Sending Joy

 Hello again, how are things going? For the first time in years, all the presents are shopped for and wrapped. It's an amazing feeling! 

I keep thinking I'm finished making holiday cards. Instead I keep finding I just want to make one more. Goodies on my desk seem so easy to assemble into a card when I come to tidy up. Here's my latest.

Most of the supplies are from Concord & 9th. I love making scenes bright with the snow globe die cuts. Using colors Pink and Green so that I can join the fun at Color Hues this month, I was also inspired to play again at Freshly Made Sketches. 

I appreciate your visit today. Thanks so much for coming by! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Snow Flurries

 I'm here for just a minute. Catching my breath during a fun week of creating. I'm cranking out Christmas cards that others have designed right now, and it's helping me learn some new things and stay busy trying to keep up! 

I made a shaker card that I just wanted to share today. I love shakers! 

The snow globe works well in many styles. Using some DSP I made a scene inside mine. 

Hope you are having a great day!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges: 
Just Us Girls - Winter 
NBUS - the snow globe set is new from           Concord & 9
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge

You Make Christmas Special

 Hi there blog friends! I was delighted to see the sketch from Linda at Freshly Made Sketches and I just had to play along with one of my favorite stamp sets from MFT. Sadly, they have closed their business but I have these lovely Christmas critters lined up to greet you today. 

My Copic skills are a bit rusty but I pulled them out to color. Discovering that the fox had been colored -quite a bit of time ago- made that task easier. 

The sketch focused on 3 shapes or items but I couldn't resist adding the cute bird into the picture. 

Thanks for visiting today, I really appreciate you spending time to do that with me. Hugs!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Another joined at:
Christmas Kickstart 

Under the Tree

 Hello and welcome to my blog on this cold, rainy day. A perfect kind of Monday to get creative with some new wintry die cuts to make a card for the sketch at The Paper Players. For winter and Christmas I seem to have acquired three new packs of DSP so I set out to use some for a snowy scene. 

I love to make snow men IRL but rarely have the chance since I'm living in SC. Making a die cut snowman brings fond memories of childhood play. Aren't all snow men just a little bit wonky? This one sure is. 

The new-to-me supplies are the papers from Doodlebug Design 6x6 Snow Much Fun pack; Snowcapped Tree Die from Waffle Flower, and Festive Snow Globe Dies from Concord & 9th. The sentiment is from a favorite from PB -  the Jolly Snippets set. 

Simple embellishment details come from Glossy accents added to the carrot and the hat, an iridescent white cord bow, and Stickles added to the snowflakes.

Here's the lovely sketch providing inspiration by the Paper Players.

 Also adding this to NBUS and the Christmas Kickstart Challenge. 

Thanks so much for coming by, hope it's been a great day for you!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

ETA: what makes this snowman wonky? Well, the googly eyes for one thing. Secondly, the die doesn't include arms for this guy! So that he fits in the snow globe, I'm guessing. 

Sending Hugs with Build A Wreath

It's been a long week, I'm still under the weather with vertigo, unfortunately. I think it's caused by allergies. Hopefully the cooler weather will come with showers to make everything fresh and new again, including me! New and feeling much better would be a great forecast to me. 

I couldn't decide if my wreath would be for fall or Christmas. In all, I ditched the fall-ish one and went with my take #2 which has a more evergreen vibe, possibly for Christmas. You will have to see what you think. 

I used my lovely Concord & 9th card stock in colors of Artichoke and Juniper for the leaves, and Nectar and Sorbet for the bow and card panel. I really love the way the greenish blue and the olive colors combined nicely for the wreath. The etched Build A Wreath Dies and Garden Wreath Add-ons from Spellbinders were used to create a variety of twigs, sprigs and leaves meticulously arranged for the wreath. Berries were added with Gold Luxe drops from Nuvo that have iridescent shine.

Although I like the result, this card was a bit too fiddly to create. It is my first time using the dies, so as NBUS (never-been-used-schtuff) the card will be heading over to the gallery at Darnell's. I was also inspired to play at Tic Tac Toe challenge where I chose the options of Wreath, Free, and Matching Envelope. 

It was enjoyable coordinating the envelope, and not something I usually think about. 

That wraps up my week, hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

JOY at Christmas Color Hues #98

 Hi everyone! Welcome to the new challenge for Color Hues #98.  Karen chose Black and Red for us to use this time, and I added gold to the simple card that I have to share with you today. It felt good getting into the spirit of Christmas.

The Layered Poinsettias are from Waffle Company, and the JOY die cut is from the Greetery. Here's a wish for a wonderful holiday season ahead, and for many happy crafty sessions for you all! 

 I mentioned in the last post that I was moving and by this time next week, we will be in our new home. That is a happy thought! 

