More Cards-- part three

Here are the last of my hand-stamped cards from my friends. Enjoy!

From: Suzi Wolfe From: Mary Sue Cacciato From: Christine Harradine

Cards from Fabulous Friends part two

Merry Christmas to you!

Here are a few more hand-stamped Christmas cards from some of my marvelous friends.

From: Anne Davis

From: Angel Clements

From: Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Amazing Cards from Fabulous Friends

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Merry Christmas to all!

I thought I would share some of the amazing hand-stamped cards that I have received from some of my friends. They are all lovely. I will share some more over the next couple of days.
As you can tell Snow Swirled was a popular set this year. Enjoy!

From: Nicole Segnere

From: Teresa Wilson

From: Susan Harris

Dandelion Wishes

Here is another set that I have fallen in love with. If you know me, you know I make fun of V-day a lot.. but I think A Happy Heart is probably my favorite Valentine's Day set ever. Between the dandelion and the great heart, it's really a gorgeous set. Remember, it's only available for about another month. This set is in the Holiday Mini Catalog.
This is a very simple card. I got the idea from my friend Sheri's blog and then added the Amy touch. The dandelion is stamped in Pretty in Pink, and the stem is markered in Chocolate Chip ink and stamped on Whisper White, then layered on Pretty in Pink and then on Chocolate Chip cardstock. I added a small little pink rhinestone brad for a little bling in the middle of the dandelion. I added the greeting in Chocolate Chip as well.

The card is Pretty in Pink on a Chocolate Chip back layer. The designer paper is from the Sweet Always set. Then I added the wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon with a tiny bit of Pretty in Pink tied in. The dandelion was put on with dimensionals for a little pop. Like I said, very simple card.

Set: A Happy Heart
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, 1/16" punch, Sweet Always DSP, Wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Narrow Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon

Fall/Winter Retirement-- 10% off

It's that time of year again... time to retire some well loved stamp sets from the current Fall/Winter catalog to make room for lots of new stamps in the upcoming Spring/Summer catalog. Be sure to get your faves before they are gone. Click on the picture above for a complete list of the retiring sets. Remember, they are only available to order until January 18... and the 10% discount only applies through Dec. 23rd. And add on FREE Shipping if you place a $70 order by Dec 23rd.

The cutest box EVER

Check out this wonderful little idea. I fell in love with this over at Andrea Walford's blog. If you haven't checked it out, you should. She has a great holiday blitz going on with new projects every day.

So this box is rather complicated... I had a template for a smaller box and I just kept working it until I got it the right size to fit the test tubes. Aren't they cute! They had these test tubes at Michaels and I found the last pack right after Halloween. This box has two test tubes, one with hot chocolate and one with marshmallows. (I used to be a biology teacher in my former life so I just adore these test tubes.)

The box is Baja Blue, with Ski Slope designer paper. The bottom tag is made from Two Cool Dudes and the top tag is made from the one of the holiday rub-on sets. They are tied on with the silver cord and the wide Real Red Grosgrain ribbon.

Army of Snowpeople

Check out this cute little gift idea. It's a jumbo Hershey Bar under that cute little snowperson. I found something similar on Dawn's blog and added a few little things to make it mine. So easy that it really doesn't even need an explanation! Enjoy!

My mom decided to make some of the regular size bars for her friends this year as well as for a craft show I'm doing. So here she is (in our messy room) making 36 of these folks. She did a fabulous job. They look like a little army of snowpeople.

Ronald McDonald House Volunteer Get Together

So yesterday I hosted our 2nd annual holiday get together for the volunteers at the Chapel Hill Ronald McDonald House. We had a great time. Last year we started to get together early in December and make cards to take to the house for residents to use during the season. They were so appreciative. As you can imagine, Christmas cards is one of the last things on your mind when your child is having health issues.
This year, there were 6 of us and each of us created a card and had supplies for each person to do 2 of them. Six designs, 12 of each for 72 total! I just know they will love them. Everyone came up with such great designs-- cute but easy. Thanks to Brenda, Ellen, Nan and Rosalind for sharing your afternoon with us!

More from the I Wish Kit

Did I mention how much I love this Simply Scrappin' Kit. It's not just for scrappin'!
Last night I created about 8 more cards with this kit and I still have lots of pieces left to create with. I've been using a lot of the holiday rub-ons with this kit. Not a whole lot of stamping going on with these cards. But I love 'em.

I Wish

One of my favorite things in the catalog is the "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit. The designer paper inside is yummy and the adhesive die cuts are fabulous. Not to mention it has Whisper White TEXTURED paper. I didn't even know we sold that! Too cool.

I had some stamping time with friends last night and started to create my holiday cards using the I Wish set, some ribbon and punches, and several of the rub-on sets. If I wasn't already addicted to rub-ons, I would be now. So far I have 12 cards and sooooo much more stuff to create with. These kits really are a bargain. Above is the overall stack of cards. A couple of favorites are below. Hope you enjoy!

Holiday Extravaganza SALE

Stampin' Up! is celebrating the holidays early by giving YOU up to 50% off on some of their best selling products. They have created fourteen "bundles" of products that you can order for 20-50% off the catalog price. WOW! They must be in the spirit!

Click here to download a listing of the sale bundles... and then head over to my SU site to place your order. Clip on "Shop Now" and it will take you to the specials.

This is a great time to take advantage of this sale and stock up for yourself or those on your holiday gift list.

Sale is only good through December 1st and while supplies last, so don't be shy. Order today!

Felt Snowflakes

As you probably remember, I'm a rub-on JUNKIE! Seriously! So this month's special is right up my ally. I have more rub-ons right now than any person should have. I'm in rub-on heaven!

So, here is a simple little card, very easy to make, because it uses a rub-on instead of much stamping.

This is a little 4 1/4 x 4 1/4" square card. The card itself is Whisper White, on a layer of Baja Blue, and then a back layer of Chocolate Chip. You'd probably noticed this, but I frequently make my cards a 1/4" smaller and back them on a postcard size complementary color. I think this really makes the images on the card POP with that color in the background.

Anyway, I did stamp some snowflakes from the Snow Burst set on the White card in Versamark. If you've never stamped Versamark on white, give it a try. It's a great effect! Then I added the "My Wish List" rub-on from the Season of Cheer rub-on set in the mini catalog. Last but not least, I added one of the Baja Blue little felt snowflakes with a clear rhinestone brad in the middle (from the Pretties kit).

This card would be nice to add to gift/package.

Set: Snow Burst
Cardstock: Whisper White, Baja Blue, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Season of Cheer Rub-ons, Little Felt Snowflakes, Clear Rhinestone Brads

Another Acrylic Snow Swirled

So here is the other acrylic Snow Swirled card I promised (last week!) It's probably hard to even tell that it's acrylic but it is.

The card is whisper white, with a layer of real red, and the bottom half of the red layer is covered with Ski Slope DSP (ripped). The focal point is two layers of the Top Note Die cutout. The bottom layer is white and has snowflakes from the Merry & Bright set stamped with Dazzling Diamonds glitter added. The top layer is made with an acrylic overhead (you know from high school)-- any type of acrylic sheet will do. I stamped the tree from Snow Swirled on the acrylic layer with red stazon ink. I added a couple of clear rhinestone brads on the edges for texture and BLING, then a tag with white taffeta ribbon.

Another simple card, but with an extra special little zing!

Sets: Merry & Bright, Snow Swirled
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Basic Black, Versamark, Stazon Red
Accessories: White Taffeta Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone Brads (from Pretties kit), Dazzling Diamonds, Two Way Glue Pen, Top Note Die

Acrylic Top Note

Did you know that you can run over 50 different materials through the Big Shot? Everything from materials to leather to think metal. Well, I hadn't used anything but paper in there, so I decided to try some acetate with my Top Note die. Love what happened!

This is a really simple card. I ran a sheet of acetate (an overhead basically) and some Real Red cardstock through the Big Shot with the Top Note die and cut them both in half. I stamped the tree from the Snow Swirled set in Stazon White on the acetate and added a clear rhinestone brad (from the Pretties Kit) for some "bling."

The card itself is Chocolate Chip, with a layer of Real Red and a layer of Old Olive. The focal point (the tree) is mounted on the Old Olive layer, with a small sliver of Ski Slope Designer Paper running along the bottom. BTW, I LOVE this designer paper-- especially this design. Sorry to digress! The greeting is stamped in Chocolate Chip Ink and you know I have to add some ribbon for texture. This ribbon is the red wide grosgrain.

Tomorrow I'll have another acetate card.

Set: Snow Swirled
Ink: White Stazon, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive
Accesories: Ski Slope DSP, Rhinestone Brad, 1/16" Punch, Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Punchy Pumpkin

Isn't this just the cutest idea. I have to admit it's not mine. I'm sure you've seen it around. My good friend Sherri has a cute version on her blog.

It's made with the medium sized oval punch-- so easy- just three punches. I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink around the edges to give some dimension and layered them. The top layer is put on with dimensionals. Then added some chocolate chip wide grosgrain ribbon and some old olive grosgrain for the "stem and leaves." Too cute!

The rest of the card is a layer of pumpkin pie on a Chocolate Chip card. The designer paper is from Autumn Vine DSP collection, with a strip of Old Olive layered on top. I poked some holes in the olive and did some faux stitching with the Chocolate Chip marker. The greeting is from the Level 3 Hostess Set Rub-ons. And there you have it.

Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Accessories: Medium Oval Punch, Autumn Vine DSP, Chocolate Chip Marker, Paper Piercer, Stampin' Sponge, Wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Narrow Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Level 2 Hostess Rub-ons

Holiday Card Kits

Hard to believe that we have less than two months to Christmas. Time to get busy on those cards. I've held two classes this year and these three cards have been the favorites. The guide below lists all three as kits with everything you need to make any of them as your holiday card this year. If you have questions or need individualized help coming up with a different idea, I'm always available for one-on-one consultation also.

Jasmine

I'm a dog person. My life just feels pretty empty without a dog in it. So, as you can imagine, I've been pretty lonely since I lost my sweet Sallie girl. I knew I wouldn't last long... I have a new girl. Her name is Jasmine. It was just kind of happenstance that this worked out the way it did. My chiropractor has a client who has this dog. She's a four year old beagle and they need to get rid of her because her very young son has become allergic to her.

I met her and fell in love with her wrinkly freckled face, silky soft ears and long soft body. She is a doll. It just seemed like a perfect situation. A trained dog that has been in a good home. She's been with me for about a week and a half. Happy as can be. She hasn't missed a beat. I miss Sal like crazy but my house feels like a home again with the little furball in it. Now if I could just get her to leave my mom's cat alone!!!

Monogram Plaque

I've really enjoyed playing a bit with the Decor Elements lately. Not only did I do the Countdown to Christmas below, but I made this really beautiful plaque as well.

This is such a quick and easy project. I went to Home Depot and got a 14x14" tile. There are many single tile options available. I added the Together Forever Circle Frame with the Classic (capital) "W" in Chocolate Chip. This vinyl art is sooo easy to adhere. Directions are here. I have this elegant tile sitting on a cast iron plate stand as you enter my home.

If you haven't tried the Decor Elements yet, you should. It's definitely decorating made easy.

Mummy Cookies

I'm taking a cake decorating class. Just what I need huh? Another expensive hobby. So, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I LOVE Halloween. I have all of these great Halloween ideas for decorating cookies and cupcakes.

Here are some cute Mummy Cookies I found on the Wilton website. So easy. Basically they are just sugar cookies cut out with a gingerbread cookie cutter. Then I took white buttercream icing, thinned to medium consistency and using a #3 trip, put stringy icing all over the body-- to make it look like mummy wrappings. Then I added black icing eyes. Cute huh?

To give them as gifts, I put them in little cellophane bags and made a cute topper out of the Tasty Sweet stamp set. I stamped the "trick or treat" saying in Basic Black on Whisper White cardstock. Then added the swirly background stamp from the set in Tangerine Tango. Once the topper was in place I tied some Tangerine Tango ribbon in a knot and that is it. Cute and yummy!

Party Hearty

As you may know it's Stampin' Up!'s 20th Birthday this year. They are really living it up... celebrating in big ways... and spreading the celebration on to customers. For the month of October all of our birthday-related sets are 20% off with at $20 purchase. One of them, Party Hearty, is my favorite birthday set of all time. Here are a couple of super delightful little cards that will help you understand why I love this set so much.

Isn't this a cute little card? It's a 6x6 on textured Kiwi Kiss cardstock with a Chocolate Chip back. You might notice that I make A LOT of my cards a little smaller and add a back color. I like to do this because I think it makes colors in the card really POP.

The color scheme comes from this Hawaii Papaya Designer Series Paper that runs across the top of the card. The focal point is a strip of Whisper White with the party hats individually colored one by one in Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango with Chocolate Chip pom poms. The second Tangerine hat is popped up with a dimensional for some texture-- hard to see here. Since we don't have markers in the In-Colors-- I just use a Q-tip to gather ink and color stamps. Lastly I added the greeting in Chocolate Chip.

For this cute little 4 1/4" Tangerine Tango card with a Chocolate Chip back, I once again used the Hawaii Papaya DSP for the color scheme using a piece of the DSP on the top half with a little sliver of Chocolate Chip underneath at the top. For the Celebrate medallion, I stamped the Celebrate stamp set on Whisper White and punched it out with the Scallop Circle punch. I also punched out a chocolate chip scallop circle and layered it. I punched out a Tangerine Tango 3/4" circle and adhered that in the middle of the medallion. Then for fun I made a built a brad with the present stamp from the set, stamped in Kiwi Kiss and punched it out with the 1/2" punch and put that in the very middle of the medallion on top of the Tangerine Tango circle. The medallion is adhered with dimensionals to make it pop. For a finishing touch, I added some Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon right above the medallion. And viola, there you are.

If you haven't already, be sure to get this set 20% off by the end of this week. Just contact me or go to my website to order online.