Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall?

 

Another fun challenge has just gone live at Time Out Challenges - we would like to see how you are inspired by Your Favourite Season!

Challenge #297 is generously being sponsored by Waffle Flower and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $25 credit to their store!  

The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!  Speaking of guest designers, our guest designer this fortnight is Darnell our winner from Challenge #292.  Darnell’s blog is one of my favourite places to visit - be sure to check out how she was inspired by her favourite season and her latest escapades!  And you can see how my talented team mates were inspired by their favourite season over on the Time Out Blog!

I have always loved Autumn!  When I lived in Australia it was always a relief when the cooler months of Autumn gave us some respite from the summer heat.  Plus, my dad came from Tumut, which was nestled at the foot of the Snowy Mountains and known for its tall poplars and colourful Autumnal displays of trees that had been transplanted from Europe and it was always a special treat to visit my grandmother's farm at that time of year!  Of course when I transplanted myself  in Europe, I was in awe of  the of miles of country roads and whole mountainsides covered in all manner of deciduous trees!  So, definitely Autumn is my favourite season - especially when it comes to crafting!  I just love the challenge of trying to recreate that beauty!

For this card today I embossed a panel of Kraft cardstock using the Tim Holtz Lumber 3D Texture Fades Embossing folder and distressed it with Barn Door, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks, then went over it with some gold gilding wax. 

I cut some branches (Spellbinders Cherry Blossoms) and distressed them with Gathered Twig DI.  

Then I cut loads of oak leaves (Tim Holtz Fall Foliage) from snippets of Kraft cardstock and distressed each leaf using Mowed Lawn, Barn Door and Mustard Seed DIs.   It would have been easier to distress the card stock first and then cut the leaves but because the leaves were so small I couldn't see how I could make sure I got all the colours on each leaf so I placed finger daubers on 3 of my fingers and distressed each leaf leaf individally (see below).  

After lining up the branches across the base of the card and attaching the leaves I cut this NBUS Autumn sentiment (ORIGACH Month Week and Year Planner) and some alphabets from snippets of darker brown card stock.  I did distress these with the autumnal colours as well but because the colour was quite dark it's hardly noticeable.

I cut the letters for the "blessings" from card stock that had double sided tape on the back and "spelt" it out on a strip of temporary tape so it would stay put while I distressed it but could easily be removed afterwards - this was really useful for lining it up on the panel.

Finally I winked the sentiment and leaves to make them sparkle (as always tricky to photograph)!

I am grateful for and would like to enter the following challenges

NBUS Challenge #78 - NBUS Month Week and Year Planner (Autumn Sentiment);

Inspiration Station Challenge #77 - see pic below;

Four Seasons Fall Challenge September;

Word Power September Challenge;

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday for September - Anything Goes;

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!

Kate

Autumn Hugs

 

Challenge #273 at Time Out Challenges has just gone live and this fortnight we have an Inspired By Words Challenge with this quote from Vincent Van Gogh

“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colours 

enough to paint the beautiful things I see.”

An Inspired By Words challenge works exactly as you would expect - you take the words from the featured quote and use them to inspire your creation!   You can use one word, multiple words or just the general idea of the quote.

This challenge is generously being sponsored by Poppy Stamps and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $20 credit to the store!  The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!

Speaking of guest designers, our guest designer this fortnight is Deborah Wheeler of Deborah's Crafty Blog!  Be sure to check out her gorgeous interpretation of our quote as well as my talented team mates over on the Time Out Blog!

How do these words inspire you and where do they lead your imagination?  We hope you can take Time Out of your busy schedule to come play cards with us!

I just love this squirrel (Poppystamps Nordic Squirrels) - like all the Nordic animals he was so easy to assemble and his sweet little cardigan is so sweet and perfect for this time of the year when there is a little nip in the air!  He's having a frolic in some fallen leaves (Tim Holtz Fall Foliage) against an embossed lumber panel (Tim Holtz Texture Fade).  The "Playful Hugs" sentiment (also Poppy Stamps but discontinued) was cut and stacked three high from orange card stock to which I added some Candied Apple DI to the lower half to create an ombre effect.  I also added touches of gold to the leaves with some gilding wax.

