Adios September!

What a beautiful month it's been!  According to the one weather gal we had no cloudy days all month.  And the sun is out again today, so I'm posting early and then taking a jaunt to visit some of the Best Kept Secrets in Chester County.

This is the Mojo Monday Challenge #313 Sketch for today.

I used an Authentique paper pad called Spring Bundle with matching preprinted circles,  the CTMH Art Philosophy cricut cartridge to cut the circle card, CTMH sentiment and CTMH bling to quickly fashion this card.

Other Challenges I'm entering include:
Amusing Challenge - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #30 - Anything Goes
Scribble n Scrap Challenge #2 - Always Anything Goes
2 Sisters Challenge #163 - Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge #99 - Use black on your card
Brown Sugar Challenge #61 - Black and Bling


I've been trying to get a repetitive post at the top of my blog all week with no success.  If I could get it to show up, this is what you would see:

SAVE THE DATE!

I'd love to meet some of my blog visitors at the Heirloom Productions York Rubber Stamp & Paper Arts Festival,  October 12th & 13th;  Sit down at my Make & Take Table at the Close to My Heart booth; Meet my friends, Joyce Houck and Betty Locco, both CTMH consultants; Sign up for the CTMH class on Wearable Art and make this fab necklace and gift box:

Scrappy Card

I had a bunch of scraps which I cut into 1 1/4" squares and then cut again diagonally to form triangles which I used as background for this Thinking of You card which I am entering in these challenges:
Creative Moments Challenge #26 - Anything Goes/Frame It
Cuttin and Stampin Weekly Challenge #38 - Use Your Scraps
Partytime Tuesdays Challenge #139 - Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door Challenge Sept 24-30 - Anything Goes
Love to Scrap Challenge # 14 - Run for the Border
Amusing Challenge - Pearls & Gems

Waste not....

Please make sure you read to the bottom of the post for a very important announcement!

I used the advertising sheet of paper from the front of a pack of CS for the bottom portion of this AnyHero card which is headed to Operation Write Home.  The die cuts are from the new CTMH Artbooking Cricut Cartridge.  And I used a border punch for the burgundy strip in the middle.  

 

A Quick and Easy card for the following challenges:
Crafter's Companion September Challenge - Embossing 
Natalie's & Amy's Challenge #12 - Embossing
The Crafter's Cafe Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches
The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge #15 - Male
Rhedd and Rosie's Challenge #16 - Something for the Men
Whimsy Stamps Challenge #63 - Masculine
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #59 - Anything Goes
Clear It Out Challenge - Let's Hear It For the Boys; Stash Item - punches/die cuts
Oldie but a Goodie Challenge Challenge - Dies and Punches  (My oldie is the striped piece from the paper pack.  I usually don't use the front panel until the paper inside is all but gone and I don't need it anymore.  And the punch I used is at least 6 mo. old.)
Unstampabelles Challenge #27 - Using Scraps or Old Stash
Glitter N Sparkle Challenge #51 - Male Cards
 
I've been trying to get a repetitive post at the top of my blog all week with no success.  If I could get it to show up, this is what you would see:

SAVE THE DATE!

I'd love to meet some of my blog visitors at the Heirloom Productions York Rubber Stamp & Paper Arts Festival,  October 12th & 13th;  Sit down at my Make & Take Table at the Close to My Heart booth; Meet my friends, Joyce Houck and Betty Locco, both CTMH consultants; Sign up for the CTMH class on Wearable Art and make this fab necklace and gift box:

 

Have a great week-end everyone!

Owls by Beccy

 These adorable owls are a digital image by Beccy Muir.  

I'd like to enter this card in the September Challenge at Beccy's Place.

I'd also like to enter it in the following:

One Stitch in Time Challenge #182 - Anything Goes
Designed to Color Challenge #20 - Anything Goes
Emma's Cards UK Crafty Challenge #20 - Birds
An Inky Situation Linky Party #10 - Owls
A.R.T. Card Challenge #16 - Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts Challenge #4 - Your Favorite Things (Owls are one of my favorite images.  I have dozens.)
Get Inky Challenge #13 - Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees.....

Imagine That

Thanks to my crafty friend, FitKitty, I discovered a new blog which was offering a free penguin digi image to use in their challenge.  The blog is Imagine That! ... digis by Kris.  Their challenge this month is Challenge # 12- Free For All and you need to use this cute little guy, which I printed, colored, fussy-cut and popped onto this card intended for a boy. 

.

I'm also entering this card in the Stampin' Royalty Challenge #195 - Triangles and Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge - Anything Goes.

And now I must evacuate the kitchen.  I'm cleaning the oven and

It Stinks In Here!

Catch the Bug + CTMH Card Workshop 9/24/13

Hi all!  

We are having another gorgeous fall day here in SE Pennsylvania.

Last week's Friday Freebie from Bugaboo Digi Stamps was this cute pumpkin circle image. 

It's so perfect for this time of year I wanted to play with it right away.  I resized the image and positioned it on a text page where I wanted it to print on the above 4 x 5 1/4 white CS shown above.  My plan was to make a card to enter in the Stella Says Sketch Challenge # 142 on the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog. 

After coloring the pumpkin, I made a mask and covered it 

so I could create a background for the image.

And here is the final result.

Now I'm going to enter it in the Stella Says Sketch and a few more challenges:
Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #71 - Show Us Your Fall Colors
Created With Love Challenge #59 - Fall Colors
Make It Monday with Kraft Outlet Challenge #139 -color inspiration

The House That Stamps Built, Repeat Impressions Designer's Choice Challenge DCC#925- Happy Fall Y'all
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Pile It On Challenge #38 - Cool or Warm Colors

Before you go, 

here are the cards we made yesterday at Joyce's CTMH Card Workshop.

Monday Duo

I decided to combine the Dynamic Duo Color Challenge 

 

with the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

 

this morning to make a birthday card for my brother.  Father time is after all of us!!!  It's hard to believe I'm working on cards for October.  When I went to the market on Saturday, there was a sign posted that said there were only 97 days until Christmas.  I don't even want to think about it.

A few more challenges for this card before I attend to some overdue chores:

Make It Monday Challenge #159 with Rick St. Dennis - Anything Goes

Ooh La La Creations Challenge - Magnificent Men at Ooh La La

Parade Your Crafts Challenge #4 - It's All About The Birthdays

Stamp and Create September Challenge - Birthdays

Tammy's Scrapin Corner Weekly Challenge #81 - Happy Birthday

Victorine Originals Challenge #68 - Birthdays

Come and Get It Challenge - Happy Birthday

Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #51 - Male Cards

The Squirrel and the Fox Challenge #53 - Happy Birthday

Wait, don't go yet!

 

I used some of the scraps to make an AnyHero Card for Operation Write Home, too.

It's called an “AnyHero” card because it will be given out to those US enlisted men and women who get little or no mail.

A bushel and a peck

In PA the fall crop of apples is just beginning to be harvested. 

Time for apple crisps, apple pies, applesauce, apple cake - yum!

I used 2 different CTMH stamp sets to create this card which I am entering in these challenges:
Crafting When We Can Challenge #53 - Seasons
Dream Valley Challenge #66 - Autumn 
Daring Cardmaker Challenge - Harvest Festival
The House That Stamps Built DCC911 - Food Happy
Inky Impressions #126 - Food Glorious Food

See you tomorrow for Mojo Monday.

Retro + a Bugaboo Digi + Halloween

I made this card for the current Cards in Envy - A Little Bit Retro Challenge.   At 1am, when I was trying to fall asleep, I remembered I had a freebie paper pack with chip board embellishments in retro colors and design from my one magazine.  At that point my brain started working and there was no way I was sleeping until I got this card out of my system.  It's actually a very simple card.

Here's another middle of the night card using Jesse Bear from Bugaboo Digi Stamps.

I'm going to enter this in the following challenges:
Crafting for all Seasons Challenge #51 - Make it Funny
The Male Room Challenge #4 - Sports and Hobbies

And my final early morning card....  using the front of a paper pad showing all the papers in the pack....
is a Halloween card.

 

This card is for the Anything Goes Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge.

and the Creative Corner Challenge - Happy Halloween.

I did a bit of coloring and some fussy cutting before heading back to bed, where I eventually got about 3 whole hours of sleep.  

Now I have a bunch of limas to shell and freeze.  TTFN

Pumpkin Pitcher

I used some CTMH Dream Pop paper for a card the other day and had some paper strips to use up.  I glued the strips side by side on a scrap sheet of printer paper, cut the newly made striped sheet in the opposite direction into various width strips, and then realigned and glued the new strips side by side alternately changing direction to make my background.  The image is a digi by Pattie Gomez at Pattie's Creations.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
4 Crafty Girlz Challenge #2 - Anything Goes
Crafty Ribbons Challenge #62 - Anything Goes with Ribbons
Crafting with Dragonflies Challenge #11 - Use 5 scraps of DP
ABC Challenge 45 - Fall
My Craft Creations Challenge 9/9-9/21 - Use a stamped or digi image
Paper Crafting Journey Challenge - Flowers

New Blog in Town, Anniversary Card, and 9/17 CTMH Card Workshop

ATTN: Bloggers and especially Challenge Lovers

Check out this new blog my friend KTKitty told me about.  It's called Challenges for Days.  It has a pretty thorough list of current challenges.  It's great to have resources like this at our disposal.  I, for one, really appreciate all the work that goes into compiling such a list.  Right now, since they are new and trying to get the word out, they are offering some great blog candy

  which they will award when they have 100 links.  

*******************

I mailed out this anniversary card earlier this week.

Inside it simply says "it's your anniversary".

 The image is an inkadinkadoo stamp.

 The flourishes (stamped 3x), sentiment, itty bitty gems and pearls are all CTMH.

I'm entering this is the following challenges:

Challenges 4 Everybody #29 - Anything Goes

Come and Get It Challenges - Focal Image on the Side

Scribble & Scrap Challenge #1 - Always Anything Goes

Make My Monday Challenge - Swirls and Pearls

Through the Purple Haze Challenge - Bling It Up

Please scroll down to see the cards we made on Wednesday at  Joyce's.

Please pray for my friend, Grace, who we took to the ER yesterday and remains in Intensive Care.  Thank you.

Happy Fall

My grandson sings 

(to the tune of London Bridge) 

"All the leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down.  

All the leaves are falling down.  It is Autumn." 

My apologies if the tune sticks in your brain all day. 

We aren't too enamored with the falling leaves at our house 

because it means a lot of raking, sweeping, mulching, etc.

 I do like making fall cards with all the rich colors.

(Left side of the card wasn't laying flat when I took the shot, which makes the border look crooked.  Sorry!)

For this card I used a rubber stamp I got from Great Impressions 

and the current sketch from the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.

 

The image was stamped 4 times on different colors of CS,

 because I wanted to do the paper piecing.

This card is being entered in the following challenges:

Stella Says Sketch Challenge #141

Great Impressions September Challenge - Fall Colors
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - Fall/Autumn Colors
Creative Craft Challenges 2 - Challenge #19 - Use ribbon
ABC Challenge #45 - Fall
Craft Your Passion Challenge #180 - Autumn/Fall Colors
Creative Corner Challenge - Autumn Leaves are Falling
Aud Sentiments Challenge #89 - Autumn
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #224 - Paper Piecing

It just might be a bean soup day.

It's rainy and chilly.  The kind of weather that makes you want to put a big pot of soup on the stove.  And I just happen to have a fresh ham hock in the frig... 
As always, first things first....

It's Mojo Monday!

Today's card is for my BFF's mom.  Since my BFF is also a sorority sister from college (Alpha Sigma Nu at Ursinus College, PA), that would make her mom my sorority mom.  At any rate, she is very special to me.  I was so happy when she decided to join us for our little North Carolina vacation reunion this summer.  Happy Birthday, Mrs. B!!!!

(Stamps are all from CTMH)

The challenges into which I am entering this card include:

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #311

 

Challenges 4 Everybody # 29 - Anything Goes& Scrap Challenge #1

Crafting When We Can Challenge #53 - Seasons (I chose fall colors)

Hobby Cutz Challenge #16 - Autumnal

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #181 - Autumn/Fall

Scribble & Scratch Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

Hiding in My Craft Room Challenge #115 - Super Scraps Saturday

Happy Birthday + Yesterday's Christmas Card Extravaganza

Below is a birthday card I made for a dear friend, 

which I would like to enter in the following challenges:

Bloggers Challenge - Backgrounds
Daring Cardmakers Challenge - Signature Style  (First, I like to use every possible scrap of paper.  On the bottom left corner of this card I wove leftover 1/4" strips of paper to make part of my background.  I also love to use embossing on my cards.  Here I used 3 different embossing folders on the same card.  And I enjoy making my own crocheted flowers for my cards.)
Just Add Ink Challenge #182 - Just Add Frames

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #69 - Have a sentiment on the front
Paper Crafting Journey Challenge - Flowers
Dare to Be Sassy Thursday Challenge #194 - Shabby Chic
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge #144 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Emboss It

I spent a lovely day yesterday with my stamping friends at Joyce's Annual Christmas Card Extravaganza.  We made 10 different Christmas cards using CTMH products; there was a yard sale table with part of the proceeds going to Operation Smile; the raffle items were fantastic; and we enjoyed a yummy lunch, which included taco soup, and high calorie desserts.  Here is a quick look at the cards we made:

 

Vintage Birthday for my Older Brother + Back to School

The My Grafico's Steampunk Digi Set has this great pocket watch image.  But I goofed when I made up the text document and, without realizing it before printing, had accidently cut off the bottom half.  It then became a challenge, as I am not one to discard things, paper especially.  I did some rummaging in my paper box and found this great paper, flowered on one side and vintage school days images (row of clocks and alphabet letter blocks 'HI') on the back.  I pounced some CTMH brown bag and barn red ink on the clock face and added a CTMH kraft border on the bottom.  This will be going to my brother for his birthday.  I still have 2 weeks to come up with a witty sentiment for inside.  As is, it's a great male card for any occasion.

Challenges into which I am entering this card:
Crafty Creations Challenge #239 - Get Krafty
Ruby's Rainbow Challenge #62 - It's a Male Thing
Whimsy Stamps Challenge #63 - Masculine Cards


And while I had this paper out, I decided to make a simple, masculine 'Back to School' card using a CTMH apple with sentiment stamp in barn red ink.

for these challenges:
Cuttin and Stampin Weekly Challenge #36 - Back to School
Ribbon Carousel Challenge #85 - It's Back to School Time
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge - Add a Bow

I think I'm going to bake today.  The cookie jar is empty.

Have a great day!