Elegant Deer

Quiet holiday weekend with just the 2 of us and today hubby got the outside Christmas lights up--yah! Lights are my favorite decoration & I don't think he's ever gotten them up before Dec. 1st. I got most of the dusting done so tomorrow I can decorate inside. Decided I'd earned a break & made a card tonight. My stamps are by Penny Black: dancing deer, 40-258; lace trims, 30-181; the wonder, 30-040. The printed paper is MME & the inks are Memento Nautical Blue, Rhubarb Stalk and Distress Ink spun sugar. The deer is sprayed with Glimmer Mist for a lovely sparkle I can't figure out how to photograph, unfortunately. I'm entering the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, SSS Monday and SSS Wednesday. 

Thanks for stopping by--I always enjoy reading your comments.

White on White with Kraft

Actually, this cardstock is what I call off-white & it's one of my favorite shades. I knew when I saw the Merry Monday theme I wanted to use it. I'm also playing along with the Muse challenge as I was inspired by Lucy's use of the negative & positive die cuts for an elegant CAS card. 

Lucy's Inspiration Card

I used PTI Lovely Layers die & a sentiment from Snowflake Flurries. The embossing folder is by Cuttlebug--I used the debossed side. 
Adding this to SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday challenges.
Off to work, but hoping for a short day. Take it easy if you're one of the mad shoppers--LOL! Thanks for taking time at this busy season to stop by my blog.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing my fellow Americans a lovely day.  Stay safe & warm.  Quiet at our house--starting to address Christmas cards, especially the ones going overseas. I do want to take a moment on this day of thanks to express my gratefulness for all your kindness & encouragement--you bless my life.

Wheat stamp by Art Impressions, Sentiment by CAS-ual Fridays, Distress markers, Versafine
Entering the Anything Goes challenge at SSS Wednesday.

Magenta Leaves

     

Just wanted to get your attention--LOL--not the color, but the Canadian company Magenta. Aren't these leaves gorgeous? I began collecting Magenta stamps over 15 years ago when I was introduced to them by a local store. I finally got a card done in time for the monthly challenge--Fall Colors & I have a head start on next year's Thanksgiving cards--always a good thing!

I made a water color background with Distress Inks fired brick, spiced marmalade, wild honey & scattered straw--leaving a bit of paper uncolored. Then I gold embossed the leaves & cut them out.  The background is done with scattered straw & wild honey, the Stampendous! sentiment is stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa & then the piece is embossed with a Sizzix folder.  I sponged on a bit of frayed burlap & Delicata Golden Glitz.  It's attached to the brown card front along with a piece of golden trim using foam tape.  The round die cut leaves are by Penny Black & are sponged with the Golden Glitz. The leaves & a couple gold stick pins are glued to the card front along with a wooden button.
Thanks for stopping by--always love reading your comments.

Birthday Wreath

Love the sweet MFT Spring Wreath, so decided to use it for a birthday card I'm sending next month. The current MFTWSC challenge provided the layout. I used a piece of an invitation I saved for the Spellbinders scalloped circle. The wreath was cut in MFT Kraft & Jellybean Green felt. I added gold sequins with Mrs Grossman's gold metal dots on top & a small gold bow. I use the dots sparingly as they were discontinued years ago. MFT Dispersed Dots diecut was mounted to a scrap of green cardstock for the background & the focal point is mounted with foam tape. 
I love the mixed font of the sentiment from MFT Peaceful Wildflowers & it stamped perfectly using Memento Rich Cocoa. I'm also entering Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 100. So happy you stopped by.

Goodie Container

I painted this wooden pot months ago & it's been sitting in my craft closet ever since then. Decided to decorate it for my Stampendous! challenge entry to make a gift. My stamps are Snow Swirl & Snow Brackets by Stampendous! Flat sides made it easy to stamp, alternating the direction on each side. My Simple Stick was still on the table from making THIS card. I used white pigment ink this time. Sure glad I figured out how to use this great product--love having the entire image glittered!  I haven't done any holiday baking yet, so for the picture I just wrapped up some biscotti. 

