Feeling Like Fall

What a difference a couple of days makes! Just last week it was a sweltering 95 degrees and today it's only 60. I love the changes of the seasons, and I think Fall is my most favorite. The cooler sweatshirt weather & those beautiful fall colors. I'm not sure we're going to get to enjoy a lot of color here. It's been so dry, I'm afraid all of the leaves are just going to fall off the trees. So here's a card with fall leaves just in case.

This is the Embedding Cardstock Technique. It's a great technique and so easy to do. I just cut my leaves with my Big Shot & the Leaves #2 Die with Cajun Craze, More Mustard & Early Espresso Cardstock, adhered them to Old Olive Cardstock, and then ran them through the BS again in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. The leaves appear to be "embedded" into the cardstock.

Another fun technique I used is Elongating Punches. I just made that term up. The saying I wanted to use was too long to fit on any of the punches, so I created one. This is hard to explain, so I have a picture to show you what I did.

I cut a strip of paper the width of the Modern Label Punch, and instead of punching it normally, I put the paper up through one end of the punch and punched. Then I put the other end up through and extended it the length that I needed to get my saying to fit and punched. I hope you can tell by my picture what I'm trying to describe. I added a Cajun Craze Brad & Linen Thread and used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the saying on top of the Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon.

Don't forget, if you're thinking about joining my Team, now through October 18 when you become a Demonstrator you will receive a FREE craft tote (valued at $39.95) with the purchase of your Starter Kit. This is the beautiful Greenhouse Gala pattern with lots of pockets that will hold your 12" paper cutter, cardstock & craft keepers and it even comes with a shoulder strap.

My next class is October 17. We will be doing a Stamp-a-Stack of Christmas cards. Check my website for more details.

Thanks for stopping by!

dd

More Halloween Fun!

I thought I was done with Halloween, until I saw this project sheet at a local craft store. I knew I had to make these using Stampin' Up! products. Aren't they adorable? They were also perfect for the CCMC118 ~ Create With Connie and Mary Theme Challenge ~ Anything But a Card.

I used several stamp sets for this project. There's Batty for You, Wicked Cool, Got Treats, Aviary and Grateful Greetings.

The little owl is from Aviary. The pumpkin and the words Got Treats is actually one stamp from the Got Treats set. I stamped it, and then just punched the pumpkin out with the 1-1/4" Circle Punch, and the words out with the Word Window Punch. The Trick or Treat saying is from Grateful Greetings. The bat was made using the new Bat Punch, the perfect way to add just a little spooky touch. I love how you can layer the spider web behind the word Spooky from Wicked Cool, and the cute little Frankenstein is from Batty for You.

You could add wallet size photos of your little spooks on the wires for an adorable Halloween display. I'm already thinking of what I can do for Thanksgiving & Christmas!

Thanks for visiting today ~ Have a Great weekend!
dd

Halloween Hoopla

We had another Super Fun class again yesterday, in spite of my forgetfulness. We made several great projects for Halloween & had a lot of fun in the process. I did my class at a local hotel where we get together to crop once a month. Our crop just happened to be scheduled on the same day as my class, so I agreed to do the class there. The room is great. There's lots of tables and space to spread out. The only down fall is that not being in my home, if I forget something I can't just run to my Craft Room & grab it. I thought I was so organized & had everything laid out and ready to go. I think it was the first card that I realized that I had forgotten a punch. We improvised and it turned out fine. Then another punch ~ we improvised again. Then, a third punch! I was embarrassed, but my ladies are so easy going & very creative, it didn't bother them in the least. They loved their projects and now they are set to make their cards & treats for
Halloween.

Here's a picture of all the projects we made:


My next class is a Stamp-a-Stack of Christmas Cards. I will be doing this one at home, so I won't have the fear of forgetting anything!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great week!

dd

Life is a Matter of Moments

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it's mid September already. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Among all the madness, I did get to take a long relaxing weekend trip with my hubby to Marco Island Florida to celebrate our 35th Anniversary. It's actually not until next month, but we are expecting our third grandchild on our actual anniversary date, so we decided to take our trip early so we wouldn't take a chance of missing welcoming her into the world. Here's a picture of one of the beautiful sunsets that we enjoyed on Marco.

I thought this card was appropriate for today. I got this card in a swap and have made it again several times. Life is a matter of moments. Moments that pass by so quickly sometimes, we need to try to slow down a bit to enjoy each & every one of them.

This is the Elements of Style Stamp Set. I do love this set. It is so elegant, and is beautiful when water colored, or just as beautiful left alone, as I've done here. I also love the technique of Faux Mosaic. It adds just a subtle touch of texture to the background. All you do is score every 1/2" horizontally and vertically creating the mosaic tile look before you stamp your image. The bird was stamped with Rich Razzleberry & hand cut, then adhered to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. The base of the card and ink are Soft Suede.

The Holiday Mini Catalog sales period began September 1. There are so many great new products in it, you'll definitely want to check it out. If you need a copy, let me know and I'll get one to you right away. You can also look at it online. Don't forget, you can also order online, anytime!

If you are local, I will be teaching my Halloween Hoopla Class at the Comfort Inn Suites Hotel this Sunday, September 19. There's still room ~ contact me if you'd like to join us!

Thanks for stopping by today!

dd

New Month, New Stuff, New Special!

Oh ~ where to start? You can now order from the Holiday Mini Catalog. There are so many fun new products in this mini, it's a good thing we have until January 3, 2010 to get them all! If you haven't seen it, click on the picture and take a look. There's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and even Valentine's Day. You can get all your cardmaking & scrapbook projects prepared and ready to go for the next several months. Or, I bet you have crafty friends that would love to receive some new Stampin' Up! products in their Christmas stockings.

I promised I would share the cards from my last class, so here's the first one. I got a card similar to this in a swap & revamped it a bit for class. I try to use different color combinations, and one tool that is extremely helpful is my Color Coach. It is a swatch of each color of cardstock and has a guide on the back with the coordinating colors. If you find putting colors together a challenge, this tool is a must. You can check it out in the catalog. Sometimes I still do my own thing, just using it as a guide.

I've used Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze and Very Vanilla. The Marina Mist is embossed using the Big Shot and the Finial Press Embossing Folder. I love these folders, they make your embossing very crisp & clean. The little tabs are the Small Oval Punch, just folded over and attached with a Crumb Cake Brad from the Neutrals Collection. The friends stamp is from Vintage Vogue, and the sentiment is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set. The ribbon is Marina Mist Taffeta.

We have a fabulous incentive this month if you're thinking about becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator! September 1 through October 18, you will get this gorgeous Craft Tote FREE when you join Stampin' Up! as a Demonstrator. That's a $39.95 Value. This tote is patterned after the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper and is large enough to hold your 12" Paper Trimmer and 12x12 Paper. It also has lots of pockets to hold punches, ink pads, markers, and lots of other tools and accessories to help keep you organized while you travel to do your workshops! I'd Love to have you join my Team, and I'd Love to see you carrying this adorable tote!
Contact me if you have any questions, or if you need a copy of the Holiday Mini Catalog. Check my website for my classes, they are posted for the rest of the year. I hope you're having a great week. Thanks for checking in! Oh ~ I have been released from physical therapy & I'm almost back to 100% mobility with my shoulder. Thanks for all the well wishes ~ You're the Best!

dd