Autumn Wishes Card

Today is the first full day of Autumn (it officially began yesterday at 4:44 p.m.).  Our weather has been beautiful with bright blue skies and that touch of crispness in the air.

I had some errands to do in town and decided to walk with my camera, hoping to see some changing leaves.  The leaves are still mostly green but I did see one bright tree - I am sure there will be more to follow soon.

With the changing of the seasons, I change the wreath on our front door.  The current wreath is made from a garland of leaves and a few of them fell off when I put the wreath up.  They have been sitting on my craft table along with lots of other bits and pieces waiting to be put to good use.

A little over a year ago, I shared this card that I designed using the Silhouette Studio software.  You can see that post HERE.  I actually designed both a square and a rectangular version but I never put the square card together and posted it.  The colors of the leaves from the wreath made me think about my stack of semi-completed projects, so I pulled out the square card pieces in their autumnal colors at last and made this card.

The pieces were ready to assemble and I looked for a stamp small enough to fit on the front circle with the leaves.

I found a set that I bought quite a while ago and just never got around to using (do you have any of those?).  This set is from Papertrey Ink and is number 7 in the series of "tag-its" stamp sets (item #2404).  I think these small sets are a great value at only $5.

The card base is cut from Core-dinations textured cardstock and I inked it along the cut edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to hide the lighter core color.  I heat embossed the sentiment in gold and I was pleased that it is quite legible embossed on the textured cardstock even though it is only about 3/8 x 3/4 inches.

The coordinating insert is attached to the back of the card so the cut out design is highlighted.

 
 A few gems clustered here and there add some nice sparkle to the card.

You have to remember to keep the inside sentiment in the center area so it won't show through the cut work pattern when the card is closed.

Happy Autumn to you!  I hope you are enjoying some beautiful weather too.

Important Note for Creative Memories Digital Center users

September 23rd was the original date given as the final day to order digital StoryBooks, Page Prints, Calendars and other Digital Center products.   Due to issues with the servers (so many people uploading at once) the date has been extended to Thursday, September 26th at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.  The Digital Center will be shut down at that time.  All items ordered will be processed and mailed but it won't be possible to access the Digital Center after Thursday to check on order status.

September 30th is the last day for the Creative Memories.com website and all consultant personal websites.  If you haven't downloaded any purchased digital content or programs you need to do it now before the websites go down.  For more detailed information about the digital programs and content see THIS POST.  If there are ideas or techniques that you want to remember from the help pages or project center you should copy them and save the copy to your computer for future reference.

Do you have any fall colors showing in your area yet?  The colors of the changing leaves are so pretty - if only they didn't have to fall and then be cleaned up from the lawn!

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Autumn Leaves (and a special box...)

Metallic cardstock is so pretty - I just love the shimmer and shine.  I found some copper metallic cardstock a while ago at the Tuesday Morning store and I have been drawn to it for many of the cards I've made recently.

This paper pad from Prima has quite a few sheets that coordinate beautifully with the copper metallic cardstock.  I cut a top layer from one of the sheets and aligned the design so there would be a leafy area along the left side and bottom of my card.

I found this little stamp set from Inkadinkado  and decided to make the card a genereic sort of note card for Fall.

I stamped the words with Versamark ink and heat embossed them with dark brown embossing powder.  I had a tiny mishap with the bottom of the "N" missing but there is always a way to cover up mistakes like this.

I had some dark brown leafy ribbon that would work perfectly for the card.  The ribbon has a thin "stem" and this can be tricky to adhere to a flat surface.  I used my Precision Point Adhesive pen and drew a line of adhesive where I wanted to place the ribbon.  It is white when you first apply it but if you wait a few minutes it will turn clear.

Once the adhesive has dried to clear, it is easy to set the thin ribbon into the adhesive.  With a little pressure it will hold quite firmly.

I cut away one of the leaves on the right side before I stuck the ribbon down on the card front.  This gave me a space to add the pretty copper leaf.  The leaf is a Metal Filigree Accent from the SEI Moonrise collection and it coordinates very nicely with the copper cardstock.  I turn over the patterned paper and secured the ends of the ribbon with tape before attaching it to the dark brown mat layer.

The stem of the metal leaf tucks under the ribbon and is hidden under a leaf.  I also used a couple of small glue dots to secure the leaf to the card.

