More Valentines

I have two more Valentine cards to share with you today. First up is this black and gold card I made for the WT119 challenge over on SCS which is to use scallops. I think the edges of this gold doily are scalloped so that's why I chose to use it. I stamped the black cardstock base with Versamark, and then added gold ep and heated it. I stamped the heart from Polka Dot punches with Versamark and embossed that with gold ep too. The tiny hearts were punched with a mini heart punch out of metallic gold card stock. The sentiment is from Happy Heart Day and was embossed with gold ep on black, and layered with gold metallic card stock too. Some gold & black ribbon and this was done! I know it's not made of traditional Valentine colors, but I like the dramatic effect of the black and gold combo.
This card was made for two challenges. First up is the StampBs#39 challenge found here. They're asking us to celebrate their last challenge of the year with old and new....... to use our oldest stamp set along with our newest tool. This card was was also made following the "Our Creative Corner" SASSC46 sketch challenge found here.
I based the card using the first stamp set I ever purchased called "sketch it" by SU! I stamped the heart image with Versamark and embossed it with purple ep. For my newest tool, I used the MS silver Microbeads that I recently purchased. I created a heart stencil with my Cricut and ran a line of Judikins Diamond Glaze around the edges of that heart stencil and added the beads to the center of the embossed heart, and then added a mini punched heart to the center. I scored the edges of the main panel and sponged them with plum pudding ink. The sentiment panel was done with So Many Sayings on a word window punch, and layered with the modern label punch in plum pudding along with 2 tiny silver beads. The tab came from the SU! party punch set and was also stamped with Plum pudding. The DP is bitty box plum pudding and the ribbon is from the same color family. I'm going to send these valentines to our soldiers, and I guess in the back of my mind the purple heart theme kept sticking, but hopefully someone will find it useful to send back home to their loved ones.
I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a healthy, happy and prosperous new year in 2010. May your blessings be abundant and may your hearts be filled with love. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you who come to share a tiny part of your day with me. Happy New Year!!!!

Carol

Brimming with Love and a new sketch challenge!

My friend Michelle of StampersDream recently sent me this stamped image and I couldn't wait to ink it up! Thanks Michelle!!! Isn't he the cutest? I made this card for the SC261 sketch challenge found here. I cut the 2 hearts with a Shape-Cutter, layering the image with real red. I added a piece of very old Valentine's dp I've had forever, and used a piece of DCWV glitttered cardstock for the blue panel. The sentiment panel was done with a Studio G stamp and cut with a ticket punch. Ribbons were from my stash as well as the red and white heart-shaped brads.
Thanks for stopping by on this Wednesday, I hope your day is going well for you!

Carol

A Super Quick and Easy Card!

This is a super quick and easy card I made using white, leaf green card stock, ink, and ribbon, a stamp from Verve and a stamp from SU!. I love it when I can make things simple and uncomplicated! I think I'll be making a few more of this style in different colors :)
Thanks for stopping by on this chilly, windy day here in PA! BRrrrrrrr! Time for some hot chocolate! Have a fantastic day :)

Carol

Bring on Valentine's Day!

I need to get back to stamping and now that Christmas is over, I wanted to move on to the next holiday. I know Valentine's day isn't really a holiday, but there are so many things to make for Valentine's day, that I'm officially calling it a holiday!
I love making these little matchbook covers that hold a piece of Ghiradelli candy, so I made a few more. I used various stamps, colors and brads. I even used a few left-over snippets of ribbon that I'd saved which were perfect for these little gems. Instead of using cardstock for the insert, I started using coordinating DP which reduces bulk and makes them easier to close. People love receiving them, especially the little ones. I'm sure I'll be making more for Easter, St Patrick's day and many other special occasions!
My hubby and I are celebrating our 41st wedding Anniversary today and I just can't believe how fast all those years have flown by! What a ride!! We rarely make a fuss over the occasion because Christmas and New Year's day pretty much take the spotlight, but perhaps if we make it to 50 yrs, we'll do something special.......if we're still able :)
Have a great Monday everyone!

