Autumn Blessings

Hello friends!  Time marches on...summer is coming to an end and that means that Autumn can't be far behind.  My card today features the Freshly Made Sketch for this week and a new stamp set just released by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.

Creative Nugget:  A Wrinkle Free Distress background was created with fall colors and over stamped with several textures from the Texture Tiles 1 stamp set.  The four square panels are stamped with the same texture and topped with one of the leaves from the Happy Scarecrow stamp set.  The sentiment was stamped and sequins added to finish the card.

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches 348 - FMS348
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes Challenge Week #346
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge Week of 7-31-18
The Artistic Stamper August Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says: Make Your Own Background
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Autumn Bounty

Happy Saturday to you, friends!  As you read this post, I am so excited to be at the Heirloom's York Rubber Stamps & Paper Arts Festival with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!  If you're any where close to the York Expo Center in York, PA, I hope you can join us there.  There are over 25 festival exhibitors, ample parking, food service, and door prize drawings! In addition, if you go to the Sweet 'n Sassy forum over at Splitcoaststampers, you will find a coupon for a 10% discount on your entire purchase at the Sweet 'n Sassy booth!  Fun, Food, and a chance for Free stamps...how awesome is that!

Now...on to the Sweet Stop sketch challenge.  We are continuing on with our "Blast from the Past" theme this month, and this week we are repeating sketch 37.

Creative Nugget:  For my sample this week, I went with a fall theme using a beautiful image from Sweet 'n Sassy's "Autumn Bounty" clear stamp set.  The image was colored with copic markers and given some glittery highlights with a jelly roll pen.  The gorgeous fall papers are from the "Forever Fall Collection" by Bo Bunny.  The doily is Cheery Lynn's English Tea Party doily die...LOVE this die!  Some Baker's twine was threaded through the doily before it was adhered to the DP layer.  All the layers were heavily sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and mounted on a Bermuda Bay card base.  The little leaves in the corner are die cut with Spellbinders Foliage Shapeabilities dies.  A button, pearls colored with a copic marker to match, and ribbon accents finish the card.   Now it's your turn...grab your stamps, follow the sketch, and upload your card using the linky tool at The Sweet Stop.  For more inspiration, check out the other Sugar Babies' samples.

                                                                                     

Sugar Babies  (Please see the links in my sidebar...As soon as I can figure out my new Mac, I'll update this post with the links...Computers!)

Thanks for bearing with me as I get accustomed to a new computer...switching from a PC to a Mac will take some getting used to!

Hugs, 

Cathymac  

                                                                                   

                                                                                   

Blast From the Past

Hope everyone had a wonderful week!  Welcome back for another Sweet Stop sketch.  For the month of October, we'll be taking a look at some fabulous sketches from the past, so for the next five Saturdays, get ready to play along with this "Blast From the Past!"

 

Creative Nugget: Since it's the beginning of October, I decided to go with an autumn theme for my sample, and who better to celebrate the beginning of a new month in fall than Rhubarb!  This image is from Sweet 'n Sassy's "Rhubarb's Autumn Joys" stamp set.  Rhubarb was colored with copic markers, cut with a square nestie, then mounted on an Early Espresso layer.  The designer papers used for this card are from Grandma's Kitchen by Were Are Memory Keepers.  The pattern reminded me of falling leaves and I thought it would be the perfect background to match the falling leaves in the image.  All panels are attached to an Early Espresso card base.  The corner leaf accent and the sentiment banner are both Spellbinder dies.  The pearls, descending in size, some piercing, double stitched ribbon, and Baker's twine finish the card!

This design is one of the very first Sweet Stop sketches from the past, so I hope you'll check out the samples by the other Sugar Babies and play along with us this week!

                                                        

 

Sugar Babies

Korin Sutherland 

Monika Davis 

Shelby Goolsby 

 Lorie Ames

Wendy Ramlakhan  

Janice Melton 

Shannon White 

Kim O' Connell

Thanks for visiting with me today and have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamp Set:  Rhubarb's Autumn Joys (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper: Kryogen White, Early Espresso (SU!), Grandma's Kitchen DP (We Are Memory Keepers)
Accessories: Piercing Tool, Nesties, Leaf Dies, Banner Die (Spellbinders), Kaiser Pearls, Double Stitched Ribbon (PTI), Baker's Twine (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Copic Markers E41 E42, E43, E44, E47, E49, E93, YR12, YR14, YR18, YR21, BG0000, BG72, BG75

Fall Fun Blog Hop

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Welcome to the Fall Fun Blog Hop!  A group of online buddies decided the holiday weekend in the US would be a great time to get inky together, and so we've put together a fall themed hop to inspire you as autumn approaches.  As you meet our stampy bloggers today, you may discover that some have goodies for you, so be sure and visit everyone on the list.  We have hoppers from all over the globe today, and they are amazing artists.

Thanks for visiting with us...grab yourself a nice fall beverage and enjoy!