This stamp makes a great tag just embossed & die cut with a circle. The gems are another $1 package of 100--can't beat that! I'm really glad you took time to stop by. Enjoy your week. Edited to add: Also entering the Counting Down to the Holidays at SSS Monday Challenge.
  

Peace on Earth

Longfellow's poem is one of my favorite carols, so I bought this Penny Black stamp years ago the first time I saw it. The bells are an even older stamp by DeNami.  A few years ago it was on consignment at my LSS--just waiting for me, I'm sure!  Naturally, when I saw the CASology cue word "bell" these 2 stamps came to mind.  The beautiful colors at Dynamic Duos this week make for a pretty Christmas combo, so that's what I used. Being CAS, I kept embellishments to a minimum with a bit of Stickles on the berries & clappers & tiny gems colored with the same COPIC used for the berries.  The carol is clear embossed using Brilliance Starlite Black which actually looks more like gray--shows up without the starkness of black. 

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday & be assured your visit is very much appreciated.

Red Flowers = Christmas Card

I wanted to use ODBD stamps for this week's challenge to make a Christmas card even though I don't have any of their Christmas sets. I finally remembered using Sweet William, Small for a card last year, so pulled it out again.

The smallest flower is embossed with Zing! Red Glitter powder on vellum & mounted to white cardstock with a brad. Spellbinders Blossom 3 makes this easy.  The sentiment is from the same set.  Finally cut this beautiful striped paper from Bo-Bunny to cover my card front.  The current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches gave me my layout--think I'll be using this one again.  
Hope you're having a great weekend. College football day--Go Ducks!

It Worked!

When I saw the PTI MIM theme I thought to myself--I won't be entering this week.  I bought "Simple Stick" powder after using it in a class years ago, but couldn't get it to work at home.  After watching the video I decided to give it a try again.  I was pleasantly surprised to be successful with my first try & I love being able to glitter a stamped image without having to cover it with glue.  My stamps are PTI Through The Trees & Snowflake Flurries.  I've never done a matted window with my Nesties before, but this won't be the last time as I so love the look! This is also my Merry Monday entry--trees with bling. Thanks so much for stopping by.  
Edited to add: thinking this is CAS even with some layers, so entering Curtain Call.

JOY

Christmas cards are my very favorite, so it's not surprising I have a lot of images in my collection. This card is made with Impression Obsession stamps Holly Branch, F8786 & Joy, C8790.  I'm entering these challenges: 

Impression Obsession 
CAS-ual Fridays
Curtain Call
Simon Says Stamp Monday


The branch stamp was colored with Distress markers bundled sage & peeled paint & was stamped onto Vintage Cream cardstock.  Then I inked the stamp with Delicata Golden Glitz & overstamped.  The sentiment is stamped in the greens, gold & then Vintage Sepia using my stamp positioner (that's my mystery for SSS--how to salvage a card when you don't like the ink you used for the sentiment--stamp over with the positioner).  I scored the frame & mounted the panel to a gold shimmer mat.

  

I've always loved stationary stores & can spend hours in them. I was going for the classic look of a Crane note card--not exact, but I'm happy with how this turned out. Thanks for stopping by & leaving me a comment.

Sneak Peak

Hope you'll check out my card on The Penny Black blog today.  The Stamp Squad is playing along with the challenge at Designed to Color where the prize is 3 Penny Black stamps! If you know me, you know coloring is not my strength, but I was pleasantly surprised with how this card came out using Gelatos to watercolor. I'd love for you to come back & let me know what you think.

Valentine in November

There's Christmas in July so why not Valentine's Day in November?! I've already made a lot of Thanksgiving & Christmas cards. Since I also like to send Valentine's cards I decided to use the sketch from MFT and the color combo from Dynamic Duos to get a head start. Stamp & dies are MFT.  

The sentiment is from Lovey Dovey Sentiments & is silver embossed on a black scrap cut with Fishtail Flags by cutting it half way & then turning it around to cut the other end. It's mounted to a Dizzy Doily die cut that was white until I inked it with Brilliance Starlight Silver.  The black panel is cut with Notched Border & sprayed with Glimmer Dust. Dispersed Dots die is used on another scrap for the background piece.  Embellishments are sheer black ribbon & a double row of black gems--picked up a large package for $1. I'm adding this to Pixie's Crafty Workshop. Thanks for your visit--probably the only Valentine you saw today--LOL! 

Peace, Love, Joy

Couldn't wait to use my new Penny Black dies (love & joy, 51-021). My card is for the challenges at Merry Monday, Freshly Made Sketches, CAS-ual Fridays and Curtain Call.

I used rows of the white embossed border stamp from Penny Black's holiday collage, 40-166, for the stripes requirement. Unfortunately, I wrote down the wrong time for the MM deadline, so too late. The words are die cut from brown cardstock, in case you can't tell.  The little hearts are punched, covered with red Stickles & popped up.  Not a classic Christmas card, but I think it works & is almost flat for mailing.

Thank you so much for taking time to visit my blog.

Blessings

Missed the posting deadline last week, so I was determined not to wait until the last minute for my ODBD card. Didn't know how to use the sketch until I pulled out all my ODBD stamps. 

When I saw the Bird & Butterfly Labels, this idea came to me.  The image is black embossed & cut out with the coordinating Spellbinders Labels 18. Then I sponged on Distress Inks weathered wood, scattered straw & bundled sage using frayed burlap on the edges. 

The sentiment is from Sweet William-small & was black embossed on a white scrap.  The rounded end was cut with the same Nestie & the notch was done with scissors. I sponged it with the same blue & brown inks & mounted it with foam tape allowing the center to be slightly raised. The black background was a scrap piece embossed with a Cuttlebug folder & I used my crimper. Everything is adhered to a kraft card with ribbons & Enamel Dots for embellishment. I love being able to make more than spring/summer cards with this stamp set--now I have another Thanksgiving card ready to mail. I'm entering Simon Says Stamp Monday and SSS Wednesday challenges.

Hope you're getting a chance to be crafty this weekend & thanks for taking some time to visit my blog. 

Birthday Card for a Guy

I needed a birthday card for a teenage boy & ended up with a 1 layer card, which never happens when I try to do that!  I wanted to play along with the PTI MIM ink pad designs challenge.  Again, what I had in mind just wasn't working, but as I played on my scratch paper this design took shape.  I really like it & think I will make some more with different colors & maybe little flowers for a girl.  The PTI stamps are Boutique Borders Birthday & Framed Out #1.  
The sentiment & stars are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black. The PTI ink cubes are Classic Kraft, Berry sorbet & Aqua Mist.  I'm also entering at Simon Says Monday Challenge.  I'd love to hear what you think.   

Triangles

When I saw that the new CASology word is "triangle" I thought it'd be a good reason to get out my Fresh Squeezed Stamps Trendy Triangles set. Nothing I had in mind seemed to be working & then I came up with this. The sentiment is from CAS-ual Fridays Amber Waves set & is stamped in Memento Potter's Clay.  The leafy triangles are stamped in Memento Northern Pine.  I used an old Cuttlebug embossing folder (leaves are sort of a triangle shape if you use your imagination!) on the left side & popped up the sentiment panel.  
Debated distressing or inking edges, but in the end decided against it. This is a mail friendly card, so that's a plus. I'm adding my card to "the lotteries" at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge--$50 would be spent so easily in their store! Thanks for stopping by & letting me know your thoughts. 

Thanksgiving Card

Fun to make a Thanksgiving card without orange, yellow, or red. This card was inspired by the photo for the Flourishes challenge with the prize being the November release--couldn't resist that! I used one of my first Flourishes stamp sets (Wreaths of all Seasons) & my favorite wreath. I used VersaMagic Turquoise Gem for the wreath & sentiment.  I taped off "Thanks" to use only the word "With" & the separate stamp "Gratitude" from the same set.  I love being able to make a mixed font sentiment this way.  
The bow was brown embossed & sponged with Distress Ink tumbled glass & highlighted with the Turquoise. The circle mat was also sponged with tumbled glass. The Tim Holtz embossing folder was inked to give some shading.  I have lots of Liquid Pearls seldom used & thought the Platinum Pearl added a bit of color for the nut meats & foam in the picture.  Glad you stopped by--love reading your comments. 

