Heaven Blessed!

I'm so happy that the Everyday Enchantment dsp has Riding Hood Red in it's color scheme -- I can renew my love affair with this wonderful color!  I have to also say that I'm loving the new label Framelits.  I made the outer Chocolate Chip frame layer by cutting out two of the same size as the RHR frame layer (which is overstamped with Canvas in Chocolate Chip).  I then cut apart the Chocolate Chip layers and adhered them around the outer edge, making the narrow frame that you see here.

All products are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Heaven Blessed, Canvas

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment dsp

Ink:  Black, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso

Accessories:  Big Shot, label Framelits, Ticket-Corner punch, Modern Label punch, brads, sponges, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #232

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase!

This weeks' challenge over at Stamping 411 was to create something clean and simple  following Saturday Sketch Challenge #232.  Unfortunately for me, I have a real problem with CAS -- it doesn't seem right not to have something right in the middle of the card!  CAS is definitely not my friend.   Go over and check out the Operators challenge this week and see what you can come up with!

What you can't see:  The paper rose was made according to Melanie Schulenberg's fab video tutorial over her beautiful blog, Pockets of Inspiration.  The bottom edges of the top layer were cut using the new Edgelit.

What I should've done:  Put pearls at the top of each upward scoop of the Edgelit.  Maybe next time!

All products are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Take it to Heart, Loving Thoughts

Paper:  Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment dsp

Ink:  Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Close to Cocoa, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Calypso Coral

Accessories:  Big Shot, Edgelit, Ticket-Corner punch, Birds &Blossoms Sizzlit, Little Leaves Sizzlit, brads, sponges, Old Olive 5/8" satin ribbon, Aquapainter

Take it to Heart!

Tried a little something new with this card and all I can say is that I'm going to need more of this Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon --  it's fabulous!  I love the look of using it to create the back layer of the central image.  The depth and texture of the pleated satin ribbon is amazing.  Too bad that I'm going to have to wait to get more of the Riding Hood Red ribbon until after the preorder period!

All products are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Take it to Heart, Tiny Tags

Paper:  Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, White, Attic Boutique dsp

Ink:  Black, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Soft Suede, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, Riding Hood Red, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Always Artichoke

Accessories:  Big Shot, Heart Framelits, Ticket-Corner punch, Tiny Tag punch, Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon, Soft Suede polka-dot ribbon, Trinket Keys, white gel pen, linen thread, brads, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

Apothecary Art and Attic Boutique dsp!

This is my first card made with items from the new Mini!  I have to say that I love Apothecary Art, as well as the Attic Boutique dsp -- the colors are absolutely luscious!  Not to be overlooked is the pleated satin ribbon and the label Framelits.  SU has really outdone themselves this time!

All product is SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Apothecary Art

Paper:  Pool Party, Poppy Parade, White, Attic Boutique dsp

Ink:  Black, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Coral Calypso, Poppy Parade, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, River Rock, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke

Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Framelits, brads, Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon, Aquapainter, sponges, Dimensionals, Ticket-Corner punch

Rue Des Fleurs

The color combination in this is a lot more subdued than I wanted, but it's got a kind of antique look to it, IRL, and the colors are clearer.  I really wanted to use the Large Paper Doily Sizzlit, so I pretty much worked this around that element.

Things you may or may not see:  I used the new Pink Pirouette Smooch Spray on the umbrella image -- I really love the color!  The edge of the umbrella, as well as the Doily, have about 86,000 Pearl Jewels.  Again, something that is much prettier IRL!

All products are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Rue Des Fleurs

Paper:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, White, Attic Boutique dsp

Ink:  Black, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa

Accessories:  Big Shot, Large Paper Doily Sizzlit, Pink Pirouette Smooch Spray, Pearl Jewels, brads,  Pink Pirouette pleated satin ribbon, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

Adorned Holiday Blog Hop!

