Avery Elle October AEI♥U Challenge + Festive Friday #20 + Simon Says Stamp

When I first saw the sketch for the October AEI♥U Challenge at Avery Elle I saw the circle panel as a wreath and couldn't shake that idea.

My original plan was to use the stamps from AE's Rounded Diamonds set to stamp a wreath, but  I started playing with the matching dies. The more I played, the more I liked the idea of using patterned paper die cuts and before you know it I had created the wreath on this card.

The diamond die cuts were attached to a die cut ring base. I adhered all the green ones first to get the spacing even and fit the holly paper ones in between them. The wreath is popped up on the card base with foam adhesive.

A sheer red ribbon bow and sentiment from Oh Happy Day finish off this clean & simple card.

I am also linking this card to the Festive Friday Challenge #20: Wreath and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CASual Fridays #118 Gift Tags & Bags

It has been a while since I played along with the CASual Friday Challenge, but given the current challenge is to make a gift tag & bag and Girl Friday Kelly Griglione posting the coolest tag idea a few days ago, I couldn't resist playing around a little this morning.

CFC118: Create a CAS gift or treat bag, that also includes a tag.

You have 2 weeks! Challenge ends at noon on October 30th.

Instead of selectively cutting alphabet dies to make a name tag as Kelly did, I used an MFT word die. I wanted to cut as close to the words as possible, so there was a little selective die cutting, but it was fast and easy.

Love the way this tag sits on the pillow box and shows off the raised letters beautifully!

Just like I don't like leaving my buttons naked, I like all the bits & pieces of my letters to be in the right spots. The MFT sentiment is heat embossed on vellum to show up a little bolder on this vibrant paper.

Probably 85% of my daughter's gifts involve gift cards and this little transparent pillow box is the perfect wrapping. It is embossed to add a little interest and texture and the tag is tied on with a few coordinating pieces of twine.

Thanks again for such a clever idea Kelly!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Muse Challenge #40

The oddest thing happened this afternoon: I found myself alone in the house. Not only was I alone in the house, I didn't have a vehicle to go anywhere because my daughter and husband took off in mine. I had no option but to head into the office and play.

At the top of my pile of challenges was the Muse Challenge #40 and this card from Darnell Knauss. Darnell is one of the friendliest crafty bloggers around and her posts always leaving you smiling and occasionally cause you to spit coffee all over the computer screen. She has taken the guest design opportunity to remind us that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and offers this serene card with a message of support to inspire us.

Using a similar floral stamp to Darnell's and markers, the focal image was stamped on a die cut. A strip of white cardstock was repeatedly stamped with the image, using a little selective masking and stamping off to make side panel.

I am really loving Avery Elle sentiments right now and used a technique that I have seen around for a while and had on my "must try this" list to layer it on the popped up die cut. The first time I saw this layered stamping was on JJ Bolton's blog post here with a tutorial.

You can see the sentiment is stamped on the panel first and then again on the die cut.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Papertrey Ink October 2013 Blog Hop Take Two

This is the first set of tags I made after seeing Nichole's challenge at Capture the Moment for the October Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.

For this set I paired a white Tag Sale #3 with a red Joy One Liner die cut.

These first three tags have a sentiment from Wonderful Words: Joy added in Pinefeather ink.

On the last two tags in the set I played around with color blocking around the word die cut.

I have already been hopping around a bit this morning and there are some amazing tags being linked!


Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Papertrey Ink October 2013 Blog Hop

The challenge for the PTI Blog Hop this month is to create a quick set of five gift tags. You can check out all the details here at Capture the Moment. 

For this set of tags I used a straight forward formula: kraft Tag Sale #4, white embossed circle, red Wonderful Words: Joy die cut, green patterned paper die cut, gems and sheer white ribbon. The only variations are the embossing folders, green patterned paper and die cut.

I used the tree, wreath & ornament dies from Holiday Cheer on the first three tags.

A Martha Stewart snowflake punch was pulled out for the next tag.

I stumbled looking for an embellishment for the fifth tag - I'd been thinking of a star, but didn't like the look of a green one, so kept searching. Deep in my punch basket I discovered this old holly punch and quickly finished the tag set.

I'm off to hop around, but will be back in a bit to post the another CAS set of tags I made using a One Liner die.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CAS(E) this Sketch! #50 + Merry Monday #80 + Simon Says Stamp

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog challenge is to make Christmas/Happy Holiday Cards this week and that prompted me to make a couple of cards. One is ready to share and based on the CAS(E) this Sketch! #50 and the Merry Monday Christmas Card challenge to use a music or Christmas Carol inspired theme.

This is my first time playing in the Merry Monday challenge, and I really did start this card for last week's challenge. Time got away from me, and I missed the deadline, so was pretty happy to see the design would also fit the current challenge.

I cut the Memory Box snowflake wreath out of white and blue glitter paper and adhered them together first and then attached them to the sheet music embossed panel.

A little blue gem and hand cut vellum banner finish the card off.

I do not read sheet music, so have no idea what the music on the embossing folder is - can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Make It Monday #136: Textured Stamping + Muse Challenge #39

The Make It Monday tutorial at Capture the Moment is from Ashley Cannon Newell this week and she challenged us to swipe ink off a stamp to create a textured stamping effect. You can check out the details here.

I am in need of another sympathy card, so paired Meadow Greens stamps with a Think Big Favorites sentiment.

I love the texture on the leaves and stamped them off a few times to add a little depth. The panel is popped up with foam adhesives on the card base.

This second card is for the Muse Challenge #39 where Marion Vagg provides the inspiration. You can check out her card here.

I vacillated between taking inspiration from the colors & stripes (Greek flag?) or the sweet bird. My bird dies are either tiny or too large for what I was thinking and then I spied my Musical Interlude die.

The die is inlaid onto the white panel and a trio of birds perched on the staff. The sentiment didn't fit placed vertically, so was stamped below the die cuts.

I've been really drawn to diagonal panels lately, so cut the white panel first and placed a small red strip under it and then adhered them to a kraft embossed panel. Everything is then adhered to a Smoky Shadow card base.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Paper Smooches SPARKS Oct Designer Draft & Simon Says Stamp

I have a card to share for the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge, which is a Designer Drafts challenge this week.

This was a quick & easy card - the biggest challenge was deciding whether to use sequins or enamel dots.

The stars in the sketch inspired me to see if the polaroid die cut would fit in my star embossing folder and I was pleased to see a clean line of embossed stars across the top.

Copic markers colored in the sentiment from the Chit Chat stamp set and matching dots in a variety of sizes cascade down the card.

I tried sequins, but didn't have the right sizes & colors to be really happy with the results (still undecided whether or not to invest in more sequins).

Once again, with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge being to use rubber or clear stamps,I am linking this card up there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CAS(E) this Sketch! #49 & Simon Says Stamp

When I saw the CAS(E) this Sketch! #49 challenge, I thought I would finally do something with my speech bubble dies.

I really did pull them out, but was distracted by thoughts of Christmas and ended up creating this card.

I die cut the trio of trees and then stamped & heat embossed them to look like they were dusted with snow. The middle tree is die cut & stamped again to add dimension. 

Enamel dots and crystals fit the two larger sized holes/balls in the stamped image perfectly and a dot of stickles worked to fill the smallest. 

Since I used clear stamps for the image & sentiments, I am also linking this card to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog. 

I usually make only a handful of different Christmas cards every year and mass produce one for our nontraditional family update (it was fun summarizing the year in a Haiku for each of us), but this year I am tempted to make more unique cards. Do you still send out holiday cards?

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Tuesday Trigger: Apache Tears in the Key of Autumn & Simon Says Stamp

The Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger is one of my favorite challenges. Sometimes I need to let the image roll around in my brain a few days before an idea comes to me but this week, as soon as I saw the Trigger image, I was flipping through my embossing folders for one that just seems to be made for the challenge.

 

This is the first time I have used this Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder and I really love the way the card turned out. I stapled a simple "thanks" on the bottom corner because I didn't want to cover up the warm pattern and gorgeous colors.

Because I used a clear sentiment stamp, I am linking this card to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to use a rubber or clear stamp. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Make It Monday #135: Layered Emboss Resist & SSS Wednesday Challenge

It is a cool, drizzly day and I didn't feel like bundling up to run errands, so I stayed in and played around a bit with the Make It Monday #135: Layered Emboss Resist challenge.

This technique is little out of my comfort zone, but I stamped Text Style II with Lavender Moon ink multiple times on a Vintage Cream panel. I then stamped two of the fern images from Meadow Greens with Spring Moss ink.

The sentiment is stamped first and then the fern images are stamped with Versamark and heat embossed. A number of the green distress inks are blended over the whole panel. The card is finished with strips of Ripe Avocado and Plum Pudding cardstock.

The new Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is to use a rubber or clear stamp, so I am linking this card up.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

CAS(E) this Sketch #48 & CASology Week #65

I made this card for the CAS(E) this Sketch! and CASology challenges.

The house I grew up in had a very large, large leaf maple tree in the front yard. This time of year the driveway would be covered every day with dropped leaves and they had to be raked and in the compost before my dad came home from work. I had a love/hate relationship with that tree, but was heartbroken when it was cut down several years ago. The word "crisp" at this time of year makes me think of the deep leaf piles on crisp autumn days, so I cascaded leaves through this thank you card.

I selectively cut a Simon Says Stamp Tri-square die to create the three openings to leave a little more room for the PTI thank you die cut.

The SSS Berkshire leaf border dies are inked and woven through the window openings.

Sadly, the house I grew up in is being put on the market this week as my parents move onto the next phase - one in residential care and one to an independent living apartment.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie