Coloring Down the Lines - Seasonally Scattered Love

Hi again!  Happy 2015.  We're off to another year of fun and stamping!

Our Coloring Down the Lines challenge today is to create something that inspires us using cajun craze, calypso coral, and crisp cantaloupe, while choosing whisper white and/or very vanilla.  When I sat down to make my card, I just couldn't use the whisper white and very vanilla together - it just didn't speak to me.  So I decided to use whisper white and go with it.

For the line up this week, Carol preceded me, and I hope you arrived here from her blog.  If not, you may have back tracked from Joni's blog and got here.  Either way, I hope you travel forward or backward to see what everyone created for you this week.

Here's my seasonally scattered love ...

close up view - crisp cantaloupe & calypso coral ink over dazzling diamonds heart


Recipe
Paper:  cajun craze, crisp cantaloupe, silver foil, whisper white, dazzling diamonds glimmer paper
Ink:  cajun craze, calypso coral, crisp cantaloupe
Stamp Set:  seasonally scattered
Accessories:  whispser white seam binding, decorative dots EF

And there you have it.  Hope you like it.  Until next time ... happy stamping!

It's Snowing at the Holiday Home

This is a card that I started for one of my challenges over at Coloring Down the Lines, however, I never used it.  As I was cleaning out my stamp room, I stumbled across it, unfinished, and blah.  So I stamped a few more things on the card and gave it some color and mounted it.  Whola.  Now I have a card for next year, ready to go.

That's all folks.  Keep a watch for the new catty items.  I'll have some nice, new creations for you using the fun stamps from the catalog.

Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Brian King's Holiday One for One Swap

I just love when Brian does his one for one swaps.  I've participated in a few of them now and just love the swaps I get back in return.

This year, my swap was the Christmas Bauble, and I'm not quite sure who got it.  In return, I received this cute card created by Robyn Carter in Omaha, Nebraska.  I love it and wanted to share it with you.

Here's my swap (which I posted in an earlier posting):

And here is the one I received from Brian which Robyn created:

So how cute is that?  The full moon is raised a bit and so is the snowfall.  It's stamped beautifully, and she scored the edges of the card, adding a nice, neat border.  Love, Love, Love.

Hope you enjoy Robyn's card as much as I do.  Until tomorrow, to all a "good night".

The Paper Plunge #14 - Tis the Season for A Different Kind of Fold

I usually don't stray too far from the traditional folding cards, but since the challenge over at The Paper Plunge was to come up with a "different kind of fold", I thought I'd try something different.  I didn't know where to start, so lo and behold, a friend of mine just happened to send me a pin from pinterest, and as I was scrolling through what she had sent me, I found this fold that I made for you today.  The fold that I CASED was by Amanda Bates over at The Craft Spa.  I wanted to do a different design, so I pulled out some of my DSP and went to work.  I was rather pleased with what I created.  I hope you like it too.

This is the outside of the card.  I wanted something to hold the card together, so I used the silver satin ribbon and tied a bow in the center.  It worked out perfectly.

Now, check out the inside ...

I'm still working on the lighting issue, so bear with me until I get it all figured out.  The dimensions of the card are 6" x 12" (when card is stretched out).  It wasn't that difficult as I thought it would be and it looks so much better in person.  The center tree was made using the dazzling diamonds glimmer paper, and the two outer trees are the silver glimmer paper.  The designer-series paper (DSP) I used for the rest of the card is from "all is calm" from Stampin' Up's 2014 holiday catalog.

So thanks to The Paper Plunge for challenging me to go out of the box and do something a bit different.  Maybe now I just might try some other folds and techniques to add to my collection.

Enjoy your day, and tis' the season to enjoy the wonders of the world.

Cheers!

It's Christmas Time in the City

My sister and I went to visit my daughter in NY on the 18th of December and we hopped on the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan to see all the Christmas lights.  These are some pictures I took in Madison Square Park:

There's something to be said for Christmas in the City.  Just love it!

Wonderous Wreath Thank You

I just love the stamp set, Wonderous Wreath.  You can do so much with it.

I was asked to make some Christmas Thank You cards, so I thought I'd use the wreath, since I just love it.  Louise Sharpe created this beautiful card using it, so I CASED some of her idea and used my own colors and thank you and I just LOVE it.  So did the person I made them for as well.

I just love the gold glimmer heart hanging down from the center.  It makes the card look so elegant. Hope you like it as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gentle Peace

I stamped this image on a piece of velum way back in October and never colored it in, so I thought I better color it before I mount it on a card base and send it out to one of my dear friends.  Yeah, don't you think?  So I wasn't sure what colors to use, and after looking at others, I colored mine, but wasn't too thrilled with the way it turned out, but it's ok.  I mounted it on brushed gold paper, as well as blackberry bliss, and I think that made it.

See what you think!

Actually, seeing it posted here looks better than I thought.  O well .. I'm glad I did it.  Really like the velum and blendabilities ... awesome combo.

Stay tuned for more of my cards, and of course, the sneak peeks at the new occasions catalog.  Oh what fun we're going to have using the new stuff.

Ciao for now!

Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Day is here!  I hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying this wonderful holiday with family and friends.  Christmas is such a happy time, and all the joys of the season are wrapped into one on this day!  Christ, our Savior, is front and center today and let's not forget to give him the praise and glory He deserves.  

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and the best that the New Year has in store for us. Thank you for taking time to visit my blog, and I hope you will continue to visit me in the future.

Below is one of my Christmas Cards that I sent out this year.  It is simple and pretty, and I was happy after I made them.  Enjoy!

Lots of Love and Cheers!  - Helen

Coloring Down the Lines - A Berry Merry Christmas (blackberry, that is)

It's Christmas Eve, and what better way to start the day off than with a challenge for the Coloring Down the Lines team!  I saw the picture and colors and thought this would be totally easy, then when I had a thought for my card in mind and started putting it together, I hated it.  Oh no ... time is running out and I haven't a clue what to do now.  So I went to bed (this was last night).  Today, I was shopping at the Italian Market most of the day and doing some last minute errands, and when I got home, I remembered I hadn't created anything for my blog submission.  Another Oh NO!  So I sat down and thought about it for 5 minutes and something came to me, so I just stamped, and I was totally satisfied with what I made.  Well, that's a first.

Anyway, I hope you've had a chance to see what everyone created for you this week.  With Christmas so close, the ideas still keep flowing.  Carol created her card, as usual --- she's always on it, no matter what.  Joni couldn't be with us this week, as her new puppy ruined her computer, but I believe Santa is getting her a new one for Christmas.  She'll be back.  So after your stop here, let's pop on over to see what Lizzy made for you.  Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Let's see what our inspiration was for this week ... I really liked the photo .... it has a soft, subtle look.

Recipe

Paper:  very vanilla, blackberry bliss

Ink:  blackberry bliss, melon mambo, hello honey, smoky slate

Stamp Sets:  ornamental pine, work of art, sassy salutations

Accessories:  silver ribbon, basic pearls

Hope you like it .... and most of all, have a happy and safe Christmas Eve.  

The Paper Plunge #13 - A Pop

I was playing over at the Paper Plunge, as I'm one of the design team, and this week's challenge is whisper white with a pop of color.  Although I submitted my entry a bit late this week, the holidays are a busy time for me, especially this year.  I had a lot of orders that I had to fill for people, which kept me busy making things for them and of course, procrastinating on my own stuff.  But it's all good and everything worked out great.

Here's my submission over at The Paper Plunge, and I hope you'll pop on over to check what everyone made.  Really pretty, I must say .... you won't be disappointed.   

Now, I'm still struggling a bit with the lighting, so I took another picture to see if the picture would show the beautiful dazzling diamonds paper, along with the gold glitter paper for a better view.

It's the best I could do, and of course, I got the brightness of the light on the top of the card, but at least you have the idea.  My New Year's goal is to get a better light and box it in so I get the best views and lighting for my blog pics.

Hope you enjoyed it ...just a few more hours till Christmas Eve.  Where does the time go?

Cheers!

Happy Hanukkah!

Each year, I make hanukkah cards for our daughter Aileen and her husband, as well as for Josh's family. I know they enjoy receiving the cards just as much as I love making them.  So let me share them with you.

This is the card I made for Aileen and Josh.

Next, I made this card for Josh's grandparents, Richie and Rhoda:

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

I used the same stamp set, but varied the cards a little bit for each.  I was happy with the way they turned out and it's hard to pick which one I like the best.

Anyway, I wish them a very happy hanukkah, and to all our friends who celebrate the holiday.

Coloring Down the Lines - Sparkling Ornamental Pine

This week's challenge wasn't very hard at all after you take a look at the photograph we used for inspiration.  I just had to go right for the Ornamental Pine stamp set for this one ... and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Let's start  with the photograph and color pallet, shall we?

What a serene picture with the snow on the pine tree and the Christmas ball being the focal point with it's beautiful cobalt blue color.  Very striking.

Well, as I mentioned above, I had to use the Ornamental Stamp set for my submission this week, and here it is:

Now, I showed you two pictures above because the way the lighting was, you could'n't see the sparkle on the Christmas ball, as well as the snow and sparkle on the pine bough.  I must get an area with good lighting for my pictures ... that may be my New Year's resolution ... yep, it just might be.

