.  Cheers!

Supplies, first card:
Stamps:  Come to Gather
Ink:  Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso
Paper:  Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Thick Basic Vanilla
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Dimensionals, Rustic Metallic Dots

Supplies, second card:
Stamps:  Come to Gather
Ink:  Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Thick Basic Vanilla
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Dimensionals, Opaque Gems

Take Care Leaf

Happy Friday and Happy Veterans Day.  Enjoy the long weekend but do pause to think about *why* we have a holiday.

I've got a card to share today:

This card has already gone in the mail to a friend who I think needs to be reminded to take time to take care of herself.  I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

And I paired it with the Color Throwdown:

I used Real Red, Smoky Slate, Bumblebee, and Tangerine Tango for my colors.  I had tea on the brain when I started this, and I actually stamped a teacup from Cup of Tea and watercolored it, but in the end I decided these colors demanded a fall leaf.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together, Cup of Tea
Ink:  Versamark, Real Red, Bumblebee, Tangerine Tango, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Thick Basic White, Plaid Tidings DSP
Accessories:  Clear EP, Gathered Leaves dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Matte Decorative Dots, Dimensionals

Birthday Pumpkin

Mornin' y'all!  I had to whip up a quick birthday card yesterday morning before work so I could get it in the mail ASAP.  Here's what I came up with in under 20 minutes:

The leaves are GLORIOUS right now and this one fell off a tree near my work; I had to pick it up when I left work Monday afternoon because it was so pretty.  Anyway, the card!  I sent this off ON the birthday girl's birthday so it will definitely be late, but that's an excuse to celebrate longer, right?  After I took this picture, I decided the pumpkin needed some Wink of Stella because I always like Wink of Stella.

I started with the Fusion challenge:

I'm just squeaking in under the deadline on this one :)  I pulled my colors from the photo:  Very Vanilla, Mint Macaron, Cajun Craze, and Baja Breeze, with some Early Espresso for the birthday sentiment and the pumpkin stem.  My card also fits with the Global Design Project theme challenge:

Pumpkins?  Yes please.  Last up is the Paper Players sketch:

Couldn't resist using the Watercolor Shapes stamp set for the three panels in the background, though they're wider than the panels on the sketch.  I figure that falls under creative license.

October ends this weekend, but as far as I'm concerned, pumpkin season is a year-round thing (especially if it involves this coffee cake).  I'm hoping the fall colors last a bit longer, I'm loving it!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together, Watercolor Shapes, Sharing Sunshine
Ink:  Mint Macaron, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso
Paper:  Thick Very Vanilla, Mint Macaron, Baja Breeze
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, hexagon punch, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

SUO Challenges: Thanksgiving

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

This time we're doing a theme:  Thanksgiving!  You know how much I love making cards in fall colors, and honestly Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday (even over Christmas).  I think it's all the pumpkin baked goods ;). Here's what I made:

The Gilded Autumn Specialty DSP is gorgeous and features both gold and copper foil.  I chose a pattern with gold on it and paired it with some gold foil paper and a gold embossed sentiment.  I'm glad that Gather Together came back for another fall season, I love this stamp set.

Upload your Thanksgiving project at the SUO Challenges blog and we'll save you a piece of pumpkin pie.  Have a great day, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Versamark, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Mango Melody
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Gilded Autumn Specialty DSP, Gold foil
Accessories:  Clear EP, Gold EP, Gathered Leaves dies, Rectangles Stitched dies, Dimensionals

SUO Challenges: Tuesday Twosome

Mornin' stampy friends!  It is time once again for a new challenge at SUO Challenges!

This time around, we're asking you to use your favorite holiday catalog product(s) or bundle.  Well, there's a lot of things I love in the holiday catalog, but as I am still resisting the urge to make anything Christmas or winter related, that narrowed down my choices a bit, and finally I decided my favorite product in the fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving part of the catalog is...the Ornate Frames Dies.

They're designed to go with the Spooktacular Bash stamp set, but that doesn't mean they aren't great for all kinds of other things.  Still, for my first card, I did use Spooktacular Bash and the super-fun Monster Bash DSP:

And I somehow resisted the urge to add a bunch of Granny Apple Green to a Monster Bash card ;) I can't help it, I love that bright green with the more muted tones in this DSP.  Anyway, my lil vampire there hadn't been inked up yet so this was a good chance to do that as well.

But, to show you that the Ornate Frames aren't just for vampires, here's a card featuring more awesome fall products:

I love the nontraditional colors in the Come to Gather DSP, and I used the coordinating Gather Together stamp set and Gathered Leaves dies.  Love the texture on those leaves!  And this time the ornate frame goes around the sentiment.  My dad will be having some surgery in the next couple of months, so I think this will be a thinking of you/get well card for him.

So there's my two cards for this challenge!  I have some other Christmas favorites too but none of them have gotten inked up yet ;) Plus I have a box due to arrive later today with more Christmas stuff, so I imagine it will start creeping into my stamping after November gets here.  So it's your turn!  Make a card with your favorite product from the holiday catalog, and I'll ooh and ahh over it even if I'm not ready to start making Christmas stuff myself ;)

Cheers!

Supplies for the first card, all SU!