I'd like to enter these fab challenges

NBUS Challenge #66 - The Nordic Squirrel is NBUS;

Cards 4 Guyz Challenge #358 - Embossing wet or dry;

Papercraft Challenge #110 - Fabulous Fall;

Crafty Animals Challenge #87 - Anything Goes must include an animal;

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and should be able to find you!

Kate

Grateful

I celebrated a significant birthday recently which was wonderful  - to be able to celebrate I mean!  I don't like the fact that I'm getting older but the alternative is much worse, so it's fair to say I'm feeling extremely grateful at the moment!  It was wonderful to be surrounded by loved ones even given (or perhaps because of) the recent loss of my mum.

After the party I sat down and started a bunch of thank you cards for all the friends who had helped me celebrate the occasion.  The house was full of the most exquisite floral arrangements (in fact I ran out of vases) and was inspired to create floral arrangements of my own.

Initially I started quite simple.  I cut six garlands from an old Sizzix Bigz die (Tim Holtz Regal Crest) from brown card stock.  I cut these in half and distressed them with green and red inks and sprayed with Mustard Seed Glimmer Mist.  Because I had left and right facing garlands, I had left and a right facing cards.   I cut a whole bunch of these small flowers (Tim Holtz Funky Foliage) from white card stock. I think they're supposed to be cornflowers, but I coloured them in the reds, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples from my birthday bouquets using alcohol markers.  Alcohol markers are great for colouring and blending seamlessly - though the flowers are so small, the blending is almost imperceptible.

When I had used up all the "cornflowers" I had cut, I was tempted to get a little more adventurous.  I don't know about anyone else, but 10 of the same design seems to be about my limit!  I started cutting other flowers from the Funky Foliage set and also from the Funky Nature set and colouring these.  I also cut a few of the MFT Sunflowers.  I also tried some foliage left over from a previous project and decided I preferred a more delicate foliage so cut a bunch of these.  Finally to finish the cards, I cut and stacked these Grateful sentiments (Winnie and Walter Big, Bold and Blessings set) which summed up just how I was feeling!  

Of the twenty or so cards I eventually made, this one was my favourite!

I'd like to enter the Four Seasons Anything Goes Fall Challenge for November.  

I'd also like to join the Shopping Our Stash Challenge #457 which has the prompt You Don't Bring Me Flowers.

And Little Red Wagon Challenge #626 - So Very Thankful.

And 613 Avenue Create Challenge #11 - AG with optional Twist Thankful.

 You may have noticed the wood panels I used for the initial cards.  I'd like to enter the Double D Challenge - A Walk in the Wood as this was exactly what I had in mind when I started these cards.  

Finally Day of the Month Club Challenge #33 which has the prompt Beautiful Day - I'm still basking in the glow of my beautiful day!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be thrilled!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get better acquainted!

Kate

Give Thanks

 

Two weeks ago I was on a roll.  I was working on this card (my third Autumn spinner card) while my sister was keeping my mum company in Australia.  We knew mum didn't have long, they had refused her surgery the week before because they didn't think her heart could take it, and my sister was very anxious that night, so I was trying to keep her calm (she hadn't slept properly for days).  I showed her this card I was working on and she said it was very pretty (she loves purple and I had added that purple cornflower for her).   She said she was worried about the noises mum was making and I suggested she get a nurse to turn mum and then try and get a bit of sleep.

I kept working on the card - strange how doing something like this can bring you comfort, even if only temporarily.  I had added more flowers and foliage to this card so was looking for a sentiment that fitted and using which label since I could no longer stamp directly on the panel (forethought is not my middle name).  In the end, I went with this simple "Give Thanks" sentiment embossed with WOW! Mandarin powder on Kraft card stock.  I just finished it when my sister called me back with the news that mum had passed.

