So Grateful

It's "Inspired By" Week at Time Out Challenges #326. Just in time for Thanksgiving in the US, we are looking for projects that are inspired by GRATITUDE. Gratitude changes how we look at the world. It is the mental act of zooming in on a tiny, beautiful detail that others might walk right past, or zooming out to see the bigger picture during a tough time.

Our wonderful sponsor, Poppystamps, is generously offering a $20.00 store credit as a prize for our Challenge Winner, who will also get an invitation to join us as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

We are joined by Stef Perry of Perry Papercrafts, and winner of Time Out #321 as Guest Designer. She is a frequent player at Time Out. Stef is an incredibly talented crafter with a keen eye for design and color, and her coloring skills are stellar. 

What I used to make my card:

• Spellbinders Everyday Windows, Curtains and Flower Boxes dies
• Concord & 9th Window Shoppe Pop-Up dies
• Sizzix Christmas Minis dies
• Pink Fresh Studio Built on Dreams stamp set
• Red glimmer card stock
• Red glitter card stock
• Altenew Obsidian black ink pad

After a long time choosing colors, then lots of die cutting, I assembled the windows, curtains, wreaths and bows. I fussy cut my own snow and after stamping the sentiment, used my paper cutter to cut around it, rounding the corners by hand.

We hope you will play along and maybe you will end up with a card for a hostess on Thanksgiving!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Merry Christmas

It's time again for the Gorgeous Gift Tags Instagram Hop. There are always endless ideas for fun tags. The optional theme this month is "Celebrate" and I am participating! This is a fun new stencil set from Simon Says Stamp and I couldn't wait to use it!

What I used:

• Simon Says Stamp Christmas Tree Halves stencil set, Holographic sequins
• The Stamp Market Candy Canes stamp and die sets
• Concord & 9th ink pad
• Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads
• Ribbon from a quaint little shop I visited on vacation a few years ago

I stenciled, die cut, stamped and assembled in no time to make this tag. The colors and patterns are non-traditional but fun I think!

We hope you'll hop along with us and you can start at my account if you wish: @sawithadtomakeit. 

See you there!

Carol

Let's Chat Over Coffee

Well, November is here with changing colors on the trees (in most places) and at Just Us Girls #848 . Our fun teammate Lisa has chosen Acorn dies for the specific theme. Your card must have acorn dies on it. Here's my card with acorns on the decorative sleeve, or "zarf" as it is defined. LOL.

Visit the team's blogs for all the details on their great designs and techniques. We would like to give a warm autumn welcome to our November guest designer, Jane Delén! Be sure to visit her blog and leave her some nice words for her cards along the way through the month as well.

What I used for my card:

• Poppystamps 2795 Nordic Acorn Squirrel die

• Altenew Coffee Love stamp set

• Hero Arts Hero Hues ink pad, Graphic Patterns Stencil Pairs

• Simon Says Stamp circle dies

• Sugar Pea Designs Cardfront Builder stitched die

• Stampin' Up! Scalloped Circle punch

• Ranger Distress Ink pad

First I did all of the die cutting and assembling. Then I stenciled a pattern randomly all over an A2 panel in a dark coral color. I stamped the sentiment on the lid of the cup, then put the completed cup on the panel and card base. ( I also die cut and stacked three lids for a dimensional look.)

We hope to see all sorts of creative acorn die cards in the gallery this week. See you there!

Carol

A Surprise Gift Card

If you are like me, you seek out ways to wrap gift cards and I have a few store-bought favorites that we keep in our immediate family to use each year. One is a circular red tin with a spinner on top that lands on fun/funny sayings pie-shaped spots. Another favorite has a pop up bubble like the game Trouble where you push on it and the dice inside change position. Today I have a surprise-reveal wrapped box gift card holder on the Poppystamps blog. Here is a look at it.

What I used to make it:

• Poppystamps 2427 Lattice Plate
• Poppystamps 2803 Satin Ribbon die set
• Poppystamps 2794 Trimmer trees die set

The bow is so pretty and you can use more or less loops and tails as you wish. I ink blended shadows on the ribbon where there might be darker areas due to light on a bow. I also used the negative pieces of the Lattice Plate instead of the frame to get a textured pattern. Finally, the pine sprigs were made to be little trees, but I think they can work as both!

Hop on over to the Poppystamps blog to see more pictures and a tutorial for the gift card holder. 

Thanks for visiting today,

Carol

Trick or Treat Street

I've wanted to make a Halloween card with these Concord & 9th stencils since I first got them. A sweet friend shared some die cuts from her stash with me recently and I knew I would use some of them with this background. A few snafus later, this is my card for our Just Us Girls #847 CASE a DT challenge this week.

Products I used:

• Hero Arts Heroween dies
• Concord & 9th Seaside stencils, stamps and dies, ink pads
• Stampin' Up! Spooky Bits stamp set
• Ranger Distress Oxide stamp pads

I like "cute" Halloween and besides the bat, I think this is a fun trick or treating street where kids can get their candy. Will you be handing out candy where you live? In our neighborhood the kids start coming while it's light out and people are still getting home from work. The good part of that is that they are done early. Most adults sit in the driveway and chat with the parents and kids while handing out the treats. This year we change the clocks that night before going to bed, too, and it's a Saturday. This could be a crazy year.

Happy Halloween,

Carol

Adventure is Worthwhile

Our Theme Challenge at Time Out #325 this time around is based on the idea of Friendship/Encouragement/Support. As I was growing up we took trips near and far away. I was encouraged to travel and I have never regretted experiencing new places, even when it meant traveling alone sometimes. We've encouraged that same love of travel with our child who now shares the eagerness to explore the world. Travel is also something that brightens one's mood when it's needed. Taking a drive to a favorite place, or doing a quick getaway can change your perspective and mood quickly.

Stamplorations generously gifted me this Boho Landscapes A2 Card Front (among others) that has such gorgeous fall colors and only needs a sentiment to complete a card. I added a black clay heart (Picket Fence) to show the love of adventures and exploration. The sentiment is from Tim Holtz Small Talk sentiment stickers.

 

Our wonderful sponsor, Birch Press Designs, is generously offering a $20.00 store credit as a prize for our Challenge Winner, who will also get an invitation to join us as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

The team and our guest Rita have made fabulous cards for your inspiration, so take a moment to browse through their blogs to read about their techniques and insight.

Can't wait to see your cards in our gallery!

Thanks for visiting, 

Carol

Home Sweet Home

This week at Just Us Girls #846 it is Stencil time with our lovely hostess Bobby. I pulled out an older set of stencils. These Pink Fresh Studio Built On Dreams stencil, stamp and die sets work really well together and it's fun picking out colors to use with them. I went with a fall colorway. 

Be sure to check out the design team's cards on their blogs where they share the products they used and lots of techniques too. Carrie Sheridan is our guest this month and don't forget to visit her as well.

The house outline stamp was heat embossed with copper embossing powder. I like the fall look it gives. I used some tiny Spellbinders Gold Color Essentials gems for added sparkle to a very matte looking card and various inks to stencil the floral patterns onto my shaped card base. I die cut two houses and joined them on the left with a "hinge" I made using a narrow rectangle scored in half. I used glue on each side of the rectangle's fold to attach the hinge between the two houses on the left side in order for the card to open and close. I chose "home" as the sentiment from this stamp set because during the fall holidays families often travel home and I can use this card that way.

We hope you will come play along with us this week!

Carol