Easy Christmas #6

Yes, it is really November 1st already and that means the Christmas craze has officially started.   So let's get going!   Okay, continuing on with our Christmas ideas, I have another quick card for you today.  This card uses the lovely colors Pool Party and Smoky Slate together along with the Winter Frost Specialty Designer Paper.  These colors are so soft and pretty together.  They remind me of the cool, crisp winter days with a bit of snow thrown in for good measure.  Here's what I mean.....

Stamps:  Festive Flurry and Christmas Messages
Ink:  Smoky Slate
Paper:  Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Pool Party, and Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Festive Flurry Framelits, Stylish Stripes TIEF,  Decorative Label Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, and Dimensionals

Doesn't this have the look of a cool, crisp, winter day?  When you have all the tools to make this card, it's so easy to put it together.  I don't know what I would have done this fall without having the Festive Flurry stamp set and coordinating Framelits set.  And on top of that you get a discount when you get them together in a bundle.  Now, that's the way to shop!!

I debated about using the Northern Flurry TIEF for the Pool Party layer, but liked the look of the diagonal stripes better.  You could also use more rhinestones on the die-cut snowflake, but I liked the clean and simple look with just the single rhinestone in the center of the snowflake.  I think this would fall under the 'less is more' theory here.  But if you go for this idea, you can make any changes you would like.  That's the fun of making your own cards, right?!

That's it for today.  There's more to come, so check back in soon.  Hope you're having a great week.  And yes, I think I need to say TGIF!!  Have a good one...         Sharon

Easy Christmas #5

Sorry I missed posting the last couple of days.  There were too many Halloween possibilities to attend with the little ones, so this got put on the back burner.  I do have another easy Christmas card to share with you today though.  Hope you're enjoying these quick ideas for multiple cards in a hurry.  Have you gotten started on your cards yet??  If not, I might have an idea that will fit the bill for you.  Keep checking back with me to see what's new.

 Stamps:  Joyful Christmas, and More Merry Messages(ret)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, and VersaMark
Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Heat Tool, Winter White Embossing Powder,  Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Sponge Daubers, and Dimensionals

This card doesn't look like it should be included in a quick and easy Christmas card collection, but I think it's much easier to make than it looks.  Instead of trying to watercolor the poinsettia and leaves, I just sponged color on over the embossing.  So quick and you can get such a delicate color too!

I will admit that cutting out the embossed images will take some time, but I do things like that while watching all those Christmas specials on the Hallmark Channel.  In fact, those movies are starting up soon, so I need to get some busy work ready to take advantage of that time!!

I chose to use a retired sentiment on this card because the font looked like it should go with this card.  I hang on to all my retired sentiments, 'cuz you never know when you're going to need just that special one to fit your card.

Thanks for checking back with me today.  Hope you like these ideas I've been sharing with you and this one in particular.  I think it's one of the prettiest cards in the batch.  Come on back for more ideas throughout the next week or so.  And be sure to leave a comment!              Sharon

Easy Christmas #4

Welcome to my series of quick and easy Christmas cards.  Today is a quiet Sunday afternoon and I'm just enjoying all the peace and quiet around the house.  No little grandsons running, jumping around, and playing extra loud in the background.  I love the little guys, but yes, I'm enjoying the quiet today.   Today's card is very clean and simple and super-duper fast to create.  Just a couple of layers, a few rhinestones and you're done.  Can't get much simpler than that. 

Stamps:  Christmas Star, and Greetings of the Season
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler and Gold Encore
Paper:  Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories:   Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Didn't I tell you this was a simple card?  It could easily be embossed with gold if desired, but I wanted the look of a softer golden color.  I also debated about using pearls for a softer look, but liked the rhinestones on the finished card better.  The only thing I might change is the center rhinestone.  I think I might like a dark red one there instead.  I'll have to see about finding a dark red Sharpie marker to do that.

Ok, that's it for today's post.  I'm going to settle down with my Nook and just chill for the rest of the afternoon.  I've got to recharge my energy for when the grandsons show up tomorrow morning ready to go full speed ahead!  Enjoy your Sunday - or whatever day it is when you get around to reading this post!  Sharon

Quick Christmas #3

Ok, back again with another fast and fabulous Christmas card for you.  I love the new stamp set called O Holy Night.  It gives the whole Christmas story in just a few words and no images.  Quite different from the usual stable scene depicting the Christmas story.  Anyway, here's my take on the 'greatest story ever told'!

