Golden Birthday

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Ours was low key, but that was a nice change of pace after the busy-ness of the past month.  Our youngest even treated my husband and I to the movies last night....saw "Silver Linings Playlist", and other than the profanity, it was a really good movie!  It's de-decorating day at our house today, so I guess I better quit gabbing and get on to my card for you today!

My niece Dawn is celebrating her "golden birthday" today (31 years old on Dec. 31) and here is the card I made for her:

Lighting was not the best this weekend (cloudy and snow), but I think you can get the idea!  I am still totally in LOVE with this SU stamp "Blooming with Kindness", so you will probably be seeing a lot of it in the future.  That's the whole beauty of stamping though...using one stamp in many different ways to get your moneys worth!  This is a larger card and I started with a 5 1/2" square base with SU's Whisper White cs.  I stamped the flower image on Whisper White using SU's Pumpkin Pie ink first, and then dabbing SU's Cherry Cobbler around the edges of the petals and a little in the center of the flower.  I cut out the flower using a circle die (Spellbinders), sponged around the edges with Cherry Cobbler, layered another circle behind it, and then layered again with a larger scalloped circle cut out in Cherry Cobbler cs.  I used some scraps of design paper (aren't you proud of me Steph, and even on a Scrappy Monday, no less!!) behind the main image to take away from the all white background and also added a few silver nailheads (Gina K) to bling it up a little.  My final touch was to add a little banner with the birthday sentiment (PTI's "Blooming Button Bits" stamp set), a small bow, and another silver nailhead.  I was quite pleased with the way it turned out and hope my niece likes it too! :0)

I have one more picture to share with you today too.  My sister-in-law suprised me with a gift this Christmas, and I'd like to introduce you to "Diablo":

 
Is he not the cutest, or what?!!!  Shari has been making these "Yo Yo" pets (the bodies are made from LOTS of circles of material that sewn around, gathered, and then strung on heavy elastic cording) all fall, and had shown me some of the patterns and I jokingly told her I'd take one of the reindeer ones.  I completely forgot all about it, but Shari didn't and suprised me with "Diablo" on Christmas Day.  She named him "Diablo" she said, because his head was a real pain to put together and she'd had to do it many times over before it looked just right.  Apparently being anal about our crafts runs in the family! :0)  Anyway, I think he is just too cute, and will not put him away just yet!

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing a part of your day with me.  Have fun celebrating New Year's Eve this evening and I'll see you all next year! :0) 

COLOR!!!

Good morning friends!  We have woken up to a blanket of white in my neck of the woods, and my dogs are overjoyed!  Our oldest dog Brinkley lies right down in it like he's been roasting for months and can finally cool down...what a goofball!  Anyway, on to cardmaking!  As much as I love making Christmas cards, I'm kinda tired of using red and green, and am more than ready to start using color again!  Yesterday I posted an all white card, and the card I'd like to share with you today is the same flowerpot card, but done in color (this was my mom's Mother's Day card this past year).  Take a look:

I won't go into all the detail of making this card, as you can look at yesterday's post for that.  When I made this, I was trying to match the colors to a flat of Impatients I had gotten my mom.  Most of the time I use SU's card stock, but I had trouble matching on this one and ended up using some different peaches and cream colors from my local scrapbboking store.  I did use SU's Always Artichoke for all the greenery.  And the flowerpot is a tan dotted swiss (local SS) sponged in SU's Soft Seude.

This is what the card looks like when you pull the top part up to see the message.  I did add a ribbon pull for my mom on the back and explained to her what she needed to do to open it, or she would have destroyed the card trying!

And here is the basket I made (PTI's basket die) to put a few of the flowers in to match the card.  Kind of hard to tell in the photo, but the basket is made with the same tan dotted swiss cs and then a dark green ribbon (Michael's) added around it.

Well that's all for today.  I have one more Christmas get together that I need to go get ready for, but I'll be back again tomorrow with some more color!  Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and thanks so much for stopping by and sharing a part of your day with me...I LOVE it when you do! :0)

PTI's December 2012 Blog Hop

The challenge for Papertrey Ink's December 2012 Blog Hop is to make an all white card (harder than you think and even harder to photograph!), so here's my take on it:

I chose to do a flowerpot pocket card (the flowers are added to the top of a 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 base that you can pull up from the flowerpot to add your message) for the challenge, and used 3 different PTI die's.  The flowerpot itself is a 9 x 3 1/2 piece of SU's Whisper White cs, scored at 2" and 5 1/2" and then trimmed on a diagonal to make the bottom of the pot smaller than the top.  I lightly stamped SU's "Weathered" background stamp with SU's Going Grey ink on the flowerpot just to give it a slightly different color than the flowers.  The largest flower is PTI's "Notched Flowers" die, cut out with American Crafts POW white glitter paper.  I distressed the edges a bit with the edge of my scissors to give a little depth to the flower, and then added a pearl and gold brad (the Paper Studio) to the center.  The next largest flower is PTI's "Bloom Builders" die cut out of vellum and a large white pearl added to the center of it.  The 2 smaller flowers are cut from PTI's Flower Fusion #12 die - one with the same glitter paper as the largest flower and the other with SU's Shimmery White paper.  One has a pearl center and the other has a large clear gemstone (Michael's).  The larger leaves are cut with SU's Sizzlits Little Leaves and the smaller leaves are from the MS branch punch.  You can click on the picture to see a little more of the detail...as I mentioned earlier it's hard to photograph and pick up on all the details.  I thought this would make a perfect wedding or Mother's Day card.

Check out Nichole's blog (http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/) to see the rest of the challenge entries...there are some absolutely beautiful cards on display!  Thanks for stopping by today and checking out my all white card...it's actually kind of appropriate as I look out my window and see Old Man Winter finally making an appearance in my neck of the woods!  Have a great rest of your day! :0)

JOYfully Announcing the Birth of a Son

                                            Wishing all of you a very blessed CHRISTmas!

Musical Reindeer

Good morning friends.  Just a quick post of one of my Christmas cards for this year, using a Tim Holtz die set (and no, Sue... no actual sheet music was destroyed to make these cards! :0)  Take a look:

These were so easy and fun to make!  Simply a kraft cs base folded the long way and stamped with SU's French Script background stamp in SU's Soft Seude ink, a 2 1/4 x 4 1/4 piece of dp (both are from Hobby Lobby), red sheer ribbon (Michael's), and then the deer cut from music dp (Hobby Lobby) and the numbers from SU's Cherry Cobbler cs.  The part that took the longest was spongeing all the edges to give the card that vintage look. 

