Joy

Christmas has come and gone with the new year fast approaching.  We had a wonderful holiday and are enjoying this time off from work.  I was so happy to receive some new dies and stamps as gifts and can't wait to use them.

Today, I have a couple more Christmas-theme cards to share.  Both have the Joy sentiment but are totally different.  If you click on each photo, you can see the details better.

Once again, I have used my favorite holiday paper collection from My Mind's Eye.  It is several years old but I love it.  The paper already has some glittered accents on it, so I simply added a few snowflake stickers from Martha Stewart.  The Tim Holtz reindeer diecut was given a coat of Recollections glitter.  The pennant was covered with a piece of lacy ribbon and accented with a Recollections snowflake and flowers.  One of the die sets I received were the beautiful skeleton leaves from Prima.  I gave two of them a coating of Martha Stewart glitter and tucked them into the flowers.  The word "joy" was made from a Tim Holtz die (another gift!) and coated with the same glitter as the leaves.

Not stopping there, I decided to use my Tim Holtz matchbox die and create a box to go with the card.

I decorated the inside with an added surprise.  The pine branch on the box lid was made with a McGill punch.

The next Joy card again used the MME paper as a background.  The snowflake doily is from Recollections.  I placed a Melissa Frances sticker onto a kraft banner, highlighted it in Gold Stickles, and used a stencil and modeling paste for the dots.  A hemp and ribbon bow, bells and Recollections snowflake add the finishing touches.

The last few days before Christmas was a papercrafting frenzy for me.  I really need to learn from that and start creating my holiday cards/tags much sooner!  Let me take the time now to wish you a very happy and healthy new year.  I do appreciate each and everyone who stops by here and for the sweet comments you leave.  See you in the new year!

Christmas Crafting

With the big day almost here, I have been feverishly trying to make enough Christmas cards and tags to give out.  I have a good amount done but far less that I wanted to have.  I never seem to allow enough time!  Today, I have a card and some tags I made for my co-workers to share.

Recently, I received a collection of Martha Stewart 6x6 Christmas papers, tags, and stickers from my Secret Santa partner in a swap group I joined; so I immediately went to work using everything for this card and the tags.  It's amazing how much time is saved by using 3-D stickers!  It was a godsend for me at this late date!

Aren't those little ornament stickers the cutest things?  I simply added the baker's twine to the top of each and attached them to the Martha Stewart paper.  The border at the top and the chipboard tag are an older line from K&Co, and the tinsel trim is Tim Holtz.

Next up are a trio of tags.  Love those snowglobe stickers.  To highlight each globe, I used a couple of circular punches from EK.  These were so easy to put together using Martha's pre-made tags.

For this one, I added some crochet trim to the bottom, a metal snowflake, Stickles, a K&Co layered flower sticker, and Martha Stewart rhinestones and snowflake stickers.

On this tag, I added a couple of Recollections dimensional pinecones on top of the pinecones already printed on the tag.  I also added more Martha Stewart rhinestones on top of the berries on the holly leaves.  Love the Christmas lights strand from Jolee's that I wrapped around the globe.  Red bows and a felt greeting finished it off.

I think this last tag is my favorite of the group.  The snowflake stickers are from Jolee's and Martha Stewart.  I tucked a bit of eyelash yarn under the globe.

These tags and the card were all done in one afternoon--quite an accomplishment for me.  I usually like to spend more time on what I make but I needed to get them done quickly.  I do have more to share but will save that for another time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and for the sweet comments you leave.  I would like to wish everyone the happiest of Christmases.  Take time to enjoy each moment.

Christmas Tags 2014

Hi friends!  It's getting much closer to the holidays now and I'm trying to finish my craft projects for Christmas.  I just got back from a short visit to Cape May, NJ, to see their annual Victorian Christmas celebration.  I picked up some darling ornaments to add to our tree.  We stay at a lovely bed and breakfast called "The Gingerbread House"--how appropriate for this time of year!

Anyway, today I have a couple of Christmas tags I made for a recent swap.  We had to make five for the exchange, so here are a couple I made.

