Control Freaks Thanks & Gratitude

The Freaky theme this month is Thanks & Gratitude - and I have SO VERY MUCH for which I am overwhelmingly thankful. If you just landed here from Melissa's blog, RubberFUNatics, welcome! We have seven very thankful Freaks for this hop, so let's get going!

I only have two cards to share today, because a certain new puppy is keeping me out of the craft room. Seriously, I had forgotten how much a puppy is like having a toddler in the house. If they're being quiet, you better go check what they're up to! So...on to the first card....

I was a little disappointed to see the Pretty Pumpkins bundle isn't carrying over since it's really been growing on me lately. Ah, well, there will be new goodies to distract me soon enough. I thought the wheat pattern in the Harvest Meadow DSP (also retiring) would be the perfect background for the colored pumpkins.

That wheat straw looking stuff behind the pumpkins is an unraveled bit of Gold Fine Art Ribbon. I brushed a little Crumb Cake on the DSP behind the pumpkins to make them stand out a bit more. The Early Espresso die cut greeting is from the Word Wishes Dies in the annual catalog, and I'm happy to say the Brushed Metallic Adhesive-backed Dots are carrying over!

The next card will give you a sneaky peek at some goodies from the 2022 Jan-Jun Mini that starts Jan. 4th! The first thing you might have noticed is the floral bunch from the Blessings of Home bundle, which is part of the Heart & Home Suite Collection. Gosh, I love coloring, and this set is right up my alley!

Next you might have noticed the watercolor-washed embossed background. That's the Hive 3D embossing folder, also part of the Heart & Home Suite Collection (along with a bunch of other cool stuff!).

If you're wondering about the little label with the greeting from A Wish for Everything, that is from the die set that goes with the Bouquet of Love Hybrid Embossing Folder in the J-J mini. Oh, I cannot wait until you see all the new products coming soon!

Up next is Debbie, at Debbie Henderson Designs. I just love her sense of design, and frequently say "Oooo!" out loud when I see something she created. 😊

 Product List

Pretty Pumpkins Bundle

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Cinnamon Cider Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Baker's Twine Essentials Pack

Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Shimmer Ribbon

3/8" (1 Cm) Fine Art Ribbon

Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots

Add All to Cart

Happy Thanksgiving!

STAMPS: Vintage Leaves, Teeny Tiny Wishes  CARDSTOCK: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie  INK: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Basic Black Archival  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Woodland embossing folder, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Gold Cording Trim, Word Window Punch, Stamping Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Today when we sit down to stuff ourselves gorge on eat turkey and all the trimmings, we will take time to reflect on our numerous blessings. Besides being grateful for the usual things, like a warm bed, the roof over our heads, food on the table, and indoor plumbing, we are also thankful for things like the nice neighbors who have been so welcoming to us "outsiders." Truly, other than moving next to my BFF Barb, I couldn't have asked for better neighbors, and for that I am so very thankful!

I made this card for them, and hope someday to show Erika how easy and fun it is to stamp and be creative. She says she's not talented, but with the right tools, anyone can do it!

"Is it safe to come out yet?"

Make It Mailable 13-11

Hello, peeps! It's Monday, and that means it's another mailable card today. But first I want to thank all our Veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedom. The depth of my gratitude can never be adequately expressed, so all I can offer is a humble THANK YOU!

Today's card is a variation of one we did in the Second Saturday Stampers club a couple days ago. That one had a rather large, bulky button which may have presented a problem in the postal sorting machinery. Today's card has a smaller (thinner) button, but it didn't have enough "oomph" for the card, so I added some feathers to make it more appealing. What do you think?

I just loved this image when it was current a few years ago because, honestly, I LOVE to color! Never outgrew that from when I was little. The Blender Pens are so much fun to use with the Classic Stampin' Pads. Every color is available to use, and you can make an infinite variety of shades, depending on how much color you pick up with the pen. The Watercolor Paper doesn't pill up when you color on it, either, so it's easy to lay down layers of color and deepen it where you need shadow.

Stamps: Best of Autumn, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Watercolor Paper, Venetian Romance DSP
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Real Red, Early Espresso
Accessories: Designer Naturals Buttons, Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Sponges

Make It Mailable

It's Monday, and time for another Make It Mailable card!  The Thankful Tablescapes kit is packed full of goodies that can be used for card making.  I probably won't use it for the table settings it was originally intended to make, so repurposing it into cards works for me.  I calculated that I could easily produce 20 cards, with lots left over.  Not bad for $19.95!  The birch bark paper comes in 3 long sheets, each about 5" x 36" long, and has a lovely texture.

The die-cut maple leaf (there are 10 in the kit) was sponged with Cajun Craze and Real Red.  The autumn colors were complemented with a pop of Island Indigo ramdomly sponged on the Whisper White cardstock.  And for a little glimmer, some of the fab Gold Foil was added.  Even the little banners were cut from paper included in the kit!

Stamp: Truly Grateful
Cardstock: Naturals White, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Gold Foil
Ink: Real Red, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Bitty Banner Framelits, Thankful Tablescapes Simply Created Kit, Stampin' Sponge

SUOC32 - Thankful!

'Tis the season for giving thanks, and what better theme for our challenge this week at SUO Challenges than to make a card or gift to express your thankfulness. It can be a simple thank you for someone's kindness, or something to express your attitude of gratitude at Thanksgiving, your choice! Just be sure if you enter it at SUO Challenges that you use Stampin' Up! products only, and you haven't published it before our challenge started. Please. Amen!

