Sending Love at Christmas

To my American friends, did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving? We had a busy fun-filled feast and family time. Now that the holiday is over,  I'm able to get back into the craft room to have some fun. 

I'm still playing with the Sizzix embossing folder, Winter  Pattern, embossing it on Pear Pizzazz card stock (SU!) this time. 

 I embellished using the Layered Poinsettia die (Waffle Flower) cut in cream and gold mirror card stock. The sentiment is from The Greetery. I embossed the top line of script in gold. 

I call this clean and layered in style, what do you think? 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Christmas Blessings for the Paper Players

 Sunday has come around again, and I'm happy to welcome you to my blog. Laurie has a great sketch for us at The Paper Players #619 and I can't wait to share my card with you. 

I love sketch challenges and holidays are my favorite time for card making. Now that for the US our Thanksgiving Day has passed, let's get down to some serious  creating for Christmas!

I bought a new multi-level embossing folder from Sissix called Winter Pattern, and ran it through my Big Shot using Baked Brown Sugar card stock. I carefully daubed white craft ink just along the top of the images and love the depth it created to the overall pattern. 

Here's a closer look that allows you to see the three levels of embossing.

My sentiments and dies are from The Greetery, the JOY sparkles in the red mirror card stock. 

I sure hope you'll want to play along at The Paper Players! We love it when you do! 

I will also add this to two other challenges: at Peace on Earth Christmas they have a mood board.

 For the Tic Tac Toe Challenge I chose the top row across.  Holiday, Die, Embellishment. I hop

I hope this inspires you to be crafty. Have a wonderful week!

 Be yourself
     Have delight in your craft
         Make something beautiful!  

Clean and Simple for The Paper Players

Welcome to my blog, hope you're having a great Sunday! Joanne has a wonderful Clean and Simple Challenge for #618 asking us to use a Christmas theme. I pulled out some pretty patterned papers and the Frosted Gingerbread Bundle by Stampin' Up! and here's what I came up with! 

 I loved the bell as an ornament surrounded by some greenery and peppermints. I can't wait to see what you will make!  

The Paper Players DT has some amazing cards to inspire you! Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and if you're traveling stay safe! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

 

Merry and Bright for Coffee Lovers

 Hello, and welcome! 

I think the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is still going on, and I'm hoping today's card will make it in before the deadline so I will keep this post short. 

I found this cute snowman in a coffee cup already assembled in my stash. When I made on last year, I made two so it's nice that this little guy was all ready to go. I don't know if he is in a coffee or teacup but he is holding a gingerbread cookie!

I'm playing along at  Coffee Lovers Blog Hop 

and I'm using the lovely layout from Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks so much for you visit today! Wishing you a good weekend! 

You Warm My Heart

 Hi everyone,  Amy Tsuruta hosts a wonderful challenge celebrating Coffee for you lovers out there! I prefer tea but dug out a retired set from The Cat's Pajamas so that I could play along! 

A bit of sponging, masking and Copic coloring and my card is done. I just love this little bunny.

 Entering the fun at the Blog Hop!  You may want to do the same, there are tons of prizes and wonderful cards with the cuppa theme. 

Joyful and Blessed with Color Hues

 Hello, stamping friends! How's it going with your holiday crafting? I realize today that I should have started much earlier on sharing Christmas cards on my blog since I have so many sets that are new-to me that I will never fit them in! 

Our mid-month colors are lovely and timely, chosen by Julie for your inspiration at Color Hues Challenge #53. My card uses the Winterberry Bouquet stamps and dies, and the Cathedral die from The Greetery.

I wanted the cathedral window to shine as the main element, so I  stacked die cuts with gold mirror card stock  on the top and tucked in just a few of the gorgeous winterberry foliage. The bottom layer is SU Very Vanilla card stock, and I used a Vanilla taffeta double bow to add balance and dress up the design. I kept to our colors of scarlet and green, and hope that the three neutrals are allowed: white, gold and cream. I guess you know me and won't be surprised that I had a very hard time limiting my colors this time! 

The sentient strip (also new out of the packet!) is from Jolly Snippets rubber stamps by Penny Back. These are small sentiments with really unique phrases for Christmas or winter themes. 

I know you will love seeing what the amazing DT has created to inspire you, take a good look and them dive right in to play along! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm entering these challenges :

Tic Tac Toe 

and NBUS using the Cathedral Die for the first time. 

using the middle row across 

a

Hope All is Well

 Hello! I'm back again to for a quick share. I really loved this sentiment from the Just a Hello Floral stamps and dies (Pinkfresh Studio) and there are others like it included in the set. The dies cut the words out so it's easy to highlight your sentiments. 

I colored the beautiful florals with Zig markers onto watercolor paper, after embossing the images with black ink and heating clear embossing powder. The bouquet is die cut and layered over lightly textured blue paper. This would look better if I'd added some dimension, but I needed it flat for mailing. 

I find I'm needing just a bit of de-stress time in the craft room, I'm aiming for a bit of time each day to create. Helping me limber up my creative skills is one benefit, and the other is that I can delve into some supplies and styles that need to be re-discovered. 

I will share this today at Simon Stays Stamp Wednesday challenge where they ask for Thinking of You cards. Thanks so much for your visit! I wish you a wonderful day and really appreciate you spending just a bit of time here on my blog. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Mail it on Monday

Hello, happy Monday to you! I've been on a buying spree with stamping products and enjoyed time in the craft room over the weekend trying to make a dent in the new things pile! I've gotten lots of dies and these Parcel and Post stamps and dies from Spellbinders are making their debut on my blog today. 

I will love dressing up this mail box for different occasions, it was so fun adding flowers for a birthday card today. 

I'm sharing this card in some challenges. 

Seize the Birthday is asking for many of something and I have lots of flowers.  I've made a matching envelope for Just Us Girls using the embossing folder to emboss the envelope, and adding a strip of the same washi tape I used for the tiny flap of the  envelope in the mailbox. Happy Little Stampers asks for dies, and I'm happy to share with Darnell and friends at NBUS. So glad to have you visit today!

Details: I used Stampin' Up! card stocks in Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, and Pear Pizzazz. 
So happy to have you visit today!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Blue Christmas for The Paper Players

 It's officially time for me to begin making Christmas cards and I am ready! Jaydee gives us a festive array of colors in The Paper Players Challenge # 617. They are sure to get you in the spirit of holiday card-making! 

I love making color blended backgrounds but this time I let the paper do the work! 

I began with a paper from the Craft Consortium Patina pack that has a gorgeous textured look. I assembled snowflakes from a few different sets, inked them up with Versamark, and embossed them in white directly on to the patterned paper. The sentiments are from PTI. Stacking three layers of the CHRISTMAS die cut pieces gave dimension and they are topped with silver foil for the shine! And of course a few rhinestones embellish the snowflake centers. 

Thanks so much for your visit today. I sure hope you will check out the work of the DT as it is amazing! I look forward to seeing your cards in our gallery! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

                   Make something beautiful!  

Linking this card to:  

Grateful Heart for The Paper Players

 Thanksgiving will  soon be happening, have you bought your turkeys yet, my US friends? This is the time of year when I especially need to cultivate a calm and grateful heart. 

Stamping always calms and refreshes me, and a new challenge for The Paper Players #616 fits right in with the gratefulness attitude. Our lovely Claire wants us to create projects with a Give Thanks theme. 

I had the brand new to me Thankful Heart stencil, stamps and dies from The Greetery just waiting for today's card. 

The stencil makes it so easy to sponge an ombre shading to the sentiment. I kept this very simple, using the nesting arched dies to create the card base in Baked Brown Sugar (SU) and arranging the inked die cuts along the panel bottom. 

Both the sentiment and the white panel are popped up with craft foam and dimensionals. Everyone is welcome to play along, hope you will join us at The Paper Players!

I'm grateful for many blessings, thanks to you  for being one of them! I really appreciate your visit today. Have a great week. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm entering this card in the following challenges: 

NBUS

Double "D" Challenges - Thankful 

Make the Cards Challenge   Thanks

Wishing You Well Color Hues #52

 

Hello friends! Welcome to a new challenge at Color Hues! I really enjoyed playing with some new supplies using Curio: Summer Findings Dies from The Greetery. After making the decision of what to use, creating with Turquoise and Mustard was a delight! 

I began by die cutting the white stitched frame and several rectangles, from white card stock. Using black and white card stock, I die cut the insects and plant images, sponging Distress Oxide inks to color them. 

Arranging the squares and elements came next. Thinking I needed a bit more mustard, I stamped tiny dots around. Needing even MORE mustard, I cut up a frame I had sitting on my desk and used those pieces kind of like parentheses to balance the design.  

This felt out of my comfort zone! I'd sure love to know what you think! It will be nice to have in my stash for a get well.  (Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You)

Can't wait to see how these colors will inspire YOU! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Entering this at NBUS!