Thursday, December 31, 2015

More Watercoloring and a Penguin

Once again I am using the My Favorite Things Penguins in Paradise stamp set and coordinating dies. I also was playing with my Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors again.  Today's card has a much softer background and I really like it.  This time I sprayed water on my work surface, dipped the brush in it and moved it around and then brushed softly across the watercolor paper.  I also taped the watercolor paper down on a heavy piece of cardboard so I could create a border.  The one thing I did not do~~add in a little orange for the sunshine!  I colored everything in using my Copic markers.  And then Tip Top Taupe ink was perfect for stamping the sentiment into the sand.  Have a great day!  If you go out tonight, be careful and enjoy New Year's Eve!  

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

New Watercolors First Try!

Very much to my surprise, I was gifted with the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor set.  Oh my!  You have read here that I have the Kuretake Watercolor brushes and that I like them very much.  They are easy to use and the colors are very pretty.  Well, the colors of the Gansai Tambi watercolor pans are so vibrant and very creamy when you put water to the paints.  Today's card is the first one I created using the new watercolors.  Look at that vibrant water!  If I tried to water the color down any more, I think even the watercolor paper would have started to peel! But with a little practice I will use these watercolors like a professional~~I hope!  I used the Penguins in Paradise stamp set and dies by My Favorite Things, another set I have been wanting for a while and am so happy to have it!  Thank you Matt, Jen, Mark & Sydney!  I already made a few cards using the set and you will see a couple more tropical penguin cards in the next two days!  Have a great day!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Cute Igloo

After yesterday's cold, very wintry weather, I thought this would be a perfect card to post.  I used a Christmas gift, Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Snow, to create it.  I die cut Soft Sky card stock using Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rectangle dies for both layers. After heat embossing, stamping, coloring and die cutting the igloo and seal, I tore Whisper White cardstock and then covered it and the igloo using the Wink of Stella clear glitter pen.  To add dimension to the card, I used craft foam to adhere the smaller Soft Sky layer to the larger one.  There was a little too much Soft Sky space left, so I quickly die cut a few of Lawn Fawn's snowflakes and they are just the right size..  The sentiment is actually from a Close To My Heart stamp set.  The little seal is so cute and you will soon see the cute little polar bear and penguins that are included in the Critters in the Snow stamp set.   Thank you, John, for the stamp set and dies!  I have wanted this set for quite a while now.  Have a great day and stay warm!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Christmas at our house . . .

. . .was so good.  There is nothing better than being with your family at any time, but Christmas is so special.  When I was little, Christmas Eve was the day my family celebrated with our Grandpa and Aunt and Uncle and Santa, too.  As we grew up and John and I had children, we started to spend Christmas Eve at our house with my Mom and Dad and sister and brothers coming over.  And here we are all these years later and we continue the tradition of spending Christmas Eve together.  I miss my sister and Mom and Dad very much but more so on Christmas Eve and my brothers have families of their own in Arizona.  But we have Matt, Jen, Mark and Sydney and their little dog and even Dexter here, too.  Matt put Syd's pet stroller together while providing lots of laughter with his antics.  Syd walked Maddie and Dexter in her stroller and then put on Jenny's bird back pack to give Dexter another ride! Our friends, Mickey and Lenora, spend Christmas Day with us and on Saturday, I played with some new toys.   Hope your Christmas was full of love and happiness, too.  Have a great day and be careful if you are out and about in the ice that has arrived!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

To You and Yours


Merry Christmas!



Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Little Birthday Bird

I just couldn't make another Christmas card.  And the little bird from the Honeycomb Happiness was singing out to me!  So this time he is a chubby little green bird singing Happy Birthday wishes to someone.  I colored him with my Copic markers only after trying to watercolor him a few times and not looking too good! I used Bermuda Bay Designers Series Paper on a Green Galore card base.  The sentiment is from the Cottage Greetings stamp set and the music notes are from an Avery Elle stamp set.  Isn't this a most cheerful way to wish someone special happy birthday?  I think it is just adorable!  Have a great day and don't stress too much about everything you still have to do for Christmas!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

You're A Classic!

