Monday, December 31, 2012

Hearts a Flutter

I love the new "hearts a flutter" stamp and framelits from Stampin Up.  Actually, I love everything in the Spring Catalog.  Just wait till you see all the cool stuff.  You're going to want it ALL.  And ... I can help you with that!

I made a card using the "hearts a flutter" stamp set and a patterned paper from the comfort cafe dsp.  I'm still waiting for my 3rd shipment of goodies from SU, one of which has the new dsp.  Anyway, I rather liked the way this one turned out.  Here's what I designed:


So what do you think?  Cute, huh?  I have a whole lot of ideas flowing through my brain using some of the new stamp sets.  Stay tuned.

In addition, I thought I would post a heart ornament that I made last year. I used Cherry Cobbler and Real Red card stock, along with finial press, perfect polka dots, and petals a plenty embossing folders, then finished it off with red satin ribbon and basic pearl in the middle.  Take a peek:

Well, until tomorrow, may your creations flow easy and have fun every step of the way!

Happy New Year all of you crafters!



Sunday, December 30, 2012

Christmas Thank You's

I know I said I would post some cards that I made using new stuff from the Spring Catalog, but I just finished my Christmas thank you notes and wanted to share them first.  Once I post these, the Christmas stuff is done for another year.  A new year, new stuff .... fresh and new.

Anyway, I made one design, four different ways, for my Christmas Thank You cards.  They were quick and easy.  My inspiration came from a card I found on the Stampin Connection, made by Susie Nelson.  I used the design but changed up the paper.  I used some paper I had left over from other Christmas' past and I think they turned out pretty nice.  Here they are:




I feel good that I finished them.  So until sometime next year, this will be the last Christmas posting for 2012.

See you tomorrow!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Thank you SNOW much

Today, it snowed a lot ~ we probably got about 4-5" or so.  It was so pretty coming down.  I really do love the snow, I must admit.  I'm like a big kid watching outside the window and getting all excited and hoping it just keeps snowing.  So in keeping with today's wintry weather, as promised, this is the other card I made last night.  It's a snowman "thank you" card.  I just love him.  Next time, I think I will elevate the snowman off the page with a dimensional so he stands out, but never-the-less, he turned out cute.  Here he is:

I'm not usually good at punch art or coming up with something on my own, but I do like this one that I made.  My inspiration came from Kittie Caracciolo.  Her snowman was holding a wreath, and in front was a Christmas tree.  He is really cute .. I think I found her on Pinterest.  So I improvised and made this card using SU products, since I'm an SU demonstrator.  Oh la la.  Love it and SU!!!  The only non SU item is the MS branch punch that I used for my snowman's arms and the accents on his hat and the present.  I hope you like my snowman.  I'm crazy about him.  I love this card and last night's card so much, I just can't part with them.  How bad is that?  O well, back to the drawing board to come up with my Christmas "thank you" cards.  Tomorrow, I'm planning on posting some cards I made using the new stuff from Stampin Up.  Oh just wait till you see these.  I made 20+ cards using ALL new stuff and had a blast making them.  We actually made the cards at my upline's house yesterday, but I made a few of my own.  You'll be seeing quite a lot of the new cards in the upcoming days, or maybe I should say, weeks.  So I hope you will stay tuned, and as always, I love reading your comments.  Stay warm, and thank you again for taking the time to stop by and view my blog. 


Friday, December 28, 2012

Beary Merry Christmas

I know, it's crazy, but I still have the urge to make more Christmas cards.  I will make a few more and save them for next year.  I made two this evening ~ a bit of a challenge, but they are oh so cute.  The first one I call "Beary Merry Christmas".  I found some cute bear cards from CKS Paper Scraps, and I tried making the bear myself.  Mine doesn't look quite like hers, but I got it fairly close.  Here's the card I made tonight:

I'm so tickled pink that it turned out as cute as it did.  I love it, and I sure hope you do too.  It wasn't real easy to make, and I probably should have written down the instructions, but I can try and do that in case you want them.  All the products I used are Stampin Up with the exception of the "batting" I used on the santa hat, and I used MS's branch punch for the branches on the hat.  Did you also see that I used the top of the mitten from SU's mitten punch for the bear's hands?  How cool did that work out?

