An Autumn Note

Yesterday all of us Cricut girls got together for lunch and a play date.  The best part of it was that Nikki brought her little Baby Nolan to meet us.  It was good to see Nikki and her seven week old baby.  He is so very cute.  And actually, he is just perfect!  He is blessed to have such a good Mommy and Daddy. 

I started working on today's card while they were here, but Nolan and Nikki had my attention.  After dinner I finished the card.  I used an embossing folder from Stampin' Up for the background.  The images are from stamp sets by both MFT Stamps and Sunny Studio Stamps.  You can't see it too well, but I also used some copper thread in the pumpkin arrangement.  The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted's Sweet Little Sentiments set. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Halloween Lip Balm Holder

Still using previously purchased Halloween paper, I created this lip balm holder.  The lip balm box is from The Stamp Doctor.  The cat was punched using the cat punch from Stampin' Up and retired designer paper.  Since the paper was not that thick, I lined the back of the lip balm holder with black cardstock which was edged with a SU punch.  The best thing is the orange embossing powder.  After stamping the sentiment in Versamark, I embossed it using retired Tangelo Twist embossing powder.  Since it is so old, I thought it might not work, but it did!  The spider was created on my Cricut.  This would be the perfect box in which to put money or a check. Have a great day!

Haunted Street

 I have seen some cute Halloween paper but this year I am not going to buy any until I use the Halloween paper I already have!  The pattern papers used on this card are from retired Stampin' Up collections.  The sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  After stamping the sentiment on Tangelo Twist cardstock, I punched it out with a retired SU punch.  I trimmed that down and adhered it to black cardstock that was also punched with the same punch.  The Halloween twine is something I purchased a long time ago from either Amuse or Lawn Fawn.  It will probably last longer than I since there is so much of it!  Have a great day!

Cards For Grandma

My neighbor children's Grandma is going to have surgery.  So I thought I would cut things on the Cricut that the children could use to make get well cards for their Grandma.  The turtle and the whale were easy to cut and put together.  Then I thought the little duck in the umbrella would make an adorable "Heard You're Under The Weather" card.  And then I started cutting and layering!  This card took a whole lot of time so Grandma will not be getting one like it.  I have a duck stamp with a little duck under an umbrella that the older girl can stamp and color! 

I haven't used my Cricut in ages.  So it was fun to get back to it and refresh my memory on writing with it and cutting layers.  I spent ages trying to figure out how to change the color on the canvas only to find out that option is in a new place in Cricut Access. I need to watch more getting reacquainted videos! Have a great day!

Kathy's Card

Last Friday I posted a photo of the card I sent to Dawn for her birthday.  Today I am posting the card I sent to my friend, Kathy Z.  I used the same cake stamp for both and the same layout.  But since Kathy really likes Stampin' Up products, I used Stampin' Up pattern paper and the sentiment stamp is from a retired SU stamp set.  I cannot decide which card I like better!  Have a great day!

A Card For Dawn

My friend, Dawn, had a birthday last week and I missed it!  I can't believe I did that, but I did!  So I made her today's card.  The pattern paper is from Papertrey Ink's Bitty Big collection in their Hawaiian Shore color.  I used SU's retired Green Galore as the accent color.  The image is from the Make A Wish stamp set by Sunny Studio Stamps.  On the inside, I stamped a belated wish from SU's Remembering Your Birthday set~~a little late!  Hope you had a nice birthday, Dawn.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Daisies

Today's card was created by my Stampin' Up Demonstrator, The Papered Chef.  Kim used one of the new In-Colors, Rococo Rose.  When I first saw this In-color, I neither liked nor disliked it.  Now that I see it on a card, it is a pretty color.  The stamped images are from the Daisy Lane stamp set. The daisies were punched with SU 's original Daisy punch and the new Medium Daisy punch.  After stamping the foliage directly on the white cardstock layer, Kim added the daisies using dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the Love What You Do stamp set.  The little embellishment is one of the In-Color Faceted Dots.  I need the Medium Daisy punch for sure and then the coordinating stamp set!  Have a great day!

Feeling Like Fall

Between the rain and the sun getting lower in the sky, it kind of felt like we are getting too close to Fall yesterday.  When I went downstairs, I decided to make this Fall card.  I had created the card base and the top layers a couple of weeks ago.  I used SU's Night of Navy cardstock and checked paper from My Favorite Things.  The white section was die cut using one of MFT's Stitched Basic Edge dies.  The tree image and the sentiment are from Sunny Studio Stamp's Happy Harvest stamp set.  The little squirrels and leaves are from My Favorite Things' Fall Friends stamp set.  The two stamp sets worked together to make a really cute card.  Have a great day!

