Color Throwdown #461

Ohhh, I’m running late this week with my post for the Color Throwdown!  It’s been a hectic week because I’ve had to work at a different office than my own all week, and just breaking my usual routine throws me into a tizzy.  It took until this evening for me to even realize I hadn’t done my post.  My apologies to the CTD ladies for forgetting my obligations!

Here are the colors for this week…

And here’s my card…

These colors just screamed Halloween to me, but I don’t have many Halloween-ish images.  However, this cute image from Whipper Snapper Designs is one I have always kept as I love the whimsy of it so much!  I colored that lil’ pumpkin, ghost and scaredy cat witch Copic markers, framed them up with a purple gingham frame, and added some bright yellow sequins for embellishment.  A green sentiment flag completed the design.

Please be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit the CTD team members for more inspiration…

Amy Rohl
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen

Thanks for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #419

Ooooh, did you see the new Color Throwdown challenge posted on Facebook last night?  LOVE me those colors!  I just had to make a card last night, and here it is…

I’ve got a thing for this Birdie Brown Harvest Mouse stamp set, I think!  I just couldn’t resist using it again, and coloring with Copics.  I layered the mousie on a Gumdrop Green card stock circle that was die-cut with the Wonky Stitched Circle STAX Die-Namics, and stamped with the BG Burlap background stamp.  On the kraft card stock background panel, I stamped the BG Wood Plank background, and over that layered a piece of red polka dot paper, and an Orange Zest card stock strip that was cut with a die from Blueprints 2 Die-Namics. 

Here’s the CTD color swatch…

And my card layout was based on the new Retro Sketch #240 for this week…

Thanks a whole bunch for stopping by today!  I appreciate it!

Apple Harvest

Hello friends!  It’s time for a new challenge with the Crazy 4 Challenges team, and this week our aim is to include fruit in our designs!  And what’s one of the greatest fruits to have at this time of year?  Oh yeah, give me a good juicy, crisp APPLE anytime!  What’s your favorite?  I LOVE Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady and Golden Delicious the most! 

Well, here’s my fruity card…

I pulled out my sweet Birdie Brown Harvest Mouse stamp set, and colored him up with Copic markers using the current Color Throwdown colors for this week. 

And my card layout was inspired by the current MarkerPOP Blog sketch challenge. 

On my card background, I stamped the BG Small Brick background stamp with Versarmark, embossed with white embossing powder, then added a watercolor wash using Peerless watercolors.  I made the green frame with the Pierced Rectangle STAX Die-Namics, and used Blueprints 24 to cut out the background piece.

I added the second half of the sentiment to the inside…

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge

Hello there, and happy Fall, my friends!  I hope this season of harvest has been as beautiful for you as it has been for us here in Northeast Ohio!  Except for some rainy days, we’ve had a fantastic Indian summer here…in more ways than one seeing as how the Indians are going to win the World Series tonight, too!    Oh, but I digress! 

I’m here today to share the new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge with you!  Today’s challenge is inspired by this awesome photo…

If I had felt in these gorgeous colors, I would have used it.  But I don’t so I went with card stock and here’s what I came up with…

I LOVED the yellow dots on the burlap background, and I tried so hard to replicate that but had no success.  So I went with the next best thing and used the Peek-a-Boo Polka Dots Die-Namics Cover-Up die for my background.  The leaves were cut from Blu Raspberry, Persimmon, and Jellybean Green card stock using the Falling Leaves Die-Namics.  Behind the leaves I added a Stitched Circle STAX Die-Namics frame cut from Hot Fudge card stock.  And added the sentiment from Essential Sentiments stamped on a Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX Dei-Namics.  A few sequins and a button embellishment finished my card.

Please be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be in the running to be chosen as the “Lead” and be our guest designer for the next challenge!  And be sure to visit the Crew for plenty of inspiration…

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

Thanks for stopping by!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge–Glittery Gourds

Hello friends!  This is just a friendly reminder that there are a few days left for the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge based on the photo below…

How pretty are those glittery pumpkins!?  I started out with one idea for my card, but then it evolved into this one…

I used a traditional orange pumpkin, utilizing the Pumpkin Patch Confetti Cuts die from Reverse Confetti, and added some “glitter” with a gold glitter card stock flag behind my sentiment flag.  My sentiment comes from a retired Pure Innocence stamp set from My Favorite Things.  Also from MFT are the polka dot piece behind the pumpkin from Blueprints 22 Die-Namics and the Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics.