Well lots still to do today, so must be off!  (wrapping, wrapping, and more wrapping!  We cut way back this year, so how can I still have so much wrapping to do?!!! Think it's the family size that is growing! :0)  And yes, I'm as anal about my wrapping as I am about my cards, so it does take me longer to get it all done!  Hey, I am what I am!!!)  Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas Eve day and I'll be back with a really quick post tomorrow of my all time favorite Christmas card that shows what Christmas is really all about.  Thanks for stopping by...I LOVE it when you do! :0) 

Make it Monday #96

Good morning friends.  Sorry about no post yesterday - our internet was down!  We're back up and running today though, so I'd like to share a card I made for PTI's Make it Monday #96 challenge.  Take a look:

The challenge was to use up your scraps using "Patchwork Die Cuts".  Melissa Phillips (PTI designer - "Lilybeans Paperie") made an absolutely beautiful card for Valentines Day using heart shaped dies, and while I didn't want to totally copy Melissa's card, I did really like the idea of using a heart shape to make the patchwork design.  You simply use 4 different pieces of coordinating scraps and cut out 4 hearts.  You can then cut your hearts (or whatever shape you choose) down the center and then accross, so you have 16 pieces total.  You only need 4 pieces to make the heart again, but you now have enough pieces to make 4 cards.  I backed my heart with another scalloped shaped heart (SU's Real Red cs) to make it pop against the kraft cs layer.  Melissa also stitched on her heart, but since I can't seem to sew on card stock without making a mess, I opted to use a white gel pen to make the stitching marks.  I also added a Cheery Lynn Die (Holly Flourishes) cut from kraft cs and spritzed with Irredescent Gold Glimmer Mist, a computer generated sentiment cut out with SU's Decorative Label punch, and PTI's "Holly Jolly" holly dies, to finish off the card.  It's simple, but I really like how it turned out.  This is definitely a technique I'll try again! :0)

That's all for today friends.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Thinking of You

Good morning friends.  Today I'd like to share a card with you I made using a stamp that I've had for years and never used (gasp...I know, I know...it's a sickness that's like hoarding, and I'm very guilty of it!!).  I was actually looking for something else when I found this stamp (and never did find!!) and thought I would give it a try.  It's a stamp by "Judith", and is a simple, single Pointsettia leaf, that you just keep stamping till you achieve the fullness of the flower you want.  Take a look:

I started with SU's Certainly Celery ink and stamped the four leaves on SU's Whisper White cs.  I then simply filled in the rest of the leaves with SU's Melon Mambo (LOVE this color!!!), added 3 silver nailheads (Gina K) to the center of the flower, and then stamped the sentiment (PTI's "Winter Hills") with black Stazon ink.  I trimmed this layer a little smaller than the card base (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") and then used pop dots to raise the layer up a little bit.  I made a bunch of these cards and stamped them all with a "Thank You" sentiment on them, and then had to use them already before remembering to take a picture of them!  This card is going out in the mail today to a friend who is battleing some health issues right now and could probably use a bright and cheery card!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! :0)

A Snowman Thank You

Good morning friends.  A quick post today.  I'd like to share a card I made yesterday from a couple dollar stamps my cousin Sue gave me at our family Christmas get together this weekend.  Take a look:

I kept it very simple and used the round snowflake stamp (Craft smart at Michael's) for my background in SU's Bashful Blue.  I also added another small snowflake stamp from my stash to fill in some of the white space.  I sponged around the edges of the card base, and then added crystal Stickles to the centers and points of the large snowflakes.  The snowman image (Craft smart at Michael's) I stamped in black and then used a Copic marker (B21) to color in his scarf, buttons and hat trim.  I sponged around the image in SU's Bashful Blue and matted with American Crafts POW silver glitter paper.  I added a sheer white ribbon (Michael's) before adding the layered snowman image, and then finished with a little tag (PTI's "Tiny Tags") that says Thank You.  For just a couple dollar stamps, I think this card turned out really cute!!  Thanks Sue! :0)

Have a wonderful Tuesday friends and thanks for stopping by.  Remember to tell those close to you that they are loved!! :0)

Christmas Angel

Good morning friends.  I hope you all had a good weekend.  I hesitate to say "great" or "wonderful", as I think everyone, everywhere, struggled with heavy hearts this weekend.  In a world that seems to have lost it's moral compass, I guess we need to remember to take each day as the gift it was meant to be and to let those special to us know they are loved on a daily basis and not just once in a while.  Please remember to keep those 27 families in your prayers for weeks and months, as they all have such long roads ahead of them, and to not take a single day for granted!

The card I'd like to share with you today is another Lily of the Valley, and because of the amount of work that goes into these particular cards, they are not ones that I "mass" produce.  I made 4 of these cards for 4 of my good friends...take a look:

I still have a lot of little kid in me and love to color...I just use big girl crayons (Copics) now instead of Crayola's!  Don't you just love her little pixie face?!  I stamped her on SU's Whisper White cs with Momento's Tuxedo black ink, and then colored her with assorted Copics.  I added a little glitter to her wings (click on picture to enlarge and see better) and then used one of my circle Spellbinders dies to cut her out.  I mounted my circle onto a larger scalloped circle cut out in SU's Real Red cs.  I did not mount the scalloped red circle to the design paper (We R Memory Keepers "White Out") as I wanted the back side to be stamped with "Merry Christmas" and the year "2012".  My vision with this card was to be able to have the image used as a Christmas ornament that could be hung on the tree (or anywhere), so I also cut out another white circle and another red scalloped circle and mounted them back to back, stamped my sentiment and year, punched a tiny hole at the top and attached to the red ribbon at the top with a silver cord that could be untied by the recipient and tied to their own Christmas tree.  Hope that makes sense!  I just wanted to make the card "useable"! :0)  I added a couple red tulip flourishes (Provo Craft die) in the bottom corners with a red half backed pearl attached to each to finish off the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your Monday with me...I SO appreciate each and every one of you who are sharing my journey with me!  God bless!! 

