Concord & 9th For Word Art Wednesday

Hello stamping friends and welcome to another round of fun over at Word Art Wednesday. This time our sponsor is none other than Concord & 9th!  I'm so excited about them because they're a company that I'm familiar with and I love their stuff. And we have a $30.00 Gift Certificate to their online store, which is really exciting!

I bought a few items from them back in the summer and have been having so much fun playing with them. One is this bundle called Make A Wish. And talk about a good deal, even if you buy them individually they're under $25.00. 

This set really captured me because I struggle making guy birthday cards. It's so easy to make a girl birthday card. Pretty much any flower goes and you can just stamp a sentiment on it. But for the guys, it's not that easy. This set makes it a snap to quickly create a guy, girl or little one card.

When I started out, I knew I wanted to make not only a masculine card, but a whimsical one too. Again, this set made it so easy.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Concord & 9th Make A Wish Bundle
• Stampin' Up! Blueberry Bushel Card Stock
• Big Box Dotted Gray and Blue Patterned Paper
• Stampin' Up! Marina Mist Card Stock
• Stampin' Up! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• Darice Star Embossing Folder
• Darice Striped Embossing Folder
• Recollections White Embossing Powder
• Doodlebug Yellow Enamel Dots

One note, hubby gave his approval for the "masculineness" of the card, but didn't approve the yellow enamel dots. I couldn't resist! I think they add a lot, especially since I wanted a really fun card, and I don't think that they're feminine at all. 

I'd like to also enter this in other challenges as well. First, over at NBUS this definitely qualifies because this is my first time playing with this bundle. Then at Can You Handle The Pressure I've used two embossing folders and one heat embossing product. 

We would love to have you join us over at Word Art Wednesday and remember that the theme is always anything goes. We have a lovely scripture that is one of my absolute favorites that you can use if you like, and if you have any Concord and 9th products we'd love to see your creations with them too. But neither are required. The only requirement is to have fun!

Fearfully Made Card & Free Printables

Happy October to everyone! I'm ready to kick off the start of the holiday season with a cute card and some Trick or Treat Printables. I'm entering this not-too-scary guy in four challenges:

1. Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge-October Anything Goes
2. Cards 4 Guyz #378 Autumn/Fall
3. The Four Seasons Challenge-Fal and a new one for me:
4. Rock Paper Scissors #9 (I used a variety of papers and hand cut the little bats with scissors.)

First, I created this printable on Canva Pro with the intent of printing them out on 100# card stock, cutting them and giving them to the kids at Halloween this year. I used to hand out cute pre-made business card size Halloween cards made by a company called Pass-It-On. I haven't been able to find any in several years, and since I like designing on Canva I thought I'd make my own. 

Our house is right across the street from a park, and our little town always has a festival in the park, and when the kids are done there they come right down our street to Trick or Treat. The most we had that I remember is 300 kids. And I'm expecting that many this year too, as Halloween is on a Friday night, so they won't have school the next day. I only printed 200 of these out, but I will plan on 300 pieces of candy. (Thank goodness for Sam's Club!)

I was able to get 9 on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of card stock. I have
FedEx print them on 100# card stock for about $1.50 each.
They do a great job and the color doesn't run like it does when
I print them on my home computer. 

I should have printed this image in a larger size to make a card, but since I didn't I used one of the small ones that I'm going to pass out. 

I decided on the slimline card size because I had an orange envelope and I thought that would be perfect for it. I bought that in a multi-colored pack from Amazon. They have really good deals on colored envelopes.

One crazy thing that happened while making this card is that I wanted to use some dog bones paper that I thought I had. I looked high and low for it and couldn't find it. I even took a couple of hours and cleaned out all my patterned paper boxes. I had to opt for some other cute fall paper, but it's now exactly what I had in mind. I do, however, have the most organized patterned paper ever!

Here's my complete supply list:

Black Card Stock (Michaels)

Pink & Main Little Critters Patterned Papers

Stampin' Up! Halloween White Core 12 x 12 Card Stock

Lawn Fawn Trick or Treat Stamps

Copic C5 Marker

Free Printable (below)

Pink & Main Enamel Dots

Here's the free digi. As always:

1. Snag it to your desktop or photos.
2. Put it in a Word or Pages Document.
3. Resize it to the size card you want to make.
4. Print it out, either at home or at a copy center. 

I hope you enjoy the freebie! Remember that all images are for personal use only, please! 

And before I go, here's a little close up of the card. I used the torn paper to hopefully give it a bit of a scary look!

I carried the theme on the inside as well:

And lastly, here is just one of the boxes I went through looking for that dog bone paper. I feel much more organized now and I'm thrilled to find things I didn't even know I had! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day! 

Halloween Corner To Corner Throw

This crochet piece took me several months to finally finish, but on the first day of October, it’s finally done. (I spent most of the crocheting to make that happen!)

