My October Favorites

Here are my favorites for October - lots of Christmas already!

Thanks for stopping by!  If you'd like to see the details and supplies for these cards, look over to my right sidebar under Archives, click on October, and then you can scroll through the month until you get to the post you're interested in.

Simon Says ........... Anything Goes

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

As always at the end of each month, our theme is Anything Goes, and we are highlighting Sunny Studio goodies this week!

Sunny Studio has a series of layered stamps, so I took this opportunity to get myself another of them, Sunflower Fields.

supplies: white, brown, and kraft cardstock, gingham from Sunny Studio Gingham Jewel Tones pad, Sunflower Fields stamps, Altenew mini inks, Simon's Sunshine die and sentiment from Four Seasons Sayings set, adhesive foam squares to pop up flowers

This set did NOT disappoint!  It was fairly easy to line up the layers, and not hard to cut them out either, though there's a matching die set for those of you who like to use them.  These ink colors are so bright and happy, it was a no-brainer to decide on my sentiment!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Hello Dear

I got my Simon Says Stamp November Card Kit last week and finally found some time to play!  Here's a card that uses the sweet little deer and the birch trees.  If you like Woodland critters, here's the kit for you!

supplies: Ivory cardstock, 2 of the dps in the Forever Green paper pack, deer, trees, leaves and "hello" from the new Woodland Whimsy stamp set, my own "dear" sentiment, Simon's Stitched Circle die

Here's the kit:

I can't wait to play with the watercolors and the watercolor cards next, and then, there's that fun Ho Ho Deer circle die!  Don't forget to visit our Card Kit gallery for lots more ideas using this kit - I hope you'll add something to it, too, when you get yours!

Last week we spent some time at my Mom's house; she has several old fruit trees in her front yard, and we were tickled to watch as many as 6 deer each dusk feasting on the fruit!  At this time of year, though, I didn't see any fawns like this one........I think they've grown into teenagers by now!

Thanks for stopping by - hope your week will be a great one!

Christmas Joy

Hi crafters!  I mixed 3 different companies today for my card.

supplies: white, Doll Pink, Green Apple, Green Leaf and hot pink glitter cardstock, Concord & 9th Holly Berry turnabout set, turnabout jig, Altenew Spring Bouquet greens and Cherry Blossom mini inks, letters from Spellbinders Joy die, wreath from Pink Fresh Studio Leafy Wreaths

I can't get enough of this new turnabout stamp background, so this time I inked it in brighter greens and pinks.  Then I used the letters from the Joy die, and the small wreath cut twice for my sentiment.  

It's weekend - enjoy!

Simon Says........Autumn/Fall Colors

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme is Autumn/Fall Colors, and the team is playing with Honey Bee goodies this week!  I chose a gorgeous fall die set called Fall Bouquet.  It not only includes this pretty pumpkin, but also a canning jar, and a lovely variety of fall leaves and flowers.

supplies: cream parchment, kraft, Sunshine, Orange Peel, Schoolhouse Red, Lipstick Red, Burnt Orange, Dark Chocolate, and 2 green cardstock, wood plank dp from SN@P Wood & Notebook Basics, Honey Bee Fall Bouquets, antique linen distress ink and distress marker, finger dauber, Simon Autumn Blessings die, adhesive foam squares to lift pumpkin arrangement above base

I remember when I first saw these white pumpkins - love at first sight, so that was my first decision made.  I cut the pumpkin from some creamy parchment cardstock, then enhanced the embossed details with antique linen distress ink and a distress marker.  Then I just filled it with a selection of the leaves, adding a pod and some acorns, and only 1 of the many floral dies in this set.  I bent up the petals on the flowers for some dimension, and also popped up the whole arrangement from the base.  The die-cut sentiment couldn't be more perfect - love the delicate font!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  

A New Stamp Set from Tammy!

