You Two, Deer

Mornin' y'all!  I just ate the last of the pumpkin pie for breakfast (it has...vitamin A?) so after I write this blog post I need to take Daphne for a walk.  She's been giving me judgmental looks.  Typing is a little bit of a challenge as I managed to give myself a paper cut on the tip of my left index finger...trying to grab a sweetener packet for my tea.  Tea shouldn't hurt, y'all.  At least it's quit bleeding.

Anyway, this week's Paper Players challenge is a fun and different take on seasonal cards:

So here's what I made:

That Winter Meadow DSP is definitely doing the heavy lifting here, but I thought of it immediately when I saw the Inkspirational mood board challenge:

No deer in the mood board, but the colors match--I had to do green for that green sprig in the lower left (and also I don't like doing cards that are ALLLLL neutrals).

But I didn't stop there.  Ann Schach talked in her post about how much she likes revisiting old favorite stamp sets and that made me think of one I got in the first year or two after I started stamping, so I had to dig it out and make a second card:

Reindeer Print has probably been in my collection for around 20 years and I enjoyed getting it out again for this challenge.  It's also a challenge to get a big stamp like that inked up all the way, so I stamped it 3-4 times to get good coverage.  Then it was taking a long time to dry (I smeared the first one I did so I had to stamp it again) so I covered it with clear embossing powder.  I kept the same Winter Meadow DSP for this one but more colorful patterns.

I'm also entering these at Shopping Our Stash, where they want to see winter cards that aren't Christmas, and Critter Crazy Challenges, where it's anything goes featuring a critter.  Last week when my parents were here, we spent some time in Manitou Springs and ate lunch.  We were sitting inside the restaurant next to a big window that looks out onto the patio, which has tables they use when it's warmer weather.  While we were sitting there, two deer came dashing through the patio not 10 feet from where we were sitting!  They dodged the tables and hopped the 4-foot wall at the end of the patio with no visible effort.  I'm glad there were two because I said something when I saw the first one and everyone else looked in time to see the second one.

Okay, Daph has escalated to barking at me so I definitely need to take her for a walk and get some energy out.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, Winter Wishes card:
Stamps:  Christmas Labels
Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  Garden Green, Winter Meadow DSP
Accessories:  Christmas Labels dies, white EP, Dimensionals, Basic Gray 3/8" taffeta ribbon

Supplies, Reindeer Print card:
Stamps:  Reindeer Print
Ink:  Garden Green, Lost Lagoon
Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Garden Green, Basic Beige, Winter Meadow DSP
Accessories:  Clear EP, Blue Sparkling Gems, Dimensionals

Olivia's Baby Book

Not too long after I started stamping, I got the idea to make baby books for a couple of friends of mine for their baby showers.  Since then, I've done ten, and I've got one more that's 80% finished (I just need to find out if the baby's a boy or a girl).  I do one layout for each month of the year, plus layouts for the baby's birth and first birthday.  Add in the first and last pages, and each book is 30 pages.  They take me at least a couple of months to do, so I don't do them for very many people.  And I won't sell them either, because honestly, no one would pay what I would want to charge for them given how much time they take, never mind the cost of supplies.

So here's the one I just finished up for my SIL and her new daughter, Olivia.  If you want a complete supply list, check out my SCS gallery here.  Jill is doing the nursery in what my mom calls Strawberry Shortcake colors--pink, hot pink, and lime green, so that's what I started with.  The die cut alphabet I used is by Sizzix and I've had it since I graduated from college and it's long retired :)  Click on any of the pictures to see it bigger.

 Stamps:  Mixed Bunch, Papillon Potpourri

Stamps:  Baby Prints

Stamps:  Make a Mitten (retired), Snow Swirled

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings, Carte Postale (retired), En Francais

Stamps:  Celtic Knots (retired), Tag Time (retired)

Stamps:  Announcements (retired)...I did this one several months ago, had I known Rain or Shine was coming out I woulda waited so I could have used that!

Stamps:  Tea Shoppe...I thought a mother-daughter tea party theme would be cute?

Stamps:  By the Seashore

Stamps:  Land That I Love (retired)

 Stamps:  Bronc Buster (retired), Wanted (retired)...Olivia was born in Texas, she needed a cowgirl layout :)

Stamps:  Fruit & Flowers, One Smart Cookie

Stamps:  Googly Ghouls (retired)

Stamps:  Wonderfall, Falling Leaves (retired)

Stamps:  Reindeer Print

Stamps:  Crazy for Cupcakes (retired), coordinating cupcake wheel (retired)

So excited this one is done!  I've even made a card to go with it, so now I just need to get it in the mail.  Thanks for stopping by!

Early Sighting of Rudolph

Is it sad that I keep track of the days of the week sometimes by what challenges are posted?  I've been doing the Splitcoast color challenges for so long that color challenges are automatically linked to Tuesdays.  So here's my card for today's Splitcoast color challenge, to use Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, and Old Olive:

Yeah, there's an old stamp set!  I think this was from the first year or two I started stamping?  I think the stamp set was in my mind because I'd just used it for a baby book layout.  I was looking through my old card photos and saw a bunch with the Flannel Plaid background so I had to break that out too.  Just makes me feel cozy to look at it.

These colors were straight out of the Jolly Holiday DSP that we had a while back...umm yeah, I can't remember what year it's from.  I was putting together my card and thought it desperately needed some ribbon but somehow I am out of Cherry Cobbler seam binding (I don't know why it can't self-replicate after I buy it so I *always* have it no matter how much I use it, is that too much to ask?) but happy day, I found this quilted satin from holiday mini catalogs past and it works.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies (all SU, but a bunch of them are retired):
Stamps:  Reindeer Print, Flannel Plaid, Fancy Flexible Phrases
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Jolly Holiday DSP
Accessories:  Cherry Cobbler quilted satin ribbon, pearl, Curly Label punch