Another Christmas Card - Merry Monday

Without any urgent need for a card for an upcoming occasion, I've been thinking about my Christmas cards.  I saw the challenge over at Merry Monday and thought I'd play along. 

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted when I saw the challenge.  I have been waiting for a time to use gold embossing powder on vellum because the effect is so pretty.

I don't have a large poinsettia stamp, which would have made this card much easier, but I do have good 'ol Pick A Petal.  I used this stamp set before to make a poinsettia flower and it's a decent representation.  Twelve petals to stamp, emboss and cut out.  The background?  Strips of paper in the challenge colors.  Again, having glittered paper would have made this easier.  Instead, I used Scor-tape on strips to adhered the glitter.  It was labor intensive, let me tell you!  Very pretty, but labor intensive!  For that reason alone, I only made two or these cards.

A Start to My Christmas Cards

My recent 10 day absence was a result of no stamping energy.  I didn't have any good ideas or even the desire to stamp.  So, I thought maybe I'd shift my thinking and get a start on my Christmas cards!  I had a technique I wanted to try but every other aspect of the card was a blank for me.  Then, I saw Mary Jo's sketch and thought, "I can make this work!"

Here's her sketch:

And here's my card:

I wanted to use my new Chalk marker to color my snowman.  It's not an intense white, so after I colored it, I added highlights with my gel pen.  I had exactly 7 felt snowflakes left, so I made 7 cards.  The red banners were scraps from my file.  Most of them aren't full strips!  Since they are hiding behind my snowman (except the strip to the right) I was able to piece them all together!  I love using scraps!

We are bracing for another two snow storms this weekend.  One tonight that will only bring an inch or so.  Tomorrow night maybe up to another 4".  I can't believe this winter!  When will I see the bare ground again?  I'm suppose to start my seeds indoors this weekend!  Sure doesn't feel like it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy 2014...Starting with a Little Merry Monday!

I have been so anxious to get back to card making!  I've had several obstacles preventing me from my goal.  First, we were gone for ten days around Christmas, visiting hubby's family out East.  Secondly, I bought a new computer about a week before Christmas (like I needed a project before Christmas.)  I have been waaay spending too many hours downloading programs, transferring files and generally tweeking it to run the way I want!  Grrrr....Windows 8!  But finally, I found some time in my craft room and was able to relax!

First order of business, make some Christmas thank you cards.

I still love this little bird from the Stampin' Up! set Always.  I don't think I'll ever get rid of this set, just because of this bird.  The Christmas thank you sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  The designer paper is a brand new paper stack from Stampin' Up! called Fresh Prints....lots of great papers in there!

So, the latest Merry Monday challenge is:

I am linking my card to their challenge and I look forward to getting more Christmas cards done for the coming year!

I also have lots of new Stampin' Up products to play with, so I hope to have many things to share!

Thanks for stopping today!

Dasher ... A Jingle Belles Challenge

This weekend has been great.  Just goofing off in my craft room.  It is darn cold here in Iowa so I love going into my craft room, cranking up the oil heater and hibernating in there!  I haven't done a Christmas card in a couple weeks so I thought I'd go visit the jingle belles.  They didn't fail me.  They had a sketch I could work with, it just took a little more time than I expected.

I had the basic idea of what I wanted, but it was just a little too plain for me.  That's when I decided to use up my scraps and make a patchwork background.  I LOVE using my scraps!  I took all blues and greens and I used strips of Heat and Bond, a fusible webbing, to put it all together.  Much easier than glues and tapes.  I think it should hold better, too.

Now you want to know the weird part?  As I am preparing this post, getting the URLs to paste here, I see a card already posted with amazing similarity to mine.  Go figure!  I'm always afraid of this happening, which is why I try not to look at the challenge post and I try and do the challenge soon after it's been posted.  Well, it's bound to happen.  I'll have to make sure and leave her a comment.

Scandinavian Christmas

Yep, I'm a woman on a mission.  Can you believe I am almost halfway to my Christmas card goal?  When I create a card I almost always make four.  I have a hard enough time deciding what card goes to which person.  If I had ALL different designs...well I don't need that kind of stress!  Hee!  Hee!

