November 30, 2012

The 12 Kits of Christmas--November


Yes, it's that time of the month again!  In case you're new to The 12 Kits of Christmas project, you can check out my original post HERE.  You can also check out all of the cards made by the group so far on Pinterest, thanks to Renee!

Photo courtesy of Kara
This month was Jeanne's turn to host, and I think we were all seriously overwhelmed by all of the goodies in our kit!  I didn't have as much time to create this month as I would have liked, so I've barely scratched the surface with this kit.  I can't wait to see what everyone else created with the beautiful die cuts and detailed stamps Jeanne included!

Before I forget, Jeanne is generously offering up a prize to one commenter this month.  You'll have to stop by her blog to get the details, but you can get a sneak peek of the prize on my first card.  :)

This was the first card I made, and it came together exactly as I had it pictured.  Love when that happens.  This gorgeous die cut ornament needed to be the star of the show, so I used a favorite layout, some subtle debossing, and a bit of bling to dress it up.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Pinefeather, Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream)
Patterned paper:  Basic Grey (Jovial:  Shopkeeper)
Stamp:  Serendipity (663D Merry)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Basic Black)
Tools:  Serendipity (ornament die), Spellbinders (tag die), Papertrey Ink (music impression plate)
Accessories:  Hug Snug (seam binding), Paper Studio (gems)

My second card is a departure from my comfort zone.  I don't often cover a card base with patterned paper, but I love this mistletoe pattern.  The poinsettias are Copic colored and fussy cut, with a touch of yellow Stickles in the center.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream), Graffix (Gold Foil Board)
Patterned paper:  Basic Grey (Jovial:  Winter Garden)
Stamps:  Serendipity (673K Large Poinsettia), Papertrey Ink (Wreath for all Seasons)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Tool:  Cheery Lynn (Holly Flourish die)
Other:  Ranger (Stickles)

Last is a very simple design with a great, detailed Santa image.  I simple cut an oval window in the patterned paper to frame the image, trimmed a sentiment strip, and added some stitching.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream)
Patterned paper:  Basic Grey (Jovial:  Merry Maker)
Stamps:  Serendipity (939E Santa, 665C Happy Holidays 2)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Basic Black), Copic markers, Papertrey Ink (Chamomile tea dye)
Tool:  Spellbinders (oval die)
Other:  thread

I have a few more ideas for this kit.  Now if I can just find the time!

Please stop by to see what the rest of the girls have made!  They always "wow" me with their creativity.


Suzanne:  The Card Yard
Kara: KandRDesigns
Sharron: OnPapillionWings
Jeanne: AKeptLife

I appreciate your visits so much!  Have a great weekend, friends!

CAS-ual Fridays #80--Gift Tags


Happy Friday, friends!  Ready to celebrate the weekend with a new CAS-ual Fridays challenge?  This week it's all about gift tags!


We have a new sponsor this week:  it's Bossy Joscie!

For my gift tag, I wanted to use CAS-ual Fridays Stamps' Countdown to make a tag to adorn a bottle of champagne.  Fun, right?

I'm limited for time this week, so I kept this super simple.  I stamped one of the borders a few times along the bottom of the tag, then added some random orange accents and filled in some of the dots with a silver pen.

The sentiments were stamped as borders along the top, and a striped bow finishes it off.

No need for a die to make this easy tag!  I just punched a 1 3/4" circle in the top, scored a line to fold it, and rounded the corners.  So simple.  :)

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Soft Stone)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (Countdown)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Basic Gray, Tangerine Tango)
Tools:  circle punch, corner rounder, scoring board
Ribbon:  Stampin' Up!

I'm off to schedule another post before I can hit my pillow!  Hope your weekend gets off to a great start!

November 28, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps--Let it Snow!


Hello!  I hope you're having a great week!  It's crazy busy around here and I haven't been near my craft table in days, but I do have a card to share with you.  :)

This festive card is being featured over at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog today, too.  I used the recently released Snowflake Greetings set.  The snowflakes were inked up in Real Red and Lucky Limeade, and I stamped off occasionally to add the lighter shades, which give it some depth.

I scored three lines under the sentiment, and I was tempted to add some bling but decided against it.  I love how this turned out, and even better that it's flat for mailing.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (Snowflake Greetings)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red, Lucky Limeade)
Tool:  Martha Stewart Crafts (Scoring Board)

Once again I'm frustrated with Blogger for making my photos look so dark.  They're nice and bright in Photobucket!  But hopefully you get the idea.  :)

Sorry to be so quiet lately, but that's just the way life is going these days.  Thank you so much for continuing to visit and comment!

November 16, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #79--Winter Blues


Hooray!  The new release from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps is finally here!  I've been having a ball with these holiday stamps, and there's more inspiration to come from all of the Girl Fridays over the next few weeks.  You won't want to miss any of it!

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is Winter Blues:  create a winter themed project using blue.  You definitely don't have to twist my arm to do that!  *smile*


The Girl Fridays are using images and sentiments from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps new release, but you are welcome to use any stamps for the challenge.

I decided to work with Snowflake Greetings, which has several sentiments that I absolutely adore.  I pulled out my Stampin' Up! inks in Midnight Muse, Not Quite Navy, and Baja Breeze and stamped the left edge of my card randomly with different snowflakes from the set.

I stamped the sentiment onto a white panel before adding some texture with an impression plate, then stitched the edge and popped it up with foam dots.  A few clear gems add a touch of sparkle.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (Snowflake Greetings)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Midnight Muse, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze)
Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate), corner rounder
Accessories:  thread, gems

I especially love those dainty little flakes, don't you?

You could win some of the new stamps for yourself just by playing along in this week's challenge, so what are you waiting for?  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Enjoy your Friday!

November 15, 2012

CASE Study #117


Hard to believe, but another Thursday is upon us.  I'm ready for the weekend, how about you?

I hope you'll find some time to play along in this week's CASE Study challenge.  Our Muse this month is Angeline Yong Jeet Leen of The Creation of Creativity, and she's sharing this little beauty with us as inspiration this week:

By Angeline
We're delighted to have a sponsor this week as well:  it's Elizabeta Kushner, whose Etsy shop has some darling digital images and sentiments.  She's offering 3 digital images to one random player this week, so be sure to link up your creation for a chance to win.

For my take on Angeline's sweet card, I wanted to keep the elements of the mother and baby birds, the red and green color combo, and the leafy frame.

I made a less structured "frame" for my sentiment by stamping leaves from Paper Smooches Reflections in the bottom corner and along two sides of my card base.  Some of the leaves are popped up for dimension.

The birds and branch are from WPlus9's Love Birds, and the sentiment comes from Waltzingmouse's Roses in Bloom.  I added some berries from the Reflections set to pull the red color through the rest of the design.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Reflections), WPlus9 Design Studio (Love Birds), Waltzingmouse (Roses in Bloom)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Chocolate Chip)
Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Love Birds dies)

As always, there's an amazing and diverse array of projects offered up by the Design Team this week, so be sure to take a peek.

Thanks for your visit, as always!  I have some fun things coming up in a couple of days, so be sure to check in again soon.  :)

November 12, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Sneak Peek--Merry Kiss-mas


Welcome back!  I took a little blog break for a few days, but I'm ready to share some wonderful things with you this week.  First up:  it's almost time for a new release from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  You are going to love the clean and graphic sets Michele has designed for the holidays and beyond, so be sure to tune in to the store blog for more peeks all week long.

Today we're giving you a look at one of the new sets called Merry Kiss-mas.  :)  There are several sweet images and greetings in this set, but I particularly like this cute little present.  I stamped it across my card front, colored one for emphasis, and topped it with a sprig of holly.

I love the mixed fonts of the sentiments in this set, too!

I originally scored a line under the presents to ground them, but it needed a little something extra so I added the red and white baker's twine.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (Merry Kiss-mas)
Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copic markers
Other:  The Twinery (Maraschino baker's twine)

There are some fabulous projects being featured on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog all week long, so stop by and leave some love for Michele and the rest of the designers.  You could win one of the new sets each day just by leaving a comment on the store blog!

Thanks for stopping by to share in the fun today.  Have a great start to your week!


November 9, 2012

CFC#78--So Torn


Happy Friday!  Are you ready to celebrate the weekend with a new CAS-ual Fridays challenge?  This week's theme is So Torn:  tear something on your clean and simple project.  Fun!


We're being sponsored this week by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, and if you look closely at the Girl Fridays cards this week, you might get a peek at some yet-to-be released sets.  *wink*


When I was brainstorming ideas for my card, I thought of the fliers you often see posted with little tabs at the bottom to tear off, usually printed with a phone number or website.  I thought it would be fun to put a New Year's countdown on the tabs.

You'll have to wait a few days to see more sneaks of the main set I used on this card, but the large dotted circles are from Big Thanks and the little dotted circle is from Woot Woot.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Black, White)
Patterned paper:  Echo Park (Dots & Stripes)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Accessories:  Michaels (rhinestones)

I hadn't used torn paper on a card for a long time, so it was nice to break out of my comfort zone and get a little creative with this challenge.  I hope you'll join in!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope your weekend gets off to a great start.

November 2, 2012

CAS-ual Fridays #77--Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

Please scroll down to see my 12 Kits of Christmas post!


Hello again!  Are you ready for a new CAS-ual Fridays challenge?  This week it's all about the guys in our lives:


All you have to do is create a clean and simple masculine project.  You could be our next Guest Designer!

As soon as I laid my eyes on the new CAS-ual Fridays Stamps set WTF, I knew I'd be making a card for my brother with it.  When he announced that he'd gotten a new job, it was the perfect opportunity to ink up this clever sentiment.

The stripes were heat embossed in white to match the crisp pinked border.  A simple design that packs a punch!

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Orange Zest, White)
Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (WTF)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), Versamark
Tools:  Fiskars (pinking shears)

I'm always looking for inspiration for masculine designs, so this week's challenge gallery will be a great resource.  I hope you'll play along with us!

Have a great start to your weekend!

The 12 Kits of Christmas--October


Due to the East Coast storm on Monday, the October 12 Kits of Christmas post was delayed, but it's finally here!

Our hostess this month is Jessica, and she sent us a kit stuffed with images and sentiments from Paper Smooches and papers from My Mind's Eye.

Photo by Amy

This kit was an absolute delight to work with, as I have many PS stamp sets but none of the holiday sets (yet!).  I made three cards and three tags this month, but as always I've saved some supplies for CASEing the rest of the gals.  :)

First up is an adorable image from Santa Paws.  Jessica included a Polaroid die cut in the kit, and I just knew I had to put Santa inside it.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Santa Paws, Joyful Greetings)
Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Fabulous Frames die), Stampin' Up! (label punch)
Other:  The Twinery (baker's twine)

I just love the Swanky Snowdudes, and this guy was begging to be placed in a window.  I added the snowfall behind him using an aqua Copic marker and a silver gel pen.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Old Olive), Papertrey Ink (White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Swanky Snowdudes)
Tools:  Poppystamps (Small Madison Window die), Papertrey Ink (double ended banner die)
Other:  Copic (markers), Sakura (gel pen)


Next up is a CASE of a couple of Amy's cards.  I love how she uses patterned paper to make large banners, and it was a great way to showcase a few of these from the kit.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Swanky Snowdudes)
Tools:  Spellbinders (snowflake dies), Papertrey Ink (double ended banner die)
Other:  thread


I hadn't made many tags yet this year, and I thought some of these images would be perfect for them.  We always give a Christmas gift to my brother's dogs, so I know just what I'll do with this one.  :)

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Santa Paws)
Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 5, Tag Sale #5 dies)
Other:  ribbon


And two more with those Swanky Snowdudes, which just make me smile.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Old Olive), Papertrey Ink (White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Swanky Snowdudes, Christmas Sampler)
Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Tag Sale #5 die), Stampin' Up! (label punch)
Other:  Copic (markers), ribbon, twine


Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, White)
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Merry)
Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Swanky Snowdudes, Joyful Greetings)
Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Tag Sale #5 die), Stampin' Up! (label punch)
Other:  Copic (markers), ribbon, twine, button


Hop along to see what the rest of the 12 Kits ladies made with this fantastic kit!


Suzanne:  The Card Yard
Kara: KandRDesigns
Sharron: OnPapillionWings
Jeanne: AKeptLife

Thanks so much to Jessica for all of this month's goodies!  And many thanks to you, my friends, for stopping by!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...