Paper Sweeties November 2015 Inspiration Challenge

I hope everyone had a scary-fun Halloween yesterday! Now, it's time to gear up for Thanksgiving, and what better way to get started than with an Autumn/Thanksgiving Inspiration Challenge from Paper Sweeties! Whatever theme you decide to go with, the warm color palette is sure to inspire you to create something fabulous! I hope you'll play along with us.

I colored sweet Abigail and dressed her in an Indian maiden costume from the Give Thanks stamp set, for a Thanksgiving card. I paper pieced her dress from a scrap that reminded me of leather and dressed it up a bit by stamping the headband design as a belt, which I colored with Spica pens. The pumpkin image and sentiment are both from the same stamp set. And, since every card needs a little sparkle, I added a few Paper Sweeties Black Cherry sequins and filled each of them with Lime Green Stickles. 

Whenever I add patterned or embossed paper to a sentiment panel, I like to adhere it to the white cardstock before die cutting. I like the look of the embossed edge extending over the entire piece. I only had a tiny bit of the dotted paper left, so I slipped it just under the edge of the sentiment layer die cut to add some color and to give the front and the inside more cohesion. 

I've already taken a peek at some of the cards from the DT, and they are beautiful. You won't want to miss a single one:

Angel Johns 
Annette Witherspoon

Cheryl Lea - That's Me!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

 Emily Frasier

Jill Norwood

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett

Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

November Guest Designer:  Michele Henderson

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday: Throwback (I chose the July 2015 We're Going Dotty challenge)
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
The Shabby Tea Room #262: Colors and Patterns
613 Avenue Create #148: Anything Goes
Sugar Pea Designs SPD21: Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge #236: Autumn Splendor
Oddball Art Stamps Challenge: Halloween (or Harvest)
TCP Tuesday 302 (TCPTUES302): Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks 4CC #270: Anything Goes (Crazy Egg Challenge)

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Couple of Fall Cuties--Black Cat Challenge with Tiddly Inks!

It's time for another Tiddly Inks Challenge, and with Halloween right around the corner, a Black Cat Challenge should be an easy one! Just use any combo of black or cat for Halloween. If you don't have a cat image, Christy has plenty of cute ones in the Tiddly Inks Digital Shop, here.

I chose to use this new sweet Couple of Fall Cuties digital image for my card. I colored them with Copics, and gave the little bear some texture with a towel and Copic Colorless Blender. I used my Copic Airbrush for the light blue background, with the image in the die. Most people would probably use this image for a Halloween card, but since I don't send out too many Halloween cards, I decided to make this a Thanksgiving card instead. Of course, right after I did, I realized this was supposed to be a Halloween card!!! Oops! ;) Well, I can just give Thanks for Halloween, right? I do love seeing my daughter dressed up every year, and who doesn't love a sack full of candy! 

The sentiment inside the card is from Serendipity Stamps, and I used an MFT Stamps die to cut faux Washi Tape out of the scraps from the front of the card.

I hope you'll join us in this week's challenge! And, don't forget to check out the entire DT's cards, too. Their creativity constantly astounds me, and I know you'll be inspired by their awesomeness, too! 

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create Challenge #95: Anything Goes
Freshly Brewed Challenges: October Challenge #2 - Pumpkins
Kit & Clowder October Challenge: Anything Goes
Paper Issues Challenge: Witchin You a Happy Halloween with SRM Stickers

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Timeless Tuesday #234: Delicate Doilies

Hello there! And, welcome to this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge (FTTC234)! Our hostess is Judy, and you're going to love her challenge--it's easy peasy...

Delicate Doilies 

Simply create a project that includes a doily!

I don't use doilies very often. Not because I don't like them, but because they are in a drawer and I forget I have them! So, I was glad for the chance to get them out.

Have you seen Flourishes' newly released stamp sets for August? Gorgeous, all. But, my favorite is probably the Autumn Blessings set. As soon as I saw this sweet image, I just had to ink it up! I stamped it with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, colored it with Copics, then cut it out with a Spellbinders die. To make the background, I stamped the image again onto Eclipse masking tape, cut it out and used it as a mask for the image. Then, I cut a curve on a piece of scrap paper, and used one half to mask the sky and airbrushed the ground, and the other half to mask the ground and airbrush the sky. I kept the cs in the die while airbrushing so the edges would remain white. I used the same die to make the green mat behind the image, by cutting around the outside edge of it with a craft knife. The sentiment is stamped on a Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames die. I added eyelets to each end and tied it onto the card with twine.

For the rest of the card, I did some distressing, sewing, incorporated the doily into the design, added Pearl Pen pearls in the lower left corner, and tiny drops of Stickles in the flower centers of the dp in the upper right corner around the pearl brad.

On the inside, I used scraps from the front of the card, along with a piece of coordinating striped dp. The pink dp has a border punched along the top edge. Although I will probably end up using this as a Thanksgiving card, it could also be used for other occasions, so for now, I'm leaving the sentiment area blank.

See...an easy peasy Timeless Tuesday assignment! :) Since the only requirement is to use a doily, you can take your creation in just about any direction your heart desires. And, don't forget, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

So, find yourself a paper doily, cut one with a die, or pull out some thread and a crochet hook and make one--whatever suits your fancy--and play along.

Stop by all our designers' blogs for more inspiration, and be sure to leave them some blog love, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Broni Holcombe
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema
• Marie Ross, our August Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenge:
CMC Copic Challenge #75: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies:

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TMS #163: Autumn Leaves

Hi Friends! Are you ready for a new Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge? This is the week for our Judged Challenge, which means there is a twist, in addition to the sketch, and this week's twist is "Welcome Fall." Our sponsor is Designed2Delight Digital Stamps. Be sure to check out their site--they have super cute hand-drawn images (I love the quirky birds!).

Fellow teamie, Dawn Barghorn, came up with a fantastic sketch for this week. I don't usually do well with symmetrical designs, but this one turned out to be a lot of fun for me. I think you'll like it, too.

Nothing says fall to me like the colorful leaves. Living in North Georgia, we experience the most beautiful autumns, when the leaves start to change. People make trips here, just to see them! And I had all these fall leaf stamps that came from the dollar bin--perfect! (The bare tree is the same stamp that I used for a Halloween card last year that has ended up being my most popular card ever. It's been viewed over 2,800 times on SCS!) For the "Autumn Leaves" text, I used multiple colors on the stamp, and the green leaf actually has a bit of brown on it here and there. How about the glossy maple leaf, huh? That was fun to make!

I had a scrap of unused glossy photo paper and used it for the leaf die cut. The die I used embosses and cuts, but I was worried about cracking the paper, so I didn't run it through my Big Shot a second time with an embossing mat, so the embossing is very faint. First, I used several colors of alcohol ink, one at a time, on a makeup sponge. I'm no artist, so I just randomly dabbed the colors and hoped for the best. Then, to show off the veins of the leaf, I used a Copic marker and drew them in. I had no idea what to expect, but I love how it pushed the alcohol inks around and only left an outline around my lines--kind of like raindrops might. The photo paper actually turned out to be pretty strong, so I lightly folded the leaf on all the veins, curled the ends a bit, then used a foam dot to adhere it to the center of the card. (I know I've said I don't use foam dots, but when it's something small like this, I do). ;) 
I decided to turn this into a Thanksgiving card, so I inked the Thanksgiving stamp with multiple colors, as I did the Autumn sentiment on the front. The tree border punch is one of the first ones I ever bought, and I don't use it often, but it was perfect for this card.

Okay, so now it's time for you to dust off those fall themed papers and stamp sets, and get busy! Wow us with a fantastic fall creation! Remember, this week is the judged challenge, so show us whatcha got! And, be sure to visit the rest of the DT, as well.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenge:
Cute Card Thursday #233: Autumn Gold!
Creative Card Crew Challenge 19: Tree

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

 

Stamps: Fall Mini Assortment (Studio 112); Haunted Tree (Inkadinkadoo)
Paper: Forever Fall Collection (Bo Bunny); glossy photo paper
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copic marker; gold calligraphy pen; Alcohol Ink (Ranger)
Dies: Labels Sm, Assorted Leaves (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Enchanged Woods punch (Multi-Shaper II); corner chomper; Pearl Pen; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: A2 (5.5" x 4.25")

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A Season of Thanks: A Mini Card

Hi Friends! The Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #185 challenge this week is to create a mini card, no bigger than 4" x 3". So, for my mini-card, I'll try to give you a mini-post!