Anyway, I hope you like it as much as I do.  Let me know, ok?  Have a great night, and stay tuned tomorrow for the other card I made.  It's a snowman ... and that's all I'm saying right now.  Until then, happy stamping, and thanks for stopping by.
 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas Gift Card Holders

I made a few Christmas gift card holders for my nieces, my son, and my husband.  They turned out pretty cute, if I must say.  Here they are:




I made Rachel and Megan's gift card holders exactly the same, and then I changed up the design for my son and husband.  The belly bands added the perfect touch to keep the gift card holders closed.  They were easy to make and I was pleased at how they turned out.  Hope you like them.  Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas Tag-a-Rama

Merry Christmas everyone!  It's been a little while since I've posted anything.  I've been so busy with getting ready for the holiday, and now that Christmas day is winding down, I thought I would post something for you.

First, Christmas Day was so wonderful this year.  Everyone was happy and it was so much fun getting together with my family.  My sister Nancy didn't feel well though, and that wasn't fun for her, but we're so glad she came and hope even more that she gets well super fast!  I managed to get a picture of all of us by my Christmas tree this year.  It's a little dark, and when my cousin used the flash, we got washed out.  So ... here's the best we could get:

That's me in the front to the right.  My sister and I wore the same sweaters, do you believe it?  I'm holding my little Maltese Barney, and my sister Linda is holding his brother, Bandit.  How funny is that?  The people in the picture are:  back L-R:  my brother John, my brother-in-law Chuck, my husband Tom, my sister Nancy, then center L-R:  my father, my niece Rachel, and my son Tj.  Front row L-R:  my sister Linda and me with the pups.  My cousin David took the picture, and my Aunt was trying to help him out.

Well, as promised, I told you I would post something, so I decided to post the last-minute tags I made yesterday for me and my son, Tj.  I was on a roll, and they all turned out pretty cute.  It was a Tag-a-Rama.  Have a look:




Fun, fun, fun!  I even have some left over for next year.  Oh la la.  Well, I hope you liked them.  They were a hit with everyone.  It made me feel good.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas.  It's a beautiful time of year as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with our dear family and friends.  Here's to you and yours!  Hugs ...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Coloring Down the Lines - Pool Party

Welcome back to our blog hop this week.  It's been a busy week with holiday lunches, making cards, holiday parties ~ you name it.  But of course, I still had time to take on my challenge for the week.  I'm sure you've been to the other blogs before mine to figure out what the challenge of the week is:  yes, you guessed it; it's pool party.  The color combos are:  pool party, so saffron and not quite navy, or pool party, wild wasabi and chocolate chip.  Well, since I've been doing these challenges, I try and select the color combo that I normally wouldn't choose, then go for it.  Carol, of course, always hits the mark with her card, doesn't she?  Well, here's what I've created for the challenge.  I hope you like it.

What do you think?  Do you like it?  I think it's a happy card, and someone special will get this card when it's their birthday.  I actually think I may make several of these.  You can never have enough cards when you need them.

Well now that you've seen mine, let's pop over to Liz's blog and see what she's created for us.  I just love seeing what everyone has come up with.  I can't wait for Wednesday's.  I also follow their blogs daily so I get my "creative fix" seven days a week.

I hope you've enjoyed blogging with us this week.  Stay tuned ... we're not stopping now.  Thanks for checking us out.

Scentsational Season Gingerbread Fun

It's been a few days since I've posted anything, and that's because I've been busy making my Christmas cards.  I have a lot of cards I make for my co-workers, and of course, family and friends that I send to every year.  It seems that I never make enough for some reason.  I think I should make out my list ahead of time, then make the cards.  O well .. live and learn to perfect the process!

One of the cards I made has a bit of a masculine flare.  I actually CASed it from Kasrine Cartier on Stampin Connection.  I loved the colors she put together, and I would have never thought of the blue and brown striped paper from the Festival of Prints paper pack  to use for Christmas cards.  Thank you Karine!  Anyway, I made two variations, and here they are:


I liked them a lot and made a few.  I think I'll make a few more just to have on hand if I get short on my cards, which I believe I will.

Anyway, until tomorrow, have a wonderful evening.  I do hope you will stop by for the blog hop this week.  It's a pool party week!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I'm a Winner

One of our local television stations, CBS 3, a Philly television station, had a contest for the "word of the day" from the months of October and November.  Well, I played every day, as I always do each year, and the day before the last day of the contest, I WON!  The word was "BOGUS".  Of course I got ripped by everyone because they said my notification was "bogus".  HA HA on them.  It turned out legitimate, and I won a $100 Visa gift card.  How cool is that?  I hardly ever win anything.  Here's my card with my notification:

I just wanted to share.  I was so excited, and I was so glad I won.  I get to use the card on "ME".  So I'm sure I'll purchase something special.

Thanks for sharing in my joy!  See you tomorrow ...

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Coloring Down the Lines - Lucky Limeade

Hi Everyone!  Welcome back again to our blog hop.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and I know you'll enjoy our blog hop this week.  Carol was busy with her creation for the hop, and I was so ambitious, I made 2 of the same card.  I just changed up the colors a bit.  Here they are:


I like the color combo on the first one, but I like the center piece on the second one.  Either way, they were fun to make, and easy!  I hope you enjoyed them.  Now, as always, Joni has something cooking over at her blog, so let's go take a peek.  We're so glad Joni decided to join us.  Isn't she so creative??? 

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you have a great and inspirational week!  Hugs ...

Monday, December 10, 2012

Scentsational Season Bake-a-Rama

I saw a card like this on Pinterest and just had to make one.   I just couldn't resist, and the card came out so cute.  It brought back memories of making cookies with my mother when I was young.  My mother is no longer with us, and oh how I miss those times.  I remember a funny story when mom made a bunch of cookies and laid them out on the kitchen table to cool. Our Irish settler, Cocoa, thought she'd help herself to some cookies and took her paw and swiped a bunch of them right into her mouth.  All we could do was laugh.  So this card is for my mom ... I miss her dearly.

Can't you just feel the heat coming off the cookie sheet?  The cute oven mitts make a sweet touch to the card.  And not to mention, the gingerbread men look so good, you just want to pop them off the cookie sheet & eat them.

Well, I hope you enjoy my card as much as I do, and thank you ladies for the sweet inspiration.

Happy baking ...

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Jewish Celebrations

I worked on some Hanukkah cards this evening; one for my son-in-law, Josh, one for his parents, and one for his grandparents.  This is the first year I finally have a stamp set for Hanukkah, so I had fun making the cards.  Here are the (3) I made tonight:

First one is for Josh and Aileen:

This next one is what I made for Josh's grandparents, Rhoda and Richie:

And last, but not least, this is one I made for Josh's parents, Cindy and Rich:

And there you have it.  I also worked on the inside sentiments for my Christmas cards, and I have a few more to complete, and hopefully, I'm done.  I'm sure I'll make some more though, but they might just be one of a kind cards, because I still have a lot of creativity just itching to get out.  ha ha! 

Well, hope you had a wonderful weekend, and here's to a better week ahead.   Hugs ...



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Christmas Tree from the Lodge

I've been making some Christmas cards using the Christmas tree from the Christmas Lodge stamp set from Stampin Up.  I love the tree, just as I love the stamp set "Lovely as a Tree".  It's funny how you can have a stamp set and use it a couple times, and then later, just love it.  Well, here's a card that I made using the "tree".

You want to know something about this card?  Can't believe I'm sharing this .. but this started out to be a "prototype", as I was practicing with the background and sponge daubing the sky.  I quickly stamped the tree onto to the card, then added the bird and some cherry cobbler dazzling details, then added some glitter and liked it.  I used the "textured" white paper because I didn't intend to use it, but ended up liking it, so I added some card stock for matting and whola!  Hey, not bad, huh?   So you never know if the prototype will turn out to be the "real deal" or not.  Hope you like it, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.

Ciao for now!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Mittens and Hot Cocoa

The weather has been very mild so far this December, but  I know that won't last forever.  We've had the first snow already, so why not get prepared for more, right?

I've been really liking the mittens stamp and have been making some cute cards with them.  Here's one I made with some DSP.

Can't you just feel the hot warm cocoa in the mug?  Just look at the steam coming out ~ don't you just want a cup?  Warm winter wishes, warm cup of cocoa - oh how comforting.

Hope you have a night full of comfort and joy.  Until tomorrow ... thank you for your time in stopping by.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Coloring Down the Lines - Island Indigo

Welcome back to our blog hop this week.  Our color combination is:  Island Indigo, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade   OR   Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry.  Well, I decided to do the later one.  I challenged myself to come up with something fun. Of course, Carol has come up with a winner, so keeping up can sometimes be quite a challenge.  Now, without further ado, he's my card:

So, what do you think?  I was wondering if I should have used a bit more whisper white on the card, but then I decided not to.  So there you have it.  Let's take a look at Joni's creation and see how she put her choice of color combination together.  As always, the gals never disappoint.

Hope you had fun hopping around our blog this week.  Thank you for your comments and especially for giving us so many reasons for doing what we do.  Have a great rest of your week!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Glimmering Snowflake Soiree

I've been hard at work making my Christmas cards, and after looking at all the pretty cards I made, I realized I hadn't really made many cards using the snowflake die, or even using the color blue.  So, before I ended for the evening, I thought of a card to make that was simple enough with a bit of "WOW' factor.  Using night of navy, the snowflake die, and some silver glimmer paper, look what transpired ...

For the snowflake, I used white embossing powder and then punched out a silver glimmer snowflake for the center.  I used the pennant die circle to encase the snowflake for a pop out look.  The smaller snowflakes were punched out using silver glimmer paper and night of navy and I topped them off with a rhinestone jewel. Finally, using the lacy brocade embossing folder, I embossed the white background, and there it is!  I was really pleased with how it turned out.  I hope you like it too. 

I hope you'll keep visiting.  Wednesday is our blog hop, and I'm sure you're not going to be disappointed.  Until tomorrow, enjoy every day to the fullest!  Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Down the Chimney Santa goes ...

I CASed this card from Patti Bennett, but I changed it up a bit with the colors.  I added some snowflakes and glitter, and whola, here it is:

I had a lot of fun making Christmas cards this weekend.  I made many different designs, and still have to get moving on getting all of my cards made before it gets too late.  I just love making different ones, but I think I've narrowed it down to the ones I want to make for sending out to everyone. 

Well, I hope you enjoy my cards, and would love to know what you think.  See you tomorrow!!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Lamppost

I saw a lamppost that was done by Brenda Rivera and it was so nice, I thought I would try it myself.  I changed the design up from hers, but the lamppost was fairly easy to make and turned out cute.  Take a peek:

I used the Lovely as a Tree stamp set in the background, and the tree from Christmas Lodge.  I took midnight muse ink and used a sponge to get the  background, and you can't really see it, buy there's glitter on the snow on the horizon. 

I hope you like it as much as I do.  I think I'll try another one with a different scene.  I have one in mind, but just have to wait and see if I can get it on paper.

Well, hope you had a wonderful day.  The weather has been letting up a bit and tomorrow is supposed to be around 60 degrees.  WOW, 60 degrees in December!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you'll drop by again and leave your comments.  I love to read them and thank you so much for taking the time to comment.  G'night!