New Parents Congratulations

Greetings, my friends! Today the DeNami Design Team is sharing designs over on the DeNami Design blog that show off the stamp in this week's Product Spotlight: the very versatile Congratulations Circle.

It's perfect for all kinds of occasions: baby, wedding, new house, anniversary, graduation, retirement, new car, . . . the list could go on and on! I chose to go the new baby route with my project:

I used the Congratulations Circle to create a sweet little award ribbon with Little Duck as its focal point. The embossed background is the Beach Waves Embossing Folder from the DeNami store.

Be sure to check out the rest of the team's lovely creations today on the DeNami blog. Like what you see? Then you can score a great deal on this versatile stamp--as our Spotlight Product, it's on sale at 10% off for the next week!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Emily

Embossed Elements: GRADUATION + a Giveaway!

Greetings, friends! I'm here today with the April edition of my monthly Embossed Elements feature for the DeNami Design blog. Today I'm gearing up for graduation season with two different cards using fun embossing folders from the DeNami store.

My first project features the oh-so-festive Graduation Hat Embossing Folder.  I used it (along with Congratulations Circle and the diploma and mortarboard stamps from the cling Graduation Set) to make a congratulatory card for the new graduate.

I chose the colors of my daughter's high school (including some fabulous DeNami Leaf Green cardstock for the embossed panel and the paper-pieced mortarboard) for this creation and went with a design that really shows off that awesome embossed sea of graduation caps. Doesn't it look like a crowd of grads has just tossed their mortarboards into the air at the end of the commencement ceremony? That image always makes me smile :). Not only is this embossing folder super for graduation cards, but it would also be perfect for making graduation invitations or graduation thank you notes.

I don't find myself needing graduation cards all that often (although as my kids progress further through school, I imagine that will begin to change!), so I was reluctant at first to invest in purely graduation-themed products. Just in case you find yourself in a similar situation, I wanted to show you another option for a fun graduation card using non-graduation-specific products. This project features the Bunting Embossing Folder.

After embossing my white card base with the Bunting EF, I embossed several scraps of patterned paper (once again choosing a color scheme inspired by my daughter's high school) and then paper-pieced each of the pennants. I love how it turned out! I completed my clean and simple design with a loopy bow tied in baker's twine from the Spring Twine 3-pack and a stamped Small Congratulations sentiment.

I love the festive look that the embossed pennant banner gives this congratulations card. It's so easy to personalize the bunting with the recipient's school colors. But I can also think of all kinds of other occasions--not just graduations!--that this embossing folder would be perfect for: birthday, baby, weddings, anniversaries, Independence Day, New Year's, . . . the list could go on and on!!

Thanks for taking a peek at my embossed graduation projects today. I hope I was able to inspire you!

How would you like the chance to win this Graduation Hat Embossing Folder? I have one up for grabs in an Embossed Elements giveaway! Want to be in the running? Just leave me a comment on this post using the word "MORTARBOARD." There's no need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but if you are a follower (or become a new follower!), you can have a second entry in the drawing--just leave me a second comment telling me that you are a follower and how you follow. :)

I'll leave commenting open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, and will draw one commenter at random. The winner will be announced right here on my blog on Thursday, May 1, and if I'm able to find an email address, I'll be sure to contact the winner as well.

Thanks for joining me today!
Emily

Airplane Congrats

I already posted earlier today (with my washi tape giveaway winner), but I'm popping back in with another quick post to share my card that's being featured over on the DeNami blog today.

Rather appropriate for this time of year with graduations every time you turn around, right? But you could also use this design idea for a promotion, new job, etc. I used DeNami's Medium Polka Dots and Small Congratulations. I found that bit of denim in my fabric scrap pile and used a trimmed-down sheet of copy paper to fold into a standard paper airplane. You'll find a bone folder useful for creasing the thicker folds!

The summery heat we are having today has inspired me to make one of our favorite warm-weather desserts:  a strawberry pie!! My homemade glaze is cooling now. I just need to mix in some sliced fresh berries into that, fill my baked pie shell, pop it in the fridge, and we'll have a refreshing dessert for tonight's supper. I can hardly wait!!!


Thanks for sharing my little slice of bliss for today!
Emily

PS  So many of you were gracious enough to leave comments about my new profile photo. Thanks for the warm fuzzies!! I couldn't be happier with it myself, and love that my sweet readers do, too. :D It was time for a change!!!

DeNami Design Product Spotlight May Blog Hop

Good morning! Thanks for stopping by today! The DeNami Design team is featuring an awesome cling-style rubber stamp set in our Product Spotlight today, the oh-so-useful Graduation Set. And we're showing it off BLOG HOP STYLE!

I paired up some of the sweet images in this set with the very versatile Congratulations Circle stamp to  make a medallion for this graduation gift card holder:

I simply stamped some chevrons from the Modern Borders cling stamp set in Opaque Cotton White StazOn ink on a glassine bag (by the way, did you see that DeNami's glassine bags are on clearance???), making a sweet pocket for a gift card.

On the inside, I rounded the corners of a panel of black cardstock (enabler alert: all cardstock is on clearance in the DeNami shop!), attached some white grosgrain ribbon as a pull tab (another enabler alert: all ribbon is on clearance in the DeNami shop!), and adhered a gift card to the panel's face with some fun DeNami Black/White Dots washi tape. An easy gift idea!

You can purchase this fabulous Graduation cling stamp set for 10% off the regular price for the next week. You also have the chance to WIN this fabulous product in today's spotlight blog hop! All you need to do is hop along to each stop in the lineup, leaving comments along the way. Here is the blog hop lineup:

DeNami blog 
Lisa Petrella
Deb Wabbe
Wendy Elliot
Emily Keaton  <==== you are here!
Lisa Elton
Kanani Kawamura
Dana Seymour
Tammy Hobbs

One commenter will be selected at random to win this month's prize! Just check out the DeNami blog for all the details.

Thanks so much for checking out my little slice of bliss for today!
Emily

Emboss Resist Live in the Moment

I saw yesterday that Julie Koerber, of Out to Impress, is celebrating her fifth anniversary of blogging with a challenge. Her Celebrate Five challenge is to either make a 10-minute creation or a creation using a resist technique. Today I went with a emboss-resist technique because I had a bit of time to play. I'm hoping to play again with a 10-minute creation. I love those!

So here's my emboss-resist card:

I used three different Flourishes stamp sets to make this card: the medallion is from the Medallion Motif set, the trellis pattern on the paper medallions is from the Country Charm Borders set, and the sentiment is from the Life Lines set. I have to say that the pretty medallion from Medallion Motif is perfect for the emboss-resist technique. It really seems to bring out the details!

My colors come from this week's Play Date Cafe challenge:

A huge congratulations to Julie on five years of blogging! I always love seeing what she creates, and her work with Flourishes stamps is just outstanding.

Thanks so much for taking a peek at what made me happy today!

Emily

Stamps: Medallion Motif, Country Charm Borders, Life Lines from Flourishes

Paper: white, Melon Berry from Papertrey Ink; Marina Mist from Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Marina Mist from Stampin’ Up!; Onyx Black Versafine from Tsukineko; Versamark by Tsukineko; Water Lily Green Palette hybrid ink

Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, sponge daubers, scoring board, We R Memory Keepers buttons, sewing machine

Techniques: heat embossing, emboss-resist

Elegant Congratulations

Happy Monday! I'm so glad you've dropped by. Today a new monthly challenge starts up over on the DeNami Design blog, and it's a color challenge, chosen by our fabulous DT member Wendy.

Aren't these colors lovely and elegant? Perfect for a congratulations card for a wedding or anniversary. In fact, that's the direction I took with my sample card, and I can't wait to show it to you:

I interpreted that second color as "cream" for my card and incorporated it through the cream background of my patterned paper panel and the cream sheer ribbon flower embellishment I used.

I hope you'll try to play along with this fun DeNami color challenge! It will run through June 25, and the winner will get a $20 DeNami gift certificate! All you need to do is create a project using this color combo and at least one DeNami stamp, and you are in!

See you again soon!

Emily

Stamps: Small Congratulations and Polka Dot Background by DeNami Design

Cardstock: Charcoal by DeNami, PTI white, SU black

Patterned Paper: Black & Ivory Damask by Canvas Corp.

Ink: Smoky Grey Versafine, Oynx Black Versafine

Accessories: DeNami's Classic Twine 3-pack, ivory ribbon flower by Offray, stickpin

Calls for a Toast

It's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long since I've been able to play with my Paper Smooches stamps. I needed to make a congratulations card (for our pastor, who has just become a published author! The book he co-authored came out in May, so I'm a bit late. Oops!), and I knew I wanted to use the "this calls for a toast" sentiment from Wake Up. So I peeked at this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge for some inspiration, and found it in spades.

I was inspired by that pretty piano to feature a turquoise toaster on my card. I went with lots of blank space in my design to honor the blank wall in the photo. I tied the color of my toast to the color of the floor in the photo, and the patterned paper strip under the toaster was selected because its polka dots reminded me of that wall of plates in the photo!

All of my patterned papers in this card are digital papers. The cork pattern for the toast comes from the Note to Self collection by Echo Park, the turquoise chevron print for the toaster comes from the Splash collection by Echo Park, and the dotted pattern comes from the Chit Chat collection by Betsy Tuma (a part of the free October 2010 Crop Collab available at Two Peas).

I hope you are having a good weekend! It's rainy here, so we're trying to get caught up on indoor stuff. 

Thanks for swinging by!

Emily

Stamps: Paper Smooches Wake Up

Cardstock: Rustic Cream by PTI

Patterned Paper: (all digital) Note to Self collection by Echo Park, Splash collection by Echo Park, Chit Chat collection by Betsy Tuma

Ink: Onyx Black Versafine

Accessories: Corner Chomper, sewing machine

Garden-Themed Congratulations

Today I'm sharing a garden-themed anniversary card I created for a two-fold purpose. It's not just for any anniversary, but for my sister and her husband's 14th anniversary! Happy Anniversary, Amy and Mike!

So that was purpose #1. Not long ago I was asked if I'd like to make a sample card for an exciting, brand-new card challenge. Of course, I said I'd love to, and that was purpose #2 for this card! That new challenge? It's called the DeNami Addict Challenge and it debuts today. The first challenge is to create a project with a garden theme.

How easy is that? Lots of room for interpretation I'd say, right? It was definitely the perfect theme for creating an elegant card to congratulate my sister and brother-in-law. And I'm betting there are plenty of upcoming occasions that you could make a garden-themed card for, too. I hope you'll try to play along! The requirements are easy--just make something with a garden theme and enter it over at the Confessions of a DeNami Addict blog. That's it! You can use any stamps and products you'd like, too. No restrictions! The prize is a $15 DeNami gift certificate. Isn't that awesome? So if you love the look of DeNami Design stamps, but don't have any yet, this is the perfect opportunity to win some and finally start your collection! Of course, if you are already addicted to DeNami stamps, then this is a wonderful way to continue to feed that addiction!

DeNami Addict Challenges will run monthly, starting on the second Monday each month. This first challenge will end on June 11 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. You can find all the details about this new challenge, and see some more great garden-themed cards contributed by some of the other DeNami DT gals, over on the DeNami Addict blog. I know you'll love playing along!

Thanks for dropping by!

Emily

Card Details:

Stamps: all from DeNami Design: Elegant Floral Vine, Ornamental Vine, Small Congratulations
Paper: all from DeNami Design: Lavender, Celery
Ink: Palette noir black, Versafine onyx black, Versamagic aloe vera
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Doodlebug lilac boutique trims, Martha Stewart Cherish PATP set,
Techniques: Gamsol magic

Graduation Congratulations

Hey, everybody! It's so hard to believe that we are already {over} a week into MAY, right? And that means that the Congratulation Season is upon us--you know, the time of year for graduations, weddings, and anniversaries. It's the perfect time for focusing on ideas for congratulations cards, and this week's DeNami Product Spotlight is just that: we are spotlighting the beautifully scripted Small Congratulations sentiment, which I've featured on a fun graduation card.

I've also used the mortarboard and tassel from the DeNami cling-style Graduation Set. I used a black gel pen to add a dotted line to show the path taken by a mortarboard thrown into the air by a celebrating new grad! Some clouds digital patterned paper made the perfect backdrop for my happy scene.

Curious as to how the rest of the DT used this lovely sentiment stamp? Be sure to swing by the DeNami blog to see their fabulous creations! And don't forget that you can get this stamp on sale in the DeNami store for the next week.

Thanks so much for dropping by today!

Emily

Congrats for PDCC129

This week, DeNami Design Rubber Stamps is sponsoring the Play Date Cafe Challenge (PDCC129), and the DeNami DT is playing along! The new colors for this week are Dusk, Magenta, and Seedling as illustrated in this PDCC color story graphic. 

These had me scratching my head at first, but in the end, I didn't have to look far to find what I needed for my project: I used Imperial Purple Versafine ink (from the DeNami store) for "Dusk" and DeNami Lime cardstock for "Seedling." A little poking around in an old BasicGrey patterned paper pad gave me my stand-in for "Magenta," and I was good to go for this project:

I stamped a background pattern with the elegant DeNami Decorative Flourish in Versamark ink and heat-embossed the design with clear embossing powder. I am SO in love with this beautiful stamp! I'm also rather partial to the DeNami Decorative Crest Circle--the center stripe is the perfect size for adding a stamped message. Mine is the "congrats" from the Thoughtful Greetings set, which I was very happy to add to my collection just recently.

It's back to school for us this week after spring break last week, and we are going full tilt. Last night we attended the all-town chorus concert in which our seventh-grade daughter performed along with her middle school chorus (each of our town's three elementary schools' choruses and the high school chorus also performed). Each chorus sang two selections and then the combined masses sang two selections. They were amazing!! It was quite a treat to hear 250+ voices singing out together, beautiful and strong. Wow! We were so proud of our daughter, throwing herself into her singing completely. You could tell she loved being a part of it all and that she was having fun. That's what it's all about! And our third-grade son was really impressed and is now super motivated. He cannot wait until next year when he'll be allowed to join his elementary school's chorus. :D

Anyway, I hope you'll play along with this week's PDCC challenge--if so, you'll be in the running for a $30 gift certificate to the DeNami Design store!! Just think of all the great goodies you could score with that :D!! Good luck!

Thanks for visiting!

Emily

Growing In Unity ~ Day 2: Beyond Happy For You

Welcome back to Day 2 of my Growing In Unity week! In case you are just tuning in, I'm being featured as this week's GIU gal over on the Unity Stamp Co. blog (you'll see my name all lit up in lights along the right sidebar) and that means that you get a chance at some free Unity rubber stamps. Be sure to comment on each of my GIU posts this week, Monday through Friday, and at the end of the week, I'll randomly draw a commenter to win two free Unity Itty Bitty stamps of her choice!! Sweet!!

And here now, without further ado, is my project of the day:




My design for this pocket card was inspired by this week's sketch over at Chick Challenges {with Ippity}.
And if you let Angie know that you are playing along with the sketch, she'll throw your name in the hat for some additional free {ippity} through her. So I'm definitely doing that as well! And as long as I'm mentioning challenges: I'm also playing along with the current {ippity} challenge: Flowers.

But I'm not done quite yet . . . my card has a secret!! And I'm sure you are just dying to be let in on it. So here it is: I designed the tag to be a stashing place for a gift card. Just flip it over, and there it is. :)


I used two {ippity} stamp kits for this card: Dots for Sure and The Best. And I continued making progress on the challenge to myself to use a different patterned paper collection each day this week. This time around I'm showcasing pretty prints from the Six by Six Vanity Fair collection by My Mind's Eye. Double-sided papers like these from MME make it easy to make beautiful folded circle flowers like the one I used on this pocket card. (You can find a great tutorial here.)

Whew! That was a long one. Are you still with me? Good! I'm so glad you stopped by to take a look at my Day 2 GIU project. I love how it turned out, and I hope you like it, too.

See you back here tomorrow for some more Unity goodness!
Have a great day,
Emily

Remedy for Love

Finally getting back into my normal groove after a long weekend. My kids were home from school yesterday, so we had a day of fun: donuts for breakfast, lunch on TV tray tables while watching a movie, a busy afternoon working on their scrapbooks. They had a blast and got all excited about scrapping again. We're already making plans for them to do more during their week of February Vacation next month!

My little bit of paper bliss today resulted in this card:

I used stamps from three different {ippity} sets--hearts (heat-embossed in red) from Moon Beam & Heart Strings, sentiment (heat-embossed in black) from Quotes a'la Happy, and the Dots for Sure background (heat-embossed in red)-- and I'm playing along with these challenges:

• Chick Challenges {with Ippity} #13, to use this sketch:
• {ippity} Challenge: Something Old (my very first {ippity} set: Moon Beam & Heart Strings), Something New (my brand new Dots for Sure background), Something Borrowed (some grosgrain and sheer ribbon--borrowed from my "nonpaper" stash), and Something Blue (the aqua-blue felt flower from Queen & Co.)
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Spots and/or Stripes
• Unity Challenge: "New Beginnings" theme--I thought this card would be perfect as an engagement card or a wedding card: both are new beginnings!
• Make It Monday with Kraft Outlet Challenge: Stamp It Pretty
• Get Hippity with Ippity Challenge #13: Hearts
  

We had a bit of snow overnight (maybe an inch and a half?) and my son was super excited to walk to school in the snow. I had to borrow my daughter's outgrown snow boots (I'm a size 7; she's a size 9 1/2, so fit was no trouble at all) for the walk since I discovered last week that both of my winter boots have sprung leaks. I was able to find a pair of nice winter boots on clearance at Lands' End last week, and our UPS guy delivered them just a little while ago. So I'm off to open my package and check out my new boots next!

Thanks for dropping by!

Emily

Flourishes Release Week Challenges

It's time for a new stamp release at Flourishes! I'm playing along with all of the Release Week Challenges. Woo hoo! So much fun. :)

First up is my entry for the New Year Challenge, FLLCJANRW2, to make a card that showcases an image of time or one that showcases little baby new year i.e. a baby card. I went with the time theme:

I don't have any time images from Flourishes (sorry!), so I had to turn to my Unity stamps for the clock face, but the medallion is from Flourishes' Medallion Motif and the sentiment is from Flourishes' Life Lines. I think this will do quite nicely as a masculine card!

Next is my entry for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #151, which is to be inspired by this photo:

Isn't that fun? I was inspired by the colors, most definitely, but also the shape of the topiary ball up top :). Here's what I came up with:

Medallion Motif to the rescue again! This time I used it along with the embossed resist technique: I stamped the medallion in clear Versamark ink on white cardstock and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I sponged on red and pumpkin pie inks to make the design really stand out! The sentiment is from Flourishes' Tag Lines.

Up third is my creation for the Year of the Dragon Challenge, FLLCJANRW1 , which is to create a card using the colors featured in this photo:

I added another birthday card to my stash with this card:

The tulips come from Flourishes' From the Garden set, and I used Tag Lines again for the sentiment. I watercolor painted the tulips and added some machine stitching along the edges of two panels for interest.

Finally, I'm sharing my card for the 2-0-1-2 Challenge, FLLCJAN12, which is a limited supply challenge that revolves around 2012! The recipe is: you can only use 2 colors; you can use 0 bling; you must use at least 1 embellishment; and you can only have 2 layers (not including your card base). After putting on my thinking cap, I came up with this:

Two colors? Goldenrod and brown. Bling? None in sight. At least one embellishment? Some corduroy ribbon and a clearance rack paper flower. Two layers? Check! I used the Sunflowers stamp set from Flourishes for my main focal image, my stamped background, and my sentiment.

We started the day with some wet snow that has now turned to rain. Except for a freak snowstorm back in October, this is really the first snow we've had this winter and my kids were very excited. My son and I donned our snow boots for the walk to school, and I received a rather rude awakening: my 10-year-old snow boots have finally given up the ghost!! Both have sprung leaks, and by the time I returned home, my socks were soaking wet. I'll bet you can guess how I'll be spending my afternoon--scouring the Lands End and LL Bean websites for new boots, if there are any left. Why is it that by the time you realize you need to replace vital winter gear, the replacements are no longer available in the stores???

Thanks for visiting today!
Emily

StampinB Border Punch Challenge

Well, it took a while to get back in the groove again after our long vacation, but I've finally got things in order and am so happy to be back again posting with the rest of the Stampin' B's DT for our weekly Thursday challenges!

This week, we've got a fun one! The challenge is to use at least two border punches on your card. Here's what I came up with:

I combined this with a few other challenges. The theme of my card was inspired by Emily Leiphart's Moving Challenge.
My color scheme comes from the new ColourQ #102 Challenge.
And finally, my sketch is from the Vertical Sketch Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. I took the liberty of rotating the sketch (a full 180 degrees!).
Thanks for dropping by today. If you'd like to try your hand at this week's Stampin' B's Challenge, post your project on your blog or SCS gallery, and link it up to the Inlinkz tool on the Stampin' B's blog. We'd love to see what you create!! :)

See you soon!
Emily

Card Recipe:
Stamps: SU Good Neighbors
Paper: SU certainly celery CS, SU whisper white CS, turquoise CS from The Paper Company
Ink: Versafine onyx black, Versafine red satin, Palette reflection blue, Palette charcoal
Accessories: SU scallop border punch, MS picket fence border punch, sewing machine, dimensionals, red/white baker's twine
Techniques: machine stitching

DeNami Fabulous Frames Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design Fabulous Frames Blog Hop!

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Ruza Rebel's blog, Ruza's Craft Corner. If so, you are on the right track! If not, you'll want to head over to the DeNami blog to start the blog hop at the beginning. (And remember, if you get lost along the way, you can always head over to the DeNami blog to get pointed in the right direction.)

This month's blog hop is packed with ideas for making or using frames, all in conjunction with fabulous DeNami stamp images, of course ;) !! Hop along for some great inspiration and comment along the way for a chance at some free DeNami products! Here are the details:

When: The blog hop starts on June 12 at 6 AM, PST. However, you have until June 12, 2011, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize).

Why: To be inspired by beautiful frame creations featuring DeNami Design stamps and also the chance to win mini shopping sprees on the DeNami Design website!

Prizes: DeNami is giving away THREE $20 gift certificates to their website! They'll be giving away one gift certificate to a random blog hop participant (DT members not eligible) and then they'll also be giving away TWO gift certificates to TWO people who comment along the hop!

Ready to get going? Then check out my 4.25" x 4.25" DeNami Fabulous Frame card:
Thanks to winning a DeNami challenge in May, I recently acquired the fabulous and, as Paulina tells me, very popular Decorative Crest Circle stamp. This frame stamp is SO versatile! Pair it with some pretty patterned paper, pop in just about any sentiment in the center, and you've got a quick and easy card for almost any occasion! Dress it up, dress it down. Make it fun, make it serious. Doesn't matter!! This frame stamp can handle it.

Are you drooling over my background paper? Yeah, I was too when I won this as part of a Webster's Pages 4" x 4" vellum sampler pack on the Simon Says Stamp Blog last month. So pretty and detailed, it's a shame to cover it up! Webster's Pages designs are an easy way to get a collage-y, vintage-y, layered feel without a lot of work or a lot of layers. The perfect lazy crafter's product!

Let's see . . . details? I kept it to a minimum (see paragraph above.) Of note: the ruffled ribbon rosette I made. So easy! I basically followed this tutorial. The ribbon I used wasn't stitched ribbon, so my first step was to add a running stitch along one edge with my sewing machine. My ribbon is narrower than the ribbon in the tutorial, so my flower is flatter. But I love it just the same!

OK, I'm scanning my checklist . . . and that looks like everything I wanted to cover!! Be sure to comment here for a chance at some free DeNami products before you hop off to our next Fabulous Frames Blog Hop participant:

Andrea Matthews

A member of the DeNami design team, she always has some creative DeNami goodness to share! Go give her some love. :)

Thanks so much for dropping by today to check out my little slice of bliss!
Emily

Card Recipe:
Stamps: DeNami Decorative Crest Circle
Paper: cream CS, Webster's Pages Vellum Fun Pack, SU baja breeze CS, Neenah natural CS
Ink: SU baja breeze, Versafine vintage sepia
Accessories: 2.25" and 2.5" circle punches, sewing machine, grosgrain ribbon, foam tape, mulberry paper roses
Techniques: machine stitching, handmade ribbon rosette

A Flock of Flap Cards

Happy Saturday to all of you!! Yesterday's Free for All challenge on Splitcoast Stampers was to make a card that incorporates a flap in some way. I've never made a card with a flap before, so I cruised the SCS tutorials and found instructions for making an awesome flap card. I couldn't believe how easy these are! I was inspired to make a whole flock of these fun flap cards. I am hosting the SCS Gallery Comment Contest again this month and in just a little over a week will be sending out prize packages to the winners. I will need enclosure cards to send with the prizes and discovered that these will be perfect for that. And I won't even need envelopes for them since I've found ways to secure the flaps!!

Green Sparrow Flap Card

The SCS tutorial suggested using magnetic snaps as the closure for a flap card. Having nothing like this, I devised a little string clasp closure using baker's twine instead. I watercolored this adorable bird image from a Mark's Finest Papers stamp set called Speedy the Cat's Friends. I'm entering this in the Caardvarks challenge to create a new stamped card that is decorated inside and out! I paid special attention ;) to the inside of this flap card. The color combo comes from this week's Off the Wall Craftiness challenge.

Tangerine Kite Flap Card

This flying-high flap card takes its colors from one of the two current ColourQ #55 palettes and its layout from the current Repeat Impressions' What If Wednesday sketch. That cute little kite image is from Repeat Impressions. I decided to use a photo turn as my flap closure for this card.

Pink and Black Fleur de Lis Flap Card

This girly pink and black card takes its colors from the second of the two ColourQ #55 palettes. I used another little photo turn for securing the flap on this. That sweet fleur de lis image comes from the Mark's Finest Papers Regal & Proud set. This is the first time I've used this fleur de lis but it won't be the last. I love it!! I can't believe how detailed it is.

After all this crafting fun yesterday, I was ready to cap off the day with some autumn fun. After school, the kids and I visited a local orchard as a treat. Once DD and DS had each chosen a small Halloween pumpkin, we picked up a half dozen apple cider donuts and a gallon jug of orchard-made apple cider. It was quite chilly, so we couldn't have our snack at the picnic tables near the orchard (without freezing off our fingers!), so we sat in the car to munch our donuts with swigs of fresh apple cider. The kids saved the rest of the donuts (plus one for Dad!) for breakfast this morning. Fun!

The October Gallery Comment Contest is still going strong--right up until 11:59 p.m. on October 31. Anyone is welcome to join in at any time!! I'd love for you to play along. You can find all of the details right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my little slice of bliss for today!! I love to see you here. :)

Card Details:
Green Sparrow Flap Card
Stamps: MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends, MFP Tweet Blessings (sentiment)
Paper: Mark's Finest Papers spring leaft CS, SU chocolate chip CS, SU DP, Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Palette burnt umber
Accessories: SU scallop circle punch, EK 1.5" circle punch, SU scallop trim border punch, SU scallop border punch, CM petal multi-maker, watercolor brush, brad, button baker's twine, rhinestones
Techniques: watercolor painting

Tangerine Kite Flap Card
Stamps: Repeat Impressions
Paper: SU DP, SU basic black, assorted CS from The Paper Company
Ink: Palette noir black
Accessories: SU scallop circle punch, EK 1.5" circle punch, SU scallop border punch, brad, photo turn, fibers, scissors
Techniques: paper piecing

Pink Fleur de Lis Card
Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers Regal & Proud
Paper: SU regal rose, Su pretty in pink, SU basic black, SU whisper white, Miss Elizabeth's DP
Ink: Palette noir black
Accessories: SU scallop circle punch, EK 1.5" circle punch, EK 1.25" circle punch, SU 1" circle punch, EK chain of hearts punch, CM corner rounder punch, brad, photo turn, pink grograin ribbon, Bow-Easy