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!  

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!

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!

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!

To You and Yours

Merry Christmas!



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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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! 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!