Halloween, Celebration and Christmas...A Trio of Cards for A bunch o'Challenges

Hello,

Popping in super quick to share a trio of cards before links close and I've forgotten to post!

So, in a rare instance of brevity from me, let's get going before I start rambling *grin*

First, for CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #242,

is this Halloween number, using SugarPea Designs Halloween icons.  So cute...you should see the Frankenstein! He'll be out later...

 For CAS(E) this Sketch Challenge #241 and 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #370~Black, White + One Other Colour

I've played with lovely new products from Uniko:  Background Builders: Seeing Stars and Simply Said Blocks.

NOTE: Thrilled and delighted to be selected as one of four recipients of the Golden Egg award over at 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #370. THANK YOU!

Finally, for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #307 and Merry Monday Challenge #258~Penguins

I've brought out new-to-me Mama Elephant Arctic Penguins. Adorable!  My ice floes, extending from outside the circle are my take on the solid strip from the sketch; yes...a stretch...

My Uniko card is heading to lovely Darnell's NBUS Challenge #12, as entry #2. Have you seen the gallery...nearly at 180 with still several days to go! WOW WOW WOW!

I'm off!  Hope you have a most wonderful weekend; I'm officiating bike races, hoping not to freeze or get rained upon *grin*

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

                                                             

Birthday Balloon...FUSION Card Challenge~Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Hello,

Welcome to FUSION Card Challenge~Sunshine on a Cloudy Day. The image is a fabulous positive reminder for those days when everything around us seems so negative. Design-wise, it's wonderfully inviting with all that open space, pop of colour, line drawings and big message. The sketch is mighty cool, too!

I had a play with my new Concord & 9th Happy Balloons stamps and dies that I had opportunity to purchase in person at a craft carnival held at Spruce Meadows, about a 50 minute drive from my place,  last Friday!  Such fun...not only shopping-wise (so much for my 'spending freeze') but opportunity to meet some of the gals who work in marketing crafting products in Alberta. One of the highlights: meeting Katia, from Studio Katia, in the flesh!  She is awesome!! Her products are awesome!  Anyway...

Photo-inspired this time: here's my sponged balloon, sporting its snazzy design, floating though the clouds bring birthday wishes. This set has fabulous patterns for the balloons; excited to give them all a play...or 10!

Please head over to see the marvelous cards designed by my wonderful design team:

Becca Cruger
Betty J
Carol Mayne
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Linda Callahan
Lyndal Higgins 
Michelle Leone

Michelle Lupton
Michelle Williams

Looking forward to seeing your inspired designs in the gallery!

Also sharing at:

CAS on Sunday Challenge #117~Use Dies

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

                                                             

Fruity Thank You and Just a Note...Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #261~Anything Goes

Hello,

Here we are, rapidly approaching the end of September and with it, our ever popular *Anything Goes* over at Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #261.

Yes, I know it's autumn and I 'should' be focusing on leaves/trees sporting their lovely fall colours but...nope! I'm not ready to let go of Summer yet...plus I have some NBUS - in the form of Simon Says Stamps Artsy Fruits -  to share *grin*. Definitely heading to sweet and witty Darnell's NBUS Challenge #12.

First, some tasty slices of watermelon...

followed by bits of apples...

Sentiments are from Concord & 9th.

I still have pears, lemons and oranges to ink up! On my 'soon' agenda!

Turning things over to you!

Looking forward to seeing your Anything Goes creations in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

HELLO...Inkspirational Challenge #144~Hello

HELLO!

Yes, I'm shouting because HELLO is our word prompt over at Inkspirational Challenges #144!  Seriously, how fun is that...and how many ways can 'hello' be used on a card? I'm guessing a bazillion kazillion!

Please welcome our fabulous Guest Designer, Shawna; her card is simply scrumptious!

Do drop in at my teammates' places and leave them some love:

Sandie

Shauna

Kylie

Marina

Nonni

My cards were ultra simple to make; Altenew's Cube Builder stencil did the background work and Winnie and Walter hello dies just sashayed onto the completed stage! I just scooted around some ink, shifted the stencil a couple of times and added layered sentiments. Easy-peasy!
.

As is usual, now it's your turn to play along! 

Looking forward to hearing some friendly 

HELLOs

in the gallery over the next two weeks!

Also sharing at:

Sovushka Slavia~2017 CAS-Marathon Stage III: Sentiments.

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

Fall Coffee Hop Trio...2017 Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hello,

Popping in quickly this cool, rainy evening with a trio of very CAS cards for the  2017 Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. 

Continuing my blue/teal and orange combination for my Fall palette. All images are Tim Holtz blueprints,with sentiments from Avocado Arts, STAMPlorations and Uniko

I  think my cards ring in at entry #1,198!  Talk about one impressive gallery...and there's still a few hours to go!

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

Fall Wreath Thanks and Gerbera Happy Birthday...Uniko Challenge #43~Autumn/Fall with Optional Twist Halloween

Hello,

Ahhh...the glorious colours, scents and sights of Fall are all around us. In my neighbourhood, autumn wreaths decorate doors, pumpkins sit on entry way stairs and the scent of apple and pumpkin spices waft from the bakeries and coffee shops I've strolled into, of late. I've pulled out my warm leggings and cozy sweaters in readiness for the crisp air and cool breezes.

Since fall is nearly everywhere, it's only fitting that we recognize it in Uniko Challenge #43~Autumn/Fall with Option Twist Halloween.  I'm thrilled to be joining for the first time as a member of the Uniko DT. Still pinching myself to be sure this is real!

Such a beautiful inspiration photo; I'd love to go for a stroll down that path to see where it leads, gathering maple and oak leaves as I wander... 

Joining us for this challenge is our  talented Guest Designer: Vijaylaxmi.  She, and the rest of my amazing team, have an array of lovely cards to inspire and delight. You can visit them here.

Being the 'nervous newcomer,' I have two cards to share (actually, I had four...but two didn't make the cut *grin*).

My first features Pure Florals: Gerbera Clear Stamp Set (stamped with ME pigment inks) and Designer Dies Pure Florals: Gerbera Collection.. The window frames Background Blocks Halftone Clear Stamp dots.  The sentiment is from Simply Said (a set that covers pretty much every occasion).

My second, though ultra cas, took a while to create, as I botched up the placement of my 'wreath' elements. I should have paid better attention in math when we learned about circles...all that pi, radius and diameter stuff obviously didn't sink in! Still, I persevered...

A small wreath (Flower Power #6) to add some fall zest to the bold thanks (All Occasions Sentiments #6).

I'm dedicating this card to all of you who have expressed well-wishes in my new venture here! Your support means the world to me! THANK YOU!

Whew...enough from me! Hopefully, I'll settle down now that this 'first impression' (which I hope is a positive one) is under my belt. 

Next: a warm invitation for you to join us in the gallery with your 

Fall/Autumn and/or Halloween creations.

You have plenty of time to play along!

The entry guidelines are simple and there are PRIZES, too! Do check details at Uniko Studio.

Also sharing at:

AAA Cards CAS Game #99~Autumn Colours

Addicted to CAS Challenge #120~Florals

Make My Monday Challenge #55~Autumn Colours

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

Magical Dragon Baby Cards...2017 Card Design Superstar Contest: Clean & Simple Genius, CASology Challenge #267~BIG

 Hello,

I had no plans to join in the MFT Card Design Superstar Contest, but my sister-in-law needs a baby card soooooo....I made her one. Actually, I made three, but that's beside the point *grin*

I'm entering the Clean and Simple Genius category with this little Magical Dragon. My card shows no 'genius' qualities at all, but it is about as simple and clean as you can get. Isn't that little gaffer a cutie-pie!  I've paired him - and the other two - with sentiments from the LLD Welcome Baby set.

MFT Products:

Magical Dragons Stamps

Magical Dragons Dies

LLD Welcome Baby Stamps

Since having a baby is a *big* deal and because the word *big* appears in the sentiment, baby dragon is also heading to CASology Challenge #267~BIG.

NOTE:  Thrilled to be Joyce's Honourable Mention choice over at CASology! THANK YOU!

The wee one and his puff of smoke were coloured with copics (need lessons in using these!), while the other two, below, were with prismacolour pencils.  I exercised artistic license in turning one of the bigger dragons into babies...couldn't resist those faces staring up at me...

(Apologies for photo quality, again! Just can't seem to get the light thing figured

out with any consistency. Grrr.)

That's it from me; need to get these into the MFT gallery before the link closes!

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

Just A Note Feathers...TIME OUT Challenge #92~Inspired by Words

Hello,

I'm back with a reminder post and card in my role as a guest designer for the current TIME OUT Challenge #92~Inspired By Words.  In case you haven't joined us yet (there's still time!) or need a refresher, the quote to spark our creativity is:

“Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers.”

Once again, I've focused on feathers, inking up a trio of pretties from STAMPlorations Vignette Trendy Feathers for the background, using my 'this year' fall palette of teal, purple and orange, with a whisper of gold embossing, as seen in the fourth, intricately detailed feather, which has a a solo performance on a smaller stage.

Vellum rarely appears on my cards (scares me!), but I gave it a go as a 'curtain' between the panels and a place for the embossed sentiment. Kinda worked...hmmm.  Still too tricky for me to make a habit of using it, though.

Once again, a from-the-heart THANK YOU to the TIME OUT team for this wonderful opportunity! To everyone stopping by to visit - thank you and please be sure to play along; this quote truly does have a plethora of possibilities!

Also sharing at:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge

Thank you for dropping by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!

Pumpkin Tower....Serendipity Stamps September Blog Hop (#2)

Hello,

Has Fall made its presence known in your part of the world? It certainly has here; the leaves are sporting lovely shades of amber and red, the winds are blowing and the rains are looming on the horizon. Actually, the first 'sign' of autumn's arrival for me: wearing my long-johns and winter coat at the two bike races we officiated at over the weekend.  Brrrr...

Welcome to the Serendipity Stamps September Blog Hop (#2), where my incredible DT and I are sharing a whole bunch of Serendipity Stamps sensations. To be in the running for a $20 gift certificate, just hop along the DT blogs (you should have come from incredibly talented, sweet Patti Kehl's blog) and leave a comment.  Here's the list.

Mary's Blog

Beth Chiu

Patti Kehl

Carol Mayne  

Miriam Napier

Julie Warner

Vickie Zimmer

Marybeth Lopez

Along with pumpkin spice everythings and cozy sweaters and fuzzy leggings, Fall also brings about a couple of my favourite occasions, with the first being Halloween (second being Thanksgiving - early in Canada, and third, my brother's and husband's birthdays, in October and November, respectively). I'm not a Halloween *fanatic* - we give out candy for sure -but I fall head-over-heels with it as an *excuse* to make cards, tags and mini cards for my niece and nephew, their classmates, their teachers and their friends. It's also justifies the many Halloween products that have been accumulating(how does that happen *grin*) in my collection...love cute spooky stuff!  

That said, today, I'm sharing Serendipity's Pumpkin Tower with you. Aren't these jack o'lanterns sooooo scary? HA! NOT!  Inked, clear embossed, water-coloured with...are you ready...Crayola water-colour paints (channeling my inner child *grin* AND they kinda sorta worked for me!), fussy cut and set atop a web. I used a 'boo' that I've had for ages, source unknown, and ta dahhhhh...another Halloween card for one of Miss T's or Mr. C's teachers.

Please head over to Serendipity Stamps Blog for more how-to-win details as well as for some scoops on sales. 

The 50% off Stamp of the Month: Rake

Next on the list is wonderfully talented Miriam Napier. Enjoy!

Thank you for dropping in today; your visit brings me joy! 

Dream Come True....Uniko Design Team!

Hello,

I've been floating on Cloud 9 for the past couple of weeks; today, finally, I can touch ground (briefly *grin*) and shout from the mountaintops that I have been invited, by wonderfully talented and sweet Beverley Brown, to become part of her Uniko Design Team!  Talk about feeling supremely honoured and ecstatic (and yes, nervous also fits into the mix...) about this dream come true opportunity!

For those who have been following me for a while, you know I adore Uniko products; they're unique, versatile, and of top-notch quality! The stamps are crisp and clear; the dies, cut like butter.

Below are a handful, plus one of cards I've made recently, showcasing just a few of my Uniko favourites (and trust me, this was a challenge! I have a nearly-full to bursting bin dedicated entirely to my Uniko products gathered over the years. Each and every one is a timeless gem).

The first two feature Originally Organic stamps and dies  collection, which have me in a state of glee! I want to make oodles of cards using this set...perfect for so many occasions...

 

They're pretty left as is...and in colour, too:

My second set features my oldie but goodie Uniko Studio's Beautiful Blooms 1. I loved it when I first received it; I love it now!  Both cards see it paired with a couple of newcomers: All Occasion Sentiments 6 and Background Blocks Halftone.

 

The third set again, is a combination of old and new playing wonderfully together: Explosion! and Explosion! Additions.

 

A from-the-heart THANK YOU to  Beverley and the team for your warm welcome and the chance to play alongside you in showcasing Uniko products. 

I'm heading back to Cloud 9 for a while longer! So excited about this new adventure!

So delighted you found time to drop by; your visit is both welcomed and deeply appreciated!