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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
