Christmas Card Club - Holly & Ivy

Hello again. It's time once more for our Christmas Card Club to share our cards, and this week our theme was Holly & Ivy.

First, help me welcome a lovely new follower, Niki of Pawsitively Creative.  Haven't had any new friends for a while, and then suddenly, it's exciting to get some new followers! Just love finding new blogs and getting to know about the creator. So do please give a lookin at Niki's blog and tell her I sent you along! Thanks Niki for becoming a new follower.

Now, here's MY take on the Holly & Ivy Christmas Card Challenge:

- Very old wooden stamp, inked with Versamark - stamped on a burgundy cardstock, embossed with Ranger's Queen's Gold. Colored the Holly with Copics, berries got some WoS for shine.

- Sue Wilson Greek Islands Collection - ivy die cut from a velvet/suede like paper (Marcos Paper but I can't find it to add a link). It's very pretty, and cut very nicely. Split the die cut to place as desired.

Border strip on the left was a snippet from an old recycled purchased Christmas card; thought it was pretty, so into the crapalanche pile (this one on the cutting table, NOT the desk LOL). Cardfront done with a music score from a 6x6 package. No added sentiment since it's on the medallion. That's it!

Do please take time to visit my fellow Club Members, whose blogs are listed on the right side bar!

Again, thanks for joining me this afternoon. May be MIA again for a bit, as we are trying to get some kind of cleanup done in the stamp area. Mr. has come down to help move some tables around, decide where the Alex cabinets will work best, and right now there is SO much chaos in that room...you just wouldn't believe it. Blessings and Hugs.

Rudolph Day - November 2015 - LAST ONE for 2015!

Good afternoon, and welcome to the very last Rudolph Day for 2015! There's lot of flurry to get Christmas cards made - and this is a great challenge to join in to add some incentive to the effort. Plus a couple nice die prizes as well. So get a drink, pull up a chair, this is going to be a chatty post.

Last night, I had a first play with the Minc machine (a foil laminator) that is all over Youtube. After seeing in some videos, that the machine gets very hot, Mr. found a piece of wood for Minc to set upon, and we placed one of the hot oven mats over the wood. When I saw the machine heating up, a bit of smoke appeared (probably burning off the newness), so I was glad we had taken some safety precautions. The smoke did dissipate in a few seconds, but I also stayed right there with it. We have it set up so that once I'm finished with using it, it's unplugged, and I also made very sure nothing touched it after it had been used, and checked a bit later to be sure it no longer felt hot.

(Psst. nearly forgot to add in this pic!)

 

OK...here's the card created, using a background made here. The one used for this effort happened to have been done with glossy cardstock, 3rd small picture if you're checking the link, the sample on the left. As you can see, it's BLUE! Was made with the Tsukineko frost paint, that dried, resisted the blue product puddles when the Smooshing technique was followed. The earlier post describes how this background was created. This card is nothing like what I planned at the start!

A Jennifer McGuire Youtube showed using the Heidi Swap Minc toner ink pen, outlining the edges of a card with an edge of the Toner Pen, then place in the transfer sheet with the foil over it. (hope the video link works...Jennifer made a darling set of cards). Selected the previously created background, used the Toner Pen to draw an edge around the card. Let the Minc heat up (it took longer than I thought it would, but eventually the green light did come on). Gold foil over, into the transfer sheet, and Voila, there it goes. Let it cool, as it is quite warm when it comes out of the machine. Then removed the transfer sheet. Was expecting nice gold edging as Jennifer's card...but THIS is what happened. It looks like a pack of the Mercury Glass paper that I just bought! Very crackled. I'm wondering if it was the combination of the glossy cardstock, with the 'inks' I'd used to smoosh the piece??? It's called lesson learned, but I was pleased with the results, even though it looked nothing like what I had planned. If you look closely, the edges do show the effort!!! This is really a snippet card all the way!

- Peace Dove started the creative process. Had some tissue paper waste (?snippet?yeah) from spraying, and as the table was being (LOL) cleaned, thought the paper was too pretty to waste. Hunted up the MS dove punch, and found some spaces that had colors I liked. Punched 2, made a layer, and the wing lifts from the bottom layer. Decided Dove needed a twig, so more snippets from the crapalanche pile, with an MS twig punch. This stayed on the crapalanche pile for a while.

- a white oval in the same pile, embossed with a Taylored Expressions Lattice Folder, Mr. Dove gets adhered. (remember I said this tissue waste is what started this project!). The white did not look 'right' against the new foiled background, so what to do? A snippet of vellum from a failure - AH..how does that look? S/B Floral oval die cut the vellum, but still needed something. Just didn't look very good against that background. Another snippet of white, another Floral oval behind the vellum layer, I LIKED it! Nearly done.

- A WPlus9 Hand Lettered Holiday die set arrived yesterday, and have been loving this joy die as I've seen it around the blogs. Cut 3 layers from white snippets, Wink of Luna gold colored the top layer, and once it was adhered to the card, used glossy accents for some shine. Also the twig, and design in the Dove has G.Accents too.

Gosh I think I told you all the adventures in making this card. I love the process, but usually the results are not always something I'm happy with. This time it was.

Now for another card, that DIDN'T turn out so happily.

 

- first mistake: stamping, embossing on Coordinations cardstock. For me, it doesn't work. Second mistake, if you're gonna do it, make sure to use detail embossing powder. This was a WOW gold EP, and did not pick up the pretty lettering of the sentiment (from HLS Mixed Christmas set). This one nearly got the front removed, with an idea of using the back side for something. Mr. spotted the card when he was helping move some furniture around in the room, and commented on it, as in "Why don't you fix it?". So added the dimensional holly trim, and then remembered a Memory Box stitched holly die set. Snippets of white, colored with copics. That's the fix, and not sure if this still won't get in the trash, BUT if I get in a pinch...Mr's comment? "Send it".

 

So I hope all these links work, in case you want to see the products, the videos. Now: I'm off to link up to Rudy Day (again,... last one for 2015!) and also see if Parsnip** (at the Snippets Playground)  wants to hear the tale of Two Cards. If he's interested enough, maybe he'll let me come in and play for Week 204..I've been MIA at the Playground for a while. Gotta see what those Elves are up to..

**Edit: an Ooopsie...I didn't check that the Playground has Closed! Boo Hoo. I won't get to tell Parsnip about this card! Sorry folks! But Rudy Day is still open until the end of the month!

***Edit #2: My sweet little Parsnip sent me an email to let me know the Playground has opened again, so since I really been missin' him, I'm gonna go over & give  him a BIG HUG! Won't you come along? Parsnip likes Hugs. He is a good hugger himself too! Oh yeah, it's now Week 205!

Hope I didn't put you to sleep, and that perhaps you got a chuckle! It's a fun process, and it keeps me off the streets, outta the bars, as they say. LOL!

Thanks for joining me, and Happy Saturday. Hugs

PS...our local PBS channel is airing Seven Grumpy Seasons & Series 7, Ep 1 -  of Doc Martin tonight. Bet you know where I'll be..got the DVR set up to record too! Also I think it's Mr. Clunes' birthday today, according to a Facebook group I browse. Bye!

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

The day is pretty much over by the time I write this post, but I hope you had a great day, spent with your loved ones and all the things that make you happy. For my non-USA friends who don't celebrate the day as we here Stateside do, it's still good to reflect on the blessings in your life for which you are thankful! Any of us can & should do that. I'm thankful for my family, and all the many blessings that have been/still are in my life. I'm also VERY thankful for the wonderful friends I've made during the Blog Community - many in places I shall never see. It's fun to learn about these lands though.

 

Here's one more card that didn't get finished in time for Thanksgiving, but with no sentiment - it could be used for any fall occasion. The stamp is a very old wooden stamp that I've always loved.

 

 

 

 

Image stamped on black card stock with versamark, Queen's Gold EP heat embossing. Colored the images with an old pearlescent/metallic watercolor set, being very careful with the water, since it was just plain ol' cardstock. Tried to do a little shading. It looks nicer IRL. Cut out with scissors so that it could be placed on a created background.

 

- the background started with Tsukineko frost paint dabbed with cling wrap squeezed into a ball, dipped into the paint..and just smooshed around the surface. It dries and acts as a resist..(where you see the white). Then using shades of blue reinkers and sprays puddled on the craft mat, dragged the paper through the puddles... until something appeared that I liked. Let this dry.