Stamps: French Foliage, Hand-Penned Holidays
Cardstock:Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Ink: Peach Parfait, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Soft Suede, and Cajun Craze Classic
Accessories: Basic Pearls Jewels, Stripes Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Antique Brads, Stampin' Sponges

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today is the traditional day of thanks, but I am thankful every day for all my blessings!  I have a loving husband, two wonderful, successful children who are married to wonderful spouses, three adorable grandchildren, a roof over my head, plenty of (too much!) food on my plate, freedom, good friends (both IRL and online), good health and a happy heart.  I want for nothing, and for that I am truly grateful!

I especially want to thank our service men and women who work and sacrifice to keep our country safe and free! 

THANK YOU!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food, lots of laughter, and loved ones nearby!

Hugs, Cindy 

P.S. NEW ITEMS have been added to the Clearance Rack!  Check it out on my Stampin' Up! Website.   Click the "Shop Now" button on the right!

Still Grateful

I wasn't really sure where I was going with this card when I started.  Today is the Marker Club meeting, and I wanted to show the gals how to get a watercolor look, so I did the usual marker 'direct to stamp', then misted the stamp with water and stamped on watercolor paper. Meh, it looked okay, but not fabulous.  Next I tried misting the paper before stamping on it. *yawn* Still not fabulous.  Then I tried misting after stamping.  Yet again, not really the look I was going after, and I was getting tired of wasting the watercolor paper on experimentation.


I then stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock, grabbed my little spritzer bottle with the alcohol/Shimmer Paint mixture and tried spritzing the stamped image with it, and holy hannah! The colors intensified and absolutely popped!  That was what I was looking for!  The fine shimmer adds a bit of magic, as well.  You can really see it in the close-up photo below.  (As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge for more detail.)

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree (115026), Grateful Greetings (116511) 
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (102128), Very Vanilla (101650) 
DP: So Saffron Patterns Designer Series Paper (112152) 
Inks: So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker (105114), Real Red Stampin' Write Marker (100052), Really Rust Stampin' Write Marker (100073), Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker (100071) 
Accessories/Tools: Frost White Shimmer Paint (116854), Chocolate Chip Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (111849), Very Vanilla Neutrals 5/16 Inch Brads (112534)

Thankful for YOU!

This card is for YOU.  Yes, I'm talking to you (quit looking over your shoulder, lol).  I am truly grateful for the many blessings in my life; a wonderful husband, good health, a roof over my head, family and friends I can count on, and so on.  I am also very thankful for my online friends, the people who take time out of their busy lives to stop by here and take a look at whatever I've created, or whatever ramblings I have posted.  And especially if they leave a comment!  It really makes my day. And not in a Clint Eastwood kind of way. :-)

So, yes, this card is for you, dear blog reader.  Thank you for brightening my world!

Stamps: Autumn Splendor (116503), Baroque Motifs (113490), Grateful Greetings (116511) 
Cardstock: So Saffron (105118), Taken With Teal (101584), Very Vanilla (101650), White Vellum Cardstock (101856) 
DP: Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper (116769) 
Inks: VersaMark (102283), Gold Encore Pad (101017), Summer Sun Stampin' Write Marker (100077), Real Red Stampin' Write Marker (100052) 
Accessories/Tools: Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (109129), Heat Tool (100005), Designer Label Punch(107590), Modern Label Punch (116630), Designer Label Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (112454)

Thankful For My Family

This was the card we made in the Marker Club a couple days ago.  Two of the marker techniques we covered were coloring direct-to-stamp, and using the Color Spritzer Tool.  I thought the theme was appropriate because the two ladies who attended were my daughter-in-law and her mother... two women I am very thankful to have in my family!

I CASED this card from the SCS gallery, and made a few changes.

Stamps: Autumn Days (115452), Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370)
Cardstock: More Mustard (100946), Always Artichoke (105119), Bravo Burgundy (105123), Soft Suede (115318), Whisper White (100730)
DP: Autumn Traditions DSP (115668)
Ink: Summer Sun Classic (100537), Stampin' Write Markers: More Mustard (100076), Ruby Red (100075), Always Artichoke (105113), Chocolate Chip (100071), Close to Cocoa (100072)
Accessories/Tools: Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Word Window Punch (105090), Modern Label Punch (116630), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Mat Pack (105826), Paper-Piercing Tool (116631), Paper Cutter (104152), ribbon

August Card Swap

As a new Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I received the In Color cardstock assortment and Classic ink pads in my starter kit, so I went right to work getting creative! I had this card finished last week, but didn't want to post it here until after the swap on Saturday.

The background is Soft Suede, run through the Cuttlebug with the Pumpkin Harvest embossing folder. The image is from the Stampin' Up! Harvest Home stamp set. I love this set, it is so versatile! You can color the images with Copics or watercolors, or Prismacolor pencils. Or, you can do what I did and stamp the image on watercolor paper (with Stampin' Up! Dusty Durango Classic ink), and use a blender pen to spread the ink around. Quick and easy-peasy, and it looks great, too! The stamp set is #111642 and, as with any Stampin' Up! products, can be purchased by clicking on the Stampin' Up! link on the right, if you'd like.

After punching the corners with the Stampin' Up! Ticket Corner punch, I matted it on more Dusty Durango cardstock, similarly punched. The patterned paper is So Saffron Patterns Designer Series Paper, which coordinated with the two In Colors beautifully, almost like they planned it, or something.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Year-Round Puns set.

Thanks for looking!