Be sure to stop by the Glittery Gourds challenge on the Curtain Call blog and join us!

Crazy for a Sketch

Hello friends!  It’s that time of the month when the Crazy 4 Challenges team has a sketch challenge for you to try, so I hope you’ll join us this week!  This is a cute little square sketch that I love!

For my card, I used some old patterned papers from Papertrey Ink, and this sweet new Happy Harvest acorn stamp set from Reverse Confetti, along with the matching Confetti Cuts dies.

I kept this pretty simple, adding some enamel dots around the image for embellishment, instead of the line of dots on the bottom right corner.

And speaking of Crazy 4 Challenges, last week’s challenge kind of came and went and somehow I just never got my card photographed and uploaded.  Life has been crazy lately… I’m working really hard the last few months trying to eat healthier, exercise and lose weight so lately my focus is more on going for a walk than stamping.  (Down 30 pounds since May!)  Plus I started a new job 2 weeks ago, so I’m really sidetracked.  Anyway, last week’s challenge can be found HERE.  The challenge was to choose your two favorite colors on the color wheel, then make a card using the colors opposite your favorites.  Trouble is, my most favorite color is orange, and my next favorite is aqua blue.  Those colors ARE opposite each other on the color wheel.  So what I did instead was just move around the wheel from orange to yellow, and from blue to purple.  (I’m NOT a purple fan so anytime I have to use it is a challenge!)  And here’s what I came up with.

I watercolored this Clearly Besotted sunflower from the Sunshine and Smiles stamp set, and added the die-cut thank you sentiment.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie

Thanks for stopping by today!

I Said a Prayer…

I made this card this weekend… while it looks like it was probably pretty quick to make, it actually took a whole afternoon because it didn’t turn out quite how I envisioned.  I actually was going to add the Pumpkin Patch Confetti Cuts to it in addition to the Wheat Confetti Cuts, but the pumpkin was just too much, and I decided simpler was better.  This is a card for my husband’s former boss, who is battling cancer and unfortunately not doing well.

In also used the Leafy Confetti Cuts to add a pop of another color, and the sentiment is from the My Heart Trusts stamp set.  Stamps and dies are all from Reverse Confetti.

I had a productive weekend when it comes to being outside, getting some exercise, and spending time with my hubby… but not so productive with stamping.  But that’s OK… was still a great weekend!  And I hope yours was, as well!  Thank you for stopping by today!

Curtain Call - Fall Florals



The Curtain Call team is part of a special blog hop today.  Altenew invited the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge to be part of The Ultimate Challenge Blog Hop, along with many other fabulous challenge blogs!

 

 

Curtain Call has some extra inspiration to get your creative juices flowing!  One can't think of Altenew without thinking of their amazing floral designs, so we threw some fall floral inspiration into the mix!

 

 

 

So, here's my card for today...

 

 

I finally got some ink on my Peony Bouquet stamp set from Altenew, and am now wondering why it took me so long to use this beautiful stamp set???  My design was inspired by this card by Tasnim.  I thought some gold touches added some elegance, so I stamped a polka dot background and embossed with gold embossing powder.  (That was though, after I mistook gold GLITTER for embossing powder and made a MESS!  Ugh... does anyone else despise glitter as much as I do?)  I didn't really feel like I had a good spot for a sentiment, so I left this card blank inside and out, and can customize as needed.

 

Please be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be in the running to be chosen as the “Lead” and be our guest designer for the next challenge!  And be sure to visit the Crew for plenty of inspiration…

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey

 

Thanks for stopping by!









Curtain Call Reminder–Candy Apple

Hello friends!  Just a reminder, there’s still time to join us for the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  Here’s the photo to inspire you this time around…

Because I just can’t resist gingham, I went with another gingham-patterned apple for my card this week…

For this design, I used my well-loved Red Delicious Die-Namics (so sad that this is retired!) from My Favorite Things for that big, gorgeous apple, and put a piece of black and white polka dot paper behind it.  I added some extra dimension to the design by using the BG Diagonal Stripes background stamp from MFT on the left side of the back panel.  My layout is loosely based on the Retro Sketch #229 from last week.

Be sure to stop by the Curtain Call blog for more inspiration, and JOIN US!  You could be chosen as the Lead, and be our Guest Designer for the next challenge!

Curtain Call - Candy Apple

Yay, it's September 1st and even though the calendar says Fall doesn't officially start for 3 more weeks, I'm ready to start celebrating now!  Our county fair is next week, there's pumpkin spice everything everywhere, and lots of wonderful Fall produce!  Including apples which can be made into candy apples... which coincidentally is our inspiration for the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge today!

Now me, I prefer a caramel apple but these still look pretty tasty!  I hope you'll join us for the challenge.  You could be chosen as the Lead, and join us for the next challenge!  Stop by the Curtain Call blog for all the details!

Here's what I created for today...

I used a retired Die-namics die from My Favorite Things to die-cut this little apple from some gingham paper, and put it over a black polka dot flag, and a green apple watercolor wash background.  The sentiment was created from two separate retired MFT stamp sets, and I embellished with some enamel dots.

Again, please be sure to stop over at the Curtain Call blog for all the challenge details, and join us!  You could be in the running to be chosen as the “Lead” and be our guest designer for the next challenge!  And be sure to visit the Crew for plenty of inspiration…

Betty Wright
Kim Singdahlsen
Leigh Penner
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Silke Ledlow
Stacey Schafer
Tara Godfrey
Kristie Hartfeil, Guest Designer

Thanks so much for visiting me today!  I appreciate your comments so much!

Holiday Spirit

The Crazy 4 Challenges girls are back again this week with a new challenge… create anything holiday-themed!  Easy peasy, so please come and join us!

Here’s my card…

To create my card, I used the Pumpkin Patch Confetti Cuts, and the Thankful Pretty Panels Confetti Cuts from Reverse Confetti.

My blog post is VERY short and sweet today, because I took a slice out of one of my fingers at work the other day.  Yes…. OUCH!  Typing is not easy with a big, bandaged finger!

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie
Alexis Crossland-Smith, Guest Designer
Danielle Vincent, Guest Designer

Happy weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Color Throwdown #369

It’s time for another Color Throwdown challenge, and I’m your hostess this week!  I’ve got a nice warm and cozy Fall color palette for everyone today.  What will you create with this rusty orange, rich burgundy and pear-like green?

For my card, I pulled out my sweet Wreath Confetti Cuts die from Reverse Confetti to make this birthday card for my wonderful friend, Beth…

I started by stamping the background with my Wide Stripes background stamp from Simon Says Stamp, and die cut the wreath from kraft card stock.  (Remember, neutrals are OK!)  Then I added a Fall Florals  bouquet to the side, and stamped a birthday sentiment from the Totally Happy stamp set (both from My Favorite Things.)

Please be sure to visit the CTD blog today for more inspiration, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration….

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Karolyn Loncon, November Guest Designer
Annie Rosenstiel, Guest Star Stamper

Your visits and comments bless my day… thanks for stopping by!

Color Throwdown #366

Hi friends!  We’ve got another Color Throwdown challenge for you today, and Joan is our hostess with this wonderful Fall color combo…

I have always loved shades of orange with shades of aqua, so this was right up my alley!  I decided this week to try my hand at some no-line coloring with my Copics using this sweet Harvest Mouse stamp set…

For my card layout, I used the current Sweet Sunday Sketch #292.  The polka dot paper I used is from Papertrey Ink.

