Kitten Thank You Basket

Twice a year, my work takes me to the High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina.  My mom and dad adopt the boys for 2-3 weeks while I'm gone and it's such a relief to know they are in good hands, especially because Ollie is quite the cranky boy and I can't leave him with just anyone.  Luckily, he loves two people in this world...me..and his grandma!

I made this card with an adorable kitten in a basket vintage image to thank my parents for watching the kitty cats.

A Detail:

• The layout is pretty straightforward, so I won't get into a bunch of details like normal, but I do want to point out the little thank you tag.  I punched first, then stamped...which could drive the best stamper crazy except for the miraculous Stamp-a-ma-jig!  I first discovered this tool when I was a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and it has saved me much angst in the years since.  If you don't have a Stamp-a-ma-jig or similar stamp positioner in your toolbox, you may want to invest (they are not expensive).  This is my un-sponsored, honest opinion!

Challenges:
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: #144 - Animals
Make It Monday: MIM #112
PanPastel UK Challenge: #41 - Animals
The Crafty Pad: Challenge #193 - Use an Animal

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up!  ‘Almost Amethyst’, ‘Naturals Ivory’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Miss Caroline ‘Fiddlesticks’ 6x6
Image:	The Vintage Moth
Stamps:	SU! ‘All Year Cheer’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Archival Ink ‘Coffee’
Embellishments:	Hobby Lobby lace; Papertrey Ink rustic button twine; buttons
Tools:	Foam tape; EK Success punch ‘Photo Labels’; Glue Dots’ foam ink blender; Tim Holtz paper distresser; Stamp-a-ma-jig

CCC #4: Thankful

If you love using SVG files with your electronic cutter then Creative Cutting Challenge blog is for you!  The theme for our fourth Creative Cutting Challenge is "Thanksgiving".  Click here to enter the challenge and to check out more creative inspiration from our Design Team...even if you don't use SVGs, these are some talented ladies with great ideas!

For my design team project, I made this Thankful hanging.  It's approximately 5x7 and I'm thinking that it will end up as a thank you gift.  How punny would that be?  J

The Details:

• I really love the acorn and oak leaves from The Creative Pointe's "Thanksgiving Set Two" SVG collection and decided to create a colorful fall bouquet with them.  Do you see them there accenting the Happy Thanksgiving header?  Isolating just certain elements in an SVG really allows you to maximize these files. You can cut just the part(s) you want and you don't have to cut them as is...you can scale them up or down, elongate them...whatever you want.  
• To create my bouquet, I cut the leaves from various leafy shades of scrap papers and the acorns from brown scraps.  

• To enrich the colors, each piece had Distress Stains and/or Ink added.  
• I then covered the faces in VersaMark and embossed them with UTEE, adding layers as needed for even coverage.  
• Once each piece was covered in UTEE and slightly cooled, I  used a craft knife to add veins to the leaves and cross-hatched the caps on the acorns.  
• I then added Ginger Alcohol Ink and blending solution to a used felt pad (used meaning it had lots of other neutral colors already on it) and applied it to each surface.  The AI filled in the veins and cross-hatching and dulled the finish of the UTEE.  

• The leaves and acorns were layered on top of one another and "tied" with a jute twine bow.  For a little extra touch and dimension, I added Frayed Burlap Distress Stickles to the acorn caps.
• I've had this Thankful sticker for a loooong time.  So glad that I finally used it!  It's layered on top of some vintage lace and accented with buttons and Frayed Burlap Distress Stickles.

Other Challenges:
Anything But a Card: Challenge 4 - Fall or Halloween or Fall Colors
Order of the Opus Gluei: Challenge #142 -. I "leaf" it up to you!
Pile It On - #43 - Holiday, any Holiday!
The Hybrid Chick: Card Caravan #29 - Fall / Autumn
Allsorts Challenge: Week #177 - Autumn Colours

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	DCWV, scraps
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Thanksgiving Set Two”
Image:	Chelsea Craze ‘Button Card’
Inks:	Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Rusty Hinge’, ‘Crushed Olive’; Alcohol Ink ‘Ginger’, ‘Blending Solution’; VersaMark; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Walnut Stain’
Embellishments:	Vintage lace trim; vintage buttons, Papertrey Ink rustic button twine; jute twine; cardstock sticker; cotton twill fabric; Distress Stickles 'Frayed Burlap'
Tools:	Tim Holtz paper distresser; foam and felt ink blending tools; wire; spray adhesive; SCAL; Cricut Expression; Glue Dots; 3M foam tape; tweezers; craft knife; mister; UTEE; heat tool
Misc:	cardboard

Here Comes Kitty Boo Boo!

(No, I don't watch that show, but I've heard of it and I thought it made a funny title. J)

I am loving these toilet paper tube pockets!  I just can't seem to make enough and since there's a constant supply of empty rolls...well, I guess I can keep making them until you all are sick of seeing them!  LOL!

A Couple Details:

• This great black cat face is from Free Vintage Digital Stamps.  I layered it on a spider web cardstock element from My Mind's Eye using foam tape for dimension.  My favorite part is the eyes.  I used Orange Peel and Black Diamond Stickles to make his eyes come alive!  It's delicate Stickling work, but so worth it!  Tip:  Start with the orange since the lighter color is more forgiving...for best results make sure your black pupils are centered, round, and similar in size.  

