Crafty Creations Challenges: Autumn Leaves

Autumn. Even the staunch denier that I am can no longer pretend it's still summer. It's not that I dislike fall, it's just that fall means... winter is next. Sigh. :D In the meantime, however, Crafty Creations Challenges is helping me to face reality with an Autumn Leaves challenge. Our sponsor this week is Digi Doodle Shop, who generously provided the design team with some great images. I picked one called "the day off". 

I started by colouring the image with Prismacolor pencils. As I was filling in the details, I realized... wait, there are no autumn leaves in this picture! Luckily I've had these felt leaf stickers in my stash forever, and with a little raffia, they made a perfect embellishment. Even though one is still green. :D 
Now, Some good news and bad news about Digi Doodle Shop. If you go to the website, you will see the following:

Although Judy is closing her business, she will honour our winner's prize. The good news: since all her images are now just $1, you will get lots of digi goodness!
Since I had to make an autumn card anyway, I'm going to link this up to the current CAS-ual Fridays challenge: Fall Fun. Also joining the crowds at the Simon Says Stamp blog. 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up kraft & garden green cardstock, Digi Doodle Shop the day off image, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders circle dies, (?) felt leaf stickers, raffia, Creative Memories corner-rounder punch

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Friends with SPOOKY Flair!

It's been almost a month since I played along with Unity Friends with Flair! Not sure where the time went. ;) This morning, I felt like creating a spooky Halloween scene.

I started by punching a circle out of a sticky note, then using the outside as a mask to lightly sponge some yellow and orange for the moon. Then I covered the moon, tore another sticky note for the ground, and sponged the sky with some yellow moonlight and purples for a spooky sky. Then I used the other half of the torn note to mask the sky and sponged in the desolate grey ground. I stamped and embossed the tree from Fright Night and added the whimsical BOO! to lighten the mood just a little bit. I filled in the inside of the letters with white gel pen. 
Do you think Halloween counts as fall? I hope so, because I'm going to enter this in the current FALL {ippity} challenge. October is a part of autumn, after all. :D 
Don't forget to check out all the inspiration over at the Unity blog! Have a great weekend. 

Supplies: white & black cardstock, Unity/Echo Park Fright Night & (?) boo stamps, milled lavender distress, Memento dandelion, cantaloupe, elderberry, London fog & gray flannel & Brilliance graphite black inks, clear embossing powder, white gel pen Pin It Now!

Crafty Creations Challenges: Move It!

This week, the challenge at Crafty Creations Challenges is: Move It! We'd like you to incorporate some kind of moving part on your paper-crafted creation. My current favourite way to add movement is adding a homemade "wibble-wobble" or spring to an image. 

Here I've reused a store's paper shopping bag by adding my wibble-wobble Paper Smooches puppy along with some fun patterned paper and a row of muddy pawprints. My wibble-wobble is simple to make with some dollar store jewellery wire and two small pieces of foam tape. A side view:

It's easy and fun to add dimension and movement this way! There are lots of other ways to add movement to a paper craft, too, so why not pick your favourite and join us this week? For more inspiration, be sure to check out the great projects from the rest of our design team. 
Since I've upcycled a shopping bag to make this, I'm adding this to the current Lessology challenge: It's a Wrap! 

Supplies: paper bag, white cardstock, Amber Ink bubble fizz green iPaper, Paper Smooches birthday buddies & All Night Media pawprint stamps, Memento tuxedo black & vintage photo distress inks, Sharpies, Spellbinder wonky reverse rectangles die, 20 guage jewellery wire, foam tape, black Enamel Accents, Spica Atyou clear glitter marker Pin It Now!

Keep Calm (again)

My generous and talented stamping buddy, Angela, sent the cutest little We R Memory Keepers stamp set to me recently. (She's currently on a bit of a blog sabbatical, but you can always go and admire some past creations.) This is just one of the many things it can say...

Fun, isn't it? Besides "craft", you can keep calm and knit, draw, sew, paint or -- of course -- carry on. It's also very easy to highlight the one word, since it is separate. I sent this card to a friend that was going through a tough time. I knew she was taking her mind off things by working in her craft room... and sometimes, it's just hard to know what to say. 
This card will be a last-minute addition to Simon Says Stamp's current challenge to... put a stamp on it! I'm also adding it to Moxie Fab World's focal point challenge. 
I'm sure some day I'll tire of the whole "Keep Calm" thing... but not yet. ☺

Supplies: white, manila & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, Stampin' Up (?) patterned paper, We R Memory Keepers keep calm stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memories passion red inks, clear embossing powder, Papertrey Ink tag sale #3 die, paper raffia ribbon, dimensionals Pin It Now!

Aloha and Thank You

I never expected to visit Hawaii... until my nephew announced he and his fiancée planned to get married on the island of Kauai. WOW. Best. Place. Ever. I would go back in a minute! Although I may wait till teleportation is a reality -- it's a looong plane ride from Ontario.
I shared accommodation with my brother and his partner (they were all two bedroom suites, so it made sense all round), and wanted to send them an appropriate thank you card. 

This little turtle? Found him in a gift store in the small town of Hanalei! How could I not bring home a rubber stamp as a souvenir? I thought it would be fun to stamp him in a spectrum of colours, and popped up and added some shimmer to the shell of the green one for interest. 
Simon Says Stamp is hosting the best challenge this week: Put a Stamp On It! If you've stamped on it (old-style, not digital) then it qualifies. Works for me! I'm also adding this to the Moxie Fab World repetition challenge. Let me just leave you with a pic of a typical Kauai beach scene:

Hanalei Beach

Supplies: white cardstock, LIV Beach Party waves digital patterned paper, Rubber Stamp Paradise small shell stamp, Hero Arts thank you stamp, Memento rhubarb stalk, canteloupe, dandelion, cottage ivy, teal zeal & elderberry inks, Winsor & Newton iridescent medium, circle punch, pop-dot tape

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Birthday Wishes

It's Labour Day... no longer the end of summer vacation for me, but I found myself still having the ghost of summers past anxiety this morning. :P Perhaps it's empathy for back-to-school family and friends. Labour Day is also the symbolic end of the summer for many, but I'm hoping it continues for a few more weeks, weather-wise. 
In the meantime, I realized I posted the cards my grandkids made for their great-grandmother's birthday, but not my own card! 

I combined this beautiful stamp with a music embossing folder -- my mother-in-law is an accomplished musician as well as teaching piano for many years. As so often seems to happen, I didn't seem to have quite the right sentiment, so did this plus the inside ("...the very happiest of birthdays!") on the computer. We helped organize a luncheon for family and friends on the special day; it was very successful, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 
I going to add this to Simon Says Stamp's current Anything Goes challenge. Enjoy your four-day week! 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up blushing bride & old olive cardstock, Great Impressions rose trio stamp, Versafine onyx black & worn lipstick & peeled paint distress inks, clear embossing powder, Sizzix sheet music embossing folder, Spellbinders oval die, Martha Stewart layered arches border punch, pop-dot tape Pin It Now!