Its a quiet Friday night and sorts dreary and rainy out.  Yet I am in a cheery mood because I am home stamping!  My first project had to be this weeks challenge for Global Design Project #GDP 055!  It is a theme challenge and the theme is Random Acts of Kindness.  What better stamp set to pull out than Kinda Eclectic?  I had been eyeing this set for a while thinking I wanted to pull it out again and try something.  This challenge is the perfect opportunity.  And I decided to challenge myself and only use the Stampin’ Up 2016-2018 In Colors!  They are bright and cheery and looking at these colors is a good way to spend a rainy evening.

If you want some ideas for wonderful, heartwarming cards, check out Global Design Projects #GDP 055 Random Acts of Kindness entries.  There are some wonderful  ideas for Thanks You cards, Thinking of You cards and just a lot of “feel good” card designs.

The Kinda Eclectic set has been around for a few years.  It was a free set at a Stampin Up Convention one year.  We really do get spoiled with lots of free goodies at Stampin’ Up events.  This little set has been one of my favorites since I got it, but it has been sitting neglected for about a year now and I was happy to get it out for this card.

The color scheme was easy.  The challenge I made for myself was to use all In Colors.  Each time a new In Color group of 5 colors is introduced, they are all designed to complement one another.  The 2016-2018 suite of In Colors has really been a favorite.  I have to admit I was slow to warm up to these. At first, I did not think they played well together at all.  They seemed overly bright the first time I saw them. But now I don’t know what I would do with out Emerald Envy and Dapper Denim! And I have another card coming up Monday in these new In Colors!

Well, I am glad to be stamping!  October is a busy month, but I feel really creative!

Recipe

Papers: Whisper White, Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Sweet Sugarplum
Stamps: Kinda Eclectic
Embellishments: Thick Baker’s Twine(I am not sure what color!)
Tools: Elegant Butterfly, Bitty Butterfly Punches

Camping for me means having to stay in a Econo Lodge vs a Marriott Hotel. And that is as far out in the wild as I want to be.  Yet, when I saw this darling little camper set, I had to have it!  While I don’t imagine being brave enough to ever vacation in a camper, this stamp was a “must have”!  My brother and sister both camp with their families and love it. They are always on big adventures in the wilds of Florida. So, while I won’t be camping, I will certainly have some great cards to send them!

This was another card I did for a mail-in swap. It was an “anything in the Occasions” type swap and after doodling around with this camper, Halloween was what appealed to me the most. The little Jack-0-Lantern in the window is just too cute!  And the chance to do a halloween card too good to pass up.

The set is incredibly versatile.  There are decorations for Christmas, Birthdays, Halloween, Beach, etc.  There is even a flamingo yard ornament!  How great is that?

I can see a lot of fun stamping on the way with this little guy. So, I guess I do get to enjoy a cute camper without the bother of being without heat or air conditioning. Definitely my type of camper!

Recipe

Papers: Halloween Night DSP, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Stamps: Glamper Greetings, Spooky Fun
Embellishments: Halloween Night Baker’s Twine

Finally!  I am back to posting!  It has been an “all hands to the pump” few weeks for work and I simply haven’t had time to stamp or post!  But I hope that has ended for a while and I can get my nights back!  I did do 2 swap cards over the Labor Day weekend for a mail in Christmas Card swap that had to get done.  Today’s card is one of those.  I used my hands down favorite stamp set, Christmas Pines, from the Holiday Occasions catalog.

I knew I wanted to use a paper from the Presents and Pinecones Suite. But I was a bit stymied as to what paper in the Presents & Pinecones DSP that wouldn’t compete with the die cut pieces.  Finally I eyed the Delightful Dijon Paper with the stars and I had a winner! I also chose a Mint Macaron with a subtle design.  All that was layered on Cherry Cobbler and I had an unusual but unmistakably Christmas card!

I high recommend both the Christmas Pines stamp set and the Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies.  The pinecones in this set have texture and you have 3 choices, which create more interest in a card. I can see endless possibilities using this for holiday decor, tags, bag decoration and of course Christmas cards!

In fact, I die cut lots of extra pieces when making my swap cards so I could sit down and create when an idea came to mind.  Its one of my best tips for using these types of die sets. If you have plenty of pieces on hand, it is easy to create!

Recipe

Papers: Presents & Pinecones DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Emerald Envy, Mint Macaron
Stamps: Christmas Pines
Tools: Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Big Shot