12 Kits Of Occasions Dec. 2019 - The Tags Of Christmas

Hello friends.  Hard to believe it's the end of the month AND the end of 2019, but here's wishing you all a bright and shiny and Happy New Year!!   Before we completely say goodbye to 2019 though, let's celebrate a bit with the 12 Kits Of Occasions where I am the hostess this month,  and provided all my teamies with a kit full of options for making Christmas tags.  I have looooong been a fan of making tags, and thought this would be a great way to send out a kit that would be quick, easy, fun, and useful for this time of year!  Here's what I included in this month's kit:

   

Doesn't Lindsey do such a wonderful job photographing our kits each month?!  She makes us all look SO professional!  Thanks Lindsey!!

I made 15 tags with my kit, but don't worry, I grouped several in each photo so you wouldn't be here all day!  So sit back and relax, and enjoy what I've created for you, and then hop along to the rest of the team HERE and see what they did with this tag kit.  (You can find a list of all the supplies I used for my kit right HERE.)

I had so much fun just randomly pulling out stamps and dies from my stash to make up this kit, and used mostly Copics to color in my images before adding them to the various tag shapes I also included.  My Llama tag is very sparkly IRL because of all the Wink Of Stella I added to his scarf and saddle, and I added a bow from The Greetery's Fit To Be Tied die to my Nativity tag.  Did a little bit of non traditional colors on the 4th tag with the aqua colored berries, but really like how it turned out!

The 3rd tag in this photo was made from a roll of tissue paper by Tim Holtz that I die cut with the Reverse Confetti Hex Die and then glued to the same white cardstock tag shape.  The surface was not very smooth after gluing, so I lightly ran my Versamark pad over the top and edges, and then added gold embossing powder.  I love the way this tag turned out...very vintage like!

Had to attach this tag to one of my mom's gifts and she loved it!  The JOY die cut is from PTI's Bold Borders: Flurries.

Can you tell I love coloring up all the little critters?!  I also had fun with the 1st tag from SugarPea Designs which is named Santa's Gift Tag...can you tell that I lightly stamped the background of this tag with a sweet Santa image that I had bought from Hobby Lobby back when I first started stamping?  Here's a closer up for you:

And the last of my tags...

Had to include a shaker tag in my kit because, well, they're just too FUN not to include!!  The Lawn Fawn stamp and die sets were originally intended for Easter with jelly beans in the little shaker jars, but why not peppermints for Christmastime?!

I hope I've given you some inspiration for next years Christmas tags...they're easy, fun, and a great way to use up all those little scraps we all have on hand!  Make sure you check out what all the rest of my teammates did with this kit right HERE...I just know they're going to blow you away with all of their creativity too!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Merry Christmas

"I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying, Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.  Luke 2: 10 - 14 (NLT)

Merry Christmas to all!!

(Reason For The Season by Unity Stamp Co.)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Cotton Blossom Christmas

Hello friends.  Feels like FOREVER since I've posted, even though it's only been a little over a week!  Busy time of year for all of us though, so I know you understand.  Hope you are all getting everything done that needs to be done, but still taking time to enjoy the season and to most importantly reflect on the real meaning of the season...our Lord and Savior's birth.

I did take a little time for myself this week after seeing Betsy Veldman's card she showed on her Make & Tell Tuesday video using the Cotton Blossom stamp set along with the BotaniCuts Pine Bough dies.  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and since I needed a couple thank you cards for a Christmas Tea I had been invited to, I decided to do a little bit of CASE-ing!  Here's my version:

I used some of the same stamps and dies as Betsy, but changed up my background using the Nordic Frame Dies and also a plaid piece in a light brown and green using Concord & 9th's Plaid Background Stamp.  I also used the Inside & Out Berry Branch die in white cardstock before adhering my pine branches, the pine cone, and the cotton blossom.  Here's a closer up:

You can also see in this photo that I added some Distress Mica Flakes (TH) and Distress Glitter Rock Candy (TH) to the pine branches and the pine cone.  My sentiment comes from the Pine Blossom stamp set from The Greetery.  LOVE the way the Cotton Blossom looks with the pine branches and pine cone...that Betsy is just too clever and  I loved her idea!!

