Get in Shape

Good morning!  It's time for another fun challenge at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog!

This week our assignment is Get in Shape: we want to see your shaped cards!  Wait until you see what my teamies did this week!  I had fun making a flower pot card, using the colors of the season:

The pot itself is a really easy template, folded at the bottom, and open on the other 3 sides:

I stamped the flower pot with the Hero Arts Envelope Pattern, and after adding the BoBunny rust dot rim, it was wrapped with Natural Twine.  This is how the card is held together.  The flower is made of flowers from Hero Arts Stitched Frame and Layered Flowers.

The insert pulls straight upwards from the pot and is a simple rectangle that is built upwards with a variety of flowers from Hero Arts, stamped on scraps of autumn-colored design papers. The flowers on the insert are from these Hero Arts sets: Big & Small Flowers, Blossom Art, 3 Dotted Flowers, and 3 Leaves.  The sentiments on the pot and the insert are from the same set, Just Find Me.

So, what will you put in our gallery this week?  I can't wait to see!  As always, the generous Heidi has provided a $50.00 gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store - will it be yours this week?

                               

I'd like to enter this into the Ribbon Girl October color challenge for this month.  Here's their photo inspiration:

Mint, gold and leather

The Play Date Cafe's challenge uses these colors:

I had pulled out some papers and had decided to do something with my chevron dies when my eyes saw their new logo:

And I changed course a bit; here is what I came up with:

supplies: white cardstock, gold paper, design papers from Echo Park's This & That by Lori Whitlock, Die-Namics Chevron Stripes die, Hero Arts CL508 Luscious Patterned Flowers, VersaMark ink and Ranger  Extra Fine Detail gold embossing powder, aqua, brown, and gold pearls

Definitely not my usual style, but it was fun seeing if I could put this together......what do you think?

Just Add Pearls

Simon Says Stamp & Show has a challenge this week called "Just Add Pearls", and I just had to play after seeing some of the DT samples earlier today.  I adore pearls as jewelry, and I've always loved adding pearls to my cards, and I love the look of spraying my stamping with a mixture of Perfect Pearls and water - it gives a really lovely glow.  Here's my card for this week's challenge:

supplies: white, yellow and pale aqua cardstock, Hero Arts K5185 Wallpaper Flowers, CL508 Luscious Patterned Flowers (sentiment), Penny Black 30-113 Petal Party (leaves), VersaFine onyx black ink, distress markers to color, Perfect Pearls mixed with water in a spritzer, PTI Harvest Gold felt, Die-Namics Rolled Rose die, gold and aqua pearls

I stamped and heat embossed the floral image, then colored in the details with distress markers.  Then I spritzed very liberally with pearl water.  I was a little worried that the colors would bleed into each other, but I think the embossing kept them where they belonged.  

CASE Study AND CAS-ual Fridays

I've missed most of this month's challenges at CASE Study, with our muse Julia Stainton; love her style!  Here's Julia's inspiration card:

The brown and green combination with the cream lace makes such a pretty combination.  I decided to make mine into a Christmas card (can't have too many of those!).

supplies: kraft card base, design paper from Authentique Festive Collection, Hero Arts S5208 Designer Woodgrain, Latte chalk ink, The Craft's Meow Holiday Foundations, Adirondack Cranberry ink, Sizzix Sizzlits Branch with Leaves, unknown lace trim, red pearls

I liked the way the kraft and green with splashes of red looked on this card, so I used it for my inspiration for a card for CAS-ual Fridays the challenge being to make a CAS card and use kraft:

supplies: kraft cardstock, Hero Arts LP128 Artistic Windows, Latte chalk ink, The Craft's Meow sentiments from Hearth and Home and Holiday Foundations, Adirondack Cranberry Ink, old Jo-Ann holly leaf stamp, VersaFine onyx black ink and red pearls

Barb's Surprise Blog Hop!

