Counting Down…

Y’all know Christmas will be here before we know it, right? It’s just over 100 days from now and that will pass in the blink of an eye! I’ve been working on Christmas cards off and on for a couple of weeks now and they’re almost done so I didn’t mind taking a break from them this weekend and working on something else Christmasy. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to some friends and the subject of an advent calendar came up. We concluded that it was either a regional or cultural (based on religion) thing when we were growing up since a couple of us didn’t have them then, but others did. I did them with my kids though so maybe it’s something that became commercialized? I have one that I’ve used for years. It’s a Santa with little pockets for candy or whatever you want to put in them. I’ve been wanting to change it and do something different for several years but haven’t. I have, however, had an idea rolling around in my head for a while and after that conversation the other day, I decided it was time. And this weekend was a perfect opportunity since KB was out of town for a ham radio event.

I pulled out all of my Christmas stamps which was many more than I expected since I don’t use but one stamp a year for my cards.  There was a little worry in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t have enough to make 25 different pockets. Ummmm, that was NOT a problem! In fact, I was shocked to discover that I had enough Unity stamps to do the whole thing without duplication. I’ve been a fan of Unity since I discovered them several years ago and have quite a collection started. So, I started stamping them up and then coloring them with my Copic markers. I fussy cut them and mounted them on different Christmas papers along with numbers 1-25. I used small kraft bags from Hobby Lobby as the base for all of them because you know, candy! 

I used a 17 X 23 bulletin board, also from Hobby Lobby, as the foundation. I covered the cork part with red wrapping paper and the frame with plaid Christmas ribbon. I used Scor tape to adhere the wrapping paper and glue dots and score tape for the ribbon. I stapled the ribbon hanger to the back.  Plain old clear push pins with a green ribbon tied into a bow around them hold each bag in place. The bags are big enough for 3-4 Reese’s miniatures or a couple of Snicker’s minis. Or maybe an activity suggestion for the day.  We’ve done that before, too. 

I am so, so happy with the end result. I love it when an idea transfers from my mind to reality so well. It’s a rare thing around here.  Now, I’m all ready for the Countdown to Christmas starting December first!

Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious. Beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved. A Christmas Story

Purple Gator

Every once in a while, I see a stamp that really appeals to me and I KNOW exactly how I want to use it. This alligator from Trinity Stamp Company is one of those stamps. It’s a 4 X 8 set called Oh, Snap and has so many possibilities. Me, I saw a Mardi Gras partying gator!

Purple, green, and gold are the main colors universally associated with Mardi Gras and I wanted to make him a little different than your typical alligator so I colored him purple with my Copic markers. (Aside here…I really wish that Copic could come up with more/better purple colors!) I had a picture in my head-sort of- of what I wanted the background to look like and although I played with distress oxide ink sprays and pads I just wasn’t satisfied with anything I came up with. I have a pretty healthy paper stash and am pretty sure I have some Mardi Gras paper but couldn’t find it. That’s okay because it made me have to go another route and I am SO happy with the end result.

As I was going to sleep the other night, I had an idea of how to make the background I saw in my head with my Gelli plate. Thank goodness I remembered that idea the next morning! So often those thoughts drift away with my dreams. I got my plate, some paint, and stencils out and went to town playing with combinations. I ended up with lots of cool prints I’ll be using in the future but as soon as I picked this one up, I knew it was the one! I used the Tim Holtz Harlequin stencil and gold paint for the design and then purple and green as the background. The inside sentiment was done on my computer and printed on card stock.

I’m not completely happy with the ‘beads’ (I may end up removing them!) and the gold crown sort of disappears into the background but overall, this card turned out pretty much as I had envisioned it. That really doesn’t happen very often for me so I’m very happy with this one!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Autumn Pumpkins and Leaves…Growing in Unity Blog Hop

I’m so excited to be a part of the Growing in Unity blog hop! It’s been a while since I was able to get into my craft room due to Hurricane Sally and it felt so good to sit at that table and get creative. 