Carol

Stamp Simply #119

My son & DIL sent me a HUGE box of cardstock, buttons, ink pads & ribbon for Christmas that truly overwhelmed me! When I told him he sent more product than I'll probably use in this lifetime, his reply was "Well get busy then!" LOL! I took his advice and made my DIL a set of thank-you cards which perfectly falls into the Stamp Simply challenge #119 this week, which is to make a C&S Thank-you card! I find myself leaning more and more toward C&S than I ever did before and I'm really loving all the white space and uncluttered look. The sentiments and decorative rings are by Just-Rite and were a Christmas gift from my sweet friend Michelle of StampersDream.com. I stamped with PTI leaf green ink on white, and matted with mellow moss and leaf green. I punched a horizontal leaf green panel with a scalloped border punch and layered it with mellow moss polka dot ribbon and then with a narrower leaf green ribbon. To finish it off, I used some of the leaf green buttons for accents. I hope she'll like these because I'm going to surprise her with them. Now to dig into the other 4 families of card stock, ribbons, ink pads, and buttons! If anyone wants to come stamp with me, feel free to stop in :)
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and an even better shopping day today. I did a little online shopping for some new goodies today. Did anyone find any bargains they'd like to share?
Have a great weekend!!

Carol

Merry Christmas!

As promised, here are more beautiful RAKS I received this year. This wonderful vintage Santa image card came from Anne Ryan and you can find her gallery on SCS here. Ann has a unique style all her own, and she makes some of the most stunning cards ever! She has a knack for mixing colors, textures and eye-popping ribbons that make for some dazzling cards! Always leaving such encouraging comments for everyone, Anne made me feel right at home as soon as I began posting on SCS. Thanks for your kindness Anne, I wish you a wonderful Christmas!
This is from my penpal Lyn who lives in Australia. Lyn doesn't blog, but she and I have been penpals since I got my first computer many moons ago. We recently discovered that we both make cards, how funny is that! Lyn adds such interesting detail to all of her cards, and I look forward to receiving another special card from her each year
And this fantastic card is from my sweet blogging friend Silke. Silke never makes a so-so card! Her signature silver pearls and awesome color choices put her cards in a league all their own! She floors me with every new card she posts, and I'm amazed with the creativity that she shares with her blog followers. Always up for another challenge, that's Silke! It's been such a pleasure getting to know you this past year and I look forward to learning lots of new ideas from you in the coming year!
And last but certainly not least is this beautiful Iris folding card from Jill. I had the pleasure of meeting Jill in person when she came to my house and taught me how to do Iris folding this past summer. Jill creates one-of-a-kind 3D cards, as well as the Iris folding and other techniques. You should click on her name above and check out some of her amazing creations! Jill is having a difficult year with illness in her family, so here's wishing you a better 2010 my friend! This card is just beautiful and I'll always treasure it!

I guess that wraps up the RAKS for this year, so let's bring on Christmas and make the best of the remaining year! A very merry Christmas to everyone!

Carol

Here are 3 more amazing hand-crafted cards I received for Christmas. First up is this adorable card by Denise. Denise has a style I've long admired so I follow her blog religiously. Lucky for me, she doesn't live very far from me, so perhaps one day we'll meet in person! Everything she creates just amazes me whether it's whimsical, dramatic or simply elegant. I love how she colored this cute image and added that notch for her perfect little bow, but just look at the unique way she added the sentiment! Thanks Denise, I just love this card and it will go into my scrapbook of treasured hand-made cards!!
This card is from the very talented Wendy. Wendy's blog is another one I follow regularly because I don't want to miss a thing she creates! Her style of layering just astounds and amazes me, and her cards are just perfectly done! Everything is balanced and I just love the way she uses colors and embellishments! Wendy is another blogging friend who lives relatively close to me and perhaps one day I'll get to meet her in person. Thanks so much for this adorable card Wendy! I love it and it's definitely a keeper!
And this fantastic card is from my wonderful friend Heidi. Heidi started this blog with me last year, but unfortunately for all of us she's chosen to leave the world of blogging. Thank goodness she's still creating her beautiful cards though!! This quilt rack was made by her DH and she sent it to me last year with a different quilt card. This year she sent this Christmas card, ready to be put on this rack for a perfect display option! Heidi's style just amazes me and she has some of the most fantastic creative ideas ever! I'm sad that she's no longer sharing her talent with the rest of us, but I'll share the cards I'm lucky enough to receive from her right here. Heidi, you knocked my socks off with this gorgeous quilt card and I send you big holiday thank-you hugs! I love that I'm able to proudly display these cards on this adorable little rack! You're the best!!!
That's it for now, but I have more RAKS to share a little later. Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish all of you a most heartfelt merry Christmas! May all of your hopes and dreams come true, and may you be surrounded by loving family and friends not only at Christmas, but throughout the coming new year too! Thanks to each and every one of you for taking the time to come see what I've been making and leaving such encouraging kind comments. I'm thankful and grateful for all of you :)

Carol

Some Christmas RAKS

I haven't had time to make cards lately with all the last minute details before the big day on Friday, so I've decided to share some beautiful RAKS with you that I've received this year. This pretty red and white card is from Deanna, my SU! demo! I love how she used this great color combination and that Damask design is just gorgeous! Thanks Deanna, I owe my love for card-making and paper crafting to you, because you taught me how to make my very first card! :)
This gorgeous vintage card came from LeAnne, a sweet friend I've come to know through blogging. Although we live relatively close to one another, we've not met yet, but perhaps in the coming year? Don't you just love this jovial Santa image and the sled? The perfectly stamped background just catches my eye every time I see it! Thanks LeAnne, I'll always treasure this card:)
And what can I say about this stunning card except WOW!!!! This is from my dear friend Michelle of StampersDream.com. When I first learned about the blogging world, Michelle's blog was the one I stalked every single day! She's taught me so much about watercoloring and cardmaking with her expertise in stamping products and techniques, so I owe much of what I've learned to Michelle. This card has to be seen in person to appreciate the incredible details and layering! I loved this card when I saw it on her blog, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to actually receive it! Thanks so much Michelle! This card is going to be enjoyed for years to come! Your friendship has been such a joy to me for these past few years!!

I have a lot more cards to share with you over the next couple days so stay tuned, and have a great day!!

Carol

A Calendar for my Granddaughter

Last year my dear friend Heidi sent me this adorable calendar for Christmas. She used those cute little calendar chicks on each month's page which just adds to the fun! My granddaughter Rachel was immediately drawn to it and she picks it up and looks through it every time she comes over. She asked me last year if I'd make her one, so yesterday I spent most of the day making one for her for Christmas next week.
This is the first month's page. It's somewhat different from Heidi's, but I'm sure Rachel will enjoy it. The little ice skate at the bottom has a story behind it! I stamped the image directly on the page (after the whole book was assembled and bound together). I decided I'd color it with a hot pink deco pen I'd recently bought. I pressed down on the pen to get it started and a huge glob of sticky icky paint poured out and covered the whole image!! Grrrrrr!!! After I wiped it off and it dried, I stamped the same image and layered it on circles and adhered it to the page to cover the "mistake!" I had to cut the bottom of the circle off so it didn't cover any date numbers, but I guess it looks better than a big pink neon glob of paint! LOL Needless to say that new pen went right into the trash!
This is a side view of how the calendar was put together, and each page flips back to change the month.
Here's a couple samples of the pages. Rachel has Irish roots, so she'll especially like this page. I made shamrocks by punching 3 tiny hearts and cutting a stem, and joining them together on a tiny piece of cardstock. Then I covered them with CTMH liquid glass and dusted them with some dazzling diamonds.
And this is my favorite month of the year - September. I just love Autumn with falling leaves and the gorgeous colors of nature.
I know she's going to be quite surprised when she opens this. There aren't many 11 year-olds who get excited over a calendar, but she loves paper crafts of all kinds and I think she's going to like having her very own calendar :)
Here's wishing you a great Sunday, and happy shoveling to those of you who live in my neck o' the woods! We only got about 8 inches of the white stuff, but a little south of us they got hammered with nearly 2 foot of snow, so we're pretty fortunate here!!

Carol

Stamp Simply #118

The Stamp Simply #118 challenge over at Sharon Johnson's blog today is to use snow on our creations, and do a C&S at the same time. I didn't make a card today because all my holiday cards are finally finished and sent, so I decided to use these mini loaves of cranberry nut bread that I baked yesterday. I found these adorable little mini loaf pans on sale last year at Michaels and they're perfect for little home-baked gifts! I made the tag from PTI soft stone cs because it perfectly matched the loaf pan color! I stamped the PTI sentiment in Versafine Onyx black ink and the tiny snowflake with Ballet blue. I added a felt snowflake and embellished both snowflakes with a Geo Sparkler. You can click the photo to see this detail much better. I wrapped some matching ribbon with snowflakes and this little gift is good to go!

Here's what it looks like with the tag slid underneath the ribbon.
For those who want this recipe, here it is. It's very basic and simple and makes 3 mini loaves like this, or one regular sized loaf.

Cranberry Nut Bread
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup chopped cranberries (I used Craisins)
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup orange juice
* 1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. (or 3 mini loaf pans)
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour. Mix together the egg, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s).
3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven (25-30 minutes for mini loaf pans), or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.

*I sprinkled a little cinnamon/sugar mix in the pans before adding batter and added a few craisins to the top before baking.

Have a wonderful Friday and keep that shovel handy if you live in PA! We're supposed to get "substantial" accumulations of snow tomorrow, so I'll be inside happily playing in my craft room I'm sure:) Maybe Sharon knew this was coming and that's why she used "snow" as her theme for today's challenge? Hmm..............

Carol

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday on Wednesday

As usual, I'm a day late with my Flourishes Timeless Tuesday#46 card.......again! LOL I'll try to do better next year, I promise!
This week Betty challenged us to do stenciling. I love what Silke did with her stenciled card, so I copied her idea to use an Impressabilities for my stencil. I sponged Versacolor sand beige on Vintage Cream card stock and used 2 different Nestabilites dies for the image and pale pink mat beneath it. The Sweet Pea image was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and embossed with clear detail embossing powder before coloring with Tombows I added a little piece of ivory ribbon and stamped the sentiment with Chocolate Chip, using the SU Thank you Kindly. This went together quick & easy, which was ideal, because I need a thank-you card!
I'm off to the kitchen again to continue baking so enjoy your Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

The Color Throwdown #73

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the CTD#73. This week's challenge is bittersweet for me, because it's my last week as a guest designer, but I'm so thrilled to have been invited to do the honors for the past 3 weeks. Being among such talented designers has been very rewarding and I've enjoyed the opportunity tremendously.
Today's color challenge is kiwi kiss, real red, always artichoke, and cool Caribbean and this week's CTD is sponsored by There She Goes stamps. I'm using the "She's a Lady" set for my card.
I stamped the images with Versafine Onyx Black on wc paper and embossed them with clear detail ep. I colored everything with Tombows and cut the bags and purse out and popped them up with foam tape. I cut the main image with a Labels 4 Nestabilities and sponged cool caribbean around the edges before removing the die. Next was theSizzix top note die cut from cool caribbean. I embossed that with the candy cane embossing folder because the diagonal stripes reminded me of the skirt on the image. I matted that panel with real red. I added various ribbon tabs of artichoke, kiwi, and red for accents. The sentiment panel was stamped on cool caribbean, cut with the smallest labels 4 Nestabilities and layered with a circle punch and an oval punch. I added some stickles silver accents to the trim on the lady's dress, and also added lots of silver pearls to glam everything up. I crocheted the red flower and added a silver & black button to match.
I hope you'll play along with us this week, because I'll be looking to see all of your creations. Thanks to everyone for all your kind comments and to the CTD team for giving me this special opportunity! It's been a total blast!
Have a fabulous Wednesday and have fun!

Carol

Matchbook Candy Treats

I've been making some matchbook candy treats for hand-outs recently, and here are a few that I've completed. This is the cutest way to present a little piece of candy, and so much more festive than setting out a bowl of boring candy! Did I just say candy is boring?! What was I thinking?!?!
I used various colors of card stock and a whole collection of different stamps, punches and brads. These are just too stinkin' cute and I know my guests are going to enjoy taking one of these home with them when they come to visit.
Here's a close-up of one on the inside. This cute little reindeer had his nose done with a red glitter pen. It sparkles IRL, but doesn't show on the photo. Each is different on the inside for variety. If you want to create any of these yourself, you can find the tutorial here.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I wish you all a fabulous Tuesday:)

Carol

My Christmas Cards for 2009

I mailed out my Christmas cards early this year, so now I'll post the card I made for most of those on my list. When I first spotted this stamp by Impression Obsession, I knew I had to have it! My DH and I used to have horses in our younger days and this image just did it for me! Those Santa hats on those awesome horse images won me over instantly. I also had it in mind that I was going to make flat cards this year that didn't require extra postage, so this was the result.
I stamped the image with Stazon black ink on PTI white cardstock. After trying many different inks, the Stazon gave me the best results. I colored the hats with 2 different red Tombow markers, and added some MS tinsel crystal glitter glue for the fur. I used liquid applique and Dazzling Diamonds on some, and some polar white Flower-soft on others, but the MS tinsel glitter gave me the dazzling effect I was looking for. The sentiment is by SU and some cards said Seasons Greetings, Noel, or Happy Holidays, so I had a variety to send.
As Christmas draws near, my baking will start getting into full swing now, so I'll be a busy bee for a little while :)
Take good care and have a wonderful Monday! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to leave your thoughts :)

Carol

Stamp Simply #117

I haven't played along with the Stamp Simply challenges for much too long, but this week I knew I had to play along! The challenge was to alter a purchased card. For years a company has been sending my mother some card front samples with the hopes she'll order her cards through them. I've been saving them for some time because they're too pretty to throw out and I knew one day I'd find a use for them. This challenge was perfect to put at least one of those card fronts to good use! My granddaughter loves black labs and her beloved pet recently went to play on the rainbow bridge, so when I saw this image I knew it would melt her heart as it did mine. I cut the image out, leaving the puppy's muzzle out of the box. I went around the edges with my silver deco pen for interest. I used the modern label punch to cut the sentiment from the card front, and layered it with 2 separate punches of silver metallic cs. So quick, so easy, and so frugal! I think she's going to love this card as much as I do. There's just something about a puppies eyes that makes me cave in :)

Carol

Crazy for Challenges #15

I needed one more card for Christmas, so I made a card for the Crazy4Challenges#15 this week, which has a theme of "snow." I used my trusty Cuttlebug snowflake ef on real red for the background on this card. The ornaments (stamp from $1 spot at Michaels) were stamped in versamark on white cs and embossed with silver ep. I cut them out and popped them up on foam tape, adding some silver cording to make them look as if they're hanging. I added some silver beads to the ornaments and the sentiment panel, which was punched with a modern label punch and stamped with an Inkadinkado stamp. I outlined the sentiment panel with a silver deco pen to match the silver ornaments, and added a piece of silver metallic ribbon at the top and this quick card was done!
Thanks for stopping by today, enjoy your weekend :)


Carol

MMSC31

Happy Saturday everyone. I've had this card done for a while, but with my camera quitting on me, I couldn't post it. My DH got it working for me again, but it's still throwing fits, so he bought me a new camera for Christmas a little early :) I haven't been able to find the time to learn how to use it yet, so for today I'm using the old camera which still has a little life left to it.
This card is for the Midnight Madness Sketch challenge #31 which has a little twist this week to make a wintry theme. I had an order to make a Christmas card with a dog image on it, and this is the result. I made an origami tree out of some green DP with white polka dots. I added some stickles and then some white Flower-soft, and finally some red liquid pearls. I made the trunk by coloring some kraft cs with brown markers and adding more Flower-soft to the "ground". I used the Nesties labels 4 in Real Red for the mat, and the red polka dot DP is by Wild Asparagus. I stamped the Kraft cs base with Versamark using the tiny snowflake from the Snow Swirled set and heat embossed it with winter wonderland ep. The dog was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink on cream cardstock, embossed with clear ep, cut out, and popped up with foam tape. I added a red floral gemstone to the tree top for the final touch.
I hope to have another card or two to post later on today, so stay tuned and have a great weekend!!

Carol

Carol

Just my Luck!

If my blog is quiet for a few days, it's because my camera died this morning :( I guess I'm going to have to put in a rush order to Santa for a new one, so hopefully I'll be back soon!! I was about to take a picture of a challenge card I've been working on, and when I turned my camera on, it just groaned a little and then went poof! Fresh batteries wouldn't revive it, so I'll be on the prowl looking for a good deal on a new one. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations for a camera they like, I welcome your input!
Oh well.............I'll see you when I see you, and hopefully that won't be too awfully long!!
Have a fabulous day :)

Carol

Color Throwdown #72

Happy Wednesday everyone. It's my 2nd week as the CTD's guest designer for the month of December, and I'm just so excited about this opportunity!

Here are the colors for this week's #72 throwdown. I've always been fond of Wasabi and Soft Sky, so of course I hoarded a few pieces of those colors before they were retired :)

This week's sponsor for the throwdown is My Favorite Things, and I've used the Cool Yule set for my card. I started with a base of Soft Stone cs and used a piece of Afternoon Tea DP for the background. I cut a piece of Wasabi with the top note die and embossed it with the CB snowflake ef. The images were stamped on wc paper with Versafine Onyx Black, embossed with clear ep, colored with Tombows, and cut out. Some fun flock was added to the bear, while some MS tinsel glitter was added to the hat trims on the other 2 images. I stamped the ice blocks and water puddle with soft sky ink on soft sky cardstock and added some liquid glass and dazzling diamonds to make them look icy. The sentiment panel was done using a Modern Labels punch with Pretty in Pink cs and the snowflakes were punched with a MS punch, glittered with MS tinsel glitter and each has a dew drop in the center.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of your fabulous creations with these pretty colors! Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Carol

IA112 Inspiration in Action Weekend Sketch Challenge

I stumbled upon Gretchen Barron's blog recently and decided to give her latest weekend sketch a try. The sketch was a fun one, so I pulled out my Cottage Wall DP, along with some Razzleberry, Olive, and Orchid cardstock. I stamped the Sincere Salutations birthday greeting in Razzleberry on white and edged the panel with an olive marker. I layered that on Orchid and added a piece of Razzleberry ribbon with some hemp tied into a bow. I stamped the larger punched flower with PTI's text in Versamark and embossed it with white powder. The very tiny flower underneath the brad was cut with a Quickutz die. The 2 smaller flowers were punched with a 3 flower punch and popped up on foam squares. The ferns were punched with a MS punch from Olive cardstock. I added a few Kaiser lavender pearls for accents on the flowers and sentiment panel.
Check out Gretchen's link above to win some goodies from the brand new occasions mini catalog just by playing along with this sketch challenge! You'll also find lots of inspiration for your card-making and crafting projects there too.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday! I'm off to the kitchen to start baking.

Just Us Girls #10 sketch challenge

They have a sketch challenge over at the Just Us Girls blog this week and it's a fun one! It was easy enough for me to make another last-minute Christmas card. I love it when things come together quickly, especially when there's SOOoo much to do this time of the year!
I started with the image from Many Merry Messages and stamped it with Versafine Onyx Black on wc paper, and embossed it with clear ep. I colored the images with Tombows and added red stickles to the gigantic nose of the reindeer in the center. The DP was a well-loved scrap (mfr unknown) that I've had forever. I layered the image on a panel of scrap green cardstock using Labels four Nestabilities. The brads were pink, but I made them red by dipping in Versamark and then red ep and heating them (twice). I wonder why I'm unable to find Red or White brads or eyelets anywhere? It seems I always have to buy assorted packs just to get a few red or white ones. Anyway, the flowers are from Making Memories and the ferns were made with a MS punch. Ribbons were from my stash. I'm already tired of making Christmas cards and hopefully I'm just about finished with them now. Soon I'll have to start baking, but I always do that last. If I bake cookies too soon, there are none left by Christmas!! LOL!!!
Have a wonderful Sunday whatever you're doing and TC!

Carol

MMSC30 for Sister

I just got this card in under the wire for the MMSC30. With all the holiday fuss, these challenges seem to take a back burner lately, but I needed a birthday card for my DH's sister, so I made it a double whammy and made her card using the sketch.
I started with Prism papers in the Majestic Purple shades of dark, light & medium. The card is much brighter IRL, but I just couldn't seem to get the photo right. I used the Nesties Blossom for the center, and a CB ef for the vertical panels. I tied a piece of white tulle with thread, cut the ends and glued that to the center of the card, then placed the blossoms on top with some tacky glue. The sister sentiment was done on circle punches and both sentiments are by SU! and done in elegant eggplant ink. A few kaiser gemstones and her card was done.
I'll have another card today, so stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Iris Folding Christmas Tree

I'm trying to finish up my cards and get them ready for mailing today. This card has been waiting to be completed since Jill visited here last July and showed me how to do Iris Folding. When you get time, please visit her blog by clicking on the link above. She makes 3D and iris folding cards and her style is unlike anything else I've seen! Thanks again for teaching me how to do this technique Jill.
I made several iris fold cards, but this one got tossed aside, probably because I never feel like working on Christmas cards until the season gets a little closer. I pulled it out today and finished it and this is going to my dearest great Aunt Kathryn who is an incredible 104 years old! She adores receiving and sending hand-made cards, and STILL hand-writes all her correspondence with severely arthritic hands. I honestly don't know how she does it but I suppose it's sheer determination. I like sending her larger cards because her eyesight is not too good anymore, so she'll be able to see this one easily enough! It's a sheet of cardstock folded in half. The tree was made with the retired SU! Holiday Treasures DP. I really wish SU! would bring that DP back again! I drew along every edge and around the tree with a gold deco pen. If you click the picture, you might be able to see that detail. The sentiment is a sticker and the star was made by embossing a piece of gold cardstock with gold ep and cut with a sizzix die. These babies take a while to make, so it's definitely going to a special lady who will appreciate receiving it!
Thanks for sharing a little of your Saturday here with me.........I hope your weekend is a good one!

Carol

One for the Coach!

A friend of mine saw this card and asked if I could make her one like it in the colors of plum and gold. They're the colors of her daughter's university, and this card is going to her Lacrosse coach as she's about to graduate. I made this with Razzleberry, Vintage Cream, and BG Wisteria DP. The Fifth Avenue Florals images were stamped in Versamark on Razzleberry and embossed with gold EP, cut out and popped up on foam tape. Some gold microbeads were added to the centers. The sentiment is by Verve and was stamped in Razzleberry ink and 3 different sized gold pearls were added for interest. I outlined all the edges of the card and sentiment panels with a gold deco pen that really brings out the gold colors. I think this coach is going to be pleasantly surprised when she receives this card:)
Thanks for stopping in today on this sunny Friday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I'm going to be VERY busy finishing up those last-minute items!

Color Throwdown # 71

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the Color Throwdown #71. This is a special CTD for me because I'm honored and excited after being invited to be the guest designer for the month of December!!! I feel a big YIPPEE coming on :) Here are the colors for this weeks CTD. Olive, red, brown/cream and pink. They work nicely together don't you think?

For my card, I stamped the Magnolia images with Versafine ink on watercolor paper, embossing with clear ep and coloring with Tombows. I added some pink stickles to her dress and headband and a little dazzling diamonds to her tiny wings and then cut her out. Before I cut the bench out, I covered the whole image with versamark and clear embossed the entire piece. The smaller pink pirouette oval was embossed with a CB flourishes ef and dabbed with some champagne shimmer paint on the raised areas for added contrast. The chocolate chip and pretty in pink ovals were cut with Nestabilities petite ovals and layered on a vintage cream top note diecut. The background paper is the retired Holiday Treasures and the ribbon was from my stash. The bow was created with the bow-easy, and the button was tied on with embroidery floss. The tiny red paper flowers are sitting on 2 shreds of old olive cardstock, and they each have a tiny pink gemstone in the center.
Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to the CTD for giving me this special opportunity to work with such a fabulous DT! Please visit their blogs for some serious eye candy and inspiration!

Tammy Hershberger

Broni Holcombe

LeAnne Pugliese

Danielle Kennedy

Barbara Anders

Cathy Indelicato

I hope you'll find time to play along this week........I'll be waiting to see your beautiful creations! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Carol

One More Kraft Card!!

This is the end for the kraft cards, I promise! I think I've exhausted my fascination with making them for a while now :)
This is for the FTTC44 challenge today where Maki challenges us to make a C&S card. I recently discovered how quickly a card comes together when using kraft cardstock, so I had to make ONE more card with it before moving on to something else :) I wish I had some Flourishes Christmas stamps, but so far I only have the tree image, and since I used that for last week's card, I thought I'd try some snowflakes. These are from the Snow Swirled set, and they're stamped in Versamark, and embossed with Winter Wonderland ep. I dotted them with glue and added some crystal tinsel glitter by Martha Stewart. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE that stuff? I'm normally not a glitter girl but lately I keep reaching for that little jar :) It's much prettier IRL than my photos seem to show. The sentiment is another $1 stamp from Michaels and it's stamped with Chocolate chip, and the frame was drawn with a brown marker.
Thanks for stopping by today, it's always nice to see you :)