Frosty Friends

Good morning friends.  I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of snow, but I can appreciate the beauty of freshly fallen snow, and I love going out at this time of year at night to look at Christmas lights.  However, the Christmas lights need a little bit of snow to make them "glow" even more, and I'm thinking that that may not happen this year in "my neck of the woods".  I know I'm being really picky here, but I would like just a little bit of the "white stuff" till Christmas, and then I don't need any more till next December!  I know, I'm asking for a LOT!  Anyway, guess I'll just have to make my snow inside with this irresistable group of friends...take a look:

This is a new single stamp this year from Stampin Up, and of course being a snowman lover, I just HAD to have it! :0)  I also made this as one of my cards for sale this year, so I knew I needed to keep it clean and simple enough to mass produce...I think I accomplished that!  I simply stamped the image on SU's Whisper White cs with SU's Midnight Muse ink, and then used my Copic marker (R29) to color in a few of the details.  I added a little bit of glitter (if you click on the image to make it larger, you'll be able to see this better) to make the card "sparkle", and then mounted this layer on a piece of navy blue cs (Stamp Therapy), and layered that to a white (Whisper White) card base.  Quick, easy, and oh so cute! :0)

Well that's all for today friends...have a busy weekend!  Have 3 of my good friends coming tonight for our 6th annual ornament exchange, baking my husbands beloved sugar cookies tomorrow (this recipe is an all day affair, and they're not even a cookie I really care for (there's NO chocolate in them!), but my hubby LOVES them, so....), and a family Christmas on Sunday!  But I'll be back on Monday with another week of inspiration to get you through till Christmas. :0)  Have a great weekend friends and thanks again for stopping by! :0)

JOY

Good morning friends.  Sorry about missing yesterday...it's just that time of year and things get crazy!  I did finish writing out my Christmas cards (going in the mail today!) though, and even got my batch of Orange Drop cookies made! :0)  Still LOTS to do, but am feeling a little more in control!  (silly me!  He tells me daily He's in charge, so why I continue to go on thinking I'm in control of anything is ridiculous...good thing He LOVES me anyway! :0)

The card I'd like to share with you today is part of a set of cards I made to try and sell this Christmas season, and this one was by far the most popular of the 6 in the set.  It is from the SU set called "The Sounding Joy".  Most of you that know me, know that the word JOY has special meaning to me as a Christian, and whenever I see a stamp set that uses the word, I get a little excited! :0)  Anyway, here is the card:

The lighting on this picture is not the greatest, although it is not from lack of trying!  I used a very light colored cream cs (from my local stamp store - Stamp Therapy) and with my background cloth being a light cream too, it just wasn't standing out the way I wanted.  Hopefully you can see it well enough though. :0)  After folding my cs the long way, I tore the one edge and then placed a strip of a light weight (almost like vellum) gold paper on the inside edge.  I then stamped the star in SU's Raspberry Ripple, and then embossed the word Joy in gold over the star. (it really "pops" IRL!)  I added a sheer ribbon (Michael's) at the side and then die cut the little star (PTI's Tiny Tags) with a gold cs, added a gold half backed dot, and tied it to the ribbon with a little piece of gold cord.  This really was an easy card to mass produce and makes a very simple but elegant card. :0)

Thanks for stopping by today and I'll be back again tomorrow with some more Christmas inspiration.  Have a terrific Thursday everyone and don't forget to find the JOY in your day today...it is there if you look! :0)
 

Merry Christmas Parker!

Good morning friends.  Two weeks from today...are you ready?  I've got a good start, but still have a long ways to go! My cards are made, but have not even started addressing them, my shopping is done (I think!), but spread all over and needs to be organized and wrapped, and only a couple baking things done and trying to figure out when I'll have time this week to finish baking since festivities start this weekend in my family...could I use a few more hours in my days?  Definitely!!  Somehow how it all gets done though, so I'm not going to panic! :0)

The card I'd like to share with you today is for my niece Jen's little guy Parker.  He's about a year and a half, and I know this will be a fun Christmas for him (and his mom, dad, & grandparents!).  I used a stamp from one of my favorite companies, Lily of the Valley - take a look:

Is this not the sweetest little teddy bear and cardinal, or what?!!  I stamped him with Momento's Tuxedo Black ink, and then colored him with my Copics (E31 & E33) and the cardinal with R24, R29, & R39.  I used just a touch of B000 for the snow and then added some glitter over that for a little sparkle.  I cut out the image with a Spellbinders oval die, and sponged the edges with SU's Soft Seude.  My background papers are from LOTV's "Krafty Christmas" pad, and I added a piece of grossgrain ribbon (Michael's) between the two papers before adding the teddy bear image.  I finished by adding a couple silver nailheads (Gina K) on the ribbon, a snowflake die cut (Spellbinders) with American Crafts POW white glitter paper, and then the sentiment from PTI's "Winter Hills" stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! :0)

Happy Birthday Little Brother

Good morning friends.  Today is my little brother's birthday, and I'd like to share a card I made for him:

All the stamps in this set are from a "Kittie Kit" by Rubbernecker Stamps called "Cause a Scene".  I have looked at this set for a couple years now and finally broke down and decided that I NEEDED it!  Afterall, my brother's birthday was coming and I would need a stamp set that I hadn't used before, right?!!  (you can justify new stamps anyway you want...I admit it is a disease for which I hope they never find a cure!! :0)

I stamped the main cabin image first in SU's Early Expresso ink on kraft cs.  Because I wanted tree's behind the cabin, I masked the cabin, and then was able to have just the top halves of the tree's show above the cabin roofline.  This set comes with 5 different sizes of tree's, so it was easy to make it look more realistic.  I used SU's Always Artichoke ink for the tree's.  The moose I stamped on a scrap piece of SU's Soft Seude cs with SU's Early Expresso ink, and then colored the little patch on his chest with a white colored pencil.  After cutting him out, I added a couple pop dots before adhering him to the card.  I also colored the roofline and the hills with the white colored pencil, and then used a glitter gel pen on some of the tree's and the roofline (hard to see in this picture :0(  click on the picture and you can see a little bit of the glitter )  I mounted the scene on a piece of SU's Soft Seude, and then mounted that to a Whisper White card base. I admit it was hard for me not to add a ribbon at this point, but didn't think my brother would appreciate that kind of finishing touch!!

Well that's all for today, and I'll be back again tomorrow with another Christmas card.  Thanks for stopping by...I appreciate it when you do!! :0)

Make it Monday #94

Good morning friends.  Today I'm back with a PTI Make it Monday challenge to use glitter detail.  I have ALWAYS been a fan of glitter...the more the better!  Just LOVE a card when it's all shiny and sparkly! :0)  The challenge here though is to use glitter for just real fine detail, so you do need to use a glue tip that looks like a ball point pen...that way you have the control of getting into tiny spaces where you want just a bit of sparkly.  I'm using PTI's Christmas tree dies (again!!) and here's what I came up with:

No matter how many pictures I took, I could only get the top part of the trees to show the glitter, but trust me, IRL it's there!  I started with a kraft cs card base and stamped SU's "French Script" background (retired) in SU's Crumb Cake ink.  I then added a strip of snowflake dp and a piece of olive green ribbon (both from Michael's) to the bottom of the card.  I used PTI's Christmas tree dies to cut out 2 trees from vellum, and then embossed the larger tree with a Cuttlebug (Provo Craft) folder.  After glueing the trees down, I used a fine point glue pen to trace around the edges of both trees and then added my glitter.  It still needed something, so I added tiny gold star brads to the tops of each tree and a sentiment (PTI's "Winter Hills").  I sponged around the edges of the card and sentiment with SU's Soft Seude ink to define it a little bit more.  A pretty simple card, but it really does sparkle quite a bit in real life! :0)