Please be sure to visit the CTD blog today for more inspiration, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Michelle Boyer, October Guest Designer
Ashwini Rao, Guest Star Stamper

Your visit is a blessing to me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

The Apple of My Pie

I had a pretty joy-filled weekend… I spent all day Saturday with my wonderful hubby, who so willingly drove me to Columbus so I could go to the Simon Says Create event!  While I went shopping, he headed to the metro park across the road and went for a hike.  He doesn’t have pictures of his adventures (because he stubbornly refuses a smart phone!) but here’s a great photo of the fun I had…

Doesn’t it look like I had fun???  I even got to meet Heidi from Simon Says Stamp, and she was such a sweetheart!  I didn’t take any of the classes that were offered, but the ladies who were there for the classes sure seemed like they were having a great time, so I’m thinking I will probably partake next year!  (Especially since hubby had such a nice time at the metro park… plus there was a Cabella’s nearby!)  We even stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home, and had Bob Evans twice!  LOL

The first thing I had to do after getting home was a little bit of organizing, and then some STAMPING with my new goodies!  Since hubby has a birthday this coming Thursday, the new Apple of My Pie stamp set from Simon Says was just perfect…

I tried several variations of coloring the images with watercolors, but just didn’t like the look so I went with my Copics.  I fussy-cut the slice of pie and mounted it on front of the apples with foam boosters.  Then thought it needed a little something more so I added the leaf.  The papers I used are just from my stash, and I embellished with some sequins.  For the layout, I was inspired by the current Retro Sketch #187.

OK, back to stamping… there are a LOT more new goodies to play with!

Thank you for taking the time to visit me today!

Thankful Pumpkin

I was on Facebook yesterday and caught the sneak peek of the new Curtain Call challenge, and was stamping last night and came up with this card for the challenge, along with using the current Retro Sketch #185…

I just love the sweet Pumpkin Patch Confetti Cuts dies from Reverse Confetti, so I die-cut a pumpkin from some orange polka dot paper, and added the stem and tendril and a gingham leaf.  For the sentiment, I cut out the Thankful Pretty Panels Confetti Cuts and just used the word.  A few more patterns with stripes, chevrons and burlap and some gold enamel dots and this simple card is done!

Thanks for stopping by again today!

Pumpkin Birthday

Since Monday was Columbus Day, I had the day off so my glorious 3-day weekend has come to an end, but it sure was nice to have!  I got a LOT of stamping time, saw a movie with my hubby (go see The Martian.... GOOD movie!), had time to sit by a fire, went to the orchard for apples and made an apple crisp (which we enjoyed while watching The Walking Dead on Sunday night!) and had some good quality time with my oldest daughter, who was also off work all weekend.  So thankful to God for my family!

Here's another card I made over the weekend, using the sketch for this week at the Share Joy Challenge #6.  I'm REALLY loving this challenge...

I rarely buy any designer paper anymore, but this Die Cuts With a View 6x6 paper pad caught my eye while I was waiting in line at Joann Fabrics last week.  I just loved the shades of orange paired with the sage green.  So I paper-pieced this Outlines pumpkin with some of the paper, and added some gold accents with metallic card stock and cord.  Buttons are something I don't use very often anymore, but it just seemed like a good fit on this card!

Hopefully she doesn't read my blog... this card will be perfect for my sister-in-law's birthday coming up on the 26th!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Random Cards

Hey friends… I’m kind of slowing down on blogging lately, but having a handful of recently made cards I thought I’d share with you today.  I tend to post a lot more on Instagram… it’s so much easier to like and comment there, especially from my phone.  If you’re not in Instagram, you ought to be!  :)

This first card is actually a revision of this card I posted the other day.  I really loved playing with the Haunted Headstones stamps from Papertrey Ink, but kept looking at my card thinking it needed something, know what I mean?  And I woke up Saturday morning with this idea…

The night before, I had asked my BFF Bar what the original card needed, and she said “do you have any ghosts or skeletons?”  And I said no, I didn’t.  But when I woke up Saturday morning, I remembered these spooky faces from the new Make-It Market Min Kit:  Halloween Pin-Ups.  So I added Frankenstein, and a ghost for a little more added character to my card!  :)

Here’s another card I made a few weeks ago using this sweet Lawn Fawn Into the Woods stamp set that I won from the MarkerPOP challenge.  (I was supposed to win a different set but it was out of stock, so I picked Into the Woods instead!)

I actually made this card intending to enter it in the Share Joy challenge #5 but didn’t get it blogged in time.  I followed the sketch and the colors.  (Many thanks to my friend Katie for letting me borrow her dies for this set!)

I made this card way back in early September for Color Throwdown #358.  But the longer I looked at the card, the more I just thought it was too plain…

So then I made this card instead, but for some reason I ended up making yet another card for that CTD challenge, and never blogged either one of these!