Double Z-Fold Halloween Card

When Cherie was over the other day she showed me a card she made at a Stampin' Up card making class she attended.  I liked the layout of the card and Cherie gave me a sample and measurements of how to cut the pieces needed to make this card.  I used retired Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper on black cardstock.  The little witch is from My Favorite Things and the other images are from Lawn Fawn's Spooktacular stamp set.  When closed the card is the same size as cards I normally make (4-1/4" x 5-1/2") and fits into an A2 envelope. I will be making more cards using this Double Z Fold design.  Have a great day!

A Halloween Card

On Friday I attended the Scrapbook Expo and had a great day with my friends.  This year I was much more aware of not getting sucked into buying everything I saw.  And it worked.  Now I won't feel bad when spending money on new Stampin' Up products when their catalog goes live on September 4th!

One exhibitor that caught my attention was The Paper Cut.  They sell a variety of paper products~~papers, cardstock, envelopes, dies and die cuts.  I only purchased a 'card kit" that included card bases, already die cut layers and envelopes for five cards.  The cost was $4.75, so less than a dollar each. I purchased a card kit with Halloween colors.  I added my stamped images to quickly make today's card.  I did add a white liner to the inside of the black card base and stamped the sentiment so that it would not show thru the oval card front.  The images are from Lawn Fawn's Spooktacular stamp set.  I added the black splatter.  The cardstock is okay, but I prefer the weight of MFT Stamps and Stampin' Up cardstock.  The lady ahead of me must really like The Paper Cut as she purchased $504 worth of product!  Have a great day!

Curved Card Front

 I received MFT's Stitched Edge Basic dies a while back.  While going thru things to see what needed a magnet card, this die set was one of the items in need.  After making a magnet card, I decided to try one of the dies.  When using an edge die, I wanted it evenly placed on the cardstock.  I first made pencils marks on the front of the card base layer at 3/4  inch from the bottom.  After taping the die down, I cut the card base.  I then did the same with the white top layer I would stamp on for this card.  After stamping, coloring, cutting and adhering, I stamped the sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Scrumptious Script stamp set.  Cute card.  Have a great day!

Fall Flowers

Last week Friday, my friend Chris came over and brought me these
pretty flowers.  They were from her garden and looked like an artificial arrangement the flowers were so perfect.  I got my inspiration for today's card from her bouquet.

I used Stampin' Up's Daisy punch and Calypso Coral and Berry Burst cardstock for the flowers.  My Favorite Things Fab Foliage dies were used for the leaves.  The sentiment was stamped on white cardstock that had been cut using a die from Stampin' Up's Smooth Sailing die set.  A while back I had scanned that particular die cut image on my Scan N Cut, increased the size slightly and saved it on my SNC for future layering.  So I took a piece of Berry Burst cardstock, pulled up that layer that is saved on my SNC and cut that bottom layer.  A little Old Olive twine and bow were added to the flowers.  Have a great day!

Heartfelt Thoughts

I was looking at cards on Pinterest for something different,  I saw a card using an old Sale-a-bration set, Heartfelt Blooms.  It was a card by a Stampin' Up demonstrator that caught my eye.  Just as the demonstrator did, after stamping the image, I used an alcohol marker to add highlights to the image.  I used Blueberry Bushel ink to stamp the image and sentiment then a Spectrum Noir marker for the highlighting. The cream-colored background was then lightly brushed with Distress Ink Walnut Stain to add a vintage feel to the card.  After adhering the stamped layer onto a Blueberry Bushel layer, twine and the sentiment were added. This was then adhered to a white card base.  Have a great day!

Cherry Thank You

Sydney was here for an overnight and instead of crafting, we did a little re-organizing/sorting of what I need and what I haven't used for a long while.  After she left, I went downstairs to continue with the chore and got no further.  Instead, I made today's card.  The image and sentiment are from Sunny Studio Stamps Fresh & Fruity stamp set.  After coloring and die cutting the cherries, I used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment.  At that, it isn't straight, but since it was three individual stamps to make the sentiment, it isn't too bad.  Have a great day!

Penguin In The Pool

It was time to clean up my scraproom and as always, I decided to play a little first.  I had all of the pieces of this card in a cello bag and decided to use them and make a card.  The pool die from MFT Stamps was used on Strawberry Slush cardstock.  The penguins, beach ball and sentiment are all from MFT's Penguins in Paradise stamp set.  I do own the dies that coordinate with the stamp set but the set is old and are not open which makes it difficult to line up.    So everything was cut on my Scan N Cut.  The palm tree dies are from Lawn Fawn which was sponged before being adhered to the card.  Fun to create and my scraproom island is now visible, too.  I made a card and did clean up a bit!  Have a great weekend!

Last Mermaid Card

Today's card is the last of my mermaid cards for awhile.  Before adding anything to the white cardstock layer, I spattered Resist Spray on it.   Once dry, I created the background using Distress Inks and a makeup brush. I have been seeing more and more people using these brushes with their inks.  I purchased the set at Amazon for $9.  I used a few of the brushes and they worked really well when blending ink on the white cardstock.  They were easier to use than the blending brushes and sponges that I have been using.  That being said, before brushing ink on cardstock, I first tap on scrap paper as the brushes easily pick up the ink and I don't want ovals of ink on the card.  The foliage stems were die cut using various dies and I added a little of  Stampin' Up's Rose Metallic Thread before adhering the mermaid.  Have a great day!

Pretty Pink Mermaid

Thanks to seeing a card on the Internet, it was fun to create one very much like it.  I masked both the top and bottom of the card front and carefully sponged the open area with two colors of Distress Ink to create the undersea area.   I stamped the fish, seaweed and algae before removing the mask.    Since I am sending oceans of love, my under the sea area has some tiny hearts in it, too!  It just so happened that the water turned out to perfectly match Simon Says Stamp's Mint cardstock without even trying.  Once again, a little mermaid and saying from MFT's Mermazing stamp set were needed for a cute card.  Have a great day!

John's Hunting Dog

Our pretty grandpuppy was here for a few days over the weekend.  She is the cutest.  Her favorite toy that we have here for her is a noisey goose!  She is John's new hunting dog!  I told him he needs to take his little Aussiedoodle to the duck blind in the Fall.

This is going to be mermaid week on my blog.  I was playing with My Favorite Things'   Mermazing stamp set and ended up making a few cards.  Today's card was the simplest of the three.  The mermaid was colored with alcohol markers and adhered to a white cardstock layer.  After adhering the mermaid I stamped the sentiment and added the sequins.   Two corners were punched with a decorative corner punch and the opposite two corners with a coordinating punch.   I used Dimensionals to adhere the layer to a white card base.   These cards would be easy to make multiples of and for different occasions, too.  Have a great day!

Oceans of Joy

Cherie had been over with some of her new toys one day and I had to use her Center Picture Window dies from Lawn Fawn while deciding whether or not I needed them.  I combined dies and stamps from both Sunny Studio Stamps' Oceans of Love and Lawn Fawn's Life Is Good stamp sets for both the inside and outside of the larger square card.  The inside of today's card was created using Lawn Fawn's Center Picture Window dies. I spent more time on this one card than any card I have made in the past~~I think!

After creating this adorable card, I decided that I did not need the Center Picture Window die!  First, the complete card is small and that is why I adhered the card inside a larger square card.  Second, to spend that much time on a card meant that person was extremely card-worthy!  Sydney was that person~~of course!  I would do it again for her or Jen or Matt.  But,  I would borrow Cherie's dies.  Have a great day!

Pool Girl

This is probably the cutest card I have made in a long while.  It was a card I made for Sydney while she was at camp.  Hopefully she opened it and didn't save it for the last day of camp which is today!  I think this little girl is just delightful!  I first saw this card on Pinterest and thought it was so cute, I had to make one, too.  The pool water was created using Tim Holtz Resist Spray.  After spraying lightly on white cardstock, it dried and then I sponged on blue and purple ink.  The images were colored with Stampin' Up and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  I also sponged a little pale beige on the white cardstock so it looked like pool-deck cement.  The grass was die cut and the sky was sponged with pale blue ink and a stencil.  MFT's Drink Up The Sunshine and Lawn Fawn's On The Beach stamp sets were used.  Have a great weekend!

Sail Away

My friend, Cherie, stopped over the other day.  She gave me two very pretty favors that she made and I have to share with you! The favor on the left was made using the Tag Topper Punch from Stampin' Up.  She wrapped it with a strip of DSP from the Come Sail Away collection.  Cherie then stamped and die cut a variety of things to really spruce up the favor which has two Hershey Nuggets inside.  I love it.

The favor on the right was created using the same Come Sail Away paper, stamps and dies.   As you can see, she used different stamps and images on this one and inside is lip balm.  What is really cute is the lip balm holder die she used to create this little box.  Cherie even covered the lip balm!  The die is from The Stamp Doctor.  If I didn't have the lip balm die from My Favorite Things, I for sure would have already ordered this one!  Who knows, maybe I still will!  Thanks for giving these to me, Cherie.  Have a great day everyone!