As I sat there looking at this card I had just finished, I realised that the sentiment perfectly summed up what I was feeling at that moment in time about my mother!  And so this card is going into the glass cabinet and whenever I look up at it, I will "Give Thanks" for her and "Give Thanks to her"!  I'd also like to give thanks to my sister who was with Mum till the end.  My brother had come up days before but had to isolate so couldn't give her a break.  She was exhausted!  

It's been a difficult summer.  I had hoped that, being vaccinated, I could travel to Australia during the summer months (their winter months) and spend some time with mum.  However the delta variant soon put paid to that idea!  Instead, the weekly cap of people allowed into Australia was halved and most of NSW went into lockdown.  Mum only had a handful of mourners present at her funeral but the service was streamed live for those that couldn't be there in person.  I'm very close to my brother and sister.  We talk or text most days, particularly this year as mum's health had declined!  We worked on the readings and discussed points for the eulogy and I wrote and prerecorded the eulogy and it was played as part of the service.  It was so painful not being able to be there with my family but I kept thinking of those poor souls who died alone in hospital and were buried quickly during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.  For me, it was particularly painful that I couldn't be there to sing for mum as I had for dad.  But in any case, due to current Covid restrictions, no singing was allowed.  

I wasn't going to blog about this card, but I was looking at challenges and trying to kick start my waning mojo, and happened upon some challenges that made me think someone was sending me a message.

Firstly The Day of the Month Club Challenge #31 is celebrating World Gratitude Day.

The Timeout Challenge #197 has this inspired by words prompt.   As I sit here surrounded by flowers which dear friends and family have sent me, I can definitely relate to this quote.  And the flowers I added to this card now hold a special meaning for me.

I'd also like to enter Inspired By Challenge IB188 has this lovely mix of leaves as inspiration;

Double D Challenges also has the prompt Leaves and this lovely inspiration board;

I'd also like to enter the Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #412 - I was determined to use up all of a distressed sheet of Bristol card stock I created for some earlier autumn projects and these tiny leaf dies from Tim Holtz Fall Foliage were perfect for this.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment,  I’ll know you were here and can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get to know each other a little better!

Kate

Falling Leaves

Inspired by the beautiful colours of Autumn, I thought I'd make some Autumn leaves today.  I die cut the oak and maple leaf from an old Spellbinders die and set about distressing them with various Distress Inks and Glimmer Mists.  IRL there is a gorgeous sheen but naturally I wasn't able to catch it  in the photograph.

I thought that since I was making this much mess, I should make a few extras for future projects.  The bead of glossy accents (meant to imitate a dew drop) wasn't yet dry in these photos I took this morning. 

Since these leaves have been distressed to within an inch of their lives, I'm entering this card in the current Timeout Challenge that has the theme

Sympathy With the Optional Twist of Distressing

I'm also entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for their Anything Goes theme

and the October Anything Goes with Dies Challenge at Happy Little Stampers

I'm entering it in the current Fusion Card Challenge

Just noticed the Double D Challenge has the theme "Leave it to Me!" so I'll be entering over there too

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment.  Your visits and feedback mean a lot to me,

Kate

Fall Blessings

This card is for my son who made it home safely from South America on Thursday, despite tropical storm Hermine.  He said he had never been so afraid on an aeroplane than during the takeoff from Miami.

I have so many stamps and dies that I just had to have at the time but have not yet seen the light of day. Thank heaven for Darnell and her wonderful NBUS challenges.  This one is heading over to NBUS Challenge #7.  The leaves are from a very old Spellbinder die (one of the first I bought) but haven't been used as far as I can remember.  The sentiment is from WMS Blessed By You, which is also NBUS.  

It's also heading over to Timeout Challenge 65 where the inspiration this week is

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” 

It's also heading over to Cardz4Guyz Challenge 135 where the inspiration this week is 

Something Beginning with the letter 'F'

It's also heading over to the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge which have my favourite type of challenge -  Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by,
Kate