Holiday Identity Crisis

Yes, I know it is Halloween but I am working on Valentine's cards to send off to OWH.  So bring on the hearts, pinks, reds.  I'm done with Autumn colors, except for some Thanksgiving cards that I will be sending out to friends and family.

This is the sketch I used which is at Pamela's World of Scrap

The hearts are from a digital image, cut into three pieces.   I couldn't find a good piece of designer paper so I used a piece of white cardstock which I scored with some lines.  Sentiment is Verve.

Challenge: Simon Says - no square card

Deviation From Fall

It is sometimes nice to make a card "out of Season" and since most of my cards go to OWH and we work with deadlines, we are always out of season.  I actually started some Valentine cards yesterday. Eeek!   Seems really weird but I need to stay ahead of the game.  Well, this card could be used anytime because it is a birthday card and the crocuses will pop up by February so it won't go to OWH much too early.

I used the sketch at The Craft's Meow

The center strip of paper is a scrap from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two.  I thought it went well with the Cuttlebug embossing folder.
The stamps are GKD "Spring Florals"

Challenges:
Stamptacular Sundays - not rules
DYSU - embossing
Critter Sketch - embossing
Timeless Tuesday - birthdays

Last of the Flowers for This Year

This card is a CASE of one of Tina Gilliland's cards at Stamp TV.
Here is her card.

  But I just had to make it in yellow and make one more card with a Black Eyed Susan.  There are only a few left in my flower garden and they are looking pretty sad.

I love all the polka dots.  Don't they and the color yellow just make you feel happy?
Such a simple card to make.  I must remember to make more like this.  The flower is from the GKD set, "A Flower for Daisy".



Challenges:
A Blog Named Hero - CAS
Critter Sketch - emboss
Stamptacular Sunday - no rules
Pink Gem - flowers
DYSU - emboss

No Gnomes, Just Mushrooms

A fun digital image by Digistamps4joy.  it is one of the digital images we must use in the progressive challenge at CDAC
 I wasn't sure how I was going to use it, especially without a Gnome.  Did you know that there really are red mushrooms with dots of them?  I looked them up.  I thought it was just in the fantasy world, but no, they are real.   Gnomes? that is questionable.

I used the sketch at MFT
:

and I put the smile tag off the edge for the challenges at CASual Fridays.


Other challenges:
Stamp n Send - encouragement and photo inspiration
Pink Gem - flowers
Your Next Stamp - anything goes

Sew Grateful

I started sewing and making my own clothes when I was 12, continued on making clothes for my children.  I even made bridesmaid dresses for weddings.  Now my husband calls my mending basket the "place of no return" because I can hardly bring myself to use the sewing machine.  But I do make doll clothes every once in a while (usually around Christmas) for my granddaughters' American Girl dolls.  And I actually stitch on cards every once in a great while. For this card, I decided to not only do some stitching but to use a piece of material on the bottom half of the card to go along with the digital image (all paper pieced).

The main image is by Pattie's Creation and the sentiment is Clear Dollar Stamps.

Sketch is CPS #78

Challenges:
Party Time Tuesday - colors
CPS - choose sketch
Your Next Stamp - anything
Chocolate, Coffee, Cards - stitching

Too Early For Snow

At least around here it is too early for snow.  But not too early to make winter cards to send off to OWH.
Just sealed up another package of 52 cards to be mailed today.
Love this Snowman and for the life of me,  I can't remember where I got him.  I am better about keeping the company names with the stamps but I was not recording  them properly until recently.

There is some flocking on the top of his hat and the only coloring I had to do was his scarf.
The sketch is My Favorite Things

Short post  -so now go have a great weekend. !

Challenges:
Sentimental Sundays - anything
Stamp and Create - black, white, one color
Timeless Tuesday - winter
Your Next Stamp-anything

Thanks for the Help

One of my sons is incredibly gifted when it comes to mechanical things.  Recently, he drove to our place (30 min) to fix one of our cars which was running so poorly it was unsafe to drive.  I don't know how many times he has bailed us out.  He has spent so many hours over the years keeping our cars and trucks running.  And of course, he won't take any payment.   I am sending this card to him to thank him once again for helping us out. 

