A Few More Christmas Cards

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was very nice.  I had meant to post these cards before Christmas but never got around to it.  So, here we go...

The Vintage Christmas collection from MME has to be my all-time favorite!  I love the papers used on this card.  An image was punched from one of the papers and placed inside the Bead Landing bottle cap.  A clear epoxy sticker was placed over it.  Some snowflakes were made with a Martha Stewart punch; the others are Martha Stewart stickers.  Bits of tinsel garland at the bottom on the tag are from Tim Holtz.  I also rubbed some Inka Gold around the edge of the tag.  A vintage button was placed at the top of the tag.

The next card uses papers from Little Yellow Bicycle.  The trim is from MME.  The Jolly button is from Recollections.  The tree and snowflakes are wooden and from Recollections.  I painted them white and coated them in Martha Stewart tinsel glitter.  A couple of rhinestones finishes the tag.

Well, that's it for me tonight.  I do have another ornament and card to share that I made for gifts but I think they could be used other than for Christmas.  I'll share those later.  If I'm not back here before Wednesday, I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!  Thanks for stopping by.

Making Snowflakes

Recently, I purchased some unfinished wood ornaments from Michaels that I wanted to paint and decorate.  I started with the snowflakes ones first.  The designs are so pretty.  Each one was painted white first and then given a generous coating of Martha Stewart glitter.

The quality of my photos isn't very good, but you can get an idea of what they look like.  Of course, in person, they are much prettier.

The blue snowflake diecut is from Me & My Big Ideas and the snowman is from Jolee's Boutique.

The cute little reindeer and layered snowflake are from Recollections.  I think this is my favorite one of the group.

I wish this picture was clearer because this delicate snowflake is so beautiful with its coating of sparkle.  The glittered snowflakes are from Recollections and the white flower (which I added a bit of glitter to) is from Michaels.

The last one in the group is adorned with a layered diecut from K&Co.  Each of the snowflakes are also finished off with pearls from Recollections.

I spent a couple of days in Cape May, NJ, this past week to enjoy their Victorian Christmas celebration.  We stayed at the same wonderful bed and breakfast we stayed at last year, The Gingerbread House.  These ornaments were purchased at a couple of unique gift shops in town, and I thought you might like to see them.  The snowmen heads are all fabric and handmade as is the stitched heart.  The Santa and little girl actually have some fur trim decorating their outfits.  The dimension on the snowflake is gorgeous in all its sparkly goodness!

Now, I need to get working on finishing up my Christmas cards.  I knew I'd be going down to the wire again this year!  The good news is that the house is decorated, gifts are bought and mostly wrapped, and cookies are getting done.   We have actually had three snowstorms this past week which made me very happy.  However, with a milder day today, a lot of the snow has disappeared.  Here's hoping for a white Christmas!  Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Cards and Some Snow

Trying to accomplish too much this past weekend, I didn't get around to doing a blog post but here it is now.  I have two cards and a tag to share today.  Papers used are from MME and K&Co.

I really love the paper used for the background on this card.  The pretty diecuts are from Anna Griffin.  The doily is a Tim Holtz die that I just inked a bit with tea dye and added Recollections glitter.  A bit of Stickles and rhinestones from Michaels give the card some more sparkle.

Next up is a card made with K&Co diecuts.  The vintage buttons were in a jar of buttons a friend gave me that she found antiquing.

The lace is from Making Memories.  I added some red rhinestones to the bells and a little baker's twine bow.

I'm not sure I'm very happy with this tag but here it is anyway.  The snowflakes are from Martha Stewart punches.  Pom-poms are from Making Memories.  The acetate date and wish stickers are from K&Co.  Some gesso and glitter give some sparkle to the tag.

I'll end this post with this picture of my little furry guy enjoying the first of two snowfalls in three days.  Love the winter wonderland I'm seeing from my windows.

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome December

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful day.  Mine started a bit scary as I had to take my Mom to the emergency room unexpectedly.  Fortunately, everything was treatable and she was able to come home and join our family for dinner.  Black Friday shopping isn't for me, so I spent a good bit of the day making some Christmas ornaments.  There wasn't time to take photos of my projects, so I have a thank you card to share today.

The papers are from Prima's Firefly collection.  The edge punch used on the purple strip is a Martha Stewart Traditional Scallop.  The flowers and leaves are a mixture of Prima and Recollections.  The Zva rhinestone swirl was cut apart to add some sparkle to the card.

Have you begun or finished your Christmas decorating?  We decorated the outside of our home today.  The tree is up inside but not trimmed yet.  I'm trying not to let anxiety creep in about getting things done in time for the holidays but I do feel it trying to work its way in!  lol  I think I'll go and add some finishing touches to the ornaments I made the other day.  So much more to do!

Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy the week ahead!

Today We Celebrate You Card

Recently, a sweet friend I met through blogging, Audrey Pettit (Happy Birthday again, Audrey!), celebrated her birthday.  This card was made especially for her.  The papers are from Pink Paislee.  The flowers, bird charm and cage are from Recollections.  The doily is from Wilton, and the flash card is from Melissa Frances.  A bit of yellow and white baker's twine was wrapped around the card a couple of times to form a bow.  

Winter is making a good try at giving us a taste of things to come today.  It is very blustery and cold.  No snow expected but I am hoping to see some soon.  I've been starting to get things ready for our Thanksgiving feast this week.  It is a bit of work but I love it.  I am in my element this time of the year!  If I don't get a chance to pop in here before Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it.  Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by!

Woman of Spirit Tag

Not too long ago, I admired this beautiful Hero Arts stamp that my sister-in-law had.  She was sweet enough to give it to me, so I immediately made this tag with it.

 

It's hard to believe looking at this tag that I colored the background with Distress Inks in Broken China and Victorian Velvet since the pink color is pretty nonexistant.  I simply inked my mat with the two colors, spritzed them with water, and pulled the tag through the colors.  After heat drying it, I stamped the image with archival ink.  Perfect Pearl Mist was sprayed onto the tag which gave it a metallic appearance.  The Tim Holtz seam binding and ribbon flowers as well as a bit of ruffled ribbon was rolled around in the leftover ink mixture to give it the same color as the background.  The ornate button and crown are also Tim Holtz.  I added a couple of silver Recollections pearl to the centers of the ribbon flowers.

Now that I see the effect created here, I need to try it again to create a bit more color.  It is all a learning process!  The stamp is beautiful, but it is a bit difficult to see here from all the shine.

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I really need to get working on some Christmas projects.  Hopefully, next week, I'll be able to share something for the holidays!  Have a fantastic week!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Easy Birthday Card

We have been enjoying some beautiful fall weather.  The winds are picking up a bit today with maybe just a teasing amount of snow for Monday night.  Hoping so!

My mother-in-law recently celebrated her birthday, and I made this card for her.  It was very quick and easy.

My dear blogging friend, ReNae Allen, sent me a pad of 6x6 Prima Firefly paper.  The papers are absolutely beautiful with a watercolor look.  I used one of the sheets on this card.  The flowers, I believe, are Maya Road, pearl swirl is Zva, and the sentiment is Papertrey Ink.  The little wooden bird is from Recollections which I simply painted white and coated with Martha Stewart glitter.  I then tied a bow of netting around the card and accented it with a button and rose from Webster's Pages.

I'm really loving this pad of paper from Prima.  With watercoloring so popular today, these papers are an easy way to achieve the look without the mess.

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, I really need to get moving on making some holiday crafts.  Hopefully, I'll start later this week.  Anyone in holiday mode yet?

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments.  I enjoy reading them.  Have a wonderful week!

Thinking of You Tag

Even though we gained an extra hour of sleep last night (those of us in the US anyway), I was really feeling very sluggish today.  Maybe I'm coming down with something--I don't know.  I was very busy the previous days, so perhaps it just caught up with me.  I don't have time to be down!!

Today, I'm sharing a tag I made for a co-worker on the first anniversary of her husband's death.  I wanted to make something to let her know she was in my thoughts.

The patterned paper is from K&Co, doily from Martha Stewart, and rhinestone-shaped flower and swirl  from Zva.  The teal flower from Recollections was originally an off-white color.  I just inked it up and sprayed it with a couple of Glimmer Mists until I got the color I was trying to match in the patterned paper.  I'm not sure who made the peachy-pink flower but the tiny rose is Prima which I also inked.  I believe the lace trim is Prima, too.

We have been having some roller-coaster weather here with temperatures.  After hitting around 70 the other day, we have freeze warnings tonight.  The leaves on the trees here are just about peaking and look so pretty.  I made a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup today, so it really hit the spot on this chilly, brisk day.  Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Cards

You make some wonderfully sweet friends in the blog world, and one of them is ReNae Allen at Crabtree Creations.  ReNae recently held a Halloween cardmaking class.  ReNae is in Kansas City and I am in Pennsylvania, so it would not be possible for me to attend the classs.  I admired the cards that would be made and she graciously sent me the kits to play along.  Plus, she made me feel a part of the class by telephone and texting photos as she and the other girls worked on their cards.  My family and I were leaving for Disney World early the next morning so I thought I would only be able to finish one; however, I finished all four!  Thank you, ReNae, for your thoughtfulness and including me in the class.  Here are my finished cards.

ReNae sent along some German Scrap for two of the cards.  I had never seen it before.  It is very delicate and adds an intricate touch to the cards (you can see it on the last two cards).  The witch on the broom is a diecut by Tim Holtz which ReNae made self-adhesive.  How about those pumpkin buttons for the flower centers?  ReNae puchased the ornate frame on the third card from a bargain bin at Michael's and painted it black.  I really enjoyed being part of this long-distance cardmaking class.

Happy Halloween, everyone!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Celebrate Card

Hi everyone!  It's been a busy couple of weeks here, so I'm just popping in quickly to share a card I made for my son's girlfriend's birthday.  She loves handmade cards, so it was a pleasure to create this one for her.

Webster's Pages papers and a sentiment sticker were used here.  The circular pattern on the background  was made with Liquitex modeling paste and a Heidi Swapp stencil.  Stickles highlight the water fountain.  The flowers, I think, are also Webster's.  Three little pearl beads were glued to the Webster's button.  The birds are from Recollections, painted white, and dipped in Martha Stewart glitter.  The little doily behind the bow is also Martha Stewart.  The Celebrate stamp is from Papertrey Ink.  The three little satin roses were white that I inked up with mulled lavender Distress Ink and a bit of gesso.

That's about it for now.  I'm working on a lot things that I hope to share soon.  I thank you always for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

K&Co Card

Yesterday was World Cardmaking Day and I almost forgot!  I enjoyed visiting different blogs to see what others were creating.

The card I'm sharing today was made with an older line of K&Co products.  I've had these in my stash for awhile and decided to pull them out and use them.

Just about everything used here is from K&Co.  I believe the line is Serafina.  I placed one of their diecut frames over the patterned paper and then topped it with a fancy-cut tag.  I used foam squares under the tag for dimension.  The flowers are from Prima.  I added some sparkle with a bit of Stickles.

I love the fancy K&Co brad used for the flower on the top of the tag and the rhinestone sticker embellishment in the flower cluster on the lower left corner.

Well, that's it for today.  I need to get several projects completed this week for upcoming events.  Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by!

Card Featuring Websters Pages

Hi Everyone!  I hope you have had a good weekend.  We have been in a stretch of beautiful weather with more to come in the upcoming week.

Recently, an elderly lady at our church who is having serious health problems celebrated her 87th birthday, so I made this card for her.  She love it and it brought tears to her eyes.

The card was easily put together using paper, trim, resin flower and stickpin from Webster's Pages.  A doily edge punch by Martha Stewart was used on the plainer paper.  I believe the daisy-like flowers are Prima.  The tag was made from a Tim Holtz die and attached with a piece of ribbon.

Back to work tomorrow but looking forward to some craft time on my days off, although I really need to start fall housecleaning.  Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by and the sweet comments you leave!

Classic Elegance Tag

Just popping in with a quick post.  Recently, I purchased a magazine from the UK that came with a free gift of Melissa Frances 6x6 paper pad and diecuts from the Classic Elegance line.  Also included were self-adhesive pearls from another line.  Since Melissa Frances products are one of my favorite things, I was thrilled to snag this.  As I've mentioned before, tags are my favorite paper craft to make; so here is what I made from the free gift.

I glued three sheets of the pattern paper to a tag making a banner out of one and inking all the edges.  A Martha Stewart doily was inked and cut in half with a diecut placed on top of it using foam dots.  Some eyelash yarn was tucked underneath of the diecut.  The flower from Recollections was sprayed with several shades of Glimmer Mist and highlighted with some modeling paste.  The tiny aqua and cream pearl swirl is from Prima.  The little metal heart touched up with modeling paste and tucked under the top of the flower is also from Recollections.  A pearl strip from Recollections was added to the top, and a piece of lace from my stash finishes it off.

Although I play around with different styles, shabby chic is my absolute favorite!  I love the soft, feminine, romantic look of it.  I do like other styles but I am drawn to this the most.

We've reached mid-week, so, for me, one more day of work tomorrow and then off for four.  I love this time of year with the change in the weather and all the wonderful things fall brings.  Enjoy the rest of the week!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Postage Stamp Card

After a few days of 90 degree weather, we're back with a touch of fall again this weekend.  It has been beautiful!  Perfect days to spend as much time outdoors as possible which I did.

My card this week features dies and an embossing folder by Tim Holtz.  I love the postage stamp die and used it for the base of the card.  The pattern paper is K&Co.  The embossing folder was used on the pink cardstock (also Tim Holtz).  A bit of washi tape was placed across the top with some faux stitching around it.  The leaves were die cut from the same K&Co paper using both sides and highlighted with a bit of Inka Gold Metallic Rub in copper.  It is difficult to see the shiny copper touches in this photo.  The tiny postage stamps are from Recollections.

The baker's twine bow was brown and white.  To age it a bit, I used some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink on it.  My sweet sister-in-law gave me an assortment of tags that she aged with tea, so I used a Papertrey Ink sentiment on one and attached it to the flower.

I spent some time the other day using my Sizzix to make a variety of tags and embossed papers for future projects that I'm anxious to get started making.  I am loving that machine!  Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments.  I appreciate each and every one!

Santa is Watching

Back in January, I made a promise to myself to make at least one Christmas card a month so I would have a good start for the holiday this year.  Well, needless to say, my intentions were good.  Finally, this week, I made my first Christmas card of the year and here it is.

The papers and Santa chipboard are old K&Co papers that I've had for awhile.  I simply rounded the corners and inked the edges.  A sheer red ribbon was tied around the papers.  I dabbed some Inka Gold around the edge of the Santa chipboard and glued it to the top of a layered Recollections snowflake.  The rhinestones are from Michael's.  I then tied a double bow of baker's twine onto a silver bell and attached it to the red bow.  Here is a closer image.

Well, now I can finally say my Christmas cardmaking is underway and hopefully there will be more to follow!  I love the Christmas season, so I look forward to making more.

On another note, does anyone know what went on with Google Reader?  I thought it was no longer to be in service as of July 1, but I am still getting my daily feeds.  I did sign up with Bloglovin just in case, but I am glad Google Reader is still around.

Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy September

I am so happy that September is here!  I look forward to my favorite times of the year--fall and winter.  We had a wonderful four-day weekend here for the Labor Day holiday.  I did some crafting with my Sizzix, worked on my art journal, and spent a nice day at the Jersey shore with family.  Today, the last day of the holiday weekend, has been a rainy, stormy one but I don't mind.  I got a lot done around the house and plan on spending some time this evening reading the book Sisterland.  I've heard good reviews about it, so we'll see.

Today, I have a thank you card to share that I made using primarily Pink Paislee's Hope Chest line.

I did some faux stitching around the edge with a white pen.  A pocket was created using a journaling card and layered with some diecuts.  The flower and banner can be customized with color.  I left the banner as is, but I spritzed the flower with several shades of Glimmer Mist and Heidi Swapp mists.  The flower ended up being the same color as the background paper, so I simply touched it up with gesso to make it stand out.   The swirl, tiny rose, leaves and arrows are Prima.  The silver metal flower and trim are from Recollections.

I stamped a Pink Paislee tag from the collection with a PTI sentiment and added the seam binding bow, twine and button.

I really had a lot of fun creating this card.  It's more my type although I do try to make other styles (and not always successful!).

Here is a closer, though somewhat blurred, view of the flower.

Well, that's it for today.  Looks like the sun is trying to make an appearance.  Have a wonderful week.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Prima Gift Card Holder

I really had intended to post this earlier in the week, but better late than never!  Today, I'm sharing a gift card holder that I downloaded from the Friday Freebies on Prima Marketing's Facebook page.  The image is from the Nature's Garden line.

This photo shows the holder with the flap open.  It folds at the fairy's knees.  I tried to create a semi circle with the swirl and flowers.  Can you see the little gem frog that is connecting the tiny flower to the larger flower and swirl?  All embellishments used here are from Prima.  And, yes, some of them are a few years old!  They are so pretty that I hate to use them; but really, what am I holding on to them for?  The only thing not from Prima is a bit of Stickles that I added to the fairy and butterfly.

Forgive me, I accidentally clicked two similar images and don't know how to remove one!!

Here is what the back looks like with the flap tucked in.  I cut the swirl in two and was able to use it on the front as well as the back.  Can you believe, I forgot to take a photo of the front folded up?

Well, that's it for today.  I am looking forward to the long holiday weekend.  I have started an art journal and hope to work on that over the next few days.  We don't have anything planned for the break--just playing it by ear.  Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Masculine Birthday Card

Where has the time gone?!!  I had a fantastic weekend.  As some of you may know, our son was adopted from Peru 23 years ago.  We always made it a priority to keep in touch with the families who were in our adoption group at the time.  We haven't been too good about keeping in touch over the last couple of years; however, on Friday, we rectified that.  It was wonderful to see the children who are now amazing young men and women.  It was nice to see that everyone easily related to each other like no time has passed.

This weekend was my Dad's birthday.  We went to out to dinner and had strawberry shortcake for dessert when we got home.  In honor of the occasion, I made this card for him.

Just about everything used here is from Tim Holtz (including the twine) except for the Prima flowers and brad and Bead Landings gears.  I simply layered the cardstock.  Pinking shears were used to create the map frame which was then attached with foam dots for dimension.  I made the banner and inked it with Tea Dye Distress Ink.  Of course, I found it hard to stay away from adding a flower.  It originally was cream color so I just colored it randomly with Distress Inks in Tea Dye, Forest Moss and Broken China.  The brad is from the Prima Engraver line.

You can click on the photos for a closer look.

That's about it for today.  I do have more to share and hope to be back in a couple of days.  Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.

Bonjour

Hi everyone!  Hope all is well in your little corner of the world.  Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes and comments on my last post.  I appreciate them as well as each and every one of you.

The card I'm sharing today began with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and cardstock.  Martha Stewart punches were used to create the strip down the side of the card.  The large flower is from Maya Road.  The tiny flowers and leaves are Prima.  The butterfly is from Recollections.  The Bonjour stamp and the decorative stamps are from Crafty Secrets.  The label is also from Martha Stewart.  Ink used is from VersaFine in black.

And here is a view from the side.  The card was so quick and easy to make.

Well, my friends, that's it for today.  I can sense a touch of fall in the air.  By no means is it cool, but a definite change is there (at least for this week!).  We are expecting temperatures only in the 70s, which is unusual for August.  I'm ready.  I love the fall and winter!  Have a wonderful week!