Printed Papers Card

Last minute entry for the MFT challenge using this great sketch. First card I've made using this darling MFT stamp set--Boy & His Dog.  If you know me, you're asking where's the dog? I simply ran out of time, but it may get added before this is mailed.  I love MME Merry Little Christmas pad I bought last year & have barely used & thought it'd be perfect to paper piece this little kid.  The solid red cardstock was a scrap--had just enough.  I'm pretty proud of myself for hand cutting the snowy hill--OK, I know, very simple--LOL! There's glitter on the hill & the pom-pom. His face is watercolored with a Gelato. I added Raindots to these beautiful tiny dimensional snowflakes.  Even though I'm slow, paper piecing this little boy was worth it & I'll probably do it again.  I've seen people mentioning Pixies Snippets Playroom, so thought I'd join in this week.  
Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog.  I'll catch up on commenting very soon.

Peaceful Roses

Decided to play along in some new to me challenges:Freshly Made Sketches and Dynamic Duos. 
I'm hoping my colors are close enough to qualify. I began by embossing a panel with this gorgeous Cuttlebug folder.  The felt roses & leaves are by MFT. 
The strips are embossed with Penny Black's puzzle parts & the sentiment is from Penny Black's yuletide greetings stamped in PTI Simply Chartreuse. Pearls finish it off.

If you're an American, don't forget to fly your flag & remember the sacrifices of our Veterans.  Hope you have a great week.

A Touch of Twine

DeNami Blog Hops are always fun with lots of inspiration. You should have arrived by way of Deb--I love that girl's style!  I intended to make a holiday card, but then I saw this cute flower stamp that looked ready for twine blooms.  I used 3 different colors of DeNami twine after stamping them inside the Elegant Oval Frame.  The border is glittered & popped up on the Nestie stamped in Watermark with the Leafy Vine.  My card front is covered with printed paper from DCWV & a doily I recycled from a restaurant. 
Finished off with a few white sequins. 
Do I have you thinking Spring?! Lots more to see so off you go to check out Linda's project. You can find the entire list & info about prizes on the DeNami Design Blog. Thanks for stopping by.

Warmest Wishes

Today's card began with inspiration from 2 great challenges: Merry Monday and PTI MIM. First step was to pick a stamp for making a square frame. I have a couple like Dawn used & plan to make cards with them. But since I wanted to use

DAWN'S CARD

the Snowflake Flurries for my circles, I decided this little leafy image from Lovely Layers was a better choice. 
It's actually really fun to use this way or to make a border. My inks are PTI Aqua Mist & Memento Love Letter. Not sure I've ever used this combo before, but I'm really loving it. I added stickles to the snowflake centers & the large one is popped up.  I'm also entering the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays since my card front is dry embossed with the dots--more circles!--& the CAS challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. Thanks for letting me know what you think.

Penny Black Blog Hop

Blog hops are always fun--glad you joined in as the Stamp Squad celebrates this week's Fan Favorites Event. JUDY started us off with her amazing work--you don't want to miss it!  My card uses Penny Black's "kind wishes, 40-080" which I stamped in Adirondack Cranberry--an old favorite. Then I covered the panel with Therm-O-Web Glimmer Dust, Gold--a new favorite! For the background I used some molding paste with a stencil on my printed paper & sponged with tea dye ink when dry. Then I dry embossed & inked the edges with Golden Glitz before matting the piece with dark red cardstock.  A gold bow & sequins finish off the card.  Hope I've given you some inspiration.  Next stop is LIN--bet you'll be adding to your "must have" list!  If you get lost just head to The Penny Black Blog for all the links.