Woodblock Wednesday!

 Here's my card for this month's Woodblock Wednesday.  I used a stamp from a company called Outlines; I believe they were sold here at Archivers.  This one's called Split Layering Collage Autumn, and has no date..

 

It is just a wee bit too long for an A2 card, so I selectively colored some of the blocks and cut them out, matting each in a different solid color, then grouping them around my sentiment, which is a Simon/Clearly Besotted collab set from 2014 called Autumn Blessings.  The panel is cut with a PinkFresh Studio Folk Edge rectangle die.

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

Thanksgiving Blessings

 I was going through my old wreath dies, and decided to play once again with this Stitched Leaf Wreath from Simon Says Stamp, from maybe about 2015.  I pulled out some bright fall colors of cardstock for the leaves. 

supplies: cream and colored cardstocks, Simon Says Stamp Stitched Leaf Wreath and Chisolm Wreath, sentiment from Taylored Expressions Handlettered Thanksgiving, small adhesive foam squares, twine, a tiny heart sprinkle

This die is unique because it has a stitched line outlining the wreath on the inside and all around the outside, and gives the leaves some stitched details.  So I cut it out first from a panel of cream cardstock, then from the colored cardstock just to get some leaves.  I filled in the leaves, securing them on the backside with tape, then added a Chisolm twig wreath and finally popped some more of the leaves atop everything, using only the maple ones.  I like a twine bow on these, and added a tiny gold heart to its center.

I would guess that everything I used is retired; that will probably be the case going forward into the New Year.  I intend to make everything old new again!

Thanks for stopping by.

Another Fall Birthday

 Here's my second birthday card for this month.

supplies: cream and black cardstock, Clearly Besotted (retired) Autumn Flowers, My Favorite Things DieNamics (retired) Happy die, Honey Bee Stamps Bitty Buzzwords die, adhesive foam

On an A2 panel of cream cardstock, I repeatedly stamped the maple leaf in reds, golds, and oranges, then cut out the big "happy" from it about 2/3 of the way down.  Next I glued on my birthday setiment, then added lots of adhesive strips and dots to pop the panel above the card base.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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!

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.

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!

September Hero Studio: Fall in the Forest

 The Hero Arts Studio kits  for September have been released; I'm so excited for this month's theme of Fall in the Forest!!  Working on these cards made me feel cooler already!

The Layering Stencils, called Fairyland Forest, called my name first.

supplies: white and brown cardstock, Fairyland Forest stencils, distress inks, sentiment from Studio Card Kit Fall in the Forest, Hemstitch Oval die, wonky rectangle die, adhesive foam squares

There are 4 pieces in the stencil set, 3 for the various trees, and the final one for the tree trunks.  I used 10 different colors of distress inks.  The sentiment from the Studio Card Kit is perfect, so I lifted it above the front and added a bit of interest with the hemstitch oval die, which simply cuts out an oval shape to let the backing show through. 

Next up are the Fancy Dies, Cozy Critters.

supplies: brown, tan, cream, and pink cardstock, brass foiled cardstock, 2 patterned papers, Cozy Critters Fancy dies, adhesive foam

Isn't this set darling?  It also includes a large fox that can be made a couple of ways, and a little duck!  I went searching in my scraps for a quilt-like patterned paper, then used the quilt die to cut it out and add some subtle stitched details.  I used a tiny green check for my pillow, and a brass foil cardstock for my headboard.  I popped up the noses of the critters for some dimension, and my sentiment is an old retired one from The Craft's Meow.

Finally, here are my cards using this month's Card Kit: Fall in the Forest.  This month we get a stamp set with dies to match everything but the sentiments, and a separate die set that makes a large tree!

supplies: cream, green, grey cardstock, brown and tan woodgrain pattern papers, Fall in the Forest stamps and matching dies

There's a separate oval die to cut out the hole in the tree for Mr. Squirrel to store his acorns; also a heart and 2 sentiment dies in that set.  The stamp set has 5 different squirrels, 4 pumpkins, lots of different leaves, a rake, a tree stump, and 4 sentiments; everything you'll need t make your own little scene!

My last card features most of the pumpkins, more leaves, and a sentiment from the stamp set, and lots of patterned papers.

supplies: patterned papers, Fall in the Forest stamps, Sunset Hero Hues enamel dots. twine bow

Over the years I've collected lots of 6" square paper pads, and these patterns are from them.  I particularly love the text background which has a fall theme, too.  Since there is some twine and a packet of enamel dots in the kit, I added them to the mix also.

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 bonus 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!

Postage Collage and Design Papers

 Since last I played with my Postage Collage goodies, I've added another die to the group, the Postage Collage Blocks die.  I wanted this one so that I could use it with design papers, to cut out blocks the size of the openings in the regular Postage Collage die.  Here are 3 cards I made as soon as it arrived, and scroll down to see a bonus 4th card made a few days later.

supplies: Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, all from Waffle flower, various design papers

Here are the individual photos; you will notice that I didn't glue down 2 sentiments that you see above; I've decided to wait until I need these cards, and then add something appropriate.

