BACK IN THE TOWER AGAIN!

I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas

as our family did!  We went to our daughter's house 

for the day and thoroughly enjoyed being with our kids

and four grandkids.  My husband got his wish

for a white Christmas, even though it was just a dusting--perfect!

I'm now concentrating on putting kits together for the card-making class

I'll be doing for our ladies Bible Study.  To help with the cost of the class, my good

friend, Evelyn, gave me a big container of precut and folded textured cards with 

envelopes.  This is one of them which they will use for sympathy cards.

Unfortunately, we all need them ready to go every now and then.  To give them

a nice finished look I cut the bottom (or right side, depending on the orientation)

with a Stitched Snow Drift die from MFT so that the cream-colored inside would show.

Since these ladies are beginners, they will make two variations of

the same card each week, using the kits I'm making

with everything pre-cut and stamped.  A lot

of work for me, but well worth the effort for those who've been 

asking for the class.  Themes will be a mix of birthday, Easter and all-purpose

designs, starting after our Winterim ends in mid-February.
Class size will be limited to eight, which helps keep it easier.

NINE GIFT CARDS!

Gift Card giving is here to stay!

Not only is it easier to give and receive,

but it's also a creative opportunity to personalize the gift

with holders that fit the person you're giving to.

These were fun to make, and I also

have some small gifts to go with them in my next favorite

gift giving help--the gift bag!

  No more endless wrapping of awkward gift boxes.

Oh, and the car (or sleigh)

is easier to pack, too!

 

SHIMMERY SNOWFLAKE

I made a few New Year's cards for those Christmas cards that come in from people I didn't send one to.  This one is shinier in real life, and the pattern behind the snowflake doesn't show through as much.




The inside was done with silver embossing for the sparkler and Gold Tinsel ep for the greeting.  The stamp set I used was "It's a Celebration."


The photos were taken with my new camera!

MAKE IT MONDAY #305--Love of Layers

...or should I say "Layering Gone Wild???"

This card features seven layers (not counting the pearl or gem.)

Can one have too many layers?  I don't think so,

as long as you layer responsibly!

This was a fun card to make for this challenge.

The Papertrey Ink set is one of several "Splits" available

in their $5 Mini Stamp set series. 

 The coordinating die is also a $5 item, used here

for the stamped image and behind it (upside down.)

I have a variety of these mini sets and dies

in my stash which I enjoy using.

For more on this challenge, click HERE.

 

CAT SITTIN' PRETTY

Great opportunity to use up some of the Autumn dsp's!

...and Thank-you notes may come in handy after Christmas... 

THREE OF A KIND--Wreaths

My new wreath die arrived the other day, and I finally got a chance to use it this afternoon!  I've seen so many beautiful cards made with this die, including non-holiday ones.  I hope to get a lot of use out of it!

(Please click on the image for a closer view.)


 

PAPER PLAYERS #372--Sketch

Sketches always seem to be more of a challenge for me, but this one seemed to come together more easily.

I like to keep a few New Year cards for those who might send an unexpected  Christmas card too late for me to respond in kind.  So I have some fun cards made with lots of sparkles and glitter for the New Year.  Then I add their name to next year's Christmas card list.  These gold and silver snowflakes from Stampin' Up are just right for the occasion.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!




 

PAPER PLAYERS #371--Warm and Cozy

My CAS card features a warm and cozy quilt.  This card will be going out tomorrow for a friend whose husband is recovering from a nasty spider bite.  He was in the hospital several times for treatment, and the swelling (in his arm) is finally subsiding after 3 weeks.   

PAPER PLAYERS #370--White on White

 I've asked Santa for a new camera for Christmas, and since I've been good (at least I think so) my photos should improve soon.  Meanwhile, I'll have to just describe what I used for this card.

First, I ran some white cs through the Big Shot for a  layer of white embossed snowflakes.  Then I ran it through the scalloped rectangle die and attached it with dimensionals to a white card base.

Next, I used the snowflake die twice.  On the bottom one, I added the glitter and then used the second one to make it thicker and also have the glitter contained between the lines.  Before attaching the snowflake, I added  white glitter washi tape to the bottom for a little more sparkle.  For the finishing touch, I added a pearl in the center.

Click on the photo for a larger image and a closer look at the details!


The Paper Players website can be found HERE:

THREE OF A KIND--Christmas Cardinal

These three were done with the AlteNew stamp and die sets.  For the first one, I made a gate card with a 3-step stamped bird.  Thankfully, I remembered to attach the green panel with adhesive only on the left side!