Stamps:  Spooktacular Bash, Little Twinkle
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Terracotta Tile, Crushed Curry, Soft Sued
Paper:  Terracotta Tile, Basic Black, Thick Very Vanilla, Monster Bash DSP
Accessories:  Ornate Frames Dies, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Mint Macaron, Pretty Peacock, Early Espresso, Thick Whisper White
Accessories:  Ornate Frames Dies, Gathered Leaves Dies, Mini Dimensionals

Friday Double Feature

Happy Friday y'all!  As it happens, I have two cards to share today.  Here's the first one:

I liked the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch:

And I paired that with the colors from Color Throwdown:

I used Pumpkin Pie, Gray Granite, and Very Vanilla for my colors, but I didn't want the orange to be overpowering so when I watercolored the pumpkins, I did a wash of Gray Granite first and then just added a tiny bit of Pumpkin Pie.  I usually don't go much for cards with such a muted color palette, so my brain rebelled and I had to make another card:

Okay, so the card base is still neutral, but I used Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, and Granny Apple Green to up the fun factor.  I love those colors together for Halloween!  Also I think this sentiment is large and in charge enough to count for the Paper Players challenge:

When Ryan goes down for his nap this afternoon, I'm hoping to do some work on his baby book. I've only got a few pages left and then I'll be done with it!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Supplies for the first card, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Gray Granite, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede
Paper:  Gray Granite, Thick Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles Dies, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card, all SU!
Stamps:  Wonderfully Wicked
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, craft Whisper White
Paper:  Basic Black, Thick Whisper White
Accessories:  Stitched Rectangles Dies, Glitter Enamel Dots, Dimensionals

Copper Boom

Yay Friday!  How's your day going so far?  I'm excited that the temperature actually dropped a bit this week.  I swan (my great-grandmother used to say that instead of "I swear") that 74 degrees feels positively autumnal after so many days of 90+ degrees and ridiculous humidity.  More fall please!

So how about a very quick fall card today?

I had the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge in my mind as I was rifling through my stamp sets and Gather Together seemed perfect for it (though I almost made another Halloween card instead).

What made up my mind for me was the Paper Players challenge to use metallics:

So once I saw the big leaf in Gather Together, this card idea popped into my head and seriously, if my husband hadn't gotten home right after I started making it, I would have been done in probably about five minutes.  I used copper embossing powder (I still have my old jar of EP from the *first* time SU! had copper powder!) on Pretty Peacock cardstock, then added a sentiment stamped in Rich Razzleberry on a scrap of Very Vanilla, and boom, card done.  (If you're confused about the title of this blog post, "copper boom" is a reference to an episode of Gilmore Girls.)

Well, I've got some work to do today for my volunteer gig, then yoga class, and then I get to work on scrapbooks this weekend anytime Ryan is down for his nap.  Still not sure I'll get to my 200-page goal for the year, but I'm going to get as close as I can!

Cheers, y'all!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Versamark, Rich Razzleberry
Paper:  Pretty Peacock, Thick Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Copper EP, Dimensionals

Get Well, Pumpkin

Hey y'all!  Happy Friday...even happier because it's a long weekend :)  And I always think of Labor Day as the last hurrah of summer/first hint of fall, so today I've got a fall-inspired card to share.

Of course it doesn't show up in the picture, but I painted the pumpkins on the main image panel with Wink of Stella so they sparkle.  Also, since I wanted to pop up the sentiment strip on Dimensionals, I layered the DSP on some white cardstock so it would be a bit more sturdy.  The sentiment and the teal pumpkin are both popped up.

Let's have a big hooray for Freshly Made Sketches' 400th sketch:

I really liked this sketch, it was really more of a question of narrowing down all the ideas in my head to just one card.  In the end, I couldn't resist using that beautiful Come to Gather DSP.  I'm going to be mixing up the names of the DSP and the stamp set and the dies because they all have "gather" in the name.  I think I'll have to get at least one extra pack of the paper before it retires, too.  It's SO pretty!

That's it for this week, folks.  Have a great weekend!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Cajun Craze, Pretty Peacock, Early Espresso
Paper:  Pretty Peacock, Early Espresso, Thick Whisper White, Come to Gather DSP
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Dimensionals

First Autumn Card of the Year

Happy Sunday!  My box o' brand new Stampin' Up! goodies didn't arrive until after 5:30 on Friday afternoon, so I didn't get to ink up my new stamps until yesterday.  This was my holiday catalog preorder, so I had to make the first fall card of the year!  Lookie:

I used the new Gather Together stamp set and Come to Gather DSP for this.  You see the green pattern on the sentiment piece?  That was an accident.  For the leaf, I did a light watercolor wash, dried it with my heat tool, and then stamped the leaf outline in Mossy Meadow ink.  Well, the ink on that part wasn't dry when I ran it through my die cut machine, and it got ink on the plates, but I didn't know that until I die cut the sentiment part.  I thought it looked kinda neat, so I left it.  Oh yeah, the sentiment is cut out with the Ornate Frames dies which coordinate with a cute Halloween set (which I also bought).  Those frame dies are going to be useful for SO MUCH more than just Halloween though!

Anyway, I had to play along with the 400th sketch celebration at Freshly Made Sketches:

I forgot the trio of embellishments in the corner, oops.  I combined that with the color challenge from Global Design Project:

I love the new Come to Gather DSP, and it has Merry Merlot and Pretty Peacock in it.

Hope y'all are having a good weekend.  I'm off to the grocery store to get food for dinner tonight...cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together, Butterfly Wishes
Ink:  Mossy Meadow, Early Espresso
Paper:  Mossy Meadow, Thick Very Vanilla, Watercolor Paper, Come to Gather DSP
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Ornate Frames dies, Dimensionals