MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends #22

The challenge at Speedy the Cat's Friend's challenge #22 is to use a pumpkin on our cards. I used this free digi image by CocoDingo and made an Autumn card. I pulled out an old, retired SU punch to make the corners that hold the image. I like that country look and thought it went well with the image. I used Old Olive card stock and some dp from a K&C0 Halloween mat pack (thanks Heidi!). The sentiment is from a stamp set that Heidi also sent to me a couple years ago and was done in Real Rust. I tied a piece of raffia around the bottom which seemed to go well with the scarecrow. The image was colored with Copics and Tombows.
On a personal note, thanks to everyone for all of your get well wishes. I was given an antibiotic (that I'm allergic to) that's caused a truckload of side effects, symptoms, and pain. I'm hanging in, trying my best to deal with it all, but it's hard to stamp when you just don't feel your best. Thanks for your patience and understanding.......I hope this will soon pass!
Have a great Wednesday and take good care!

Carol

Birthday Hummingbird

Here's a birthday card I made recently that uses the KSS Hibiscus stamp set along with an Inkadinkado Hummingbird image and a SU sentiment. I stamped the bird image with versafine onyx black, then embossed it with clear ep and colored it with Copics. I'm not really sure what color hummingbirds are, but perhaps I should have done it in shades of gray to look more realistic instead of trying to coordinate his color with the flower images? Ah well, he's a special little bird bringing special birthday greetings with this card!
Have a terrific Tuesday whatever you're doing!

Carol

stamps - KSS Hibiscus, SU, Inkadinkado
paper - white, black
inks - Memento cottage ivy, New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves; SU regal rose, cameo coral, groovy guava, ruby red, cranberry crisp, Versafine Onyx black
accessories - Copics E00, E11, R11, RV02, R32, clear detail ep

A Masculine Birthday Card

I made this birthday card for a friend to give her son. I used Teal card stock with BG's basic white pad DP and the train image is by SU!. I embossed the image with gold ep on black, as well as the sentiment. I used the square lattice ef for the background and used the reverse side because it seemed to match the DP quite well with the small squares. A few square brads and this card was done!
Warm temps (in the 90s) returned to PA a couple days ago, but the temps will plunge over 20 degrees by tomorrow, so I'm enjoying this last hurrah of summer before it's gone! Wishing you all a great weekend!

Carol

My Friend

Sorry for being such a slacker lately, but I haven't been feeling much like myself for a few weeks. I managed to sprain my knee while fixing dinner on Monday night which has really sent me into a tailspin! It's uncomfortable to do much of anything, except to sit with my leg elevated and iced, and that really limits my card making hobby!
I made this card a while ago and didn't get it posted so I thought I'd share it today. I used 3 different punches for the flowers and used all PTI bitty box basics papers. There's a round black circle on top of the larger flower punch, and then a starburst placed on top that allows just a touch of the black to show through. The sentiment is by MFP and the enclosure around it was drawn with a black marker. I was just trying to use up some of those small scraps and I think I'll be making more of these again soon.
Have a happy Friday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Happy Birthday Danny!

My good friend Danny is celebrating his birthday today and I thought it was the perfect time to post his card here since it was already mailed out. Danny is a firefighter who lives in MD and is a motorcycle enthusiast, so I thought this image would be perfect for his card. It's done in teal, silver and black, and I thought the diamond plate embossing would be a great touch for a guy's card. I always save those brown protective stamp papers that my SU! stamps come with, and for this card I used that brown paper as a mask over the image and sponged around it. I thought it gave a sort of spotlight effect. I distressed the edges, added some square silver brads, and the sentiment is a sticker. That's a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder working the black in the background.
Have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by today. And Danny, if you're lurking around, have a fabulous birthday!!

Carol

I'm Still Here!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been down for the count with kidney stones. It's a long story that began over a week ago with a visit to ER. I was misdiagnosed and sent home, but 2 days later I had to return to the ER, was admitted. and underwent surgery a day later to remove 2 stones. I'm doing better but still not feeling quite like myself. I'd like to erase this past week if I could! LOL
I threw a little card together today for the Speedy the Cat's Friend's challenge #21. This week it's a special challenge because they're hosting OWH and asking us to make a birthday card and mail it in for our troops. I send the majority of my cards to OWH anyway, so this was a way to add another birthday card to my next box. Operation Write Home is such a worthy cause and I feel good knowing I'm giving something back to those who serve our country. If you have any hand-made cards you don't know what to do with, please consider sending them to this dedicated organization. You can find all the information in the link above. Please remember, NO GLITTER! It's visible with night-vision goggles and could put a soldier in extreme danger.
My card uses Pacific Point and Gable Green card stock, along with a couple pieces of dp from my stash. I made faux brads with punched PP and Glossy Accents, and added some 3mm Hero Arts pearls on the scalloped punched border. Embossing was done with the square lattice ef from SU! and the bow was created with the Bow-Easy. The sentiment is from SU!'s sincere salutations.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed some nice weather. Today we enjoyed a touch of summer in the air, but it was so nice to have all the windows open with a gentle breeze blowing all day. The only snag is that the weather also brought out all those annoying stink bugs too! EWW!

