Spice Cake Mojo/ Mojo Monday #207

The ladies over at Mojo Monday took a couple of well deserved weeks off & I've had so little time for stamping lately, that creating for this sketch felt totally fun and new! I changed things up a bit, but so needed the starting point that the sketch provided. Looking at it yesterday, I knew that I wanted to feature the Spice Cake designer paper in my large rectangles, but had no idea where to take things from there. So, I just started prowling through my stamps. Then I realized that my Warmest Wishes hostess set from the new Holiday Mini has never seen ink! I couldn't let that last. :) All of us were given this set as one of several +one perks at convention in July. Now, it's finally the right time of year to use it. The leaf wreath from this set is so lovely & fits perfectly in the 2 1/2 " Circle Punch. Then, the you can easily punch out the center with the help of a 1 1/4" Circle punch & a post-it. Perhaps you're smarter than me & remember to punch out the center first. Then you don't even need the post-it note trick! The oak leaves from the wreath called out for the super cute acorn from Gently Falling. I was just talking with folks at class on Sunday about how much I love this little stamp. It's one of the main reasons I love the set so much! The folks at class will also attest to the fact that I've gone a bit sponging crazy. Don't be surprised to see at least one sponge in each bin at class from here on out. You see that I sponged most of the pieces on this card with Soft Suede. It was an important touch to the wreath and the sentiment. Otherwise they just really looked incomplete. I hope you are enjoying the start of fall. I plan on taking this day away from substitute teaching to focus on stamping. It's already off to a great start!

Nothing is Safe from my Big Shot

I can't even remember where I saw or heard that you can texturize felt in an embossing folder if you just spray it with starch first. Perhaps at convention? Where ever I heard about it, that was the inspiration for my Holiday Mini swap card. There are sixteen of us participating this swap so I'll get lots of practice at making this little gem. I started off using my typical fall pallet: More Mustard, Bravo Burgundy, Cajun Craze and the like. That just felt too dark for this one though. So I lighted things up by using Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, & So Saffron instead. The leaves from Gently Falling are great 2 Step stamps and even include the little maple tree helicopters! That's my favorite bit about the set, so I had to include one on the card. I was even dedicated enough to cut it out. :) There is gold Smooch on there too, but hard to see in the photo. I think it will be more clear on some of my others for swap. A couple of times I got a little carried away. :) Now, I just have to finish the rest!