Journey into Autumn

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Spending time on the Mainland this month has put me in an Autumnal mood.  Living in Hawaii our seasons are defined a little differently; we have mango season, lychee season, whale season, and tourist season.   I love the colors and the setting sun – I’m sure it’s setting.  The sky has that hazy glow and the silhouetted grasses are dry as can be.

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  • Autumn Days Stamp Set
  • Dusty Durango, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla card stock
  • Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, More Mustard, and Summer Sun Classic Stamp Pad
  • Autumn Harvest Rub-ons, Always Artichoke narrow grosgrain ribbon, brayer

This card is another creation from my marvelous friend and upline, Crystal.  I love her style.

Surprise! It’s a tree!

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This tree is about as different from yesterday’s tree as you can get.  Soft, sophisticated, really a classy tree.  No Googly eyes here.

I suppose this could have been a sympathy card.  That’s what I needed, and that’s what I intended to make when I pulled down the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set.  Somewhere along the way it took a very slight detour – it could still be a sympathy card, but that wasn’t what I saw as it came together.

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  • Thoughts and Prayers stamp sets; Cornelli Lace wheel
  • Old Olive, Kraft, Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock; Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper
  • Old Olive Classic Ink pad; Old Olive and Soft Suede Stampin’ Write markers
  • Jumbo Basic Grommets; Old Olive 1 1/4″ Stripe Grosgrain ribbon

I like the simplicity of this layout.  It complements the elegance of the tree.  I also love that Cornelli Lace wheel and can’t believe it took me almost half the catalog year to notice it.  You would think my constant poring over the catalog would have caused me to spot it sooner.  In case you’ve missed it, it’s on page 64 of the Idea Book and Catalog.  Item # 115624, $8.50.  A bargain.

Crystal’s Spooky Branches

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What is it with me and trees these days?

I am crazy about cards with trees…spring trees, autumn trees, soft trees, stark trees, trees with eyes…

This card is from the amazing Crystal, who by the way has been freed from the confines of her sofa.  Do you love the Googly eyes or is it just me?  I think I need to send an email to Demonstrator Support requesting that Stampin’ Up! add Googly eyes to the product line.  There are SO many uses for them.

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  • Season of Friendship and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets
  • Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pine, More Mustard and Glossy White card stock
  • Basic Black, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink pad
  • Round tab punch, 1 3/8″ circle punch, brayer, Stampin’ Sponges
  • Googly eyes

Deal of the Week #4

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DEALS_OF_THE_WEEKHow about a party in a box?  The last October Deal of the Week features party kits – invitations, decorations, and favors for 8 of your favorite Pink Princesses or Swashbuckling Pirates for $9.99.  Perfect for the grade school set, these creative tool kits would also put a fun spin on a baby or bridal shower, a night with your friends, or your club, game or team meetings.  There’s no limit on the number of kits you can buy, but this offer turns to a pumpkin at 7:50pm Hawaii Standard Time on Saturday, October 31!

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Princess Party Kit  #116214 (Idea Book and Catalog p. 174 and 75)  regularly $15.95, now $9.99 through October 31st!

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Pirate_Party_KitPirate Party Kit #116718 (Idea Book and Catalog p. 175 and 74) regularly $16.95, now $9.99 through October 31st!

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You can place an order any time at my Demonstrator Website! Just don’t miss that deadline of 7:50 pm Hawaii Standard Time on Halloween!

More Sweet Centers

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I’ve seen loads of these on blogs and forum galleries and decided to try it myself.  I’m here to tell you this is about as easy as it comes, and if I hadn’t needed a heap 0′ Sweet Treat cups for my Hostess Club, I would have made a rainbow of these flowers.  Well, a Halloween Rainbow…Yellow and Orange…Toe-bod-butt colors.

You see, in my family, we don’t call these Candy Corn.  We call them Toe-bod-butts.  Please excuse our French, but that’s what we’ve always called them.  The yellow part is the toe, the orange part is the body, and the white part, well, it’s the butt.  That’s just what it is.  Of course, when we start scouring the grocery aisle for them around August we have to remember to ask for Candy Corn.  You get funny looks at Safeway when you ask for Toe-bod-butts.  Go figure.

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  • Sweet Centers Stamp Set
  • Very Vanilla cardstock
  • Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, and Old Olive Classic Ink pads
  • Two 2 1/2″ circles of cardstock  (for the back to cover the bag of the Treat Cup)
  • Tombo adhesive, Sticky Strip, Linen Thread, Old Olive 5/8″ grosgrain and Old Olive 1 1/4″ grosgrain stripe ribbon, Circle Scissors Plus, bamboo skewer

Gotta order me some more Sweet Treat cups!

