To Spook or Not To Spook ~ Double D Challenge

Hello friends!  It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means that Double D Challenge is starting a new challenge, with the theme "To Spook or Not To Spook" or October Breast Cancer Awareness Month (pink)".

I chose to spook, but not too much, with this retired ol' ghost from Elizabeth Craft Design. 

 It's a little hard to tell in the picture, but he's cut out of pink cardstock to honor Breast Cancer Awareness month, with a bit of pink distress ink around his edges.  He's placed over a slightly larger vellum ghost.

This "not so spooky" ghost floats above the giant Patchwork Pumpkin from Honeybee Stamps.  I've added a spider from Frantic Stamper and a pair of batty friends from ECD.  

Here is a little inspiration for you, put together by Diane.

You can probably see I drew inspiration from a few of these tiles.

Float on over to Double D Challenge for more amazing inspiration from our amazing team.  I can't wait to see your projects in the linky line up! 

Here's the prize that you could win when you play along.

Thanks for stopping by!

Let It Snow! ~ Poppystamps

Hi friends!  I've got a cute CAS snowman card up over on the Poppystamps blog today.

I hope you'll stop by for a peek!

Thanks for stopping in!

Falling For Fall

Are you ready for fall?  I do enjoy all things fall, but I know what's around the corner and I'm not ready for that.  

 

Recently we've had extended summer temps, which I've been enjoying and I've been spending as much time as I can outdoors tidying up the flower gardens and collecting seeds from the spent flower heads to plant next year. 

 

 Inside, my craft room is in full swing for fall!  Why is it that mushrooms and leaves just seem to go together?  Add in a few pumpkins and gourds and you have a festive display for fall.  The Autumn Wonder dies from Spellbinders fill this Snow Globe from Honeybee Stamps perfectly.

 

I'm not going to let the dread of winter ruin my love for fall.  Take every moment captive and enjoy today! 

I'll be entering this card into the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

Cut It Up ~ Colors of Fall / Autumn

Thanks for stopping by!

Leaves are Falling, Autumn is Calling ~ Double D Challenge

Double D Challenge is up with a new challenge, and the theme is Fall Leaves.

I happily pulled out some older sets to make this card.  I started by embossing the front panel using the Falling Leaves embossing folder from Spellbinders, which just happens to be the prize that we're giving away to the winner of this challenge.  I cut a piece of journal cardstock using a Stitched Scalloped Nested Rectangle from Gina Marie Designs.  I stamped a leafy image from PTI's Forest Floor, on the left side of the journal card.

The stamped sentiment is from Echo Park Fall Memories with the addition a trio of Small Stitched Leaves from Lawn Fawn cut from scraps found in my scrap box.

I can't wait to see how you're inspired by this wonderful mood board that Darlene put together.

Here's the prize you could win when you play along:

Thanks for stopping by!

Collecting Specimens From The Garden

It's September already.  The summer flew by!  The leaves are already starting to turn color here on the east coast and the flowers in my gardens are showing off their final signs of glory for the season.  

Earlier this spring, I collected some flower heads from the gardens and pressed them in a book.  I left them in the book for about 10 days to make sure they were well pressed and dried.

I collected Johnny Jump Ups, Jonquils, Geum, Bleeding Heart, and more.  I scavenged the yard for wild flowers as well.  Here they are, all flattened and dried.  Now, what to do with them?

The Tim Holtz Specimen dies were just what I needed to create slides using the flowers I had collected and will next be made into cards.  

I stamped the slides randomly with field label stamps that I have collected from Tim Holtz, Spellbinders and other various companies.  

It will bring me great joy sharing these collected earthen treasures with others when I give them a handmade card.

I will sit in my craft room when the weather is cold and snowy and be able to create love in a card with the flowers from my spring garden.

Even now, they bring me joy just flipping through them.

I added recycled acetate to the window portion of each slide to protect the flowers.

The long slides are from Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Dies, Film Slides.  

This is one of my favorites.  The flowers pressed so perfectly.

....or maybe this one is my favorite.

I needed a place to store the slides, so I made this little box using Elizabeth Craft Designs Book Box.

It has a magnetic closure, to which I added a chunky vintage button.

I had so much fun making these specimen slides using natural resources from the garden.  I hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them.

I'll be entering these into the following challenge:

Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Recycle It

Cut It Up ~ Anything Goes

Creative Artiste Challenge ~ Anything Goes Mixed Media

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Stamp It

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunflowers ~ Double D Challenge

Happy Wednesday paper crafting friends!  Are you ready for a new challenge over at Double D Challenge?  Diane has a delightful mood board for you for the next two weeks.

Sunflowers!  🌻🌻🌻 Who doesn't love a cheerful sunflower??  

Here's how I was inspired by the upper right corner.

I'm all in when it's sepia toned!  I inked up the edges of the card front using Vintage Photo and Antique Paper DOX inks.  

The sunny sunflower stamp is from Sizzix.  This stamp set was very easy to line up. The postage stamps are from Spellbinders.

While I had my supplies at hand, I made this CAS version, inspired by the lower right corner of the mood board.  I used a "sympathy" sentiment just so I could have a card on hand.  You never know when you'll need one and I'd rather make them when my heart isn't hurting.  

I look forward to seeing how you're inspired over at the Double D Challenge.

Here's the prize that you could win when you play along.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

CAS Challenge ~ Poppystamps

Hi friends!  Poppystamps is starting a new challenge this month with a Clean and Simple theme and it's my turn to host.

I had the honor to invite a guest to play along.  It's my great pleasure to have as my guest designer, my dear friend Connie Griffin from Connie's Crafty Creations.  Connie and I go way back to working on the Dies R Us design team.  She's remained a constant friend and source of inspiration to me. 

I do hope you'll join us over at Poppystamps Challenge to see some fun designs by teammates Allison and Lisa and my guest designer, Connie.  Thanks so much for joining us this month Connie!  Please visit Connie's blog and leave her some love.  This is a challenge you won't want to miss!

Enjoy 25% off sitewide sales, including sales item, with FREE US shipping and a Free Gift - no code needed!

Enjoy 25% off sitewide sales, including sales item, with FREE US shipping and a Free Gift - no code needed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nordic Dancing Gnome ~ Poppystamps

It's my turn to post over at the Poppystamps today.

Come see why this gnome is dancing over at the Poppystamps blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun With Shapes ~ Double D Challenge

Hello crafty friends ~ It's hard to believe that summer is nearing its end.  The flowers in the gardens are blooming their last blooms, getting ready to rest for the winter.  But here I digress.  It's Wednesday, so that means Double D Challenge has a new challenge for you, and this one will get your creative wheels turning, as the theme is "SHAPES".

I admit to being stumped by this challenge at first.  Finally I started browsing Pinterest and found a card using flags that were rectangle in shape.  I have some of those!!

In fact, how many shapes do you see on this card?  Triangles, circles, ovals, rectangles and stars.

Crisis averted.  I love how this card came out and I hope you'll find some creative inspiration using this wonderful mood board that Darlene put together.

Here's the prize you could win when you play along:

I can't wait to see what you come up with for this fun challenge over at Double D Challenge.  It's always a joy looking at your cards in the line up.

Thanks so much for stopping by!