Naturally Neutral

Inspired by day three "Naturally Neutral"

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Come on Fall

Lawn Fawnatics Challenge #11- Cards for Kids.

This one is for my grandson who just started kindergarten and lately has been very indignant that he never receives mail like all the grown-ups do.

Lawn Fawn Happy Harvest, Wood Grain embossing folder by the Paper Studio,
and sentiment stamp is Lawn Fawn's Grand Greetings

Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas-Day 11, Country Christmas

I look so forward to this event now & I wish I had time this year to play along and make more tags inspired by the wonderful designers and great themes/challenges, but all I have time for are the ones I will actually be using.  

 

 

Gift card holder tags; dies by Lil' Inker, sentiment stamp by Lawn Fawn

Lawnscaping Challenge #137- Texture-fied

Stamp set is Lawn Fawn; Thanks a Bushel, colored with Copics.  Embossing folder is an old one by Quickutz.
Inside reads: Thanks a bushel

Stamp set is Lawn Fawn, Thanks a Bushel, Lawn Fawn paper Perfectly Plaid Autumn , embossing folder is by Sizzix.
Inside reads; Happy Fall Y'all 

Inside reads; Fall is here

Happy Easter!

Made with Lawn Fawn's Eggstra Special Easter set and colored w/ Copics

Entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -Cute and Cuddly

and Marker Pop Challenge 91- Critters

Sending Hedgehugs

Stamp is " Hedgehugs" by Lawn Fawn; Pattern Paper is from Lawn Fawn's "Daphne's Closet"

Entering this in the

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Anything Goes Challenge
Spotlight- Lawn Fawn

Nothing makes the mistakes on a card SCREAM like putting them on your blog does.  At least I can sit here and make notes to go back and make the fixes.

I didn't know I'd be posting these when I made them, so I didn't keep up with what stamp sets I used, sorry.

All stamps and die by Lawn Fawn, colored with Copics

Treat bag inspired by Debby H. (LimeDoodle) using Lawn Fawn's Snow Day papers, and Spellbinder die

Lawn Fawn CHA 2014 Catalog Challenge

The sets I used are Bannerific, Hats Off, Sweet Christmas, Plus One, Happy Halloween, Happy Easter and Smitty's ABC's.

Lawnscaping Challenge #54- Use Stitching

This is for Lawnscaping Challenge #54 -Use Stitching

Sorry the picture is so dark.

Lawn Fawn sets used:  Make Lemonade & So Much to Say.
 Paper is from the Pink Lemonade collection.

Designed to Color Birthday Bash-Tic Tac Toe Challenge

I said I was gonna make another version of this card & the timing for it was perfect for Designed to Color 's Birthday Bash Challenge.  The challenge is a tic-tac-toe theme & I chose the 3 elements of CAKE, YELLOW & PRESENTS.  All stamps are by Lawn Fawn and were colored with Copic markers.
Happy first birthday Designed to Color! 

Sets used: So Much to Say, Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum, Hats Off to You, & Year 3

Stamp a Scene Take 2

Well, I had quit blogging back last Sept. and didn't think I would ever pick it back up, but I am just having so much fun with my Lawn Fawn stamps, making cards for OWH, that I can't help myself.  This is my second entry for the Lawnscaping Challenge #52 this week, Stamp a Scene.   The scene is on the inside this time. 

Sets used- all by Lawn Fawn:  Year 3, Cozy Christmas, Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum, Hats off to You

It doesn't leave a lot of room for a soldier to write home, but I guess it'll be OK and since I've got the masks already cut out for stamping I may as well get some more use from them so, I think I'm going to make several versions of this one.

Lawnscaping Challenge

Sets used: Bon Voyage, Bannerific, Sunny Skies, Sally's ABC's all by Lawn Fawn

I am so excited.  Lawn Fawn just released some new stamp sets AND is now making dies to go w/ some of their stamps, (something I have been wishing for for a long while now.)  This is just another card for my next box to OWH, but I decided to enter it in the Lawnscaping Challenge #52- Stamp a Scene, since it fits the criteria. 

OWH and Lawn Fawn

If anyone were to ask me some of my favorite things in card making, without hesitation I would name these 5;  Operation Write Home, Lawn Fawn stamps, Spellbinders dies, embossing folders, and snowflakes.

This past week was great with 2 of my favorite things, OWH & Lawn Fawn collaborating on their blogs.  It just so happens that I've been finishing up the last few cards for a box to go to OWH and found out that Kelly Marie of Lawn Fawn has issued a challenge to make cards suitable for a child for OWH, so, here's another one I can add to the box.

Front of card.  Sets used: Sweet Christmas, Plus One and Smitty's ABC's, all by Lawn Fawn

 I stamped the sentiment on the top flap instead of the usual bottom so that there will be plenty of room for a short little note for the HERO to send.

Inside of card.  Sets used:  Cozy Christmas, Smitty's ABC's, both by Lawn Fawn

I started a card making ministry at my church back in May.  For the first 2 meetings we just focused on "learning the basics."  At our 2 most recent meetings we have made cards for OWH.  Most of the ladies are total beginners and I don't know who's having more fun, me watching & helping them learn all about this crazily addictive world of card making or them, as they discover all the really fun & cool toys/tools and techniques.   I've often wondered if other people went as crazy as I did when I first got started with this craft and I'm happy and a little relieved to say-YES, they do!  Especially when you have lots of things for them to try out and play with.  

Here are some of the cards for my next box to OWH.  Almost 1/2 of these were done by the ladies in my card making group.

If you have some extra cards laying around, (maybe a stack of past challenge submissions) please consider sending them to OWH.  It's such a worthy cause.  Just be sure to go to the OWH home page and read the guidelines before sending.
Have a great week and remember....

make it a good day for someone else 

& it'll come back to you!

Stamp a Scene Challenge

This is for the Stamp a Scene Challenge at Lawnscaping this week.  I know there will be a lot of "Christmas in July" events/challenges coming up, but I don't look to be crafting very much in July, so I'm doing a little bit of mine now.

Sets used: Cozy Christmas, Plus One, Critters in the Snow (and I would have used Critters in the Forrest if I had it, cuz' this just really needs a Christmas tree too.) 

I haven't taken the time to get on this new computer to "learn" it yet, and so I didn't do any editing on the photo, you get it "as is".  

On to baby news.......

bless his little heart, he still doesn't have a name and may not ever the way his Mama & Daddy are going at it.  Honestly, I don't remember ever seeing 2 people so at odds on picking out a name.  He was going to have the initials J.C.H. like his daddy, but that idea is out the window, and ever time they seem to be getting close, it's back to square one.  So for now, he's just "Mimi's Little Man."  My daughter is stressing over this just a little, and it's really quite comical.  She can't put his name up in the nursery like she wants to and she can't order a couple of little outfits with his name and monograms on them that she has found, and these things need to be done NOW!  At least that's the way she is thinking.  She's 27 weeks so they still have a little time, even tho' she doesn't see it that way.  I'm starting to feel the joys of grand-parenting already.  It's so nice to be able to just sit back and listen (& laugh when they don't know it.)  Hey, all I've got to do is love and spoil him, they can figure out the rest.

Hubby, daughter & son in law, getting ready for our little "Christmas in July"

 

 

 

Now it's time to decorate... or it will be when He gets a name

;)

What's on your list?

 I've come to realize there is just no getting ahead, or even just slightly caught up in the crafting world when it comes to those magically infinite things we call our wishlists.   Every time I think I"m getting close to paring my list way down, badaboom, new release &/or CHA time!   Have you seen all the cool new stuff that's coming out?!  Not to mention the things we have only been given teasing little sneak peeks of. 

So, what's on your list?  Inquiring minds want to know..... 

No really, I DO want to know.  (I may have missed something that I need to go check out, he,he.) 

Me?  Well, I'm always wanting more Lawn Fawn stamps, and of course there are tons of new paper lines coming out and new Spellbinders dies that I want to get my hands on.  Luckily I haven't really seen any new  machines that I think I've just got to have.

Speaking of Lawn Fawn, I whipped up a card for Lawnscaping Challenge #26: Winter Wonderland

sets used- LF: Ornate Ornaments and Winter Bunny, Hero Arts: Thinking of You

This is one of those times that I am totally baffled by the way this photographed.  There is very subtle inking around the frame of blue and lavendar, but in this pic it looks like dark blue blotches. 
I have got to invest in some kind of photo editing software!  Any suggestions, and please keep in mind, I am a total dunce when it comes to computers.
Have a great rest of the week everyone.  (I really do hope you'll tell me what's been added to your lists.)

Snowflake Dreams & a new vow for the New Year.

It seems that pretty much everyone has been experiencing Spring weather lately.  It was an unbelievably beautiful sunny weekend in the low 70's here, but wait.... it's January, or at least that's what the calendar says.   Granted, we rarely get snow around these parts, but I absolutely love it and I wanna see snow.  (That's easy for someone to say who doesn't have to deal with it for weeks/months on end, right?)  So for all you normally snow-laden friends, I'm glad you're all getting a reprieve from the cold, at least for now.  It sure does make it nice on the electric bill doesn't it, but I still wanna see snow! 

So snow it is.....

 

This little snowman is a new stamp I got by Inkadinkadoo, the snowflake trim is a Martha Stewart punch (that I have been trying to buy since last year and Michael's finally got them back in.)  The embossing folder is by Cuttlebug and the vellum strip with the text is a strip I cut from an old Christmas card.  The tiny bit of coloring I did is with Copics.

This stamp is from an old Stampin Up set that is new to me (thank you Ebay.)   The snowflake background was heat embossed with a glittery embossing powder and is stamped using some pretty Studio G ($1 bin) snowflake stamps I just got and some smaller snowflake stamps from Lawn Fawn.  I used Spellbinders ovals to cut the acetate and the frame and the same Cuttlebug embossing folder as in the previous card to emboss the acetate.  The "Let It Snow" stamp is another $1 bin find from last year and I used Copics.

