A Blog Called Wanda

Halloween Tiny Town Cross Stitch!

Hi there my friends! How are you today? It's a new week and it feels like Fall here! This morning when I woke up it was 60 degrees outside! YES! Time for some fresh air in the house. Love that so much. We had a pretty quiet weekend around here....most of our plans got cancelled since my husband and I are both sick. Ugh. 2023 has been a very trying and difficult year for us. But we are hanging in there. The coming of Autumn always makes me in a hopeful mood. I am organizing in the craft room and making tons of Christmas projects to share with you. I know the rest of the year is going to fly by so quickly! I finished a new cross stitch piece last week and I thought I'd share that with you today!! I haven't decided how I'm going to "finish" it so for now it's ironed and tucked away until I come up with an idea! I do love a Halloween cross stitch!! 

If you want to see more of my finished cross stitch projects you can CLICK HERE!

Here is my finish! It's called Halloween Tiny Town and it's by Heart In Hand... There are a series of "tiny towns" and I've bought a few of them! There is a Valentine one, and a Seaside one, and a Fall one...They are so cute!! If you're a beginner, this would be a great series to start with. The finished pieces are not overwhelming... I stitched on 14 count Aida and I used DMC and Weeks threads. I used mostly the called for thread colors, but I did pop up that bright orange a bit with a stronger color.... The finished size of just the pattern is 3" x 13" so I cut my fabric to 7" x 17" for a two inch border.

 

This was such a fun stitch!! I love the flying bats, and the ghosts holding the boo banner...and those tiny pumpkins on the fence!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How cute is that hanging bat beneath the full moon?? Adorable!!

And a wise old owl in a tree!

 

And I do also like that touch of pink in there too! Seriously just the cutest little Halloween town. I wish I lived there!!

 

That's it for today! I'll be back this weekend with a Doodlebug Project! I'm guest designing with their new Halloween Collection and it's sweet and spooky for sure. Wishing you a wonderful week! XOXO

 

Concord & 9th Holiday Charm Collection - Part 2!

Hellooooo again....it's meeeee again! Hi! Happy Friday! This week went by in a flash!! I hope you had a good week. Fall is the busiest time of year, and that's proving true for me lately. Lots going on, but it's all good stuff. The weather is changing finally and that makes me in a great mood!! I'm back today to share the rest of my cards I made as a guest designer for the 2023 Concord & 9th Holiday release! I shared my other five cards a few days ago, and these are the last three! It's always so much fun to work with the lovely people at Concord and 9th and their wonderful products! And, as a bonus, I have a bunch of my Christmas cards made! Excellent. One of the many things I love about C9 is that you don't need a lot of 'extras' with their dies and stamps. They think of everything, and it all comes together so nicely - you just have to choose your mood and color palette! Let's get started for today's cards!

Right now I have an Instagram giveaway going from Concord and 9th! So pop on over to Instagram and leave a comment on the post with the little houses and you'll be entered to win a $25 Gift Card to Concord and 9th! Woot! 

First up is this cheerful ornament card - it's an A2 white card base covered with one of the brand new patterned papers.... I used the brand new Ornament Stamp and Stitch stamps and dies set... I chose to go with soft peachy pink and bright red, oh and a pop of silver glitter paper. I used the Stitched Vines die for my background.... All the supplies are listed at the bottom of my post!

 

 

 

 

 

Now, this next card was SOOOO fun to make! My card is an A2 white card base layered with soft pink and more white.... This card features the brand new Over the Rooftops stamps and dies. What a joy! I had fun mixing and matching colors for everything and I love this retro color palette, using the Oceanside paper.... How cute is that tiny car? And that little reindeer? And those teeny wreaths!? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my final card from this new release! This is an A2 card base, covered with one of the new patterned papers, then vellum, then white. This card features the brand new Christmas Cloche dies! LOVE! I used gold glitter paper to make my cloche, and backed it with very soft blue paper. I stamped white snowflakes onto the tree and used enamel dots as ornaments. It's just so classically Christmas....

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've had a great week! Thanks for hanging out with me all week! What are you inspired to work on right now? Are you already starting Christmas? Or are you in Halloween mode?? Let me know! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see ya soon. Love you! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE HOLIDAY CHARM NEW RELEASE FROM C9!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the detailed supply list and links for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Meet Me at the Pumpkin Patch - Fall Sweater Card!

Hi there my creative and crafty friends! I told you I'd be back soon!! Hee hee. I am up on The Greetery Blog today to share a fun project, and I'm sharing it here on my blog too. As you know, Autumn is my very favorite season, and it's my favorite time of year to craft, too.  I am so happy it's September and the season is changing! Can't wait to wear a sweater, and a jean jacket, and be cozy!! So, that cozy feeling of Autumn is what inspired my card for today.... Sweater Weather!! 

 

My finished card is A2 sized, and made from kraft cardstock. I layered cream and russet and then more kraft! My card features that adorable Hearts at Home Sweater Die! The sentiment is from one of my favorite Greetery sets - Top Down Autumn. I used all the warm fall tones.... This card is kinda clean and simple and graphic. When I first saw the sweater die at Valentine's Day, I immediately thought of Fall!! 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... 

 

I started by using my MISTI to stamp the classic Windowpane background in brown ink onto cream cardstock. I die cut two Crimped Rectangles dies to frame the sweaters. I mixed and matched warm Fall tones of cardstocks to make the sweaters and the small images for the front of the sweaters. Leaves and pumpkins - perfect! The colored cardstock pieces are gently inked around the edges with matching inks.... Leaves and pumpkins - so perfect!!

 

 

 

The sentiment is stamped in brown ink and die cut with the matching die. This is from the Top Down Autumn Set! To assemble the card, I intertwined the sweaters and mounted them to the card with foam tape.  I kinda wish I had some sweaters like this! (Too bad it's still 90+ degrees here too!)

 

 

 

That's it for my card for today! Wishing you a very happy Autumn season.... I hope you have a wonderful and creative day and I look forward to sharing with you again soon. In the meantime, happy crafting! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list/links for today's card! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Pretty Pink Posh New Release - Stack o' Jacks! Jack O' Lanterns Card!

Hi crafty friends! How are you today? Are you ready to start a new week again already? Dang, the time is going by fast this month!! Today I'm sharing another project I made with the brand new Pretty Pink Posh Fall Release! I adore this new release so much! I shared two cards last week for the big blog hop, that had a fall theme. Well, today I used the new products with some other PPP items, to make a Halloween Card!! I'm calling it a Stack o' Jacks!  Today is the start of the big Instagram Hop to celebrate this new PPP Release! So be sure to head over to Instagram and leave a comment to be able to win a PPP gift certificate! As always with an Instagram Hop, I'm sharing my card here too. This card is full of bright colors and it makes me smile - just like those jack o' lanterns! 

My finished card is a custom size: 4.5" x 6.5" and it's a white card base. I made a slightly larger card in this case to fit all the pumpkins in! I layered pretty black stripes paper, then my ink blended layer.... Those big fat smiling pumpkins are the stars of the card! I combined the Pumpkin Shaker Dies, the Stitched Pumpkins Dies, and the boo script for my sentiment!

 

For this pretty background, I cut a sheet of white cardstock to fit the layer. I used Fossilized Amber Distress Ink and a blender brush to ink blend just the top 2/3 of the panel. I used the Boo Stamp Set (the stars) and stamped stars over my ink blending using the same color. I feel like it looks like an Autumn sky!! And I love the stars!! 

 

I die cut all the pumpkins from orange cardstock. I used a blender brush and two shades of orange distress inks to ink blend the bottom portion of each pumpkin. I also added some black paint splatters. I die cut the faces from black cardstock.

 

 

For the stem, I used woodgrain paper and for the leaves I used plaid patterned paper. I felt like that plaid just looked so perfect with the orange!

 

 

For my finishing touches, I added the word "boo" as my sentiment, and I sprinkled the card with Platinum Pearls...They are the perfect gray shimmer!!

 

 

That's it for today's spooky fun project!! Be sure to head over to Instagram to leave comments in the hop! I hope you have a fantastic day! Thanks for spending part of it with me here! I'll be back tomorrow with a new card for The Greetery! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP RELEASE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply links/list for today's card! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Concord & 9th Holiday Charm Collection - Guest Designing!

Hi there!! I told you that I have been making tons of cards! Well, starting today, I'll be sharing tons of blog posts! LOLZ! So much is happening - for every holiday!! This time of year is just crazy for crafting! Today's post is all about Christmas cards! I was very happy to be selected as one of the guest designers for September for the Concord and 9th Holiday Charm Collection! Their holiday/winter release is now available for shopping and I made EIGHT cards with all the items from the new release. Myself and the other guest designers have been sharing everything on Instagram all week, but I wanted to get my cards posted here on my blog too. Today I'll share five cards, and next week I'll share the other three! Everything from this new release is bright, and happy and cheerful. I love it all, and I hope you do too! My supplies for these cards are listed out at the bottom of my post - by clicking the supply list link!! Let's get started!

First up is an A2 card made with the brand new Ornaments Turnabout stamp set! I do loooove a turnabout stamp!! I used red, pink, green and aqua for a retro color palette here! The sentiment is from another brand new set - Holiday Sayings. Some vellum, and silver glitter paper....delicious!!

All my supplies are listed out at the bottom of this post or by CLICKING HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

This next card is an A2 white card base and features the brand new Stocking Stamp and Stitch dies and stamp set! I also used the awesome brand new patterned paper pack - called Fa La La!! This little stocking is just the very cutest thing!! I added some snowflakes and a stamp for good measure...

All my supplies are listed out at the bottom of this post or by CLICKING HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

My next card features the brand new Festive Corner Cuts Dies set!! A gorgeous detailed pattern that cuts out a corner from your card. So clean and graphic. And the set comes with those beautiful poinsettia dies.... Look at how detailed the embossed lines are. I used gold glitter paper for the sentiment for a pop of shine!

All my supplies are listed out at the bottom of this post or by CLICKING HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This card is also and A2 white card base, and features the brand new Holiday Sayings Dies set!! I combined it with the previously released Fa La La Fringe tree and I love how this came out. Traditional red and green, but with a graphic look from the text/font. 

All my supplies are listed out at the bottom of this post or by CLICKING HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My final card to share today is an A2 kraft card base, layered with soft blue shades. This card features the brand new All Is Calm stencil and stamp set. A beautiful and serence Nativity scene that makes a pretty, simple card. I accented with gold embossing and gold paint splatters. I used C9 inks and blender brushes to do the stenciling. 

All my supplies are listed out at the bottom of this post or by CLICKING HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for today - and my first batch of Concord and 9th 2023 Christmas Cards! I will be back the next few days sharing a lot more projects! Take care, and I will (definitely) see you soon!! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW HOLIDAY CHARM RELEASE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply links/list for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

Pretty Pink Posh - September 2023 New Release Blog Hop! Cozy Days and Autumn Greetings!

Warm Fall Greetings my friends! I am VERY happy today to share some warm and cozy Fall cards with you!! Happy Fall Y'all! I've been getting in the mood for sure, and these cards today will hopefully get you in the mood too!! Today is day two of a big blog hop celebrating the new September/Fall release from our friends at Pretty Pink Posh. Paulina has crushed the fall mood for us and I know you're going to love it all just as much as I do! I had the best time making cards with the new release, and I was smiling the entire time! I hope my cards today get you in the mood to switch seasons! I have two cards today, and then I'll share another card next week when we do the Instagram Hop. The new release is already available for shopping!! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP FALL 2023 RELEASE!!

My first card today features the newest addition to the 'mug' collection! The Fall Mug Additions dies go along with all the other mug series dies, and I created a warm and cozy scene with a Pumpkin Spice Latte theme (of course!).... I used a new stencil, and new sentiments too!! Everything is orange and brown and warm..... I love how this card came out! My finished card is an A2 cream cardstock card base, layered with pretty brown plaid. Then my top layer and design elements....

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my paper layers and a close up of that pretty new Deco Leaves stencil! I used Antique Linen Distress Ink and a blender brush to make the soft background. It's perfect!! The brown plaid screams FALL!

