Happy Thanksgiving with Gold at Cute Card Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving! (For those that celebrate the Holiday) I will be busy today visiting with my family and having dinner. I look forward to seeing my boys as it’s been a few months without seeing them! So it will be fun!

Today starts up a brand new challenge over at Cute Card Thursday and the theme for this week is “GOLD!” Really fun and versatile metallic to use in your creations, so I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for this!

In conjunction with the Thanksgiving Holiday today, I thought my creation for this week’s challenge needed to reflect that:

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Since the main goal of the challenge is using gold, I kept the main focus on doing that, plus there are a couple of challenges going on that helped me figure out how to put it all together. (see bottom of post for challenges.)

I have pulled out a recent Brutus Monroe card kit I got called Plaid Tidings and used the stamp sets in the kit along with the plaid foilable toner sheet for the strip in the background. (Since I’m getting these inspiration boxes for a year…I hope to pull it out every month to make creations using them!)

I started out with an A2 sized top folding white card base and used a Darice embossing folder to emboss the leaves over the kraft background panel. I took the toner printed plaid sheet from the card kit and foiled over it with some Brutus Monroe Gold Static Foil Transfer sheets and layered it over a piece of Bazzil Gold Mirror Cardstock and another piece of white cardstock. I attached this to the embossed background.

For the background panel and the cut out leaves, I’ve used the “Kissing Technique” to add the plaid image over the leaves included in the card kit. I sponged around this panel along with the leaves with some kraft colored ink and attached the white panel to another piece of the gold mirror cardstock. I’ve added some gold ribbon around it and used some foam tape to pop it up a bit.

Here’s a closer view at some of the details in my card design. (You can better see the foiling done over the plaid with that Gold Static foil!)

For the sentiment, I heat embossed it over white cardstock with some Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder. This sentiment is from the same stamp set in the card kit. I die cut it out with a circle die and sponged some more kraft colored ink around this and then attached it to another circle layer of the gold mirror cardstock.

I attached this over the square leaves and ribbon panel and added a gold ribbon bow at the top of it. To finish it off I added some gold sequins filled with Ranger Gold Stickles.

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Hope you’ve enjoyed my GOLD Thanksgiving card today! Be sure to stop by the Cute Card Thursday Challenge Blog and play along with us this week! Looking forward to seeing all of that pretty gold in the gallery! 🙂

Have a beautiful day! I’m thankful today for my wonderful family and lovely crafty friends that I have right here! I appreciate you being here with me!

Challenges:

Try Stamping On Tuesday – TSOT436 sketch
Daring Cardmakers – Natural, Gold and White
Shopping Our Stash – SOS409 So Thankful
Stamp, Ink, Paper– SIP206 Thankful
Crafter’s Castle – Anything goes November
Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP1947 Anything Goes

It’s Winter at Cute Card Thursday!

Hello friends! Brr! Can you feel it? I sure can where I live! Although winter is not quite here yet, it will be around very soon! ‘Tis the Season to make wintry type creations and that is the theme this week over at the Cute Card Thursday Challenge Blog…so hop on over and join us! We look forward to seeing your creations!

Here’s what I’ve created for the challenge:

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This week we are being sponsored by Di’ Digi Stamps and I have actually used the freebie stamp designed by this company that is available at Kit and Clowder. (Click on the link to go directly to the post to grab it on the Facebook Group!) The digital stamp is called “Winter Night“.

This is my first try at creating a “northern lights” background and I thought it was was fairly simple to do. I thought this sweet image was perfect for it! I’ve used some dies from My Favorite Things for the glittery scallop frame as well as the sentiment and the iceberg dies in the background.

After coloring up the image, I fussy cut it out for the top layer of the design. It was that simple because that glittery star was left in place while I created the background, so I’ve printed it out twice and placed the fussy cut image over top. For the “water” I took a fine line marker and made my own markings around the piece of ice the critters are on.

I also sponged around the edges of the “water” die cut panel and also white heat embossed the sentiment in the corner and added some more ink over top of that to pop it out a bit more.

Here’s a closer view of the colored up image with Copics. You can see where I’ve taken a glitter brush pen over the piece of ice they’re on. On the star above them as well as the little critter’s hat trim, I used a glue pen and added some glitter over top. I kept the colors more wintry than Christmas for this design.

For the “stars” or “snow fall”…however you want to look at, I’ve taken some watered down white paint and splattered it with a fan brush.

Sometimes when you have an idea in your head, you feel like it will come together fairly simply and quickly, but for some reason, this one kept me occupied for way too long! I had to reprint several times and had a couple of attempts at trying to line up everything correctly too! It just seems way faster in your head sometimes! LOL!

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This was also my first time using one of these images too! They’re really adorable and I enjoyed coloring this one up for my aurora borealis sky!

I hope you’ve enjoyed it too and you will stop on over at the Cute Card Thursday blog and come join the challenge with this week!

Thanks so much for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Starry, Starry Night
Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP1946 Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes

It’s Christmas at Cute Card Thursday!

Well here we are friends! Happy Halloween!!! I hope whatever your plans are that you have a safe and wonderful evening! I also hope the little trick-or-treaters don’t get too cold this year with the snow over my way!

Well, although it’s Halloween today, we are having a “Christmas” theme going on this week at the Cute Card Thursday Challenges! So if you’re all packed up from making Halloween, then this would be a great time to start working on your Christmas makes for the year! We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Here’s the card I made for the challenge:

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Isn’t this image just beautiful?! I was so happy to pull out this stamp… finally and color it up for a Christmas card! This was my purchase during STAMPtember from Paper Rose. I had never heard of this company before that time, so this was the stamp set/die combo I picked to get as I fell in love with it.

I stamped the large image over a piece of Copic Blending Card and then stamped the sentiment from the set right underneath it. Colored with Copics and then trimmed it down to fit over my card front. I layered this panel onto a pice of brushed gold cardstock and then a piece of red.

For the card base, I took the two pine sprigs from the stamp set and randomly stamped them over a kraft colored A2 sized top folding card base. I used the same ink color to stamp them with and then used that color to sponge around my image panel before attaching all the layers together.

Here’s a closer view of the coloring I’ve done over the image. Although the brushed gold cardstock is a bit muted, you can see the slight shimmer in it.

I’ve taken a Copic marker and done some random “dots” all around the flowers. I’ve also used a gold gel pen to color the center of the flowers as well as add some more “dots” around the poinsettias.

For the “berries” within the branches, I’ve added some Nuvo Morning Dew Drops which dries clear over them. This would be the only dimension on my card which makes it nice and flat for mailing.

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I’m actually really happy to add another Christmas card onto my pile for this year and I have many places to send cards to, so I know I will be making more!

Please be sure to hop on over to the Cute Card Thursday blog and have a look at what the rest of the team has come up for this challenge and enter your project there too! Hope you can join in the festive fun with us this week!

Thanks so much for joining me here today and I’ll be seeing you again soon!

Challenges:

Allsorts – Make Your Own Background Paper (stamped on card base)
Pammies Inky Pinkies – Anything Goes PIP1943
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge – Anything Christmas Goes
Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
Fab ‘N’ Funky – Christmas

Sparkles for Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! Today starts a new challenge for Cute Card Thursday! The theme for this week’s challenge is “Sparkles“. Usually when I think of sparkles, I usually think of Christmas or snow, but this time I went in a different direction for a reason…

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Unfortunately, I needed a sympathy type of card this last weekened and it seems that I’m always making one as I need them instead of making several up at one time so that they’re ready and on hand when the time comes.

This is an older stamp set from Stampin’ Up! that I got a few years back during their Sale-a-bration time and it was a free set called “Heartfelt Blooms“. I actually really love the floral image and how detailed the image is so that you don’t have to color it if you don’t want to. It has been my “go-to” lately when I need something quickly.

I made it monochromatic green with the Old Olive color and Vanillia cardstock. The “sparkle” is that beautiful glitter paper behind the strip and sentiment. The sentiment was cut from oval dies and popped up with foam tape.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my simple card with sparkles today and please be sure to join us this week with your sparkly creations over a Cute Card Thursday! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Thanks for dropping in and I’ll see you soon my friends!

Challenges:

Use Your Stuff – Tic-Tac-Toe (I used bottom row across)
Creative Moments – Anything Goes with optional: For the girls
Through the Craftroom Door – Anything Goes

Spots and Dots for Cute Card Thursday

Hello friends! Hope you’re having a great week so far. The month of October is flying right through and I know once Halloween gets here, it will be the end of the year before we know it!

Today starts a new challenge over at Cute Card Thursday this week! We are looking for “Spots and Dots” on your creations this time! We look forward to seeing your take on this one!

