EEEK! and a Pumpkin

Halloween is coming! Halloween is coming! This is such a fun holiday to decorate for. You can let out all of your inner morbid self, oo-oo, ah-ah! Somehow that just doesn't look as spooky typed as it does in my head, lol!

These are treat holders made with the Petite Pocket die and the Core'dinations Early Espresso cardstock. It would make sense that I love this stuff since I have inked and distresses my way through many a project! These whip up so fast and easy, I could make several in a sort amount of time. I used a couple of embossing folders here on just the front flap after I die cut the pocket, then sanded the embossing to highlight the details, very dramatic. The 2½" circle punch made the perfect curve in the image panel for the spider pocket, which was a fun discovery, yeah!

• Stamps:Spooky Bingo Bits, Teeny Tiny Wishes
• Ink: Early Espresso, Wisteria Wonder,  & Lucky Limeade or Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, & Old Olive
• Paper: Core'dinations Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade or Old Olive DSP, Very Vanilla, Wisteria Wonder
• Other: Big Shot with Petite Pockets XL die, Finishing Touches edgelit, Woodgrain & Spiderweb embossing folders, sanding block, Jewelry Tag and 2½" Circle punches, Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine, Pumpkin Pie 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

Poppies and First Edition

More cards for Operation Write Home! They needed more General cards and so I made some with no sentiment on them at all. I sure thought I needed this stamp set in a hurry this summer, but this is the first time I have used it. Partly because I haven't been stamping as much as I used to as I try to be more active :) But I do need my stampin time too!

I saw something similar somewhere recently, but I can't remember where, and I didn't Pin It so don't know if I will ever find it again :(
I just got some Early Espresso embossing powder, and it is a thing of beauty! I embossed the poppies on First Edition DSP, then colored with Blender pen and markers.
The black Rhinestones are from the Designer Jewels Black Flourish from a couple year ago. You know, you can still order them with in On-line order, just enter the item number (120987) and they are 1.99 last I checked. You can get the Raven Black Lace (120988 for 2.39)  that way too! I use the black Rhinestones for little eyes too. Love them!

• Stamps: Pleasant Poppies
• Ink: Versamark, Raspberry Ripple, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso
• Paper:  Raspberry Ripple, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, First Edition Specialty DSP
• Other: Embossing Buddy, Heat Gun, Early Espresso embossing powder, Lucky Limeade Ruffled ribbon, Sticky Strip, Designer Jewels Black Flourish, Blender pen, Corner Rounder punch

 I only colored the poppies in one card, it takes some time! But I found that the Early Espresso ink appears to be waterproof on the Very Vanilla! That is so awesome!

That Old Green Truck.....Again!

So, what do you think? Can we ever use this image too much? I don't think so! I was trying to make a pile of cards this weekend for Operation Write Home and was not feeling very inspired. I am going to let you in on a little secret, I hadn't stamped a single thing from about August 10th thru Sept 14th! I was just not feeling it, and sometimes I just need to focus on other passions in my life. But, I was getting the itch for inky fingers again and needed to get the juices flowing again. So I decided to CAS myself a bit! I dug through my samples and found some stuff I could change up a bit and got to work :)

The inspiration for this card is found in this post. I changed up the colors trying to use colors I haven't used in a while and in the process figured out what colors I needed to reorder ;)

• Stamps: Countryside, Gently Falling
• Ink: Cajun Craze, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Crumb Cake, Stazon Jet Black
• Paper: Cajun Craze, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Watercolor paper
• Other: Big Shot with Woodgrain EF, Ovals bigz die, and Apothecary Accents framelits, Signo white gel pen, Wild Wasabi ¼" Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Silver Mini Brads, Aquapainters, dimensionals, paper piercer

And a simple River Rock truck inside on Very Vanilla. This makes it easier for a soldier to write visibly with a pen or pencil even if they have to use the sand as their table :)

Floral District Starburst

Time to find some inspiration and I found a sketch and a technique that I could not pass up :)  It was much easier than I thought it would be, and I made several of this card to send in my Operation Write Home box. Anybody else working on stuff to send to them? I would love to hear about what you are doing for charitable projects!

This is the sketch. The ladies at Friday Mashup do a great job of inspiring us all. GO check them out if you haven't already :) There is a link in their post on how to do the Starburst technique.

I had actually forgotten I had this pack of Floral District DSP. I really don't use DSP enough. ANd do you see how well the paper and this image from You Are Loved coordinate?! I just ♥ SU. And yes, I did sew on the paper instead of using a white gel pen :) I do have my sewing machine set up in the same room as my stamps, I just don't go use it enough!

• Stamps: You Are Loved
• Ink: Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade
• Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Floral District DSP
• Other: Big Shot with Finishing Touches edgelit, Fancy Fans EF, and non SU lace doily die, Paper Piercer with mat pack and Essentials PPP, Rich Razzleberry ¼" Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Sticky Strip, dimensionals, sewing machine

Had to have the flowers on the inside too. I purposely left this a blank card so it can be for whatever it is needed for.

Autumn Thanks

As I sit here eating some delicious homemade peach crumble fresh from the oven, the sun is starting to set. I have my deck door open just  a few feet from me and I am listening to the wind in the trees. Ahhh, autumn! The leaves are starting to turn and the weather has cooled just enough to be my favorite temps.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. So many things are happening and so much change comes our way each year. This year, as autumn arrives, so does  a big change for me. I have been working in a small hospital 45 minutes from my home for 6 years now (mostly in the ER). Now there is a perfectly good hospital just 10 minutes from my home and I have wanted to work there for many years and had given up trying about 4 years ago. Well, the local hospital is expanding, and I have more experience on my resume, and I have will be starting to work in the Sanford Bemidji ER on September 24th!!! I am so excited to start a new job, and I have much to be thankful for, so I figured a thank you card post was the perfect time to announce my job change :)

I was inspired by Andrea Walford from the PaperCraftersLibrary for this card. I changed the colors, used the Core'dinations paper and sanded it, added a ribbon detail, added paper piercing, and changed the leaf stamp set. I just love it! I made a pile of these to go to Operation Write Home. If you haven't heard of it, go check it out, it is a very worthy cause.

This is actually the first version of the card, which I changed after reading more of the guidelines. It pays to do that now and again as they are not always what I remember them to be, he-he! They don't recommend the buttons and other bulky embellishments as the cards sometimes get beat up on the way from the soldiers to their families and friends.

• Stamps:Wonderfall, From My Heart
• Paper: Gumball Green smooth CS and Core'dinations CS, Early Espresso, Whisper White
• Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit
• Other: Big Shot with Woodgrain EF, Autumn Accents bigz die, and Window Frames framelit, Festive paper piercing pack, paper piercer and mat pack, White Baker's Twine or Early Espresso ¼" Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Naturals button, Sanding block, dimensionals

Inside I stamped the coordinating sentiment from From My Heart and a couple of leaves. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful this  Core'dinations cardstock is. I bought a pack of each of the colors offered right now, and I will probably end up buying more before it goes away :)

Thanks a Bunch

The last of the Holiday Mini Swap cards that I made! Lots of layers here. I actually used MDS to print the DSP as I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to make, and I had to have that Razzleberry polka dot print!

I stamped the main image twice, once in Rich Razzleberry and once in Crumb Cake, die cut the Crumb Cake with the Window Frames die and hand cut the Razzleberry  piece. I wanted a lot of contrasting texture and the feel of a country setting. Think wood caskets for aging the wine, simply elegant picnic settings, and the rich colors of fall harvest.

• Stamps: Friendship Preserves
• Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Naturals White, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Polka Dot Parade DSP (printed off with MDS on Whisper White)
• Other: Big Shot with Window Frames & Labels framelits and Woodgrain and Fancy Fans embossing folders, Crumb Cake Seam Binding ribbon, White Baker's Twine, Rich Razzleberry button, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Only 2 layers of dimensionals on this card, trying to make them flatter. But I ♥ dimensionals...

 Inside just a little more texture and fun :)

Owl, It's A Party!

I just love this little owl! And  Owl Occasions has a ton of accessories to make him perfect for several occasions :) This card is another one I made for the Holiday Mini swap I participated in.

Lots of marker to stamp here, and so worth it! I think this turned out adorable. The main image die cut is actually the Window Frame die with 2 of the half circle edges cut off.

• Stamps: Owl Occasions
• Paper: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Ink: Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Crumb Cake
• Other: Big Shot with Window Frame and Apothecary  Accents framelits and Argyle EF, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon,  White Baker's Twine, Signo white gel pen, Paper Piercer with Piercing Mat, Needle, Stampin' Dimensionals

I had to resist the urge to use the Woodgrain EF yet again, but I think the Argyle looks fabulous too :)

I just couldn't stop on the inside!! This would make a great invitation too, not just a birthday card. Although you may want to consider doing the images on MDS for invitations to save some time :)

Birthday Wings

 Ok, I just realized how much I have neglected my blog in the last month or so. I have been out having fun in the summer sun. Yes, I took some vacation and did not bring my stampin' stuff. Can you believe it?

I have also started working out with a personal trainer in some small classes. Look out world, Tanya has started Kick Boxing! Papercrafting is a wonderful outlet, but I need to make my butt shrink and improve my health, so I am practicing more moderation in my crafting time. It is taking me a little time to get my balance of activities down, but have no fear, I will get there soon :)

In the mean time, I have yet to post my Holiday Mini Swap projects, so here is the first one I will share with you.

 This is a really fun card to make. I love all the banners out there right now, and they are so easy to do with minimal supplies :) The Affection Collection set has this awesome winged heart image that i used to make the birthday sentiment at the top. This makes a great card for tweens and some teens, and I know just who I am sending this to this year ;) 

• Stamps: Affection Collection, Bring on the Cake
• Ink: Basic Gray, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Baja Breeze
• Paper: Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, First Edition DSP
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits & Fancy Fans EF, 1” Square punch, Signo white gel pen, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Color Spritzer, sponge, paper snips

 A certain niece of mine loves bling so I had to put lots of rhinestones on this card. I think they make all the difference :)

And how about some more banners? Makes me think of a party!

Stamps: Affection Collection, Bring on the Cake

Ink: Basic Gray, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Baja Breeze

Paper: Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, First Edition DSP

Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits & Fancy Fans EF, 1” Square punch, Signo white gel pen, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Color Spritzer, sponge, paper snips