Autumn?

   Octsnowber greetings my friends!  I snapped this photo from the top floor of our house because I thought it rather interesting I had a scalloped Nestabilities frame on our pool cover!  We are supposed to be in the throes of peak leaf color here in New England, but apparently Mother Nature has other plans for us!  This was the little dusting we got on Thursday night, and  tonight we've gone from zero to blizzard in less than half an hour.  
   As I type this, it's snowing at the rate of about an inch per hour.  We're in for it...yup...winter's here.  It was fun driving down into town seeing everyone filling their gas cans for the snowblowers; the local tv news interviewed our 'naybahs' at the Home Depot telling how they've pushed the leaf rake displays back and brought out the snow shovel cartons, and the snow throwers--which have apparently already sold out online.  

   I can tell you from experience that it is not a good idea to wait to buy one of these pieces of equipment.  We bought one of the last three snow blowers on the North American continent last January...the man at the Sear's store [a Scottsman] regaled us with his tale of foresight.  Seems he procured an extra palette from a Canadian Sears--they apparently were all well prepared.  You see they only manufacture a certain number of snow blowers--of any brand--each season.  Once they're gone, there aren't any more until the next year.  So, if you're thinking about it at all--just buy it now;  you'll probably thank me...tomorrow at least! 
   Here's a last tribute to Autumn created for the Moxie Fab World Trigger Tuesday inspiration:

Moxie Fab World Trigger Tuesday "Autumn Woods"

Hero Arts stamps used: Mix and Match clear set, Papercut Alphabet Set

Pink Peekaboo Bday

Pink Peekaboo Bday, a photo by debstamps on Flickr.

I love when my Hero Arts Flickr friends throw down a 90-minute Scramble Challenge! Today we were celebrating Mary Dawn a.k.a. My Pink Mexico's birthday. I did a sketch card for this month's Hero Arts blog contest, and I liked the scrap it made so much that it inspired this card! I love when that happens!

Hero Arts contest sketch card

a note

   The weekly masculine card for our fabulous piano teacher!  I've been using my giant circle punch since making last week's glossy lime green moon.  This time it's a whole note with a decoration!  Used Distress Inks in olive and faded blue jeans for the colors on a tan natural cardstock.  Just a quick note but fun to make!

Owloween Trick

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge

   Catching up in time to play along with this week's clean and simple challenge to make a Halloween card without orange!  Turns out, I had this idea cooking for a color challenge a couple of weeks ago and couldn't get it done!  I love when things like that work out in the end!  I love the silhouette style, and thought this little Hero Arts owl would be lots of fun against a spooky lime green moon!  
   Speaking of moons, I made this one using glossy cardstock and sponging to make the color I wanted!  This is one of my favorite inking ideas to create custom colors, and my brayer is in my most-used tool drawer!  Do you have a favorite trick or tip you'd like to post?!  I'd love to hear it!

Autumn Harmony

PDCC #103

   It's piano day and the new color challenge over at Play Date Cafe is perfect for our weekly masculine music card!  Here's what I've been playing with this afternoon:

 I stamped a music staff background on each of the colors of the week, and cut them into strips for the quote mats.  I tried to mimic another music staff idea I had a while back as in this card:

  The colors were a bit dark to use the same coloring technique, so I modified!  Now I'm off to my own private jazz session in town!  We always come home singing and smiling from Rani's!

A Small World After All

   Last week we took a homeschool field trip in honor of my daughter's love for Central Asian history and culture.  Someday I think she'd love to be a history professor...probably in Mongolia.  We were introduced to a wonderful man who has made his career's work teaching, studying and documenting the music of several groups of people living in Central Asia--an Ethnomusicologist.  If you feel like an exotic trip for a few minutes go to the Smithsonian Folkways site which showcases this body of work.  Watch the videos in the sidebar, and I guarantee you will be transported!  The tenth cd in the set will be out this Christmas--I know what's on my daughter's list already! 

   We enjoyed a unique afternoon soaking in the experiences and insights from an educator who clearly is passionate about life.  Thank you again Professor for inviting us into your world!

Travel and Friends

Check out Play Date!

   

   I just couldn't resist making something on the theme at this week's Play Date Cafe...I embossed a pen image on black cardstock, and found my old wine-colored velvet paper to cut out some Tim Holtz letters.  Also used ColorCore for some other alpha cutouts.  Using the Hero Arts Alpha typewriter stamps for some contrast in texture, I glued all the letters to the map stamped background on parchment cardstock.  It took quite a while to get the combination I liked, but I'm very happy with the result!  Love the feel of the velvet letters!  [apologies for the lack of textural detail in the photo--it's been raining steadily since 4 am here in the Northeast U.S.!  I've got to make a light box!]

   Also along the theme of today's post is the beautiful work of my new stamping friend Hilde in the Netherlands!  Hero Arts Flickr group sponsored a fall card exchange and I was lucky enough to receive greetings from across the ocean.  Sometimes we can travel just by having friends in far away places!  The world is vast--but it is small with connections!  I really like the row of different buttons--and they made it all the way from the Netherlands in pristine condition!  This cheerful card is decorating our school room and we had a fun geography lesson learning more about Hilde's homeland!

Hilde's Flickr

   Thanks for stopping by!  I'd love to hear about connections you've made traveling yourself, or even traveling through your art!

scraps for fun

scraps for fun, a photo by debstamps on Flickr.

Made a quick card to send something to a friend--grabbed my scrap box, and found the letters I needed in their little pouch. I keep extra die cuts in a clear container like a paper candy jar.

A little tip: I needed an "h" but all I had was a "b." My little trim scissors helped me out to create what I needed by loping off the bottom. Reminds me of when my kids used to bite off their alphabet pretzels to spell what they wanted...those were the days!