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Thursday, September 26, 2019

Krafty Chicks Challenge #474 - Sketch

Hey All!
It's Thursday once again.  
That means a new challenge is up at Krafty Chicks Challenge!

Tangii is our hostess again and her "Twist" is a sketch! The sketch is an older one at Mojo Monday by the fabulous Julee Tillman.





I decided to get spooky with a Halloween card.  I found the star circle in a box of leftovers I forgot I had.  I built the rest of the card around it.  The background is watercolored with Grape Crush by Catherine Pooler Inks.  The fence also is cut from cardstock inked with the Grape Crush. The patterned "grass" is Reverse Confetti. I cut out the haunted house (Spellbinders) twice, one in black and one in yellow and glued them together.  The sentiment is from Ellen Hutson stamped in Midnight (CP Inks) and mounted on silver mirror cardstock as is the star circle.  I sponged a bit of Twilight ink around the star circle so it would look more like a moon and then sponged some Sauna ink around the sentiment circle.

Be sure and stop over at the Hen House and see the rest of the Team's projects and our Guest Designer, Katie.  This is her last week with us.  Give her some blog love. 


Krafty Chick Blessings!

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Keeping Christmas - September 2019


Good Morning!

Today is September 25th!

THREE MONTHS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!
Do you have your Christmas cards started yet?  

If not, come check out the
 Keeping Christmas Inspirational Blog Hop.  

Every month on the 25th, the Keeping Christmas Team headed by our fabulous leader, Kelly Lunceford, share lots of wonderful Christmas projects to inspire you and boost your creativity to either begin or add to your Christmas card/paper project stash for Christmas.

This month I decided to make some Christmas Thank You cards so I would have some ready for right after the holiday. This is actually a first for me.  I usually forget all about the thank you cards until about mid-January.  Probably because sometimes I'm mailing my Christmas cards out the day after Christmas! (Cardmaker's problem, or at least this one's).

  
I saw a really interesting technique last week from a card challenge participant whose blog I visited.  This may be totally new to just me.  I've smooshed ink on blocks before but never thought to smoosh the ink in two blocks together  So I had to try it.  I used various acrylic blocks I have but the ones I liked the most were my round one, a medium rectangle and a larger rectangle.  It works best with just two different colors per background.  I wound up with nine backgrounds.  I chose three for now.  I'll make up the others later.  
After all the smooshing, I decided I'd ink the front of the cardbases to match one of the color in each background. Once that was done I got busy stamping all my elements and embossing all my sentiments on labels I had die cut previously.


I used two stamp sets, both by Catherine Pooler Designs. Oh What Fun and Boughs and Berries.  The sentiment was a freebie from Catherine Pooler in the September Release.  



Now see what the rest of the Design Team has created to inspire you by hopping through the list below:

Nance Salkeld (You are HERE!)

See you next month!

Keeping Christmas Blessings!

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Christmas Candy Corn

CAS Christmas card challenge is closing later today.  How did I not think of this before?...Christmas candy corn.  It's a thing.  I have this big candy corn stamp and die set.  So I made Christmas candy corn!
The candy corn stamp, from "Eat Candy Corn" by Impression Obsession, comes in three separate pieces and there are two sets, one solid and the other each piece has a pattern on it.  So I used the solid and stamped each piece separately first with ink (Rouge for red, Mardi Gras for green and then the white is just Wanderlust embossing glitter). I stamped them again with Versamark and then I used embossing glitter for the final layer.  The sentiment is also from the same stamp set stamped in Midnight.  I die cut the panel with a laced panel die by Gina Marie Designs.  The background is a buffalo plaid background stamp by Catherine Pooler Designs stamped in Rouge ink also by Catherine Pooler.  


CAS Christmas Treat Blessings!



Inchie Thanks

Hello again!

I have finally been able to play in some challenges again.  Today is the last day for all of the CAS challenges, CAS Christmas Card, Watercolor, Stencil and Mixup.  I at least made a card for CAS Mixup. The theme has been Inchies.  

The newest Club Sursee bundle from Catherine Pooler Designs was perfect for it...
I had a piece of leftover purple watercolored paper sitting on my table so I decided to make a little "inchie" window tower.  I tell you, it was challenging trying to find a shaped die cut that was just an inch long but I did!  The smallest wonky stitched square by My Favorite Things is an inch!  I cut them out from the watercolor paper and set them aside.  Then, I placed my cardbase in my Misti with the purple rectangle piece to layout my first flower to stamp, which is stamped in Pixie Dust and Grape Crush.  The watercolored panel, incidentally was colored using Grape Crush smooshed on a glass mat.  Next I stamped the sentiment in Grape Crush.  Finally, I glued the rectangle panel and then the three squares.


