Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Wishing Well Leaves

Mornin' y'all!  I got all my errands done yesterday but not much crafting, so that will be happening after I take Daphne for a walk today.  There's lots of challenges I need to catch up on, so let's start with two for today's card:


I used this week's Creative Colour Challenge:


The Mary Mary Quite Contrary in my really wanted to do purple leaves, but I decided to keep the leaves to actual real-life leaf colors.  (If I was using pumpkins, you know that pumpkin would have been purple because I am a pumpkin color anarchist!)  I paired that with this week's Atlantic Hearts sketch:


Pro tip real quick:  Always make sure you're LOOKING at your mug when you set it on a coaster, I just almost ended up with hot tea all over my desk and lap and that would have been a real shame as it's sweet potato pie tea and it does not belong in my lap.  Anywha, back to the card.  I saw this sketch and my brain said NO and then ten seconds later it hiccuped and there was my card idea.  I cut two patterns of Darling Duckling DSP into 1/2" strips and adhered them at an angle on a piece of copy paper (so it wouldn't add bulk), then cut off the extra bits on the sides before I put the whole thing on a Cajun Craze mat.  A few die cut leaves, the greeting, and some dots to finish.

Weirdly, I made a card with a very similar color combination earlier this week which you'll see on Saturday's Nancy Drew Challenge.  Check you later kids, I'm off to do a virtual appointment and then walk the Daphinator.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gather Together
Ink:  Highland Heather, Cajun Craze, Darling Duckling, Versamark
Paper:  Highland Heather, Cajun Craze, Darling Duckling, Basic White, Darling Duckling DSP
Accessories:  Gathered Leaves dies, Textured Notes dies, Dimensionals, Frosted Iridescent Dots

Oops, I forgot to post my WIP Wednesday stitching photo!  Here it is:


I've done a whole lotta black stitching so far on the Frankenstein block (don't come at me, I know it's Frankenstein's MONSTER and he doesn't have his own name, but you know how we refer to artwork as like "a Picasso" and stuff like that?  He's a Frankenstein!...and now I need to watch Young Frankenstein, stat) and I am still having so much fun with this.  However, I know I need to slow down a bit as my right wrist is starting to complain, so I really need to back it off to maybe an hour of stitching per day.  That just means I'll get to enjoy making this project for longer, right?

Halloween Raven

Midnight greetings, ghoul friends!  Tonight's card features one of this year's Halloween stamp sets and I think this is the only time I've gotten it inky thus far, here it is:


This started out as a card for a past Paper Players challenge, but I ended up going with a different card instead.  So now Mr. Raven is making his debut tonight along with some retro DSP.

Stay spooky, friends!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Raven's Tale
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Wicked Fun DSP
Accessories:  Oh My Fright dies, Textured Notes dies, Dimensionals, Moody Palette Dots

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Circles or Squares?

Mornin' y'all!  I've got a busy day ahead with several errands to run, so let's get started.  I have a pair of cards today:


The latest Inspired By... Challenge made me think of the Spice Cake DSP which Google says was released in 2011.  I made the card on the left first, but then I had the negative shape from the leaf I'd die cut so then I had to make the card on the right and use that shape.  So, circles or squares?

Here's the Inspired By... Challenge that got me started:


I used River Rock, More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla for my colors, which are all in the Spice Cake DSP.  I love that paper, I was smart enough to get an extra pack but for today's cards I was working only with scraps instead of cutting into any new sheets.  Because I'm still a paper dragon even though I'm trying to convince myself to Just Use The Paper.

Supplies, left card:
Stamps:  Love of Leaves
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper:  River Rock, More Mustard, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake DSP
Accessories:  Love of Leaves dies, Layering Circles dies, Dimensionals

Supplies, right card:
Stamps:  Love of Leaves
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Spice Cake DSP
Accessories:  Love of Leaves dies, Layering Circles dies, Dimensionals


In other news, Daphne missed the memo on proper couch usage.  No idea how this could possibly be comfortable for her, but it didn't stop her laying like this for quite a while.  As long as it makes her happy, I suppose!

Spooky Lady Icons

Midnight greetings, ghoul friends!  I have a lineup of spooky feminine icons for you tonight:


These stamps are part of an Ink Road set called The Real Housewives of Salem and I'm so happy I finally got it inked up.  CAS on Friday wants to see shades of gray and that seemed perfect for these ladies!  And now I really need to start watching the Addams Family TV show, I bought it digitally a while back but I have been watching other things.  I also have Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie for some nostalgic Nick at Nite-style TV fun.  Anyway, there is a variety of greetings in this stamp set and I went with Resting Witch Face because I do, in fact, have that.  Even after nearly 23 years of marriage, my hubs frequently asks if I'm okay and my response is always "This is just ma face!"