This first one started with a kraft tag base inked with Ingvild Bolme white chalk ink.  A layer of red Christmas paper came next.  The Melissa Frances sticker was placed on a piece of corrugated cardboard that was given a coat of Golden's Pear Mica Flake and then adhered to the tag.  The pine branches were made with a McGill punch.  A bit of lace, hemp, vintage button and seam binding finished it off.

My next tag came together very quickly.  I started with a kraft tag base layered with a piece of Christmas paper from My Mind's Eye that I've had for years (I absolutely love that stack!).  I purchased two packs of holiday stickers from Jolee's and combined them on this tag.  See the little pinecones, star and ornament hanging from the bows in the background?  They are stickers also.  A piece of burlap ribbon was tied to the top.  Very easy!

Well, that's it for today.  I need to get back to some cardmaking if I expect to have enough done for Christmas!  I'll have a couple more of the tags to share next.  Thank you so much for stopping by and the very sweet comments you leave.  I appreciate you!

Winter Wonderland

Today, I have an incredibly quick and easy card to share for those who may not have a lot of time to create more detailed ones for the holidays.

This beautifully detailed snowflake was made with a Hero Arts stamp and  heat embossed with Recollections Sparkle Embossing Powder onto blue cardstock.  I added a few clear rhinestones here and there on the snowflake for added sparkle.  A glittered silver ribbon was tied to the side.  I think I may whip up a few more with some slight variations.

Just a short post today as I am trying to use my spare time to meet my handmade crafting goals for the holidays!  Is there ever enough time?  I wish you a wonderful week ahead and thank you for taking the time to stop by.  I appreciate your sweet comments.  I have some Christmas tags to share in my next post.

Stamping with My Besties

Hi friends!  For those that celebrated Thanksgiving this week, have you had your fill of turkey yet?  This year, I started my Christmas shopping early and was finished by Thanksgiving.  Even the packages are wrapped.  Today, I put up and decorated my parents tree as well as our own.  The outside of our home is decorated, so I am in pretty good shape as far as getting a jump on things.  I am hoping to devote the next couple of weeks to some fun Christmas crafting and baking.

Today, I have one last fall-themed card that I made for a dear friend for Thanksgiving.  She was kind enough to send me this My Besties stamp recently, so I couldn't wait to use it.

The image was colored with Copic markers and highlighted with a bit of Stickles.  The papers are from Graphic 45's "An Eerie Tale" collection.  The fancy opening around the stamp was made with a Go Kreate die.  I used a cream Viva pearl pen to edge the opening; however, it is too light to show up well.  A darker pearl shade would have been better.  Anyway, I finished it off with some Prima flowers and a PTI sentiment.

I love the sweet images from My Besties.  I've put in a request to Santa for a couple more!  lol  It was fun using my Copics again.  I find it very relaxing.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and for any comments you leave.  I hope the week ahead is wonderful for you.

Card and Matchbox

Hi friends!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I know the weather has been crazy in some areas of the country.  We've had a chilly week; however, tomorrow's temperature is expected to soar to near 75 but, by Wednesday, there is a chance for a snow/rain event just in time for Thanksgiving!

A dear friend recently celebrated her birthday so I made a card and matchbox set for her.  The matchbox is a first for me and was so easy to make.

The card base was made with kraft cardstock and a sheet of K&Co paper.  The doily is Wilton.  The diecuts are all from Kaisercraft, and the green flower is Petaloo.  I added a few rhinestones and a pebble from Recollections.  Foam dots were added here and there for dimension.

The matchbox was made using a Tim Holtz die and made to match the card using the same products.

The stamped sentiment on the tag is from Paper Salon.  Below is an image of the box opened.

I decorated the inside of the box with more diecuts from Kaisercraft.  It can be filled with tiny goodies or even a small dimensional decoration.  I have a lot of plans using this die for Christmas gifts.

Have you started making Christmas gifts yet?  I just finished five tags for a Christmas swap, so now I can devote the next few weeks to making some cards and a few of these matchboxes.  It's hard to believe there is only about one month to go!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit here and the sweet comments you leave.  Have a wonderful week and, for those celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving!

Two More Christmas ATCs

Hi everyone!  I hope you have had a good weekend.  I actually got most of my Christmas shopping done and just need to get some gift cards and a few odds and ends.  With Thanksgiving being late this year, I wanted to get the shopping out of the way so I can enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Today, I'm sharing the last two ATCs I made for a recent swap.  They were both really very easy to make.

The papers on this first ATC are from MME.  In the center is a layered sticker.  The buttons are from my stash.

Next up is an ATC using an old line of MME glittered paper which is difficult to see in this photo.  I simply added a snowflake sticker with a Recollections reindeer on top to the center.  Rhinestones were placed in the centers of the silver stars for some sparkle.  A felt snowflake strip was placed across the bottom.

The backs of the ATCs were also decorated a bit, but I forgot to photograph them.  They coordinated with the front and just had information about the card on it.  Here are all four together.

Well, that's it for me today.  I am working on a Christmas tag swap now and need to create five tags by December 1.  I have four done that just need to have ties put on them and one more to go.  With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I hope to have them finished by the end of this week.

Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments.

Christmas ATCs

It's a beautiful fall day here today in my neck of the woods.  I've got a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup cooking on the stove and some corn muffins baking in the oven.  Comfort food!

Today, I'm sharing two of the Christmas ATCs I made for a recent swap.  I really enjoyed making them and hope you like them.

This one is my favorite.  I layered stickers from Tim Holtz onto a piece of corrugated cardboard that was given a coat of Golden's Pearl Mica Flake.  Love the sparkle it created.  I also dabbed a bit onto the bells.  The snowflake is from Recollections and its tips were given a touch of Tea Dye Distress Ink.

I think I am going to have to make another one for myself!

Next up, is a card I made from an old collection of My Mind's Eye paper.  The paper already had some glittered highlights on it.  The sticker is from Melissa Frances--I gave the icicles a coat of Stickles to highlight them.  The pine branches were made with a McGill punch and also highlighted with Stickles.  A bit of twine was wrapped around the card and finished with a red rhinestone.

There are two more I made for the swap which I'll share at another time.  I really need to get creating my holiday cards as time is moving quickly!  Have you made any progress in your holiday crafting?

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and the sweet comments you leave.  Have a wonderful week!

Halloween Greetings 2014

Happy Halloween!  It's just about dark outside now and time for the trick or treaters to make a visit.  I have one last Halloween project to share.  Riddersholm Design put out a challenge Monday on their Facebook page to make a Halloween tag using mostly their products.  I was fortunate enough to win a prize package from them earlier this year, so I was able to participate in this challenge.  It's not my best work as I put it together rather quickly yesterday.  Here it is:

The papers are from their Fall Flea Market line.  The polka dot paper has very light orange pumpkins on it that is difficult to see here.  I used a Crafty Secrets pumpkin stamp to add a few more.  The sentiment on the tag is also from Crafty Secrets.  Flowers are from Recollections, leaves and black pearl swirl from Prima, and the skeleton charm from Tim Holtz.  The ribbon and lace were part of the prize package.

I pulled out my Copics today while baking cupcakes for Halloween and worked on projects with some adorable stamps that a sweet friend sent to me.  I am enjoying using them and trying to perfect my coloring skills.  Have a wonderful Halloween and enjoy the weekend.  Looking forward to that extra hour of sleep tomorrow night (daylight savings time)!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Birthday Card Using "An Eerie Tale"

Just a quick post today.  It's been a busy couple of days doing fun things.  We are celebrating several family birthdays today as well as our 29th wedding anniversary.

This card was made for my mother-in-law's birthday using Graphic 45's "An Eerie Tale" collection.  As you can see, the papers aren't limited to Halloween.

Love the pretty floral background paper.  The banner was cut from another piece of paper and layered with chipboard and Prima flowers.  A Wilton doily was tucked underneath.  Vintage buttons, twine and Recollections beads add the finishing touch.  The sentiment was placed inside on a shape I cut out from a piece of paper but forgot to photograph it.

Well, that's it for today.  I've been actually working on some Christmas projects.  I can't believe it's less than two months away!  Have a wonderful week.  Thanks for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments.

Halloween Shadowbox

Today, I am sharing my first ever shadowbox.  The theme, as you can see, is Halloween.  I was inspired by a project on display in my local Michaels, although their's was twice this size.  It took me quite awhile, so I am glad I opted for a smaller size!