The tree and leaves are from an Stampin' Up sets and I am not sure where the sentiment is from.  I stamped onto a textured cardstock which I got from Kraft Outlet. I used several inks to sponge in the colors. 
The sketch is CPS

The colors I used are colors in the Stamp n Send challenge

Other challenges:
Stampin Sisters in Christ - tree
Kraft Journal - ink it up
Your Next Stamp - anything
Simon Says - photo of tree
CPS
Crafty Cardmakers - Autumn

CAS Christmas

Clean and Simple Christmas - great idea!  Actually, we have always tried to keep Christmas reasonable, not going in debt, not planning so much during the season that we lose sight of the reason - the birth of our Savior.
This card is quite simple.  I used the CPS sketch 216 but cut out a rim instead of using the solid circle behind the square.

The image and sentiment are GKD stamps.

Challenges:
CPS - choose sketch
A Blog Named Hero - CAS
Kraft Journal - ink it up
Timeless Tuesdays - winter
OWH ODBD - circles

Oh, Christmas Tree

If it weren't for the deadlines at Operation Write Home, I would not be making Christmas cards.  Firstly, I am not that organized (remember, I am a last minute person) and secondly, I don't even want to think about Christmas til November.  My sister always gets her shopping AND wrapping done by Halloween.  I don't like her ! (just kidding, sis)
This cute image and sentiment is a GKD stamp set called Warm and Cozy.

I colored it with Prisma pencils.  I used the colors in the challenge at Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards and the colors in the designer paper were so close which is great because I wanted to use paper that went along with the tree.
You can't see it in the photo, but I added flocking to the stocking cap. 
The sketch I used is CPS 215, flipping it upside down.

Challenges:
Stampin Sisters in Christ - tree
Kraft Journal - ink it up
Timeless Tuesday - winter
Stamp and Create - winter
Cps - pick your sketch

Hello Lil' Punkin'

This is one of my favorite pumpkin images.  It is a digital by Di's Digi Designs. 
If this bear is saying "Boo !", it is more like "Peek a boo !"  I like that because as I have said before,  I am not a fan of Halloween.  This is just plain cute.

 I wanted something for the background but designer paper seemed too much so I scored the cardstock with the Scorepal at every 1/2 inch.
The string of leaves is a digital by Designed2Delight. It goes with a cute stitched pumpkin but i went with this pumpkin instead.  I made the sentiment on the computer.
The ribbon is really two strips of ribbon I have had for ages.
The sketch is The Craft's Meow

Challenges:
Di's Digi Design - Too cute to spook
The Craft's Meow - sketch
Raise the Bar - pumpkins
Dutch Dare - photo inspiration
Simon Says - dies
Crafty Cardmakers - autumn not halloween
Cuttlebug Spot - what's on your desk?   (It's almost clean !)

Pumpkins on the Doorsteps

Unfortunately, I don't have any pumpkins in my garden this year.  I do have corn stalks that I can tie in a bundle to decorate my porch.  Think I might have to buy a few pumpkins too.  Just doesn't look right with yellow neck squash. LOL

I used a piece of woodgrain designer paper for the sentiment.  It was hard to match some of the wood colors but by adding some browns to the grayish woodgrain piece, I came close.  I came up with this idea of the wood plague when I woke up this morning at 4:00.  That is when my husband's alarm goes off on week days and we forgot to disable it before we went to bed.  So I have been up since 4:00 on a Sunday morning.  Ugh.  Hope I don't fall asleep in church today. (smile)

Challenges:
Raise the Bar - pumpkins
Dutch Dare - photo inspiration
Our Daily Bread Design - fall colors and verse
Love to Create - fall colors
Word Art

Bargello Technique

Brand new technique to me.  I found it at Technique Tuesday .  I am new to that blog and the technique.  It is time consuming but I love the result.

You can see the technique Here
I used sketch #53 at CPS but flipped it on its side.

Stamp is by Verve.  Designer papers are just miscellaneous scraps. Large button is a chipboard button by jennibowlin

Challenges:
Pile It On - vintage
Clearly I Stamp - focus on sentiment
CPS - any sketch
Speed Fox and Friends - photo inspiration

Some Spooky Things

There are just some things that are spooky.   I was thinking about that as I made this card.  We live in the country ( or as they say around here - in the county).  My husband called me outside just as it was growing dusk.  He showed me two owls sitting in a tree.  Because it was dusk, they were just silhouettes.  I had a sense of "wow" but also that spooky feeling.  I don't associate the word spooky with spooks or ghosts because I don't even believe those exist but some things like owls and spider webs just give me the creeps.  I wonder if there were no Halloween, if I would still react when I see them?
So onto my card.  I had fun making this because I saw the challenge at the Cuttlebug Spot , "what is on your desk?"  Oh, my.  What is not on my desk right now would be a better question.  It is covered because I have been trying to use up scraps and pieces of Autumn paper. So there are a lot of little pieces and mini stacks.  Then there are pieces of white cardstock on which I have already stamped or printed images.  Twine, ribbon, punches, ink pads, buttons, ruler, score tape.  HELP !  Where is my desk?   I know it under this mess somewhere!  Here is the card I came up with:

