PUMPKIN BOUQUET

Halloween cards don't always have to be about witches and spiders and bats and ghosts and other ghouly things, do they?  Two Old Bats is a fun Halloween challenge which helps you start early with Halloween cards.  And so I'm very grateful that I have this prompt every month as I love to make cards for my friends at Halloween.

 

So I made a pumpkin bouquet for this month's challenge as their photo inspiration was all about pumpkins.  I used all Hero Arts dies and scraps of cs for the bouquet.  The base is a center step fold card.  Difficult to photograph because it kept sliding apart.

Thanks for stopping by.

FOLIAGE AND BERRIES

Here's my card for the current CAS Christmas Challenge which is foliage and berries.

I think maybe my friend, Greta, sent me the die cut border that I've used on my card.  Colored it with copics and then added the gold frames.  Mounted this onto a white card base and adhered the die cut sentiment in the center.  A few red Nuvo drops on the berries and around the sentiment finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

KRAFT CHRISTMAS CARDS

52 Christmas Card Countdown's theme for this week is to create a card using kraft colors and I have two for adding to my stash for Christmas.

 

For both of my cards I used Neenah desert storm cs - my lighting is not good and hence on both cards the kraft is more correct towards the bottom of the cards - I am definitely not a photographer - would rather spend time creating a card than photographing it!

For my first card I used a 3D embossing folder and smudged white pigment ink over the raised areas.  Added gold Nuvo drops to the flower centers and the sentiment and done!

I watercolored the poinsettia on my second card and fussy cut it.  After adding the thin gold rectangle and spattering with gold paint, I used foam tape to mount the poinsettia with some gold thread behind.  I felt this card did not need a sentiment or anything to take away from the focal point poinsettia.

Thanks for stopping by.

A LITTLE VINTAGE

I have always liked vintage as long as it was quite CAS - too much lace and stuff is not me.  The challenge at ModSquad said vintage to me tho since the theme is "bookish" and wants a page from an old book as the focus.  The tictactoe challenge at Die Cut Divas asks for uneven edges and that said vintage to me also.  So dug into a box of old books and papers and began my card.  I went diagonally from left to right with uneven edges, friendship and flowers for the DCD challenge.

Tore the edge of the book page (already quite brown with age) and distressed more with some walnut stain DI ink and adhered to a slimline kraft card - also distressed.  Arranged my bouquet and added to my card with a little twine bow and a hello.

Enjoyed creating something a little different today.  Thanks for stopping by.

THINKING OF YOU

Just a quick last minute entry for the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

The debossed section was part of a larger piece that I had messed up but didn't want to toss.  So cut a square from a "good" part and put onto a larger square stitched piece. Added the leaves and little sentiment and done.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

VASE OF FLOWERS

When I watched Jennifer's video with cute vases of flowers, I knew I wanted to make one just like it for our shaped card theme this month on A Blog Named Hero - only I had to adjust things a bit as I had neither the dies for the vase or the flowers.  So found some flower dies and designed my own vase to fit an A2 envelope.  Had to fiddle around some with the inside bit, but am really happy with the result.

Die cut a bunch of the flowers and just sponged on various colors.  Made my flower arrangement, added the little bow and sentiment and done.  Fits perfectly in the envelope.  My vase is three inches tall. 

Would love to see you join our challenge this month for a chance in winning a $50 or $25 gift card from Hero Arts!

 

CONGRATS

I designed the board for this week's TicTacToe Challenge #112 and hope there are elements in it that will inspire many of you.  The chosen winner will be a guest designer in the near future.  With graduations, Father's Day and weddings coming up in June, you can get ahead of the game with your cards.  I went across the top of the board with congrats, leaves and heat embossing - also could go down the right side with heat embossing, die cut and circles.

I stamped the wreath in black and heat embossed in clear powder.  Colored it in with copics and then die cut the center.  Embossed the front of the card base with a circle cover plate and then attached the shaker part.  Added the die cut sentiment, a few more gold sequins and done!

 

Hope to see you in this week's gallery and thanks for stopping by.

 

NEW HOME CARD

I used a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for a "new home" card my friend asked me to make.

I used some dies that I found on Amazon for the house.  The tan house has four layers underneath for some dimension.  The recipient's name and address were added for personalization.

Thanks for visiting today.

BIRTHDAY BOUQUET

I had several challenges in mind when I created my card - the photo from The Card Concept, the theme of flowers from The ModSquad, and the theme of occasions from Watercooler Wednesday.

I recently bought the Tim Holtz wildflower dies - loved the variety of flowers.  Chose just the skinny flowers and watercolored them with my Karin markers - scribbled the ink on the paper and spritzed with water - pretty easy.  After putting my bouquet together I added it to my wood plank background (sponged a little extra color with DO pumice stone).  Used black and white for my sentiment and also the twine to echo the gingham ribbon - added the darker gray stripe for the stripe(s) on the bucket.  I guess my style for this card is clean and layered with rather vintage look.

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

 

CARING THOUGHTS

It's always a good thing to have a few encouragement, sympathy type cards on hand- and that's part of the TicTacToe Challenge#110 for this week. Ashwini has created a great board for us this week - I chose across the middle - embossing, floral and encouragement.

I embossed the 3D floral background on heavy white cs and then lightly brushed a bit of color over it with a blending brush.  Placed this on a pale gray card base, added the die cut leaves, the sentiment and done.

Put on your creation hat and make a card for our challenge this week - would love to see you win and be our guest designer.

Thanks for visiting and love to read your kind comments.

A COUPLE OF CHALLENGES

Made a couple of cards for challenges that will end soon - I miss so many 'cause I don't pay attention to ending dates.

Two Old Bats is an "anything goes" Halloween challenge altho there is always an inspiration photo.

I blended a  nightime background on a piece of tan cardstock - masked off a circle for the moon and then just left it as the moon color except for a few gray streaks for clouds.  Added the die cut trees and finished it off with some sparkle bats.

My next card is for the birthday slimline challenge at MFT and also RetroRubber Challenge where the theme is pastels.

I used my MFT floral fantasy stamps and dies and arranged them over the lattice background.  Put some glossy accents in the flower centers for a little pizazz.

My last card is for CAS Mix-Up where the theme was to use paper piecing on a card.

I first die cut the outline from black cs and adhered to the card base.  Then I went thru my pp stash and found this really pretty piece that had a watercolor look to it and all in shades of pink.  Die cut that and then pieced all the pink into the spaces.  Did the same for the green leaf.  Found a snip of yellow for the stamen.  Added some clear dewdrops on the petals and the heat embossed sentiment and done.  The "mix-up" elements on my card are paper piecing, die cutting and heat embossing.

That's it for today - thanks for stopping by.

ANNIVERARY WISHES

"Anniversary" is the theme for this month's A Blog Named Hero Challenge.  I used my new Hero Arts Butterfly Garden background stamp as the starter for my inspiration card for you today.

I first stamped embossed the background in gold onto a white card base.  Then used 1" wide Post-It tape to mask a rectangle in the center and blended shades of coral/pink.  Using the rectangle dies, I cut two frames for my blended section.  Added the sentiment, a few gold sequins and done!

Create a special anniversary card for someone in your life and then enter it in our A Blog Named Hero Challenge this month.  You'll be eligible for one of two prize gift certificates.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

ALCOHOL INKED FLOWER

Watched a video about making flowers with alcohol ink and it looked so easy.  So had a little play around trying to do this - not so easy - at least not for me - maybe more practice.  Anyway, finally had one that looked somewhat like a flower that I liked!

Don't remember the exact colors I used for the petals, but the center was "tranquil" pearl alcohol ink.  Added the little dots for the center with a white gel pen.  Am entering this at The Flower Challenge (pastels) and The Paper Players (CAS birthday).

 Thanks for visiting today.

WINTER SLED

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants a sled (sledge) on our cards this week.  Christmas Kickstart Challenge theme is "You Sleigh Me" so will enter my card there also.  I don't own any sled/sleigh stamps or dies, but have made tags in the past using a tag die, woodgrain paper and hand cutting the runners.

 

I made a mini slimline card (3.5x6) with kraft cs and added layers - the top layer embossed with a snow fall ef.  Designed my sled with the woodgrain paper on a kraft tag. I used some walnut DI to give the wood some definition.  Die cut the holly leaves and added to the twiggy wreath.  The sentiment was clear embossed - red Nuvo drops and a twine bow finished my card.

Thanks for stopping by - always enjoy reading your kind comments.