Year of Plenty: Tea Things and Cover Plates

 

Card front cover plates are another great option when it comes to backgrounds for cards. I got some great options from Concord and 9th during their annual inventory blowout last summer. 

This one uses C and 9th Sunburst.

This is C and 9th's Quilted.

And this one is C and 9th's Stitched Vines.

So fun!

I think these cheery cards will make their recipients smile.

Here's my Year of Plenty update: I did a little calculating of my crafty spending this year as opposed to last year, and I'm happy to report that I've spent only half as much. That's progress, right?

Year of Plenty thinking trickled into other areas, too. Recipe swaps= Use what I've got in the pantry. Home Décor = Less is more. Clothing= Pair down the wardrobe so that I can see what I've got in my closet!

I'm currently in discussion with other family members about how to approach the holidays differently. A Thanksgiving potluck. A Christmas gift swap instead of buying gifts for everyone. My adult children really do not need us to buy them anything, and it's hard to come up with ideas. A food/consumable gift basket may be our route this year.

Tell me: Do you have a gift swap family plan? Do you play a funny white elephant style game? Secret Santa? I'm looking for alternatives.

A New Moon

 

In today's "Use What You've Got" segment, I am featuring a Lawn Fawn stencil that I purchased a while back and had not gotten around to using yet.

It was finally time!

This one is called Nighttime Sky, and it makes a really cool full moon complete with craters, clouds, and a few stars.

I knew this would make the perfect backdrop for my one and only Halloween stamp, Hello Bluebird's Spooky Script. I don't make enough Halloween-themed cards to justify owning more than one stamp set, and this one is pretty darn cute. It has bats and ghosties and pumpkins and stars...it's more of a Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin sort of stamp set. Fun and whimsical.

I started with ink blending the moon and then the craters. Next, I masked the moon with  the solid circle and ink blended the night sky. I added some stamped stars  and bats, popped up some stamped ghosts, and added some twinkly star sequins.

I will be sending a stack of these out to the senior citizen ladies in my life. They will love them.

We are expecting to see a super Harvest Moon tonight, the brightest of the year. It will be a good night light for our Jemma walk.

Year of Plenty: Tea Things and Embossing Folders

 

Concord and 9th has really been testing my strength when it comes to curbing the crafty spending. Each month, their releases have been amazing, and this month was no exception.

First, it was the birds. And then it was the tea pot and cups. So cute! The set is called Afternoon Tea, and they've paired it with dies and stamps and even embossing folders.

I'm so glad to see that embossing folders are making a comeback. I have a lot, and I really like the look of them. They can add just the right texture to backgrounds and die cuts, too.

I really really thought I needed it all...and then I asked myself if I could achieve the same look with what I have. And you know the answer to that question!

I pulled out this Cup of Tea stamp and die set from My Favorite Things...a classic! Some crafty things never go out of style. I grabbed the stamps and dies from Stampin' Up called Needlepoint Nook.

That's one of the things that Year of Plenty is teaching me. I can get creative by combining different stamps and companies that at first glance might not seem to go together. And the Greetery's Cozy Coaster die goes with everything!

I also used a variety of embossing folders from Taylored Expressions and Stampin' Up. I found some word dies from Concord and 9th, and here's what I came up with:

I used Concord and 9th's card stock...I love their colors! I think that helps to give these cards the same vibe as the ones I saw in the new release.

I'm brewing up more tea ideas, so stop back to the café!

A Saturday Walk in the Trees

 

Luke came to town this weekend, so we packed it with fun. Saturday's weather was perfect for an autumnal hike, so we went to Hidden Lake Gardens for their Sky Walk.

The trees were beautiful!

On the country drive home, we stopped at Dundee, Michigan for a fun wine tasting.

Our family has had a bit of a roller coaster autumn, with wonderful days and celebrations right alongside trials and poignant loss. In the midst of it all, I am trying to hold on to the beauty of this season, praising God for the days that He has given us.

A Close Up Look at Those Noel Dies

 

So here's a stack of cards I made using the Noel dies from Concord and 9th.

You can swap things up in a few ways. For starters, you can die cut the letters in colored card stock, and then back them in the white frame.

Or swap, and use white for the letters and colored card stock for the back frame. 

You can add the "flower" enamel shapes, or you can leave them empty and add the leaves and dots enamel shapes instead.

You can use one color, or multiple colors.

And if you run out of enamel shapes, no worries! It comes with dies to cut out your own, which is what I did here with this card:

The top red flower is an enamel shape, but the bottom is a die cut flower that I glue in place and covered with some crystal glaze.

I think I will try cutting the letters apart and making them on a slimline card next.

And if someone in your family is named Leon, you can mix up those letters and personalize a card just for them! (LOL! Just kidding. )

{Today's Brew: Concord and 9th NOEL dies and enamel shapes, Simple Stories papers, MFT Blueprints die background stitched frame die}

Happy Saturday, friends!

Simple Stories Prize Package Creations

 

I won! I won! I really won!😀

I was blessed with this prize package from Simple Stories recently thanks to an Instagram contest. It's the newest Simple Vintage Holly Jolly collection, and it is so sweet!

The Collectors Essential kit comes with so many goodies, too. It will be a lot of fun to play with these images in my holiday craft time.

I couldn't wait to bust out those papers, so I used them to make some pretty Christmas cards!

You know when the cool kids says "all the heart eyes", I'm pretty sure they are referring to these gorgeous plaids!

These cards were made with the Noel dies and enamel shapes from Concord and 9th that I snagged during their inventory sale. Such a fun card to make!

I will show more samples soon.

Year of Plenty: Birds

 

I've been tempted by so many products in Concord and 9th's new release this month. Cute, cute things.

Day one, and they gave a sneak peek of a turnabout set featuring folk art style birds.

I love birds. They are my weakness! Well, birds, and coffee cups, and flowers, and...

...you get the idea. Weak.

I initially thought I HAD to have it.

And then I remembered this folk art style bird in PTI's Wee Folk stamp set.

Turnabouts are great, but it's really not that hard to stamp an image multiple times in multiple colors, which is exactly what I did.

I added a die cut sentiment and some leaves from Catherine Pooler, and copied a card from the C and 9th sneak peek.

And just like that, I saved myself from buying stamps and dies that I didn't need. Whew!

Year of plenty success story!

Next up: Tea pots, tea cups and embossing folders!