• I stitched the bottom of this pocket together with black and white baker's twine.  The pumpkins are actually a fabric trim I picked up in a specialty shop.  I left this pocket empty for now and plan on filling it with candy for a Halloween gift.

Now, speaking of "kitty boo-boos", my poor Dodger had a run-in with the office chair in my studio.  It's an old, heavy, metal rolling chair. As I was rolling around, his tail got too close and he panicked and pulled a big 'ol tuft of hair out of his fluffy tail. Luckily, that was the only damage.  He was NOT happy with me for a couple of hours, but is now VERY aware of where that chair is and keeps his distance.  Ollie learned this same lesson a few years ago.

Look at that pathetic face...poor kitty!
"What the hell just happened, Momma?!?"

Challenges:
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: #143 - Orange, Black, and Choice
Papercraft Star: Challenge #117 - Halloween Pumpkin
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Eerie Inspiration
Papertake Weekly Challenges: Fright Night...Boo!
Ribbon Carousel: RCC #73 Halloween Spirit
Shopping Our Stash: Challenge #73 - Trick OR Treat
Anything But A Card: Challenge #4
Inspiration Emporium: October Monthly Challenge - Spooktacular Decorations
Simon Says Stamp & Show: Your Favorite

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Basic Black’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye The Spider’s Web ‘Cauldron Bubbles’, ‘Trick or Treat’
Image:	Free Vintage Digital Stamps ‘Halloween Cat’
Stamps:	SU! ‘Alphabits’
Inks:	Archival Ink ‘Jet Black’; Distress Ink ‘Black Soot’
Embellishments:	MME The Spider’s Web cardstock element; ribbon; Ribbon Trends twill tape; pumpkin ribbon; Darice baker’s twine ‘Black / White’; Stickles ‘Orange Peel’, ‘Black Diamond’; wire
Tools:	Hole punch; foam tape; tapestry needle’ Tim Holtz paper distresser
Misc:	Empty toilet paper tube

Skully

Here's another Halloween card with a soft grey monochromatic color scheme.  Loving the creepy skull!

A Couple Details:

• The vintage skull anatomy drawing is from The Graphics Fairy.  I printed on ordinary white office paper, then mounted on grey cardstock, distressing the edges and inking them with Black Soot Distress Ink.

• Large dots of Orange Peel Stickles make the eye sockets glow and add the only color to the card...spectacularly spooky!
• For a shadowy stamp on the vellum tag, I used a black Stamp & Stick Glue pad.  I stapled the tag to the card with my tiny attacher.

Challenges:

The Graphics Fairy:  Brag Monday #158
Dream Valley: Challenge # 43 - Halloween
Scrappy Frogs Challenge: Fall / Halloween
That Craft Place: Halloween
Challenge Up Your Life: Challenge #80 - Autumn / Halloween
Crafty Calendar Challenge: October Challenge - All Things Spooky
My Sheri Crafts: Challenge #96 - Halloween
Simon Says Stamp & Show: Your Favorite (my favorite is using vintage images!)

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Sahara Sand’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye The Spider’s Web ‘Cauldron Bubbles’
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Vintage Anatomy – Skull’
Stamps:	Basic Grey ‘Spooky’, ‘Halloween’; Cosmo Cricket ‘Haunted’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Black Soot’, ‘Walnut Stain’; SU! classic ‘Sahara Sand’; Palette Stamp & Glue pad ‘Black’
Embellishments:	Darice baker’s twine ‘Black/White’; vellum tag; Stickles ‘Orange Peel’
Tools:	3M foam tape; Tim Holtz paper distresser, tiny attacher; foam ink blender

Halloween Iris Folding

My mom is an avid and talented quilter and has recently expanded the art into paper through iris folding.  On my summer "craft-cation" with Mom and my oldest sister, we each brought a project to share.  Mom taught us a basic, yet extremely versatile iris folding pattern.  I was instantly hooked and created several in various themes.  Today I'm sharing the Halloween version.  This a marvelous way to use up your scraps.

Some Details:

• The pattern my mom taught us with is from a book that she purchased, so I cannot post that here, however, I did a quick internet search and found oodles of free patterns.  
• At the suggestion of my sister, I used a skull from the skeleton paper as the focal point for the center (or iris) of my folding.  Then I added some tissue tape, ribbon, and tiny staples for accent, and stamped "BOO" in white pigment ink.  

• Here's the original card that I made with my mom's instruction.  As you see, it's easy to change the tone of the card through your paper selection.  This one will be perfect for a birthday, thank you, or even sympathy.

• For this card's focal point, I stamped a tiny butterfly image and then used my Distress Markers to color it to match.

I've got several more of these up my sleeve and will be sharing at the appropriate season.  If you haven't tried iris folding, I obviously highly recommend it!  LOL!

Challenges:
Little Red Wagon: Challenge #154 - Fallin' for You
Paper Pretties: Wednesday Challenge PWC227 - Halloween Cards
Ribbon Carousel: RCC73 - Halloween Spirit

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Pumpkin Pie’, ‘Basic Black’
Patterned Paper:	scraps
Stamps:	Cosmo Cricket ‘Haunted’
Inks:	SU! craft ‘White’
Embellishments:	Tim Holtz tissue tape ‘Symphony’; ribbon
Tools:	TH tiny attacher