I used the leaf that was removed from the ribbon to "accent" the words.  It very conveniently hides the small error in the stamping and a gem sticker adds a third bit of shine to the card (Embossed words, copper leaf and the gem sticker).

The card even matches my copper frog that I use for some photos! 

I have a little surprise for you today.  A year or so ago I thought about keeping a small box on my craft table and adding bits and pieces to it through the month.  It can be hard to find certain supplies and I like to share the things I have. 

I finally have a box set up and so far I have added:

1.  2 sheets of the sticky paper I used for the glittered ornament card
2.  A new set of the same Inkadinkado Autumn Leaves stamps I used on the card
3.  An 18 inch piece of the brown leaf ribbon - enough for a few cards.

I'll keep adding things until the end of the month and then I will pick a random comment from all of the posts this month and send the box to one lucky reader/commentor.

You can leave a comment on every post to increase your chances but please just leave one per post and make sure that you give me enough information so I can contact you if your comment is drawn.

Thanksgiving is just one week away - how are your preparations going?  Do you cook the entire meal or join forces with other family members? 

A few people emailed me to ask where they could buy the die that I used for the ornament card.  If you can't find the Memory Box dies at a small local store they can be ordered online.  I added links to yesterday's post HERE - just scroll to the bottom and you'll see the images of the dies.

Have a wonderful day!

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Hope Card

I love to get surprises in the mail.  So when I heard about Webster's Pages new "Sprinkles Craftbox," I had to give it a try.  This is a new program at Webster's Pages.  You can order a box for just $10 (postage included in the US) and a little box of goodies comes right to your mailbox with ingredients for a crafty project (or two or three...).

When the box arrives, the contents are wrapped in this pretty paper.  This little extra touch makes it fun to open up the package (adding some suspense even though the box is previewed on the site before you order it).

Here are the things that arrived in the first box for September.  I am a collector/hoarder of their fabulous trims and ribbons and the cameo embellishments are great accents.  Best of all, each kit includes a yummy cookie with (you guessed it) frosting and sprinkles on top!

These are the items that came in the second box.  The notebook will be very handy for keeping track of crafty inspiration.  It would also make a nice little album.

The pages inside have an interesting combination of grids and lines - perfect for sketches.

You can't tell from the photo but the pages are very thick cardstock so they will be quite durable.

Inside the box and on the back of the cookie is their tag line for the Sprinkles boxes, "because you deserve it" (by the way - the cookies are very tasty!).

There are a limited number of craftboxes available each month so be sure to watch the Webster's Pages site, blog or Facebook page to find out when you can order the November box.  They will sell out quickly.

I thought the inner wrapping was so pretty - I couldn't let it go to waste.  I decided to use it for a few cards.  This is more of a wrapping paper than a typical scrapbook paper and it has a nice shine.   I carefully cut a card layer of 3 3/4 inches by 5 inches, centering the design of the paper so it would be symmetrical.  (If you don't know how to do this, I wrote about it HERE using a cut shape).  I cut a layer of pearly ivory textured cardstock from American Crafts as a mat for the patterned paper.

The card base is Core'dinations textured cardstock.  I used my Sizzix ribbon die that is the same as the one in the special set I am giving away this month (see below).  The large pink ribbon is cut from the same cardstock as the base.  The word "Hope" is from the Cricut Home Decor cartridge.  I cut the word at two inches with a shadow layer of the same ivory pearl cardstock that I used to mat the top layer.

I thought the card needed just a little something more to finish it so I added small pink pearls at the ends of the ribbon...

...and at the top. 

I am happy that I was able to reuse a bit of my special package to make something that might cheer up someone else.  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

Thanks to those of you who have been asking about my Dad.  He was discharged from the hospital yesterday but has to go back to the rehab area for a while to do physical therapy and get his strength back.  I hope to get down to see him again next week.  It is hard to be so far away...

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Real Flowers - printed and cut for a card

Monday was a "catch-up" day for me.  I was finally able to find the top of the pool table in my craft room "annex" (after our sons left home I spread out into the adjoining room - and filled it up too!).  I was sorting through piles of projects and I found something that I started a couple of months ago.  So I finished this card to share with you.

This photo of a rudbeckia (brown-eyed susan) from our back yard was the starting point.

I did some photo editing and heightened the contrast to make the flower stand out.  One of my favorite things to do with my flower photos is to turn them into digital elements that I can use for my digital scrapbooking.  I have accumulated quite a few flower images as PNG files that I can use for page layouts, cards and other projects.

I used the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 software (on sale this week for only $41.40) to remove the background and create a clean image of the flower.  I realized that with my Silhouette machines I have the capability to take these flower images and cut them out perfectly.

I saved the PNG file to my desktop and then dragged it into the Silhouette Studio software.  (You do not need the designer version of the software to do this).  Then I used the trace function to create a cut line around the edge of the flower.  I filled a page with various sizes of the flower.  For some of the images, I created an offset to leave a white edge around the flower when it is cut.  

Once my flowers were cut out, they looked very realistic - because they are actual flower images.  I could also skip the printing and use the cut lines that I traced around the flowers to cut plain cardstock in the same shape. 

I chose three flowers in small, medium and large sizes, and cut some basic card mats for an A2 card.  The card base is Bazzill heavy textured cardstock, the brown layer is Core'dinations cardstock and the green design is from Momenta.  The yellow chevron ribbon is from May Arts and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards (I rounded two corners to make it a little more interesting).

 I placed the ribbon across the front of the top layer and folded it over onto the adhesive on the back before I placed the green layer (3 3/4 x 5 inches) on the brown layer (4 x 5 1/4 inches).

I inked the edges of the layers with some Vintage Photo distress ink.  Here is the finished card base before I added the flowers and sentiment.

I chose this ribbon because the chevron pattern matches the design in the green dragonfly cardstock.  I used Scor-Tape to attached the sentiment to the ribbon and the cardstock.

To add dimension to the flowers, I used some foam dots.  I adhered the largest flower with Scor-Tape in the center and curled up the ends a bit.  For the medium flower I used one foam dot and for the smallest flower I stacked two foam dots.

I overlapped the flowers as I placed them on the card.  This photo shows the different levels.

I have also done a print and cut project with some daisies and I am working on other flowers that I have photographed.  I really enjoy taking my photos and finding new ways to use them.  You can make a totally personalized card and once you take the time to create the files you can use them over and over again.

I am linking up this project to Link Up Tuesday HERE.  The past few months have been such a busy time for our family.  I don't go to the message boards much anymore but I'd like to keep in contact with the blogging community - I may even start a link day here.

Every so often I am asked if I sell my photographs.  I haven't done that (yet) but I am considering creating and selling SVG files to print and cut my flower images.  Please let me know (by leaving a comment or by email) if you'd be interested in these or other SVG files.  I can't sell them as .studio files (see Kerri Bradford's recent blog posts) but SVG files can be cut by a number of machines, including the Silhouette machines if you have the designer edition of the software or another program such as Make the Cut.

Our weather has started to cool down a bit and fall will be here soon.  The schools here usually start after Labor Day but I know that in many parts of the country children are already back to school.  If you have school age children, I hope that they are off to a good start for this year.

I wonder what other projects I'll find as I continue to sort out my craft room!

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Seaside Notecard

 

I bought this great seaside paper last month and it has been sitting on my table just begging to be used.  The paper is from K & Company and the designer is Tim Coffey.

I like to buy mat pads and 6 x 6 stacks since the scale is often better for cards (though some companies just cut down the 12 x 12 papers so you do need to check).

 A piece like this is easy to cut up for several projects.  

I still have two more sections that I can use as is for cards or cut up into individuals motifs (they are offset on another piece of the same paper so you can see how it was cut).

The card base is ivory cardstock in A2 size (8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches folded to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches).  The seaside paper is cut at 2 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches (along the lines of the design and trimmed just a tad) and it is matted on a piece of dark blue Core'dinations cardstock cut at 3 x 5 inches.  The lighter blue textured layer is cut at 4 x 5 1/4 inches and is also Core'dinations cardstock.

I added some aqua or "Caribbean" twine along the left side.   I got this in a sampler pack from The Twinery about a year and a half ago.  You can see the pack I bought HERE - they now have many more colors and lots of sampler packs to choose from.

I strung a few sea themed charms from Creative Charms on the twine before I wrapped it around the card layer.  The color is almost a perfect match.

I taped the ends of the twine on the back of the card layer.

Then I shifted the charms to be near the top of the card and tied a bow around all three strands with another piece of twine and trimmed the ends.

 

This will make a nice note card for a thank you for a beach vacation visit or could be used for an invitation.  It might even work for a Father's Day card

I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

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