That's all for today friends, and I'll be back on Monday with a card I made for my brother Marc's birthday.  Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! :0)

Country Christmas

Good morning friends.  Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by one of PTI's talented designers, Melissa Phillips (Lilybean's Paperie).  I have used PTI's Christmas Tree die on many cards and have always cut them out with a "green" cs.  After seeing a tree on Melissa's blog cut out with design paper, I thought "why not?".....it doesn't have to be realistic on a card!  So here's my "country" looking Christmas tree card:

I started with a card base of kraft cs and then added a layer of SU's Whisper White that I had stamped with SU's "Script" background stamp (retired) in SU's Crumb Cake ink.  I used a small strip of some scrap dotted dp on the top of the card and then cut the tree out of "Rain Check" by Pebbles, Inc. and then ran it through my Cuttlebug with a large dot embossing folder before I added that on top. (you may have to click on the picture to enlarge it to see the large dots)  I cut a snowflake (Spellbinders) out of American Crafts POW gold glitter paper and added that with a button and red embroidery floss.  (the star at the top of the tree was the center piece of the snowflake)  I added a piece of lace trim to add to the country vintage look, and then used the sentiment stamp from SU's "Two Cool Dudes" stamp set.  Not a whole lot of stamping on this card, but I still think it turned out cute! :0)

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!  I'm excited for my bible study this morning...we're doing Adam Hamilton's "The Journey" and it's a really awesome look at Mary's journey.  What a perfect study for this time of year!!  I hope you're all taking time to remember the real reason for this blessed season and also taking time to find the  JOY in each day! :0)  Thanks for stopping by...I love it when you do.
 

3D Ornament Card

Good morning friends.  Today I'd like to share a card with you that I wish I could take credit for, but it is definitely a CASE.  I have also seen this card on quite a few different sites, so I'm not even sure who to tell you the original creator is.  Whoever came up with this idea though..."I love it!"  Here's my version:

I love how clean and simple (CAS) this card is.  And EASY!!  While I'm not quite sure this is going to be a "mailable" card, it is still lots of fun to make and would also be fun to receive.  The ornament is made by using SU's Ornament punch and design paper of your choice (my dp is "Timeless Christmas Poinsettia" by TPC Studio).  I punched out 5 ornaments for mine (you can cut out as many as you like...the more you use, the fuller your ornament will be) and then used the scoring tool on my paper trimmer to score down the center of each of the 5 punched ornaments.  Once these are scored, they are ready to be attached together with either sticky strip or Scor tape  (my dp is more like a cardstock weight, so I thought it needed more than just glue or regular adhesive...if your paper is more like copy paper weight, you should be able to get away with glue or regular adhesive).  Once you have the ornament assembled, put adhesive on the 2 backside halves and add a piece of string, ribbon, or cord, also to the backside, and then attach to a piece of cs cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  I punched a tiny hole near the top and threaded my gold cord through and taped down on the backside of the cs.  I added 3 punched pine branches (Martha Stewart) with SU's Always Artichoke cs and then put a little bow made with more gold cord on top of the pine branches.  I added a larger half backed red pearl at the bottom of the ornament and then added my sentiment (PTI's Christmas Blessings) in SU's Cherry Cobbler ink.  I used pop dots on the back of this layer and attached it to a regular size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") card base.  My instructions look pretty long here, but this really is a quick and easy card to make.  It would also be a great card to make using up your scraps of design papers!  You could also use a circle punch (any size) if you don't have the ornament punch...use your imagination and I know you'll come up with something beautiful, fun and unique! :0)

Thanks for stopping by and sharing part of your day with me...I LOVE it when you do!! :0)
 

Winter Hills

Good morning friends.  Today's card is made with a newer stamp set from Paper Trey Ink called "Winter Hills".  I love all the images in this set, but the one I used on this card in particular I really really like!  For such a small stamp, it is loaded with detail!  Take a look:

I stamped the image on kraft cs with SU's Soft Seude ink, and then left it very simple by only using a Copic marker (YG63) on the 3 tree's and a white colored pencil on the snowman.  I mounted the image to a piece of SU's Always Artichoke cs, and then wrapped a piece of SU's Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine around the 2 layers and added a button from my stash.  The red layer I embossed with SU's "Northern Flurry" folder and lightly sponged it with SU's Soft Seude ink to give it a bit of the distressed look and layered it on a kraft cs base.  The main image I pop dotted to make it stand out a bit from the embossed layer.  The colors are much deeper in real life and that helps to give the whole card a much more "vintage" and rustic feel to it.  I was really pleased with how this card came out and really love the old fashion feeling to it. :0)

That's all for today...have a terrific Tuesday friends! :0)

"In The Meadow" Gift Tags

Good morning friends.  Happy December!  Are we in a panic yet?  Christmas IS 3 weeks from tomorrow!  I've actually gotten better at this over the years and have learned to slow down and just enjoy the beauty of the season, rather than trying to cram every last thing into 4 weeks!  It helps that the girls are all older now (my youngest is 17), and I'm not trying to manage all their schedules too!  Anyway, I hope you're able to slow down enough to just enjoy the JOY of this blessed season, and maybe even take some time to just sit and really enjoy the lights on your Christmas tree. :0)

Today I'd like to share with you some gift tags I made using PTI's "In The Meadow Silhouette" dies.  I wish now I had bought the matching stamp set to these dies, and of course it's out of stock now, but anyway, here's what I came up with:

These were so quick and easy to make and I think they turned out really cute!  You can get 8 tags out of a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock too, so these are very economical to make! The tags with the deer and sledder, I used SU's Whisper White cs, and the snowman tag is an off white cs I purchased from Stamp Therapy (local store).  After cutting up a couple sheets of both colors, I started by using a smaller pine tree stamp (I've had it for years and there is no manufacturer printed on it...sorry!) and SU's Old Olive ink and stamped twice (using the stamp off method) on each tag.  I then simply added the die cutouts from the "In The Meadow Silhouette's" die collection, and stamped "Merry Christmas" from PTI's "Christmas Blessings" stamp set.  I added SU's Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine for the tie on and as a little scarf on the snowman, and then rounded the corners and was finished.  Simple, quick, and SO much nicer than store bought tags! :0)

Hope you all have a terrific Monday and I'll be back tomorrow with some more Christmas inspiration!  Thanks for stopping by...I love it when you do! :0)  

Blake's Back!!