If you find yourself at The Shabby Stamper, then you must be following the PCS Adorned Holiday Blog Hop from Melanie Schulenberg's beautiful blog, Pockets of Inspiration!

The December Paper Crafters Sampler has three new Holiday templates.  These three templates are available for to all those who purchase the "Adorned Holiday" Sampler. You can find the Sampler here. 

The first of the templates is a darling little sled box, complete with a pull rope so that you could hang it off the tree! Underneath the sled portion is a cunning little box, just the right size to hold sweets, cookies or even crayons.  Mine is made out of Well Worn dsp and Riding Hood Red.  The holly leaves were stamped with Pines & Poinsettias out of Always Artichoke, and tucked around a long bow made from Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon.

The Limoges box looks difficult, but is actually very easy to put together.  I made mine out of Elegant Soiree dsp and decorated it with Not Quite Navy 5/8" taffeta ribbon, Early Espresso 1/4" taffeta ribbon, Pearl Jewels and Scallop Edge trim cut out of Early Espresso.  The paper rose at the top  is made out of Not Quite Navy using Melanie Schulenberg's fabulous video tutorial.   

Santa's sleigh is the perfect size to hold nuts, mints, little ornaments or any other thing that you'd like to tuck inside!  Mine is made out of Frostwood Lodge dsp and Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  It's trimmed with Garden Green Scalloped Edge border and decorated with Pearl Jewels and a pretty double bow made from Cherry Cobbler seam binding.

Now onward to the next blog in the Hop, Vicki Burdick's gorgeous blog, It's a Stamp Thing!

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #229

                                         
                           

This is my VERY oversized contribution to this weeks' Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Stamping 411.  As usual, I played with the sketch, changing the dimensions of the elements and putting the sketch on its' side.  I didn't mean to make the card so big or mess with the elements so much, but the Greeting Card kid seemed to have a mind of her own and, like Topsy, she just growed!  Darned kid -- must be a teenager underneath her angelic looks....

Things that you can't see -- and there's a lot to this card!  The main image is sponged with Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa. I really wish that you could see that, but I couldn't get it to come through the photo. The two scallop layers behind the main image are cut from Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso using the Scallop Circles #2 die and both are sponged with Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso.  The scallops of the Cherry Cobbler layer are embellished with Basic Pearl Jewels.

There are two pleated layers behind the scallop circles.  One is made from a sheet from the Holiday Treasures dsp and is has a flat edge, which has been dipped into Champagne glass glitter.  The shorter, top layer is cut from Cherry Cobbler and the edge is trimmed with the Pinking Hearts border punch.

The sentiment is layered with Early Espresso, Cherry Cobble and Old Olive, again with the Basic Pearl Jewels in the scallops.  The central image is dusted with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.


Stamps:  Greeting Card Kids, Hand-Penned Holidays

Paper:  White, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Holiday Treasures dsp

Ink:  Black, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink

Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die, 3" Circle die, Pinking Hearts border punch, Scalloped border punch, Ticket-Corner punch, White gel pen, Champagne glass glitter, Basic Pearl Jewels, Score-Pal, sponges, Aquapainter, sticky sheets, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #228

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase!

Due to my daughter's show schedule, I've missed the past couple of Saturday Sketch Challenges over at Stamping 411.  I'm glad that I'm back with a little free time for some creativity!  If you get the chance, go and check out this week's Sketch Challenge.  

I took a few liberties with the sketch by turning it on it's side, adding another base layer and deleting the punchy.  I just really wanted to use Holiday Lineup and this is where it took me!

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.


Stamps:  Holiday Lineup, Tiny Tags

Paper:  Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Vanilla, Holly Berry Bouquet dsp

Ink:  Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, More Mustard

Accessories:  Ticket-Corner punch, Scallop Border punch, Round Tab punch, Basic Pearls, 1/4" Garden Green grosgrain ribbon, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Jingle Bells, brads, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

November is a time of year where many find themselves wanting to express a litle hand-made home, be it cooking or crafting.

Our November issue, "Harvest Essence" offers a cornacopia of ideas.  Projects include pretty packaging for gifting goodies, Thanksgiving table embellishes, cards and a very special kitchen apron for the cook.

We encourage our subscribers to find time between hunting for your pumpkin pie recipe, to relax and reflect on giving Thanks.

For Banjo...

Banjo was a wonderful dog -- a 16-year old Doberman/Rottweiler cross that was one of the sweetest dogs to ever walk the earth.  He was put to sleep on Monday because of a tumor in his mouth and throat.  Banjo belonged to my friend, Melinda, who is also my daughter's trainer.  He basically stayed at the barn and had a wonderful life, going for jaunts through the fields and woods.  Several times, my daughter and I would come into the barn office at 4 a.m. and find Banjo on his bed with a deer foreleg (or other part) that he'd liberated from the woods where a hunter had dressed out a deer.  He always came up to greet us when we parked the truck and will be deeply missed.

All products used are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Gently Falling, D is for Dog

Paper:  Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Vanilla, Spice cake dsp

Ink:  Craft:  Black.  Classic:  Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa

Accessories:  Neutrals buttons, linen thread, Pearls Jewels, Black detail ep, Chocolate Chip 1" stitched grosgrain ribbon, Always Artichoke seam binding, Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon, brads, Ticket-Corner punch, Dimensionals, sponges

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #225

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase ... four weeks in a row!  Holy cow!!  

For this week's Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Stamping 411, I came up with this card -- after many, many false starts!  I knew what I wanted with the card base, embossed Cherry Cobbler layer and the watercolored image, but I can't even count how many times I ripped out the rest of it.

Things you can't see:  The Cherry Cobbler layer was color embossed with Cherry Cobbler ink when I ran the Square Lattice textured impressions folder through the Big Shot.  The edges of the main image are sponged with Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, with just a touch of Cherry Cobbler ink around the edges.  It gives the image a nice, aged look.  The tiny tag is backed with two other tags in Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso.  There are two jingle bells on either side of the tiny tag, just to add some fun.  White gel pen was used on the leaves and berries to provide a nice contrasting highlight.

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Beautiful Season, Tiny Tags

Paper:  Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso

Ink:  Black, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Regal Rose, Cajun Craze

Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice textured impressions folder, Ticket-Corner punch, brads, Tiny Tags punch, Chocolate Chip 1" stitched grosgrain ribbon, Always Artichoke seam binding, Cherry Cobbler 5/8" quilted satin ribbon, Pearl Jewels, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

A Gift for You!

I made this as a birthday card for a friend of my daughters'.  This little squirrel does duty just as well as a birthday squirrel as he does as a holiday squirrel!  This was my first attempt at a die-cut fabric flower and I think that it turned out pretty well.  The background was color embossed with Baja Breeze on Vanilla cardstock.

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Forest Festivities

Paper:  Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Vanilla

Ink:  Black, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose

Accessories:  Big Shot, Blossom Party die, Perfect Polka-Dots textured impressions folder, Ticket-Corner punch, Early Espresso quilted satin ribbon, Neutrals buttons, Pearl Jewels, Spice Cake fabric, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

Hope You Can Cling To Challenge

I was asked to work a sample up for PattyB over at Splitcoast for her Hope You Can Cling to Challenge.  The challenge was specifically to use the Serendipity technique to create a pink collage.  Go here to see the master challenge thread.

I have to say that I LOVED Serendipity!  Instead of using a neutral piece of cardstock, i.e. not dsp, I used a sheet from the First Edition dsp as my base.  For my collage, I took the bee and the bird from Nature Walk and the flourish from Established Elegance.  I first did some direct to paper with Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose craft spots onto my base, then randomly stamped my images in Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry and Versamark.  In between stamping, I would periodically stop and sprinkle either Gold, Clear or Iridescent Ice ep over the whole thing, gradually building up the layers.

When I thought that I'd achieved enough depth and texture, I cut my sheet into squares using my 1 1/4" square punch .  I notched the corners of 12 squares with my Ticket-Corner punch, then sponged the edges with Rich Razzleberry.  These I layered with pieces cut out of Rich Razzleberry with my 1 3/8" square punch, also notched on the edges.  The collage pieces were adhered to Pink Pirouette, then pearl "rosettes" fitted into the round spaces between the collage pieces.

The bird frame from Four Frames was clear embossed and watercolored.  The edges were sponged with Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry and the "points" of the frame highlighted with white gel pen.

All products used were Stampin' Up!


Stamps:  Established Elegance, Nature Walk, Four Frames, You're a Gem

Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, First Edition dsp

Ink:  Craft:  Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose.  Classic:  Rich Razzleberry, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  1 1/4" square punch, 1 3/8" square punch, Ticket-Corner punch, Decorative Label punch, Pearl Jewels, Rich Razzleberry 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Pretty in Pink 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Rich Razzleberry 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, sponges, white gel pen, Aquapainter

Crafty Secrets challenge CSSC193 - Mother Nature

I worked this sample up for this weeks' Crafty Secrets challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.  The challenge was to create anything to do with Mother Nature, so I pulled out this darling image from Crafty Secrets' Bird Notes set.

All supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Bird Notes (Crafty Secrets)

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso, Vanilla, Vintage Timeless dsp (Kaiser Craft)

Ink:  Black, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Regal Rose, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke

Accessories:  Double ribbon punch (Martha Stewart), Ticket-Corner punch, brads, Aquapainter, sponges, Pearl Jewels, Riding Hood Red 5/8" taffeta ribbon, Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #224

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase!  

This weeks' Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Stamping 411 is a real winner! When I first looked at the sketch, I thought that it would be hard to come up with something, but this card just flowed out --  and created itself.   I did adapt a couple of things -- I put the ribbon across the center of the card and moved the sentiment to inside.

Stamps:  Forest Festivities

Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, White, Frostwood Lodge dsp, Silver glimmer paper

Ink:  Black, Crumb Cake, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Cajun Craze

Accessories:  Big Shot, Top Note die, Cherry Cobbler quilted satin ribbon, brads, Rhinestone jewels, Curly Label punch, Winter Wishes Stitched Felt, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

A Christmas Carol

This is my first card using A Christmas Carol from the new SU! catalog.  I knew that this image begged to be watercolored, but I hadn't realized how difficult it would be to separate out all the clothing!

Things to know:  The "snow" is Silver glass glitter -- I like the chunkiness and vintage color against this image.  The dsp isn't holiday paper, but I like the vintage wallpaper looks that it gives the finished product.  The spatter stamp from Itty Bitty Backgrounds (what?  is that really retired??) in Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip adds some texture.  And don't forget your white gel pen to pull out those highlights.

All products are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  A Christmas Carol, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Paper:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Well Worn dsp, First Edition dsp

Ink:  Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Big Shot, Top Note die, Silver glass glitter, brads, Trinket Keys, Early Espresso 5/8" satin ribbon, Cherry Cobbler 5/8" waffle weave satin ribbon, Dimensionals, Aquapainter, sponges

The Paper Crafters Sampler!

It's time to get your ghoul on with the October issue of the Sampler.  We've taken the spook out of the Holiday and put a "Sweet & Sinister" spin on it.

This issue includes:
Secret book box treats

Vintage folk-art recreations

Mummy bars

Rhinestone and skull treat container

Frightfully fun Halloween cards

Be sure to join us for the fun!!

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #223

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase!

I worked this sample up for this weeks' Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge.  Once again, what a great sketch!

I love this years' SU! holiday dsp, but this image really seemed to call for the old Holiday Treasures dsp.  I guess that I just wasn't in a plaid frame of mind...

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Holiday Lodge

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Vanilla, Holiday Treasures dsp

Ink:  Black, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand, Old Olive

Accessories:  Scallop Circle punch, Ticket-Corner punch, CM cutting system, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Pear Jewels, Certainly Celery seam binding, Cherry Cobbler waffle weave satin ribbon, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

Greeting Card Witch!

This is still my favorite SU! set of all time -- I can't get enough of these Greeting Card Kids!  I really wish that SU! would make another set of them.  This is a second card that I made using this weeks' Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge.  I didn't get it finished in time to post it over at Stamping 411, but that doesn't mean that I don't like it!  I really love the way that the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder works around the circular central image.

Things to know:  The Elegant Eggplant background is colored embossed by putting Elegant Eggplant ink on the flat side of my Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder, then running it through the Big Shot.  The frill around the image is made out of pleated black waffle paper, dusted with Champagne glass glitter around the edges.  The scallop circle is embellished with Black Flourish Designer Jewels.

All supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Greeting Card Kids

Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Vanilla

Ink:  Black, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink

Accessories:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder, 3" Circle die, Scallop Circles #2 die, Black Flourish Designer Jewels, Black waffle paper, Champagne glass glitter, Certainly Celery seam binding, Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, brads, sponges, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #222

Many thanks to the Operators at Stamping 411 for featuring my card in this weeks' Stampers Showcase!

This weeks' Saturday Sketch challenge over at Stamping 411 inspired me to work with something that I hadn't yet pulled out of my cache of goodies -- my SU! wood sheets.  I found them a tiny bit difficult to work with, merely because they are tricky to put ink on.  I stamped the image and sentiment on with black StazOn, then lightly watercolored the image with nearly a dry brush -- the wetter your Aquapainter, the more bleed you get.  The good news is that a white gel pen works great for highlighting!  All in all, I do like the wood sheets and will use them again.

This looks a lot better IRL -- trust me!  The glitter "snow" doesn't look so hard and abrupt, but has a much softer appearance.

This weeks' sketch is for a square card 4 -- 1/4" x 4 1/4".  I love working within such small confines, as it concentrates the space and makes the image really pop!

Things to know:  The background is a wood sheet that was color embossed, using Not Quite Navy, in the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions embossing folder.  The wood sheets give a great impression!

As always, unless otherwise noted, all supplies are SU!

Stamps:  Forest Festivities

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Not Quite Navy

Ink:  Black StazOn, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Pretty in Pink

Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die, 3" Circle die, Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions folder, 1/8" circle punch, Pearl Jewels, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Not Quite Navy 3/8" taffeta ribbon, sponges, Aquapainter, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Haunted Forest!

I played and played with this stamp, trying to figure out what it needed.  I wanted to bring out the moon, surrounded by the haunted forest, but couldn't get the backdrop behind it right.  Then it occurred to me to stamp the image once on Vanilla, then on a background color -- in this case, More Mustard.  I watercolored the image on the Vanilla, the cut it out -- cutting off the smaller, outside branchlets -- then attached the cut out image over the stamped image on the More Mustard.  I like the look!  Slightly dimensional, without being popped up.

Things to know:  I ran my Early Espresso marker around the cut edges of the image so that I wouldn't have that tacky VCL (Visible Cut Lines).  The moon is sponged using So Saffron, More Mustard and Tangerine Tango.  The eyes of the cat and the owl are picked out with white gel pen to make them pop.  The two leaves are from Gently Falling.  They are stamped on Always Artichoke in Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip.  The technique with the background is one of my favs,  Peeled Wallpaper.

Fun thing to note:  The Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon perfectly matches Cajun Craze cs!!

All products are SU!, unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Haunted Forest, Gently Falling

Paper:  Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Vanilla, Spice Cake dsp

Ink:  Black, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Old Olive

Accessories:  Ticket-Corner punch, brads, Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Early Espresso 3/8" quilted satin ribbon, sponges, Aquapainter, white gel pen

Understand Blue's Maddie cat!