For Following Challenges:


Inchies, Stamping, Die Cuts, Watercolor

Inchie Blessings!  



Brave Wings

Happy Fall Ya'll!
 <insert adopted southern accent> 

I'm sharing a non-DT post for a change! With summer winding down and cooler weather on the way (hopefully, although you never know in the south), I'm trying to get crafty organized for Fall/Winter cards. 

I made my final stamp purchases for 2019, getting some new Fall, Halloween and LOTS of Christmas stamps.  So I've been playing around a little bit with everything.  One of my favorite new purchases are these angel wings die (see below) by Catherine Pooler Designs, part of her Christmas Release this month.  Even the Hubs loved them and said they were a must have!  LOL

Anyway, I always try and make some breast cancer awareness cards for October so I thought they might work for that as well.  Am I understating that?  The photo isn't great as the background is grey, and lighter than it shows in the photo, but I really LOVE how this turned out!



Above is using natural light and a devil may care, just shoot and post the darn thing, attitude.  Below is one of my original attempts at a photo that shows the truer color of the grey background.  I had lighting issues yesterday trying to photograph cards.  I'm sure it was the "photographer" moreso than the lighting but we won't say anymore about that.  Except, I will add I think it is possible to have too much lighting in the one room that gets lots of natural lighting.



I cut out the wings twice, once in Neenah 110 lb cardstock and then out of a pink watercolored background.  I cut out some Stick It paper and adhered to the back of the white wings to keep all the pieces in place.  Then popped out the pink pieces and adhered the pink wings on top of the white ones.  I cut the ribbon from the same watercolored cardstock. I already had the heart die in my "leftover pieces" box. I used grey cardstock, I think "mirror" from CP Designs grey cardstock pack.  

Card Supplies:
Stamps: Sentiment - Ellen Hutson-Be Strong and American Crafts.
Paper: Smoke cardstock (Catherine Pooler); White cardbase (Neenah); Watercolor paper (Strathmore).
Ink: It's a Girl (Catherine Pooler Inks); Versamark
Extras: White embossing powder (WOW); Angel Wings die (Catherine Pooler Designs); Ribbon die (Verve Stamps); Heart die (Sizzix). Stars from Star cutting plate (Catherine Pooler Designs); Sequins - (Catherine Pooler Designs)

Brave Blessings!



Thursday, September 19, 2019

Krafty Chicks Challenge #473 Thank You


Happy Thursday!

A new challenge is up at Krafty Chicks Challenge.

Tangii is our hostess and our Twist is "THANK YOU"!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #473 Thank You



I used stamps from Go You Covered Set, the August Sursee at Catherine Pooler Designs.  The sentiments are from the Butterfly Notes stamp set, also Catherine Pooler Designs, as is the patterned paper background.

Stop at the Hen House and see what the rest of the Chicks created along with our Guest Chick, Katie!  Then come play with us!

Krafty Chicks Blessings!

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

CAS Christmas - Spiked Spirits

Hey there!

We're now at the halfway mark through September.   
Just three months and eight days until Christmas Day!  YIKES!  

Today is mid-month Reminder Day 
for the 
CAS Christmas Card Challenge.

I'm hosting this month and I chose the theme of holiday treats.

I did a very CAS card for my mid-month.  I used the hot beverage stamp from the "Holiday Charm Stamp" Set by Catherine Pooler Designs. I colored it with Copics, using a little ombre for it. I shimmered the cream with Nuvo Glimmer Pen.  The sentiment is from "Spirited Sentiments" by My Favorite Things.  Lastly, I scored a border around the card edge for a little interest.



So stop by the CAS Christmas blog and see the rest of the team's Holiday Treat projects as well as our Guest Designer, Birgit.  And how about playing along with us and get some Christmas cards created.  It's not so far away now!


CAS Christmas Blessings!

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Krafty Chicks Challenge #472 - Border Stamp Twist

Good Morning!

It's time for a new challenge 
at
Krafty Chicks Challenge.

I'm your host this week and I've decided we need to break out those border stamps!


I used some border stamps from Catherine Pooler Design's Club Sursee for the background of my card. I stamped them in Melon Ice, Garden Party and Mardi Gras inks by Catherine Pooler. The green label was cardstock inked in Mardi Gras and cut using the stitched label die also by Catherine Pooler.  I used the same die to stamp the Irish Blessing sentiment, by Rubber Cottage, in Mardi Gras green as well.