This throw is made mostly from Herrschner’s Halloween yarn. I also used Three different types of black yarn. Hopefully that won’t show in the future. I think they matched well enoug

This was a fun and simple corner to corner stitch to do. I wanted something fun and festive for the living room, and to match my little ghost that I bought at Ross.

The border is a simple double crochet twice around with black yarn, then once with white yarn. 

Super simple! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Here it is with the ghost pillow!

Autumn Ridges Crochet Lap Warmer

I’m still on request to make at least a dozen lap warmers for Christmas gifts this year. I’m also trying to use a lot of my scrap yarns rather than buying new. This piece combines both of those things. You can see what I started with in the picture below. 

This is a very simple lap warmer that measures 32” X 34”. It’s made up of nothing but double crochets. In order to make the ridges, all I had to do was instead of going in at the top loops when I changed color, I went into the post just below.  

I love finding yarn at the thrift stores, but often it's difficult to use it up. I'm grateful to have
been able that I was able to use these up, along with some leftover yarn in my stash.

Any combination of yarns and sizes will work so easily with this. All you have to do is crochet a foundation chain the length that you want and then add 3 which will be your first chain 3. From there, you will double crochet all the way across and when you’re ready to change colors, simply crochet in that post all the way across rather than the top loop.

Here's how I did the post  crochet stitch. You wrap your yarn around the hook as if you were
doing a double crochet, but then grab the post rather than the top loop.

To finish this piece nicely, I carefully weave the ends in on the reverse side, where the ridges aren’t. This hides them fairly well and doesn’t interfere with the ridge pattern on the front of the piece. Here’s a picture of that:

The only thing I found a little difficult about this is that I had to be very careful that I didn’t increase or decrease without knowing it. My lap warmer is 82 stitches across. So every few rows, I would stop and count just to make sure I didn’t accidentally add or delete a row. I’m getting better at crocheting, and that really didn’t happen this time but I did have to check my work for that. Other than that, this is such an easy piece to crochet.

To finish it off I dug through my antique button jar and came up with a few buttons that I thought would add some texture and dimension and look good too. I love saving all these buttons, but there’s something satisfying about attaching them to a card, a crochet piece, or something that I’ve crocheted. That way, other people get to enjoy them too!

The four used here are so old that the tag didn't even have a UPC code on them, which puts them before 1974. I like the fact that they're genuine leather too.

The border is made by creating a foundation chain around the edges then doing half double crochets all the way around. NOTE: I did 3 half double crochets in each corner for the increase to look good.

I hate to let the antique button go, but I'd rather have them be enjoyed!

I’m looking forward to trying this technique in a few different ways to make a basket weave like piece as well.

One final note, in order for all of the ridges to be on the same side of the work, you must crochet each color in an even number of rose. If you have an odd number, then what will happen is the ridge will be on the other side. That could be a unique look too and certainly if you’re using just one color that would be nice as well. But for this piece I kept all my rose to either two or four.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #718 & #719

Hi stamping friends! It's time for another challenge over at Word Art Wednesday. This time the sponsor is Divinity Designs and one lucky random winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate from them! They have so many wonderful things in their shop that it will be hard to choose.

My card this time is made from their products. I'm so excited to finally have a quilt die in my possession. I love quilts, but am not good at making the real ones. However this die makes it so easy to create that same special feeling and made a card to mail to someone. The possibilities are endless. Small patterned paper would look great, but I decided to stick with solids to welcome the fall.

I kept the card simple to emphasize the quilt. Here's my complete supply list:

• Divinity Designs Star Quilt Die
• Divinity Designs Faith Card Sentiments
• Stampin' Up! Delightful Dijon Card Stock
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• Memento Espresso Truffle Ink
• Pebbles Spring Fling Calico Paper
• Unknown Beehive Scrap Paper
• Vintage Buttons
• DMC Floss

We would love to have you play along with us at Word Art Wednesday. You don't have to use the scripture, which I've posted below, but you're welcome to. And you don't have to use Divinity Designs products. And the theme is always "Anything Goes." So pop on over and join the fun. You may even be a winner!

Sweet Birthday Wishes for Word Power

Hello stamping friends! Today's card really feels like it made itself. I went in to my craft room to clean my desk and this happened! Actually, I had some scraps laying around, and one thing led to another and now I have a sweet birthday card to send someone.

I knew I wanted to put a bold sentiment on this busy paper and therefore be able to play along with Word Power Challenge Blog this month. What was so funny is that when I went to the site, it says that the challenge ends in two days. Oh my goodness, where did September go! I'm 63 now, and it is amazing how time goes by quicker each year that I get older. 

Anyway, here's my complete supply list:

• Pink & Main Hello Sweet Stamps & Dies
• Stampin' Up! Old Olive Ink & Card Stock
• Glittery Paper from Hobby Lobby
• Italian Patterned Paper from 32º North
• Speckletone Oatmeal Card Stock

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Scraporium Visit in North Tampa, Florida

Gayle Ann with one of her cards.

