Photo Inspiration With Addicted to Stamps and More!

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, and this one is a fabulous photo collage to inspire you! Take a look:

I think you can see where I got my inspiration from:

I had picked up some fun die cuts on a recent trip to Michael's, and thought this cupcake was a perfect choice for the challenge! The letters and cupcake holder have some wonderful gold in them. 
My layout is from Mojo Monday 507:

Hope you will join us for our Photo Inspiration Challenge!

Make Your Mark Challenge!

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing a card for the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #317: Make Your Mark! Use your pencils, markers, inks, paints, watercolours, etc., and make "a mark" on your card!

For this challenge I am using Trinity Stamps' Hopeful Flowers, a little mini 3x4 set that packs a punch. I had decided to do a black and white card, and then when I was ready to stamp the sentiment (from Caffeinated Sentiments), I knew a pop of color would make all the difference!

I stamped my flower spray with VersaFine Onyx Black, and my sentiment with Stephanie Barnard's Strawberry Red. I thought that might be the only red, but then kept going with one of the floral sprays in Copic Lipstick Red.

Finally, I tied a bow of red taffeta, and mounted everything on a black cardstock base. One of my favorite color combinations!

Come play along with the Make Your Mark Challenge!

Other Challenges:
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes Christmas 
Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - Christmas and Seasonal Holidays 
Sisterhood of Crafters - Humour
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Emboss Resisting Spiders

I don't know why I keep making cards with spiders on them when they creep me out! :)

Today's share is from Picket Fence Studios, with one of the Halloween releases called If The Broom Fits.

I began by stamping the spiders repeatedly with VersaMark ink, then embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder. I blended in Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink with my Blender Brushes, and then wiped off the ink from the spiders with a soft cloth.

My sentiment is from another Halloween release, Wicked Together.
I stamped it with my favorite black, VersaFine Onyx Black, and then cut it out using a die from My Favorite Things. 

I added a sparkly spider die cut from K & Co. that I have had in my stash for a long time.  All done and ready to send!

Today is a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, and it's Anything Goes! Come play along with us {here}!

A Day for Gratitude

Reflecting back on 9/11 today has been a time of thankfulness. Just for everyone who put their lives on the line to save as many as they could - for the first responders, the search dogs, those on the third plane - so many to mention. Two of my friends narrowly missed being there. One was late for a train. And didn't make it to the Towers as planned. Another, I just found out today, was evacuated from one of the buildings. And you still learn, it seems, even this many years later, about people who cared about people, and the stories they have to tell. And now there is a beautiful musical about some lifesavers too.

So today my card is all about gratitude. For all of those people that I know about, have read about, and those whose names I read as I visited the Reflection Pools a few years ago (see below).

I used some scraps on my table to make this card: watercolor scraps for the banners, a piece of lined patterned paper for the leaves, and some small pieces of leftover cardstock for the gourd and pumpkin. I used one of my stencils for the background and sponged with Distress Oxide Ink (Peeled Paint). I even added a BRAD. Right?! Images are by Stampin' Up! I cased this from Pinterest, and now can't find who to give credit to. Boo!

In any case, it's time for a little Clean and Simple at Addicted to Stamps and More!

Come play along in Challenge #309! You have until Wednesday to enter!

A New Challenge and a New Team!

I am excited to be joining the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge Team! Today begins a new challenge, and it's all about coloring!

This week we are playing Make Your Mark. For this challenge, you can create anything you like as long as you use something to make a mark: watercolor markers, alcohol markers, paints, chalks, stencils, etc.!

My card today uses these Copic markers:

I stamped my Newton's Nook images from Cuppa Cactus with VersaFine Onyx Black ink, and then colored in to match the patterned paper I wanted to use (American Crafts). My fold is a Double Triangle Fold card, and opens at the diagonal split. It's a super fun and easy fold for something different. I embossed the top half with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The inside has a little pocket for a coffee gift card. I tied some linen thread around the finished card to tie and hold it shut.

Come play along with us! The challenge is open until Tuesday!