Blog Posts

Jolly Boughs

9/22/2022

Oo, a great theme at this month's CAS Christmas - "sparkle and shine!"
I really wanted to try out more of the fun dies in Decorated With Happiness, so I got busy with this set! The stamped branch also has its own die, and I got to try the scribble stamp for coloring, too - I did mine in stamped off Shaded Spruce over Early Espresso. All that Spruce needed a pop of Cherry Cobbler, too, lol, and I finished with lots of shiny silver stars - three sizes in multiple dies! So convenient when you have to cut a bunch! This ended up being quick and fun!
Decorated With Happiness Stamp Set; Shaded Spruce, Basic White & Silver Foil CS; Early Espresso, Shaded Spruce, Memento Tuxedo Black, Smoky Slate & Cherry Cobbler Inks; Cherry Cobbler & Smoky Slate Blends Markers; Decorated Pine Dies; #CASChristmasShine.

Pumpkin Club September 24!
Did you check out your September Pumpkin kit yet? It's spooky time!! Check out the video HERE!
I hope you can join us for our next Pumpkin Club, Saturday, September 24, at 2 PM - RSVP to let me know you are attending, we will be all safely socially distanced at our big table downstairs!
Club is free for my subscribers, and includes any extra supplies you might need, plus drinks and snacks! I will also have a few extra spots available for club for $10, even if you are not a subscriber - come see what we're up to - full kit not needed, I'll supply everything you need for the projects! Just bring your own snips and basic adhesive!
Remember to subscribe here if you haven't already - sign up by October 10 and you can join us in time for next month!

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Sparkle Thanks

9/21/2022

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I love the little twist The Flower Challenge #72 is adding this round - "add sparkle!" This blog is SO rehabbing my flower-phobia!
For today's card, I chose Sending Smiles - I just love these stems and blossoms! The dies make it so easy to cut out all the pieces, or, you can just build it by stamping it all together - photopolymer makes for SUCH easy placement. It's funny, I don't often use the big "sending" sentiment that goes with all these cute phrases - it's so big, by the time I'm placing my flowers, I've run out of room, lol. Stamp-World problems, I know, lol.
Sending Smiles Stamp Set; Basic White, Basic Black & Mango Melody CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Mango Melody & Granny Apple Green Inks; Sending Dies; Painted Textures EF; Iridescent Rhinestones; TFC72.

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Nature's Hello

9/20/2022

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I love this simple layout at our challenge this week! Hand Stamped Sentiments #398 is begging for some fun background paper!
Somehow I haven't been using my Nature's Prints suite enough - I still have plenty of this lovely DSP left! It's perfect for a bold block of color in our sketch, AND I get to treat that circle to the "any shape" treatment - win win! It's a natural to pair this Navy with our Sahara Sand, since that's the other color in the DSP - beautiful!
I can't wait to see YOUR creations for our fun sketch - meet you there!
Nature's Prints Stamp Set; Sun Prints DSP; Basic White & Sahara Sand CS; Night of Navy Ink; Natural Prints Dies; Classic Matte Dots; #HSS398.

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Leaf Fall (& Pumpkin Club Sep 24!)

9/19/2022

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Excellent - Can You Handle the Pressure is back with a new twist - FALL! Great timing, lol.
This is my chance to use my brand new EF called Leaf Fall - such a pretty pattern, and it's kind of lost in the Holiday Catalog, so make sure you go take a look for it! I used mine to do some corner texture on Crumb Cake, which I floated over a layer of Cajun Craze. I added this pretty sentiment from Gathered Wheat, then a leaf from our old 2018 set, Vintage Leaves. I colored a few of the embossed leaves with a water painter, just to add a tiny bit more movement. Simple and pretty!
Gathered Wheat & Vintage Leaves (retired 2018) Stamp Sets; Basic White, Cajun Craze & Crumb Cake CS; Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie & Cajun Craze Inks; Water Painter; Leaf Fall EF; Leaflet Dies; Rustic Metallic Dots; #CYHTPFall.

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Warm Welcome

9/18/2022

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Amy has created such a versatile layered sketch for us this week at Sunday Stamps #292!
After thinking it over, I decided these layers might be just right for showing off a new sneaky peek set - this is a pre-order opportunity from our upcoming Spring Mini Catty for World Cardmaking Day on Oct 1 - say hello to Warm Welcome! SU! is hosting a free virtual crafting event featuring 3 stamp sets, of which this is one! Go HERE to register for this free event! I couldn't resist the pre-order opportunity, there are some fun possibilities with this one!
I can't wait to see what YOU come up with for our fun sketch - meet you there!
Warm Welcome Stamp Set; Design a Daydream DSP; Basic White, Sahara Sand & Sweet Sorbet CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Sweet Sorbet, Orchid Oasis, Parakeet Party & SY700 Blends Markers; Warm Welcome Dies; Brick & Mortar EF; #SSC292.