So here's the recipe for my card:  

Paper:  night of navy, pistachio pudding, wild wasabi, very vanilla

Ink:  garden green, pacific point, soft sky, night of navy  ** I used the baby wipe technique for the 

     Christmas ball

Stamp Sets:  ornamental pine, letterpress winter, trendy trims

Accessories:  embossing powder (clear) on pistachio pudding layer; basic rhinestone in center of 

     Christmas ball; glue pen, glitter

Now let's go over and check out what Joni created for the challenge.  And don't forget to check out Carol's blog if you haven't been there first.  Oh la la.

Thanks for checking us out this week!

My Cookie Exchange Boxes

As promised, I wanted to share with you the boxes I made for the cookie exchange I participated in last weekend.  Let me tell you, these were fun to make, but I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to fit the cookies into the boxes.  But alas, after I put them into cello bags and tied them with ribbon, they JUST fit.  I had to rearrange them a little, but alas, success.

I used last year's Christmas paper for the boxes.  I had a lot of paper left over, so what a great way to use it and make such pretty boxes.

What a festive way to share the yummy orange cookies I made.

Here's a picture of all the cookies ready for each of us to take.  Don't they look so nice on the pool table?

Last, but not least, here are the cookie boxes that I brought home with me ... so so cute!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope your cookie boxes are super cute like these!  Enjoy!

Pootles Christmas Box

I just love Pootles and her videos.  Sam made a beautiful Christmas box in one of her latest videos and I just had to make the same one.  I just loved it.  So here it is:

I decided to make one of my own, so here's mine:

Arent' they just adorable?  I loved them so much that I made them for my cookie exchange.  Stay tuned for all the boxes I made ... 

Ciao for now.

Sympathy for the Loss of Denise's Father

A woman I used to work with lost her father a couple weeks ago, so I sent her a sympathy card.  I understand how hard it is to lose a parent, as I lost my mother 10 years ago this past June.  Although as time passes, it gets a little easier, but there are those times when nothing will can take away the hurt and sadness.  So I hope my card with help her to know that she has friends who care.

This card I basically CASED from Stacey Roussin that she made back in 2010.  I just liked the card so much that I made it.

I used blackberry bliss and old olive for my card, whereas I believe Stacey used real red and garden green, but the card is the same, except the sentiment as well.

That's it for now.

New Catalog Premier Swap

Last week, I attended the new Stampin' Up catalog premier in Baltimore, MD.  I went down with some of my team mates, along with my upline, Jill, and her upline, Cathy.  Here's a picture of us at the George Martin Grillfire restaurant before the premier.

L-R:  Jessica, me, Cathy, Jill, Megan and Connie

I made 30 swaps, but when we got to the movie theatre for the premier, there weren't a log of women swapping, so I ended up coming home with about 23 of them.  Bummer!  Here's my swap:

Stay tuned .. I can't wait to get my new stuff from the catalog, and of course, I'll give you a sneak peek.

Cheers!

Coloring Down the Lines - The Warm Glow of Christmas

I love the picture and color pallet for our challenge this week, however, when I sat down to try and put something together, I was totally blank.  I tried a few ideas and was not happy with them at all.  I was starting to panic, when I stared at the picture once again and decided that all is not lost.  I had an idea and I put it into motion.

Here's the picture that inspired me, more than you know.

I love the sand candles above.  The warm glow of the flames against the sand in the tea light containers are so pretty.  So given the color pallet we had to work with, this is what I created for you this week:

Recipe

Paper:  sahara sand, very vanilla, soft sky, gold foil, pool party, so saffron, gold foil vellum

Ink:  pool party, so saffron

Stamp Set:  pictogram punches

Accessories:  bird punch, labels collection framelits, star punch, striped EF

Ok, so I added a little gold to the mix, but it totally made the card, don't you think?  You can't see real well in the picture, but I used the labels collection framelits for the candle plate, and I raised the edge up by cutting out the same size as the plate, then used the next smaller one to cut out the center.  The candles rest inside the plate, and I added the gold foil leaves around the candle base and added the pool party and so saffron stars from the pictogram punches stamp set.  I also cut out the candles using soft sky and then overlaid the gold foil vellum paper over it for a little interest.  The flames were cut using the wing from the bird punch, and I cut them out on very vanilla paper and used a dauber with so saffron and added just a touch of pool party in the center of the flame.  And there you have it.

Now hop on over to Joni's blog and check out she made using the colors from our challenge.  And don't forget, if you arrived her from Joni's blog, make sure you hop forward to Carol's blog.  I'm sure she'll have a nice treat for you as well.

I wish you a wonderful week, and please feel free to leave your comments.  I love every one of them.

Coloring Down the Lines - The Art of Many Merry Stars

Hello again ... and what a day it has been today.  We started out with temperatures in the high of 68 degrees, and the temperature plunged to 40 degrees, with snow and rain on the way.  WOW, all in one day.

I sat down to create my card using the photograph and colors for our challenge and just couldn't come up with something right away.  I figured I wanted to capture something that represented the weather we're experiencing, but nothing was coming to my mind.  Then, all of a sudden, I got an idea in my head and made it work.  I did add a bit of silver foil to my card for interest, as I do think the card needed it.

Here is the picture we used for inspiration, along with the color pallet:

So now you see the colors we had to work with - very chilly and cold, don't you think?  Can you see why I struggled a bit?  Well, fear not ... I did manage to pull one off, and this is what I created for you:

Recipe:

Paper:  island indigo, pool party, silver foil, whisper white

Ink:  pool party, island indigo, lost lagoon, sahara sand, smoky slate, silver metallic

Stamp Sets:  many merry stars, gorgeous grunge, endless wishes, cheerful tags, work of art

Accessories:  basic rhinestones

Success!  I hope you like it.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.  So let's check out what Carol created this week.  I can't wait to see how she used these colors in her card.  Also, don't forget to hop on over to Joni's blog too.  Joni always has a jump on these challenges - she's just that good.

Well, hope you have a wonderful day, and stay warm and dry if you're expecting snow in your area.  Tis the season, they say.

Thanks for stopping by!

Many Merry Stars - Sparkle Diva Team Swap

This past Sunday, I attended Cathy Buch's Sparkle Diva Team Meeting.  I'm one of Cathy's 3rd downline, and what a great time we all had getting together, sharing ideas and our projects, making cards, and enjoying each other's company.  It's always nice hearing what other demonstrators are doing, and especially, how they keep their business going and interesting.

Some of us made swaps for the meeting, and this is one I made.

I just love the Many Merry Stars stamp set.  You can use it for the holiday, as well as all year round.  I chose to go with all silver on this one, and it's a bit hard to see, but I scored the edges for a bit of interest.

Hope you like it.  Stay tuned for some more goodies ... oh la la.

A Wonderous Birthday

My aunt asked me to make a birthday card for her friend who has a birthday in December.  She told me she wanted me to make it Christmas-like, even though it's for a birthday, so I did.  My aunt loved the card and she can't wait to give it to her friend.  I sure hope her friend likes it ... she said she loves hand-made cards, so that's a plus.

Here's the card I made for her:

I made the poinsettia's both red and white, and although you can't see it very well, there are gold berries on the wreath.  I liked the way it turned out.  For the banner, I used brushed gold cardstock, but it looks like crumb cake in the lighting, I'm afraid.  Bummer!  It looks much better in person.

Thanks for stopping by again to check out my cards.  Keep coming back for some more inspiration.

Hugs!

Wintertime

The Paper Plunge - #10, Focus People

The challenge over at the Paper Plunge this week is called "Focus People".  Focus is on the words, not the rest of the design.  So this week was an easy one ....  I decided to use the stamp set, Wintertime, and it worked out perfectly.  Take a peek:

I wish you could see the rhinestones better, but I couldn't get the lighting right.  I tried every different angle, and nothing.  This was the best I could do.  I'll have to invest in some better lighting and a nice backdrop.  Hopefully, I'll have that figured out soon ... so stay tuned.  And don't forget to hop over to The Paper Plunge.  Try your hand at entering your creation.  We'd love to see it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for Gid and my faith, my family, my doggies and kitty, my job, and all of you, my dear friends!  Have a wonderful day.

Coloring Down the Lines - Ornamental Pine

Welcome back to our blog hop this week.  Our color pallet and photograph was rather simple to emulate, and so I found my own inspiration in this picture and was happy with the outcome.

If you've come here from Carol's blog, then you saw the lovely card she made using the color pallet from the challenge.  If not, please make sure you hop on back over to check it out.  You'll be glad you did.

Here is the color photograph and color pallet we used for our challenge this week.

So now that you've seen the photograph we used for inspiration, this is the came up with:

Recipe:

Paper:  basic black, sahara sand, mossy meadow, whisper white

Ink:  old olive, crumb cake, mossy meadow

Stamp Sets:  ornamental pine, trendy trims, endless wishes

Accessories:  clear embossing powder

I stamped the background using the snowflake from the endless wishes stamp set and used clear embossing powder to get the effect I wanted.  I think it turned out rather nice, don't you think?

Let's hop on over to see what Joni created for us this week .... I'm sure she'll surprise you.  I sure hope you  find inspiration to create your own cards.  

Have fun!

A Flower Patch Birthday

My friend, and neighbor Debbie's birthday is this week, and so I didn't want to forget to make her a special birthday card.  I was going to make something with a Fall theme, but then I thought it would be more fitting to make a birthday card that was not seasonal, but rather, just for a birthday.  I sat down and wondered what I would make her, and then it came to me ... flowers, who doesn't love flowers?

So I broke out the flower patch stamp set and started creating Deb's birthday card.  Here it is:

And here's a peek at the inside:

So here's to Deb for a happy, bloomin' birthday.

See you again soon ...