Oak Leaf Thanks

Here's a card I made with a freebie I got from a Poppy Stamps order I placed in late August.  This is a set of 2 dies called Adornment Oak Leaf, and contains a large oak leaf outline and another the same size with veining details.  It would make a lovely paper-pieced design, but for my first card with it, I just cut out the leaf from an embossed background, and used the second die to add the leaf details. 

supplies: cream, 2 krafts, and rust cardstock, Birch Press Design Adornment Oak Leaf dies, Spellbinders Oak Forest 3D embossing folder and (retired) acorn dies, sentiment from (retired) Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox stamps, twine

Oaks were my Dad's favorite tree in the fall, preferring their duller colors to the maples.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a lovely one!

Woodblock Wednesday!

It's time for Woodblock Wednesday!  October means pumpkins, so I pulled out these Hero Arts 2009 stamps and paper-pieced them this time.

supplies: cream cardstock, patterned papers in orange, aqua, and brown, Hero Arts Traditional Pumpkin and Tall Pumpkin, Darice (retired) embossing folder, sentiment from Spellbinders All Seasons Autumn Press Plate/die set, die-cut leaves

You can see more cards using woodblock stamps at Amy's blog HERE.

I'd like to enter this into the Love Those Pretty Papers challenge for this month.

For a Fall Birthday

 We have 2 birthdays this month for which I send cards - both of them are Davids, both have last names beginning with B, and now both of them live in Georgia!  I'm a broken record, but I always make them a card that uses autumnal tones and subject matter.

Here's my first card of the 2 for this year.  

supplies: cream and orange cardstock, a dotty orange printed paper (Amuse), Rosewood Canada/FrogsWhiskersink (retired) cling stamp called Bittersweet Wreath, (retired) MFT Dienamics Spring Wreath bow die, sentiment from Simon Says Stamp (retired) Joys of Spring set, Spellbinders Perfect Touch rectangle die

Bittersweet has always been a favorite of mine, and I chose this wreath way back in 2011 or so when I was part of the Lily Pad Designs team.  I wanted to use some orange nuvo drops to make the berries dimensional, but I don't have the strength in my hands anymore to squeeze them out of the bottle.  Darn!  

We've been seeing Bittersweet vines here and there on our daily walks in the parks here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Leaves

 I recently took advantage of a great deal at Poppy Stamps and got myself this Harvest Oval Frame.  Here's my first play with it.

supplies: cream cardstock, Poppy Stamps (retired) Harvest Oval Frame die, Zig markers and distress inks, sentiment from (retired) Impression Obsession Autumn Leaves

I believe this was included in a Labor Day sale.  Poppy Stamps, Birch Press Designs, and Memory Box all come from the same source, and when they have a sale, they include free shipping and throw in some freebies - how generous of them!  I'll have another card soon using the free die that they sent along in my order.

This sentiment has a special meaning to me, as it is one of the recurring themes that our Bluecoats drum corps often play as an encore after their performances.  

Also this season is special to me also because of family outings in the fall, that we took growing up,  packing a picnic lunch and exploring the woods in Pennsylvania for a day every fall.

Hope you're enjoying the season!

New Wendy Vecchi Collection - Tabbed Classics

I was lucky enough to get some of Wendy Vecchi's newest collection from Spellbinders!  I really love her 3D folder, matching dies, and stencils called Thank You Bouquet.  You can buy them as a bundle, or just the folder/dies set.  They are easy to work with and I love the results, so I made 2 cards with them.

supplies: white cardstock, Thank You Bouquet bundle, sentiment from (retired) Curved Everyday Sentiments glimmer plate

The embossing folder includes this bouquet, plus 5 separate flowers and a sentiment that can be layered on top.  I added a large flower popped above everything else.  There are matching dies for everything.

Next I played again with more pastel colors and added the bouquet to a splattered background paper.

supplies: white cardstock, splattered patterned paper, Thank You Bouquet bundle, sentiment from (retired) Sending Sentiments clear stamp/die set

I'd like to enter these 2 cards above into the October Triple B challenge: Birds, Butterflies, and Blooms., and into the Stencil Fun Challenge.

My last card today uses Wendy's Essential Envelope and In and Out Sentiments set from this new collection.

supplies: white, yellow, blue, dark blue, and green cardstock, patterned floral paper, Essential Envelope Everyday Add-Ons, Tabbed In & Out Sentiments stamps

Think of these dies as library pockets, .  After cutting and assembling my design, I centered the pocket on an A2 panel, gluing it only along the sides.  Then I inserted the tabbed card, which I trimmed a bit on each side to ease its sliding into the envelope.  

Here it is with the tab pulled up.

The Tabbed  Sentiments set has has 6 larger words to be stamped on the tab, and then 4 sets of sub-sentiments to be used inside, deeper down.  Here I used 2 tabs, Pull, and Sending, and a sub-sentiment "a huge hug".  And there are matching dies for everything.

The envelope set also includes these dies to make the flower and leaves..

Thanks for stopping by today.

October Spellbinders Club Kits: Glimpses of Christmas, part 2

 The Spellbinders Club Kits for October are now available until October 27; the overall theme is Glimpses of Christmas.

First I played with the Large Dies: Window Wonderland.

supplies: greys, cream, green, red, and white glitter cardstock, Window Wonderland dies, Brick by Brick 3D embossing folder, sentiment and matching die from To You and Yours set

This is one of the most intricate die sets I can remember working with - 35 pieces!  There's also a child pulling a sled included, which is coming up next.  And it works nicely with the brick embossing folder.

Here's a card to show you the child pulling his sled full of gifts, mixed with several of the other Club Kits.

supplies: colored cardstock, Window Wonderland large dies, Snow Day Friends small dies, Magic Wonderland glimmer plate and Moondust glimmer foil, sentiment from To You and Yours

Here is the Caboodle Bonus for this month, mixed with the embossing folder and some greens.

supplies: red, white, and green cardstock, Magic for You dies, Holiday Flurry embossing folder, Christmas Wreath Add-Ons greens

My last card shows you the biggest stamp in the Stamps/Dies: To You and Yours. mixed with the Glimmer plate, Magic Wonderland.

supplies: green and white cardstock, To You and Yours tree stamp and matching die, Magic Wonderland glimmer plate, embossed, red and yellow enamel dots

I stamped the tree in green ink, cut it out with its matching die, and added some "berries" and a star using enamel dots.  For the background, I embossed the glimmer plate; I wanted just some subtle texture.

Edited to add my card using this month's BetterPress plates, called Made with Snowflakes.

supplies: white and red cardstock, Made with Snowflakes (includes sentiment), red marker to color hats

What an easy card to make - I just pressed the snowmen image using black ink, then carefully colored in their hats.  There are 3 sentiment plates in this set.  I pressed this one using red ink, matted it with red cardstock, and affixed it to the card front.  

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

October Spellbinders Club Kits: Glimpses of Christmas

The Spellbinders Club Kits for October are available, now until October 27!  The theme this month is Glimpses of Christmas!

The Stencils, called Frosty Wishes, make a big A2 card-sized snowman!

supplies: white, red, and green cardstock, Frosty Wishes layering stencils, inks in black, grey, red, pink, orange, and blue, Spellbinders holly leaves and berries dies

I added some holly leaves and berries to his hat, and left off a sentiment.

Next I combined the Dies of the Month, Snow Day Friends, with the Glimmer plate, Magical Wonderland, and one of the sentiments from the Stamps, To You and Yours.

supplies: white and colored cardstock, Magical Wonderland Glimmer plate and silver foil, Snow Day Friends dies, To You and Yours sentiment, red ink, gifts from Window Wonderland (large dies of the month)

This was a fun little scene to put together!  The dies also include a snowman, but I chose to use the tree first.  The little gifts are part of the Large Dies of the Month.  The Glimmer Kit includes a roll of Polished Brass glimmer foil, but I thought silver looked better on my blue background.

Here's the snowman from the set, mixed with the Emossing folder, Holiday Flurry, another sentiment from To You and Yours, and a string of lights from the Large Dies, Window Wonderland.

supplies: white and teal cardstock, Holiday Flurry embossing folder, peacock feathers ink, Snow Day Friends snowman, WindowWonderland lights, To You and Yours sentiment, circle die, adhesive foam squares

I started by trimming a white panel, then cutting a circle in the center, then embossing the panel.  I then lightly swiped on some peacock feathers ink, and added it to my teal mat.  The wnowman and lights were constructed and popped above the circle, and the sentiment was added to finish.

My last card for today shows you the Stitching dies, Peppermint Prancer, the 3D embossing folder, Brick by Brick, and another of the stamps.

supplies: colored cardstocks, Brick by Brick 3D embossing folder, Peppermint Prancer stitching dies, red, white, and beige emboidery floss, To You and Yours stamp

Please come back again in a few days to see the rest of the cards I made with this month's Club Kits.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

October Hero Studio - Merry Era

The Hero Arts Studio Kits for October are now available through the 27th of this month.  The overall theme this month is Merry Era.

I always play with the stencils first.  This month they are called The Tree.

supplies: white and dark teal cardstock, The Tree layering stencils, pink, silver, and blue-green inks, sentiment and matching die from Merry Era Card Kit, dewdrops, adhesive foam squares

As always, the stencils are 4 pieces, 3 for the tree and 1 for the baubles.  I added some dewdrops over some of the pink areas amidst the branches, for a little sparkle and dimension, and popped up the sentiment for the same reason.  I trimmed the A2 panel just a tad so that I could mat it with dark teal.

