MIM#153 - Watercolored Backgrounds w/ Heat Embossed Sentiments

Good morning friends.  The challenge at Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday this week is to use a watercolored background and then heat emboss your sentiment on top of the watercoloring.  I love to watercolor, but this was new to me to do the background and not the actual image on the card.  I have to admit it took me awhile to come up with something I liked, and although it is still pretty simple for me, it is not the look I think Dawn McVey was going for with her cards and video, which you can check out here .   Here's what I came up with:

I watercolored my background with just a plain green, and then stamped over the background with PTI's "Daydreamer" stamp set, using the Poppy flower image with Real Red ink and Gumball Green ink for the stems.  I heat embossed my sentiment (PTI's "Boutique Borders: Thanks" stamp set) with white embossing powder.  If you click on the image, you'll be better able to see the sentiment.  I also used my new Lil Inkers circle dies to give a little more visual interest, and also added a bit of red and white bakers twine (The Twinery) to the bottom of the card.  Very simple, but I have to admit that I really kind of like it...thanks Dawn for taking me out of my comfort zone! :0) 

I also thought I'd show you my first attempt at this technique:

After watching Dawn's video, my first thought was to do a blue background to look like water.  I loved the look, but I wanted to put a boat on the water and don't own a PTI stamp of a boat (95% of all my PTI stamps are flowers!!).  I didn't really have a PTI sentiment stamp either to go with water and a boat, although I did end up using the "Celebrating" stamp from PTI's "Big Birthday Wishes" on vellum.  I really liked how this turned out, but just didn't feel comfortable about entering it in a PTI contest when everything but the sentiment was SU! product.  Hence the back to the drawing board, and creating a new card!  All's well that ends well, as I now have 2 cards instead of just one, and one of them is a masculine one, which is a definite bonus for me as I tend to make more "pretty" cards than "guy" cards!

Well I've rambled on enough for today!  Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :0)

Merry Monday #97 - Color Challenge

Good morning friends.  Playing along with the Merry Monday challenge today, which is to use Aqua, White, & Silver on your card.  Love these colors together, had an idea already in my head, and thought this would be a quick card to make!  We all know how those tend to work out, don't we?!  Yep, my simple and quick card turned out to be quite time consuming and looking back, quite comical too!  I love using dies and using the technique where you in-lay them.  I used PTI's "Wonderful Words: Holiday Die Collection" (Peace) and a intricate snowflake die (Memory Box) and forgot that because I offset the snowflake to the side and overlapping a bit of the word "Peace", that I would have little pieces (VERY TINY pieces to be exact!!) to replace on the card.  Can you see where I'm going with this story?  Yup, after die cutting the pieces, I dumped all the remaining VERY TINY pieces in my trash...grrrrr!!  And of course while trying to find those VERY TINY pieces, I had more help than I wanted with both dogs trying to get their noses in the wastebasket too to see if maybe I had dropped some food in there!  So it wasn't so comical yesterday, but I can smile about it today!  And I did find the pieces (although why I didn't just cut new ones and save myself all that time.......) and finally was able to complete my card!  Take a look:

I used retired ink Cool Caribbean (SU!) and cs, and for the snowflake, I used silver holographic cs (Michael's).  The stamped snowflakes are from PTI's "In The Meadow" stamp set.  I added a few iridescent sequins and twine (Caribbean by The Twinery) to finish the card. 

  

Thanks for sticking with my loooooooong story and taking a look!  Make sure you check out all the other beautiful cards over at the Merry Monday site here . 

Have a wonderful Wednesday friends, and stay warm if you're in my "neck of the woods".  "No winter lasts forever.  No spring skips its turn."  :0)

February 2014 Blog Hop Challenge - Sweet Spring

Good morning friends.  It's snowing again...surprise, surprise!  And another artic blast coming through...surprise, surprise!!  Sooooo, NO surprise that I wanted to play along with Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop challenge, where Nichole has asked us to create a card that makes us think Spring.  Spring technically starts in only 3 weeks (March 20), however here in Michigan, Spring doesn't really start to show up till late April, early May.  And thinking about May makes me think of one of my favorite flowers...Lily of the Valley!  It was one of my mom's favorite flowers when I was growing up (and still is!) and now it is also one of my favorites, so PTI's "Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley" stamp set was an easy choice to pick for my card(s). (still ramping up my birthday card stash, so made a few in different colors!)

