AUTUMN/FALL

Autumn/fall--my favorite season for card making.  The warm colors and textures--perfect for masculine cards. So I had to play along at Cardz 4 Guyz challenge.

Crumb Cake base. 2 papers from the stash, leaves I had already made, some twine, and a sentiment on a popped up deckled circle.  This was probably a 10 minute card only because I already had the die cut leaves done. The leaf die cuts are from SU. I cut them from white cardstock and sponged on yellow, orange and red colors. The twine bow adds texture.

Layers and E/F

 Can You Handle The Pressure challenge is always use an E/F and this week has an added twist of adding layers. Let's Craft and Create also has a challent to use lots of layers. So I have a two-fer with just one card.

I used a Real Red card base. The next layer is white with an all over snowing E/F from Cuttlebug.The next two layers are from Joyful Days Memories and More card pack from SU. The sentiment is an old SU one cropped to a small strip. I added enhancements with a punched gold star at the top of the tree, red star gel pen over the red dots. At the bottom, I swiped Pool Party at the bottom of the tree and then covered that with clear glitter glue.

If you have not tried the Memories and More card packs from Stampun" UP!, give them a try. You get 54 cards in the pack for $11.50. There are 6"x4 and 3" x4" cards. So far I have made 20 cards and have enough for 4 more. All you have to add is a card base and some embellishments. Some of them already have a sentiment.

This one has the preprinted sentiment. There are 2 layers of cards from the pack, one of the 6x4 trimmed to 51/4x4. I added a red mat to the sentiment card and then a red bow and 3 flat red sequins.

This one ia a single layer. The trees are printed on the card already. It was a 4x6 and I trimmed it to 5 1/4 x 4 size. I added a sentiment and used a snow maker pen to add fluff to some of the branches.

Gingerbread Man

 Playing today with this weeks sketch at Freshly Made Sketches

I love gingerbread for Christmas. We always made gingerbread men when I was  kid. We had so much fun decorating them

I used an e/f that reminds me of plaids. The SU plaid DSP are from. the scrap box. The gingerbread is from Sarasota Stamps.  The Santa hat and candy cane are from a retired SU stamp set.I can't decide where to put a sentiment. 

Halloween for Kids.

I am so excited to have been chosen as guest designer for Send A Smile 4 Kids. 

They collect cards for kids from stampers and distribute them to children's hospitals. I appreciate the volunteers who do the collections and mailings. It warms my heart to think I can bring a moment of cheer to a hospitalized child.  Check out their blog for rules. If you have extra cards appropriate for kids, I am sure they would be honored to receive your donations.

It may seem early to think about Halloween cards but they do have to be sent off several weeks early for the volunteers to get them to the hospitals.

The background paper has bubbles on it (you know double, double, toil and trouble, fires burn and cauldron bubble...) It is from SU. the b/w stripe is from the scrap pile. The witch's hat and shoes are also from SU. The ghost is an old unlabeled wood stamp, stamped on a scrap and fussy cut. I did a smattering of green behind the image to make the image pop.  The sentiment is an old SU retired stamp. That ghost just looked blah so I added googly eyes to bring him to life. Isn't he just too cute kicking up his heels to celebrate Halloween?

Just a fun not too scary card I think a kid will love.

Head on over to Send A Smile 4 Kids blog to check out the designers' inspirations.

Retirement Fun

I have a commission for 4 retirement cards. Here is the first. I cased a card I found on Pintrest by Tamie

Relaxing in a chair by the beach is certainly a favorite retirement activity.

The card base and the mat circle are SU's Crumb Cake. I used SU's wavy e/f on Pool Party for the waves. I die cut a circle and sponged on crumb cake, pool party, and balmy blue. The palm trees are from the retired (appropriate?) set Waterfront. I added a white burlap strip behind the circle. And an unlabled die cut beach chair in front. The sentiment is an old stamp in my stash. 

Sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. I ritated ti landscape and moved the circle over a bit to accommodate the chair.

Just Us Girls die cut week.

Cardz 4 Galz create a scene

Darnell's die week

Big Sunflower

Today's share is a big sunflower die cut I found in my stash. I knew it would be perfect for a Thanksgiving  card.

The greens are Old Olive from SU. The stripe was in my leftovers. I punched out 3 leaves and shaded them with Mossy Meadow. I slightly folded and then curled the ends of the leaves. The sentiment is an old one, die cut with an unlabled die, popped up on foam tape. 

I'm entering this at Let's Craft and Create where the challenge is anything goes with the option of stripes or polkadots.

Season of Thanks

 I am trying to get a few fall cards made before I dive into the Christmas supplies and start on holiday cards. 