Good morning friends.  Today I'd like to share a card that I made last year using the "Blake" stamp from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  This card is totally a CASE from the VERY talented Kittie Caracciolo.  If you've never visited her site (http://kittiekraft.typepad.com/), then grab a snack and drink and be prepared to be amazed for an hour or two (or more)!  I've been following her site for years now, and she just never ceases to amaze me!  The card that I CASE'd is a stair-stepper card, and while it is a little involved, I think you'll like it.  Take a look:

Again, this card was very involved, so I only made a few, but I think it was totally worth the time and effort.  There's a great tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers that can show you exactly how to do the stair step card if you're interested.  Once you have the card base made, it's simply a matter of adding all your additions.  My first step was to sponge "snow" onto the card base with SU's Cool Caribbean (retired) ink.  I then cut out 3 trees with PTI's Christmas Tree die using SU's Always Artichoke cs (also spongeing the edges) and then running them through the crimper tool.  I then stamped "Blake" with Momento's Tuxedo Black ink and colored him with Copics.  After cutting him out, I played with positioning Blake and the tree's before glueing them down.  My last step was cutting out the fence (PTI) and pine branches (MS punch) and attaching to the front of the card base and then adding little red bows (Michael's) and LOTS of glitter.  Oh, and a star cut from silver glitter paper (American Crafts POW Glitter Paper) for one of the tree's and a q-tip dipped in white ink to make the "snow" on the tree's.

That's all for today, but I'll be back next week with more to share and hopefully inspire.  I'd like to leave you with a quote from the devotional I read (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) that has just really spoken to me these last few days.  "Bring me the sacrifice of gratitude, and watch to see how much I bless you."  In ALL things, (NOT just a few things, but ALL things) give thanks.  He wants us to know that everything comes from Him and we need to thank Him daily and then watch Him bless your socks off! :0)  Have a great "thankfull" day friends!       

Blooming With Kindness

Good morning friends.  I'd like to share a birthday card today that I made for my good friend Sue who celebrated another birthday this past week (Happy Birthday again Sue!!).  I used a stamp on her card that I had never noticed in the SU catalog until just recently, and then because other people started using it, it was one of those "why haven't I seen this before?!!" and "I NEED that stamp!!!"  The day I decided that I "NEEDED" that stamp, my SU demonstrator announced that this stamp was on sale and could be purchased as a single stamp (versus the whole set), so it was like a sign, right?!!  (Thanks Steph!!)  Anyway, here is the card:

I just love how dramatic this flower looks and can't believe I passed it over in the catalog SO many times!  I started by inking up the stamp in SU's Pumpkin Pie, then took a tissue and rubbed off the ink around the edges and the stem.  I then lightly added SU's Melon Mambo around the edges and a quick dab in the center, and then a little SU's Old Olive to the stem.  I lightly misted the stamp with water before stamping the image directly onto SU's First Edition dp.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but after stamping, I sprayed some Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold on the image to give it a little shine.  I cut the image down the center both horizontally and vertically, so that I ended up with 4 2" squares, and then mounted those to a piece of black cs, and then layered it again with a piece of SU's Melon Mambo cs.  I attached these layers to a layer of SU's Very Vanilla cs that I had run through my Cuttlebug with a Happy Birthday embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts). and then added all the layers to a Melon Mambo card base.  I added a simple sheer ribbon (Michael's) around the bottom, and it was done.  I have had so much fun playing with this image, and will share more cards with it down the road.

Thanks for stopping by today and I'll be back tomorrow with some more Christmas inspiration.  Have a great Thursday friends!

Make it Monday Challenge #93

Good morning friends.  Today I'm sharing another challenge I tried from Paper Trey Ink.  I have to tell you I'm kind of getting into these challenges, as they force me to look at different ways of stamping and not getting into the same ol same ol!  This new challenge definitely forced me to think out of the box!  My first thought was, "what a goofy idea...I think I'll pass on this challenge!"  But after mulling (one of my mother in laws favorite words!) it over for a while, the juices started flowing, and this is what I came up with:

The challenge was to use any die and divide (cut) it in half, to make the die more versatile.  The die that Ashley Cannon Newell (PTI designer) used in her video was a die that you normally would use to stamp a sentiment on, and since most of the dies I own are of "things", I was a little stumped on what I could use.  But like I said earlier, the more I thought about it, I thought why not use my Christmas Tree die (PTI) and cut it vertically (as opposed to horizontally like Ashley did) and use my vertical stamp (Verses Rubber Stamp Co.) between the 2 halves?  I stamped first on a layer of SU's Whisper White cs with SU's Real Red ink the sentiment, and then covered that sentiment with a piece of paper while I stamped the pine tree (SU's "Lovely As A Tree" set) in SU's Always Artichoke ink.  I mounted this layer to a card base of SU's Always Artichoke cs (LOVE this color!!).  I then simply added the 2 halves of the die cut tree, a die cut of the sledder (PTI's "In the Meadow Silhouettes Die Collection), and finished with a white ribbon at the top (Michael's)

Hope you enjoyed my version of the challenge and thanks again for stopping by to share part of your day with me...I love it when you do! :0)

Whooooo?

Good morning friends.  I'm back with something a little different today.  My mom has collected owls ever since I can remember, and my brother and I (and his 2 daughters now) are always on the lookout for something different and unique each year in the owl family to give her at Christmas.  Because my budget has been has been very limited this year, I decided to try and make a couple owl ornaments for her tree.  Take a look:

 

 

I found a pattern online by Jessica Levit (www.juicy-bits.typepad.com), and as you can see, I didn't stop at just a couple!  Are these cute or what?!!!  I got rather hooked and I think I have 15 of them made so far.  They are only about 4" tall, so very small to sew on, but I absolutely love making them.  I decided they are going to be package tie-on's for a lot of my gifts this year, since I don't think my mom wants 15 (or more?) of them.  I made a really cute box out of some owl dp card stock to nestle the 2 in that I give my mom, and I think it will make a great (and inexpensive!) gift.

Well that's all for today friends, but I'll be back again tomorrow....I still have lots more inspiration to share with you! :0)  Have a terrific Tuesday and thanks for stopping by!

Holly Jolly

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.  I'm back with a total CASE'd and CAS card for you today.  One of PTI's designer's (Christina of "My Paper Secret") did this card about a month ago and I fell in love with it!  She did hers vertically, and mine is horizontal, and mine uses a different sentiment and die,but otherwise it's pretty much a copy...but it was just too much of a CAS (clean and simple) card to be able to change much.  Here's my version:

I used PTI's "Think Big Favorites #20" stamp set to stamp the saying first, and used SU's Real Red ink.  Next I cut out a couple holly leaves (PTI's "Holly Jolly" die) with a dark green dotted swiss cs from my local scrapbooking store, and placed them above the sentiment.  I added a red glittered ball shape (Recollections at Michael's) for the berries, and then tied a piece of red & white baker's twine (The Twinery) around the top.  It doesn't get much more simple than this, and yet the beauty is in the simplicity of this card. :0)

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Monday with me and I'll be back with some more inspiration tomorrow. 
 