That's all for now...

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #25 - The Christmas Story

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge where this time they want our card to tell The Christmas Story.

I have an oldie but a goodie stamp from Morning Star Stamp Company that is in the format of a birth announcement that I absolutely LOVE to use to tell The Christmas Story...take a look:

Isn't it just beautifully worded?!  I embossed it on vellum to use as an overlay over my image of the Wise Men which was embossed in clear on white cardstock and then I blended Salty Oceans and Blueprint Sketch Distress Inks over it.  I chose the image of the Wise Men over the Nativity scene because I love the symbolism of them following the star that was the wondrous HOPE and PROMISE of God's LOVE for ALL of us.  Here is a closer up so you can see the wording better:

The Wise Men image is from a SU! set called Wise Men from Afar and I die cut both that layer and the vellum overlay with a die from Penny Black's Stitched Square & Circles.  I also cut another of the circle dies that I made into a frame by using another plain smaller circle die and then layered over the top of the two layers before mounting to a square layer (and a black layer and a white card base).

I didn't want to totally leave out the Nativity scene in my card, so I added it to the inside...

I die cut the Nativity scene from Penny Black's Manger die and added a small silver Stitched Circle (from the same Penny Black set as above) behind it.  My sentiments are from an older SU! set called Christmas Blessings.

This challenge is still open for a few more days, so check it out right HERE.  Not sure how much I'll be posting before Christmas, so let me take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a most blessed and happy Christmas surrounded by family and friends, and most of all God's LOVE!   

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #39 - Use A Die

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge and this month they would like us to use a DIE on our cards.

I had no problem using a die for this challenge...in fact I used LOTS of dies!  All my dies are from The Greetery...take a look:

I started with a die cut panel using the Nordic Frame Dies, and lightly blended some Salty Ocean DI on it and also added some black splattering.  I die cut the pine bough (BotaniCuts Pine Bough) from white cardstock and then sponged on a variety of ink colors till I got the look I wanted.  The pine cone (also from the BotaniCuts Pine Bough set) was die cut from kraft cardstock and sponged with Soft Suede ink.  Both the boughs and the pine cone were then treated to a little bit of painting with Copic Opaque White to look like snow.  Next I stamped and die cut my Poinsettia from the With Love At Christmas set and pop dotted it over the pine boughs and pine cone.  Next I added a little filler using a few pieces from the Inside & Out Berry Branch, which I left white and just added a bit of Distress Glitter (TH).  Here's a closer up so you can see more of the detail:

I added a piece of Real Red cardstock behind my die cut panel to help bring out the red in the Poinsettia and then layered to a white card base.  My finishing touch was the sentiment from the Pine Blossom set.  Again, ALL dies and stamps are from The Greetery.

This challenge just started this week, so you have lots of time left to play along...especially if you need to still get some of those last minute Christmas cards done!!  Check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT and their special GD Nancy Penir and then play along right HERE.    

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Inspired By Challenge #100 - Pink Christmas

Hello friends.  Couldn't resist playing along with the challenge at Inspired By where they are looking for cards inspired by this awesome PINK CHRISTMAS photo...

I loved the knitted hat box, the gold stars, the kraft packages and of course all the PINK in the photo too!!  Here's what I came up with using MFT's Pure Innocence Holiday Cheer.

I started with a Sweet Blush card base and then added two die cut layers using The Greetery's Nordic Frame Dies.  I also stenciled using Sweet Blush ink and Funky Fossil Designs Knitted stencil for my background on the top die cut layer.  I water colored the sweet little girls hat, coat, and boots using the same Sweet Blush ink, and then Copic colored her face, legs, hair, and shopping bags before die cutting her out.  (Thanks Michele!!)  I used a gold glitz gel pen to add dots and stripes to the kraft shopping bags and buttons on her coat. Here's a closer up so you can see the gold a bit better...

The gold stars were die cut from gold mirror cardstock and I added my sentiment to the inside because it just didn't fit on the outside where it looked good!

There's still a couple days to play along with this challenge, so if you love Pink and Christmas, check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from the DT HERE and then play along. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

12 Kits Of Occasions Nov. 2019 - All Is Calm

Hello friends.  Hard to believe it's the end of the month (AGAIN!), but I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful day on Thursday (and maybe are enjoying a 4 day weekend??!!) and now are gearing up to celebrate Christmas!

Lindsey Larsen is our hostess this month at 12 Kits Of Occasions and she sent out the most incredibly BEAUTIFUL kit entitled All Is Calm for us to enjoy this month!

Just look at all the gorgeous papers and die cuts Lindsey included in her kit!!  I could have created for days and days if I'd had more time!  But I do have 5 cards to share with you today, so sit back and relax, and enjoy!

I think this is probably my favorite card of the 5...probably because I absolutely LOVE the word JOY and Lindsey die cut it from the most wonderful copper and shimmery paper!  I added some white acrylic paint to the leaf die cuts included in the kit, and then adhered to the lovely stamped geometric paper along with a strip of the darker green cs and a thin strip of the copper paper.  A simple copper bow completed this card.

Lindsey did all the work on this card with the die cutting...I simply added the stamped sentiment, a red scarf to the snowman, and adhered all to a CAS white and black card base.

This is probably my next favorite card...I love red, black, and white together!!  Although this card is whimsical with the reindeer, I just love the embossed sentiment on the circle ornament and had fun combining the two!  Can you see the shiny gems on the reindeer's noses?!

I loved this simple strip of trees that Lindsey stamped and also the lovely piece of vellum she included in the kit...I think they paired up just beautifully!!

I'm sad I didn't have sunshine this week to photograph this card especially, as it's once again using the beautiful copper paper Lindsey included in the kit, and IRL, this whole card just shimmers!!

And here's a photo of all of them together!  I can't wait to see what my teamies made with this kit, and I know you will enjoy seeing all their creations too!  You can check it all out right HERE and click HERE to see a list of all the supplies Lindsey used in her kit.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and a BIG thank you to Lindsey for her lovely, lovely kit...it truly was a piece of calm creating with it!  :0)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Gnomies - Gnome Pun Intended

Hello friends.  Just a quick post to wish all my friends in America a very blessed, happy, and safe Thanksgiving tomorrow...I truly am thankful for each one of you!!

Also wanted to quick show you a few more tags I made using the new Simon Says Stamp kit (HERE) Gnome For The Holidays.  I got hooked on Gnomes last Christmas and now I feel like everything that has a Gnome on it I have to have!!  Haha!  Yup, I'm addicted!

Anyway, the kit (which is sadly sold out now) came with the dies and papers, and I just spent an hour last night cutting multiple Gnomes out of several of the different papers and then fashioned them all into tags this morning!  Easy peasy and oh so fun and CUTE!!

Here's the first three I made, also using the stick tree stamps that came in the kit and some light blue (Salty Ocean DI) ink blending directly onto the tag.  I added a small torn strip at the bottom for my snowbanks, added a little glitter and stamped the "Merry Christmas" which is also part of the stamp set in the kit.  Added the Gnomes with pop dots and finished off with some sheer red ribbon and black & white bakers twine.

Here's the 2nd set of three...aren't they SO cute?!!  I mixed and matched the DSP that came with the kit for the bodies and the hats, and then the beards are all die cut from a sort of grayish metallic cardstock that also came with the kit.  The little noses were all cut with some scraps of Sweet Blush cs.

Again, I hope all of you that celebrate Thanksgiving will have a wonderful day tomorrow celebrating with family and friends.  It will be a small celebration at our house this year with just my mom and our 2 younger daughters...our oldest daughter and grandbabies will be celebrating with her hubby's family this year.  But we will be eating like kings and queens with lots of favorite dishes, and I am definitely looking forward to a turkey sandwhich on Friday with leftovers!!  :0)

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #24 - SANTA

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for Christmas cards with the BIG guy himself...SANTA!!

I hesitated a bit too long for MFT's Christmas sELFies stamp set, and now they're out of stock!  Luckily for me, my sweet friend Michele helped me out and sent a few for me to color up, and one of the images had SANTA on it and was perfect for this challenge!

Isn't this image with SANTA, Rudolph, and one of his elves just the cutest?!  Michele stamped and embossed the image on water color paper, so using my Aqua Painter and various inks, I water colored the image up and then added the frame with the sentiment that Michele also included for me.  (Aren't stamping friends just the BEST?!!)

I finished my card by adhering my image to a piece of Smoky Slate cardstock that I embossed with Michele's Lil Inker Cover Plate die, and then mounting to a white card base.  I also added a few die cut snowflakes from Impression Obsession.  FUN and sweet card all thanks to sweet Michele...thank you, thank you Michele!!

You can find all the info to play along with this FUN challenge right HERE, so check it out and get going on those Christmas cards...time is running out my friends!!  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Mix Up Challenge - Nov. 2019

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with the CAS Mix Up Challenge where this month they are looking for cards with OXIDIZED METAL on them!  So many BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT for inspiration, and lots of videos on how to achieve this look too over at their site HERE.

I admit it took me a few tries to come up with a piece that I actually liked, but here's what I came up with:

I started with a black piece of cardstock and ran it through my favorite FSJ (Fun Stampers Journey) embossing folder and then LIGHTLY ran my versamark pad over the raised part of the embossing.  This is where I messed up my first 2 tries by pushing a little heavily with the versamark pad and then when you add the embossing powders, it sticks to the background as well as the raised images.  I used a much lighter hand on my 3rd try and that was the charm!  I used gold, silver, copper, and WOW Virdigris embossing powders to bring out all the leaf shapes.  Here's a closer up:

I love the look and think it makes for a great masculine card!  And since my younger brother has a birthday next month, I thought this card with the wonderful sentiment (Impression Obsession C5679) would be a perfect card for him!  I also added a die cut maple leaf and that finished off my card.

Only a few more days to play along with this challenge (ends on the 24th), but it's a fun one, so check it all out right HERE and play along!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Stencil Nov. 2019 - MONOPRINTS

Hello friends.  It's all about MONOPRINTS at the CAS Stencil Challenge this month.

This is one of my favorite techniques to do with a stencil, and since I have a new stencil from FUNKY FOSSILL DESIGNS, I had to have a play with it!

 

I apologize for my lighting, but IRL the colors are much brighter!  I used the Leafy Mandala stencil as a snowflake and used Ocean Mist and Applemint inks from Gina K to ink up the stencil before misting with water and then pressing into my cardstock.  Once it was dry, I attached a white frame (PTI's Pierced Feature Frames) and adhered both to a white card base.  Lastly I stamped my sentiment from SSS/Gina K Festive Flower stamp set and was done.

I was inspired to make this card from a ink blended card that Gina K did, and I shamelessly CASE'd her card, just using a different stencil and sentiment...

Once I made this card, I got to thinking how cool it would look as a monoprint too, and that's how my STENCILED MONOPRINT card evolved!

Make sure you check out all the BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT and then play along right HERE...this challenge is open till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

CAS Watercolour Reminder - Monochromatic

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play with our last challenge of the year at CAS Watercolour and we are looking for MONOCHROMATIC cards.

I used water coloring and a stencil to come up with my background for this card...

I used a technique that Betsy Veldman used HERE (scroll down to the 3rd video) with The Greetery's Frosty Flakes Stencil and distress inks in Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, & Salty Ocean.  Here's a closer up of the background:

Once my background was dry I added my line of die cut trees using Memory Box's Evergreen Window (I trimmed the window part of the die cut off so I was only left with the trees) along with a strip of white cardstock that I tore to mimic the snow hills.  A simple matting with Blueberry Sky cs and my stamped sentiment (PTI's Christmas Blessings) in Blueberry Sky ink mounted on a white card base finished off my card.

If you need more inspiration, make sure you check out what the rest of the DT has come up with (HERE) this month...you will be blown away by their BEAUTIFUL cards and also from our Special GD Birgit.  This challenge is open till the 24th, so come play along with our MONOCHROMATIC theme...we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!