I love the simplicity of this stamp set, and started by embossing the image in black embossing powder, and then colored with Copics and Smooch Pearlized Top Coat, and also my Aqua Painter pen and Old Olive ink for the leaves.  Take a look:

I shaded around each of the little flowers with my Copics (B000 for the blue card, C1 for the yellow card, and R30 for the pink card) to give them a little depth, and then painted each of the flowers with the Smooch Pearlized Top Coat to give them the slightly iridescent look. (If you click to enlarge the picture, you'll be able to see the pearlized look of the flowers much better)  I layered with black cardstock on the blue and pink cards and gray on the yellow card, and then mounted to the colored card bases.  Finished each with a birthday sentiment (PTI & SU!), ribbon, and a few iridescent sequins.  Quick, easy, and definitely make me think of Spring! :0)

Make sure you check out all the other great "Spring" entries over on Nichole's blog....they will definitely make you smile and feel warm...almost like Spring is really here! :0)  (hey...we can pretend, right?!!)

Have a wonderful Tuesday friends, and thanks so much for stopping by...I love it when you do!!

MIM#152 - Take Two

Hello friends.  Decided to try Papertrey Inks Make it Monday challenge again, which is to layer pigment and dye inks together to create a kind of ghosting effect.  My first try I thought turned out beautifully, but was very subtle and hard to photograph.  I don't know if my second try turned out any clearer in the photograph, but it sure is a fun technique to do!  (You can check out Heather Nichols video on this technique here )  Take a look at try #2:

I used PTI's "Beautiful Blooms" stamp set and Calypso Coral, Pool Party, & Certainly Celery inks (SU!) for this card and I love how bright and cheery it turned out.  I used the "Script" background stamp and "Flowering Flourishes" stamp set with my white pigment ink for the backgrounds, and if you click to enlarge the picture, you'll be better able to see the shadow effect.  I also used PTI's Heart Border die, some iridescent sequins, and a piece of seam binding ribbon that I dyed with Pool Party re-inker.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Delightful Dahlia Additions" stamp set.

Still have more ideas and color combinations for this technique floating around in my head, so don't be surprised if you see a few more of these cards pop up on my blog! :0)  Thanks again for stopping by to visit...I really do love it when you do! :0) 

MIM #152 - Layering Dye & Pigment Inks

Good morning friends.  Happy to say that the house is still standing after all the 40 - 50 mph winds that howled all night long in my neck of the woods!  And of course brought more snow with them...grrrrr!  So anyway, making my sunshine inside today and playing along with Papertrey Inks Make it Monday challenge.  Heather Nichols has a great video here on how to layer pigment & dye inks to create beautiful but very hard to photograph cards! (after reading a lot of comments from other gals I see that I'm not alone in trying to photograph this technique, but you'll just have to trust me that in person it is just a really, really cool technique!!)  Here is my first try:

I stamped my background with SU!'s Whisper White pigment ink and SU!'s Script background stamp.  I then used a couple of the flower stamps from PTI's "Daydreamer" stamp set and stamped (and stamped off) them in Primrose Petals and Perfect Plum inks and the leaves in Certainly Celery.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Delightful Dahlia Additions" stamp set.  Here's a closer up view so you can see a little bit the script in the background:

Again, in person this technique is so pretty and definitely worth trying.  I think I am going to try playing around with it some more and see if different stamps (or even different paper, like maybe a heavier cardstock or glossy even) would work better.  I'm trying to ramp up my supply of birthday cards (amazing how quickly they disappear!!), so this is a good reason to play some more! :0)  Also loving playing with pretty colors and flower stamps since I'm not seeing anything but mountains of white outside!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and who knows, maybe I'll be back later with another try at this technique!  Happy Friday! :0)

Merry Monday #96 - Holly Leaves

Good morning friends.  Playing along with Merry Mondays again and this week the challenge is to use Holly Leaves on your card. 

Hadn't used my Santa image (Flourishes Stamps) in a few months and decided it was time to get him out again.  I used a holly leaves embossing folder (The Paper Studio) for my background and a holly leaf die (PTI) on my sentiment and the whole card came together very quickly (LOVE it when that happens!).  Take a look:

I used Soft Suede ink (SU!) and kraft cardstock for my stamping and Cherry Cobbler (SU!) cardstock to layer with.  After adding the holly leaves and red sequins, I decided it needed a little more bling, and added some crystal rhinestones.  I like the touch of whimsy from the leaves added with the vintage looking Santa. :0)

Check out all the other great entries over at the Merry Monday site here .

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Wednesday! :0)

Festive Friday Challenge #25

Good morning friends.  Glad to say we're home safe and sound after a nightmare 4 hour trip to take our youngest back to college yesterday...a trip that usually takes 2 hrs!  As pretty as snow can be, I am SO done with it!  Ok, enough ranting! :0)  Welllllllllllllllllllll, maybe not totally...I think my card for the current Festive Friday Challenge took longer to photograph than it did to make!  I took over 30 pictures trying to get my card to look like the true deep red it is rather than the orangey red every photo came out with!  So that being said, try to imagine it being a whole lot darker than it is!  Take a look:

A first glance makes this card look pretty simple, but click to enlarge to see some of the detail.  I stamped PTI's "Rustic Wreath" with Recollections Sparkle Embossing Powder ( a white and silver mix), and then layered with the die cut wreath which I also embossed with the Sparkle Embossing Powder.  (I used pop dots behind the die cut wreath)  I added a few red sequins and a red and white bow with bakers twine.  IRL this card really shimmers and shines, and I so wish I could have captured that for you to see...it really did turn out to be a sweet little card!

Here is the inspiration picture we had to work with and it's another beauty:

   

You can check out all the other great cards over at Festive Fridays here .  Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Tuesday! :0)

Shades of Pink

Good morning friends.  Just a quick post today.  Last fall there was a technique going around in the stamping world where you use masking tape and your ink pads to make a background for your card, and I finally got around to trying it.  I think I still need a little practice, but after trimming down the parts I didn't like and adding my focal image, I think it turned out alright.  Take a look:

I used SU!'s Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, & Smokey Slate inks with the masking tape and then stamped the image from Serene Silhouettes in black ink.  I added a paper doily to the side of the image before layering it to a piece of black cs, tying a piece of pink and white twine around it, and then mounting to a pink card base.  My sentiment is from PTI's Boutique Borders: Sympathy.  Considering I thought this was going to the scrap bin in the beginning, I think it turned out pretty well after a little doctoring up! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you all have a wonderful Monday.

Happy Valentines Day

Good morning friends and Happy Valentines Day!  My husband and I don't do much for Valentines Day usually, but I spoiled him a little bit today with a couple small gifts and some of his beloved dark chocolate.  (YUCK!! Give me MILK chocolate anyday!!  Unless it's dark mint chocolate...I do really like that!) 

Today I'm sharing a simple Valentines Day card that uses a not so simple die from Impression Obsession (and my cousin Sue...THANKS Sue!!).  This die cut was a bugger to get out, but once I did, it was SO beautiful, I went with a simple card so as not to take away from the beauty of the die cut.  Take a look:

Isn't that just the prettiest die?!  Make sure you click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see all the detail!  I used some simple Recollections heart paper to set off the die cut, and then added a few simple white and pearl flowers and a sheer red ribbon.  Simple but yet SO elegant...love it! :0)

Hope you all have a wonderful day and make sure you let those closest to you know that they are loved!  Thanks so much for stopping by...I love it when you do!! :0)

Merry Monday #95 - Animals

Good morning friends.  Playing along with the Merry Monday challenge today, and this week they would like us to use an animal on our Christmas card.  Great excuse for me to use my new "Holiday Joy" stamp & die set by Tim Holtz that I received as a Christmas gift from my good friend Sue (she always spoils me with such neat gifts!!).  I absolutely LOVE the pine trees in this set and the deer is pretty doggone cute too! :0)  Take a look:

After inking up the pine tree stamp I misted it with some water, and that gave me the watercolor effect I was going for.  I used musical design paper (The Paper Studio) for the deer and also sponged him a bit with some Soft Suede ink.  I also used my new SU! dotted embossing folder for my top layer and I love the snowy look that this folder gives! :0)  This is actually my 2nd try on this card, as the first one just didn't sit right with me.  Take a look:

I had used a larger oval die on this one and I think that's the part that just didn't sit well with me.  It's still pretty, but I think I like my second one better just because it's more CAS.  What do you think?



Off to go make a birthday treat to share with all the ladies in my bible study this morning, so need to get mo-tating!  Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Thursday!

Papertrey Ink Anniversary - Day 7

Hello friends.  The challenge at Papertrey today is to use stripes in your project.  I'm doing something a little different than a card today, since I needed a small gift holder for my hubby's Valentines Day gift.  I love making pillow box gift holders with PTI's Pillow Box die and really loved how this one came out!  Take a look:

I cut the pillow box out of kraft cs and then embossed it using a striped embossing folder.  I sponged the stripes with some Soft Suede ink (SU!) to make the stripes stand out a bit more.  (if you click to enlarge the picture, you'll be able to see them better.)  I then added PTI's Heart Border die towards the bottom with some white and red heart design paper, and then used PTI's Limitless Layers: Hearts and Limitless Layers: Heart Stitches to create the main focal image.  I also used Wonderful Words: Love die which I embossed with clear embossing powder to give it a nice shiny look.  Tied it up with a sheer red ribbon and twine, and also a tag from Tiny Tags die and stamp set (also PTI).  My natural instinct was to make it a lot more frilly and girly, but don't think hubby would have liked that!  Anyway, I think I achieved the look I was going for and really do like the way it turned out. :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by and make sure you check out all the other entries over at Nichole's blog here . 

PTI 7th Anniversary - Day 5

Hello friends.  Today's challenge at Papertrey Ink is to use a word on your card and then build around it.  Since I still needed to make a couple more Valentine cards, and I'd had this idea rolling around in my head for awhile now with the "Love" die ("Wonderful Words: Love") and stamp set (both PTI), this card came together pretty quickly.  Take a look:

I started with a 2" strip of white cardstock and stamped most of the words from the "Wonderful Words: Love" set with SU!'s Strawberry Slush ink in 3 rows.  I left a little bit of space in the bottom row to stamp 2 small hearts (PTI's "Heart-2-Heart #11).  I used a MS punch to create the small heart border.  Next I added the "Love" die and then mounted that to a piece of design paper and then a Strawberry Slush card base.  I also used some silver glitter paper and PTI's Heart Border Die  to add to the top of the card and also a straight strip of the glitter paper at the bottom.  Other than trying to keep my words lined up straight, this was a pretty simple card, and I think it turned out really cute! :0)

That's all for today friends.  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Monday!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PTI!

PTI 7th Anniversary - Day 4

Hello friends.  Playing with PTI's Anniversary festivities again and todays challenge was to make a birthday card for PTI and then to take a picture of yourself holding your card.  I asked my 18 year old to take a picture of me with my card, and after much laughing, we finally got a picture that "I" thought was acceptable to put on my blog.  And I think it took longer to take the picture than it did to make the actual card!  Not one of my better cards I admit, but it's still ok considering how busy my day has been!  Take a look:

The flowers and leaves are all from "Beautiful Blooms", the "happy" from "Birthday Blessings", & the "birthday" die cut from "Wonderful Words: Birthday" (all PTI). 

And the picture of me holding my card:

My daughter and I were laughing so hard by this picture, that we decided this would have to be it!  But anyway, HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY PAPERTREY INK!!  I love your products and can't wait to see what the next years bring...I LOVE being inspired by you!

Thanks for stopping by and check out all the other entries and festivities over at Nichole's blog here.

  

PTI 7th Anniversary - Day 1

Hello friends.  Another card for Papertrey Inks 7th Anniversary - Day 1 challenge, where you are supposed to pick a color recipe and layout that they provided.  Here's the colors recipe and layout that I chose:

And here's the card I created:

I bought "Delightful Dahlia Additions" stamp set last fall and have loved all the cards Dawn McVey has made with it, but I have to admit I haven't used it until now because I was just a little bit intimidated about being able to line it up right.  I finally figured out after watching Dawn's video about 3 times how to line up the large flower, but the smaller flowers drove me nuts and I've come to the conclusion that my eyes are just too OLD for something that tiny!!  But anyway, I like how the card turned out!  Well, except maybe I wished I would have embossed the sentiment on the vellum instead of just stamping it so it would have been a little darker...live and learn! (sentiment is from PTI's "Blooming Button Bits)  You can check out all the rest of the entries here.

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek today and have a great rest of your weekend! :0)

Papertrey Ink - 7th Anniversary: Day 3

Hello again!  Decided to try the day 3 challenge over at Papertrey Ink:  7 minutes to gather your 7 supplies, and 17 minutes to create it in.  Even though my stamping area is a mess, it is an organized mess, so it only took me a little over 3 minutes to gather my 7 supplies:  3 stamp pads (Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, & Black), 2 stamp sets (Mum's the Word & Embroidered Blooms), 1 piece cardstock, & twine.  My total time was 15 min. and 37 seconds and this is what I came up with:

I did use pop dots, so I hope that counts as adhesive!  I stamped off with the Daffodil Delight to get the lighter shade for the smaller flower so that I had a bit more color contrast on the card without having to use another color.  I did the same thing with my sentiment and stamped off first with the black ink for the word "happy", so that it looks gray and then then stamped regularly with the black for the "birthday"...again a little more contrast to add visual interest.  I love sponging around edges to add a little more color too, but I didn't include a sponge in my 7 items, so just used the edge of the stamp pad to do that.

I noticed a few of the players added pictures of their "messy" desks (I really do prefer "organized mess"!), so I thought I'd add a picture of mine:

It actually isn't that bad as I have seen it a LOT worse!  Anyway, thanks for stopping in and hope you have fun checking out all the other 17 minute creations over on Nichole's blog here.  

Serene Silhouettes

Good morning friends.  Have a simple little notecard to share with you today, and going to tell you a little about what inspired this card for me.  The stamp set I used for my card is SU!'s "Serene Silhouettes" and the images in this set remind me of when I was a young girl and my Girl Scout troop took trips to the Blanchard Nature Center.  Now I am by no means a "nature girl" who likes to get out and hike and such (too much exercise and unfortunately that's just not me!), but I can most definitely appreciate the beauty of nature.  So when we went on these field trips, my favorite part of the trip was at the end when we got to go into the gift shop.  One of the same things I bought over and over again there were these little notecards by a Michigan artist named Gwen Frostic, and I loved everything about them!  I loved the paper they were printed on (handmade where you could see all the fibers in it!!) and I LOVED the nature prints - so very delicate and simple.  You can check out this website here to learn more about Gwen and what inspired her (and order if you fell in love with her nature inspired products like I have!!). 

So anyway, one of the images in particular in the "Serene Silhouettes" set is what reminded me of Gwen Frostic and inspired this card.  Take a look:

 
I started with a base of Bashful Blue cs, layered with a piece of black, and then another layer of Bashful Blue which I stamped with SU!'s "Weathered" background stamp.  If you click to enlarge the photo you can see that weathered look better and also see that the black banner has been embossed with a woodgrain embossing folder.  For the main image I stamped on white cs (Gina K), using a SU! Real Red marker first to color in the birds, and then a black marker to color in the branches. ( I colored directly onto the stamp and then stamped onto the cardstock.)  Next I used a sponge and sponged in the background with SU!'s Bashful Blue ink.  After cutting out the image with a Spellbinders circle die, I attached a small red grosgrain ribbon with a tiny silver brad and then attached to the card base.  A very simple card, but I was very pleased with the way it came out and the memories it evoked while making it! :0)

Well I'm back to the drawing board next, trying to figure out how to line up a stamp set I bought last fall from PTI.  It's the "Delightful Dahlia Additions" set and they are absolutely beautiful 3 step flowers, but I can't for the life of me get the smaller flower lined up right and it's driving me nuts!  I have a card in mind and it won't come together unless I can get the flowers right...grrrrrrr!  Yes I'm anal about stuff like that, and where most people would just say "whatever", I no can do!  So hopefully the card will be worth it once I figure it out (and I will!!) and I'll be able to tell myself it was worth the time and effort! :0)  In the meantime, you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

PTI 7th Anniversary Day 2

Hello again!  Day 2 is all about the designers over at Papertrey Ink, and for their 7th anniversary they're giving away a free downloadable print (here), and asking you to make a card (or 2) from one of the designs.  I chose Dawn McVey's design because I've been needing some more birthday cards, and I just really liked the simple design!  I also CASE'd Betsy's card with the chevron die plate and came up with a quick and simple, but oh so pretty in pink card!  Take a look:

I'm kinda bummed that I couldn't get a picture where the middle zig zag matches the coloring of the polka dotted zig zags, so you'll just have to trust me that they really do match IRL! :0)  If you click to enlarge the picture you'll be better able to see that I also added some glitter to the flowers...kind of takes the card from just pretty to pretty sparkly!  (my gosh, that sounds like something Darnell would say...must be hanging around her site to much!! :0)

Thanks for stopping by and enJOY the rest of your day! :0)  

  

Make it Monday #151 - Drop Shadow Die Cuts

Good morning friends.  More snow and I'm car-less this week (middle daughter is borrowing my car while hers has a new transmission put in), so I've been catching up on some reading and of course, stamping!  Had to try out the new Make it Monday over at Papertrey Ink this week where Betsy showed us how to use drop shadow die cuts...fun technique!  Here's what I came up with:

Trying to keep up with my stash of cards to send my youngest who's away at college, and I think this one will fit the bill nicely!  Started with a small piece of design paper (SU!'s Fresh Prints) on the bottom, and then used PTI's "Wonderful Words: Hello" die and stamp set and "Lovely Layers" die and stamp set (also PTI).  A couple pearls to the centers of the flowers and some grosgrain ribbon finished the card.   Quick and easy and I do like the shadowed effect using 2 of the die cuts on the word hello.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a great Thursday! :0)

Festive Friday Challenge #24

Good morning friends.  More snow expected here later today, so it sure feels like a good reason to show another Christmas card!  Not that I need a reason mind you...I could make Christmas cards every day and be perfectly content!! :0)  Anyway, here's the inspiration photo for this weeks card at Festive Fridays:

Isn't that a pretty photo?!  I don't know where Meredith finds these, but I'm loving them!  This photo reminded me of a piece of design paper I had left over from my oldest daughters wedding album, and so that was my starting point for my card this week.  The design paper is actually of pearls, but I think it was the coloring of them on the paper that inspired me to make this card...take a look:

Isn't that background paper SO pretty, and doesn't it remind you a bit of the inspiration photo?  I thought it was a perfect starting point!  I used a very old SU! set "Miracle of Christmas", and embossed using gold and silver on vellum of the mother and child image.  I used a Floral Oval (Spellbinders) die in kraft cardstock and then used another plain oval die to cut out the center so I had a frame to use over the vellum stamped image.  I embossed a little pennant banner in gold with the sentiment, and then added a couple gold sequins.  I think the hardest part of this card was cleaning all the tiny bits of leftover cardstock out of the floral oval die!  TIP:  using wax paper (thanks Stephanie!) when cutting out with small or intricate dies makes them remove much easier!!

Between the designers and all the participating stampers, there is an incredible amount of inspiration over at Festive Fridays, so check it out and play along to get a head start on next Christmas's cards...you'll be glad you did!

That's all for today but I'll be back with more inspiration later this week.  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a terrific Tuesday! :0)

Merry Monday #94 - Stockings

Good morning friends.  I am honored to be a guest designer this week for the Merry Mondays challenge and share my card with you!  The challenge is to use a stocking on your card, and who doesn't love putting out stockings at Christmas time?!  And better yet, opening stockings on Christmas morning!  I had a deprived childhood (jk Mom!!) as we didn't do stockings at our house, but I made up for lost years with our own 3 girls and now my 2 son in laws!  Such fun to fill them with all sorts of yummies and suprises!  You'd think as much as I love stockings that I would have lots of stocking stamps to choose from, but alas, not one single stocking stamp in my collection.  But never fear, a true card maker will find a way!  One of my Cricut cartridges had a stocking on it, so I made a template and then cut one out from felt.  Take a look:

When I found that Debbie Mumm design paper last week with the ornaments on it, I also found this Debbie Mumm design paper with the stockings on it...color me happy! :0)  I used a Tag Sale #8 die (PTI) to make the tag that the stocking is on, and although you can't see it real well in the photograph, I stamped the Cherry Cobbler part of the tag with SU!'s "Weathered" background stamp, and then embossed the smaller inset part of the tag with a snowflake ef that I sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I tied a seam binding ribbon that I dyed with Cherry Cobbler ink to the tag, and then tied the stocking to the bow with some bright green embroidery floss.  Lastly I added a small tag (Tiny Tags die by PTI) that I stamped with SU!s "Be Very Merry" stamp and a green pearl.  Oh, and if you can't tell, I used gold sequins and French Knots for the little balls on my stocking.

Hope you all get a chance to play along this week at Merry Mondays.  You can find the challenge right here. 



Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful Monday! :0)