Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Missing Piece from Yesterday's Card

(Stamps are by Close to My Heart)



As promised, today's card uses the scalloped oval which was die cut from yesterday's card to create a frame for the turkey.   (Yes, this is a turkey - not a peacock as some might think.... Donna!)    


I'm headed for Edison, NJ tomorrow for the Stamp Scrap Art Tour Rubber Stamping Show and still have a lot to get done.   
But first this turkey is headed for the following challenges:
Crafting for All Seasons Challenge #64 - Autumn Colors 
The Perfect Sentiment Challenge #98 - Fall or Halloween
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #104 - Anything Goes
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - Autumn (Spellbinders scalloped oval + Darice EF on gold CS; SU EF on flowered DP)
Die Cuttin Divas Challenge #139 - Anything Goes


 

I'm hoping to see some of you this week-end.  I'll be doing Make & Takes at the Close to My Heart Booth, SCAT show, Edison, NJ.   Please stop by and say HI!!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Autumn Leaves

I picked up a gorgeous leaf embossing folder from Gary Burlin & Co. at the Stamping Show in York, PA 3 weeks ago and finally got all the Halloween cards out of the way so now I can use it. 

********************interrupting this post briefly for an important message******************

Speaking of finally ....   Did you notice the gadget at the top of my blog?  It worked this time!  I'm hoping to see some of you this week-end in Edison, NJ.  I'll be doing Make & Takes at the Close to My Heart Booth.  Please stop by and say HI!!

 ********************returning to today's post******************

So I just made a quick card using Close to My Heart's new stamp set Perfect Fit Thanksgiving.  I love this turkey! 

(also used the leaf embossing folder by Darice and an scalloped oval die cut from Spellbinders)


This card is my entry in the following challenges:
Victorine Original Challenge #71 - Fall or Thanksgiving

 Stop back tomorrow to see what I did with the missing scalloped oval.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Look what I Found

 FYI 
I'll be doing Make & Takes at another Stamping Show this week-end in Edison NJ.
Stop by the Close to My Heart Booth and say HI!!
 *******************************************
 
When I pulled out a package of Christmas paper to make my Mojo Monday card yesterday, I found all the pieces for an origami tree already cut and folded, just waiting to be assembled on a card.  Since today was going to be a busy day, I knew it would be perfect for a quick card.

I'm entering it in these fun challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door Challenge Oct 29-Nov4 - Anything Goes
The Crafting Cafe October Challenge - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoe's Crafts October Challenge - Ribbon
Craft-Dee Bowz October Challenge - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Created with Love Challenge #64 - Anything Goes
Get Inky Challenge #16 - 3D Holiday
Make It Monday #164 - Anything Goes
Tammy's Scrappin Corner Challenge #86 - Anything Goes
Pile It On Challenge #43 - Embellishment Crazy




You might be wondering why today was so busy.  Usually Tuesday afternoon is Joyce's CTMH card workshop.  Today our little group was invited to go see Mickey's new house.  Originally we were going to make cards there, however, we decided to go to Shady Maple Smorgasbord for lunch first, followed by visits to the Flower & Home Marketplace (formerly the Flower Warehouse which just reopened) in Blue Ball, a new thrift store, Reuseit, that Mickey found, and also L&L Stamp and Supply shop in Ephrata.  We had a fabulous day.  Mickey's house is lovely.  We unintentionally lost Joyce but found her again.  We ate too much, laughed a lot, made some fun purchases and returned home safely, with Joyce.  And upon returning home, I discovered I had won 2 card challenges!  Hope all of you had great days too!


Monday, October 28, 2013

Mojo Monday Joy Fold


Happy Monday!
  Boy do I have a lot of things on my To Do List today! 
So let's get right to it....Here are the sketches for today's Mojo Monday card:

 

I don't use many square cards for 2 reasons;
1. Our postal regulations - Square cards are more expensive to mail.
2.   Operation Write Home, to which I send many of my cards, requires A2 cards.
But I decided to go with the square card anyway.

 I had a plan.

Here is my Mojo Monday #317 square card entry:


Now on to the plan.....

A joyfold card (tutorial here at Beccy's Place)  would be a great way to incorporate a sketch for a square card into an A2 card. 
Check it out....
Using an A2 card base you cut a strip off the front of the card and decorate it.  I added some patterned paper to the inside that is exposed when the card is folded.
The square fold card is glued into the left side of the base.  (Important note:  When you make the square card, the fold is on the right side instead of the left!)  I added another strip of patterned paper to the inside of this card too.





I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge - Early Holiday Wishes 4 Kids
Scribble and Scrap Challenge #4 - Always Anything Goes
Gem of a Challenge #103 - More than one fold
My Creative Moments October Wordplay Saturday Challenge - Anything
52 Card Christmas Throwdown October Technique Challenge #22 - Fancy Folds
Aud Sentiments Challenge #92 - Christmas Sentiments
Christmas Cloud Christmas Card Challenge - Traditional or Contemporary Christmas Colors

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #230 - Recipe Challenge (circles, DP paper,  silver snowflakes, red glitter gel in the snowflakes)




Sunday, October 27, 2013

Halloween Chevron with an Oops!

My intention was to make another folded chevron card like I did yesterday.
Doesn't really look like a chevron, does it?  That's because you're supposed to fold three pieces one way and the other two are folded the opposite way.  Oops!  But I liked it anyway and decided to just go with it.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe #147 - Happy Halloween
Crafty Hands Challenge #1 - Anything Goes
Kitty Bee Designs Aloha Friday Challenge #11 - Black, White + 1 other color 
Milk Coffee Challenge - Coffee/Halloween
Inky Impressions Challenge #131 - Halloween/ Black+Orange
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Halloween/Halloween Colors

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Halloween Chevron Card

This week is finally over.  Yippee!!!  It started out as an unusually free week, not even card class.  
When people ask me how I get so many cards made, I always respond, "easy, I don't clean."  But after a while, the dust and dirt need to be attended to.  It took me 3 days to clean my house.  Then my mother and I got busy helping a friend who moved from a transitional care facility and to a small apartment at an assisted living center.  This morning, while there was still frost on the grass, we watched our grandsons' last baseball and soccer games of the season.  

I had seen a card made with this chevron folding pattern and have been wanting to try it.  I finally got a chance to play this afternoon for a couple hours, instead of stealing 10 minutes here, twenty minutes there as I had been doing all week.

I thought I was done making Halloween cards, but when I saw this folding technique I thought it would be great with this CTMH paper. (Stamps are CTMH, too.)  And there are still so many challenges with a halloween theme.  I'll just save this one to send to OWH next year. 
I am entering this card in these challenges:

Crafty Hands Challenge #1 - Anything Goes
Kitty Bee Designs Aloha Friday Challenge #11 - Black, White + 1 other color
Milk Coffee Challenge - Coffee/Halloween
Inky Impressions Challenge #131 - Halloween/ Black+Orange
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Halloween/Halloween Colors

Friday, October 25, 2013

Choo! Choo!



Today, I made this birthday card for my grand nephew;  The train is a digi image by Clear Dollar Stamps and colored with pencils; The #2 was cut on the cricut;  The green scalloped card was a precut purchase;  Sentiment was computer generated;  And that would be the birthday boy in the train window.

I am entering this in the following challenges:
Totally Papercrafts Friday Challenge #190 - No Squares Allowed
Moving Along With The Times Challenge - Shape Up (anything but square)
Papercrafting Journey Challenge - Anything Goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy Challenge #78 - Embossing

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Putting Pattie in the Spotlight

Pattie Gomez's digital images are so much fun, I decided to use this pumpkin vase for another Spotlight Card. 
(For an excellent description of what a Spotlight Card is, go here.)
Of course, I'll be entering this card in the Pattie's Creations Design Challenge #78 - Orange + Black
and these additional challenges:
Cards in Envy Challenge - In the Spotlight
City Crafter Challenge Week # 182 - Pumpkin Patch
Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge #175  - It is Fall
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #124 - Halloween or Orange and Black
Tip Top Tuesday Challenge # 112 - Black and White with a splash of Color
House of Gilli Challenge #55 - Thanks + Anything Goes
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge # 194- Halloween Colors


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

If at first you don't succeed.....


....try it a different way.  That's exactly how I came to make this Halloween card.

My intention was to make a tri-shutter card.  I was working with a 6" pad of DP.   First I cut 1/2" off one side.  Then I scored the sheet at 1", 2", 4", and 5".  But folded it was only 2" wide.  Oops!  So I set this folded piece aside and started over, making the same card but starting with a different piece of paper the size stated in the tutorial for the modified  tri-shutter card.  It's amazing the difference following directions makes!  You can see the results and find the link to the tutorial here.

Let me return to how today's card evolved.

I was determined not to waste this carefully folded piece of DP and transform it from a 2" x 5 1/2" card into an A2 card.  First I used a border punch on each side, then glued another piece of DP 5 1/2" x 2 1/4" underneath, lining it up on the back of the card with the side folds.  Now, when folded, the card was the standard A2 size, 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  The head of the ghost was cut from a piece of DP in the same paper pad.  I cut the tail of the ghost out of plain white CS and bordered it with an orange marker.  (To me it looks more like an albino snail with an astigmatism than a ghost.  But a huge albino snail, even with 20-20 vision, would still be a slimy, creepy - no pun intended - creature and halloween card worthy.)  The bat, spider, web and Happy Halloween stamps are all CTMH.  The sentiment was stamped with white pigment ink and unintentionally smeared, although it did give it kind of a foggy, chalkboard look. 


This card is my entry for these challenges:
Totally Gorjuss Challenge #206 - String
Pile It On Challenge #42 - Halloween 
A Gem of a Challenge #102 - Spooky (Halloween, etc.)
Craftitude Challenge #51 - Anything Goes/Spooky 
Clear It Out Challenge - Theme: Halloween  Stash Item: Orange
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #243 - Fussy Cutting Fun (bats, spider web, ghost)
LEJ Designs Challenge #76 - Things that go bump in the night
Oldie But a Goodie Challenge - Spooky (Other than the glue, everything on the card is from last year.)
Ribbon Carousel Challenge #86 - Halloween
Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #170 - Creepy Crawlies
Crafty Boots Challenge - Halloween
Created with Love Challenge #63 - Halloween Hop
Eureka Stamps Weekly Challenge #62 - Halloween Colors
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #64 - Halloween Colors
Parade Your Crafts Challenge #6 - Halloween
Stamp and Create October Challenge - Halloween
Tammy's Scrapin Corner Challenge #85 - Spooky
The Crazy Challenge #156 - Halloween
The Paper Girls Challenge #42 - Put a Bug on It
The Paper Nest Dolls Challenge # 15 - Halloween
The Pink Elephant Challenge #222 - Trick or Treat

I'll be back tomorrow.  
Hope you will too.



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

From the Heart Challenge + Cards in Envy

I've been wanting to enter the monthly challenge at From the Heart Challenge and finally purchased one of their digis so I could enter.  The great part is that if you enter their challenge one month they send you a free digi to use the next month.  I like digis with big bold lines. And theirs are really nice. 
The Cards in Envy Challenge is one of my favorites because you need to make cards that will fit in an A2 envelope without a lot of bumps, etc. - perfect cards to send to Operation Write Home.  Today I combined these 2 challenges and made this Spotlight Card, the theme at Cards in Envy.

I'll also be entering this card in the following challenges:
Lady Anne's Challenge #7 - Autumn/Fall
Make it Monday Challenge #163 with Bugaboo Stamps - Anything Goes
Perfectly Rustic Design Challenge #9 - Patterned Paper
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #182 - Happy Fall
Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #97 - In the Pumpkin Patch
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenge #50 - Autumn/ but not Halloween
DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #119 - Pumpkins
Inky Impressions Challenge - Autumn/Fall

Monday, October 21, 2013

Did I ever tell you that I used to collect spiders?

Much to my mother's chagrin, one of my favorite outdoor activities as a child was collecting bugs, especially spiders.  There was a huge field next to our house where a local farmer grew wheat, summer and winter.  After he harvested the wheat and the field was almost bare, I spent many hours overturning the rocks to find and collect the bugs.  Big crickets were good for fishing, although hard to get on the hook.  Ants didn't excite me in the least.  (When they invade my kitchen, it's a whole other story!)  I once caught a mommy spider and within days my jar was filled with little baby spiders.  And in the fall, when there were spider webs on all the trees, I would take a can of white spray paint, spray the web, and carefully lift it off the tree with a piece of black construction paper.  The trees looked a little funny, but I had a perfect web to show to my friends.  The boys thought it was pretty cool; the girls not so much.  Ah, memories!

I suppose you are wondering why I have shared with you this little bit of my childhood.  Well, I briefly returned to my youth as I added a spider and web to my Mojo Monday card.
Both were cut using the CTMH Cricut Artiste Cartridge.
This is my entry for:
Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #316
 
Crafting When We Can Challenge #55 - Make It Sparkle 
One Stitch at a Time Challenge #186 - Anything Goes
Allsorts Challenge #229 - Ribbons and Bows
Created with Love Challenge #63 - Halloween Hop
 

Have a fabulous Monday!
(Is that an oxymoron?)

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Modified Tri-Shutter Card

Experimenting with different card folds is one of my favorite things to do.  So when I came across this tutorial for a Modified Tri-Shutter Card, I immediately bookmarked it and put it on my 'To Try' list.

There are still 2 birthdays on my October calendar, for which I haven't made cards.  Since one of those birthdays is my daughter-in-law's, I decided to try the tutorial and make a special card for her Halloween birthday. 

(view with card folded to A2 size)

(view with card partially open)

(back view after scoring 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" CS at 2 1/8", 3 1/8", 5 1/8", 6 1/8")


The cupcake with spider digi image is the current freebie from A Day for Daisies.  And I will be entering this card in their Challenge # 81 - Anything Halloween.

Other challenges into which I am entering this card include:
2 Sisters Challenge #166 - Halloween Colors
Di's Digi Design Challenge - Colors of Halloween
Catch the Bug October Bingo Challenge -(I've used 2 designer papers, bling, and a corner punch.)


Digi Haven - Halloween Challenge
Delicious Doodles Challenge #58 - Non-Scary Halloween
Digitally Sweet Challenge #58 - Halloween/Scary
Simply Create Too Challenge #48 - Halloween
Wags and Whiskers Challenge #115 - Paper Piecing (the cupcake paper)
Fab n Funky Challenge #189 - Spots and Stripes

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Thank You Card for PSC

The Perfect Sentiments Challenge has asked for a Clean and Simple Thank You Card this week.  One of the CTMH items I ordered last month was the Perfit Fit Thanksgiving stamp set (B1427).  I really love the ornate turkey stamp included in the set, which is basically why I bought it.  Today, though, I just used the 'thank you' stamp and one of the circle stamps to make this card:
Do you recognize some of the scraps I used?  They are from the triple easel card I made for Joyce's birthday.  You can find it a few posts back if you didn't get to see it.

Besides the PSC challenge, I am entering this card in the following:
Sister Act Card Challenge #25 - Anything Goes
4 Krafty Girlz Challenge #4 - Anything Goes
Creative Craft Challenge #21 - Anything Goes Blogaversary
Craft Your Passion Challenge #184 - Add Some Embossing

Friday, October 18, 2013

Spooky?

I wasn't quite sure how to start this card.  I don't have much in the way of spooky stamps.  Then I remembered the monster face cut outs on the CTMH Artiste cricut cartridge.  I cut them out of black CS and then decided to use the negative instead.  Backed with yellow/orange CS it looks pretty spooky to me.  I added a few stamped images and am ready to enter this card in the current challenge at Cards in Envy, Halloween (Now that's scary!).

I'll also enter this card in the following challenges:
Card Makin Mamas Challenge #75 - Trick or Treat
Craftitude Challenge #51 - Spooky
Cut It Up Challenge #30 - Halloween or Day of the Dead
Jo's Scrap Shack Fun Friday Challenge #22 - Anything Goes
Kitty Bee Designs Aloha Friday Challenge #10 - Halloween
Simply Create Too Challenge #48 - Halloween
The House That Stamps Built Designer's Choice Challenge #109 - Halloween
The Paper Shelter Challenge #133 - 2 colors only
Emergency Crafters October Challenge - Halloween



Check out this cute little mummy! 
Betty made these for the York Stamping show last weekend.  There's a little candy bar inside.  She always has the cutest little things to give out to her customers at shows.  Lucky for me, I always get one too.  Thanks, B!  If you check out her blog you will see one of the make and takes I taught at the show, a beautiful 'Thanks' card. 



Thursday, October 17, 2013

Double Pocket Card

Yesterday I posted a triple easel card I made for Joyce's birthday and promised to post Cindy's birthday card today.  Cindy's card is a pocket card. I found a tutorial for it here.  I took several photos of this card so you can see the fronts and backs of the main card and both tags.

DP is CTMH Chantilly




Sentiments are computer generated.




It was certainly fun making 2 special cards for 2 special friends.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Creative Moments Challenge #28 - Anything Goes/Use some lace
Inkspirational Challenge #41 - Anything Inkspirational Goes
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge #149 - Anything Goes
ABC Challenge - 'X' for Xtra Special
Live and Love Crafts Challenge #16 - Use Pink
Shopping Our Stash #123 - Oldest Ribbon
Bunny Zoe's October Challenge - Ribbon
Craft-Dee Bowz October Challenge - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Sentimental Challenge #176 - Happy Birthday Sentiments Only
That Craft Place Challenge - Color Pink


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Happy Birthday Joyce and Cindy!

What a lovely day I had today.  Cindy and Joyce, 2 dear friends, were both celebrating birthdays  so we went to Shady Maple Smorgasbord for lunch (the birthdays gals got to eat for free) followed by a little side trip to Farmhouse Memories to see the fabulous line of scrapbooking and stamping supplies carried there.  We ooohed and aaahed  over the gorgeous fabrics and all the sample cards made using them.  I am so happy I got to share their special day with them.  Would you like to see the cards I made them?  
Joyce's card is a triple easel card.  I found the tutorial for it here.  I don't know which was harder- making the card or trying to photograph it.  I took several photos from various angles so you could get a good idea of how it looks.
This is the card folded up
and here it is opened.

Largest easel in back (4.5")


Center easel 4"

Front easel 3.5"




I'll post Cindy's card tomorrow.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenges #244 - Let's See You Sparkle n Shine
Inkspirational Challenge #44 - Anything Inkspirational Goes
LEJ Designs Challenge #75 - Celebrate
Through the Craft Room Door Oct 15-22 Challenge - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Challenge #184 - Add some Embossing
Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Shape Up
Ooh La La Creations Challenge - Things with Wings
613 Ave Create Challenge # 41- Anything Goes + Pile It On Twist
Quirky Crafts Challenge #21 - Favorite Things (fancy folds)
Sentimental Sundays Challenge #176 - Happy Birthday Sentiments Only
Totally Gorjuss Challenge #205 - Wings and Things
Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge - Sparkle and Shine






Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Miss You

Buried underneath a plethora of items on my craft (dining room) table, I found scraps of this orange paper.  It didn't take long to turn them into a card, which still needed something.  Then I remembered the striking butterflies Sybilla gave us at class one week.  That finished it, don't you think?

I'm entering this is the following:
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #54 - Add some orange
2 Sisters Challenge #165 - Anything Goes
Totally Gorjuss Challenge #205 - Wings and Things
Crafty Ribbons Challenge #65 - Butterflies

Monday, October 14, 2013

It's Monday, enough said.

I had a fun, busy, tiring weekend at the Heirloom Productions Stamping Show in York, PA this past weekend.  While I spent most of my time in Joyce's and Betty's Close to My Heart Booth

teaching the Make and Takes, I did get to sneak over to the booth next to ours, Sweet & Sassy Stamps,



to make of their lovely ATC/tag sized make and takes.  I told Cathy, the gal responsible for the design of the ATC I made and a designer at Sweet and Sassy,  that I planned to use it for on my Mojo Monday card today, if it worked with the sketch provided.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect sketch.
I embossed light gray stardream paper from Marcos Paper (they were at the show and have some of the nicest papers) over a blue metallic DP over white CS  for the card background; a piece of CTMH silver glitter paper over more blue metallic with the banners attached came next; thes I added a strip of self adhesive gingham fabric; a black scalloped rectangle using the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge was placed under the ATC; then a tiny silver glitter bow and alphabet stickers were added.
I am entering this in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #315
Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge - Sparkle and Shine
Inkspirational Challenge #41 - Anything Goes
Allsorts Challenge #128 - Use your ABC's
One Stitch at a Time Challenge # 185 - Winter Wonderland 

Enough posting for this morning.  I'll tell you more about the week-end later and show you the cards I taught at our Make and Take table.  
Before I go,
I want to give a big shout out to Kim,

the fantastic waitress we had at Round the Clock Diner after the show was over.  She was so much fun and helped us end the weekend with loads of laughs.  Maybe I'll even show you the picture of our goofy group, which she took of us before snapping this picture of herself!  
Thanks, Kim.  Hope to see you next year.



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Thinking of You

This card was made with mostly CTMH products, papers, sentiment, bling, and negative image from a flower cut with the CTMH cricut cartridge.  I cuttlebugged the DP with a flower EF and then lightly daubered it with CTMH blush ink to make the embossed flowers stand out.  The flower in the middle was made by Tracey Sabella.  It was a blog hop prize I won back in July.  The tutorial is on her blog.  They are really easy to make.

I should be back from the rubber stamp show late tonight.  See you tomorrow with my Mojo Monday card. 

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Short on Time?

I'm currently in York, PA for an Heirloom's stamping show.  I made a few extra cards before leaving so  I could set up some automatic posts for my loyal followers. 

Here's a real CAS card using a Sweet Stamps cling mount stamp.