 

When making this card  I was trying to find a frame die that would work. It's not always easy to see that a die is not going to cut the center portion so that it falls out - especially if you're in a bit of a hurry. Anyway, this one seemed too labor intensive with the kraft knife to remove the center for the Northwoods fall card, so saved it for another project. (yep, it's on the messy desk). The pumpkins happened to fall upon the blue surface and I rather liked the punkins and the blue, so there you go.

The die is S/B Tranquil Moments . Adhered the die piece to a dull gold, patterned snippet, and glued _that_ onto a kraft side fold card base. That's it.

 

Don't forget: the last Rudolph Day for 2015 is open, and there's already lots of entries.

There's also an extra prize available this month, and I'll bet you still need to make at least one more Christmas Card. So why not join in the fun, and maybe win a super die or two!

 

Thanks for popping by. Big hugs. 

 



Northwoods Fall Vase

Good evening. Hope that your day went well and was either relaxing or productive - just as you needed it to be. Help me shout out a big warm welcome to Ksenija of Sweet Kobylkin. Ksenija was a most enthusiastic participant in the HLS November Christmas Tag Challenge, which is how I got to enjoy her wonderful work. She had so many unique & lovely tags...I was amazed at the diversity of styles, each one more lovely than the previous ones! So give yourself a big inspiration treat and pop over to say Hello to Ksenija.
Here's another card using one of the pretty Northwoods stamps...

- Image was colored, and then got mixed up under some other things, and got a bit crumpled. After putting under layers of something to try to straighten it out a bit, just die cut with the S/B Labels 8 and made a shaped card. Used some DI Weathered Wood around the edges, and Voila, it's done. Think this might be Mr's Thanksgiving card this year. Have another one that is in the works, but it might not get finished. Don't you love sunflowers? They are always so cheery on fall days I think.

Posted another pretty card to enjoy on the Cards by Friends section, which I hope you'll have time to enjoy with us. It's such a blessing to have talented friends who are thoughtful enough to send a pretty card to cheer you up. I am feeling better each day, but low energy levels. Trying to keep up with the commenting & it's a joy to enjoy all the lovely cards on everyone's blogs. Brightens the day immensely.

Thanks for visiting & big hugs.

Don't forget the fantastic sale over at DeeDee's Digis.

 

 

More Northwoods Fall Scenes

Hi, and back with another scheduled post. I hope you're not getting tired of seeing Fall motifs and Northwoods images. I just love these stamps, and usually they are such fun to color. Enjoyed coloring this one, but as I see the photo, doesn't look as though there is enough contrast in it, to show it off as well as might be. My eyes just don't seem to like strong contrast.

 

But first, a warm welcome to Olga of Creating with Olga and I'm so pleased to have a new friend. Olga is another lovely new blogger, so I'd appreciate it if you take time to pop over and welcome her to our wonderful Blogging community. There's a delightful Snowman with smooshed background to enjoy at the moment. Olga, thanks for becoming a new follower here.

 

 

Back to the card:
Of course the image was colored with copics, WoS, some white gel pen to highlight.

The frame was done with S/B Diamond Effects from a created background. The aperture was not quite as wide as I wanted. Actually this die does NOT cut out the center - I  had to do it with an exacto knife (not one of my best skills). It required teeth holding tongue tightly so that I didn't slip with the blade!. This is just such a pretty fall motif, it was hard to resist the stamp. Northwoods was a vendor at the August Stampaway Show we were fortunate to attend, and got a lot of my business. Their stamps are all wood mount, so storage considerations can be a factor. However they stamp out so crisply, and are such nice images, it's hard to resist them, even though the images are a bit large.

Card base is just orange, sidefold. A few rhinestones add in the corners. The tiny top & bottom swirls are cut-outs from a die used here. (on the trim embellies).

Hope you like this one. Thanks for visiting, and Blessings to you along with big hugs.

Don't forget the sale over at DeeDee's Digis.
 

DeeDee's Digis - Autumn Harvest Basket

Hello, Happy Sunday. Hope the weekend has been nice for you so far. Today's scheduled post is another DeeDee's Digi card...so very easy to do cards with these cute images. This one has some mixed media 'schtuff' on it;  just shows that these well designed digis can work in so many versatile ways.

