Inspired by Challenge #313

 

The theme for the current Inspired by Challenge #313 is GIFTING.

 

Here's my card. I was inspired by the buffalo check gift bags and the greenery.

 

It was also time for me to bring out the gnome from hibernation. He was decked out

in an outfit that matched the patterned papers. I decided to make a shaped card

using Spellbinders decorative arches and added greenery from Tim Holtz's vault.

 

It's serendipitous that some sentiment stamps from Honeybee arrived and I chose

a sentiment that fit the occasion as well as the space on the card.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Color Throwdown Challenge #822

 

Here's this week's Christmasy colors for Color Throwdown Challenge #822.

 

 

The very traditional green, red, and cream. And here's my gift card holder, a very

non traditional bit of clothing for someone who hails from Hawaii.

 

 I love seeing all the Christmas stockings and mittens that have been popping up 

and it may not be everyday wear but they'd be very welcome high atop a few

mountain ranges on Hawaii island.

 

I ran the die cut mitten through a cable knit embossing folder for a bit of texture

and added the lace trim, button berries and leaves. I finished off with a tag

stamped with a very old Hero Arts sentiment from my stamp inventory.

I just love the font!

Ok, I'm still early but I'll link this up over at CTD. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Note: Special warm thanks to Michele for informing her geographically challenged

friend that the state of Michigan is known as the "Mitten State" because of its unique 

shape--a mitten! Besides the temps dropping to levels where you'd require mittens! 

Thanks, Michele!

Also, my mitten was chosen as the random winner for CTD822 and I'll be guesting

in the new year! Thanks so much CTD!

Freshly Made Sketches #662

Freshly Made Sketches #662 by Jen T. is another sketch with countless

possibilities. Needless to say, I had a few ideas but settled on the simplest one.

Here's my take on it.

 

 

 I stenciled Pinkfresh Studio's Bougainvillea Print Layering Stencil, using just the first two

stencils. I ran it through an embossing folder, then trimmed it per the sketch and adhered

it to a card base. I added a strip of gold metallic card stock then stamped the sentiment 

in gold pigment ink. Done!

Thanks, always, for stopping by!

 

Time Out Challenge #276 -- Cozy

 

The latest cue word for Time Out Challenge #276 is COZY.

 

How about a cozy pair of bunny slippers? Yes, please!

I've been an off and on subscriber to Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club, but 

when I saw the bunny slippers, I was back on. Our daughter had a white bunny and 

one Christmas I received a pair of bunny slippers from her.

These remind me of Kumo 💗

I tried my best to make the legs look "cross legged" and used papers from a long 

retired pad of Lawn Fawn papers. After assembling the legs on the card I stamped 

and white embossed the sentiment. 

I'm hoping to put together the other slippers in the set. The penguin is next on 

the list. Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

Freshly Made Sketches #661

Freshly Made Sketches #661 is a fun, color blocked sketch by Jacquie.

 

 

The sketch made me search for one of my favorite die sets--Christmas Cutouts.

 

The pieces were die cut from scraps of card stock (yay!) and I ran the card 

base through an Organic Linen embossing folder. The moon and sentiments 

were doubled up and I adhered all of the pieces per the sketch.

This card was a good reminder to play with some older supplies and I may

possibly crank out a few more cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

2024 Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

 Talk about "down to the wire", I may or not have made it to the link up for the

2024 Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. What with Daylight Savings Time and

babysitting, I barely had time to even think of a design.

 

 

 

Some of my postage dies were out and about and I just picked up a pad of coffee

themed paper and my card was born.

I used Ellen Hutson's postage dies and cut out some images from the paper pad.

The sentiment was white embossed before being run through an embossing

folder. I spattered white ink on the card before adhering the stamps. 

 

Ok, off to link this up. Maybe. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Color Hues #98 -- Red and Black

 I've had Spellbinders' Skateboarding Terry for a while, die cut in different

"doggie colors". I grabbed a black one and made a card for Color Hues #98.

 

And here's Terry in all his glory.

 

I love how the red collar pops on him and matches his skateboard. And the

sentiment? I imagine that if pets could speak, that would be the message

they would convey to their owner ❤

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #660

 

Here's Freshly Made Sketches #660, courtesy of Judy.

 

 

I went a little off course with a different shape but tried to stay true to 

the original sketch.

I almost brought in a nest then remembered that I had Tim Holtz's Festive 

Wreath that he recently brought out from the vault. There must have been

a zillion pieces and it was a good time to use scraps of colored cardstock.

I stamped the sentiment first on cream cardstock and cut the panel with

Spellbinder dies, then adhered the wreath and extras. The panel looked a 

little too "clean", so I distressed the edges with a scissors, and adhered it 

to a chocolate brown card base. 

I'm off to link this up. Thanks, always, for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #659

Here's Freshly Made Sketches #659, another sketch with many possibilities.

 

And here's my take on it. Butterflies!

Pinkfresh Studio's Fluttering Butterflies Washi tape has a kaleidoscope of

butterflies and I love that you can cut them out in one pass. Some gold paint was 

spattered on the card and I adhered the butterflies and foliage and stamped

 the sentiment.

I hope this brightens your weekend! I'm off to link this up, early, for a change.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Color Throwdown Challenge #816

 

I consider myself "color challenged" but joined this week's Color Throwdown

Challenge #816 to honor a former Color Throwdown DT member, Barbara Anders 

who recently passed away.

I was on the My Favorite Things design team from 2015 till 2019 and Barbara

was a long time designer--possibly even from the very beginning. I always admired

her ability to create cards so effortlessly, from CAS to elegant and layered. 

Bar could do it all. 

 

Here's my card that I plan to send to her family.

 

Altenew's Hill Blossom stencil is one of my favorite stencils and I've made many

cards with it. It's a first for me to ink up brown leaves and I rather liked how it 

looks together with the orange blooms.

I cut out two panels from Reverse Wonky Rectangles and ran the Doily embossing

folder through one. The back panel was joined to the front to form a hinge and I

liked how the doily left a space for my sentiment.

 

 

Two branches were stenciled and cut with the matching dies. One branch was

adhered directly to the card and the second was trimmed a bit and popped up

over the first. An MFT sentiment finished off the card.

For more information on this week's challenge and how you can send a card to

Bar's family, visit this post. Thanks for stopping by!