On both of these cards I used the BG Grid background stamp from My Favorite Things, and the center was die-cut with the Luminary Circles die from Simon Says Stamp.  Then I added the Wishing die-cut, and a sentiment from the Sending and Wishing stamp set, also from Simon Says.

Finally, my husband and I have this friend who’s always bugging me about sending him a card. (Last night his dog got skunked, and he actually said I should send a get well card to the dog!)  And back in June, I was just overly busy and didn’t get a birthday card sent to him, and he became relentless in wanting a card!  So I finally sat down and made this…

I used all of the Crazy Birds from the Tim Holtz stamp set, masking them in this arrangement.  I was a little ticked off at myself for making them so off-center, so I tried adding the sentiment at the bottom to off-set.  I don’t think I succeeded, but Rick didn’t care.  He loved the card… even the inside!

LOL  I was afraid he wouldn’t get the sarcasm there, but he did!  :)

I hope you enjoyed this line-up of “catch-up” cards!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Haunted Headstones

Some of the goodies I recently got from Papertrey Ink also included these fun Haunted Headstones stamps and matching dies.  I mostly wanted them because the Haunted Headstones Sentiments mini set is so dang cute!  I just love the over-the-hill themed sentiments in the mini set, but in the meantime I thought I’d make a Halloween card for the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!  The challenge this time is “Going Batty” so I added some bats to the sky above my cemetery…

**I came up with a slightly updated version of this card the day after I posted this! 

 

 

Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE bats with a passion!  I don’t care how many people tell me they won’t hurt me, they’re harmless, they’re more afraid of me…. blah, blah, blah.  I HATE those darn little flying rodents!  LOL  We get them in the house every now and then and I turn into a basket case.  Right now I still haven’t put Fall decorations out around the house because I won’t go into the crawl space to get them!  LOL
But anyway… I made my card with the Haunted Headstones stamps and dies, watercolored the night sky and spritzed it with some silver sprays, and added some bushes around my headstones using the Topiary Trio dies.  (Will link those later when I’m able… it appears the PTI site is down as I’m typing this.)
Happy Saturday, and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!  I have a 3-day weekend, so I KNOW it’s going to be great! 

Color Throwdown #363

Hi friends!  Welcome to another Wednesday and another Color Throwdown challenge!  Wanda is our hostess this week and was inspired to choose this weeks colors by this pretty Fall arrangement…

Have to admit… I struggled terribly with these colors.  I guess there’s just not enough contrast there for me.  So I added some brown (remember, additional neutrals are always OK!) and even threw in a tiny bit of rusty red in some of those little flower buds.  Here’s my card…

I did a little shopping at Papertrey Ink last week, and just couldn’t resist this pretty Twig Wreath stamp set and matching dies.  For my card layout, I was inspired by the current Sweet Sunday Sketch #289.

Please be sure to visit the CTD blog today for more inspiration, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Michelle Boyer, October Guest Designer
Christine Dring, Guest Star Stamper

Thanks for stopping by today!

Color Throwdown #362

It’s Color Throwdown day and Vickie is going to get us rolling into Fall (or make us want to binge on CAKE!) with these colors today…

For my card, I definitely leaned toward a Fall-theme and pulled out my some new Confetti Cuts from Reverse Confetti…

I started out by using some orange gingham paper to cut a pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch Confetti Cuts, and added some tendrils and leaves along with a Leafy Confetti Cuts behind the pumpkin.  I layered the pumpkin onto a Thankful Pretty Panels Confetti Cuts.  Using the current Sweet Sunday Sketch #288 for inspiration, I layered the Pretty Panel over a Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics that was cut from kraft card stock and stamped with the BG Cheesecloth background stamp from My Favorite Things.  Then I used some Antique Linen distress ink to take some embossing paste from white to off-white, then applied it to my background panel using the Small Brick stencil.  A few enamel dots for embellishment finished my design.

Please be sure to visit the CTD blog today for more inspiration, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Kelly Latevola, September Guest Designer
Karola Rehnstrom, Guest Star Stamper

 

I hope you’ll join us this week!  Thanks for stopping by!