Birthday Pears

Here's a masculine style birthday card created using the Always Thankful set from the Holiday Mini along with Well Worn DSP.

Stamps: Always Thankful & Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess set)
Card stock: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla & Well Worn DSP
Ink: Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy & various other Classic Inks for watercoloring
Accessories: Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Top Note Die, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Aqua Painter & Regals Brads

Thanks for visiting today!

Deck the Halls Pages

I bought the gorgeous Deck the Halls papers from this past Holiday Mini, but didn't have much time around the holidays to use them. Each design is so pretty it was almost hard to cut into them, but once I did, I was glad I did.

I used my hobby blade to carefully trim around the poinsettias so I could slide my matted photo under it. Here's a closer look at the left page...

On the right page I cut out a round frame with poinsettias from another sheet using my Coluzzle and turned it into an ornament with a Cherry Cobbler bow and line of Basic Pearls for the hanger. I used the Top Note stamped with the holly image from Bells & Boughs stamp set in Crumb Cake ink for my journaling.

If you like the Deck the Halls papers but didn't order them while they were available in the Holiday Mini, you can still get them as a download for My Digital Studio .

Thanks for visiting me today...ENJOY your weekend!

MERRY Christmas!!!

Only a few more days until Christmas! I finished my shopping and mailed out my cards last week. I've got my wrapping done, but still need to do some more baking. I wanted to take a few minutes this morning to wish you all a VERY MERRY Christmas!!!

Here's the pile of most of my Christmas cards as I was getting them ready to go out in the mail. I shared the card using the Christmas Cheer set here. As you can see, I also made two other designs as well. (I get bored making too many of the same card) Here's a closer look at the card using Merry Crittermas.

I used the Jolly Jingles Jumbo wheel on the background and then layered the different punched out shapes to make this card fairly quick & easy. Can't get enough of those snowflakes from the Northern Frost Die. I'll tell you more about my third card on a future post, but right now I need to get out to the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients for my cookies.

Thanks for visiting me today, and again, I wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Merry Crittermas!

I decided this is going to be my Christmas card this year...I just need to hurry and make 49 more of these!

I'm totally kidding! It was fun to make one, but with all the cutting involved I'd end up in a real rubber room if I attempted to make 50. (but I bet you were impressed for a minute! ;-) Here's a closer view of the cute little critters.

They were all stamped in Black Stazon on Whisper White cardstock and then I watercolored them using my aqua painter and classic inks. I used a combination of Iridescent Ice EP and Frost White Shimmer paint to create the snowy background. The trees are also highlighted with sparkling snow...but it doesn't show up in my photo.

Stamps: Merry Crittermas, Serene Snowflakes
Card stock: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery & Real Red
Ink: Black Stazon, Marina Mist and various other classic inks
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Marina Mist grosgrain, Iridescent Ice EP, Frost White Shimmer paint, Decorative label, Large & Small Oval punches, Rhinestone Jewels

Have a GREAT weekend!

Dasher Through the Snow

This is another card we did at my recent Christmas Card Class.

The Dasher image was stamped in VersaMark and then embossed with Winter White EP. The dry embossed snowflake background used the Northern Flurry Embossing Folder and then the snowflakes were highlighted using Frost White Shimmer Paint carefully applied with a Sponge Dauber. The snowdrift Dasher is standing on was also created using the Shimmer paint & dauber. Then it was spritzed with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. The Rhinestone Jewel in the center of the snowflake (from Northern Frost Decorative Strip) adds even more sparkle to this card.

So far we have only had a dusting of the white stuff here...but it won't be long, I'm sure! Enjoy your weekend!

Deck the Halls With Good Cheer

Well, I certainly have not been a very good blogger the past few months, have I? I have been making time to get creative with my stamps, inks and papers, but I guess just not taking the time to post. Here's a card I designed for a Christmas Card Class I had recently.

Since I used this design for a class and they were making multiples of each card, I had to come up with a quick way to add color... So, the whole image was inked in Soft Suede, and then the ink from the reindeer's nose and "Happy Christmas" was removed using a Q-tip dampened with Stampin' Mist. Those areas were then re-inked using a Cherry Cobbler marker. Subtle color was added to the rest of the design using Stampin' Pastels. Details such as the berries on Santa's crown were colored using the pastels and a Blender Pen.

This old fashioned Santa image goes perfectly with the vintage designs in the Deck the Hall papers from the Holiday Mini catalog. The ribbon used is Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding. I LOVE this stuff! It is so soft and easy to work with, and has a nice sheen to it.

I like the way this turned out, and it was fairly quick & easy. I think I may make more of these to send out as one of this years Christmas cards...I really do need to get crackin' on that!

Be-Jeweled Pumpkin

Last year on the cover of BH&G Halloween magazine there was an elegant be-jeweled pumpkin that I just loved. I searched everywhere for adhesive backed flourishes so I could recreate it, but had no luck finding them. Much to my delight, in this years Holiday Mini Catalog SU! is offering Black Flourish Designer Jewels...just what I had been searching for last year! So of course I bought a couple of packages so I could recreate that bewitching pumpkin I had coveted since last year.

As you can see, I also found some purple flourish jewels as well. I used a 9" foam pumpkin and just attached the flourishes all the way around. I used 2 packages of the SU! flourishes, but still have most of the jeweled strips left on both sheets to use for future projects.

It makes a festive centerpiece on my dining room table. You can also see a spooktacular handmade Halloween card I received in the mail from a friend of mine who loves the holiday as much as I do.

I hope that whereever you live, you have been blessed with a gorgeous Indian Summer, like we have here in Michigan. The weather has been wonderful and the colors have been amazing. Here's a couple photos I took last weekend in Northern Michigan. The first shot is overlooking the Grand Traverse Bay.

Thanks for stopping by today! ENJOY the weekend!!!

Jolly Raccoons

I've been having all kinds of fun playing with the new set Merry Crittermas and other goodies from the Holiday Mini! I just love all the adorable little animals in this set.

Another favorite item from this mini is the Jolly Jingles jumbo wheel I used to create the background. After I watercolored the cute little raccoons and their Christmas tree, I used my VersaMarker to ink the snow covered ground and some branches on the tree. Then I embossed it with Iridescent Ice so it really glistens like real snow. The little "Merry Christmas" label at the bottom is created using the new Decorative Label punch. This is an extra large punch, so only a small portion is shown. Also used are Rhinestone Jewels (can't stop using those!) a snowflake from the Northern Frost Decorative Strip (for the Big Shot), Marina Mist Grosgrain and Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain. (retired)

Card stock colors used: Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Real Red & Whisper White

Thanks for visiting me today!

My New Favorites!

A box of goodies from the Holiday Mini showed up here on Friday...so I had fun over the weekend playing with new stuff! If I could have only ordered one new thing from the mini I think it would have been this adorable new stamp set Merry Crittermas. I just LOVE these cute little critters...especially this sweet little sledding bunny.

A few other must haves from this catalog were the snowflake items for the Big Shot...the Northern Frost Decorative Strip cuts out 8 different detailed snowflakes with one pass through the machine. LOVE it!!! The Northern Flurry Embossing Folder makes a gorgeous embossed background...don't you think? After embossing, I also sprayed with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz for some nice sparkle.
Not only are the images in this set darling, they are my favorite kind of images...line art, perfect for watercoloring! I colored this little guy as usual...with my Aqua painter and various Classic Inks, including the colors I chose for my cardstock: Certainly Celery & Marina Mist.

I finished the card with some Certainly Celery Grosgrain layered over White Organza Ribbon, and one of the snowflakes cut from the Northern Frost Strip with a Rhinestone Jewel in the center.

Thanks for visiting me today!