The sketch I used today comes from the ladies at Freshly Made Sketches.  Rita designed this one.

The other challenge I was very excited to participate in is jingle belles, "Scandinavian Christmas."  Stephanie and Lauren are two great gals helping us all get those Christmas cards done!

I can't tell you how many times I changed this card.  I think I changed every single element at least once before it came to this.  Those CAS designs are tough!  I always want to add MORE!

So, thanks for stopping by today.  I'm not really sure what challenges I'll be doing tomorrow.  I still need to make more Valentine's Day cards.  If I can't find a challenge that fits I may have to go solo!

White On White Christmas

I've made it a mission to get my Christmas cards done well before Christmas this year.  Last year I did OK.  I made around 24 cards before December.  I really need double that to have as many as I would like to send.  When I saw the challenges on Our Creative Corner and Merry Monday I found a chance to try something new and get some Christmas cards done!

The challenge for Our Creative Corner is "White with a Decorative Edge."

At Merry Monday it's "Create A Christmas Card with Birds."

I've never made an all white card.  It was fun.  I tried to add as much texture as I thought I could get away with!

Well, this is two posts in one day....I may need to sit down and rest!  Hee!  Hee!

Vintage Christmas - Bells & Boughs

Feels a little weird posting a Christmas card in May, but I've joined the Christmas Card Challenge on SCS again this year.  I've committed to four cards a month, and so far I've done OK.  I missed out last month, but I hope to get caught up before too long.  If all my ideas came together as quickly as this one, it would be a cinch!

As an added bonus, this card qualifies for the Jingle Belles Friday challenge of "Embossing Around the Christmas Tree."  A great challenge, I need to participate in more often!

It all started when I was reading a thread about using a challenging color.  I decided to focus on Bravo Burgundy because it's a color I used to love, but wasn't using much anymore.  The reason I enjoyed making this card so much is the laid back approach I took with the fussy cutting and coloring.

I started with Naturals Ivory cardstock which is so porous gives such a nice distressed, vintage look.  I stamped my four (remember I made four of these at one time) Bells & Boughs images with the Bravo Burgundy ink.  I went back with my Aqua Painter and quickly (and without regards for the lines) added Pink Pirouette to the flowers.  I concentrated on the centers and purposely left areas unpainted.  I then came in with River Rock and again splashed color on the greenery and flower edges.  The water in the Aqua Painter in combination with the porous Naturals Ivory paper smudges the images slightly, adding to that vintage look.  My next step before I cut them out was to crumple the paper.  I really gave it a workout!  It was in the shape of a ball when I was finished.  I smoothed it out a little and started my cutting, not being too fussy.  I think each one took me between 30 and 60 seconds.  Then, I attached the images to the First Edition Specialty Designer Series paper only using the antique brads, keeping that texture in tact!

Until I get around to posting my other Christmas cards, you can see all the cards I've completed on my SCS gallery HERE.

Punch Pals - Christmas Card Challenge

Your eyes are not deceiving you.  I've gone from Valentine's to Christmas.  Shortly after the New Year I stumbled upon a challenge thread on Splitcoast Stampers, a Christmas card challenge.  Avoid the holiday crunch by pledging to make a set amount of cards each month, up until November.  I committed to 6 cards a month, so if all goes as planned I should have 66 cards ready to go come December 1st.  In January I made six more of THIS card I had already posted, but at the time, had one made one.

For February I decided to make a card for all my nieces and nephews.  A shaker card using Punch Pals and the Folded Paper Frame technique.  It really made the shaker card a piece of cake!  The cello bag fits perfectly inside.  The sentiment was printed from the computer. 

Now wouldn't you know there is a challenge blog for Christmas cards year round?  Stef and Lauren over at Jingle Belles are giving us a different Christmas card challenge EACH WEEK!  Wow!  Well, since I did all  six of my cards at once I may not be participating each week, but boy what a great idea!  Thanks gals!

I know this post is short, I'm up posting late!  If you have any questions about this card, just give me a shout!

