FALL "CRATE" CARD + CUTE LITTLE FOX

 

I work at a social club in a 55+ community, and one of the sweet members brought me a homemade mini loaf of pumpkin bread last week that was so delicious!  Naturally, I wanted to send her a thank you card, and I thought something fall-ish would be appropriate.  I used Cricut Design Space to create a crate card, complete with a pumpkin, colorful leaves, and a sweet little fox.

All of the images (except the layered hearts) were Print then Cut images.  They are too easy to use, and I have been addicted to using them all summer.  On the fox's banner, which was adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals, I added a text box for the word "thanks!".  That's just one great thing about Print then Cut images--they can be personalized.  The heart "charm" is actually three cut hearts adhered together, and they were tied onto the pumpkin stem with Linen Thread.  As you can see in the photo below, this was a side-fold card:

I knew that I would need a white panel on the inside of the dark brown card, and behind that layer was the perfect place to adhere the colorful leaves.  Don't they look nice sticking out from the top of the crate?

I didn't think the card needed too many embellishments, so I chose three metallic sequins and then placed a tiny rhinestone in the center of each.

This card came together quite quickly, and working on it has only made me even more ready for all things Fall.  Since today is the official first day of Autumn, it seemed to be perfect for this blog post.

Happy first day of Fall/Autumn!!!

STAMP SALE + MORE THAN AUTUMN

 

So maybe it isn't officially Fall, but I am officially READY for Fall!  I was looking at my collection of stamp sets today and, when I opened the "More than Autumn" stamp case, I found a little baggie with some stamped die-cuts ready for color.  I used Stampin' Blends alcohol markers to color the images, and my colors are Cinnamon Cider, Crumb Cake, and Pumpkin Pie.  It's an odd combination but, surprisingly, I think the coloring turned out quite well.

One of the fun things about that little leaf die is that it cuts two pieces, which means that you can use two different colors of cardstock for the leaf and its veins and outline.  Genius!  The More than Autumn bundle is a great one to have on hand--all the time.  Although it was designed for a particular time of year, several of the images are actually generic and fantastic for ALL year (slice of pie, doughnut, coffee drink, whipped topping for the drink and a smaller one for the pie, sprinkles, straw for the drink, and some adorable small images--heart, apple, pumpkin, gingerbread).

This bundle is seriously one that every card-maker should have--and keep forever.  

STAMP SALE!!!  For 24 hours only, Stampin' Up! is having a stamp sale on September 18th.  Following are the details:

• This stamp sale only happens once a year!
• The sale will run for 24 hours.
• The 15% discount will apply to all stamps and stamp tools.
• Bundles are not included in this sale.
• Stamp sets and tools are only available while supplies last.
• See and shop all qualifying products in my online store.
• Excludes Last Chance products.

If you want to purchase the More than Autumn (or any other) bundle, just purchase the stamp set and the dies separately to get the 15% discount.  Of course, I will greatly appreciate it if you shop with me.

The "hey" for my card was created with a set of (retired) alphabet dies.  Stampin' Up! has some wonderful alphabet dies, and it's nice for crafters to have at least one set.

How about one more look at my card:

MASCULINE BIRTHDAY CARD

My niece's husband, Matt, has a birthday this month, so I needed a masculine card.  If you're a card-maker, then you know that masculine cards are sometimes quite a challenge.  I always want to use sparkly gems, bows, and brushed glitter, but men aren't usually too keen on those embellishments.

While using Cricut Design Space recently, I came across this gorgeous Print then Cut lake/mountain image and decided that it would be perfect.  My niece's family lives in Michigan, and they seem to have some of the most beautiful parks and landscapes nearby.  Naturally, they enjoy spending time outdoors because there are so many gorgeous places to do so.  My cardstock colors are Misty Moonlight, Early, Espresso, White, and Vellum.  The hiking boots were also a Print then Cut image, and I print some extras that I used on the envelope and the signature layer inside the card.  The boots that are tied to the top right of center layer are double-sided.  I wanted to make sure that if they get flipped around, they will still look like hiking boots.  This was achieved by copying the image and then flipping it in Design Space so that the two cuts could be glued together--back to back.

You can see in the above photo that the Early Espresso layer was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s "Forever Plaid" embossing folder.  The boots were tied on with Linen Thread.

The birthday sentiment was stamped onto a scrap of Vellum cardstock and then heat-embossed.  After making sure the embossing was cool, I gave the sentiment a torn edge on the top and bottom.  I don't recall the name of the blue embellishments as they have been retired for quite some time.  I loved them so much and bought so many that I still have quite a collection.

If I didn't mention already, this card folded on the side.  You can see the hiking boots on the bottom right of the signature layer inside the card.  

Want another look at the card and envelope:

SWEET STRAWBERRIES + WAX SEAL

A sweet family friend celebrated a birthday at the end of July, and today I'm sharing the cute strawberry card that I made for her.  This was such a quick card to make but, as you can see, it was loaded with texture, layers, and dimension.

The "Circle of Season" dies from Stampin' Up! were used to cut the circle and die-cut strawberry layers.  I think these dies make such a pretty berry--the topper is perfect, the little white flower is adorable, and I absolutely love that one die cuts the seed holes from the red berry and, when used without the "seed hole" die, it cuts the brown layer to position behind the red berry.  This makes the quickest and easiest strawberry!  

I've had a little obsession with wax seals for a couple of years, but I rarely hand-deliver envelopes and wouldn't trust that a seal on the outside of an envelope would survive being handled through normal mail processing and delivery.  I occasionally put wax seals on wrapped gifts, gift bags, tags, etc., and they're actually perfect on cards.  I've learned that if I want to be sure I'll have a decent result, I should make the seal and then apply it to my project.  

The pretty eyelet layer was created with a Martha Stewart punch, and doesn't it add such a nice feminine touch?  To avoid having to punch tiny circles for the flower centers, I used brand new In Color Flat Pearls from Stampin' Up!.  They add shiny dimension without being bulky.  Love that!  

And here's one more look at this berry sweet card: