Cardz 4 Guys Challenge #360

What a perfect challenge this is for me over at Cardz 4 Guys! All they are asking this time around is to use your favorite color(s) and of course, make a card that a guy would like. Easy peasy, since my favorite colors are browns and off whites. 

I played around a lot with different colors of ink, mostly from Stampin' Up! Here's a pretty good idea of my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Wonderfall Stamp Set
• SU! Beautiful Autumn Stamp set
• SU! Brad Dots
• SU! Brown Inks
• Copic Marker C00
  
• Craft Card Stock & Envelope
• SU! Early Espresso Card Stock
• SU! Sahara Sand Card Stock
• Penny Black Sentiment

Fun note about the brads-I added them because the ink smudged on the large leaf. It's always fun to see how things come together even when mistakes are made!

Hop over to Cardz 4 Guys anytime and join in the fun. Guys need paper hugs too! 

Floral Frames Card for 2 Challenges

This morning I made a quick card using an older Stampin' Up! set called Floral Frames. I've never used this set before. It's one that I picked up at a yard sale. Sometimes I scoop up on good deals without thinking too much about whether or not I like the set, and I wasn't sure that I liked this one once I got it home. Rather than just donate the set to the Salvation Army, I thought I'd give it a try.

Turns out, I really like the card that it made. One thing I really do like about the set are the sentiments. Of course there's this one that says "Wishing You The Best." That's always a good card to have around because it has many uses. But there's also "Hello" and my personal favorite "Sending Love."

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Floral Frames Stamp Set
• Memento Northern Pine Ink
• Memento Pistachio Ink
• Copics in Y02, YG61, G61
• SU! Patterned Paper
• SU! Lemon Lolly Card Stock
• SU! Always Artichoke Card Stock

Since this is a new-to-me stamp set, I'm linking it up over at NBUS Challenge Blog and at Word Art Wednesday Weeks 673 & 674 because they always have an "Anything Goes" theme.

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

Keurig(ing) on the Cheap for the Holidays

Usually I’m an early adopter, but it took years for me to succumb to the Keurig machine. I don’t use it every day, but I’m glad I finally added this small appliance to my kitchen lineup, especially now that it’s more affordable than ever. 

This past summer, I started feeling like a cup of coffee in the afternoon. Rather than make a whole other pot, I thought it was time to finally buy a Keurig.

I also had hoped to duplicate the taste of those expensive coffee shop coffees at a fraction of the price. (More about actual taste later.)

Knowing nothing about these machines, I found this one at Walmart* that was only $50.00 and thought for the money it was worth a try. I'm so pleased with model. First of all, the price was just what I wanted to spend. Second, it has a reservoir that only needs to be filled every three to four cups. Second, it has three cup sizes, 6, 8 and 10 ounce. (The size coffee pod is the same for each, so the 6 ounce just comes out stronger than the 10 ounce.) And lastly, I didn't know this until I bought it, but it brews a cup of coffee in less than one minute-perfect for those days when I'm in a hurry and forgot to push the "brew now" button on the big coffee maker.

Also, as of the writing of this post, they come in really cool colors. I'm kind of boring, so I like all my appliances to be black, but the color choices are a lot of fun too!

ON THE CHEAP

When the holidays are over, I'm sure they'll have
another great variety pack too!

One reason I waited so long to purchase the Keurig was that the cost really came down. New they are $49.00, but I find many on Facebook Marketplace that look like they're in really good shape for as little as $25.00. So if you're buying for yourself, that may be a really good option too.

The bigger problem when they first came out was the price of the coffee pods. They were running about $1.00 each and drinking three cups of coffee every day could really add up quickly. Today I picked up this variety a box of 60 pods at Sam's Club for just $15.00. So at .25 cents a cup, I'm ready for a lot of guests! They also go on sale frequently at the grocery stores too, so no worries if you aren't a Sam's Club member.

Lastly, getting a display for your coffee pods is really easy at yard sales and thrift stores. I used to keep all my pods in a box in a cabinet, but after getting this spinner caddy at a yard sale for $3.00 I keep it on the counter. It will be perfect for guests coming over at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

TASTE

As for the taste, they're good, but it's not a replacement for Starbucks. It's just not. It's nice to sit down on a fall afternoon with a Butter Toffee Coffee, but there's just nothing like the creamy, bold taste of a Starbucks drink. But considering the cost, it's a pretty good second.

Flavored creamers can add a lot of variety too. Mix and match for a lot of unique flavors!

Mostly I love the fact that I can easily grab a cup of coffee super-fast. And soon that guests can enjoy a cup of decaf, regular, cocoa or even tea without a lot of fuss.

If you like coffee and haven't tried this yet, or if you're having a big gathering this holiday season, this may be the perfect time to give the Keurig a try!

*Note: I received no compensation from any company to write this review. ALSO, this link leads to a Black Friday sale, but mine was still $49.00 in the summer. I bought one here in Florida for that price and then brought my daughter one in Wisconsin. They were $49.00 both places.

Christmas (or Not) BINGO Challenges

Well here we are at the last challenge of the year for Christmas (or Not) BINGO Challenges. For this one I chose to go  Column "N" and the elements I chose were PINK, BUTTONS and RIBBON. I chose this column because I had all the materials on hand to make this mini tabletop quilt project. A while back I bought a 5-pack of fat quarters from Joann's. I love their pre-packaged fat quarters because it's an easy way to get a cute combination of coordinating fabrics for not too much money. 

In addition to having the fabric on hand, I have a jar of vintage buttons that I used. I thought that using assorted buttons would go well with the shabby chic look of the quilt. Lastly, my ribbon, which is used to divide the patchwork from the edges is an old Stampin' Up! Ribbon that I had in my stash.

I used an old pillow case for the backing and I even had pink thread on hand, so this project cost me nothing out of pocket today!

Quilting is not something that I usually do, but I've been intrigued with it, and this little project was a perfect way to start experimenting with the craft. I have to say, that I'm not that good at it. It's a lot harder than it looks to get all those little squares lined up perfectly, but thankfully with the busy prints it's not too noticeable.

In the photo above on the left you can see how I simply designed the small quilt. And on the right, I laid out the pieces before sewing them together. It's amazing how much the pieces "shrink" when sewn! 

I think this finished piece will be great for Valentine's Day, Easter, or any spring tabletop display. 

If you'd like to join us, either with a handmade card, or any other craft, we would love to have you play along. Check out the BINGO Card, choose any column (up and down only) and show us your projects!

Word Art Wednesday Guest Designing, Again!

Well it's the second time in the month of September that Word Art Wednesday has a new challenge, and once again, I'm guest designing for them. 

Today's card is made using the featured scripture from 2 Chronicles 15:7 that says, "Be ye strong therefore and let not your hand be weak; for your work shall be rewarded." I just love that! What an encouraging verse, especially for someone in ministry.

I took that scripture and printed it out. Because it looks more gray than dark black, I stamped a vintage pot of flowers from The Stamp Pad Company in Big Lake, Minnestoa using Stampin' Up!'s Basic Gray Ink. I really like how it turned out because it's more subdued and that allows the colors of the markers to stand out more.

I mounted it on purple card stock from Michaels and then used some patterned paper to give it a little texture in the background. It's all mounted on the coordinating Gray card stock from Stampin' Up. 

My Copic colors are: Y35, YR02, YR18, G82, YG63, V04 and RV55.

It's a simple card, but I really love the message and I feel that stands out more because of that.

It's always so much fun to play along over at Word Art Wednesday. You can use the scripture that they provide, but you don't have to. All of their challenges are "anything goes" and it would be great if you could join us! Plus, they're giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to Gina K stamps, who is the sponsor this round.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today, and a very big thank you to Karen and everyone over at Word Art Wednesday not only for having me as a guest designer, but for all the great challenges you put on each month!

3 Halloween Cross Stitch Freebies

Hello crafty friends! Today I completed three adorable, and not too scary, cross stitch pieces that I wanted to share with you.

The first two are the smaller cats on the right. The patterns are from Pinker & Punkin. Her designs are so adorable, and what I really like about these two is that they fit perfectly in a 3" x 3" frame. I picked mine up from Michaels for 2.99 each.

The link to the top cat is HERE.

The second cat, also a freebie from Melisa at Pinker & Punkin is available HERE. This cat had the border around the edges, and I just copied it onto the above cat, which didn't have a border.

On all three of these designs I used DMC floss that was a little different than the colors they suggested. I did this because I wanted to match another piece I was working on.

The third piece, the jack-o-lantern in a coffee mug is from an Italian designer who also has so many cute free patterns on her blog. The link to this particular pattern is HERE. 

A note about the larger image: I put it in a 5" x 7" frame that I found at Ross. I wasn't looking for a frame, but I passed them by and this one really jumped out at me. I thought it was perfect for Halloween and to my delight it was on clearance for less than $5.00. I like how different it looks. To make the image fit, I went through my vintage button jar and pulled out several black buttons and arranged them around the image. I like the look because I have a little "Happy Halloween" saying that is about 2" tall and I can put it in front of this without blocking the view of the stitched image.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these freebies and that you'll like stitching them as well. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Feeling Fallish at Retro Rubber

As my 25-year-old daughter frequently says, 'I'm gonna be real.' This card was a bear to make! No fault to Retro Rubber though. I just had to try out a new technique, and it didn't go quite as I had planned. I guess after stamping for so many years, I'm not used to things being difficult. But here's what happened with this card.

I loved the colors over at Retro Rubber Challenge #239 (#rrcb239). The theme is Feeling Fallish, and even though it's still in the low 90's here in Florida, I am feeling fallish for sure. I'm crafting fall things and drinking pumpkin coffee and planning what I'm going to wear to Wisconsin next month. I will be so excited to drink a pumpkin coffee in a sweater while looking at autumn leaves. 

Here's my lineup of ink colors to match the Retro Rubber ones:

I recently saw a technique on Pinterest that I thought would be perfect for this theme and set. You tape off certain areas of card stock and brush them with ink. The card on the left below is my first attempt. I didn't like it because the lines between the inking were crooked. I abandoned that then stamped my image with Versa Mark and used clear embossing powder, then brushed over the images (on the right). It was almost perfect, but I threw in some Rich Razzleberry Ink and it was too dark. But the third time is a charm!

FAIL!

Since I have the dies to this set, I'll cut these out and use them on other cards. And finally, my complete supply list is:

• Stampin' Up! Lighthearted Leaves (2015)
• SU! Very Vanilla Card Stock
• SU! Inks (pictured above)
• Simon Says Stamp Cream Embossing Powder
• Versa Mark Ink
• Michaels Card Stock in Purple and Orange
• Sizzix Border Dies (559200)

Many thanks to everyone over at Retro Rubber for another fun challenge. I really feel like I've been stretched and have learned a lot with this one. I already know whom I'll be sending this card to on Thanksgiving, and I'm looking forward to making two other similar cards with the "mistakes."

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