Blake

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I had a great time with my family, eating and visiting, and can't wait for my turkey sandwhich later today (one of the best perks of having the turkey at your house...you get the leftovers!!)

We're supposed to get some snow today, so I thought I'd share a card I made for my cousin Kathy.  Take a look:

The snowman is a stamp from Rubbernecker Stamp Co. and they named him "Blake", which also happens to be my cousin's son's name...how appropriate, huh?! :0)  I love snowmen, and this little guy is no exception!  He is just so whimsical looking you can't help but love him!  And I love that his sign comes blank, so you can stamp (or write) whatever message you want in this space.  I stamped him on SU's Whisper White cs with Momento's Tuxedo Black ink, and colored him with Copics (B000, YG63, R29, YR68, & R81).  My card base is SU's Bashful Blue, and then I tore a couple strips of Whisper White to make the snow hills that the tree (SU's Always Artichoke cut out with a PTI die) and Blake are sitting on.  After adding the red glitter star (Spellbinders die and American Crafts POW Glitter Paper), I used my two way glue pen to add some dots to the blue and then added glitter to make it look like it was snowing out. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all enjoy your nice long weekend...unless you're in retail that is, and then I'll say a prayer for you!  I'll be back next Monday with some more inspiration for you. :0)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning friends and a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all of you!  Just a quick post so I can get my bird in the oven (don't ya just love how a turkey roasting makes your house smell so wonderful?!!!  Remember, you can find JOY even in something as simple as a smell!)  But anyway, just a small group at my table today, and decided to make a little table favor.  Take a look:

 
My 1st picture doesn't show the detail too well, but had to include a picture of Frank (the turkey).  Made him years and years and years ago, and still get excited to bring him out each year!  The table favors have a Reese's peanut butter cup inside, and that's always been one of my girls favorites, so that was the deciding factor in making these favors this year.  I've originally seen these made with the miniature peanut butter cups, but got to thinking, "why not the bigger ones?"  I used the 2nd to the largest scalloped circle die (Spellbinders) and cut out 2 in SU's Pumpkin Pie for each treat.  I then ran them through my Cuttlebug to emboss them with the pumpkin folder (Provo Craft).  I sponged them lightly to give them a little more definition and then made score lines accross the bottom (about 6 scallops on each) of each circle.  After folding on the score lines, I placed a strip of sticky tape on the folded part of one, and then placed the other folded circle facing towards the other one...it sort of makes a nest for the treat to sit in.  I then simply added a strip a brown grossgrain ribbon (Michael's) to the top insides of both scalloped circles, and then attached the leaves (Stampin Up Sizzlet die) cut from a dotted swiss green card stock from my local scrapbooking store.  Quick, easy, and cute! :0)

Again, I wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving, and hope you make treasured memories that make you smile.  Today of all days, remember the JOY!  

Lovely As A Tree

Good morning friends.  I'm back as promised with a fall card (although I hope you're not sick of Christmas cards yet, as I still have LOTS to share with you !).  Ever since finding the little flower stamp from the retired SU set "Mini Watercolor Garden", I have been having a blast using it on every tree and wreath set I own.  This latest card I used the stamp on is one of my all time favorite sets - "Lovely As A Tree".  Take a look:

The colors in this card are so rich, that I kept the card very clean and simple.  I used SU's Very Vanilla cs and stamped the tree image in brown Stazon ink.  I used Tim Holtz's Distress Inks in Peeled Paint (green), Fired Brick, & Spiced Marmelade with the little flower stamp for all the leaves on the tree's, and on the ground using the stamping off technique.  I mounted the image with a piece of SU's Pumpkin Pie cs and then mounted to a Very Vanilla card base.  I think the hardest part of this card was measuring where to punch with the half circle punch!  I finished with just adding a couple small orange brads.  Again, a very clean and simple card, but one I was very pleased with.

Thanks again for sharing a part of your day with me, and I'll be back tomorrow with a Thanksgiving table favor I made for my dinner table tomorrow.  Don't stress out too much today getting ready for tomorrow, and remember to take time to find the JOY in today...it IS there! :0)

Make it Monday Challenge #92

Hello again friends!  Back with a quick post for a card I just made for PTI's Make it Monday challenge #92 using vellum layers.  Take a look:

The light wasn't too great this afternoon to really show the true colors of this card, but I still think it turned out pretty! (the layout for this card was CASE'd and inspired by Debbie Olson's card today on her site "Thinking Inking")  I used Echo Park "Happy Holidays" dp for the background and the tree (PTI's Merry & Bright die) and sponged both with SU's Soft Sky ink (retired).  The Top Note die (SU) and the star on the tree are a really deep pink (like SU's Melon Mambo...the photo makes it look more red - grrrr!) dotted swiss cs from my local scrapbook store.  I used a Spellbinders circle die that I sponged with the Soft Sky ink, and then glittered, and then added the die cut vellum snowflake, after which I finally added the tree with pop dots to make it stand out a bit.  I finished by adding a bow (Michael's) and a tag from PTI's Tiny Tags die and stamp set for the "very merry".

Thanks for stopping in again and I'll be back in the morning with my promised "fall" card. :0)

Stamp Camp - Day 2

Good morning friends.  Just a quick post today, but I'd like to share a few more cards from the stamp camp I attended this past weekend.  It's hard to pick and choose which ones to share when they were all so great, but here's another 3 for you:

 

 

 

 

I encourage you to click on all of them to view them closer up...especially the first one, so you can see the saying.  Too funny!! :0)  It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but the wreath on the bears bottom was stamped 2 extra times and then cut out and mounted with pop dots to make it really stand out....it is just the cutest card IRL.  I love the 2nd card too...no stamping, but just cutting and punching.  (my cousin Sue did this card - the other 2 are Judy's) The 3rd card is so pretty!  It's hard to tell from the picture, but the tree's and church behind the window are all glittered up and it just makes this whole card sparkle.

That's all for today friends.  Hope you enjoyed looking at all the talent there is down in the southern part of the state, and I'll be back tomorrow with a fall card (since it's technically not winter yet!!!!!!!!)  "Be still, and know that I am God" has been hanging around in my head the last few days, and I think He's reminding me to slow down and 1) remember ALL that I am thankful for, and 2) to slow down and remember what the upcoming season is truly all about.  So take time to "Be still........  

Christmas Stamp Camp

Good morning friends.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend...I know I did! :0)  My girlfriend Sue and I went down to Jackson to stamp with my cousin Sue and her stamping friend extraordinaire -  Judy!  We had a wonderful time, and let me tell you, Judy knows how to do a stamp camp!  I was SO impressed!  We made 15 cards (all different) and when you walked in, you picked up a decorated bag filled with all the makings for each card.  Each card was in a numbered plastic sleeve, and then you just went to the coordinating numbered table where all the inks, punches, etc. were.  There were about 29 of us stamping and we all had a great time stamping our hearts out!  I'd like to show you 3 of the cards today that we made:

 

 

 

 

Are these not just the prettiest cards?!!!  Judy has amazing talent, and I can't wait to show you some of the other cards we made too.  I'll show you another 3 tomorrow, and then I have another fall card for you and a little Thanksgiving table favor to show on Thanksgiving day (IF I get all my food prep done the day before!) 

 

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

For The Birds Two

Happy Friday friends!  I am so happy it's almost the weekend...I get to go "play" with new stamping friends tomorrow for a Christmas stamp camp. :0)  And you know what that means right?  LOTS more inspiration to share with you!! :0)  For today though, I want to share a different version of yesterdays card.  Yesterdays card was very muted, and I got to wondering what it would look like if it were more vibrant?  Here's what I came up with:

I started this time with SU's Whisper White card stark and used SU's Midnight Muse ink with the Hero Arts stamp.  What a difference the new stamp pads make...I LOVE them!  They remind me of pigment ink pads but dry quickly like water based dye inks!  You have to use a "lighter" hand with these new pads, but the results are stunning!  The color is so much deeper that you can definitely tell the difference between this version and yesterdays card.  I used a Copic marker (R29) for the cardinal and love how bold he came out too.  I matted this layer with a piece of SU's Real Red card stock and then the card base is SU's Whisper White.  I folded the card base the long way and then trimmed away right next to the red layer, so that I could stamp the vertical sentiment (Verses Rubber Stamp Co.) on the inside layer and still have it visible when the card is closed.

So let me know what you think about these two different versions.  I still really like the more muted version, but think I'm in love with the bolder version...it just really "pops" to me! :0)  My cousin in Colorado placed an order for some Christmas cards and this is one of them I plan on sending her...hope she likes it too! :0)

Have a wonderful weekend friends and I'll be back next week.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing part of your day with me!

For The Birds

Good morning friends.  It is sooo cold here in Michigan that the frost is thick enough to almost look like a layer of snow on everything!  I'm not a big fan of snow, but I can appreciate the beauty of it (another one of those JOY moments!).  I love watching birds in the winter and how they stand out against the snow...especially cardinals! Take a look at this card:

This was a quick and easy card using a stamp set from Hero Arts (another one of my favorite companies!) called "Merriest Christmas Wishes".  I used a speckled off white card stock (Stamp Therapy) and stamped the image with SU's Night of Navy.  For the cardinal, I used the edge of a sponge dauber and red decorating chalks.  It didn't come out as vibrant as using a Copic marker, but I kind of liked the soft look the chalk gave, since the blue and white are so stark.  I layered the image with SU's Night of Navy card stock and then a base of the speckled off white card stock.  No ribbon, no bling...just very simple!

Find JOY in the little things today friends, and have a great Thursday!  Thanks for stopping by...I love it when you do. :0)

Musical Christmas

Good morning friends.  I'm sharing another Lily of the Valley card with you today, because they just don't come any cuter than this and especially the Christmas images!  (they're probably also my favorites because I never quite outgrew coloring...always my favorite subject in school!!)  So take a look:

Aren't those the sweetest little faces or what?!!  This card came together very quickly after coloring with Copic markers, and then simply adding the layers...SU's Cherry Cobbler & Whisper White and the design paper is "eskimo kisses" by basicgrey.  Oh and I used a gel pen for the stars and the tinsel around the girls heads and a little glitter on their wings.  Simple, quick, and oh so cute! :0)

That's all for today friends and don't forget to be taking time to find the JOY in your day...it IS there!  Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon. :0)

JOY

Good morning friends.  Well we did get a "trace" bit of snow yesterday, but nothing that qualifies for that "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" look or feeling!  So rather than another Christmas card, today I'd like to share something else you can do with stamping. 

I have been making these picture frame plaques for quite a few years now as gifts (usually house warming gifts) and I computer generate the saying and then stamp the rest.  I can't remember where I first heard this saying (sermon? book?), but I LOVE it and have it in several areas of my home to remind me daily that joy isn't happiness, and that it IS all around me.  Sometimes we just have to look a little harder! :0) 

I used several stamps to make this plaque.  Next to the saying, I used an Endless Creations stamp and colored right on the rubber with SU markers (Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Summer Sun, & Cherry Cobbler).  The paper I used is a really textured watercolor paper, and once I stamped the image, it made it almost look like it was cross stitched! :0)  (if you click on the image to make it larger, you'll be able to see what I'm talking about with the cross stitching)  For the background, I used a piece of kraft cs and stamped with SU's Soft Seude, using SU's "Watercolor Trio" stamp set.  I cut the main image out with a Spellbinders oval die, sponged the edges with SU's Soft Seude, and then mounted it on the kraft cs and framed it.  Very simple and a very nice gift to give (and receive!).

I hope you will all remember to look around you today (and everyday!) and find the JOY that is waiting to be found.  God puts it all around us...we just need to take the time to look. When you purposely search for the joy, you will be amazed at the peace you feel...even on a hectic or not so great day!  Have a great Tuesday friends! :0) 

I Love Snowmen!

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was busy, busy, but had lots of fun and even got things accomplished!  Stamped alot too as I'm selling Christmas cards this year to make a little extra $...let me know if you need any cards! :0)

I'm showing you a snowman card today because they are predicting our first snowfall of the season later today. (It was upper 60's yesterday and cold enough to snow today...that's Michigan for ya!!)

