Some Christmas gifts

I'm popping in really quick to post pics of some Christmas gifts I made this year for friends. The bingo artwork is a repeat from last year with different patterned paper.

Stamps: Bingo Card, Jolly Bingo Bits (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Early Espresso, ? (all Stampin' Up)
Ink: (Stampin' Up)
Misc: ribbon, lace (Stampin' Up); buttons (Papertrey Ink); glitter

I've made several of these glass ball ornaments over the years. It's certainly not my original idea, but this technique makes beautiful ornaments.


Stamps: nativity (PSX)
Misc: glitter, ribbon, Liquid Laminate, glass ball ornament

I made two different candy-filled bottles. I got the Santa idea online ages ago. I don't know where, unfortunately. The small Coke bottle is my favorite with the cute polar bear tag. I filled it with white mint M&Ms. Yum! Then I just stamped and colored the polar bear, added the patterned paper to give the feel of water, and put Stickles along the edge to look like ice. The tag is tied on with raffia for a rustic touch.


Stamps: Polar Holiday (Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: White (Papertrey Ink); patterned (Close to My Heart)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Copic: 0 Colorless Blender, T1, T4, BG11, R29
Misc: raffia, mint M&Ms, Frosted Lace (Stickles); Labels Eight dies (Spellbinders)



Stamps: Tags So Much, Deer Friends (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Real Red (Stampin' Up); white, black, silver (unknown)
Ink: Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Misc: silver ribbon, mini M&Ms

2011 Christmas Card

This year's Christmas card is not original to me, but a CASE of one by Debbie Olson. I loved her card from the October Papertrey release using the set called Star of Wonder. The only changes I made were eliminating the stitching on the damask layer to save time and the pop-dots to save postage cost. I also used blue ink for the sheet music background instead of cream. I made fifty of these cards!


Initally I used a star stamp from the Nativity Silhouette set by Stampin' Up as shown here for the envelopes, but switched to the Bethlehem image from the same set when I realized most of my envelopes were bigger and the other image filled the empty space better. I'm glad I found cream envelopes in my old stash, because I typically just have white ones and the cream looked so much nicer with the finished card. It was great to use up what I had on hand!

Stamps: Star of Wonder, Background Basics: Sheet Music, Damask Designs (Papertrey Ink); Nativity Silhouette (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: 1-3/4" Circle punch (EK Success); Mat Stack 3 die (Papertrey Ink); silver marker (Pen-Touch), embossing powder

This next card is nearly identical to the one I already posted. A friend ordered ten of them for her Christmas cards. This time, I used a darker green ink for the holly and a dark grey ink for the basket image so it would stand out a bit more. Simple changes, but I like the result! I stamped the holly on an envelope to match.


Stamps: Tag-Its #9, Vintage Picnic, Holiday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); silver
Ink: Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento); Garden Green, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)
Copic: 0 Colorless, T1, Y13, YG11, YG 13, YG 17, R29, R59
Misc: Distressed Stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white Filigree embossing powder; Double-Ended Banners die (Papertrey Ink)

December SFYTT sketch challenge

Woohoo! I achieved my goal of participating in the SFYTT sketch challenge every month this year. It certainly helped to get me stamping more regularly, which is one of the reasons I wanted to do it. This month there is no set sponsor, so I chose to use one of my Kraftin' Kimmie girls again. Posy and Piper were the first ones I purchased, and since I already used Posy in an earlier post, I pulled out Piper for this card. Isn't she adorable?

I stuck pretty close to the sketch, other than replacing the circle with a snowflake. I glittered the edges which turned out much thicker than I intended. The shape looks a little distorted. If I do it again, I'll use a glue pen instead to get a thinner line. Either that or cover the whole snowflake with glitter. I also wish I had used the more circular snowflake in the Damask Snowflake die set for better balance. Other than those small things, I think the card still turned out cute!

Here are my posts for the previous month's sketches:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

I will post this year's Christmas card soon. I'm still searching for some elusive addresses!

Stamps: Piper (Kraftin' Kimmie); Winter Mittens (Verve); The Snowflake Spot (Stampin' Up)
Paper: White, Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Copic: 0 Colorless Blender, T1, T4, E000, E00, E30, R20, E55, E57, E59, B91, B95, B97, B99
Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); Blue Topaz glitter (Martha Stewart)

Waltzingmouse Tag Challenge

December has been so busy! I had nine performances in the span of fifteen days, along with school concerts and other family/church activities. I have three performances this week and then I get a bit of a break from major commitments. I am so looking forward to it! I love what I do, but there are so many things that need catching up and unscheduled time is so precious. I can't wait to sleep in and spend time with my kids! I can't believe Christmas is in just a few days. This past year feels like a blur.

Most of this month's extra time went toward stamping my Christmas cards. I'll show those in a future post since I still need to get them mailed (yikes!). Yesterday afternoon, I got some free time to spend in my studio so I made a tag for the Waltzingmouse challenge. This is actually my third try since I wasn't satisfied with the first two tags I made.


I used three different sets: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy for the adorable gingerbread man and holly, Half Baked Gingerbread Joy for the sentiment, and Vintage Circles Small for the frame. It's difficult to see, but I clear-embossed a candy image in the center of the tag. Now I have the perfect little tag for some Christmas cookies!

Stamps: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy, Fresh Baked Gingerbread Joy, Vintage Circles Small (Waltzingmouse)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Dies: Tag Sale #4, Double-Ended Banners (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); clear embossing powder

Ornamental Christmas

Here is my card for this month's SFYTT sketch challenge. Yes, I know it's the very last day of the month! November was insanely busy for me. I've had this sketch on my desk all month, but just wasn't feeling inspired. Once I got an idea, the card came together quickly.


Since Verve Stamps was this month's sponsor, I had plenty of images to choose from for my card. That can be a good thing AND a bad thing. lol It makes it so hard to decide! I used Ornamental Christmas for the main panel. After stamping the pine sprig several times to make a branch, I hung the large ornament from it and used pop-dots to raise the ball image above the curly outline. I then used a long sentiment from Blessed Christmas instead of the narrow strip in the sketch. It just worked much better that way for my card.

Although I didn't plan the colors ahead of time, I am really happy with how rich and elegant this card turned out. It simply evolved as I stamped. That needs to happen more often! lol

Stamps: Ornamental Christmas, Blessed Christmas (Verve Stamps)
Paper: White, True Black (Papertrey Ink); Handsome Hunter (Stampin' Up); Green at Heart pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Handsome Hunter (Stampin' Up); Silver (Encore); Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Papertrey Ink November Blog Hop

I nearly forgot about the blog hop today! Amazingly, I had a idea as soon as I saw the inspiration picture, so it didn't take me too long to make my card. I loved the look of the pine garland against the white stair rails and here is my interpretation.


I embossed four white strips with the Distressed Stripes folder and then spaced them out on the white card to mimic the stair rails. Then I stamped the small holly sprig from Tag-Its #9 to make a garland across the top of the card. The small poinsettia is from the same set to add pops of color like the ribbon in the picture.

To mimic the silver bucket of greenery, I stamped the picnic basket on silver paper and colored the Christmas topper with Copic markers. The sentiment is from Holiday Button Bits and is embossed in white on a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock. I will probably add some yellow or gold Stickles to the star and poinsettia centers before I mail this card. It needs just a touch of sparkle. :)

Stamps: Tag-Its #9, Vintage Picnic, Holiday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); silver
Ink: New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow, True Black (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Copic: 0 Colorless, T1, Y13, YG11, YG 13, YG 17, R29, R59
Misc: Distressed Stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white Filigree embossing powder; Double-Ended Banners die (Papertrey Ink)

Workshop cards

I went to a Holiday Card Workshop at my Stampin' Up demo's house last Friday and made five cards amidst lots of laughter and snarky commentary. I had so much fun! Amy (my demo) is amazingly creative and had us trying several techniques, one of which was completely new to me.

I did this card first and it is definitely my favorite. I love the soft colors and the sponged torn edges, not to mention the adorable snowman. (You're wicked, Amy! I was trying very hard to ignore this stamp set despite my weakness for snowmen.) I haven't used chalks in ages and after doing this card, I need to break them out again. It's such a soft, pretty look! I embossed the brown panel using a folder and then sponged it before layering everything together.


I love the embellishment although it makes the card more of a hand-deliver type. The inside was torn and sponged like the front panel, and it looks so neat against the dark cardstock. Just ignore the crooked sentiment. (ugh!)

I was also trying to ignore this next stamp set with its matching punch. (Thank you SO much, Amy! Can you hear the sarcasm? lol) It's just way too cute with that silver glitter paper and the teeny jingle bells. Darn those holiday mini catalogs!

I absolutely loved making this card. It took the longest, but it was so worth it! First I embossed the card to get that great border and then sponged the paper with Crumb Cake ink and some fabulous Soft Champagne liquid ink stuff that added tons of shimmer. The image was stamped with Stazon ink and then I used watercolor crayons and an aquabrush to add color. I've seen the watercolor crayons before, but had never tried using them until now. I loved the process and how pretty it looks. (Curse you, Amy! You know those are on my wish list now, don't you? I'm sure that was your plan all along.) :P Seriously though, I really like them and need to add them to my stash.


These are my last two cards. They took the shortest time to make, and that's a good thing for mass Christmas card production. One of the fun things about doing workshops is that I don't have to design anything. It's already done for me! :) So thanks, Amy, for a really fun night out getting inky!


Stamps: Snow Much Fun, Stitched Stockings, Aviary, Festive & Fun, Bells & Boughs, Beautiful Season
Embossing folders: Vintage Wallpaper, Petals A-Plenty, Framed Tulips, Perfect Polka Dots
Punch: Stocking Builder
(all supplies Stampin' Up)

One last nod to Halloween

I wanted to post a couple more Halloween cards and meant to do it yesterday, but ran out of time. Too busy! But hey, better late than never. :)

I made this card at my Stampin' Up demo's house several years ago. It uses Booglie Eyes, one of my favorite Halloween stamp sets. I kept the card because it's just too cute to give away!

Stamps:  Booglie Eyes (Stampin' Up)

Paper/Ink:  Stampin' Up 

The second one is a strange little card.  lol  I was following a sketch (a Verve Stamps sketch challenge, I think) and was trying to use a snowflake image in a different way since I only had one of their sets at the time.  I put the eye from Wise Owl over the snowflake and this is what resulted.  I also paper-pieced the 31 image.

Stamps: Wise Owl (Papertrey Ink); Winter Wonder (Verve); Oct 31 (Studio g)
I had plans to make lots of Halloween cards this year but I ended up just sending the four cards I made along with older ones like these from my stash. I'm pretty sure the cards didn't make it in time either, but at least I SENT them this time. That's progress!

PTI Blog Hop

I forgot about the Papertrey Ink monthly blog hop until last night, so I whipped up this little card after volunteering in the box office this afternoon. I'd still be tweaking it if there wasn't a deadline. I'm not 100% satisfied with it. But hey, my kids think it's cute anyway! :)


Here's the inspiration photo for the blog hop. I liked the pieced pattern look of the pumpkins, so I used three different patterned papers to make the pumpkin on my card. I also used an embossing folder to add swirly texture and then added polka dots like in the photo.


Stamps: Halloween Treats & Sweets, Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink); Perky Upper (My Sentiments Exactly)
Paper: White, Orange Zest, Dark Chocolate, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink); patterned (KI Memories)
Ink: True Black, Orange Zest, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark Dazzle Frost
Dies: Ribbon Tags Trio, Classic Ovals (Spellbinders); Vintage (Cuttlebug)
Misc: D'vine Swirl embossing folder (Cuttlebug); brown gingham ribbon

My daughter Emily likes to craft with me and was excited to try out my new Favor It Box 6 die from Papertrey Ink. She made a white cat treat bag with just a little help with the assembly. She also made her own card and has been asking me for several days to post them on my blog, so here they are! :)


Stamps: Halloween Treats & Sweets (Papertrey Ink); Tinkerbella (Stamping Bella); Ghost (A Muse)
Paper: Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink); patterned (unknown)
Ink: black
Misc: Classic Oval die (Spellbinders); Favor It Box 6 die, Mega Halloween Treats & Sweets die (Papertrey Ink)

Out Of This World

I got my card done early for this month's SFYTT sketch challenge! One of my favorite stamp companies, Waltzingmouse Stamps, is the sponsor. I went in an unusual direction since I only have a few of their stamp sets (so far!) and most of them are frames made to fit Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. I dearly want Halloween Party, Midnight Feast, Rescue Remedies, and many others! Eventually they will be mine, but for now I improvised with what I have.

Since I'm currently fixated on Halloween, I just couldn't help but see a robot in the Nestie Eggs set. Surely you see it too? :D


Isn't that fun! I ran into a snafu with the sentiment though. I thought for sure that somewhere in my stamp collection that I had an appropriate phrase. Nope, not at all. I finally just printed one out for the card using the Droid Lover font.

So there you have it. I bet you will never see that particular stamp image quite the same way again!

Stamps: Nestie Eggs (Waltzingmouse)
Ink: Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Soft Stone, True Black (Papertrey Ink); Basic Gray (Stampin' Up); Rockstar Stack (DCWV)
Misc: Nested Eggs die (Spellbinders); Droid Lover font

Colorful Halloween

Warning! Crazy Halloween card ahead! The patterns and colors are an eyeful and quite different from my last post. Ahem....I had fun with it as you can plainly see.

I used more digital paper from the same kit as before, and then repeatedly stamped the word BOO behind the witch. She's another Stamping Bella image from my collection. Too bad there's not one dressed up like a skeleton. It would look cute with this paper. Any excuse for a Bella, right? :)

Stamps: Witchybella (Stamping Bella); Spooky Sweets (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: True Black, Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink); Spooky Treat digital kit (Betty Lynns Design)
Copic: E000, E00, E30, E42, R20, V06, E59, YG11, YG13, Y35, YR12, YR15, YR18
Misc: Labels Ten dies (Spellbinders)

Damask Washi Tape Card

I just had to try this week's Make It Monday technique on making your own washi tape. It's so easy and has so many possibilities! The card itself is quite simple since I wanted an elegant look.


I managed to stamp the sentiment slightly crooked (ugh!), but I'm letting it go. lol I don't have the PTI Half & Half dies, so I improvised by partially cutting the blue strip with one of my Spellbinders dies. It's a happy coincidence that the damask image is shaped perfectly to fit the curves. :) I love it when that happens!

Stamps: Damask Designs, Year of Flowers: Violets (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Enchanted Evening, White (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: Labels Four dies (Spellbinders); 1-1/16" Terrifically Tacky Tape

World Cardmaking Day

During General Conference sessions today (which I love watching at home!), I stamped this little Halloween card. I couldn't let World Cardmaking Day go by without making at least one! I used digital paper from a cute freebie kit called Spooky Treat by Betty Lynns Design.


The vampire cupcake image is from a Taylored Expressions stamp set. I have a huge weakness for Halloween stamps and I was so thrilled to find both of the cute Trick or Sweet stamp sets for a great price second-hand. I had been wanting them ever since their release! I paper-pieced the cloak with paper from the same digital kit, and then used my Copic markers to add some color.

Stamps: Trick or Sweet (Taylored Expressions); sentiment (Studio g)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: Harvest Gold, True Black (Papertrey Ink); Spooky Treat digital paper (Betty Lynns Design)
Copic: 0, T1, T4, C1, V06, E41, YG23, YG25
Dies: Standard Circles, Small Classic Inverted Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders)

Heartsong

I have a card for you using this month's SFYTT sketch. I was lucky enough to win some blog candy earlier this month (thanks to Buttons and Bling) and it included this cool stamp set by Skipping Stones Designs called Heartsong. I love the vintage style and the sheet music imprinted images in the set. The timing was serendipitous because the sponsor for September's sketch just happens to be Skipping Stones Design!

I stamped the music staff image repeatedly across the cardstock to create a pattern and sponged the edges to soften it up. Then I just added the layers following the sketch as shown above. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder on the Dark Chocolate layer to continue with the music theme, as well as add a nice bit of texture. I love how it turned out!

Stamps: Heartsong (Skipping Stones Design)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); Marjolaine, Nordic Holiday (Basic Grey)
Misc: Allegro embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Standard Circles (Spellbinders); corner rounder (Crop-A-Dile)

Posy girl

I whipped up a sweet little card with this month's SFYTT sketch using one of my Kraftin' Kimmie girls. I wasn't sure what to do the the angled block at first! I adapted the narrow strip into a second layer of green that was punched with a grass border to add a little dimension. The cloud paper is from a digital kit. I don't have time to hunt it down right now, but I'll add the info later. I also don't know the cardstock colors offhand, since I grabbed from my stash of scraps.


Stamps: Posy (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: Archaic (Basic Grey); White (Papertrey Ink); other colors unknown
Copic: E000, E00, E30, E42, E55, E57, E59, R20, B91, B95, B97, R22, R24, R29, YG11, YG13, YG1, 0 Colorless Blender
Misc: Grass punch (Martha Stewart); Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Deer friend

My future's so bright I gotta wear shades! Or is it Rudolph's nose? Either way, this is last year's Christmas card. Actually, it may be from the year before. I'm fairly sure that I used the leftover cards along with other single cards I had made for this past Christmas. I needed to use up my stash!

I used one of my favorite Stampin' Up sets called Deer Friends, along with three other sets for the snowflakes and sentiments. On the inside, I stamped the sentiment, "May the blessings of the season shine upon you." Get it?? lol Rudolph's nose is embellished with bright red Stickles glitter glue. I had a lot of fun with this card! :)

Stamps: Deer Friend, Holiday Trim, Star-Studded Season, Snow Burst (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up); Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up); white
Misc: 1-3/8" Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch (EK Success); Xmas Red (Stickles); white gel pen

More colors

I received two orders for sets of these cards so I made them in a few more colors. My first sale - woohoo! :)


Stamps: Friends Till the End, Trademarks (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Poppy Parade, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Concord Crush, Blushing Bride, Wisteria Wonder (Stampin' Up); Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink)

Grateful flowers

I made a simple set of thank you cards last weekend. They were originally intended for a service auction, but I was unable to get them finished on time as much as I hate to admit it. It was a morning where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. (not just in the studio) For some reason, I even had trouble stamping the envelopes with a solid image. Ugh! What should have been a fun morning stamping reduced me to tears and I felt like throwing in the towel for good. Thankfully, I have regained my senses and these sweet little cards are the result. I cut the flowers out yesterday, which was the only part left unfinished.

I personally like the bolder colors the best. :) I used my Friends Till the End set again. I tend to grab that set when I'm in a hurry or have trouble deciding what to use. I only wish there was a matching die! It sure would have been handy for these cards. The back is stamped with an image from Trademarks.

Stamps: Friends Till the End, Trademarks (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: True Black, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Pear Pizzazz (Stampin' Up); Blueberry Sky, Dark Chocolate, Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Spring Rain, True Black (Papertrey Ink); white

Orange you something?

I finally took some time to stamp today. I've been so busy the past month between gigs and rehearsing a show, plus all the kids home for the summer, that I just haven't felt much like stamping. A couple of deadlines finally pushed me into my studio, one of which was this month's SFYTT sketch challenge.

I used a cute set from My Favorite Things called Feelin' Fruity and some retired decorative paper from Stampin' Up. Now one more neglected set has seen ink! :) Next up will be a set of cards for a service auction, so it's back to the studio for me.

Stamps: Feelin' Fruity (My Favorite Things)
Ink: Deep Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Razzleberry Lemonade (Stampin' Up); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: Pumpkin Pie marker (Stampin' Up); Double-Ended Banner Die (Papertrey Ink); Corner Chomper (Crop-a-dile); pop dots