Retro Rubber Anything Goes and Happy Halloween!

We have everyone's favorite challenge for the next two weeks at Retro Rubber . . . anything goes!

Since it is close to Halloween, I decided to go with that theme for this fun card!

I have some really fun Heidi Grace Designs Stamps from about ten years ago, with two different sized spiders.  They actually had 8 legs which is the correct number of spiders . . . as a Biology teacher I keep track of such things!

• To create the spider web I mixed Creative Medium by Tsukineko together with Brilliance Graphite Black inker and used The Crafters Workshop Spiderweb stencil on white cardstock.  
• White cardstock is die cut with Spellbinders Labels 2.  The sentiment and little spider are stamped in Versa Fine Crimson Red and heat embossed with with clear embossing powder.  Want to Scrap Nestabilitities has several embellishments that match the shapes of Spellbinders dies, and I happened to have black bling for Labels 2.
• The larger spider is also stamped in Versa Fine Crimson Red and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  The eyes on both of the spiders are colored in with Memento Dual Tip marker in Cantaloupe.  The spider is fussy cut and adhered to the center of the spider web.
• The background is inked with a Sponge Dauber and Versa Fine Crimson Red.  

I think this is a really fun card that will be great to send out Halloween greetings!  Do check out the rest of the Design Teams projects over at Retro Rubber and give the Anything Goes theme a try!  Our rules are simple, 1) Use at least one stamp that is over a year old and 2) Enter up to ten challenges including ours!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Colors for Retro Rubber

The nights are a little cooler, the days are shorter, and a few of our trees are changing to their fall colors, so it must be time to create a card with a fall color theme!  Join us at Retro Rubber for a little fall fun!  Remember our very simple rules 1)  Use at least one stamp that is one year or older and tell us how long it has been around and 2)  Enter up to ten challenges including ours! 

I acquired a Ginkgo embossing folder last fall and really wanted to use it for this card . . . I also have a stamp from about 1998 or 1999 from Stamp Out Art that I bought at a stamp convention in Portland.  Time to use them both together!  I have a small fascination with Ginkgo trees.  There were several on my college campus and my botany professor taught us that they are living fossils, the only species left in their Division.  They also have male trees and female trees, not both genders on one tree.  Your little botany lesson for the day!

I also played along with the card sketch from Stick It Down.  I am on their design team for double page layouts, which is the post below that went live on September 9th.

• I had a scrap of paper that was spritzed with several Fireworks! colors that I used for the background strip.  Fireworks! in Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, and Rich Cocoa give it a shimmery multi-hued look.  
• Elizabeth Craft Designs Ginkgo embossing folder is used to pressure emboss, then Versa Fine in Vintage Sepia is rubbed over the surface to bring out the embossing.  
• Three Ginkgo leaves are stamped on another section of the scrap with Vintage Sepia, then fussy cut.
• The happy Birthday sentiment is from Ms. Sparkle & Co from March of 2017.  Sometimes you can find great stamps from the bargain bin at Joanns!  It is stamped in Vintage Sepia. 
• The sentiment is die cut with my Brother Scan N Cut.  My new machine is used in almost every project now, so I think it was a good investment!
• A bit of mesh from my stash is layered under the Ginkgo embossed strip and also held down with dimensional foam adhesive that anchors the sentiment and leaves to the card.  

Thanks for stopping by, and do join the fun at Retro Rubber for the next two weeks with your fall color inspired projects!

Stick It Down Card Sketch

Simon Says Monday Challenge Stamp It

Challenge 209 Dream Valley Challenges Autumn Colors

Double Trouble Paper Crafting Thing 1 and Thing 2 Challenge 37

(I did mention I have a thing for Ginkgo trees!)

Paper Girls Falling in Love Challenge 183

Stand Up Paddleboarding for Stick It Down

The summer just sped by and here we are starting fall!  I wanted to celebrate summer a little longer so my September layout for Stick It Down features photos from our camping trip at Dillon Reservoir in Colorado.

Dillon Reservoir is the highest in the US at 9017 feet, hence part of the title.  It has several campgrounds, but may be better known for Summit County  and home to several ski resorts.  This layout is to celebrate the new sport I took up this year, and paddling on Dillon was one of the highlights of the summer.  

  

• I wanted to keep the focus on the photos so I keep the design true to the sketch but clean and simple.
• FYI, all the photos except the one of me were taken through my dry bag!  
• The background is a blue cardstock from a Michaels blue combo pack.  Perfect color to match the color the sky!
• I went shopping around on Etsy for SVG cut files to match the scenery.  The mountains are from thesvgearth Mountain SVG Bundle.  The Trees are from MandarinSVG Forest SVG, and the SUP are from SmilingWild SUP silhouette SVG.
• Each file is cut on my Brother Scan N Cut after being sized to fit the layout.  Each color of cardstock is from my stash.
• The Mountains and Trees are shaded with Square Pastels.
• The papers are all Provo Craft from their ancient stabs bought at Michaels more than 15 years ago, except the evergreen trees.  It was in my stash and has no label. 
• I got out my trusty Quickutz from the tall but slender Abigail font for the main title.  The dates are a mix of Olivia and Stiletto (for the slash and dash).  
• Since I had so much to say I really wanted to type my journaling . . . MSW didn't do the trick so a quick tutorial on Youtube and PSE came in really handy!

Do check out the rest of  the Stick it Down Double Page Layouts and the fun sketches for single page and cards too!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the fall!