In case you've not had time to check this out, there's a super sale over at DeeDee's....if you like these designs, NOW is a good time to build your collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Harvest digi set (now just 69cents!) fussy cut the precolored digi, just a tiny bit of copic shading, some stylus shaping. Ready to pop on a card.

 

- Used a THoltz Harlequin stencil with Viva Décor paste that has some gritty bits in it, (and not really easy to spread either, but not so thick as that glitter paste I used recently). Let that dry overnight.

 

- Blue background piece from a created background - think this was done with smooshing reinkers, Tsukineko paint, and had been cut with a S/B frame die. Didn't work for the project intended, so cut in half to use here.

 

- corrugated cardboard had been on the table, got oversprays, hmmm...looked ok when combined here (at least _I_ thought it did!). Just tried placing elements to see how things looked. Decided to cut some stitched small leaves, colored with copics, tucked under the digi basket...and done! A rather neutral card, but I think the blue background & the bright leaves perked it up a bit. Before the cold & snuffles arrived, had been trying to use up some bits of stuff.

 

The sentiment is from the same package chipboard used on yesterday's card. Colored with copics.

 

Thanks for stopping in this afternoon, and Big Hugs back to you. (I've been trying to be very careful to stay away from Mr. so he doesn't get contaminated. At first I wasn't sure if this stuff was some of my allergy problems, or just a cold. So far, it's just been a cold, and stayed in my head. So I'm very thankful for that).



DeeDee's Digis - Stitchy Fall

Good evening! First - help me give a big welcome to Amanda of Flutterbies and Heffalumps. Amanda has a new blog (which I found via another blog friend), so please pop over to welcome Amanda to this wonderful community of friends that we enjoy. You're in for a nice treat.

Also, check out the Cards by Friends tab, to enjoy 2 lovely card received this week. Did they ever brighten our day. I've been fighting a cold all last week, so not feeling like being on the computer much. Doing better this evening, but will probably get behind in commenting again, so will say Sorry up front! These cards were a happy spot on days that I felt miserable! So thanks to both sweet & talented ladies.

This evening the card has a DeeDee's Digi image, called Stitchy Fall. (pssst....there is a TERRIFIC sale going on at DeeDee's just now. If you want some fantastically cute images at a super price, do go check it out!). Not only are the designs cute as can be, there's pre-colored, line art - so you can choose your own colors, sentiments, and many sets include digi papers. This set had it all, but I chose to just use some of the precolored images, resized to fit what I wanted, and easy-peasy card. What is so nice about these cute sets, is you can combine images from sets, picking & choosing just what YOU want to use, how you want to use the elements.

OK..printed the pumpkin twice, cut out one, did a little shading and shaping with a stylus after fussy cutting. Bottom layer was cut with a S/B classic circle, edge sponging done while in the die. Leaf & acorn sized accordingly, with a little additional shading added with copics, fussy cut, some glossy accents added to the buttons on all the images, which makes each button look very 3D I think. Glued the fussy pumpkin over the circle punkin,... done.

- Background created with brusho-s (a brown - would you b'lieve brown can look like this?). Wet the paper, sprinkled the brusho crystals, let it spread around. The sprinkled some very scant amounts of the crystals & used a pipette filled with water to move around. This was something I'd seen done in a youtube - works great to fill in spaces where more color or pattern is desired.

The blue swirly piece at the top is another created background - forget how I did this one - but decided to use the leftover shapes - fit together to add a little pop of color behind the leaf & acorn. (snippet!). Still have some swirly pieces that will show up on other cards.

- sentiment was cut from a thin piece of chipboard that came from a package - used a ?Taylored Expression? set of dies. Wasn't sure how well this would cut since the media was thick-ish, so added the Sizzix Precision Plate to the sandwich. Did a few passes, checked. Cut ok for the most part, but helped just a tiny bit with Cutterbee scissors that have a fine point to get into tiny places. Used copic markers to try to get to the same shade of the blue snippety piece. Not exact match, but worked ok.

Easy card, and much fun to make. Ooops, forgot to say that after the background piece had dried overnight, used a Sheena Douglas Chevron EF to emboss.

My next posts will be scheduled posts. Thanks for coming by to visit, and big hugs & blessings to you.

Northwoods Fall & Pumpkins

Hi, and welcome! Today is all about Fall. And another Northwoods image, which was fun to color with copics.

- If I think about it first - as I start to color, I find that coloring the background with the BG0000 or B0000, whichever I think will look better with the colors I plan to use, makes it easier to do the background. The blues are light enough, if color gets into the motif, it's easily covered by other later coloring. So it's faster to do it before anything else is colored and not worry about getting the 'sky' ink where it doesn't belong. A white gel pen added some highlights.

- Die cut with the S/B Deckled Mega Rectangle (not certain if this S/B set is still available), matted with a matching scallop rectangle.

- created a background using a small flourish & WOW Champagne Gold heat embossed, then sponging DI Scattered Straw, Shabby Shutters and Wilted Violet over the embossing. Die cut this with a S/B D-Lites Reflection Oval (S2-145)and split the die cut to form a top and bottom embellie for the rectangle piece.

- Taylored Expression sentiment die cut the word fall from the same piece as the medallion, and that's it!

Even though these Northwoods stamps have a lot of detail to color, they are usually fun & easy to do, as the image stamps out so distinctly. Some images I have to peer at to decide "What is this...is it part of that or is it supposed to be ????". Then after coloring it, then I find it really wasn't what I first  _thought_ it was, and have to try to fix it.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today. Apologies for not getting round to visit last week, but it was a busy week for us...Additionally, we had some nice weather, and outside chores needed to get done before the nasties set in again. My 'return visits' list got behind so many days, that I knew I'd never catch up, so decided to just start again from scratch. This week _should_ be quieter, so I'll attempt to do a better job! But thank you to all who visited, and didn't get a visit back from me. I appreciate you all.

Big hugs & lots of blessings.

Christmas Card Club - PostBox

Hello, and it's time again for our Christmas Card Club to share our Challenge cards. It was our Mrs. A's turn to select the theme, and she wanted to see Postboxes (or as I would say 'Mailbox'). You probably guessed I'd have one with a cardinal on it, right? I won't disappoint - (in that regard anyhoo.)

- Heartfelt image, stamped with Memento London Fog. Colored with Copics, WoS, and then added some glossy accents in places. S/B Grand Scallop cut the shaped card. Background - Copic BG0000.

- Art Impressions birds were added (there's a bird boo-boo under the bottom guy. All finished, except his beak, and the orange Staedtler fine line pen blobbed. First time this has happened. Can't erase it, so had to cover it.) Remembered this cute birds set, and even tho it's a bit out-of-proportion to the rest of the image,  thought these lil guys would look cute. Tried to add some Polar White Flowersoft to their hats & pom-poms, and the stuff just wouldn't stick. Oh well...

- HLS Mixed Christmas Sentiments on the mailbox where the homeowner name would be. Inked only the Merry part since it just fit perfectly. Used Delicata Gold, hand trimmed & edged the sentiment & the card with this gold.

- SnS sparkling snow glitter applied on the trees for snow, using the SnS brushable glue. A useful product, very easy to spread & control exactly where it was placed, using a fine line brush. Just wash the brush when finished. The glitter looks quite nice as snow.  Now all that needs done is add the inside verse.

Do check out my fellow team members' blogs listed on the right sidebar. You'll enjoy all the inspiration.

Thanks for joining me today, and hope that your Sunday will be just relaxing & lovely. Hugs

Twelve Tags of Christmas Event at Stamping with Loll

Hello, thanks for dropping by to visit.  There's a Christmas Tag Event at Stamping with Loll and the challenge is Mixed Media on a Christmas tag.

For this event, Mixed Media is defined as stamps + ink, plus two other elements which add texture and/or dimension.

OK, I'm not great at tags, so I did some thinking, and here's what finally evolved.

PTI Basic Bookmark #3 die to cut 140# weight watercolor, because I wasn't just sure what mediums I would use in the progression of this die. First, inked a small Stampabilities Vintage Poinsettia die with versamark, heat embossed with Ranger's Queen's Gold. Used red & green Zig Clean Color Brush watercolor markers to color the flowers. 