I used Kraft cardstock for the base as well as the upper layer.  I used a leaf stencil and some orange and red inks to make the leaf. Then a Darice e/f with swirly leaves.  The sentiment is SU, stamped and fussy cut. and popped up on foam squares. 

I've used this sketch from Try a Sketch on Tuesday 

Sunflowers

I am playing with Group of Seven Cardmakers challenge to do generational stamping

I used SU retired stamps. These sunflowers are a two step stamp. I used Daffodil Delight for the first layer and Pumpkin Pie for the second layer. The cinters are in Chocolate Chip with black dots done with a sharpie. The top flower is stamped off once. The left flower is stamped once. The bottom flower is stamped 3 times..  I like rhe look but I think the center of the top flower is roo dark, even though is is stamped off once.The sentiment is also SU. The gold background paper is from a 6x6 Paper Studio pad.

Inside is a computer generated sentiment and another sunflower off the edge.

Santa is Coming

Santa is packing his bag. Time to make those special requests.

Here is another of the 3-D cards for Christmas in July at Send a Smile 4 Kids 

The package of die cuts is from Katy Sue Designs. It actually designed for decoupage but I think the separate parts make really cute 3-D designs. I popped up each layer on foam squares--Lots of foam squares.  I left off the sentiment, it is obviously Christmas. I think the kids will really like the 3D design.

Santa's Car

 Santa's sleigh is in for service so he will have to take his car for deliveries.

I bought a pack of Christmas die cuts and have made 3-D cards with them. There are 4-6 layers each popped  up with foam squares. 

Send A Smile 4 Kids is having their Christmas in July Challenge. I think the kids will be fascinated with the 3-D fewturea

Also submitting to Time Out Challenge with the prompt of travel.

Here is another card from the kit

Season of Thanks

Here it is sweltering hot in Indiana and my thoughts are in fall.  The new challenge at Cardz 4 Guyzis using stripes or plaids spurred the fall thoughts. I found a plaid in my scrap box that reminded me of fall colors.

I made leaves with a patterned orange paper that I blended yellow and red onto. The leaves die cuts are SU. The sentiment and label die are also SU. 

I used the sketch from Try a Sketch on Tuesday

Sunny Sunflower

 I love sunflowers, they are so bright and cheery. I was excited to find a pack of several sizes sunflowers from Recollections. Here is one of the cards I made with one of them.

I used a Kraft card base. The tan paper was embossed with a swirly E/F by Cuttlebug. I swiped a Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink pad over the raised portions. The vertical strlp of cork looking paper is a retired SU Paper. I found the plaid in the scrap box. I added a butterfly sticker to the sunflower. He sentiment is also SU.

The design is a sketch at Sketch Saturday

Also entering at Can You Handle the Pressure with the addition twist of butterfly.

Shades of Fall

It is actually a hot humid day here. Typical summer weather. And woudn't you know it I have one of those awful summer colds.  This card has taken me all day to make what with 2 naps and 3 different stabs at creating a card. 

This  paper had floated to the top of the scrap box and it made me think of fall leaves. So I blended some yellow and red over it and die cut some leaves. Then shaded the edges with some brown. I attached the 2 outer leaves with a glue dot and then the center one is popped up on a dimensional. 

Here is the original paper.

I think I will go back and die cut another leaf to accent the inside.

The background paper is new to Stampin" Up! The overall design is trees. But sigh, it is too much effort to get up and go look up what it is called.😑  The sentiment is also SU., fussy cut, and popped up on dimensionals.

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

I think I will go hit the recliner again. 

Graphics

There is a new DSP from Stampin' Up! called Boho Vibes. They are all different graphic and rainbow designs in bright bod colors.

I made this one for Let's Kraft and Create  that has a twist this month of adding  buttons. 

I used two patterns of the DSP and covered the seam with a scalloped strip. I dug out the box of buttons that hasn't seen the light of day in forever. I found some blue buttons in 2 sizes and lined them up on the left side. The hello is as old SU stamp. To mimic the curve of the stripes, I cropped the corner of the card base. 

Since I have used neglected buttons I will link up with The Neglected Stuff

Buttons on a card, requires extra postage but I am adding this to my collection for Send A Smile 4 Kids. They hand them out to hospitalized kids and don't send them in the mail.

Time Out Challenges with this prompt. I chose the word Bold.

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Flower Garden

 The new paper from Stampin' Up! called Florals in Bloom are perfect for the challenge at Card 4 Galz which is Floral Frenzy

This is the card laying flat.

This is the opened view.

And a 3-D view of how it stands up

The inside sentiment is from SU's Charming Sentiments. The Happy Birthday is an old stamp in my stash. The deckle edge circles are a SU die cut. It is popped up with dimensionals. 

I have CASEd Brian King's fun fold card. Check out his blog here to see the dimensions and tips about using the DSP. Thanks Brian for the inspiration.

Upcycled Note Card

 The Paper Players challenge this week is recycling. I call it upcycling. I do a lot of upcycled cards. A good source is the free cards and calendars from charities. This one is a note card I received from a friend.

The card was just a plain floral flowers. I addd a white border and put it on a Bubble Bath card base. The many thanks is a SU die, doubled up for more dimension. I enhanced the flowers by tracing the borders with star gel pens and Nuvo black dots in the centers. A flower garden needs a butterfly. This one is an unlabled sticker. 

Turtle-y Cute

I am having fun playing with the images in Stampin" Up!'s new DSP Turtle-y Cute. 

 Here is this cool turtle watering her plants. I fussy cut the turtle from one of the pattern papers. The stripes are the backside of the same paper. The flower vellum is a scrap from a retired SU paper. The sentiment is an old stamp fom Creative Memories. I added 3 pearls to the right side and 3 more to look like water drops coming from the watering can. 

The sketch is from Sketch Saturday with the twist of birthday card.

Also submitting to a new challenge for me As You See It where their challenge theme is water but also speed--make a card in less than 10 minutes. I did it with a few seconds to spare.

But my desk is sure a mess. It is a small work space and I usually clean as I go.

And just for fun, while I was playing with the turtles, I made another with this same sketch.

I'll be adding both of these cards to my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids

Guilty Monkey

 I have a fun card to share today for Can You Handle the Pressure with a twist of zoo or jungle animals.

I show you a zoo escapee

I used a vertical stripe E/F and ran a black ink pad over it. Hoping it plants the idea of zoo bars. Since the monkey is in front of the bars, we can assume he has escaped.  Look at that guilty face grin. The monkey is a sticker from a sheet called Silly Monkey by Paper Studio. The hello is an old stamp from SU.

I am putting this in my stash for Send A Smile 4 Kids. I know the kids will love it.

I used the sketch from Sunday Stamps

Pair of Birds

Recollections Field Journal paper pad has a sheet that has 2 large circles with birds perched on the edge.  I fussy cut one of the pairs of birds to make this card. 

The card base is Kraft. I like the look and texture of Kraft for nature based cards. The wood pattern paper is also in the Recollections pad.The Mossy Meadow green and Pool Party blue are from my stash I used a cloud E.F on the blue. The sentiment is SU die cut and popped up on dimensionals.

I am entering at Cardz 4 Galz and The Paper Players. They both have "wings" as their challenges.

Nature Inspired

 This is today's sketch inspiration from Sketch Saturd

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I switched the orientation for my card.

The papers are from a Recollections paper pad called Field Journal.  There was 1 page that had 2 large circles with the birds in them. I trimmed it down to fit the 2 birds in an oval. The other papers are from the same pad. I added 2 black faceted gems. The sentiment is an old stamp. I die cut it an oval to coordinate with the large oval.  I set out to make a sympathy card but I think I will keep this one for Christmas. I like a few nature inspired scenes for Christmas or winter cards.  Should I go back and add snow to the branches?

On another note, does anyone have a solution to blogger not showing comments? I have gone to the comment tab and made sure they are not in a spam folder. They all look like they were published but do not show in the comments of each post.  Thanks for any help you can give,

Catching the Last Rays

Yesterday when it was 50 degrees and raining, I decided I needed some sun and a dose of beach.

 The challenge at Let's Craft and Create is no patterned paper. I used a line stencil to create the background. Using green, tan, blues, oranges, and yellows I made a beach scene. The palm tree, sunbather, and umbrella are stickers. I popped up the umbrella top and glued  down the handle. The setting sun is from the retired SU set called Swirly Bird I also popped up the sun.

I left off a sentiment and just put a blank liner inside so it can have multiple uses. I've put this one in my stash to send to Send A Smile 4 Kids

Fun Puns

 I do love puns. These 2 cards fit the challenge at Send A Smile 4 Kids

I found this ruler paper at a local craft store and I have used it all already and cannot tell you who makes it. I wish I had bought more than one sheet as it is perfect for guy cards. The sentiment is my own done on the computer and cut out with a deckle rectangle die. I inked the edges to make it blend better with the background. 

This one is an inspiration from by blogger friend Cheryl. You can see her gears here. The gear stamp is an old unlabeled wood block stamp. The plaid was from the stash. The DAD stamp is a very old one from SU. The sentiment copied from Cheryl was done on the computer and die cut with a deckle edge circle.

Per SAS4K request, these are both blank inside so a personal message can be added.

If you have extra cards and would like to donate them, check out  Send A Smile 4 Kids to see what they need and where you can send your cards.