The digital owl image is by Doodle Pantry and is call Quirky Owl.  It comes in outline and pre-colored.
The sentiment is a stamp I picked up in a dollar bin at a local craft store.
The Chocolate cardstock piece is by GKD and I embossed it with a woodgrain Cuttlebug  folder.
The orange carsdstock piece is Only Orange by Stampin'Up which I think has been discontinued.  I distressed the edges with the blade of scissors (one of the three pair on my desk).
The BG paper was distressed with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink.
Owl was colored with pencils and then I paper pieces his wings with woodgrain desinger paper.

Well, there you have it, my spooky little owl created out of chaos.  At least my desk is a little cleaner but not by much.
 
Here is a picture I took the other morning.  Look at this web!  Spooky?

Thanks for putting up with this crazy post.  Hope you enjoyed some of it.

Challenges:
Cuttlebug Spot - what's on your desk
Pamela's World - sketch 5
Speedy TV - distress
Sweet n Sassy - tic, tac, toe button, distressing, paper piecing
Ribbon Carousel - halloween spirit
Crafty Frineds - dry emboss
Great Impressions - fall
your Next Stamp - brown, orange, yellow

This Little Piggy

Pink, pink, and more pink.  Not my favorite color but definitely necessary for this little pig.  This is a Doodle Pantry image provided for the progressive challenge at CDAC .  The sentiment is from the Doodle Pantry set called Precious Pig.  Speaking of Doodle Pantry, Laurie is having a sale - huge 25% off your entire cart.  Check it out here .

 I used the Craft's Meow sketch:

Challenges:
Pink Gem - for the girls
Really Reasonable Ribbon - pink and trim
Simon Says - dies
Sweet n Sassy - tic, tac, toe  flowers, die cuts, brads

EXPLOSION OF FUN

One of my daughters- in -law turned 30 two weeks ago and I  wanted to make a special card for her.  Because I was going to see her in person, I decided to make something that could not be mailed.  I have never made an explosion box before so I gave it and try.  So much fun!  I love how it turned out and now that I am no longer intimidated,  I will be doing more of these.

I made the "ribbons" out of strips of paper and wound them on a pencil

Take off the lid and it "explodes".    The "springs" are crafting wire that has also been wound on a pencil

Inside box was made with a piece of textured cardstock from the Scalloped Cardstock Stack by DCWV

I filled the inside box with 30 hugs and kisses ( x's and o's) which I cut out with the Cuttlebug.  I used fun foam which I backed with more of the same paper.  All the paper used in this project, except the scalloped sheet is from a wonderful, fun pack of paper called The Celebration Stack by DCWV.  Lots of texture and sparkle.
I hope you are inspired to make your own explosion box. .  It is so much fun.  There are many  tutorials online and one on Splitcoaststamper to give you the know how and the inspiration.  Have fun. 

Challenges:
Stampin Sisters in Christ - box
Simon Says - glimmer and sparkle
DYSU - warm colors
Pink Gem - for the girls
PartyTime Tues - no card

Change is in the Air

The State of Washington is divided down the middle by a mountain range.  I live on the west side, very near the water.  I have relatives that live on the east side.  This past week I was over on the east side.  As I was driving the 4 hour drive each way, I was in constant awe of the beautiful colors of Autumn. (I know - "here she goes again!")  But the yellows, oranges, reds of the deciduous trees among the evergreens really takes your breath away.  It is a long drive but I love going over this time of year.  I love the change from Summer to Fall.  I don't like the change from Fall to Winter though.  Never look forward to Winter. But it is coming.  I had to break the ice in the dog's water bowl and the water hose froze while I was visiting.  Hopefully, we will have a few more weeks before it freezes here.

I don't know the maker of this huge stamp but I love it. I colored the leaves with Prisma pencils.   The sentiment is by Unity/Ippity.
Challenges:
Stamptacular Sundays - photo inspiration
Sentimental Sundays - anything
Love to Create - Autumn colors
Crafty Cardmaker - Indian Summer
Speedy TV - distressing
Clear it Out - anything plus orange
Great Impressions - Fall
Craft4Eternity - lots of leaves
Your Next Stamp - orange and yellow
DYSU - warm colors

My Sentiments Exactly

One of these days, Autumn will be over and you won't have to listen to me any more (until next year) go on and on about how much I love Autumn.  The sentiment on this card says it all.

All the digital images and sentiment are Doodle Pantry .  The main scene is from the October release and called Harvest Bounty.  I superimposed the scarecrow onto the scene.  He is from the September release and is found in the set Quirky Scarecrow.  I love him.  And the sentiment is from the set Autumn Star in the October release.  You must see these wonderful, beautiful sets so hop over to Doodle Pantry for a look and then jump over to the Doodle Pantry Challenge Blog to play with us.  You are not going to believe the BEAUTIFUL digital set Laurie is giving you just for playing !!!
I love her pre-colored digital images.  I touched up a few things on this card - the hat and patches mostly.
I don't do Halloween but I do like to use Fall and Harvest images and scarecrows, although this one is so sweet, I don't think he could scare anybody or anything. 

Challenges:
Sentimental Sundays - anything
Crafty Cardmakers - Indian summer colors
Partytime Tuesdays - frightfully scary (mine is not but it has a "scare"crow)
Didital Tuesday - text
Crafty Creations - fall colors
Your Next Stamp - orange and brown
Chocolate, Coffee, Cards - brown, teal, lime green
DYSU - warm colors

Love to Create - Fall colors
 Great Impressions- Fall
Craft4Eternity - lots of leaves

Music In My Life

Music is such an important part of my life.  I love to sing and people catch me humming or whistling a lot.   CDs, tapes, records, Pandora, radio - all sources of music and for me avenues of praise to our God.  Many of my favorite verses in the Bible are Psalms which are actually songs of praise to the Lord and invitations to praise Him with song.  But this verse says the Lord is my song. The Lord not only give me peace, He is my peace; the Lord not only gives me joy, He is my joy;  the Lord not only gives me strength, He is my strength; the Lord not only gives me a song, He is my song.  How cool is that?

The main stamp is by Unity.  The musical notes by Clear Dollar Stamps.
The sketch is this weeks sketch at Seems a Little Sketchy
Other challenges:
Stampin Sisters in Christ - something musical
Our Daily Bread Design - something musical
Sentimental Sundays - 3, 2, 1 I used 3 dies, 2 stamps, 1 Designer paper
Simon Says - glimmer and sparkle

Have a great day and don't forget to sing!

CAS Sunflower

             Even though I don't usually make really fussy cards with lots of layers and embellishes, I have a                             difficult time keeping them simple, as in one layer.

Using a Spellbinders die to emboss around the image helps me accept the card as not so naked.

Image and sentiment are from GKD stamp sets.  I love this stamp; I use it often.  There are so many varieties of Rudebeckias and I really like their sunny,  bright colors this time of year - one of the last flowers blooming in my flower beds. 

Challenges:

 A Blog Named Hero - all white cardstock 

Stamptacular Sunday - birthday 

Crafty Cardmaker - Indian Summer

Crafty Creations - fall colors

Football Birds

Pop Quiz:  How many football teams in the NFL are named for birds?  Answer will be at the bottom of this post. : )
But if you want to know which football bird you should root for - answer: Seattle Seahawks.  Oh, my goodness.  Can you even believe all the chatter about Monday night (9/24) game: Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers?  Growing up in and around Seattle and living most of my life in the Pacific NW,  I must be loyal to the Seahawks.  I watched the game with my 10 year old grandson, who should be, and usually is a Seahawk fan.  But his favorite team is Green Bay so it was a very fun last few minutes for us watching the Monday night game.
Why all the football talk?  Because Laurie Wilson at Doodle Pantry created the cutest football bird digital set.

It comes with the outline version, which I used on this card, trying to re-create some of the aspects of the uniform and helmet.  If you don't want to do the coloring, there are  pre-colored images in the set.  Also included are several background papers, one of them being the footballs used on this card.
After you have checked out the answer to the quiz question and after you have left a comment ( another smile )click onto this link to see all the new sets for October.

Back to the card for a minute:  I created the banner, pennant, and footballs  with a Creative Lettering program, everything is is Doodle Pantry.

Sketch is Tuesday Morning Sketch

Challenges:


Simon Says - anything
Di's Digital - animals acting like people
Pile it On - for a Child








Answer: 5
Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks