Holidays and Candy Canes

 Good Morning! 

New challenge today at Sketch Saturday #714

I set about making my card and then when assembling the image just really needed to be on the other side...so I've flipped the sketch. The back panels are papers from Kringle & Co. The image and sentiment are from Simon Says Stamp, Gift of Christmas set.

I hope you will join the challenge. I enjoy visiting your blogs and it's always fun to see how you interpret the sketch.

Winter Trees

              I am happy to host the new theme challenge at Allsorts this week! My choice is:

                       ***Anything Goes with Option of Trees/ Leaves ***

              The winners will receive a store voucher from WOWVOW (they cannot ship outside of UK)

or this wonderful stencil (which can be shipped overseas)

There are some beautiful projects from the Design Team on the Allsorts blog. Please check them out and join the challenge there.  I look forward to visiting your links and seeing all your creations.

My card used Winter Wonderland dies from Gina K Designs. I used the negative space to do some stenciling of trees on my oval ink blended piece before adhering the other pieces. I added some shimmer pen to the two trees in the foreground and a bit along the top of the snow bank that I free cut at the bottom.  The oval frame was cut with an Altenew die, and the stitched oval from Gina K.  The gold embossed sentiment is from Joyful Season, a SSS set.

Give Thanks in Everything

Monday is new sketch day at AHSC!  Here is #499 

This is the last of my Thanksgiving cards to write up and mail this weekend.  I usually send out about 15. This card was inspired by the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  I unintentionally took a bit of liberty with it. After I assembled it, I realized it wasn't quite right since the sentiment panel is not in opposition to the back horizontal. Hmmm. Tried  again and the second card is more true to the sketch. I've used some patterned papers from my SSS kit scrap box, a sentiment from Gina K Designs inked with her Fresh Asparagus, and dies from Simon and Gina K. 

I love being on their design team - fantastic inspiration. You can check the link to the challenge and the DT work appears on Wednesday. Hope you will join us in some crafty fun.

My Little Brother is 68!

 Fun new challenge at Allsorts this week: #702 Anything Goes/ Option to add Numbers

                                            The prize is a gift voucher from Stamp Addicts! 

I wanted to make a birthday card for my brother that was more masculine and had autumn colors. I found the wonderful striped scrap in my box and a few others pieces from that 6x6 pad from We R Memory Keepers.  The number dies are from Altenew, the sentiment and shadow are CZ Designs from SSS.  After a few pictures I decided to add a shiny embellishment.

Sweater Weather

 I twas so much fun making my design team card for the new sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday!

This set, A Very Silly Season, from Gina K Designs if full of adorable images and fantastic fun sentiments. I thought of the sweaters right away when I looked at sketch # 582. The Optional Twist is Sweater Texture, too!  

I used Gina K inks Passionate Pink and Applemint to create the color fade, then stamped over with the sweater in black and used the coordinating die to cut them. The embossing folder is from Sissix, the black and white check paper from my snippets box.  

The design team at TSOT has some great inspiration for you! Please check out the blog and join the challenge. 

Give Thanks

 Happy Saturday!  The new challenge at Sketch Saturday will be open for two weeks. The optional twist is to use only three colors. Hope you will play along.

My inspiration for you today is a card using ephemera and paper from Gina K Designs Autumn Splendor card kit. The pumpkin image from  Everything Nice mini stamp set were stamped and colored with alcohol markers and the sentiment is from the same set. The insert was blended with Gina K inks and splattered. Die cut circles were from Lawn Fawn Outdoor Stitched Scallop Circles. I used cocoa, orange and green.

Sparkle & Shine

                    Design Team member Mervi challenges us at Allsorts  to create some

                                              *** Sparkle & Shine ***

                     A lovely set called Afternoon Tea by Rare Earth is the prize this week.

I decided to keep with the autumn/thanksgiving theme. All those beautiful colors and leaves are my favorites and I just won't start  winter/Christmas cards until November. 

The back panel is a piece of copper shimmer card stock embossed with a woodgrain folder. The leaves (Gina K Designs, Autumn Silhouettes) were embossed with both gold and copper powder and fussy cut.  The sentiment is an older one from Papertrey Ink. For even more sparkle, I added some gold and copper sequins.  The flap of the envelope was embossed with woodgrain as well.  The shine is really bright in person!!

            I hope you will find some shiny, sparkly things in your craft room and join us at Allsorts!