 

Here's a side view to show all the layers and elements... The mug was made with three stacks of woodgrain paper and the lightly shaded with Distress Ink. The pumpkins and leaves are from different sets (Supplies are listed at the bottom of my post).... I kept my color palette to orange, cream and brown mostly, with a touch of gold.... Also, yes, that mug is wearing a scarf!!!! I am obsessed!!!! Doesn't this make you want a PSL right now??!! 

 

Cozy days indeed! This die cut sentiment comes with the Fall mug additions set.... I made an orange and cream straw using the birthday candle from the birthday mug additions set!

 

 

All the pieces were die cut from colored cardstock and then shaded with Copic Markers... Then some white paint splatters and some Diamond Stickles glitter glue on certain pieces.

 

 

 

My second card for today features the brand new Acorn Shaker Die set, and the new Autumn Pumpkins Stamp set...And another gorgeous new stencil, Layered Woodland... My finished card for this one is a square 5.5" x 5.5 " because I really wanted to showcase all of the stencil!! I again kept with a warm Fall color palette with gold accents and also some vellum.

 

I die cut the acorn from dark woodgrain paper and a rust colored paper. I splashed gold paint on everything to look nice and shimmery.... The sentiment was gold embossed onto cream cardstock.

 

I used cream cardstock for my stencil portion. I think it's just warmer with the rich fall tones. I used lots of Distress Inks to make the elements...and white ink to make the spots on the mushrooms. LOVE!!!!

 

To finish off the stem of the acorn, I wrapped it with thin twine and added a button and a heart... I always love the little touches...

 

The leaf on the acorn is from one of my favorite PPP sets - Small Stitched Foliage! I wanted a pop of Olive on there....

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today for this fun introduction of the new release and for the exciting blog hop! It was nice to share with you! Have a great day today and keep on crafting! I hope you feel all warm and cozy inside!! XOXO

If you're new to my blog today because of the hop - please take a moment and subscribe to my content! You will be emailed any time I do a new blog post! HERE'S THE LINK TO SIGN UP AND SUBSCRIBE! 

BLOG HOP PRIZE INFO! There are THREE $30 gift certificates up for grabs (one winner each day of the hop). Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop from all the comments. Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 9/19!! Winners will be announced on the PPP blog. Good Luck!!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP RELEASE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see all the supplies I used for today's projects!

TODAY'S FUN BLOG HOP LINEUP!!

Pretty Pink Posh blog

Amy Rysavy

Wanda Guess

Laurie Willison

Leica Palma

Jeanne Jachna

Amy Tsuruta

Lauren Taylor

 

Pretty Paper Pumpkins!

Hi friends! It's Thursday night, so I'm gonna call it Friday! Happy Friday! LOLZ. I've been in the studio like a bizzy bizzy bee all day and finally got this post written! I cannot even tell you how many cards I've been making! I've been making cards before breakfast, all day, and even at midnight. It's that time of year when all the crafing companies are releasing Fall and Holiday all at once. My head is spinning from crafty goodness. It's all good and I'm excited to share so many things. It's going to be a fun weekend here - we are going to a concert Friday night and I'm very excited. Haven't been to a concert since before Covid and it's one of my favorite bands... The Counting Crows! (I actually went to college with the lead singer!) Hubs and I will go out and get a pizza before the show.... We have been all work and no play around here so I'm happy we are going on a date!! 

Today's project is alllll abouttttt fallllll! I made some pretty paper pumpkins using new supplies from Concord and 9th! I used the brand new Pumpkin Builder Dies along with their newest paper pack...called Harvest Home. These were a really fun project to make and came together so easily. Concord and 9th always makes everything a breeze to assemble. These little cuties are now on our fireplace mantle for fall decor. I also think they would be adorable place setting decorations for Thanksgiving!! You could easily put a little cello bag of candy inside too. Who doesn't love colorful pumpkins? 

 

The Pumpkin Builder Dies set comes with the dies to make three different sized pumpkins. These are the two smaller ones here. You cut six strips and glue them together to form the pumpkin. Then there are dies to make the stem, the leaves and the 'curls' for the leaves. You can make them with colored cardstock or patterned paper to match your favorite color palette. I was thinking I need to make some pink ones!! Pink is so in this year for Halloween!

 

As you know I love to do, I added twine and enamel dots to some of my pumpkin stems. Also, I generously splattered all the pumpkins with gold watercolor paint for some shimmer and shine and warmth.  

 

To make the 'curls' you die cut the strip of paper and use a paint brush handle to curl it like you would curling ribbon! Easy! It adds such a nice design element don't you think? 

 

 

The leaves have nice deep scoring lines and you can fold them into these gorgeous 3D leaves. LOOOOVE that!!

 

 

 

 

The next few photos are ones I took with my iphone as I was crafting - to show you the process. I did these assembly-line style. I die cut out ALL the pieces first and then assembled them in order: Pumpkins first, then leaves, then stems.... Didn't take long at all. This would be a good project to work on in front of the tv or with kids too!

 

Here are all my pieces die cut out on my crafting table...

 

To get the rounded pumpkin shape, I used my bone folder to curve the pieces. This also made it super easy to glue all the sections together!!

 

Here they are coming together....

 

And, done!

 

Just a few more pretty pictures...just because....

 

 

I used kraft paper for the stems...but I was thinking it would also look nice to use woodgrain paper or even dark brown....

 

 

Okay my little chickadees! Thanks for popping by today to see a project and have some fun. I hope you have a delightful fall weekend and that you are doing well. What are you working on in your craft room right now? Let me know in the comments. XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's project! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Halloween Envelope Card - fun with Spellbinders Envelope of Wonder Dies!

Hellllooooooo from me to BOO!! How was your Labor Day Weekend?? Did you do anything fun?? We stayed local and did things around the house. We had gorgeous cool weather here! My husband is working on a huge work project for the next couple of weeks and that's taking up most of his time. I'm staying busy in the craft room - sooooo many things are coming! I'm having a hard time keeping up! I have Christmas, and Fall, and Halloween - it's all happening here in the craft room. There's stuff everywhere!! And, happy September! We are now officially in Fall mode in my mind anyway!! Hee hee. I already had my first PSL and I'm just yearning to wear a sweater! Hope you are doing great! 

I have a fun and colorful Halloween card to share today. I used lots of brand new items from Spellbinders! And, in particular, the new Envelope of Wonder suite of stamps and dies. LOVE IT! The base is an envelope and then there are flowers, Halloween items, Christmas items, etc. to put inside. Well, my little envie is overflowing with ghosties and bats and pumpkins....and even a cat and a skeleton! Let's take a look! 

 

I love the font on the sentiment stamp set! It's a pretty cursive font and it fits onto a little tag that goes on the front of the envelope. I made the envelope from tiny gingham from my stash and lined it with orange gingham. My background layers are orange cardstock and OOOOOLLLLDDD striped vellum from PTI that's been in my stash for a while!! 

 

The fun part of this card was die cutting out all these fun images and elements!! I shaded everything with Copic Markers and added white gel pen accents. I like doing this type of crafting - all the little pieces.... On some pieces I added Diamond Stickles for shine.

 

I love that the ghosties have a little banner! I die cut out the letters from green, orange and purple to make it more fun...

 

Do you recognize the skeleton? He's the one driving the fun car in the set from a couple years ago! I thought he was funny tucked in there!! And that cute cat wearing a pumpkin hat?! I added in a few elements from different Spellbinders sets. All the supplies are at the bottom of my post!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mixed and matched everything around until I got a good layout and affixed everything with foam tape. I added some orange gems for sparkle. I do like putting lime green and purple in with traditional orange and black for Halloween! 

 

 

 

 

Have you started your Halloween crafting yet?? Are you in the fall mood, or sad to say goodbye to summer?? I'm definitely ready for a change of season around here. We've had a few cool mornings and it's been nice to have the windows open. Looking forward to getting some apple donuts soon!! Take care, my friends, and have a great week!! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE ENVELOPE OF WONDER COLLECTION!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list and links for today! (Affiliate links used)