Thank You Kindly

Everyone ready for the new year?  I have to work & then we'll spend a quiet evening at home--maybe stay up to welcome in 2013--you never know if I'll still be awake!  Whatever you do, stay safe & enjoy the holiday.  
I missed quite a few PTI MIM challenges this year, so I had a lot to choose from for this week's 2012 All a Carte challenge.  I decided on #71: Bordered Sentiments with Betsy Veldman.  Her videos are always great & I love her cards.  This time I pretty much CASED hers, but used the gorgeous roses from The Sweet Life set stamping in VersaMagic Pink Petunia, Brilliance Pearlescent Poppy & Memento Rhubarb Stalk.  The sentiment is from Quilled Elegance & is stamped in Versafine Smokey Gray while the lines above & below it are drawn with Distress Ink Marker pumice stone.  The printed paper is by Sassafras Lass.  Thanks for coming by--I look forward to reading your comments.  I'll be checking your blogs on my days off.  Happy New Year!

Five Favorite Christmas Cards

I saw on Dawn's blog that Debby at A Scrapjourney is having a giveaway.  You enter by linking a post showing your 5 favorite Christmas cards you made for 2012.  Had fun looking back through my blog, trying to decide which ones to choose.  I'm not putting them in any order, except my number 1 favorite is without a doubt the one I made for my hubby using the beautiful Impression Obsession cabin in the snow stamp--original post.

The second one was super fun & different using non-traditional colors & non-holiday PTI dies--original post

Number 3 uses my only Santa stamp (TPC Studio).  I made a totally different card with it this year with a vintage flair--not my usual style--original post

Number 4 are the CAS cards I made for my co-workers.  The beautiful Stampendous! stamp combined with the distress inks & Stickles came out just like I wanted--original post  

Number 5 is black & white with a splash of color--always a favorite of mine.  The cheap die cut ornament turned out to be a great buy & this card also included a fancy die cut, felt roses & pearls--my kind of card!--original post 

Hope you've enjoyed seeing these again.  Thanks for all your kind comments & encouragement during the first year of my blog.  I so appreciate all of you!  Happy New Year!

Papertrey Ink December Blog Hop

Wow--talk about an inspiration photo!  I think I'll be using this over & over, but for today's PTI Blog Hop card I drew from the leaves, flowers, linens & frames as well as shades of white & grey/silver.  I used my new Snowflake Flurries dies to create the 2 layer felt flowers & the centers are Making Memories pearl brads from their wedding collection--I've been wanting to find a way to use them!  The leaves are cut with a Sizzix die & the embossing folder is Cuttlebug.  The frames are made with the PTI Take Three die.  I used a sentiment from the gorgeous new PTI set called Quilled Elegance.  The felt flowers are not such a stark contrast in real life, but couldn't get a better picture.  Hope you get to play along--can't wait to see what everyone comes up with today!  Simon Says Stamp has an Anything Goes challenge this week, so I'm submitting this card.

From Our House To Yours...

Merry Christmas!  

"For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10, 11

Hope you're all having a lovely day.  Very quiet at our house--time to just relax & feel blessed.  Decided to get my card posted for Impression Obsessions Sending Love Challenge.  I took advantage of the Impression Obsession end of year clearance sale a few weeks back, so had to use 2 of my new stamps: Filigree Heart, D2024 & Valentine Wishes, D5541.  I clear embossed the gorgeous heart 3 times & then sponged on Distress Ink spun sugar & worn lipstick.  The same inks were used on the torn edges & the Sizzix embossing folder.  Stickles was used for the sparkle.  I used both sides of the Bo-Bunny printed paper.  My stamping  friend, Nat, gave me several of these little heart stick pins.  I added seed beads with a dab of Glossy Accents at the end to keep them in place.  The panels are attached with foam tape to a white card.  For the inside I used the solid side of the pp stamping the heart in the spun sugar ink & the greeting in worn lipstick.  Thanks for taking time to come by.  

Cards from Keesha

I always make some Christmas goodies for the Vet & the groomer so Keesha can tell them thank you for another year of being cared for.  