I have two autumn cards to share today. Autumn is my favorite season so it’s really a lot of fun to make cards with these fall colors and things like pumpkins and leaves. The first card uses the Pumpkin Patch border background on kraft cardstock. I stamped part of the stamp using one end and then used watercolors to color it. In recent years, the different colored pumpkins have become very popular and I love them so I brought in some non-traditional colors here. The sentiment is from the September 2019 Sentiment Kit, …change can be beautiful.  I hate to admit it, but I haven’t inked that kit up until now and oh.my.goodness. there is so many great things in it! I can’t wait to play with it more. I had the autumn plaid in my stash and put it on the blue card base at an angle so the plaid would show. I wrapped jute around the kraft cover and tied the bow and then glued it to the base. I felt like it was missing a little something so I added the enamel dots…jury is still out on those though. 

As mentioned above, I love the colors of autumn. One of the things I really miss living here on the Gulf Coast is the colors of the leaves changing. There’s not a lot of trees here that change colors, at least not like they do in other parts of the country, especially the mountains. However, we do have beautiful flowers pretty much year-round so I can’t complain about not having color!

My second card is a slimline card using the beautiful colors of fall and one of my favorite quotes about autumn.  The leaves are from the August 2019 Kit of the Month (another awesome kit FULL of great stamps!). I stamped them and colored them with copics and fussy cut them. The quote is from the same kit and I stamped it on beige card stock and cut it out with a deckle die. I used brown ink to ‘distress’ the edges to give it a more rustic look. I’m a kraft-a-holic and use kraft paper as much or more than I do white so my base is kraft cardstock. I have a ton of this plaid paper left from a project I did last year and it made a great background for the burlap ribbon. I glued it all down and there you have it. I’m way behind on sending cards and these two will help get me back on track. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back. The next stop on the hop is:

https://thewashihorse.blogspot.com

Here’s the full official hopping order: 

 https://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/…/growing-in…

 www.htbcreations.com

 https://gatheringgoatfeathers.wordpress.com (you are here)

https://thewashihorse.blogspot.com

Thank you Unity for including me in this hop! It’s been so much fun being a Growing In Unity girl this year. 

“I am so glad I live in world where there are Octobers.” L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Fall Trees

I love autumn…the crisp morning temperatures, the return of football, caramel apples, and pumpkin everything. Scarecrows and hay bales, sweaters and boots. One of my favorite things is watching the leaves turn fabulous shades of orange, yellow, and red. I’m not a fan of raking them when they fall, though. When the sun hits them, they have this amazing glow to them and are just gorgeous. 

Seasonal cards are fun for a general card like hello or thinking of you. I made these a while back using autumn colors for the trees. These stamps are versatile in that you could use them for any season by changing the colors you use for the leaves. I used an autumn plaid paper that I’ve had for a while as a background mat. 

These trees are a stamp from MFT (My Favorite Things) named Modern Trees. I’ve had it a few years and have used it a lot for autumn cards as well as sympathy cards. I used colored Momento inks to stamp it on a beige cardstock. The card base is a cranberry color that I had in my stash. 

This tree blowing in the wind is Blowing Tree by Crackerbox and Suzy. It’s one of four in a series of seasonal trees and all four are great. I stamped it in brown Momento Ink on beige cardstock and colored the leaves with Copic markers. The base is your basic Kraft cardstock. 

I love it when I can use things I like in my card making like these fall trees. I’m not sure who I’ll send them to or what sentiment I might add to them, but they’re ready to be finished up when I need them. 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  Albert Camus

Sunflowers and Apples Gnome

I haven’t been able to get into my craft room for a couple of weeks now because of Hurricane Sally and the aftermath of cleaning up. But, I have a few things that I got done right before she decided to make her appearance and I thought I’d share them this week.

With their little pointed hats, hidden eyes, and whimsical beards or braids, they are charming and mischievous at the same time. But no where are they as popular as in the stamping world right now.  Almost every company has at least one set of some sort of gnome. And I love (and want!) them all. 

Gnomes are a big thing right now. Use to be that you saw them only at Christmas but not any more. Now you see them everywhere. There is a commercial on tv with a little ‘travel’ gnome as it’s spokesperson. Sports teams have decked them out in the team colors for fans everywhere to show their allegiance. And you might see a little garden gnome hiding in someone’s yard every once in a while.  

I stumbled upon this cute little Autumn Gnome digital from KLM Designs by accident but as soon as I saw him, I knew I had to have him! That sunflower and those apples spoke to me. I colored him up and cut him out and adhered him to some golden yellow card stock that I had lightly stamped some sunflowers on.  The mat is some fall plaid paper that I’ve had for several years. Normally, I would go with a kraft card base but when I tried it, it sort of dulled the colors so I decided to go with a red card base to keep the colors brighter. 

He’ll be going out later this week to cheer up someone’s mailbox just because. 

Calendar Catch Up…July and August

Today I’m going to finish getting my calendars caught up! But first, I want to announce the winners from my Growing In Unity Week. They are Nikki Kittrell and Amy Williams. Congratulations!! They are the lucky winners of a grab bag of 25 Unity stamps for commenting on my posts last week.

Now, for the calendars…July was done by one of my dearest friends and just happens to be the one that organizes the calendar swap. It is a fabulous celebration of the holiday that July is known for…the 4th of July! Don’t you love that skyline and those fireworks?!

For August, it’s a simple topper with a quote that really spoke to me. “Set sail in the direction of your dreams”. I’m working chasing some dreams this year and I just love that quote! It was very timely for me. A friend in Boston made this one and one of the things that is so amazing to me about it? She underwent a heart transplant two years ago and has faced a lot of challenges and issues due to it in the time since. Yet, she managed to participate in the exchange last year and did an marvelous job!

Although each month is unique and the styles and techniques are different, I love every one of the pages. They make me smile and think of the person that made them every time I see them.

Time moves slowly but passes quickly. 

Calendar Catch Up…May and June

I’ve been very hit and miss with posting the calendar pages every month from the calendar exchange that I do every year. I wrote about them last week during my Growing In Unity week and showed you what my calendar pages for next year’s calendars will look like. Someone said they’d love to see the other calendar pages and it made me realize that I haven’t been posting them so I decided that I would do some catch up posts in the next week or so with the ones from this year that I haven’t spotlighted. I left off with April so we’re going to move on to May…and then June.

I just love this one…it’s so simple yet it says SPRING! The picket fence and bee with that blue sky is just a happy picture.

June was so refreshing! Who doesn’t love cold, homemade lemonade on a hot day? I love how she used the vellum to make the jar. One of my dearest friends made this one so it was a little extra special.

The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you are the pilot. 

Growing in Unity, Day 5 –

I can’t believe it’s already Friday and the end of my GIU week! I had something else in mind for today’s post but the US Post Office came through and actually got my latest orders to me in a timely manner so I was able to play with new stamps instead.

School started here this week-where did the summer go?!-and that means that autumn is right around the corner. One of things I love about this time of year are the magnificent fields of sunflowers. They are just happy flowers and make me smile every time I see one. I mentioned earlier this week that I’m a sucker for flowers in jars so there’s no doubt that I had to have the new stamp set, Beautiful Like That! I couldn’t wait to make a card with this one.I colored it with Copics and fussy cut it and then used foam tape to adhere it.  I paired it with the chicken wire background and put it on a gold card stock card base. The sentiment is stamped directly on the card front with black ink. 

For my second card today, I used the sunflower and sentiment, Feeling Blessed, from this month’s Kit of the Month. The background was made with a gel plate, acrylic paint, and a few stamps. I’ve just recently started playing with the gel plate and have a lot to learn but it’s so much fun!  The background turned out a little darker than I was planning but I decided to go with it anyway.  Of course, I colored the flower with my Copics and used foam tape to adhere it. 

Back in the spring, I decided that I wanted to put up my little Christmas tree and decorate it with the different seasons/holidays. Right now it has patriotic decorations on it-they’re on there from Memorial Day through Labor Day-but it won’t be but a few weeks before I will need to put fall decorations on it. I don’t have any fall ornaments so have been on the lookout for some. Then, the other day, when I was writing about using stamps in non card ways, it hit me! I should make ornaments out of some of my stamps. A while back, I got a little sunflower stamp in a goody bag from Unity and it is the perfect size to put on an ornament for my tree. I have a lot of these little wooden circles left from some Christmas ornaments that I made last year so I pulled one of them out and stamped that sunflower on it and painted it with acrylic paint. It’s going to look great on my tree this fall! 

I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to come here and see what I’ve been making and commenting on my posts. You’ve all been so kind and I really appreciate it. You’ve made my week so much fun. Don’t forget to comment for the chance to win a Unity grab bag. 

To be creative is to let little pieces of your heart go and place them into each project you make.

Growing In Unity, Day 4- For the Guys

Am I the only person that struggles with ideas for guy cards? It comes much easier to me to make girl cards than it does guy cards. Thankfully, Unity has some great stamps that make guy cards easier! Today, I’m going to be using two of them to make a couple of birthday cards. 

The first card today uses my absolute favorite stamp from Unity. It’s the first stamp I ever bought from them and I have probably used it more than any other. This truck from Slowly Turning Classic is just awesome. It’s fun to color and works for guys of all ages. I used it for my nephew for his 16^th birthday (and getting his drivers license) as well as for my uncle’s 70^th birthday. To make this card, I stamped the truck directly on the card front and colored it with Copics. You’ve probably figured out by now that they are my favorite coloring medium. I wanted to put a background around the truck so I created a mask for it. I did this by stamping and cutting out the truck from a piece of card stock and put it on top of the stamped image. Then, I took the Barn Wall background (I told you that you’d see it again this week!) and stamped it with brown ink. I used distress oxide ink to ‘dirty’ the wall and edges a little.  Then, I stamped the sentiment directly on the card front. I put the card front on the red card base which I made from card stock in my stash. 

For the second card today, I used the Scout Adventures stamp set. We lived in Colorado for 10 years and miss those mountains. I knew this stamp would make a perfect card for him as well as some other guys I know.  The Jeep is stamped on white card stock and colored with Copics. The sentiment is stamped on white cardstock and I tore the edges to give it that ragged look. I used brown ink on the edges and distress oxide ink to dirty it up. For this card, I decided to make my own background instead of using a stamp and used distress oxide inks to color it. I made the trees using a stencil and drew the mountains free hand. The Jeep is popped up with foam tape and the sentiment is glued down. I went with my favorite, a Kraft base to compliment the rugged look of the card. This was my husband’s Father’s Day card and of all the cards I’ve made for him, this is the one he’s kept on his dresser. 

Hopefully you don’t struggle as much as I do to make guy cards but maybe this will give you a little inspiration if you do. Don’t forget to comment for the chance to win a Unity grab bag at the end of the week!

A good guy is like a four leaf clover, lucky to have and hard to find.

Growing in Unity Day 3, By the Sea

I’ve always loved the beach. I love the sound of the waves; it’s such a soothing sound to my soul.  Sunsets and sunrises are always spectacular. I have to admit, I’m much more likely to see the sun set than rise. On the few occasions I do get up early and hit the beach to do a little shelling, that big orange ball cresting over the horizon is an awe-inspiring sight and makes it worth getting up before dawn. 

Three years ago, we moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast and although we don’t live right on the water, we love being near it. One of the first things I did after we moved here was join Share the Beach, an organization that monitors our beaches for nesting sea turtles. Watching those babies come scrambling out of that nest and scampering toward the water is a thrilling sight! When I saw the Speedy set with this cute little guy, I knew I had to have it!

For this card, I used distress oxides to make the underwater background and then stamped and colored the seaweed from the Cuddlebug Sea Horse set.  I colored Speedy with Copics, fussy cut him, and adhered him with foam tape to pop him up a little bit. Then I stamped the sentiment and used some Crystal 3D Lacquer to give some of the bubbles a little dimension.  I used the get well sentiment that is in the Speedy set but I’ve also used this guy for other types of card as well. The card base is an olive green card stock that was in my stash.

Last month, when I saw the Kit of the Month, I couldn’t wait to ink up the shells that are in it and color them. I knew right away that I wanted to put these on a slimline card.  They have become all the rage lately and I’ve gotten on the band wagon. Some stamps just really work on them very well.  I used some of the shells I’ve picked up on the beach as inspiration to color with Copics and added just a bit of Wink of Stella on the inside of them. I made a ‘sandy’ background with distress oxide inks and a wavy stencil and used a slimline stitched die to cut it out. Then, I scattered the shells on it.  It needed a little something else so I added some enamel dots. The card base is made from some turquoise card stock from my stash as was the white to make a thin mat around the card front. 

I hope you enjoyed your ‘beach time’ today. Don’t forget to comment for a chance to win a grab bag of stamps from Unity at the end of the week!

A day at the beach restores the soul.