For my colors, I used this week's ColourQ #153 palette. It has a nice fall feel to it, I think.

I colored the Flourishes fall urn image with Copic markers, added just a little bit of white gel pen for highlights on the urn, and used Tumbled Glass Distress Ink inside the die, and Walnut Stain around the outer edge. The bg paper is a digi paper that is so pretty, I almost hated to cover it up. It was perfect for this project, though, because it is actually from a collage of trading card sized papers. The pearls are made with a Pearl Pen.

For the inside I used another of the little papers from the same digital collage of papers. I added the stamp in the corner. It, and the sentiment are from the same Flourishes stamp set as the fall urn.

One more thing...be sure to check out the STAMPtember Blog Hop over at Simon Says Stamp. There are lots of prizes up for grabs. But, be sure to read all the requirements. You have to comment on all the blogs AND make a card to be eligible.

I guess that's about as "mini" as I get for a post. :) Thanks for stopping by and have a fab night!

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #185: create a mini card
ColourQ #153 (CQC153)
Simon Says Stamp: Put a Stamp On It Challenge and Blog Hop

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: A Season of Thanks (Flourishes)
Paper: Antique Paper 6 digital paper (Print Candee)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Inks; white gel pen
Dies: Floral Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Pearl Pen
Size: 3" x 4"

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Happy Turkey Day!

Hi Friends! I've got a cute turkey card to share with you today, but before I do, I have to show you the blog candy I received from Melissa at Tuesday Morning Sketches for winning the Think Pink challenge in October.

Wow! What fab candy! She even sent me three of the beautiful cards she made during the month-long challenge. If you haven't played along at Tuesday Morning Sketches, mosey on over there and give it a try. You'll love her sketches! Melissa just posted the newest sketch today, so you have until this coming Sunday at 8PM to enter.

And, as a reminder, the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp November sketch challenge is open to everyone now. You don't have to use PPRS stamps, and you have until November 30th to enter. You should see the samples the DT have for the challenge this week...AWESOME!

Now for that turkey card. The sketch is Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 143, and the Outlines Monday Challenge 26 theme is Thanksgiving or Fall.

Isn't that little guy sweet? Not too happy looking, though, is he? I guess I can't blame him, this time of year. I colored him with Copics, put Glossy Accents on his beak, and black Enamel Accents on his eyes. The dark red shiny dots in the corners of the turkey square were colored with a Copic, then covered with Glossy Accents, too. Now that they've dried, they look like little bits of cranberry sauce on the card. I used Stickles on the green border around the turkey.

For the sentiment, I cut the tag out of white cs, then sponged Peeled Paint Distress Ink on the edges, then Walnut Stain. I sponged Wild Honey over the entire tag, then sprayed it with Perfect Pearls Mist in Heirloom Gold (I just LOVE that stuff!). The sentiment is heat embossed in Chocolate Brown.

I think the stitch I used around the bg paper is called a feather stitch. I thought it was appropriate for a turkey card. The burgundy stitching along the sides of the dp layer is the same stitch I used on my Holiday Surprise card a few days ago. This time, I didn't make any sudden jags while sewing, but did end up with slight curved lines rather than straight ones. I think I need to practice using that stitch before I use it on another card. To make it, the machine has to do a lot of forward and backward movements and it makes the paper jump around. It's a cool stitch if I can learn to control it!!! :) The bottom edge of the dp is punched with a scallop punch and I distressed the top with my Distrezzer. Fantastic tool, by the way.

I went a little crazy with the Stickles, but I just love sparkle on a card, and the Fleur de Lis die cut looked a little bare without it.

And, of course, I couldn't have all that glam on the front and not have just a little bit inside, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! And, don't forget to play in the Prickley Pear Sketch Challenge, as well as the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge. Fab sketches, sweet prizes!