Stamps:  O Holy Night, Festive Flurry, and Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Midnight Muse, and Whisper White Craft Ink
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Midnight Muse, and Silver Glitter Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Adorning Accents Edgelits, Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

Whoever thought that Grunge would work on a Christmas card??  But it does make for a lovely smattering of snowflakes, doesn't it?

When I first made the card, I worried that it was all a little dark looking.  It was just what I had planned, but I started second guessing myself as usual.  But after looking at it awhile, I love the muted, night-time feel of the card and that's the way it's staying.  The fancy strip of silver glitter paper along the edge brightens it enough and makes it look festive instead of gloomy.   I debated about a silver ribbon instead of the white, but liked the softness of the taffeta ribbon for this card. 

There you have it.  Another card in the quick and easy Christmas card series I'm doing.  Please feel free to leave your comments and let me know how you like these ideas.  I love to hear what you have to say.  If you're interested in getting a head start on your Christmas cards and would like to get the materials for 10 of these cards all cut and ready to stamp and put together, just contact me and I'd be happy to give you the information on how you can get it all sent right to your door. 

Thanks for stopping in today.  Keep watching for more of these quick and easy Christmas card ideas.  I've got more up my sleeve for you!       Sharon

Christmas Card #2

Ok, today's card is the 2nd in my quick and easy Card Make-a-thon series.  Again if you're interested in making these cards yourself and you're not in the area, I'd be happy to sell you the cut cardstock and embellishments needed to make 10 cards at a reasonable price.   All you'd need would be the stamps, punches etc, and adhesive.  Contact me if you are interested.  OK, enough of the commercial, today I'm sharing a lovely card in navy and white.  That's always a beautiful and serene color combo, so it's perfect for Christmas cards in my humble opinions.  Here you go.....

Stamps:  Christmas Collectibles, and Joyful Christmas
Ink:  Night of Navy
Paper:  Whisper White, Night of Navy
Accessories:   Big Shot with Delicate Designs TIEF, Silver 1/8" Ribbon, Christmas Ornament Punch, and Dimensionals

In spite of being a simple card, I think it looks very elegant and is just the style of card I like to make for Christmas myself.  It has a crisp, clean look to it, but it's really not too plain.  Just my speed and easy enough to make multiples quickly when you're under a deadline to get all those cards in the mail!

I love the combo of navy and white with just a smidgeon of silver to fancy it up.  And I think the embossed lace across the card is the perfect touch.  Again, rhinestones, glitter, extra layers could all be added, but that's not my aim with this card.

Hope you're enjoying my quick and easy Christmas ideas so far.  Check in tomorrow for the next one in the series.  Happy stamping!      Sharon

Easy Christmas #1

Have you looked at the calendar lately?  Whew!  It's almost the end of October so the countdown to Christmas is ramping up already!   Along with my regular classes, I have a Christmas card make-a-thon coming up next month.  That means checking Pinterest, Stampin' Connection, blogs and lots of card ideas floating around in my head.  Totally overwhelming most of the time!  But that means I have ideas to share with you, right?  And that's always a good thing.  Here's my first card for the Christmas line-up...

 

Stamps:  Christmas Collectibles and Joyful Christmas
Ink:  Real Red, Old Olive, and Gold Encore
Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red cardstock, and Season of Style Designer Series Paper
Accessories:   Christmas Ornament Punch, 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals


This was a quick and easy card to make.  Since it's one of the card choices for the card make-a-thon I'm hosting in November, it needs to be easily duplicated in multiples.   The most time consuming part of it was making the bows, and that can always be done ahead of time whenever there's some free time (whatever that is!!).

 

I like the skinny strip of  Real Red cardstock the gives the ornaments something to hang from in a manner of speaking.  I tried using Old Olive cardstock, but didn't like it as well. 

 

I also made a decision not to emboss the gold ornament to keep it quick and easy to make.  Granted there are several additions and embellishments that could be added to make it more stunning like more layers, embossing, rhinestones, etc., but I liked the clean look of this without a lot of other distractions.

 

That's it for the first quick and easy Christmas card idea I have for you.  Check back tomorrow for the next one in the series.  If you're interested in purchasing packets of 10 cards already cut and ready to stamp and put together, contact me and I'll be happy to give you the information.  Happy stamping today!      Sharon

A Little Plaid Thanksgiving

Boy, I sure don't know where the time has gone lately, but it's been slipping by really quickly!  I've been busy with some card making and planning ahead for classes.  There's always so many great ideas floating around out there, sometimes it almost gets overwhelming seeing them all.  But we can always stand to look at one more, right?  Today's card is a Thanksgiving flip card.  I'm enjoying using the two flip card Thinlits sets from Stampin' Up!  I just can't stay away from them.  Truthfully, they're too much fun not to use!!  Here's my latest sample...

Stamps:  Truly Grateful and Four You
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip pads with Chocolate Chip marker
Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla cardstock, and Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Label Card Thinlits, Labels Collection Framelits, Sponge Daubers, and Natural Trim Ribbon

I just love how easy it is to make these flip cards!   And if you have the Labels Collection Framelits, you can die-cut the smaller label and it matches up perfectly. 

The plaid DSP was attached to the cardstock before it was cut - easy peasy!  The skinny strip of the herringbone DSP was added at the last minute because it needed something on the left side of the card to balance with the right side.

I wanted to add something on the back of the flip to finish the 'thankful for...' on the front side.  I found the perfect match with the thankyou sentiment from the Four You stamp set.  I used the Chocolate Chip marker on just the 'you' part of the stamp and it was just what I was looking for.

Hope you  like this idea and it gives you some ideas of your own.  Thanks for stopping in.  Your comments are always welcome.   Have a great week.   Sharon

Bite Me Halloween

I mentioned how much I'm enjoying the clear Photopolymer stamps when using them, and today I have another example for you.  As soon as I saw the new 'Bite Me' set, I knew I 'needed' to get it!  It's just so dog-gone cute!!  So of course I had to sit down and use it as soon as possible, right?  I had the colors chosen and the layout settled on, but it didn't look quite finished.  So I checked to see what other people had done with it.  Imagine my surprise when I found something quite similar to mine already posted.  But she had used the spatter stamp along the bottom with the cardstock colors.  So I tried that with mine, and I love it!!  Here it is...

Stamps:  Bite Me Photopolymer set
Ink:  Stazon Jet Black, Pear Pizzazz, and Elegant Eggplant
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, Elegant Eggplant, and Whisper White

I had thought of using the lines in the Gorgeous Grunge set along the bottom here, but I really like that the whole card is made with just one stamp set.  I'm lovin' using these photopolymer stamps.  You can see exactly where you're placing the stamp.  It was easy to get the long spider webbing to come down right next to the wording without being on top of it. 

And speaking about the words, there are 4 different sentiments in this set!  WooHoo!  I know I'm always looking for a sentiment to fit on a card and this set has four really cute ones!  Sure makes me happy.

Had the 2nd class this afternoon.  Only one more class this week and that's tomorrow night.  This always seems like such a long week for me, but I love spending time with my friends and sharing what I love about Stampin' Up!  That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping in again today.  I'd love to hear what you think of my stamping ideas.  Please leave me a comment if you've got time.     Sharon

Hot Cider

One of the things I love about autumn is getting out to a cider mill and getting some fresh cider and a hot donut.  Didn't have a donut stamp, so today we have to just settle for the hot cider instead.  Such a hardship! lol  This card is my first attempt at using 2 new stamp sets.  At least they're new to me.  I thought the 'Perfect Blend' would be right up my alley because I love my coffees and Chai teas.  But since it is this time of year, we're changing things up a bit and going with hot cider.

Stamps:  Perfect Blend, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Designer Typeset Photopolymer Stamp
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper:  Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Accessories:   Big Shot with Houndstooth TIEF, Large Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Brights Candy Dots, Sponge quarter, and Dimensionals

I chose my colors to go with the season.  All the warm Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede are perfect at this time of year.  And you know the Sweater Weather DSP prints are all fabulous!  The Houndstooth embossing folder was chosen to mimic the DSP print.  I sponged all of the pieces with Soft Suede ink to keep it more like the cider color as well.

This is the first time for using my Designer Typeset stamps.  These photopolymer stamps are wonderful and easy to work with.  The lettering was small enough for me to stamp cider on the cup sleeve.  I just lined up all the letters on the block and stamped them all at once.  It's great being able to do it all at once instead of trying to line each letter up while stamping.

Hope you liked this idea.  You really need to try the Photopolymer stamps if you haven't yet.  Really cool and easy to use.  That's it for today.  This is class week here, so my ladies will be busy making cards tonight. 3 Christmas and a Thanksgiving flip card.  Think they'll love them and I'll be sharing them with you very soon.  Thanks for stopping here to see what's new in my stamping world.  Sharon

Festive Flurry Snowflakes

Have you used the Festive Flurry snowflakes and the coordinating Framelits and Designer Paper that Stampin' Up! has in the Holliday Catalog?  If not, you really don't know what you are missing out on!  I love how it all comes together and you really don't have to fret about what will go with what else at all.  Just grab those few items and sit down to stamp.  I guarantee you'll come up with something lovely!  Here's one of the first cards I made using just some of the coordinating items.

