no tricks, just treats (Paper Smooches, SSS, Stampin Royalty)

Hope you have a fun Halloween.  Wonder how many kids will come to our door this evening? Halloween hit Germany a few years back (when Wal-mart hit Germany, actually -  before that I had started it in our neighborhood by sticking notes in mailboxes telling people how it all works ;) but it hasn't really taken off. We are more about Fastnacht here.  Oh, and Wal-mart left too.

Anyhoo, a card.

Love those eyes on the punkin from Paper Smooches Halloweenies stamp set.  Played with Distress Inks.  Again.  On the punkin.  Behind the sentiment.  And on my inked-after-embossed-and-mitred frame.  Gotta love that PP to back it all up.

TIP: Create the mitred look with masking.  I die cut the frame and used a Post-It note at an angle to mask the seams before stamping the woodgrain!  Tricky, eh?

Playing at these fun places today:
Paper Smooches Sparks - Picture Perfect (leaves = fall = Halloween; it's a stretch ;)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday - Anything Goes
Stampin Royalty - #200 Anything Goes

Happy Halloween!

Supplies happy halloween:

Paper: cardbase Bringmann, PP American Crafts, recycled cereal box

Stamps: Paper Smooches, Clear and Simple Stamps woodgrain

Ink:  Versamark , Distress

Tools: square die Sizzix, sewing machine, scissors

Other:  embossing powder

festive wreath (Inkspirational, CASology)

How about a non-traditional card for the holidays?  Don't think I'd actually mass produce and send this one, but...

Found these little neon punched circles in my ironing board cleanup and decided to make them into a wreath. What goes with neon?  Not much.  Black. (Catch the hint of a front door?)  And gold, maybe.  Circles = polka dots, right?

Playing at:
Inkspirational - #42 Wreath
CASology - #68 Black (I'm stretching the definition of CAS with this one, I know)
Rudolph Day - October - Festive

I'm also sending this to Vera Y. for this year's Caring Hearts Card Drive.  Make cards and write notes in them.  They will be distributed to nursing home residents during the holiday season. Having had a grandma in a nursing home (back in the 70s), I feel the need to support this wonderful drive.  Check it out here.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies happy holidays:

Paper: cardbase The Paper Studio, PP Fancy Pants

Stamps: WMS, sentiment Hero Arts

Ink:  Versamark 

Tools: circle punch, square die and embossing plate Sizzix

Other:  twine, gold embossing powder

dimensional leaves (PTI)

ETA:  I'm tickled pink.  Cath over at Moxie Fab included this card in a lineup of Christmas cards she's pinned.  And you need to check out the lineup.  Cardmaking goddesses.  And moi in their midst. With the sloping "Merry".  Someone pick me up off the floor!!

Here's an entry for Make it Monday #137.  At least this time it's a dimensional part-of-a-wreath.

Wanted to channel my inner Cristina K.

How'd I do?
Not likin' the pink hue to the glitter, and the "merry" is sliding down the slope but oh well.

Supplies merry christmas:

Paper: cardbase The Paper Studio

Stamps: PTI

Ink:  Hero Arts, Versafine 

Tools: leaf die PTI, square die Sizzix

Other:  sequins

pink leaves (Moxie Fab, ATCAS, PTI)

OK, how can you not be enthralled with this photo?  It's the current Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab.

Image Credit

Is that not a bowlful of Distress Ink messy fingers waiting to happen?  Maybe I should also interject this shot of the Sweet Gum Tree on our front lawn. From green to yellow, to pink, to red, to purple this guy's got it all.

See why I was inspired? So, the messiness happened.  Distress Inks.  Water flecks.  Some Tim Holtz stamped grunge speckles.  Gold splatters.  Then the Impression Obsession Leaves die came out to play.  And then this "sequin die waste" was laying there as I was choosing my leaves and it dawned on me.

I could include a negative die cut leaf on my line of strung leaves.  One partially dry-embossed card front later this is what was born.

Because I stamped a sneak peek of my inside sentiment through the hole, I'm linking up to Challenge #24 - Transparent at Addicted to CAS.

And although it's not a wreath, my card does include dimensional leaves, so I'm linking up at Papertrey's Make it Monday #137.  (Melissa's beauty isn't really a wreath either, is it? ;) I used the "fall" sentiment stamp from A Wreath for All Seasons stamp set for my sentiment.

Thanks for visiting, again, today.

Supplies happy fall birthday:

Paper: cardbase Bringmann, Neenah

Stamps: sentiment Hero Arts and Papertrey

Ink:  distress inks, Versafine 

Tools: leaf die Impression Obsession, embossing folder Craft Concepts

Other:  crochet thread

BING - "O" (Simply Create Too challenge 49)

"O" my stars, lucky me! I've joined the lovely ladies (including Cornelia W. of Stempel Spass) over at Simply Create Too on their design team. So excited to be asked and I'm so looking forward to the upcoming bi-weekly (yippie) challenges, there's such great variety of themes.  And you can create any kind of project, not just cards!  And kids are welcome too! And the motto is "It's all about fun."  I like that!

My first challenge as a new DT member really made me put my thinking cap on.  "O" boy, ever done a BINGO challenge?  Kinda like tic-tac-toe but tougher.  Have a look:

"O" geez, did you notice the fine print "Craft your project with items under one of the letters in BINGO downwards."  Now that's a good challenge.

See the word "sewing" in the "O" column?  Jumped out at me (OK, to be honest "polka dots" jumped out at me first, but I got over it when I saw "lace" in the same column) probably cuz I'd seen this card and was thinking about trying out my NBUS Full Card Triangles die from Simon Says Stamp.  Grabbed some yellow PP scraps and, "O" hey, I made a card.

Hey "O". Yellow, sewing, button, twine and stripes.  It's all there folks.
So, if you're ready for some fun, pick a letter, hit your stash and Simply Create Too!

Supplies hey:

Paper: cardbase Bringmann, various yellow scraps

Stamps: sentiment TAWS

Ink:  Glimmer Mist, StazOn 

Tools: mask Studio Calico, die SSS, sewing machine

Other:  button Sew Sweet, twine Doodlebug

pti october bloghop (PTI)

Welcome to my post for Papertrey's October blog hop. A day early cuz I've got something to share with ya'll tomorrow ;)  The deets?  It's all about tags.  At least five of 'em. Quite the practical challenge, IMHO.

Now you may have seen a shot of my extremely messy laundry/craft room in the video Nichole posted to wrap up the 2013 Stamp-a-Faire.  I never actually saw it because Germany has a hissy fit about some music in videos and copyright issues, so I couldn't view this particular video.  But my bud, Kelly G., told me she recognized my messy room  in the video.  How embarrassing!

This is a shot of it today.  May I add that it's orderly - bought myself a silverware organizer to hold my little bits.  Since it's easier to move to the side, maybe I'll iron more often. Not. Anyhoo, it's those bits that this challenge helped me to reduce.  Yippie!  Not the best work I've ever done, but I'm happy that some of these pieces have found a place in life and it's not on my ironing board.

If I had to pick a fave it'd be this one.  Considering it started as a zillion little leftovers from projects I kinda like how it turned out.

Looking forward to see what you've created, especially how you treat the ribbons/twine for the top. I started using Maile B.'s method awhile ago, but hope to discover something new.

TIP:  Those little Cutter Bee tweezers (next to the scissors in the photo) are great when you're tying tiny bows - like having a third hand.

Enjoy the hop.  Tomorrow.

Supplies tags:

Paper: kraft and scraps

Stamps:  sentiment PTI Wreath for all Seasons, mistletoe WMS

Ink: Versafine, gold Delicata

Tools: tag and merry dies PTI

Other: crochet thread, ribbon, sequins

L.A.M.B. - look at my blazer - (RIC)

The latest ensemble up at Runway Inspired Challenge... have you seen it?

 Well, OK, so she's got a red/orange/neony-mix-of-the-two/could-it-be-any-brighter cool jacket on (remember when we used to call 'em "blazers"?  I worked for EDS for many a year if that tells you anything...)  Can't miss that.  Wanna know what caught my eye next?  Her 'do.  Windblown-ish. And while my eye was up there I caught the sunglasses.  And then I noticed the cool pink wall behind her.  Done with lighting I suppose.  I done mine with watered down Distress inks on my craft mat.  And squishes.

Believe it or not, the first piece of scrap I pulled out of my pile to pink up, was this wonky shaped piece. And I thought of the hair.  Ping.  No trimming here. And I have this amazing corally red CS from Amuse that I was lucky to win over at CASual Fridays last year (it was part of a special pack in honor of  breast cancer month.)  It is dead on for that jacket.  Um, blazer.

A couple die cut branches and birdie from WPlus9 Folk Art Florals (still have to get myself the Fresh Cut Florals - anyone know where to get it in Europe?) with a couple branches stamped in gray too and voila. No wing on birdie as a nod to those sunglasses, BTW.  No sentiment cuz this is to be a thank you notecard for Oma who sent us home with all kinds of goodies when DD and I visited her last week.  Aren't Omas fabby?

Thanks for looking and hey, I made the deadline ;)))

Supplies :

Paper: cardbase The Paper Studio, black American Crafts

Stamps: WPlus9

Ink:  distress, Hero Arts

Tools: dies WPlus9

Other: foam adhesive