The second card was done with the cardinal dies which I used to cut the bird out of some red plaid dsp.

Lastly, I chose another dsp to use with the cardinal die, centering the large white flower on the bird and adding a gem in the center.  The background dsp is gold metallic.


As of today, I'm all done with my 100+ Christmas cards--Yay!

PAPER PLAYERS #369

In order to brighten up the front of this card, I added some gold twine on the left and a strip of green and gold dsp on the inside right.  I trimmed 1/2" off the right side of the front and cut the dsp to 3/4" so that it would show in the space created.  You can't see it here, but the card base has some sparkle to it also.

For more examples for this challenge, click HERE.

PAPER PLAYERS #368

This week's card challenge for the Paper Players was a Tic-Tac-Toe one--my favorite!  I chose the top line which is Tree/Birthday/Fall.  Enjoy!

To view other entries, click HERE.

THREE OF A KIND--Leaf Prints

 This past Saturday, Cyndy taught us how to make a card with a real, live leaf instead of ink and stamps.  After choosing a freshly picked leaf, we placed it between two pieces of heavy cardstock, folded a piece of copier paper around it and ran it through the Big Shot.  After mounting it on a piece of green cs and attaching it to our card, we added some embellishment for a final touch.

 

Today, at home, I tried repeating the process.  For the second card, I used two different leaves, (one stamped twice,) wrapped some burlap ribbon around the panel and mounted the image over dsp.  

For the third card, I tried using an oak leaf I found on my front deck that had turned a deep brownish red.  It's very faint here because it was already dried out, but I liked it anyway.  Since the leaf was oak, I mounted it over the acorn dsp.

This was a fun technique and very easy to do--thanks, Cyndy! 


TIP:  Fresh leaves that haven't fallen off the tree or bush work best.  Look for leaves that have an interesting shape or distinct edges.

ANOTHER HALLOWEEN CARD

Can you tell I'm liking these window cards??

TOTALLY SCRAPS!

Here's another card using the "out-take" from a window card.  I added a couple of leaves that were floating around my table top, along with an extra greeting.  Couldn't have been easier to put this one together.  As for the black and white zig-zag strip, it was too short to go across so I snipped it in half and mounted one on each side of the circle.  Sssh...it's our little secret!

EEK!--PAPER PLAYERS #366

The scary part of this card is that it didn't photograph well, colorwise.  The background is actually a deep shade of purple.  Either that, or I'm color blind...

Thanks to YouTube, I was able to make this bat with my owl punch, the inside edge of a scalloped square and an oval punch.  For a video on making the wings, just enter France Martin Mummy Bat in the YouTube search area, and it will come right up.

This card is for the Paper Players HERE.

ANOTHER HYMN BLOCK

Words of encouragement through a familiar hymn are plentiful in this SweetnSassy stamp set.  I can see that these are going to get a lot of use!

The old hymn writers sure knew how to combine meaningful lyrics with music that touches the soul.

THANKSGIVING CARDS ALL DONE!

This is another card for the 3 1/2 x 5 1/2" size envelope.  This smaller size is helpful when using smaller images.

I started with dry embossing the leaves and adding some Distress Oxide inks over them with a stiff brush.  The leaves were inked up and spritzed with water before cutting them with dies.  Before adding them to the card, I taped down some copper thread.  The final touch was the greeting, just the right size for the scalloped punch.

MODERN TREES (Again!)

I'm really getting a lot out of this set of Modern Trees from My Favorite Things.  I made this for my daughter and her family to match her decor.  The tree trunk is embossed with copper, and the leaves are done in silver embossing.

I thought of putting some silver thread down the left side, but decided to leave it as is for a more modern look.

WINDOW CARD

The nice thing about a window card is that one greeting takes care of both the front and the inside at the same time.  In this case, the dsp gives it color and images appropriate for Fall.  More examples of window cards can be found on the Papertrey Ink blog HERE.

THE CARD YOU HATE TO SEND

This sympathy card is for a friend who lost a family member this week.  The stamp is from a Sweet & Sassy set of six familiar hymns that work well for many occasions. 

This is also being featured on the Sweet & Sassy web site.

CARD FOR A FRIEND

It's amazing how two cards using the same stamps and dsp can look so entirely different.  This one features watercolored leaves done by spritzing the stamp after inking it up, a copper embossed tree trunk and a little bit of green grass under the tree.  The greeting is also done in copper embossing.

For embellishments, I used SU sequins and copper thread.  Using just a few sequins keeps  the card from looking cluttered.  The small greeting was chosen so as not to compete with the image.

AUTUMN TREE 4 YOU

This photo doesn't due justice to the image, unfortunately.  The image is a bit pale, but not as light as it looks here.  The leaves have been coated with clear WOS for a bit of shine.

In addition to sparkle or shine, I like to add texture to my cards.  I used a panel of textured yellow cs and some burlap ribbon beneath the dark brown border.  I added dimensionals beneath the dark brown panel to give the image some lift (physically and visually) and kept the embellishments simple.

I can see that this set will be getting a lot of use! The set, "Modern Trees," by My Favorite Things, can be used for any season.  I purchased it after seeing a card done in silver and gold on gray cs--very elegant.  I plan to CASE that soon!

 

 

IT'S ACORN TIME!

Here's a happy squirrel harvesting his acorn.  He is from a color layering set by Hero Arts.  The bundle includes the stamps, 4 dies and 4 ink cubes.  I just love squirrels and how our Creator gave them a tail that serves as a blanket in the winter!

Now that I'm halfway through my 100 Christmas cards for this year, I'm taking a break in order to make some Fall birthday and Thanksgiving cards.  The StampinUp dsp used here is part of a beautiful collection for those Autumn occasions.

 

CASEing MYSELF!

It's amazing how two cards of the same design can look so different!

It feels soooo good to be back in the Tower again.  After a wonderful getaway for two nights with Rick, we came home determined to do it again soon.  This trip was up to the Lake George area of New York State, and we were amazed at how much wilderness is up there.  I expected to find it all built up, and some parts are; but nothing like towns closer to NYC.  Spending time on miles of 2-lane roads, tall mountains and thousands of acres of pine and hardwood forests is awe inspiring.

Meanwhile, I've been enjoying the unseasonable summer weather soaking up the sun on the deck with a puzzle book.  It has been delightful!

  

EASY CHRISTMAS DESIGN

All I had to use was one tree die, some dsp for the background and a greeting...oh, and a star punch.  

As soon as I get halfway through (at 50 cards) I plan to switch to Fall cards for awhile.  I have some October and November birthdays, plus a few Thanksgiving cards to make.

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS CARD

As I was making cards with this design (which I learned how to do in Cyndy's technique class) I couldn't help but think of the many Christmas carols that have been written in celebration of our Saviour's birth.

This card technique is simple, so I am including the dimensions of the dsp used here in case you want to try it.

Cut squares of dsp at:  3 1/4", 2 7/8", 2 3/8", 1 7/8" and 1 1/2"; then cut them in half.  You will have two rectangles of each size for two cards.  After folding down the top right and left corners of each strip, mount them on your embossed panel as shown, starting at the top.  Add a star and either a tree stand or greeting at the bottom.  I used a Crumb Cake card base and one layer of black cardstock underneath.

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

I've decided that birthdays are not about how old we are, but how long we've lasted!

'Nough said...

MADE TO FIT...

...a standard sized 6 3/4 envelope available at any supermarket.  The paper is cut to 5 1/2 x 7" and folded in half.  This size works well with strips of any widths (as shown) and easily works vertically or horizontally.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

This makes the 43rd card out of 105 needed!  I thought I'd do something a little different than the usual card.  Here is the inside:

I'll be posting some of the other cards as I go along.  I usually try to come up with four or five designs each year, just to keep it interesting. 

YET ANOTHER DAISY CARD

I sure am getting a lot out of my daisy punch!

This blossom has three layers of petals.  The top 2  layers are sponged with yellow ink and streaked with gold WOS.  In the center is a gem from my stash which I've had for literally years.

The birthday greeting was embossed with gold ep, and the leaves were stamped and fussy cut.

The rainbow dsp was a scrap from a previous card.and is a nice backdrop for the flower.

SILVER STAMPERS UNITE!

...well, six of us anyway... 

This is the card I'm bringing for everyone to make.  The kits are all made up and ready to go for our get-together next week..  

Pop-up cards are always a lot of fun!

NO DAISIES TODAY!

Talk about easy...

This was done with a few peg stamps and a hand drawn vine wreath for a late September birthday card.

The greeting is from an old wooden stamp set.

Before mounting this peach panel, I punched out the daisy and glued a piece of dsp behind it.  For some glimmer, I added a flower gem from my stash.  Then I used dimensionals to attach it to the card front.

Using a scrap of coordinating cs, I die cut "birthday" and coated it with clear WOS.  The "happy" was stamped on a scrap of vellum, cut to size and glued to the card with Glossy Accents.  It was then coated with WOS to keep the glue from showing.

Another easy card!

ANOTHER DAISY PUNCH CARD

This card was "built" on a foundation of embossed white cardstock, lightly sponged with green ink and mounted on a white card base.


After punching two daisies and coloring the top one with yellow ink, I added white gel pen lines from the center outward.   I then layered it over another daisy punched in white cs and lightly sponged with the same yellow ink as the top one.  After stamping the center, I used a glue dot to hold them together.  Then I added the gold sequin in the center and mounted the daisy on the card front with a dimensional.

The greeting with stamped on a scrap of white cs and mounted over the "birthday" die cut (2 layers) which is coated with clear WOS.  The leaves were stamped, fussy cut, and slipped under the flower with liquid glue.

After adding a few more sequins for embellishment, the card was done.  I can see why this daisy punch has been selling out--it surely is delightful to use!

FLOWER PUNCH

 Even though I enjoy using my dies, punches can be so handy.  This was done with 3 layers of sponged flowers with a smaller size in vellum on top.  The silver strip on the side is actually a border of washi tape.

After stamping the greeting, I splattered the front with purple ink and added the three green accents.

This was a quick card to make!

DELIGHTFUL DAISY DUO

This card could not have been easier!

First, I used the Daisy punch on the card front as shown.  After choosing a simple design of dsp, I trimmed it to 4x5 1/4 and mounted it behind the cut outs.  Next, I added the two little white daisies with rhinestones in the center of each.

Using a tiny scrap from the dsp leftovers, I stamped "Happy" and mounted it above the first daisy.  Then I die cut the larger word from a scrap of green cardstock.  After mounting it and adding the inside greeting, the card was done.

This punch will definitely see a lot of use!

WHERE DID JULY GO?

For the first 3 weeks of July the heat and humidity kept me out of the Stamping Tower with its western exposure to the afternoon sun.  The last week was spent on the Outer Banks for our family vacation (and then the recovery from the long ride home.)  So just for the record, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

I hope to be posting soon...

CARDS FROM SCRAPS

 Today I decided to make two cards using the scraps on my table.   There were two panels, some dsp and two small strips.

Also on my desk was "Flowering Fields," a Stampin' Up Sale-a-bration stamp set.

For the first card, I chose a confetti card base.  After attaching the panel with Fast Fuse, I stamped the circle with one of the flowers from the stamp set.  Then I used colored pencils to color in the flowers and leaves, which covered up the underlying design.   I then chose a bold sentiment which is stamped on the dsp strip.

The second card started with a textured white card base and the gray panel.  After adding the strip of dsp on the left, I stamped and colored the flowers on a white rectangle.  I used a pale yellow for the flowers, matching it to the yellow in the dsp.  After tying some bakers twine around the bottom, I added the greeting on the other strip using Versafine Warm Gray to keep it soft.

This was a fun self-challenge!.

BUTTERFLY EASEL CARD

I received this beautiful card last week from a blogger friend.  Isn't it beautiful!

QUICK AND EASY

This easily could have been a Simple Saturday card since it was assembled in less than 10 minutes from scraps on the table.

The dsp was just large enough to cover the oval opening, so I taped it to the back of the blue cs and mounted the panel to the white card base with dimensionals.  Next I glued the dragonflies, left over from a previous card, to the panel.

The greeting is from a wavy banner set from Frantic Stamper which includes 2 banner dies.  Once I attached the greeting, the card was done!

CRAFTING FOREVER CARD

 I can see I'm going to enjoy using this new set from Stampin' Up.  In addition to some fun images having to do with stamping and coloring, the sentiments are also very appropriate.

 

 After fussy cutting the scissors, I coated them with Versamark and clear EP to give them a realistic shine.

(The enlargement below is blurry, but
you get the idea.)

MORE THANK YOU NOTES (See previous post first.)

These first two cards were for some of the gifts we received for our anniversary.





 
The daisy card (and matching envelope) was for our DIL who collaborated with our daughter in some of the decorations and also for the gifts she and our son and grandchildren gave.