Now stop by the Hen House and see the rest of the DT Chicks' projects along with our Guest Designer, Katie.  Then how about break out some border stamps, or even just create a border with other stamps and play along with our twist this week!  

Krafty Chick Blessings!



Sunday, September 8, 2019

Marbled Birthday

 Hello Sunday!
I have a special post tonight.  Today is my hubby's 54th birthday.  So it's been a day of celebrating.  First we slept in really late, getting up just in time to get ready for the Food & Flea event in downtown Cary.  Good food, lots of cool crafty goods, but boy was it HOT!  So we continued the celebrating back home in air conditioning.  So I'm sharing one of the cards I made for him...
 I started with a background made with Catherine Pooler Designs Carnivale Color Bursts by Ken Oliver.  I actually used the backside of it. Here's the front side...






I was playing around with the Color Bursts and the liquid sparkles.  I looked at the back and thought why not try the back stamped with the Marbled stamp set embossed in WOW Genteel Serene embossing glitter.  As you see, it turned out really cool I think!  

I kept the rest of the card simple, adding the sentiment (3 layers) and silver foiled leaf dies, placing it on a white mat and then a black cardbase.  The hubs loved it too!

Marbled Birthday Blessings!



Thursday, September 5, 2019

Krafty Chicks Challenge #471 - Balloons

Good Morning Thursday!

It's time for a new challenge at 
Krafty Chicks Challenge.

Leanne is our hostess and her Twist for us this week is:
Balloons.



I decided to pull out the balloon die from the YAY die set by Ellen Hutson.  I cut out three balloons from backgrounds made on coated cardstock using the shaving cream technique.  The sentiment is from the WooHoo stamp set by Catherine Pooler Designs.

Stop by the Hen House and check out all the Chicks' projects using the Balloon Twist. Also welcome our September Guest Designer,  Katie Brooks and see what she has created.  Then come play along and share your balloon themed projects with us!


Krafty Chick Blessings!

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Holiday Treats


Hello Tuesday!
It's the 3rd day of September.  Wow.  A new month!  Now it's only 3 months and 22 days until Christmas!  Holy Moly!  Do you have your Christmas cards started yet?  Yea or Nay, why not come join us at CAS Christmas this month.  

I'm hosting this month and chose the theme:
Holiday Treats!


I used Christmas Cookie Stamp Set by Catherine Pooler Designs to make the cookies.  I stamped them on Sand Dunes cardstock in Versamark ink then white embossed them with WOW pure white embossing powder.  I stamped and embossed a second time.  The sentiment I stamped in Icing On The Cake and added a heart die cut from Rouge inked cardstock.  I sponged Over Coffee around the edges of each cookie.  I placed them on a layer of white cardstock stamped with a buffalo plaid stamp by Catherine Pooler in Rouge ink also by Catherine Pooler.

Now stop by the CAS Christmas Card blog and see the rest of the Design Team's projects as well as our September Guest Designer,  Birgit (Rapport fran ett skrivbord)!  Then come play along with us this month and create some Holiday Treat Christmas cards for your stash!  There's just 3-1/2 months left before Christmas!!!

CAS Christmas Blessings!



Sunday, September 1, 2019

Ahoy!

One more for tonight ---

I made this with the Ahoy word die, Ship's Wheel die, and coral dies by Catherine Pooler Designs.  I cut the coral from inked cardstock in the colors All That Jazz, Aquatini and Skylight and cardstock sprayed with Heidi Swapp gold spray.  The ship's wheel I inked with Versamark and then played around with several embossed layers of gold, bronze and Genteel emboss powder.  I cut out a hole of the inked Woodgrain background and added a layer of blue watercolored cardstock behind it to peek through with the ship's wheel on top. The Ahoy word die was cut twice from Sand Dunes cardstock and once from Midnight and I shadowed the lighter one on the bottom.

"Seas the Blessings"!


Adoring Florals

Hello again!

Here is a card made from Catherine Pooler Designs, "Find Your Happy" Stamp Set and BFF background stamp. I stamped the background in Eucalyptus.  I also cut out the smallest label from Nested Labels and inked the edges with Eucalyptus.  The flowers were stamped in Rouge, Mandarin Spice, Sauna, Sage, All That Jazz, Royal Treatment.  The tan stitched scalloped die is by WPlus9.

Adored Blessings!