Carol

STCF#20

I had time to do another challenge card today since it was a rainy dreary day. This card is for the MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #20 to use Autumn colors. All the textured papers are from a pad by the paper company that I've had forever. I just pulled out some of the autumn colors and started cutting away. I embossed the 3 vertical panels with a CB leafy branch ef, and the bottom orange panel with the SU square lattice ef. The image and sentiment are from a MFP set called Thankful Mums and Pumpkins that I won! (lucky me!) The pumpkins were stamped on wc paper, colored with tombows, and then clear embossed before cutting. The leaves and ferns were done with MS punches, and I added some veins to the leaves with a stencil embossing tool.
Autumn is my favorite time of the year and it's a welcome change after the HOT summer we had! Have a great week everyone!

Carol

OWH's Big Birthday Celebration

OWH is celebrating their birthday today (and all month long) with lots of challenges to play along with, free digis and prizes. I wish I had the time to play them all! This birthday card is the Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #33/34 found here. In addition to following the sketch, we were to use pink and make a birthday card. I used Blushing Bride cardstock and DP for this one, and stamped the stitched background with Blushing Bride ink. If you click the photo you'll probably see that background a little better. I embossed the DP with a Tim Holtz texture fades ef. The Inkadinkado image was colored with a blender pen. The balloons are from a Rubber Soul stamp set, cut out and popped up. Sentiment is by Hero Arts.
This card was done for another Stars and Stamps sketch challenge. Teresa Kline is featuring the OWH celebration on her blog Enjoy the Va Sunshine today. She's designed a sketch and challenged us to create a holiday card for a soldier to send home to a loved one. You can find that sketch right here on the Stars and Stamps blog. The circle image panel I used was too large for an A2 card, so I just cropped it on one side and went from there. I had a few pieces of these beautiful metallic royal blue and silver card stocks, so after cutting them with Nesties circle and scalloped circles, I embossed the blue panel with a Cuttlebug holiday embossing folder. I lightly sanded and scraped some of the house images with a stencil cutter to make them look like they're covered with snow. The bottom panel was embossed with a Cuttlebug snowflake ef. The sentiment is by SU and embossed with silver ep and layered with a punched circle of the silver metallic card stock. The tiny blue faux brads and snowflakes are punched card stock covered with glossy accents. The ribbon was from a bargain bin at Michaels I bought last year and never used.
Keep checking in with the S&S blog for lots of challenges and prizes for the rest of this month as they celebrate their birthday! And have yourself a wonderful Sunday!

Carol

Stampers10 card

I'm in a SU! stampers10 club and each month (along with my order) there are supplies to make a card along with directions. Everything is cut and embossed and I just have to stamp the sentiment and put it all together. I just love this card and everything about it, so I thought I'd share it with you. I wish I'd have thought of this great little design, but unfortunately it's not mine. The sentiment is from a MFP set.
Wishing you all a great Thursday! Cooler weather is here in PA today - woot!

Carol

Kitchen Sink Stamps Challenge #27

I made this card for KSS#27 where Connie challenged us to usher in fall with a fall inspired card. This card was one of the most difficult cards I ever put together! It started off with what I thought was a good idea - to stamp the Giant Sunflower image on a piece of BG Indian Summer dp. It didn't turn out quite like I planned, but it looked OK. I had to add more to make it pop, so I added stickles. BIG mistake! Then I hated it! LOL I ended up stamping the flower image on so saffron cardstock, embossing it with clear ep and then cutting it out and popping it up over the original disfigured sunflower. I stamped some leaves from the Autumn Squirrel set with various colors on a piece of the matching background DP by Karen Foster. I also clear embossed them, cut them out and popped them up. Now that the sunflower and leaves are embossed and so bright with color, the sunflower leaves seem faded and wilted. I decided to quit before this card ends up in the wastecan, so there's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL I'll try to make another on a different day:)
I hope you're having a great Wednesday! Toodles for now!

Carol

stamps - KSS Giant Sunflower, Autumn Squirrel
paper - Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, So Saffron, Karen Foster DP, BG Indian Summer,
inks - Versamark, SU! Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate, True Thyme, Poppy Parade, So Saffron; Memento - Potters Clay, Daffodil, New Sprout, Cottage Ivy, Pear Tart; Colorbox orange pigment ink
accessories - clear detail ep, copper cording, eyelet, SU! ribbon, glossy accents, tag cut with Cricut, dimensionals

2 Christmas Cards for OWH

I love these images Sandy created for OWH so much that I had to make 2 Christmas cards for my next box. I used a piece of Imaginisce DP and a scrap of cranberry metallic card stock to create the mats. Don't you just love that snowman"dog" with bones for buttons? TOO cute! Sentiment is from G studios and the bow was a gift from Jill (thanks Jill)
And here's another image of Ciara (the OWH mascot) with a more patriotic feel. I added a couple felt snowflakes and ribbon snippets to accent the blue in her scarf. Sentiment is by G Studios.
If you like these images, go snag 'em from the Stars and Stamps blog. They'll make some great cards to send to our military serving overseas........which is where these are going.
I apologize if these pictures look blurry to you............I guess my hands aren't too steady for pictures today :)

Carol

Sending my Love

I made this card for OWH in celebration of their birthday. Yolanda is offering this adorable digi image to help OWH celebrate, and it will make wonderful cards for our soldiers to send back home! This is the first of many I'll be making. I used some papers from Memory Box's Enchanted pack, and some elegant eggplant cardstock and ribbon. The little hearts were made with the SU! owl punch and the sentiment was computer generated and layered with SU! word window and fancy label punches. The image panel and layer were cut with the Nestabilities labels 4.
If you'd like to make cards for OWH using this digi, you can click on Yolanda's link above and download it too!
Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Carol

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #34

The stars and stamps blog is celebrating their birthday during the month of September with lots of challenges and surprises along the way. First up is this week's S&S sketch challenge #34, but there's a twist this week. It has to be a thank-you card and include the color yellow.
I used this awesome freebie digi image that Sandy (the heart and soul of OWH) created and shared with us. It's her dog and OWH's mascot Ciara! I just love this image and how much fun it was to color. I added the OWH stamp logo on the horizontal panel, because this will be a thank-you card going to any hero in my next box of cards I send to them. I made the faux brads with punched card stock, dotted with glossy accents. The yellow panel was embossed with the SU! square lattice ef. I used scraps of red and blue for the mats.
This is another free digi image that Sherry created in honor of OWH's birthday celebration. She is sharing this image with everyone and you can find it on her blog . I added some piercing around the edges and used some BG two scoops DP for the background. The sentiment is by Imaginisce, and I used the word window and fancy label punch to layer it. Quick, simple and so fun to color!
That will do it for me on this Sunday. Have a great evening and a wonderful week!

Carol

MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends #19

The challenge over at Speedy the Cat's Friends #19 this week is to use 5 of something on our cards. I chose an owl from MFP's Owl be here stamp set, stamping on wc paper with Versamark and embossing with brown ep. I colored the image with Tombows and a water brush. The DP's are all from BG's Indian Summer pack, and the cranberry panel was embossed with the SU! square lattice ef. I used 3 snippets of ribbon from my jar, along with a ticket punch and a marvy scalloped punch to create the sentiment. The 5 hearts were punched from the SU! owl punch.
I'm about to get settled in to watch the race tonight which starts shortly. I hope you're doing something fun this evening too!

Carol

Muscle Car Fun!!

I'm so fortunate to live near Pottstown, PA where they close off the main street (and side streets if needed) once a month during the summer for car enthusiasts to bring out their awesome machines! This was the last show of the year and they parked for six entire blocks on both sides of the main drag, and countless side streets to accommodate everyone who showed up! If I live to be 100, I'll always feel that thrill when someone fires up one of those cars and the ground just rumbles beneath my feet. That's the part of me that never wants to grow up! This is a view looking down just one block of High St. My best friend's cars are the 5th and 6th on the right, a white Chevelle, and a gold Camaro that's barely visible, but sitting just below the Chevelle. The fully restored Camaro's convertible top is down which makes it even more difficult to see. I got to ride over to the show in that Chevelle and I haven't had a ride like that in years, but I LOVED it!
This is a view of the motor in the car closest to the camera in the picture above. The car is an AMX, a rare find, but it was gorgeous with silver metalflake paint.
This car is chopped down so low that the roof comes just a little bit above my waist! I'd need a crane and forklift to get myself in and out of this one now! LOL It's just barely inches from the ground.
And this was one of my favorite finds.........and trust me, I only saw about a tenth of all the cars that were there! This magenta colored 65 Mustang was driven into the show by a pretty young girl. The color was incredible and it was shining like a mirror, but when I saw this windshield I knew she was my kinda girl!
Thanks for indulging me on my Saturday night out. If you like these old cars, I hope you enjoyed this, and if you live close enough, you've got to come to one of these shows next year. It's like stepping into yesteryear for a few wonderful hours! If you aren't interested in muscle cars, I'll be back to posting cards tomorrow :)
Have a wonderful holiday weekend! VROoooommmmm!!

Carol

Googlie Eyes

There's a challenge over on the OWH Stars&Stamps blog to make a card with googlie eyes. I couldn't resist going back to this fun design again. It's a great way to use all those strips of leftover cardstock that are too small for anything other than sentiments. I just tore pieces randomly, sponged with Ranger Antique Linen distress ink and layered them on around a pair of big googlies! The sentiment was done with my Quickutz. They don't get much easier than this!
Enjoy!!

Carol

QFTD25 Southern Delight

For this week's QFTD25 over on SCS, Phyllis (otherwise known as SparklePlenty1000) has been chosen to wear the crown. There's no way I can create an ornate card like she can, so I opted to case this whimsical card and play it safe. I flipped the sketch to accomodate this StampNDoodle digi image and layered it on Nesties Labels 10. The sentiment was computer generated and was intended as a pun since the low-cut dress clearly shows her um.......assets heading south! To further mock her, I embossed the black panel with the Tim Holtz brick wall embossing folder to indicate that she's already "hit the wall!" Ack!
I hope you got a smile or chuckle from this card, and I hope you're enjoying a fantastic holiday weekend!

Carol

Wedding Owls

I made this card when a friend requested a wedding card. This isn't my usual style for a wedding card, but my friend loved this owl card I made previously, so I used the SU! owl punch to create this one for her. She LOVED it!! I stamped the sentiment with CTMH grey wool ink and used scraps for the birds, creating a top hat for him, and a veil with pearls for her. You can't see it in the photo, but I added some dazzling diamonds to her dress and shoes, while I added glossy accents to his shoes for that super spiffy shine! The embossed background was done with a SU! ef, and this was done with PTI white and vintage cream cardstock. I punched the wings from the SU! bird punch and added them to the owls so they could be holding wings (cough!) I added glossy accents to the eyes and cut a little necktie for him, and cut little beaks for both of them. These owls are pure fun!
Catch you later!

Carol

Another Christmas Card

I made another Christmas card with this adorable little Sweet and Sassy Stamp set. I stamped the image on wc paper and colored it with Tombows. I added some glistening snow writer details to the smaller snowflakes and marshmallows, but it didn't show up well on the photo. I used scraps of blue for this and embossed the panel with a CB ef. Ribbon is from my stash. Quick and easy, just the way I like it!
Have a super Friday everyone, and best wishes for a wonderful Labor Day weekend to those who'll be celebrating!

Carol

OWH Midweek Throwdown Halloween Challenge

My card is for the Stars and Stamps Midweek Throwdown Halloween Challenge found here. The challenge is simple - make a Halloween card. I was able to use scraps for this one, and the DP's are by SU! I used the Twick or Tweet stamp set by SU! for the chick, ghosts and sentiment. I added faux stitching with a marker around the chick and used tag punches to layer it. I colored the ghosts with souffle pens in green, white and purple. The cat on the fence is a MPF image, embossed and cut out and popped up on foam. The plum pudding ribbon is by PTI and the polka dot ribbon was a snippet from my jar of leftovers.
That's it for me today! Make it a good one whatever you do!

Carol

CTD#108

Here are the colors for the CTD#108. They look so earthy and calm, so of course I had to play along.
I started with a Kraft base, and added Chocolate Chip and So Saffron cardstock. The tiny dragonfly images are by CTMH and were stamped with Chocolate Chip ink, while the wings were embellished with a yellow souffle pen to brighten them up a bit. The ribbons and DP are from SU!, while the sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers, stamped in Chocolate Chip. The border was done with the MS arch lattice punch, and the "faux" brads are punches of Chocolate Chip cardstock covered with Glossy Accents. All of the Kraft card stock was sponged with Ranger's Antique Linen ink.
I was over at Michaels this morning with a friend and they're having crazy sales all throughout the store! Everything seems to be 40% off, so you don't need a coupon this week!! I came home with a fine black marker and a beading box to put my sponges in that cost a whole $1.99!! I'm taking a bow for showing so much restraint!! LOL
Oh BOY did it get hot in PA today! It's sweltering out there at around 98 degrees with barely a breeze! I'm staying indoors for the rest of the day and chilling!!
Make it a great day and thanks for popping in to say "hey!" :D

Carol