Autumn Thanks

Hi folks, the fall season has finally arrived here where I live, so I pulled out the new Autumn Blessings stamp set (Flourishes) and had a blast watercoloring it.  I started by stamping this Autumn Blessings image onto watercolor paper with some permanent black ink. I then used the Tim Holtz Distress Markers and the Tim Holtz water brush to color in this image. Below is a list of the colors I used:

Tumbled Glass (sky)
Pumice Stone (milk jug) - sold out
Dusty Concord (seed balls) - sold out
Shabby Shutters (leaves, grass)
Peeled Paint (leaves, grass)
Scattered Straw (wheat, sunflower, pumpkin, grass)
Wild Honey (sunflower, pumpkin)
Spiced Marmalade (pumpkin, top flower)
Dried Marigold (pumpkin, lower right flower)
Tattered Rose (tiny flowers below sunflower)
Rusty Hinge (pumpkin)
Tea Dye (centers of flowers)
Brushed Corduroy (center of flowers)
Walnut Stain (center of flowers)

I set this watercolored image aside to dry completely while I played around with my card layout. This image fit perfectly into the arch die shape from the new Blueprints #3 die set (MFT) so I decided to play with the rest of the dies in this set to create my card.

Once my colored piece was dry, I cut it out with the arch die and glued it down onto a dark brown card base. Next, I added a little strip of burlap below the arch. Then I cut out the scallop border from dark orange cardstock and glued it to the top of the burlap. The pierced strip was cut from mustard cardstock and adhered over the dark orange scallop border. I cut the little tag from watercolor cardstock and stamped the sentiment (also from Autumn Blessings) with permanent black ink and then adhered that to the mustard border. The tag, scallop border, and pierced strip dies are all in the same Blueprints #3 set.

I had so much fun watercoloring this image with the markers and playing around with the different shapes in the Blueprints #3 die set. I'm definitely going to order some more Blueprints and have fun mixing and matching all the different shapes.  Save 10% off your order by using this code, Holly-10, when you shop at Classy Cards 'n Such.  You'll find tons of dies, stamps, papers, and embellishments and more that will fill up your shopping cart.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

MFT Elf's Blueprints Challenge Week 5 - Anything Goes

Sugar Creek Hollow #70 - Fall is in the Air

Drunken Stampers #143 - Die Cuts

Simply Create Too #47 - Fall/Autumn

Craftitude #49 - Anything Goes

Sunflower Wreath

Hi friends! It's been a wonderfully cool day here - our first real "fall" day!!! It's been so nice to go outside and enjoy the cool air instead of getting a blast of heat to the face. Fall is finally here, and I'm in the mood for some fall-themed cards. For this card, I pulled out my Blueprints #3 and Blueprints #4 dies and just mixed and matched until I got a neat layout for a card. The wreath stamps from the Seasonal Wreaths set (Flourishes) fit perfectly inside the large circle die from the Blueprints #3 die set. I picked out the sunflower wreath and stamped it with a permanent ink and let it dry. Then I went to town playing with my Distress Markers and Tim Holtz Water Brush and colored in the wreath. The markers that I used are as follows:

Scattered Straw - sunflower petals
Wild Honey - sunflower petals
Shabby Shutters - leaves
Peeled Paint - leaves
Pine Needles - leaves
Aged Mahogany - wreath base and filler flowers
Fired Brick - wreath base and filler flowers
Vintage Photo - centers of sunflowers
Walnut Stain - centers of sunflowers

Once I finished coloring in the sunflower wreath, I set it aside to dry completely. Meanwhile, I pulled out the French Country 6x6 paper pad (graphic 45) and cut the sunflower paper with the large rectangle shape from the Blueprints #4 die set. The coordinating yellow paper from the same French Country paper pad was cut with the scallop border from the Blueprints #4 die set. I used the same yellow paper to cut two of the little tags from the Blueprints #3 die set.

I stamped the "With" and "Thanks" from the Autumn Blessings stamp set (Flourishes) onto the two yellow tags. The sunflower paper was adhered to a dark brown card base with the two rounded corners at the top of the card. Next, I glued down the two sentiment tags on the left side and then cut off the excess that was overhanging.

With the sunflower wreath now completely dry, I centered it inside the large pierced circle die from the Blueprints #3 die setand cut it out. I then cut out the arch shape from Blueprints #3 with dark brown cardstock and adhered the sunflower wreath circle to the arch. I glued the arch down onto the card and then glued the yellow scallop border at the very bottom. Some red twine was wrapped around the bottom of the card to finish this off.

It's fun to see how mixing and matching can lead to new ideas. I hope you try one or two of the new Blueprints die sets and see for yourself! :-) Save some money off your order by using this code, Holly-10, when you go shopping at Classy Cards 'n Such today.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

MFT's Elf Blueprint Challenge Week Five - Anything Goes (I used Blueprints 3 and 4)
Craftitude #49 - Anything Goes
Simply Create Too #47 - Fall/Autumn
Drunken Stampers #143 - Die Cuts
Sugar Creek Hollow #70 - Fall is in the Air

Keep Me in your Heart

Awwwwwwwwww how sweet is that sentiment??  Winnie the Pooh is a smart little bear, isn't he?  :-)  This sentiment is from Verses Rubber Stamps, and you will find this "Winnie the Pooh" stamp in the New Stamps 2013 section of the store.  This is adorable, and I've kept my card clean and simple to let the sentiment shine through.  Wouldn't this be perfect to give to a dear friend who is moving away?  Or maybe for a young girl who is going to a different school than her best friend?  

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity #143 - Anything Goes
Jo's Scrapshack #19 - Women's Friendship Day
Sister Act #26 - Anything Goes
2 Sisters #163 - Anything Goes

Warm Winter Birthday Wishes

Hi friends!  It's been a WET day today - yay!  We have been waiting and waiting for rain here and it finally came today.  I think we've had almost three inches of rain today, and it is such a welcome relief from the long dry hot summer.  Maybe fall is actually on its way here now???  :-)

I started thinking about some of the family birthdays, and I better start cranking some of them out so they are ready when the big days are here.  I created this card for my Grampa whose birthday is in December, so that sentiment is just perfect.  I kept it masculine by using the warm colors and the dark silhouetted deer and no ribbon.  

The plaid paper in the background is from Simple Stories Handmade Holiday 6x6 pad, and I've used Kraft, Burgundy, White, and Espresso cardstocks.  The deer were die cut from a die set from Papertrey Ink, and the snowflakes and sentiment (In the Meadow from PTI) were stamped directly on the kraft cardstock.   I cut the white snowbanks by hand with scissors and sponged very lightly against the edges with Antique Linen distress ink to give them a little definition.

This sketch is from Repeat Impressions, and I loved the simple layout.  It worked out beautifully for this masculine birthday card, and I have a feeling I'll use this sketch again for other cards in the future.  I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Repeat Impressions What If? Wednesday sketch challenge #S1813

Sweet Pea Stampers - Use kraft paper

Stamp and Create - Birthdays

Parade Your Crafts #4 - It's All about the Birthdays

Ooh La La - Magnificent Men

Sweet Stamps #135 - Western

The Cupboard Trilogy #15 - Male

A Hug Fits All

Hi again!  I got some new stamps from Verses Rubber Stamps and I just started playing around with this stamp and some papers.  Isn't that sentiment just wonderful?  This is a great one to use for many cards, such as birthdays, encouragement, and just to say hello to someone.  

This sentiment is called Hug is a Great Gift (MC0350-E) and you will find this in the Miscellaneous section of the Verses Rubber Stamps website.  There are a lot of wonderful stamps in this section - I love scrolling through all the different verses and sentiments and filling up my shopping cart!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #98 - Anything Goes

Penny's Challenge #145 - Two or more patterned papers

Through the Purple Haze - Bling it Up (I have pink rhinestones on the brown strip in the middle)

Love to Create #83 - Clean n Simple

Tidings of Joy

Howdy friends! I hope you've been enjoying your weekend. I just spent the day with my niece and we were trying out new recipes. Yum yum!! Have you started on your Christmas cards yet? Here is a quick and easy country-themed holiday card that I whipped up in less than an hour.

Isn't that scene gorgeous? This stamped scene is from the new Country Time Christmas stamp set (Flourishes) that just arrived in the Classy Cards 'n Such store. I stamped it onto some Kraft cardstock and used colored pencils to very lightly color in the scene. This is the Sepia Technique from Technique Junkies. If you are a TJ subscriber, you'll find this technique in the Oct/Nov 2009 issue. I sponged some brown ink around the edges and then distressed the edges with a distress tool. I cut a larger white mat, distressed the edges with a distress tool, and adhered the stamped scene onto the white layer.

Next, I cut out a small white rectangle from the Blueprints 4 die set and stamped the sentiment with brown ink. This sentiment is also from the new Country Time Christmas set. A sheet of Kraft cardstock was cut in half (5.5" x 8.5") and folded in half to make a top folded card base.

I wrapped some Chalk White seam binding around the card, punched a small hole at the bottom left side of my stamped scene, threaded the seam binding through the hole, glued the scene down onto my card base, and tied the seam binding into a knot. The sentiment was adhered to the top right side of the stamped scene.

I love the soft and rustic look of this card. This new Country Time Christmas stamp set is going to see a lot of ink from me this year. The scene is gorgeous and the sentiments are so beautiful and versatile. If you'd like to go shopping, please feel free to use this code, Holly-10, to save 10% off your order at Classy Cards 'n Such.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Holly Jolly Christmas - Au Natural
Jingle Belles - Vintage Views
Sister Act #24 - Anything Goes?
Sweet Pea Stampers - Use Kraft

Stickled Tea Rose

Hi friends!  I have a shimmery, glittery flower to share with you today. Classy Cards 'n Such just got some new Stickles colors in the store, and I grabbed some as soon as I saw them. Stickles are colored glitters suspended in bottles of glue, so you just squirt it out onto your project and let it dry.

For my card today, I started by pulling out the new Blueprints #4 die set (MFT) and I played around with the different dies. I settled on this layout, and cut out some watercolor paper with the largest rectangle die (there are three small rectangles in this set). I temporarily glued three of the watercolor paper rectangles down onto my table, inked up the Old Tea Rose stamp (Flourishes) with permanent gray ink, and stamped it onto the rectangles.

After waiting a few minutes to make sure the ink was dry, I pulled out some Distress Markers and my Water Brush and colored in the rose. I used the Spun Sugar Distress Marker and the Victorian Velvet Distress Marker for the rose petals and Peeled Paint Distress Marker and Shabby Shutters Distress Marker on the stem and leaves. I set these three pieces aside to dry completely while I assembled the rest of the card.

The A2 card base is a dark green cardstock folded in half. I pulled out the Love Letters paper pad and found this lovely pale pink paper that matched my Tea Rose nicely. I cut this paper with the largest die in the Blueprints #4 set and adhered it to my dark green card base. The same Love Letters paper pad had a darker rose pink paper in there, so I cut that out with the long rectangle die from the Blueprints #4 set. I cut out the small scallop border (also from Blueprints #4) twice with dark green cardstock and then adhered it behind the dark rose rectangle.

When the watercolor rose was completely dry, I sponged all three pieces with Antique Linen distress ink. Then I pulled out the Stickles and had some fun! I used Pink Taffeta Stickles on the flower and Mercury Glass Stickles on the stem and leaves. I just squirted out a little bit and then used my finger to dab it around here and there. I didn't want to completely cover up the image; I just wanted a nice hint of glitter and shimmer.

Once these pieces dried, I glued them down onto the dark rose piece and then glued that down on my card. The lower right corner seemed a bit empty, so I stamped the butterfly from the Old Tea Rose set (Flourishes) onto watercolor paper. I colored it with the same Distress Markers as the flower - Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet - and let it dry. I carefully cut it out with scissors and then dabbed some Pink Taffeta Stickles on the butterfly wings before affixing it to the card.

How pretty are those Stickles? I love em! I also love these new Blueprints die sets - they make card layouts so easy! Give them a try - I know you'll have fun with them!  Be sure to use this code, Holly-10, to save 10% off your order when you go shopping at Classy Cards 'n Such.  :-)

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew #44 - Things with Wings

Anything Goes #100 - In the Garden

Sparkle 'n Sprinkle - Anything Goes with Glitter, etc.

Lady Anne - Must Have Wings

Craft Your Passion #179 - Glitter and Gloss

Technique Junkies CD11 Blog Hop

Hi Bloggers!

The TJ Design Team is here to roll out the Technique Junkies CD-11, a compilation CD of all of the tutorials from the October 2012 through August 2013 issues. We are so excited to have you join us.

You should have arrived here from the Technique Junkie‘s blog where Judy showed off her creation. Isn’t it fabulous?  To start at the beginning go to the Design Team website by clicking here (http://techniquejunkies.blogspot.com/).

The CD includes 10 bonus techniques that are only found on the CD. All of the tutorials are in PDF format, so they print perfectly on regular paper, for both PCs and Macs. With the bonus tutorials, there are 100 tutorials on this CD!

It is available for order TODAY by clicking here (http://www.techniquejunkies.com/Cd11.html). The CD will be shipped in less than 2 weeks!

New on this CD
This CD contains a pictorial index that you can print out -- each of the 100 tutorials on the CD are represented with pictures in the index. It has been designed to make it easier than ever to find a tutorial on the CD.  You can see the pictures here:  http://techniquejunkies.com/2-CD11-Pictorial_Table_of_Contents.pdf

Here is my project using the Paper Flowers Sphere Ornament technique.  This is one of the bonus techniques that is only found on CD11.

I used the template that is included with this technique and printed this directly onto the patterned paper.  It was fun and easy to put this ornament together - it only took me about 15 minutes from start to finish to make this.  The hardest part was picking the paper I wanted to use.  LOL!

Your next stop is Tricia’s blog.

If you get lost, you can always refer to the list below.

Judy Jackson    http://www.techniquejunkies.blogspot.com/
Holly Brown     http://www.glitterstampsandink.blogspot.com/ (You are here.)
Tricia O’Bin      http://www.thepassionatestamper.blogspot.com/
Nancy Dawson http://creativewishes.blogspot.com/
Beth Norman    http://www.sunflowers-dragonflies.ca/blog/
Shelly Schmidt   http://shellymc2.blogspot.com/
Hetty Sanders    http://craftchaos.blogspot.com/
Pat Huntoon      http://patstamps.blogspot.com/


Thanks for hopping along with us today!