Stay spooky, friends!

Supplies:
Stamps:  The Real Housewives of Salem by The Ink Road
Ink:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate
Accessories:  none

Monday, October 5, 2026

I Love Leaves

Mornin' y'all!  Ryan got off to a rocky start this morning but hopefully he'll turn his attitude around by the time he gets out of school, he was a grumpy Gus this morning.  Anyway, I had a nice relaxing weekend and got to work on several cards which makes me happy.  I decided to get out the Gathering Together DSP from two years ago along with the coordinating stamp set Gathering Moments to make a couple of cards for today.


I started out with the inspo pic from Inkspirational:


I love this pic and I really want to make a different card for every single cupcake but I don't think I'm going to be able to do that before the challenge ends.  For today's cards, I was looking particularly at the two cupcakes with leaves on them, very first one on the top row and third one on the bottom row, and I chose my DSP because it has the shiny metallic elements like the pic.  I paired that challenge with last week's Freshly Made Sketch:


I couldn't decide between the leafy patterns to use for the larger panel so that's why I made two, might as well use up multiple scraps while I'm at it.

I'm on my second cuppa this morning and as soon as I finish that, I'm off to take Daphne for a walk (the weather is not Octobery today, it's back up in the high 70s for a high but it should be pleasant to walk in) and then work on some laundry and send out this week's cards.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gathering Moments, Elegant Leaves
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Early Espresso, Basic Beige, Basic White, Gathering Together Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Gathering Moments dies, Perennial Postage dies, Dimensionals, Wonderful Gems, gold cord

Pumpkin in the Patch

Midnight greetings, ghoul friends!  I have been having SO much fun making Halloween cards this year and there's lots more to come...I need to start sending them out!  But first, let's take a look at Pumpkin:


Yes, I made a black cat and named him Pumpkin : )  I bought these Spellbinders dies called Halloween Add-Ons this summer when I think they went on clearance and I was just waiting for the right opportunity to use them.  Enter the Just Us Girls Challenge:


I used the Spellbinders dies for Pumpkin the cat and the greeting, then three sets of Stampin' Up! dies for the other elements:  Tile Garden, Painted Pumpkins, and Squares Collection.  Lots of dies here and the only stamping is the Oct. 31 and the bats behind Pumpkin.  I love the Halloween palette from TGIF Challenges!


The only other colors I used are neutrals, so quite a lot of black, a bit of Basic Beige and Whisper White, and some pumpkin stems in Pecan Pie.

Stay spooky, friends!
Stamps:  Halloween Backgrounds, Halloween Add-Ons by Spellbinders
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Pumpkin Pie
Paper:  Basic Black, Granny Apple Green, Blackberry Bliss, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Beige, Pecan Pie, Basic White
Accessories:  Halloween Add-Ons dies, Tile Garden dies, Painted Pumpkins dies, Squares Collection Framelits, Dimensionals

Sunday, October 4, 2026

Purple Mountains Majesty for The Paper Players

Happy Sunday, y'all!  I hope you enjoyed Jaydee's fabulous sketch last week, but it's time for a new challenge from The Paper Players.  Take a look at our theme courtesy of the amazing Ann:


I currently live in Colorado so I knew from the jump that I wanted to do mountains, and I remembered a particular pack of patterned paper that was just the thing I needed.  Here's my card:


Do you remember the Enjoy the Journey DSP?  I think I have like four packs of it, partially because it features Starry Sky which is one of my top In Colors ever and also because I love the patterns in it.  That meant I have a sufficient hoard that I was able to convince my dragon brain to cut into it for this challenge : )  And then I ended up with two more cards while I was at it:


It's always nice to have a stash of thank you cards and once I started, I couldn't just leave these two pieces of the patterned paper without turning them into cards too.

Check out the other design team creations on the Paper Players blog, and you can hop through their individual blogs to leave some comments too:

The Paper Players Design Team



And then upload your card at the Paper Players blog!  Keep in mind a few simple rules:
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL
4.  Have fun!


Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Greatest Journey
Ink:  Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape
Paper:  Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Basic White, Enjoy the Journey DSP
Accessories:  Painted Labels dies, Starry Sky bakers twine, Pearlized Faceted Circles, Dimensionals