A Blog Called Wanda - Photography, Paper Crafting, and Life from Northern California!

The Greetery – Flourished Thanks-giving Card!

Hi there my creative and crafty friends! Happy Friday! It is FINALLY starting to feel a bit like Fall here in Sacramento! It's my turn up on The Greetery Blog today to share a project with you! And of course I'm sharing here too! I am always so excited and happy to share with you. As you are well aware (LOL) I absolutely love Autumn…. So for my project today, I am continuing the Fall theme from last month's Greetery release, with warm colors and touches of gold. My card features the brand new Flourished Phrases – Thanks – stamps/stencils/dies. And also some of my previously released favorites! I'm getting a jump on Thanksgiving cards!

My finished card is a cream A2 card base. I started by stenciling the Airmail Border in yellow and brown inks to make the base layer for my card. Next I die cut a cream postal panel – keeping it clean and elegant. I stenciled the Flourished Phrases "Thanks" word in orange, brown and yellow – because those colors say Thanksgiving to me. I splattered on some gold paint too! I die cut the Thanks out with the matching Flourished Phrases Thanks die. I die cut a second piece using gold cardstock and layered them for just a touch of a gold shadow.

Next I die cut some pumpkins and corn stalks using the Autumn Harvest Dies. I gently inked the edges of those pieces to add a bit of contrast. I stamped Happy and Giving around the Thanks word to spell out Happy Thanksgiving! It's perfect! I assembled the card using foam tape to add layers and depth. I finished by adding just a few dark orange gems. It's all really warm and cheerful!

CLICK HERE to SEE THE SUPPLIES LIST FOR TODAY!

CLICK HERE to SEE THE SUPPLIES LIST FOR TODAY!

CLICK HERE to SEE THE SUPPLIES LIST FOR TODAY!

OOOOHHHHH I feel all warm and cozy inside now! And I want pie! Ha! I do love these Flourished Phrases – they are so pretty and fill up the entire card. You just have to add a few accent pieces…. I hope I've inspired you to do some fun Fall crafting! Have an awesome weekend my friends! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used in today's card (Affiliate Links Used)

September 13, 2024
Pretty Pink Posh – Autumn 2024 New Release Blog Hop! Autumn Apple Card!

Hello sweet crafty people! How are you doing this pre Autumn day!? It's so nice to have you visit me at A Blog Called Wanda! If you're new here – welcome! We like to have a good time here! Today is a fun celebration BLOG HOP of the new release for September – Fall/Autumn 2024 from Pretty Pink Posh! I am excited to be part of a big multi day blog hop to celebrate the awesome Fall new release – stamps, dies, stencils, and more! All with a whimsical, cute, happy Fall vibe. I do love everything crafty for Fall – leaves, pumpkins, apples, and sunflowers… Great news -the new release is available for shopping now! Enjoy the hop, and I'm excited to share a card with you today! I made another card with the new release and I'll share that next week! (hint, there's pie) Can't start early enough on the fall crafts!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE PPP NEW RELEASE!

If you're new to my blog because of the hop – I would love to have you subscribe to my newsletter! That way, you'll get an email every time I have a new project! CLICK HERE to subscribe now!

My card for today features the brand new Apple Shaker Dies and the brand new Fall Icons and Fall Foliage stamps and dies. September to me says "apple picking" and "apple donuts" LOLZ. How do you like them apples? Well, I like them very much! My finished card is a white A2 card base. Layered with classic red and classic gingham…. The kraft layer was die cut with the gorgeous Leafy Vines die. (love) I used the Apple Shaker Dies – but not as a shaker! I heat embossed that pretty new sentiment right on the front of the apple… It's SO cute. I stamped, colored and die cut out the little apple from the Fall Icons set and used that as an accent. A bit of twine and some paint splatters make it complete.

Well, I truly hope this new release puts you in the mood for the new Fall season!! It's so fun being part of this great blog hop!! The links to the other bloggers for today are at the very bottom of my post! Be sure to visit all the blogs and leave your comments!! Remember to come by next week and see the rest of my projects! It's my pleasure to share with you today! XOXO

PRIZE INFO: There are THREE $30 gift certificates up for grabs (one winner each day). Winners will be picked randomly from comments along the blog hop. All comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 9/16/2024. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog. GOOD LUCK!!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP AUTUMN 2024 NEW RELEASE!

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

BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY! ENJOY THE HOP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog
Amy Rysavy
Wanda Guess
Jill Hawkins
Leanne West
Debbie Frank
Melody Rupple
Lauren Taylor
Heather Hoffman

September 10, 2024
Seaside Tiny Town Cross Stitch Project!

Hello creative party people! Happy Friday! Happy Labor Day Weekend! The official end of Summer! Wishing you a wonderful long weekend full of fun in the sun! You know that I love Labor Day because that means that the “ber” months are here and Fall is right around the corner! What are you doing this weekend?? We are going to an 80’s concert Sunday night and I’m looking forward to fun and dancing in the aisles! Other than that I think we’re just hanging out here at home – and probably crafting!! I have my final Summer Cross Stitch of the year! And I finished last week -just in time to post. Now it’s going to be full – on Halloween stitching and then Christmas stitching! As you may remember, I have been working on the Tiny Town series and now I have completed three of them! I finished the Valentine Tiny Town this year and the Halloween Tiny Town last Fall! CLICK HERE to see all of the Tiny Towns patterns! I think I’ll do the Frosty Tiny Town Next!!

I just completed Seaside Tiny Town! It’s full of cute seashore buildings, crabs, a lighthouse and even a weathervane! I looooove the colors in this one!! One of my very favorite things about cross stitch is that it is easy to put in your tote and bring with you. I stitch in the car a lot – when waiting for appointments etc., or at the coffee shop (It always sparks a conversation and I have met the nicest people that way), at a friend’s house….anywhere! My friend and I have been meeting on Tuesdays to stitch and have coffee together! If you are a beginner, these Tiny Town patterns are super fun and easy to learn on!!

Details for this piece:

Finished size: 13″ x 3″

Pattern: Seaside Tiny Town by Heart in Hand

Floss: Called for fancy floss from Classic Colorworks and Weeks Dye Works

Fabric: 14 Aida in Vintage Taupe/Country Mocha

I wish I was going to this adorable seaside tiny town this weekend!! I can almost hear the seagulls and feel the cool breeze!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you soon with more projects! Take care, and happy crafting! XOXO

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August 30, 2024
The Greetery – Autumn Air Collection – Release Day! Yeah!

HEY FRIENDS!! EXCITING NEWS!!

THE GREETERY NEW RELEASE IS LIVE NOW!!

THE AUTUMN AIR COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!!

It was my pleasure to introduce the brand new and beautiful Autumn Air Collection to you this week!! And, I hope you love it as much as I do!! Happy Crafting!! If you scroll back to my last two blog posts – from yesterday and Tuesday, you can see all my projects from the new release, and the accompanying supply lists. If you have any questions – reach out!! Thanks for all the love and kind comments this week! Happy Creating! Can't wait to see what YOU make!

Thank you for shopping via my links -

it helps me so very much and I'm so grateful!! XOXO

August 29, 2024
The Greetery – Autumn Air Collection – New Release Day Two!

Welcome back to day two of the new Autumn Air release week from The Greetery!! How did you like yesterday's cards and theme? What do you love so far?? Are you an Autumn girlie like me? I'm so excited for fall to arrive. We had a day of rain last week and it was so delightful!! Thanks for the comments and for being here to share the excitement with me this week! It's my pleasure to be able to introduce the new Autmn Air items to you!! Be sure to look at yesterday's post to see my first three cards. I have three more projects to share today!! And then release day will be tomorrow, Thursday August 29th at 10am EST! Prize information, Supplies, and the links for today are all at the bottom of this post! Join me in some more fun today! I am super excited to share one fall card and two Halloween projects! Let's go!

SHOP THE NEW RELEASE ON THURSDAY AUGUST 29TH AT 10AM EST!

Today's first card features the brand new Grateful Greetings stamps/stencil/die combo and the brand new Autumn Crest stamp set. I also used previously released Might Oak Botanical Dies! (A favorite) My finished card is an A2 kraft card base. I layered a cream panel and then my focal images. I stenciled and die cut out the Grateful word and added a smaller sentiment on a banner. I used warm fall colors…. The leaves were die cut from colored cardstock and then ink blended and covered in coarse glitter!! A few hearts complete the look. This is a wonderful and special card for Thanksgiving. Makes me feel cozy!

This release includes some new Honeycomb products! Yeah! There are new Halloween Honeycombs – a spider, a pumpkin, a candy, and more! For my next card I featured the brand new Honeycomb Spider – but without the honeycomb. He is not a scary spider – he's friendly with his sparkly eyes!! I used the Plump Pumpkin dies and the Rustic Stars to create a happy Halloween greeting! I ink blended some yellow on my background scallop layer…. A few gems and white paint splatters are my accents.

My final project for today also features the brand new Halloween Honeycombs! I used the pumpkin and the candy ones to create some fun decorations. This is such a happy and cheery project!! I die cut the paper pieces from colored and glitter cardstock and then affixed the matching color honeycombs… I sprayed the honeycombs with shimmer spray, but it's kind of hard to see in the photo – it's a subtle touch that looks pretty in person! I made banners from the Tear Strip Tags and added BOO! to each one, using the Tear Strip Tags Halloween stamp set. These would be great in some cupcakes (trim the straws shorter) or as table decorations. I used paper straws and attached the honeycomb elements to the straws using my hot glue gun.

That's it friends! It's been a pleasure sharing the AUTUMN AIR Collection new release with you! Thank you for your support and kind comments – and for sharing my enthusiasm for The Greetery. We all love The Greetery! Have a great day! Happy Shopping tomorrow!! And Happy Labor Day weekend this weekend! XOXO

PRIZES INFO: Betsy will be giving away $50 gift cards as part of the new release week. To enter to win, please leave a comment on everyone's blog posts for today and yesterday! She will announce the winners on The Greetery Blog!! YEAH!!

THE NEW RELEASE IS LIVE TOMORROW 8/29 AT 10AM EST!!

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING VIA MY AFFILIATE LINKS – IT HELPS SO MUCH!!

CLICK HERE to see all the supplies I used in today's projects! I will update the links when the new release goes live! (Affiliate Links Used)

DESIGN TEAM LINKS FOR TODAY'S INSPIRATION!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

August 28, 2024
The Greetery – Autumn Air Collection – New Release Day One!

Hello, my creative, talented and crafty friends! It's a gooooood day today! It's time for a warm, wonderful, classy and amazing new release from The Greetery! The new release is just in time for us to celebrate Fall and it's VERY pretty!! It's also FUN – because there are some cute Halloween items too! The release is called Autumn Air! Think leaves and florals, and beautiful sentiments, and more! You're gonna love it. It's warm and inviting and you know me, I used LOTS of fall colors!! The design team will be sharing products and projects today and tomorrow and then the new release will be available for shopping on Thursday, August 29th at 10am EST! Just two more days to wait. I had a really fun time with this release – it's right up my alley! Because we all know I'm a Fall girlie! I'm excited to share it with you.

SHOP THE NEW RELEASE THURSDAY AUGUST 29TH, AT 10AM EST!

I will be sharing three cards today, and two cards and one other project tomorrow. The cards for today all have a theme of gratitude and warmth Perfect for all the Fall occasions and holidays. Every card has golden yellows and pretty oranges… Loads of beautiful inspiration from the entire design team for the next two days. My supplies, prize information, and links to everyone's blogs are all at the bottom of this post. Let's get started! YEAH!

My first card today features the brand new Oakwood stamp/stencil/die combo in a GORGEOUS leaf cluster! My card also features the brand new Pierced Plaid die for the background on the arch. My finished card is an A2 cream card base and I stamped and stenciled with autumnal toned Distress Inks. I used my MISTI to get the perfect placement of the leaf veins… I heat embossed the sentiment in gold embossing. I used the Square Dance Die for my background. Pretty arches, a touch of vellum, and gold paint splatters complete the look. This is one of my favorite things Betsy has ever made – those leaves are divine!!!

My second card today features the brand new Autumn Crest stamp/die/stencil combo along with the brand new Crest #1 die. I also featured the previously released Autumn Harvest Dies for the pumpkins… My finished card is an A2 cream card base layered with rust paper, more cream cardstock and just a touch of vellum. I ink blended the crest background to make the sentiment pop out more! I used brown gems as accents and also (you know me) gold paint touches. These branches are so elegant and pretty – perfect for a Thanksgiving greeting.

My third card for today features the brand new Mum's The Word stamps/stencil/die combo along with the brand new Strength for Today stamps and dies (LOVE). My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with gingham and then a pretty stitched oval inside to highlight the sentiment. The sentiment is heat embossed in gold and I added a bit of aqua ink blending to balance out all that delicious yellow. I am a November baby so this is my birth month flower! So old fashioned and feminine…. This is a really pretty set, and when you use the dies, it makes a perfect flower frame. I used pearls as my accents here…

That's all for today, but I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the new release! Thank you for your support and kind comments – and for sharing my enthusiasm for The Greetery. We all love The Greetery! Have a blessed and happy day! See you tomorrow bright and early! XOXO

PRIZES INFO: Betsy will be giving away some $50 gift cards as part of the new release week. To enter to win, please leave a comment on everyone's blog posts for today and tomorrow! She will announce the winners on The Greetery Blog as usual!! YEAH!!

THE NEW RELEASE IS LIVE THURSDAY 8/29 AT 10AM EST!!

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING VIA MY AFFILIATE LINKS – IT HELPS SO MUCH!!

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

DESIGN TEAM LINKS FOR TODAY!! ENJOY THE NEW RELEASE REVEALS!!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

August 27, 2024
Pretty Pink Posh – Halloween New Release 2024 – More Halloween! I want Candyyyyy!

Hello my friends! As promised, I'm back with MORE Halloween projects I made with the awesome new release from Pretty Pink Posh! Yippeeeee! Today, it's all about the candy! Candy corn, and candy buckets! Today is also a big Instagram Hop for the new release, so if you're on Instagram, be sure to pop over and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize!! I have two more projects to show you today and they are both classic Halloween! Bright and colorful and plain old fun. To see my other projects from the new release – CLICK HERE!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP RELEASE – HALLOWEEN 2024!

First up is this overflowing candy bucket that looks just like a happy meal pail from years gone by. PPP nailed this concept and this die set is so great! I die cut out a bright orange pail and filled it with lots of candies, stars and more! Just what you want your pail to look like when you get home from trick or treating! I ink blended and stenciled the background in golden yellow and put the sentiment right onto the lid. Lots of glitter paper and glitter glue, some splatters, and white gel pen accents complete the look. Oh and a spider too! Ha. My finished card is an A2 white card base layered with orange and white gingham of course. This card is a party!! All the supplies are HERE or at the bottom of my post.

Here's a side view to see my layers and assembly. And you can see all the shimmer and shine!!

Here is my ink blended and stenciled background layer. The yellow makes it all 'glowy' I think!

I stamped the sentiment directly onto the pumpkin bucket lid…and it fit perfectly. Such a cheery card!

Next up I made some pretty and retro Candy Corn treat bags! I used the new Candy Corn Shaker Dies along with the Halloween Icons stamps and dies and the Halloween Sentiment Strips. I used glassine treat bags and filled them with Candy Corn – it's prefect! The candy corn shapes are lined with gingham papers in the yellow, orange and white color scheme. I filled each section with sparkly gems from my stash and ink blended the white outer shape to match the colors of the candy. I stamped and die cut little pumpkins to put on the twine bows. The sentiments were heat embossed on black paper using white embossing powder – again – keeping it classic. I do really love to make these glassine bags!! I always include some doilies for the right look. The bags were splattered with black paint and then I also added some gems… Can't wait to give these away! All the supplies for this project are HERE or at the bottom of this post.

A close up of the tiny little tags! LOVE!!

That's it (for now) of my projects for the new PPP Halloween 2024 release! Boy, I hope you can tell how much fun I had making everything. Truly a joy to create with these stamps and dies. I am ready for Fall and all the things…. Take care today friends.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP RELEASE!

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

August 20, 2024
The Greetery – Holly Vintage Christmas Card!

Hi there my creative and crafty friends! I'm back – two days in a row! August is always that strange time each year…when one day I'm posting Fall projects, one day it's Halloween projects and the very next day it's Christmas projects! Ha! Everyone is trying to get all their holiday new releases out in time for us all to make our cards and other things! So today….it's Christmas! Today is my day up on The Greetery Blog today to share. And of course I'm posting here on my blog too. The inspiration came from the beautiful Birth Month Blooms Cuttables from the recent new Greetery release. I just loved the Holly graphic and felt a vintage Christmas card would show it off! It's never too early to start making your holiday cards, right?!

My finished card is an A2 cream card base, layered with green argyle patterned paper, a kraft layer, and then a pretty tag. I went with a vintage vibe in rich classic holiday colors, with gold accents. All my supplies are listed HERE or at the bottom of my post!

I started by die cutting out the cream tag using the Speed Tagging Die Set, and a cream circle using the Sentiment Suite Basics Die Set. I also die cut the Holly Cuttables using the matching dies. I die cut a gold snowflake using the Snowflakes #2 Dies and gold glitter cardstock.

I inked the edges of the tag and the circle using Distress Inks and a foam dauber. I stamped the words Holly, and Hope using the Birth Month Q4 stamp set and the Comfort and Joy stamp set. I used brown ink to stamp the words for a more vintage look. Here's a side view of all my layers and pieces.

I splattered the tag and holly using gold paint and I also splattered gold paint on the green argyle part. I used twine, a button and a pearl from my stash to embellish the top of the tag. I assembled everything using foam tape for dimension on the card.

That's it for my project for today! I hope you have a fantastic and creative day! I look forward to sharing with you again soon. In the meantime, happy crafting! XO Wanda

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

August 14, 2024
Pretty Pink Posh August 2024 New Release Blog Hop – Halloween is here!

Hi ghoulfriends! How are you this lovely late Summer week?! It's so nice to have you visit me at A Blog Called Wanda! If you're new here – welcome! We like to have a good time here! Today is a fun celebration BLOG HOP of the new release for August – Halloween 2024 from Pretty Pink Posh! I am excited to be part of a big multi day blog hop to celebrate the awesome Halloween new release – stamps, dies, stencils, and more! All with a fun/cute/spooky vibe. It's adorable, and bright and cheerful and happy with just a bit of spooky!! Great news -the new release is available for shopping now! Enjoy the hop, and I'm excited to share some cards with you today! I made LOTS of projects and I'll be sharing the rest of them next week. Can't start early enough on the fall crafts!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW RELEASE!

If you're new to my blog because of the hop – I would love to have you subscribe to my newsletter! That way, you'll get an email every time I have a new project! CLICK HERE to subscribe now!

My first card today features the awesome new Candy Bucket Dies and the new Stitched Ghosts Dies! Gosh, these dies are SO great! It's a set of buckets that look like the old Happy Meal buckets of days gone by. Such fun memories! I used bright lime green to make a Frankenstein bucket and it came out so cool! I added some cute ghosties coming out of the top and a fun sentiment too! I tried something different and used PINK for my background ink blending! I kinda like it because it's different…. And pink and green is always a winning color combo. I used graphic gingham, white gel pen accents and a few gems to finish it off. The finished card is an A2 white card base. All the supplies are HERE or at the bottom of my post!!

A side view to show the layers and assembly…

The sentiment is perfection!!!

My craft room is haunted! (They're cute though!!) Hee hee.

I ink blended just the top of my white panel and faded to white at the bottom….

My second card is a POP UP card, again featuring those SUPER cute ghosties!! This was the first idea that popped into my head when I saw the ghost dies! A gang of ghosties! I just adore their facial expressions. They are having a GOOD time for sure! I assembled my pop up card base using white cardstock and used orange plaid for the accent papers. I used the new Batty about You set for the sentiment and a bright orange Stitched Pumpkin for the front. Oh, and I couldn't resist a few bats too! This card folds down flat and I would use an A4 envelope to make sure it fits in – since I extended over the top of the back panel. It's hard to see, but the ghosties have glitter accents on them, and cute pink cheeks done with Copics. All the supplies for this card are HERE or at the bottom of my post!

A side view of my layers and assembly…

And a top down view so you can see how I placed them inside the pop up base.

I shaded the pumpkin with a bit of orange ink and a blender brush. White pen accents on everything too!

Here is the card folded down flat for mailing!

My third card for today! I couldn't stop making things! This card features the brand new Bat Shaker Dies and the Batty About You Stamp set!! I chose purple and black for a moody color palette. My finished card is an A2 card base layered with purple plaid! The background of the bat shaker is grey gingham and I filled it with the new Halloween Magic Beads. I stenciled the background using purple and yellow inks… And stamped some extra bats behind the big shaker bat. Can a bat be cute? I think he is! LOL. All the supplies for this card are HERE or at the bottom of my post.

Here's a top down view of the shaker bat!!

The perfect sentiment!!

Well, if this new release doesn't put you in the mood for spooky season, I don't know what will! LOLZ. That's it for my projects for today!! It's so fun being part of this great blog hop!! The links to the other bloggers for today are at the very bottom of my post! Be sure to visit all the blogs and leave your comments!! Remember to come by next week and see the rest of my projects! It's my pleasure to share with you today! XOXO

PRIZE INFO: There are THREE $30 gift certificates up for grabs (one winner each day). Winners will be picked randomly from comments along the blog hop. All comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 8/19/2024. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog. GOOD LUCK!!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PPP HALLOWEEN RELEASE!

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

BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY! ENJOY THE HOP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog
Cathy Zielske
Amy Rysavy
Kristie Marcotte
Wanda Guess
Gemma Campbell
Jeannie Lieu
Debbie Frank
Lisa Mears

August 13, 2024
New Release Week from Pretty Pink Posh! Halloween! Yeah!

One of my favorite releases of the year every year – the PPP Halloween Release – is LIVE now! Here are some sneak peeks. I've made five projects (so far) and I'll be sharing everything starting tomorrow. If you want a jump on shopping – here's your cue! It's SO GREAT!! See you tomorrow morning with my first set of cards! XOXO Happy Monday!

SHOP THE PPP HALLOWEEN RELEASE HERE!

August 12, 2024