So very grateful for you

 

Yipes, it's October 29 and the Altenew Inspiration Challenge is almost over. This is a challenge that I often overlook until it's too late but not this month. My favorite Altenew leaves are the Leaf Canopy set. It doesn't matter if they're stamped in black and white, on vellum, on color card stock, or colored with watercolors or copics, they are gorgeous. 

The leaves were die cut from a panel of Bristol paper that had been smooshed in three Ranger Distress Inks: Fossilized Amber, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint, my idea of the challenge colors. I absolutely love leaves that vary in colors like this! Squeal!! Each spray of leaves was glued to a matching fun foam die cut before placing it on the Dotted Swirls debossed kraft panel. A simple SSS sentiment strip and a few sequins finished this one! (I actually regret adding the sequins but too late now).

Hope your Halloween is spooky fun and lots of energy for the huge week ahead!

Photos are from a walk in Portland this week. The first photo is a panoramic view looking toward Washington State with Mt Adams peeking up on the left and a faint Mt Hood in Oregon on the right side.

Card is linked to October's Altenew Inspiration Challenge and SSSW Anything Goes

October SSS Card Kit Fun

This summer I subscribed to the Simon Says Stamp Monthly Card Kit. I like the variety of products and also the option to pass on a month that does not interest me or if I'm traveling. The October kit contains a darling bear, owl, fall props, a fabulous large sentiment plus more. I made three cards yesterday from the kit supplies and several Christmas cards. It helped that my husband was away bird watching at the coast.

 

The first card is a slimline birthday card for married friends whose birthdays are in October. I used a new PFS slimline die to cut the windows from white card stock which was inked with Antique Linen DI. The panel was backed with pattern paper from the kit and popped up with foam tape on the kraft card. The figures were colored with copics, color pencils or stamped on color cardstock before I fussy cut them. The envelope was stamped with more of the same items from the kit and lightly colored with pencils. Linking this card to the current SSSW challenge - Make a Card and Envelope.

Two more kit cards

A PTI circle was inked up with the newest Distress Oxide Crackling Campfire ink after embossing the wonderful sentiment. A few leftover die cuts from The Greetery's BotaniCuts Oak were added for interest.

Frankly this cute bear and the owl were my reason to purchase the kit. Using Gina K masking paper simplified stamping this scene. A SSS wonky rectangle die finished the panel edges which was mounted on a pattern paper card front. I left off a sentiment until it's mailed.

CAS(E) this Sketch #394

I grabbed the latest sketch from CAS(E) #394 and made two almost single 

layer cards this afternoon, one for a birthday and the other for Christmas. 

Birthday Card

Card Menu: PTI card stock, Vicki Boutin Let's Wander pattern paper,

Concord & 9th Simple Serif Alphabet, Dymo tape sentiment

Christmas Card

Card Menu:
Hero Arts Small Surprise Packages stamps (retired), Heidi Swapp washi tape, Dymo tape sentiment, Michaels Cozy Lodge paper pad (old), Tombow markers

Stop by the CAS(E) website and be inspired by the design team entries!

Birthday duo

Today's post includes two birthday cards using many products and colors. 

 

Card #1: The panel was first white embossed with an older Hero Arts Friends background stamp. Four different Distress Oxide inks were blended over the embossed letters. A SSS Wonky Rectangles die trimmed the panel which was glued to a deep rose card front. Two PTI Leaf Prints leaves and a two-layered PTI Leaf Silhouette leaf were grouped together with a string bow in the upper third of the card. A longer SSS sentiment strip phrase was cut apart and stacked below the leaves. This card was recently entered on Virginia's Show and Share challenge via Instagram.

Card #2 uses seven of the new Concord & 9 inks with the smile sentiment cut from an eighth Cn9 colored card stock. The design die cuts are from PTI's Fresh Bouquet and Words to Live by: Smile sets along with a small ink-blended SSS Sentiment strip. The card front was stamped with the PTI Cover Up: Grid stamp. A trio of old Hero Arts circle shadow stamps add extra spots of color and clear rainstones complete the card. Must say that this was a fun card to create!! I'll link this to this week's SSSW Challenge: Anything Goes.

Deck the Halls

One more September post with the excellent sketch provided by Donna Mikasa on the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge which ends in a few hours! Nothing like waiting until the last minute or two. 

Card Menu: Altenew Holiday Bow and PTI Bells & Boughs

PTI Soft Stone card stock, Silver Stickles, Wink 'O Stella

Be sure to stop by CAS(E) for lots of wonderful entries!

Blessed

Good morning! Here's my card today made after many minutes of gluing fine lines of the navy outline and filling in the details with blue and turquoise leaves. Due to an accidental ink spot on the background the entire project was splattered with more color! Ha ha for CAS - not.

 

The NBUS Leafy Envelope (PFS) was die cut from watercolor paper and all the pieces fell out.  I gently ink blended HA Navy ink over the outline and glued it to a white panel. Next the large leaves sections were colored with copic markers and inlaid in the appropriate spots. The other leaves were left unfilled but colored again with copics.  I masked the envelope area and splattered ink around the area. The panel was placed on an aqua-turquoise card front. My friend Greta kindly shared the PTI Blessed die cuts a while ago and this statement touched my heart. In this pandemic time I've been blessed by old friends and new acquaintances found on card blogs sending "thinking of you" and "hello" cards. Thank you all.

Card linked to Color Hues TCH #2 , SSSW: No Stamps Allowed, and NBUS

Today would have been my dad's 94th birthday. We surprised him on his final birthday 40 years ago so that he could meet his youngest grandson, six months old then. Little did we know he would die from a stroke five months later. I was loved and blessed by him.

September SSS Card Kit Group

With all of the smoke in the air keeping us inside, I finally opened the SSS September card kit box this week.  So far I've made five cards. I usually prefer plain backgrounds for my cards but with all the pretty pattern papers included in the kit, I put aside my preferences. FYI, the fires are mostly in the mountains and river canyons in Oregon but not in Portland.

The first two cards feature the wonderful sentiment die included with the kit. I used green vellum for the shadow sentiment on the first card and yellow vellum laid over white card stock on the second. I fussy cut a yellow flower and popped it up as a center for the orange flower. The entire panel was trimmed with a SSS Wonky Rectangles die.

The sunglasses card reminds me of a postcard you might send to someone saying "wish you were here".  The panel edges were finished with a SSS Stitched Rectangle die. The card front was textured with a PTI linen impression cover plate before the panel was added. 

Both of these cards will be linked to the SSSW Challenge: No Stamps Allowed. 

The next two cards share the same background paper with the positive and negative images of a PTI United States die. The first card used a sentiment from the kit embossed in gold and hearts stamped in aqua. It's companion card has a sentiment from PTI's These United States and an extra "Let's Explore" poster from the kit added.

I'm linking this card to NBUS #18. I had not used this kit until this week plus I had never used the USA die or its sentiment.

My fifth card again uses a background pattern paper from the kit in shades of navy, blue and cream. The kit provided the fussy cut clouds, heart balloon and sentiment. This card's colors were chosen for the new challenge, Color Hues TCH #2.

Thanks for your visit today! See you around the internet!