Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from all of us!  

Emma and her mom are having way too much fun with Snapchat!

And I had fun with Cas(e) this Sketch's retro sketch!

Stamp Set:  Hero Arts Witches Feet

Stamp Review Crew: Pick A Pumpkin

The Stamp Review Crew is featuring Pick A Pumpkin this week! It's a versatile set that can be used for fall or Halloween cards.  Since Halloween festivities have already started here I went with a Halloween theme. Earlier today we headed to Gram's assisted living facility with Miss Emma and some of her friends to hand out treats.  Thanks to my daughter's team of thirty-one consultants and their generous customers we filled 81 little totes with mini pumpkins and candy.  The residents loved seeing the kids in their costumes and were delighted to receive their treats!

Before.............

   

After.............

The rest of the crew......

If you missed seeing Mike Funke's wonderful style head back there....

Otherwise head onward to see Sue Plote's wonderful work!

I used the wonderful sketch at Global Design Project as a guide for my card's layout.

                                                 



I am also playing along with my friends at the Paper Players and their fun tic-tac-toe challenge!  (gold, die cut, fall)

                                               

Stamp Sets:  Pick a Pumpkin Tiny Tags (retired)
Paper:  Whisper White, Gold Foil, Calypso Coral, Tranquil Tide, Delightful Daisy DSP
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Tranquil Tide, Black

Fusion: Autumn Leaves

Inspiration abounds this week at Fusion ...... and in my neighborhood!  We took the pups to the lake for a good run but they decided a good roll in the mud was way more fun!

I loved the sketch and I loved the photo so I had to do a total Fusion this week!  Hope you play along!

Stamp Sets: Colorful Seasons (SU), Hugs (Avery Elle)

Ink: Black, Distress

Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White

Thanks for That Thing......FMS310

This sentiment makes me smile. I may send a few of these out to friends just to make them wonder what it was they did~!

Play with layers this week at Freshly Made Sketches when you create using this terrific sketch from our talented Colorado friend Kim Singdahlsen!

Stamp Sets:  All Things Thanks, Count My Blessings
Paper: Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Painted Autumn DSP
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Black

Let Your Light Shine! FMS309

'Tis the season for Harvest Moons, Black Cats.........and Kitty Cat umbrellas......

It is always fun to host a Freshly Made Sketch challenge! Let your light shine and join in the gallery this week! Our Design Team has posted some gorgeous cards to inspire you! I would love to see what you do with my sketch!  I'll be dropping by!

                                                     

Stamp Sets: Hero Arts August 2017 Kit (sentiment)
Die Cut: Hero Arts July 2016 Kit (moon)
Punch:  SU Cat
Paper: Spooky Night DSP, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Distress (sponged on moon), Versamark (embossed white)
Accessories:  Enamel Dots, White Twine

Sharing the Joy

Once I saw this new holiday DSP I knew I had to drag that whiskery nutcracker out of retirement ! He is such a fun guy!  

And speaking of fun guys and whiskers......these two furry critters graduated from obedience school this week.  Not too sure about how obedient they really are in general but they sure are adorable!

My daughter's pups:  Cooper and Bentley.....usually called Coop and Benny!

I used the sketch at Cas(e) this Sketch this week along with the Tic Tac Toe challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.  (die cut, vellum, emboss)

Stamps:  Santa Stache, Ready for Christmas
Ink: Black, Stampin' Blends, Copics, Versamark
Paper:  Whisper White, Gold Foil, Christmas Around the World DSP, Vellum

Hooray! #GDP108

Global Design Project is featuring a Case the Designer Challenge this week - and that designer just happens to be my friend Brian King!  Brian has a wonderful way with colors and likes to layer his cards - very neatly!  So I used his sketch, tried to keep my layers straight and used some bright colors.  Lemon Lime Twist is my new favorite for sure!  

Brian also has a knack for assembling amazing people to do presentations at World Cardmaking Day.  For the past five years we have had so much fun.....learning and sharing.  Here are this year's presenters:

Row 1:  Julie DiMatteo, Debbie Crowley, Pam Morris

Row 2:  Brian King, Jennifer Hill, Donna Griffith

Thanks to these talented people I learned about dehydrated marshmallows, turning mitten shapes into penguins and that presentations go awry when your face is reflected on the punch and then projected on the big screen........yes we had way too much fun!

Stamp Sets: Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Balloon Celebration
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Black
Paper: Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Crumb Cake

Fusion: Striped Wreath

You know those articles about planning your wardrobe for the week on Sunday nights so you are less rushed in the morning?  That never worked for me......how could I possibly know what I would feel like wearing so many days ahead of time? (Yes packing for a vacation is very hard for me!)  And the same principle applies to my card making.....I cannot do cards waaaay ahead of time even when I know what the challenge is because I don't know what sort of mood I will be in that week.  I know crazy but true.........I gave up fighting my personality quirks long ago!  Because of my Atlanta trip I had just a small window of time to complete my Fusion card this week. Gram and Emma and life in general fill my days quickly.  I was hurrying to finish this card in time yesterday.  I added the little sprinkly xxx above the pumpkin and then I thought "Hmmm it looks blank underneath so I will add a few more."

Well of course it looked blank because that's where the sentiment "Hang in There!" was supposed to go.  That finally dawned on me while editing the photo and there was no time left for a redo.  Sigh.......so for a minute I worried about my brain cells and then I thought - "Hey that's what the inside of the card is for!"

I played around with colors and shapes to do a total Fusion card today - inspired by the sketch and the photo!  Hope you join us!


                                        

The colors I used worked perfectly for the Stamp Ink Paper challenge!

Everything Merry.......FMS308

Everything was merry this past weekend in Atlanta as I spent it with stamping friends celebrating World Cardmaking Day.  Brian King and Pam Morris always put together a great day filled with stamping, inspiration and fun. Lunches and dinners were delightful as I got to chat in person with online friends!  And then there was tropical storm Nate that chased me all the way home causing the pilot to say "We expect some chop on our flight to NY today!"  Not my favorite phrase for sure!

But we arrived just fine and the Big Guy picked me up at the airport.  He was glad to see me since he needed help draining the water lines at the Little League fields for the winter.  My job consisted of yelling clear when just air came out of the hose instead of water.....and then I'd have to do it again at another line while he manned the water pumps.  He knows better than to ask me to do anything too mechanical........

Rita - my coloring expert friend from Texas -  has a great sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!   I made the background of my card using a technique from the latest Online Card Class.  I sponged Distress Oxide Inks on watercolor paper, used an aquapainter to create a bokeh effect with circles of water and then embossed white snowflakes on top.

Stamp Sets:  Colorful Seasons, Flurry of Wishes, Snowflake Sentiments, Ready for Christmas
Ink:  Versamark (embossed silver and white), Distress Oxide
Paper: Whisper  White, Vellum, Watercolor

Rewind.......FMS307

Yes you have seen this card before!  Freshly Made Sketches ran into some technical difficulties this past week with the gallery.  For whatever reason Mr. Linky exited the building and took our gallery with him! Thanks to Jen Mitchell we have a new gallery up and running. So we are doing a rewind and extending this sketch for another week.  Hope you will relink your card or create a new one!

I always was a fan of that movie Groundhog Day.........



                                 


In the meantime I will be taking a blogging break this week.  I am headed to stamping gathering in Atlanta hosted by my friends Brian King and Pam Morris.  Always fun to celebrate World Cardmaking Day with them!  See you next Wednesday with a new Freshly Made Sketch!

Stamp Review Crew: Beautiful You

The Stamp Review Crew is featuring Beautiful You this week.  I paired this stylish lady with the "paparazzi" sheet from Pick A Pattern DSP.  Everyone should feel like a star on their birthday.  It was easy to feel glamorous on such a day when I was growing up.  My dad would take pictures with a camera and REAL flashbulbs that popped!  There was sometimes swearing involved when he tried to change bulbs quickly for another shot since the used flashbulb would be so hot.  It was so long ago that I don't remember the gifts but the camera antics are forever a memory!  

Glad you are hopping with us today! If you missed my talented friend Mickey Roberts' wonderful work head on back there......

...........otherwise keep going to see what treats Kelly Kent has in store!

Stamp Set:  Beautiful You
Paper:  Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pick A Pattern DSP
Ink: Black, Sahara Sand, Flirty Flamingo