Peaceful Tree

Dear Ones~
Autumn is upon us with all the chilly rain and cooler temps. The leaves are beginning to turn, but are a long way from being at their peak. We live in an amazing area, and when the trees are vivid it's incredible.

The gals over at Double D have challenged us to do a card with trees. These are their inspirational tiles:

So many possibilities here. 

This is what I came up with:

I have recently acquired a stamp set from Stampin' Up called Thoughtful Branches. I have been dying to get it inky, so now was my chance. This is a two step stamp, so I did the trunk in gold heat embossing and the branches in white. I love the way it turned out. The background was done with acrylic paint and alcohol. I saw this technique on YouTube and had to try it.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD White Card Stock

Stash Mirror Gold Card Stock

SU Thoughtful Branches Stamp Set

GKD Gold and White Embossing Powder

Stash Gems

This will be entered in:

Double D Challenges - Trees, Trees, Trees

Simon Says Monday - Powder Power - Use Embossing Powder

Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes

I appreciate your stopping by, your comments mean the world to me. Hope you all have a nice weekend. Hugs~

Just us Girls #362 - Photo Week

Dear Ones~
It's PHOTO WEEK over at Just Us Girls, and our host Bobby has chosen this beautiful photo. It just screams fall!!! And I always think of my friends "Down Under" who are just moving into spring.

Here's a closer look, how stunning!!!

And here's my example:

I have this old stamp set and I have no idea what company it's from or it's name. But I love the images for fall. Back in the day before I started doing challenges I didn't save any of the info regarding stamps. Little did I know that stuff was important. I used the masking technique to stamp the images and then pulled out my Prismas to color it in. Did some partial die cutting so the leaf is outside the frame.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Dark Sage Card Stock

DCWV Neutrals Card Stock

GKD Grateful Heart Patterned Paper

 Stash Stamps

Prismacolor Pencils

Stickles 

Stash Ribbon

With this challenge we say goodbye to our talented September Guest Designer, Kathy Schweinfurth. Thanks for all your beautiful creations this month, Kathy!

Please visit the JUST US GIRLS blog to see the wonderful cards that Kathy and the rest of the team have made this week. And remember, if you win Chic of the Week in any of our September challenges, you will be in the running to be chosen as our Guest Designer for the month of November!!   I hope to see you there. 

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!!

Mod Squad Challenge - Celebrate Your Inner Splat

Dear Ones~ 
This week Vicki Dutcher and I are hosting the Mod Squad Challenge. Our challenge is to include a splat on your project, whether it be splatters from a tooth brush, or one big splat.

One of our sponsors is the wonderful stamp company  

Kitchen Sink Stamps

 

Kitchen Sink Stamps offers us a discount CODE: ModSquad15.

  These stamps are amazing. Most have a multi-stamp feature that lets you get great detail in your images using several colors. There is real dimension with a 3-D effect! And one of the best features of this stamp company is that there are color recipes for most of the multi-step stamps, so you don't have to guess what colors to use. There are even alternative colors if you don't have the inks that are suggested. Maria from Kitchen Sink Stamps is a member of our Mod Squad Challenge Facebook Group so feel free to say Hi or ask any questions.

 

THE PRIZE

A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE to the store. 

You can pick your own goodies and there are lots of choices!

Here is a sample for you:

I used the Kitchen Sink Stamp Set Make a Big Statement for the greeting. For the splats I took a couple of bottles of Distress Stain in Peacock Feathers and Mowed Lawn and SPLATTED them down hard on watercolor paper. I also used SU Botanical Builders Thinlits for the flower and leaves.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Turquoise Sea, Ivory and Jelly Bean Green Card Stock

Kitchen Sink Stamps Make A Big Statement Stamp

Peacock Feathers and Mowed Lawn Distress Stains

Paper Studios Simplicity Patterned Paper

SU Botanical Builders Thinlits

SU Botanical Blooms Stamp Set

  

 Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to head on over to The Mod Squad Blog Challenge and play along. I can't wait to see your wonderful creations, and I adore your comments.

 

Power Poppy Power and Sparklette

Dear Ones~
Well, this week we move my dad to another facility where he can get more help. We are moving him on his 98th birthday, I guess it's time for him to have all the help he needs. The move will be easy because the facility is right next door to where he lives now, and he is happy to be going there. Lots of work, but so worth it. And he is doing well - I am blessed!!!

Now on to this card. 

I created it with the Power and Sparklette Challenge in mind.

This week we are invited to "color outside the lines".  This is really a challenge for me.  I'm just that much of a perfectionist that I don't like the looks of messy coloring. I wet the whole area with clean clear water and then loaded my brush with watercolor and just dabbed away.

This is as messy as I can get.

Here are the Ingedients:

GKD Dark Chocolate & White Card Stock

PTI Canyon Clay Card Stock

Power Poppy Peony Love Digi Stamp

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

Sakura Koi Water Colors

Thanks for stopping by, I adore your comments. 2 more days until the Autumnal Equinox. The seasons come and they go, but my love for paper forever remains. Know what I mean?????

Just Us Girls #361 - Color Week

Dear Ones~
It's COLOR WEEK over at Just Us Girls, and our host Nancy has chosen the colors YELLOW, RED and BLACK. You may use other neutral colors, but only the designated colors as your main focal.

Here's My Example:

Here I used a couple of flower punches to punch out some shapes, spritz them with water and crumpled them up. After they were dry I opened them up and I layered them together. I kinda like the shabby chic look they morphed into.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Black Onyx, Wild Dandelion and Red Hot Card stock

We R Memory Keepers Wildflower Patterned Paper

Kaiser Craft Shine Patterned Paper

 SU Jars of Love Stamp Set for Greeting

SU Petite Petals Punch

SU Pansy Punch

Black Nuvo Crystal Drops

Please visit the JUST US GIRLS blog to see the wonderful cards our awesome Guest Designer Kathy and the rest of the team have made. And remember, if you win Chic of the Week in any of our September challenges, you will be in the running to be chosen as our Guest Designer for the month of November!! I hope to see you there. 

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!!

Down on the Farm

Dear Ones~
Hope you are having a wonderful week. It's Wednesday, the sun is shining, and the temps are temperate. I'll take it!!

Today's card has a "farm" theme.

I used an older GKD stamp set called Primitive Blessings, and I thought it would be cute to stack all those animals on top of each other. Super fun!!! I colored the cows in with some SU ink and a blender brush. Some sponging around the edges, a little ribbon and a fussy-cut sunflower finished it off.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Sandy Beach Card Stock

PTI Terra Cotta Tile Card Stock

SU Chocolate Chip Card Stock

GKD Primitive Blessings Stamps

Graphic 45 French Country PP

SU Inks in:

*Delightful Dijon

*Cajun Craze

*Soft Suede

Nuvo Crystal Crops

Stickles

This card will be entered in:

Double D Challenges - Down on the Farm

Thanks for stopping by, I adore your comments. Stay well my friends!!!

Autumn Dandelion Fairy

Dear Ones~
It's certainly feeling like fall today. Kind of dreary, low temps and a promise of rain this afternoon. Oh well, it is what it is.

I love this sweet Dandelion Fairy stamp from Lavinia Stamps. All of the stamps in this line have a wonderful ethereal quality.

I chose fall colors for this card and heat embossed the fairy with copper powder. The fairy is holding a dandelion, but I layered a leaf die cut on top, and I used my Versamark Marker to add the Verdigris stem. The background was sponged with GKD inks. The leaves were die cut from white card stock and then heat embossed with Ranger Antiquities Verdigris Turquoise Embossing Powder. There are several layers of powder on them.

Here are the Ingredients:

PTI Cnyon Clay Card Stock

GKD White Card Stock
GKD Copper Card Stock

Lavinia Dandelion Fairy Stamp

GKD Inks In:

*Faded Brick

*Sweet Mango

*Wild Dandelion

DCWV Mariposa Patterned Paper

Prima Forest Leaves Dies

Ranger Antiquities Turquoise Embossing Powder
 

This card will be entered in:

Lavinia Stamps Monthly Creative Challenge - Autumn Hues

Simon Says Monday - Stamp It

Simon Says Wednesday - Stamp It

 

Thanks for stopping by, I love your comments. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. A pot of chili is on the stove and we have football on the tube. Life is good!!!

Just Us Girls #360 - Trend Week

Dear Ones~
It's TREND WEEK over at Just Us Girls, and our host Lisa has chosen the trend SEQUINS.

Here is my Example:

This is a little 4x4 card. I thought it would be fun to use the sequins like flowers, making a cluster and cutting the large green ones in half for leaves. 

The jury is still out as to how much I like it. 

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD White Card Stock

SU Perfect Plum Card Stock

PTI Garden Gate Make It Market Kit

Stash Patterned Paper

Stash Sequins

Please visit the JUST US GIRLS blog to see the wonderful cards that our awesome September Guest Designer Kathy and the rest of the team have made this week. And remember, if you win Chic of the Week in any of our September challenges, you will be in the running to be chosen as our Guest Designer for the month of November!!   I hope to see you there. 

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!!

Make It Monday - From Black & White to Color

Dear Ones~
It's been quite some time since I have had the chance to play in my craft room. Family issues have kept me away. We are not going camping on Lake Superior this year, so I have some time on my hands now. It's good to be back.

Today's card was made for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday Challenge. We are to stamp an image in black & white and then leave some black and color the rest. Go to the Challenge Blog to see what I mean.

Here's my card:

I have used Papertrey Ink's What the Doodle Feathers for my stamp. It's so Zentangle, isn't it? LOVED coloring it in. I stamped it on Bristol Board and used my Zigs to color, then I popped the colored panel up with foam tape. This is going to my dad for his 98th birthday in a couple of weeks.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Red Hot Card Stock

Strathmore Bristol Board

PTI What the Doodle Feather Stamp Set

PTI Botanical  Silhouettes Stamp for Greeting

Zig Clean Color Brush Markers

 Black Nuvo Crystal Drops

This will be Entered In:

Papertrey Ink Make It Monday - From Black & White to Color

Simon Says Monday - Stamp It

Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes

Simon Says Work It Wednesday - Use a Stamp

Stamping Sensations - One for the Boys

Thanks for stopping by, I adore your comments. Here's hoping I will be able to write a few more blogs now that things have settled down in my life. Hugs~

Just Us Girls #359 - Word Week

Dear Ones~
It's WORD WEEK over at Just Us Girls, and our host Ina has chosen the word TRAVEL.

Here is my Example:

I pulled out a very old stamp from the Gina K Designs Enjoy the Sunshine stamp set. It may have been the very first set I ever purchased from GKD. The background was sponged, and then I got out my Prismas  and white gel pen to finish off the ocean and boat. I paper pieced the sails to match the strip in the background.

Here are the Ingredients:

GKD Blue Denim and Ivory Card Stock

DCW The Trade Winds Patterned Paper

Various SU and GKD Inks

GKD Enjoy the Sunshine Stamp Set

Prismacolor Pencils

Signo White Gel Pen

Clear Nuvo Crystal Drops

MFT Blueprints 20 for Tag

I would like to welcome our Guest Designer for the month of September, Kathy Schweinfurth. Kathy is over-the-top talented and I can't wait to see what she creates for us this month. Go visit her BLOG and see what I mean.

Please visit the JUST US GIRLS blog to see the wonderful cards that our awesome September Guest Designer Kathy and the rest of the team have made this week. And remember, if you win Chic of the Week in any of our September challenges, you will be in the running to be chosen as our Guest Designer for the month of November!!   I hope to see you there. 

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!!