12 Kits of Occasions - October '16

Good morning and happy {day before} Halloween!  Because of the holiday, we get to post our cards for the 12 Kits of Occasions a day early.  Our fabulous hostess this month is Michele (from I Card Everyone).  Having had the absolute pleasure of meeting her earlier this year, I can tell you she is wonderful in every way!  If I had one word to describe her I would say "sunshine".  She is warm and happy and loving and cheerful, with the most wonderful smile and contagious laugh.  I smiled so much using this "Let's Be Thankful" kit as I thought of her. :)

This typewriter paper immediately made me think of one of my sisters, the words are even perfect for her.  I didn't want to cover it up, so I kept this card very simple.  Michele wanted us to be able to express our gratitude through this kit, so my first is to show my gratitude for my family.

I struggled very much to finish this card and left if many times.  I had lots and lots of discarded pieces. I wish I didn't need a sympathy card, but sadly I need more.  My cousin's sister-in-law passed away, leaving 5 daughters ages 5-15 behind and my mother's dear friend lost her father and 10-year-old grandson on the same day.   So much tragedy, but the tragedies in life certainly bring things into perspective and help you realize the blessings in your life, not the least of which is my belief in God and that families can be eternal.  

I believe firmly that you can never say thank you too often.  It is a constant goal of mine to express gratitude for even the "littlest" acts of service my family and I receive, so I made this card for that purpose.  (I do need to note that when I finished this card, it seemed familiar...I searched and searched to see if I had been inspired by someone.  I'm thinking perhaps it was a card by the super talented Laurie Willison. )

My final card is for my rose-loving grandmother.  I just have to make cards for her when I see roses.  She always used a typewriter at work, too, so it seemed the perfect way to finish it off.  Plus, it seemed fitting to finish with another thank you to my family as they mean so very much to me.  

And here they are all together.  Oh, how I wish I could have made more cards, but October was so full for us (out of town for a week, in-laws visiting for a week, and two children + a husband all currently sick with strep throat) that card making was a luxury I just didn't have much time for.  Please be sure to go to the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog, so you can see more of this fabulous kit!  Thank you for spending a part of your day with me.  I hope this week starts off happily for you!

PS I'm also grateful for the Simon Says Stamp "Anything Goes" Wednesday Challenge and am linking these cards up. :) 

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Where Creativity Meets C9 Autumn Thanks Peek

Hello, friends!  I'm over at Where Creativity Meets C9 today share a fun fall thank you card, which is so fitting since my heart is full to the brim with gratitude (and humility) at the moment.  I hope you'll join me... :)

Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge #2

Good morning!  I feel like last month just flew by and can't believe it's already time for a new challenge at Where Creativity Meets C9.  This month the challenge is "Watercolor".  I went through quite a few ideas before I came up with the card I'm sharing today.  When will I ever learn that simplicity is always the best route for me?  This card looks nothing like my previous attempts and came together so quickly.  

I started with this fabulous sentiment from Concord & 9th's Love you. Mean it. set.  Then I stamped the veins for the heart-shaped leaf from Give Thanks.  (I think this sentiment is so perfect paired with the heart-shaped leaf!)  This is where the fun began.  I pulled out about 9 different shades of green, yellow, orange, red, and brown.  I started by watercoloring directly on the stamp and then stamping it down to create a basic outline, and then I went back in with a paintbrush and added various colors to each leaf.  My children and I gathered leaves and acorns and pinecones after school a couple weeks ago, so I tried to recall those leaves and I colored mine.  

I finished the card off with a very generous amount of paint flecks...mostly because I just think it is so fun to flick the paintbrush and watch the dots randomly appear.  (I'm easily amused. :) ) 

There are some truly amazing cards by the WCMC9 Design Team this week, so makes sure you pop over to the Where Creativity Meets C9 blog, to check them out!  We'd love to have you join us for this month's Watercolor Challenge, which starts today (the 9th) and ends on the 29th of the month.  A winner will be randomly selected to receive a $25 gift certificate to Concord & 9th (our challenge sponsor).  In addition, one participant will be selected to guest-design in an upcoming challenge.  Make sure to join Where Creativity Meets C9 on Facebook and Instagram, too.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope that you have a blessed Sunday!

PS I've used affiliate links to Concord & 9th within the post.  If you choose to purchase something using the link, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you).  Thanks so much!

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Enjoy...Just for Fun

Hello!  I needed a card in a jiffy a couple mornings ago, so I grabbed my bag of scraps and quickly put this card together.   I love how Concord & 9th's Blossom Die makes such quick and simple cards.  After I finished the card, I snapped a quick photo and headed to the post office.  On my drive there I passed the high school and laughed when I realized that the navy and yellow combo on my card is their school colors.  I drive by the high school every day and apparently the combo stuck in my head.  I've been super busy the last couple weeks, but I'm hoping to get in some major yard work this weekend.  I hope you have fabulous weekend yourself! :) 

September 12 Kits of Occasions: "This is Halloween"

Good morning!  It's the last day of September and definitely the best part of the end of the month is getting to share my cards for the 12 Kits of Occasions.  It's almost as good as the beginning of the month when I receive my kit in the mail.  Receiving a package from Jeanne (our fabulous hostess this month) is like getting a Christmas package no matter what the time of year.  It is packed with papers and die cuts and embellishments and stamped images and  she always includes a little treat...which I typically eat before I ever get a card made. :) The photo of the kit above is just a sampling of the items Jeanne was so generous to send.
Now as luck would have it, we've been in the middle of a complete kitchen remodel this month, and we have tons going on the first couple weeks of October, so I had to severely limit my playing time with this kit.  So think of today as the appetizer, and I'll hopefully squeeze more time in before Halloween to play with this kit.

I started off with the fun subway art and cute Simon Says Stamp and Reverse Confetti images from the kit, and I turned them into tags for my kiddos.  I love buying books...they're my favorite gifts to give, so naturally each of my littles will be receiving a Halloween book to add to our collection. 

 Next is a super simple card.  The sentiment and little ghost were such a perfect little pair.

The only problem with using supplies from a kit is that you don't really have much room for error because if you ruin something from the kit, it's gone for good.  Unfortunately that was the case with this next card.  The fabulous Happy Halloween die cut in the kit was destroyed when I learned the hard way that chunky glitter is a no go for a fairly delicate word die cut.  That being said, if the look of a hairy spider is what you are going for, chunky black glitter is the way to go. :)  I tried to salvage the card anyway.

And last is actually the first card I made.  It looks dim here, but the metallic sequins are actually very bright, colorful, and shiny.  I thought about adding some color to these cute little characters, but in the end kind of liked having the color concentrated just in the middle.

 And one last shot of them all together...oh, I just love all this cute Halloweeny goodness!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and HUGE thanks to Jeanne for this fabulous kit, all of details of which can be found in the supply list on 12 Kits of Occasions Blog.  Make sure you head there to see a peek of all the other DT members' and our three guest designers' projects.  They'll certainly make you happy that the fall season is upon us.
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