I started by adhering a piece of Graphic 45 "An Eerie Tale" paper as the background.  I gathered a variety of product using Jolee and Recollections stickers, Tim Holtz vials and charm, cheesecloth, an assortment of leaves and some fall floral picks which I cut apart to use for decorations.

   A view from the top

  
In the next two photos, you can see a bit of how I decorated the inside parts of the frame.

 
Microbeads were placed in two of the vials.  On the larger vial inside the box, I gave the outside of it a coating of Golden Acrylic Pearl Mica Flake to make it look like the contents overflowed.

As you can see, there is a lot going on here.  I am pleased with the results considering it is my first attempt at this.  The only thing I think I may have done differently is to use a black shadowbox instead of the white.

We have a beautiful, crisp fall day today after a couple of days of summerlike weather.  I am enjoying the fresh, clean air.  I hope the week ahead is a good one for you and thanks so much for stopping by.
                                                                          

ATC and Card Using Graphic45

Hi everyone!  Back today to share the final ATC I made for a Halloween swap.  I used Graphic 45 papers and chipboard from "An Eerie Tale."

I layered a pre-made ATC card with a piece of the paper.  I cut out a tag from another sheet, popped it up with foam dots and layered a chipboard tag onto it.  The eyes of the owl are highlighted with Gold Stickles.  A bit of cheesecloth was given a coat of purple Glimmer Mist and tucked under the tag.  A flower and pumpkin were cut from another sheet of paper and added to opposite corners of the tag.  I finished it off with a rhinestone and baker's twine from Recollections.

Next, I created a card from the same papers to send to my ATC swap partner along with the ATCs I made for her.  Again, the papers and chipboard tag are from Graphic45.  The lace is from Joann's bargain bins.  The flowers are a mix of Prima and Recollections.  The white glittered pumpkin and the little embellishment in the upper right corner are also from Recollections.

I made a border strip to tuck under the lace with a Martha Stewart punch.  I didn't add a sentiment since the background paper had a lot of words and phrases on it.

I've spent the past two days working on a Halloween shadowbox which I hope to share soon.  I never realized how much work goes into them!  I don't think I've ever made so many Halloween items in one year, but I really love the Graphic 45 paper.  Here are the three ATCs together.

That's all for me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments.  I look forward to reading them.  Have a wonderful week!

Halloween ATCs

Recently, I participated in an ATC (artist trading card) swap for Halloween on Facebook.  We were to make three ATCs for our swap partner.  Today, I am sharing two of the cards I made.

First up is my card featuring the "Punkin Girl" stamp by Stampendous.  I used a combination of Copics and Distress Markers to color it.  The sentiment is from Crafty Secrets.  The cat embellishment in the lower left corner as well as the baker's twine are from Recollections.  I inked the edges of the card with Black Soot Distress Ink.  A bit of Stickles was added for some sparkle.

Next up is a card using a burlap ATC from 7 Gypsies.  I inked the edges again on this one with Black Soot.  The leaves were a bright orange/yellow that I toned down with several shades of Glimmer Mist.  I also used Glimmer Mist on the cheesecloth tucked under the leaves.  Using Graphic 45 clear stamps, I stamped and cut out the sign, bottle and bat.  I gave the sign and bottle a coat of Distress Crackle and a bit of Tea Dye Distress Ink for an aged look.  The edges of the sign are highlighted with lavender Stickles.  The skull and crossbone charm is from Tim Holtz.

This was the first every card swap I did, and it was a lot of fun.  If you click on each image, you can view them in larger detail.

We have a very chilly fall day here today and I love it!  My husband and I participated in a Buddy Walk for Down's Syndrome today sponsored by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  It was a beautiful day to be out and support this worthy cause.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and also for your kind comments.  Next week, I'll share the remaining ATC.  Have a wonderful week!

Celebrate with An Eerie Tale

Have you seen Graphic 45's An Eerie Tale collection?  The papers are beautiful and versatile.  They are perfect for fussy cutting and can also be used for non-Halloween projects.  Needing a birthday card for a co-worker, I used these papers to create this card.

