BONUS PROJECT: "FALL FEST" CARD SET

Summer is just about over, and it’s time to be thinking about Fall. This card set is centered on the Fall season, and the box is made with the Gift Box Punch Board. There are six cards in this set, along with matching envelopes made with the Envelope Punch Board. This box set would make a great gift, and would also make a great card class.

The talented Christy Fulk designed this project and if there's one thing that she can be counted on to deliver, it's a colorful and useful project!  This lovely project definitely gets me ready for falling leaves and cooler weather!  Christy's awesome project is actually the September Bonus Project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know!

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project is a fun little Halloween card featuring the following Stampin' Up! products:

Card Stock:  Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Basic Black, Blushing Bride

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blendabilities Markers (Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight)

Stamp Set:  Holiday Home

Punch:  Owl Builder, 2-1/2" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle

Sizzix:  Homemade Holiday Framelits

I apologize for the quality of the photo as I know the colors do not show true.  It was late when I whipped up this card, but I had fun with it.  The punch art cat (with an oversized nose--oops!!!) was a lot of fun and so, so easy.  This could very well be the last Halloween card that I post because my focus needs to quickly shift to Christmas projects.  It always seems that summer ends and . . . BAM! . . . no time for Halloween and Thanksgiving--the mad dash begins to get many things complete before Christmas.  And I do love Christmas!

"ARTFULLY SENT" SWING/FLIP CARD

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for CTMH's Cricut cartridges and, when the newest one (Artfully Sent) arrived last week, I took it for a spin and made this card to send to my parents.  This is the only card that I've made so far with the cartridge, but it looks like most of the designs are supposed to end up as 5" x 7" cards, which seem quite large after years of making A2 sized cards.  ;-)  I could be wrong about the recommended size for the cards, but I definitely saw several that were the larger size.  

It's probably too soon to give a true opinion and I've not used the cartridge enough to pass fair judgement, but my instant opinion of this cartridge isn't quite as exciting as its three predecessors and for one main reason . . . I feel that for this particular card, there should have been a few companion (layering) cuts available--at least the cloud!  Sheesh!  I had to create that cut myself and then I cut black card stock and Stampin' Up!'s Champagne glimmer paper to place behind the interior layer.  This wasn't a problem, but it did make the card a little more fussy.  I also used Stampin' Up!'s Word Bubbles Framelits and Just Sayin' stamp set to create the "love ya" feature.  One advantage to the cut-outs for this particular card is that I now have extra pieces (heart, circles, Scottie dog) that I can use on another card.  Everything that I saw about this cartridge (in writing or video) prior to purchasing it seemed to drive home the message that it's all about card-making, which is fine with me.  Please don't misinterpret my expressed opinion after making one card from the cartridge--I'm just sharing my first thoughts, and it's entirely possible that I have missed or overlooked quite a few things.  I will definitely work with the cartridge again and expect to love it as much as I love the three that came before it.  :-)

"KINDA ECLECTIC" ENSEMBLE

This gift set is fun and unique. It includes a hand-stamped bowl, earrings, a gift box, and a coordinating card. The bowl makes a fun little catch-all for your jewelry or other small items.

Kinda Eclectic is one of my favorite new stamp sets from Stampin' Up!, and Boni Montano has put this stamp set to work with her creative and pretty ensemble.  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.  Did you subscribe yet?

"HEY THERE" OWL-SHAPED CARD

It seems like it's been a while since I made a shaped card, so I went to the Cricut Craft Room today, chose this cute owl image (from the Art Philosophy cartridge), and created this fun shaped card.

I was excited to find the large wiggle eyes, which were almost a perfect fit.  Of course, I had to use a few Stampin' Up! products, too . . . Word Bubbles Framelits, Just Sayin' stamp set, Champagne Glimmer paper (I really, really love this paper!!!!), and Feathers Framelits. 

HALLOWEEN FRAME & CARD

It’s that spooky time of year!  This frame is the perfect décor for any home…just put a picture of your little goblin inside! Or . . . pair it with the card, and you'll have a perfect Halloween gift!

The tutorial for this really cute ensemble, which was designed by Heidi King, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Wouldn't this be a neat gift to receive?  It would make a great decoration year after year.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project features one of my favorite stamp sets from the current Stampin' Up! catalog . . . Work of Art.  The images in this stamp set don't look very remarkable; however, they are so versatile and fun to use.  To make this card, I used four colors of ink (Old Olive, Soft Sky, Black, and Hello Honey) and five images from the stamp set.  It's a one-layer card, and it's not boring.  I'd call that a successful MISM card!

Work of Art

STAINED GLASS LANTERN & CARD

Brighten up your fall décor with this lovely and bright stained glass lantern. The jewel-toned windows are sure to brighten up your space. Give this lovely lantern as a gift to someone extra special with the matching card.

WOW!  Is this project beaming with color or what?  And that lantern is simply adorable!  Amanda designed this project, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.  

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - SKETCH CHALLENGE #39

Have you made something yet for Craft Project Central's Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #39?  I recently posted this card that I made for the challenge, and today I have another one to share where I altered the orientation of the sketch:

Is it cheating when you use a sketch to get started and then alter the sketch?  No, not at all!  Why don't you use the following sketch and create something pretty today?  Don't forget to share it at Craft Project Central!

My card features the following Stampin' Up! products:

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Coastal Cabana

Ink:  Coastal Cabana and Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blendabilities Markers; Memento Tuxedo Black 

Stamp Sets:  Hi There, Bloom with Hope

Sizzix:  Lovely Lace embossing Folder, Banners Framelits

Accessories:  Small Scallop rotary blade, Coastal Cabana thick twine, All Abloom DSP stack, rhinestone jewels (oops!  I forgot them, but I'm going to add them now)

"TAP TAP TAP" SCREEN CARD & JOURNAL

This fun screen card can be altered to any occasion you like!  These cards are easy to assemble and are definitely a “wow card”.  The coordinating Journal just adds the right touch!

How cute is this Folding Screen card?!?!  This project was designed by Laurie, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.  It's been another great month for awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central, and there are more to come.  Have you subscribed yet?