Giving Thanks MPC Blog Hop!

Good morning, crafty people! Today is day 2 of the Mountain Plains Crafters Giving Thanks blog hop. This is the month where most of us (in the USA) are thinking about what we're thankful for as the holiday season begins. I prefer the word grateful in my own life; thankful means we are happy for something that's happened, grateful means we are simply showing our appreciation for something. Gratitude is a way of life and recognizing everything good. I am grateful for my health, my safety, my ability to gain an education and my family. What are you grateful or thankful for?

This week's blog hop is sponsored by the fabulous Unity Stamp Co and Tombow Adhesives (stop by their Facebook pages and thank them for sponsoring this hop if you have a moment!). In the grand scheme of life, stamps and adhesives may seem silly, but considering that creating can be a form of therapy in a hectic world for some of us, we at MPC are thankful for fabulous sponsors who help foster our creativity and inspire our readers/fans.

My project uses a stamp from Unity Stamp Co and Tombow's Xtreme adhesive. This is a Christmas gift for a friend whom I am most grateful for; I hope she doesn't see this! (April, look away!)

I think it came out quite pretty. The wood base is from The Wood Connection (I used the Plaque: Circle--so affordable and the possibilities are endless!) and the paper is from the Anna Griffin Lovely Layers 5" x 7" Cardstock Kit. I painted the base a neutral cream color, then cut out a piece of the patterned cardstock roughly to size of the face of the plaque and Mod Podge'd it down. I then sanded down the cardstock to size and Mod Podge'd the entire face and edges. I stamped my sentiment from the Unity Happy, Thankful & Blessed Kit of the Month on cardstock with Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler pigment ink, heat embossed it with clear powder and dabbed some distress ink around the edges. Last, I adhered my sentiment circle down with my Tombow Xtreme runner (pro-tip: this is THE adhesive for your envelopes; if you have the WRMK envelope punch board, you NEED this adhesive!) and Mod Podge'd it all again just to give it a finished look. A little hot glue and some Stampin' Up! Calypso Coral ribbon on the back and it's ready to hang. What do you think? :)

I hope this reminds my friend how grateful I am that she's in my life whenever she sees it. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some love; your comments always inspire me to keep creating. Now hop on to the fabulous Debra Davison's blog for another creation. If you get lost, head back to the MPC blog and find your way. Make sure you enter the giveaway there as well--there is a wonderful prize in store for one lucky crafter and you won't want to miss out! Have a wonderful weekend!

Best Witches!

Hey howdy hey and happy Friday! Today I have my first Halloween card of the season--yay! Halloween is my favorite holiday. People who know me know I LOVE to dress up and wear silly hats any old day, so any holiday where I get to dress up all over town is a winner in my book. I really love how this card came out and I plan on making it in a bunch of different colors for people at work!

Isn't it so fun?!? I used the Witch Boot Card Kit from SVG Cutting Files and cut it on my Explore. I had this gorgeous black glittery Bazzill cardstock I've been dying to use and it worked so perfectly for the boot and skirt! You can't tell from a photograph, but the glitter has all different colors when you move it in the light--so witchy! I also threw on my Wink of Stella in purple on the scalloped circle for more glitz. I stuck with pretty fall colors with the deep purple, dark green, burnt orange and cream. I will definitely be trying the next one with brighter spooky colors. My favorite part of this are the details on the boot!

Aren't you in love with it? I swear photos don't do it justice. I used some purple Queen & Co Bubbles for her buttons and tied up some pretty purple and white baker's twine just for an extra touch. I love how those details look on her glittery glam boot! :) I almost forgot to mention, I used the Halloween Chatter {october 2013 sentiment kit} from Unity Stamp Co; I love this kit!

That's it for today! I am entering this in the Unity Friends with Flair challenge and the SVG Cutting Files Anything with Fall Colors Challenge! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend. :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Yay, school has started and that only means one thing: fall is imminent! Well, this is Texas so imminent might not be the right word, but it's on it's way...at some point. Autumn is my favorite season, when it's cloudy and blustery, chilly and windy, time to break out the cardigans (yay!) and jackets and watch the leaves change colors when we're not watching football. ^_^

Over at Mountain Plains Crafters, we've got another fun challenge for you! This month, create something with a leafy/autumn theme and you'll have the chance to win a Donna Downey Mixed Media paint set from PanPastel--awesome! Head over to the MPC blog for all the details. Here's what I created:

It's simple but I I had fun making this one! The pretty browns and golds on all the trees is one of my favorite parts of this season, so I wanted to show that on my card, but still keep it simple. CAS is my favorite style, you know. :) It will be a sweet "just because" card to send to a friend once the weather changes.

The leaves are from Kelly Purkey's Thankful (an old Simon Says Stamp exclusive)--I LOVE THEM!!! I bought this set forever ago and hadn't used it yet, but I plan on using it a lot this autumn season. The quote, so lovely, is from the August Unity Kit of the Month - Summer Collapsed into Fall. You know I love my Unity. If you're not a KOTM member, you should be! It's my favorite stampy shipment of every month. :)

That's it for today! Make sure you swing by the MPC blog and enter the giveaway! There's 25 days left to enter, so you've got plenty of time to make your best creation and link it up. Thanks for stopping by!