~ Elegant ~ Thanks (So Much) ~

WOW!

 It took me 

AND

LOTS

of other people to 

put this card together! 

AND

we did it while the electric 

took a vacation this morning.

So a lot of it was done in the 

DARK.

Wait! ~ 

a new technique?

When you can't 

see 

what you're doing?

The LOTS of other people you ask? 

Well, besides me, Faith at D2D (freebie pumpkin tag digi, progressive challenge), Gina K (freebie background stripes), and SU! (4 stamp sets, [Tiny Tags, Language of Friendship, Day of Gratitude, Delicate Doilies], plus 4 different punches and a lot of fussy cutting (in the dark mind you!). 

Thanks guys, couldn't have done it without you...

Inspiring challenges are:

Cardabilities - sketch

Craft Your Days Away - Halloween colors

Designed 2 Delight - Pumpkin tag digi (progressive challenge)

Digital Tuesday Challenge - Fall colors

Fussy and Fancy Challenge - Fall or Halloween

Incy Wincy Designs - Thankful

Paper Crafting Journey - Black, White and Orange
Saturday Challenge - White and one other color
Pals paper Arts - Fall/Thanksgiving
Crop Stop - Falling Leaves
Deep Ocean Challenge - Fall Colors
Kaboodle Doodles - Let's See those Leaves!
Paper Craft Star - Fall leaves
Pile It On - Fall Is Fun
Really Reasonable Ribbons - Fun 4 Fall
365 Cards Day 229  - So Sophisticated! 


Thanks for stopping by on this warm fall evening!
SAM

STITCHED PUMPKIN

You're never too old to learn and learn I did this week-end! When Faith at Designed 2 Delight sent me my free digi - Stitched Pumpkin - I knew I wanted to paper piece it but boy oh boy I hate fussy cutting! So I looked on the internet and found GIMP which I had downloaded some time ago and never used. 

So I used it. 

The pumpkin and border is 'paper pieced' and I didn't have to pick up a pair of scissors! Don't ask me how I did it. I'm not one to read directions. I am one that will keep clicking till something happens. The only problem I had was trying to change it after I had filled each section. . .

Not good for someone who changes their mind a lot, 
but maybe the structure I need to learn to read directions...?

I am entering this card in the following challenges:


Crafty Ann's Challenge - Scallops and/or Fancy Borders
Hot Spot Challenge - Fall color trend, I used the brown, teal, and bamboo
The Play Date Cafe - Fudge, Goldenrod, Teal

Designed 2 Delight - Stitched Pumpkin digi
Sketch Saturday - 

Challenge Up Your Life - No Designer Paper

Well the weather is super duper here in the Midwest. 

One could close their eyes and pretend it is fall!

SAM

Ladybug Kindness and Candy Pencils!

Take a Double Step Ladder card, add mirror image balancing lady bugs (digi stamp), sparkly flowers, ribbon, bling and you have a dimensional spring card!

Really a fun card and the cuts were easier than I thought they would be.

I found the template for this at: Photobucket

I am entering this in the following challenges:

365 Cards - Day 44, Fancy Folds - Double Stair Step Card (my DD is the designer for that day, check it out!)

Designed 2 Delight - use the freebie image, Lady Bug Balancing act by Faith

Color Throwdown -

A Spoonful of Sugar - All Creatures Great and Small
Craft Your Passion - 2 X 2, make a pair
Creative Card Crew - spring
Dutch Dare - fancy folds
Incy Wincy Designs - Flower Frenzy
Papertake Weekly - truly Dimensional
Tuesday Throwdown - Sparkle and Bling
Your Next Stamp Challenge - Texture It
Pixie Dust Studio - Say It Out Loud, use a sentiment



Also wanted to show off test examiners pencils for the Missouri Assessement Progran that we are now in the middle of. Since I am the BTC (or Building Test Coordinator, no pay raise with the title!), I do a training every year with the teachers and constantly say, "Only #2 pencils." And every year someone will ask, "Can we use mechanical pencils?" NO, your may not! Arghhh! So this picture show you my reminder for this year. I used SU! supplies except for the computer generated sentiment and the gold rim around the eraser end.

Have a great Sunday!

SAM

Butterfly Thanks

Quick card for today after I woke up at 3am with a huge sore lump in my throat - tonsils? Never had that problem before. But after numbing it with caffeine it does feel better. No temp Kimberly (my DD) so I will go to work today. After all, it is Principal's Day and we are all dressing with a suit coat and tie. I'm borrowing a tie, if you knew my DH you would know why! Well, after all that caffeine, this is what I came up with...

I am entering this card in the following 3 challenges ~

Sketch Frenzy Friday - using the following sketch...

Pals Paper Arts - using the following colors...

Less is More - to use the following...

3    S   Q   U   A   R   E   S 

 

Have a great TGIF!

SAM

School Board Appreciation

I volunteered to make cards for our local School Board Appreciation Week. It's great to work for a school board where you can know some of it's members. I got to know one member when our DD belonged to 4-H and another I've know since he was in elementary school in my DD's class. I had an idea in mind of what I wanted to make
( a CASE of the Graduation cards I've made)
but without the cap and diploma. Then I couldn't decide what to use for the embellishment. I knew I wanted to stick with the brush gold CS (SU!) but in the end I went with So Saffron and Black.

I used several challenges to get my Mojo going and ended up with the following card.

We are planning on giving them gift cards.
Below are the challenges I am entering this card in-


CropStop - square card and die cut
Diva Coffee Break Designs - a sketch
Kaboodle Doodles - use black and white + one other color
Let's Ink It Up - Anything goes
Paper Cutz Challenge - anything goes
Paper Play Challenge - back to black
Penny's Challenge - Anything goes
Pile It On - anything goes
Picture Perfect Creations - emboss, heat or dry
Raise the Bar  - NEW (Nestie/Embellishments/White)
ResQ Challenge - think bunions, or bumps and dry emboss
Simon Says Stamps Challenge - play bingo, my 3 are Punch/Die Cuts, Dry Embossing, and ribbon
Simply Create Challenge - use your punches
Flutter By Wednesday - is open with a butterfly, fairy or angel
Stampin' Royality - anything with wings

Thanks for stopping by.   Warm Winter Wishes and Hurry Spring!

SAM

A Daddy - Thank you!

A couple fun cards to post today.The first card is Going Fishin', a cute bear by Nina at There's Magic In the Air. I am using this image for a Father's Day card, but it would be so cute for any kid or adult that likes to fish. It was too late to link to  Magical Monday challenge, but I have a few more challenges I am listing it with.
This is the front...

And this is the inside...

I am entering it in the following challenges:
1. Alphabet Challenge - G is for Green
2. Color Chef Challenge - Colors: cream, muted green, soft blue
3. Artfulinkables - to try a new technique, I colored the 5"x5" front and then used nesties to cut out the oval and rectangle. Each was matted with navy blue CS and then placed back in position.
4. Just us Girls - use a digital image or digital background or both. The bear is a digi from Nina May at Paper Cupcakes.
5. Speedy the Cat's Challenge at Mark's Finest Paper - make your own background paper. I hope this counts - I sponged the sky and grass.
6. Stampin Moments - Simply sponged, the sky and grass are sponged
7. The Shabby Tea Room  - Summer fun theme
8. Create 4 Fun - sketch
9. A Spoonful of Sugar - a summer theme, use summer colors or something you like to do in the good 'ole summer time!
10. By the Cute and Girly - "something borrowed, something blue, etc". I borrowed the layer technique from: Michelle B. at Just Painting Around, check it out, she makes some awesome cards!
11. Crafty Creations - child's play
12. A Handfull of Stamps - all things cute - well, isnt' that bear and fish just pretty darn cute!
13. My Time to Craft - for someone special
14. Rosie D's - something blue and include a fish
15. Tuesday Throwdown - Celebrate Summer

And the following challenges are for Father's Day, male theme or celebration
16. Magical Crafts Fortnightly Challenge
17. Totally Stampalicious
18. A Crafty Little Place
19. Crafty Card Makers 
20. Cupcake Craft Challenge
21. Town Scrapper
22. One Stitch a a Time
23. Paper Cutz


And this card is for Simplicity by Late Blossom to mask a layer for the background, this need to be a one layer card. For Creative Card Crew to make a Thank You card. And for Sweet Sunday Sketch.

That's all for tonight, thanks for stopping by!  SAM

Thanks...again!

Wow! Two thank you cards in a row for 365 Cards. Today challenge is Day 217 - Stampin' Saturday, to stamp a background pattern that is the same color as your card stock. I chose Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. I used my new Circle Circus set and the "Thanks" is the same stamp I used yesterday from the bundle of goodies from Pam. It is stamped on the inside of the card. Thought I had a plastic bubble to fit over the 'Thanks' but couldn't find them in all my mess.

That's all for tonight. I've been freezing all day with a sweatshirt on and now I'm burning up with my T-shirt on! This aging thing is getting on my nerves!!!
Till next time - SAM