Nostalgic for Stamping

 

Do you ever get nostalgic for stamping? Not die-cutting. Just good old fashioned ink to card stock?

I've felt that way recently.

I like some of my dies as much as the next person. But I am starting to feel like they have taken over the paper crafting industry in an effort to bankrupt us. And not only are they expensive, but they are often times unnecessary. 

Too often, they give a result that looks like, well, Hallmark. Mass-produced from a factory. Not hand crafted.

I discovered a new-to-me stamp company from the UK recently that makes lovely stamps, and they are quite inexpensive, too! Have you ever purchased Woodware stamps? They have a whole collection from the artist Jane Gill that features her lino-cut art. I have dabbled in lino-cut, and I love the look. 

As soon as I saw the images, my mind started racing with the possibilities! Ink to paper! Or colored images! Or ink blended background techniques with dark stamped image overlays!

For this card, I went back to an old old coloring technique I haven't used in ages! Prisma colored pencils paired with Prisma markers! 

I have always liked the look of colored pencil on kraft card stock! I gave everything a little black ink speckling when I was done.

I am going on a craft retreat next week, and these new stamps are going with me. I can't wait to play!

Blessings, cafe friends!

A Card For Pastor

 

Our pastor celebrated his 70th birthday this week! Pastor Tom grew up on a farm not far from here, and the farming life often fits so perfectly into his sermons. I knew I wanted to make him a farm card!

When you open the doors, you find this:

You may be wondering...how did I make those straw bales? Well, here is my secret:

I used the inside die from Background Basics: Birch dies! I cut the panel out on saffron card stock, then used scissors to cut the bales. Easy!

I liked this verse for the inside, as it pairs well with the sunrise theme.

{Today's Brew: PTI On The Farm stamps and dies, PTI Shape Up Series Barn die, PTI Background Basics Birch dies, Lawn Fawn sunshine die, MFT cloud stencils, Concord and 9th woodgrain stamp, PTI New Every Morning sentiment}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!

A Simple Sympathy Card

 

I lost my stamping mojo last week. And when that happens, I like to get in my studio, do some serious cleaning, de-stash a bit, and try something new.

I had this stencil from The Greetery for months, and had not used it. Yesterday was the day! And wow, what stunning results with little effort! 

I needed a sympathy card for a sweet family at church, so I paired the image with a sentiment from PTI.

{Today's Brew: Fir and Foliage stencils (The Greetery), Think Big Favorites stamp sentiment (PTI), Distress Oxide inks, PTI ink}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!

In A Pickle

 

Gardening season has slowly been coming to an end. When I saw the forecast for frost this week, I knew I had to get out and pick the last of the produce.

I've been busy pickling peppers and tomatoes, and looking for ways to use up the green tomatoes.

One method for ripening tomatoes is to place them in cardboard boxes with an apple or banana. The fruit will produce ethylene gas, which helps in the ripening process. Science! It takes a few weeks, but I am giving this a try. For the almost ripe tomatoes, I've been keeping them on the sunny window sill in the kitchen, and that has helped, too.

It was a pretty good year for peppers, tomatoes and zucchini, but not a good year for cucumbers. Next year, I will definitely grow more peppers for pickling, but I will skip the eggplant and cabbage experiment (fail!). I won't bother with potted vegetables (not very successful), but I will keep using potted herbs as long as possible.

This farm girl learns a little more with every growing season! And speaking of farm girl, my sampler is coming along slowly. Now that the main image is stitched, I just have to work on the chicken, the canned preserves and the frame. Hopefully, I can move on to a holiday theme when this one is done!

Blessings, cafe friends!

A Pumpkin-Shaped Birthday

 

I've been adding the Shape Up Series dies from Papertrey Ink to my collection over the past year. They really do make fun, fast cards!

Today, I used the Pumpkin shape up die along with the pumpkin sections die to make this birthday card.

{Today's Brew: Shape Up Series dies (PTI), Tag die (PTI), Autumn Hills stamps (PTI), Simple Stories papers, baker's twine}

One of my friends from church is having a birthday this week, and I thought the pumpkin shape would be fun for an October birthday.

I hope, wherever you are, that your October is just as beautiful as the one we are having here in Michigan. The sun is shining, the trees are adorned in their autumn colors, and the fields and flowers are so pretty. 

Happy Autumn!

A Quilted Kind of Autumn

 

Happy Sunday, cafe friends!

It's been a busy weekend. I had to finish an article yesterday, and then turn around and host an event for a visiting pastor and his family at our church. The weather was lovely, and all jobs got completed right on schedule. Whew!

I still managed to get a little crafting time in this weekend! I wanted to play with Quilted Autumn from Papertrey Ink. I just love that Quilted series of stamps and dies! I combine these with Lawn Fawn papers for a fast and fun look.

{Today's Brew: Quilted Autumn (PTI), Lawn Fawn papers, PTI inks and card stock, Lawn Fawn stitched frame die, SU baker's twine, Simple Stories enamel dots}

Autumn's chill reminds us to get out those quilts and get cozy! I love this sweet quilt that my husband's grandmother made many years ago.

Stay cozy, cafe friends!

Another Frugal Brew

 

I loved Betsy's new holiday release at The Greetery! So many pretty things! But I had to be honest and tell myself "You do NOT need that. You can make do with what you already have."

Case in point: The Wood Cut dies. I loved them. But I also know that I can achieve the same look with the stamp from Concord and 9th. I just stamped it in two different colors, did a little fussy cutting, and layered the colors to create the wood slice look.

Next, I used the dies from SU Christmas Pines to give it a little extra something. 

{Today's Brew: Concord and 9th Wood ring stamp, SU Christmas Pines dies, sentiment from PTI Rustic Wreath, PTI inks and card stock, button twine}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!