Love you

Of course I love you guys, but I was thinking of my husband for this card! The colours for this weeks Curtain Call challenge are right up my street and this card came together so easily. My husband likes simple straightforward cards and I think today's card has that but it still has a bit of interest to keep me happy. So here's my card:

And here's the colours it was based on:

On a totally different point, the garden this morning was amazing. We had our first really misty autumn morning and the garden looked as if it was dressed for Halloween. The dew was highlighting all the fabulously intricate spiders webs. It's not until you see them like this that you realise quite how many spiders there are out there. My son who isn't keen on spiders was quite freaked out!

Again, on another note, I have some exciting news that I'm hoping to share tomorrow so please call back then.

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees
Inks - Versafine onyx black
Card - PTI vintage cream, kraft, true black
Papers - My Mind's Eye quite contrary, lush, Crate Paper brook collection
Mother of pearl buttons
Coates linen thread

Debby

Phew

Phew, what a busy couple of days. No reason in particular, just life getting in the way a bit! Well one of the things on my to do list was to get a birthday card sorted for my friend's daughter. During a recent wander around blogland I saw a beautiful card by Jennifer Holmes that blew me away. I loved the cute glittered dots on her trees and used that inspiration to put together this card for the latest Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. Here's the sketch.

I turned the sketch to allow a good shape for my tree and then kept it all bright, fun and simple.

I'd better get back to that loooong to do list and try and tick a few things off before the children get home.

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees, PTI through the trees
Inks -PTI aqua mist, raspberry fizz, Versafine vintage sepia
Paper - Cosmo Cricket delovely
Letter stickers - Cosmo Cricket
Spellbinders labels 4 die
Cuttlebug swiss embossing folder
Papermill ribbon

Debby

A bit of bling

I love the colours in the latest Embellish Magazine challenge and I'd had the idea of yellow trees in my mind for a little while so putting the two together and I came up with this card.

I used a tree stamp from the teeny trees set to use as a template for my trees. Then messy stitched them down. The challenge was also to use background stamping. I used the polka dots stamped in grey to ground the organza ribbon and the BIG bit of bling! Talking of which, this card also fits with the Crazy 4 Challenges to use bling and I'm hoping it also fits with Caardvarks clean & simple challenge.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI polka dots basic II, through the trees, WMS teeny trees, vintage labels 4
Inks - Versafine onyx black, smoky gray
Card - Bazzill
Paper - Crate Paper brooke collection
Organza ribbon and big bling from stash
Papermania adhesive stones

Debby

Hugs

I want to send a card to a friend. She is having awful heart wrenching problems with elderly parents and has been having a really terrible time. I was searching through my sentiment stamps as to what to put on the card. I didn't want to sympathise with her as it sounded too much like someone had died, thinking of you was close but again was not quite right then I came across the perfect stamp - hugs. If I wasn't so far away it's exactly what I would do - throw my arms around her and give her a big hug. There is nothing practical I can do to help her, life is dealing her a tough hand at the moment, but I'm hoping that a hug will brighten her day even if it is sent through the post.

I am really into cutting out my leaf stamps at the moment - it just seems to add that extra layer of dimension. The challenge over at Create is to make cards with leaves, so I stamped one of my favourite images in a lovely rich autumn spicy orange colour, snip, snipped away and then paired it with some October Afternoon papers.

I chose to use the layout of this fabulous card by Mariana Grigsby as part of the latest Case Study Challenge. Everything just fell in to place as I shuffled my leaves and papers around.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI turning a new leaf, WMS teeny trees
Ink - American Crafts apricot, SU! chocolate chip
Card - PTI dark chocolate, rustic cream
Paper - October Afternoon fly a kite
Ribbon - PTI simply chartreuse
Button - PTI aqua mist

Debby

Papertrey September blog hop challenge

Hopefully you are here for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. All the details can be found if you pop by Nichole's blog after 10am EST. The challenge was to "..show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them for the inspiration they have provided."

Well I thought of all the places I have found inspiration on the internet. As a huge PTI fan I was tempted to show what I have learnt from the very talented design team, but then I thought that other PTI fans visiting would already know and love the work of these people. I thought this hop was an opportunity to highlight someone outside of PTI. The person I picked is someone I have been following for quite some time and that is person is Julie Lacey. I love Julie's unique style of modern layers and clean and simple stamping with gorgeous bows and finishing touches. From Julie I hope I have learnt how to get the balance between adding interest with layers but still achieving a clean look. Without further ado, this is my take on Julie's look.

Here's some of the detail.

I based my card on this one of Julie's, swapping out the papers and stamps. Now I hope your day is fabulous as you continue along the blog hop.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI turning a new leaf, signature greetings
Card - PTI aqua mist, simply chartreuse
Ribbon - PTI simply chartreuse
PTI scallop die
PTI aqua mist button
Paper - Crate paper
Ink - Versafine onyx black
Embroidery floss
Spellbinders circles

Debby

Fabby!

If for no other reason I wanted to make this card so that I could have this blog post title! I am still loving my Waltzingmouse teeny trees set, so broke it out again after I was browsing through the Pottery Barn Teens site and saw lots of white combined with brown, turquoise and bright green. I know we don't have a PB in the UK but I can still look! Anyhow, here's my quick card.

I used the latest sketch from a SFYTT and just turned it 180 degrees.

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees, PTI take note
Ink - American Crafts leaf, SU! chocolate chip
Card - PTI simply chartreuse, SU! tempting turquoise
PTI cloud dies, scallop die

Debby

Dude!

Oh no, I need boy cards! Don't get me wrong, I love the boys in my life, but boys cards I find are that bit harder to make. No bows, ribbons and prettiness - nooooo! Anyhow, I thought I'd better get down to it and not put it off any longer. I was very much helped along the way by the new colours from the Play Date Cafe, PPC48. When I saw their picture I was struck by the bold colours, clean lines and industrial feel to the kitchen. Just the right thing for my boy cards. I used the latest Sweet Sunday Sketch, SSSC86, to get me started. Here's the inspiration photo and sketch

and here's my card.

To create interest amongst those clean lines, I scored the white cardstock strip and I embossed the silver panel with the swiss dots folder. I did sneak a button or three in there - that's still boyish isn't it?!

This card also fits with the latest Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge, FTTC85, to create a celebration card.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI signature greetings
Ink - American Crafts cricket
Card - Bazzill
Paper - SEI bridgeport, Bo Bunny back to basics
Spellbinders stars
Cuttlebug swiss embossing folder
Buttons

Debby

Curtain call colour challenge

There's another fabulous Curtain Call Colour Challenge over at Stacey's blog. Isn't this photo fabulous. Doesn't it just make you want to raid the fridge!

However, I must admit to struggling with rich razzleberry this week! First off let me show you my card.

Green and red always go well together and I loved how the summer sunrise colour popped off this combo, but I just wasn't sure about the rich razzleberry. However, as I've had the card perched on my desk I've grown to quite like it. Just shows you that to work out of your comfort zone is good for you!

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI teacher's apple, library card
Card - PTI vintage cream, simply chartreuse, pure poppy, summer sunrise
Ink - PTI pure poppy, simply chartreuse, Versafine vintage sepia
PTI book print impression plate
Spellbinders circles, scallops
Scallop scissors

Debby

It's hip to be square

Over at A Passion for Papertrey the girls are running a challenge to use squares. I totally went for it with the whole squares on top of squares thing. It had to be done!

I used a tonne of dimensionals on this, hopefully you can see more of the layers in this photo.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI take note
Ink - PTI simply chartreuse
Paper - PTI beautiful blooms
Card - PTI pure poppy, simply chartreuse
Flower die - PTI
Button - PTI fresh snow
Square punches - EKSuccess
Embroidery floss
Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder

Debby

Tuesday trigger and MTSC92

Isn't this photo gorgeous. The lumpy bumpy, oh so cosy, can't you just imagine cuddling up in front of the TV with a hot chocolate, fabulous blanket. Although blanket hardly seems the best description for such a work of art. And the way it is thrown over that distressed blue bench, just waiting to be picked up and snuggled in. Yummy. Guess I like this photo! Anyhow, the photo is the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab and while I was pondering the trigger I remembered a pad of Crate Paper which had fallen into my basket the other day! In the pad was a lovely hexagon paper I'd been meaning to try and when I looked the colours were a really good match for the photo. Don't you just love it when that happens. I used the fabulous sketch from Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge #92 and everything fell in to place.

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI out on a limb revised, round and round
Inks - SU! chocolate chip, PTI summer sunrise, American Crafts apricot, rouge
Paper - Crate Paper school spirit collection
Card - PTI vintage cream, terracotta tile
PTI scallop die
PTI aqua mist buttons

Debby

Case study

I'm cutting it fine, but I wanted to fit in a card for the latest Case Study challenge, #6. The challenge was to case some aspect of a lovely card by Mariana Grigsby. I chose to case the layout, so this is what I came up with;

I still had the supplies out that I used for this card the other day, so used those. (Note to self - tidy up more often!) I combined the Case Study challenge with the latest Paper Crafts September gallery challenge to use text in a project. I stamped the tree image and then created a mask for it before stamping and embossing text across it. I think it adds a subtle texture to the focal point while still letting the simplicity of the lovely tree image shine. Here's a bit more detail:

Here's Mariana's card:

Well I think that's it for now. Thanks for calling by

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees, PTI text style
Inks - PTI aqua mist, Versafine vintage sepia, Versamark
Paper - PTI everyday blessings
Card - PTI kraft, spring moss
Ribbon - PTI fresh snow twill
PTI scallop die
Button - PTI aqua mist
Spellbinders Labels 4
Clear and white embossing powder
Embroidery floss

Debby

Birthday birdhouse

I loved the picture of the little house in the latest Play Date Cafe challenge, #47. Although I was inspired by the colour combo, I just loved that wee house, so went with that and made a birdhouse for a friend's daughter's birthday. So far I've lined the nest with tissue paper strips and I intend to fill it with little goodies, makeup and jewelry.

I'm not sure if you can see very well in this photo, but I scored pieces of white card at regular intervals to give the effect of cladding. The template for the bird house can be found here.

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS vintage labels 4, PTI birthday bash sentiments
Card - PTI new leaf, SU! tempting turquoise
Paper - PTI bitty dots basic
Punch - SU! two step bird
Button - SU! designer buttons
Clip - SU!
Ribbon
Floss
Scallop scissors

Debby

Give thanks

My daughter is just about to start a project about the seasons so when I was looking at the latest Waltzingmouse sketch #15 I thought of a scene progressing from spring to winter using the same tree image.

For me, spring is certainly about the birds, especially as we live right next to a rookery - boy can those guys make some noise in nesting season! Then there is the heat of summer, the bounty and colour of autumn and the magic of winter. I am hoping you can see the Stickles glitter on the winter tree and the glossy accents on the autumn apple.

I am just loving the teeny tree set from WMS, there are so many images to chose from and I love the simple style, so be prepared for more tree projects!

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees, PTI beautiful blooms II
Ink - American Crafts cricket, leaf, PTI lemon tart, summer sunrise, terracotta tile, Versafine vintage sepia, satin red
Card - PTI kraft, terracotta tile, summer sunrise
diamond Stickles
Ranger glossy accents
PTI simply chartreuse button
SU! word window punch

Debby

Christmas greetings

I seem to be bobbing about from Christmas projects, to Halloween and back to Christmas! However, when I saw Belinda's lovely card I just had to have a go with my new Waltzingmouse teeny tree set.

Two more for my Christmas card stash! In fact I may make a few more of these as I really like them.

Supplies:

Stamps - WMS teeny trees, PTI polka dots basic II
Inks - American Crafts blush, PTI aqua mist, Versafine sepia
Paper - PTI pretty pastels, everyday blessings
Card - PTI kraft
Embossing powder
PTI scallop die
PTI buttons - spring button mix, aqua mist

Debby

Friends of Waltzingmouse blog waltz

Hopefully you are here for the Friends of Waltzingmouse blog waltz. So lets waltz along shall we? For those in the UK it's certainly the season with the start of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing!  I used Mercy's Tuesday sketch MTSC#91 and some My Mind's Eye Halloween papers I picked up last year. The Midnight Feast stamps from Waltzingmouse Stamps are lovely and they arrived in the post just in time for me to play along!

I also used the Midnight Feast stamps to make a tag for a treat bag. I'm thinking of making up a few of these for my kids and their friends. In total I need to make up many, many more bags for all the trick or treaters that visit on Halloween but I shall simplify those tags to make in bulk.

Have fun with the rest of the hop!

Supplies card:

Stamps - WMS midnight feast, vintage labels 4
Card - Bazzill, PTI rustic white
Paper - My Mind's Eye the spiders web
Inks - Versafine onyx black, toffee
Ribbon - PTI vintage cream, true black, SU! more mustard
Eyelet - SU!
Twine - SU!
Dies - Spellbinders circles large, circles small, labels 4, PTI scallop
Button

Supplies treat bag tag:

Stamps - WMS midnight feast
Card - SU! green galore, elegant eggplant, pumpkin pie
Inks - Versafine onyx black
Dies - Spellbinders labels 4, circles
Ribbon - PTI true black
Twine - SU!
Eyelet - SU!
Button

Debby

Getting started

Yes I am slowly getting started on the Christmas cards. I know it's only September, but when you have a lot to make it is easier to do a little often, as my mother would say. I used the jolly holly greetings challenge on Moxie Fab to give me the push I needed. Added in the delicious colours from colour throwdown #110 and away I went. I started off using the sketch from SFYTT 09.11.10, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't skew the strips of paper on the left! Still I think the final design does reflect the original sketch.

I often try embossing inks with clear powder straight after stamping and I'm pleased to say you can do this with the American Crafts inks. The embossing gives the stamping a lovely shine. In addition, I tried a new technique, that I'd read somewhere, about sprinkling glitter on to the hot embossing powder before heating again. The glittery touch is subtle but oh so pretty.

Supplies:

Stamps - Hero Arts antique brocade, PTI signature greetings
Card - Bazzill, PTI sweet blush, Craftwork Cards silver
Ink - American Crafts blush, Versafine onyx black
Clear embossing powder
Glitter
Dies - Spellbinders create a flake 1, ovals, PTI scallop die
Paper - PTI 2008 bitty dots basic

Debby

Birthday wishes book token

A little while ago I made a card for a Curtain Call Colour Challenge. Well today I made a gift card holder for a book token I am giving to a friend along with the card. Together they look like this.

I used lots of white layers, as I did for the card, but added a focal point using PTIs all booked up set.

Supplies:
Stamps - PTI beautiful blooms II, turning a new leaf, round & round, all booked up
Inks - PTI sweet blush, melon berry, pure poppy, American Crafts leaf
Card - PTI sweet blush
Cuttlebug embossing folder
PTI scallop die, mat stack 1 die, beautiful blooms II dies
Nesties circle die

Debby

Thank you

I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone over at Case Study Challenge Blog who were so kind as to pick my cute turtle card as one of their top three. Mariana's card was such a dream to case.

I would also like to thank the fab Color Throwdown team who have highlighted my cards for the last two weeks (this one here and the latest one here). The colours they chose are fabulous and very inspiring.

Thank you all.

Debby

Hello

I again used the design of Mariana Grigsby's card for Case Study Challenge #5 for my paper pieced card for the current Embellish Challenge.  Love the layout of that card and the colours this week are so yummy and fresh. This is just a fun card I thought my daughter could use to write to her cousin - I still like my kids to put pen to paper on occassion rather than the continuous texting they do. Unfortunately distance means we don't see as much of family as we'd like so I suppose any form of communication is better than none!.

Supplies:

Card - PTI vintage cream, dark chocolate, simply chartreuse, kraft, lemon tart, SU! blush blossom
Paper - PTI pretty pastels
Stamps - PTI fillable frames #1
Ribbon - PTI lemon tart
Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder
PTI moss rhinestones

Debby

All wrapped up

This is my second post for the day, so please scroll down.

In an effort to get us all organised, Moxie Fab are doing a new challenge called "all wrapped up". The aim being to get a jump start on your Christmas wrapping. I recently bought a spellbinders snowflake set and it didn't take me long to crack open the packaging and pull this tag together. I will enjoy parcelling up a special present with this later in the year.

Supplies:

Spellbinders dies - snowflake 1, labels 4, ovals
Card - SU! tempting turquoise, PTI dark chocolate
Stamps - Waltzing Mouse Stamps say it with style
Paper - PTI 2009 bitty dots basic
Ribbon - PTI hawaiian shores, dark chocolate, fresh snow
Papermania adhesive stones
Embroidery floss

Debby

Big birthday wishes

When I saw the sketch for There She Goes #72 I knew the image I wanted to use. I haven't had much chance to use this tree image from PTIs through the trees set, but I thought it would fit perfectly in the oval of the sketch. For the colours I used Curtain Call #47 although I replaced always artichoke as I'd ran out of this colour!

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI birthday bash sentiments, through the trees

Paper - PTI 2009 bitty dots basic

Card - PTI kraft
Spellbinders dies - ovals, circles

Inks - Versafine spanish moss, vintage sepia

Ribbon - PTI twill

PTI moss rhinestones

Debby