Stamps:  Festive Flurry
Ink:  Pool Party and Smoky Slate
Paper:  Pool Party, Whisper White cardstock with Winter Frost Specialty DSP
Accessories:   Big Shot, Northern Flurry TIEF, Magnetic Platform, Festive Flurry Framelits Die, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, and Dimensionals

I  love the pretty, soft colors for this Christmas card.  Definitely not traditional at all, but quite lovely just the same.  I used two sizes of snowflake stamps to layer up and give more dimension to the card.  The rhinestones were added to the center of the snowflake and the center of each of the embossed snowflakes too.

Two small strips of the Winter Frost DSP worked out to balance the card.  Actually the strips are the same paper, just different sides showing.

This is a really quick card to make multiples for sending out at Christmas.  At this time of year, I'm always looking for a card that looks a lot more involved than it really is - and this card really fits that criteria.  Hope you like this idea.  I got on a roll making other cards with these same components and colors.  I'm not tired of them yet.  I hope you'll like to see more of these colors and snowflakes together too.

Happy stamping - Sharon

Falling Leaves Wreath

Today I have something to share with you that definitely isn't a card.  The idea started out last year and I started die-cutting some leaves for it.  Then I set it aside for a few months - well, more like 10 or 11 months!  Nothing like getting to it right away!!   But some friends and I were talking about it and decided to make them together.  So last week, there were 9 of us here rustling around in about a billion leaves.  At least that's what it seemed like.  No two wreaths ended up the same because everyone chose to bring whatever cardstock or DSP fit their needs.  Here's what I did for mine...

Stamps: Wonderfall
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Old Olive, and (ret)Baja Breeze
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, River Rock, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, (ret)Baja Breeze, and 2 ret DPS sheets - don't know the name
Accessories: Big Shot, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Dimensionals
Other:   Corrugator(ret), Baja Breeze 1" Stitched Ribbon(ret), Hot Glue Gun, heavy jute twine, and 12x12 heavy cardboard from Specialty DSP packs

It was fun to see what everyone brought to work on.  There were so many colors and types of papers and cardstock.  It looked like we could open a store with all the different papers lying around!  And everyone was willing to share whatever treasures they had brought with them.  That's why I have several leaves made from a glittery, bronzy-brown corrugated cardstock that is gorgeous! 

I have some blues in my kitchen, so I added the Baja Breeze leaves to give it a touch of blue.  I thought it really made a wonderful contrast to all the earth-tone colors.  Some of the ladies used different embossing folders to give some texture while I went with an old corrugator I had from years earlier.  All in all, this was a great evening and we were all inspired from working together.  What fun!  Why not try something like this with a couple of your friends?  There's no right or wrong colors or designs with this, so you can't go wrong.  Have fun bringing the fall colors into your house - Sharon

Grunge Meets Halloween

Giving it a little thought, seems like Halloween and grunge would be a perfect match.  So that's what I set out to do.  I pulled out my grunge set first and then went searching for something that would compliment it.  I found a couple items that seemed made to go together, so I sat down to play.  Here's the results.  I think it worked out nicely.  What do you think?

Stamps:  Six-Sided Sampler, Gorgeous Grunge, and Perfectly You(hostess set)
Ink:  Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, and Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Hexagon Punch, Witches' Brew Washi Tape, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals

I  started out with the Pumpkin Pie and Early Espresso (off-stamped) stamped onto the folded Crumb Cake card.  I liked the hexagon pumpkin from the hostess set and wanted to use that as the focal point.  Seemed it was just too small by itself, so two of the hexagons from the Six-Sided Sampler set were added to it.  Still not enough weight there, so I added the strip of Early Espresso cardstock to anchor the hexagons - perfect. 

Now it needed something else - ribbon, brads, buttons - nope, not quite right.   Oh yes, the cool Witches' Brew Washi Tape would be just the thing.  I added a little strip of each of the tapes and there you have it.  A quick and cute Halloween card using bits of this and that.

I'm off to do a workshop tonight.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there.  We'll be having lots of fun and showing off some new goodies and samples.  So that means I'll have more to share with you later on in the week.  Hooray!  Happy stamping,      Sharon

Thankful for you

Yes, I am thankful for you!  I'm so glad you decided to stop in today and see what I've been up to down in my crafting corner.  It's been a crazy week and I can't believe I didn't get back to post quicker.  I've got a card today that I just love.  It's a little darker than I usually do, but some of these autumn cards are turning out that way lately.  I tried a new toy, I meant to say tool!  Yes, I tried a new tool this week that gave me a bit of a problem.  I checked on line to see what others had to say and got a terrific tip to help.  Love that everyone is willing to share their experiences so we can all benefit!  Anyway, here's the card...

Stamps:  Truly Grateful
Ink:  Stazon Jet Black, Crushed Curry, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla with Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Expressions Thinlits Dies,  2 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Aqua Painter, 1 1/4" Burlap Ribbon, Sponge, and Dimensionals

First off, let me just say how much I love these Thinlits Dies!!  They're so awesome!  That said, I thought I'd go crazy trying to get the lettering out the first time.  TIP:  Lay a sheet of waxed paper in between the Thinlit and the cardstock.  This helps the lettering to pop out easily.  I can't wait to use this one again now that I know what works.

Secondly, this burlap ribbon is perfect for all the autumn projects you might be doing.  Great texture!!  I thought it was too wide for this card, so I just cut it in half and taped it down.  How simple it is to cut by just following the threads. 

Lastly, I want to comment on the Sweater Weather DSP - love, love, love it!!  I've used it so much I only have scraps left and need to order another pack.  The color combos and prints are great.  Some are really bold and some are softer like this one.  It reminds me of a cozy flannel comforter that I'd like to cuddle up in when the weather is cooler.  Anyway, I think it's gorgeous with that hint of blue and the browns.  Perfect for this time of year.

That's it for today.  I've still got more fall ideas to share with you.  See you soon...        Sharon

Grateful Leaves

Okay, I'm back with another fall card.  I'm just lovin' all these leaves that we have to stamp with right now.  Each of the leaf stamp sets can give you a totally different look and feel.  It's hard to decide which one to grab when I want to stamp!  Today it's the Wonderfall stamp set and die that coordinates with it that caught my imagination.  Hope you like it...

Stamps:  Wonderfall, Truly Grateful, and Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Pool Party, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, and Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crushed Curry and Very Vanilla
Accessories:   Big Shot with Autumn Accents Bigz Die, 1 1/4" Burlap Ribbon, and Dimensionals

What did I ever do before there was Gorgeous Grunge?  Seems like I'm using it on almost every card I make lately!  I love the little speckles and blotches in the set and they just add the right amount of filler on those open backgrounds. 

I added a smidgeon of Pool Party to this card to give it a pop of color.  The leaves were all stamped with at least two colors on the stamp.  The 2nd ink color is a little too heavy to be called rock 'n roll, so I'm not sure what to call it.  I really wanted to give an idea of the many colors on fall leaves, so I guess I had a heavy hand adding the extra layers of color.

The burlap ribbon was wider than I wanted on the card, so I just cut it in half.  Then I took off 2 strands of the burlap to give it a softer, slightly fringed edge.  Love it!!

Thanks for stopping in again today.  It's been a great week sharing with you and I've really been enjoying it!  Christmas ideas will be coming soon.  I promise!  Stay tuned...    Sharon

Magnificent Maple

I was checking around Pinterest earlier in the week when I had a little break.  Oh my, talk about sensory overload!  Whew!!  Tons of ideas and it got me thinking of different things I wanted to try out.  So yesterday I just sat and played with my stamps and papers.  What fun was that!!  I wish I had more time to play around and just try different ideas.  Usually I've got too many deadlines hanging over my head to just play around.  Not that I'm complaining about deadlines, you understand.  If I didn't have deadlines, that would mean I didn't have any business going on either - not fun.  Anyway, I've got a card to share today that's sort of a composite of several different ones.  A little of this, and a little of that.

Stamps:  Magnificent Maple, Gorgeous Grunge, and Sassy Salutations
Ink:  Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Very Vanilla and Soft Sky
Accessories:   Big Shot with Labels Collection Framelits, Linen 7/16" Trim, Sponge quarter, and Dimensionals

 This card has so much going on, it's hard to realize it's actually a one-layer card.  I don't usually have no layering on a card.  That's just a necessity when making a card, isn't it?  But this one is so special that it works.

Again, I added a little splash of blue to the fall colors.  It just makes the other colors almost glow.  I added the sponging around the outside of the card to give it a little more dimension.  And I love how the trim adds to the earthy look.

Here's the inside of the card.  I used the die-cut piece because I hated to throw it out.  Not sure if I'm happy with this as it is.  It might get something added later - if I can figure out what I'd like to add!

That's all for today folks.  I've got another one or two fall ideas I'd like to share with you yet before I move on to Christmas.  At least I think it's only one or two more.  We'll just have to wait and see what happens!  Come back soon!  Sharon

Thankful for times 2

Hi there!  What a fabulous weekend it's been so far!  I've been doing some creating today and that always makes me feel wonderful.  Today I have two versions of the same card.  The first was made during class week and I love it.  The second is a scaled down version that I designed for my friend who just had knee replacement surgery.  She wanted to make thank you cards for several of the hospital personnel that went above and beyond the call of duty.  But she wanted to make them herself but wasn't sure how much energy she had.  Hence the easier version.

Stamps:  Wonderfall, Gorgeous Grunge, and Truly Grateful
Ink:  Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand, and Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Pool Party, Very Vanilla cs, and Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Linen 7/16" Trim, Dimensionals and (ret)Neutrals Buttons, (ret)Black Hemp

I just love the Pool Party and these fall colors together.   They are such a wonderful compliment to each other.  This was a simple sketch that I have in my files.  The Sweater Weather DSP has such fun prints and it was heard to decide which ones to use.  Think these work well with the colors of the leaves.

Are you getting as spoiled as I am always having a punch, die, or Framelits to easily cut out the accent pieces for your cards and scrapbook pages?  It just makes it so easy to make multiples of whatever you need.

As you can see, this version only had 2 leaves instead of the original 3 on the first card.  I had almost run out of buttons and Anita wanted to make 20 cards so I needed to rethink the little accent.  I thought the little knot of retired Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon worked well.  She also didn't want the Linen Trim on the card, so we left that off too.

There you have it.  We spent several hours eating lunch, stamping, and laughing.  She needed to take a break in the middle of stamping, but that just gave us more time to visit and giggle.  It was a special afternoon that we shared together.  Glad I could be there to spend time with her and help her get her thank-yous made and ready to send out.  Thanks for visiting with me today.  Leave a comment if you like.  I always love to hear what you have to say.  Sharon

A Little Halloween Happiness

Even though I love autumn, I'm not too crazy about all the spooky stuff of Halloween.  If you've seen my Halloween cards over the years, you know that.  If it's cutesy, I think it works, but none of the ghoulish type stuff.   So today's card definitely fits in with that category of cutesy.  I'll probably send this one off to one of my sisters or a friend.  I think any of them would like this cute little card too.

 

Stamps:  Halloween Happiness
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip markers
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, and Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Accessories:   Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots TIEF, Ovals Collection Framelits, Magnetic Platform , Dimensionals, and a retired ribbon

These pumpkins are just too stinkin' cute!  I love all the different texture and patterns here and just followed through on enhancing that with different markers to color them.  To stick with the textured look, I chose the Polka Dot TIEF to give the background some texture too.

I love, love, love that Sweater Weather DSP and wanted to show it off a little.  The colors and prints are just so yummy! So I off-set the oval instead of plunking down in the middle as usual.  After trying several different ideas for an accent on the card, I raided my stash of retired ribbon and found just the right one.  It has the texture of the grosgrain ribbon in the chocolate chip color with the added stitching in white to make it stand out.  All in all, I love how the card turned out and can't wait to send it off.. 

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope your day is fabulous and you find time for stamping!  Hugs,    Sharon

Gently Falling Leaves

I just love autumn with all the radiant colors of sky and leaves, crisp weather, and wonderful food associated with fall.  The card I have to share today reminds me of the many colors of the leaves.  This is another card the ladies made for our service personnel earlier in the month.  I tried to design something that was colorful, but still simple enough to make them quickly.  Now, if you ask the four ladies that were cutting out all these maple leaves, it wasn't quite as quick as it could have been!!  (We all really love our stamps that coordinate with punches or Framelits now and have gotten really, really spoiled!)  But anyway, on to the card...

Stamps:  Gently Falling, and Banner Greetings
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, and Soft Suede
Paper:  Very Vanilla and Cajun Craze and a retired DSP
Accessories:   Paper Snips and Dimensionals


Here's the card we made together.   Isn't it nice?  The layout is simple, but the colors and main leaf make it gorgeous.

All of us making these cards thought the colors on this card were fabulous - just as bright and glorious as the real thing!  If you  notice, the leaf that is cut and popped up has a little extra coloration to it.  I did a little rock & roll on each one with some Cajun Craze on one half and Soft Suede on the other half.  All of the extra leaves were stamped before we got together, so there was only lots of cutting and groaning to do.

Like I mentioned, there was a lot of cutting with needing 20 or these maple leaves - one for each card.  And then they cut out 20 of the little sentiment banner too.  Yikes!  There were a few sore hands after all that cutting.  But it was worth it for our soldiers!

That's it for today.  If you own this set, get it out and give it some love.  If you don't own it yet, why not?  It makes simple fabulous cards!  Happy stamping!            Sharon

Harvest of Thanks Times Two

In keeping with the cooler weather today, thought I'd slip into a thankful mode and share two card versions of the Harvest of Thanks stamp set that I did recently.  We made lots of Thanksgiving cards for our service men and women a week ago and I really got into the autumn colors and all on the cards.  Here are two of the cards we made this last time...

 

Stamps:  Harvest of Thanks
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, and Early Espresso markers, and Early Espresso pad
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Big Shot and Deco Labels Collection Framelits, Woodgrain TIEF, Sponge Daubers, Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

It was fun coloring the turkey on this stamp with markers.  What made it really interesting is that I really don't know what color a turkey actually is.  Hmmmm.  Does anyone really care?  I figured as long as I stuck with autumn colors it would be ok.  So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

This version is a little different in layout and color.  I used a retired DSP but I don't remember the name - sorry.  Wish I had more of it though, because the colors and prints are so pretty. 
The little flag of DSP on the side of the image is from the current Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper.  Just love the prints and color combo on this paper - it's so perfect for fall!

I die-cut a layer of Chocolate Chip cardstock to frame the main image.  It seemed a little plain so I added a some dots & dashes with a gold marker from last year's holiday catalog and I liked the look.   The gold added a subtle sheen of glitz to the card.   The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black ink using the Thankful For... stamp set from last year.

That's it for my offerings today.  Hope you like the layouts and try using them for some of your cards soon.  Happy stamping.    Sharon

August Paper Pumpkin Bicycle

Here it is September and it's time to start thinking of fall and all that goes with it.  But today is sort of a last hurray for summer.  This card was inspired by my grandson and his love of riding any and all of his riding toys be they tricycles, hot cycles (is that what they're called?), or bicycle.  His favorite pastime is going really fast!  So while the weather is getting cooler, we still have lots of time to play outside.  Here's my take on the Paper Pumpkin kit for August.  I seem to get stuck in needing to follow the idea that comes in the package.  Now, how silly is that?!  Today I've stepped out of the box and created something totally different.  Hope you let me know what you think...

Stamps:  Pedal Praise (Aug Paper Pumpkin), Gorgeous Grunge, and Pennant Parade
Ink:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, and Real Red
Paper:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Petite Pennants Builder Punch, Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Subtles Candy Dots, and Dimensionals

If you've seen the Paper Pumpkin kit for August, you know this looks absolutely nothing like the suggested card to make.  That's what is so very much fun about these kits.  You can go simple and follow the idea, or go crazy and do whatever you want.

When I first saw the Gorgeous Grunge set in the catalog, I wasn't too sure about getting it.  Now that I have the set, I seem to use it all the time.  It has some great background filler stamps that work great for so many different things.  I used 2 of them on this card to signify clouds in the sky.  And the skinny lines make a great roadway to ride a bike on.  You just need to use your imagination a little bit.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you've had a relaxing weekend and you're ready to get back to it tomorrow!  How come the weekend always flies by so fast?  I can never get everything done that I think I should.  Oh well, do the best you can and wing the rest!!  Have a great week...   Sharon

Fabric Accent for Thanksgiving

Today I have another card to share that was made last night with a fabulous group of ladies.  One of the ladies loves sewing and quilting, so every once in awhile she gives me some little quilted blocks for our cards, or as on today's card, just bits of gorgeous fabric to play with.  So this is a card I came up with using some lovely pumpkin fabric touched with gold.  Oh, I guess I should warn you up front that just about everything used on today's card is already retired.  So sorry!!!   But if you're still interested in looking, I think you might like the idea.  Ok, here we go...

Stamps:  Thankful For(retired)
Ink:  Basic Black
Paper:  Dusty Durango(retired), Basic Black, and a retired autumn print from SU! that I don't remember the name of
Accessories:   Big Shot with Deco Labels Framelits, and Dimenisonals

Isn't this fabric Diane gave me to play with absolutely gorgeous?  To give it some stability, I adhered it to Basic Black cardstock and then die cut it.  I framed it with the next size larger die with more of the Dusty Durango cardstock.  Of course, this idea could work equally well with current cardstock, but these colors really enhanced the colors of the pumpkins in the fabric.   And since they're just sitting around gathering dust, why not use them?

Just a different take on our usual cards.  Hope it inspires you to look around and see what's available to use on your next project.   Sharon

Too Kind Thank You

It just drives me crazy when I see a gorgeous card and it sticks in my head until I sit down and do something about it.  Unfortunately, most of the time I don't save the link or pay attention to where I'm seeing this card.  So I've just spent half an hour trying to find the original that I CASEd.  Well, at least I think I followed what I saw.  If you know who is responsible for the original idea, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.  Now, all that said, let's look at the card...

Stamps:  Too Kind and Another Thank You
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, and Old Olive
Paper:  Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, and Whisper White
Accessories:   Big Shot with Fancy Fan TIEF, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Smoky Slate Chevron Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals

First of all, I remembered the embossed layer of white behind the die-cut layer of white on the original card.  Usually I love white-on-white cards.  But after looking at my card pieces for awhile, I decided I'd like a touch of color sponged onto the main layer.  There's just a bit of Wisteria Wonder sponged around the edge to make it stand out a little more.

I don't remember what sentiment the original card had, but I thought this tiny thanks from my new Photopolymer set called Another Thank You fit perfectly.  If you haven't tried any of these new sets from Stampin' Up!, you really should.  They're so easy to use and cling to our blocks like crazy.  Plus you can see exactly where you're placing the stamped image which is an awesome help!!

The other thing I think I added to the CASEd card is the butterfly and pearls.  I really don't remember seeing them.  But I could be wrong on that, don't quote me!  I just thought the added color and dimension of the butterfly was a great accent.

Thanks for coming over again today.  Leave a message - I'd love to hear your comments!   Sharon

Autumn Accents

Wow!  Can you believe it's September already?  We're getting our oldest grandson ready for preschool starting on Thursday.  Oh my, I'm not sure I'm ready for that!  Didn't think this would be a problem with grandkids, since I'd already done all this before with my own kids.  But it's funny how this is dredging up those memories and I feel I'm reliving them all over again.  Those grandkids are sure growing up fast!  But I guess that's what it's all about.  And since it's autumn time again, I've been focusing on Thanksgiving for the cards the ladies will be making tomorrow night for our soldiers.  Since Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays, it hasn't been a problem coming up with ideas.  Thought I'd share with you...

Stamps:  Tags for You
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, and Gold Encore
Paper:  Really Rust(retired), Always Artichoke, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Big Shot with Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Holiday Frame TIEF(retired), Label Bracket Punch, Corrugator(retired), Champagne Shimmer Mist Paint(retired), Sponges, Copper Cording(retired), and Dimensionals

Did I ever mention how much fun it is to design these cards because I can use all kinds of current and retired materials together.  Just play around with whatever looks good together and not worry about whether it's current or not.  It's good to get out the retired items that I couldn't bear to part with and give them a new chance to be special again.

On this card, I love the leaf accents that are corrugated and then sponged to bring out the texture.  And with this card, it seems to be all about texture with the embossed layer, the leaves, and the punched sentiment with a tiny bow embellishment. 

Hope you enjoyed this look at some current items and a little blast from the past.  Thanks for stopping in today.  Come back soon.  There's more I'd love to share with you.  Sharon

Country Cozy Card

Hello there.  Today I've got a simple cozy little card for you.  The sketch layout is very simple and I've used it often because it's so easy to get the components to work together.  There's  something good about a sketch that works every time you try it.  And this is definitely one of the good ones.

Stamps:  Kind & Cozy, and Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Island Indigo and Melon Mambo

Paper:   Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White cardstock with Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  Big Shot with Stripes TIEF, Word Window Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Subtles Candy Dots, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon, and Dimensionals

The colors of the Gingham Garden Designer Paper were my guide for the colors used here.  I love how crisp and clean the colors of the print paper are, so everything was left plain without any sponging to soften the layers.

The scallop circle of Island Indigo were curled up with my bone folder, then the teacup layer was added with a Dimensional under to raise it up. 

The little flower doodad was added to inject a softer color onto the Melon Mambo teacup.  Then I debated about using a rhinestone for the flower center, but decided I liked the touch of green with the Candy Dot.  (If you haven't gotten any of the Candy Dots yet, what are you waiting for?  They are sooooo much fun!)

Hope to see you back again soon.  I've definitely got more ideas to share with you!  Thanks for stopping by.  Sharon