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Some Pig

9/17/2022

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Ooo, great choice! Once Upon a Time #2 is back with Charlotte's Web this round - love this book!
I couldn't resist putting together a picture of Wilbur and Charlotte together - this little pig from the original This Little Piggy is just right - he's trying so hard to look up at her! I even had a web-and-spider combo I could place just how I wanted from my old Spooky Fun set - this card ended up being a bit of a mash-up of a few things! I even found this grass in the Palms dies - I was able to do some strategic masking and fit the sentiment right on there! I decided that was enough - no barn yard embellies, I'm afraid, lol.
This Little Piggy (retired 2020) & Spooky Fun (retired 2016) Stamp Sets; Basic White & Pear Pizzazz CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Smoky Slate & SU1000 Blends Markers; Rectangle Stitched & Palms Dies; #OUT2.

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Greatest Gift

9/16/2022

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Oh my goodness, check out these adorable school cookies for this month's If You Give a Crafter a Cookie #172! Yum! I'd go back to school for these, lol.
This seems like the perfect job for my Apple Harvest bundle - I'm still having tons of fun playing with these adorable dies! Today's image is of the larger branch with fruits on, and I finally got to try this snazzy narrow banner for this gorgeous sentiment! Love it! I took my time coloring the apples, layering Cherry Cobbler over Cajun Craze with Blends Markers, then touching up with the color lifter. I'm pretty happy with the "shine" effect I got!
Apple Harvest; Basic White & Old Olive CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler & Color Lifter Blends Markers; Apple Blossoms Dies; Coastal Weave EF; Old Olive Baker's Twine; Iridescent Rhinestones; #Cookie172.

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Perfect Pomegranate

9/15/2022

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As usual, I have a stack of not-yet-used stuff waiting to go on my desk for this month's NBUS #42!
I have a doozy of a NBUS today - here's my first inking of Perfect Pomegranate, the Sale-a-Bration Hostess set, which I did NOT manage to squeeze in til after SAB was over, lol. I just couldn't squeeze it in this time! I was happy to give it a go today, and I went for this pair of poms, hanging from their branch. I did them up in Merry Merlot as being closest in color. Now that I've stamped them, sigh, I LOVE them, lol. This set was way better designed than I had noticed at first glance! I'll have to contrive to get them out again soon!
Perfect Pomegranate (SAB 2022) & Nature's Harvest Stamp Sets; Merry Merlot DSP; Basic White & Old Olive CS; Old Olive & Merry Merlot Inks; Harvest Dies; Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels (retired); #NBUS42.

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Bottled Happiness

9/14/2022

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Such tasty colors they have for us this round at Cupcake Inspirations #552!
With the inclusion of the Jade color, I instinctively took a look at some of my not-too-distant past In Colors. Turns out, we have all three of these colors in our 2020 In Colors! Woo hoo! I decided to put them all together with a little help from the Bottled Happiness set - I have NOT been using this one enough! I went for a bottle in Cinnamon Cider, then did the two-step leaves and flowers in Bumblebee and Just Jade. At the last second, I realized I could trim a little bottle label for my "vase," too - perfect touch!
Bottled Happiness Stamp Set; Basic White & Just Jade (retired) CS; Cinnamon Cider, Bumblebee & Just Jade Inks (all retired); Vintage Bottle Punch; Brushed Brass Butterflies; #CIC552.

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Acorns Only

9/13/2022

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We're hitting our corners this week at Retro Rubber #191! It'll be fun to add a Fall theme for our challenge at SU Only #310, too!
I couldn't resist pulling in my old Acorny Thank You from 2015 for this one - still such a cutie! I love mixing and matching all the acorns and hats - I used to collect them in all colors as a kid and pretend they were little people, lol. I think my Grandpa thought he was losing it one time - he found a little stash I had left out in the garden once that I had drawn little faces in sharpie on, lol. Such a riot! Anyway, I was having so much fun, I had to double up every acorn - we're going nuts!
I can't wait to see YOUR projects this round - meet you there!
Acorny Thank You Stamp Set (retired 2015); Very Vanilla & Cajun Craze CS; Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake & Sahara Sand Inks; Timber EF; Acorn Builder Punch; Rustic Metallic Dots; #RRCB191; #SUOC310.