Witchy Owl - Stampin' Up! Christmas Friends

   What do you do when you don't have a Halloween stamp set but you want to play along with the Festive Friday stamping challenge?  You pull out a Christmas stamp set and and get creating that's what!!  The choice board was fun this time around but the only main image stamp I had that worked with the choices was a Christmas owl from the Christmas Friends stamp set!  It's not called a challenge for nothing I guess.  And the way my stamping worked out this card works for the Just Add Ink challenge also!  For my pick two I actually ended up with all 3 - trees, circle & ink blending!

  From the Festive Friday choice board I used black, die cuts, owls, full moon and witches (hat).  I started with a Night of Navy base.  The next layer started off as just a Basic White panel!  I die cut a circle from scrap paper (a punched circle works too!) and adhered it to my Basic White panel with some re-positionable adhesive.  I started blending around the circle mask with Pool Party ink, then Blueberry Bushel and then Night of Navy to give me a progressively darker sky as I went further from the moon.  Next I took the piece of scrap paper with the circle cut from it and layered it over the moon and lightly blended a bit of Daffodil Delight ink on the moon.

  To make the tree I used the tall skinny evergreen from the Peaceful Evergreen stamp set and stamped it on it's side up the edge of the panel in Memento black ink.

  The owl from the Christmas Friends set is stamped in Memento black and then colored in with Blends markers.  I fussy cut her out and trimmed off the Santa hat since I was clearly going for a Halloween vibe!  I used an oval die and a triangle die (punches or hand cutting work too!) and some Black Glimmer paper and made her a fun witches hat.  The owl and hat are popped up on the tree with dimensionals.

  The final bit of stamping is the sentiment from an old set called Good Greetings.  I'm a little annoyed at myself that I stamped it kind of crooked but I wasn't doing the moon/sky all over again so it is what it is.  

  I think it came out pretty well for a Halloween card made with Christmas stamps!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Christmas Friends, Peaceful Evergreens, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Blueberry Bushel, Night of Navy, Memento Black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory, Daffodil Delight dark

Paper: Night of Navy, Basic White

Accessories: dimensionals, blending brushes, Layering circle dies (retired), Layering Oval dies (retired), Stitched Triangle dies (retired)

Choosing Pumpkins - Stampin' Up! Choose Happy

   I don't send many Halloween cards but it's always fun to create a few during the season and it's fun to come up with designs that aren't just orange and black!  The fun color combo at Color Throwdown was just too good to pass up!  I paired it with a past sketch from Freshly Made Sketches that I didn't have time to play along with when it was current.  

  This is a super simple design to let the fun pumpkins and colors pop!  I started with a Peach Pie card base, then cut a smaller piece of Basic White and rounded the bottom corners.  I used a blending brush and some Pretty in Pink ink to make a little area for the pumpkins to be grounded on.

  The pumpkins from Choose Happy stamp set are stamped in Memento and then colored in with Blends markers in the challenge colors.  The second Peach Pie pumpkin has the jack-o-lantern face stamped on it.  they are all then fussy cut and added to the card front.  The jack-o-lantern is popped on a dimensional.

  I pulled out the retired set Good Greetings and stamped the 'boo to you' in Memento Black.

  2 Adhesive-backed sparkle gems are added for just a touch shine.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

 All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Choose Happy, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Pretty in Pink

Blends: Peach Pie light & dark, Pretty in Pink light & dark, Lemon Lolly light & dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Paper: Peach Pie, Basic White

Accessories: Adhesive-backed sparkle gems, dimensionals, corner rounder punch (retired)

Pumpkin Season - Stampin' Up! More Than Autumn

   I'm back with another pumpkin themed card!  Tis the season and all that!  I made this design as my customer thank you card for orders placed in August.  Place an order with me this month and get a hand stamped card from me as a thank you!  And help me reach a sales goal....I'm so close!! You never know what kind of card it might be...I don't even know until I sit down to make them!

  I saw fellow demonstrator, Trayce Bauer use the Bee Builder punch to make a pumpkin and I filed that away to CASE as I don't currently have a good sized pumpkin stamp or punch.  It's really easy just 3 bee bodies in Pumpkin Pie.  The back two have the tail trimmed off and the top one has the tail trimmed just slightly to make a stem.  Each layer is sponged with Pumpkin Pie ink around the edges before adhering them together.  The stem is colored with the Garden Green Stampin' Write marker, an Old Olive die cut leaf from the More Than Autumn die set is tucked to the side and a bit of Copper Clay Natural Tones Linen Thread tied in a knot accents the stem.