Hi everyone!  Pink and Main has released some Christmas goodies, among them this darling sentiment set designed by Tammy Tutterow!  I love her handwriting!  Here's a card I made with the set.

supplies: white and Schoolhouse Red cardstock, Holly Jolly clear stamps, Gina K Wreath Builder stencil, Nuvo Creative Markers in Rich Reds and Woodland Greens, MFT Mini Stitched Scallop Square die, red twine

This is mainly a sentiment set for Christmas that includes 18 sentiments, but also a single sprig of holly, a large bunch of it, and also a border.  I used the first 2 images and a Gina K Wreath Builder stencil to form a wreath, colored it, then stamped one of the sentiments inside.  Love how clean and crisp it is!  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Variations

Hi!  Here's a CAS card using a phrase I use often for a special person......

supplies: white, Audrey Blue and Green Leaf cardstock, Memory Box Antique Corner Rose Label die and Big and Little Words stamp set

And here's a variation of this design, following the same sketch, the same sentiment set, but using stamps instead of dies.

supplies: white cardstock, Altenew Bamboo Rose stamps, white embossed and colored with Zig markers and water, Memory Box Big and Little Words sentiment, Sunny Studio Frilly Frames Lattice die

With pink flowers, this is obviously for a girl, so I used a frilly frame to trim out my panel.

As always, thanks for your visit.  I especially value yours today!  

Hello Fall

Hi friends!  I think I mentioned recently that I have my autumn craft supplies all in a big bin.  I even save scrap die-cuts that haven't been used, and those were the main ingredients for today's card.  I'm not ready to sail into Christmas mode just yet, so here's another fall card.

supplies: Desert Storm, kraft, Green Leaf, chocolate, various oranges and yellows and a gold foil cardstock, board background dp, various scraps from Neat and Tangled (retired) Maple Leaf die, The Greetery Botanicuts Sunflower dies, sentiment from Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox, copper sequins

I have no idea why this maple leaf die was discontinued, but I am so glad I got one before it was!  It is 2 parts, a maple leaf shape, and another one that gives you the veining details.  You can see all kinds of incarnations of it here - just the skeleton outline, paper-pieced, and using both the shape and the outline together.  They do have a similar one in a birch leaf shape HERE, if you're interested.  I was originally going to put this arrangement over a more natural plank design paper, but I really love  turquoise with these fall colors better.  

As I was linking my supplies, I noticed that this Fall Fox set is also on the cutting block.  So I thought I'd make another card using just that set.  I should rename this post "Retired"!  I suppose it's inevitable, what with monthly releases from so many companies......

supplies: white cardstock, Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox, Nuvo Creative Pens to color, tumbled glass, mustard seed, and spiced marmalade distress inks, sponged on with the AMAZING Taylored Expressions blender brushes, Simon's (retired) Small Forest Tree die, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

I am no colorist, but once in awhile I enjoy coloring up some images, as long as they're not too large - this set fit the bill!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Simon Says........Halloween!

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week our theme is Halloween!  The team is showcasing My Favorite Things goodies - if you have any, we'd love to see you using them, too, but that's not a requirement.  

I've been wanting this adorable stamp set for a few years now; so glad they haven't retired it yet!  I had lots of fun making my card!

supplies: yellow, Smoke Grey, and Green Apple cardstock, MFT Witch Way is the Candy clear stamp set, Nuvo Creative Pens markers, (retired) Hero Arts Magical Background cling

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I'm really looking forward to see what you all make this week!

Spellbinders Past Large Dies of the Month

Generous Spellbinders sent me some past Large Dies of the Month from this year, and had a fun play with 2 different sets!  I have 3 cards today

The first set is the June 2019 Large Dies of the Month.  This is a fantastic set, enabling you to make interactive wreath slider cards all year long!  There are flowers, stars, Easter motifs, clovers for St. Pat's day, hearts, balloons, and snowflakes!  I chose to make a sparkly Christmas card with the snowflakes.

supplies: white cardstock, silver, aqua, and 2 blue glitter cardstock, Festive Wreaths Slider Card Die of the Month kit, a snowflake embossing folder, sentiments from Tim Holtz and Hero Arts, sequins to match, hand-dyed seam binding

Here's a closer look at the wreath.

The card gives you dies to construct your slider card so that you pull out an inner tab to make the wreath fold upwards and reveal another sentiment.

Genius!  I watched THIS video to see how to put everything together.  I can't wait to make more of these using the other dies included for so many occasions!

My next set was January's Large Die of the Month, and I made 2 cards with the set.

supplies: ivory, Audrey Blue, Orange Peel, Sunshine, Lipstick Red, Green Apple, and kraft cardstock, Cherish Large Die of the Month, Hemstitch Rectangle die, sentiment from Tammy Tutterow Tiny Sentiments, enamel dots for flower centers

Isn't this set charming?  Here's another card using different dies from the same set.

supplies: mint and pink cardstock, floral dp, Spellbinders Cherish Large Die of the Month and Floral embossing folder

These dies are so romantic that I decided to use a sweet floral patterned paper along with them.  I like the mint/pink combination!  And I paired them with this embossing folder for some more interest, since my design is fairly simple.  

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Golden Days

Hi friends!  Can you stand another fall card?

I saw this stencil being used by Shari Carroll a while back and thought it made an interesting background.  Here's my first card with it.

supplies: white, rust, and Dark Chocolate cardstock, Tim Holtz String stencil, carved pumpkin, ripe persimmon, mustard seed, and barn door distress inks, blending brushes, sentiment from (retired) The Craft's Meow Golden Days, Impression Obsession leaf die, adhesive foam to lift leaves

Doesn't this stencil have all kinds of fun possibilities?  I also used my new Taylored Expressions blending brushes to blend these inks, and I'm in love!  The same inks were used to color a scrap of white cardstock before I cut out the leaves from it.  

Thanks for stopping by today!

A Christmas set from The Greetery

The Greetery had a Christmas release recently, and I couldn't live without the new With Love at Christmas stamps.

supplies: white and coral card, The Greetery With Love at Christmas stamps, Altenew mini inks from Spring Bouquet greens and Tea Party, sentiment from a (retired) The Craft's Meow Holiday Poinsettia, Spellbinders Hemstitch Oval die, adhesive foam to lift up flowers

I thought I'd make the floral spray dimensional, so I stamped the greens separately and cut them out, then the flowers, then raised the flowers above the greenery.   I also made myself a smaller floral spray using some of the extra stamps included in the set.

Betsy has a true gift in giving us these lovely layering stamps - keep them coming, please!

Simon's Cheer and Joy release!

Simon Says Stamp has a new release called Cheer and Joy!

I was sent the new Holiday Greeting Mix 1, which is a big stamp set full of Christmas sentiments.  I used it to make 2 cards for you today.

supplies: red glitter cardstock, 2 patterned papers from retired Authentique Christmas paper pads, Simon's new Holiday Greeting Mix 1 stamp set, green markers to color leaves, Stickles Christmas Red for berries, Simon's Christmas Blessings die, adhesive foam to raise inner panel

I decided to use patterned papers for my cards today.  These first 2 have a lovely vintage feel to them, and are small-scaled, so hopefully don't detract from the stamping.  I used some red glitter cardstock and Stickles on the berries to add a tiny bit of glimmer.  The central panel is raised above the background one.

Next, I white embossed some of the stamps over a buffalo plaid pattern, also a design paper.

supplies: Lipstick Red and white cardstock, buffalo plaid dp from Simple Stories Very Merry, Simon's new Holiday Greetings Mix 1, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder, various small snowflake dies, Honey Bee Crystal Clear gem stickers, adhesive foam to lift up snowflake dies

I simply arranged the big sentiment to the left and added some snowflakes from the set on the right.  I also die-cut a few small snowflakes of my own and popped them above the design.  Lastly, I put tiny clear gems in the center of all of the snowflakes for some sparkle.

Be sure to visit THIS PAGE to see the rest of the new release.  As always, there's a little of everything: clear and cling stamps, dies, stencils, sentiment strips, watercolor prints, enamel pins, and sequins.  Enjoy!

My absolute favorite is the new Pinecone Background, the Leaves and Berries Background cling stamp, and how fun is the new Gnome die!  

For more ideas for products from this new release please visit our gallery HERE.

Simon Says........Christmas

Happy Wednesday - welcome to our challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Christmas, and the team and I are showcasing Neat & Tangled products.  I pulled out a clear stamp set that hasn't seen enough love, and incorporated a little spray of flowers from it, combined with some other elements.

supplies: Schoolhouse Red and white cardstock, red and white striped dp from my stash, Neat & Tangled Hand Stitched flowers, colored with Nuvo Rich Reds and Woodland Greens markers, sentiment from Simon Yuletide Holiday, Spellbinders Floral embossing folder, MFT Stitched Mini Scallop Square die

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  

October Birthday Cards

Hi friends.  Today I have a couple of cards for October birthdays.  I used Greetery goodies for them.

supplies: ivory and Orange Peel cardstock, The Greetery Just Mason Around, Altenew Sea Shore mini inks, Autumn Sketches layering stamps and a Mason Jar Fillers stencil, Altenew Golden Sunset, Warm & Cozy, and Coffee Break mini inks, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle die

This next one is one of The Greetery's layered stencils called Fir & Foliage 1.

supplies: ivory and brown cardstock, The Greetery Fir and Foliage 1 multi-step stencil, distress inks and a finger dauber, Simon's Brush Stroke Messages for ground and sentiment from Beautiful Flowers, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

We finally have some cool air here, but I'm afraid we're not going to have a colorful fall this year - it's been a weird summer!  How is it where you live?

Some Wreath Cards

Good morning, friends!  Here are another couple cards I made for WCMD, but had to wait until today to photograph. Both of them use Pink Fresh Studio goodies, and will work for their WCMD challenges!

supplies: white, Cornflower, and Green Apple card, Pink Fresh Studio Floral Elements Wreath and matching die, Nuvo Creative Pens to color, sentiment from (retired) Simon Summer Garden, Hero Arts (retired) Canvas Stripes cling, adhesive foam to lift up wreath

It was very relaxing to color up this pretty wreath!  I've always loved stripes mixed with florals, so I used a subtle stripe to surround it.  I'm entering this into Challenge #1: Favorite Technique at the Pink Fresh Studio blog.  Stamping is a favorite technique of mine, and coloring, too; as I said, so relaxing.

Next up, another wreath, this one a die-cut one on a Christmas card.

supplies: green cardstock, red patterned papers, Pink Fresh Studio Leafy Wreath and bow dies, Tim Holtz sentiment die,  red pearls as berries.

This one works for Challenge #2: Jump Start to the Holidays.  I love wreaths, but I don't have anything like this dimensional one! I really like this particular green against the barn-red background, too.  And the gingham bow gives it a country feel.

It's an overcast day here today, threatening rain, so I'll be in my craft room!

Getting to Know a New Die

Back again - how is your WCMD going?  I recently treated myself to this intricate Joy die and today was my first time playing with it.

supplies: gold and a tiny bit of red glitter cardstock, Doodlebug Christmas dps, Spellbinders Joy die

First, I simply cut the design from gold glitter cardstock, then looked around for something to back it with.  I liked the text background from this grouping of Doodlebug papers that I think came in a past Card Kit from Simon.  Then I added some green with another unknown snowflake dp.  To finish I added just one of the flowers in the center of the "o".  Simple to make; the intricacy of the die does all the work!

Since the die is long and narrow, I followed suit with the size of my card.....this one is about 3 3/8" X 5 1/2".  

Next I used all the tiny dies included in this set to paper-piece it.  

supplies: kraft, Lipstick Red, Schoolhouse Red, Green Apple, Green Leaf , Gumdrop Green, and gold glitter card, Joy die

I started with a medium green to cut out the die, then added 2 other greens, lighter and darker, for the holly leaves and pine sprigs, and also paper-pieced in the flowers and berries in 2 shades of red.  I used the leftovers from above to fill in my letters, then glued everything onto a kraft base, framed in red.  This one measures 3 1/4" X 5 1/2".

It really didn't take that long to cut the extra pieces and add them to the design, probably because this die is not a huge one.  Just right, in my opinion!

It's great to be getting a start on my Christmas cards!

It's World Card Making Day!

Hello crafters!  It's a beautiful day here today, but I am staying inside for the most part to play with some new goodies.  I'll share my cards during the day today as I get them made.

Here's another new Turnabout stamp set - I love the delicate little design it makes, a perfect background.

supplies: white, Lipstick Red, and 2 green cardstock, Concord & 9th Holly Berry Turnabout stamps, jig, Altenew Green Valley, Red Sunset and Tea Party mini ink cubes, MFT Joy die and (retired) Spring Wreath die, Penny Black Stitched Stackers die, adhesive foam strips

Although this set is part of a Christmas release, I think it can be used for any occasion.  Here's one with a birthday theme.  My husband and boys would like these colors.

supplies: white and Peacock Teal cardstock, Holly Berry Turnabout set, jig, Altenew Green Meadows and Sweet Dreams mini ink cubes, Penny Black birthday die, adhesive foam strips

Thanks for stopping by - Happy WCMD!