Happy Fall

 Hello Everyone

Thanks for stopping in today. 

It's November 1 and WOW!! we are halfway thru fall already and winter will soon be here. And after that its Christmas and......LOL Well you know how that goes!!

And since it's November 1, its time for the next Love To Scrap Challenge. We'd love to see your project submitted. Recently I came across a card design that really caught my eye. And I figured it would look great as a fall card. 

I made a leaf stencil. Actually I made 2. One stencil for the left side of the leaf and a stencil for the right side of the leaf. I used an ink blending tool to apply the colors and decided to show 2 leaves.

Of course I used some green and some orange/yellow colors. I still have green leaves on some of the trees here in my area.

After the leaves were stenciled on to my CS top layer, I stamped the image of a tree with no leaves over the stenciled leaves, perfect for that fall look. I have some Outline Stickers that contained some small leaves in a copper color. And that sheet also had a acorn as well..... perfect for under the tree. 

I added Outline Stickers swirls to the top corners and the sentiment and then mounted to a copper CS layer and then mounted to the card base.

This was a fun card to make and I will have to get my other stencils out to see what else I can come up with.

Products used:

Stamp - B-Line Designs Tree Silhouette (Old and B-Line is gone now- sadly)

Outline Stickers - Stamp On It

Inks - Distress Oxides - Mowed Lawn, Crushed Olive, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade

Cardstock- DP's, white CS

Stencil - Leaf Shape

Thanks for stopping by and I will be back soon

It Mouse Be Your Birthday

 Welcome to November!!!   

Just want to let you know the new Birthstone Challenge has started.  The featured birthstone colors in this challenge are Turquoise and Topaz.

The theme is always anything goes with the featured birthstone colors, and you may use one or both of the colors in your project. The color(s) you choose should be prominent on your project. The optional theme has been added for inspiration and is not required to play. 

For this challenge, Polkadoodles will be sponsoring our Nov/Dec challenge! And who doesn't love Polkadoodles. So how cool is that. 

Let me share my DT inspiration project with you.

Products used:

Mouse  and sentiment - Polkadoodles - Birthday Mouse

Dies - Cheese Background and small mice - Gina Marie Dies

Borders Stickers - Stamp On It

Paper - Turquoise, Topaz, White  CS

Markers - Spectrum Noir

Well, this mouse made the cutest birthday card, didn't it!! I bet you know someone who would love to get this card for their birthday.

Remember to join in the fun and enter your projects in our Birthstone Challenge . We would love to see your creations.

Thanks for stopping in today.

I will be back soon.

Merry Little Christmas Challenge for November

 Welcome to November!!!

I can't believe we are 2 months away from 2025. 

November 1 brings the latest over at the Merry Little Christmas Challenge.

Have you started making your Christmas cards???  Well I have a great idea for a really unique card. (Well it's unique to me, LOL)

Here is a 3 picture collage of my card.  The card is a 5X7 folded so it will fit in a A7 envelope.

The first picture in the collage shows the card closed. 

2nd pic - Card opened

3rd pic -  just a pic of the main piece of the inside of the card with the sentiment

I love cards that have different folds and this really fit the bill. 

Products used:

DP

Navy Blue CS

Image and sentiments - Your Next Stamp (Closed)

Ink - Distress Oxide - Chipped Sapphire

Markers - Various Spectrum Noir alcohol marker colors

I hope my card inspires you for your Christmas Card

Thanks for stopping in and I will be back soon.

The Cincinnati Waterfront

Hello there!!!

Have you tried AI (Artificial Intelligence). Well I have been dabbling into AI and thought I'd share some cards from time to time made using AI. My AI card design posts will be interspersed with my cards that I have made using stamps, dies and the like.

I hope you get some enjoyment from my projects. 

So this image is a scene of Ohio river with Cincinnati as background looking from the Kentucky riverbank. 

I know, I know,  you're thinking  "I have loads of stamps and use them on an ongoing basis, and don't need another thing to learn."  I hear ya. I have lots of stamps as well.  However I thought I'd try something new. This AI stuff has peeked my interest LOL. So I thought I'd add the image to a card and see what this looks like. 

I hope you like this card and maybe it will inspire you. And I will continue to use stamps and dies and the like but every now and then you will probably see some AI cards pop up in my posts.

The AI image on my card was inspired by me going to the Ohio river bank and kind of daydreaming for a few minutes. 

I printed the image on 65# CS and trimmed it . Next I decided to frame it with a Martha Stewart border punch using a navy blue CS. Just received a embossing folder from Spellbinders so I used that on the tan layered piece. The sentiment is from me and I thought going to different places in life (even if they are in your area) is an adventure of sorts. 

Thanks for stopping in today and checking out my latest.

I will be back soon.

Merry Little Christmas challenge

 Hello All. 

Time for the September/October Merry Little Christmas challenge.  I don't know about you, but I love making Christmas cards. I have seen these card designs and decided to give this a try. Definitely easy!!!

My card is a little under a 5X7 folded so it will fit in a standard 5X7 envie.

Card front

Card inside 

Card inside open all the way

Products used:

Poinsettia Corner - Spellbinders LetterPress

Magic of Christmas Frame - Spellbinders LetterPress (Sentiment only)

Alphabet Letters - Recollections (Michaels)

Crosshatch Design Die - Rubbernecker (now Brass&Bliss)

Green CS, Gold CS, Watercolor Paper

I hope my card gives you inspiration for a card you want to make 

Thanks much for stopping in today

I will be back soon

Just For You

 Hello there

WOW!!! September is here and we are getting ready to welcome in fall. That means its time for another Birthstone Challenge. I decided to use a Sapphire color and I added a pretty holographic Stardust paper border as an accent (it reminded me of opals) .

The current Birthstone challenge is being sponsored by All Dressed Up, and even though  fall is around the corner, I just couldn't resist making a card using this cutie. This is Seashells and I have the perfect accents to go along with her.

Products used:

Seashells Digital Image - All Dressed 

Beach Chairs & Umbrella  - Spellbinders Large Die - Summer Vacay

Sapphire CS, Holographic paper, White CS, Black CS 

Inks - Memento - London Fog, Nautical Blue

Tiny Shells

Markers & Pens - Staedler triplus fineliner, Spectrum Noir Alcohol markers

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Hope you enjoyed my project and gives you some ideas. 

I'll be back soon

Life is a Song

Do you believe it!!! it's September 1 already, and time for another Love To Scrap Challenge. 

Love to Scrap is a scrapping challenge blog welcoming all types of scrapped projects - cards, scrapbook layouts, ATCs, mixed media, altered items, 3-D projects, etc. - using bits of leftover items in your stash or new stuff! That about covers it all, LOL

For this card, I used stamps that I received in an older publication of Creative Stamping. The magazine always includes stamps and sometimes an embossing folder or a stencil. So I was looking around thru my saved Creative Stamping mag's and this one was begging me to use the stamps. So using some of the stamps I replicated the card that appeared on the cover of the mag. 

This card is a 5X7 

The stamps included in this mag issue are the Music and Song set by Stamps by Me. There are approximately 8 images and 11 sentiments in this set. 

Products used:

Stamps - Stamps by Me - Music and Song (Included in a Creative Stamping magazine)
White CS
Dies - Spellbinders - Ovals

Inks - Memento - Dandelion, Tuxedo Black, Angel Pink, Bamboo Leaves, Summer Sky

I am entering my card in the following challenges:

• Crafts Galore Encore (M, P1, E3) Always Anything Goes
• DL.Art Linky Challenge (M, P1) Always Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Hope you enjoyed my project and gives you some ideas. 

I'll be back soon

Mini Album Mania

Welcome to July 1 and its time for another Mini Album Mania Challenge!!!

I have a cool album for you today. But IMHO my project is more like a book.

I can see this as a book of recipes, a journal of sorts, a spot to record memories or whatever you can dream up. Can you picture a book of your fav recipes to give to your BFF. What a great gift. I'm sure you can come up with other great ideas for this book/album

 I had some press images laying around so I used them in this book, but as I said before this book has many possibilities. OK OK Let me share with you some pics of my project!!

Book Front

Page 1

Book Page 2 and page 3

Book Page 4 and 5

Book Page 6 and 7

Book page 12 and 13

Book page 18 and 19

Here is the spine of this book

There are many more pages in my book/album but they are not decorated yet so I didn't include them here on my blog, who wants to look at a bunch of blank pages. LOL

As you noticed I skipped some pages as well. Those are blank and I felt you would not be interested in those blank pages.

The smaller dark pages are the center of each folded page that helps hold the pages and ultimately the book together. (I know..... clear as mud - LOL)

I found this book design online and after I watched the video a few times I thought this design was really cool. It's called Accordion Hinge Album and the video is about 13 minutes long. Tutorial is done very well. Click on the link if you like albums, books. And the great thing about it is, this takes very little time to make.

I added chipboard to the front and back and covered it with that embossed cardstock and added a decorative BetterPress pressed image to the front for added interest.

For the front and back covers, I used watercolor paper and lightly spritzed it with water and then placed it in the embossing folder and ran it thru my Big Shot. I think that made the embossed image really stand out.  

Products used:

Paper/CS -Card stock, Chip board, Watercolor paper

Dies - Spellbinders - Ovals

Spellbinders BetterPress Letterpress die images - Diamond Avery, Rose Bouquet, Corner Sunflowers, Pressed Bouquet, Flutter Into Spring

Ink - Spellbinder -BetterPress Black Ink

Watercolors  and Water Brush to color

Embossing folder

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed my project and gives you some ideas. I'll be back soon

Merry Christmas

 WOW July 1 is already here and we are halfway thru the year!!! Well it's time for the next Merry Little Christmas Challenge. This challenge runs July 1 thru August 31. 

This challenge is a great place you to get ideas and enter the challenge and share your designs with others.

My project for this challenge is kind of simple. Just a corrugated piece from a box, some die cuts - pine trees a deer and a stamped sentiment. Pretty quick and easy. Hope you like this one

The card is a 5X7, 1st layer is using gold CS 4 3/4" X 6 3/4" The 2nd layer is 5 1/2" X 6 1/2" using that white/cream CS. Next is the corrugated piece and I placed the pine tree die cuts on top of that corrugated piece. Added a gold deer die cut. The sentiment is gold heat embossed on an oval white/cream CS and layered on a slightly larger oval using gold CS

Products used:

Paper/CS - Corrugated piece from a box lid, Gold CS, Cream/White CS

Dies - Creek Bank Creations - Woodland Animals Die; Sizzix Thinlits Tim Holtz Alterations -Woodlands; Spellbinders - Ovals

Stamp - Hero Arts - Christmas Messages Clear

Versa Mark - Clear

Embossing Powder - Gold

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed my project and gives you some ideas. I'll be back soon

MEOW

Welcome to July and the new challenge over at Love To Scrap. The challenge runs from July 1 thru August 31

Love To Scrap is a fun challenge, welcoming all types of scrapped projects - cards, scrapbook layouts, ATCs, mixed media, altered items, 3-D projects, etc. - using bits of leftover items in your stash or new stuff!

Well that leaves it wide open as far as what you can use. 

Some of you that know me, know I love cats. I only have 3, but I love all cats, wish I could have more but......3 is enough for now. (LOL) Anyway, I saw this cat stamp and it begged me to buy it so I did (HAHAHA). I have finally got around to using it and I hope you enjoy my project.

The card is a 5X7 on cream/white CS and I used a DP scrap piece for my layer.  Added a piece of corrugated box lid for interest. Next I stamped that cute kitty and cut around the cat and the fur and whiskers to make sure those elements stayed. I have an old paw print stamp so I added it as a border and the sentiment came last but not least. I also have a peg stamp that adds some dots and used that to finish this cutie!!

Products I used.

Stamp (Cat and sentiment) - Pink Ink Designs - Fabulous Feline; Paw - Old & unknown

Paper/CS - Cream/White CS,  DP; Cardboard corrugated from a box

Ink - VersaFine CLAIR - Nocturne & Morning Mist

Fine watercolor brush to stroke the Morning Mist onto the body of cat

Dotted Peg Stamp - Stamps by Judith

Oval Shape - Spellbinders Die

3M Foam dots

Well my cats have meowed their approval on this one. Hope you enjoyed my project and I'd love to see your project submitted in the challenge.

Thanks for stopping in and I will be back soon.

Thank You

Welcome to July and it's time for a new challenge over at the Birthstone Challenge for the July/August months. The colors for this challenge are Ruby Red and/or Peridot with an option of Thank You.

I decided to use a pretty peridot color for the main card layer on my 5X7 card. I have a new embossing folder from Spellbinders and since it has a leaf design I felt it was a good fit for the stamped flower image. Next I added 2 rectangles to accent the flower, which is the main focal point of the card. Those rectangles have some green and  pink color brushed on just to add some further interest.

Products used: Cream/White CS, Peridot Colored CS, Spellbinders embossing folder - Scattered Tropics, Rectangle Layers - White /Cream CS with Memento Angel Pink and Pistachio inks brushed on, The flower is Impression Obsession  Dot Flowers. I stamped additional blossoms and shaped and layered them on top of the base flowers with pop dots. Sentiment is Simple Sayings -Tim Holtz/ Stampers Anonymous, stamped using VersaFine CLAIR Nocturne

Hope you like this sweet card and we'd love to see your submission for this challenge.

Thanks for dropping in and I will see you next time

 

Mini Album for May/June

Hi 
And welcome back to my blog.

It's time for another challenge over at Mini Album Mania. 

The challenge will continue til June 15, so you have plenty of time to make a mini book/album and submit it. 

I don't know about you but I love making albums and I'm always looking for a different album recipe LOL. Well I came upon this album recently and just had to make it. Its called the Pocket Page Mini Album.  I felt it fit the bill for the MAM DT I am on. So I made the album and I'm telling you it was easy to make and took very little time. I took pics of all the pages so you'd get a better idea as to what this cute piece looks like.

Front Cover

The inside of the album cover and

 the first page 

Flipped to the next 2 pages

See those lines on the left page in that triangle area?? 

That's the flip side of the blue paper I used

Next 2 pages

Next 2 pages

Next 2 pages

This is the center of the album 

and you can see that I sewed the pages with Bakers Twine

Easy peasy,  just 3 stitches

And all pages and book front and back are connected,

by sewing down the spine center

Next 2 pages

Next 2 pages

Next 2 pages

Last page and inside of the book cover

If you notice those white triangles on the pages, 

that is a piece of white CS that you can pull out from the pocket

 and add notes etc. You can also add pics or other memorabilia in the pocket area.

The floral pieces I added to each page was in my stash 

and I have had them for eons. 

They are Tim Holtz idea-ology Botanical Layers

The pages were made by using double sided 12X12 paper

 one side is blue and the other side is lined with 3 or 4 colors. 

For the cover and spine, I just used 120lb weight white CS. 

I covered the front, back and insides with a paper 

that coordinated with the blue on the pages.

I mentioned that this album was easy to make, 

well here is a link to the site that has the instructions. 

https://octoberafternoon.typepad.com/october_afternoon/2011/09/tuesday-tutorial-pocket-page-mini-album.html

Hope you give it a try. 

Don't forget, the Mini Album Mania challenge has begun. The challenge will continue til June 15, so you have plenty of time to make a mini book/album and submit it. I'd love to see what you create.

Til next time,

Happy Birthday

Hello and welcome to a new month and the new challenge over at Love To Scrap. This challenge goes til June 15 so there is plenty of time to get your project made and submitted. 

Here is my DT project for this challenge.

 This card is a great card design to use a scrap piece you might have laying around. And I have tons of scraps, don't you!!

This card is a bit small 4 X 5.5 (I generally make 5X7 sized cards.) but I love the simple look. 

I cut straight lines every 1/2 inch  parallel to the sides. My lines start and end at 5/8" in from top and from the bottom.

Next, I cut strips from scrap paper, 1/2" wide and about 6 " long. I wove the strips thru the cut slits and positioned them on a diagonal basis. I just added a dot of adhesive to the strip ends. Oh and I trimmed the strips that were hanging off the edge of the card.

The sentiment is from a set by Forever in Time - Birthday Wishes.

As I mentioned earlier the Love To Scrap challenge has begun and will be running til June15. So you have plenty of time to make a project and submit it.  I would love to see your project. 

I hope I have inspired you and I will be back soon with another project.

Merry Christmas

 Hi All

Welcome back to the latest challenge at Merry Little Christmas Challenge. 

This is a great challenge for all you Christmas card lovers who make Christmas cards the year round.

The Merry Little Christmas Challenge goes til June 15 which gives you plenty of time to enter your card into the challenge. Also great place to get some more inspiration. 

This card is fairly simple to make.

The How To:

• I started out with a 6X6 white card base. 
• Next I cut a 5 3/4"X 5 3/4" layer out of shimmery dark blue CS and attached on the card front base.
• Next layer is white CS again. Cut it 5 1/2"X 5 1/2" square. Now find  the center on each of the 4 sides and position a border punch so that the center of the punch area is on the center of each of the sides of the white CS layer . Punch that out. Do on all 4 sides. This will leave a white area on the 4 corners not punched.  
• Those 4 corners  on my CS are 1 1/2" square.  I cut 4 square pieces 1 3/8" out of that dark blue CS and using a plain snowflake punch, I punched a snowflake in the center of each of those 4 small squares. Attach each of the squares with the snowflake shape punched out, over the white corners you will have a slight white border. 
• You will now have a 3" white square in the center, Cut 2 2 7/8" square out of the dark blue CS and attach that over the white center. 
• I stamped and fussy cut my kitty image, colored it and popped it up in the center on top of the dark blue square
• I added the sentiment and some glitter and the card is finished

What I used:

• Christmas Kitten and Mouse - Creative Vision (I did not use the mouse)
• Sentiment - Woodware - Christmas Strips
• Copic Markers
• Martha Stewart Border punch - Snowflake Trim
• Martha Stewart Punch - Medium Alpine Snowflake
• White CS
• Shimmer Dark Blue CS
• Glitter
• Memento Ink - Nautical Blue

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you will give this look a try. 

Please remember the Merry Little Christmas Challenge has begun. The challenge will continue til June 15, so you have plenty of time to make a Christmas card/project and submit it. I'd love to see your creation. 

See you soon