New Hat for Spooky Kitty!

HAPPY MAIL RECEIVED!  

THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - OCTOBER 28, 2017!!

I need to make some Halloween cards, but I also wanted to enter some challenges on Splitcoasters this week.  I found several challenges to inspire me and give me ideas, and ended up with four challenges to enter.  I found my actual idea through this week's Inspiration Challenge, and a Halloween pumpkin pillow (see below).   Knowing what I needed to meet the requirements for the other three challenges made it easy to fit each one as I created my card. 

The Inspiration Challenge brought to mind a card I made several years ago, and I so loved that Poppystamp Kitty Cat Face die that I knew just what I wanted to do.  I decided to take my original card and re-design it, adding to it and dress it up a bit more.  My first card was done super quick because I needed to have it ready in just a few hours to send it along with the Halloween Witch Deco Wreath my daughter and I made for the younger daughter/ sister.  I was motivated to try my hand at a little more intricate version of the same card with new colors and added embellishments.

I came upon a Cottage Cutz Witch Hat die that I bought last year and didn't get a chance to use it.  I thought it would make a darling hat for my little kitty's head.  This time I decided to use lime green glitter paper for the cat's eyes and the moon, star, and brim of my witch hat.  I added two layers of glitter paper to my card base before adding the card front, and then added a few sequins to dress it up even more.  I am much more pleased with this second version, though the first was still cute!  What's not to like about the cute cat's face!

Finished the instead design and verse and now it ready to be sent off to my Mom in California.  I think she will enjoy her sparkly Halloween card.  Take a peek below:

Recipe:  Darice cardstock: Midnight Black.  The Paper Company cardstock: Victoriana 5-pack (tan).  Recollections Glitter Pad: Haunted (orange/ lime).  SU: Seasonal framelit dies (spooky - Holiday 2015).  Poppystamps die: Kitty Cat Face.  Cottage Cutz dies: Witch Hat.  Pretty Pink Posh: sequins. Size 5" x 6-1/4".

Halloween Glitz

Halloween is coming, and it is one of my favorite cardmaking holidays!  I've been eyeing the Splitcoaststampers Falliday Fall Challenges taking place during with the month of October.  In the back of my mind, I had been toying with the idea of making a card somehow with a big glitzy gold moon and a Halloween silhouette image.  When the Falliday challenge "From Trash to Treasure" came up several days ago to use something recycled on your card, I remembered this pretty black and gold shimmery striped gift paper that I had saved on one of my husband's Father's Day gifts.  I began to get excited and felt the itch to get to my craft table, because I was also remembering my Halloween card idea semi-formed in my mind.  Below is the Halloween card that evolved as I worked on it...

This is the inside design and verse that I created to coordinate with the outside.  I've decided this is the perfect card for my youngest daughter and husband.  I think they will be delighted. . .they are all about Halloween!

Ingredients:  Papers: SU Basic Black cs, Core'dinatins Black Tie Glitter, DCWV Glitzy Glitter Stack (gold), Recycled gold/black stripe gift paper (stablized w/cs).  Dies: My Favorite Things--Stitched Circle STAX, Savvy--Haunted House, Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations--Halloween Shadows (bats).   Busy Kids Flip Flop Rhinestones.  Ribbon/ Twines: Offray--7/8" Black Satin Ribbon, BoBunny--Sheer Dot ribbon, MayArts--Metallic Gold/ Black Twine.  Wink of Stella-Black.  Computer-made verse (inside).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Fall Flowers for a Birthday!

GOOD NEWS!  

THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - OCTOBER 14, 2017!!

One of my cardmaking buddies celebrates her birthday in October, and several of her friends are taking her out to lunch and shower her with birthday cards!  At first I thought I might give her my "A Peek at Fall" card, but then I got a bee in my bonnet and decided I wanted to make her a fall garden card as she is quite the gardener.

I love using elements on my card other than paper, and I haven't done that much lately.   Since I wanted to enter my card into the Splitcoaststampers (SCS) Alphabet Challenge, and I thought I would add some cork flowers to my friends garden, so I chose to complete Letter C.  The optional double letter challenge is X for X-acto. . .I'd worry about how to use that tool in making my card later after I came up with the design.  

Other SCS challenges I checked were the Inspiration Challenge, which requires you to find inspiration by using the website chosen for the weekly challenge.  I found color inspiration at this site.  Another challenge I will use is the Featured Stamper, using the card gallery by beechwood for inspiration.  Beechwood's "A Sunflower Pop-Up Book Card" uses similar colors that I found in the Inspiration Challenge, but it also gave me some design element ideas of using fishtail banners, flowers, and plain and scalloped circle layers.

All this inspiration brought to mind a card that my sister, Heidi Gonzales, designed several years ago, and I pulled up my picture of the card and used her design as inspiration as well.  With all this inspiration, I knew I needed cork, felt, buttons, and some patterned paper.  I sorted through my numerous stashes of patterned papers looking those that had more fall tones, rather than spring.  I actually found some of the papers my sister used, which were by My Minds Eye so I really give her lots of credit for design and color inspiration as well.

To meet the X-acto challenge for the Alphabet Challenge above, I ended up cutting my fishtail banners with an X-acto blade, which I thought would be easiest as it was a straight line!  I'm not so good with the X-acto knife, so I fussy-cut my fishtails with scissors.  I also cut the edges of my felt leaves with my pinking shears for a more jagged look.

Take a peek below at my friends card, which I think she will enjoy for her birthday:

Ingredients:  Papers:  Stampin' Up--Natural's cs (retired), Old Olive, Soft Sky.  Patterned paper: MME-MIss Caroline--Dilly Dally, Dolled Up, Fiddlesticks plus miscellaneous scraps.  Dies:  Spellbinders--Big Scalloped Circles LG #3--2-inch; Nested Leaves (traced/ cut w-pinking shears)   Punches: Stampin' Up--Circles--1-inch, 1-1/4-inch, 1-3/4-inch, Curvy Corner Trio (retired), Word Window (retired), Scallop Edge Border; EK Scalloped--1-1/4-inch; Zutter--Corner Rounder.  Colorbox Chestnut Roan (ink distress).  Stash: Felt (leaves, Cork (flower layers), Buttons, Embroidery Floss, Sequins.  Computer sentiment/ verse.  Size: 4-5/8" x 5-7/8".

A Birthday is Coming!

My son-in-law's birthday is just a few days after my youngest son's birthday.  The family has been celebrating them together, as it is becoming more and more difficult to carve out time when all of us are available at the same time, and my darling daughter-in-law has graciously offered to host a dual party for both of them!

I decided to case and modify a card I saw on Pinterest by Mary Fish using cardstock color strips, the large Stampin' Up "Happy Birthday" die, and a white baker's twine wrap and bow.   Because I wanted my card to lean more toward the masculine side, I decided to make my card horizontal and added more color strips, an Island Indigo (teal) color mat behind the strips on a white cardbase, and leave off the twine and bow.  I cut my "Happy Birthday" die using white glitter paper and used enamel dots that I colored to match my color strips and to change them from their pastel shades to darker shades.  Take a peek below at my finished card for Josh:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up cardstock:  Whisper White, Island Indigo, Night of Navy, Fresh Fig, Blushing Bride, Berry Burst, Lemon-Lime Twist, Garden Green, Crushed Curry, White Glitter cs.  Stampin' Up die: Happy Birthday Thinlit.  EK punch: Vintage Medium Corner (double off-set layered).  SU Glitter Enamel Dots (Copic color modified).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".