Color Throwdown

Goodbye September...hello new Color Throwdown Challenge! Check out these yummy colors by our hostess, Vickie! Perfect to play once again with these new stitched leaves dies by Simon Says Stamp.

The kraft background was embossed using SU's Woodgrain EF.  I smooshed 3 distress inks - Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Crushed Olive - onto TH watercolor cardstock then die cut and layered up the maple leaf corner collage.  The sentiment is from the Wet Paint die set by Papertrey Ink.  Stitched Fishtail Flags STAX dies were used on DP from Graphic 45's French Country 6x6 pad.

A big thanks to Kelly Latevola - our amazingly talented September guest designer! I've enjoyed getting to "know" her better and look forward to following her blog creations!  Stay tuned to hear who our new guestie will be next week!

Be sure to stop by the blog of Karola Rehnstrom from Invisible Pink Cards and congratulate our guest star stamper this week!

For more inspiration by the rest of the design team, click on their blog links below...or... you can go to the Color Throwdown blog to see their cards and to get the details on how to play along. 
Barbara Anders  
Broni Holcombe   
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins 
Lori Tecler   
Monika Davis (taking a break)
Tammy Hershberger
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)
Kelly Latevola - Guest Designer for September 

Mojo Monday

It's hard to believe we're at the last Monday of the month which means a tall and skinny sketch for the Mojo Monday Challenge!  Julee has generously offered a free Latte Love Digi Set in the Verve store for a limited time, so I knew I wanted to feature them on my mojo card!  I used this textured cardstock  with a mix of matte and shine for the base (from Halloween Basics by Michael's). The cups were colored with Copics, fussy cut and popped on foam tape.  I can almost taste a pumpkin spice latte as I type!  You'll want to hurry and download these fun digis soon...the offer expires after October 15! 

To see what the rest of the mojomakers have created, click on their blog links below...or...you can go to the Mojo Monday blog and click on the first nine thumbnails.
Carole Burrage
Julee Tilman (Owner)
Justin Krieger
Lori Tecler
Marisa Ritzen 
Mary Fish
Sarah Bigelow
Teresa Kline 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)

Our Little Minion Turns 1

I had a ball creating this little card for our grand-daughter who celebrated her 1st birthday this week! From the time she was just a few months old, she has loved the minions from Despicable Me!  During an occasional fussy spell, her parents soon discovered if they pulled up a minion clip on YouTube and showed it to her, she immediately was mesmerized and...walah...end of discontent!  She still gets a big smile when she sees a minion image or toy!

So, it was no surprise when I heard her birthday theme was minions.  I checked out Pinterest for ideas
and was inspired by donidoodle's post HERE.  I used 2 MFT Die-Namics - Rounded Banner STAX and Grass Border - for the body and hair.  Here's a photo of the tools I used.  I hand drew the balloon string using a gray Copic multi-liner pen.  The diagonal striped background is by MFT and was stamped twice using my MISTI.  I struggle with getting an even ink coverage when I stamp once.  This use of the MISTI was probably the one thing that really sold me on the tool!  The wishing die and sentiment are by Simon Says Stamp.

Here are some birthday photos that this proud grammie has to share...

Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Happy fall, y'all!  The Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is happening and I've stamped out of my usual box by avoiding color and going with a totally monochromatic file folder card using the envelope punch board.

Wouldn't this be a great way to share a gift card with a coffee loving friend?!  I love paper piecing this cup from North Coast Creations' Warm My Heart stamp set.  Papers are from ODBD's Vintage Ephemera Collection.  I sponged the coffee splats/stains using Chocolate Chip ink and TCW's Mini Coffee Splotch stencil.

A big thank you to Amy Tsuruto for organizing this hop and also to the 42 super sponsors who are giving away many prizes!  Check out all the details HERE!

MFT Challenges

Here's my creation for MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge and the Color Challenge this week!  I used So Saffron, Mint Macaroon, Gumball Green and Pacific Point inks by SU with MFT's Plaid Background Builder stamp set.  I just love the new MFT Blissful Blooms set with matching dies...so fun to arrange!  I added Black Stickles and White Opal Liquid Pearls to the flower centers.  I won't begin to tell you the struggles I had with the little flag in the upper right

corner. 😖  Then again...maybe I will.  It started out blue but I couldn't find CS that matched the PP ink (even PP paper was way off!).  Then I tried a small ribbon bow at the top...Nahhh....not good.  Finally settled on white with 2 staples!  Sheesh.  Such agonizing over one element - lol!