Sponged around the flowers using DI inks - perhaps Scattered Straw and Spiced Marmalade. Just wanted a sort of goldy-glow around the flowers. Then used a small stencil (no name on it, got 3 in a pack picked up in travels), and spread some Viva Décor gold paste through the stencil. So far, so good, with the stamping, inks & EP - then 2 elements for texture: sponging and paste embossing. Sponged and embossed a purchased tiny stag with HLS Mixed Christmas Sentiments using Queen's Gold once again - (this set has large and small sizes to accommodate various projects). Decided to add tiny gold beads to the centers of the poinsettias (more texture) and tie the tag on with some neutral color twine, that has a gold thread running through it. Topped off with a small poinsettia purchased from local Hobby Lobby, 40% off their Christmas stuff. The tiny tag was on sale too but was white. There's another small area of paste embossing underneath where the tag is positioned, but when this goes on a gift, the tiny tag will be placed to cover the central poinsettia, and the stenciled embossing will show.

Why don't you grab a tag (or make one) and join in at Loll's Mixed Media Christmas Tag Event??

This is also a reminder that the Happy Little Stampers November Christmas Challenge is Tag.

Thanks for joining me today. Blessings & Hugs

To Those Who Served....

 

Good Morning. In the USA, today is set aside to remember all those who have served in our military, past & present. So many have given of their time, their health, their lives - to preserve our country's freedoms. So that we of today can live the way we choose, and it is only fitting & proper to say a Heartfelt Thank You to those brave service people.

 

 

 

The photo is a free one found on the internet....But it represents what I feel about today. My family veterans include my father, my 5 brothers, my husband, and various nephews & nieces throughout the extended family-- in several different wars and conflicts. We are justly proud of their courage and sacrifice. Ache for the heartbreak of those who were left behind too - so that their loved ones could serve. Thank you to ALL - Americans and those courageous citizens in any country who served their country. In ANY of the wars that have been fought.

Have a blessed day. Hugs

Grace and Butterflies

Hi, pull up a chair for a little chat! Happy to have you visit.

Today's card is made from bits and pieces of 'schtuff' that has been floating around the desk for a while.

- think the EF is a Couture Creations, but done so long ago, I forget! (it was part of the Crapalanche pile - see Bloginitions tab for that explanation!!!) Thanks to Hettie for that description- and it fits my situation perfectly! Also gave me a big smile when I read it at her Rudy Day post.

- the dimensional stickers were also part of the crapalanche pile, and were part of a sweet RAK from Our Darnell  -- way back in May when Darnell, Bonnie & I met up in Waxhaw, NC. So maybe that sort of gives an idea of the crapalanche pile & how long it's been around!!!

The little bit exposed at the edge of the card is a chipboard butterfly, that has script over the white, and then was inked with blue ink to complement the verse inking color. Didn't get it tucked in far enough, but too late to try to pull it up & reposition. Ah well, it fits in the envelope ok :-}.

Very simple, quick & easy to put together, once the bits & pieces were excavated!!! Oh yes, the pearl white sequins were added ...the white card picked up a tiny spot of yellow from somewhere, only saw it in the first photo..so thought the sequins could come to the rescue. They were in the pile too!!!

Hope your week has been good. Big hugs.

Northwoods Autumn Sunflowers

Good afternoon and thanks for popping in. Today's card is another of the wonderful Northwoods stamps...so let's go:

- Stamped using Bonnie's Best Speedball Stamp Press because this is a largish, fairly detailed stamp, and got a crisp image, first try. Let me say, this Stamp Press beats the plastic Fiskars one, hands down. DH bought it at a show, and it's been worth the cost. Works great on large stamps, but also on clear ones, that may not stamp out as sharp as desired.

- copic coloring, with some white gel highlights, die cut with a Sue Wilson Canadian Collection Vancouver (outer die). Faux matted with the same die, in bright yellow c/s, edged with DI Fossilized Amber.

- background created with the smooshing technique using green & gold shades of Silk acrylic paint, Viva Décor Inca gold, some green sprays (Dylusions Pesto and Lindy's Stamp Gang). The background didn't have enough contrast when the image was put over it, so thus the addition of the Pesto & Lindy's to create a deeper shade. (see this card - background created at the same time. ) Adding the sprays after the background dried overnight, got a deeper contrast for the sunflower image.

- Dabbed some of the Golden Mica Flakes with a finger, around the edges to create a little glimmer and some rustic texture. The sentiment stamped as part of the image was outlined using a Slicca .8 mm gold pen.

 

 

The Gold Mica flakes are a new product to me. Had a rewards coupon from A C Moore (it's a store like Michaels, Hobby Lobby). ACM is sadly not keeping pace with the latest & greatest, so sometimes it's not easy to find something to spend my 'rewards' on...then I go into the art department and browse. Saw this product along with one that is pearlized, so decided to see what it does - the rewards & a coupon made it cost effective to try a product which I had no idea of what it was. Think it would work well to add to modeling paste, etc.

 

Hope you enjoyed this card. Come again when you can...Blessings & Hugs. Have a great week. 

 

 

 

 

 

DeeDee's Digis - Raggedy Fall

Hello and welcome. It's been a bit dreary in our Upstate South Carolina for several days, but it's a quiet Sunday afternoon and we can have a little chat, right?

Wanted to share the link to a new follower that I welcomed earlier, but didn't have the proper link, so let's say Hi again to Henriette van Mierlo of Card Creations....made by Me. Hope you will find a few minutes to surf in to enjoy Henriette's cool and clean style of cards and let her know I sent you over to say hello.

Also will be adding a wonderfully crafted card to the Cards by Friends secion;  DH received this one from an extremely talented cardmaker. Anne channels Tim Holtz better than anyone I know, and DH always loves to see what Anne shares at Halloween (both of them love the holiday!). To our surprise, this week's mail brought an amazing work of art, and he was just delighted, as this is the first card HE's ever received from one of my blog friends. Well, it was really for the both of us, but I told him, it could be his!! So do be sure to check out the Cards by Friends tab, and enjoy this treasure with us.

Now, on with today's card:

- DeeDee's DIgi Raggedy Fall very simply & quickly printed out, absolutely nothing else done, except die cut with a S/B Oval Bliss die. No shading at all, just a light touch with a dauber of DI Fossilized Amber around the very edge of the die (only because the ink & a dauber were already out!) DI Antique Linen very lightly sponged inside the oval while the image was still in the die. Got a little smear at the bottom edge...a boo boo necessitated cover up..hence the addition of some other fall objects. But...until the little oopsy, this was still looking pret-tee good.

- Impression Obsession leaf dies, apple bucket cut from white snippet, colored with copics, WoS added for some apple gleam. S/B Pumpkin (from years ago, not sure if this die is still available), also copic colored. Covered up the oopsy very nicely, yes? Life & lemons, lemonade - that sort of thing!

- MB Leaf border cut from previously created spray background. Actually this was a mop-up from where some colors & different inks were being tested. Thought the border would cut solidly, but it's 4 individual leaves - which worked out nicely. Can't find a picture of this die to link - it's probably a couple years old.

- Background created using Silk & Viva Décor Inca gold products, greens & golds...spritz with water and smoosh. Lots of fun doing this, when one doesn't feel like doing something else. It's therapeutic and something pretty results - whatever products are used. (but be careful not to create 'mud' - I try to keep the puddles of different colors from 'touching', then swipe the cardstock. Glossy paper will yield different looks, as will sopping up the puddles with some cling wrap and dabbing it on the cardstock in a twisting motion). Fun!

DeeDee's has a new winter themed Digi of the Month Challenge going on, open until November 29 Pacific Time. The set is just adorable & fun, and the challenge is a progressive one. (look here for the very easy rules). So DO check it out.

Now, everyone knows I'm for all things cardinals. Thought you'd enjoy seeing the bedspread that goes on, for the holiday season. This year it went on a bit earlier..just because....

