Sunshine Or Rain

Actually, here in the Pacific NW, we are having both sunshine and rain and many times in the same day.

This cute digital image is by Crafty Sentiments who is the sponsor for the Die Cut Diva's Challenge which is "Change of Weather."  He is colored with pencils and the umbrella is paper pieced with a piece of OLD designer paper.
The sentiment and clouds are by Diane's Daydream Designs.
As you can see, I used a Spellbinders Die set cutting out three layers.  The back orange layer is glued to a piece of cardstock that measures 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 when folded.

The inside image and sentiment are by Diane's Daydream Designs.
The challenge at the Die Cut Divas only runs til Oct. 31 so hurry with your entry.  

Challenges:
Pile It On - create a scene
Crafty Cardmakers - cut something out
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Clear It Out - use something orange
Stamp and Create - Autumn
Simon Wednesday - anything 
Sisters Act - anything

Recycle Fun

Don't you get tired of junk mail in your mailboxes?  But sometimes there are stickers or return address labels that are cute enough to use.  Last week there was a sheet of stickers that I was going to keep and let the youngest grandchildren use them but then I decided they were cute enough and just the right size to use for a card with the sketch at MFT.

Here is the sketch:

See?  Perfect for the stickers.  After placing them on white cardstock, I added a sentiment and icicles cut with a die.  The blue snowflake is cut with a die and then Stickles were added for sparkle.  The twine is from the Kraft Outlet.

Challenges:
MFT - sketch
Crafty Cardmakers - cut it out
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sisters Act - anything

 

Solution for Ugly Paper

The new challenge at the Kraft Journal is Ugly Paper.  There is some of that in my huge stash of papers.  And some papers aren't necessarily ugly, just not my style or difficult for me to use.  For this card I chose a paper that has been sitting in the pile for many years.   I don't like it as a sheet but thought maybe it could be used for something besides a layer.

It has been a long time since I did any tea bag folding but the print design of this paper made it a good choice.  After finishing the medallion, I attached it to a decorative square made from Buff  Ivory cardstock and cut with a Spellbinders die. The sentiment is stamped on the same Buff Ivory cardstock.  A few loops of green Natural Hemp Cord were glued behind the medallion and used for attaching the button in the center.
The bow is a die.  I was able to center the design before cutting so it was symmetrical when I put it together.
So I think I accomplished what I set out to do - to turn something ugly into beautiful.  What do you think?

Challenges:
Creative Card Crew - bows
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Sister Act - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Die Cuttin Divas -think pink
Crafty Cardmakers - cut something out
Paper Creators - pink buttons

Thank You From the Kitchen

Someone very dear to me recently made me a darling apron.  Here is the  thank you card I made for her using Doodle Pantry images.

Love the papers that come with the images.

When all the elements coordinate, it makes for a simple yet beautiful card.


Challenges:
Pink Gem - make a scene
Creative Crew - bows
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Crafty Catz - thank you
Your Next Stamp - colors

Featured On Watch Us Wednesday

This is my first week for Watch Us Wednesday at the Kraft Journal  and I'm pretty excited about that.  This week we want to introduce you to the Grungy Tags.  I am really having fun with these tags and there are five different tags to choose from.  This card uses a Scalloped Grungy Prim tag.   I love these stained tags.  They look like tea stained.

The layers are SU Garden Green, the Kraft Outlet Lunch Bag Kraft, and a piece of patterned paper from Heartfelt Creations.
Using a brown ink, I stamped "adore" and cut "you" with a MFT die from the Lunch Bag Kraft.
The flower is made out of kraft wrapping paper - really!  The vine is cut with a MFT die.
I hope this inspires you to use these beautiful tags.
Thanks for looking.

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion - Bingo ( recycle, twine, flowers)
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Sweet Stamps - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything

Hey There Punkin

My shelves are lined with photo albums.  My computer is full of photos.  I enjoy going back through past years and yet it makes me sad at the same time to see all those cute babies and realize how fast time flies.  All my children are grown and now my grandchildren are growing up way too fast.  I have to be careful what images and sentiments I use on cards that I send to my grandkids because most of them are out of the baby, toddler stage.  But this sentiment I may use for a few more years because I actually use it when talking to my grandkids.

This cute wagon full of pumpkins is a pre-colored digital image by Doodle Pantry and there are several sentiments that come with this set.

Doodle Pantry has two sets of Wagon Hellos.  This is the 2nd set.  

