sparkling adventure (with many oopses)

 I knew I hadn't posted in a while - but, since April?  Oops!  I think I'm the only one who notices, though.  I have a few new stamp sets that need inking, and the sketch #441 at Paper Craft Crew sparked my imagination:

stamp sets - A Wish for Everything, Sparkle of the Season (on envelope); ink - Night of Navy; card stock - Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, Ombre Specialty; punch - Detailed Trio; Stampin' Cut dies - Word Wishes, Seasonal Swirls, Basic Borders; Stampin' Emboss folder - Timeworn Type

I seem to have not used the new stamp set other than on the envelope (oops), but that counts, right?  I used a new die set and a new embossing folder, though, and the new sparkling ombre specialty paper that I forgot I bought (oops)

I intended to be completely faithful to the sketch, but I needed the bat to cover an imperfection in the punched corner of the square (oops) and then I forgot all about the sequins (oops, again).  It's a good thing for me that perfection is not required for card making or for participation at Darnell's fabulous NBUS Challenge!

art journal adventures

One of the hobbies I've picked up lately from watching YouTube is art journaling.  One of my biggest enablers to date is Tanya McGuire, who made and sent little journals to several of her subscribers last year.  In Sunday afternoon live stream events, she works on hers and many people work along.  Sometimes I'm logged in and working along, but more often I'm working later.  This month I've been additionally inspired by Lost Coast's 31 days of Halloween and their Furry Friends Challenge:

I used Stampin' Up! inks for the background and the Carmen's Veranda Small Witch background.  The rest of my page is various papers and die cuts from mostly unknown sources.  The black cat image came from PixelScrapper - she reminds me of my cat Smudgie.

After this page, we had two pages left, so it was time to think about making new journals if we wanted to continue to play along.  Most people used 6"x9" envelopes from Dollar Tree for their cover, and I intended to.  The local store only had yellow ones, and I didn't really want to paint the whole thing.  Also, the original journal had a wrapped cover that I really liked, and the envelope flap wasn't going to be long enough to wrap around to the front, so I was thinking about alternatives.  One idea was to glue scrapbook paper to the envelope; another was to make a piece of "frankenpaper" out of security envelopes and glue it to the envelope or just use it as is for a cover.  In the back of the box where the security envelopes are stored, I found an old gift bag that was provided instead of a plastic bag when I made a purchase at the local (but since closed) Hallmark and stationery store.  I've always wanted a handled journal, but never had a reason to make one, since I rarely use journals these days.

It's not a full wrap closure, and I still have to decide how to hold the flap down, but I'm really pleased with it.  I went with two signatures of various pieces of paper I just have sitting around.  I attempted to machine-stitch them but the tension was wrong, so they're hand-stitched using the machine punched holes LOL.  

The flowered paper was folded in half like a greeting card and only printed on one of the four sides - I have no idea where it came from!  The music paper is a digital file I printed; I don't even know whether it's from a real piece of music.

This was the penultimate page in the original journal:

I used Stampin' Up! inks again, and the background trees stencil is from the Basic Pattern Decorative masks.  The tree is Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Scary Tree cut from cheap (probably Dollar Tree) construction paper and the quote is something I found online somewhere.  

I'll be working on the last page this evening so I'll be caught up with the group and ready to start in the new journal!

pink holidays adventures

At Jingle Belles the first theme of each October is dedicated to making pink holiday cards as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; for each card that gets linked up, Stephanie and Lauren each donate two dollars to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  I made a pink snowflake card yesterday, and today I've inked up another new stamp set:

stamp set: Stylish Christmas; ink - Flirty Flamingo; Coastal Cabana; Lemon Lime Twist; card stock - Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Coastal Cabana

At Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, Pink Halloween also raises awareness for breast cancer, but I was struggling with inspiration for that until I saw the Fusion pastelloween challenge:

I was inspired by both the sketch and the photo to create this:

stamp sets (all are retired) - Delightful Dozen, Holiday Home, Perfectly You, Sweet Home; ink - Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Highland Heather, So Saffron, Soft Seafoam; Stampin' Write marker - Blushing Bride; card stock - Balmy Blue, Blushing Bride, Highland Heather, Petal Pink, So Saffron, Soft Seafoam, Whisper White; Big Shot with Home Sweet Home and Holiday Home framelits (both retired)

adventures in holiday preparation

While I was playing with the Halloween theme last week (I designed a card for next month's Card Buffet and did a few cut-and-paste pages in a junk journal), I remembered this kit I received as an incentive prize several years ago.  At TGIF Challenges inspiration this week they said "now is the perfect time to get started on all those holiday projects," so I pulled it out and completed it:

stamp set - Toxic Treats (retired); ink - Old Olive, Tuxedo Memento Black; Stampin' Write markers - Basic Black, Old Olive; Howl-O-Ween printer's tray kit (retired); photo of the two cutest grandsons in the known world!

I had so much fun, even including the fussy cutting (I KNOW! what has happened to me, right?), that I decided it was finally time to update the twinchies shadow box I made a few years ago.  In the past I only had summer and winter themes, and Tom wondered why not spring and fall?  Since the Halloween one will be in that spot on the wall this year, I skipped fall and went for Christmas:

stamp sets - Antique Tags, Best of Christmas, Holly Berry Happiness, Santa's Sleigh, Seasonal Bells, Scentsational Seasons (all retired) ink: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, White Craft; Stampin' emboss powder Silver; card stock - Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Silver Foil, Whisper White; designer series paper - Dashing Along; punches - Bell, Holly Builder, Five Petal Flower (all retired, not sure the name is right on the last one); Big Shot with Layering Circles, Santa's Sleigh (retired), and Scentsational Seasons (retired) framelits, and Pretty Pines thinlits; Basic Rhinestones (retired), Dazzling Details - Cherry Cobbler and Silver Sparkle (retired)

In addition to being holiday preparations, these are also things 70 and 71 in my #DWPB100ThingsChallenge, and no new purchases were involved!

a miscellaney of adventures

I recently completed cards 181-185 of #365cards2018 for #365somethings2018 which are also thing 65 for #DWPB100ThingsChallenge:

I posted the Christmas cards previously. I needed a Halloween card for next month's Card Buffet, and it redirected my attention (squirrel!).  I spent an evening  playing with the Halloween theme, just cutting and pasting in a little junk journal I received from a YouTube creator I follow:

This morning, I'm in default mode, creating cards again.  This one is going in the mail with a junk journal page I created for a swap.  I used the new Try Stampin' On Tuesday sketch and added some texture for the Tuesday Throwdown:

stamp set - Sassy Salutations (retired), ink - Wisteria Wonder (retired); card stock - Wisteria Wonder (retired), Very Vanilla; designer series paper - Afternoon Picnic (retired); Big Shot with Chevron textured embossing folder (retired) and Apothecary Labels framelits (retired)

I didn't realize until I was typing that pretty much all the supplies are retired, they just happened to coordinate with the tea-party theme we were given.  I hope the recipient likes her page :-)

a pair of sketch adventures

Sketches make card making easier for those of us who otherwise rely on Copy And Share Everything, since the design work is already done.  This week I found a great sketch at Atlantic Hearts that I used for more of the new paper and stamp sets that were waiting for me:

stamp set - Painted Harvest; ink - Early Espresso; card stock - Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla; designer series paper - Painted Autumn; Big Shot with Layered Leaves embossing folder and Stitched Shapes framelits

I originally planned to offer this card as a Card Buffet choice, but I'm not mentally ready for fall and Thanksgiving, yet.  Maybe next month I'll be better prepared.  I can handle Halloween, though, so I used the Try Stampin' On Tuesday challenge #339 for this one:

stamp set - Merry Café; ink - Early Espresso; card stock - Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie; designer series paper - Coffee Break; Big Shot with Coffee Cups framelits; Linen Thread; Stampin' Sponge

continued creatively crafty adventures

Sunday, I was telling you that I completed nine (or maybe only eight) cards over the weekend, but I only posted two of them.  In hopes that you'd be interested, here are two more.

In addition to Christmas cards, there will Halloween choices at Card Buffet this week.  I mashed up some ideas I saw on Pinterest, and needed a color scheme, so I used the September photo inspiration from Creative With Stamps:

stamp set - Sheltering Tree; ink - Basic Black, Dapper Denim, Rich Razzleberry; card stock - Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray, Dapper Denim, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie; Big Shot with Brick Wall embossing folder and Hearth & Home framelits

When I placed my first order from the 2016-2017 catalog I got Vertical Greetings because sometimes the side of the card is the right placement for a sentiment, and it has six great choices.  In spite of owning almost all the embossing folders (because I love them all!), I didn't order the Petal Burst embossing folder, thinking I don't really do a lot of flowery stuff.  Imagine my chagrin when I realized that the "petals" are the same design as the foliage in the Vertical Greeting plants!  Well, okay, it's not a bundled item and I didn't miss out on a discount, so I guess it wasn't that bad, but still...  I ordered it later, but I hadn't gotten around to using it, so it wasn't put away.  I needed to clean off the counter before Card Buffet, and I also needed some new display cards - the only other thing I needed was a color scheme, and Fab Friday 96 is perfect:

stamp set - Vertical Greetings; ink - Delightful Dijon; Stampin' Write markers - Delightful Dijon, Emerald Envy; card stock - Very Vanilla, Delightful Dijon, Emerald Envy; Big Shot with Petal Burst embossing folder

And, finally, here's the "corrected" version of the card I made using CPC63, the sketch from Craft Project Central:

stamp set - Christmas Pines; ink - Versamark; Stampin' Emboss powder - Copper; card stock - Whisper White, Basic Black, Copper foil; Big Shot with Pine Bough embossing folder, Pretty Pines thinlits and Layering Circles framelits

I just couldn't stand it, missing that piece, and I couldn't wait for my order (which I'm still filling in), but I was able to borrow some of this gorgeous Copper foil paper from my friend and upline, Nisha, and she dropped it off today!

Wacky Watercooler September Mix-up adventure

Although I haven't been in a blog hop for several (too many!) months, the watercooler gang is still going strong and hopping monthly. Pin or bookmark the Home site so you can keep up with all the wonderful creations!  This month I'm sandwiched between two amazing artists, Bev and Priscilla - you can hop to either blog using the buttons at the end of this post.  Keep hopping until you've been to all the participants - you'll want to see all the Stampin' Up!® Annual and Holiday Catalog creations mixed-up in this free-for-all!

My first project doubles up on the wonderfulness of the watercooler - I've been experimenting with ombre for Jean's Colour Challenge.  I had trouble deciding (I know, no surprise there) which colors to use but I think the ColourMe! challenge provided the right answer:

supplies available from the Annual Catalog unless noted HC (HolidayCatalog):

stamp set - Serene Silhouettes, The Wilderness Awaits; ink - Archival Basic Black (HC), Garden Green, Island Indigo, Pacific Point; card stock - Garden Green, Island Indigo, Whisper White; baker's twine - Whisper White; Stampin' Dimensionals

For my next project, I decided to take the free-for-all mix-up theme to an extreme, and do something different - an Altered Playing Card, or APC.  I've always been intrigued by them and the similar Artist Trading Card, or ATC.  I've made a few (very few) ATCs but the only playing cards I own are used for playing games.  Last week I found a playing card from a board game, on the ground next to the township recycle bin - perfect!  (yes, I was tempted to look in the bin for more, but it's a very big bin and I was on my way to dinner.)

all supplies (except other, noted at the end) available from the Annual Catalog:

stamp set - Summer Silhouettes; ink - Island Indigo, Night of Navy, Rich Razzleberry; Stampin' Spritzers with re-inker - Island Indigo and Rich Razzleberry; Stampin' Glitter - Silver; card stock - Soft Sky, Vellum; tools - Hearts & Stars stencil, Project Life journaling pen, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals; 

other - Deco Art crackle paste, Artist's Loft gesso, playing card

The star was my first experiment with ombre - I've been trying to get a circle-effect - I think I was a bit more successful with the softer colors in the first photo.  This whole APC was experimental fun in mixed media, something else that has intrigued me. The Corrosive Challenge Blog is new to me this week (thanks, SmilynStef!); and the current challenge is Mixed Media, so I'm excited to link there. I'd like to link this little gem at Use Your Stuff as well, since I used my stencil.

Finally, I couldn't let you go without showing you something from the fabulous Holiday Catalog!  I used the Nacho Average Challenge sketch for this one because it fit so well with my NBUS (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) Sparkly Seasons + Seasonal Frame Bundle:

supplies available as noted Holiday Catalog (HC) or Annual Catalog (AC):

stamp set - Sparkly Seasons (HC); ink - Archival Basic Black (HC), Versamark (AC); card stock - Hello Honey (AC), Tip Top Taupe (AC), Mellow Moss (AC), Tangelo Twist (AC): designer vellum - Winter Wonderland (HC); Big Shot (AC) with Seasonal Frame Thinlits™ dies (HC); Fine -Tip Glue Pen (HC)

Hopefully I haven't distracted you too much with all the links, because we'd love for you to continue around our Watercooler Hop by clicking one of the links below:

repurposed Halloween adventure

The new Holiday catalog will be live for customer orders Tuesday - yay!  Demonstrators have been able to order since August 1, though, so when my upline's team met Wednesday, a lot of the shoebox swap cards and 3D swap items were Halloween themed.  Deb gave us each a bag of incredibly delicious homemade caramel corn with a bag topper made using Spider Web Doilies and a stamped banner.  I forgot to take a picture before I opened it (caramel corn doesn't stay fresh very long, you know ;) ) and this morning I finally realized the doily would work for the circle element in Buffy's Creating Pretty Cards sketch:

stamp sets - Howl-o-ween Treat, Hardwood; ink - Versamark, Pumpkin Pie, Memento Tuxedo Black; card stock - Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Basic Gray; Spider Web Doilies; Big Shot with Ovals Collection framelits

The sentiment and little spiders were from Deb's banner, I cut it up to repurpose it. I forgot where Buffy's little heart shape was on the sketch, and I kind of scattered spiders all over, but it still works, I think:

Homemade Holiday Home adventure

I made this card earlier this week; it may have been the same day that ColourQ posted their current challenge, but I got so busy preparing for Card Buffet that I forgot to post it:

stamp set - Holiday Home; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight; Stampin' Write marker - Basic Black; card stock - Whisper White, Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight; punch - 1-3/8" circle;  Big Shot with Homemade Holiday Framelits; Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

In case some of my guests don't really need Halloween cards, they can make a Thanksgiving (or just a Thank You card) using the exact same supplies, because this stamp set contains so many images.  I had so much fun sponging the sunset that I made a second sample!

I usually schedule Card Buffet for the third Thursday and the third Saturday of each month, but I had a late change of plans this month and rescheduled the Saturday session for next week.  If you can't make it Saturday, you'll miss your chance to make these cards, but I'm fairly certain that the stamp set will make a reappearance next month on a Christmas card design.  I can hardly wait to stamp Santa and his sleigh in a night sky, or maybe it will turn out to be a day scene so we can see all the sweet little decorations on the homes...

adventure of procrastination

My Watercooler friend Terri thinks she's the Queen of Procrastination but I think I could give her a run for her money (where did that old saying come from? note to self - look this up some day), except we haven't gotten around to making a comparison...

I scheduled a Card Buffet (otherwise known as Stamp-a-Stack) for this week, and as of yesterday I had one card prepared, a carryover from last month.  So I spent some time perusing the challenge and inspiration blogs I love and made a pair of cards for a passel of challenges.  I'm not sure all of the challenges are still open, but I'll check that later.

The newest Watercooler Challenge is punch art.  I love punch art for Halloween, since it's a way to keep the hand-crafted aspect I loved the most about Halloween childhood memories. Also, I don't send many Halloween cards, and don't find the stamp sets that are specific get enough use in my world; punch art stretches out the uses I can get from a stamp that's part of a more generic set, like the multi-purpose And Many More.  Besides, we haven't done punch art for card buffet recently, so this will be one of the choices this month:

stamp set - And Many More; ink - Hello Honey, Basic Gray; markers - White Stampin' Chalk, Basic Gray Stampin' Write; card stock - Basic Gray, Blackberry Bliss, Smoky Slate, So Saffron, Whisper White; punches - Large Oval, Bird Builder, Owl Builder; accessories - White Baker's twine; tools - Stampin' sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals 

I used the colors from ColourQ - sort of - I substituted both the darker Basic Gray and the lighter Smoky Slate, bracketing the challenge color of Going Gray.  I also used the Freshly Made sketch - that star just said "full moon" to me this month!  I learned to make the cute vampire bat from Diana Gibbs (also found another version Pinned) and think he qualifies as an animal for Around the World Stampin' Up! Challenges.

As another seasonal offering (and therefore qualified at Words 2 Scrap By), I used my markers (Addicted to Stamps + More) to highlight the leaves (Just Us Girls) that are the focal point in this Tuesday Morning Sketch layout done with Stampin' Royalty colors:

stamp sets - Lovely as a Tree, Itty Bitty Banners; ink - Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Tangelo Twist; Stampin' Write markers - Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip; card stock - Old Olive, Tangelo Twist, Whisper White; designer series paper - Moonlight; tools - Dotted Ribbon border punch, Big Shot with Deco Labels and Bitty Banners framelits, Stampin' sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

I still need two Christmas cards and one thinking of you or thank you card, plus the house needs cleaning - who has time for a full time job?  Guess I better get back to the studio - thanks for taking the time to stop by!

one more adventure with one more

We mailed Halloween greeting cards to our children and their families, and there were two additional cards left in my collection.  I thought it would be fun to send greetings to our siblings and their spouses, but there are three, so I needed one more Halloween greeting.  I knew that June Houck had a fabulous sketch posted at Little Tangles and I thought it would work up quickly with washi tape, so now I have one more card ready for tomorrow's mail:

stamp sets - Gorgeous Grunge, Tags 4 You; ink - Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie; card stock - Basic Black, Very Vanilla; washi tape - Witches' Brew

I bet Little Tangles would love to have one more card posted - won't you join, too?  (Hurry though, it closes at midnight tonight.)

Fall-i-day Llama Hop Adventure

Fall-i-day = Fall + Holiday  (Remember?  From last year?  I still think it's just durn clever.)  

I forgot to hop last month with my llama friends, but I'm back this month, even though I almost forgot again and had to hurry!  Hopefully you've come from Stamping with Buffy - I just love her snowflake garland!  If you haven't been there yet, no worries, the Previous or Next button links at each blog on the hop will eventually take you all the way around and back to where you started.

I made these little Halloween tea treats for my fellow local demonstrators, and because the Stampin' Royalty challenge is Halloween goodie packaging.  I used orange and black because that's the monthly challenge at Catherine & Cathy Create, and because those are great Halloween colors:

stamp sets - Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid, Tags 4 You; ink - Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray; card stock - Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla; punches - label bracket, 1-3/4" circle, 2-3/8" scallop circle; washi tape - Witches' Brew; sticky strip

I didn't have to hurry to make them, but they're very quick to make.  If your friends aren't tea drinkers, they'll hold Ghirardelli chocolate squares, too - yumm!

I did hurry to make this Thanksgiving card, but it was an idea I'd been working on since I received that big box o' stampin' stuff I mentioned last week - the new Truly Grateful stamp set was in it.  I love how it coordinates with the Sweater Weather paper - I thought the soft sky pattern was feathers until I paired it with this set, now I'm pretty sure it's a stylized wheat head (and I'm happy that I adhered it facing up).  Since I live in a log home, I pretty much "had to" have the two wood stamps in the set, and I also love being able to make more masculine cards - the current challenge at SU-Only Challenges - I think I will send this to my brother, who is a farmer and who also lives in a log home.  I used the newest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

stamp set - Truly Grateful; ink - Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand; Stampin' Write marker - Soft Sky; card stock - Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla; designer series paper - Sweater Weather; 7/16" Natural Trim ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

That's all I have for you this month, but be sure to check out the talented Stephanie's creations at the next stop, Please Pass the Snail!

 

Wacky Watercooler Holiday Hop adventure

I hope you're enjoying this Holiday edition of the Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.  If you arrived here from Stamp with Bev, welcome!  If you're starting here, all the hop participants link in a circle and you'll arrive at Bev's again if you keep clicking Next buttons throughout the hop.  You can also find a "clickable" list of all the blogs at the Home site.

We're loving the new stamps, paper, and tools in the Holiday catalog and want to share our excitement with you.  If you've been here before, you know I make and send a LOT of Christmas cards.  Since I don't really send cards for the other holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, I don't usually buy many holiday-specific products.  I like the set Tags 4 You because there's a stamp for each of the popular winter holidays, a nice generic "to: - from:" stamp, AND there's a matching punch, so it has a lot of versatility.  I used it for both of my projects.  For Halloween, I also used the washi tape, which Stampin' Up!® gave conventioneers this year:

stamp set - Tags 4 You; ink - Pumpkin Pie; card stock - Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla; washi tape - Witches' Brew; punches - 1/34" circle, Label Bracket: Big Shot with Chevron embossing folder; Stampin' Dimensionals  

I probably would have bought the washi tape if I hadn't brought it home from convention - the three coordinating rolls come in one low priced package, it's incredibly easy to use and makes a fun embellishment.

For Thanksgiving, I splurged on the fall designer series paper Sweater Weather because I like the colors and patterns, and they're not holiday specific.  I think Mindy likes, them, too - they're the colors she chose for Fab Friday 26.  I used the Just Us Girls sketch and the Sunburst piecing technique that's been popular recently:

stamp set - Tags 4 You; ink - Pumpkin Pie; card stock - Sahara Sand; designer series paper - Sweater Weather; punch - Label Bracket; 7/16" Natural trim; Stampin' Dimensionals

Because I do make and send a lot of Christmas cards, I bought the Festive Flurry stamp set and framelit bundle as soon as I could - you may have seen some of the cards I've made using it.  I also wanted to try making an ornament based on the package tag you can see on pages 12 and 13 in the Holiday catalog:

stamp set - Festive Flurry; ink - Metallic Encore Silver; card stock - Brushed Silver, Silver Glimmer, Whisper White;  Big Shot with Festive Flurry framelits; Antique brad

 

Unfortunately I forgot to order that fabulous 1/8" Silver ribbon on page 28, so it's not ready to hang yet, but I still have a little time.

Thanks for stopping by - it's always nice to have visitors.  Please hop on to Gail's Stamping and Other Stuff:

Or, if you're hopping in a different order, you can choose to go back or home:

 

 

 



 

Fall-i-days Thanksgiving Hop adventure

Fall-i-days Thanksgiving Llama Blog Hop

I missed the Halloween llama Fall-i-days blog hop; I hope you didn't.  But here we are, hopping again - I'm so happy to be back and to have you here - thanks for stopping by.  You've probably hopped here from Stephanie's blog.  Stephanie made our header and the buttons for home, previous, and next blogs; aren't they gorgeous?  Of course, so are her projects!  If you haven't been to her blog yet, the Previous button will take you there, or you can continue clicking the Next buttons through the whole hop and you'll come around to Stephanie, or you can go to the Home blog and find a link to each blog on the hop.  So many choices!

Since I was in Wisconsin on vacation while everyone else was showing Halloween projects, I'll start with my favorite Halloween card this year, for which I can take almost no credit - I did the stamping and assembling, but the design was from Carol, a fellow demonstrator, who taught us this card at our Star Struck Stampers team meeting in August:

stamp sets - Frightening Feline, Mixed Medley (hostess); ink - Basic Black, Tangerine Tango; card stock - Basic Black, Very Vanilla; designer series paper - Howlstooth & Scaringbone; punches - 3/4" circle, 1-1/4" scallop circle; 1/2" Basic Black/Basic Gray striped satin ribbon, stamping sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals 

Isn't it just adorable?  I learn so much from other demonstrators, and we have such a good time when we get together.  Oh, and there's always snacks, too - bonus!  When we met in September, Jeanne made the most delicious pumpkin dip, and I shared this card (which I CASE*d from a card I saw on Pinterest):

 

stamp sets - Gently Falling, Trust God; ink - Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Soft Suede; card stock - Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory; designer series paper - First Edition; punches - Extra Large Oval, Decorative Label; Crumb Cake 1/2" seam binding ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

 We also swap 3D items at our team meetings.  When I was a new demonstrator, I asked "What is a 3D item?" and the best definition I heard was, if it's not a card and not a scrapbook page, it's 3D.  So, I covered little composition books with the leaves left over from a Stamp-a-Stack project:

 stamp sets - Confetti, Fabulous Phrases, Pursuit of Happiness; ink - Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede; card stock - Cajun Craze, Early Espresso Core'dinations, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla; Big Shot with Wood grain textured impressions folder and Autumn Accents die, Stampin' sanding system

The Autumn Accents die cuts five shapes, and we cut four colors of card stock but then made two cards using one of each shape, so there were lots of spare leaf shapes.  Here's the sample Stamp-a-Stack card with one of the composition books; I think they'll make a nice "thank you" gift set:

   For more great Thanksgiving Fall-i-day ideas, hop on to Linda's blog, Nutty 4 Stamping.