 

Inkadinkadoo snowman again, Sizzix embossing folder, Martha Stewart snowflake punches, Stampendous for the little 'winter greetings' stamp,  'Stardust' Stickles (my favorite!) and Copics

MY new vow for the New Year...

I realized recently that I have been buying way too many craft items/supplies that I can't justify the price I paid for either because I'm only using them maybe once or twice or worse not at all!   So I vowed for the New Year that if/when I buy something I've got to use it and I have to use it accordingly.  I've devised a little formula for myself which tho' as dumb as it may be, it will make me feel a little less guilty hopefully.  My formula is simple, if I pay $10 for a stamp, then I need to use it a bare minimum of 3 times because I figure I would spend (on the very low end) $3 for a store bought card:  3 x $3= $9 so that kind of justifies the price.  Is this the dumbest thing you've heard lately or what?  Anyway, just as in this post, you will probably start seeing a lot of duplicate cards of slightly differing variations in my posts and this is why.   Is there anyone else out there as ridiculous as me that has to devise schemes to justify how much you spend on craft supplies?   Please let me know if you're out there.....(and maybe share a few of your excuses, I mean ideas.)

I'm entering this in the following challenges (I told you I was gonna start trying to enter a few challenges, now didn't I?)

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Something New

For Fun Challenge- also Something New

Jellypark Friends- Old Year/New Year

Have a wonderful day and remember...

Pay it Forward, even if it has to start with you!

Lawn Fawn CHA Challenge

AAckk!  I've only got 45 mins. to get this thing posted and my computer is kaputz.  Which is one of the reasons I haven't been posting lately.  Our new one is to be delivered tomorrow but that won't help me tonight.  So I'm sorry this is getting posted (at least I HOPE it's getting posted!) with no photo editing.
The card is for Lawn Fawn's CHA challenge.  Y'all know I love Lawn Fawn and several of you have written me about checking out their stamps.  WELL???  What did you think?  They're so cute aren't they and they are so fun to color.
Since the challenge is up in just a few minutes I won't go into all the details other than tell you one thing that made this a little more challenging than usual.  It couldn't have patterned paper in it.

Sets used:  Critters in the Snow (bear), Cozy Christmas (fire log) and Smitty's ABC's

I'm excited that I got to try a new technique that I learned just this week from one of LF's design team members, Chari Moss.  She was so very kind to respond to my question about how she did something called reverse stamping.   She gave me a great tutorial and I decided to try it on this card.  If you know your LF sets, can you tell what I did? 
Anyways, my time is running out and I don't even know if I'm going to be able to get this to post, so bye for now, but before I go I did want to thank those of you who checked in on me during my absence.  December was a difficult month with a lot of tragedy and deaths in and around my family, (5 in 9 days starting at Thanksgiving and one more the week of Christmas,) but knowing that God is in control and that He holds us in His arms in times like this make it all bearable.   Thank you again for the emails and comments they really meant the world to me to know y'all care.

Here's one I didn't finish but I'm going to keep working on.  Since I didn't get it in in time for the challenge I can go back and change it up a bit.

Sets used: Critters in the Snow (seal, penguin, and igloo) Bannerific (slide)

Lawnscaping All About Red Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Lawnscaping All About Red Blog Hop.  If you've been hoping along the list in order, you should be coming to me from Britta's.   If you've just stumbled into the hop from the dashboard you may want to start at the beginning at the Lawnscaping home page HERE. 

This hop runs from today, Friday, December 9th - Sunday, December 11th.  There are lots of prizes to be be won from our great sponsors, Lawn Fawn, Mold Muse and Whiskers Graphics so be sure and comment on all the blogs for more chances at winning. 

With a theme of "All About Red" I should be making Valentine cards for Operation Write Home, but I really wanted to make a Christmas card.   The stamp set I wanted and planned to use for this hop (Lawn Fawn's Cozy Christmas) was ordered on Cyber-Monday during a particularly good sale at a 3rd party site.  (It was the only one out of the 4 sets I planned to order that wasn't sold out.  Everybody loves Lawn Fawn!)  I was happy I was at least getting this one.  Sadly, my order was not delivered till yesterday afternoon around 3:30 (go figure,) so I had to back up and punt and here are the substitutes I came up with yesterday morning.  

Sets used: Critters in the Snow (deer and snowflakes), Making Frosty Friends (snowflakes) Inside sentiment (printed from the computer) reads "Wishing someone very deer a very Merry Christmas"

Sets used: Making Frosty Friends (snowman, sentiment & snowflakes) Critters in the Snow (bear & snowflakes.)

To make commenting easy tell me your most favorite Lawn Fawn set or any other stamp set that is your all time favorite. 
Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop and I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful and blessed holiday season!  

Your next stop is DEB L.  

Wishing you all

Sunshine and Smiles,

Love and Laughter.

*If you get lost along the way, head back to the Lawnscaping home page to see the complete blog list so you can get back on track. 

Making Frosty Friends

Critters in the Snow