Shimmering Festival of Trees

Since they were mailed out last week, it's pretty safe to say that everyone should have received my Christmas cards by now...so it's OK for me to share here. This was the main card I sent out (the rest were cards I have been making & sharing here previously.) I tried to come up with a fairly simple design since I was making quite a few of them...but I later figured out that it took 5 passes through the Big Shot per card to complete...so I got my bicep workout at the same time!

The first few had the Northern Flurry embossed backgound....

Then I wondered how it would look with the Tiny Triangle embossed backgound...

I ended up liking that version a bit more, so I went with it for the remaining cards.The embossed circle was punched using the 2 1/2" Circle Punch. Then another circle was cut from the Silver Foil Sheets using a little larger Circle Nestability die. I added some Silver Dazzling Details to the snowflakes. Some of the silver embossed trees also got decorated with rhinestones...until that got too tedious and I decided the trees looked pretty enough without them! Here's a closer look...

Here's a look at most of them ready to mail...

I ran out of Lost Lagoon Satin Ribbon, so some had to be sent without the bow. (honestly, it was a relief, because I was tired of making bows at that point!) I doubt anyone will know...well, unless they read my blog! lol

A little Christmas gift to me (from me!) is expected to arrive here today...a box of SU! goodies containing my Occasions Catalog preorder & Sale-a-Bration!!! I'll be looking forward to having time to stamp after the holidays!

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!!

Flippin' Fridays - A Merry Little Wish

What a week! So much to do...and unfortunately I spent several days sick in bed. :-( Right now I'm feeling better, but very far behind with everything I need to get done before Christmas. So, I actually really am flippin' out this Friday!

I've been busy today working on my Christmas cards..hopefully I'll get them in the mail early next week. I'm taking a little break and thought I'd share a Christmas flip card with you using..

surprise!!!... the Festival of Trees stamp set & All Is Calm DSP & All Is Calm Washi Tape! I guess if you are a regular visitor of my blog, by now I'm sure you have figured out what my favorite items from the Holiday Catalog are, and hopefully you are not sick of seeing my many projects made with them.

I just love these colors together along with the shimmer & shine from the Silver Embossing Powder used on the  tree and the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.

I came up with this card as I was working out my design for my Christmas cards this year. I'll share those once they are mailed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Celebrate the Season

I just love this cute little washi tree created with the All Is Calm Washi Tape and the Tree Punch!

There is so much sparkle & shimmer on this card, that the photo just doesn't do it justice...from the pretty Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper - which adds the prefect snow-like sparkle for the background to the soft & satiny 5/8" Silver Satin Ribbon layered with the 1/8" Silver Ribbon which blends nicely with the silver metallic washi tape. I also used some of my favorite pattern of paper from the All is Calm DSP...wish I could buy a whole bunch of this one pattern!

Have you checked out the Clearance Rack for new year end closeouts yet? It's been updated today with lots of new great items just in time for Christmas!

I don't know about you...but I still have a LOT of things to do before the holidays are here! I'm heading out to do some Christmas shopping today and going to put up the tree later. Once our tree is decorated, I'll be done as far as decking the halls.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Very Merry Mosaics

I've been busy working hard on my tutorial for my All Is Calm 6x6 Pocket Album Kits. I'm so happy with the nice response to this project. As a "thank you" bonus to all that have ordered my kit so far...and to the next 6 who also order one of my kits, I will include the supplies & instructions to complete this adorable shaker card with your kit order.

I've been using the All Is Calm DSP with it's soothing color combo of Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz and Lost Lagoon a lot...so to change it up a bit I swapped the Lost Lagoon for Real Red. The Mosaic Madness set with coordinating punch is perfect for creating the ornaments. The Pear Pizzazz ornament features a fun shaker element filled with sparkling snow.

For all those that have asked, yes, I do plan to sell just the tutorial for my All Is Calm 6x6 Pocket Album. My kits come with pre-cut product, embellishments and the complete tutorial as well. (and above bonus card) I will post when the tutorial is ready. For me, this is the hardest part...I for sure like the creating process so much better than sitting at the computer typing instructions & editing photos. Hopefully I'll be done soon! (Scroll down to see more on my kit.)

Thanks for visiting!

All Is Calm 6x6 Pocket Album Class & Kits

I'm excited to finally share a project I've been working on for a while.  This sparkly 6x6 pocket album uses many of my favorite products from the Holiday Catalog! I'm offering this as one of my upcoming classes in my home to those who live locally (Livingston County, Michigan) and for my blog readers...I am taking orders for kits in the mail!

The album features a fun shaker element on the cover and the inside contains 6 pages...four of which have pockets containing additional pages. That is a total of fourteen 6x6 pages! This little album would make a lovely keepsake gift holding treasured memories from the holiday season. Or maybe you have a new little one in the family? It would also make an adorable Baby's 1st Christmas album.

Here's a little peek of a couple pages showing details from inside the album...

Each kit contains the supplies to create the album and all pages, including twelve 6x6 sheets of All Is Calm Specialty Designer Paper (one sheet of each design), cardstock, die cuts and embellishments, along with a detailed PDF tutorial loaded with photos.

Once you learn how to make the basic album you can change the theme and fill with cherished photos to give as a thoughtful keepsake gift for any occasion!

You will need to provide your own adhesive, inks, stamp sets & some punches. In addition to my kit, here is a list of supplies you will need to provide to complete the book as shown:

• Envelope Punch Board (133774)
• Stamp Sets: Festival of Trees (135059) & Endless Wishes (136829)
• Inks: Soft Sky (131181), Pear Pizzazz (131180), Lost Lagoon (133644), Versamark (102283)
• All Is Calm Washi Tape (135844)
• Silver Embossing Powder (109131) & Heat Tool (129053)
• Dazzling Details Silver Sparkle - optional (124117)
• Punches: Tree (135859), 1/2" Circle (119869), 3/4"Circle (119873), 1" Circle (119868) & 1-1/4" Circle (119861)

If you do not have these supplies already, and would like to purchase them, please visit my Online Store. 

The All Is Calm 6x6 Pocket Album Kit will be shipped to you for only $32.99. (Additional postage will apply to those living outside the U.S., so please contact me prior to purchase.) Each kit includes the full tutorial with an additional bonus card, pre-cut supplies...including all cardstock, twelve 6x6 sheets of All Is Calm DSP, die cuts, embellishments and even a set of 6 shaker frames. You will need to provide adhesive, stamps & inks along with washi tape if desired. 

If you would like to purchase my All Is Calm 6 x 6 Pocket Album Kit for only $32.99, please contact me as I have only a couple kits left.

If you would just like to purchase just the tutorial for this project, I now have that available as well. It consists of 14 pages loaded with photos and step by step instructions to complete this album. 

Please click the button below if you wish to purchase just the All Is Calm 6x6 Pocket Album Tutorial for only $5.99.

All Is Calm Stamp Camp

I'm so excited to finally share my Christmas giftables class that I created using many items from the All Is Calm suite of products...plus other good stuff from the 2014 Holiday Mini.

My favorite piece in this set is the Bearing Gifts Shadow Box...it measures 6x8 and it has so many sparkling details...I just love it! This group of giftables could be given as an entire set or broken up into 4 individual smaller gifts: the shadowbox, a set of 5 decorated magnetic clips, an adorable box filled with gift tags and a jar candle with its own gift bag.

I had a lot of fun designing these projects and I'm looking forward to teaching a class here on October 12th. You don't live near me but would still like to take this class? Well you are in luck! I am also offering this as an online class.

You will receive a kit to complete the above projects along with a detailed photo tutorial (sent to your email). Your mailed kit will include the shadowbox frame, candle, clips, cardstock, ribbon, embellishments & tags to complete these projects as shown...plus one package of All is Calm Designer Washi Tape (5 rolls) and a 6x6 sampler pack of the gorgeous All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series paper...with enough for lots of leftovers for your future projects.

You will need adhesive, ink pads & the following (or similar) stamp sets to complete the projects: Bearing Gifts, Endless Wishes & Festival of Trees with the coordinating tree punch.

The cost for the online class is $46 (includes shipping) I can only accept payments through Paypal. Please
Contact Me for more info.

Sparkling Festival of Trees

The Festival of Trees stamp set and the coordinating Tree Punch are so much fin to play with! Pair these up with Endless Wishes and the possibilities of what you can create truly are endless!

I created the scene by stamping my little pine forest on Soft Sky cardstock. I added snowflakes from Endless Wishes stamp set with the coordinating ink. For some pretty sparkle I painted over the entire thing with Dazzling Details. Look how sparkly it is...

To do this I just squeezed some out right onto my cardstock and used a wide, soft bristled brush to distribute it evenly. Be careful to brush over your design carefully...only once or twice to cover it should be enough, as it will start to make the ink bleed if you over work it too much. You just want a light coat. I set it aside to dry while I worked out the rest of my design. I was surprised that it dried quicker than I thought and I didn't even need my heat tool.

The DSP is from the All Is Calm Specialty pack...such pretty paper! The ribbon is Lost Lagoon Silky Taffeta tied with one of the silver All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishments charms...all these items are now available in the 2014 Holiday Catalog.

Enjoy your weekend! It's beautiful here...with thankfully no snowflakes in sight!

Christmas Cuties

I cannot think of many things more adorable at Christmastime than either a baby or a kitten opening gifts. Both seem to be more interested in the packaging than what is inside. This page shows my 1 1/2 year old great-nephew opening one of his presents and my Mom's kitten playing inside an opened box.

I used some of last years beautiful Winter Frost Specialty Paper...it is hard to capture, but there is silver metallic in a couple of the sheets that really add to the shimmer & sparkle. I stamped and embossed various Festive Flurry snowflakes and easily cut them out using the coordinating framelits. While the DSP used here is now retired, the Festive Flurry stamp set & the Festive Flurry Framelits are still available on the Holiday Carryover List...until August 27th. (when the 2014 Holiday Catalog goes live on 8-28, they will be retired) so make sure to check out the list to see what is still available!

Isn't this little snowman adorable? He is a Sizzix Bigz Die that has a coordinating Embossing Folder. I bought him a while back at a scrapbook convention and never used him. I used some Silver Dazzling Details to highlight one of his embossed snowflakes. With the addition of Project Life into SU!'s product line I've been supplementing my album with some PL pages along with traditional 12x12. So the above page is the left page and this PL page will come next...

This really frees me up to make some really quick pages using lots of photos and journaling yet still be more creative with some coordinating pages. You may notice that I used the stamp set Endless Wishes on my titles for these pages. This was a super popular photopolymer set that was available last year over the holidays. It was so popular that it sold out very quickly! Well, I'm happy to say that this set will be available in the upcoming Holiday Catalog...so if you missed out last time you'll be able to get it soon.

Back in early December, I shared these two pages. They were all ready to add my Christmas photos & a little journaling. Here's what they look like now that I completed them...

and the right...

and the full two pages...

When I originally created these pages, I used temporary adhesive for the photo mats and a few of the embellishments in case I wanted to move them. Good thing, as I ended up adding an extra photo.

Celebrate the Season

Here I am again...using my favorite goodies from the Holiday Catalog! I cannot get enough of these beautiful layered snowflakes...and luckily they are easy to create using the Festive Flurry Bundle.

Here's a closer look at the title that was created using the Morning Post Alphabet & Endless Wishes. This photo also shows the truer colors of the page...didn't realize how washed out my other photos were until I got these side by side...oh well.

Here's a look at the right side of the layout.

This 2 page layout would be perfect for Christmas photos or any photos taken during the Winter season. I plan to use my layout for my Christmas photos, but just in case I change my mind, the little flagged piece with the date stamped on it using the Remember Rotary Stamp, is placed using temporary adhesive. Speaking of remembering...I need to remember to use this stamp more! It's perfect for adding the date or small phrase to a page. Here's a look at the full 2 page layout.

After I have my photos in place I'll add another flagged strip of white next to the bottom right photo to do a little journaling and balance out the two pages.

Don't forget...today is the last day of the Holiday Sale...there are even a few more products added at 30% off for Cyber Monday...Check it out!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Supply List:

• Festive Flurry Clear-Mount Bundle
• Morning Post Alphabet Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Endless Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set
• Remember This And That Rotary Stamp
• Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Regals 12" X 12" Cardstock
• Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Island Indigo 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Silver Glimmer Paper
• Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
• Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad
• Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents
• Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Endless Wishes Happy Hour

Here's a card appropriate to share on "Thirsty Thursday". It's made using Happy Hour and the Endless Wishes Photopolymer set...which is super cute, and unfortunately officially sold out. All the photopolymer sets are only available for a limited time, and in this case it was so popular it sold out in record time.

The set came with three snowflake images and a large variety of phrases that can be mixed and matched. I used my largest Clear Mount Block F and arranged the snowflakes to create my own background stamp. It was easy to then stamp the Soft Sky layer with VersaMark and then emboss with White EP. The hardest part about this card was deciding which greeting to choose, so I did a variety...

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I used Crystal Effects on each glass to make it shiny.

Don't have any red rhinestones? Easy...color the clear ones with a sharpie marker like I did here. I used the Deco Labels Framelits to cut the Real Red mat for the image...and they're on SALE for 25% off right now during Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Sale!

Thanks for popping in today...wishing you good cheer!
Supply List:

• Happy Hour
• Endless Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set
• Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Soft Sky 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Real Red 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad
• Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
• Versamark Pad
• White Stampin' Emboss Powder
• Heat Tool
• Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies
• 1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch
• Silver 1/8" Ribbon
• Crystal Effects
• Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents
• Clear Block F