Inking In the New Year!

Best wishes to all for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

I hope to share many new card designs with all of you in 2009! Please be sure to leave a comment whenever you visit--thanks!

Christmas Is Here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Tree Trimming Time

I finally remembered to take a picture of our Christmas "Bird" Tree! After Christmas, instead of storing it in the attic or basement, we remove the icicles, unplug the lights and carry the whole tree into the living room where it resides for the rest of the year. Since it has no ornaments, the "natural" look fits right in with our country decor.

Notice the box Rick made for the base--it has an opening in the back so the cats can go in for a nap.

(Click to enlarge for a closer view of the birds and pine cones.)

Get Your Sun Glasses!

Winter has just begun in earnest with our latest snowfall, but I'm ready for some sun! This birthday card was very simple to make: just some plaid dp, a strip of coordinating yellow Bazill cardstock, a darker yellow ink and some gold brads. Orange crystals add a little extra bling to an already bright card...

January Birthday

This stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps (purchased at Michael's??) is the perfect saying for a January Birthday card! The dp is from the "Old World" mat stack by Die Cuts With a View. The round stamp is by SU and was from the special offer with a subscription to Country Living magazine. I like the versatility of the stamp since it could be used as a snowflake (in blue or white) or as a flower. Here I just picked up on the round shapes in the paper and buttons, matching the green, which is a little different shade from the Christmas greens I've been using. I like using just the tone on tone with white, and no ribbon.

Enjoy!

Snowstorm Stamping Again

A huge snowstorm has been predicted for tomorrow and Sunday, so I plan to spend hours in my stamping tower "playing" with all my stamping toys in the afternoon. First, I'm going to finish cleaning, gift wrapping and baking some Christmas treats.

Diet? What diet???

Cat-lover to Cat-lover

Here's a Christmas card I made for a friend who loves cats. First I taped the green cardstock to a white card, then added the double-sided designer paper below it. (dp by K&Co.) I then stamped the cat (Repeat Impressions stamp) on white and punched it out with the giga-punch, using the same punch for the striped side of the dp. The striped paper at the bottom is actually a strip on the inside of the card after using scalloped scissors to trim a half inch off the top layer.

The cat image is painted with watercolor crayons and mounted over the striped oval, then attached to the card. Buttons and bows complete the red and green theme, with a red gem (Hero Arts) for a little bling in the center of the pillow.

Another easy card!

Tip: When folding a card the long way, be sure to use a scoring tool. Because the grain goes the other way, it will leave wrinkles or a rough edge along the fold, if done by hand.