Challenge Inspired...

....What a gorgeous day and week we are having here in New England.    The calender may be reading October 1st today, but it feel much more like a June day....lots of sunshine, beautiful blue skies and a not a cloud in sight...!   I'm loving it and tomorrow is going to be even nicer with warmer temps and more like a nice day in July!!

      With all this warm sunshine it feels like I should be creating Summer cards, but I have to say that I'm ready for a change to fall and almost all the cards I'm sharing today have a full theme of fall feeling to them.

     My first card was created for the newest Challenge at the Muse Challenge Blog and was inspired, by this beauty, which was created by Cindy Brumbaugh, this week's Guest Designer.   You can also find more of Cindy's work on her blog here, she's very talented!

Cindy Card

My Card

   I really loved Cindy's card, but I had a hard time finding a stamp I wanted to use on my card.   That's when I came up with the idea of using a sticker!!  Yes, it's trued the lovely daisy like image on my card is actually a sticker or I should say at Stickeroo from the Romance of Flowers collection  by Penny Black. They make the most amazing and gorgeous stickers and I they are perfect to use when you need a quick and pretty card and this was exactly the look I wanted.  I happen to own several sets of these and although I forget I have them, at times, I alway find once I pull them out, I'm so pleased with my card!   I started by layering my sticker onto some "Wet Cement" layering paper from Hero Arts.  I used the same color to create my card base and then cut a white insert at 4" X 5 1/4" and embossed it with one of my Tim Holtz Texture Fades, called "Distressed Frame".   I then used a ink blending tool and edges the outside of the embossed layer in Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  

  My second card also was totally inspired by another set of Stickeroos called "Pen and Ink" and was created simply because I wanted to use these lovely sticker and wanted to use some new lilac cardstock that I had dug up in my stash.   Such a pretty card and it was all a matter of layering it onto alternating pieces of white and lilac cardstock and then added a little sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella Marker.

   My next card was created for the current Fusion Challenge and I decided to use the "Sketch" or the "Card Design" as my inspiration.

   I also knew right away that I wanted to used a new Hero Arts Stamp in the center of my circle and this one is from the new release and is called Gratitude Design.  I saw a fabulous card that Jennifer McGuire had created with the same stamp and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have the stamp.  Although it has a feeling of fall, it's a stamp that could be use in many ways.  

   The best part about this card is that the majority of it is made from Scraps.  The small polka dotted paper is from the Bundle of Joy pad by Echo Park and the top stripped sheet, as well as the green piece were both in my Scrap bin leftover form cards I created yesterday and earlier this morning!   My card base was created with Bazzill's Card Shop Cardstock in "Candy Bar"  -- love it.   The three strips on the bottom were created using my We R Memory Keepers Chomper in the Deco design -- currently on sale at Jo's for only $14.99, a great price!

   I also created another little sweet little "Tree" card after being inspired by the newest challenge over at CAS-ual Friday, where the theme is "Fall Colors and a Leaf".   I really am in LOVE with this wonderful little "All Seasons Tree" die and love how the little leaves even have sections to them.  I've cut it in many colors and different styles of paper and for this card, I used the same stripped scraps as on the card above and then used my Copics to color in some of the leaves!!  I also layered it onto a green background and used the "negative" piece left over from cutting it in dark brown for another card.  

   In a fun and whimsical theme, I also put my Copics to use to color up this adorable little digi image, which is from "Bugaboo Stamps".  I then used two different Nestie Circle dies, to not only cut out the image, but to create my frame.   Oh, and I forget to tell you all that I am IN LOVE with the fabulous new Magnetic Platform that I bought from Stampin' UP for my Vagabond.   This is the best idea and I'm so thankful that Sizzix came up with this design -- It's awesome!  No more slipping dies and not need to use up my Washi Tape holding them in place.  You simply put the platform down, one cutting plate, then your paper/cardstock and die and it's magnetic "stays" exactly where you place it!   Then just add the top cutting plate and GO!! Love, Love Love !  I only wish they had designed it in the "extended" size, which I do hope they will in time!! Even so, I'm thrilled with this purchase and wanted to thank my SU Demo "Carol" for letting me know as soon as they came back in stock!  These are selling out fast everywhere, so I'm thankful that SU has them now.

    My little "Pumpkin Boy" card was created for the brand new challenge at CASology where the new theme is "Harvest".

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     Phew!!  And that is it for today!!   Oh, except I do have one more picture of the dogs to share and this one is something, because they are all sleeping, or I should say napping after our nice walk earlier this afternoon!!   Zeva is in Skye's Pink Bed, Skye is in Scout's, Blue Bed and Scout opted for the floor and a blanket even though there is another larger bed right next to Skye!   It's interesting how all three sleep almost in the same position!!  

  Oops!  I forget one!  This last card is a fun little "Dachshund" inspired card and was created to donate to Little Paws Dachshund Rescue, with special thanks to Fabre who first read about my desire to adopt a rescue Dachshund back in 2012 -- it was because of meeting here that I have Skye and Zeva and that warms my heart!  Little Paws will be hosting an online Auction on their Facebook page in nearly November!  I'm excited to have donated a few items along with several cards which they have been selling at dog events!  Yippee!!