The Stampendous! branch from Jumbo Pinecone Boughs is stamped in Memento Cottage Ivy & again second generation.  For some sparkle I added Stickles Crystal.  I love this little Hero Arts sentiment which I stamped in Memento Love Letter.  Recently I bought Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Circles which includes 20 dies from .25" to 5.5" & now I always have the size I need.  The scallop circle is by Spellbinders.  Pretty simple cards--the hardest thing was getting the bows tied right! I'm entering this in Simon Says Stamp Christmas challenge. 
I just saw Amber's Blog thanks to Barb.  She has a project going to help the children of Newtown & you might want to check it out.
Wishing all of you a lovely holiday season.  I appreciate you taking time to come by--always brightens my day.  

CAS Cards for Co-workers

Most of my Christmas cards are 1 of a kind, but I do mass produce the ones I give to my co-workers.  I fell in love with the Stampendous! Cling Snow Brackets & had to buy it even though I have tons of Christmas stamps.  I'm not alone in this lack of will-power, right?!  This one is unique because it works for a beautiful focal point as well as a sentiment.  I chose 3 color schemes so they aren't all exactly the same: Distress Inks chipped sapphire & faded jeans, festive berries & spun sugar, dusty concord & milled lavender.  Using Spellbinders Labels 22 worked great because I could actually stamp with the die in place to get the position on the paper & then emboss with white powder, tape the die in place & cut.  I sponged on the colors & wiped off the excess & added Stickles to the snowflakes.  The front of the card is dry embossed with a Sizzix folder & the edges are sponged with the darker ink to match the die cut which is mounted with foam tape.  I'm happy with how they look (sorry it isn't a better picture) & the cost is minimal so it's OK that most will eventually be discarded.  I'm entering these into the CAS challenge at Stampendous!--check it out--you might want to join in.  DYSU Blog is closing at the end of the year, but decided to enter the current Christmas card challenge.  Hope you've had a week with time to do some crafting & have fun getting ready for the holidays.  Thank you so much for taking time out to come to my blog.

The Future

Finally getting to play again in a Flourishes challenge & this time it's for the entire December release!  I was certainly challenged as you had to incorporate these 8 ingredients: 1) anything except an A2 size card, 2) Use something with a floral flair, 3) Add a bit of ribbon or lace, 4) Use the inspiration photo, 5) Add a tag, 6) Add a rounded corner, or use a die with curvy edges, 7) Add an antique flair with distressing or sponging, 8) Use a die cut or punch.  

My card size is 4x5, so smaller than A2.  I used 2 Flourishes stamp sets: Life Lines for the Eleanor Roosevelt quote & Botanical Bookplates for the sentiment on my little tag.  The embossing folder is by Cuttlebug & I added colors from the photo using Brilliance Pearlescent Purple & Pearlescent Lime & Faber-Castell big brush light cobalt turquoise.  I sponged Distress Ink pumice stone on all the edges including my center Spellbinders Labels 18 & my little tag made with Spellbinders ovals.  2 corners are rounded with a Fiskars punch.  I need a birthday card for a co-worker born on Christmas day & I think this will be perfect for her.  So glad you came by--love to hear what you think.

Hubby's Christmas Card

I always end up making hubby's card at the last minute.  I'm still trying to get all the cards I've made signed & sent, but last night I took a break.  As soon as I saw the Impression Obsession Cabin stamp, I knew I had to buy it.  Our dream is a cabin in the forest & I knew this would be the perfect image to use on cards I make for Steve.  I began by stamping Screen Cover-a-Card in VersaMark Dazzle frost on brown cardstock.  Then I stamped Crochet Snowflake 2 using Vintage Cream in 2 corners.  The cabin is stamped in VersaMark & embossed in Zing! Chestnut ep & trimmed out.  I used spray adhesive to cover the entire image in Art Institute Angel Dust glitter & used the same brown cardstock for a small mat.  The sentiment is embossed with the same powder, trimmed into a tag & edged with the glitter using a glue stick.  I twisted some hemp & attached it to the background before adding the cabin & sentiment using foam tape.  The finishing touch for a little color is provided by the 3 green buttons.  I love how this turned out--always a plus when you're making lots of cards!  I'm entering the Celebrating the Holidays challenge as all stamps are by Impression Obsession: Cabin, cling--H1830, Crochet Snowflake 2, cling--E13064, Screen Cover-a-Card--CC049, Christmas Magic--B3585.  Thanks to Lai-Yoke I just discovered Stamping Sensations Blog, so I'm also entering this card into their December challenge.   I so appreciate your taking time to come by.  Wishing you peace & joy at this holiday season.

DeNami Pretty Packaging Blog Hop

Welcome to another DeNami Blog Hop.  If you're going in order, you should have come by way of Wendy Elliot's inspiring blog.  Don't worry, if you get lost or want to get all the hop details, just head over to DeNami Design. 
The one thing I make every year for gifts (& for us--hubby's favorite!) is pumpkin bread.  This year, thanks to the theme of today's blog hop, I've made my first decorative wrap.  I used my recently purchased DeNami image (on consignment at my LSS--lucky for me someone didn't realize what a great stamp this is!) with my stamp positioner inking with Versamark, embossing with Zing Glitter Green powder & coloring with barn door Distress marker.  The little sprig stamp is also by DeNami & is embossed with the same powder.  I used a pretty sheer white shimmery ribbon to tie on the wrap.  The tag is made with a MFT Fishtail Flags die.  Lots to see, so better keep this short.  Your next stop is the blog of super talented Deb W., & I know you won't want to miss it.  Leave me a comment to be in the running for a DeNami $20 gift certificate.  Happy Holidays!

Vintage Santa

This TPC Studio stamp from Christmas Collage is the only Santa stamp I own.  This was part of last year's Christmas present from my cousin whose wife picked out a bunch of stamping goodies for me (& I can tell from the card in this year's box she did the same thing again!)  Sue collects Santas, so I used it for their card last year & wanted to again this year--but with a different design & colors.  When I saw Our Creative Corner's challenge this week (thanks, Sue) is to use a Santa & have red, I got to work.  Good thing, because I need to get their package into the mail ASAP so she can use the darling Santa hand towel I got at our gift shop--the kind of thing you admire but don't buy for yourself--before the holidays are over.  I stamped Santa in Distress Ink fired brick, distressed the edges & inked the edges in frayed burlap.  The Hero Arts Collage Music Background is stamped on the card front in frayed burlap & again the edges are inked.  I was thrilled to see I had a piece of ribbon the right color--need to get some more.  The rose is die cut with the smallest MFT Die-namics Mini Rolled Roses die using BasicGrey Snowfall Cranberry pp I've had a long time.  It isn't double-sided, so I inked the white back with the fired brick.  Just added a pearl & a strip of lace to finish off the card which has all the layers mounted with foam tape.  I'm pleased with the result & think they'll like it, too.  So much to do--thought working part-time I'd be all relaxed this year, but not the case--LOL!  It is way better, though, don't get me wrong.  Thank you so much for coming by.  Off to get ready for the office Christmas party, but I'll be visiting your blogs soon.

Gift Set

I haven't been to a Christmas party in years & I'm really looking forward to Thursday night when the staff in my department (we work in 3 different hospitals) all meet at a co-worker's house for a catered dinner.  I know she's been working like crazy to have everything ready & has her house all decorated.  We're putting together a hostess basket as a thank you.  I don't know her all that well, but she's been really kind to me as I continue to try & learn the job.  I'm chipping in with some of the gals for a nice bottle of wine, but also had the idea to make her some cards.  I love this gorgeous patterned cardstock called Asian Coins (don't know the brand) that I recently got at my LSS & decided it'd be great for some classic note cards.  The sentiments from Hero Arts Congrats clear set are stamped in VersaFine Smokey Gray, which I thought went well with all 3 colors.  It was a challenge to find matching inks to color the backs of the vellum MS punched butterflies: VersaMagic Malted Mauve, Distress Ink faded jeans & Distress Ink bundled sage.  Decided to just tie them with a pretty bow instead of trying to make a holder and I'm really happy with how they turned out.  Hopefully she'll like them!  Such a busy time of year with Christmas almost here makes it even more special that you took time to visit my blog.  Thank you so much.

Second Try

Decided my first card for PDCC splash challenge (black & white with maroon) didn't come close enough to the maroon in the inspiration photo, so I made another card.  I used another Fancy Label from the ODBD set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  This time I sprayed the chipboard ornament with Tattered Angels Black Cherry.  The sentiment is a Stampendous! wood mounted stamp I really like.  The dies are Spellbinders Labels 17 & Parisian Motifs along with MFT rolled roses die cut from felt.  All the layers are mounted with foam tape & pearls seemed like the best choice for embellishing.  We've had a very wet weekend which was good for getting the house decorated (except for the tree) & making cards!  Wishing all of you a great week & I do really appreciate your stopping by.

JOY

 Today's card works for 2 challenges--ODBDSLC to include an ornament & PDCC to use black, white & a splash of maroon.  I got a pack of 12 chipboard ornaments for $1 at Michael's & since I don't have any ODBD Christmas stamps that's what I used.  I sprayed it with Smooch Spritz Wine Berry & Tattered Angels Black Cherry & it has a lovely shimmer, hard to see in the photo.  ODBD Fancy Labels image is stamped with Versafine Onyx Black & the dies are Spellbinders Labels 17.  "Joy" is spelled with MM white glitter stickers & the Recollections rose has a little Stickles added to the petal edges.  The embossing folder used on the card front is Cuttlebug.  Quick post today as I'm supposed to be dusting & getting the Christmas decorations out.  Hubby already put up the outside lights which is my favorite thing for the holiday season.  Hope you're having a great weekend.  I look forward to your comments.

Cardinals Candle

Fun day off as hubby was willing to go with me to the town 11 miles away where there are 2 craft stores with 50% off coupons.  Frustrating, though, it seems they put on lesser sale most of what I'd like to use the coupon to get!  Somehow I still managed to find things for both of us to get with the coupons--LOL--plus this candle was already 50% off!  I was very fortunate recently to win the Stampendous! Jumbo Cardinals cling set.  I had actually looked for it a couple times, as cardinals are special to me.  We don't have them in Oregon, but I was born in Indiana & they always remind me of my grandparents.  I stamped the cardinals on tissue paper using Tsukineko's Delicata Golden Glitz, cut it out & attached it by covering the image with waxed paper & heating with my embossing gun.  The strip around the bottom is Stampendous! aged ivory embossing 
enamel heated on a strip of heat  resistant double-sided tape that I first
attached to a piece of tissue paper--then glued to the candle with Beacon 3-In-1 Craft glue--really good stuff!  I finished it off with red Liquid Pearls, gold ribbon & a pearl.  This will be my last entry for this month's Stampendous! challenge which ends tomorrow.  So glad you took time to visit my blog--thank you!

Holly-Jolly

I don't usually make cute cards, but I do have this darling Penny Black set called holly-jolly & the Penny Black Saturday November challenge is to make a cute Christmas card.  I used various markers to color the images & added Glossy Accents to the noses.  The little white embossed snowflakes in the background are from another Penny Black set called crystalline & I let a little of the powder go onto the characters for a touch of snow.  The wintry ground is made by gluing on Stampendous! shaved ice, so I'm also entering their November challenge.  The navy frame is Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles--double layer for a little extra stiffness so I could mount it over the image with foam tape.  The card front is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  I have to admit it was fun to make something completely different.  Hope you like it & thanks for leaving me a comment.

Merry Little Christmas

It's the time of year when the Pacific storms come through one after another, but today we had a break.  The fog cleared early & it was a gorgeous Fall day with blue sky, sunshine & no wind.  Hubby & I spent all afternoon working in the yard, which was tiring but so nice to see everything spruced up.  Now it's down to the wire for the weekly MFT Sketch Challenge, as tomorrow is a work day.  I liked this sketch as soon as I saw it & had in mind using the Seasonal Sentiments stamp set I got with my last order.  Finally tonight it all came together in another traditional holiday card using a piece of the May Arts ribbon I got in a clearance.  I've also been wanting to cover an image with glitter which is something I learned in one of my first stamping classes years ago.  This Christmas tree made of words was just right for it & I can enter my card in the November Stampendous! challenge since you don't have to use their glitter to enter--check it out HERE.  A friend who became a full-time RVer gave me all her ink pads & 2 of them (Close To My Heart Holiday Red & Kentucky Green) matched the ribbon pretty well.  The embossing folder is by Sizzix.  All the layers are mounted with foam tape.  Hope things went well for you today & thanks for taking time to come by.

Layered Vellum Die Cuts

Haven't had a chance to play along in a PTI MIM challenge for awhile, but when I saw it was to layer vellum die cuts, I knew I wanted to join in.  Melissa's video was inspiring & I included her ideas of dry embossing the vellum & combining felt with sparkle.  My collection of PTI dies is limited, but I thought Lovely Layers would work great for this technique & don't you think it looks like a poinsettia here?  For the embossing folder I used Cuttlebug's Mesh & the sparkle is Stampendous! Shaved Ice attached with spray adhesive.  The Mega Mat Stack 3 cut the MFT Puff Cloud White felt easily.  I used silver alphabet stickers for "JOY" & added the embellishments to get this really fun card.  Actually, this is the second card I made from the video.  The first one I liked so much I decided to use it for one of the big mail in contests or send it for possible publication.  Since I used Stampendous! Shaved Ice for my flower's sparkle, I'm also entering this card into the Stampendous! November challenge.

I hope you've all had a great weekend & a lovely Thanksgiving if you're in the US.  I have so much to be thankful for & on that list are my on-line card-making friends, like you!

Re-make

A Blog Named Hero has a challenge to re-make one of your cards.  I found this old birthday card made with some pretty printed papers.  My re-make is using the same basic design for a masculine card using stamping.  The stamps are all woodblock by Hero Arts: Silhouette Grass, Large Plaid Pattern & Handwritten Happy Birthday.  The grass is stamped in Distress Ink brushed corduroy, the plaid is Brilliance Moonlight White & the sentiment is Adirondack Denim.  I used twine instead of ribbon & substituted buttons for the flowers.  Thanks for coming by--your comments are always appreciated.

Blessings

I recently bought several new Impression Obsession stamps & I'm using 2 of them, along with a sentiment stamp I already had, for my card to enter the IO Happy Fall Y'all challenge.  Since I made a burlap mat with a design (removed some strings from all 4 sides for the wider rows) I'm also entering the Canvas, Cork & Burlap Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  I started by stamping the Screen Cover-a-Card background CC049) in Memento Peanut Brittle on Kraft cardstock.  Then I inked the cling Brush Tree (E7690) with some Memento inks & spritzed it with Tsukineko's Shimmer Spritz Copper & stamped over the background.  The copper obscured the colors except you can see a little of the Northern Pine.  I decided I liked it, even though it wasn't the look I had in mind.  When it dried I over-stamped the tree using Versafine Vintage Sepia to give a little more definition to the water-color affect.  It doesn't look so blurry in real life.  I cut the image with a narrow border & roughed the edges with my fingernail.  The sentiment (B8182 Blessings) is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a left over piece of the background & again the edges are roughed.  The pieces are matted with black cardstock & attached with foam tape.  I finally had a project where I could use this thin, black suede trim I bought long ago.  Finished off with some black pearls.  Thank you for visiting my blog & if you're in the US I wish you & your family a blessed Thanksgiving.

Classic Christmas Card

I enjoy making Christmas cards in a variety of color combos, but I still love the traditional look of red, white & silver.  Here's my card for ODBDSLC to use gold or silver on your card.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of their beautiful holiday stamps, so I used 1 of my favorites--Sweet William-Small.  I've noticed that really any flower done in Christmas colors works for a holiday project.  I finally got the compatible Spellbinders Blossom 3 dies which makes it even easier to cut out these flowers which are attached to each other with foam tape after being silver embossed.  The mat is Spellbinders Parisian Motifs--another favorite.  I really didn't like this red Stampin' Up cardstock when I got it years ago.  However, I can't let it go to waste & now I see that it's really pretty paired with white & silver.  I may use it for my co-worker cards this year.  These inexpensive silver dots come with foam so they have dimension when you attach them.  Thanks for stopping by--I know you're all busy, so hope you found it worthwhile.  Enjoy your weekend.

Monochromatic Thank You

Fun challenge to have a chance at winning Flourishes new release.  There are 4 steps, so you can make 4 cards with each one adding a step or make 1 card with all 4 steps.  Here's my card utilizing the sketch (1) made with KI Memories printed paper pad in shades of tan/brown (2) with the cover of my card covered in the paper with a damask design from the collection (3) and clear Recollections gems on the tree (4).  I used 2 great Flourishes sets: The tree from Thinking of You & the sentiment from Wreaths of all Seasons.  The dies are Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large.  I stamped the sentiment in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  Neat thing about this challenge is that I can enter my card for each step of the progressive challenge--4 chances to win!  I love how the card came out, so it's a win no matter what.  Thanks so much for taking time to come by.  Hope you're having a great week.

 

Non Traditional Holiday Colors

I've never done 3 posts in 1 day (of course my DeNami Blog Hop post was done ahead of time), but the deadline is early tomorrow for the monthly MFT Guest Designer challenge.  I've been waiting for just the right project to use this gorgeous KI Memories printed paper I've had a long time.  Well, today was the day!  It's good practice to try for something really big & I was immediately drawn to the sketch.  I began by randomly stamping the cute little snowflakes in the MFT Seasonal Sentiments set using Brilliance Pearlescent Purple, Pearlescent Coral & Pearlescent Sky Blue.  I die cut 4 circles from the stamped piece using Spellbinders Standard Circles Large.  I brushed each one with Tsukineko's Shimmer Spritz Sparkle & mounted them with foam tape to white textured cardstock circles cut from the next size up die.  My card front was covered with silver shimmer cardstock & a piece of the circles printed paper was glued to the bottom half.  The beautiful shimmery winter words paper was then mounted with foam tape & the circles were glued in place.  The sentiment from the same set is stamped in Brilliance Starlite Black, matted with a scrap of the same silver shimmer cardstock & attached with foam tape.  Lots of very talented people enter these contests, but I had fun making a card I'm really happy with.  Thanks for giving me feedback--I always enjoy reading your comments.

Winter White

Just scroll down if you're looking for my DeNami Blog Hop post.  It's been awhile since I got a card entered for ODBDSLC.  I love all white cards--photographing them, however, is another story!  Anyway, I took this opportunity to use my newest ODBD stamp set--Bird & Butterfly Labels--which coordinates with Spellbinders Labels 18.  I white embossed the image & embossed the outer edge of the die.  Then I spritzed it with my favorite shimmer product--Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Frost.  Unfortunately, you can't see it in the photo.  The stamped piece is mounted with foam tape to the next size up vellum die cut.  The 3 flags are a variety of white cardstocks cut with MFT dies.  I used to think you couldn't combine shades of white until I saw an actress in a movie a few years ago wearing a white blouse & an off-white sweater & I loved the look.  (At least my creative side is open to new ideas as I get older--LOL!)  The sentiment is from ODBD Sweet William set & is stamped in VersaFine Smokey Gray.  Thanks for coming by.  

DeNami Thoughtful Thank Yous Blog Hop

It's time for another fun DeNami Blog Hop!  You should have arrived by way of Linda's lovely blog, but if you're lost you can find the entire list of participants & the details about prizes on the DeNami Blog.    I signed up right away for this one knowing I wanted to use my little DeNami wheat stamp.  I began with something else in mind, but that's not unusual for me!  In the end, I really liked my card which is a thank you for my boss.  She's been so patient & encouraging as I learn the new job.  The tag stamp is an old one by DOTS, embossed in black.  I hand cut the kraft mat & edged it with VersaFine Onyx Black.  The wheat is embossed with Zing! Apricot ep & the alphabet stickers are Authentique.  I attached them to a scrap of kraft cardstock & then cut right next to the stickers.  This way I didn't have to try & line them up on my project--just glued down the whole piece--much easier!  The square pearl stickers are by Mark Richards, the black dots are Rain Dots & I finished off the tag with a strip of cream lace.  It's mounted to the mat with foam tape & a seam binding tab is added for another spot of color.  I used Spellbinders Wonky Reverse Rectangles for the card base & the embossing folder is by Sizzix for Stampin' Up.  The card edges are also inked with the Onyx Black.  Lots to see, so better get hopping to see what the creative Amy has for today.  Thank you so much for coming to my blog--I look forward to seeing your comments.

Just a Note

Made a simple card for Flourishes challenge to use a Flourishes silhouette image. I don't have any silhouette stamps, per se, but I thought the solid butterfly from Fanciful Flourishes might qualify.  The Distress Inks I used are peacock feathers, shaded lilac & dusty concord.  The background stamp is Penny Black's music background & the sentiment is from Flourishes Taglines.  I had never used my Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangle & I do like it.  The layers are all popped up for dimension, but I didn't capture that in the photo.   Thanks for all your thoughts & kind words.  I appreciate it so much.  Enjoy your weekend & if you have time come back on Sunday to see my card for the DeNami Thoughtful Thank Yous blog hop.
I've also entered Our Creative Corner's challenge to make your own background, since Sue pointed out this would qualify.

Holiday Gift Tags

Sad week at our house, so not much crafting.  Stamping is therapy for me, so last night I did take some time to make a gift tag for the Impression Obsession challenge.  Unfortunately, I forgot that only IO stamps can be used for the challenge, so I won't be able to enter this.  My LSS is probably closing at the end of the year, so at my last visit I bought several Impression Obsession stamps I'd been admiring.  For my tag I used my only tag stamp--an old one from DOTS.  I hand cut the gold & cream mats.  This gorgeous cling Holly Branch (F8786) was embossed with Zing! gold metallic powder onto the tag I had masked.  The sentiment, cling Deck the Halls (B3828) is such a wonderful font!  I stamped it with one of my old favorite stamp pads--Adirondack Cranberry--onto cream cardstock die cut with MFT Fishtail Flags Layers Stax & it's mounted with foam tape.  I finished it off with cranberry ribbon & Recollections gems.  Pretty simple, but you probably know that tends to be the look I like.
Just had time to make another one with the same elements except I used 2 of the MFT Fishtail Flags Layers Stax for the tag & I'll enter this one.  I discovered that I needed to use the soft flash setting on my camera for the gold to show in the light conditions I had instead of my usual choice of no flash.  Thanks for coming by & I'll be visiting your work in the near future.

Wedding Card for Cathy Fong

Cathy, one of the talented Penny Black DT members, is getting married in a few days.  She's having a mini challenge on her blog to make a wedding theme creation.  I don't have a reason to make wedding cards very often, so jumped at this chance to make one for sweet Cathy.  Mine ended up kind of girly, so it will have to be for the bride instead of the happy couple.  I white embossed Penny Black's Paisley Outline onto white cardstock, cut it out with Memory Box's Grand Heart die & then inked it with Distress Ink spun sugar.  Behind it is a Spellbinders Parisian Motifs die.  Thanks to those of you who told me to put a piece of wax paper next to an intricate die so you can get the image out without ruining it--what a difference!  I finally opened my package of Tim Holtz trims that includes these white ribbon flowers which are easily attached to the heart with glue dots.  I thought it needed a little something more, so added 2 pearl stickpins covering the sharp ends with seed beads using Glossy Accents (which I learned from Janet--jintyoo7).  The verse is one of my original stamps from Embossing Arts who was located on the outskirts of my town until they went out of business.  I stamped it in Versafine Smokey Gray.  I'm hoping I'll be able to actually get this card to Cathy & that she'll like it.  There's still time to enter her challenge if you haven't yet.  I always appreciate your visits & will be checking your work soon.

Florals

This month's challenge at Stampendous! is to create projects using floral stamps.  I used Stampendous! flowers for both of my cards.  The first one uses the Cling Agapanthus Cluster that I recently purchased.  I've admired many of Rosemary's CAS cards with the sentiment stamped over the flowers & had that design in mind when I bought the stamp.  I used Distress Ink shaded lilac & the Hero Arts sentiment is stamped in Versafine Smokey Gray.

For my second card I wanted to use a non-holiday stamp to make a holiday card.  I used a flower from one of my first clear stamp sets called Bold Blossoms & I'm ashamed to say this is the first time I've inked it.  I started by inking the panel with Distress Inks festive berries & evergreen bough.  The flower is then stamped in Versamark & embossed with Stampendous! shabby white embossing enamel.  I would never have thought it could be used for a lined image until I saw some samples by the DT.  I really love this look!  I brushed on some Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Frost, but it's kind of wasted other than it blended the 2 inks.  The sentiment stamped in Versafine Onyx Black is one of my favorite's--a woodblock Stampendous! stamp.  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder, Joann's white satin ribbon & some Recollections pearls to complete the card.  

Tomorrow is the last day to enter the challenge, so better hurry if you want to play along.  Thank you so much for coming by & letting me know your thoughts.  I really appreciate it.  

Penny Black Sticker Card

I've admired the beautifully colored Penny Black stickers for a long time & got a couple sheets some years ago.  Jill gave some great suggestions on how to use them last year, but I never got around to trying it.  Not long ago I had some more given to me including the 2012 Christmas Collage sheet.  The colors are so unique & the images are wonderful, so finally I made a card--yah!  I remember Jill saying she always gets 2 of a sheet so you have images to use for dimension & her biggest tip was to put the sticker onto cardstock & then you can use it just like a stamped image--no fear of sticking it down & having it wrong.  I cut out all the poinsettias, full & partial.  The top center bloom is popped up & the rest are glued on top of the corresponding image.  They all add dimension because they are cardstock weight--love it!      You can't tell in the photo, but I traced over the petal outlines with a Gelly Roll Clear Star pen for subtle sparkle.  The card is Spellbinders Labels 8 & I inked the edges with Distress Inks old paper, pumice stone & peeled paint--close match for the sticker's coloring.  The large lace image from PB lace delight stamp set was inked with pumice stone & stamped on the bottom of the card front.  Doesn't it make a great background?  I'll be using that again!  Just got this gorgeous ribbon at our little boutique (not sure why, but they have lots of by the yard ribbon) & it's a perfect match.  The strip of lace doesn't show very much, but still adds texture & interest, I think.  "Noel" is from PB in a pear tree & is stamped in VersaFine Onyx Black.  Now I'm anxious to use my other stickers.  You might want to give them a try--great when you don't have time to color (or if coloring is not your strength--like me!).  Thanks for coming by.  I love hearing what you think of my work.  Enjoy your weekend.

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge

As soon as I saw this month's PTI Blog Hop Challenge to make a holiday card in non-traditional colors, I knew I wanted to join in.  I also loved Erin's MIM video this week using negative & positive die cuts.  I was able to combine both challenges with today's card.  I'm ashamed to say this is the first time I inked up my Lovely Layers stamp set--don't ask me why!  Boy, do I love it!  I think with a little imagination the images can be beautiful, modern snowflakes.  Here's the color combo I chose (you don't have to use all the colors.)  

I don't have PTI inks & couldn't come close enough with the ones I own, so instead I used Studio G chalks after stamping the die cut images in VersaMark.  To get some holiday sparkle, the colored images were sprayed with Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Frost.  The layers are attached only in the center using foam tape & are gently bent up.  Just in case it isn't obvious these are snowflakes, I added tiny snowflake buttons & a gem.  The negative of the larger die is used for the background piece glued to the card front.  For the sentiment I used Sticko alphabet stickers on a white circle mounted to a circle made blue using the same chalk.  It's so gratifying to really like something you've created & that is the case today.  I hope you like it, too!  Enjoy all the inspiration in the hop & thank you so much for taking time to leave me a comment.

If you have time, check out Annie's blog.  You might want to be a follower & enter her 1 yr anniversary giveaway (see my sidebar).