Look Ma - No Stamps!

Yeah I'm a little goofy, I know. :o) I was at my friend's house the other day and we got to playing with her Cricut, and after cutting out this cute little spider, spider web and bat I thought I'd challenge myself to make a card that didn't use any stamps! It wasn't a hard challenge since I am a terrible hoarder and have scrapbooking supplies I don't even remember I have. The words are all scrapbooking stickers I found in my stash. I added the googly eyes to the spider and then mounted the bat inside on foam tape. This card is going to my girlfriend's kids up in Wisconsin.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a busy one. I cleaned house on Saturday and then we had friends over for dinner. Also, my nephew spent the night here with one of his friends. His buddy had trouble sleeping and didn't officially nod off until after 1 a.m., so needless to say I was tired and lazy on Sunday. It didn't stop me from shopping though. LOL. We went to the bookstore and I got the new Somerset Studio magazine, and then we bought a new desk for my son so he doesn't have to do his homework on the coffee table anymore. I'm a little bummed out today because I had to go back to the vet and pick up Cleo's ashes. I came home and had a good cry, and then I put her little urn on the bookshelf next to the rocker she always slept in. That was her favorite spot in the house so it seemed a fitting place for her.

Well, I'm off to my stamp room - hopefully to get started on some Christmas cards and some birthday cards I need this month. I hope you're having a blessed day!

Sue :o)

Getting Ready For Fall Fun

It dawned on me yesterday that Autumn is right around the corner, and when I had this realization I promptly gasped and ran to my stamp drawers to see what I have that could prove useful for this time of year. Apparently I'm more of a Spring girl because the pickings were slim. I promptly went to my computer, ordered some new Autumn/Halloween stamps - and while I was at it - a few Christmas ones too - and then I promptly went back to my craft room to play. I figured while I'm waiting for my new stamps to arrive I could at least get started on some embellishments and here's what I came up with.

The large pumpkins were traced from a template and cut by hand. After gluing the stems onto the pumpkin part, I ran the entire gourd through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder. I used the swirls on one pumpkin and the circles on the other. I then moved on to the little pumpkins which are so simple to make. All you need is an oval punch, paper, and a pair of scissors. Punch 3 orange ovals and glue them together. The first two ovals go side by side, and the third goes in the middle - slightly lower than the other two. Then you just cut the stems by hand and glue it onto the back.

After making the pumpkins I was really getting in the Autmn mood. I grabbed some die cut leaves from my stash and sponged them up in fall colors. I pulled out my flower punches and my bag of orange designer paper scraps and I went to work on some flower embellishments. Then I found a chipboard tag and covered it with background paper, added some punched leaves and the word FALL.

Finally, I got out my watercolors and my aqua painter and played around with some other designs. The stamped leaves are from Stampin' Up and the pumpkin and the pear are my own designs. Obviously I'm not an artist but hey - I had fun while I was doing them and that's what's important, right? :o)

I hope you got some inspiration from my ideas and that you're having a great week so far! Don't forget - there's a sale going on on my shop right now. Everything is either marked down or has free shipping! The sale will run through the end of this month and then starting in September I'll be adding LOTS of new creations!

Hugs!

Sue :o)