Poinsettia and Pine - Timeless Tuesday Challenge

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Well, this is the second year in a row that Halloween was ruined for my grandkids. We live in Eastern PA, right in the heart of Hurricane Sandy and thousands of people still are without power and there's major flooding. Last year we had a freak snow storm on Halloween. Luckily, they were camping twice this month and got to go Trick or Treating at the camp grounds.

I've been doing some card making with new stamps from Flourishes to help my stress, which has been really bad lately. Why is it that the smell of New Acrylic Stamps can have such a calming affect. 

This card was inspired by the week 5 sketch challenge from Viva La Verve and the Timeless Tuesday Challenge this week, both of which go together perfectly. The Flourishes challenge is to have the focal image fall off the page.

I used my new Flourishes stamp set called Poinsettia and Pine. I stamped it with memento Black ink then used clear detail embossing powder to give it a little more dimension. This also helps when coloring to keep the colors where they belong. I also used the Merry Christmas from the Flourishes Naturally Merry Stamp Set. 
Another thing that calms my stress is coloring. I LOVE my Copic Markers but haven't been using them lately. It's amazing what a calming affect coloring has. 

The Hand Stitching was done in my own unique design with matching Embroidery Floss.
I love how this stitching just frames the whole project. It is time consuming, but also a calming affect and well worth the extra time.

Other Challenges with this card:
Ooh, La La - Christmas
Simon Says - Just add Pearl
Totally Stampalicious - Anything Goes
Stampin' for the weekend - Anything Goes
Fussy & Fancy - Anything Goes
Crafty Ann's - Christmas
The Crafty Pad - Christmas
One Stitch at a Time - Christmas
Anything Goes - Anything Goes
Jacksons Digital Expressions - Anything Goes

Kiss Me Scottie

Here is my card for today. I got the inspiration from a Viva La Verve sketch challenge week 4.

I used the NEW pre-printed image from Fred She Said called "Kiss Me Scottie". Isn't this just the cutest Christmas Card.
I printed the Scottie three times, fancy cut then and layered portions with foam tape. Same with the mistletoe. Only two layers of them. too tiny!!!

The card is done in Black & White with a touch of Red. I love this combination and don't use it often enough

I hand Stitched the running stitch around the card with Red Embroidery Floss. I LOVE hand stitching. It adds more dimension.

Other Challenges for this card:
Anything Goes - Anything Goes
Die Cuttin Divas - Anything Goes
Digital Tuesday - Fibers (Bakers Twine)
Party Time Tuesday - Anything
Scrap Creations - Pop it up
Ooh La La - Christmas
One Stitch at a Time - Christmas
I Did It! - Use and embossing folder
The Crafty Pad - Christmas
Paper Crafting Journey - Ribbon/Twine
Southern Girls - Animal

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

Well, the worst of Hurricane Sandy is past us now. We still have some rain and wind, but not like last night. I hope everyone else is safe.

We live in Eastern PA just north of Philadelphia. And we got hammered with 70 mph winds. I didn't get much sleep last night with the howling winds and the creaking house. We live out in the country with lots of trees around us. Luckily, the only one that came down was an Old Christmas tree that we bought balled about 20 years ago and planted. It got really big & ugly over those years and we wanted to cut it down. However, it was taller then the power lines and right next to them. The lines weren't there when we planted the tree. If it went the other way, it would wipe out the one corner of our house. Well, mother nature took care of that tree. It uprooted it and took it down perpendicular to the house and lines. There really is a fabulous God!!!

The tree is so big, I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing from my deck and I wasn't about to go out in the cold & pouring down rain to get a better one. I took the picture from my deck.

That's out daughter's house down below. Her basement is so flooded that when she opened her sliding glass door, the water just poured out and is still flowing. It's coming up through the floor. 

The only other problem is that we are without power and it may take a week to get it restored. We do have a generator that we run just long enough to warm the house and then we turn it off again. Last year we were without power 5 times for a total of 24 days. So, we had enough and invested in a generator. Best investment we ever made. 
We are so grateful for what we had. It could have been so much worse. All that rain could have been snow!

Autumn Blossoms - Timeless Tuesday Birthday Challenge

I had such a fun time this week coloring with my Copic Markers, which I haven't used in months, that I had to make another card with this fabulous new stamp set called Autumn Blossoms. It's the only Fall set I ordered. All the other are Christmas and I'm dying to use them.

The inspiration for this card started with October's week two sketch challenge from Verve La Viva.
I really like orange and purple together for the fall.

The Sentiment, papers, pearls, & Burlap Ribbon are from Close to my Heart.

I chose to Hand Stitch around the card because I like the dimension that embroidery floss adds rather then machine stitching.

Other Challenges for this card:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday- Birthday
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
Card Makin' Mamas - Anything Goes
Fussy & Fancy - Anything Goes
Patties Creations - Autumn Colors
Stampin' for the Weekend - Anything goes
Wags 'n Whiskers - Autumn Colors
2 sisters - Autumn Colors
CMC Copic Challenge - Orange

Autumn Blossoms Birthday Card

I just received a pile of new stamp sets from Flourishes and couldn't wait to get out my Copic Markers and do some coloring. It seems that it's been ages since I colored with them. I felt like a kid again!!!

The inspiration for this card came from Week one of the Viva La Verve October Sketch Challenge.
I also made this card for the Timeless Tuesday Challenge Blog to make a Birthday Card.

The stamp set I used is called Autumn Blossoms.
I stamped two of each of these images, colored them with Copic Markers and cut them all out. I rounded them slightly on a foam mat and added foam tape for added dimension. It's a really pretty affect but doesn't show up on the picture.

The papers and pearls are from CTMH. The bow was made from left over strands from my Burlap Ribbon I pulled out to fray on another card. Us crafters never throw anything away!

The Hand stitching was done in my own unique design with matching Embroidery Floss. I used this color to blend in and enhance, rather then make the card too busy.

Other Challenges for this card.
All Beautiful Cards - Use something NEW (stamps)
Crafty Cardmakers - Autumn
Forever Friends - Autumn
Kaboodle Doodles - Fall
Hand Stamped Sentiments - Fall colors
Everybody Art - Orange
Inky Impressions - Fall
The Perfect Sentiment - Birthday
Stampavie - Stitches
Gingerloft - Autumn
Great Impressions - Fall
All Sorts - Autumn Colors
CMC Copic Challenge - Orange

Fss - Wee Hummingbird and Petunia's

Good morning and welcome back for another Fred She Said Easel card post-it-note holder. I'm just loving making these. They make perfect little gifts.

The inspiration fro this card started with a Viva La Verve week 3 sketch.

Then I printed out the pre-colored Wee Hummingbird and Petunias twice, then mirrored the printing and printed out another set, slightly smaller three times again. I cut one out with the "out of the box" technique and a spellbinders oval die. Then fussy cut everything else out and mounted with foam tape for lots of dimension.

The Pearls and papers are all from Close to my Heart in Gypsy and Crystal Blue. I love these two colors together.

The Hand Stitching was all done with matching Embroidery Floss in my own unique design.

Other Challenges for this card:
Everybody Art - Purple
Ladybug's Craft Ink - "P" - Pearls, Purple, Petunias
Clear It Out - Gift
Bearly Mine - Easel Card
One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi
One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything Goes

FSS - Emma in the Strawberry Parch

Here is another creation with the fabulous Fred She Said pre-colored images. This one is called Emma in the Strawberry Parch.
It's hard to see in the picture, but I printed out Emma and a variety of sizes of strawberries several rimes, cut them out and layered with foam tape.

My inspiration for this card came from the Friday Sketch Challenge. 

I have been commissioned to make some post-it-note holder cards so I turned the card into an easel card and added a matching post-it-note pad. The previous post had the first one I made like this.

I will be making many of this style in the coming weeks for my Etsy shop as they make perfect Christmas Gifts. I think I should have started on them months ago. If only we didn't have to eat and sleep!!! *Ü*

The papers are all retired for CTMH. The red crystals are actually clear ones from CTMH that I colored with a Copic Marker.
The Hand Stitching was done with matching Embroidery Floss..

Stop by tomorrow to see another one with Petunia's and Humming birds.

Other Challenges for this card.
Bearly Mine - Easel Card
Clear it out! - Gift
Created with Love - Something sweet

FSS Emma in the Leaves

Well, I'm trying to create again. I've been sick for the past three weeks and I just can't seem to shake it. Let's just say that Musinex isn't the answer. It's very expensive and I'm still violently coughing. But, things need to get done so here is a card that has taken me a week to make. Hope the next one goes a little quicker.

This card is an Easel card turned into a post-it-note holder.

I used the Fred She Said  pre-colored image of Emma in the Leaves. Isn't she just the cutest!!!

I also embellished it with a new Fred She Said release,  Fallen Maple Leaf.

The papers are retired Close to my Heart papers. I used matching buttons and bakers twine. I hand died the seam binding with sunset ink and alcohol to match the paper and the crinkled it as I heat set the inks. Heat setting gives it a mottled look rather then a solid look by letting it dry on it's own.

The hand stitching was done with matching embroidery floss.

Other challenges for this card:
Crafty Catz - Easel card
Fussy & Fancy - Easel Card
Craft Us Crazy - Fall
Sarah Hurley - Autumn
Southern Girls - Tie a Ribbon Around It.
Little Red Wagon - Use a Bow
Dutch Dare - Buttons & Bows