In making my card, I used Buff cardstock ,a grunge tag, and twine from Kraft Outlet, patterned paper from the Doodle Pantry set, Pumpkin Pie cardstock from SU.  The leaves are cut out with my Silhouette and the leave button is from my stash.
BTW, there are a few more days to enter a card in the Doodle Pantry Digital Challenge. 

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - things that start with "G" (green twine, green leaf)
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Pink Gem - create a scene
Open Minded Crafting - pumpkins
Stamp and Create - Fall
Great Impressions - Autumn Eloquence
Crazy Challenge - Fall Gatherings

Card To Accompany Album

Last week I showed you a small photo album that I was going to send to my daughter and grandchildren.  This is the card that will accompany it.

Here is the inside of the card:

These are pre-colored images in Diane's Daydream Designs set, Signs of Fall, the same set I used for the album.
For the front of the card, I superimposed the sentiment onto the quilt.  A few leaves are popped up with dimensionals and I added some wire tendrils on the top of the pumpkin.
For the inside I added the sentiment before printing the pre-colored scene. With the panel being square, it left room for me to add a note and my signature.

Challenges:
Simon Monday - "O" - orange
Papertakes - wings
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Pink Gem - create a scene
Open Minded Crafting - pumpkins
Crazy Challenge - Autumn gathering
Stamp and Create - Autumn
Great Impressions - Autumn Elegance

Henry Is Ready For Fall

Henry is a such a cutie.  You can find him at Crafty Sentiments who is the sponsor for this months challenge at Die Cut Divas.

 I colored his hair but his shirt, shorts, shoes, and flower are paper pieced.  The challenge at Die Cut Divas is "Change of Weather".  The weather in my area is changing but taking a long time (thank goodness, although I love Autumn) to change into our normal Autumn weather.  It is usually quite chilly by now but it is staying warm enough that I am still wearing capris and T-shirts part of the day so I thought Henry could too.  A flower in October?  Yes, we still have some flowers in bloom.  In fact, I cut about a dozen roses this evening to bring into the house.  But we have beautiful leaves on the trees (and on the grass).
The image panel and the red backing panel are cut with a MFT die.  The leaves are punched.
I hope you will join the challenge at Die Cut Divas.

Challenges:
Papertakes - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Sister Act - anything
Crafty Catz - Autumn

Stamp and Create - Autumn

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

The challenge at the Kraft Journal this week is glitter.  Glitter is a product I never use but that doesn't mean my cards don't sparkle.  There are other ways to achieve the look of glitter and I think I captured that with this card.

The card base is SU Early Espresso.   The sentiment (Ginger's House) and the pre-colored pumpkins (Doodle Pantry) were printed on the Kraft Outlet Buff Ivory cardstock panel.
The beautiful copper (not gold!)glitter embossed ribbon is a piece of wire ribbon from my recycle stash.  And the Butter Bias Tape, green  Hemp cord, and the brown Earthy Hemp Cord are from the Kraft Outlet.
Can you see the little bit of Stickles I added to the leaves and blossoms? The final little touch was to pierce a scroll in two corners to match the scroll in the copper ribbon.
The Kraft Journal would love to have you come play along in the challenge, All That Glitters.


Challenges:
Papertakes - anything
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything
Craft 4 Eternity - harvest
Crafty Catz - autumn
Crafty Creations - use orange
Open Minded Crafting - pumpkins
Great Impressions - Autumn Elegance

A Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

It has been quite a busy week with a daughter and two grandchildren visiting from out of state.  Yesterday we joined up with another daughter and four of her children and went to the pumpkin patch.
I thought it would be fun to make a little photo album of the day. 

Using a Fall set by Diane's Daydream Designs, I printed the pre-colored Pumpkin Patch scene then cut it out with a Spellbinder, framing it with a brown cut out.  The "album cover is SU Brick cardstock , scoring a fold and punching holes for the twine.  I added a few leaf buttons with more twine.
Here is a picture of the inside:

and how I put in some extra pages, scoring each for ease in opening. 

I think I will make two so each daughter can have one.

Challenges:
Pile it On - Autumn colors or theme
Simon Monday - Fall
Papertakes- anything
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Tuesday Throwdown - buttons
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Great Impressions - Autumn Elegance
Crafts 4 Eternity - Harvest
Crafty Catz - Autumn
Crafty Creations - use Orange
Stamp and Create - Fall
Open Minded Crafting - Fall 

Smile. You're on Vintage Camera

Another card using the beautiful Vintage Camera pre-colored digi by Doodle Pantry.

To go with the vintage look, I used brown Kraft cardstock and a dictionary page from Kraft Outlet and lace and seam binding ribbon from my stash.  I tore and distressed a piece of the patterned paper that comes with the set.  To place the digital sentiment of "smile" onto the antique label, I chose the size I wanted to print, printed on plain paper and then positioned the label over the sentiment on the paper.  Running it back through the printer again printed the sentiment on the label right where I wanted it.

Doodle Pantry always has a digital set free with purchase and a chance to win more digital goodies if you play the Doodle Pantry Digital challenge.  They are worth a visit.

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion - add some fabric (ribbon)
Papertakes - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Sweet Stamps - Kraft paper
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Crafty Catz - use a sentiment

No Patterned Paper Challenge

The Kraft Journal has a challenge beginning today - No Patterned Paper.
This is definitely a challenge because I use patterned paper on almost all my cards.

The main panel is Buff Ivory Cardstock.  This is beautiful cardstock that has a bit on texture that looks like linen.  I embossed the flowers with the Cuttlebug embossing folder, With Love" adding a piece of Leaves and Birds Washi tape between the two rows of flowers.  After I put the Happy Birthday sticker on the Small Grungy Prim Tag, I attached it with a piece of green cord from the Dark Jewel Hemp Cord collection.   The flower and button (yes, a real one this time!) is from my stash. The leaves were cut with a Cuttlebug die.  The final touch was the distressing the edges of the Buff Ivory Cardstock with Tim Holz distressing ink and then gluing it to SU Green Garden.
Hope you like it and hope you will play along with the No Patterned Paper Challenge at the Kraft Journal. 


Challenges:
Die Cuttin Divas - anything 
Crafty Sentiments - bingo ( emboss, die cut, flowers)
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Crafters Cafe - punches or dies
Crafts 4 eternity - 3 of same letter (tag, twine, tape)
Crafty Catz - sentiment

Sew...Another Card

Once a theme makes its way into my mind, I end up making several cards in that same theme.  Sew, here is another card with the sewing theme.  These images and papers by Diane's Daydream Designs are sew beautiful, I just had to use them again.

You can find the images, papers, and some sentiments at Diane's Daydream Designs.  Check out the other sewing/quilting digital sets here.
This card has several fun elements:  The measure tape twill tape is by Kraft Outlet.  The row of buttons is a MFT die and the twine (my favorite) used to sew the strip onto the card is by Kraft Outlet.  I love this hand stained bias tape ribbon because of the brown stains that mix with the blue.

Challenges:
Creative Card Crew - twine
Die Cuttin Divas - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Crafter's Cafe - punches, dies
Sisters Act - anything
Crafty Cardmaker - 3 B's (blue, buttons, bow)
Craft 4 eternity - 3 B's (blue, buttons, bow) 

Beautiful, Rainy Fall

So far this Fall (albeit early yet) we have only had a few days of rain in this part of the country.  We had such a beautiful, dry summer and Fall so far, we are being lulled into belief that it will stay this way.  Haha !  Reality check - the rains are coming.
Here is a card depicting Fall.  The new challenge for the month of October at Die Cut Diva's Challenge is "Change of Weather." The team is using digital images by Crafty Sentiments, our sponsor this month.

Flopsy is colored with Prisma pencils.  The "fall" is Close to the Heart stamped with a Spectrum ink pad.  The large leaf is cut out with a Cuttlebug die.  The small leaves are punched.  The image panel and layer are cut with MFT rectangular dies.  Card base is SU Baked Brown Sugar.

Die Cut Divas would love to have you take the challenge to make a card depicting change of weather.

Challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Frosted Designs - Fall
Suzy Bees - anything plus red
Pink Gem - CAS
Simon Monday - finishing with a stamp
Sweet Stamps - dies 

October Release Time

October is here and so is another wonder release at DOODLE PANTRY.   Among all the wonderful sets is this Vintage Camera.

Love the papers that come with the images and so many sentiments too.  The base is SU Baked Brown Sugar.  Such an odd color but I am amazed at how many times I am using it lately.  The two patterned papers are Doodle Pantry.  Here is a pic of some of the images, etc. that you receive in the set:

I used the sketch at Your Next Stamp:

Make sure you head over to the Doodle Pantry Store to see all the new sets for October.  The Doodle Pantry Digital Challenge starts to day too at noon Eastern Time.  Come join the fun - win some sets.

Challenges:
Die Cuttin Divas - anything
Crafty Sentiments - Bingo (designer paper, die cut, sentiment)
Craft 4 eternity - camera
Word Art Wednesday - anything