This, I'm afraid, is my version of CAS!  I mostly worked off the great designs of this Glowing DSP from Authentique.  Maddie the Cat is embossed using black detail ep over Black craft ink.  The sentiments are from Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps by Crafty Secrets.

All other supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Maddie (Understand Blue)

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Black, Glowing DSP (Authentique)

Ink:  Black craft, Basic Gray

Accessories:  Black detail ep, brads, Black 5/8" satin ribbon, Riding Hood Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Ticket-Corner punch, Dimensionals, sponges

Miss Witchy!

In case you can't tell, I'm totally into Crafty Secrets' Costume Cuties!  This little witch is just too darling.

Things to know:  The tickets are from Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps, Heartwarming Vintage.  The rose is made using Melanie Schulenberg's fab Paper Roses video tutorial - if you haven't checked out Melanie's site, you definitely should!  For my rose, I used the small flower from the Birds & Blooms Flower Pieces die.

All elements are SU!, unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Costume Cuties (Crafty Secrets)

Paper:  Tangerine Tango, Always Artichoke, Black, Vanilla, Glowing dsp (Authentique)

Ink:  Black, Always Artichoke, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy

Accessories:  Big Shot, Birds & Blooms Flower Pieces die, Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps (Crafty Secrets), Ticket-Corner Punch, Black 5/8" satin ribbon, Black lace trim, Only Orange 1/8" taffeta ribbon, brads, Dimensionals, Aquapainter, sponges

Arlequino!

Another gorgeous image from Crafty Secrets' Costume Cuties set!  Putting the elements together on this one was a bit of a challenge, but I finally got it to work.

Things to know:  The tree, bats and dancing figures are all from Costume Cuties -- I just put them together.  The tree is stamped in Black craft ink and clear embossed.  The pennant and the curly/scalloped banners are from Crafty Secrets Artsy Banners.  The bat is done with the SU! small bat punch, then covered with black ultra-fine glitter.

Unless otherwise noted, all products are SU!

Stamps:  Costume Cuties, Arsty Banners (both Crafty Secrets)

Paper:  Black, Peach Parfait, Vanilla, Glowing dsp (Authentique)

Ink:  Black, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Rhinestone jewels, Bat punch, sponges, Aquapainter, black ultrafine glitter (Martha Stewart), clear ep, Elegant Eggplant 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 5/8" Black satin ribbon

Costume Cuties from Crafty Secrets!

Okay, who doesn't love these little monsters from Crafty Secrets' Costume Cuties set?  I love the vintage look of these images!

Stamps:  Costume Cuties, Halloween Fun (Crafty Secrets)

Paper:  Vanilla, Peach Parfait, Black, Pick Your Poison DSP (SU!),  Pick Your Poison Quick Accents

Ink:  Black, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Going Gray, Basic Gray

Accessories: 1/8" circle punch, Ticket-Corner punch, Modern Label punch, 5/8" Black satin ribbon, white gel pen, Dimensionals, Aquapainter

Creative Elements

Ever since I saw this dahlia in Creative Elements, it screamed that it needed to be popped up in layers-- the photo doesn't really do the finished product justice!

Helpful hints:  I inked up the frame from Four Frames with Lucky Limeade, then rolled the edges in Always Artichoke to give it a ombre feel.  I ran my Early Espresso marker around all the cut edges of the flower layers, giving them better definition and losing that tacky VCL (Visible Cut Lines).  White gel pen adds highlights and more definition to the petals.  The Cajun Craze card base was embossed with my Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder.

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Four Frames

Paper:  Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, White, Spice Cake DSP

Ink:  Black, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Daffodil Delight, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso

Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder, brads, Dusty Durango polka-dot 1/2" grosgrain ribbon, Always Artichoke 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Decorative Label punch, Ticket-Corner punch, Dimensionals, Aquapainter, white gel pen, sponges