Happy Halloween!

These past couple of days have found me in Santa's Workshop actually making Christmas Accordion Tags, however I stumbled upon some witch's brew and concocted this:
I believe that one cannot have enough Halloween decorations, especially if you have children around. (Like my inner one.) So I had a lot of fun decorating this with all the spooky critters and creepers which allowed me to participate in the superfun challenge at the Cupcake Craft Challenges "Things That Go Bump in the Night!"
Love it!

This was based on Sharon Johnson's Splitcoast posting: and her Instructions. Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas have the same number of letters (midnight ruminations) so it works perfectly. After fiddling with the different papers for the ghost space between words I ended up making my own "dp" although I REALLY wanted the Twilight paper from Pink Paislee Twilight collection, just couldn't find it in town. I used Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black ink with the Negative Embossing technique to create this panel, hopefully evoking a spooky background. The circles are punched out of the Shimmery White, I sponged the edges (because plain just didn't look full enough) and I added Stickles dots (because I LOVE STICKLES!).

Paper: SU!: Elegant Eggplant, YoYo Yellow, Basic Black, Shimmery White
DP: Tim Coffey Halloween "I Want Candy" (green), Best Creation Inc. #GP320 (white swirly), Reminisce Halloween Collection "Jack" (pumpkins, black & orange polka dot)
Ink: SU!: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Green Galore
Accessories: Recollections (Michael's stickers: spiders (so cute!), cats, ghosts, & bats) ? Pumpkin stickers, Making Memories "Spellbound" chipboard alphabet stickers, Ranger Stickles: orange, purple & green; Cuttlebug & D'vine Swirl embossing folder, circle & slit, tag corner punches, misc. Halloweenish ribbon, sponges, Fiskars scoring tool
Technique: Negative Embossing

Challenge within a Challenge Day!

Boy, it has been a long time since I posted anything. I go in spurts... following my fancy... and it feels like I am back into stamping which is good for my soul. Getting together with one of my best friends who shares a stamping passion got me into doing challenges. I think I have combined the most ever for me into this project. And boy does it remind me when Tim Gunn comes into the workroom and put his hand under his chin when he declares "this could be beautiful or a hot gooey mess."
Here goes:
I used this week's challenge from Get Sketchy #7 and their Bonus Challenge Distressing. I distressed the Basic Grey DP: Infuse "Saturate" and the "thank you" circle from the Stampin' Up! All Holiday Set with the Stampin' Up distressing tool. I sponged all the paper as well to soften everything. Using Basic Grey paper (Infuse) and Chipboard Elements allowed me to participate in their challenge for Week 4: Embossing. I stamped the farm image from Harvest Home with Timber Brown StazOn and then used a combination of colored pencils and crayons to color the image and then blended them with a blender pen. I then did the Cracked Glass technique on the focal image which involved heat embossing with Ranger's UT Clear Embossing Powder. I stepped outside of my box in the Ways to Use it (SCS challenge WT237) with the use of Chipboard. I love the way people use it - I think it adds so much to a card... I have just been afraid to use it, worried it will look like an afterthought rather than integral and thus wasting it for a better card, a better idea. I decided not to overthink it. Lastly, I'm throwing this into the Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC239) for the SOS, mine being So Saffron, Old Olive and Saturate.

Stampin' Up! Stamps: Harvest Home, All Holiday, Canvas, Timeworn Trim

Paper: Stampin' Up! So Saffron, Old Olive, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Watercolor paper

Designer Paper: Basic Grey Infuse "Saturate" and "Invest"

Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, StazOn Timber Brown, VersaMark

Chipboard Elements: Basic Grey (corner pieces) and Marcella K (scrolly thing)

Accessories: SU! Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, WC pencils & crayons, Ranger UT Clear Embossing Powder, sponges, exacto knife & cutting mat, distressing tool, pop & glue dots

Heart's Content

This was created for Mojo Monday #69. I think I have also combined it with VLVJan03 which is to add pink - I say think but I cleared out my cookies from my computer and erased my log in name & password for Splitcoast therefor I am barred from entering the relevant pages until Splitcoast gets back to work on Monday. :D

Paper: Bella Rose DP, Pink Pirouette & Chocolate Chip

Stamps: Many Happy Returns & Friendship Blooms (VersaMarked into the upper left corner).

Ink: VersaMark, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red

Acccessories: Soft Subtles buttons, Whisper White & Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, SU! On Board Basics, SU! Cutter Kit: distressing tool, SU! Cutting Mat & Craft Knife, Mat Pack & piercing tool, Zots, MonoAqua, snail glue

Bee Mine

This was created for a Splitcoast Stampers Limited Supply Challenge #203 for a Non-Cheesy Valentine's Day Card. The idea is to make a card easily replicated 30 times. I deviated a little bit by adding the Mellow Moss ribbon - the flower just didn't look right floating in space, folding the card to make it a 3" x 3" (was supposed to be a face only) and by embellishing a little bit with the pens. It looked too plain without the Markie's Mom touches.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Paper: Real Red, Confetti White, Pretty in Pink, Summer Picnic DP

Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Black & Mellow Moss Gingham Ribbons, Vintage Black Brad, White Gel Pen, Black and Real Red Markers, and Mat Pack

Christmas Thank You Cards

I loved to see what Kittie747 has posted over at Splitcoast Stampers. She is an inspiration to me and challenges my card making abilities. She created this card which I used as my base for my Christmas Thank You notes. She submitted it for the Sketch Challenge #91.

Stamps: Flaky Friends, Petal Pushers, and Canvas

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Confetti White, and Old Olive

Designer Paper: Basic Grey "Wassail" Laurel Leaves and Stampin' Up Bella Rose

Ink: StazOn Timber Brown, Old Olive, More Mustard, Craft White, Bashful Blush, and Almost Amethyst

Markers: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

Accessories: Riding Hood Red ribbon, Yellow Stickles, pop dots, sponge

Technique: sponging, masking

It's Been a While!

Gosh, I just didn't blog much this summer. I didn't make any cards either. Until last night. My DH went out of town to the Reno Air Races so I quickly called all my girlfriends (those who were in town) and invited them over for girls' night at my house. I am not able to do it when he is here because our house is so small there wouldn't be anywhere else for him to hide... or keep him and the kids otherwise occupied (am I dreaming or what!) Older step-daughter went to college in Australia and has been gone a couple of weeks now. The older step-son has made this his primary residence so there have been a number of changes afloat. Anyway, with everyone supposed to be gone I jumped at the chance to have everyone over. Some girls were able to make it, even just for a little bit. Two of my friends brought over their kids so there was all kinds of activity here. As far as I knew my step son was going camping and wasn't going to be around. That wasn't actually the case - he was here with a friend playing Rock Band in the living room. So when one of my friends came in she played bass while he and his friend had drums and guitar covered. I thought it was hilarious. Eventually they took off and I served a gourmet meal of pizzas and brownies. My friend with a one year old took off to take her kids to bed while my other friend Toni and I made cards. We searched the web and decided on Poetic Artistry Mojo Monday 52.

My step-Mom and Dad have been in town to attend her best friend's wedding so I made Sally a wedding card. Her colors are cream, burgundy, black and gold. Therefor: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Black and Anna Griffin dp AG227. I stamped the Bravo B paper with Bravo ink with the Filigree background. The cake from Little Hellos was stamped with StazOn Jet Black on VV as well as the dp. Using Toni's awesome suggestion I paper pieced the cake plate onto the image. I colored the heart in Bravo using a blender pen. I used Stickles to color in the dots on the cake. Don't you just love Stickles? I used my mat pack to place the Basic Black brads. I also used my Cuttlebug for the very first time to make the ovals (Nestabilities!) for the sentiment. It was easy thanks to Cat's CB sandwich stack posting at scs. I had read about the way your plate is scarred with the die but I still was surprised by it. However, I loved the way the sentiment came out. I {heart} those ovals! The "happiness" from Warm Words was stamped in River Rock and then the "wedding" from Occasions Collections was placed just above it in Bravo B. I used 1/4" black grosgrain ribbon under the sentiment. There are pop dots under the cake panel and sentiment. By the time we closed up shop my son had fallen asleep where he had fallen last, wrapped around his kitty (stuffed animal) and the two girls were still running around. It was 12:30 a.m. You know these will be the nights of their childhood that they will say "Remember when...." I don't understand how they can still wake up at the same time everyday no matter what time you put them to bed. But it is what it is.


I love naps.

Home Sweet Home

This is the card I created for scs Ways To Use It Challenge #166: Inchies. An inchie is a 1 inch square canvas (paper or fabric) on which you create your work. Mine is a 1 3/8" because that was the closest square punch that I own. The image from Little Somethings was stamped in StazOn Timber Brown and watercolored with crayons and an AquaPainter. It was matted on More Mustard and then Bashful Blue. The Bashful Blue covers up my handwriting attempt at Home Sweet Home. The Bashful Blue is pierced using the Mat Pack. I hand doodled along the edge of the Whisper White and felt it needed something else. I usually reach for the ribbon at that point. I thought the black & white gingham could look like bees with a yellow brad. So I added some bee trails and called it good. All supplies are by Stampin' Up!

The little beehive is also an image in Alison Jay's 1 2 3 A Child's First Counting Book. It is a picture hanging on the wall in the house of the Three Bears.