Not Halloween!

It's a strange time of year for those of us making cards in the Antipodes - not only are there lots of autumnal colours, but Halloween approaches - which isn't really a big thing down our way - well, not like it seems to be in the USA, anyway.
When I saw the colour combination from CAS Colours and Sketches #337: Garden Green, Soft Suede and Pumpkin Pie, I decided that I'd steer clear of the Halloween associations (even the name of the orange speaks to the season!) and go, instead, with The Male Room's #119 'Autumn' suggestion instead.
I clear embossed the orange leaves and the sentiment (thank you, Stamparatus!) to add texture. I love running my fingers over the embossing on some book covers, so it thrills me to be able to add my own.

Ingredients:
Stampin' Up card, (Whisper White, Garden Green), Grapefruit Grove foil, ink, (Garden Green, Soft Suede and Pumpkin Pie,) stamps (Totally Trees, Thoughtful Banners), clear embossing powder.
Other - Memento Tuxedo Black ink

One layer card for men

I was very excited to discover a challenge that caters for cards for men  - it will give me the impetus to make more! So thank you, The Male Room - and thanks for your current challenge TMR#109 - anything goes, with a one-layer twist. I opted for simple and one of my favourite ever Stampin' Up! sets, Totally Trees. I daubed the colour on to the stamps, so that the whole effect was muted rather than strong. As for the colours, I turned, for the second time, to the colour combo in Sunday Stamps latest challenge, SSC203, choosing, this time, the more 'masculine' options:

Here's the card:

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up! Thick Whisper White card, ink, (Elegant Eggplant, Mossy Meadow, Crushed Curry, Memento Black), and stamps (Totally Trees, Thoughtful Banners)

Father's Day

Father's Day is fast approaching in New Zealand, so I turned to two challenges as inspiration for a card for Dad. I returned to Global Design Project's 100th challenge and chose another designer to CASE - this time, Louise Sharp's crisp card. I combined her layout with the colours from CAS Colours and Sketches' Challenge #236: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral and Crushed Curry.
I hope Dad enjoys the result:

Made using: 

Stampin' Up:

Inks: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Basic Black and Smoky Slate

Paper: Whisper White and Bermuda Bay

Stamps: Totally Trees and Thoughtful Banners

Punch: Banners

Other products: MFT Horizontal Stitched Strips, Sizzix Tag Collection Framelits, American Crafts string

Fusion birthday

I often find that being given a task with tight constraints, like the most recent Fusion Challenge, forces me to think creatively in a way that more open challenges don't. It's oddly satisfying to work with not much 'elbow room'. For this card, I chose to include both the sketch and elements from the photo (which I've copied below).

Made using:

Paper: Stampin' Up - Basic black, Whisper White, gold foil and some scraps left over from my daughter's creative attempts years ago...

Ink: Stampin' Up - Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Pool Party, Memento - Black

Other: Stampin' Up Circle Dies, Enamel Shapes and Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set

Stampin' Royalty Challenge SR#345

I'm continuing my love affair with Stampin' Up's Totally Trees stamp set and so decided to use it for this colour challenge (Delightful Dijon, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler). I sponged the background onto water colour paper, and liked the texture of the trees when I stamped onto that slightly rougher surface.

Made using: 

Card: Stampin' Up's Basic Black, Delightful Dijon, TAD The Art Department watercolour paper

Ink: Stampin' Up's Delightful Dijon, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: Stampin' Up's Totally Trees, Thoughful Branches (for the sentiment).