Peace

Christmas has come and gone already, and now the new year is anticipated.  We didn't have a white Christmas this year; instead, we had record warm temperatures (75 degrees Fahrenheit) as well as high humidity.  Not my idea of Christmas weather.  If we can't have snow, it should at least be cold!

Somehow, I never seem to start making Christmas cards in enough time.  The week before Christmas, I received a beautiful handmade card and some crafting goodies from my sweet blogging friend, Sharon.  Among the items she sent was a Peace die.  What perfect timing this was!  I knew immediately that I would make several cards featuring this word die.  Here are some of the cards I made.

Last week, I shared cards I made using the Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia die.  I received the matching embossing folders in the mail just before Christmas, so I was able to emboss the poinsettia leaves.  I highlighted them with Inka Gold and some Recollections gold beads.  I used some gold Stickles on the word Peace.  Another friend, ReNae, was kind enough to send me some cardstock embossed with the poinsettia pattern which I used on the background.

Here is the poinsettia cut and embossed on pattern paper with the edges inked in brown and the veins highlighted in Inka Gold.  Martha Stewart rhinestones were used in the center.

Both cards are shown side by side so you can see the subtle differences in the two.

The scene on this card was made with a Sizzix die and adhered to snowflake pattern paper.  I used some diamond Stickles to highlight the edges.

Last, but not least, is a card similar to the ones I shared in my previous post.  The background paper is from the same My Mind's Eye collection I used in those cards (love those papers).  The wreath die is Memory Box, the fern branches are Tim Holtz, and the pearls are Recollections.

As you can see, I was able to use the Peace die quite a bit and am looking forward to more projects with it.  I spent some time just cutting out a lot of shapes with different dies which made assembling the cards much easier than doing one by one.

Thank you for reading through this rather long post!  I want to take the time to wish everyone a very Happy New Year filled with good health and happiness.  I appreciate your visits to my blog and the sweet comments you leave.

Poinsettia Cards

I have been working on trying to make a number of Christmas cards in a short amount of time.  It would have helped if I had started the process earlier!  My goal for next year is to make at least one Christmas card a month in an effort to avoid making them in a rush come December.

The cards I'm sharing today both use the Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia die and the Catalina Wreath die by Memory Box.  The word "noel" is a Tim Holtz die, and the leaves were made with a Prima die.  I simply added glitter to all the diecuts.  Stamens were used for the centers of the poinsettias.  Background papers are from an older line of My Mind's Eye (I love this glittered stack).  Pearls are by Recollections.

I did try to mark veins onto the poinsettia petals but it doesn't really show up once the glitter was added.

For the second card, I simply changed the background paper and added snowflakes instead of the pearls.  I also inked the edges of each diecut to give them a more aged look.

If you click on each photo, you can see the details a bit better.

Here are both cards side by side so you can see the difference.  I really enjoyed making these cards.  It was a fairly easy process.

I found out there was an embossing folder made for the poinsettia die.  I tracked it down at Sizzix, and it arrived Friday evening.  Needless to say, I cut out a few more poinsettias and embossed them.  I'll share those in the next post.

Well, dear blog followers, in case I don't get a chance to post again this week, I want to wish all who celebrate a Merry Christmas.  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.  I appreciate your kind comments.

Christmas Tag and Flat Cards for Mailing

Hi friends!  Is everyone ready for the holidays or getting a bit frantic like me in squeezing in enough time to make cards and everything else?  I always promise myself to start earlier to avoid the last minute crunch, but it never seems to work that way.  I think my New Year's resolution will be to make one Christmas card a month so I at least have some on hand.

First up today is a Christmas tag that I needed to put together quickly to get in the mail last week.  I began with a premade Martha Stewart tag and just embellished it.

All things used have been sitting in my stash for quite awhile.  The Noel stickers are from Jolee's, the rosette is from K&Co, and the star and rhinestones are from Michael's.  I used some red Stickles on the holly berries and added some ribbon and baker's twine to the top.

Next up are two cards that I needed to be flat enough for mailing internationally to cut down on the cost.  Both cards use a beautiful Sizzix die sentiment as the focal point.  The first card is made from an older line of K&Co glittered papers.  The snowflake stickers are Jolee's and the bird sticker is K&Co.  A piece of lace trim and Recollections silver and white twine finishes it off.

The last card was made with paper from The Paper Studio's Old World Winter line (love it).  I just added some red trim, rhinestones and stars as accents.

These two cards really came together quickly and were good for mailing without being bulky.  I do, however, love more dimension and frills on my cards!

Well, I better get back to crafting.  Time is running out!  I've been working on diecuts and glitter this weekend and having so much fun.  Thank you so much for stopping by at this busy time of year.  I appreciate the nice comments you leave.  Have a wonderful week ahead!

Glistening Season Tag

Hi friends!  Have you noticed how much I love Pion Design papers?  Today, I have a tag to share using paper from their Glistening Season collection.

Using a premade kraft tag, I adhered a piece of the paper to it.  I love the winter church and deer scene, so I brought attention to it by placing a chipboard postage stamp frame that I glittered around it.  I tucked in another piece of pattern paper behind the frame and cut a border sentiment to place at the bottom.  A piece of lace accented with a twine bow and Maya Road bauble was added to the bottom.  I used a couple of Martha Stewart punches for the snowflakes and added rhinestones from Recollections.  A piece of twill finished the top.

And there you have it.  Very easy to make.  If you click on each image, you can see the details better.  I have been using this line to make quite a few tags.

Well, that's it for me today.  I really appreciate your kind comments and thank you so much for stopping by.  Have a wonderful week ahead!