Next up are the Fancy Dies, Twinkle Lights.

supplies: white, gold metallic, red, blue, green, and gold glitter cardstock, Twinkle Lights fancy dies, sentiment from Merry Era Studio Card Kit and die to match, circle dies

This is a set of 5 strings of Christmas lights, and dies to cut out the lights themselves.  The sentiment was the one that I thought worked the best from the Card Kit.  I used gold metallic cardstock for the strings and 4 different glitter cardstocks for the lights.

The Card Kit contains a set of dies to make this big disco ball.  It will fit onto an A2 card, but I chose to make a Christmas Ornament out of it.  It is 4 1/4" in diameter, and has a separate die to make a hook so that you can add a thread to hang it by.

supplies: matte and mirror silver metallic cardstock, red cardstock, Merry Era dies

And finally, here are some of the stamps and matching dies featured in this month's Studio Card Kit.

supplies: metallic silver, teal and white cardstock, Merry Era Card Kit, red and grey inks, clear ink and silver embosing powder, prisma glitter and glue pen, adhesive foam squares

The stamp set and dies to match are all about disco balls, so I stamped and embossed with silver against a teal background, then stamped the sentiment and Santa hat in red, adding a bit of glitter on the hat for some more glitz, and popped them up.  The card front is matted in metallic silver.

The Studio Collection is available now through the 27th of the month.  This is subscription-based, discounted from retail, and includes FREE shipping (for US customers)!

You can subscribe anytime and cancel hassle-free.

Currently the Studio includes 5 separate kits: a Card Kit, Layering Stencils, Fancy Dies, a Cling stamp, and a Clear Set of Stamps and matching Dies.  You can also get The Whole Studio, which includes all of the kits at a discount, plus a bonus item each month.  

A really nice perk is that, once you subscribe to any of the kits, you also will get free shipping on all orders that you make at Hero Arts between the 1st and 5th of each month!

A Card for Fall

We're in my favorite season, so here's a card to reflect that, using a lovely stencil/stamp set from The Greetery and a fun sentiment from Newton's Nook.

supplies: white and orange cardstock, The Greetery Floral Arches stencil/stamp set, Altenew Green Fields and Golden Sunset inks, sentiment from Newton's Nook (retired) Fall-ing for You

The Floral Arches design is made using 6 stencils, then adding details with the stamps included in the set.  I popped up 2 extra flowers that I also stamped and die-cut.  

I have so many favorite supplies for fall; I hope to play some more with them in October!  Are you enjoying the season?

I'll enter this into the Stencil Fun Challenge.

Woodblock Wednesday - NOT!

This was my card for this month's Woodblock Wednesday, but Amy is taking a well-deserved break this month.  I'd still like to share this, though.  

I used a stamp that is identified only with a sticker on it that reads "Anita's 2002, Sugarloaf, Inc., Lithonia, GA".

supplies: white, chocolate brown cardstock, gingham and woodgrain papers, unknown Sunflower stamp, markers to color, Spellbinders (retired) Hello Sunflower sentiment, Hero Hues Sunny enamel dots, adhesive foam squares

Here's what the stamp looks like.

Though that little bug on the stamp is cute, I wanted a portrait card, so I cut out the flowers after coloring them and then rearranged them, popping one of them above the other.

We like to grow sunflowers from seed each year, but this year's growing season was a bust!  Despite planting 3 different packets of seeds back in May and June, not a one appeared above the soil!  

I'll be entering my card into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, Anything Goes.

Blessed Fall Wreath

 It's September!  That means I get to play with all my beloved fall goodies!  Today I thought I'd bring back the Woven Ribbons stencils, this time with an autumn feel.

supplies: cream, kraft, orange peel, red, gold, and dark green cardstock, Altenew Woven Ribbon layering stencils, barn door, festive berries, ripe persimmon,fossilized amber, and mustard seed distress inks, Tim Holtz Funky Wreath, Spellbinders bow and berries, Honey Bee Bitty Buzzword sentiment, adhesive foam squares

These stencils are a set of 3 that you use once, then turn them 90 degrees and stencil with them again.  Since the background is so busy, I wanted something pretty simple, so this wreath with a big sentiment worked for me.  I popped them up with little adhesive foam squares.

You may notice that I'm posting a lot less than I have in past years.  After many years of blogging, sometimes posting every day, I'm going to slow way down, and plan to do only 1 card a week, plus my Spellbinders and Hero Arts assignments, and I may enter a challenge again once in awhile.  We'll try this out from here through the end of the year, and then reassess.

Thank you for stopping by today!

I'm entering this into the September Stencil Fun challenge and the September Four Seasons challenge.

Ditzy Flowers for Fall

I just love this Altenew Ditzy Flowers Wallpaper layering stencil set!  It's a garden on a card, and I can't think of any occasion it wouldn't work for.  So here it is again, colored for the season.

supplies: white and dark orange cardstock, Ditzy Flowers Wallpaper stencils, Altenew and Pink Fresh Studio inks, sentiment from Taylored Expressions (retired) Handlettered Thanksgiving, a postage die, adhesive foam squares

This time I trimmed the panel just a bit so that I could have a mat, and then cut out a postage-edge rectangle from the center.  That was stamped with my sentiment, matted, and then popped back up onto my card front.

Do you have a favorite set of stencils?  I'd love to hear - enable me!

I'll enter this into the current Simon Wednesday Challenge: Layer it Up; the stencils are layered, as are my elements. Also entering the September Stencil Fun challenge and the Four Seasons Challenge.

Spellbinders September Club Kits: Charmed Season, part 2

 The September Club Kits from Spellbinders are now available, through September 27.  Today's post includes the remainder of my samples using the club kits.

The Large Dies, Acorn Acres, has 26 dies, full of lots of fall fun.  Today I made a little scene and set it against the Embossing Folder, Autumn Breeze.

supplies: colored cardstock, Acorn Acres dies (includes sentiment), Autumn Breeze embossing folder, adhesive foam

There are a group of large leaves also included in this set (you'll see them next), but I decided to put the squirrel's cottage in a grove of sunflowers this time.  The embossing folder has a decidedly diagonal design, as if the leaves are blowing.  

Next I first used 4 of the leaves from this set to make a fall quilt based on one I made years ago.  The 3D folder was perfect for adding "quilting".

supplies: Cornflower and fall colors of cardstock, Patchwork 3D embossing folder, leaves from Acorn Acres, sentiment from Autumn Whim

I used the full width of the folder, and then cut down the length to accomodate the skinny frame I used to separate the leaves from the rest of my quilt. So it measures 5 1/2" X 6 3/4".  The sentiment is perfect!

Here's a picture of my quilt.  I use it each fall as a table covering in our dining room.

I mixed the Autumn Breeze embossing folder again with the Stitching Kit next.  It's called Stitched Pumpkin Tops.

supplies: colored cardstock, Stitched Pumpkin Tops, 3 strands embroidery floss to match, Autumn Breeze embossing folder

The sentiment dies are included in the stitching kit, as are some acorn dies that I chose not to use this time.

My last card today shows you the BetterPress kit called Sketchy Hexi.

supplies: cream, brown, and orange cardstock, Sketchy Hexi betterpress plate, brown ink, copper embossing powder, copper sequins

I did a little experimentation with my pressplate this time.  First I used an embossing pad and plate to emboss the design on some cream cardstock.  The orange panel was inked the usual way with brown ink, then trimmed to fit the pattern of the cream panel.  There are 2 sentiments included in the set this month, and I inked one of them with VersaMark ink and sprinkled on some copper embossing powder, then trimmed it out with a banner die.  It's hard to read here, but the sentiment says "Sending Autumn Cheer".  To finish, I added some copper sequins to mimic the copper embossing on the sentiment.

There is also a hexi die included in this set for you to cut out any of the designs.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

Spellbinders September Club Kits: Charmed Season

 The September Club Kits from Spellbinders are available to new subscribers, now through September 27!  The theme is Charmed Season, all about Fall.

To set the tone for this month's theme, I played first with the Small Dies, aptly called Harvest Magic. I mixed them with the 3D embossing folder, Patchwork, and a sentiment from the Stamps/Dies, Autumn Whim.

supplies: colored cardstock, Harvest Magic dies, Autumn Whim sentiment, Patchwork embossing folder

That black cat is darling, isn't he, and there's a nice variety of autumn findings to surround the pumpkin with.  I love the quilt embosssing folder, too.

Next up are the Stencils of the Month, Acorns and Oaks, and I added another sentiment from the  Autumn Whim stamps/dies.

supplies: white and kraft cardstock, Acorns and Oaks 5-piece stencil set, distress inks, sentiment from Autumn Whim stamps/matching die.  

For my final card today, I mixed the Glimmer Kit, Gilded Weave, with the Stamps and Dies, Autumn Whim.

supplies: white and chocolate brown cardstock, Autumn Whim stamps and die for sentiment, Gilded Weave Glimmer plate and copper glimmer foil (included in the kit), Autumn Whim Stencil (Caboodle freebie), markers, adhesive foam strips

Besides the 6 sentiments, the stamps this month include this panel of fall items, and the caboodle gives you a 2-piece stencil to color it, but not completely.  I colored the rest with my markers.

I'll be back in a few days with more of my cards from this new release.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!