First up, I cut out the right side of a rainbow wreath from a Paper Rose Rainbow Twirl 6" pad.  One of the blocks was almost completely without detail (the middle of the wreath), so I added a butterfly.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, Paper Rose Rainbow Twirl 6" pad,  Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, and a postmark stamp from (retired)  Hero Arts Sending Love Mail, butterfly die from my supplies

My second card started with a fall scene from a Spellbinders Woodland Tales pad.  

supplies: white, gold, and a design paper from Spellbinders Woodland Tales 6" pad, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, a woodblock postmark stamp dated 1997 from All Night Media

And finally, I chose a large floral print for my third card.

supplies: pink and cream cardstock, design paper from Carta Bella Botanical Garden 6" pad, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, xoxo from Hero Arts Sending Love Mail stamps

In all of these cards, I used the Blocks die to cut out rectangles that then are glued inside the Collage die panel.  Then I did some overstamping before adding to my card front.

Here's 1 more example.  I think this floral panel was something digital that I had printed out years ago, then never used.  Here it is on the Postage Collage die.

Then I cut it apart and made this card.

supplies: green and white cardstock, a digital floral print, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, (retired) woodblock Hero Arts December Mark, sentiment from (retired) Hero Arts Sunshine Daisies, white embossing powder

I have a huge group of 6" paper pads and I hope that this will help me to use them up more quickly!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

Thanksgiving Fall Foliage Cards

I've got all my assignments done for this month, so I'll be finishing it off with some Thanksgiving cards.  Today I'm playing with an old favorite Taylored Expressions stamp and stencil set called Fall Foliage Background.  Instead of stamping, this time I utilized the matching Foil It background panels, which foil the skeleton leaves. 

You start with one of the panels, foil it in your laminator, then use the 3-piece stencil set to color in the details. I enjoy this process so much that I made 3 cards. The twinkle from these across the room is a sweet little surprise.

Here are my individual photos of each card.  I used copper/orange foil on this first one.

supplies: white and Orange Peel cardstock, Taylored Expressions Fall Foliage Foil It panel, Copper Deco Foil, Fall Foliage Background Stencils, ripe persimmon, peeled paint, and vintage photo distress inks, Nested Rectangle and Circle dies, sentiment from Gina K Designs Autumn Wreath Builder

I used gold foil on the other 2 cards.

supplies: purple cardstock, vellum, Fall Foliage Foil It panel, Gold Deco Foil, Fall Foliage Background stencils, persimmon, wilted violet distress inks, Chamomile ink, Spellbinders Hemstitch rectangle die, sentiment from Sunny Studio Autumn Greetings, clear embossed, (retired) Impression Obsession leaves, twine, tiny heart sprinkle

On this card I lifted the background above the card front.

supplies: Sunshine and Burnt Orange cardstock, Fall Foliage Foil It panel, Gold Deco Foil, Fall Foliage Background stencils, mustard seed, carved pumpkin, and crackling campfire distress inks, (retired) Neat and Tangled Maple Leaf Thanks die, sentiment from (retired) Simon Says Stamp Autumn Blessings, gold heart sprinkle, adhesive foam 

  

Thanks for visiting today.  Do you send out cards for Thanksgiving?  

Postage Collage and Harvest Wreath

 Here's another play with my new Postage Collage bundle.  This time I started with a Turnabout wreath, and then cut the individual stamps apart.  

supplies: white and Doll Pink cardstock, Spellbinders Postage Edge Rectangle dies, Oak Forest 3D embossing folder, Concord & 9th Harvest Wreath turnabout stamps, picked raspberry, vintage photo, carved pumpkin, and dusty concord distress inks, Postage Collage Coloring stencil, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage stamps, Newton's Nook Autumn Newton sentiments

My card measures a bit over 4 3/4" X 6".  I wanted to make my card itself into a big postage shape!  

Here's a picture of the panel before I cut it apart.  I used my Turnabout Jig to position my panel, and one of the Postage stencils before stamping the design.  I wanted to use some untraditional fall colors this time.  You get a completely different look when you cut the individual stamps apart, don't you think?

The object of this whole exercise was to see what I could do with the basic bundle of Postage Collage goodies, and now I think even more that it is a very versatile set.  I look forward to incorporating them into future projects in all seasons.  That's not to say that I will not add to the collection with more of Waffle Flower's stencils and stamps to fill in these tiny little canvases!

Thanks for stopping by - hope your day is a lovely one!

A Postage Collage for Fall!

 I am probably the last person on earth to get these Waffle Flower Postage Collage dies, stamps, and stencils, but I made it at last, with a nice sale over at Waffle Flower a few weeks ago.  And I get it!  These are so unique and fun!  

I started with the main Postage Collage die and added the Coloring Stencil set and the original Postage Collage stamp set (I loved all the references on it to "sending hugs"!)  Could have gone on and on with their seasonal stencils to fill in with, but I thought I'd try to use what I have here before I jump down that rabbit hole!

Here's my first card.  I used all of the above, and pulled out an old favorite MFT stamp set called Harvest Mouse.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Postage Collage Die, Postage Collage Coloring Stencil, tumbled glass distress ink, Postage Collage stamps, My Favorite Things (retired) Harvest Mouse stamps, sentiment from Sunny Studio Autumn Greetings

I cut the Postage Die from white cardstock, then used one of the stencils to mask so that I could brush in a blue background in each cell.  Then I stamped, colored, and cut out the mice and a couple extra pumpkins, and arranged them on the postage panel.  I took a picture, removed the elements, and then stamped the postage stamps and a fall sentiment before gluing everything together and mounting it on an aqua mat.

I will be playing more with these new goodies - stay tuned!  Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Adding this to the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.