Just when I thought all the brick and mortar paper crafting store were gone in my area, I stumbled across the Scraporium in Lutz, Floria, just a couple miles north of Tampa. Oh my goodness! 

It started when my mom wanted to make a scrapbook for her friend for Christmas and wanted some nice papers. We stopped in at Michael’s, but their selection was terrible. We Googled scrapbook stores and Scraporium came up. It’s only about 1/2 hour from my house, so I thought it was worth a drive. I wasn’t expecting too much because brick and mortar stores seem to be dwindling. 

Boy was I wrong! This place truly has it all! It really does!

I actually went there twice this weekend. First on Friday with my mom. It was then that we met Gayle Ann who was teaching a class on fun fold cards. She was such a joy to meet and her cards were amazing. I couldn't stay for the class because they ran for about 3 hours and we had to get home. But the cards were so incredible.

A few of Gayle's cards close up.

Here are all 10 of the cards she made during the class!

Because I needed a bit more time to think and didn't want to hold mom up, I went back on Saturday to pick up a few things that stuck in my mind on Friday. I'm thrilled to have gotten this adorable Donut set from Trinity Stamps. The saying really sold me on it. My favorite being "Eat More Hole Foods." I love puns and that is so fun! I also picked up a much-needed Misti Magnet, and some small magnets for turning stamped images into little gifts.

I really wanted one of everything in the store, but these donut dies and stamps stole my heart.
I was also really happy to get the magnets!

On Saturday we could barely get into the parking lot because they were having another class. This one was really filled up, most likely because of the day. It was taught by Prima ambassador Sue Lelli. She comes in every so often to teach. Below is a picture of her class:

Sue's class was so full! So much fun! I signed up for their email list so I can join in next time!

I took a bit more time on Saturday looking around the store. Here are just a few shot of their amazing inventory:

I'm loving all the patterned papers!

Rows and rows of every style of 12 x 12 paper filled the store!

How pretty are all these coordinating items!?

This was one of my favorite papers! They had many other varieties in
addition to this dog.

I love these big bold images!

They even have a sale section in the back that had some old books, cigar boxes,
sewing patterns and other unique paper crafting items.

It's been years since I've seen so many lovely papers all in one place!

For scrapbooking or card making, their travel products were wonderful!

I love this line from Stampendous too!

More coordinating stamps and dies from Whimsy Stamps!

How pretty are all these Valentine's Day products!

I loved these coordinating sets too!

Of course there are plenty of ink and markers too!

I loved the selection of Avery Elle products and others too!

The new fall stuff was really cute!

Just to give you an idea of how big the store is, this is just one aisle of many.

The front wall has so much inspiration! I loved the little hay bales!

Who knew Mistis came in such large sizes? Plus all the accessories you
need to go with them are here too!

I loved seeing the card samples. So much inspiration!

The Lawn Fawn selection of stamps and dies was so complete!

Who knew there was even such a thing as Rice Paper Glue!?

If you're every anywhere in Central Florida, this place is definitely worth the trip! And be sure to check out their website for classes, hours and more. As you can see from the map below, it's not too far from the Orlando area.

A big shout out to all the ladies who let me take their pictures! And thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

3 Colors for 3 Challenges

Today's card was made especially for three challenges, using three colors! First, over at The Paper Players, LeAnne has color challenge to use Stampin' Up!'s Lost Lagoon, Soft Seafoam and Lemon Lolly. Fortunately I had all three in inks and paper. I wanted to combine that with the challenges to use doodles over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday, and over at their sister challenge Double Trouble. Although I don't think I qualify for the second part of Double Trouble, which was to use a bold pop of color.

I wanted to stay true to the Paper Players colors, which really was a challenge because Soft Seafoam and Lemon Lolly are such subtle colors. Thankfully the Lost Lagoon was strong enough for the doodle in this card.

I'd love to try some freehand doodling some day. Even those light bulbs below look like something I may be able to do. But I wanted to play it safe (and have it look good) so I opted for a doodle design stamp set.

After making the card to the challenge specifications, it felt a little bare, so I perked it up with a white ribbon and self-stick rhinestones. I wished I had some Lost Lagoon ribbon, for I feel it would have looked much better. But I had nothing that really matched. You don't realize how many different shades of green there are sometimes. But I'm happy with the card in general.

 Here's my complete supply list:

• White Card Stock
• WPlus9 Doodle Bugs Stamp Set
• Stampin' Up! Lemon Lolly Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Soft Seafoam Ink
• SU! Lost Lagoon In & Card Stock
• Darice Embossing Folder
• Unknown Ruffled Ribbon
• Stampin' Up! Iridescent Rhinestones

Here are the challenges I entered:

This was a lot of fun and I'm so grateful to everyone who worked hard to put these challenges together! Thanks to them, and thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!