I still think it is too early…

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, “It is too early to be making Christmas/Winter/Holiday cards!” However, being a true sport for my Card Club, I made this card since the theme was exactly that…Christmas/Winter/Holiday. Even when it is time for me to make some holiday cards (which usually does not exceed ten or so), then I try to stay away from the typical “holiday colors” and try to mix it up a bit.

There are so many things I love about this card: I love the way the purple and green work together: the juxtaposition of the dark purple and black against the white and pale green (in my opinion) is classic. I love all of the layers…the more the better; I think these bring a sense of depth to the card. I love the way it sparkles; through the use of silver ink, brads, and cord the card bounces the light around (the picture does not do it justice). I love the way it opens…well, swings open; I have never tried this type of opening before and was curious to see how well it would work.

Recipe: Season of Joy and Little Pieces stamp sets, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss, and Winter White card stock, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, and Mellow Moss classic ink, silver encore pad, silver brads, silver cord, and dimensional spots.

Another Keeper

I had a few extra moments this morning, so I decided to catch-up on all of my bookmarked craft blogs and contests. I looked and found so many neat projects. I have come to expect them from this group since the work they do is typically top notch. On the Stamping 411 challenge blog there was a new sketch challenge (no big deal…I knew there would be), so I looked at the DT examples. For some reason, I decided to look at the projects that people have posted and was lead to a project that blew me away on so many levels.

One card was made by Jennie Maier; I like it: she used several layers on her project (which you know I am a big advocate of layers) so that caught my eye. And since I did have a few extra moments, I decided to look over not only this one project, but her entire blog Jennie M’s Stampin Spot. As I scrolled down the scroll wheel on my mouse was paralyzed when I got to her post MojoMonday Brightness. Holy Cow! For me, this card is fantastic…on so many levels:

Designer Series Paper: Stampin’ Up!’s patterned paper has to be one of my favorite things about SU. It is of such good quality and I love the way the colors coordinate with their selection of solid paper and accessories. I know some people who view this as just a product they can use for scrapbooking, but as this card shows, they are a great addition to any card (or other craft project) as well.

Circle Circus: If you follow my blog, then you already know, “I love Circle Circus!” This card uses one of my favorites of the circles: I call it the honeycomb circle stamp. I think it is amazing how this one set (a bunch of decorated circles) is so versatile. I also love the layering of the large scallop circle from the set, too…see, that is a two for one for me.

Colors: I know I have said that the new SU In-Trend Colors are not my favorite this year, but that is just because I feel they are a bit too much like some of their current colors. But the reason I love the colors in this card so much is their ease on the eye. Since the colors are found adjacent to each other on the color wheel they are viewed as being softer together. They remind me of a sunset on this card.

Sketch: So I saw the Mojo Monday challenge the beginning of the week and have been mulling over it all week long, but was having a difficult time trying to put an idea together. When I saw how this card came together with the sketch I was amazed. Sometimes I feel that I need to alter the sketch slightly in order for it to fit with my taste and idea, but I love how this direct interpretation of it turned out so magnificently.

Thanks, Jennie, for sharing this amazing card with me (and everyone else). I have added your blog to my list of top notch blogs and look forward to seeing more of your amazing creations.

Adorable!

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, “You guys are amazing!” I love looking at your blogs; I get to see so many neat projects, learn new techniques, and all around…just get inspired to craft the evening away.

I came upon Gretchen’s blog today for the first time and was blown away with her Halloween Creations utilizing various different tools and techniques. “Frankie and Friends” have made we want to decorate the house for Halloween, and I don’t even decorate for Christmas too much. They have to be the most adorable Halloween creations I have ever seen! Just think of the possibilities…endless!

Thanks Gretchen for sharing your creations (and thanks to Stamp with Heather which directed me to it).

A Creepy Treat!

I saw this template in a magazine as well as on several other crafters’ blogs and thought I would try it myself (I’m sending it to my sister…I think she will like it). The main part of the hat is a triangle “box,” the brim is added, and the entire “hat” is decorated like a witch’s hat…ok…a really girly witch’s hat.

What I like about the triangle box most is that you can make it any size you want…easily. The size I made was from a 6”x12” piece of paper, which gave it a more square-like dimension, but a narrower piece (like 3”x12”) would give it more of a spiked shape hat (like those worn in the renaissance by “damsels in distress”). I think the possibilities with this template are so vast…I can’t wait to mess around with different sizes, uses, and patterns.