Thanks so much for your visit today, and for all the days in the past. It's a very sad day to be leaving the wonderful team at Color Hues. Nancy is a wonderful team leader. She's amazingly gifted, inspiring, kind, encouraging and so very organized.  I couldn't have been more proud to be part of this talented group of ladies! 

I will for sure be looking for your creations in the gallery, and I hope to play along in the future.  Have a great day!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Pink and Blue for Color Hues!

 Hello friends, I'm here to kick off my challenge at Colors Hues #95. Being the hostess means that I get to choose the colors we will be using. I chose pink and blue. We choose our colors ahead of time by a month or two and I saw a Christmas card that inspired me, so I went with it. 

I can't wait to see what will inspire you! Remember that the dark or light hues of the colors chosen are up to you!

Here's my card. 

I loved coloring the snow couple with Copics, and I even made their noses pink! I began by stamping the image with gray ink, coloring and then fussy cutting them. The All-in-One Hexagon Die provided the stitched frame and I sponged pale blue ink on the back panel, propping the sweethearts up with a bit of foam tape. 

I embossed white card stock and cut a strip of snowflakes, sponged lightly with blue to bring out the details, and placed this at the bottom of the card. 

Finally, sponging pink ink on Glitter paper, I die cut snowflakes to embellish. I LOVE snow-people so I'm sure I will be using this Chilly Day stamp set (Penny Black) often! 

Please do make sure to visit the challenge and admire the amazing team samples! We love having you play along with us. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 

Stamps: Penny Black - Chilly Days
Ink: Altenew - Blue Horizon, Blush Rose
Other: Penny Black - Blizzard EF, All-in-One                                                                                          Hexagon Die

Sending Merry Christmas Wishes

 Hello! Here we are one week before Christmas, are you ready? It's time to remind you of The Flower Challenge #87 where we are still making cards that use gold. I've been wrapping Christmas gifts, and that theme carried over on today's card. 

An embossed white panel serves as the package wrapped in gold ribbon and adorned with a red poinsettia. I added shading with darker red ink to the blooms (Waffle Flower.)  The foliage is cut from SSS Velvet card stock which I love for it's softness. You just want to touch it! 

Our challenge continues through this month. I hope you will pay a visit to our blog and join in with your own creations. If you are celebrating Christmas, may it bring you much joy! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Vintage Postcard Wishes

Welcome to my blog on this Monday morning.

Here we are almost a week in to December and I can't quite figure out how that happened. It seems the holidays come more quickly every year!

We are beginning a new theme at The Flower Challenge and we're featuring cards using gold for this month. 

I love gold accents and this time I combined them with a vintage style card for Christmas using Penny Black supplies. 

Inking in light brown I stamped the Vintage Postcard Cling stamp adding some sponging to distress the panel. The poinsettias were watercolored using Distress Ink re-inkers. The gold snowflakes are a new product called Stick & Shine. They are a super easy way to foil. I only wish you could see the bright shimmer they add. This card was hard to photograph. IRL all 5 snowflakes are bright gold. 

The spatters of white acrylic ink are the final touch. I hope that you will join us at The Flower Challenge, it's easy to play along! I'm adding this to Time Out Challenges, The Paper Players, SSSWednesday Challenge, and Penny Black Saturday Challenge. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!

Penny Black supplies: 

floral festivities

joy & happiness

Stick & Shine

Christmas Memories for Color Hues

`Happy Friday morning to you, my crafting friends. How are things going for you?  

It's beginning to look like Christmas at our house! The shopping is done, the decorations are being put in place for the festive celebration of my favorite holiday. I love to think of family and one of the best memories I have from holidays past is going ice skating. Just a bit of nostalgia for you with today's card. Hope you like it! 

The lovely Let's Skate die is pretty enough to feature on it's own. 

It was was cut twice, once from SSS Pawsitively Velvet Snow White  card stock and once from Silver Glitter paper. I used black card stock behind the eyelets and added shading with a gray marker to create a bit of a scuffed up look. I love the texture and softness of the velvet paper! I also placed the sentiment strips a bit off center. On purpose. I thought that looked best with the skewed angle of the skates. 

Our new challenge at Color Hues is for pink and silver. You will have the entire month to play along. 

 

Please do join us at Color Hues! We hope our gallery will be filled with your delightful creations! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Penny Black supplies: Let's Skate die cut 51-750, Blizzard embossing folder

SSS: sentiments from Joy to You and Yours, Pawsitively Velvet Card Stock

I am adding this to the following challenges: 

NBUS   first time using the skate die

Time Out Challenges - 

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Radiant Red and Gold

 Hi and happy Monday! Christmas cards are coming fast and furious at our house and I'm happy making the cards I look forward to all year! I have so many stamps for Christmas but today's card features a new-to-me rubber stamp by Penny Black called Radiant Red. You can never have too many poinsettia stamps! 

I love to watercolor. I stamped with Toffee Crunch ink onto Canson Watercolor paper and used Distress Ink re-inkers to color the blooms. I've long been a fan of PB but Jill's recent videos about batch stamping have inspired me to try her system to avoid decision fatigue. In giving this a  try over the weekend, I found myself sitting to paint and work on this card (and others) in little bits of time between football games and home duties. 

A simple card but dressed up with a beautiful sentiment, a border die and gold flat sequins. I'm playing at The Paper Players today 

the Penny Black Saturday Challenge 

Merry Little Christmas Challenge 

and adding this to NBUS as well. 

Thanks so much for your visit. I hope you're having a wonderful day. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Other supplies: small sentiment - Penny Black Jolly Snippets; LawnFawn Just stitching Double Rectangles, Sentiment Dies from Birch Press Design

Floral Festivites

Hello there, how are my crafty friends on this chilly Monday? Monday is my catch up day and it's been a good day so far. Over the weekend I got some time to watercolor and I made my very first Christmas card for the year! 

I've invested in some Penny Black supplies that I can pull out and do a little watercoloring or dabbling with the card parts in spare moments. My first completion used the Floral Festivities stamp, inked on watercolor paper and colored in with Distress Ink re-inkers. My colors for pink and red ( Worn Lipstick and Fired Brick) came on a bit too strong, but I went with it anyway, fussy cutting the image. I used the circle dies to cut Concrd & 9th Grapefruit card stock, and a white circle that had been embossed with the PB folder called Variegated and colored with Distress ink to match the focal point. 

I'm just in time to enter this to play in these challenges:
NBUS as the stamps and EF are new
Penny Black Saturday Challenge and Freshly Made Sketches. 

Also: The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Challenge  this one is new to me, first time linking!) and Peace on Earth Christmas. 

Thanks so much for your visit today! I appreciate every one. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 
               Make something beautiful!  

smile. sparkle. shine A Merry Winter Scene

 I am finding myself feeling very nostalgic this year as Christmas approaches. One of my friends shared her picture taken with Santa at Hutzler's in Baltimore Maryland when she was three. It's cute as can be, and I love the dress she wore. YES, little girls wore dresses then and through most of our school years. Talk about vintage, lol!

One thing I love remembering is ice skating in the neighborhood. I found a creative kick from the set by Honey Bee called Sleigh Bells Ring, which also has me singing along. It's that time of year! 

This set came out last year but it's new to me. I enjoyed adding sparkle to the sled, ribbon and skates with foil papers and silver Stickles.

My card was created so that I could play along with these challenges: 

NBUS

The Card Concept with my Clean and Layered Style

Tic Tac Toe Challenge where I chose snow, layers,  and celebration

Hope your week is off to a good start! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Card details: The Falling Snow Background (Honey Bee) was stamped on white card stock with Warm Wool ink (WPlus9 Designs) which also provided the ribbon die cut from Under the Mistletoe dies. The sentiment is from Penny Black Stamps. Coloring with Copic markers. 

The Paper Players: What a wonderful year!

 Hello and welcome to my blog today. It's Sunday and I'm here with the last challenge of the year for The Paper Players #621. It's a moment of sadness as my year as guest designer has come to an end. I am so so appreciative of the chance to create with the lovely and super talented ladies on this fabulous team.  I will continue to be inspired by you all and will play along often. Your challenges are the best out there! 

Delightfully Ann has chosen a color combo for us this week. I pulled out a die that's new to me but it's been around awhile. 

I came as close as I could with the colors, using some retired papers and vanilla card stock for the mug.  I love the bit of holly and added Crystal drops for a bit of texture. 

I hope you will enjoy checking out the DT samples as they are so creative and fun! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Time Out Challenges! What inspires YOU?

 Hello, hello! Hope things are going well for you today! I have two posts in the loop, so be sure to check further for the other one. 

I have the honor of being a Guest Designer at Time Out Challenges, and you will love what they have for you today! Make a card or project that goes with the theme of Inspiration. What inspires you?

There were so many ways I could go with this, but once I chose the stamps it was easy. I'm inspired by nature, sunsets, and acts of kindness. 

Our lot is wooded, our neighborhood is rural and out our windows we frequently see deer! Just this week we saw an 8 point buck inside our back fence, and later a herd of 10 coming alongside the house at the edge of the woods. They nibble at the maple near our front door. That is NOT cute!

Since the challenge has the optional twist of layers, I inked a sunset in layers of color instead of subtle blends. I stamped the image, then masked to create the sky using Distress Oxides in Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, and Wilted Violet. The Anita Jeram image from Colorado Craft Company (Snow Happy) was colored with Copics. 

I added just a few snowflakes by spattering white paint, and three that were die cut. This card is a mini slimline. 

I love how the bunny and deer are sharing a kind moment. 

Thank you for sharing your time with me today! 

And please be sure to check the challenge inspiration HERE and play along! There are prizes!

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!