For my card, I decided to keep it rather simple as I needed a card for my brother’s birthday this past weekend, so I didn’t want to add too much to it:

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This card is using items from the Simon Says Stamp Sweet Birthday Limited Edition card kit which has since been sold out, but I know that you can still purchase a few of the items that were included in the kit.

I started out by taking the SSS Celebrate stencil from the kit and spread on some Deco Foil Transfer Gel over a white piece of cardstock from the kit and let it completely dry before moving on. After it was dry, I took the Rainbow Shattered Glass transfer foil sheet and put it through my laminator. It looks so pretty and shinny with a wow factor to it! I cut this piece down and layered it over a black scallop square die cut panel. I then layered these pieces over the green colored Tim Holtz Metallic paper from the kit.

For the square card, I used a black top folding 4.25″ black card base and then layered another piece of that green metallic paper over it. I took a ‘dotted’ piece of paper from the Honey Bee Over the Rainbow papers (included in the kit) and layered it over top of the metallic green. Then I added my foiled balloons panel over this.

Lastly, I took the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Sweet Birthday stamp set and white heat embossed it over a piece of black cardstock that I trimmed down to a banner and popped up over the card with some foam tape.

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I really didn’t want to add too much more to it as it was for a male and I think with all of that foil and shine, it really didn’t need much else! I think it’s fun, simple and really cheery looking especially with that foiling done.

I was able to pop this in his door before we left for the weekend and he let me know that it brightened up his day, so that was great to hear!

I know that I’m getting this fun kit out again very soon as I am in need of another birthday card to send to someone that needs a good birthday cheer and I’m happy to do it! Besides, this kit looks to be so much to play with for sure! 🙂

Be sure to join us over the Cute Card Thursday Challenge this week! Thanks so much for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

**Please scroll down if you care to see some personal photos of our recent trips!**

Challenges:

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP1941 Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers – Sparkle
Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes
Watercooler Wednesday – WWC243 Masculine Anything Goes

**Below are some photos and details of our recent trips if you’re interested!**

Now I wanted to be sure to share some photos with you as promised from hubby and my last two weekends out and about with our shenanigans! LOL

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The first weekend in October we visited Hannibal, MO and visited the Mark Twain museum and even went for a tour in the Mark Twain Cave! It was very interesting! You couldn’t be claustraphobic as there were a few tight areas in there! I didn’t get any photos of the cave, but it’s so amazing in person!

This photo above shows us after we came back down from seeing the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse. As you can see there are several steps to get up there, but what you don’t see is how many steps we took just to get to the point of where we are in the photo too! Whew!

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My husband finally decided to take me on that cruise…along the Mississippi River that is! LOL! They had a Mark Twain Riverboat tour that we took and it was a fun boat to check out along the river while listening to the stories from the captain.

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So while listening to the stories from the Captain on the riverboat cruise, we heard about the story of “Lover’s Leap” and so we decided to investigate it before we left. In the background you can see a view of the Mississippi River. It was pretty up there and a long way down!

So we came back home for some “downtime” and to unwind before going out this last weekend for another trip near the Starved Rock Park area:

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We decided to get going in the morning but it had really cooled down over night and we knew starting out we would need our heavy coats.

And all I can say is that the photos do not do justice to what it was actually like over here. It is absolutely gorgeous! The photo above is our “lowest level starting point” during our ‘hike’ and that is the Illinois River behind us.

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We came through the Visitor’s Center and briefly went through the small museum and started going through some of the trails. They seemed to wind all over the place with many different areas to go to!

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The main trail going straight was a slow incline and then several stairs to go upwards to where the top of Starved Rock was. Here we are at the top along with tons of other people. That is the Illinois River behind us again. This was later in the day as you see the sun shining on us and getting warmer.

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And here we are with this gorgeous feature behind us among the trees where shelves of rock walls lay and water running down. It had warmed up enough for me to take my heavy coat off while walking around. I think we look more serious as we were trying to capture the pretty view behind us. LOL! Nothing like seeing it in person of course! (I just wish I was able to do more than what we did, but was still excited about what we did accomplish!)

We wanted to get up the next day and try to walk around a small town festival going on along with catching a tour to the Reddick Mansion later that day before we left, but we weren’t able to get there and had to get back home. (I will try again another day.)

This was fun to just get out and enjoy nature especially this time of the year. I look forward to many more fun little trips in the future…especially with the love of my life!

Thanks so much for stopping in and sharing a bit of myself with you! Wishing you a beautiful day friends!

It’s Halloween at Cute Card Thurday!

Hello friends! Has the weather been cooling down for you yet? We are supposed to get much cooler than normal over my way this weekend! Night time low around 36 degrees is a bit too chilly this time of year! I need Fall to last! 🙂

Today starts up a new challenge this week for Cute Card Thursday! The theme for this one is “Halloween“!! So if you still have some more Halloween cards or treat projects, etc that you need to make, please share it with us! We look forward to seeing what you make!

For my card, I thought it would be fun to use another Whimsy Stamps October digital stamp with a Halloween theme:

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This cute little witch is called Witch Cinnamon and I’ve used her in a little different way from the original version for my card.

First thing I did was take some black cardstock and used an embossing folder for the trees in the background. I took a white ink pad over it so the embossing stands out a bit better over it. I layered this onto a piece of purple cardstock and then added it over an A2 sized top folding black card base.

I took a circle die and cut it out with some yellow glitter cardstock which I then popped up with some black craft foam that I also cut out with a circle die. I took the bat die and also die cut some bats from black glitter card stock and attached them over the design along with the witch image that is “flying” in front of the moon. I black heat embossed (sparkly black EP) the sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp Frightful Fun set over purple card stock that I cut into a banner over the design. I then added a thin strip of green glitter card stock at the bottom of the card.

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For this photo, I tried shutting the lights off so that you can see the “green dots” in the sky that glow in the dark! These are Nuvo Glow Drops Neon – Apple Sour that I added for the dots in the sky area. I’ve also taken a Stampin’ Up! punch from my stash and added some purple colored stars around the area too. If you compare this photo to the one above, you can see that with the light on, the drops are a bit more translucsent. When the lights are dimmed, you can see the glow-in-the-dark effect!

I’ve zoomed in on how I’ve colored up this cutie for my card. She’s colored with Copic markers and colored pencils. If you take a look at the original image, you can see that I have decided to fussy cut out just the witch as I wanted her flying in front of a full bright glittery moon! She still looks pretty cool if you were to cut her out entirely with a circle die too! 🙂

I’ve used a colored pencil to create a nice little “moon glow” on one side of her and in some areas along the top of her where I thought the moon would be glowing some light on her.

I’ve also used a white gel pen for her checks and for highlighting on her stockings. I also used a silver gel pen to color in the buckle on her hat. Hard to see in the photo, but behind her broom, I took a glitter pen to add a bit of shimmer where she was flying.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today and been inspired to create some Halloween projects soon! Please be sure to share it with us over on the Cute Card Thursday blog for your chance to win a prize from our sponsor (All Dressed Up)! Best of luck!

Don’t forget to continue to check out the Whimsy Stamps blog this entire month for the annual “31 Nights of Halloween“! Click on the badge below for details!!

Here’s the Whimsy Stamps products used on my card today with affiliate links:

Challenges this card was entered for:

Aud Sentiments – Halloween/Fall + sentiment
Brown Sugar – October Anything Goes
QKR Stampede – #366 Anything Goes
Daisy Chain – Pink or Halloween
Simply create Too – Anything Goes with optional: Spooky/Scary
Fab ‘n’ Funky – Halloween
Little Red Wagon – Cut it Out!

Cute Card Thursday is Sentimental

Hello friends! Hope you’re having a great week so far!

Today starts a brand new challenge over at Cute Card Thursday and the theme for this week is “Sentimental“. We look forward to seeing your interpretation with your creations for this challenge! Our sponsor is Crafty Doodle Chick, so be sure to play along for your chance to win!

Here’s how I’ve interpretated the challenge this week:

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I really love sentiment stamps and sometimes they just seem to get used when you need to add a sentiment with your design. I actually like to use them as not only the focal point of a design, but I like to also use them for backgrounds!

For my card today, I have used an older Simon Says Stamp card kit. (Nov 2016) I really loved the font and the wording in this set and the different sizes that you can mix together. The images are from the SSS Thankful Heart stamp set.

I started by stamping two of the images from the set with white ink over the A2 sized top folding card base and then added some papers from the card kit on the bottom portion. I took a piece of white twine around the center of the card and added a button and bow.

The heart was die cut from a piece of cardstock from the kit with a stitched heart die and then I white heat embossed the sentiment and added some craft foam behind it before attaching it to the card. I’ve also added a couple of hearts that were cut from white cardstock.

Very simple card, but a good one to have on hand for someone! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and please be sure to join along with us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping in and I’ll see you soon!

Challenges: