Pirate Owl

I recently read the Happiness Project and Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. (I highly recommend both titles.) Rubin mentions how she enjoys children’s literature aka kidlit, and I realized how much I do as well. As a result, I’ve recently been rediscovering children’s picture books.

This card, featuring the owl from the Paper Smooches “Spookalicous” stamp set, is inspired by such illustrations. As you can see I’ve added origami to the card, for which the Hero Arts newspaper background stamp works well to create a textured sail.

Paper Smooches Pirate Owl

 

Supplies: Bazzill gray cardstock; Hero Arts pirate digital kit (pirate’s hat); Echo Park Letter stickers; origami paper

Cozy Winter

This is another “just because” card. I had the most fun picking the colors for the stockings. I really like all sorts of holiday decorating schemes – from traditional, to modern, to country/cozy (see Benita Larsson’s “Holiday Theme Poll” for examples of different styles). At the moment, I’m enjoying bright, non-traditional holiday colors like turquoise, lime green and dark pink!

Cozy Winter - Lawn Fawn

The Owl and the Pussycat

This week’s Lawnscaping Challenge is to try a new technique.

I started a list of techniques I hadn’t tried and realized I’d never cut multiple die cut layers. My card’s inspiration is the “nonsense” poem “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear.

The Owl and the Pussycat - Lawn Fawn

 

I cut the waves individually and glued them to the stamped black background. I then ran the panel through my Big Shot cutting out the scene with a large circle die. I finished the panel off with a thin die-cut circle. I made the boat using origami technique.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon. And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand. They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

Supplies: Spellbinders Nestabilities circle dies; Stampin’ Up cardstock, origami paper

Welcome Autumn – Retrosketches #32

I just can’t get enough of the Paper Smooches “Autumn Groves” set and decided to use it for this week’s fabulous Retro Sketches challenge. I can see myself using this sketch over and over.

I began by choosing the patterned paper strips using papers from Simple Stories and My Mind’s Eye. The MME paper is some I’ve had for awhile from a collection that I really like. I’ll be sad when it gets all used up! I colored my scarecrow and pumpkin based on the colors in the papers with Copic markers. The sentiment, crow, and fence are stamped onto the background. Lining that crow up, and knowing I had just one “take” was no small feat (read previous post on battling perfectionism!). Although the sketch calls for a square card, once I’d built my scene, a rectangular format made more sense. I kept the background quiet with a neutral cardstock.

Paper Smooches Autumn

Supplies: Stampin’ Up cardstock; Simple Stories and My Mind’s Eye patterned papers; May Arts twine