SPECIAL CARD

Joan came over today and asked me to design a thankyou card for her to give to her son. After hinting that her toilet seat was deteriorating, she came home the other day to find he had purchased a new seat and installed it for her!


I think these pictures speak for themselves!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hope you're all having a wonder-filled Christmas and that Santa brings you lots of new stamping toys!

Don't forget to take the time to remember what it's really all about...

HELLO AGAIN!

We're back from Prague, but one of my "souvenirs" was a bad cold which developed into an ear infection on the plane ride home (ugh.) I'm finally over the worst of it, but now I'm way behind in my Christmas shopping. That's why I haven't posted lately.

The tree is up and decorated, the weather has turned mild again, and I'm slowly getting caught up with everything that needs to be done. I'm looking forward to doing some stamping later on today, just for my sanity.

Stamping withdrawal is a serious malady that can only be cured by--you guessed it--stamping! I'll have some new posts later on tonight...

HAPPY DECEMBER!

It's beginning to feel like Christmas. All 100 of my cards were either mailed yesterday or hand-delivered earlier. Whew! I'm glad that's done so that I can move on to other things.

First, we head for Prague this afternoon for a week with family there. After spending Black Friday addressing Christmas cards, I spent all day in the malls on Cyber Monday. It was great! I had the stores to myself, with sales people eager to help me find what I needed and sale prices still in effect...to say nothing of less exposure to flu viruses...works every year.

As soon as we get back, I'll finish Christmas shopping for family on this side of the Atlantic...after I put up the tree, that is; then concentrate on enjoying the season for its true meaning: the birth of our Savior.

Oh, and I'll be stamping, of course! Stay tuned...

THREE OF A KIND--Wreath

I'm so pleased with the versatility of this die for getting so many different looks.

The red card on top has a silver wreath cut from some silver glitter paper I bought last week. I added just a few dark red gems for embellishment.

The blue gate card is one of my favorites so far. The gems are tiny crystals and silver beads, with silver twine under the blossom.

Finally, the top note folded over is a deeper red than it looks here, which tones it down well. There is a smattering of tiny gems and beads around the wreath.

I had a little trouble at first with this die. One section wasn't cutting all the way through, and it took me a long time to get it to release. Since only one side was getting hung up, I tried putting it through the Cuttlebug, then turning the plates around and running it through again so that the "hung up" side was reversed. It worked! The wreath just popped right out after that. So if you have a similar problem with any of your dies, it could be your machine. I'm not a mechanic, but my guess is that the rollers are tighter on one side than the other, making it cut unevenly. Hope this tip helps!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

One of my favorite hymns that we sing regularly at women's Bible Study is "Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One by One..." Being an American, we have more blessings than we could possibly count in just one day. Being a Christian, we have more blessings in Christ than we could possibly count in all of eternity!

Being a stamper, I am thankful for all the Lord has provided in the Stamping Tower. Most of all, though, I'm thankful for YOU!

FIRST CARD WITH NEW DIE

Not bad for a first attempt. I cut the wreath using this Memory Box die and some light green cardstock. I then painted the flowers with Twinkling H2O's over the green cs.

After adding some pearls (see previous post) and attaching a Hero Arts flower on the left side, it was almost done. I glued the wreath to a black cs scalloped circle and mounted it to the card with dimensionals. Although you can't see it very well here, I also added a gold twine bow behind the white flower.

This has been added to my Christmas card box, bringing the total count so far to 64--only 36 to go!

One reason for choosing this die was for its versatility throughout the seasons. I can "see" it with Spring flowers, pastel summer blossoms or even autumn leaves.

Money-saving Tip

Okay, the secret is out! Here's my source of inexpensive mini gems and pearls.

All I do is snip between the dots to separate them and remove them with a craft knife to place on a card. The white pearls can be colored with Bic or Sharpie pens to match your design.

Shown here are white and off-white pearls (small and large) and small crystal gems in red and black.

Having an inexpensive source like this allows me to be more generous in applying them, plus they are small enough to be postage friendly.

Three of a Kind--Trees

These three cards could not have been easier. In fact, the hardest part was getting the gem off the plastic strip for the tag on the first card!

For the second card, I used several markers for the "leaves" on the ground. The snow scene was done with glitter paper for the bottom third and a snowflake sticker in the upper right corner.

It's been fun experimenting with this die cut tree!

UPDATE: to attach tree, I used two tiny pieces of 3m photo mounting tape at the base of the trunk and left the branches loose.

Winter Tree

Here's the first card I've made with the other new toy that came yesterday. (See previous post.)

Using the "Twiggy Tree" die from Memory Box, I ran it through the Cuttlebug and carefully detached the tree from the die. After tearing a piece of scrap dsp and mounting both on a Soft Suede card base, I spread some Stickles "snow" along the tear. (Too bad it doesn't show up here because the sparkle really makes this card.) All I needed next was the greeting.

After stamping and embossing the greeting, I used the slot punch for both the top and the Soft Suede underneath. To make the bottom piece appear larger than the top, I punched it twice at the edge of the cs slightly more than half for each. Fitting the two pieces underneath the greeting gave it the border it needed.

Done!

Three of a Kind--Hero Arts Fern

Some new "toys" came in the mail today, and these are the first three cards I've made with them.

First, the one on the bottom which was stamped in light green ink on light green cs. The stamp has a matching die, so I used it to cut out the fern and mount it on contrasting dsp with dimensionals. After adding the flower, some pearls a bow and a greeting, I set it aside to make another card.

The second card is in the upper right. I inked up the stamp with Tim Holtz distress inks, first Peeled Paint and then on the edges with Tea Dye. This time I mounted it on pearlized paper over a darker dsp and added the embroidery floss, greeting and pearls.

For the third card, I stamped the fern in green and clear embossed it. Then I used the die to create the overlay, which is mounted with dimensionals over the stamped image. The little "hello" tag was stamped on silver foil paper and mounted with another dimensional. I had a green gem that matched the ink I used, so I added it to the tag.

I really enjoy using stamps with matching dies!

Christmas Card Design

Here are two variations of the Christmas card I'll be sending out this year. The first is just a simple image over a piece of dsp from Basic Grey. For added interest, I used a contrasting strip of dsp across the middle and popped the image over it with dimensionals.





The second card is a gate fold card using another dsp design from the same Basic Grey "Jovial" pad. The designs in this collection are so pretty, I've been using them for variety as I make my own cards. It helps to keep things interesting as I go along!

Peg Stamp Wreath

This top fold card was done with just two peg stamps: a (green)holly sprig and some (red) berries. I plan to send it to someone special.

First, I ran a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of white through the CB using a snowflake folder. Then I used a Nestie for the scalloped circle cutout to use make the overlay. Using the two peg stamps, I created the wreath and popped up the overlay on top.

The bow was made using green embroidery floss and red metallic twine tied together and added with a glue dot. After cutting the bottom edge with deckle scissors, I stamped a border along the bottom of the inside of the card to show when the card is closed.

Enjoy!

LESS IS MORE--Leaves

Using the embossing resist technique, I thought I'd try using the colors of a Royal Satin Kaleidacolor pad just to be different. After sponging on the colors, I sprayed the card with Glimmer Mist. Though it doesn't show up in the photo, it gives the card a bit of shine. I then spattered some blue ink over the open areas.

After stamping the greeting, the card was done. I must say, though, that staying with just one layer is really the hardest part of the challenge!

For more cards submitted for this challenge, go to Less Is More HERE.

Stamp-a-Stack Designs

Isn't this little guy adorable?! The penguin was made using the SU owl punch with black and white cardstocks, clipping off the ears to turn the owl into a penguin.

The background paper was purchased at Hobby Lobby, as were the self-stick snow flakes. After tearing the white cs and layering it over the dsp, I used Crystal Lacquer as a glue for some chunky "snow" glitter. Then, I assembled the penguin and popped him up with a SU dimensional. The inside greeting is "Warmest Holiday Wishes" stamped in blue.

The second card is a folio card with a heart theme. A piece of 4 1/4 x 11 cs, scored at 5 1/2 and 6 1/2, has the saying as its main image. For the left fold, a 2" strip of dsp covers the folded portion, and a piece of red embroidery floss is wrapped around the inside fold. I chose a holly dsp (not shown here) to coordinate with the heart stamp on the front.

Inside, the greeting from SU was stamped on the same cs as the sentiment on the front and cut to fit. I punched a heart from a piece of red velvet cs I had in my stash.

I'll be hosting this workshop next Saturday, and I think the class will enjoy making these!

Here's a tip: For times when I want to use a tiny gem, such as the red ones shown on the second card, I cut them from a lettering set purchased from the sticker aisle of our local craft stores. They come in clear, black, red, light blue and pink. The red ones make great berries and the black ones work well with eyes for birds!

DE-CLUTTER DE TOWER!

One look at this "after" photo gives you absolutely no clue as to what the "before" photo would have looked like! Seriously, I was down to a work space the size of a card by the time I got it cleaned up.

The pile to the right of the blotter was piled high with cardstock packages, scraps and Christmas stamps in use at the time. The pile under the lamp was a mish-mash of cards received, in progress and scraps of cards finished. Preparing card kits for mothers classes and workshops left little time to work on my own Christmas cards and even less time to clean up. By the time I get home from the two mothers classes on Wed. I'm usually so tired (it's also a 40-min. drive to the church) I fall asleep on the couch. Add to that a power outage of 8 days, and cleanup had consisted of brushing paper bits and glitter onto the floor between cards!

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to devote an entire day to the Stamping Tower. I turned on some music and started putting things away. What's left on my table now are the things I need for the next round of Christmas cards for myself, 53 to go... After Thanksgiving, the Christmas cards will be mailed out, the tower re-organized completely and my bags packed for our upcoming trip to Prague.

Meanwhile, I'll be posting some of my creations. I hope you enjoy them and glean some ideas for your own projects!

AND THE WINNER IS...

CARD #3! Thanks for taking the time to vote. I'll be posting some new creations later on today.

CAST YOUR VOTE!

Please help me decide which card to use for the Mothers Class by voting for the one you like best!

Results will be posted on Saturday.

Thanks!


(See previous post.)

Mothers Class Christmas Card #4

This card was made with an angel stamp from last year that I never used and a new sentiment stamp I bought last week at Hobby Lobby. The challenge was to keep it simple with no embellishments as a reflection of the simple birth of our Saviour. After some experimenting, here's what I finally came up with.

First, I stamped the angel with Versamark ink, filling in the upper left corner of the Garden Green cs. To avoid covering up the angel too much and keep it balanced, I stamped the sentiment lower and to the right using black ink. I then sponged the edges of the cs with Garden Green ink.

After also sponging the edges of a piece of K&Co. dsp with the same ink, I taped it to the front of a plain white card. Then I mounted the finished image over it with dimensionals.

Although I'm happy with the design of this card, I think I'll try it in a lighter color to make the sentiment easier to read. Maybe a blue?

(Check back later for the follow-up. I plan on doing a few different versions and having a vote.)

Mothers Class Christmas Card #3

One of the moms at Mothers Class last week lent me this gingerbread man stamp to experiment with, and here's what I came up with.

First, I ran some light green cs through the Cuttlebug in a Swiss Dots folder after using a scalloped circle Nestabilities die. Then I placed it over a white card base, lightly marked 4 dots around the opening and set it aside.

To start, I used the wreath from "Sketch It" and stamped it in Soft Leaf ink. Using the gingerbread stamp, I inked it in Chestnut Roan and stamped it around the circle beginning with the top one first, then the bottom one, then the sides. The second four fit in between, making a fairly even circle. I stamped an extra on a piece of white scrap and cut it out. After coloring the eyes black and the buttons red, it was time to assemble the card.

After mounting the green overlay with dimensionals, I added the bow using metallic red cording mounted with a glue dot. The greeting was stamped in black, punched out and attached with SNAIL adhesive.

For the extra gingerbread man, I added tiny black and red gems and mounted it with dimensionals. After stamping "Wishing you a festive Christmas & blessings in the New Year," the card is now ready to present to the class for the 3rd project.