Falling Leaves

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Very last minute entry for the Memory Box Falling Leaves challenge.  Sorry about the artificially lighted photos.  I used one of my purchases from our shopping trip during my Indiana retreat.  The MB Plush Maple Leaf die was in the clearance box, so couldn't pass it up!

I used watercolor paper & smooshed DO fossilized amber, spiced marmalade & candied apple along with DI vintage photo.  I "stitched" the veins with gold Stickles & splattered with Dark Brown Zig.

The sentiment from IO was stamped in Versafine Claire Acorn.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday & SSS Work it Wednesday.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Christmas & Thanksgiving

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I'm still not really into a rhythm since my time away.  This morning it dawned on me that I hadn't mailed any of my Halloween cards.  Oops--next year!
Decided the Altenew Modern Holiday class might get my mojo going & so far I've made 2 homework cards.  The Day 1 challenge is to use die cuts not typically used for holiday cards.  I cased Nancy's card but used different products.

Would never have thought to use a black circle frame behind my green wreath which I made with a branch die from Altenew Layered Floral Elements.  The little blue arrangement is made with the same die cut down & combined with another one from the same set.  The word is from W&W Frenchy's Festive Florals & the background is Altenew Pegboard Canvas Cover Die.
The Day 2 challenge is to use one layer of a layered image.  I finally got Altenew Majestic Mistletoe awhile back & it had just the image I needed for my background.

The inks are Altenew Fresh Leaf & Lime.  I don't have Altenew Christmas flowers, so I used the Fantasy Floral Die with layers of black, silver glitter & red with black & silver glitter leaves.  I black embossed the Altenew Mini Christmas on a vellum strip.  Finished off with silver sequins & added dots of Christmas Red Stickles.  Different, but kind of fun, I think.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground & Rudolph Days.

My last Christmas card is for RRCB where my good friend, Betty, is the GD.  This time there's a great sketch to use.  Hope I didn't stray too far.

I found an old double-sided paper which I combined with the sentiment from Altenew Lyrical Script which I bought just over a year ago.  Three holly images were fussy cut--something I seldom think to do.  All the berries are covered in Christmas Red Stickles & the leaves around the sentiment are brushed with a glimmer pen.  I'm also entering ModSquad.

Now on to Thanksgiving cards starting with my entry for ITP LFF Inlaid Die Cuts.  I actually figured out that there's a layered tree in the PTI Enchanted Forest set & I stamped it 3 times using Cocoa Bean, Ocean Tides & Pinefeather.

The splatters were done with a dark brown Zig.  I die cut the word from PTI Counting My Blessings, backed it with 2 kraft layers & glued it back into place.  I added a layer of Nuvo Glaze to make it stand out a bit more.  I'm also entering WAW & Stamping Sensations.

My last card is for SSS Flickr 135 & SSS Wednesday.  I missed the stencil challenge, but still had the SSS Bouquet of Roses stencil on my table.

To begin, I used a brayer to cover a panel with Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves.  Then I used transluscent paste through the stencil & added Vintage Plantinum Glitter Dust--so pretty!

The sentiment is from SSS Thoughtful Messages.  I stamped & distressed the edges with Acorn Versafine Clair before adding the strips with foam tape.  I'm also entering Stamplorations Stencil Challenge.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Hero Arts & Pinkfresh

Check my sale pages for a wide variety of crafting goodies.

I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things after my wonderful trip to Indiana.  Speaking of which, another treat was getting to see 2 of my friends from the Hero Arts Flickr group.  We met briefly several years ago when I was in Indy.  Kathy & Linda drove down to Nashville, Indiana to join all of us for lunch & shopping in the 2 stamp stores.  Just wish I lived closer!

My first card uses a couple of my old HA stamps:  Silhouette Grass & Friends are Treasures.  I heat embossed the grass with a copper powder on a scrap of Classic Kraft cardstock.  Then I used my brushes (same as the $50 ones, but only $9) to apply DO spiced marmalade & fossilized amber.  Such a different effect than on white cardstock & I really love it. 

The sentiment was black embossed on another scrap & ink blended the same way.  To make it stand out, I copper embossed the edges.  It's one of my favorite techniques learned way back when I started stamping.  I used foam tape to add the sentiment panel & finished off with a few black Pico Embellisher drops.  I'm entering ABNH, CAS on Friday, ModSquad, Snippets Playground (playing for fun) & SSS Wednesday.
 
Next is my entry for the October challenge at Pinkfresh.  The theme is Circle Elements & I used various products from the Felicity collection.

First I pulled out the pink cardstock wreath & the "awesome" puffy sticker.  Then I looked through all the elements & played around until I was happy adding in items with soft gray blue & yellow.  I colored the leaves with a sparkle pen, added gems to the flowers & covered the yellow half of the wooden heart with yellow Stickles.  Remembered I had a circles embossing folder, so used that for the background panel.  I don't really make collage or modern designs, but I did have fun putting this together.  I like the result & my friend won't care that I'm not an expert.  I'm also entering WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

I've Missed You!

Wow--I must be old!  Can't seem to get back into the swing of things since my trip.  I haven't been away from home 12 days since I was in college--haha!  Hadn't been to Indiana in 3 years, so it was wonderful to catch up with my cousin & his family.  It was also a first for me, as the trip began with a crafty friends retreat.  We had a wonderful time getting to know each other & some people even got cards made! 

Front Row: Brenda, Darnell, Sharon (Brenda's SIL)

Back Row: Linda, Greta, Kara, Maria, Colleen

Such a treat to meet my good friend, Maria, in person.

On The Circle in downtown Indy.  The church behind me is where my folks were married.

I made a Halloween card before my trip that didn't get posted.  It works for the current DRU challenge as I die cut 3 MFT pumpkins from orange felt.

The star background image & sentiment are also from MFT Primitive Pumpkins.  I added some brown splatters & tied green twine around the pumpkin stems.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday, DCD & The Male Room.
Edited to add: Also entering Virginia's Show & Share.


Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment,
I will visit you.  Please be patient as I work on getting caught up.

Guest Designer

So honored to have been the winner of RRCB 114 which gives me the chance to guest design today.  Tic Tac Toe isn't always easy for me, but this board has lots of great options.

I needed a sympathy card for a neighbor & the middle, vertical row provided my inspiration.  I waited several years to get a die cutting machine when they came on the market.  Once I learned they could be used for dry embossing, that was it!  I'm also a fan of monochromatic cards--especially for sympathy cards.

To begin I dry embossed the leaves on light green cardstock & die cut the curved edge before lightly inking the edges.  I added the twine across the top & attached the panel to a darker green card.  The heat embossed sentiment is from the 2016 W&W stamp set called A Tree for all Seasons.  I'd love for you to pull out some older stamps (must use at least one stamp older than a year) & join in this fun challenge.  You'll find lots of inspiration from the talented DT at RRCB.
Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you as soon as I can.

Thinking Fall

Hubby & Fritz will hold down the fort while I'm away visiting family & friends.  I won't have my laptop, so I'll be on a blog break.  You might see a picture or 2 on Instagram, though.  I do want to share a couple cards before I get to packing.
The current theme at ABNH is Inspired By Another Crafter.  Of course there are lots of big name designers who inspire me, but I get just as much inspiration from my talented blogging friends.  I've been lucky enough to meet a few of them in person, including Betty who is on the Facebook DT for ABNH.  We have a lot in common including our taste in cards. 

I got the HA Autumn Icons die set after Betty pointed it out & recently she painted a die cut with HA Glimmer Inks which I've used very little.  That inspired me to combine the 2 for this card.  Betty often has a focal point in one corner & a sentiment.  The pumpkin turned out too big for that, but I do have a single focal point & simple Impression Obsession sentiment.  The background paper is a texured sheet from a very inexpensive pad Rosemary & I found last time we got together.  Hope Betty likes the card she inspired.  I'm also entering DCD & WAW.

I really loved the card I made for the last SSS Flickr challenge HERE.  There was a little bit of the panel left on both sides of where the leaves were die cut & I thought it'd make a pretty pumpkin.

Now I'm hoping it looks like a pumpkin--or would you not have known without me telling you?  Anyway, the pumpkin die is MFT Primitive Pumpkins & the panel it was cut from is SSS Kaleidoscope Background embossed in SSS Rose Gold powder & colored with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists.  I scored an area near the bottom of the card front & covered it with Versamark Dazzle ink pad direct to paper. 

The SSS sentiment is 2 high & heat embossed with the same Rose Gold powder.  The splatters on the Classic Kraft are TA Glimmer Mists.  Glad to have a Thanksgiving card ready to mail.  I'm  entering SSS Flickr 133 & The Snippets Playground.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you as soon as I can.