I {heart} glue dots

This week's Teapot Tuesday Challenge at SCS has a King Kong theme.  I thought this little monkey stamp from Autumn Leaves would be a good one to use.
I based the card on this week's sketch from Card Patterns (#138).  To be honest, one of the most time-consuming part of this card was doing that half circle.  It's too big for a nestie, so I went around my kitchen looking for something circular and 5 inches wide to trace. (I eventually found the lid to a big cannister of pretzels that fit the bill.)
I traced the circle and cut it out, then stamped the vine in SU Garden Green and the monkey in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them both with pencils and OMS.  Next I added the rickrack, which is both an embellishment and a way to disguise my not-perfect circle. I could have tried sewing it on, I guess, but I went with glue dots -- one on every other "zig" (hence the title of this post, in case you were wondering.  It was a lot of glue dots.)
The sentiment is computer-generated and cut with a tag punch.  The leafy patterned paper is from DCWV's "Kid Safari" stack. The sketch called for a ribbon across the top, and I added a few flowers to finish it off.
Funny thing about King Kong -- I've seen dozens of spoofs of it, but I've never actually seen any of the movie versions.  Folks on SCS assured me I really hadn't missed anything.

Fall Fun

You're probably sick of me saying that fall is my favorite time of the year. Looking at blogs and other sites, I think a lot of cardmakers are inspired by fall colors and images.  So, I was delighted to make a fall card that fits Really Reasonable Ribbon's Fun 4 Fall theme  (RRR34) and Victorine Original's Fall theme (VO19).
I don't usually do a lot of distressing, but fall seems like an appropriate time for the distressed look.  Two different distressing techniques I learned from Technqiues Junkies came in handy.
I used distressed coloring blocking in yellow and brown ink to add color to the image (which someone sent me as an RAK, so I don't know the origin), and framed the image with a "torn frame." I wrapped the image with gingham ribbon and added a leaf brad before matting it on the frame.
The autumn sentiment is from Purple Onion Design, and I finished the card off with faux stitching.

Girly Birthday Card

I made this girly birthday card with the current sketch from Card Patterns (#137). 
The image is from Paper Cupcakes.  The cupcake holder (is there an official name for those little paper cups?) is paper pieced, and the butterfly and frosting are colored with pencils and OMS.  The nesties are popped up on dimensionls.
There's a row of lace topped by pink rickrack on the top section, and over that a die-cut flower and gem.
All those cool embellies are my recent bargain finds. The ribbon and rickrack is my most recent acquisition -- I bought a box at a yard sale that had more than a dozen unopened packs of rickrack and trim, yards of lace and ribbon, probably a couple dozen buttons and a bunch of embroidered appliques. The price for all this -- $1.00!.  You'll probably be seeing lots of lace and rickrack on upcoming cards.

Christmas scraps

The current sketch at Card Patterns (#136) is a perfect way to use up scraps of designer paper to color block the background layer. I pulled out a stack of Hobby Lobby Christmas papers to make this card.

I don't usually put things at an angle but I like the effect it has on this sketch.

I hope the flower looks like a poinsettia to you -- I improvised it by tracing around the red felt flower on green card stock and cutting out the leaves, then finding a little yellow flower to be the center part of the poinsettia.

Stamps of unknown origin (possibly Hero Arts or Inkadinkado).   SU Forest Foliage and Colorbox Lipstick Red chalk inks. Spica pen used on all the stars to add a little glitter that doesn't show in the photo.  Center panel popped up on popdots.

That's 1 Christmas card done, in possibly one of my earliest starts ever.

Silhouetted flower

     I was playing with silhouette stamps, because that's the theme of a COTM for a group I'm in. I black-embossed the black-eyed Susan stamp on kraft paper. The paper has a texture which showed up through the embossing, but it's kind of an interesting effect.
     The layout is this week's Card Positioning System sketch (CPS238).  I kept the card all neutral, so as not to draw attention away from the main element.
     Other supplies: Printed paper is from Hobby Lobby.  Stamp is from A Country Welcome (which is no longer in business, but someone bought their stamp line); gingham ribbon, half-pearls in two sizes.  The sentiment is a rub-on.