Last Bloom of the Year

So yesterday was a beautiful late autumn day. A bit of filtered sun, some 60 degree temperatures, and a very light occaisonal breeze. I went out and did a bunch of raking and snapped this photo of one of my rose bushes which is still happily blooming these pretty orangy-red blooms. There isn't much else left in bloom, the trees are basically bare and everything in the gardens has died back.

I love this.

So besides raking yesterday I made some cards- but it was one of those studio afternoons that took awhile for me to get into my groove. I threw away more than 1 attempt and did some chopping and cropping to make some of my attempts into usable cards. I was feeling a bit "pressured" since I am getting ready for the craft fair on 12/3, but I needed to get myself out of that mind frame. I think I am pretty much card prepared...but this is the week I need to get really prepared...a little here...a little there.

AND...TONY STEWART WON THE CHASE!!! THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING RACE I HAVE EVER WATCHED! IT HAD ME ON MY SEAT WITH TONY STEWART COMING BACK FROM BEHIND MORE THAN ONCE! WOW! AND THERE WERE 33 LAPS LEFT WHEN HE ONCE AGAIN CAME AHEAD AND JUST SITTING THERE HOLDING MY BREATH AND HOPING HE DIDN'T RUN OUT OF GAS!

wow!

So here's another Thanksgiving card I made using a bunch of die cuts and embossing folders. I used this great mustard colored cardstock, and some bamboo-ish looking paper, as well as some embossed grungeboard and some orange paper. I used 2 different Sizzix dies, the pumpkin is from the Seasonal set that Sizzix puts out- it is 12 different Sizzlet dies. I cut it in  organge and did a but of coloring. Then I went and use Tim Holtz's new strip die to cut the leaves, branches and acorns. Then I stamped the saying with 3 stamps. The Give Thanks and the family and friends part is using 2 different older Hero Arts stamps and to connect them I used a Technique Tuesday "for" word.

And one more card for your Monday. Lately I've been making some inchie mosaic cards which is a great mental exercise. Plus, they go so fast! What I have been doing is taking some cards I made a couple years ago (that are sitting in my card stash box that I didn't really like and never used) and I am using a square punch to chop them up. Then I have been reassembling the images into some some new cards. This card has inches made with Oxford Impressions Casablanca set stamps and Technique Tuesdays' similarly named Casablanca set. I also used some 7Gypsies tape, a Sizzix flower die, a Martha Stewart punch to make the center of the flower and some Viva bronze dimensional pearls to finish off the flower. All this is added to onto a green cardstock background.

So that is it for today. Hope your week starts in great way!