I hope you like it.

Recipe: Certainly Celery card stock, Cast-a-Spell Designer Series paper, circle scallop punch, 1½”, ½”, and ¼” circle punches, flower punch, tri-flower punch, wide celery grosgrain ribbon, black classic ink, sponge, dimensional spots, and box template.

An inspired card

So, at W’ink this past weekend we utilized an alcohol technique to create a Halloween card with a dark cloud background around a haunted house. We made two samples (one as a “first time” and the other since we were “old pros” at it). I used one on the card for the club, but had the spare; I decided to make another Halloween card with it.

Let me know what you think.

Recipe: House of Haunts stamp set, Basic Black, Perfect Plum, and glossy white card stock, Black Staz-on ink, So Saffron Stampin’ Write marker, large black grommet, wide black organdy ribbon, narrow black grosgrain ribbon, ½” circle punch, and Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace reinkers.

A cute little something

I have been meaning to post this for a while because I think they are so adorable. These three mini note cards were given to me as a door prize at a class I took a ways back. I think they are so cute; I haven’t used them because I wanted to be able to see them whenever I wanted, but I thought I would just take a picture of them and then I could give them away without missing them too much.

I love ‘em.

September W’ink

It was that time again: time for the monthly meeting of W’ink, a stamp club which I attend. Each month we have snacks beforehand, but this month was a pot-luck. I have to say, it was delicious…and I am not a big fan of pot-lucks. However, I can honestly say that I thought everything was amazing, and I mean everything: enchiladas, brownies, cake (with no cinamon...hee hee), stuffed rolls...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. What a great way to start a fantastic club meeting…with delicious food and lively company.

The first card Sharon demonstrated was a Halloween Card utilizing an alcohol technique followed by a Princess Card on which we tried stamp kissing. Finally, we altered a mini notebook with Designer Series Paper, images and letters cut with the Big Shot, and ribbon. The time seemed to get away from us; before we knew it, it had been over three hours. I guess that’s what happens when you enjoy what you are doing and with whom you are doing it.

Take a moment to check-out Sharon’s Blog to see some of her other fantastic projects!

I can't wait until next month.

A little extra summer

My sister asked if I would send her directions for a waterfall card, so I created this card as the example for her to make. I hope she can follow my directions well enough…I was reading back over them and it is a lot of steps, but I think she will be able to follow it pretty well.

The idea for the card is to satisfy three different card challenges:

Our Creative Corner: Color challenge; I need to use light pink, dark pink, white, and brown. I did this…actually, I use three different shades of pink, white, two shades of brown, and a pale green for a touch of color.

Charisma Cardz: Flowers; I dug out the mini flower stamp set for this card.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Girls; this just seemed to go hand in hand with the flower challenge.

I love when you have only a limited amount of time for crafting that card challenges can be combined…what a time saver, but I feel so productive.

Recipe: Watercolor Mini and Sidekick Sayings stamp sets, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip card stock, Chocolate Chip Designer Series paper, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip classic ink, metallic eyelets, tri-flower punch, 1” circle punch, narrow rose grosgrain ribbon, and sponges.

Goodies for me!

If you have been following my blog (and if so, thanks so much…I hope you like it) then you might remember that I have been waiting for a package from my sister, Rachel, which would surely brighten my day. It arrived late last week and there were so many cute cards in it; so much so, that I wanted to share some of them with you.

“Mom” and “Dad” cards: First of all, I think she knows how much I love this blue color (Bordering Blue by Stampin’ Up!), so that makes these an instant hit for me. But, I love the two images so much: what young girl doesn’t like to play dress-up in “big girl” clothes and how cute is this little bear? Love them to death.

Halloween series: She sent me several Halloween cards from a series she made: each had a mummy, cat, and witch with a fence background, but then she utilized some 3-D stickers to add a bit extra (the scarecrow on one and the tombstone on the other). Others included pumpkins, cats, witches, etc. They are all way cute.

Baby series: I think these are the one of the best examples of what she does: simple, yet elegant. She sent me this baby card in several different colors (Apricot Appeal and Certainly Celery shown), but I love the way the black helps to pop the image. She used her cuttle-bug embossing plate for the background and then the cutest hand print with a simple sentiment…wonderful. Look out if you are having a baby…you may get one of these from me.

Overall…I was so happy when I got her package: I love sitting in a comfy chair and opening it all by myself; it is sort of like an un-birthday present. Thanks, Rach, for a wonderful pick-me-up!

