Tuesday, October 25, 2016

PTI's October 2016 Blog Hop Challenge

I was sad to miss September's challenge due to travel, so I'm happy to be back this month for PTI's October Blog Hop Challenge!  I loved so many things about the inspiration photo for that it was hard to choose what to focus on.  I ended up making several cards in the process!

Using this sketch recipe as an additional guide, I began with a base of woodgrain patterned paper.  I added an ivory panel with rounded edges and a strip of cranberry card stock down the side.  The main thing that stood out to me in the inspiration photo was the branch of rich golden leaves, so that's what I focused on.  Stamping an image from Turning a New Leaf several times, I used a mixture of PTI's Summer Sunrise and Stampin' Up's Crushed Curry.  I die cut the main sentiment from Inspired: Blessed from the patterned paper and triple stacked it for some dimension. 
 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

PTI's Create Along With Us: October 2016

I am so excited about this month's new releases from PTI, especially since I have been "hoping" for "Hope" in the Inspired Collection for awhile now...and Betsy Veldman is delivering!  One of my favorite parts of the new release is the Create Along With Us Challenge, a creative way to pass time until we can buy the new products! showcase projects inspired by the designers' use of the new products.

This month Nicole Heady's ornament card caught my eye.  I love looking at twinkling lights and ornaments on a tree, so decided to make mine a little more shiiiiiiiiny, as my son likes to say!  I was also inspired by this card I found on Pinterest awhile ago.

For my card, I began by die cutting three white circles from PTI's small Limitless Layers set.  I stamped them with the Flourish Background Cling Stamp from Hero Arts, the poinsettia from PTI's Year of Flowers Collection, and the star of Bethlehem from Paper Smooche's A Blessed Christmas.  I embossed the images in green, red, and gold, respectively, and added gold embossed ribbons and bows from PTI's Balloon Bash set to "hang" them from the top of the card.  A gold embossed sentiment from A Blessed Christmas and a white card base finished it off!  Hope you enjoy the rest of release week!  Happy stamping!













Sunday, October 9, 2016

Halloween

A rainy, windy weekend courtesy of the outer reaches of Hurricane Matthew has definitely ushered in fall weather here in western Virginia.  Hooray for pumpkin season!!!  It's the perfect moment to take on the Monday Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.  This weeks' challenge is "Halloween" and I couldn't wait to use my new Lawn Fawn Trick or Treat set!

For the background, I was inspired by this night sky photo.  God is truly an artist!  For my
background, I started by blending Distress Inks and then dry embossing the tree.  To add some spooky dimension I wet embossed the tree and the bat stamp.  Pumpkins had to be included, of course, and turning them into Jack O' Lanterns made them even cuter!  The sentiment finished it off.  Enjoy all the treats of fall! 

Ink: Distress Inks Black Soot, Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, Picked Raspberry, and Spiced Marmalade
Dry Emboss: Darice Leafy Tree Trunk
Wet Emboss: Ranger Emboss It Pen in black, Tsukineko Clear Powder
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Trick or Treat, PTI Tag-its #7.
 

Saturday, October 8, 2016

CAS Girl

As my fabulous SIL teaches me more and more about cardmaking, I have learned that there are different styles to cards.  My favorite, I think, is known as CAS--Clean and Simple.  Today I was searching for some CAS inspiration for an anniversary card.  Hubby and I are coming up on 5 years together and I was reminiscing about the beautiful fall day we got married!  I found this sketch recipe from PTI's March 2014 release, and was sold!  I knew it would work for the autumn leaf images I wanted to use. 

 
I stamped the smaller of the maple leaves from PTI's Leaf Prints using Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, and Fired Brick Distress Inks, and added a leaf image from PTI's Turning a New Leaf in Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I embossed all the images in clear, and added a popped up sentiment strip to finish it.  Hope hubby likes it...glad he doesn't read my blog ;) 

I also decided that CAS can stand for Cute Anniversary Salutations :)
 

Apparently Unicorns Make Me Happy?!



Who knew?  I was looking for an idea for my niece's upcoming 2nd birthday, and decided a unicorn was an appropriate image for her card.  Now I kind of want to add unicorns to a lot of cards?
 
I started with this sketch recipe from Papertrey Ink, but was also inspired by this card that I originally found on Pinterest.  I love how Erin Taylor made an exploding star above the unicorn!  

Using Paper Smooches' Spectrum set I stamped, colored, and fussy cut the unicorn image.  For the stars I die cut two different sizes in aqua and pink cardstock, then stamped a star from Paper Smooches' A Blessed Christmas and embossed it in silver, along with the Happy Birthday Sentiment from PTI's Botanical Blocks.  A strip of patterned paper on the side finished it off!