Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing my card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Craft Crew, for which I also used the current colour palette over at The Card Concept:

I thought the sketch layout with the word bubbles and the leafy inspiration photo would combine to create the perfect opportunity to showcase the sentiments in the 'Gratitude For Days' stamp set - a rather unsung hero from the current seasonal catalogue I think, but a set that I have used lots and lots. Here is my card:

I used a combination of Real Red, Crushed Curry and Wild Wasabi for my card and inked the outlines of the Just Sayin' stamped word bubbles using my markers then stamped the insides with various 'gratitude' stamps in contrasting colours. I used some little leaves cut with my Fall Fest framelits as the embellishment for the word bubbles, and gradually layered them over a Gorgeous Grunge background to achieve my finished design. I think this still qualifies as 'clean and layered' as far as The Card Concept is concerned (if you've ever wondered about the definitions of the various cardmaking styles, you should check out their site - it gives some great guidelines), maybe bordering on 'freestyle collage', although probably not random enough to truly be a collage!

Hope you like my card; I'll pop back later with another quick make today for this week's challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary, so stay posted. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Fun Fall Framelits Dies	Just Sayin'	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies	Crushed Curry Baker's Twine
Gorgeous Grunge	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red A4 Card Stock
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Many Marvelous Markers

I know it's still Sunday, but as I went to schedule this post for tomorrow I realised that one of the challenges that it's for closes in the early hours of the morning, so I thought I'd post it early (let's hope this bodes well for the rest of my week!) When I saw the colours over at Pals Paper Arts this week, I thought they would be perfect for another Autumn-inspired card. I also used this week's Mojo Monday layout:

I rotated the sketch through 90 degrees for my card and used the 'thanks' stamp from 'Seasonally Scattered' for my card - take a look:

I used Always Artichoke for my base (twice in as many days - that's almost unheard of, yet it goes perfectly with the other colours here) and used a piece of Crushed Curry DSP from the Flowerpot range as my background mat layer. I stamped my main sentiment onto Very Vanilla, having inked the stamp with Crushed Curry and then selectively added Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke with my sponge daubers before stamping to give the graduated finish. I then matted this panel onto a piece of Cajun Craze. I knew I wanted to use one of my favourite Autumn Wooden Elements as the motif on my card, but when it came to choosing a ribbon, I became momentarily unstuck - I wanted something in either Cajun or Artichoke, but had neither. Then I had a light bulb moment - why not make my own ribbon, incorporating all three challenge colours? I used a piece of 7/8" cotton ribbon and stamped leaves and swirls from Gratitude For Days onto it directly - here's a close up of the finished ribbon:

I then used some Crushed Curry baker's twine to attach my wooden leaf embellishment to it. To complete my card, this panel was then adhered to the card base using dimensionals.

I'm really pleased with how this card turned out: I love this stamp and of course my card gave me another reason to use one of my Autumn Wooden Elements! I love them and think they are the perfect embellishment for a fall card. There are also lots in a pot so they last for ages and are great value! I'm also linking this card up with the current challenge over at SUO Challenges where the designers are asking us to use embellishments this week. A big thank you too to the team over at SUO for choosing my monochromatic baby card as one of their 'Top 3 Picks' for the 'clean and simple' challenge (you can see that card here if you missed it).

That's all from me; back tomorrow with another project. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Seasonally Scattered Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Autumn Wooden Elements	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad	Cajun Craze A4 Card Stock
Always Artichoke Classic Stampin' Pad	Always Artichoke A4 Card Stock	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Flower Pot Designer Series Paper
Natural 7/8" Cotton Ribbon	Crushed Curry Baker's Twine	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock

Today I'm sharing my Design Team card for The Paper Players, where this week Anne Marie has chosen this beautiful Autumnal colour palette for us to work with:

I also used the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week for my layout. As soon as I saw this week's colours, I knew it was time to make an Autumn wreath card using my 'Wondrous Wreath' stamp set, as I've been wanting to do one of these for ages. Here's my card:

I used Baked Brown Sugar and Cajun Craze for the leaves on my wreath and stamped the berries in Blackberry Bliss. I cut it out using my Big Shot and the co-ordinating framelits and looped some linen thread behind it before adhering it with dimensionals to my Hardwood background, stamped in Always Artichoke (this panel reminds my of a mossy whitewashed shed!). I finished my wreath with a bow in the gorgeous Blackberry Bliss satin ribbon and a sentiment panel stamped with a simple 'thanks' and decorated with a few leaves from my 'Gratitude For Days' stamp set and a couple of candy dots. I love the rustic feel of this card - so fitting for this time of year.