Thanks for stopping by...I'm looking forward to a Friday off work and a birthday party for our one and only grand child - Quinn - in the evening.  I'm betting you just might see a picture...or more...from the celebration!  🎉🎂💓

Hello Fall

Well...it's official! Fall is here and with it come some of my favorite color combinations! I'm playing along with Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge to use NO designer paper and I'm also playing with the Freshly Made Sketches #205.  
I inked up pieces of acetate, spritzed with water, then smooshed the colors (heat drying between each one) on TH watercolor cardstock.  I then die cut the leaves from the smooshed water colored sheet.  I die cut and sponged the edges of the pumpkin with Spiced Marmalade ink.  Here's what else I used:

PAPER: Vintage Cream (PTI), Pumpkin Pie (SU), More Mustard (SU), Olive Green (SU), Metallic gold CS, TH watercolor CS.
INK: Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Crushed Olive, Fired Brick distress inks by Tim Holtz.
ACCESSORIES: Stitched diamond background and Stitched scallop border dies (Lil' Inker Designs); Stitched Rounded Rectangles and Stitched Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics by MFT; Stitched Pumpkins, Stitched Maple Trio, Maple Leaf Corner and Small Hello dies by Simon Says Stamp; Gold sequins by Avery Elle.

Color Throwdown

Another Wednesday is here, so that means it's time for a new Color Throwdown Challenge.  Tammy is our hostess this week and has a great color combo that has so many fun possibilities!  

I decided to dust off my Tim Holtz Leaf Blueprint stamp set after being inspired by this beautiful card by Tenia Nelson.  I black embossed the leaf image twice on TH watercolor CS, then used yellow and lime green Pelikan paint to color the images.  After heat drying, I splattered black paint over the leaves.  I used a 1/8" strip of score tape down the middle of the leaf and curled up the leaf edges.  The sentiment is Every Season Plain Jane by Verve.


Congrats to our guest star stamper this week - Marcie Sharp of Sharp Designs! Be sure and stop by her blog and leave her some love!
  
If you're wanting some more inspiration by the rest of the design team, click on their blog links below...or... you can go to the Color Throwdown blog to see their cards and to get the details on how to play along. 
Barbara Anders  
Broni Holcombe   
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins 
Lori Tecler   
Monika Davis (taking a break)
Tammy Hershberger
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)
Kelly Latevola - Guest Designer for September 

Punkin Time

For the 'punkin' theme for the CAS Challenge on SCS. Great incentive to ink up this fun new Reverse Confetti Pumpkin Patch stamp set!  The coordinating Confetti Cuts dies make it so easy to assemble the pumpkin colors.  I smooshed Spiced Marmalade and Twisted Citron distress ink on acrylics sheets and then dabbed them on watercolor cardstock.  After heat drying, I splattered some brown Pelikan ink over the panel.  Some washi tape, a stitch sticker and Avery Elle sequins finished it off!

Thanks for stopping by!  We are being blessed by rain this morning and am hoping it revives our ghastly dry lawn.

Mojo Monday

 It's time for another Mojo Monday Challenge and don't you just love this horizontal design by Julee?!  The trio of circles in the sketch had me going immediately to this pumpkin image from Verve's Bountiful Harvest stamp set.  We've had some glorious fallish days in VA and pumpkins are prolific in local farm markets, grocery stores, and on

display in many homes already. I created the background with what I call the reverse smooshing technique.  Previously, I would apply 2 or 3 distress inks to an acrylic sheet, spritz with water and then smoosh the paper on the acrylic.  This time, I used 3 separate smaller acrylic sheets, applied the ink to the acrylic - Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Crushed Olive, spritzed and then smooshed the acrylic sheet on top of the watercolor CS!  I heat dried between each of the colors, so there was less chance of muddying the tones.  I'm thinking I prefer this method over the other as it gives me more control of color placement.  I splattered some olive green and metallic gold Pelikan water colors over the panel. I love combining rustic jute twine with metallic gold sequins and gold ribbon (that peeks out from the sentiment flag) to give it a fun twist.

Need some more inspiration?  See what the rest of the mojomakers have created by clicking on their blog links below...or...you can go to the Mojo Monday blog and click on the first nine thumbnails.
Carole Burrage
Julee Tilman (Owner)
Justin Krieger
Lori Tecler
Marisa Ritzen 
Mary Fish
Sarah Bigelow
Teresa Kline 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)

Blissful Blooms

Had such a fun time playing with these new florals - Blissful Blooms - from MFT.  It took some internet searching to find the matching dies (currently out of stock at MFT and SSS), but happy mail came yesterday from Ellen Hutson (I might add she has the fastest, jet speed shipping ever)!  I used the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge layout and paired it up with the MFT Color Challenge.  I wanted a very subtle background, so I lightly sponged Berrylicious ink with a Wonky Chevron stencil.  The stitched frame was cut from Sno Cone CS.  The florals were

cut from X-Press It Blending Card then colored with Copics.  Some yellow and black Stickles and a clear Wink of Stella marker pen added some shimmery highlights.  LOVE these new Label Maker Sentiments by MFT (oops...just noticed they are OOS as well) and the matching Label Tape Die-Namics!  The circle and several of the images were popped up using foam tape.

