Halloween CASE

I love to use non-holiday stamps to make a holiday card.  When I saw THIS ONE on the Neat and Tangled blog, I had to make one more Halloween card.  Water Color Wonder by PTI is one of my favorite stamp sets, but I don't seem to use it very much.  Think I'll use the same idea for a fun Christmas card.  The inks I used are VersaMagic Purple Hydrangea, Persimmon & Key Lime. The sentiment is by Northwoods.  I'll enter the Anything Goes challenges at SSS Wed Challenge and SSS Mon Challenge and Stampin' Royalty.  Wishing you treats & no tricks!  

Simple Birthday Card

Flourishes is having a birthday party for their designer, Christine Okken.  
Decided to take a break from holiday cards to play along. Took awhile to figure out what to do, but in the end I went back to one of my favorite sets called Fanciful Flourishes.  The image was stamped in a row using VersaMagic Aegean Blue. Lucked out with this  blue shimmer cardstock being a great match for the scalloped mat die cut with Spellbinders edge die. I love the look of this elegant sentiment which is from the same set & is stamped in Memento Gray Flannel. The panel is mounted with foam tape & pearls finish off the card.  
Happy Birthday week, Christine!
I'm also entering the challenge at Simon Says Stamp, Monday. Thank you all for stopping by.

Dimensional Leaf Wreath

I pretty much always love the PTI MIM videos, but the current one by Melissa is at the top of my favorites--for now--LOL!  I loved everything about her card including the use of gold & vellum.  I don't have large PTI leaves except for Rosie Posie, so decided to make more of a traditional wreath using "Turning a New Leaf."  I still intend to use some other products to CASE her card, though.  My leaves are stamped in Memento Northern Pine & sponged with Potter's Clay.  I dry embossed them with a Cuttlebug ef & sprayed them with my newest Therm-O-Web Glitter Dust--gold--love it! The leaves are mounted to the "wreath" made from Spellbinders circles that have an image from "Guidelines" (picked up from a stamper's on-line sale) gold embossed on it. Foam tape is used for some of the leaves & the piece is then attached to the vellum square with the sentiment from "Lovely Leaves" stamped in Northern Pine. The vellum is attached to an off-white panel which is mounted with foam tape to the card front.  A few gold sequins I just picked up for 99 cents are the only embellishment.  This is one of my favorite cards--just the look I love, which doesn't always happen--LOL! Wish I was better at capturing cards in photos. I'm also entering the wreath challenge at Inkspirational. 
Thanks so much for all your encouragement & sweet comments.

Edited to Add: I'm also entering the challenge at Crazy for CAS.

Pink & Hope

This is one of those cards where I started creating not knowing how it would end up.  I wanted to use the butterfly from Flourishes "Butterflies and Blossoms" for my Timeless Tuesday entry. Then I saw Darnell's beautiful pink & green card for the Muse challenge with her post concerning Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Darnell's Muse Card

I took her color scheme & the message of hope for my card. The butterfly is black embossed twice, colored with COPICS, fussy cut & attached just in the center so the wings can move. First time using twine for antennas--so much easier than cutting them out!  I used 3 shades of pink cardstock die cut with Spellbinders squares & Fleur-de-Lis square. The sentiment is from Flourishes "Pears." I finished with pearls colored with the green COPIC & some Stickles on the butterfly.   
Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog & don't forget to schedule your mammogram!

Christmas Carol

I love to play along in the Merry Monday challenges & this week the theme is music or a Christmas carol.
I had several ideas, but ended up using 2 of my older Penny Black stamps: good will to men, 2758J & snow scroll, 3892K. The background is made with silver embossing snow scroll, sponging on Distress tumbled glass & then dry embossing the dots. The carol is stamped in VersaMagic Purple Hydrangea with Memento Lulu Lavender sponged around the edge. 
I matted it with a vellum scalloped oval die cut & mounted it with foam tape. This will be my last entry for the Penny Black & More challenge. Thanks to Sandie's suggestion, I'm also entering the challenge at Let's Get Inky. Edited to add: This is my first entry for a challenge at Word Art Wednesday.
Thanks so much for stopping by.

PTI Blog Hop

I try not to miss the PTI Blog Hops & for once I got an early start.  Good thing since I work today. I don't actually use many gift tags since we have a small family & gifts are usually a gift card or fruit basket. These won't go to waste, though, since they can become tag cards or focal points on cards.
I decided to use one layout & stamp/die set for all 5 tags. Each one is unique when it comes to papers, inks & trims.  I used PTI Mega Mat Stack 3 & Snowflake Flurries. You might be able to see the glitter if you enlarge the photo.  Boy am I loving Therm-O-Web Glitter Dust!
Do you have a favorite?  I really love the one on the bottom right. Lots to see & your taking time to check out my entry is very much appreciated!

Cue Word "Country"

When I saw the CASology word is "country" it made me think of the many farms near us who sell to the public.  This time of year they're decorated for Fall & that reminded me of this beautiful old stamp from a company now out of business.  I remember reading that a larger image can be used for a CAS card--just can't remember how they said to do it--LOL! Thinking maybe a monochromatic approach with little embellishment might work.  The stamp is embossed with Ultimate Metallic Champagne & then over-stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia using my stamp positioner.  I sponged over the image with Memento Desert Sand & then used PTI Vintage Cream on the edges.  
Edited: I didn't like the brightness of the Stickles I used, so changed to "Sunflower Yellow" pearls. Here's the new picture--much better, I think. 
Thanks for stopping by & letting me know what you think.

Smile

 

Thought I'd have some fun as I don't go in for the ghoulish or horror side of Halloween.  I do smile seeing the little ones in their costumes & that was my inspiration. All stamps are by Stampendous!: Cling Mumpkin, Elegant Borders & Flower Chat. My colors are from 4enScrap & I used Spellbinders Labels 10.  Emboss resist is one of my favorite techniques (works for those of us with less than great coloring skills!) & I used Distress ripe persimmon & PTI Summer Sunrise along with a bit of Distress frayed burlap on the edge. The card front is sponged with Memento Grape Jelly before the border is stamped in the same ink.  I used 2 sizes of Hero Arts green gems for the eyes & stamped smile in Distress gathered twigs on kraft, cut it out & attached it just at one end.  The piece is mounted with foam tape to the card front.

I'm entering these challenges:
Stampendous!
4enScrap
Simon Says Stamp Monday 
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday
And Edited to Add: Shopping Our Stash

So glad you stopped by!

Pretty Pumpkin

Last minute, again--work does get in the way of my crafting--LOL!  Love the current sketch for My Favorite Things.  As soon as I saw it my plan was to use one of the LJD Primitive Pumpkin dies cut with this gorgeous deep orange felt from my friend Rosemary. The Die-namics Royal Leaves & stem are cut from Jellybean Green felt. I matted the pumpkin with the small Die-namics Dizzy Doily cut from kraft cardstock. My printed papers are from Fiskars & Creative Imaginations.  Using second generation stamping with Memento Olive Grove, a leaf & veins from MFT Thankful Leaves was stamped on the green paper.  The sentiment is from the same set (cut apart) & is stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia. 

Don't think I've ever had this many Thanksgiving cards done ahead of time--feels great! I'll add this to The Thanksgiving Crusade.  

We're having a truly glorious Fall with sunshine & blue skies. Snapped a shot from the cafe balcony at the hospital where I work & thought you might enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by today.

CAS Thanksgiving Card

I wanted to play along with the CASology word "pumpkin", but didn't finish in time.  Thanksgiving always seems to be here before I'm ready, so good to have another card done anyway.  I bought this Tim Holtz embossing folder after using it for a Make-N-Take a couple years ago. Kraft & Delicata Golden Glitz inks were sponged on the piece. Not sure why it looks greenish in the picture. I scored a couple lines above & below the embossing & wrapped them with twine. The sentiment is by Impression Obsession.

I'm adding this to the The Thanksgiving Collection. So glad you took time to visit my blog.

Same Stamps, Different Styles

I made a CAS card with stitching for CAS-ual Fridays challenge (posted on Flickr with minutes to spare!) The challenge theme at Merry Monday was my inspiration & I decided it'd be fun to make another card with more of an elegant style. The stamp set is Penny Black's crystalline, 30-018. The fancy gray mat is stamped with diamond pattern, 400-169. Here are both cards.  Do you have a favorite? 

By the way, I think I've finally found a white gel pen that works--Uniball Signo. Two busy days at work & looking forward to the weekend. I know, I only worked 2 days so shouldn't complain--LOL! I do appreciate all your sweet comments--thank you for visiting my blog.
Edited to add: Entering this in the challenge at Penny Black and More.

Surprises

It was announced, so now I can tell you:  I am thrilled & honored to have been chosen by Flourishes to be one of the Guest Designers in December!  My feet have still not hit the ground!  My entry is posted HERE if you missed it.

Surprise #2: Fall in Oregon is beautiful--even if you don't find it on the list of places to see for color. Here are a couple pictures I snapped while we had our last camping trip of the season.  Weather was incredible--cold at night & sunny during the day.

It's going to take me some time to catch up with all of you, but don't think I've forgotten.  Anxious to do some crafting & hope to have a card posted tomorrow.  I so appreciate you stopping by.

DeNami Blog Hop

Halloween is not big in my world, although I do enjoy seeing the little ones all dressed up.  That being said, I take every opportunity to make cards & didn't want to miss a DeNami Blog Hop.  I started with a note card for a friend using this beautiful shimmery Halloween paper. I use a bit of it each year--silly, I know.  All the stamps are DeNami. The sentiment & edges are embossed with Zing! Neon Purple.  
I used a COPIC marker to color the pumpkin & gems.  I watercolored the area outside the Elegant Oval Frame as I didn't like so much white. My second project is a tag card, inspired by the expert, Martha.  I stamped the large dots from DeNami's Retro Borders 1 in black, purple & orange.  Then the dots were covered in the matching DeNami glitters using Crystal Laquer. Really hated to cover the gorgeous sparkly dots--LOL!  The smiley pumpkin is also DeNami, colored with markers & covered with Stickles.  The sentiment is from Studio G.  
You should have come from the super talented DT member, Wendy. If you're lost or need details about the prizes, you'll find it all on the DeNami Blog. I won't keep you any longer since you won't want to miss the always fun & inspiring DT member, Lisa P. So glad you hopped with us!  
I may not have my computer for a few days, but I will visit your blogs as soon as I can.

Christmas Birds

Quick post as I have to work today. I used Flourishes stamps Snow Wonderful & A Gift For You along with their Tailor-Made Die. This is my entry for Merry Monday (Christmas Bird) & Flourishes WCMD (Your Corner of the World). Western Oregon has lots of evergreen tress & the birds are eating me out of house & home--LOL!  

I used Gellatos to add a touch of color & Rock Candy Stickles (sorry it doesn't show in the picture) for some shine. I'm also entering Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge. 
TGIF! Enjoy your day & thanks for stopping by.

Peace

One more chance to win the Flourishes October release.  You have to make a Christmas card without red or green.  I knew immediately I wanted to use the Peace & Joy set--one of my all-time favorites!  I white embossed Peace & then sponged it with Distress Inks dusty concord & peacock feathers. Stickles is added & it's matted with a piece of textured white cardstock. The card front is randomly stamped (second generation) with both inks using the holly image from the set. Then I embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder & mounted the focal piece with foam tape.  
The final touch is provided with the narrow velvet ribbon I've been wanting to use & it was just right. I know you're busy so it means a lot to have you visit--thank you.
Edited to add: Also entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

Sequins & Chevrons

Never seem to get a card made for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge & they have really fun themes. This one, however, came close to stumping me. Thank goodness it finally hit me that I had chevron Washi tape for Halloween!  I simply made a background with the tape & glued my white sequins between the rows. I'd never inked this cute Stampendous! jack-o-lantern which I colored with markers & covered with Crystal Lacquer for a nice shine.  Isn't the font cool on this Northwoods stamp? Fun, simple card & finished in the nick of time!  I'm also entering the PaperCrafts October Galery Challenge.  

Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment--I appreciate it.
Edited to add: Also entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

The current Simon Says Stamp challenge simply requires that you use a rubber or clear stamp.  I don't use digis, so easy for me to enter.  I know it's time to make Fall cards, but I really wanted to ink up my new Penny Black tannenbaum, 40-262. This stamp would work for a more whimsy sort of card using different colors, but I ended up with my favorite style which is more toward elegant.  Penny Black Music Background, 2025M, was stamped in Memento Toffee Crunch on white cardstock cut with Spellbinders Labels 17.  The tree is clear embossed & then Distress Inks bundled sage & iced spruce were sponged over the entire piece & the Toffee Crunch was inked on the edges.  The die cut mat was stamped with Penny Black diamond pattern, 40-169, in Toffee Crunch, embossed & the edges were inked. I used a COPIC marker to color my white sequins, added Stickles & ribbon and popped up the panel.
Sun is out so gotta work in the roses for awhile.  So glad you stopped by. 
Edited to add: Entering this card in the challenge at Penny Black and More.

Grateful

I've been very blessed, but sometimes the normal stresses & struggles of life cloud my perspective. Today I realized again what really matters. A nurse in the office where I oriented for this job was diagnosed with a tumor & died in her sleep a week ago.  She was about my age, very active & always smiling.  Another reminder that life is short & precious. Good night to make a Thanksgiving card, which I did using Impression Obsession stamps Nest Collage, F13050 & Grateful, A8783.  I tend not to use my Kaleidacolor pads until this time of year when I pull out my favorite one--Autumn Leaves. It also gives me a chance to make use of my neglected brayer. Versafine Onyx Black was used for the stamping.  After distressing the edges I sponged on Delicata Golden Glitz.  
The card front was run through my Big Shot with a piece of burlap--Rosemary has me on a roll with that!--& those edges are also sponged with the gold. I'm entering the Impression Obsession Colors of Fall Challenge, grateful in my heart for all of you.  This also qualifies for the Ribbon Carousel Blog challenge, so I'm liking up there as well.  Edited to Add: The colors of Fall leaves are used for my card, so I'm also entering the Tuesday Trigger challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Inspired by Cindy

Card by Cindy Brumbaugh

I've always loved Cindy's style, so when I saw that she was the Monday Muse this week I had to play along.  As you can see, I was inspired by pretty much everything Cindy did here! I'm also celebrating WCMD with Our Daily Bread Designs who is giving all entrants a 20% off coupon--pretty nice! 
The flowers from ODBD "Don't Worry" were inked with Memento Markers Summer Sky & New Sprout before stamping on watercolor paper that had been spritzed with Ink Potion No. 9.  I made the frame from a Cuttlebug embossing folder & backed it with a piece of printed paper.   
Luckily I had the right shade of blue cardstock to mat the piece & all edges are inked with Encore! Ultimate Metallic Champagne--a favorite of mine.
One more day of work & then a couple off so I'll be visiting all your blogs soon. Hope you have a great week.

Fun Christmas Card

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge is to make a card using paper piecing.  There's a chance at a random drawing AND 4 people will be picked to be Guest Designers in December!  Decided I may as well give it a try, so pulled out this cute border stamp--one of my oldest Flourishes stamps.  It was hard to find patterned paper with a small enough design for these little gifts, but turned out these old 8 1/2 by 11 sheets I didn't think I'd ever use were just what I needed.  I used Memento markers to color the ribbons & tissue paper & Stickles is added to the flourish giving a nice sparkle in real life. I like using Spellbinders Labels 10 for shaped cards.  
I was able to cut all 3 papers at once so they were lined up like I wanted. Narrow ribbon & pearls finish it off.
Watching football with hubby after work (Go Ducks!--won again!) so didn't get to your blogs today, but I will soon.  Your comments always make my day & I thank you.

Soft Leaves

So glad I get the DeNami In Touch newsletter as it included the info on their WCMD challenge a day ahead.  I got my card made on Friday instead trying to do it after work on Saturday.  I chose the "buttons, green, stripes" row. I love these beautiful leaves (DeNami Elegant Autumn Scene) & it's easy to ink them without the included sentiment which I will use on the inside.  I love tone on tone which I achieved by clear embossing & then coloring with a Memento New Sprout marker.  Love this striped paper which is old & almost used up now. I've also been hoarding these tiny buttons--aren't they cute?  I decided stitching might detract from the subtle leaves, so just pierced the rows & popped up the panel. Hope you have a fun day that includes some crafting.  

I'm off to work but will check on what you've been up to when I get home.  
Thanks for your visit. 

Happy Harvest

Bummer I have to work tomorrow.  How is World Card Making Day not a national holiday?! Hopefully can get in on some of the fun in the evening.  
Couldn't miss the current CASology challenge with the cue word "Harvest." I used Rosemary's technique of embossing with a piece of burlap for the card base.  All the edges are sponged with Distress Inks antique linen & gathered twigs.  The wheat is from Our Daily Bread & is colored with Distress Markers mustard seed & wild honey.  I stamped 3 times without re-inking & added some scattered straw Stickles.  The sentiment is an old favorite wood mounted stamp by Imaginations!--another company no longer in business.  I pierced a border, added twine & mounted the piece with foam tape. Pretty flat, so will be a good Thanksgiving card to mail.  I'm also adding this to the collection at The Simplicity Blog to save Thanksgiving.

CAS & Graphic

Jumped way outside my comfort zone to participate in Fresh Squeezed Stamps First Year Birthday challenge. Wishing you many more successful years, FSS!  Graphic is not my style, but decided to give it a try with my FSS Trendy Triangles set. The card is made with Spellbinders Labels 2.  I used VersaMagic Agean Blue & Niagara Mist for the arrows & Memento Gray Flannel for the sentiment. Couldn't take it being so plain, so added Stickles to the open arrows & that made a big difference!

Since I made a shaped card, I'm also entering the challenge at CAS on Sunday and A Blog Named Hero.  
The sun came out so hubby & I did some yard work. Roses after rain & wind are not a pretty sight & cleaning them up is no fun!  Think I've earned some more crafting time--LOL! Thanks for your visit.

A Wish for Peace

As soon as I saw the Merry Monday color challenge, I knew this week I had to get a card made. Classic & gorgeous--just what I like! 
Christmas is my favorite reason to make cards & therefore I have hundreds of stamps (probably not an exaggeration!), but that didn't stop me from getting new Penny Black stamps. I used christmas wishes (30-196) & christmas harmony (30-194) for my card.  The embossing folder is an old one by Cuttlebug that I often end up using. The holly images are colored with markers (Memento Bamboo Leaves & New Sprout and Distress barn door & worn lipstick) and I used a small, wet paintbrush to blend the greens.  The area around the images was watercolored with worn lipstick & I added some Stickles to the berries.  Versafine is a great ink to use with clear stamps & I love being able to dry emboss after stamping a sentiment.  
I thought ribbon would be included, but it just didn't work.  Rain Dots in pink & red did the trick. The matted panel is popped up for dimension, but this will still be pretty flat for mailing.  I really like the look of this card. Don't you love when that happens?! Now it's back to Fall cards.  Our change in the weather has me wanting to pull out the felt & burlap--how about you?
  

Fall Note Card

I haven't entered a challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch! in a long time & I really like the current sketch.  I used Fall colors with Vintage Ivory cardstock, Encore! Metallic Honeydew ink, VersaMagic Gingerbread ink & roses in brown, apricot & ivory embellished with Antique Linen Stickles. The stamps are by DeNami. Thanks so much for stopping by.  I always enjoy your comments.