Recently a group of Hero Arts flickr friends met at Scrapfest, and Barb organized our dinners and kept us all in line while we were there.  We all clicked immediately and had a fantastic time, way too short!  One of our number, Virginia, thought it would be a fun idea to have a little blog hop in honor of our friend Barb - today is her birthday!  We are each making her a card; here is mine:

supplies: ivory card base, design papers from Doodlebug Design and MME, Penny Black Petal Party flowers and Hero Arts sentiment from Sending Smiles Messages, VersaFine onyx black ink, pale yellow buttons

Barb loves pink and green, and she and I share a love of flowers, so that made this card easy to make!  Happy Birthday, my friend - wishing you a wonderful birthday!

Here are links to some alumnae Hero Hostesses who will be participating:

Marcy: http://enpapillotearts.blogspot.com/

Nancy http://happyheart-nancyljk.blogspot.com/

Judy http://judkajudi-livingthedream.blogspot.com/

Linda http://scrappinstampinsingin.blogspot.com/

Lin http://heartshugsandflowers.blogspot.com/   that's me!

Kathy http://wadingincreativity.blogspot.com/

Virginia http://virginialusblog.blogspot.ca/

Here we all are one night at Scrapfest; (top row, left to right, Marcy, me, Linda, Judy, bottom row, Kathy, Nancy, Virginia, Barb):

If you'd like to make Barb a birthday card also, just go on over to Virginia's blog and you can link it there!

Using a Journaling Card

Over at the Moxie Fab World, Cath has been showing us bits and pieces of their newest publication called Paper Crafting Tips & Tricks, and has challenged us to use journaling cards.  This challenge could not have been timed better for me, as I just got a new paper pad from Simple Stories called Harvest Lane, and it has several sheets of journaling cards and tags.  I have never used these, as I consider myself a stamper, but there's no reason that they can't be incorporated along with my stamping.  Here's my card for the challenge:

supplies: pumpkin cardstock, journaling card from Simple Stories Harvest Lane paper pad, dps for leaves from BoBunny's Apple Cider collection, Stampendous Autumn Words R149, Just Rite Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves, The Paper Company Studio Autumn Stamp kit, Memories Art Print Brown ink, brown button, May Arts jute twine

TCM New Christmas Release Blog Hop!!

Good morning!  Welcome to The Craft's Meow Christmas Release Blog Hop; today is the day that we can show you all 6 of the new sets!  The O Christmas Tree set is our new free gift when you spend $50.00 at our store!

You should have arrived here from our inspiring Karen's blog.   Here's my card:

I used the Winter Fibi and Lilly set:

and combined it with some Echo Park Christmas This & That papers, a Nesties Labels Eight die, some baker's twine, punched pine sprigs and some heart buttons.  I also glittered the stars and stripes on the ornament.

Did you know that you have a chance to win all SIX of the new stamp sets?  All you have to do is visit and comment on all of the stops along the hop, and one lucky random person will win them all!  You have until Saturday, October 27 at 9 PM PDT to enter.

So, off you go to the next stop, which is the talented Lindsay's blog.  If you get lost along the way, you can always go back to the TCM blog for a complete listing of participating blogs.  Good luck!

Autumn Leaves

If you're here to see my cards for The Craft's Meow Preview, please click HERE or scroll down one post.

Hi everyone - it's time for another Simon Says Stamp challenge and it's a subject that makes me smile, as it is what I love about fall - the beautiful  autumn leaves.  You can use any product you'd like this week - there are some really beautiful papers and stamps this year to choose from!  Here's my card:

When I saw the Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves set from Just Rite, I had to have them.  They are the perfect size for a card, and besides the beautiful leaves, either in music or text, there are several sentiments, and some buttons and post marks too!  A very good value, in my opinion!  Besides this set, I used some papers from 2 new 6" pads: BoBunny's Apple Cider (the striped paper) and Very Vintage Double Dot Designs (2 of the leaves).  The other papers are from my collection of autumn ones.  Other supplies include buttons from October Afternoon's 9 to 5 collection, and some natural twine.  