Do pop by the challenge blog and see how the other Paper Players designers have used this week's colour combination - there are some fabulous cards from this talented bunch of designers.

I'm still playing catch up so am looking forward to a reasonably restful day today before the onslaught of another new and action-packed week. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Wonderous Wreath Photopolymer Bundle	Hardwood	Another Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set	Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad
Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Baked Brown Sugar	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad	Regals Candy Dots	Always Artichoke Classic Stampin' Pad
Always Artichoke A4 Card Stock	Blackberry Bliss 3/8" Satin Stitched Ribbon	Linen Thread	Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Today's card is for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players, where Ann has a 'Happy Fall, Y'all' theme for us this week:

I immediately knew what I was going to do for my fall card this week; I've had my eye on a sheet of the DSP in the Motley Monsters Designer Series paper pack that I thought would be perfect for a fall-themed card, and this week's sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary provided the perfect layout. Here's my card:

This falling leaf paper is actually the top of the sheet that has the little Motley Monsters pattern across the bottom, but by only using the top section this paper is perfect for fall. In fact, of the 12 designs in the pack, half of them can be used for non-Halloween themed projects, so it's definitely worth a look for more than just Halloween. Anyway, I digress!

I took the colours for my card from the DSP, and used Sahara Sand for my base, with a vertical border of Basic Black to edge my piece of leafy DSP. I then cut an oval in Tangerine Tango using my Big Shot and Oval Framelits and embossed this with the Woodgrain embossing folder. I stamped my sentiment from the 'Gratitude For Days' set in Memento Black onto Crushed Curry and layered this on top, then finished with the real focal point of my card, a trio of wooden shapes from the Autumn Wooden Elements set, which I layered and finished off with a black and white baker's twine bow.

A simple card that reminds me of fun afternoons in the park, kicking leaves and collecting conkers on a crisp Autumn day. Do pop by and visit the other Paper Players Design Team blogs - there is some great inspiration for you out there as always this week and they would love you to leave a comment or two.

I'm having a lovely weekend: yesterday Rebecca had a great day in London - Mama Mia The Musical was excellent - and today I am expecting to be truly spoiled as it's my birthday! I am looking forward to a roast dinner with all the trimmings and a day of fun with my family.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Motlley Monsters Designer Series Paper	Autumn Wooden Elements	Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies
Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Basic Black Baker's Twine	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock
Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Tangerine Tango A4 Card Stock

It's Friday and I've had the most productive day today - and it's not over yet! Today I'm sharing a lovely piece of autumn (or fall, if you're American) home décor, similar to a piece by Sara Douglas that Shelli Gardner shared on her blog recently. It features a lovely new stamp set from the new seasonal catalogue called 'Gratitude For Days', along with some gorgeous Autumn Wooden Elements embellishments that are also a new item. Here is my finished frame:

I used the stamps in the set to create a circular wreath-like pattern, using a cotton bud (cue-tip) to add some sponged colour to the centre of the leaves. I added three wooden leaves and some gold sequins, finishing with the sentiment, which I stamped in Baked Brown Sugar onto Hello Honey cardstock, and finished with a bow tied in gold baker's twine. Here's a close up of the detail:

A great reminder that we have lots to be thankful for and quite simple to create. I'm really pleased with the result - I'm already working on a winter-themed one so that I will have a seasonal pair.

Short and sweet from me today; back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Autumn Wooden Elements	Gold Sequin Trim	Gold Baker's Twine	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Hello Honey A4 Cardstock	Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad