Happy Thanksgiving

Hello Blogger friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

Here we are almost halfway through the month of November. Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks away. I am still making Thanksgiving cards. I usually send out at least 10 cards to family and friends. So, I need to get them finished so I can get my Christmas cards done. Since Thanksgiving is late this year it's just a short time till we reach Christmas. 

These 2 holidays are my favorite ones of the year. I love the family time, cooking for the big days, decorating and making my handmade cards. So, let's get started with some details of my card today. 

This one I made for this week's color challenge #1026 on Splitcoaststampers. We were to use daffodil delight, granny apple green and crushed curry for our color trio. Neutrals are also allowed. Optional this week is flowers.

daffodil delight, granny apple green, crushed curry

For my Thanksgiving card I used the Turkey Day die from Spellbinders. I cut his feathers in daffodil delight and pecan pie. The body in crumb cake, feathers in chocolate chip and for the wattle I used copper. All these additional colors are neutrals.  

My leaves are cute from Bristol smooth card stock, and I sponged fossilized amber, granny apple green and pecan pie to get a Fall look. I added some sunflowers to cover the optional item.

That's my card for today. So until next time.......God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: gift of fall (Paper Pumpkin 2019)

Paper: daffodil delight, granny apple green, pecan pie, copper clay, choc chip, crumb cake, soft suede (Stampin' Up), dsp (Paper Studio), bristol smooth (Canson)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: daffodil delight, granny apple green, pecan pie (Stampin' Up), wild honey distress, fossilized amber distress (Ranger)

Accessories: Happy Turkey Day die (Spellbinders), oval die, build a grapevine wreath die -leaves & acorns, fall gate w/flowers die -sunflowers die (CottageCutz)

I am also entering:

1.  I Spy With My Little Eye has a colors of the season challenge. 

2.  Simon Says Stamp has a Thanksgiving challenge. 

3.  The Paper Funday has an anything goes challenge w/optional of tags. 

4.  Crafty Animals has an anything goes challenge. 

5.  Critter Crazy Challenge is anything goes. 

Thankful For You

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today.

Well, I think our summer weather is coming to an end. We had a frost last night and today even though the sun is out it's a bit cold outside. And even inside I had to turn the furnace up a couple of degrees. We usually keep it on 67° but today that's just not warm enough. It is mid November so I just need to adjust to the cooling temps (LOL)!!!

We just had new equipment sent to us from Verizon for our Fios service. The old set top box and DVR are being discontinued. I looked through the directions and honestly, I am not sure how to install the new boxes. I asked one of my neighbors who has helped us in the past. If he isn't able to come, I may have to pay for a Verizon installer to come out. Don't know why they would upgrade equipment and then expect the average person to be able to install it. 

Anyway, onto my card for today. This fun fold design I made using the contents of the Stampin' September Paper Pumpkin kit. It's all about Autumn card making and I think it's perfect for Thanksgiving cards. Everything I used on this card came in the kit except for the sentiments and the November phrase. 

The fold is titled an "inside out flip card". I found this tutorial on Tami White's Blog and used it for this card.

This photo shows the card inside. The November phrase is from a CottageCutz die and the stamped sentiment is from Divinity Designs. 

Card Inside

This photo shows the front sentiment flipping over. Hence the reason for the title of the fun fold.

 

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time......God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: painted harvest (Stampin' Up)

Paper: early espresso, copper foil (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: early espresso (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Autumn Abundance Paper Pumpkin Kit (September 2024), Calendar Months die (CottageCutz)

Techniques: inside out flip fold

I am also entering:

1.  A Cut Above Challenge is ATG using a die cut and optional of "warm it up" theme. 

2.  A Place to Start Challenge is ATG w/option of sentiment of thanks. 

3.  A Perfect Time to Craft challenge is ATG.

4.  Crafts Galore Encore Challenge is ATG. 

5.  Die Cut Divas has an any holiday challenge.

6.  Four Seasons Challenge is celebrating Fall. 

  

Gather Together

Hello Blogger friends. Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog. 

Hope this Fall season is finding you well. Can you believe that we are about 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving? We have had such beautiful warm weather here for November that it seems like September. 

I host Thanksgiving at my home each year. It's a tradition that I want to hold onto for as long as I can. I love cooking for this holiday and sharing the day with my family. I also enjoy making and sending Thanksgiving cards. 