Once again, Heidi has set aside a $50.00 gift voucher at the Simon Says Stamp Store for the random winner of this challenge.

Please visit the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog to see all the beautiful autumn cards that the Design Team and our guest Laura have made.

I'd like to add this to the Ribbon Girl October color challenge, as it reflects the beautiful wreath inspiration they gave us:

The Craft's Meow Release Preview Day 3

Good morning, all!  I'm back again today with the last 2 sets of Christmas stamps being released tomorrow! They are O Christmas Tree, designed by Amy Wanford, and Holiday Foundations, designed by Karen Baker.  Let's start with the O Christmas Tree set.

This large set contains 6 different patterned trees, plus many, many sentiments and some accompanying elements for the trees.  For my card I made a winter background using blue and white cardstock, stamped my sentiment, and added snowflakes to it with a Darice embossing folder.  Then, using 2 different green shades of cardstock, I stamped and cut out my trees and arranged them across my landscape.  I added a bit of glitter along the edges of the snowy hills.

Now here's my card using the Holiday Foundations set.  It is full of wonderful graphic elements and sentiments, most of them with a really unique texture built in, giving a worn look.

I decided to make this one using just kraft and red, and this made a really simple, almost masculine card, using the argyle pattern.  Love this set!

Want to see more?  Please visit The Craft's Meow blog today to see my teammate's wonderful creations using these 2 stamp sets; if you leave a comment there, you'll have a chance to win them both!  Then come back tomorrow to see all of the sets revealed, along with a blog hop!  See you there!

O Christmas Tree supplies:

Cardstock: blue, white and green

Stamps: O Christmas Tree

Inks: VersaFine Olympic Green and Hero Arts Field Greens mid-tone

Embossing Folder: Darice Snowflake

Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares

Merry Christmas supplies:

Cardstock: red and light kraft

Stamps: Holiday Foundations

Ink: Adirondack Cranberry

The Craft's Meow Release Preview Day 2

Welcome to our 2nd day of the newest Christmas releases from The Craft's Meow!  Today I have 2 more sets to show you;  they are called Winter Fibi and Lilly and Christmas Cheer, both designed by Mabelle R-O.  And Christmas Cheer will be our free gift with a $50.00 purchase this month!  Let's get started.

First up I made a little snowflake ornament using 1 of the 3 adorable images from the Winter Fibi and Lilly set.  Angel Lilly was stamped twice, once on white cardstock and again on a scrap of snowflake paper for her dress.  I added a little color to her face and paws, and glittered her wings and halo using a glue pen and some fine glitter.  I think this will really twinkle when put near a light on the Christmas tree.  

After piecing on her dress, I cut her into a circle with my Nestabilities circle die, framed it with a scalloped circle in blue, and then with 2 Nesties Fleur De Lis pendants.  (I have always thought that the pendant looks like a snowflake)  I stamped some small snowflakes in the background, added a gingham ribbon as a hanger and I was finished.  This will probably go to my little granddaughter for her tree in Texas.

Next up is my card using just a few of the images from Christmas Cheer:

I stamped a panel using the peace bird, piecing the leaf, with one of the sentiments and a snowflake/star.  That panel was framed up in red, and added to some panels from Authentique's Festive paper pad.  I added a green grosgrain stitched ribbon and some red metallic accents.

If you'd like to see more card samples using these 2 sets, please go on over to The Craft's Meow blog to see what the other DT members and our Guest Designer Emily Keaton did; don't forget to leave a comment there for a chance to win these 2 new releases!  And I'd love it if you visited me here again tomorrow to see the last 2 previews of this October release.  

Angel Ornament supplies:

Cardstock: blue and white

Design paper: unknown scrap of blue snowflake paper

Stamps: TCM Winter Fibi and Lilly

Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black and Hero Arts midtone pool

Dies: Nestabilities circle, scalloped circle, and fleur de lis pendant

Markers: Tombow pale grey and pink

Misc: gellyroll Quickie Glue pen and Hero Arts prisma glitter

Peace on Earth supplies:

Cardstock:  cream

Design Papers: Authentique Festive paper pad

Stamps: TCM Christmas Cheer

Ink: Hero Arts Punch chalk ink

Ribbon: unknown green stitched grosgrain

Embellishments: Hero Arts Red Metallic Decor

The Craft's Meow October Release Preview - day 1

Welcome!  Today we are beginning the October unveiling of the new The Craft's Meow stamps for Christmas!!  Today I and the other DT members will be showing you 2 sets: Christmas Angel, by Nina Brackett, and Hearth and Home, designed by Elizabeta Kushner.

I paper-pieced Nina's beautiful angel, stamping the wings and heat embossing them in gold embossing powder on a printed honey cardstock.  The dress and body were stamped in black ink; the dress on another marbled creamy design paper, and the head and arms on white cardstock, and colored in with alcohol markers.  Here's a closer photo to show the glimmer of gold on the wings and the subtle printed patterns on her gown and wings.

The sentiment is from Luke 2:14, and is one of several equally lovely sentiments included in this set.  

And here's my card using the Hearth and Home set:

This set has many varied elements; I chose the holly branch and jingle bells, and the accompanying sentiment.  The holly branch was stamped 4 times on white cardstock, then colored with alcohol markers, and cut out, adding some Ranger Glossy Accents to the berries for some dimension and shine.  They were then arranged on the music paper along with the sentiment cut into a banner shape.  I stamped the jingle bells once on white, and again on a pearly gold paper coloring the ribbon on the white and piecing in the gold bells, before popping them above my holly.  

Please pop over to The Craft's Meow blog to see what Guest Designer Emily Keaton  and my other teamies made with these 2 new sets.  You have a chance to win both these sets by commenting there!  I hope you'll come back tomorrow and Wednesday to see previews of 4 other Christmas sets!!  And on Thursday all of them will become available at The Craft's Meow Store.

Glory to God supplies:
Cardstock: white
Design Papers:  unknown scraps
Stamps: TCM Christmas Angel
Inks: VersaFine onyx black and Versamark (wings)
Embossing Powder: Ranger Super Fine Detail Gold
Markers: Letraset flexmarkers
Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares

Jingle All the Way supplies:
Cardstock: green, white, pearly gold
Design Papers: The Paper Studio Textured Cream Sheet Music (Hobby Lobby), Authentique Festive
Stamps: TCM Hearth and Home
Markers: Letraset flexmarkers
Ranger Glossy Accents to highlight berries

Val de Victorian

It seems ages since I've been able to enter a challenge.  So yesterday I just played with the Tuesday Trigger  - who knew that these colors would be so fun together?  Here's the Trigger:

And here's what I came up with:

supplies: white cardstock, BoBunny double dots (flamingo, violet, orange citrus, and burnt orange), Hero Arts CL380 Truly Appreciated, Memories Art Print Brown ink, Die-Namics Chevron Stripes, square buttons

Hop on over to Moxie Fab World and see all the takes from everyone else - this one really has  brought our our creativity!

Choose Hope

I've made this card for The Craft's Meow October sketch challenge, and also for another category at SplitCoastStampers' Hope You Can Cling To event.

Another of the challenges there is called "Music Soothes the Soul".  I love most music and agree that it can be a wonderful tool to calm us down when we are stressed.  We are also asked to add pink to anything musical, be it a stamp or paper.  Here is what I made:

I used TCM's Hope Blooms, along with my favorite music paper from Hobby Lobby and some from Graphic 45's Little Darlings.  The diecut is a Nesties Labels Eighteen, and the lovely lace is by Webster's Pages. 

I hope you'll join us in either of both of these challenges - you have all of October to enter them.  