Took a break from making Christmas favors and made this "Coke" card!  I saw the Soda Pop stamp set and dies on My Favorite Things and I debated for a long time about whether to get it or not.  As you can see, I did get it.  I had not had a chance to use it until yesterday (like I have nothing to do for Christmas~~hahaha!) and the card is not fancy, but it is cute!  This version looks pretty masculine, but in brighter colors, this would work for the ladies, too.    Have a great day!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Cards Are Mailed!

The weekend was very productive for me.  I finished making my Christmas cards and took them to the post office yesterday~~YEAH!  Today's card is one of the designs I made over this weekend. And a new tool in the Occasions Mini was a big help when cutting out the die cuts.  It is on page 19 of the Occasions Mini~~Big Shot die brush.  In the past I have used wax paper when cutting out intricate and word dies and then had to poke out all the little pieces from both the die cut and the die.  I decided to see how the die brush worked and low and behold I needed no wax paper and the words popped out with no problem.  On the ornament die cut, there might have been two or three tiny pieces left that I needed to poke out, but those were far and few between.   Next time you are at my house, be sure to try out the die brush.   Have a great day!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Just For You

Isn't the paper on this card so pretty?  It is one of the patterns in the Birthday Bouquet DSP collection in the new Occasions Mini.  The colors, the flowers~~I like everything about this paper.  The "just for you" is a stamp in the Watercolor Words set which is in the annual catalog.  I stamped it using Mossy Meadow ink and fussy cut the little flowers.  I used some Pool Party ribbon I have, but I wish I would have used Mossy Meadow!  Oh well, next card!  I am hearing that people are receiving their new Occasion Mini.  Hope your copy arrives soon, too!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Lost Lagoon Birthday

Today's card was created using items from Fun Stampers Journey.  This is a company I became aware of a while ago and recently got together with Kemi Forestieri, a coach from that company, to see what their stamping products are like.  I ordered a few of their stamps and a product called Silk.  Silk comes in a bottle similar to a nail polish bottle.   It is thinner than nail polish and you flick the brush a little to splatter your card.  It leaves shimmery splatters.  Or if you choose, you can paint with it!  Very cool product.   The background of today's card was created using one of their background stamps, Thread Sketch and then a little Silk was spattered on it.  The image and sentiment are from their stamp set, Birthday Sketch.  I stamped everything in Lost Lagoon (stamping off once first) and added the Lost Lagoon ribbon.  Have a great day!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

More Balloons!

I have been wishing that Stampin' Up would offer a cute little balloon punch and my wish has been met in the new Occasions Mini.  Yesterday I posted a card I made using the new double balloon punch, which I really like.  Today's card has cute little balloons punched using one of a set of three mini punches, also in the new Occasions Mini.  The little mini punches include the cute little balloons on today's card, a candle and a little cupcake.  What's more, it coordinates with a new stamp set,  Party Wishes, which I used to stamp today's greeting.  By the way, the idea for this card came directly from the new Occasions Mini~~not my design.  Have a great day!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Masculine Birthday Balloons


On December 7th,  I posted a birthday card that had white balloons on white cardstock and pastel sponged letters.  I loved it and still think it is one I will make more of in the future.  And I now have the balloon punch that is in the new Occasions Mini so I will be able to punch a few balloons with no need to get out the Big Shot and balloon dies.   And I did just that for today's card.  I used Smokey Slate for the balloons and background and die cut the "happy" using black cardstock instead of sponging and then die cutting "happy".  Today's card was much quicker to create because I did not layer "happy" three times to give it a raised look and I did no sponging of the letters.  I also used the black ink pad for the word birthday rather than color in every couple of letters using markers.  I adhered a little balloon to the inside of the card and drew and string--so cute!  The balloon punch is probably my favorite item in the Occasions Mini!  Have a great day!

Monday, December 14, 2015

We Had A Great Weekend!

John was away hunting and I had the pleasure of Sydney's company for the weekend.  Actually, this was our annual Christmas cookie baking weekend and we made delicious cookies.  When it came to the cut-out cookies, Sydney was taking so long to decorate I told her she was falling behind.  Her response, "I am trying to make perfect cookies. Gay!"  And perfect they were. She was even using the "ombre effect" for the holly cookies.  But in the end, she started to just sprinkle sugar on the frosting, too--lol!!  But as beautiful and delicious as the cookies are, Sydney made me this beautiful snowflake!  She told me she was going to make me a decoration, but I had no idea she was going to make something so intricate and pretty.  It is about 22 inches in diameter and I know she put a lot of work into it.  She is quite the creative 11 year-old and so kind and loving.  I am truly blessed to have her in my life.  At the end of each day, we watched TV in bed and, of course, Nipper was with us, too.  We had a great weekend and hope you have a great day!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Ice Cream Cones

The stamped ice cream cone is from the Sale-a-bration stamp set, Honeycomb Happiness.  It is the same set the little Christmas bird came from on the card posted earlier this week.  The thing about this particular stamp set is that there are honeycomb embellishments that cover up the ice cream or the little bird's tummy, but I wouldn't know how to mail something like that.  The honeycomb embellishments are in the Occasions Mini  and you get 12 for $5.00 plus tax and shipping  The cards look really cute when they are finished off with the honeycombs.  Will I or won't I get them?  Another new item in the Occasions Mini is the ice cream cone paper which is one of the designs in the new Birthday Bouquet DSP, also in the Occasions Mini.  The colors are pretty as are most of the patterns. We are going to have unseasonably warm temperatures this weekend, so I do see a little ice cream on the menu!  Have a great weekend!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Year End Sale

DON’T MISS THE YEAR-END SALE

with discounts up to 60%
Visit the online store December 10, 2015–January 4, 2016 and you’ll see more products added to the Clearance Rack for the Year-End Sale! With discounts up to 60 percent on select products, it’s easy to get a few extra gifts for your friends, your family, or even yourself!
There are some decent items available while supplies last.  Just go to my website and click on "specials" and Year End Sales. 

Snowman

You all know that I like pretty cards and that I also like cute ones.  Well, when I saw a particular snowman stamp, Snowy by Penny Black, I thought he was so cute I had to have him.  He did not even come with a die and I still bought him!  The color choices for this little guy are numerous but I went for a green hat and scarf.  I used my Copic markers  and decided that the scarf and hat matched the retired Stampin' Up color, Green Galore.  I used Dazzling Diamonds glitter for the cuff of the hat and a little snow on the ground.  Next time, I will also make the pompom on the top of the hat white and glittery, too!  I rarely use glitter as I dislike finding glitter for the next few weeks, but after the Dazzling Details smearing, I did not want that to happen with the snowman.  But I am not sure that the Archival Black ink or the Copic ink would smear.  I will test that next time I am in my craft room.  Also, when I use my Copic markers, the back of the white cardstock shows the coloring.  That is why I layered the snowman and the little bird on yesterday's card.  I am sure that if I had used Stampin' Up Many Marvelous Markers I could have just made these one layer cards using the new thick white cardstock.  Have a great day!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Little Christmas Bird

I received my demonstrator Occasions Mini preorder and the free Sale-a-bration item for spending $50. The stamp set I chose is Honeycomb Happiness which includes this little bird, a balloon, an ice cream cone and a few sentiments.  Well it was the little bird that caught my attention and I made him a cute little Christmas bird.  I colored him using my Copic markers.  The hat is from the retired Embellished Events stamp set, fussy cut and embellished using Dazzling Details.  Unfortunately, you can see where the Real Red ink ran due to the Dazzling Details.  I will run a red marker along the white part of the hat to even out the red line.  After adding the hat, I  then decided to use a retired embossing folder to add a little texture to the card.  There was still a little too much white space, so I added a few Lawn Fawn snowflakes.  I am thinking that maybe a few little musical notes would be a cute little addition.  I have ordered the Occasions Mini and Sale-a-bration catalogs to be sent to my current customers.  They should be mailed out in a couple of weeks.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time! 

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Rejoicing With You...

...is the sentiment on the front of today's card.  Inside, the sentiment continues with "and wishing you every blessing as we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Lord."  The sentiments are part of the Versatile Christmas stamp set, stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  This stamp set has a variety of Christmas sayings and verses that will go with whatever you are trying to express in a particular card.  The ornament is the smallest one in the Delicate Ornaments thinlets cut out of Real Red cardstock.  The branches were punched using a Martha Stewart punch.  Another quick but elegant Christmas card.  Have a great day!

Monday, December 7, 2015

Really Like This One!

I was looking at new stamps and dies by Simon Says Stamps and they had a blog hop.  So, I checked out all the great, great cards that were made using new items.  I came across a card on Amy Rysavy's blog (part of the blog hop) that I had to recreate and here it is.  I used Lawn Fawn Balloon dies for the background and SU's "happy" die and the Cottage Greetings stamp set for the "birthday".  Together with markers and sponges I inked everything.  The new Occasions mini (live on January 4th) had a couple of balloon punches which I already ordered!  With those punches, we will be making this card at the next card class I like it so much!  The sequins are a great finishing touch and I was very happy to have a nice collection of sequins to coordinate with the ink colors.  Have a great day!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Something Not Christmas

I have many Christmas ideas in my head, but I needed a break from Christmas cards!  So, I stood at my island wondering what to create.  As a demonstrator, I was able to look at and purchase items from the new mini catalog that comes out in early January.  There are some nice things in the new mini.  But, since nothing jumped out at me as an "I need" item that had to do with hearts and/or love, I decided it was time to create a couple of Valentines using product I already had in my scraproom.  So, today's card is what I came up with using the scallop top tag punch, the Brushstrokes background stamp and a couple odds and ends.  It needs a little sparkle, so I will work on that!  Have a great weekend and find  yourself a little stampin' time!

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Candy Cane Sled

I saw these sleds on Pinterest and had to go to the store to purchase Kit Kat bars!  I decided that I would make the first one simple.  I have quite a large selection of Christmas ribbon, but I especially liked the shimmery silver, so I wrapped the Kit Kat bar using Stampin' Up! gray DSP so it would match.  I thought the red glitter paper would look pretty wrapped around the miniature Hershey bars~~and it does!  When everything was put together, I was pleased with my first attempt.  I am sure this is not the first and only sled you will be seeing in the next few weeks--lol!  Have a great day!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

My Ideas

We woke up to a beautiful snow-covered landscape this morning.
So I am posting three pictures today!  I wanted to share how pretty my view is as I look out my office window! Yesterday I posted cards created as directed in the My Paper Pumpkin November kit.  Today's cards I created using the same supplies but my own designs.  I did use markers and banner framelits, but other than that, everything was in the My Paper Pumpkin kit.  The kits make it easy to create by just following directions, but it was also fun to make my own creations.  Have a great day!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

November My Paper Pumpkin

The November Paper Pumpkin is actually very pretty!  I am not always thrilled with the contents of the kit, but this month I will have all the "ingredients" (Thank you, Paula, for that term!) to make eight pretty Christmas cards.  Last night I made the two posted cards exactly as directed.  Today I plan on making two cards using the "ingredients" but changing the design.  I will post those tomorrow.  Have a great day!

Monday, November 30, 2015

Melon Mambo Merry

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and weekend.   My family and I certainly did.  I sure am blessed and have a lot to be thankful for.  We had make-up card classes over the weekend and as always, had a great time both days.  A while back I made a birthday card using sponging, the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and stars.  Well, at class we made a very similar card, but used the "merry" from the Christmas Greetings thinlets and glitter paper and made this cheerful Christmas card.  If you are looking for an easy, non-traditional Christmas card, this is one to create.  Just remember to sponge the background lightly.  Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow morning will be busy around here, so let me wish you all a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving today!  Enjoy your family and friends and have safe travels.  Today's card is one we received from my friend, Kathy Z, who never fails to create beautiful artwork for me to post.  Thank you, Kathy!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Holiday Thanks


I have created quite a few Thanksgiving and Christmas cards and yesterday decided I should also be thinking about thank you cards.  So out came my not yet used Endless Thanks stamp set and the Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper.  I wrapped the upper portion of the card with the Very Vanilla thick baker's twine and once I adhered everything together I did think that the Cherry Cobbler thick baker's twine would have been a nice contrast to the Mossy Meadow.  I will tell you that I  purchased the die that cuts out the banner from the Endless Thanks set from Dave's Dies.  Dave is not connected to Stampin' Up, although he does have some great dies that coordinate with the SU stamp sets.  But, he is so popular that very often what you want is sold out and then you have to keep checking back so you don't miss it when it comes back in.  If anyone is interested I can give you the link to his site. Have a great day!

Monday, November 23, 2015

Thanksgiving Boxes

A little while ago I posted pictures of square pillow boxes I created for Thanksgiving.  I was very happy with the boxes with acorns and wrapped in linen thread.  But I still wanted something prettier for the ladies who will be here.  I opened my "Thanksgiving" box in which I save Fall ribbon and things and there was more of the embellishments I used on last year's Thanksgiving Curvy Keepsake  boxes.  Since I really liked those Curvy Keepsake boxes from last Thanksgiving,  I made square pillow boxes and embellished them with the same pretty ribbon and embellishments.  I think they are just so pretty that I had to share.  Have a great day!! 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Extravaganza Sale


Beginning on Monday, Stampin' Up is offering their Online Etravaganza Sale. Following is the link to the sale items.  The offer is while supplies last, so hopefully you will be able to take advantage of the sale.  If there is anything I can help with, please let me know. 




http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/Promotions/NA/2015/11_November/Online%20Extravaganza/Online_Extravaganza_Products_US.pdf

Friday, November 20, 2015

Pastel Joy

Earlier in the Fall, I sponged some leaves in bright colors.  I really liked that look, so decided to try
something similar with snowflakes.  The difference is that I lightly sponged pastel inks rather than bright colors on the snowflakes and "Joy".  The snowflakes are from Lawn Fawn's snowflake dies and "Joy" is from Stampin' Up's Wonderful Wreath framelits.   The color on the snowflakes is very subtle and after putting the card together, I added a few rhinestones.  The card is pretty, not at all Christmas colors, but that silver cording added just enough to make this a very peaceful Christmas card~~one I would like to receive!  Have a great weekend and hope snow predictions are way off! 

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Christmas Baker's Boxes

On Cricut Sunday my friend, Kathy, brought her Stampin' Up Baker's Box die so I could play with it.  Needless to say, the die has been ordered.  At class this week, we will be making the red box, but it was a toss up as to which it would be.  For the white box, I used Whisper White cardstock, randomly stamped it with a stamp from the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set and embellished it with dies and red glitter paper I had left from last Christmas.  It is very pretty.  The one we will make at class was die cut in Real Red cardstock and then run thru the Big Shot using the Brick Wall embossing folder.  The candy cane is from the A Little Something stamp set and the flower is a die in the Delicate Ornaments Thinlets set.  This box has so many possibilities, you will be seeing a variety of holiday/birthday favors on my blog in the future.  Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Festive Flower Pillow Pox

If you are coming to class over the weekend,  you will be creating one of these square pillow boxes embellished with the pretty poinsettia.  I finally purchased the Festive Flower builder punch, but I did not purchase the coordinating stamp set.  And after making the flower, I think it looks very pretty without being stamped~~and I didn't have to line anything up either to get the perfect petals!  The square pillow box holds quite a bit, even fits a gift card.  Tomorrow I will post pictures of another little box we will be making at class.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Birch Trees

As I was cleaning my craft room for Cricut Sunday, I came across some of those little mistakes that I can't just throw away and made this quick card.  Back when I was practicing the brayering of the Woodland embossing folder, I made quite a few mistakes.  But on this one, I knew I could use it for something.  And, I did!  I fussy cut the part of the embossed cardstock that was good and adhered it to a white card base.  After stamping the sentiment (Wetlands) and punching it out using the Decorative Label punch, I adhered that to a larger Decorative Label that I had created a few  years ago using my Cricut.  No matter how many photos I took, this white and gray color combination is just not showing up too great, but you get the idea.  It is a nice card, and especially nice when a masculine card is called for.  Have a great day!

Monday, November 16, 2015

More Hershey Kiss Leaves Tents

A couple of weeks ago I made some little Hershey Kiss tent favors.  Yesterday was Cricut Sunday
and I wanted to create a little favor for each of the ladies.  So, I decided to perfect the little leaf favors. After die cutting the leaves, I sponged the edges.  Then I layered a couple of leaves together, adhering the smaller one in front using a dimensional.  A couple of little leaves on the base of the favor together with the sentiment from a retired SU stamp set was good for yesterday's favors, but I  will add each person's name instead of a sentiment for the Thanksgiving table. I must say that I do think it is the Wink of Stella clear glitter pen that I brushed over the leaves that make these favors so pretty!  Have  a great day!

Friday, November 13, 2015

Little Red Bird

This is a cute card, the idea from a card I saw posted probably on Pinterest.  I am not sure where I actually saw it.  At any rate, I just remembered the little red bird and the white scallop circle.  I thought the card was cute when I saw it and now that I made my version, I still think it is cute.  The foliage under the bird was created using a Martha Stewart punch and I think it could use a little bitty bow in the center.  This was another fun card to make.  And I sure do wish that SU still sold the scalloped edge border punch.  Between that and the corner punch, I use them both very often.  Have a great day and a wonderful weekend. 

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Looking In The Window

I have had a Memory Box window die for a while and Stampin' Up released their window die in the Holiday mini.  Since I do not use the window die that often, I have decided that I will not replace my current Memory Box die with the Stampin' Up die.  That being said, I used my Memory Box window die for today's card.  I embossed white cardstock using the Brick Wall embossing folder and sponged it with Crumb Cake ink.  (I tried it first with Cherry Cobbler ink and it was just a little too much for my liking.)  I fussy cut the Christmas tree and presents from a piece of the DSP paper in the Home For Christmas collection and adhered it to  white cardstock before adhering the window frame over the white cardstock.  As I look at the card as it posts on the blog, I have decided that I am  going to color in carpeting using my Prisma colored pencils before I send the card to someone.  The sentiment is from a retired stamp set, but you don't even need a sentiment for this card.  The Stampin' Up Hearth and Home window die is about 1/2" to 3/4" shorter and wider than the Memory Box die used here.  Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Thank You!

Once again, I have the chance to say thank you to all of those who have served or are serving in the United States military.  You are a special group of people.  John's Dad served in the Army and  my Dad proudly served in the United States Navy.  My Dad's time in the Navy was something he always talked about with us.  He treasured his Navy years.  And then when my children got older and he told stories of things he did in the Navy, he would tell those stories with tears in his eyes.  As he said, he had no idea when he was 17 and on the battleship USS Iowa off of Japan that he was part of history.   And when we (John, Jen, Matt & I) went to Key West for the first time and I saw the little White House, I could almost picture my Dad playing ball on the lawn there.  He was also stationed on President Truman's presidential yacht, the USS Williamsburg and he would talk about cruising down to Key West from Washington D.C. and playing ball on the front lawn and swimming in the Gulf while President Truman worked from the Little White House.  My Dad was a good man and a very proud sailor.  And I continue to be proud for him and of him.  I am sure you all have your stories to tell about your loved ones who served or are serving in the military.  Don't ever forget them and pass their stories on to the next generation.   Because of them, we have our freedom.  And please, if you see a military person today or any day, thank him or her!  Have a great day!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Thanksgiving Square Pillowbox 2

Yesterday was Blackberry Bliss and leaves.  Today is Chocolate Chip and acorns.  Once again I embossed the pieces of the pillow box using the Woodlands embossing folder.  Embossing folders in general add much to the various boxes we have, but this Woodlands folder is so perfect for Thanksgiving!  And while the colorful leaves were cute, the punched acorns with the gold glitter tops are an sparkly embellishment for this table favor.   The thankful banner was stamped using an image from the Acorny Thank You set and then die cut using an Itty Bitty framelit.  Now not so good news regarding the Woodlands embossing folder, per the back order report as of yesterday:

"November 15 Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (10,335 backordered; 8,424 expected. 12,096 more expected 7 December)"

In other words many of you will not be getting your Woodlands folders in time for Thanksgiving.  Stampin' Up really miscalculated the popularity of this item!  That being said, if you ordered this embossing folder thru me and live in my area, you are more than welcome to set up a time to come over and use mine if you need it for Thanksgiving.   Have a great day!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Thanksgiving Square Pillow Box 1

Happy Monday!  I made a few more Christmas cards, but I decided that I needed to make my Thanksgiving table favors so I put the cards aside for a couple of days.  After die cutting the two pieces of Blackberry Bliss cardstock needed to create the pillow box, I ran each one thru the Big Shot with the Woodland Embossing Folder.  And here let me remind you to watch and make sure you are running the cardstock thru in the correct direction.  I embossed mine so that the birch trees would be upright where the pieces are adhered to each other versus upright to the edge on which the box closes.  The sentiment on the tag is from the A Little Something stamp set in the Mini catalog, stamped and layered on framelits from the Labels and Tags set.  I wrapped the box with retired Mossy Meadow ribbon and then decided to add a few autumn leaves die cut with one of the dies included in the Square Pillow Box die set.   I filled the box with a handful of mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kats and Hershey Bars.  Have a great day!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Jolly Christmas

As you can see, today's card is a cute Christmas card for a child.  Once again I used the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set and the coordinating dies.  But the cutest thing about this card is the little deer.  The little deer was hand cut from a piece of DSP from the Home for Christmas collection.  After die cutting the oval using one of our framelits, I ran the white cardstock thru the Big Shot using the Stylish Stripes embossing folder.  The red ribbon adds a little festive touch~~all ready for a little great niece. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Christmas Die Cuts

Once again I used a framelit from the Delicate Ornaments Thinlets set.  This time I cut it out using Tip Top Taupe cardstock and lined it with Shimmery White cardstock.  The top was cut out of a piece of gold glitter paper.  The card base is Meadow Moss with the sentiment stamped in Meadow Moss ink.  But the foliage on today's card was cut from dies in the Tim Holtz die collection, Holiday Greens, not the stamped holly image from the Embellished Ornaments set.   After making the three cards I posted this week, I am not sure which I prefer the most.  When I figure that out, that is the one we will be making in the next card class. Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Red Foil

I do like today's Christmas card, too!  I used both the Embellished Ornaments and coordinating die AND the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set and Christmas Greetings thinlets. And as much as I say I don't purchase the specialty paper, I did end up purchasing the red foil .  And look how pretty it looks on this card!  I stamped the holly leaves in Early Espresso and then colored them using the Old Olive marker. I also had some silver foil so I die cut that for the ornament top and the hook. The only thing I will call your attention to is the little dot impressions that are left after rolling the foil and the die through the Big Shot.  Nonetheless, so pretty!  Have a great day!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Out Of the Catalog!

I need to start posting Christmas cards so today's is one I pretty much copied out of the mini catalog.   The card I copied is on page 15~~the same page as the Embellished Ornaments stamp set and Delicate Ornament dies are shown.  After sponging Crumb Cake lightly on the background, I stamped the holly using Old Olive Ink.  Once I started coloring in the leaves using the Old Olive marker, I realized that the leaves on the card in the mini were probably colored in using a blender pen.  I should have done it for all the leaves, but I know better for the next card I make like this.  I stamped the ornament using Marina Mist and die cut it using the solid die.  Before adhering the ornament to the card, I added a little silver thread behind it.  Copying makes things so easy!  Have a great day.

Monday, November 2, 2015

World of Dreams

I recently purchased the World of Dreams stamp set and I needed to use it almost immediately.  I stamped the background using the Watercolor Wash background stamp with Soft Sky ink and Tip Top Taupe for the image.  I then stamped a sentiment and guess what?  I stamped it crooked!!!  So, I stamped another sentiment from the Wetlands set and die cut it using a framelit from the Circle Card set.  The card still needed a little something more, so as suggested by Stampin' Up, I cut down one of the Halloween doilies, flipped it over and sponged Tip Top Taupe on the white side of the doily.  One good way of using up those doilies.  As you can see, Tip Top Taupe and Soft Sky make a pretty color combination.  Have a great day!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Happy Halloween!

Tomorrow is the big day for the kids and the big kids, too!!! Halloween is my son-in-law's favorite holiday so he and Syd will be enjoying the afternoon~~rain or shine.  You have seen a number of little favors I have made for Halloween and today's photos are of the last ones I made Wednesday.  I finished  the remaining Haystack bags from the My Paper Pumpkin kits that I needed.  I then wanted to use the Spooktacular stamp set and dies from Lawn Fawn, so I made these cellophane bags with toppers for the neighbor kids.  And finally, I have to share the photo of the favors that my friend, Kathy Z. made.  I think she made something like 70 of these.  She used the SU Fry Box die and  Tag Talk Stamp set.  I am not sure which set Happy Halloween came from but the favors are very cute and the teachers who receive them will enjoy them much.  And now, it is time to think about Christmas!  Have a fun Halloween and a great weekend!