I used both sides of an 8x8 sheet of paper to make the background and panels.  A Martha Stewart punch was used to make a scallop edge which I accented with Recollections rhinestones.  I cut a border strip from another sheet of paper to put above the panels and added a piece of Doodlebug lace across the bottom of the panels.  Flowers are Prima and accented with vintage buttons.  Leaves are Recollections.  Sentiment is Papertrey Ink.  A double bow of twine finished it off.

As you can see, this card is not for Halloween.  I was surprised how much I liked the button centers, especially the dark ones.

We had a wedding to attend yesterday, and it was beautiful.  Perfect weather, wonderful food, and a wonderful time was had.  It was a long day, though, and this girl is very tired today!  Now, I have to go and play catch up on things I didn't get done yesterday as it's back to work tomorrow.  Have a wonderful week.  Thanks so much for stopping by and the kind comments you leave.

#Happy Day

My friend's little girl has a birthday coming up and I needed to make a card for the occasion.  She is not a girly girl, so I knew I had to stay away from the frills.  Going through some scraps I had been saving, I came across stickers and pieces of papers from Webster's Pages.  Here is the card I made.

The pattern horizontal strips of papers at the top and bottom of the background are actually stickers as are the three circular designs and the bird.  The flowers are Prima and their centers are My Mind's Eye.  The banner is also from My Mind's Eye as is the yellow and white twine bow.  The stamped sentiment is Heidi Swapp.

What do you think?  I don't think it's too girly in spite of the flowers.  And I got to use up some of my stash that I had forgotten about.

I am working on some ATCs for a Halloween ATC swap on Facebook.  One in particular I enjoyed making as I got to work with my Copics and Distress Markers on a stamped image.  Can't wait to share them here.  I really enjoy the coloring and want to do more along those lines.

We've had a nice stretch of fall-like weather the last few days, but summer is trying to hang on today with warm temperatures and humidity.  But, that is to be expected this time of year and for about another month.  I did a bit of fall decorating today to get ready for the season and all the wonderful things it brings.  I hope all is going well for you.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I appreciate your sweet comments.

Life Artist Tag

The tag I'm sharing today was inspired by Tim Holtz' tags of the month.  It isn't exactly how he designed his but I tried to stay close to what he did.

The base of the tag was created using Distress Inks in Tea Dye, Salty Ocean and Fired Brick.  I was hoping for more of the Tea Dye to come through, but the Fired Brick took over.  I then used some of Tim's tissue tape for two sides.  The edges were inked with Black Soot.  The lady stamp is from Rubber Stampede.  The butterflies were made using scraps of TH Crowded Attic paper and a Martha Stewart punch.  Dots of Glossy Accent were placed on the butterflies.  The life artist rub-on is also Tim Holtz; however, I had intended to place the word "artist" under the word "life".  The rub-ons stick so well that "art" ended up next to "life".  I was going to leave it that way but decided to place the "ist" sideways under "art".  A metal butterfly from Recollections was added to the corner the words formed.  Tim's crinkle ribbon was colored with the same Distress Inks used on the tag.  If you click on each photo, you can see the details in a larger image.

This tag was really fun to make.  I think I'll give it another try with different colors and see how it comes out.

This past week, I received an e-mail that this card I made using Melissa Frances papers will be featured tomorrow on their blog.  I am so excited and honored to have this card shown!  I love their shabby chic products.

Have a fantastic week, my friends!  I'm planning on doing some Halloween crafting which will include ATCs and a shadowbox.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments.

Artist Paper

Recently, I purchased an issue of Stamper's Sampler which included a sheet of heavyweight artist paper.  I needed to make a quick thank you card and used the sheet for it.

This was incredibly simple to make.  I cut two panels from the paper, rounded the corners and glued it to white cardstock.  For the flower stems, I used stamps from Papertrey Ink.  The Prima flowers were attached with Crate Paper brads.  The sentiment is also from Papertrey Ink.

That's all it took to put this card together.  Super quick and easy.  I thought the design on the paper was very pretty and didn't want to take away from it with too much embellishing.

It's a picture perfect day outside today after several hot and humid days.  I'm a bit under the weather so just taking it easy today.  Have a wonderful day wherever you are and thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!