Happy Halloween Pumpkins

I don't know what it is about pumpkins, but I love them.  They signify the beginning of "Fall", and they add so much to your decorating and card creations, as you've most likely seen in a few of my recent posts.

I thought I'd share with you one of the September team swaps I received.  It's a cute card, and hope you like it too.

More to come, so stay tuned.

Fall into the Paper Plunge

Today is the first day of a new blog, which I am one of the design team.  WHOO HOOO!  How exciting is that?  The name of the blog is "The Paper Plunge", and this is my first submission.  Please take the opportunity to visit us and play along.  The theme is "Fall", and the canvas is blank and ready to see what you have to share... www.thepaperplunge.blogspot.com.  Would love to see your entry ... so why don't you come on over and play?  

This is my submission for Week #1.  I hope you like it.  I can't wait for you to see all the other design team members' creations too.  They are all fabulous.

Recipe

Paper:  very vanilla, cajun craze, gold foil

Ink:  cajun craze, mossy meadow, tangelo twist, black berry bliss, hello honey, baked brown sugar, crumb cake

Stamp Sets:  hardwood, wonderous wreath, fall fest

Accessories:  wonderful wreath & fun fall framelits, linen thread, candy dot

I brayered the hardwood using crumb cake, then hello honey, and topped it off with baked brown sugar.  It really gave the wood a nice, warm glow, which is what I was looking for.  I also daubered the pumpkins with cajun craze to make them a bit darker organge, and I like the way they turned out.  I used cajun craze for two of the leaves, and sponged them over with blackberry bliss for a richer look.

Well, I hope you enjoy my creation, and please do join us over at The Paper Plunge.  We'd love to see your beautiful, Fall creations.

Thanks for stopping by.

Birthday Celebration at the Seaside

I recently connected with a dear friend of mine from elementary school and it was just like old times.  We had many things to talk about, and it was like no time past between us at all.

As we sat and worked on some Project Life pages, we chatted about her upcoming vacation to the beach.  It is her husband's birthday, and they are going to celebrate while they are at the shore.  So she asked me if I would make an 8x10 happy birthday picture frame, and of course, I jumped right to it.  Bea wanted a lobster, crab, and sand dollar on it, for sure, as they have meaning to both of them. I was in luck because we have By the Tide and By the SeaShore stamp sets, so I was ready.  It took a couple hours to design it and put it all together, and the frame I found fit absolutely perfect.  Check it out:

I used the "maritime" designer series paper for the background, and followed up with night of navy and smoky slate.  I cut out the lobster, crab and sand dollar after stamping and coloring them, and placed them strategically on the picture.  Last of all, I used the smoky slate chevron ribbon to top it off, and it came out great.  Best of all, Bea was absolutely thrilled with it and that's all that matters.

Happy Birthday, Curt.  Enjoy your seaside vacation, and your birthday frame.

Coloring Down the Lines - Give Thanks for All Things

Hi!  Happy Fall to all of you.  The weather has been wonderful these past few days and it's a gentle reminder that Fall is here for all to enjoy.

This week's blog hop has some really pretty colors.  It reminds me of Fall mums, and since I don't have a stamp set of mums, I thought I would follow the Fall theme.

Below are the color pallet and photograph we used for inspiration.

Although the colors above are very vibrant, mine are a bit more muted.  See what you think.  I hope you like it.

Recipe

Paper:  very vanilla, blackberry bliss

Ink:  blackberry bliss, tangerine tango, pumpkin pie, daffodil delight, melon mambo, blushing bride

Stamp sets:  for all things, gorgeous grunge

Accessories:  3/8" stitched satin ribbon (blackberry bliss), autumn wood elements

Now don't forget to hop forward to Carol's blog and see what she has made for you this week.  Then pop on over to Joni's blog and check out what she did with this week's colors.  

Don't forget to stop on back to see what else I have in store for you.  I've been very busy with my library card class, and a holiday shopping fund raiser for The Whole Child Learning Center coming up in early November.  But I'll still manage to post some goodies for you.

Thanks for taking the time to check us out again this week, and please feel free to leave a comment.  They mean a lot to me.

Cheers!

Coloring Down the Lines - Toasty Celebration

Welcome back to our blog hop this week.  Our challenge this week is the pink / burgundy family and I had to think a bit before I made my creation.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but then an idea struck me and I went with it.  It's not something that I thought would look good, but it's not too bad.

The photograph we used for inspiration is pretty, and the color pallet follows.  Check it out.

So now that you've seen the color pallet and photo, here's what I did with the color combination...

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white

Ink:  blackberry bliss, rose red, melon mambo, blushing bride, pink pirouette

Stamp Sets:  making spirits bright; work of art

Accessories:  blackberry bliss ribbon, stars EF, in color sequins embellishments

If you've hopped on over here from Carol's blog, bravo.  I'm sure you weren't disappointed.  And now you can hop on over to Joni's blog to see what she has in store for you.  Love, Love, Love the hop, don't you?

Thanks for taking the time for stopping by, and please do come back!  

Winter Joy

I am loving the new holiday home stamp set.  There is so much you can do with it, and I made this cute card for my swap at our team meeting this weekend.  I saw a beautiful card with this layout (slightly different) over at Joninina Andaya's blog and I was awe-struck when I saw it.  I wanted to make one like it, but I try not to CASE the entire card, so I added my own touch and colors to my card.

Let me know what you think ....

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white

Ink:  memento black, garden green, soft sky; blendabilities:  cherry cobbler, smoky slate, daffodil delight

Stamp Sets:  holiday home, festival of trees, wonderous wreath

Accessories:  wonderful wreath framelits, homemade holiday framelits, decorative label framelits, Christmas tree punch, glitter, white marker

I love the way the card has the cut out in the center, and the house is stamped on the inside and cut out for the front of the card.  I drizzled some snow on the rooftop, and under the glitter, I used the white marker to lighten it a bit so it looked like snow.  

Hope you like it.  I'm having a lot of fun with the new stamp sets ... you will definitely see more.

Thanks for stopping by!

Grateful For You Harvest

Today is my birthday, and of course, I didn't make myself a birthday card, but I did make this beautiful Fall harvest card using my favorite colors right now.  My mother's birthday is today as well, and although she is not with us anymore, I think of her so much.  The special bond of having the same birthday and her being my mother is so dear to me, I can't express how I feel.  So this card is for her too.

This card is using the new "2014-16 in colors" from Stampin' Up and they are just so rich.  At first, I wasn't sure if I liked them and how I would make something using all of them together, but that quickly faded because I've been using them like crazy.  I love every season, and I'm so fortunate to live in Pennsylvania where the seasons change and they inspire me to make fun, new stuff.

I call this card "Grateful For You Harvest" because I am grateful for you, your encouragement, and viewing my blog, along with the sweet comments you leave for me.  That just keeps me going to see what I can make next.  I just love to stamp, and I'm so glad I've made this part of my life because it's my passion.

I'm heading out to dinner with my husband and son, as I enjoy spending time with them.  Our daughter and husband live in Brooklyn, and unfortunately, we don't see them much, but when we do , it warms my heart to have us all together again.  Time flies and your children grow and leave the nest, but thank goodness they don't forget about you and come back to spend time with you.  That's one of my favorite things of all.

Anyway, here's the card I made and decided to post on my birthday.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  It looks so rich with the colors, and I could stare at it all day.

Recipe

Paper:  blackberry bliss, very vanilla, tangelo twist, lost lagoon

Ink:  blackberry bliss, tangelo twist, mossy meadow, hello honey, lost lagoon, soft suede

Stamp Sets:  fall fest, gorgeous grunge, petite petals, for all things

Accessories:  for fall framelits, petite flower punch, itty bitty accent punch, itty bitty punch, basic pearls

Well, happy birthday to me and my mom, and I'll see you back here tomorrow with another card I made.

Ciao for now!

Thoughts at Christmas

I saw this really pretty card made out of the fancy foil vellum sheets over at "Stamping Scene", and I wanted to try making one similar, so I pulled out my cardstock and vellum sheets and started creating.  I ended up adding  the silver foil paper as a layer on mine because I thought it gave it just the right touch.  It turned out pretty nice, and I'm pleased with it.  Let me know what you think.

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, fancy foil silver vellum, silver foil, hello honey

Ink:  mossy meadow, old olive, tangelo twist, cherry cobbler, silver metallic

Stamp Sets:  fall fest, flower patch, endless wishes

Accessories:  bird punch, for fall framelits, itty bitty punch

So there you have it ... Christmas at its best.  

See you tomorrow.

Coloring Down the Lines - Fall Splendor

Looking at the picture for this week, the vegetables just pop off the page, so I wanted to so something like the photo, but didn't have any vegetable stamps.  So I pulled the colors out and thought a bit and came up with a design in my head, but then quickly changed it and I'm happy with it.

I like using the photographs for inspiration, as it's just not random colors you're looking at and trying to figure out how they go together, but having the photograph sends your thoughts to places beyond what you may have come up with without the visual.

Anyway, I'm rambling on, and I know you want to see what I've made for this week, don't you?  First, let me ask ... did you stop by everyone else's blog to see what they've made, or are you just starting here?  If so, don't forget to go back to Carol's blog, and follow backward, or hop on forward to Joni's blog and keep on hopping.

Here's the photograph we used for this week's creation...

The colors are so rich, and it's not hard for me to figure something out using those.  Here's what I made, using the photograph as my guide and inspiration.  It's not quite Fall in full bloom, but the start of Fall, and the end of Summer.

Recipe
Paper:  garden green, whisper white

Ink:  crisp cantaloupe, tangerine tango, rose red, elegant eggplant, garden green, pear pizzazz

Stamp Sets:  wonderous wreath, petite petals, pictogram punches, fall fest

Accessories:  woodgrain EF, petite petals punch, wonderful wreath framelits, fun fall framelits,  itty bitty accent punch, brights candy dot, basic pearls

I thought the candy dot in the middle of the ribbon gave it just the right look, as it felt like it was missing something without it.  I used garden green and pear pizzazz for the wreath, and dotted it with tangerine tango dots from the wonderous wreath set.  Sooooo cute.

Thanks for stopping by, and I sure hope you've been inspired by what we've created for you this week.  Keep on Stampin'!

Hello Fall Fest

This card was made from pieces I had cut out from another card I made and I didn't want to waste it.  I thought I should make another Fall card since that's what the pieces and embossing reminded me of.

Here's what I came up with:

Recipe:

Paper:  very vanilla, hello honey, blackberry bliss

Ink:  hello honey, tangelo twist, mossy meadow, blackberry bliss

Stamp Set:  fall fest, for all things

Accessories:  fun fall framelits, beautifully baroque EF

Now, back to my craft studio ... I've got more creativity left before I fade away.  Stay tuned!

Joy of the Season

Can't get enough of the stamp sets in the holiday catalog.  I've been making cards like crazy, and the creative juices just keep on flowing.  I love days like that.  I can create and create and never waiver on designs.  Then there are other days, I sit and ponder what I want to make, and then when I find the right stamp set, I go through trial and error just to figure out a design around the stamp set.  I don't like those days, I must say.

For this card, I used the wonderous wreath stamp set.  I love, love, love it.  It's just so elegant, and it's versatile too.

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, gold

Ink:  wild wasabi, mossy meadow, cherry cobbler, daffodil delight

Stamp Set:  wonderous wreath

Accessories:  wonderful wreath framelits filigree frame EF

Hope you like it ... I think the wreath just pops off the card stock, don't you?

Check me out tomorrow to see what else I made.  Oh la la.

The First Noel

Ok, I really like the filigree frame embossing folder, so I made a few cards using it.  This card is very simple and I'm not sure if it needs something or not, but never-the-less, I decided to just leave it as it is.  See what you think.

Recipe:

Paper:  whisper white, silver

Ink:  pool party

Stamp Set:  letterpress winter

Accessories:  filigree frame EF, large rhinestone, pool party embossing powder

So, next up, another holiday card .... stop back tomorrow and you'll see what I've made.

Thanks for stopping by.

Thanksgiving Happiness - Mingle All The Way!

Who doesn't love Fall and all the beautiful colors it brings with it?  Although I am sad to see Summer winding down for another year, Fall is a nice time of year.  I love making calls for Fall just for that reason.  Here's one I made over the Labor Day holiday.  Hope you like it.

Recipe

Paper:  soft suede, hello honey, whisper white

Ink:  mossy meadow, memento black, blackberry bliss, hello honey, cajun craze, soft suede

Stamp Sets:  mingle all the way, letterpress winter, fall fest

Accessories:  fun fall framelits

I actually stamped the swirls from the mingle all the way stamp set on a piece of card stock and didn't know what I was going to do with it.  So .... just playing around, this is what I ended up with.  Not bad, huh?

See you tomorrow.

All Hallow's Eve

I just love the holiday home stamp set and framelits.  I've been having some fun with them this past weekend. I wanted to make something with a "halloween" flair, so I found this cute card by Justin Krieger, and I made a variation of it.  I also wanted to make it look like it was night time, and a bit eerie, and this is what I came up with:

Recipe
Paper:  cajun craze, very vanilla, basic black

Ink:  mossy meadow, smoky slate, night of navy, soft suede, so saffron, memenmto black, tangelo twist, blackberry bliss, hello honey; blendabilities:  coastal cabana, crumb cake, calypso coral, daffodil delight, rich razzelberry, smoky slate

Stamp Set:  holiday house

Do you like it?  It was a lot of fun making it just the way I wanted it.  If you don't have this stamp set, you have to get it.  The link to the holiday catalog is right on my blog to the right ... have fun!

See you tomorrow!

Wonderous Christmas Wreath

I love the new wonderous wreath stamp set and framelits, and there's endless possibilities to the designs you can come up with.  I want to make quite a few of them, but this is one I made over the Labor Day weekend.  It started out with just a white door, then I fiddled around with it a bit, and this is what I ended up as the final design.  What do you think?

I wanted it to look like a wooden door, and so I made the panels, then cut them a little shorter, and added the antique brad for the doorknob.  It looks old, don't you agree?  It doesn't show very well in the photograph, but the ribbon which the wreath is hanging from is gold embossed.  Hope you like it.

Stay tuned for more from the holiday catalog!!!

Coloring Down the Lines - Scattered Thanks

I selected the photograph to use for this week's blog hop because I love the colors.  They are nice and vibrant, and they just remind me of "happy".  The pallet includes the colors:  very vanilla, crumb cake, cajun craze, blackberry bliss, garden green, and wild wasabi.

I hope you stopped by to check out Carol's blog first before stopping here, but if not, please don't forget to hop on back to see what she's made for you.  Joni, of course, is always on par with having her submissions completed way in advance of the line up ... and frankly, I've been doing that too so I don't have to worry about forgetting with my busy schedule these days.

Below is the picture and color pallet, and then follows with my submission.  It's simple this week ... but I think it turned out nice.

Recipe

Paper:  very vanilla, blackberry bliss

Ink:  crumb cake, cajun craze, blackberry bliss, garden green, wild wasabi

Stamp Set:  seasonally scattered

Accessories:  oval framelits, lovely lace EF

And that's it.   It's simple, clean, and utilizes all the colors in the pallet.  Hope you like it.

Hugs!

Holiday Home

I broke out the holiday house stamp set and now I can't seem to put it down.  I wanted to make a winter scene, so I pulled out the stamps I wanted to use and put them on a piece of card stock, laying out the design, then took out my stamp pads and this is what I ended up with...

I like the way it turned out, and it looks like the winter scene I was envisioning.  Hope you like it too.

Ciao for now!

Happy 21st Birthday, Rachel

My niece, Rachel, turns 21 on September 4.  My sister had a party for her over the Labor Day Holiday, and of course, I had to make her a card.  I sat down to make the card and just couldn't come up with a design I liked.  Then I found one that I liked, so I made it using different designer series paper, and I like the way it turned out.  Unfortunately, I didn't save the original picture and can't remember who the person was that I got my inspiration from.  If I find it later, I surely will let you know who it was.

In the meantime, here's the card I made for Rachel:

I used retired sale-a-bration paper for the present, along with some retired "pool party" ribbon.  Rachel liked the card ... and that always makes me smile.

Cheers!