It is Thursday and here in the US it is Thanksgiving.  Today it is also the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge day.  This week it is a color challenge.

Beautiful, rich colors perfect for this time of year.

I think the Nature's Harvest bundle is the Bundle I used the most from the July-Dec 2021 Mini Catalog.  The flowers were colored using Watercolor pencils and the cut using the coordinating Harvest dies. The Watercolor pencils Assortment 1 has both Rich Razzleberry and Early Espresso pencils,  there is no pencil for the Cinnamon Cider since it is an In Color (2020-22).  

The background was created using a Water Painter, ink refills (Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, Cinnamon Cider) on  watercolor paper.  I diluted the ink refill with water and then brushed it on the watercolor paper.  Once the paper was dry I did some splatters using Early Espresso ink diluted with water and the Water Painter.  

The sentiment is from the Color & Contour set.  It is a fun font and a perfect sentiment for today and well anytime.  

The Very Vanilla twine was added to the panel once it was dry.  Do you see those tiny butterflies?  This is a little sneak peek of something that is coming in the J-J (January-June) 2022 Mini Catalog.  They are the Brushed Brass Butterflies and you will be seeing them a lot.  The butterflies come in 2 sizes-tiny and teeny tiny.  I used both sizes on my card.  The butterflies are pretty thin and flat which makes them easily mailable.  Since they have a brushed finish they are not super shiny but add a subtle shine.  I am a big fan and look forward to ordering more of them.

Happy Thanksgiving and I am grateful you stopped by,

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (14 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

Do you feel like the days are flying by?  I can hardly believe it is already Thursday!  Things started going even faster once I realized there were only 6 Saturdays left in 2021.  It is pretty hard to wrap my head around that.  Anyway, Thursday means it is time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  

This week it is a sketch challenge.

Here's what i made for the sketch.

I used the Christmas Cheer dies part of the. Words of Cheer bundle to cut out the happy.  Love that you can use the dies together to create an outlined sentiment or separately.  The happy is mounted on a Tailor Made Tag cut from Black Glitter Paper.  The tag is embellished with a pretty bow made using the Real Red Sheer Ribbon.  The tag was then adhered to a strip of Black & White gingham from the Pattern Party DSP.  The curvy edge of the DSP was created using the Basic Borders Dies.

The card base is Basic White Thick Cardstock.  When using either Basic White  or Very Vanilla CS for a card base I always use the thick CS.  This gives your card more body and presence.  I textured a layer of Basic White CS using the snowflake design from the Wintry 3D embossing folder .  This embossing folder measures only 3-3/8" wide so I ran it  twice through the die cut machine to cover the entire layer.  The tag piece was then layered on to the embossed CS.  

To mimic the circles in the sketch, I added a few Matte Black Dots and a snowflake cut from Black Glitter paper using the So Many Snowflakes dies. Inside of the card I stamped a sentiment from the Words of Cheer stamp set.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the sketch.

The Seasonal Sale is ending soon (Thursday,  November 18 11:50 pm (MT)!

I used the following items that are on the Seasonal Sale.

    Tailor Made Tags dies 155563

    Basic Borders dies 155558

    Basic White Thick Cardstock 159229

    Real Red CS 102482

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (14 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop.  We are a group of international Stampin' Up! demonstrators who hop together monthly.  The Creativity Abounds Blog Hop goes live the third Wednesday of the month.  We  create monthly tutorial bundles-see below to see how you can receive then and also quarterly virtual stamp camps.  This month we are focusing on gift packaging on both the blog hop and the tutorial bundle.  Enjoy the hop and all the ways you can wrap it up!

Need a cute way to gift some chocolate?  This little box is an Acetate Card Box cut in half.  You can fit 9 Nuggets in it.  

• Real Red CS-5-1/4" x  4-3/8" scored at 2-7/8" and 3-1/2".  
• Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP 4-3/8" x 2-7/8" (this is for the back of the box)
• Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP 4-3/8" x 1-1/2" (decorate the front flap)  and additional strips to cover the Nuggets.
• Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP  snowflake or other design cut out using the Gingerbread Dies.
• Real Red Double Stitched Satin Ribbon 19"

1. Cut the Acetate Box in half.  Fold the tabs and close up on end of the box.
2. Adhere the 4-3/8" x 2-7/8" DSP to the outside of the box ( back/outside of the box).
3. Adhere the strip of DSP to the Real Red CS.  The strip will fit between the score lines.  
4. Apply Stampin' Seal + to the Real Red CS (below the 2nd score line on the same side as the strip of DSP.
5. Insert the Real Red CS into the box and secure.  This will cover up the adhesive showing from step 2).
6. Tie the ribbon around the flap and make a bow.
7. Attach the Snowflake to the flap using Stampin' Dimensionals.  Secure the ribbon down with a dimensional.
8. Wrap the Nuggets with 1" x 3-1/8" strips of DSP.

You can hide a gift card behind the nuggets.  Coffee and chocolates, what a great little gift!

You could also fill the little box up with tags.  

These tags were made using the Tailor Made Tags, Stitched Rectangle dies, Frosted Gingerbread stamp set, and the Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP.

I know there are many other little treats that would fit in this little package.  Be sure to let me know what you put in your box!

Now it is time to check out all the other stops in the hop!  

Thanks for stopping by!

I used a few items that are available on the Seasonal Sale (Nov. 16-18)  10% off Cardstock, 15% off Ink Pads (Stampin' Up! colors), 20% off Dies (Annual Catalog).

• Tailor Made Tags  (these are marked as low inventory so shop soon!)  
• Stitched Rectangles dies 
• Real Red Cardstock 

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (14 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop.  This month our theme is Thankful.  It is a perfect theme for this month when we celebrate all the things we are thankful for.  

The lovely flowers are from the Nature's Harvest bundle colored using watercolor pencils.   The flowers are on a scalloped label (Scalloped Contour dies) embossed with the Stitched Greenery die.    The DSP strip is from the Harvest Meadow DSP.

The ribbon is the Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon and the pretty metallic accents are the Brushed Metallic Dots.   It is hard to see but the Early Espresso CS is  embossed using the Tasteful Textile 3D folder.  This is one of my favorite embossing folders, it  creates a subtle  lovely texture.

The sentiment on the outside and inside of the card is from the Ornate Thanks set.  This is a great set that I do not use often enough.  It is full of great words that can be combined to express your gratitude and thanks.

Time to check out what Carol Payne has created for you.

Stamper's Dozen November 2021 Blog Hop

1. Donna Burk Schneidtmiller – Donna Stamps
2. Jodi Petersen – Jodi’s Card Designs
3. Rose Grunewald – Country Cards by Rose
4. Patty Chenail – Stamp-Patty’s - Stamping in My Flops
5. Judy Garza – Creativity Released
6. Sharon Hashimoto Burkert – As the Ink Dries
7. Carol Payne – Carol Payne Stamps
8. Joanne Cantrell – Keep It Simple, Stampers
9. Rachel Yurkanin – Rachel’s Stamping Place
10. Debbie Naylor – Unfrogettable Stamping!
11. Bonnie O'Neill – Bonnie Stamped
12. Kelly Acheson – A Stamp Above

Thank you for stopping by,

Product List

Nature's Harvest Bundle (English) [156813]	Ornate Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [149471]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114]	Watercolor Pencils [141709]
Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154894]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [144237]	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686]	Harvest Meadow 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [156494]
Stitched Greenery Die [155451]	Scalloped Contours Dies [155560]	Tasteful Textile 3 D Embossing Folder [152718]	1/4" Bumblebee Gingham Trim [153658]
Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots [156506]

Time for a new Festive Friday Challenge!  What is the Festive Friday Challenge?  The Festive Friday Challenge is the challenge that has an Inspo List aka Inspiration List that is inspired by a festivity.  This challenge the festivity  is National Cookie Day.  What a fantastic festivity!  I am always up for a good cookie!  

To play along with the challenge you need to pick 3 items from the Inspo List and use them on your project.   You can always use more than 3 items from the list.  Your project doesn't have to be based around the festivity but it can.  

I was surprised to find that I didn't have a cookie image among my stamp sets.  Cookies are among my favorite baked goods and I thought for sure I would have a cookie stamp somewhere.  I found cakes, cupcakes, and even figgy pudding but no cookies.  I chose from the Inspo List circle, brown, ivory, and swirls.  

The circle is the piece of wood that is the base of the tag.  The brown is the fabulous acorn made using the Christmas Season stamp set.  It is a 2 step stamp and I used Early Espresso and Soft Suede ink and cut it out using the Seasonal Labels Dies.   The ivory is represented by the Very Vanilla CS that all the images were stamped on.  Finally, the swirls are a little hard to see but they are in the background cut from white glitter paper.  The die is a retired Stampin' Up! die set,  Swirly Scribbles.  I was also going to also list cookies but since these are store bought shortbread cookies and the only thing I did was put them in a plastic sleeve, I decided it might not really count.   

Once the cookies are consumed the tag can be used as an ornament.  

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert you are here

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans

Joanne James

Thanks for stopping by!

It is Thursday and time for another Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a color challenge.

Isn't this a happy color combination? 

I colored the  cupcakes from the Sweets & Treats stamp set using Mint Macaron and Polished Pink Stampin' Blends.  I wanted to make these cupcakes extra sweet so I cut little Blushing Bride flowers using the Peach dies and added a Polished Pink gem to the centers.  The sentiment is from the Biggest Wish stamp set.  I stamped on Blushing Bride CS and embossed the sentiment using Black Emboss Powder. The sentiment is fussy cut, it was a little more time consuming to do but worth it.  Love the black & white gingham ribbon.

I also embossed the Basic White CS layer with the dots folder from the Checks & Dots. The folder is narrow 3-3/8" but it is easy to reposition it to cover a quarter sheet of cardstock.   I had an extra cupcake cut and colored so it was added to the inside of the card along with a strip of Blushing Bride CS.  

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team created.

Welcome to the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are an international group who have joined together for this blog hop.  Every month we hop on the 2nd Wednesday of the month .  We have a theme and it is always fun to see all the different projects.  This month our theme is My Favorite Month.

What is your favorite month?  This was surprisingly hard for me to answer.  Every month has its charms and also its pitfalls.  I could make a case for any month being my favorite but I couldn't think of a way to represent that on a card so I decided I would just pick a month.

Can you guess the month from my card?  Yes, that's easy...December!  December has an edge over the other months since well, Christmas!  December is also my husband's birth month and my son's so there is no shortage of things to celebrate.  

I used the Delivering Cheer stamp set and wanted her to hold a big birthday cake but was unable to find one that would work so I went with the cake from the Sweets & Treats stamp set.  I actually think it is a figgy pudding.  I have never had figgy pudding so I am not sure but it looks like the pictures I have seen.   

I stamped the women's legs and skirt and did some paper piecing for the skirt.  The black and  white check is from the Pattern Party DSP (Host Reward choice).  I stamped and colored the figgy pudding using Stampin' Blends.  I placed the figgy pudding on the plate which is actually the cake stand cut down in size.   I stamped a cut out her arms (sounds terrible!) and placed them around the pudding and the plate and adhered it to the skirt.  

I added a few Wonderful Snowflakes to the corners and adhered it to another design from the Pattern Party DSP.  The sentiment is from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set.   

Now it is time for you to see what month is Teri West's favorite.

Here are the links to all the stops on the hop.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Tina Zinck - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Wendy Lee - US

Chris Smith - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Welcome to the Inspire, Create, Share Blog Hop.  This blog hop goes live on the second Tuesday of the month.  Every month there is a theme for the hop  and this month the theme is, Christmas Is Coming.   Enjoy the hop and I hope it will inspire you!

I love the Words of Cheer bundle.  It has  great sentiments,  a big focal image, and lovely dies including 2 word dies. The beautiful foliage arrangement is a great one to color.  I used Stampin' Blends in Real Red, Mossy Meadow, Pool Party, and Daffodil Delight.  The image was cut out using the dies and is on one of the Scalloped Contour dies.  Two designs from the  Heartwarming Hugs DSP were used for the front of the card.  The Heartwarming Hugs DSP is a returning favorite and is rich with  patterns that mix and match.  

This card style is one of my current favorites.  You start with a 8-1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock and score it in quarters (4-1/4 along the 8-1/2" side and 5-1/2" along the 11" side) and then cut it on the diagonal.  You get 2 card bases.  The 2 patterns of DSP are cut at 4" x 5-1/4" and then cut on the diagonal.  

Here is the 2nd card I made using the other half of the cardstock and the DSP.

Yes, it looks very similar except I positioned the foliage at the bottom corner instead of the top corner.  

I also glued the bottom edge of the right triangle to create a pocket.  This is a great place for a gift card or to insert a photo.  

Now it is time for you to check out what the talented Janey Backer has created fo you!

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Today's card was the first card I made using the Eden's Garden products and probably my favorite.  When I get a new set of dies I like to cut them out to see what they look like and what they do.  When I cut out the large leaf frame it reminded me of a lei, a haku lei (a woven or braided style of lei) in particular.  

I cut the large leaf frame apart to create an open eded let.  I added in Soft Succulent leaves cut from the small leaf sprig.  The Real  Red flowers were cut using the Pierced Blooms die, the Basic White flowers were cut using the Hydrangea dies and the Daffodil Delight centers were cut using the Seasonal Swirls die.   The Basic White layer was created using the Stitched Greenery die.  The perfect word, aloha was cut in Real Red CS using the In the Tropics dies.

Inside i added more leaves and flowers to continue the lei.  I love how this turned out and know this card will be most useful especially for graduation cards or any time a little aloha is needed.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope the cards i have shared using the Eden's Garden products have demonstrated how versatile and beautiful the products are.  

Ready for another sample using the Eden' Garden products?  This card was made for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge CCMC689 and this week it is a sketch challenge.

I used the beautiful Ever Eden DSP for the background and the Eden's Garden bundle for the sentiment and most of the dies.  For the sentiment I cut the die in Evening Evergreen and again in Basic White CS.  I stamped the sentiment in Evening Evergreen ink and then fitted it back into the Evening Evergreen frame.  Isn't this a great sentiment?  I will be using this one a lot to send to friends especially after the year we have had.  Above the sentiment frame there are 2 Basic White sprigs cut using the small leaf die and a Gold Metallic Specialty paper leaf that is just one end of the long label die.  Can you also see the gold loops?  

This bow is from the Pierced Blooms die.  I cut the tails off the bow and snipped it in half.  

I used the In Color Jewels in Evening Evergreen to add a bit more sparkle to the card.  Inside you can see I added a strip of DSP and another gold sprig.  

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the challenge.