Here is the full list of our fabulous blog hoppers today:

Lydia Fiedler

Libby Hickson 
Kim Williams 
Michelle Single  
Lee Murphy 
Sara Henton 
Yapha Mason 
Lisa Adametz 
Jimmi Mayo 
Jeanne Streiff
 Bev Gerard 
Shannon  
Dana Keith 
Joan Ervin  
Maren Benedict  
Teresa Kline 
 Hannah Clark 
 Dina Kowal 
 Wanda Cullen  
Korin Sutherland 
 Taylor Usry 
 Monika Davis  
Harriet Skelly  
Kim Schofield  
Cathy McCauley (You are here!) 
Mary Marsh 
Julia Aston  
Bridget Finlay  
Alison Habetler 
 Leslie Hanna  
Sue Farrant  
Michelle Hanway 
 Misti Oblander 
 Judy Rozema  
Jenna Barber  
Tammy Hershberger 
 Eva Dobilas  
Kerri Michaud  
Cheryl Navarrete  
Neva McMullen  
Marianne 
 Samantha 
 Cindy Wallach

 Now to celebrate my very first Blog Hop, I am offering some  

BLOG Candy!  

 

 All you need to do to win this fabulous, newly released Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set is to leave a comment on my blog and or become a follower...that's all there is to it!  The Random Number Originator will choose the winner and the winner will be posted here on my blog on Thursday along with a Sweet Peek of a new Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set being released on the 15th of September. 

And now...on to my project.  If you've just come from the talented Kim Schofield, you are on the right track.  If you've come in through the back door, you may want to start at the beginning with Lydia Fiedler...you don't want to miss any of the goodies! 

 

Creative Nugget:  I just love the colors of fall and this Sweet 'n Sassy Digi image of an autumn bouquet is perfect for using all of those rich, warm colors.   The gift box shows the advantage of using digi images as I was able to resize the bouquet to fit the box.

I used The Sweet Stop sketch for this week as the design for my card.  The card base was sponged with Walnut Stain distress ink and texture was added with the picnic plaid impression plate by PTI.  The Autumn Abundance DP, also by PTI,  was sponged with distress ink and stitched to the card base.  The autumn bouquet was colored with copic markers and layered on a PTI doily die cut.  Twill ribbon was added across the bottom and the sentiment from Friendship Jar by PTI was cut apart and layered onto the ribbon.  A few pearls finish off the card.

This adorable little matching gift basket was made with a die from PTI.   The die was cut twice, folded, and taped together.  I then cut the die again from DP and trimmed it down to make a liner for the front of the card.  The little tag was punched from the modern label punch by SU! and one end trimmed to make a little flag!  The little basket is filled with yummy Wilbur Buds!

Thanks so much for stopping by...be sure to stop back again on Thursday for the winner of my blog candy!  Your next stop on the hop is the talented Mary Marsh!   Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Hugs,

Cathymac 

Thankful!

It's hard to believe that it's already been a week since hurricane Irene blew through the east coast.  My prayers are for all of you who are still cleaning up.  I am thankful that a day without electricity was the only inconvenience we experienced and lives around here are beginning to return to normal.

I am also thankful for all of you, dear friends, who stop by and leave such  kind comments.  I'm thankful that it's Saturday once again and time for another sketch at The Sweet Stop and as usual, Korin has another great one for us!

Creative Nugget:  Autumn is probably my favorite of all the seasons.  The colors of fall are so rich and warm.  With that in mind, my card sample today was made with two new Sweet 'n Sassy stamp sets.  I just LOVE coloring the leaves from the "Autumn Leaves" set with copic markers.  It's so much fun to see how many different ways the colors can be blended to mimic fall colors and still match the designer papers.  The sentiment is from the "Many Thanks" set and was cut with a circle nestability die and popped up on a Dark Chocolate circle die.  This was then popped up on a larger circle die.  After the leaves were colored and cut out, they were arranged around the sentiment to form a wreath.  A jelly roll pen was used to trace the veins in the leaves for some shimmer.  Little branches were punched out of matching DP and filled in the spaces in the wreath.  The leaf wreath was then popped up on a card base decorated with Basic Grey designer paper.  Some piercing, button twine, and pearls colored with a copic marker were added as finishing touches.  My take on this sketch is very different from that of the other Sugar Babies so you will want to stop in to see the wonderful cards they have made and leave a little love on each of their blogs.

 

The Sugar Babies

Korin Sutherland 

Monika Davis 

Shelby Goolsby 

 Lorie Ames

Wendy Ramlakhan  

Janice Melton 

Shannon White 

Kim O' Connell

     

  

If you are looking for something to do on Monday, a few very talented online stamping buddies have put together a Fall Fun Blog Hop you won't want to miss!  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipe

Stamps: Autumn Leaves, Many Thanks (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Dark Chocolate (PTI), Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Dark Chocolate (PTI), Poppy Parade (SU!), Max and Whiskers DP (Basic Grey)

Accessories: Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Canvas Impression Plate, Button Twine (PTI),  Kaiser Pearls, Clear Jelly Roll Pen (Sakura), Piercing Tool, Pine Branch Punch (McGill), Copic Markers R08, R24, R27, BG72, BG75, YR24, YR30, YR31, E71, E74, E93, E97, E99                                                                                             

Featuring...

This past Sunday Korin Sutherland, illustrator and owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, was the featured stamper over at SCS.  Not only is Korin a sweetheart, but she is a very talented stamper and has a fabulous gallery.  It was so much fun to CASE several of her cards.  The featured stamper challenge is one of the best challenges to participate in because you have an opportunity to learn new techniques and improve your craft by imitating some of the best talent around! 

Inspirational Nugget:  We all have role models...right?  You know...someone you want to be like when you grow up.  The important thing is to find someone worthy of modeling your life after.  Some people find famous sports figures, movie stars, business tycoons, or religious leaders to emulate only to be disappointed as these people fail, compromise their principles, or reveal character flaws.  The problem is, as humans we will all eventually fall short of someone's expectations.  So where in the world can we find a good mentor?  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."  Did you catch the solution to the problem?  Paul strove to imitate Christ and so can we.  The perfect role model, the one with no spot or blemish, the one who will never fall short of our expectations...Jesus!  I challenge you to read His word...get to know Jesus...and let Him be featured in your life...strive to be like Him!  Let's CASE Jesus!

Creative Nugget:  I decided to CASE Korin's Season of Change card.  I kept the same basic layout, theme, and colors.  I liked the idea of stamping the sentiment behind the four leaf panels, but didn't have the same stamp set, so I changed the sentiment.  The leaves from the Autumn Leaves set, just released from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, were colored with copic markers, cut out, and popped up on punched squares of Chocolate Chip card stock impressed with a wood grain pattern.  Piercing, button twine and a rustic button were added to complete the card.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Autumn Leaves (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Mini Tags 1 (Our Daily Bread Designs)
Ink: Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks (Ranger)
Paper: Select White (PTI), Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Accessories: Piercing Tool, Square Punch (SU!), Rustic Button, Button Twine (PTI), Scor-Pal, Copic Markers

This card was inspired by another of Korin's Season of Change cards.  I kept the same layout, but added an extra layer.  A gold leaf pen was used to make a border around two of the panels.  The leaves from the Autumn Leaves set were stamped randomly on a Vintage Cream panel with VersaMark Ink and embossed with detail white embossing powder.  Distress Inks were then sponged on each leaf, beginning in the middle of the leaf and working outward.  This created a kind of a halo around each leaf.  The sentiment was stamped under the leaf panel and pearls were added to the upper left of the card.  These are my cards for today!  Thanks for the inspiration Korin!  I like how both cards turned out and I hope you do, too!  Thanks for stopping by...Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: Autumn Leaves (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Blooming Button Bits (PTI)
Ink:  Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Distress Inks (Ranger), VersaMark
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI)
Accessories: Gold Leaf Pen (Krylon), Canvas Impression Plate (PTI),  Detail White Embossing Powder (SU!), Kaiser Pearls

Sweet Peek - Rhubarb's Autumn Joys

Yea!  The weekend has rolled around again and I have two posts for you today so if you've decided to tune in, be sure to scroll down for The Sweet Stop sketch sample!

Today is day six of the Sweet Peeks over at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!  If you love Rhubarb, you will LOVE this new set being released next week on August 15th.  Rhubarb's Autumn Joys contains not one, not two, but three adorable fall Rhubarb images and six wonderful sentiments perfect for every autumn occasion.   

 

Creative Nugget:  Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year because of all the beautiful, warm colors.  The Rhubarb image on my card was colored with these warm colors using copic markers.  Don't you just love the leaves falling all around him in all of their fall splendor?  This panel was put on a scalloped oval, and then on a wonderful piece of Basic Grey's Indian Summer DP that was stitched to a piece of Select White card stock.  More pumpkins were embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder at the bottom of an orange zest panel.  The top of the embossed pumpkins was cut with a craft knife so the Rhubarb panel could be tucked behind.  Two ribbons were layered and tucked behind the pumpkins as well.  The 1/4 inch white silk ribbon was stained with a scattered straw distress ink pad.  The bow was made with the Bow-Easy.  The cute sentiment was punched out with a word window punch and popped up on  the ribbon.  If you like this sample be sure to stop over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to see what the other talented design team members have created with Rhubarb's Autumn Joys, and then join us at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection for all of the fun activities, full reveals,....and some exciting news on the 15th of August!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Rhubarb's Autumn Joys (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Tea Dye, Walnut Stain, and Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger)

Paper: Select White, Orange Zest, Scarlet Jewel (PTI), Indian Summer Paper Pad (Basic Grey)

Accessories: Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Sew Mini (Janome), Canvas Impression Plate (PTI), Autumn Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Word Window Punch (SU!), Ribbon (PTI), Bow Easy (Gina K), Kaiser Pearls, Copic Markers E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, R20, R89, YR18, YR65, YR68, Y08, Y13, Y15, YG03, YG13, YG17