The story behind this years-ago purchase: There's a restaurant chain in parts of the USA called Cracker Barrel. It's a place we like to stop for lunch when we're traveling, as the food is consistently good, pretty much the same in all the different areas, reasonably priced and usually very tasty. The decorative scheme is old-fashioned, with lots of displays hanging on the walls to enjoy as one eats..plus some shopping. Had been eyeing this set in our local C/B, but didn't want to pay full price for something 'seasonal'. I've always loved any star quilt pattern, and if it's got cardinals embroidered, well, it's dang nigh irrestible to me. So I was exercising a lot of discipline to wait for a sale.  Fast forward some time--. On a trip to New England, we stopped in a Virginia C/Barrel, and the bedspread was marked 40% off, as was the throw. Decided to get them...but no pillow shams were available. On the way back home, stopped at C/B in another state, found 2 'regular sized' matching shams. We have a king sized bed, so with just standard shams, it needs 3 to look right. Some time later, after an early morning doctor's appointment, we were having breakfast in the local C/B (which is always delicious!), was browsing among the quilt display - and of course the hostess asked if I was looking for something specific. Explained about the previous purchases..etc -  and she got on the computer, found one in another store, about an hour north of us...Had it shipped to the local eatery, with no additional shipping charges. Also got it for the 40% off! Is that good customer service or what?!!! I said "it was meant that I have this set!". We always laugh about this when the birds go on the bed!!! (Incidently, that year for Christmas, DD got us a set of red bird patterned flannel sheets, but it's not been cold enough to break out the flannels yet).

We have a busy week ahead, so look for some scheduled posts later on. Also remember: there is an HLS November Tag challenge in progress, as well as a

12 Tags of Christmas over at Stamping with Loll. Hope you can find time to look in at each of these fun places, and enjoy some awesome Holiday Tag inspiration. Remember, you'll be needing tags for those Christmas packages!!! Might win a fab prize too!!

Thanks for joining me this afternoon. Big hugs & blessings too.

HLS November Christmas Challenge - Tags

Hello and welcome to the HLS November Christmas Challenge, and this month, the theme is TAGS!

Our Challenge Sponsor is Happy Little Stampers

The winner of this month's challenge will receive a free stamp set from HLS, so we hope you'll find time to join in with your Tags, anything as long as it's Christmas Themed, have some fun, perhaps be a winner. Here's what I came up with (and remember, I'm not great with tags! So if I can do it, so can YOU!)

 

 

 

- Tag created from 140# watercolor paper and an Elizabeth Craft Tag 3 & More die to die cut.

 

- used Viva Décor Inka Gold and some Maya Inca Gold ** dabbed on a craft mat, spritzed with water, and 'smooshed' the w/color tag around through it. (here's an excellent tutorial by Loll, and while I didn't have exactly the same products Loll used, it still creates some wonderful looks) 

 

 (**Photo of smooshing products below)

 

After the tag dried, used a TCW Christmas tree stencil, and some Viva Décor Glitter paste to make the dimensional trees. (not sure that the link is the color that I have, but you can see the product). It was extremely thick and hard to spread - and yes, I am always careful to put the cap back on quickly when using these pastes, so that it doesn't dry out. Doubt I will use this stuff again, but I might try to see if I can thin it.

 

Snow bank was torn paper, spread out some TomBow liquid glue, and sprinkled some Sparkle n Sprinkle Twinkling Cloud over the sticky glue, and pressed it down, shaking off the excess.  Makes terrific snow.

 

- Lawn fawn Toboggan Together clear set for the penguin fun, stamped on white Xpress, colored with copics, then some WoS, and a coat of glossy accents. The companion die set used for the penguins, but after deciding to add in some more stamped trees, those were fussy cut with scissors.

 

- SU scalloped oval punch on a snippet of white, then stamped with HLS Mixed Christmas Sentiments. A couple of Jolee packages & a Spare Parts Penguin brad were added for some more dash.

 

Happy Little Stampers has a brand new stamp release this month. There's some really darling sets available, and you won't want to miss seeing these. Now do be sure to check out what my fellow DT members have shared for the HLS November Tag challenge, and join in the fun. Hey, you could be the winner of a lovely new stamp set!

 

Edit: Also linked to Stamping with Loll Day One Twelve Tags of Christmas

 

Thanks for joining me & Big Hugs & Blessings.

 

**Here's the products used, and the backgrounds made from the 'leftover smoosh'. The center bkground happened to be a piece of glossy c/stock and it really turned out nicely. On this center one, used a piece of plastic small bubble wrap to pounce into the 'smoosh liquid' and then over the c/s with a twisting motion. The others were just dragging the cardstock through the liquid on the craft mat.