Just a box

For W’ink this month we needed to create a box, pouch, or envelope (the template was chosen at last month’s meeting) and decorate it however we liked. Selecting the box was the easy part for me, but I could not think of how to decorate it. I knew I wanted to try something new, so I created the brick-like pattern around the edge with black ribbon and lots (and lots and lots) of small cuts with my craft blade; the colors coordinate with the colors of my office. It remained in this stage for most of the month until I decided that I liked the way it looked with only this added, but I did think it needed a bit of brightness. I added the white and black daisies (my favorite flower), one to each side, to still keep it simple, but adding a bit extra. I think it turned out pretty nicely.

Click here to see all of the submissions, posted on Sharon's blog.

Recipe: Brocade Blue, Whisper White, and Basic Black card stock, black narrow grosgrain ribbon, circle scallop punch, tri-flower punch, and the box template.

The process behind a card

I woke up this morning and went through my typical morning routine, but kept having the same thoughts over and over; as I created a card, these thoughts kept creeping to the forefront, so they influenced many different aspects of the card. I hope you like it; I will break it down for you.

It started with the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, which is a theme challenge. The goal is to create a project having to do with teenage boys. I read the challenge yesterday and realized that I am a little lean on “boy-ish” stamps and accessories (which makes my scrapbooking a bit difficult when I need to make a layout for a “manly” occasion), but I really wanted to participate in the challenge (since it would be a real challenge), so I decided to marinate on the idea for a bit.

This brings me to my next thought: what do boys like? How was I supposed to know? I have three sisters and I don’t think you could classify any of us as a tomboy, so I had to look somewhere else to get some ideas. Nothing came to me. Yesterday evening, my husband and I were enjoying a typical evening at home when he received a call from one of his brothers; this turned into a lengthy project including more phone calls, a couple e-mails, and much revision. It was pretty fun to work with both of them to (hopefully) create something which will be a success. Upon completion I thought that I just needed to think about my husband and his brothers…why didn’t I think of this before? Sometimes I can be a bit disconnected. Although I now had an idea, nothing was coming to me yet. Crap!

As I sat to create this morning, I still had no idea what to do. I was committed to create a card for the SCSC “teenage boy” challenge, but was drawing a blank. I sat at my laptop and began cruising through a list of my favorite crafting blogs; I was lead to different blogs which were linked and then I found the perfect inspiration: kween bee kreations by Kris Kilcoyne (I found this linked through Stampin’ Pretty by Mary Fish who is on the Design Team for Mojo Monday). She posted “Beep-Bop-Boop!!” which included a straightforward card using Stampin’ Up!’s Lots of Bots and Circle Circus stamp sets (and you know how much I love Circle Circus). There was a comment left on the post stating how the “bubbles” from Circle Circus seem to go well with the robot. This got me thinking: what else could the circles be? I pulled out my set and looked at them while considering my brothers (well, my husband’s brothers, but they feel like my own): they enjoy mountain biking and I saw one of the stamps which could “be” a gear, or a wheel, or something…I wasn’t sure what, but I thought it went pretty well. I next thought I could replace her robot with a biker (somehow…I don’t have a stamp or anything).

The juices were flowing at this point. I thought of his brother with whom we were working last night and came up with a color scheme which I thought he would enjoy. Then, I tried to think about where I would get a biker; I could draw one, but that wouldn’t look to good, so back to the computer I went and googled (I love Google too) for images of bikers…I found a ton, thankfully. Ok, it was coming together. I found an image which looked the most dynamic, printed it, scanned it, and loaded it so my CraftROBO (again…LOVE IT) could cut it out. All that was left was to assemble it.

As I was adding the sponged edges to the card, I thought about another crafter’s blog which turned me on to sponging the edges of paper: Stamp with Heather by Heather Summers. I love checking out her new projects and what she creates…one word: amazing! This got me thinking about how much my crafting has evolved, even just over the past month or so, by stepping out my “norm” creating and trying new ideas, techniques, and layouts. I attribute this to the many different blogs I have come to enjoy reading as well as learning. Thank you to all of you (there are so many).

So there it is: the process behind this card. I hope you enjoy it as well as learning a bit more about how my discombobulated mind works sometimes.

Recipe: Circle Circus and Beyond Basics stamp sets, Soft Suede, Ruby Red, More Mustard, and Naturals Ivory card stock, Soft Suede, Ruby Red, and More Mustard classic ink, Soft Suede grosgrain ribbon (the back side of the polka-dotted ribbon), corner rounder punch, dimensional spots, sponge, and an internet image cut using my CraftROBO.

From Summer to Autumn...

It is only a few weeks away until the official end of summer and beginning of autumn…my favorite season of the year. The weather begins to be a bit cooler which lends to more enjoyable time outdoors with family and friends and the greens of summer turn into a cornucopia of various shades of reds, yellows, browns, and oranges. It is a beautiful time of year.

The autumn time is full of memorable moments for me: my anniversary with a fantastic husband, birthdays, traditions, and so many more exciting dates which help me look forward to this time of year each year.

This card is the first “autumn” inspired card I have made this year; I completed it for three different challenges: Charisma Cardz, Stamping 411, and Our Creative Corner:

Charisma Cardz: Patchwork; this is the checkerboard pattern I created on the horizontal band across the card.

Stamping 411: Sketch; the layout of this card is inspired by this sketch challenge.

Our Creative Corner: Fall/Autumn; this was the main inspiration of the card. I felt the colors showed the greens of summer, but also the transition into the more earthy colors of autumn.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Sketch an Event stamp set (image), More Mustard card stock, brown, light green, dark green, and leaf patterned paper, hemp twine, dimensional spots, and my CraftROBO.

The Eleventh Hour

It has taken me all week to decide what to do with two different card challenges, but I think I finally pulled it off. I hope you like the marriage of the Mojo Monday and the Our Creative Corner challenges.

Mojo Monday: Sketch; I took some liberties with the sketch, but thought it stayed true to the basic idea.

Our Creative Corner: Stars and Stripes; I wanted to try something different than the expected.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, and Bordering Blue card stock, Washington Apple Designer Series paper, and headline and stars die-cut courtesy of CraftROBO.

I can be a bookworm

Another of my loved pastimes is reading (this is a statement which I never thought I would ever make when I was younger, but that what happens….). I have taken advantage of the quiet time over the past week or so (including our quiet long weekend) to read three books: Younger Than That Now by Jeff Durstewitz and Ruth Williams, The White Queen by Philappa Gregory, and Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice. Three very different books by three distinctly different authors (well, four actually since one was written by two people…technicalities….). I enjoyed each for different reasons:

Younger than That Now by Jeff Durstewitz and Ruth Williams: This memoir is about the relationship between these two people: he is from NY and she is from MS; they are both editors of their high school newspapers and had a heated initial meeting. This follows their relationship through adulthood showing how true friends, though they are out of touch for a while, never die.

The White Queen by Philappa Gregory: This follows most of the “Cousins’ War” in England in the mid-1400’s and not only how much effort is put into become king/queen, but also how much is needed to remain king/queen. I am a big fan of her work, but was slightly disappointed in this book.

Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice: This memoir details her childhood as a devout Catholic, her drastic falling-away from Catholicism becoming an Atheist, and finally her journey back to the church. Though not a Catholic myself, I found her experiences very profound and her overall journey compelling. Who would have thought the writer of Interview with a Vampire was/would become so religious.

To read my complete reviews of these three books, as well as many other books I have read, check me out on Goodreads.com (link on the side).

Out in the Woods

Over the Labor Day weekend, my husband and I with two of our friends joined our friend’s parents at their cabin outside of Chama, NM. It is beautiful up there as well as inside their cabin; they have done most of the work themselves and are in the final stages with just the details left. We spent the early mornings on the massive wrap-around deck watching the deer graze right up to the railing (a mother and three fawns…adorable). Later in the day I watched as Lam (that’s my husband) and our friends went rock climbing in Tres Piedras; this was a fun and interesting experience for me to see them reach all the way to the top of the walls. Evenings were spent catching-up and laughing at things that have happened as well as our own idiosyncrasies. All in all, it was a fantastic and relaxing long weekend away.

The cabin is decorated with moose and bears, so I made this thank you card.

Recipe: Sincere Salutations stamp set (inside of card), Basic Black, Really Rust, and Whisper White card stock, Basic Black, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, and Summer Sun classic ink, sponges, and moose and bear images courtesy of my CraftROBO.

Four for the price of one…

Wow, it sure has felt like forever since I have posted anything, but the past week has flown by so fast. Though I have not been creating much, I have been reading a slew of books as well as spend some time out in nature…more on that in a later post.