Show CASE - Patterened Pines by LeAnne

With Christmas two weeks behind us I thought I'd better post this super cute card.  It's been quite a while since I did a Show CASE card.  A testament to how little time I had spent stamping the last half of 2010.

When free time is in short supply, a card CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) can be the perfect way to have a little fun!.  Show CASE is my personal attempt to have that time for stamping, without of the pressure to create something totally original.  I want to pay tribute to the many talented stampers out in the blogosphere that are so inspiring to me.  I hope you enjoy seeing my "take" on their creation.

Today's card was inspired by LeAnne @ Wee Inklings.

My changes:
I didn't have the specialty DSP LeAnne used.  I used Frost White Shimmer Paint for the background.
LeAnne did her wavy, pierced snow freehand.  I used a punch.
The sentiment is slightly different.
I used a different inks for my trees.

If you want to check out her original card, it is HERE.

I also need to send a shout-out to Arielle @ ColourQ  and Stacey @ Stacey's Stamping Stage for choosing last weeks cards for their challenges.  Thanks ladies!  I'm honored and will proudly display your badges!

I have to say, I haven't stamped at all this week and I am chomping at the bit!  I think I will HAVE to stamp today.  I have too many ideas running through my head to ignore!

A Little Housekeeping with an Exciting Note!

I have been meaning to post this card for sometime.  It was the first Christmas card I worked on in December and somehow it kept getting neglected.  I made 30 of these for dear hubby to send out to his co-workers and work related friends.  It may seem obvious but these little buggers were time consuming...all that sewing!  I have been missing my sewing machine, so I didn't mind too much! 

Boy, do I love this die from PTI.  The Big Shot got a workout, though.  Running this die through 30 times.  One thing you may not know about me... I hoard wool!  So, I had a nice selection to make my trees.  I love this color.

I guess my procrastination paid off too.  The current Our Creative Corner challenge is Felt.  Yeah!

I am also happy, tickled and pleased to announce my glittery, sparkly Snowman Card made the Top Pick over at Stampin' Royalty!  I was lucky enough to be chosen earlier in the year, so I already had the badge, but I was pleased to add a little caption for my recent recognition!

Now that I appear to be on a roll...keep an eye out for more posts!

Bells & Boughs with Top Note & Texture

Me again!  I actually finished this card VERY late on Thursday.  I wasn't up for posting at 2:30 AM so off to bed I went.  Friday was filled with another day shopping.  I was so tired (probably from lack of sleep the night before) that a movie and bed was all I could muster last night.  Kind of pathetic.  This is the year I had all my stamps and supplies early and I still managed to not get my cards done!  This is what I came up with during my late night session.

I thought I liked it.  I took the picture.  I'm thinking, "Boy, that bow just doesn't look right."

So, after the picture, I changed it!  Now I'm now sure which one looks best!

As luck would have it, I completed another challenge!

Our Creative Challenge - Dry Embossing with Ink.

Have a great day!

Oh Happy Day! A Card I Am Pleased With!

I was beginning to think it would never happen.  I've spent the better part of days...distracted...unable to create anything GOOD!  Today was different.  Funny how a looming deadline can either bring brilliance or disaster.  I decided to start with the same basic design as I used for my Redwork card.  Love that card!  Same, embossing folder.  Then, switch it up with Frosty.

What a great color combo, the Baja Breeze and Real Red.  I finally got the chance to play with the Glass Glitter and Waffle Paper.  Both are wonderful!  I'm so happy they are both carrying over beyond the mini catalog.  The ribbon came from a box lot at a recent auction.

We've all seen this kind of ribbon before.  Not too impressive, but put it through the Big Shot with the Square Tile embossing folder and wow!  That's pretty!  Even the kinks in the ribbon (see them) came out, going through the Big Shot.

I actually managed to qualify for a few challenges, too!

Stampin' Royalty is hosting a Bring on The Bling Challenge!  Yahoo!
The Pink Elelphant is hosting a Winter Wonderland challenge!  Yipee!

PLUS....
Today's "Ways to Use It" challenge on SCS is GLITTER!

So I hope you like what I finally had to show you!  I'm headin' back to the craft room now!

With Help From My Daughter

Today is the day...finally I will begin to work on my Christmas cards.  I plan to have them done and ready to go into the mail on Monday.  Yeah...right!  Not at my current pace!  Luckily, fate has stepped in, to help me out.  Maybe more accurately, my sweet daughter has stepped in to help me out.  She was one of two in her grade (7th) chosen in the annual Christmas card contest at school.

This is her design.  They where only given one requirement.  They had to use cross-hatch or stipple techniques in their design.  This is the second time she has been chosen.  I'm one proud mama!

Being a card maker, I couldn't resist a little embellishment.  So, with her blessing we added a sequin and bead nose, ribbon and a sentiment from PTI's Tree Trimming Trio.

Now I can't let her have all the fun, so I will be making my own cards, of course.  Thankfully I won't require quite as many!  Phew!!!  Stay tuned!

Jolly Old St. Nick

I'll be honest, I have been sitting on this card for a while.  I wanted to wait until I was ready to post a little more regularly.  Hopefully this is the time!

I used Jolly Old St. Nick.  Not too different from the card sample in the mini catalog but I just love the dialog bubble!  I used my Scallop Oval punch and embellished with dots and curves using my fine tip black marker.  The little comma is all me, just cut and glued to the back of my oval.  Underlining the sentiment came after I had made about 5 other cards.  I like this idea a lot.  It really made it "pop."

So, I went to scrapbooking retreat this past weekend.  I had a blast with my friend, Cathy.  I still feel like a scrapbook newbie but this weekend I feel I turned a corner.  I actually like about half my pages!  So, I may share one of two of those this week, too!  Hope to see you then!

Christmas Redwork - Greeting Card Kids

First let me say,  I can't believe I took a month off!  When I posted my last Curtain Call card I knew I would be taking a break but I didn't formally announce anything.  I wasn't sure how long I'd be away.  In hindsight I should have mentioned something!  I am so surprised it ended up being so long.  I only glanced at my Google reader twice during that time.  Each visit I had 300+ posts to take a look at!  So I apologize to each of you for not posting any comments, but I don't have it in me to take on such a HUGE task!

I finally got my fingers inky last Friday when my friend Deb took the day off and we stamped.  We hadn't seen each other in over a month so there was a lot of conversation and SOME stamping.  I've done a few CASE cards and a couple originals.  So, if I can stay in the groove, I'll have cards to share this week.

I absolutely love the Greeting Card Kids set.  I don't mind coloring at all, but this idea came via LeAnne @ Wee Inklings.  She has done a few different "redwork" cards.  I adore redwork but I have never learned to do it.  I can sew a simple backstitch but good redwork takes practice to get the stitches uniform.  So, why not cheat a little and do it with ink instead!

You can't really tell from the photo ( I slacked off and didn't get out my extra lights) but the image is embossed.  I looks super in person.  I also broke in my new Northern Flurry embossing folder on the retired gingham Bella Rose DSP.  The snowflakes became more prominent when I used my sanding block to the reveal more of the white paper core.

Some habits are hard to break.  I REALLY wanted to put a sentiment on the front, but I held myself back and committed to no sentiment.  I love how this image looks with the gingham.  I think I may have to play around with this idea some more!

Show CASE - Flowers For All Seasons by Cambria

While things have slowed down around here, I still find myself gone more than home.  I am a homebody.  I like puttering around the house, so you can bet I'll be home if it's at all possible.  The only two things I choose to do rather than stay home?  Activities with my kids and shopping for vintage (at either sales or auctions.)  I did hit a few good auctions and sales the past two weeks, so I am guilty of not stamping because of that.  If you're into vintage, check out my other blog:  Made or Found.

In the meantime, how about a Show CASE card?

When free time is in short supply, a card CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) can be the perfect way to have a little fun!.  Show CASE is my personal attempt to have that time for stamping, without of the pressure to create something totally original.  I want to pay tribute to the many talented stampers out in the blogosphere that are so inspiring to me.  I hope you enjoy seeing my "take" on their creation.


Today's card is inspired by Cambria @ Stamp A Little Love Baby!

I had to change the layout because instead of a square card, I made mine an A2.
I also changed the sentiment and ribbon.

Check out Cambria's card HERE.

Second Post! Medallion Wreath.

What a awesome day it has been! I'm having a blast in my crafting room. The snow is still coming down and blowing all over the place. I told hubby, no way I am shoveling 'til the wind dies down. Yes, we shovel. We do NOT have a snowblower! Another consequence of living with a weather buff, he actually likes to shovel! I won't like moving the 12" that is on the driveway but I try to look at it as good exercise.

So, here's my second card today using Medallion. This time I've paired it with Berry Christmas.I think I like this one better than the last! That's usually what happens once I start creating. As I'm "working" I think of more and more ideas! My 12 year old daughter actually had a hand in this one. I told her my plans and we discussed what colors to use. Luckily, we were thinking the same and liked the combo of Garden Green and Certainly Celery. The little birdie is from the Sizzlet Merry Details (I used Riding Hood Red.) However, the berries were colored with the fine tip of my Ruby Red marker.

I'm still not done yet. I have more cards in mind. Stay tuned!

Snow Day! It's a Blizzard Out There!

Yes, we are snowed in. It's a bonafide blizzard in Iowa today. Ok, I will clarify that. It's been blizzard conditions at times. My husband is such a weather fanatic he gets very technical when it comes to these things. He's a trained weather spotter and meteorology would have been his profession if he had not gone into baseball. Bottom line is even if we lose power, I can still stamp!

This one is hot of the press! It's embossed, both the Medallion and Dasher, so I thought I'd better get this done JUST IN CASE we lose power. It's not infrequent that we do.Really not a whole lot else to say about this one. I like the rounded corners, it gives it a more finished look, I think. The ribbon is one atop another. The knot is substantial...I hope it doesn't cost me extra postage!

I know I should be done with my cards, maybe you are and are tired of seeing Christmas, but I'm not ready to stop! So, I'll be making a few more. This week I'm done....I swear!

A Berry Christmas Topiary

Good Sunday to all! I have another simple Christmas card to share with you today. It's not my idea, it's a card I saw on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website. The original inspiration came from Dawn Byers (check out her blog, too!) Thanks Dawn!I really love this set Berry Christmas. It has proven to be very versatile. I haven't had nearly enough time to play with it. I have plenty of ideas I have yet to try. Now that we are down to crunch time, I'm guessing those ideas will be put on the shelf 'til next year. We'll see.

I know it doesn't show up in the photo at all, but I sprayed the entire cardstock base with my Champagne Mist and rubbing alcohol spray. I used about a half a teaspoon of paint and ounce of rubbing alcohol (91% not the lower percentage.) I didn't measure so this is approximate. I put mine in a small 2 oz. spray bottle from the dollar store. If you haven't tried it, it's AMAZING! I completely saturated my card and it a very short time it dries and lays flat! The results are incredible, so give it a try! One little tidbit, though. Give it a shake before you spray, the paint tends to sink to the bottom after a short while.

OK, I do have another thing to share. I was chosen as a featured designer on Our Creative Corner just yesterday! For my Ornament Punch card. I was so tickled! I was so excited! I was just bubbling with happiness! I don't recall what I was saying (out loud) but my husband overheard and wondered what all the commotion was about! So, thanks gals at the OCC for making my day!

Lovely As A Tree, a Christmas Favorite

Lovely As A Tree. Will I ever get tired of this set? It is such a staple. It's great for so many occasions: masculine, sympathy and of course CHRISTMAS! In fact I used this same stamp last year for one of my cards. I have to say, I like this one better because it is so sparkly! Like I mentioned a few posts ago, I'm in love with my glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds this year! This was another great opportunity to use them.I used Rich Razzleberry to ink up my trees with a little accent of it in the corners as well. It is by far my favorite in-color this year and it makes a beautiful Christmas card. I paired it up with some Cottage Wall DSP and Mellow Moss on a background of Kraft. A super quick card and oh so cute, too! I will be making lots of these if I don't get all my cards done THIS WEEKEND!