Be Jolly

Hi everyone.  I'm sharing my last card and post for the year.  I used a sweet digital image from Digi Stamp Boutique.  I thought these stockings were so cute and it was fun to color them with Copics.  I added crystal effects on the ornament to make it shine ... and glitter on the cuff of the stocking for some bling.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

Christmas is almost here ... and like most of you, I've been busy getting ready.  The shopping is done, the decorations are up and the presents are wrapped :)  This means I haven't had much time in the studio and have missed playing with my cards and visiting blogs to see other's wonderful creations.  I plan to be back in full swing in the new year.

I wanted to wish all of you a peaceful and joyous Christmas.  Thank you to all who support me all year by visiting my blog and leaving comments - it really means a lot!

Before I go, I wanted to share some wonderful news.  On December 18th, Nikki and Evan (DDIL, DS) had their first child.  Cooper Gordon surprised us by being three weeks early!  He is so beautiful and it was love at first sight for the whole family :)

Here's a picture of Cooper at four days old.  He just waiting for Santa to arrive! :)

Jingle those Bells!

Hi everyone.  Today is the newest challenge from Merry Monday (#88).  I think you're going to have a lot of fun with this challenge ...

I used a sweet digital image from Bugaboo, paper piecing him and adding a couple of jingle bells around this neck.  I just LOVE the expression on his face!  I had a lot of fun making this card and was smiling the whole time :)

Stamps:  Plush Reindeer (Bugaboo); Signature Christmas Sentiments Too (Pink Petticoat)
Paper:  White, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso (SU!)
Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso, Basic Black (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  sponges, Maraschino Twine (The Twinery), Jingle bells ($1 Store), glue, adhesives, and dimensionals

I hope you'll join us for this fun challenge.  Pop by Lesley's blog (Always Playing with Paper) to see the amazing cards from the rest of the Design Team.


I'm entering this card into the SCS CAS challenge (CAS251 - bling it up).  The reindeer is all blinged up with his jingle bells and ready for a Christmas party! :)

Merry Christmas Special Friends!

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing two special cards that I made for two special friends that I met through Splitcoaststampers.  The first card is for Nancy ... we met while both on the CAS Design Team Winter 2011 and have been on-line friends every since.  We chat on-line most days ... sometimes several times a day! :)  We have A LOT in common - we are kindred spirits!  One of the biggest things we share is the love of making cards ... and we have a similar style - both CAS girls at heart.  I made this special card for Nancy and mailed it several days ago.  I waited to post until she received it, which she now has.  I wish you could see this in real life.  The wreath is made from lots and lots of glittery green pine sprigs, all layered together and then placed over the gold foil background - so shimmery and glittery.  The sentiment is heat embossed in gold to match the paper.

Here's a close-up, followed by an angled shot so that you can see all the dimension of the wreath:

Stamps:  Christmas greetings (SU!)
Paper:  White, Green Glitter (Michael's); Gold Foil (SU!)
Ink:  Gold
Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Wreath Strip die (Cheery Lynn), Circle nesties (Spellbinders), 1 1/4" square punch, gold cording, gold embossing powder, glue, adhesives, and dimensionals

I do love this wreath strip die as it cuts out seven sprigs at a time ... a lot easier than punching (or die-cutting) each one separately.  In fact, I love this die so much, that I included it as part of Nancy and Debbie's Christmas gifts (see Debbie's card below).

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Here's the card I made for my special friend, Debbie.  We also met on Splitcoaststampers and have become good friends, chatting most days (and as the same with Nancy, sometimes several times a day).  I love Debbie's outlook on life.  She has the most amazing sense of humor and keeps me laughing.  We also share a passion for card making and have a similar style.  Debbie loves red ... so I wanted to make a beautiful poinsettia card for her.  This one has sponging around the outside of each petal to add depth, then it was shaped with my stylus and the layers were glued together.  I added a gold foil center to match the background paper, which was embossed for added interest.  The same sentiment as the first card, also heat embossed in gold.

Here's a close-up, followed by an angled shot so that you can see all the dimension of the poinsettia:

Stamps:  Christmas greetings (SU!)
Paper:  White; Real Red, Gold Foil (SU!)
Ink:  Real Red (SU!); Gold
Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Blooming Poinsettia die (Poppy Stamps), Square nestie (Spellbinders), Musical Flourish embossing folder (Cuttlebug), gold embossing powder, stylus and mat, glue, adhesives, and dimensionals

A very Merry Christmas to my two special friends and their families - love you both!

I'm entering these two cards in the following challenges:

CAS on Sunday (#23 - Christmas)
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge (#154 - make a card for someone special)
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - December
Snippets Playground (Week #102)
ATS&M - #75 - photo inspiration

Warm and Cozy Wishes

Hi everyone.  Time for the latest Merry Monday challenge (#87).  Hope you've had some fun playing along with our challenges this year.  Just a few more weeks to go and then we'll be celebrating Christmas! :)

Today's challenge is a theme ... check it out ...

I don't have any mitten stamps, so I googled digi images and found the one above.  It's a freebie on the Newton Nook Designs site.  I love the fun and whimsical patched mittens and sweet sentiment.  Paper pieced the mittens, adding some sponging around the outside edges to create depth.  Super CAS card that makes me smile ... and hopefully brings a smile to the person receiving as well. :)

Here's a close-up:

Stamps:  Mittens (Newton Nook Designs)
Paper:  White; Seasons of Style DP, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler (SU!)
Ink:  Black, Crumb Cake (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  sponge, glue, adhesives and dimensionals

I hope you'll join us for this fun challenge.  Pop by Lesley's blog (Always Playing with Paper) to see the amazing cards from the rest of the Design Team.