The card I am featuring today is one that I made from the Stampin' Up September Paper Pumpkin Kit- "Autumn Abundance" in an alternative design.  I used the colors from the color challenge #1023.

I was the hostess, and I chose wild wheat, night of navy and poppy parade for my color trio. The optional item was to use designer paper.

 

wild wheat, night of navy, poppy parade

My fun fold is a double triangle design. There is a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers to create it. Click here for instructions. I saw a card on the Paper Pumpkin Facebook group and used it for my inspiration. Of course I changed it up to make it my own design.

The card front is one of the card bases in the kit. I cut it in half to use it as designer paper for my fun fold card.

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up "painted harvest" set and is stamped in night of navy. I added some die cut greenery cut in wild wheat and poppy parade. The night of navy die cut leaves are from the kit.

Added a few night of navy rhinestones to finish off my card.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.....God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: painted harvest (Stampin' Up)

Paper: night of navy, poppy parade, wild wheat (Stampin' Up)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: night of navy (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Autumn Abundance PP Kit, Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up), Circle die, Holiday Greenery die (CottageCutz)

Techniques: double triangle fold

 

I am also entering:

1. A Place to Start is anything goes w/option of adding sentiments of thanks. 

2.  Love Those Prety Papers Challenge is anything goes using patterned paper. 

3.  Creative Creases is anything goes with a fun fold. 

4.  Cut It Up has a grateful/thankful challenge using die cuts. 

5.  Cardz for Galz has a patterned paper challenge. 

Let Us Give Thanks

Hello Blogger Friends. Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with the Charmed Life Blog today.  

We are in the full phase of Fall in our area. The trees are in their beautiful autumn colors. We will have plenty of them dropping in our yard since we have 2 huge pin oak tree. Fortunately, my hubby likes going out and raking leaves. I help sometimes but it's not my thing for sure. Yesterday he raked a huge pile of leaves and the two little ones from next door came over and jumped in the pile. My hubby joined them (LOL)!! They love coming over here and spending time with us. 

We just came home from a 2-day getaway at a wonderful Inn about 2 hours away from us. The inn is Tara and we were celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary a little early. It's a beautiful country inn with exceptional rooms and dining. Click here to check it out. 

Now onto my card for today. I have started creating my Thanksgiving cards for this year. And that's what I am showing today. 

This is my card for the Splitcoaststampers color challenge #1022. Barbara is our hostess and she chose crushed curry, cajun craze and coastal cabana for the color trio. Optional this week is Autumn.

coastal cabana, crushed curry, cajun craze

For my card I used the Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin Kit for September "Autumn Abundance". I ran across a Stampin' Up video where they showed this card as one of their alternate samples. Then I saw the card on Pinterest from the designer. Here is a link to her card. 

Instead of using the snail and mushrooms from the kit since they were the wrong colors, I die cut my own using a CottageCutz die. The mushrooms are cut in the challenge colors and the snail in pecan pie and crumb cake (neutrals).

The card front is a card base from the kit but in a 4" square size. By creating a step fold card, I was able to change it to a full-size card. The wood grain designer paper in the background is another card base from the kit that I cut.

The cajun craze leaves are part of the kit. I stamped a sentiment from an old Verve set (7+ years old) and added a few cajun craze enamel dots to complete my card.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So, until next time......God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: Bountiful Harvest (Verve)

Paper: cajun craze, crushed curry, crumb cake, pecan pie, coastal cabana (Stampin' Up)

Ink: cajun craze, coastal cabana (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Autumn Abundance PP Kit, cajun craze enamel dots (Stampin' Up), stitched mushrooms die, stitched garden friends die, stitched circle die (cottageCutz)

Techniques: step fold

I am also entering:

1.  Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge is anything goes. 

2.  Retro Rubber Challenge wants us to make a Fall card. 

3.  Gem of a Challenge is anything goes. 

4.  Inkspirational has a Seasonal challenge.

5.  Polkadoodles has a anything goes challenge.  

Harvest Blessings

Hello Blogger friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog this last Friday in October. 

Wow this month just flew by. Soon we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and then onto Christmas. I have been making my Thanksgiving cards and the one I am showing today is another one of those. It's somewhat of non-traditional colors for a Thanksgiving card but I like how it turned out.

I used the colors from the Splitcoaststampers color challenge #1021. They are pretty peacock, pool party and lost lagoon for the color trio.

pretty peacock, pool party, lost lagoon

Optional is anything goes. I took some liberty, and I chose Fall for the optional. That way I was able to add some fall colors for my trees to create a Fall scene.

I stenciled background clouds in broken china distress ink using an MFT stencil. I used Bristol smooth card stock for the background. I find it blends much smoother than other white cardstock I have tried. 

Cut my houses in pretty peacock and used lost lagoon cardstock for the house trim. The house des are from CottageCutz. 

I punched some tree trunks and used a cloud die for the tree foliage. I sponged wild honey, spiced marmalade and fired brick distress inks. For the hills I used mossy meadow designer paper.

Stamped my sentiments to complete my card. Well, that's it for me for this post. So, until next time.......God bless. 

Card Details:

Stamps: bountiful harvest (Verve), holiday home (PTI)

Paper: pretty peacock, lost lagoon, so saffron, soft suede, beauty of the earth dsp (Stampin' Up), bristol smooth (Canson)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: pretty peacock (Stampin' Up), wild honey distress, spiced marmalade distress, fired brick distress, broken china distress (ranger)

Accessories: winter village die, stitched cloud die (CottageCutz), tree punch (paper Shapers), mini cloud stencil (MFT), stitched hills border die (Lawn Fawn)

I am also entering:

1.  Just Add Ink has a stenciling challenge.

2.  C.R.A.F.T. challenge is anything goes. 

3.  Craft Rocket challenge is Autumn or Halloween.

4.  Just Us Girls has a stencil challenge. 

5.  Crazy is our Fame-Stencils are our game has a stencil challenge. 

 

Scarecrow in the Pumpkin Patch

Hello Blogger friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

It's a beautiful sunny and warm day here in the Pittsburgh area. A bit unusual for us this time of year but I love it! It's one of those days when you feel like you could accomplish so much. 

I went for a 35 minute walk this morning. Then made a quick trip to Trader Joe's. Put together some guacamole for my hubby. He likes this as an afternoon snack, and I have a delicious recipe. I cleaned my kitchen, sorted laundry, changed bedsheets and now I am writing up this Blog post. 

It's been a while since I have posted here on my Blog but it's not like I haven't been creating. We are coming into my fave time of year with Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I have lots of cards to make. The card I am showing today is one of my Thanksgiving cards.

I used the colors from the Splitcoaststampers color challenge #1017. We were to use crushed curry, old olive and poppy parade for the color trio. Optional this week is a 4th color. I chose pecan pie for the 4th color.

crushed curry, old olive, poppy parade

I thought these colors were perfect for a Fall themed card. I started my card by embossing the background with the pumpkin harvest embossing folder from Cuttlebug. An older one for sure, but I still like the design of it. 

Then I went to work on my pumpkin patch scene. My scarecrow is cut in the challenge colors plus chocolate chip (a retired neutral). It's a die from CottageCutz. I think he has the cutest face. 

My sunflowers and pumpkins are cut in crushed curry and shaded with the same ink plus spiced marmalade distress ink. They are also dies from CottageCutz.

To complete my scene, I added a sun die cut. And that's my post for today. So until next time.....God bless. 

Card Details:

Paper: crushed curry, poppy parade, old olive, crumb cake, pecan pie, choc chip (Stampin' Up), chantilly cream (MFT)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: crushed curry, crumb cake (Stampin' Up), spiced marmalade distress (Ranger)

Accessories: Fall Scarecrow, Fall Gate w/Flowers, Stitched Sun dies (CottageCutz). Pumpkin Harvest EF (Cuttlebug)

I am also entering:

1. A Cut Above is anything goes with a die cut.  I used several. 

2.  Aud Sentiments has an embossing, Fall + a sentiment challenge. 

3.  Double Trouble has a Fall Bat color challenge (green, red, yellow)+ option of a Fall die. 

4.  Die Cut Divas has an anything goes challenge using a die cut or embossing.

5.  The Four Seasons Challenge is anything goes with a Fall theme.   

Climbing Roses

Hello Blogger Friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

Hope your Fall season is going well. I just changed the decorations out in my home last week and converted over to Fall. I will leave these up until Thanksgiving and then convert over to Christmas. Can't believe that I am mentioning Christmas, but it is October. 

