TPE #227 - Be Thankful -Thanksgiving Theme

Good Morning!  

It's Monday morning and the beginning of a holiday week for us in the U.S.!  

Thanksgiving is just 3 days away.  

Hope everyone has some big appetites building up for blessed and thankful feasts(and a little football) on Thursday!

So in keeping with the holiday,

over at
The Pink Elephant Challenge this week, 

the challenge is 

"Be Thankful"

or Thanksgiving Theme.

Ella, my fellow designers and I have 

some wonderful "thankful" projects 

to share with you 

and 

hopefully inspire you to play along!

Below is my project:

I decided to make something 

decorative and holiday themed 

for my kitchen. 

SPIES:

STAMPS: Image -digital stamp(Create with TLC); Sentiment - Digital (D2D Stamps)

PAPER: White and cream cardstock; Orange glitter cardstock; 

INK: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics: Brown spray paint (Frame).

EXTRAS: Wooden decorative photo frame; decorative square Nestabilities (Spellbinders); blossom die cut; burlap material; orange daisy fabric flower; leather flower(Recollections); leaves (Prima); ribbon; crystal Stickles, coat hanger.

This project took about three different turns 

from its original path of using a wooden tray, 

something I've done before, 

to finally evolve into its final product.  

I added the flower/bow combo last 

as I just didn't like the hanger 

looking all cold and ugly.

But, I'm still playing around 
with the flower 
as I'm not quite satisfied with it.

Here, I ditched the flower all together and think I like it better:

As you see, kitchen wall is orange.  My kitchen is actually brown and orange walls and cream cabinets, kind of a fall theme all year round!  LOL  

Don't forget 

to stop by 

The Pink Elephant Challenge 

to see 

what the other Designers have created.  

Visit their blogs and leave them some blog luv.

Then, join us this week 

and 

create a "thankful" project!

CHALLENGES FOR THIS PROJECT:

Drunken Stampers Challenge #151

4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes Challenge

Been wanting to play at 4CraftyChicks for several weeks now and now have the chance.

The Stamping Boutique - Thanksgiving Challenge

Have a 

blessed, ful"filling", and safe 

Thanksgiving!

TPE #226 - Color Challenge

Wow, the Mondays just keep coming up faster and faster!

Of course, the best thing about Mondays...?

Mondays means 

a new challenge 

over at 

The Pink Elephant Challenge!

And this week we have a fantabulous 

color challenge for you:

TPE#226 - Color Challenge:

We want to see the colors

 Orange, Cream & Brown

on your projects.

Here is some inspiration I cooked up:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Turkey(Inkadinkadoo); Medallion ring (Just Rite Stamps); Flowers-Friendship Blooms (Taylored Expressions); Senitment-Stamp a Sweet Impression (Taylored Expressions)

PAPER: Buttercream & chocolate cardstock; Orange polka dot pattern paper (stash).

INK: Timber Brown (Staz On); Tangelo (Memento); Copics: Walnut, Light Walnut, Orange, Chrome Ornage, Chinese Orange.

EXTRAS: Scallop Framelit Die (Sizzix); Lacey Circle Die (Spellbinders); Flower die (Taylored Expressions); Banner die (Taylored Expressions); Lacy border punch (Martha Stewart); brown polka dot ribbon.

That turkey image is a new find.  

I don't have many Thanksgiving stamps or images 

and I thought this was adorable and unique!

I stamped him twice, colored both and then fussy cut the body of one to pop up.

I also popped up the flowers.

For the following challenges:

Sister Act #33 - Anything Goes

Stampin' for the Weekend:  Autumn/Fall Colors

Stamping Boutique Challenge:  Thanksgiving

Stop over at 

The Pink Elephant Challenge 

and see what Ella and the rest of the design team 

have done to 

inspire you this week!

Pink Elephant and Thanksgiving Blessings!

TPE #225 - Inspiration Challenge

Happy Veteran's Day! 

Please remember our Vets 

and 

say a prayer 

for all of our troops today!

It's also Monday, 

and you know what that means...

Time for 

The Pink Elephant Challenge!

This week we have a terrific

 inspiration photo

to inspire 

you 

in your 

paper crafting creativity!

Take whatever you want from the photo --- the colors, the shapes (is that not a fabulous wagon wheel?), the textures, the flowers, whatever inspires you.

The Pink Elephant Challenge #225 

 Inspiration Photo

Here's my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Medallion (Just Rite); Sentiment (Inkadinkadoo).

PAPER: Kraft cardstock.  DP- American Crafts (I think). 

INK: Canteloupe, Tangelo, Love Letter, Rhubarb Stalk (Memento).

EXTRAS: Flowers (Prima); Round Tag; Crochet Mat; raffia; brown silk ribbon.

The wagon wheel is what caught my eye and inspired me to use the medallion stamp image adhered to a crocheted mat.  The crocheted mat is one of a set I won in a blog candy drawing from Jessi over at OneCraftyMama.  She makes them and sells them.  I have tan, white and black ones, but recently she has added several different colors also.

Now stop over 

at The Pink Elephant Challenge 

and check out 

the rest of Ella's Design Team's samples, 

all of which are incredible, 

as usual!  

Join us this week 
over at The Pink Elephant Challenge

and l

eave a link to your project!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

QKR Stampede #63- Anything Goes/Harvest

Your Next Stamp Challenge #6

Blessings to our Veterans!

TPE #224 - Sketch Challenge

Happy November Monday!

Monday means another great 

Pink Elephant Challenge!

This week, we have a fabulously fun sketch created by Lori Boyd, one of the co-creators of The Pink Elephant, for you to try:

The Pink Elephant Challenge #224-Sketch

Here's my interpretation for some inspiration:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiment (StampinUP!); Image (Stampers Anonymous).

PAPER: Red cardstock; Buttercream cardstock; DP-Two Christmases In One (Authentique).

INK: Jet Black (Staz On). Copics - Lipstick Red, Pale Olive and Yellow Green.

EXTRAS: Label Die (Taylored Expressions); Holly leaf die (Taylored Expressions); Frosted Lace Stickles; Diamond Stickles; Red/white Baker's twine; Arrow ribbon (American Crafts); Lime green button; Red cloth vintage button; Candy cane button; lime green gem dots.

Oddly enough I've gotten a "tad" into the Christmas spirit, which is rare this time of year.  Usually, I hardly think about Christmas until the week of our (U.S.) Thanksgiving!

So, I chose one of my all time favorite stamps, it's a set of four from Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous.  I love, love, love these stamps!

I've also been stocking up on other Christmas stamps and supplies (probably the reason for my early spiritedness) and found this wonderful pattern paper set that went perfect with the stamp image.

I flipped the sketch a bit so that I could include the oval Santa image on the pattern paper since I colored my stamped image to go with the red and green images on the paper.

I first stamped the image in black and then used Copics to color in some of the hat, holly wreath and the background.  Then, I added some Frosted Lace stickles on the pine branch and Diamond stickles on the wreath.  

I hope this helps get you "sketching"

with us this week!

And, don't forget to stop by The Pink Elephant Challenge blog and see what my fellow Design Team Members created and visit their blogs to leave them some blog luvin'!  They have some amazing projects!

I'm entering this card into the Christmas card challenge at 

Scrapping4funChallenges

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Love ~ Wish ~ Dream!

I was playing around with washi tape and die cuts and this is what it turned into:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiments (Inkadinkadoo).

PAPER: White cardstock.  DP-Paper Pad(American Crafts)

INK: Jet Black (Staz On).

EXTRAS: Arrow die (Taylored Expressions); Washi tape; flower stickers.


That's about all I can say other than 

I loooooove washi tape!

FOR CHALLENGES:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes!

Catered Crop - Washi Tape Recipe Swap

Washi Blessings!

The Secret of Life...

Happy Early Monday!  And I do mean early! LOL

A "light as a feather" card...

SPIES:

STAMPS: Feathers-Tickle Me Fancy (Fresh Squeezed Stamps). Sentiment (StampinUp!)

PAPER: White and violet cardstock.

INK: Elderberry and Sweet Plum (Memento).

EXTRAS: Dark and light purple gems; label framelit die (Sizzix); pop dots.

I have been trying to use some of my newer products instead of the normal setting them in my basket and letting them acclimate for months before using them.  Feathers are very popular right now in the stamping world so naturally I "had" to have one or two.  So, I opted for about four in a set from Freshly Squeezed stamps.  Such an adorable combo of different feather styles!

I used the same feather stamp on this card, stamping it in two different shades of purple, randomly about the card base.  It's all purple for the monochromatic challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. Then I used another StampinUp! sentiment (one of those "acclimated" newbies) and inlayed it within the same label die.

FOR CHALLENGES:

Crafty Cardmakers - #103 Monochromatic Purple

Light and Feather Blessings!

CELEBRATE-EAT CAKE-PARTY!

SPIES

STAMPS:  Sentiment & Balloons (Taylored Expressions).

PAPER: Red, Yellow, Aqua, Green, & White cardstock.

INK: Versamark.

EXTRAS: White Emboss powder; Red ribbon; Red twine; Raffia; small dot emboss folder (Cuttlebug), large dot emboss folder (Sizzix), triangle and arrow emboss folders (Sizzix).

I thought outside the box again with this card.  I cut long banners and then folded them and secured with pop dots to make this extra dimensional look.  I was going for fun, cheery and celebratory.  Then, I switched the order of color and cut strips of each color, adhered to a white base and then stamped the sentiment in Versamark, embossing with white.  The balloons are stamps I embossed also and fussy cut, adding raffia for the streamers.

FOR CHALLENGES:

Party Time Tuesday's -#144 Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes!

God's Special Art

Happy Sunday -- at least for a little bit longer!  

Getting ready for a trip and just have too many things going on at once.  Isn't that how it always turns out?  I've been hoarding cards again and not posting so I'm trying to get these posted before I'm MIA from the blog world for a while.

I've had these StampinUp! sentiments for a good while and finally using them.  The pattern paper is also StampinUp! and I've had it so long I can't remember what style it is.  I thought the butterfly sequins added a nice touch here too and added some tiny pearls to each one.

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiment (StampinUp!).

PAPER: Pale yellow, slate blue, dark green and white cardstock.  DP (StampinUp!).

INK: Jet Black (Staz On).

EXTRAS: Yellow Prima flowers; butterfly sequins; leaf die (Taylored Expressions); label die (Spellbinders); lattice emboss folder (Sizzix); pearl gems.

FOR CHALLENGES:

I'm entering this card into Simon Says Monday Challenge, Simon Says, Wednesday Challenge, Party Time Tuesdays Challenge and Stampin' Royalty Challenge:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything

Part Time Tuesday's - Anything

Stampin Royalty - #200 Anything

I will be back shortly this time with a couple more posts!  

Sunday Blessings!

Be Yourself

Wow!  It's November!  Where did this year go?  I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving and just 7-1/2 weeks til Christmas!  

And even just 1 week til The Wedding!  I know everyone's probably tired of hearing my countdown for my son's wedding.  Yet, it's approaching fast and furious now.  And, with that said, after this weekend I will be taking a little LOA from stamping as the Hubs and I venture to OKC days before the nuptials to spend a little bit of time with our son and his fiance.

I have to say, I'm quite calm right now about the trip and the festivities!  I hope that continues!  And I hope I don't have stamping withdrawals!  LOL  I've been doing it so regularly now, I don't know what I'll do.  I am sure I will be keeping a list of cards I want to make upon my return.  I won't be completely non-creative. 

I've been so busy, I've almost forgotten to post cards!  Geesh!  I did this one for Cupcake Inspirations and Tuesday Morning Sketches, but I forgot and missed the post for Cupcake!  Story of my posting life!  LOL

SPIES:

STAMPS: Dress Form(StampinUp!); Sentiment(So old I don't remember).

PAPER: Plum & white cardstock; DP - Black Widow (We R Memory Keepers).

INK: Timber Brown(Memento)

EXTRAS: Scallop die (Sizzix); Hexagon die (Spellbinders); orange ribbon.

Ok, so this card has been bugging me --- I look at it and it's like something is missing.  So,  I added a little bling:

Tuesday Morning Sketches #222

I will be back later with more posts, all on time too!  ;)

Saturday Blessings!