I thought I would test my creativity and ingenuity and combine four different card challenges; actually, it is really due to my want to submit to all of them, but not having the time (or effort) to create four distinct cards). I thought I did rather well; a few were fairly similar and lent themselves to being combined. These four challenges are:

Stamping 411: Sketch challenge; the layout was dictated primarily by this challenge.

ABC Challenge: D is for Die Cuts; some kind of die cut-esque item should be included. This is the curly heart: an image which I stamped, scanned, and then cut using my CraftROBO.

Charisma Cardz: Swirls, Curls, and Hearts…enough said. This is in the die-cut and in the speckled hearts of the white background paper

Our Creative Corner: Hearts and Flowers…again, enough said. There are hearts in the die-cut and in the white background paper and flowers in the pale yellow paper.

Lucky me, right? Four for the price of one…how exciting!

Recipe: Sage Advise stamp set, Sahara Sand and Bashful Blue card stock, Delicate Dots Designer Series paper, Soft Suede classic ink, light blue narrow grosgrain ribbon, die cut image (from Sage Advise stamp set) courtesy of my CraftROBO.

Cards with Movement

I really enjoy making cards that have a “little something extra” to them than most; I usually get this with various accents like brads, buttons, ribbon, etc. I heard about a class Sharon was having called “Cards with Movement” and knew I had to go. I remember receiving a few cards which “moved,” but had never made one of my own. It was a great class; I was able to gab with a couple ladies from W’ink as well and learn new movement techniques. Don’t be surprised if your next card from me has some movement to it as well.

Halloween card details from Sharon’s blog
Movement card details from Sharon’s blog

She is so talented

I want to begin this entry by saying that I know so many talented crafters. I love getting cards and/or handmade gifts from them as they always brighten my day and later inspire me to make my own.

One of these talented crafters is my sister, Rachel. Her cards are so beautiful; she has a great skill of combining colors, textures, and images to create mini works of art. I find any opportunity to get my hands on her cards. I was having a difficult day and knew that one of her cards would be the only thing which could pull me out of my funk, so I called her. I asked her if I sent her a group of cards which I made, then would she send me a handful of cards she made.

She agreed!

I was excited and the funk I was in seemed to go away. So, off I went making cards: I pulled a group of paper and a stamp set and went to town. It was a lesson in creativity for me (I tried to limit my supplies to a small group to see how many different cards I could make with just a few items). I think they turned out pretty well…a few I used on previous cards I have posted. If you haven’t tried to do this yourself, then you should…it is a lot of fun.

Basic Supplies: Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, and Whisper White cardstock (both sold and patteren), classic ink, and markers.

Other Supplies: paper crimper, stamp-a-ma-jig, corner punch, scallop edge punch, large grommets, spiral clips, Aqua Painter, wide brown satin ribbon, Antique Brass hardware, Oval All stamp set, and dimensional spots.

My First Meeting

Over this past weekend I attended a new stamp club for the first time (I was out of town last month when they met). I had so much fun listening to the others laughing and carrying on as well as creating a beautiful card. The club is headed by Anne, a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator (one of my favorites). The technique demonstrated was emboss resist. She is so creative in her ideas and gets her inspiration from so many places. Click here to see her sample card (and to find out her inspiration for this card). I had so much fun (both creating and chatting with Monica) and cannot wait to go back next month. Lastly, I need to let everyone know that Nikki (another club member) made some fantastic devil’s food cupcakes with chocolate chips that were to die for!

Recipe: Circle Circus and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, and Whisper White card stock, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, and Versamark ink, white embossing powder, sponge daubers, Word Window punch, ½” ¾” 1” 1½” 1¾” circle punches, and dimensional spots.

I hate bugs (and yes, I said HATE)

As I mentioned earlier, I try not to see myself as a girly-girl, but I have to admit that I hate bugs. That’s right, when those buggies slither, creep, or crawl near me I can’t stand it. I was bitten by some kind of insect when I was younger and was rushed to the ER for an allergic reaction and I haven’t recovered since (well, my dislike of them at least).

Although, like most things in life, I do have an exception: the lady bug. One can hardly group them in the same category as other bugs: they are cute, colorful, they don’t move very fast (which I like), and you cannot help but get excited when you see one, “Look! It’s a lady bug!”

So, for this week’s Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge I decided to pay homage to this non-bug bug for their Flights of Fancy challenge (anything with wings). Although (ok, so I am trying to branch out from my “so” usage) there are no wings per se on this card, there are lady bugs (abstract, but still they are there) and everyone knows that lady bugs have wings.

Anti-buggies (excluding Lady Bugs) Unite!

Recipe: Sketch It! stamp set, Garden Green, Basic Black, and Real Red card stock, Versamark ink, crystal clear embossing powder, ¼” and ½” square punches, ¼” circle punch, jumbo spotted brads, black wire, and black beads.

I am not ready yet…

I have had this conversation with several people, but I want to take the opportunity to announce to the world, “I am not ready to be thinking about the “holidays” yet!!!” Meaning, it is too early to be working on Christmas cards, winter cards, or even Thanksgiving cards. Deep down I even think it is too early to be thinking about Halloween, but since it is next month I will concede that it is acceptable. Kids just went back to school…it is still (technically) SUMMER!

Ok…I think it’s out of my system now. I should be ok.

So, to support my “non-holiday” theme, I used the Stamping 411 sketch challenge to make a tribute to Halloween (even though I think it is early…oops…guess it wasn’t all out of my system). I didn’t want to it to be too literal, so it is sort of my Picasso version of Frankenstein’s monster.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Green Galore, Perfect Plum, Basic Black, and Only Orange card stock, large and medium google-eyes, foam scar, and metallic paper bolts.

I am out of ideas…

…not for cards or crafting projects, but with a different issue I have been facing for quite a while: I have been TRYING to sell some of my old stamp sets, but am having no luck at all. I have tried Craigslist, Ebay, word of mouth, and even Anne’s garage sale (actually, her garage sale is what started it and then I couldn’t bear to put them all back on my shelf again….).

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could sell these sets? I have about 45 Stampin’ Up! stamp sets (retired, or course) and about another 50 or so individual stamps which I have accumulated from various places/people.  They cover from Holiday to Flowers to Girly to words and alphabets.

HELP!

Just for Lily

I am going to be an Aunt. Granted, I am already an aunt to two wonderful nephews, but I will be an aunt to a (I just know it) gorgeous niece. I was able to attend Lily’s baby shower this past weekend and had a lovely time. I sat with my mother-in-law and my husband’s godmother and pined over all of the adorable clothes, blankets, and many other gifts which were given.

I have to admit, this card was not my idea. As I have said before, I have been looking at so many blogs over the past weeks that, I am sorry to say, I cannot remember where I saw the idea (let me know if it is you and I will post a link to your blog), but knew as soon as I did that it would be perfect for the shower. I took a little time to make, but in the end I think it turned out preciously.

Recipe: Always Artichoke and Ultrasmooth White Card Stock, Certainly Celery patterned paper, ¼” white grosgrain ribbon, beaded organza ribbon, large silver grommets, nickel hardware, and the cutting expertise of my beloved CraftROBO.

Happy Halloween

I needed to make a card for my card club this month; the theme was fall/Halloween. I have been wanting to learn how to make a waterfall card for so long (I have received a few and LOVE them), but never had the time. I made an opportunity for myself and watched about a dozen different tutorials on how to make them and decided to give it a go…and it worked!

So, on to this card…it was a definite “process” for sure. I made them all (I needed to make eight for the swap) and they looked cute…”looked” being past tense because the originals did not make it to the swap. Don’t get me wrong, I thought they were great. A couple weeks after I completed them I attended my W’ink stamp club and learned a chalkboard technique; as was making the class project I was thinking how it would work perfectly on my Halloween waterfall cards. Great…as if I didn’t have enough to do! When I got home I looked at my cards and thought of the easiest way to alter them to include the chalkboard technique. All I needed to do was change the four squares on the front of each waterfall panel; ok, not too difficult. So, I did and love the way it finally turned out! (As a side note, my card was voted the best of the group. I was so surprised because there were several, I thought, which were better. Thanks ladies!)

Recipe: Circle Circus stamp set, Vintage Violet, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, So Saffron, Old Olive, and Whisper White card stock, Halloween patterned paper, Whisper White craft ink, black and white pastels, ¾” and 1 ¼” circle punches, Vintage Violet ribbon, and staples.

Quick apology

I took a few moments and read over my previous blogs and realized something: I use “so” a whole lot. I want to take this opportunity to apologize if this bothers anyone; if it does, then I am “so” sorry.

Unfortunately for you, “so” is one of my favorite words to use while writing (and speaking): I use it as both a conjunction and an adjective (yes, I am a big nerd). Let’s just call it a querk of mine; hope you can get past it if it bothers you. Let me know.