My card today is one I made for the color challenge #1018 on Splitcoaststampers. Our color trio was 

pretty in pink, berry burst and granny apple green for the color trio. Optional was to make it summer.

What could be more summer than roses? They are still blooming nicely in my hubby's garden. So, I decided to put roses on a birthday card for my neighbor who loves to garden as much as my hubby does. She celebrates in a couple of weeks. And her daughters are having a surprise birthday party for her. 

pretty in pink, berry burst, granny apple green

I used the Climbing Rose multi-layer stencil from The Ton Stamps. I stenciled with spun sugar, pretty in pink and berry burst for the rose image. The leaves are stenciled in granny apple green and mossy meadow (an allowed neutral in this challenge).

Used the accompanying rose die to cut my image. For the card background I added a trellis cut in berry burst. I did the die inlay technique fora few of the trellis panels just for added interest. Stamped my birthday sentiment to complete my card.

Well, that's it for me for this post. So until next time.......God bless.

Card Details:

Stamps: Charming Sentiments (Stampin' Up)

Paper: white, berry burst (Stampin' Up), bristol smooth (Strathmore)

Paper Size: A2

Ink: pretty in pink, berry burst, granny apple green, mossy meadow (Stampin' Up), spun sugar distress (Ranger)

Accessories: climbing rose stencil & dies (The Ton Stamps), sentiments die (Stampin' Up), trellis background die (CottageCutz)

Techniques: stenciling

I am also entering:

1.  Beautiful Blossoms challenge is anything goes with florals. 

2.  Die Cut Divas has an anything goes for world card making day.

3.  The Flower Challenge wants us to add a stencil.  

4.  Triple B Challenge is anything goes with, birds, butterflies and/or blooms. 

5.  A Place to Start has an anything goes using pink. 

 

Celebrate

Hello Blogger Friends. Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with The Charmed Life Blog today. 

I am guest designing today with the Creative Creases Blog. It's a challenge where you create a fun fold card using any products you like. Debbie Mageed is the hostess of the challenge. If you like creating fun fold designs this challenge is definitely for you. The team members and guest designers have some great samples for cards, so check it out.

For my card, I created a book binding fold. This fun fold card has a unique “book spine” that’s simple to create. It's only two simple scores lines create this unique fold. If you want to see a video creating this fun fold- click here. 

Design Steps:

Start with a piece of cardstock that measures 4 1/4" x 11". Then on the 11" side you score at 4" and at 5 1/2".

Then fold in half on the 5 1/2" scoreline. Then fold back on the 4" scoreline and you have created your fold. I have indicated where you add your score tape, but I didn't do that step until after I added my ribbon and card front. 

  

Next you attach your favorite designer paper and add stamps or dies. For my card I used the contents of the Paper Pumpkin Kit "time for cake". Instead of following the kit instructions, I decided to create an alternative style card. 

I cut one of the petal pink kit envelopes apart and used that for my background and also the book spine. Background piece measures 3 3/4" x 4" and the book spine piece measures 1 1/4" x 4". The image panel is a card base from the kit. I cut the base to measure 3 1/2" x 3 3/4". I used navy blue ribbon and secured it behind the spine area. 

To finish off my card front, I added a die cut celebrate phrase. It's cut in petal pink and moody mauve using a die from CottageCutz. I scattered a few moody mauve enamel dots. 

When the card is opened, it looks as if it’s hinged, revealing the inside greeting. The stamps are from the "time for cake" kit as is the candle. 

Well, that's it for me for this post. Make sure you check out the other fun folds on the Creative Crease Blog. So until next time......God bless.

Card Details:

Paper: White, Paper Pumpkin Kit August 2024 (Stampin' Up)

Ink: night of navy (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Night of Navy Ribbon, Moody Mauve enamel dots (Stampin' Up)

Techniques: Book Binding

I am also entering:

1.  Crafty Gals Corner is anything goes w/optional to add ribbon. 

2.  Creative Fingers is anything goes. 

3.  Fab 'n' Funky wants us to add gems or pearls.

4.  Simon Says Stamp has an anything goes challenge. 

5.  Seize the Birthday is anything goes + optional phrase "celebrate".