Snowy Hello

We've had snow here for most of the week, which is super unusual for us.  I've been determined not to get out the Christmas decorations until Dec. 1, but the snow and 24/7 Christmas music on pretty much every station is making it hard for me to wait.  I love Christmas, but I also love fall...I just don't see the need to rush out of one season and into the next.  But, I suppose that's exactly what I'm doing with this card, although maybe not?  I mean, there is snow on the ground here, and it's not technically a Christmas card.

This was my attempt at playing along with a Dynamic Duos challenge, but I was too late.  Can I just say that it is HARD to make a card with only two colors (plus neutrals, lest you question my math skills.)  I love the little Button Buddy snowman.  Instead of using buttons on him, I used Crystal Effects and sprinkled a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds glitter on top.  It's very subtle...so subtle that it doesn't even show up in the picture!  I stamped him with Staz-On black ink, too, so that he wouldn't bleed when I added the Crystal Effects. I actually stamped once directly on to the Marina Mist card stock, then again on white, and punched out the snow balls to add to the blue piece.  It gives him a bit of dimension and adds interest to the card.

Stamps:  Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Snow Swirled

Ink:  White Craft ink, Marina Mist Classic ink, and Staz-On Black ink

Paper:  Whisper White, Marina Mist, and Basic Black card stock

Accessories:  Snowburst embossing folder, Big Shot, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, circle punches:  1 3/4", 3/4", and 1/2", paper-piercing tool, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Bitty Banners Framelits, rhinestones

Simple Thanks

OK, one last autumn card...using Day of Gratitude, again. :)  This DSP is one of my all time favorites, and I've been hoarding it for a couple of years.  I found an old Mojo Monday sketch and gave it a try.  Just a simple card, but what gets written inside is really what it's all about, right?

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper:  Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, and Whisper White card stock

Accessories:  2 1/2", 1 3/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, curly label punch, pearls

Some Stitching

I thought it was about time to share something stitched.  I actually made these skirts waaaaay back in the spring.  Recognize the fabric?  It's the Flirtatious Designer Fabric from Stampin' Up!  I have one purple-lover, and one who will always choose pink over any other color ever, so this fabric was perfect for my girls.  Since they each chose different fabrics, I only used five (maybe 6?) packs for both skirts, and had tons of the darker pink left over.  Considering it was a Sale-a-Bration selection, and ALL the fabric was free, I'd say that it was a good deal. :)  These are VERY twirly skirts, as you can see below, so a non-twirly skirt would take a lot less fabric. 

They were so excited to show off the twirliness of their skirts for the camera. :)  Oh, and in case you are wondering about sizes, I'd say that the purple is roughly a 12 (or maybe just a really long 10), and the pink is an 8, so smaller sizes would require fewer packs of fabric.

Online Extravaganza!

Check out everything that will be on sale starting Monday!  If you were thinking of getting the Big Shot, now is the time.  What a great deal!  Oh, and don't be fooled by the name of this sale...the great prices apply to any order, not just ones placed online.

Just Believe

I'm linking up to Fab Friday again this week.  This time it's a color challenge that uses some of my very favorite colors.  I just love Cajun Craze...it might even be my absolute favorite color.  I remember when Stampin' Up! retired Really Rust.  That had been my favorite and I couldn't believe they would get rid of it.  I don't know why I was worried, though, Cajun Craze is even more beautiful.  I don't miss Really Rust at all. :)

This card uses the Just Believe stamp set...it's one I come back to time and time again.  While I was tempted to run the piece of Cajun Craze through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder (and it would look great that way!), I decide to pull out a reeeeeeeally old set, Itty Bitty Backgrounds.  It was one of the very first sets I bought, and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.  Since this one was retired long ago, you could achieve a similar look using the Color Spritzing Tool and a marker.  The butterflies and pearls give this card some extra dimension.

Stamps:  Just Believe, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)
Ink:  VersaMark, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, and Cajun Craze markers
Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla card stock, Comfort Cafe DSP
Accessories:   Beautiful Wings Embosslit,  Bitty Banners Framelits, pearls, sponge

November Club Card, Part 2

I had originally planned to use the card from last week for club, but there was something about it that didn't seem quite right to me.  Plus, it had too many layers and steps to do at club.  So I took some of the elements I loved most about that card, and used them on a new card.  I'm so happy with the result!  The medallion is exactly the same, as is the button.  In addition to those pieces, I added half of one of the flowers cut using the Floral Frames Framelits behind the piece of Early Espresso Core'dinations card stock that was embossed with the Woodgrain folder (my favorite!)  A simple banner using DSP from the Orchard Harvest pack finishes it off.

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, and More Mustard Classic Ink
Paper:  Naturals White, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, and Early Espresso Core'dinations card stock
Accessories:  Sweet Buttons Embosslits, Floral Frames Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Woodgrain embossing folder, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot

Day of Gratitude

So I've shown some simple cards for the past couple of days, and this one, well, doesn't fall into that category.  There's definitely a lot going on here.  But once again, I'm using the Day of Gratitude stamp set, which is one of my all time favorites.  For the image in the center, I used a variation on the rock and roll technique.  After doing the R&R, I sponged some Early Espresso ink on the edges with a sponge dauber.  It gave just enough of a contrast without getting too much dark ink on the medallion.

Oh, and have you ever wished you had a button in a certain color?  I made this one using the Sweet Buttons Embosslits, and then covered it with Crystal Effects.  It gives it a smooth shine, just like a read button.  This one is topped off with a linen thread bow.

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Early Espresso Classic Ink

Paper:  Naturals Ivory, More Mustard, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, and Cajun Craze card stock, Orchard Harvest DSP

Accessories:  Sweet Buttons Embosslits, Woodgrain and Square Lattice embossing folders, Scallop Edge punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon, Bitty Banners Framelits, Crystal Effects, Linen Thread

November Club Card Part 1

Now that club has moved to Thursday night, I'm giving a sneak peak by posting on Wednesday.  And if you're in next week's club, don't look if you don't want to know what we're making!

This is another simple card using Day of Gratitude.  I love this stamp set and I love these colors. 

The texture of the squares makes the leaves pop.  And the tone on tone of the leaves and squares is simply set against the white background.  So simple, yet so pretty!

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude

Ink:  More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, and Soft Suede Classic Ink

Paper: Naturals White, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, and Soft Suede card stock

Accessories:  Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, 1 1/4" Square Punch

Thanks a Bunch

I have been so busy lately that I haven't had a lot of time to just stamp for fun.  I've been working on lots of projects, but I rarely have a chance to just sit down and stamp for the fun of stamping, with absolutely no specific end in mind.  I finally had a few minutes this afternoon and decided to use the Fab Friday sketch for this week.  I've never linked to a challenge before, but I'm hoping to do it a lot more in the future!

I used the cracked glass technique on the center image.  I'm sad that Stampin' Up! no longer sells the embossing powder needed for this technique. :(  Fortunately, I still have a little stash of it to pull out occasionally.  I really like this sentiment from the Friendship Preserves set, and I don't use it nearly enough.  Hopefully it will carry over to the main catalog!

Stamps:  Friendship Preserves

Ink:  Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, and Early Espresso markers, VersaMark

Paper:  Early Espresso Core'dinations,  Naturals Ivory, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Very Vanilla card stock

Accessories:  Window Frames Framelits Collection, Big Shot, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat, Linen Thread, Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon, Woodgrain embossing folder, Glassy Glaze embossing powder, heat tool

Fall Wreath

Here's a simple card for today.  I've seen lots of different cards using the leaves from Day of Gratitude to make a wreath, and thought I'd go ahead and do it too.  The wreath is just the right element to fill up this simple card.

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, Falling Leaves (retired)

Ink:  More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, and Old Olive Classic Ink

Paper:  Soft Suede, Ivory Naturals, and Very Vanilla Card Stock

Accessories:  Crochet Trim

Give Thanks Board

How fun is this board?  Some friends and I made these last weekend.  Each day has a piece of card stock in a pocket, and on that card stock, you write what you are thankful for that day.  There are several ways to do it, but our family is writing the date and year, and then each of us is writing what we're thankful for. Well, I'm writing it...I really should have my kids' handwriting on this, but I also want to conserve space.  I probably need to lighten up and just have them do it.  There is no way I can regret having my kids' handwriting preserved in this way from year to year.  OK, I just talked myself into it! :)

I'd love to say that this board was all my idea, but it wasn't.  This is just my variation on this one.  I used all Stampin' Up! products (of course!) and instead of using plywood, I used fabric to cover a piece of foam board.  It's much easier to hang up because it's so light.  I'm hoping this is a great new tradition for our family.

Back Soon!

Sorry for the long silence.  We were without power because of Hurricane Sandy, and since my stamping space is in the (very dark) basement, I couldn't even be creative while we waited for the power to come back on.  Thankfully, we had no damage from the storm, and only had to deal with the inconvenience of having no electricity.  My heart goes out to those who are dealing with so much worse. 

I'm hoping to be back tomorrow to show you a really cool project I made with some friends last Friday night.