Hope You Can Cling To

For the third year, SplitCoastStampers is running a breast cancer awareness campaign all during the month of October; it's called Hope You Can Cling To, and The Craft's Meow is a Pink Ribbon Sponsor!

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Here is the card I made for one of the challenge called "Strip Please".  We are to use strips as a background to anchor our focal image.

I started with strips of paper from My Mind's Eye's The Sweetest Thing honey collection, and added in some various other papers, too.  My TCM stamps are Stitched Flowers and Stitched Sentiments.  

If you'd like to participate in this wonderful cause, please make a card using The Craft's Meow stamps, and link it on The Craft's Meow blog post HERE, for a chance to win a stamp set of your choice!!  Please link it from the HYCCT gallery.

Happy Haunting

Happy Wednesday!  Are you ready for a really fun challenge this week at the Simon Says Stamp Blog?  Our Joy has put together a great inspiration board for us to use this week!

So many fun ideas there!  I decided to use this Lawn Fawn Happy Haunting stamp set, and here's what I came up with this week:

supplies: lime, orange, charcoal and purple cardstock, scraps of patterned papers in the same colors, cut into circles with my Nesties circle dies, Lawn Fawn Happy Haunting, VersaFine onyx black ink

This little set is packed with everything you'll need to make a fun Halloween scene  - even a little iron fence!  So many details in it!

What will you make this week?  Heidi, as always has provided another $50.00 gift voucher for a lucky random winner to spend at the Simon Says Stamp store!  Can't wait to see your hauntingly creative designs!

                                

Simon Says.......use dies or punches........and a GIVEAWAY!!

Wednesday means another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog, and this week our theme is 

Dies or Punches!  This week the DT is showcasing the new Simon Says Stamp dies that were recently released.  We'd love you to use them, too, if you have any, but if not, please make something using any die or punch.  

I chose the Ariana Wreath die, a lovely oval wreath.  I made 2 cards, 1 with layers galore, and the 2nd much more CAS.  Here's the first one:

I simply die-cut the wreath from cream cardstock, colored in the leaves with various Memento Dual-tip Markers in autumn colors, then placed it over a Nestabilities oval framed in a scalloped oval die, and added a natural jute twine bow at the top.  Then I surrounded it with panels of various autumnal design papers from my stash.

For my 2nd card, I cut the wreath from dark green paper, placed it on my square card, and added the Hero Arts sentiment, some tiny red pearls, and a red bow - easy Christmas card!

I also think this would be a perfect frame for any of those head silhouette stamps that were popular just a little while ago........

Our generous Heidi has provided another $50.00 gift voucher for the random winner of our challenge again this week.

As an extra bonus for this challenge Heidi will be giving one lucky entrant a FABULOUS pack of Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Dies worth $50 !! Woo Hoo !!  To be considered for this random draw, be sure to leave a comment on the designers' blogs!

And please visit the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog to see what our Guest Designer Laura  and the rest of my team-mates made with our dies, then create something special and link it up for a chance at that voucher!

For the Girls

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, the ladies at CAS-ual Fridays have dedicated their challenge this week to all the wonderful women in our lives!  And it's a little reminder to make sure you've had your annual mammogram.  It's an easy procedure that could save your life!  I am presently acting as a ChemoAngel to a sweet lady at my parents' church, and send her a card once a week as she is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.  I thought this lovely flower would boost her spirits this week.

supplies: white and Core-dinations pink cardstock, Penny Black 30-113 Petal Party, Hero Arts CL490 Sending Smiles Messages, VersaFine onyx black ink, Memento dual-tip markers to color, Nesties labels eighteen, foam adhesive squares

If you as a card maker would like to make cards for cancer patients, Chemo Angels will pair you with a current patient.  Having been on both sides of this experience, I can tell you it makes a wonderful impact to them.  Or if you know someone having chemotherapy for any type of cancer, you can get them added to this program.