  The pumpkin is popped on dimensionals on a Very Vanilla Spotlight on Nature die circle.  The card background is made of 3 panels using different DSP and specialty papers.  The left is Oxidized Copper specialty paper, top right is Iconic Celebrations DSP and bottom is Country Woods DSP.  All are mounted on a Pecan Pie card base.

  The sentiment from More Than Autumn is stamped in Copper Clay ink and fussy cut and added to the lower corner.  A few copper Neutrals Adhesive-Backed sequins are added for some shine.

  So thanks to my customers for placing orders last month!  I hope you enjoy getting this fun mail!  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: More Than Autumn

Ink: Copper Clay, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Pecan Pie, Very Vanilla, Oxidized Copper specialty paper, Iconic Celebrations DSP (Online Exclusive), Country Woods DSP, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Bee Builder punch, Spotlight on Nature dies, dimensionals, Neutrals Adhesive-Backed sequins, dimensionals, Natural Tones Linen Thread

Halloween Lights - Stampin' Up! Merry & Bright

   Do you decorate for Halloween or just put out generic autumn decorations?  I have a few spooky-ish decorations that I put out but generally all I have is just generic fall.  But making a card that has a Halloween vibe is getting me in the mood to get my decorations out!

  I designed this card as a thank you for all of my customers who placed orders last month.  I write a note on writing paper and leave the card blank inside so they can send it out themselves and share the fun. 

  I had a good time combining the Merry & Bright Christmas stamp set with the jack-o-lantern face from the Pick of the Patch pumpkin stamp set.

  I started with a Basic Black card base then a layer of Parakeet Party and a slightly smaller on of Basic White.  I stamped the bulbs in Gorgeous Grape and Pumpkin Pie and embossed the face with black embossing powder.  I used the retired 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper to cut out the bulb sockets for a nice bit of bling.  Once I had the bulbs and sockets adhered I strung them across the main panel with Parakeet Party baker's twine and added a little bow on one side.

  To keep the bulbs in place I used dimensionals to adhere them just where I wanted along the string.

  Finally I stamped the Halloween sentiment from Pick of the Patch in the low right hand corner.

  I enjoyed making this set of cards as I don't normally make many Halloween designs and it was a good stretch of the creativity to combine these sets.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Merry & Bright, Pick of the Patch

Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark, Memento Black

Paper: Basic Black, Parakeet Party, Basic White, 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Merry & Bright dies, baker's twine, black embossing powder, dimensionals

Pumpkin Blessing - Stampin' Up! Pick of the Patch

   For the third and final project that my stampers made last week at class I used a clean and simple design I had made for a challenge and I ended up liking it so much that I tweaked it just a bit so it wouldn't be the exact same.  The original can be seen HERE.

  I changed up the card base to be Pretty Peacock and embossed a Basic White panel with the Cane Weave embossing folder for some extra texture.  The pumpkins and gourd are all put together the same way and popped on a length of natural ribbon.  The final difference on this card is the sentiment is stamped and popped up as opposed to being stamped right on the card front.

  My stampers loved the cute pumpkins and liked the color combo.  Pretty Peacock and Calypso Coral are a bit unexpected in a fall themed card I think but they totally work!

  All of the items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick of the Patch

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral

Paper: Pretty Peacock, Basic White, Pecan Pie

Accessories: Pick of the Patch Builder punch, Cane Weave embossing folder, natural ribbon, dimensionals

 

Pumpkin Patch - Stampin' Up! Pick of the Patch

   The weather has finally been feeling a bit like fall in the mornings when I walk the dogs and Saturday is the autumnal equinox so it's definitely time for more fall cards!  I saw the current CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge and that layout just screamed gourds and pumpkins to me!

  The challenge did state that we could use any shape we wanted to and it didn't have to be the squares in the graphic so I went with these fun shapes!

  I started with a Basic White thick base.  I adhered a length of Natural ribbon across the front.  Then I got to work on my colorful produce using the Pick of the Patch stamp set!  I stamped a pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie (of course!), a gourd in Crushed Curry and then a smaller pumpkin in Calypso Coral.  The pumpkins are punched out with the Pick of the Patch builder punch and the gourd is fussy cut.

  The leaves are stamped in Pretty Peacock ink and also punched with the Pick of the Patch punch.  The the stems for all 3 are punched from a piece of Pecan Pie cardstock.  After adhering the leaves and the stems to the pumpkins/gourd I popped them up with dimensionals across the card front.

  The last thing to do on this clean and simple card is the sentiment stamped in Pretty Peacock.  I probably should have done this step first so in case I goofed it up I wouldn't have to start over with the rest of the card.  I live on the edge though so I did it last!

  If you'd like to purchase any of the products used to make this card you can find them in my ONLINE STORE

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick of the Patch

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White

Accessories: Pick of the Patch builder punch, dimensionals, Copper & Natural Ribbon combo pack 

Simple Jack 'O Lantern - Stampin' Up! Pick of the Patch

  It's always hard for me to resist a pumpkin set or a wreath set so of course I bought both in the demonstrator preorder and have combined them for my card today.

   I tried to keep this one clean and simple so I started with a Basic White thick card base and stamped the pumpkin directly onto it in Pumpkin Pie and added the stem and vine in Old Olive.  I embossed the face and the sentiment in black for a nice glossy accent.

  Next I cut the wreath using the Wishes All Around dies in Crumb Cake and colored the little berries with my Old Olive marker and adhered it around the pumpkin.

  Finally I embossed the crow in black and fussy cut it and colored the beak.  It's popped on a dimensional.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available starting September 6.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick of the Patch*

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Wishes All Around dies*, dimensionals, black embossing powder, Old Olive marker

  

Spooky Pumpkin - Stampin' Up! Hello Harvest

   I wanted to play along with the fun colors over at As You See It Challenge.  It's a set of colors that screamed Halloween to me and the inspiration photo was my inspiration for my blended alcohol inked background to go with the pumpkin.

  I started this with a bright Parakeet Party base.  I made the background square using Blends markers, vellum and rubbing alcohol.  I've described this technique in this post and it's really easy and makes for a unique background each time.  I mounted the finished vellum piece onto a Basic White square to make the colors really pop and then backed it with a Starry Sky panel.

  The 'boo!' is cut out of black glimmer paper and foam sheets for a nice big sentiment.  Some black baker's twine is wrapped around the panel a few times then tied in a bow.

  The pumpkin from Hello Harvest is stamped in Memento and colored in with Parakeet Party and Mango Melody blends.  I hand cut the jack 'o lantern fave pieces from Black Glimmer.  The pumpkin is adhered with dimensionals and a few black Classic Matte dots are added for more detail.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hello Harvest

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Starry Sky dark, Parakeet Party light & dark, Mando Melody light & dark (retired)

Paper: Parakeet Party, Starry Sky, Basic White, vellum, Black Glimmer paper

Accessories: Rustic Pumpkin dies, Playful Alphabet dies (retired), foam dimensional sheets, black baker's twine, Classic Matte Dots 

Spooky Night Sky - Stampin' Up! Seasonal Swirl Dies - Paper Players 561

  The Paper Players challenge is back today with a great new challenge.  I know I say that every week but it's true!  I'm so inspired with each new challenge and getting to see the Design Team projects as well as the lovely gallery.  This week is no exception!  Laurie has given us the theme of 'Spooky' this time.  

  I've got to admit that I don't usually go in for Halloween stamp sets or papers as I have found over these many years of stamping that I just don't send many cards for this one day.  It's all well and good with me if one of my fall sets has a pumpkin or a bat so if I need to make a card I can usually come up with something.  And that something is my card today since about the only thing I had that might be spooky is bats.  

  I decided that it would be pretty spooky to have a full moon with a bold sky and some bats flying over head.  Add in a few trees and we've got the start of a haunted hay ride through the woods of New England right?

  I used basic masking to make the moon and then reversed the mask to blend in the night sky while keeping the moon nice and bright.  The trees are embossed in black and have a nice shine in real life.  The background layer and the bats are Black Glitter paper.  The bat die is in the Seasonal Swirls die set and are popped on dimensionals.

  Check out the Design Team's spooky cards and then play along with us and share your card to our gallery!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beauty of Friendship

Ink: So Saffron, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Blackberry Bliss, Versamark

Paper: Basic Black, Black Glitter paper, Basic White

Accessories: Seasonal Swirl dies, black embossing powder dimensionals

Merry Snowflake - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   My card for today is one that I had thought out in my head and included a Christmas tree and a different orientation.  Once I started to put this imaginary card together it became clear that what I had in mind was looking terrible when put to cardstock!  Sometimes that happens and I've learned after many years that if I don't like it as I'm putting it together I probably won't like it any better once it's finished.  And if I don't like it when it's finished it usually doesn't get mailed out.  So what's the point??  Sometimes you just need to scrap it and try something else. There's no shame in abandoning a few pieces of cardstock that aren't doing it for you!  Put the card parts aside and see if they might work on a different project another day.

  I'm sharing my cards with the CAS Christmas Card Challenge which is to make a card using non-traditional Christmas colors and also with the Global Design Project which is to use Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate and a color of your choice.  I choose Shaded Spruce as the third color.  While all the colors on their own or mixed with traditional red/green combos are kind of Christmas-y I thought that paired up they were non-traditional at least for snowflakes.

  From my original idea I kept the "Be Merry" letters, the Whisper White panel embossed with the Winter Snow folder and the Smoky Slate card base.  The letters are cut with the Playful Alphabet dies and a nice Coastal Cabana pattern from the retired Let It Snow DSP.  The Foam Adhesive sheets are fantastic for making stand out letters.

The rest got re-vamped into what you see here.  Instead of a Christmas tree I stamped a large Coastal Cabana snowflake, cut it out and then layered it with 2 more snowflakes for a nice detailed look while still keeping it clean.  

  Under the embossed panel I wanted to add a layer but also wanted to add some interest so I used a piece of the retired Mercury Glass acetate that I wish we still carried.  It's gorgeous!

  After I got all the letters and the snowflake lined up I added a few embellishments to finish the card.  A white/silver baker's twine bow went on the center of the snowflake and a few silver sequins with colored rhinestones in the centers sprinkled on the sides.  The rhinestones were colored with the dark Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends marker.  The Blends are a great way to customize rhinestones and pearls for perfect matches to your project.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Coastal Cabana

Blends: Shaded Spruce dark

Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Mercury Glass acetate (retired), Let It Snow DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, foam sheets, Playful Alphabet dies, Winter Snow embossing folder, baker's twine (retired), sequins (retired), rhinestones

Halloween Sampler - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

 Happy Fab Friday Challenge day!  We're back at it again with a great color combination to help you stretch your stamping skills!  And it's a big day for us at Fab Friday; it's our 200th challenge!  Wow!  I've been on the Design Team from the beginning more than 8 years ago and have loved being a part of this talented group!  I hope you'll join in and help us celebrate by sharing your card to our challenge gallery!

  Now don't be intimidated by the 5 colors because really black is a neutral and so easy to incorporate into a card.  I definitely only saw Halloween when I got a look at these colors so that's what I went with.

  I mixed and matched images from the Festive Post and Banner Year stamp sets to make this spooky sampler using our challenge colors.  Each panel is stamped and then punched out with the Rectangular post stamp punch.  For the bat and spider web panels I punched them smaller to fit the space; it's so nice to have a punch that is versatile like that!

  After getting all the panels arranged and popped with dimensionals over the Old World Paper embossed black card front I added some sequins, rhinestones, enamel dots , candy dots (when will I ever finish them??) and black baker's twine.  The October 31 panel is covered with clear Wink of Stella instead of an embellishment as I didn't have any left that matched!

  I can't wait to see what you share in our gallery!  For more inspiration see what the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team created!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year, Festive Post

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, white craft

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Garden Green, Highland Heather

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Rectangular Postage punch, dimensionals, Shimmer black embossing powder (retired) Wink of Stella, black bakers twine, sequins, rhinestones, enamel dots, candy dots (retired)

Giant Candy Corn - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I didn't get any stamping done over the weekend but luckily I was able to stamp a bit on Friday and got to play along with the new Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  They have a great choice board this time with lots of fall themed items.  I decided to go with the middle across line which is orange, die cut and corn.  I hope candy corn is an acceptable corn for this challenge!

  

  A while back I had written down on a scrap of paper the idea of using the Stitched Triangle dies to made a candy corn and finally the time was right to put the idea to cardstock.

  I started with a Pumpkin Pie base, then a layer of Basic Black.  The Whisper White layer is stamped with some of the adorable Halloween images from Banner Year.  The bat is in Memento black, the 'boo!' is in Basic Gray and the spider web is Smoky Slate.  After the stamping I ran it through the Big Shot using the Subtle embossing folder for a bit of texture.

  The candy corn is made by cutting 3 triangles with the Stitched Triangle dies and cutting them into 3rds and reassembling them into the candy corn layers.  Once the candy corn was assembled I popped it with dimensionals onto the card front.

  The sentiment is also from Banner Year and I embossed it in the retired Shimmer Black embossing powder and popped it up with dimensionals across the center.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Versamark

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Stitched Triangle die, Shimmer Black embossing powder (retired), dimensionals

Witchy Halloween - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

   Better late than never today with my card!  I've got a quick and easy Halloween card to show today.  I don't usually send very many Halloween cards but I always end up making a few for various challenges and the one I participated in today had perfect colors for Halloween and I couldn't resist.  The TGIF Challenges group has Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry and Basic Black for their colors.

  There was the perfect sheet in the Plaid Tidings DSP pack for this color combo!

  See what I mean about the paper?  I let it do all the heavy lifting for the colors and just added a bit of sparkle.  Once I had the DSP adhered to the card base I dug around in my scraps and found a bit of retired black Glimmer Paper and cut a few narrow strips to add to the image panel.

  The adorable little broom sticks are found in the Festive Post stamp set. I inked them across the panel in Versamark and embossed them with retired Shimmer Black embossing powder.  I popped the layers up with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is also from Festive Post and stamped in Rich Razzleberry.  After it was die cut with the Stitched Shapes circle I added a bit of retired Pumpkin Pie cotton ribbon and then popped it all up with a double layer of dimensionals.

  So quick and easy!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post

Ink: Versamark, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Plaid Tidings DSP, Whisper White, Black Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Shimmer Black embossing powder (retired), cotton ribbon (retired)

Bitty Halloween - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I'm sneaking into the Freshly Made Sketches challenge at the last minute here today.  I had a lot of stamping time over the weekend and was able to go back to some challenges posted earlier last week.  I don't send many Halloween cards generally but I usually make a few for challenges during fall and I thought this sketch was perfect for some of the smaller images in the Banner Year stamp set.  It was also a good sketch to use some DSP.  I ordered way too much (not really, there's never too much!) DSP from the Aug.-Dec. mini catalog and since I'm not doing any classes right now I really need to make a BIG effort to use it up so you might be seeing more DSP than you usually would on my cards. 

  I started this card with a Basic Black base, then a smaller layer Basic Black embossed with with the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder.  Next is a piece of Plaid Tidings DSP.  What's great about the Plaid Tiding DSP is that it has colors for fall, winter and Valentine's Day.  Of course these colors and patterns can be used any time of the year but they really lend themselves to the next few months of events and holidays.  I liked this black, orange and yellow combo for a Halloween feel.  I tied a little black baker's twine bow around the panel before popping it up on dimensionals.

  All of the images and the 'boo!' are from the Banner Year stamp set.  The black parts of each circle are embossed with black embossing powder.  The pumpkin is Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive and the spider web is Smoky Slate. They are punched with a circle punch and then popped with dimensionals. 

  All in all a pretty quick design and a fantastic layout to show off some smaller images.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Versamark, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Smoky Slate

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Plaid Tidings DSP

Accessories: black embossing powder (retired), black baker's twine (retired), dimensionals, circle punch

Caffeinated Halloween - Stampin' Up! Coffee Cafe - Fab Friday 148

Happy Friday stampers!  Do you have your fun weekend plans all organized?  I hope you added some stamping time in so that you can join in with the Fab Friday challenge!  You've got nearly 2 weeks to play along so no excuses!

We have some fun colors this time!

With these colors you could go for the completely obvious Halloween theme like I did or really challenge yourself to a different kind of card!

Since Halloween is on a Wednesday this year I thought it might be appreciated if I sent in a card and a Starbucks gift card to Alex's teacher.  I'm thinking that she might need a big coffee to help her get through the day dealing with a bunch of sugar hungover 5th graders!  And it doesn't hurt that her favorite color is purple!

 
  The card base is Basic Black.  Then a layer of Pumpkin Pie topped with a Whisper White panel embossed with the Corrugated embossing folder.  Then a narrow Pumpkin Pie band across the middle.  Definitely use tear tape when adhering panels or adhering to panels embossed with the Corrugated folder as I didn't find that regular snail worked very well.

  The coffee cup, lid and sleeve are from the Coffee Cafe set which I haven't used in forever but is still super cute.  The cup outline and lid are stamped in Gorgeous Grape on Whisper White and the sleeve is stamped in black on Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  The sleeve is scored to give it that corrugated look.

  On the coffee cup I stamped the only Halloween sentiment I own from Itty Bitty Greetings in black. Next is a little Pumpkin Pie maple leaf from the Colorful Seasons stamp set.  I added a black baker's twine bow to bring a bit more black to the cup.

  For the sentiment I pulled out my Another Wonderful Year and stamped this appreciation greeting in black then punched it out with Everyday Label punch.  We don't have Stampin' Blends in Gorgeous Grape yet but the Highland Heather is a good substitute so I used them to fill in the outline on the sentiment.

  I definitely like these colors but confess that I don't think I could do anything but Halloween with them so I'm looking forward to seeing all the creativity in our Fab Friday gallery.  Check out the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team cards then play along!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Coffee Cafe, Another Wonderful Year, Colorful Seasons, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Black, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie

Blends: Highland Heather - light & dark

Paper: Basic Black, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

Accessories: Corrugated embossing folder, Everyday Label punch, Seasonal Layers thinlets, black baker's twine, dimensionals

Pick Halloween or Autumn - Stampin' Up! Pick a Pumpkin

  I thought I had better get these cards shared before my next stamp club meets or before Halloween is over and done with!  I've not been having good luck taking photos lately.  I'd like to blame the camera but I know it's really just user error!  It's either been too sunny or too dark.  Sounds a bit like Goldilocks right?

  Anyway on to the cards...  I designed the same card with just slight changes so that my stampers could choose if they wanted to make a fall card or a Halloween card.

  A few slight changes and you've got a whole different card.   

 Give Thanks Card-

Stamps: Pick a Pumpkin, Labels to Love

Ink: Whisper White craft, Old Olive, Peekaboo Peach, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Accessories: Patterned Pumpkins Thinlets, dimensionals, Old Olive Baker's Twine, corner rounder (retired)

Boo! Card -

Stamps: Pick a Pumpkin, Labeler Alphabet

Ink: Whisper White craft, Old Olive, Peekaboo Peach, Pumpkin Pie, Black

Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Accessories: Patterned Pumpkins Thinlets, dimensionals, mini sequin trim, corner rounder

Jack o Lantern Trio - Stampin' Up! Pick a Pumpkin

  I always like to have a fall stamp set that can be used for Halloween cards if I need a few but that is versatile enough that it can be used for regular fall cards as well.  I like the Pick a Pumpkin set in the Holiday catalog because it fits the bill and has a cute thinlets set for even more options.

  In this set you can turn the pumpkins into jack o lanterns by adding one of three faces to your pumpkins.

  To add a bit of texture to the Crumb Cake card front I embossed it with the Quilt Top embossing folder.

I stamped the 3 pumpkins in Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive ink and embossed the faces with black embossing powder.  Then I used the Stitched Shapes framelits to cut them out.  They are popped up on a narrow strip of Old Olive cardstock.

  The sentiment flag was stamped with the Labeler Alphabet and embossed in white embossing powder.  I added a tiny bit of Old Olive 1/4" Stitched-Edge ribbon.

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick a Pumpkin, Labeler Alphabet

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: white embossing powder, black embossing powder, Stitched Shapes framelits, Stitched-Edge ribbon, Quite Top embossing folder, dimensionals

Pick a Crate of Pumpkin - Stampin' Up! Pick a Pumpkin

    As much as I want to dive right into all of the Christmas goodness from my Holiday catalog I am trying to not rush the seasons.  While I can't stand the fact that stores put out seasonal items 3+ months before the actual season I am certainly not opposed to beginning to make my Christmas cards this early but I will definitely be trying to design a lot of fall cards too.  Even though it probably won't feel like fall here for at least another month, school is starting right after Labor Day so that is reason enough to get into the fall mode.

  When placing my Holiday catalog preorder I waivered a bit on whether or not to get the Pick a Pumpkin set. But in the end I decided that a fall themed set with a few pieces that could be used for Halloween would be a good idea. And it's a bundle with coordinating dies so that was appealing too.

  The card base is Very Vanilla thick and then another layer of Very Vanilla embossed with the Pinewood Planks 3D embossing folder.  I lightly swiped some Crumb Cake ink over the texture using a sponge to give it some depth and definition.

  Next, I use a scrap of the Wood Textures DSP and die cut just the front of the crate from the Wood Crate framelits set.  It makes for a nice little feature on a card so you don't always have to make a full crate with this die set.

  The gourds and pumpkins were stamped in a bunch of different fall colors; Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz and Cajun Craze.  After inking up the stamp I used a blender pen to remove the ink from the stem portion and then re-colored it with my Garden Green marker.  Once they were all stamped I cut them out with the Patterned Pumpkin Thinlets dies.  I even cut some cute little vines in Garden Green.

  I arranged all the fall bounty in the crate and then added a bit of linen thread I found in my scrap bin.   The sentiment is from a Holiday Catalog set called Labels to Love which has a new matching punch which I didn't use here but is a really nice shape for all kinds of cards.  I stamped the sentiment here Chocolate Chip and punched it out with a circle punch as it fit the scale of the crate better.

  The crate and all is popped on dimensionals to finish this card off.

  I'm looking forward to playing some more with the Pick a Pumpkin bundle.  Maybe some nice jack-o-lanterns next?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick a Pumpkin*, Labels to Love*

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green (marker)

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Wood Textures DSP, Garden Green

Accessories: Patterned Pumpkins thinlets*, Wood Crate framelits, linen thread, dimensionals, circle punch

* Items will be available in the 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday catalog available September 1

Swirly Pumpkins - Stampin' Up! Swirly Bird

  With all the fun new products in the Holiday Catalog sometimes stamp sets from the Annual Catalog can get overlooked for seasonal cards.  While the Halloween themed sets in the Holiday catalog are super cute I just don't make very many Halloween cards so I try to use other sets in ways that fit the season.

  I thought that the Swirly Bird stamp set and the coordinating Swirly Scribbles thinlets would be a great fit for making pumpkins for a fall card.  You could even add a jack-o-lantern face to make it Halloween.  I think all of my stampers at stamp club last week could tell they were pumpkins which I was happy about since when I asked the boys what they looked like Alex replied, "Peaches!" *sigh*.  Hopefully you see pumpkins too!

  Do you recognize the stem stamps?  The smaller one is the little flag intended for the top of the sail boat, and the larger stem is the boat hull turned sideways.  Pretty neat huh?  Make your stamps work for you!

  The smaller pumpkin is stamped in Pumpkin Pie and then the swirl is added in Tangerine Tango ink.  The stem and leaf are stamped in Old Olive.

  The larger pumpkin swirl is die cut out of Pumpkin Pie Glimmer paper.  I glued that down to a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and then cut around the shape to get the layered circle.  I die cut 2 leaves out of Old Olive cardstock.  The larger leaf is popped with a dimensional.

  The sentiment is from One Big Meaning and is stamped in Early Espresso ink.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Swirly Bird, One Big Meaning

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Early Espresso

Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Glimmer paper

Accessories: Swirly Scribbles thinlets, corner rounder, dimensionals

They Are Watching! - Stampin' Up! Among the Branches

  The more I use the Among the Branches stamp set the more I'm loving it.  It's nice to have a stamp set and coordinating embossing folder that covers 3 card giving occasions, especially when those 3 are so close together as Halloween, fall/Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You can get your money's worth for sure especially get the bundle the includes the stamp set and Woodland embossing folder.

  We made this design last week at my monthly stamp club and I was joking that this card is the reason you put curtains on your windows.  Those creepy eyes peeking out are enough to get your imagination going!  And now I definitely need curtains for my front room....lol!

  The card base is Basic Black, then a layer of Rich Razzleberry and then a piece of Basic Gray embossed with the Woodland folder.  We stamped the eyes and and crow in Basic Black, nestling them among the tree trunks.

  A small strip of the Black Glimmer paper and a Pumpkin Pie knot divide the card front. The "spooky" sentiment circle was stamped in Rich Razzleberry and cut out with the circles framelits (you can also use the 2" circle punch).  We used a black marker to color in the eyes for some contrast and then popped it up with dimensionals.

  This would be a super quick and easy design to make if you needed to make Halloween party invitations or a smaller variation to make a tag for a treat bag.

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Among the Branches

Ink: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray, Black Glimmer, Whisper White

Accessories: Woodland embossing folder, circle framelits, cotton ribbon, dimensionals

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