Up, Up and Away!

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Who’s old enough to remember that tune?

We did this card at my hostess club this past week.  It was a lot of fun, and everyone agreed it had a great WOW factor.  I know it’s a winner when I hear that kids and spouses really loved the card.

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The colors from this card were directly driven by the M&M’s.  I also decided to use the slider technique that allows the recipient to access the candy without ripping up the card.  It just so happened that there was a lot of media attention recently focused on a balloon, and with my admittedly twisted sense of humor, I decided to embellish the tag with a nod to the Boy in the Balloon:

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  • Sweet Centers, Teeny Tiny Wishes, All in the Family and Best Wishes and More stamp sets
  • Real Red, Yoyo Yellow, Brilliant Blue and Whisper White card stock; Designer Series Paper scraps
  • Real Red and Brilliant Blue Classic Stampin’ Pad
  • Real Red and Yoyo Yellow Stampin’ Write Markers
  • 1 3/4″ Circle punch, Tag Corner punch, Sweet Treat cups, piercing template, Mini glue dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Somebody missed me…

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Since I’ve been home from the East Coast, I’ve had an orange shadow.  The kids were home while we were away, but this goofball cat thinks I’m his mother.  In a way, it’s true – when he comes home after losing yet another argument with the neighborhood cats, I’m the one who patches him up, not to mention feeding, brushing and general babying.  While I was gone, he didn’t get his usual in-the-door, out-the-door service and I think he missed being able to plant himself in the exact spot where my feet need to be on the kitchen floor.

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I was deep into a number of projects and he kept coming into my tiny craft space, talking to me and demanding my attention.  Apparently I wasn’t responding with enough enthusiasm, because he managed to get up onto the counter and plant his orangeness where he couldn’t be missed.  Fortunately, he has a sufficiently dopey expression to be endearing, and he purrs at the drop of a hat.

Now to get the cat hair out of the Snail and Sticky Strip.

Super Simple Halloween Treats

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This is a quick and easy treatment for some simple Halloween goodies…the stamped image is 3″ square, the mat is 3 1/4″ square, and the packaging is 3 1/2″ wide x 8 1/2″ long.  Punch holes in the center of everything and double punch some Only Orange cardstock to create a ring and you’re almost done.  It doesn’t show in the photo, but I used the absolutely magical Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to give it all some sparkle – a couple of drops in a small spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol and you are ready to sparkle…and it doesn’t come off the project!

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  • Sweet Centers Stamp Set
  • Only Orange, Basic Black and Whisper White card stock
  • Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Ink
  • 1 3/4″ and 1 3/8″ circle punches
  • White Gel pen, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Crop-a-dile, Sticky Strip and small cello bag
  • Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive 1/4″ grosgrain; non-SU 1/8″ black grosgrain

These would be easy to make in quantity!  Trick or treat!

Whale season

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It’s a little early…but I’ve seen the first Humpback…

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  • Animals Stories and Family Phrases stamp sets
  • So Saffron Classic Ink pad and Whisper White Craft Ink pad;  Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker
  • Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, and Very Vanilla cardstock; Tall Tales Designer Series Paper
  • So Saffron 5/8″ grosgrain; Chocolate Chip 1/4″ grosgrain

OK, so it’s not a Humpback, and we hardly ever see them until at least the end of October.  But I am really looking forward to seeing them out there in the Pacific again.  There’s something so amazing about seeing just a little sliver of shining black skin break the surface of the water, knowing that beyond that sliver is a school-bus sized whale that can propel it’s entire body out of the water.  It never ceases to astonish me, and during whale season I love to sit on the beach and just watch for a spout, flipper slap, or distinctive tail sighting.  And maybe, just maybe, a breach.

Check out the National Marine Sanctuary and the Hawaii Whale Research Foundation for more information.

I’ll be sure to let you know when they arrive.

Deal of the Week, Week 3

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What a great deal this week!  Oh, and Boy Howdy, am I glad to be home.  When we moved to Maui almost 20 years ago I quickly realized this was where I was meant to be.  I am a tropical flower with a temperature comfort zone of about 6 degrees – 77 to 83.  The fall colors are gorgeous, but you sure have to wear a lot of stuff to get out and see them.

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This week’s deal is well timed to allow you – and me – to stock up on embellishments before the holidays.  When your card needs that extra oomph, these are the goodies to reach for.  But hurry – these little gems are only Deals until Monday, October 26 at 9:50am Mountain Time – that’s 5:50 am HST!

To shop, click HERE