Thursday, October 23, 2025

Seize the Birthday #316

 

Hello Crafty Friends!  We are celebrating Fall at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog where our (optional) Topping is Favorite Fall Treat.  I look forward to the autumnal coffee menus at all of our wonderful local shops but you may be surprised to learn that my favorite is not Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Because I like to support our local coffee shops I usually only hit Starbucks when I'm on a road trip however last year they came out with a flavor that beckons me even when home.  What is it, you ask?  It's their Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte.  I prefer mine extra hot but the iced one is really good too.  So I present to you my card design honoring my favorite fall treat.


Of course the cups aren't nearly this cute but they definitely should be!




I pulled out an older die set from Honeybee Stamps to create my focal point.  Most of the designer papers I used are also from Honeybee.  I embossed the background with a folder and because it has to be a birthday card I added the sentiment onto a tag as I will include a gift card to the recipient.

Supplies:
Honeybee Stamps - Coffee Gift Card Holder die set
MFT - Coffee Order stamp set
Spellbinders - Leafy Helix embossing folder

Let me know in the comments if you've tried this one.  If you're a latte drinker like myself I'd also love to know your favorite flavor.

I invite you to visit our blog and play along with the team.  Just make sure it has a birthday sentiment!  

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Color Hues #120

 

Hello Crafty Friends!  Today I'm here to share my DT card for the new Color Hues challenge.  Stef is our fabulous host and she's chosen the perfect Halloween color duo of Purple and Orange.  Any theme will work of course so do whatever floats your boat or tickles your fancy.  I am not a fan of purple (I know, you've never heard me say this before...ROFL!) but I can tolerate it at Halloween.  However you will notice that I used it in small doses.  *wink*



I still have a big stack of NBUS dies from Cottage Cutz that I purchased so very long ago and this set of potion bottles was perfect for the theme.  All were cut from colored cardstock scraps and carefully assembled so as to get a nice color mix on each bottle.  I grounded them with the help of a Spellbinder die set that I assembled to look like a bench.  A little background texture and a stamped sentiment and this card was done!  (And it's not overly purple!)

Supplies:  
Cottage Cutz - Potions Bottles dies
Spellbinders - Diamond Plaid embossing folder
Spellbinders - Dancin' Halloween stamp set
Spelllbinders - Propagation Garden die set

I invite you to visit our blog for more colorful inspiration!  We have Bobby joining us today as well as the entirety of our Design Team.  We hope you're inspired to play along!

Thanks for visiting!

Jules

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Seize the Birthday #315


Hello Fellow Crafters!  Seize the Birthday has just posted our latest Topping and it's a good one.  Shirley is our host and she's chosen Splish/Splash.  What makes this extra special is that she's offering us many freedoms of choice.  Pool, Ocean, Beverages, Messy Inking, etc.  I love it! 






I will admit to sneaking a peek into the DT gallery ahead of time to get a feel for the direction everyone took.  Always wanting to be a bit different, I chose a fishing theme that allowed me to combine two awesome die sets from two different companies.  

I haven't given my postcard die background enough love so that's where I started.  I did some light inking to give it a bit of depth, die cut the fishing gear in white and then colored them with Catherine Pooler dye inks.  After that it was just a matter of arranging them and stamping the sentiment.  I really love the versatility of her Topping!

Supplies:
Spellbinders - Fairways and Fish Tales die set
Cottage Cutz - Fishing Gear die set
Clearly Besotted - Sentimental Type stamp set
Waffle Flower Crafts - Postage Collage die and stencil

I invite you to visit our blog for a variety of splashy goodness and do hope you're inspired to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #267

Hello Snarky Friends!

I'm still waiting for both fall to arrive and my mojo to return so if any of you are hoarding either or both, please return them to me ASAP.  As you read this I am in Central Illinois where it is in the upper 80s/low 90s.  C'mon!  This Florida girl wants to sit outside, see some red leaves and not sweat.  One would think traveling 1250 miles north IN OCTOBER would get me that.  *sigh*  


To quote one of my favorite movies...
You're Killin' Me Smalls!


Today I am sharing a very simple mojo-less card I created for our October Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge.  This month we are looking for Spooky themes.  Because it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month I went with a bright pink background.




I apologize for more of a cute than spooky vibe but ghosts are spooks, right?  And because I'm still struggling this is a really simple card.  The ghosts were leftovers from last year.  The background is designer paper.  And I combined two stamp sets for the sentiment, spider and cobwebs.  My only real detail is the thin white border that I added for some interest.

Supplies:
Miss Ink Stamps - Boo Sheet stamp set
Art Impressions - Fright Night stamp set

I do hope a bit of fall is heading your way by now.  If not, don't invite me to visit.  Apparently I'm an Autumn Kill Joy.  

I invite you to visit our blog for some wonderful inspiration from my teammates. (Some are downright creepy!)  We would love for you to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting and sorry/not sorry for the rant.
Jules

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Color Hues #319

 
Hello again my crafty friends.  Today marks the start of a new Color Hues challenge.  Marcia has chosen the perfect duo of autumnal colors for us to work with this fortnight....Rust and Yellow.  I haven't played in my craft room for weeks and to say I have lost my mojo (aka, a bit rusty...LOL!) is putting it mildly.  What I'm sharing here is the third card I created for this challenge and I highly doubt that either of the first two will ever see the light of day.  Their construction was like pulling teeth but this one came together rather quickly.






I pulled together several Spellbinder die sets for my focal point.  The gourds were die cut from white and blended out with two shades of Distress Oxides yellows.  The pumpkin was cut from a scrap of The Stamp Market cardstock called Rust (seemed appropriate, right?) and I used their coordinating ink to give select pieces their depth. What truly makes the card in my opinion are the cute glasses.  I want to put glasses on all the things!  I die cut an oval from the top panel, arranged the die cuts, stamped the greeting and then adhered it to a white card base using fun foam.

I have two more cards to make before I leave to visit friends in a few days.  I sure hope my mojo decides to come out and play.

Supplies:
Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set (one of my favs!)
Spellbinders - Smart Glasses die set
Spellbinders - Autumn Wonder die set
Spellbinders - Autumn Scarecrow die set
Simon Says Stamp / Neat and Tangled - Hello Pumpkin stamp set

I invite you to visit our blog for more wonderful examples from my fellow teammates.  You won't be disappointed.  And I do hope you're inspired to play along.  Remember that Rust, Yellow and approved neutrals (see blog for list) are the only colors to be used in your design.  

Thanks so much for visiting!
Jules