~Hugs,
 

Stamps: Turkey Square Lg, Tiny Happy Turkey Day (Outlines Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Tim Coffey Fall Nat Pad (K&Co); Shimmer Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Memento; Versamark; Colorbox; Copic markers
Dies: Fleur de Lis Pendants, Fancy Tags, Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edge Punch (EK Success); embossing powder (Zing); Clair de Lune velvet ribbon (Fancy Pants Design); satin ribbon (Michaels); Stickles; Enamel Accents (Inkssentials); Pearl Pen; Glossy Accents; Perfect Pearls Mist; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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A Season of Blessings

A Happy Saturday to you, Friends! I hope you've got some crafting time built into your weekend--I certainly do. I've been busy helping my DD with a school science project and had to go two whole days without making a card! So I made up for it by staying up way too late last night to make this card.  

I used The Shabby Tea Room's "A Shabby Thanksgiving" Challenge #87 as inspiration for the colors and Thanksgiving theme, and this week's Tuesday Morning Sketch #119 for the design.

 

The dried corn stamp, as well as the sentiment inside, is from a Flourishes set called A Season of Thanks. I actually colored two of these images. On the other one I made the ears of corn different--some had red kernels, some had black. You may see it on another card in a few days. ;) 

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I appreciate all my visitors and read every one of your lovely comments. You really make my day! :)

Have a good one!

~Hugs,

  

Stamps: A Season of Thanks (Flourishes)

Paper: Sweetness (Pink Paislee); This & That (Lily Bee Design)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Memento; Copic markers

Dies: Small Labels, Large Labels (Spellbinders)

Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edger (EK Success); ribbon (Offray); Gemstone Brads (Recollections); pearls; Liquid Pearls; lace (Joanns); foam dots

Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Give Thanks

Hello everyone! I've missed you the past few days. I've been busy behind the scenes on a couple of things, but I'm hoping to get things caught up around here soon so life can get back to normal.

My card today is in shades of fall again. It's not hard to find a challenge incorporating this beautiful season in it in some way right now, and I'm glad, because all those warm autumn colors are spectacular. But, do you see that pink twine and the pink rose? Pink...for fall? Keep reading to see what's up with that. ;)

The sketch today is the Tuesday Morning Sketch #114, and the challenge is dedicated to my sweet friend, Theresa, at My Sassy Cards. Tomorrow is her birthday! Happy Birthday, Theresa!!!

But, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Theresa is a four-year breast cancer survivor, so Melissa (Theresa's sister), at TMS, is dedicating all the challenges in the month of October to Theresa. To participate this month, you must play every week, your creation must have pink added to it, and it can be linked to no more than two other challenges. This is definitely a fall-colored card, but I added Petal Pink Liquid Pearls to the Beaded Circles Spellbinders die cut, a pink paper rose, and pink and white twine.

You might think that pink is out of place on a fall card, but this card is also for two Flourishes challenges: Bring Back Beautiful: Beauty of a Technique Challenge #15 (I'll get to that in a minute), and Timeless Tuesday #138. Here's the inspiration photo for the Timeless Tuesday challenge:

Just look at that gorgeous photo, and low and behold, I see pink! Perfect! For the technique challenge, I used the faux silk technique that Beate Johns demonstrated at SCS. I used white tissue paper, stamped a background text image, then adhered it to cardstock that is orange with brown leaves on it. I sponged Vintage Photo around the edges before removing the Spellbinders die. What a great look--and so easy!

The inside of the card is a simple "Happy Thanksgiving," with a Flourishes leaf as an accent.

So, have you played in any of these challenges yet? If not, there's still time. Just click on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches or Flourishes (or both) to charge up your creative self with some fab inspiration by their respective Design Teams. And, be sure to stop by My Sassy Cards with Happy Birthday wishes for Theresa! She is one special lady.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Crafting!!!

 

Stamps: Sweet Nature, Falling Leaves (Flourishes); Fall Mini Assortment (Studio 112)
Paper: Forever Fall Collection (Bo Bunny); Que Sera Sera (K&Co); tissue paper
Ink: Memento; Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Dies: Classic Scalloped Circles Lg, Std Circles Lg, Beaded Circles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Twine (The Twinery); Liquid Pearls; flowers (Recollections); glitter; foam dots
Size: 4.25" diameter

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