This card was done a few years ago, so forgive me for not having a lot of detail for you on this one.  The image is a C.C. Design digital image and after printing it on the computer, I cut it with a Spellbinders oval die and then colored with SU's water color crayons. (this was pre-copic time...I feel like my watercolor crayons have been sadly neglected since I discovered Copic markers!) I added a scalloped oval (Spellbinders) in SU's Bashful Blue, and then layered with a strip of SU's Whisper White that was embossed with a Sizzix snowflake embossing folder, a wider strip of dp in green and white polka dots, and then a larger layer of dp.  It's been so long ago, I can't tell you the company names for the dp...sorry!  I added a pink ribbon (Michael's), tag (cut with SU circle punches), snowflakes (punched with a Martha Stewart snowflake punch), and a little bit of "bling" to make it sparkle.  Sometimes these 5 x 5 cards look more difficult, but don't be scared away...just using a bigger field so there's more room to play! :0)

Another busy day for me, but I'll be back again tomorrow with some more inspiration.  Thanks again for stopping by...you know I love it when you do! :0)


 

Telling Santa

Good morning friends.  I have a card today that brings back memories of taking our girls to see Santa when they were younger.  I don't know about your pictures of these times, but most of ours are pictures of the girls looking either scared to death or crying!  They couldn't wait to go see him each year, but once we got there....  Too funny when I think about it now! :0) 

This card has quite a few layers, but it actually went together quite quickly!  I started with a card base of SU's Real Red card stock and then layered it with Very Vanilla which had been stamped with a SU background stamp called "Script" stamped in Real Red ink.  I used another SU background stamp called "Victorian Lace" that I stamped with the Real Red ink on Real Red card stock, and then tore to fit the left corner of the card (gives it a more vintage feeling).  I then stamped the image ("Telling Santa" by Paper Inspirations stamp company) with black Stazon ink on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  I layered the image with another piece of Real Red cs, and then layered again with a piece of SU's Garden Green cs.  After attaching this layer to the card base, I added a piece of green grossgrain ribbon (Michael's) and 3 black brads on the left side. 

Well, that's all for today friends.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back with you again next week with some more Christmas inspiration!  And remember to slow down enough to find the joy in each day...especially durring this upcoming holiday season! :0)

Another Birthday???

Good morning friends.  Yes, another birthday in my family, and today it's my cousin Sue, who also is one of my very best friends!  She stopped counting birthdays a while ago (so did I!!), but it's a good reason to get a hand stamped card in the mail and not another bill!  Take a look:

I had bought SU's "Perfectly Preserved" stamp set awhile ago, and have been thinking about what I could put in the jar besides the fruit and vegetables that come with the set...something different and "outside the box".  It didn't take me long to come up with the idea of fall leaves, as leaves are one of my favorite things (you'd know if you saw the inside of my house...I definitely have a leaf motif going on!!).  I stamped the jar in SU's Soft Seude ink and then stamped the leaves in SU's Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and More Mustard.  The leaf stamp in the More Mustard is the same one I used yesterday from the grab jar, and the leaves in Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive are from SU's "Fall Whimsy" stamp set.  I stamped the jar and leaves on kraft cs and then the lid to the jar is a die cut using the back side of the red/cream checked designer paper (Rain Check by Pebbles Inc.).  I tied a piece of bakers twine (The Twinery) around the lid and then used pop dots to mount it on the jar.  I layered with a piece of SU's Cherry Cobbler, and then layered again with the red/cream checked dp onto a kraft cs card base.  I embellished with a piece of red grossgrain ribbon (Michael's), a tiny tag from PTI's "Tiny Tags" die and stamp set, and then finished off with a large die cut leaf in SU's Cherry Cobbler from Provo Craft.  I also distressed the edges of the leaf, tag, and card stock edges with SU's Soft Seude ink and added a couple red half backed pearls to finish it up.

Well that's it for today, and tomorrow maybe we'll get back into the Christmas mode....I have oodles and oodles to share with you! :0)  Have a great Thursday friends, and a wonderful birthday Sue!!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Good morning friends.  I'm back with another "fall" feeling card today.  It was inspired by a card from a post last week on Dawn Griffiths site (Dawn's Stampin Thoughts). So yes, this is a CASE'd card, but with my spin on it.  Take a look:

Dawn used a few more colors in her card, where I kept mine a little more muted.  This was such a fun technique to do and SO easy! (Thanks Dawn!!)  You use 3 layers (well, technically 6) of a light colored card stock (I used SU's Very Vanilla) and put a small dab of adhesive on the backs of the top 2 layers to hold all 3 layers in position while you stamp on it.  I used an older leaf stamp from Inkadinkado and randomly stamped with SU's Raspberry Ripple.  I then inked up the same leaf stamp with SU's Melon Mambo and stamped off so I would have a more muted shade before I stamped onto the card stock.  Once you finish stamping, you simply pull the 3 layers apart and then re-layer them with a darker shade (SU's Raspberry Ripple) card stock, making sure to line up the leaves before you put the card together. (Hope that makes sense, but if not, go to Dawn's site where she has a fabulous video on how to do this!)  I finished my card by adding a ribbon (Michael's) and the "happy, happy, joy, joy" sentiment from PTI's "Blooming Button Bits" stamp set.  I also used a small leaf on the oval with SU's Melon Mambo stamped off again and also a small diamond dot for some bling! :0)  (The small leaf is a SU stamp that I received when I first started stamping and my demonstrator then used to pass around this big jar filled with small stamps for anyone who had placed an order to pick from...I have quite a collection of these "small" stamps, so you can see that my addiction started quite a long time ago!!)

I'll be back with another birthday card tomorrow (November is a BIG birthday month in my family!), so until then "Rejoice! This is the day the Lord has made!"   

Birthday Wishes

Good morning friends! Sorry about missing yesterday...life just gets in the way sometimes! I had always told myself that if I ever started a blog, I would not be an "everyday" post-er, but rather 2 or 3 days a week. BUT, when I first started over a month ago, I was SO excited about finally doing something I had dreamed about for so long, that I couldn't help but post everyday! :0)   I think the reality of "life" has sunk in though, so you may not see a new post everyday... but, if I have lots of things to share, who knows?! :0)

Anyway, getting on to todays cards (yes, 2 cards today!). Yesterday was my niece Jen's birthday, and today is my friend Stephanie's birthday, (Happy Birthday ladies!!) so here are their birthday cards:

 

Both cards are basically the same, I just used a different ribbon treatment on each one.  I used almost all Stampin Up product (for you, Steph!) for both these cards.  The card base is Whisper White, then a layer of Old Olive, and then a layer of First Edition Speciality paper (LOVE this stuff!).  I then stamped the stem and leaves (Field Flowers stamp set) in Old Olive ink right onto the First Edition paper.  For the flowers, I stamped them on scraps of Whisper White cs with Marigold Morning (retired) for the first card and Summer Sun (retired) for the 2nd card.  I cut them out and attached with pop dots and then stamped the "Birthday Wishes" in Old Olive (from the Watercolor Trio stamp set) and punched out with the oval punch and layered in Old Olive with the scalloped oval punch.  The brown grossgrain ribbon, jute, and maple leaf brad are all from Michael's.  Simple, but very "fall" feeling cards.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon!