C4CC1 Who Loves Cocoa? I Do!!!

Sweet 'n Sassy stamps has launched a new Crazy for Cocoa challenge (C4CC1) today that you can find here. In case you don't know, Cocoa is the adorable mouse you see here and you'll find him in a lot of Sweet 'n Sassy stamp sets. The challenge is to use a Cocoa image and make something for someone you love. This was the first Cocoa stamp I bought and from the first day I saw this image, I had a vision of making gift mugs like you see here. On a shopping trip several months ago to Reading China and Glass, I found these beautiful garnet red mugs for a ridiculous price, so I bought several, thinking they'd make great Christmas gifts. They reminded me of the red glassware Avon sold (or still sells) in their books. I just added a packet of gourmet cocoa mix and 2 candy canes and added a big bow, and I have some great little gifts for my awesome neighbors and friends. I tried to fit a candy matchbox treat inside, but they're too big, so I'll have to hand those out separately.
Here's a different view so you can see the band I created to hold the Cocoa image done with Nestabilities. I added some punched MS snowflakes around the band and the image was colored with Tombows and a wet brush.
If you have some Cocoa stamps, why not check this challenge out by clicking the link above? There's a free digi just for playing along!
Thanks for coming by today, I hope your Tuesday is a great one!

Carol

A Merry Beary Christmas

Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #31 asks us to use a bow on our card, so this one fits the bill. I used a free digi image from Spyder and colored the image with Copics. The sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy and the dp is from SU!. I added stickles to the snow, and some glistening snow writer and MS tinsel glitter to the fur on his hat. I used glaze pens for the ornaments on the tree and some snowflake ribbon from my stash.
I hope you're all recovering from the shopping madness of black Friday. I stayed home and cleaned and saved $ LOL
Have a fabulous weekend and thanks for checking in......

Carol

Home is Where the Heart Is

Happy Black Friday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. I know shoppers were out and about early this morning looking for bargains. Me? I'm too civilized & too old to participate in the madness, so I rarely leave the house on this day! I sure hope that lady made it to Target in time! What lady you ask? I'm talking about the commercial where the lady is in her pj's in bed, with alarm clocks strapped to her entire body, frantically humming Christmas Carols in anticipation of getting up in time at 4 am to get in on the black friday sales! That commercial cracked me up every time I saw it LOL
I originally made this card for OWH because I love the sentiment......but absentmindedly I added some glitter to the water, so it will now be given to my best friend who's a realtor and always sends cards to her clients. The background was embossed with a TH texture fades brick wall ef and lightly sponged with pumice stone ink. The digi image from digitaltuesday was colored with Copics and the sentiment (a dollar stamp from Michaels) was inked with markers before stamping. I added a tiny silver heart-shaped brad to the sentiment panel for the final touch.
Happy shopping and TGIF day!! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Santa's Little Helper

Here's another Christmas card I finished recently using an adorable new image from Sweet n Sassy stamps. The papers are from the BG Figgy Pudding line (some of my all-time favorite DP) and I used some Cool Caribbean cardstock too. The image was colored with Tombows and I added some Glistening Snow Writer & SU! dazzling diamonds glitter to the fur on the hat. For the center of the snowflake, I punched a small circle of Cool Caribbean and dotted it with Glossy Accents and added dazzling diamonds for some sparkle.
As soon as I have some coffee and wake up a little, I'm off to the kitchen to make a cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. We're invited out, so I'm taking dessert. I'm thankful that I don't have to cook this year! LOL
I wish each and every one of you a blessed Thanksgiving, and I hope your day is filled with joy and memories to last a lifetime! I'm so blessed to have met so many wonderful friends through this hobby of mine, and I cherish all of you!
Make it a wonderful day!!

Carol

I Love Puppies!

I made this card to honor the QFTD36 over on SCS. This week's queen is Maxell, known also as BevJ. I chose this card from her gallery to CASE in her honor. I used a Whimsy digi image for my card and made a few changes in order to make it a Christmas card. This sweet little puppy was colored with Copics and I added some liquid applique and MS tinsel glitter to the fur on his hat. The ribbon is from my stash and the bow was done with the bow-easy. I snipped the corners with a pair of scalloped scissors. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado and done with the word window punch. A couple mini brads and a scrap of DP completes this card!
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead and a very happy Thanksgiving! May your blessings be abundant! Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

A Challenge and some FUN!

My card today is for MFP's Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #30. This week Geri challenged us to use a circle on our cards. This one is done in Cool Caribbean and white, and the stamp set is by MFT.
On a personal note, I was invited to a stamp get together yesterday where I finally got to meet some fabulous bloggers/friends I've admired and followed for a long time! Here are a few photos from yesterday.
That's LeAnne of Wee Inklings on the left, Korin (the owner of Sweet n Sassy Stamps) in the center, and Denise (the Paper Landscaper) on the right. Just look at those fabulous smiles!!
And here's Denise and LeAnne together. I've followed their blogs since I can't remember when, and I admire their work SO much! It was really exciting to finally meet them in person!
And here's a group shot of all of us. In the front row L to R is Pattie, Denise, Cherie, & Korin. In the back is Janice, my friend Jill of Ribbon Challenged, Me, and LeAnne.
Ladies you all made my day yesterday and I'm SO glad I got to meet you all in person! I just wish I'd taken pictures of all the gorgeous cards everyone created before we headed home!
That's all for me today.........I'm off to watch the last NASCAR race of the year and see who becomes the latest champion! Have a super Sunday!

Carol

stamps - MFT, SU! the Snowflake Spot
ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Cool Caribbean
papers - white, Cool Caribbean
accessories - a borrowed black marker, Copics, Glistening Snow Writer, Dazzling Diamonds, Spellbinders circle and scalloped circles, Spellbinders Label, EK punch, ribbon from my stash, Cuttlebug snowflake ef

Thanksgiving Turkey

I made this card for Joan's Gardens #24 challenge found here. This week we are to do the following.......
1. Create a Thanksgiving card
2. Use something "fallish" such as leaves, pumpkins, Indian corn, etc
3. The color green
4. Some kind of swirl or vine

I used a free digi image I d/l recently, but the artist didn't add a name to the file, so I have no idea who created it. If anyone knows, please feel free to leave me a comment and I'll give proper credit! This card is going to one of my granddaughters and I think it will bring a smile to her face when she sees the turkey. Now I need to make a couple more and Thanksgiving is less than a week away! What was I thinking?!
Have a super Friday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

stamps - unknown digi image
papers - Prisma CandleGlow medium, Debbie Mum glittered dp, scraps of green
inks - none
accessories - Copics, SU Crushed Curry ribbon, ED border punch, Sizzix Swirls n Scribbles, primas, brads

Lost in the Shuffle

I made this card for a sketch challenge a while ago and forgot to post it! LOL Have you ever done that before? Gees, I think I'm losing it :)
I made this from scraps in my stash and stamped Santa on heavy cold press wc paper (which is why the image has white lines and streaks in it) and lightly colored him with Tombows. The sentiment was done with a G Studio stamp and embossed with silver ep. The ribbon is from my stash, and so are the square gold brads. I added glossy accents to Santa's glasses for interest.
This one goes to my growing stash of Christmas cards.........and that holiday is coming up on us REAL fast isn't it? WOW!!
Have a fabulous Thursday and thanks for coming by today!

Carol

Joans Gardens Challenge #23

This week the challenge over at Joan's Gardens is to create a card with the following:
1. Create a window card
2. Use Christmas ornament or something similar
3. Something gold
4. Something fuzzy
I enjoy playing these challenges because incorporating several items into one card stretches my imagination. For this one I created a window with Nesties Labels 4, making a frame out of real red cardstock with 2 different sized dies. I embossed the front with a Sizzix ef and added different sized gold beads to some of the cross points. The sentiment was embossed in gold as well as the ornament. I added glitter to the ornament, and some white Flower Soft to the fern branches for something "fuzzy." The tiny bow on the ornament was done with the Bow-Easy and the ornament was popped up on a dimensional and tied with gold cord. It's attached to the inside top of the card and can be removed and used for decorating.
I'm in serious Christmas mode lately, but getting my holiday stash done sooner than expected!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!

Carol

MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends #29

The challenge over at Speedy the Cat's Friend's this week is to make a card with a snowflake. I used bashful blue and white card stock, and embossed the snowflake image from SU!'s Snow Swirled set using silver EP. I dotted a few portions of the flake with liquid pearls and did the edges of the white cardstock with a silver Deco art pen. I love how quick and easy this card was to put together.
Have a good one!

Carol

QFTD35_Irishgreensue

I made this card for this week's QFTD (Irishgreensue) over on SCS. I chose this card of hers and switched it up to make a Thanksgiving card instead. I used some gorgeous DP from a K&Co paper pack that was gifted to me by Heidi (thanks my sweet friend!). I stamped the pumpkin image from MFP (thankful pumpkins and mums) directly onto the DP, then embossed it with gold ep and colored it with chalks and a q-tip. I also embossed the sentiment in gold, and finished everything off with some mini brads.
It's gorgeous here in PA today and I spent the morning out & about enjoying the warm sunshine! I hope you're all having a wonderful day too! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Jovial Snow Swirled

I made this card recently and I'm still not sure I like it! LOL I used red, black and Jovial DP from Basic Grey. I embossed the SU! Snow Swirled tree with gold ep, then cut it out and popped it up on Nesties. The sentiment is a sticker and I added some black Kaiser pearls to the tree and sides for interest. A little bow done with the Bow-Easy finished this card off.
I wish you all a great Thursday!

Carol

MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends #28

I made this card for the MFP Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #28 which is to use piercing on our cards. This was done in Taken with Teal and Black, and I used the MFP Thankful Pumpkins and Mum's stamp set and embossed everything in gold. I went around the edges of the black cardstock with a Gold deco pen, and embossed the sentiment, placing it a little to the left and adding some piercing behind it for interest. It was quick and simple to create, but the gold embossing really makes a statement doesn't it?
That's it for me today..........I hope you're all having a great Tuesday!

Carol

More Mosaic for Joans Gardens #22

I made a few cards yesterday using the mosaic technique I described in the previous post. This one meets the weekly challenge #22 at Joans Gardens found here. This week's recipe for the challenge is to use the following:
1. A character (preferably Magnolia or Sarah Kay)
2. Something that sparkles
3. Nestie by Spellbinders - new if you have one
4. Greeting
I used a Magnolia image and the newest spellbinders I have - I think it's a labels 11. (I used to have all the Nesties memorized, but now that there are so many I forget the names!) I added green stickles to her bodice and dazzling diamonds to her wings for sparkle, and there is also lots of gold sparkle in the mosaic background I created using gold ep. All the dp on this came from a Debbie Mumm paper pack. The sentiment was done with an old Inkadinkado stamper, and SU! word window and fancy label punches. I stamped Tilda and her bench on wc paper and colored them with Tombows. After the images dried, I covered them with Versamark ink, then clear embossed them before cutting and popping them up on dimensionals. For the final touches, I added a flower I crocheted, some buttons and some Kaiser light green pearls.
Thanks for spending a few minutes of your day with me.........much appreciated! Have a marvelous Monday!

Carol

Mosaic Notepads

I don't know if anyone else saves those tiny pieces of DP that are too small to really create with, but I always seem to hang onto them, knowing they'll come in handy one day. I just love the papers in the Basic Grey Jovial pack and when you use a sheet to make a card, there's always a strip or an odd-shaped piece left over. For these notepads, I snipped those little pieces of dp in random fashion and placed them on a piece of adhesive-covered cardstock. Yes, I re-discovered my Zyron for this project!! I placed the pieces on the sticky side of a scrap piece of white cardstock, leaving spaces between them, then sprinkled gold ep and heat embossed them. I leave the pieces hanging over the edge, and after it's heated and dried, I trim them up for a neat look. I love that I can put those beautiful pieces of paper to good use! For these notepads, I used Sage Shadow and Bravo Burgundy card stocks and filled them with notepads from PTI. For the holiday planner, I added a fancy labels punch and adhered it with a magnet so the notepad stays closed. {I learned the hard way that after you sprinkle the piece with embossing powder, you need to take a soft brush and whisk away any excess ep from the DP, since you can't use an embossing buddy without it getting stuck to the adhesive. The holiday planner has a ton of excess gold on the pattern pieces, but I'm going to keep it for myself, so I'm the only one who will notice that big oops!!}
Sorry for the wonky photo - it's cloudy here today and the sparkle of the gold ep seems to detract from the true colors.
Have a great Sunday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

A Tiny Ornament

I had time to make this tiny ornament for my son & DIL yesterday. I found the directions here.
I don't have any microscope slides, so I used some Tim Holtz plastic fragments instead. You can't see it too well, but there are tiny gold microbeads around the outside edges. I made a little box to hold this ornament and dated it on the bottom. I used some BG jovial DP to decorate it, then added a tiny gold-embossed ornament image for the top. These are my beautiful granddaughters who live in IN. The oldest will be 5 next month, and the baby was born in April while I was in the hospital having my hip replaced. With that surgical recovery, kidney stone and knee issues, we've been unable to travel out there since she was born, but hopefully we can get there soon!! I hate that they live so far away and I rarely get to see them!
Wishing you all a wonderful Friday! Make it a good one, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

KSS #29

The Kitchen Sink Challenge #29 is to make a monochromatic card. I really stepped out of my box when I made this card! LOL I was using the KSS multi step lilac set and for some reason my mind saw trees instead of flowers, so I went where my thoughts took me and came up with a green Christmas card. I don't have any KSS sentiment stamps for Christmas, so I used some green twill to add the sentiment. I created the snow with a glistening snow writer and added some dazzling diamonds before it dried. The DP is from the Basic Grey Jovial pack, and the glittered green card stock is from DCWV.
We're in for a rainy, chilly day here in PA, but I wish you sunshine wherever you are!

Carol

stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps multi step lilac
papers - BG jovial dp, white, DCWV green glittered card stock
inks - SU! Hunter green, Wasabi; Memento Cottage Ivy, New Sprout
accessories - Glistening Snow writer, dazzling diamonds glitter, twill ribbon, Scor-tape

Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge #21

My card today is for Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge #21. This week the challenge recipe is to use:

Something from nature, but not flowers - Real or handcrafted such as corn husks, twigs, etc.
Something punched
Something green
A background for your focal point such as a Spellbinders nestie

I chose to use the green punched ferns (done with a MS punch) to represent pine branches as my item from nature. I used the Blossom diecuts in red and white as the background for my focal point. The card background was done with a herringbone embossing folder and matted with red card stock. The sentiment is from a very old Inkadinkado rubber stamper, and the sentiment panel was done with SU! word window and fancy label punches. The little gold "beads" on the wreath were done by embossing a piece of white cardstock with gold embossing powder, then punching them out with a hole punch and attaching them with glossy accents.

I hope you're having a super Wednesday today, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Easy Vellum Christmas Cards

I made 2 quick and easy Christmas cards with some scraps of vellum someone gave me ages ago. I made a promise to myself that I'd use the huge stash of supplies I have on hand before I buy another thing! So far so good, and it's actually been fun USING some of the things I forgot I had!! LOL For these cards, I simply embossed a piece of colored vellum with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and lightly sanded it to make it show up better. The sentiments are stickers I bought last year and never used. What I love about this design is that these cards will only require one stamp to mail, and I'm all for that!
Here's the blue version which is pretty much the same as the first with just a subtle twist on the sentiment style.
By any chance did anyone catch the Ladies of SNL show last night? I laughed so hard I had a hard time falling asleep after it was over! Kristin Wiig just completely cracks me up, especially when she does the Lennon sisters bit from the old Lawrence Welk show. It was such a fun night of tv for a change! Hopefully we can get a break now from all those hateful, demonizing political ads for a while, and if I'm lucky, my phone won't interrupt me any time soon with any more of those unbelievably annoying robo calls!!

I wish you all a wonderful Tuesday and thanks for stopping by.

Carol