TGIF and good Friday everyone!  I'm looking forward to a beautiful fall weekend with some babysitting on Saturday evening and a church day out on the calendar for Sunday!

Get Sketchy

I finally found some time to play along with WPlus9's Get Sketchy Challenge #3.  I'm a big fan of this company's stamps, dies and ink pads, so after getting this Autumn Leaves stamp set with coordinating dies and the new autumn ink collection in the mail today, it was time to play!  Absolutely LOVE these new colors!  I thought I had waited long enough for the ink to dry and even used a magic powder embossing bag to prep the surface before stamping with Versamark and then heat embossing with gold.  The gold powder still adhered to portions of the colored leaves, but I embraced it as a happy mistake and am pretending it was meant to be! :-)  

STAMPS: Autumn Leaves, Greetings and Salutations - both by WPlus9.
PAPER: White, Old Olive, Lost Lagoon (I'm guessing as it was a piece of CS in my scrap pile), Metallic gold CS.
INK: Pumpkin Spice, Last Leaf, Falling for Blue - WPlus9; Versamark.
ACCESSORIES: Greetings and Salutations dies (WPlus9); MFT large scallop border Die-Namics; Gold embossing powder; Corner chomper.

Card Design Superstar Challenge

Happy fall y'all!  This is my 5th and last entry for MFT's Card Design Superstar Challenge and I think this is my fave out of all of them I entered!  The background was a "smooshing" of Blueprint Sketch and Picked Raspberry distress inks which makes it look like a third lavender color was used when they blended together.  After heat drying, I added some light modeling paste with MFT's Wonky Chevron stencil.  Their Button Quartet Die-namics are so fun and look so realistic by stacking 3 on top of each other then glazing with Glossy Accents.

Check out the dimensional bats!  I cut 2 of each of the largest bats from their newly released Spooky House Die-Namics so I could fold up the wings on the top layer.  

STAMPS: Primitive Pumpkins (MFT).
PAPER: White, Black (PTI); Tim Holtz water color CS.
INK: Blueprint Sketch, Picked Raspberry distress inks by TH; Versafine Onyx Black for the sentiment.
ACCESSORIES: Spooky House Die-Namics (MFT), Button Die-Namics (MFT), Stitched Fishtail Flag STAX Die-Namics (MFT); Liquitex light modeling paste.

The colors are also the new Color Throwdown challenge colors!  Scroll on down to see a more summery interpretation of the combo. 

Color Throwdown

It's time for another Color Throwdown Challenge and this is such a beautiful night sky photo chosen by Monika!  I originally was going to go with watercoloring a sky background, but 3 unsuccessful attempts were made and I decided that was a sign I was "out" and needed to go in another direction. :-)

The WPlus9 scribble flowers and leaves - from the Doodle Buds set - were stamped with Picked Raspberry and Blueprint Sketch distress inks, then lightly sponged in an intentional messy way. 
I'm using the layout for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge. 

STAMPS: Doodle Buds (WPlus9).
PAPER: Raspberry Fizz, True Black, White (PTI).
INK: Picked Raspberry, Blueprint Sketch - TH distress inks; Versafine Onyx Black.
ACCESSORIES: Stitched circle and long rectangle dies (Lil' Inker Designs), Die-Namics Doily die; Flower Doodles die by WPlus9; Hand Lettered Hello die by WPlus9.

If you're wanting some more inspiration by the rest of the design team, click on their blog links below...or... you can go to the Color Throwdown blog to see their cards and to get the details on how to play along. 
Barbara Anders  
Broni Holcombe   
Joan Ervin
Jodi Collins 
Lori Tecler   
Monika Davis (taking a break)
Tammy Hershberger
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)
Kelly Latevola - Guest Designer for September 

Mojo Monday

Hey all! Julee has another awesome sketch on board for the Mojo Monday Challenge!  I started with some old DP - A Beautiful Life by MME - and then decided to "grow" some yellow poppies using Verve's Poppy Birthday stamp set.  I've seen sticker stitches in blog land and recently ordered some from SRM.  They are a fun little accent!  Once again, I have to sing praises for the MISTI!  I wanted a really crisp black when I stamped the flowers, so adhered the die cuts using temporary adhesive to the black foam pad, centered the stamp over the die then "picked it up" with the MISTI lid.  I inked it up 3 times and was so much happier with the repeated inking compared to doing it only once!  

Need some more inspiration?  See what the rest of the mojomakers have created by clicking on their blog links below...or...you can go to the Mojo Monday blog and click on the first nine thumbnails.
Carole Burrage
Julee Tilman (Owner)
Justin Krieger
Lori Tecler
Marisa Ritzen 
Mary Fish
Sarah Bigelow
Teresa Kline 
Wanda Cullen (you are here)